Ch.90Chapter 90. Surname Lee, First Name Rin, and the Pack Mule of the Hero’s Party

[When I realized it, the open beta had already ended.]

Early access, I guess.

In the midst of a dull pain, Lin made a pointless retort.

[Even with just that, thousands of regressions occurred, and I belatedly created a build patch and embedded it in my sister’s official file. But my power was too weak, and after just one download, just one, the patch disappeared.]

Ah, so that one download…

[That’s you, Lin. My goodness, and to think you were a human with Gerero’s soul—isn’t this fate?]

The ashen girl’s eyes glowed even more dimly.

[I really wanted you, Gerero. A man too precious to give to those shallow women around you. So I broke you. I waited for you to become mine in your impure emotions, but you didn’t fall. Do you know how sad I was then?]

“I’m not Gerero! I’m Lin!”

As Lin struggled, Angria stretched her gaping mouth up to her ears.

Sharp, shark-like teeth densely filled her mouth.

[Of course, Gerero belongs to my sister. But this Lin… will be mine.]

“Ravin!”

Hearing Lin’s scream, Ravin immediately flew over and cut off the tentacle piercing his shoulder.

Pulling the tentacle from his shoulder, Lin immediately used a recovery skill.

[Advanced: First Aid (Lv.9)]

The bleeding stopped, and bandages appeared in mid-air, wrapping around his shoulder and beginning partial recovery.

“I won’t forgive anyone who hurts Lin!”

[I agree! That’s why I recruited you as a demon knight, right?]

When Angria cheerfully retorted, Lin looked at Ravin, surprised by this unknown fact.

Seeing Lin’s shocked expression, Ravin bit his lip.

“I didn’t know it would turn out like this…”

Lin gave a bitter smile.

“Neither did I.”

He had been stupid.

He believed that by following the game knowledge of the reincarnator Lee, he could clear the ending smoothly or at least narrowly, even if it was difficult.

He thought that since this was reality, the details might be a bit different, but nothing major.

He figured that since there was a predetermined route, he just needed to complete preparations in some form before the critical moment and then proceed to the next phase.

In fact, things had worked out somehow up until Tigria.

That made him even more complacent.

Despite recognizing the discrepancies between the scenarios the goddess had seen and the reincarnator Lee’s memories, he focused only on “why?” and didn’t prepare for the resulting variables at all.

He should have told Arsil everything in advance, even if it was difficult.

He should have made plans to restrain Arsil, who would obviously go berserk upon learning the truth.

Lin thought that if he told Arsil about the destruction of Sewage Alley, he would become furious and fight alongside him.

But his expectation was wrong.

Arsil lost his mind from the shock.

And the Saint, who had seen his face when his mask came off, was dazedly following Lin with her eyes.

It wasn’t just Arsil.

Agreus acting earlier than in the game, the goddess awakening him directly, being separated from Lucy’s group while descending to the basement—all of these differed from the reincarnator Lee’s memories.

“Damn it.”

Isn’t this too harsh for a mere porter?

It all started because he just wanted to become someone important and appear proudly before the Crown Princess to make her regret, but now the fate of the world and those around him was weighing on his shoulders.

Lin was just a human, yet the tragedy of this world was forcing him to move like a machine.

Crack-crack-crack

More chains broke apart as they decayed.

His heart was gradually filling with something pitch-black, with emotions he had been suppressing all this time.

It was anger and loneliness.

[Yes! Accept it. Those emotions my sister forcibly sealed! If you fully accept all of it, you will… ugh?!]

The flesh mass’s tentacles hesitated.

[Tiana’s damn magic…! How corrupted has it become? Is it rejecting me? No, it’s actually clinging to me.]

The tentacle that had pierced Lin’s shoulder had absorbed some of the Demon King’s magic to compensate for the power weakened by the unstable possession.

But that magic wasn’t being absorbed and was instead rampaging inside the demon god.

[Unfortunately, I need to… take a break? You’re lucky, Agreus. I’ll give you a chance. Go ahead and rampage all you want.]

With those words, the flesh mass ceased activity.

The tentacles retracted, and Agreus, half-melted at the top of the flesh mass, slowly protruded like a horn in the same fleshy form.

“Kuheooooooogh!”

The Pope, looking like he had been partially digested, opened his mouth like a zombie and reached out toward Arsil.

“Ho… Holy power…!”

His once-beautiful cheek fell off with the skin.

With exposed muscles and teeth, he was nothing but an undead.

“This is a dream… Lee couldn’t be here…”

“Arsil! It’s not a dream! I’m right here!”

“No… Lee must be doing well in the alley…”

“Please snap out of it!!”

No matter how much he urged, Arsil just shook his head.

“Lin, watch out!”

At Ravin’s warning, Lin looked to the side to see Agreus’s tentacle slowly flying toward him.

Lin entrusted Arsil to Ravin and activated Cosmos.

[Advanced: Fireball Explosion (Lv.7)]

Kwaaaang-!!

A massive fireball burned the tentacle and flew to explode on the main body.

