Ch.75Monster (1)

In all my life, I never imagined I’d hear someone say, “You’re a field boss about to get raided.”

Of course, as a fragile modern person, I wouldn’t normally encounter such words, but anyway.

I was deeply shocked by what Ortemilia the alchemist had told me.

The most shocking part was that I couldn’t even refute her words.

Even in Grim Darker, the Homunculus Mourner was a monster with its own difficulty level.

A monster that let beginners reach the ending whether they built all their companions as supports or traveled alone without any companions.

That’s why it was recommended for beginners. You could progress through the story however you wanted and still see the ending.

The combination of Mourner and Homunculus was both overpowered and incredibly intuitive, mainly because stat inflation has always been cheating.

It was only natural—giving stat boosts to an already high-stat Homunculus, plus bonuses based on the three physical attributes.

And when a veteran player like me, ranked 7th in the world speedrun rankings, takes on this beginner-recommended job…

An unprecedented reverse raid event was happening in the game.

Whether they became the final boss or just enemies, they couldn’t find a way to defeat me one-on-one, but they couldn’t give up after causing so much trouble.

So they were assembling an army, a subjugation force to raid me.

That’s when I realized with fresh clarity.

If Ortemilia hadn’t warned me, I would have been truly fucked.

If it were just me getting screwed, that would be one thing, but my innate character and charm had attracted many people around me.

And several of them would be completely screwed if I died.

For example, Lorian, who follows me as if I were his father’s reincarnation.

Isla, who sees me as a potential husband.

Ortemilia, who rejoices at having grabbed what she thought was a rotten rope but turned out to be a sturdy climbing rope.

Melody and her sister who are being chased by the Empire, the Mourner guy who follows me because I promised to kill him someday, and the former imperial officials who followed her sister.

No, fuck. That’s everyone.

The burden on my shoulders was heavier than I thought. I could no longer think, “I’ll just fight and die, and that’s that.”

I don’t even know if I can return after death, and even if I could, my sister wouldn’t be there.

Right, my sister.

My only family. I don’t know if she considers me family, but it’s enough that I consider her family.

I’ve received so much from her, so now it’s my turn to repay.

I sat there, filling myself with such thoughts.

It was a snowy forest.

The scenery reminded me of where I first fell, and geographically, it wasn’t far from there.

I wondered if it snowed here all year round. Even as I thought this, I didn’t mind.

There’s no better place to hide traps than a forest with heavy snowfall.

Even if I wasn’t the one setting them.

Might as well take advantage of it.

I didn’t light a fire. There’s a significant difference between advertising “I’m here” and leaving traces of my presence.

At least that’s what Isla said.

I wasn’t stupid enough to argue with a professional hunter, so I quietly pondered.

How did it come to this?

The reason was obvious. I was too good.

Grim Darker, true to the “dark” in its name, was a dark fantasy where death was quite common.

Nine out of ten quests had bad endings, and hardly anything ended quietly.

A village maiden kidnapped?

Go to the cave and you’ll find her head rolling around, scalped.

Looking for a missing brother?

Now he’s a twisted monster who ate something wrong in some dungeon, kills his younger sibling, and then gets stabbed by the player.

A noble asks you to explore some region?

Just when you think it will end peacefully, something goes wrong, and either the noble gets screwed, the player gets screwed, or everyone gets screwed.

That’s the kind of world it was.

It was miraculous that my sister cleared the main quest from the first perspective and became a Homunculus.

In short, it was a fucked-up world where ordinary humans simply couldn’t survive.

And I was born a monster in such a world.

I became a monster by choosing the wrong race, but it was fortunate that I didn’t just die.

I naturally overcame all the crises that should have followed, and only after being safely imprisoned for a year did I fall into the New Continent.

A place full of villains and unknowns. A continent waiting for me to explore.

At the same time, a place overflowing with danger. There, I felt like I was paying the price I deserved.

This was just one example. A threat I rightfully had to face going forward.

Because of my potential to become unreasonably strong and the process involved, I would have to face armies that consider me a monster in the future.

Today was the first step.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I didn’t sleep.”

“I’ll help you.”

“What do I know to help? I’d be lucky not to get in the way.”

Someone appeared through the falling snow.

Snow-white hair, snow-white clothes, and a plump tail that excellently maintained her center of gravity.

It was Isla, the best and only hunter I knew.

She approached, swishing her tail. She left no footprints with each step.

“Just having you beside me helps.”

“…How could that be? I’m not Melody.”

“Emotional support.”

“Ah.”

See? How could I think “I’ll just fight and die, and that’s that” in this situation?

People naturally soften toward those who care for and like them, and I was especially like that.

Though my body might be monstrous, my soul and mind were human, so I sat Isla down beside me and blankly looked up.

The snow continued to fall with no sign of stopping.

[Name: Luwellin]

[Race: Homunculus]

[Job: Warrior – Mourner 8]

[Reputation: Public Enemy]

[Strength: 22(+6)][Dexterity: 20(+5)][Health: 22(+6)]

[Magic Power: □][Inspiration: □][Charm: □]

[Play Time: 9,470 hours]

About four days had passed since I heard the news that an army was being assembled to subjugate me.

