Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Come Pick Me Up (2)
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What's the probability of an acquaintance crashing down from the sky in the middle of taking the college entrance exam?
Probably a bit higher than a monkey writing a Shakespeare play.
"What the hell is this?"
And yet, it was happening right now.
"Miss Regen, can you wake up? Miss Regen?"
Why the hell did this happen?
And why did you even come here in the first place?
"Hm, at least she's still breathing..."
Fortunately, her breathing was steady. The flower on the left side of her face was a bit singed, but it didn't seem life-threatening.
"What in the world is going on?"
I'd only come here to smack down some invasive monkeys.
After beating up a troop of monkeys just enough to scatter them, the baby deer Elenaia had asked if I could take out more of these monkeys for her. So, I'd headed to their base, where she said they had puppies or something.
Apparently, the monkeys' boss was there.
'Like taking down a bullfrog.'
Pest control.
I'd done it plenty of times collabing with other YouTubers.
The bullfrog meat back then was especially delicious.
With such a light heart, I'd accepted the quest from the cute baby deer Elenaia.
'It's obviously a time-killer mini-quest.'
The kind of simple quest in RPGs designed just to kill time.
Like catching worms crawling in a field as a minigame,
or feeding hay to cows or something.
'I'll pass the exam with time to spare anyway, so why not.'
That's how casually I'd come here—
"And now this shit."
Suddenly sticking my head into a scene straight out of hell.
I guess I'd underestimated this world a bit too much.
"Wait, isn't this fucked?"
If something happened, there had to be a cause.
If Miss Regen had flown in from the sky, then whatever made her crash like that had to exist too, right?
Something strong enough to take down a veteran like Miss Regen wouldn't even see me as an opponent.
"...Gotta run fast."
I quickly reached that conclusion and hoisted Miss Regen onto my back.
Monkeys, deer—whatever. Surviving came first.
But,
"Myang! Myangmyang!"
"Gah!"
Myangmyang, who'd been escorting me, stared at the bushes ahead and started barking ferociously.
"We're fucked."
It's here? Already? What do I do? Can't escape with just the two of us.
My breath grew short, legs shaking.
Was this how Fey felt when we first met?
-Rustle, rustle.
The sound of shaking grass grew louder.
And then,
"Kee-eek."
A long-armed monkey appeared with a strangely serene expression.
It wore a crown made of leaves on its head.
"What the hell is this?"
"Kee-ee-eek."
The monkey replied as if answering my question.
Of course, being a monkey, I had no idea what it said.
"Eh, it's not Fey, I got scared for nothing. Shoo."
Thankfully, it wasn't heading our way yet.
I relaxed and tried to move past the monkey—but
"Kee-ee-eek."
The monkey blocked my path with a solemn expression.
As if saying, You shall not pass!
"No, wait."
I recalled Elenaia's description of the 'devil'.
"That crown... are you..."
"Kee-ee-eek."
The big boss monkey!
Of all places, it shows up here.
"Kee-ee-eek. Kee-ee-ee-eek. Keet, kee-eet."
-Shoo-shoo-shoot
The big boss monkey suddenly drew a cross with its hand and started muttering something.
'What?'
The atmosphere felt ominous.
I swallowed nervously.
And then,
'What the hell?'
Nothing happened.
"...Keek."
"..."
What now?
Should I clap or something?
-Clap clap clap.
So I did.
"Keek! Kee-ee-eek!!"
Wrong.
The big boss monkey got angry instead.
"Kee-ee-ee-eek!!! Kee-ee-ee-eek!!!"
Then it spread its arms wide toward the sky and started shouting something.
-Whoooosh!
"Whoa?"
Suddenly, wind started blowing from behind.
It's coming?!
Something's really coming?!
"Myang! Myangmyangmyang!"
Myangmyang was barking excitedly, sensing something off!
'And that crown... it's kinda glowing...!'
Just as a chill of real crisis made sweat trickle down,
-Crack,
the crown on the monkey's head split in half,
-Thud.
and fell to the ground.
"Keet?!"
The monkey jumped in shock.
What the hell was it trying to do?
At that moment,
-Dash!
"Myang! Myangmyang!"
Myangmyang suddenly charged and bit the monkey's ass hard.
"Ookit! Kee-eek!! Kee-ak!"
The monkey jumped around with a ridiculous face.
"Uukiaat!!"
"Myang!"
The monkey clutched its butt and ran off, with Myangmyang chasing after.
'...Guess that's taken care of.'
I didn't really do anything, though.
I'd accidentally cleared the quest.
So what should I do now?
"Let's bounce."
What else? Run.
I worried about Myangmyang chasing the monkey, but it'd probably be fine.
It always disappeared and came back like this. I trusted it to survive on its own.
Dododo—
I carried Miss Regen on my back and fled the forest.
In the beginning, there was light.
That was how it remembered the glory poured upon it.
A call from the heavens to a mere beast living under the law of the jungle.
A thorn crown discovered by chance at the riverbed.
The moment it wore it, it understood all truths of the universe.
"...I have seen."
That was its first sermon.
It spread enlightenment.
Miracles followed wherever its feet touched.
Flowers bloomed where its hands reached, and those it caressed no longer hungered or shivered in cold.
They escaped the cycle of kill or be killed, basking in eternal happiness.
The humans from the village who once ate them were no different.
"A god... this is the true god..."
"Ahh... we are your servants!"
"Blessings...! Blessings...!"
They soon realized how meaningless and paltry their former beliefs were.
United into one flesh by the miracles it bestowed, they offered everything for it.
