The Protagonist of This Game Was a Clear-Eyed Madman (3)

The slime. A monster whose entire body is made of acidic liquid. In other games they slapped on cute eyes and a mouth, marketed them as adorable little mascots, and shoved them front and center. But real slimes were about as far from cute as you could possibly get. Actually, way fucking farther.

They devoured every living thing in sight to absorb nutrients. And the creatures they ate slowly melted away inside their transparent bodies. Saying they “melt” makes it sound almost peaceful, but watching a person or animal dissolve in real time stirs up all kinds of thoughts. Instinctive terror. Disgust. And enough hatred to make your blood boil. Slimes were the easiest monsters to deal with, yet also the most vicious.

And right now, the living embodiments of those liquid horrors were busy melting an entire deer and eating it.

“Ugh…”

“If you can’t handle it, look away, Alex.”

This guy was the one who insisted on coming, so why the hell was he already dry-heaving? Had he lost his mind? Oh, right. He was already insane.

The sight of the deer thrashing silently, organs fully exposed as it slowly dissolved, was genuinely horrifying. Not just Alex, who was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gagging, but Eve beside me—pressed close with an indescribable expression on her face—was the same. Maybe I should’ve brought Panzy instead…?

Eve’s holy power was practically omnipotent in its own way, but it shone brightest against otherworldly beings like the demons and devils from the Otherworld. That didn’t mean it was useless against regular monsters, but… it wasn’t exactly efficient.

“Haa… I’ve turned plenty of people into meat paste before, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything melt so gruesomely.”

“Mm… yeah, I get it. Honestly, this is my first time seeing it too.”

I was only saying that because it didn’t feel real. I’d never seen it before either, you idiot. The only reason I could keep a straight face was because I’d already witnessed people and horses being torn apart not long ago.

-You. Thought something weird again, didn’t you?

[No way. Fuck, Silph, thank you!]

-Cain. You’re mean.

Silph turned her head away again, cheeks puffed out dramatically. If I’d known teasing her would be this fun, I would’ve done it nonstop. Lately, thanks to the Vermilion incident, she didn’t disappear even when she got sulky. Still, it was clear she was worried about me, her contractor. I’d have to cut back on the teasing a little. I couldn’t stop completely, though. How could I quit something this entertaining?

After messing with Silph a few more times, I jerked my chin toward Alex.

“Sword? Or magic?”

“I use both. Not sure if my sword will survive killing that thing, though.”

This talent-filled bastard. He uses both sword and magic? Wasn’t the protagonist’s privilege a bit too generous? And yet his level was still low, and he was a psycho who went crazy whenever he beat people up?

As my expression gradually soured, Alex stared straight at me with those clear, madness-filled eyes.

“Cain?”

“Ah. Um… what about you, Eve?”

“I know a few simple spells…”

Her beautiful face was scrunched up in maximum disgust, looking like an angry cat with all its fur standing on end. Still, she immediately began drawing a magic circle, ready to attack. So she was the type who valued action more than she looked.

I shrugged and called out to Kasa.

-Okay! Cain! Just give me the order!

This exclamation-point lizard was so energetic it was a wonder her throat never got hoarse. Alex watched me and Eve, then muttered, “Guess I’ll have to be the meat shield,” before drawing the fancy-looking sword at his side. Apparently it was a family heirloom, and yeah, it was a pretty famous blade in the game too. It was just a stepping-stone item you picked up while farming, useful only in the early game. Still, it wasn’t some cheap sword that would melt against mere slimes, so that was reassuring. Even low-tier monsters could melt ordinary blades unless they were specially treated.

I’d thought he just fooled around, ate, and beat people up all day, but it seemed the “smart” rumor wasn’t entirely false.

-There are five slimes total. Cain.

“Good. That’s enough.”

Silph had already scouted the area and counted the slimes. Invisible scouts like her were invaluable. Information superiority was priceless on any battlefield. I relayed exactly what Silph told me and gestured to Alex.

“Five enemies. Alex, you draw their attention.”

“Mmm~ That sounds kinda annoying, but I’ll listen for now?”

This guy really had a talent for saying things that gave people chills. Even in this situation he felt “annoyed”? I frowned, shook my head a few times, then looked at Eve. She smiled brightly when our eyes met, nodded, and stretched her hand toward the slimes devouring the deer.

“Purification.”

The moment that ridiculously simple word left her lips, the magic circle behind her resonated violently and began glowing pure white. At the same time, an identical circle formed directly beneath the slimes and shot up a pillar of brilliant white light. The spell, which looked more like flames than a pillar, completely vaporized both the slimes and the deer without a trace.

…Did that mean neither Alex nor I were needed?

