Chapter 25

EP 25 – Hero & Lucius vs EVIL(6)

When did the hero become so strong? I thought about this for a moment while passing through the Ruined Mansion. The reason was simpler than I expected. We fought too many battles. The original level 20-30 strategy was to avoid fighting with mobs and focus on defeating only the boss.

When playing the game, the looming pressure of a time limit often meant skipping most fights in the mid-to-late stages and reaching the Demon King with only the minimum required level. This was the standard approach because arriving earlier meant the levels of the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King would be lower, while the monster levels in the area remained unchanged.

To put it simply, even if the hero took the shortest route and arrived at level 20, the monsters wouldn’t scale to his level. But our hero stubbornly charged through every monster from the territory to the Demon King’s castle.

When you kill hundreds of monsters in the level 30–40 range like that, you’re bound to grow stronger.

It was my mistake for not suggesting we avoid the monsters.

“Wh-Who’s there?!”

Guards appeared in front of the mansion. They seemed to have already been corrupted by demonic energy, their bodies exuding a dark aura. Without hesitation, the hero drew his sword and charged at the one on the right.

I, naturally, swung my mace at the one on the left. In an instant, we dismantled their limbs and kicked down the iron gate, entering the mansion.

Inside, the hero couldn’t help but tremble at the gruesome sight. I, too, flinched, instinctively stepping back a pace.

The interior of the mansion was filled with corpses. It was as if we were looking at a giant cave made of human flesh. Severed arms and legs littered the floor, while bloody handprints smeared the walls. Drag marks streaked the ground, scattered entrails and the overpowering stench of blood clouded my mind.

“Let’s move quickly.”

“Yes.”

Regaining my composure, I pulled the stunned hero forward. In the original game, the final boss room also had a grotesque atmosphere, but seeing it in person was on a whole different level. With the power of the holy relic, the hero and I pressed on.

Each step we took on the blood-soaked floor produced a sickening squelch, further worsening the mood. The Demon King’s resurrection was taking place at the topmost floor of the mansion. Monsters occasionally appeared to surprise us, but none could stop the hero who had already become so strong from the forced grinding.

Watching the hero reduce monsters to minced meat with a single swing of his sword, I felt like a newbie getting carried in an RPG.

When we finally reached the door to the top floor, we could feel a palpable evil aura seeping out from beyond it. Both the hero and I couldn’t help but tense up as we stood before it. No matter how easily the Demon King could be killed in this state, the oppressive aura made our bodies instinctively tighten.

“Let’s go.”

I nodded. The hero kicked the door open, shattering it into splinters, revealing the scene within. The gaunt-faced lord shouted at us.

“Who are you?! How did you get past the guards?”

Behind the lord was a massive egg encasing the Demon King. And two puny arms were protruding from it like some kind of Digimon. At this stage, the Demon King was level 30. If there was legs, he would be level 40. Once his head came out, he would fully resurrect at level 50. ṝÃ𐌽ȪᛒЕṡ

I turned to the hero.

“I’ll leave the Demon King to you.”

With such a significant level gap, the Demon King would be a one-hit kill. Meanwhile, I charged torwards the lord.

“Hieeeeeeek! Stay away!”

The lord flailed his arms wildly in resistance, but this hobo was just a naked level 20. I effortlessly dodged his punches, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him to the ground. He let out a pathetic croak, rolling across the floor like a dying frog.

When I raised my mace, the lord prostrated himself on the floor, clasping his hands together like a begging insect.

“Cough… P-please! Spare me! It… it was all the Demon King’s doing…! He said… he would give me the power to become king….”

— Human! You dare betray me? I trusted you!

The Demon King, who was struggling against the hero, roared in fury. I glanced down at the lord again. His gaunt, wretched face twisted into a stupid grin. I swung my mace without hesitation. The lord’s face flattened like okonomiyaki as it hit the mace.

“Urgh…”

There was no need to show this guy any mercy. He was nothing but a lowly wretch who had summoned the Demon King out of his greed for the throne. He had done so of his own free will and even used his own people as materials for the Demon King’s resurrection. I smashed all his limbs to make sure he couldn’t revive and turned my gaze to the hero.

The hero watched the Demon King, whose arms had been severed.

— Kkeuaaaaaaah! To fail… to fail at resurrection…!

“Rest in peace, Demon King!”

— This cannot be…! I was meant to create a paradise where demons could live happily! Evangeline… I promised her…!