I had enough time to think and prepare.

The important question was:

‘How and what should I prepare?’

Among many issues to discuss, there was first some unfinished business.

The nameless underground city was left alone for now.

Main quests typically come with dangers and threats.

The moment you pick up the blue mineral, a mineral guardian, a mineral seeker, an evil spirit…

Whatever it might be, something could appear. So to reduce variables, I postponed the underground city.

I also left the gangsters and mixed-blood vampires alone.

I wanted to delegate to Lorian, but that would have to come later.

“What are you doing?”

I couldn’t face the subjugation force alone.

I looked at Lorian, who appeared through the falling snow.

He looked healthy. Perhaps from drinking so much of my blood.

“Watching the snow.”

“Is there anything to see? I’m getting tired of it.”

“How are the traps coming along?”

“They seem to be going well. Though I’m a layman, so I’m not sure.”

I wasn’t the only one in this forest.

Besides me, there was Isla leaning her head on my shoulder, and Lorian and the Mourner guy.

That was the entire lineup.

I left my sister and Melody at the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods.

My sister was renowned as a Guardian, and the Golden Oriole was infamous enough for the Three Clans to plot assassinations.

If those two were here, would those coming to subjugate me really try to face everyone with just the forces they brought?

I didn’t think so. The encounter difficulty would only increase, not decrease.

And in that increased difficulty, could I protect not only myself but everyone else?

I was skeptical. If we died, it would certainly be for nothing, but I thought it was better than having the difficulty increase so much that we couldn’t do anything.

At least for me.

In truth, this was my first time being reverse-raided, so I wasn’t sure what the best approach was.

Believing this was the best I could do was all I had. I blankly watched my white breath spread like a sigh.

“Is everything ready?”

Shouldn’t I be asking that? Looking at Lorian, he had a rather serious expression.

“I don’t know which clan will come, but… it doesn’t look good. I have a bad feeling.”

“When has it ever been good?”

“Come to think of it, it’s been like this since Edilum. If even an elder of the bloodline like Lord Hertol can be controlled…”

This guy, bringing up a topic I deliberately avoided because it gave me a headache.

I looked at him with annoyance, but Lorian didn’t notice.

“Even if I tell them you’re the reincarnation of my father, they probably won’t listen, Luwellin. Even if they’re from the bloodline… we’ll have to fight them all.”

“My ears are getting calluses.”

He had already brought this up several times. Lorian anxiously bit his lip.

“That’s how serious it is. Just preparing isn’t enough to feel safe.”

Of course, I understood. Still, I couldn’t suppress my rising defiance.

I sighed, and Lorian watched my reaction. Right, it’s not your fault.

Still, I felt like crap.

Fighting in the city would lead to unnecessary casualties.

With this mysterious “control” factor, I wanted to avoid creating more enemies.

So I came to the forest.

That was four days ago. Not knowing when they would arrive, I spent the time preparing traps, maintaining them, and making plans while on edge.

My nerves were frayed. Maintaining tension for so long was exhausting in itself.

“Here.”

So while trying not to get irritable, the only thing soothing me was a fluffy, soft, and warm tail.

I briefly buried my face in the tail presented before me.

It was fluffy. The core was warm, and it emitted a pleasant scent that calmed my mind and body just by pressing my face against it.

Similar to keeping a pet but entirely different. A thick, intense goodwill directed at me.

Even aware of being enchanted, she didn’t find it unpleasant or avoid it.

Rather, I could feel her sinking deeper into the enchantment. I felt a bit awkward, not feeling worthy of such love.

Still, I appreciated the honest and transparent goodwill.

Not many people besides my sister had shown me such kindness.

That goodwill, the pleasant scent, and her bold declaration that she would die with me gave me a sense of security.

As I pulled my face away from the tail, I saw Lorian. A fidgeting blood knight.

Following the tail therapy, seeing his face helped calm my tense mind further.

Well, seeing something pretty is never a bad thing.

I created a breath cloud with a long sigh.

It rose hazily and then disappeared.

With my mind now calm as a clear lake, I spoke.

“You know the plan?”

“Hmm, of course. The problem is…”

“It’s okay. Plans are all about preparation, and they don’t have to work out. Most plans don’t go as expected anyway; it’s about improvisation.”

Who said that? Anyway, it was something some impressive person said.

Regardless, it was true.

Even if a plan seems perfect, it rarely unfolds exactly as planned.

As I said, what’s truly important is improvisation.

A well-prepared plan, well-divided guidelines and supplies, preparations that turn improvisation into a viable strategy.

I resolutely stood up.

Just then, a figure approached from the other side of the forest.

A middle-aged man limping on one leg, carrying wooden stakes on his back that he had acquired from somewhere.

The nameless Mourner guy. He spoke with a serious expression.

“They’re here. A lot of them.”

Well, when has it ever been different?

I stretched and put on my helmet.

It was time to welcome our guests.