Chapter 29: Mutant #3

Chapter 29: Mutant #3

“Ed…!”

Mitchell tightly grabbed the child’s shoulder.

With a trembling face, she repeatedly rubbed her tear-stained cheeks.

“I’m sorry… I, I-“

-….

The child did not answer.

A faint smile flickered across its lips.

“Um, excuse me- Mitchell?”

“Mitchell, calm down!”

Wagner shouted from behind, but Mitchell was not in her right mind.

‘What a dirty bastard.’

I quietly glared at the child.

The Mutated Monster’s desperation pattern, “Form of Atonement.”

It’s safe to say that this form has almost no physical combat power.

However, the reason this form is infamous is different.

The Form of Atonement changes its appearance to an “unattackable target.”

It’s a strategy that recreates deep-seated traumas in the victim’s memory.

The ultimate goal is mental contamination.

That child must have been someone more precious to Mitchell than anything else.

A guilt buried deep in her heart.

No matter how much time passes, it’ll never heal, so it’s a wound she can only carry for a lifetime.

It’s more cruel than breaking bones and tearing flesh to manipulate someone’s mind.

‘You fucking bastard.’

Even in the game, I hated that attack pattern for that reason.

Therefore, there’s no reason to show mercy in my actions.

“Ed, I’ll never-“

CRUNCH.

The next moment, the child Mitchell was hugging had its head blown off.

Mitchell’s pupils turned white for a moment-

Black shadow smoke dissipated into the air from the child’s now empty neck.

“Mitchell, snap out of it. That’s not someone precious to you.”

I said quietly, aiming at the child with my hand shaped like a pistol.

“⋯Kid.”

Mitchell slowly turned to look at me.

For a moment, Mitchell’s expression was so terrifying that my heart sank.

“You. What. The hell-“

Her anger had reached its peak, so it didn’t ignite hotly but rather turned ice-cold.

There was clear killing intent directed at me.

“Wagner.”

“Mm.”

Wagner understood his role without needing a long explanation.

SWISH-

The irrational Mitchell lunged at me.

With a single leap, the distance between Mitchell and me vanished instantly.

If Wagner hadn’t grabbed Mitchell from behind, I might have been cut in half and died by now.

“Let go. ⋯Let go!”

“It’s no use trying to calm down now. I’ll just hold you like this for a moment.”

“Let go, you bastard…!”

Wagner struggled to hold back Mitchell, who thrashed like a leopard.

Wagner nodded towards me.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on- but can I leave that kid over there to you?”

“Yeah. I’ll handle it.”

I walked towards the child.

‘Should I have told everyone in advance? I don’t know.’

My strategy for the party members did not include information about the “Form of Atonement.”

It wasn’t that I deliberately withheld it to mess with them.

First of all, that unique attack method that stimulates guilt isn’t something that can be easily resisted even if you know about it in advance.

And it’s even scarier because you know what’s coming.

Mitchell herself might not have been able to fight properly throughout the boss battle if she had been told she would face that child at the last moment.

Therefore, I thought it was better for her not to know.

‘I’ll just finish it myself.’

Holding a Frost Blade in one hand, I slowly approached the grotesque monster.

It turned to look at me with a blank expression.

-….

Still no words.

Swish-

Shadow tentacles stretched out from beneath its feet again.

Am I the target this time?

I won’t make the futile effort of trying to dodge.

‘After all, this is all you can do.’

The shadow crawled up my body, and soon-

My vision went black.

My eyes, my ears, no sense of any kind was functioning.

Only distorted noise, like a broken TV, filled my head.

Dozens of distorted shadows nodded between the gray cracks, like shards of broken glass.

-…I understand.

A stretched voice, like a distorted tape, echoed endlessly.

When I came to my senses, the shadow had already left my body.

The little elf’s eyes gradually narrowed.

They stretched long and wide sideways.

Her expression, as if smiling or crying, kept changing like a monster.

It wasn’t just her face that was transforming.

Her small frame also grew slightly, and her entire body was covered in shadow, being rebuilt.

‘Alright, come on.’

I didn’t look away.

Swallowing my saliva, I waited for my guilt to appear.

It’ll surely be painful for me to face ‘him’ again.

But there’s no way to avoid it.

I can only accept it.

And overcome it.