He had used the skill thinking fire would work against undead, but the main body, layered with flesh, quickly filled the crater-like hole.

“Uwuwuwup-!”

The mouth attached to the bottom of Agreus’s body held something and then spewed yellow liquid toward Lin.

Sizzle-sizzle

“Eek?!”

He dodged easily, but the liquid made an ominous sound when it touched the stone floor.

“It’s poison! Be careful, it can spread through the air! And we can’t cause explosions underground!”

At Ravin’s warning, Lin hurriedly took out a wet cloth and covered his mouth.

In the game, he just had to avoid the liquid, but he hadn’t thought it could spread through the air.

Ravin also put a mask on Arsil and covered his own face with his bare arm.

Strangely, after spitting out the poison, the flesh mass seemed slightly smaller.

Sure enough, the yellow poison flowed back along the floor to the main body, and when it was all absorbed, the mass returned to its original size.

Simultaneously, multiple tentacles were swung.

Ultimate Skill

[Indomitable: Stand Your Ground]

Standing in front of Ravin and Arsil, Lin deployed the best defensive skill he knew.

The tentacles flying straight from the front were all blocked by the barrier Lin had deployed.

Crack

“Kuk!”

The force was brutally strong, causing the barrier to crack.

Even in the game, the stats and raw damage of the flesh mass fused with Agreus were absurdly high.

“Ravin, we need to divert its attention!”

“Got it!”

Ravin left his position and threw daggers from various places, but Agreus stubbornly kept his eyes on Arsil behind Lin.

Lin was struggling to hold back the tentacles with his ultimate skill.

As Agreus seemed to be getting used to the flesh mass, the speed and power of the tentacles were becoming more fierce.

Strategy? Of course there was one.

It was even simple.

If Arsil or Lucy neutralized the poison with holy purification while Lin and Ravin blocked the tentacles, and Naidrian and Tigria poured firepower, it would be over.

But the hero and the rear guard were held by the demon knight, and Arsil, the only holy power user, had lost his mind.

Once again, Lin felt inadequate for not preparing for variables.

“Uwuwuwup-!”

Judging that simple attacks weren’t working, the Pope spewed poison again.

He sprayed so much that the main body was gradually shrinking.

The pressure alone was so powerful that Lin’s barrier began to be pushed back.

Slowly retreating to stand in front of Arsil, Lin gritted his teeth and endured.

The muscles of his sturdy body all swelled up, showing how much he was giving his all.

“Lin, behind you! Watch out!”

Unfortunately, Stand Your Ground was a skill that could only defend from the front.

Noticing this, Agreus used the poison to hold the front and extended a tentacle to attack Lin and Arsil from behind.

Poison in front, tentacles behind.

It wasn’t Stand Your Ground but a dilemma.

Clang!

Ravin flew to the rear and tried to block the tentacle with his dagger, but—

“Aagh!”

It wasn’t enough.

The dagger shattered, and Ravin, struck by the tentacle, had his upper body bones broken and fell beside them.

“Ravin!”

“Kuk… ugh… ah…!”

Crack-crack-crack

Lin cried out seeing the bleeding thief.

The Stand Your Ground barrier was also cracked to the point where it could no longer hold.

Paaaang-!

Finally, the barrier broke under the poison.

Seeing the poison flying toward his face, Lin had a thousand thoughts.

Am I going to die like this?

Will both the demon god and goddess let me die?

Are they planning to kill me first and then revive me to use me again?

I don’t care about that, but what about Ravin and Arsil after I die?

Will they die too?

Lin quickly turned around and embraced Arsil and Ravin.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

I should have done things right before it came to this.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

At his remorseful whisper of apology—

“…Lee?”

Light returned to Arsil’s eyes.

Yellow poison about to hit Lee’s back, Ravin collapsed and bleeding.

They were right before her eyes.

Right before her eyes now.

She didn’t understand what was happening, but her precious ones were about to die.

What should she do?

Uneducated and ignorant, she didn’t know the answer.

Then there was only one thing she could do.

“Holy Skill.”

[Special: Purify, Heal, and Crush in the Name of Justice! (Lv.Max)]

All she could do was what she had always done: protect, heal, and destroy the enemy.

Holy power was released in a spherical form, pushing back the poison.

It also healed Ravin’s broken bones.

“It’s you, isn’t it? It’s really you, Lee?!”

Inside the sphere of holy power, Arsil grabbed Lin and shouted.

“What have I… been doing… all this time…!”

The first emotion Lin felt was relief.

Finally, this guy has come to his senses.

The next emotion was anger, still smoldering like embers despite everything.

Anger was still leaking through the cracks of the broken chains.

But it’s not your turn now.

Lin suppressed this unwelcome visitor with superhuman mental strength.

“Lin.”

The porter put the hairpin Arsil had been holding back into her hair.

“My family name is Lee, and my name is Lin.”

The hairpin clicked into place on Arsil’s head.

“And I’m the porter of the hero’s party.”

At those words, the tears that had been welling in Arsil’s eyes flowed ceaselessly.