One Out of a Hundred

The Second Trial (3): Slaying the Demon King. I didn't want to skip this one either. It wasn't just because it rewarded a massive amount of SP.

'I want to save them.'

If I didn't kill the Demon King, the villagers would all die. The Innkeeper, the girl who sold flowers, and even Finn—whom I had been forced to kill along with the Demon King last time.

'This time, I want to save both Finn and Wyss.'

Last time, I hadn't known that Wyss was the Demon King's original host. I only knew that the Demon King would enter the village disguised as an outsider. That was why I had planned to wait in the village after grinding enough to face it.

And even that plan had gone awry. Because I had subjugated the bandits, Finn and Wyss ended up entering the village together, contrary to my expectations. Since my primary strategy was a surprise attack, accidentally killing the one who wasn't the Demon King would alert the monster and ruin the ambush. Besides, I didn't want to kill the innocent one anyway.

But now I knew that Wyss was the first host. She had to be somewhere outside the barrier.

'Fortunately, I have more time than before.'

The Trial had ended early. Thanks to having acquired the Precocious trait beforehand, I didn't need to hunt Chaos Beasts to farm SP. My mastery over the Wind Authority was also already higher than last time.

'I have to find Wyss before Finn or anyone else does.'

Of course, I had no intention of killing her. No matter if the 71st Demon King resided inside her, the personality of the Wyss I knew would still remain.

'Though that thing called her an empty shell.'

I didn't think so. The Wyss I saw was definitely a human being, capable of shedding tears. To save Wyss while also slaying the Demon King, there was only one way.

'First, I have to force it to migrate to another body.'

Even if the Demon King's true form remained afterward, I had a plan in mind.

It had been two weeks since I began wandering outside the barrier in search of Wyss. Finally, I found her. Even from a distance, Wyss looked to be in terrible shape as she lay collapsed, but there was no need to worry.

'As long as the Demon King is inside her, she won't die.'

With that thought, I began to stake out the area. Thanks to Amyah, concealing myself wasn't difficult. Last time, I had only been noticed because I approached too closely; keeping this distance would prevent me from being detected.

'Just wait a little longer, Wyss. I'll save you.'

Unlike before, because I hadn't gone on a rampage, the bandits were still active even without their leader. I had already confirmed this while searching for Wyss. All that was left was for a bandit to discover her.

After a few more days of waiting in ambush, a bandit finally appeared. Since this spot was slightly outside the bandits' usual territory, I had been debating whether I should lure one over.

The bandit spotted Wyss and scanned his surroundings. Confirming that no one was around, he approached her. The moment he reached out his hand toward Wyss, she bit down on it.

"Argh!"

The bandit groaned in pain. Looking around to see if anyone had heard him, he drew the sword from his waist.

"You little bitch!"

It was at that exact moment. As if suddenly burned by fire, his hand trembled violently, and he dropped his sword.

'The Demon King has transferred.'

This was my chance. Just because the 71st Demon King migrated to a new host didn't mean it could take over immediately. The Demon King slowly seized control of a host by gradually eating away at their mind without them noticing.

That was why Finn, in the previous run, hadn't been fully possessed until right before our fight. Naturally, the Demon King couldn't jump to another host in that state either. In short, the Demon King was currently trapped inside the bandit's body.

Rushing forward with Amyah in hand, I subdued the bandit in an instant. Perhaps because of the Demon King's parasite-like presence, the bandit noticed my approach, but unable to even wield his own sword—which appeared to be a Holy Relic—he had no way to resist me.

"S-spare me! I didn't do anything to this girl!"

The fact that you intended to is your crime. You should have followed Finn's example. Though, even if you had, being a bandit disqualified you anyway. Still, it wasn't time to kill him yet.

"Stay still if you don't want to die."

If I killed the host here and unleashed the Demon King's true form, my chances of winning were slim. This was due to the true form's absurd regenerative abilities. If I had the Gravitus Replicant, it might be a different story, but with only Amyah, I wasn't confident I could sever its windpipe in a single strike.

'I'll drag him inside the barrier and finish him there.'

Inside the barrier, the Demon King would be weakened, and its regeneration would be sealed. I pulled out a cloth to use as a gag and some rope to bind him from my inventory. It was as I was tying him up that a shadow suddenly flickered in the corner of my vision.

'Wyss?'

But the shape of that shadow was bizarre.

'Damn it.'

I had messed up. I shouldn't have been binding the bandit; giving Wyss a Holy Relic should have been my first priority.

The only reason Finn had been able to save Wyss before was because, unaware he had become the Demon King's host, he had given her his bracelet, fully prepared to turn into a Chaos Beast himself. And now, the consequences of my oversight caught up to me.