"I am not a god, but his agent called by his will. Prepare a throne to serve the Lord."
Thus, they built its altar.
'Soon, the time of glory will come.'
The grace it received was but a fragment of the Lord's benevolence.
To fully convey its enlightenment, it needed to open a gate to that side.
However,
-What are you?
The Lord's resurrection was thwarted by an unexpected assault of malice.
Its still-weak forces were subdued, and it was sealed by an ancient spell from a human mage at the cost of his life.
'I shall rise again in the end.'
Yet it did not despair.
Persecution followed by resurrection was the fate of prophets.
And now.
The time of resurrection had come. It awoke, and the returned adversary was utterly weakened.
-Roar!
-Your name is 'Adrian' from now on.
Defining its enemy with its own name.
Fitting for an adversary, it showed commendable struggle even in weakness, but against heaven's glory and mighty hosts, what could evil say?
'I shall remember that name.'
Just as it sought to end the long war of good and evil,
"Grrrrr..."
"...A beast from another world."
A black dog appeared, baring its teeth at it.
The crown on its head revealed all, so it knew of the beast before it.
"Guardian of another world, yet born of sin from that world's existence. You, impure from birth—can you truly defeat me?"
Thus, it must embrace with love.
"Lost soul, fear not and hear my words."
Its first sermon upon resurrection. For that reason, it decided to grant grace to the beast before it too.
Hundreds of eyes, thousands of arms. An immortal body freed from fear of death.
"May the glory of all things touch your fingertips and turn to flowers."
The wind blew.
Along with it, surging power dyed the world once again...
dyed...
dy...
"...Why."
A strange language.
Red walls everywhere.
"Impossible."
It gathered all its power.
It had planned to use it after heading to the human city, but now was no time for that—it knew.
"Let there be light!!"
-Kwaaaaa!!
A halo poured from behind it.
A red rectangular window floating in the air blocked it.
Authority clashing against authority.
Just as its surging authority broke through the status window,
-Poof.
All its power vanished before its eyes without a trace.
"You think... this ends it...!"
But it wouldn't give up.
It unleashed everything once more against the foe.
Unlike before, it sensed the opponent's presence weaken.
It smirked.
It was right after all. No one could defy the Lord's will...
"What?"
At the same time,
-Crack.
Something fell from above its head.
The thorn crown that brought it here.
And the world changed.
"U...keek...?"
The world is big.
-Chirp chirp,
Looking around, a blue forest welcomed it.
Just like the scenery it saw before enlightenment, when it was a mere beast.
"Ukeek? Ukook??"
Thoughts dissolved into meaningless cries.
"Kee-eek!!! Uukeekee-eek!!!"
It wailed toward the god.
Begging for the grace it once bestowed.
But,
"Grrrrr..."
There was no salvation.
Only the fangs of a predator coming to devour it.
"Kee-eek!!! Kee-ee-eek!!!"
Its legs moved instinctively.
Intelligence dropped so low it couldn't even beg for life. It could only flee endlessly.
-Thud!
However,
Perhaps due to ten years of sealing.
It couldn't even climb a tree properly.
No! It hurts! It hurts so much!
It thrashed.
I'm not meant to die like this.
I am...!
I am...
Who even am I...
-Crunch!
The question went unanswered, and a mangled monkey corpse rolled across the jungle floor.
In nature ruled by survival of the fittest, it wasn't anything rare.
"Huff, a... a person! Over here—!"
How much time passed while carrying Miss Regen?
I spotted a group of people huddled together, talking about something.
'I'm saved.'
Looks like I wasn't fated to die here today.
"Halt! Who are you? What's your business?"
The explorer walking at the front, laden with multiple swords, blocked me.
His full plate armor covered his face, muffling his voice—it was hard to tell if he was male or female.
"I'm an exam candidate scheduled for today. I got separated during the test and was wandering."
"Separated? Mike's group?"
"Yes. That's right. Mike. The bald guy."
As I explained to the armored figure,
"W-Will? Miss Regen?! Is that really you, Will?!"
Suddenly, Fey popped out from the group.
Her face a mess of tears and snot.
"Sniff, th-thank goodness... I... heard from these people... thought you were... dead for sure... waaah...!"
She burst into tears and suddenly hugged me tight.
"Uh... what happened?"
I'm glad she's worried, but I wanted to know what was going on.
But with Fey bawling her eyes out, she couldn't explain.
"Hey, stop crying and let go. More importantly, you said you were nearby?"
Just as I was stumped, the armored figure pulled Fey off and addressed me.
"Ah, yes. Passed the test, took a quick nap, and when I woke up, everyone was gone."
"...Then what's with her?"
"Suddenly heard a huge explosion, and she was collapsed there. Recognized her face, so I brought her along."
"Where exactly?"
"Not far from here. Probably over there..."
As I pointed in the direction I'd come from, someone suddenly ran out from there.
It was the bald exam proctor guy.
"Guild leader! It's true! The ruins really collapsed! All the monsters are dead!"
"...What?! Is that for real?!"
"Yes! The devil of the ruins—completely cleared!"
Murmurs—
The people around started buzzing noisily.
'Cleared? Then when I found her, Miss Regen...'
The puzzle pieces clicked in my head.
Miss Regen fought that devil-monster-thing.
She defeated it, but collapsed from its final blow.
I found that Regen and brought her here.
'She's badass as hell.'
While I was messing around with puppies, baby deer, and monkeys, she'd fought a life-or-death battle and won.
I looked at the fallen Miss Regen with genuine admiration.