Ch.448The Selected NPC. (4)

-Thud.

“Hmm, why did he collapse? Could it be that he’s broken from the shock?”

Adiha, the golden-eyed dragon who had said he had no intention of killing Jack, tilts his head in thought as he watches Jack fall backward onto his behind after the memory replay ended.

Though this being called Ira had frantically rewound the world for this man’s life, even if his mind is broken, he’s not immediately dead. Moreover, the reason he didn’t counterattack when Jack attacked him was because he knew humans were fragile creatures who could easily die or have their lifespan shortened if they lost just one limb. In other words, even if Jack’s mind has collapsed, his body is intact, so Adiha thinks it’s actually better for him if Jack remains collapsed like this.

And if he proceeds with his prepared plans until the matters above are somewhat resolved, afterward he can return this twisted one to that being. Then this mentally deranged distortion in this world will end. Having thought quickly, Adiha recalls what had been bothering him all along and unconsciously mutters to himself, momentarily forgetting about the collapsed Jack before him.

“By the way. One million times, huh. That’s absurd. Even I, a being of different caliber, was convinced that I had only rewound about 100 times at most. What on earth did that being do?”

I didn’t know because I was across the continent—that excuse doesn’t work with such a high number. Moreover, at the end, that being was clearly “conversing” with something even I couldn’t see. Perhaps the entity it was looking at was something like a creator of this world, something that even dragons who live tens of thousands of years have never seen before. The thought sent a slight chill down his spine, but regardless, he just needed to do what he had to do.

Thinking that he should first take measures to ensure that this mentally broken man’s life doesn’t fade away, Adiha approached Jack—

“No way, this is insane. Wait, is this for real? A setting? Ira and I, no. Dad, Ira, and I being family is a setting? Ira remembered everything from back then and wanted me to take care of her as my little sister? Ah, this is cute but makes no sense. Shit. A love that survived a million time loops is true love, right? Is this okay? Is it really okay to have this kind of relationship in another world? Ah, I’m dizzy. Then, does Ira not have memories of her past life? How do I help her remember? Ah, what excuse do I give the kids… No. More importantly, my conscience says incest is wrong? And Ira is only fourteen? Isn’t that against youth protection laws? Wait, do those laws even exist here? Besides, I’m a siscon, not a lolicon? Wow, that’s a really high hurdle. Ira, brother thinks this isn’t right. Maybe we should go with the childhood friend setting instead…”

“He’s broken in a strange way.”

“Strange my ass! What do you know? Do you understand what it means to a being called ‘big brother’ when he thought he’d have to give away his precious little sister to another man someday, but suddenly there’s a possibility that might not be the case?!”

“…How would I know what humans think? Besides, weren’t you not believing what I said from the beginning?”

“Ah, right! You were the enemy!”

Jack, whom Adiha thought had mentally broken down and was muttering to himself, suddenly jumped to his feet and began glaring at the dragon again. Seeing this, the golden-eyed dragon Adiha realized that this man was still directing hostility toward him.

“Why? You must have seen it. You have no blood relatives in this world.”

“You crazy bastard, is blood all that makes family? Even if I believe the illusion you showed me, it’s been over a million times. Don’t you know the saying ‘blood is thicker than water’? The amount of blood Ira has shed for me could fill a lake. Are you saying she’s not my family?”

“By that logic, the blood you shed when she forcibly repeated and you inevitably died…”

“That’s because I was a pathetic, worthless bastard!!”

Jack once again kicks off the ground and charges at him.

Adiha has already noticed all my hostility, and whether that illusion was real or fake, I have no intention of letting my anger toward this guy subside. Moreover—

-Crack!!

“Kuhak?!!”

“You really made a big mistake, you worm.”

Now I understand. The reason I have no magic power, the reason I’m strong, and the reason I’m “only this strong” for now. This guy was seeing the same thing I was, but there was something he couldn’t see, which I noticed from his muttering earlier.

Just like before, my knee sinks into the abdomen of the guy who had his eyes closed, but unlike before, he opens his eyes wide in surprise and coughs up blood. Seeing this, I become certain and immediately grab his collar as he rises, then start delivering rapid punches to his philtrum with one hand. After taking the first two hits directly, he reflexively tries to raise his arms to block my fists, but I immediately release his collar and deliver a powerful blow to his suspended abdomen, making him cough up blood once more.

Hey, you’re screwed now, lizard.

“Argh…?! Wh-what on earth?!”