Crunch.

Warm air, silence. And a bed.

"Ugh...!"

I bolted upright, gasping for breath. It was a familiar room.

'The inn?'

I hurriedly reached into my inventory. As expected, it was empty.

'I've completely returned.'

What a relief. There was no better news than knowing the Trial wasn't over yet. Though it might sound strange to welcome the continuation of a trial, it was infinitely better than it ending in vain.

'More importantly, that number...'

I recalled the digits I had faintly glimpsed as I lost consciousness. It had definitely read '1/100'.

'Is it some kind of completion rate?'

I couldn't be sure. What was certain, however, was that I had been given another chance.

'My method wasn't wrong.'

It was the route to the absolute best outcome I could devise. I had simply made a minor mistake. Yet, that single, tiny error had cost me my life in an instant.

'I have to be more thorough this time.'

With this precious second chance, I wouldn't tolerate even the slightest slip-up.

"Phew..."

Leaning against a tree, I exhaled a ragged breath. Returning meant repeating several months. It wasn't a short amount of time, but I dedicated myself to the Trial once more with absolute sincerity. Just like before, I hunted the wolves, met Gwen, and arrived at the Trial.

While it was painful to let Gwen go, I could still defeat the Demon King without her, so I didn't linger on regrets. It was a necessary sacrifice for the optimal ending. Instead, the events that followed took a slightly different turn.

Having already discovered Wyss's location in the previous run, I didn't waste any time searching for her. I immediately set off to acquire a Holy Relic.

'It won't be as efficient as the Gravitus Replicant, but...'

Still, utilizing my knowledge of the game, I succeeded in securing a decent 2-star Holy Relic. While I was at it, I also picked up a 1-star Holy Relic accessory to give to Wyss.

Upon my return, I captured the bandit possessed by the Demon King, just as I had done before. And just now, after dragging the host inside the barrier, I had engaged in a fierce battle.

'If not for the Wind Authority, I would have broken a few bones.'

Even though the Demon King's true form was weakened inside the barrier, it was still incredibly powerful. Fortunately, the Wind Authority gave me a distinct speed advantage. By combining my newly acquired Holy Relic with Libero's Swordsmanship, I managed to accumulate damage on the creature and finally bring it down.

Furthermore, the Wind Authority served a purpose similar to Absolute Obedience. When my body threatened to freeze under the Demon King's overwhelming pressure, I could use the wind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to force my movements to remain fluid.

My body wasn't completely unscathed, but compared to last time, I was in remarkably good shape.

'I can leave right away in this condition.'

I had saved everyone who could be saved here. It was a pity I didn't have the time to properly introduce myself to Wyss, but I had to keep moving diligently. Last time, I felt like I had lingered at the inn for too long, caught up in the comfort of daily life.

'Normally, I would have headed straight for Sak, but...'

I had already learned as much of Libero's swordsmanship as I could manage. It wasn't that Libero had nothing left to teach me, but at my current level, there was a limit to what I could absorb.

With no telling how long it would take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to reach the next realm, it was far more efficient to focus on other tasks. However, there was still one more thing I needed to do in the meantime.

'I have about a month and a half left.'

Originally, this was the time I would have spent recovering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the injuries sustained while uncovering the Demon King's identity and fighting it. Now, it was entirely free time granted to me. And once that time was up, I had to head to Vasilium.

'I still have to save Elsie.'

She was a pitiful soul. That was why she had to be included in the optimal outcome I envisioned. Even if my bond with Gwen was lacking this time, since I wasn't going to Libero myself, I could simply send Elsie to him instead.

'Did I arrive a bit too early?'

Come to think of it, I didn't actually know when Elsie had arrived in Vasilium. However, since she had been on the verge of death when I rescued her in the rain last time, I had arrived in the city with plenty of time to spare, hoping to save her a bit earlier.

'It's been a while since I was here.'

I hadn't stayed in Vasilium for very long. Yet, strangely enough, I could vividly remember the shops I had browsed while walking around with Elsie.

'Should I just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wait for Elsie here?'

It wouldn't be a long wait. Two days at most. Elsie would surely arrive in Vasilium within that time.

'In that case, should I diligently gather some SP until then?'

I had no time to waste. I began wandering the city, looking for minor quests to earn SP. Even while completing these tasks, I made sure to keep an eye out for Elsie.

It was as I was passing through an alleyway. I was thoroughly checking every nook and cranny between the buildings when something suddenly caught my eye.

'Huh?'

I froze in my tracks. Someone who absolutely should not be here was standing right before me.

'Why is he here?'

A tall man dressed in shabby clothes. There was no reason for him to be in this place.

'Libero?'