‘It’s just mimicking the outer shell anyway. It’s not the real thing. I know it’s just the final desperate act of that disgusting monster.’

I kept repeating it to myself as if self-hypnotizing.

Soon, the shadow finished reconstructing…

A woman appeared.

-….

A woman with long black hair reaching her waist.

Her slender body, wrapped in a white shawl dress like ancient Greek women wore, was pitifully beautiful, as if it could break at any moment.

Her large eyes, with long double eyelids, seemed somewhat sad as she gazed at me.

No way.

This person is…

“Who are you?”

I frowned.

The black-haired beauty tilted her head slightly.

She was beautiful to the point of seeming sacred, but I didn’t know this woman.

“Who are you, really? Aren’t you doing your job properly?”

I have one guess.

This woman is not my guilt.

It must be the guilt of Estel Frostwind, the original owner of my body.

For some reason, the Mutated Monster seems to have read Estel’s memories imprinted on my body, rather than my own.

Idiot.

“So what?”

SLAP!

Without hesitation, I slapped her.

The beauty staggered, her face turning red.

Her expressionless face finally broke, and bewilderment filled her face.

Oh. Zero guilt.

She’s a stranger.

I can hit her all day.

SLAP! SLAP!

This time, I slapped both sides of her face.

-P-please stop…!

It seems she could feel the pain, as the woman stumbled backward.

“Stop what? If you make a mistake, you have to be punished.”

I kicked her ankle hard with the tip of my boot, and the black-haired beauty collapsed on the spot.

I aimed my Frost Blade at her forehead.

THWACK-

「Defeated the boss of the Contaminated Deposit, the Irreversible Mutated Monster.」

The shadow, its form collapsing, writhed in pain and then vanished as if burning up.

With the monster’s death, the coveted familiar rewards were scattered, but I turned away without picking them up.

There’s something more important to do than collecting loot right now.

“Mitchell, Estel took care of the enemy. You don’t have to suffer anymore. Can you hear me?”

“Mitchell…”

Wagner and Flora whispered with worried faces.

Mitchell was still trapped in shock and couldn’t break free.

I can’t blame Mitchell.

No matter how much you train your body, it’s hard to withstand an attack like mental contamination, which you’ve never experienced before.

It was the same in the game.

If you got caught in the Mutated Monster’s seizure pattern, many well-trained party members would have to say goodbye here.

The fate of a mentally broken party member is harsh.

They are usually expelled from the party by the player.

It’s cruel but unavoidable.

You can’t play the game with a penalty throughout, keeping a party member who can’t pull their weight.

I’ve done that too.

Then, that party member would wander the world with a vacant look and meet a lonely end in a foreign land,

Or, at best, spend their life in a monastery receiving long-term care.

There’s only one method I can pin my hopes on…

“Mitchell, it’s okay. Everything is over safely.”

Flora embraced Mitchell, whose face was trembling slightly, and stroked it.

A command that is rarely used during “Nine Stars” gameplay.

“Comfort party member.”

It usually ends with a few perfunctory lines, so it’s not very beneficial unless you’re a player who enjoys character relationships, but…

This time is different.

“Mitchell, cheer up.”

Wagner also patted Mitchell’s back.

Watching them, I felt something warm welling up in my heart.

「Flora comforted Mitchell.」

「Wagner comforted Mitchell.」

⋯It was truly just a command, but.

It was just a command to try, with a ‘if it works, great, if not, oh well’ attitude.

As expected, it’s different from playing a game from a detached observer’s perspective.

I couldn’t treat Mitchell’s pain as someone else’s problem.

“Mitchell.”

I touched our foreheads together.

Mitchell’s blurred eyes, her vacant breaths. All of it pained my heart.

She’s a party member I chose myself.

Do you think I’d let her fall behind here?

“You’re not weak enough to be toyed with by trash like that.”

“⋯.”

“I’ll stay by your side until you regain your spirit.”

「Party Leader Estel comforted Mitchell.」⋯ Will this command be effective?

I also opened my arms and hugged Flora and Mitchell.

And then Wagner’s large arms enveloped us warmly.

It’s a bit suffocating, but it’s warm.

And-

A glimmer of light began to return to Mitchell’s eyes, which had been glistening with dew.

***

We rested leisurely for a while.

After all, we had cleared the Contaminated Deposit, and now we just needed to return to Garden.