“Does it hurt? Starting to feel pain now? Yeah, asshole. I was wondering what confidence you had to say I couldn’t kill you or how you calculated that you would definitely beat me. Honestly, before seeing that vision, I had no idea? But there, you gave me the answer. But you didn’t see it, did you?”

“What are you talking about?! There was nothing about the difference between dragons and humans in your memories?!!”

A light punch breaks his jaw, and unlike before, his body flies lightly through the air. Indeed, it’s true that I’ve never lost by trusting Ira in my life. Of course, I’ll have to verify later whether the hallucination he showed me was real or not, but that’s not what’s important right now. The urgent priority is to kill this bastard quickly and return to my companions.

-Thud!!

“Kuhak. H-how on earth…?”

“You’re wondering how I’m hitting your ‘real body’? How I, without magic power or magic, am directly attacking through your ‘avatar’? Is that what you’re so curious about?”

“!!!”

Seeing his expression finally contort seriously even as he bleeds and speaks calmly, I can’t help but let out a sinister laugh.

Ha, it’s really absurd. The boy-like form of the transformed dragon that I thought was his main body until now was actually just an avatar, and it was merely “heavy” rather than properly “breaking” under my attacks, instantly “repairing” itself—something that I, without magic power, couldn’t notice at all.

But he made two big mistakes simultaneously. One was keeping that avatar near me while showing me the hallucination. And showing me the complete image of ‘Ira fighting’ in the hallucination. Of course, I didn’t know whether to believe it all since he showed it to me, but it seems that it was indeed a memory engraved in my soul. Damn, is that real? It’s really confusing.

“How. There was nothing like fighting with dragons, fighting with me, in that being’s battle scenes…”

“Don’t call her ‘that.’ She’s my little sister, and you’ve heard her name more than a million times. And if I explain to you how I’m beating you, will you send me back to the surface?”

“…That’s absolutely impossible. Until now, you were just a variable in all the distortions. But now, you’re not just a variable but a threat. I wanted to leave your limbs intact, but if it’s come to this, I can’t just let you have your way.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s good. I originally had business with your main body, not your avatar. I’ll smash you here and then have a deep physical conversation with your main body too.”

Suppressing my immediate desire to return to my companions, I raise my fists against the golden-eyed dragon—a mountain high dragon that never appeared in the game—who is finally directing hostility toward me. Now that I’ve roughly figured out what this bastard is trying to do, I’m confident that our kids won’t die according to his plans.

“Gore. I believe in you.”

There’s no answer, and only the boy-like dragon tilts his head at my words, but I’m certain she was watching the memories with me. Yes, after all, I can’t even see the [Status Window] freely without her.

“You’ll regret this. You’ll realize that you’ve kicked away the mercy of a being of a different caliber.”

After briefly pondering what my words meant, he finally seems ready to fight me, stomping on the ground hard enough to crack it and launching himself toward me.

-Kwaaang!!!

“Huh?!!”

And his outstretched palm stops in mid-air as it collides with my fist before reaching me. He widens his eyes in incomprehension, but I simply flick his arm away with a light swing, kick up his abdomen, and then immediately slam down on his back, burying him in the ground. If he were an ordinary human, this would have broken his spine and killed him, but he’s still a mountain high dragon—or at least his avatar—so this much won’t kill him.

‘Let’s think of this as training before meeting the main body.’

Relieved that we’re not in a world where he can read my thoughts, I aimed my fist, now filled with ‘MP,’ at him buried in the ground.

.

.

.

.

[-Occupation: Ira’s Brother- Jack recovers a fragment of memory and awakens.]

[The inherited divine power is converted to MP.]

[Level increased by 1 upon awakening.]

[Unused MP is partially released upon awakening.]

[Legacy skill is unlocked.]

[-Occupation: Ira’s Brother- Level: 913 Name: Jack. Age: 23.]

[Strength: 2068+100]

[Agility: 2612+100]

[Luck: 200MAX+100]

[HP: 236,000]

[new! Skill: Strength Mage (Legacy Skill)]

[Skills: Brother. Retired Mountain Keeper. Overprotective. Human Radar. Slime Golem Tamer. Demon-Handling Thug. Strength Mage.]

[Strength Mage (Legacy Skill) Effect: Use 1 MP to add additional damage to attacks. (Regression: Becomes stronger in proportion to the hierarchy Ira has built up.)]

[Intelligence: 8]

[MP: 99]

[Please leave Ira and the others to me.]

Though they couldn’t see each other, the “two people” chose to believe.