Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: My Past Delinquent Charge Became a Vegetable (1)
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"Excuse me..."
Even though I knew the owner of this hospital room I'd just entered was another vegetable like May Luina—someone who couldn't do a damn thing—I still had to tread extra carefully this time.
Because the person I had to meet was the one who fit the word "monster" better than anyone I'd ever encountered, more monstrous than any creature that's ever been revealed to the public.
No magical beast or Awakener could ever compare when it came to sheer monstrosity.
The strongest human, number one on the World Hero Ranking.
"There she is."
The woman with blood-red short hair lying on the bed ahead of me, still as death itself, was the monster I'd just described: Dain Adamas.
"Hoo..."
Dain Adamas was clearly a vegetable right now, unable to twitch so much as a finger on her own... yet just looking at her dried out my mouth and rooted my feet to the spot.
The reason I could approach May Luina without hesitation but felt this revulsion toward Dain Adamas was simple.
At least to me, May Luina was a better person than Dain Adamas.
Compared to Dain Adamas and Mir Ryuin, May Luina was basically a fairy. Mmm.
Recalling the horrific memories of how Dain Adamas had tormented me in the past suddenly made me want to bolt from the room.
But there was no point—waiting for me outside was the even worse Mir Ryuin, and I had to treat all three of my charges to earn my freedom. So I had no choice but to approach Dain Adamas.
"Right, this is for the future. She's a vegetable anyway, can't move a muscle. No reason to freak out."
I psyched myself up with some self-hypnosis as I reached out toward the trauma staring me in the face.
It felt like dangling my hand in front of a sleeping black serpent—chills raced up my spine—but my desire for that bright future I'd dreamed of every night outweighed the terror of this vegetable state.
And so, fueled by desire, I overcame my fear and placed my hand on Dain Adamas's forehead.
Chirp.
At the same moment, just like with May Luina, Dain Adamas's Status Window floated up before my eyes.
A god descends upon the body.
Mana Burn. Vegetable State. Loneliness. Helplessness. Fear.
! Subject is trapped in the abnormal status Eternal Prison.
Eternal Prison: A curse where the body's mana dissipates entirely, the dantian is sealed, and the soul is imprisoned for eternity, severing the connection between body and soul.
! Cannot be undone voluntarily.
! Eternal Prison Trait - Equivalent Exchange: The method to undo it is permanently engraved on the subject's body.
Infusion of Yang Energy
! Effect increases the greater the subject's physical and mental sexual arousal.
When the Status Window user wills it, the engraving appears over the subject's body.
! The curse can only be undone by infusing Yang Energy into the engraving.
Wow, how does someone get the epithet "Destroyer"? Just one ability, Divine Power of the Flesh, with a single-line description: "A god descends upon the body." And this alone makes her the world's number one? What a real monster bitch. Hell, even a genuine monster would look at her and yell, "What a crazy monster bitch!"
As I marveled genuinely at Dain Adamas's Status Window, the notification I'd been waiting for gently filled one corner of my retina.
You can hear the inner thoughts of the viewed target. Will you listen? Y/N
"Yeah."
The moment the notification appeared, I voiced my intent to proceed.
Opening the Status Window meant no turning back, and I'd decided to get it all done in one go anyway.
Choice confirmed. You can now hear the target's inner thoughts within a certain range.
The confirmation filled my vision and faded away.
The phrase "hear inner thoughts" made my heart sink for a second, but I calmed myself with the reminder that she was a vegetable right now—nothing to worry about—and shifted my gaze to Dain Adamas's face.
Then, just like with May Luina, Dain Adamas's voice began to echo in my ears.
...Who the hell is this?
For a moment, I wondered if this was really the Dain Adamas I knew—her voice so utterly deflated. I stared at her face.
At the end of my gaze was the exact face I remembered: Dain Adamas, the world's strongest human.
The face praised for its destructive beauty to match her destructive power, the kind of handsome-pretty that no one else could pull off, drawing fans from all genders without discrimination.
"...It's definitely Dain Adamas."
"Then who the hell is the one talking right now?"
The Dain Adamas I knew lived like she was fully aware she was the strongest in the world.
She followed social norms because she was human, but only insofar as it made her own life easier.
She stuck to the bare minimum required of a human and lived exactly as she pleased.
A life of total ease, doing whatever the hell she wanted backed by her overwhelming power.
That was the Dain Adamas I knew.
Not someone trembling like a terrified little animal.
"Huh..."
I was stunned by Dain Adamas's voice—scared in a way I'd never imagined—when some unexpected words popped out of her.
"What."
When "Weakling" came out of Dain Adamas's mouth, the shock hit me like a bolt—my eyes flew wide open.
Because "Weakling" was the nickname she'd always called me, one I sure as hell never welcomed.
"What? How did you know?"
Too shocked, I blurted out a response without thinking. Dain Adamas sounded even more startled as she shrieked.
Ah. I'd planned to ease into the conversation after mentally preparing, but surprise made me slip up and reply.
It was an adorable little fluster because I'd never dreamed Dain Adamas would remember me.
Still, I had to talk for the treatment anyway, and seeing her so scared had calmed my own shaking, so I casually answered her question.
"I don't know why you remember me, but the reason we can talk is thanks to my Status Window ability."
"What? You remember me but not my ability? I figured you remembered me because of it."
She couldn't remember my one-of-a-kind Status Window ability—something you couldn't find even digging through history—but she remembered me?
It hadn't even been five minutes since I started hearing her inner thoughts, and I was already too stunned to count the shocks.
But seriously, why the hell did Dain Adamas remember me? We cut ties right after training camp, never contacted once. Not like she was waiting or heartbroken about being ghosted or anything. Anyway! Why me?
Too flustered, even my stray thoughts sounded weird, but I really wasn't glad to see Dain Adamas.
Even though only I could hear her inner voice, I was rambling excuses in my head—she was the biggest black mark in my history, the one I wanted to erase most.
I'd been thrilled enough to do a victory dance when she ghosted me after training camp.
As I flailed in confusion and questions, Dain Adamas gave an answer that instantly cleared up my doubts.
"..."
A response that made me regret listening—total mood killer.
Right. Back in Awakener training camp, we were in the same class, and I was her personal Bread Shuttle.
Her exclusive one, abused just because I was weak.
Recalling those days made my heart sink and anger bubble up.
But the opponent was the world's strongest human, who would eventually recover and stand tall again.
So I'd never see her after treatment—just bad luck stepping in shit. As I tamped down the anger...
Dain Adamas went and said something totally unnecessary.
"Hoo."
Looked like I'd need to use a pretty rough treatment method on this one.