Both Alex and I stared at Eve with that exact expression. The person receiving all those looks simply stuck her tongue out with a cheerful “Hehe~” and laughed.

“Hehe~ I may not look it, but I am a Saintess. Of course I know how to use my power properly.”

“The world really is unfair. Some of us have to fight while feeling our lives on the line.”

“I agree.”

For once, the psycho and I were perfectly in sync. Now it was my turn to earn my keep. I looked at Alex and said, “We should do our part too,” then moved toward the next target.

Despite his low level of 20, Alex’s movements were surprisingly agile and powerful. To kill a slime with a sword, you had to destroy its invisible core. He was calmly thrusting his blade exactly where the core should be. So this was what a protagonist looked like.

I clicked my tongue at the unfairness of the world and sent Kasa’s flames as a gift to the slime trying to flank him. Whether because they were highly flammable, even a tiny spark caused them excruciating pain. Watching the thing turn into a flaming slime in an instant, I sent Kasa flying toward the next target.

Eve took one, I took two, and Alex took two. By the time we were done, no slimes remained in the area. There were probably more deeper in the forest, but I decided this was enough for now.

“Shall we head back?”

“Eh? If we go deeper into the forest there’ll be more of them.”

Alex’s predictable objection. I didn’t answer right away. Instead I carefully scooped up some of the now-harmless slime liquid scattered on the ground, deliberately taking my time. Eve kept watching me with a curious expression, while Alex looked like he was about to explode.

“Hey. I get that you’re some insane genius who can cast magic without chants or circles. But if you’ve got that kind of power, why aren’t we going deeper? At least give me a reason. I don’t want to beat you up.”

Holy shit. Just listen to this bastard. He calls me a genius with his own mouth and then says he’ll beat me up? It was so ridiculous I let out a hollow laugh. I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exhausted from the fight and wanted nothing more than to crawl back to the dormitory and sleep, but I had to say something to this guy.

I strode straight up to him with clear fighting intent and met his gaze. The psycho flinched slightly—maybe it was all bravado—and tightened his grip on his sword. Yeah, that’s more like it, you crazy fuck.

I forced on a businesslike smile completely devoid of emotion and spoke.

“I have to go train, you son of a bitch.”

“…”

Maybe if I said it harshly enough he’d understand? I’d told him the truth with complete sincerity and distrust. Now it was up to this madman whether he’d accept it or not. Every time this guy got twisted, those clear eyes of his turned into a madman’s. The spotless blue eyes staring at me right now were proof of that.

He stared at me for several seconds, then slowly turned his gaze to Eve. Some kind of conflict flickered in those clear eyes, as if he were thinking. Wow, this guy really does have an on-off switch. Feeling goosebumps crawl ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up my back, I simply stayed on guard, waiting to see what he would do.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be bringing out his real madness. His expression relaxed, he shrugged, and laughed.

“Haha. I guess I spoke too harshly. Sorry. Training, huh? You’re surprisingly diligent.”

“I don’t quite get why you think I’m a genius, but I’m in Class D. Same class as you. There must be something wrong with me if I’m in a low class, right?”

I kept forcing a smile. My facial muscles were about to cramp from the effort, but this guy didn’t seem to notice. He simply fell into thought for a moment before nodding.

“Oh! Right. You are in the same class as me. Haha! We met on the way back from school so I thought you were in a different class!”

“You really don’t have an ounce of respect, do you, Alex?”

Eve, unable to watch any longer, glared at him and cut in. Nice one, Eve Abraham! Alex looked like he was about to lose it for a second at the Saintess’s words, but he miraculously held back and smoothed out his expression. This guy really did have excellent anger management. From the way he acted, it seemed like he could take care of himself just fine. The problem was that “taking care of himself” usually meant slaughtering everyone who annoyed him.

I let out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a deep sigh and tossed him some of the collected slime mucus.

“This should be enough to satisfy the client. Let’s head back. I’m hungry.”

“Ah! Cain! Can we eat dinner together? Please?”

“I have to train first… I skipped it yesterday.”

I didn’t mention that I’d genuinely forgotten to train, but it still pissed me off. If Alex weren’t the protagonist, I would’ve cursed him out and refused. The only reason I’d handled things in such a relatively ‘polite’ way was because I knew he was the clear-eyed madman who would eventually walk the path of a mass murderer.

Even now, waves of fatigue kept crashing over me. I didn’t want to expend any more energy. Even if it meant skipping a meal, I had to increase my life force. Feeling this tired after killing only two slimes was still better than constantly getting nosebleeds, but it wasn’t acceptable. Since I’d started at a worse starting line than everyone else, I had to work that much harder.

Leaving behind Eve, who insisted on following, I ran toward the Herat building under the pretext of catching up on yesterday’s missed training. Alex simply stood there, staring blankly after me.