The hero’s sword mercilessly pierced the Demon King’s husk as he uttered his story. Jet-black blood erupted to the sky like the execution of Ichadon, staining the ceiling before splattering back down, forming a black puddle on the floor. Feeling uneasy, I yanked the hero back to ensure he wouldn’t get drenched in the ominous liquid.

— Ugh… How bitter…! I… I will not die alone…! Hero! Is that… the person you love…?

“What the f*ck?”

I forgot about my Lucius cosplay and cursed. This damned demon really knows how to stir the pot. Dark energy gathered around the Demon King’s body, and he let out a final cry.

— Die! You won’t be able to escape from here!

And a pitch-black death energy shot towards me like an arrow. Just as I was about to block it, the hero pushed me away and shouted.

“It’s dangerous!”

What was dangerous? It’s just a level 30 destruction beam. Such thought crossed my mind as I got pushed back. At the same time, I cast Protect on the hero.

===

[Protect]

Increase defense and magic resistance.

===

Crackle!

“Arghhh!”

The hero screamed in pain as he collapsed to the ground. The dark energy pierced through him. Something felt off—was this really a level 30 destruction beam?

— Khehehe… Suffer… writhe in agony… die, hero… to Evangeline… I…

I rushed to the fallen hero. His abdomen had a gaping black hole burned straight through. As the Demon King died, the evil energy around him gradually disappeared, but the hero’s body was overflowing with it.

“Heal.”

I immediately cast Heal to save the hero. For a moment, it seemed like his wounds were mending, but then it reopened and his insides began to rot black. It was a truly horrifying magic.

“Ugh… gah… Heuk…”

Sh*t. I saw the NTR vision, but if the hero just died like this, it would leave a sour taste in my mouth. It seemed like a dying instant-kill spell. The hero couldn’t even speak, writhing in pain as he approached death. His blood had turned black, and his face was ghostly pale.

If I left the hero here, I’d get my NTR. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not only had he saved me, but I could also hear the remnants of the Demon King’s forces crawling through the halls.

Just because the Demon King was dead didn’t mean the monsters in the territory would suddenly vanish. Judging by the hordes we’d fought through so far, I needed the hero alive. Escaping alone would be too difficult.

Heal wasn’t working. But navigating solo wasn’t an option either. That left only one solution. I pulled the forbidden elixir out of my bag. I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be drunk or applied, but it would probably work either way.

I poured half the elixir on the wound and shoved the rest into his mouth, which kept spitting out black blood.

“Grrk…! Ugh! Mmmph!”

The hero shook as if he’s refusing the medicine, but eventually, he began to take it. I gripped my mace and glared at the approaching remnants of the Demon King’s forces. Now, it was all about buying time.

Jiiiik!

It sounded like meat was grilling behind me, and smoke began to rise.

“Kreulruk…! Kkeug! Kkeuaaaaah!”

The hero screamed in agony, writhing on the ground like he was being burned alive. I didn’t have the luxury to turn and check on him. The hero might take out enemies in one strike, but I needed two. I smashed the ribs of an elite goblin, then brought my mace down to crush the skull of an arc zombie.

How many heads had I crushed?

“Kkaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

The hero let out a deathly scream before falling silent. I looked back, wondering if he died. But he was lying on his back, gasping for breath. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned the last remaining remnants into mincemeat.

I sat down in the middle of the monster corpses and caught my breath. After a short rest, I walked over to the hero and held out my hand. He stared at it while panting heavily.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah… yes… I’m fine.”

I glanced at the spot where the destructive beam had hit, and the wound was completely gone. It truly lived up to its name as a forbidden elixir—it could even heal a rotting body.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“It’s thanks to the elixir Princess Erina gave us.”

The hero stood up and bowed. Waving it off, I was about to say something but paused as something felt… off. Why was this guy suddenly talking in a girlish voice?

“Hero-nim?”

“Yes?”

I grabbed the hero’s chin and forced him to look up. Something was definitely strange. He was handsome before, but he suddenly became ‘pretty.’ Even his slick, host-like hairstyle had transformed into a short bob.

“Status Window.”

===

Name: A.A

Job: Hero

Level: 47

Stats

Strength: 162

Agility: 139

Intelligence: 98

Luck: 120

Traits

Hero’s Will

Has an 80% chance to nullify incapacitation effects.

Indomitable Will

Can get back up once after reaching exhaustion.

Sever Evil

Deals 3x damage when counterattacking.

Gender Change

Gender has changed due to an unknown side effect.

===

“… F*ck?”

“Priest-nim?”

The hero looked at me with a strange expression. I frowned, as I looked at the hero.

What was this?