Mitchell, whom I had worried about, seemed to have regained some of her spirit.

“Haa…”

Mitchell sighed with a blank expression.

Leaning on Wagner’s broad shoulder, she slumped for a moment…

“Uh, well- Thanks, but… I think we can separate now?”

“Mm.”

Mitchell detached herself from Wagner, her cheeks faintly blushing, so subtly that it was hard to notice.

An awkward air flowed between Wagner and Mitchell…

Still, seeing that Mitchell seemed to be doing much better, I felt relieved.

Mitchell walked step by step in front of the party members and bowed 90 degrees.

“Everyone, I’m sorry!”

Her red hair looked slightly dry, as if she had been greatly stressed by what had just happened.

“I think I lost it earlier. I must have looked pathetic, right? I’m really sorry.”

“No, what are you saying, Mitchell-“

Flora waved her hands vigorously and rushed to hug Mitchell.

“We’re comrades, right? Mitchell, you can lean on us anytime. We’re a team.”

“⋯Yes, thank you.”

Mitchell rubbed her nose and said with an embarrassed smile.

Her gaze towards the party members now held a warm light, unlike before.

“Don’t blame yourself too much. Estel told me it was an attack anyone would have struggled with. If it were me, it wouldn’t have been much different.”

“Yeah, bear. Well said. It’s not that I struggled because it was me. It would have been the same for you.”

“Ouch-! But why, why are you hitting me? I was trying to comfort you-“

“Damn it, I don’t know. I just feel like hitting you.”

Mitchell deliberately hit Wagner’s back with exaggerated movements.

I understand how she feels.

It must be awkward, apologetic, and embarrassing.

⋯Anyway, I’m glad it was Wagner who got hit instead of me.

I clapped my hands to change the mood and draw attention.

“More importantly, I got loot from the Mutated Monster. There are exactly four pieces, enough for each of us.”

Four small stone fragments, similar to the Slime series’ cores.

Everyone’s eyes lit up at the sight of the fragments, which shone brilliantly like emeralds.

“We can just divide them one by one.”

“Mm.”

“Are they jewels? They’re so pretty-“

I already know what these rewards are.

However, I can’t just say it outright, even if I know.

My heart was pounding at 150 bpm, perhaps due to anxiety.

“How should we divide them?”

I tried to say it nonchalantly, but my voice was surprisingly awkward.

I need to guide the flow.

A perfect opportunity to naturally obtain my desired goal.

Now, how should I phrase it?

As the party leader, I’ll pick first-?

Would our party laugh and accept such unilateralism? Has that much trust been built?

Or, what about just picking it up nonchalantly, saying, ‘I’ll take this-‘?

Wouldn’t that arouse suspicion?

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Wouldn’t picking it first make it seem better, sparking competition?

‘Ah, I made it more awkward by overthinking.’

While I was caught in my internal conflict, Mitchell suddenly stroked my head.

“Kid! You’re small, so take this.”

“⋯Huh?”

“This stone is only half a piece. Doesn’t it look like you?”

Mitchell said with a playful smile.

Normally, I would get angry and retort, but…

This time, I’m incredibly grateful to Mitchell.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah, why- It suits you. Look, it’s perfect.”

When I feigned a slight rejection, Mitchell handed me the small stone and forced my fist to close around it.

Mitchell.

You’re the best. Thank you so much.

Of course, I won’t be able to say thank you here, or even in the future…

Thanks to Mitchell stepping in, the distribution was completed appropriately.

Wagner’s share, the largest stone, is the “Conversion Stone of Fortitude.”

Flora received the “Conversion Stone of Magic,” and Mitchell received the “Conversion Stone of Speed.”

These are items that permanently increase stats corresponding to their names.

Even if the increase isn’t enormous, they will surely be a reliable strength in future adventures.

But it’s strange how everyone picked the Conversion Stone they needed.

‘The best outcome.’

I’m sorry for not being honest with my party members.

But this is something I can’t give up.

This unremarkable, tiny stone in my hand is the key to my early growth path in Garden.

The dream item that exists only once in the world of “Nine Stars,”

The “Conversion Stone of the Sage.”

I will confirm its effects right now.

Holding the Conversion Stone, I focused my will in my mind.

‘Transform into what I need most right now.’