Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Hero, Demon King, and Player (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.
2 hours later.
Dealing with the wyverns that appeared high in the sky didn't take long.
Due to their flocking nature, once a few of the leaders up front were subdued, the rest retreated easily.
Especially if their boss went down—they all scattered in a panic.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📖 Name: Rough Green Wyvern with Thick Fangs (Adult) ⚔ Level: Lv.200 ❤️ HP: 12,000,000 ✨ MP: 10,000 📍 Leader Specimen 📖 Description: Wyvern that nests in flocks in the forest, attacks intruders in its territory. Of course, I chased down the fleeing ones and converted them all into experience for Lewis.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Go, Lewis. Breath! ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ I don't want to! It's already the 6th one today! No more! ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ No more? Then I'll specially let you fire 7... no, as many as you want. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Why are you doing this to me?! This world isn't like games such as Novel Online, where monsters respawn after death.
So, good experience sources like wyverns are best eliminated on sight for maximum efficiency.
Honestly, when else would I get experience like this?
‘Got it up to 155, better than before.’
Before long, night had fallen.
The Miresho pressed on through the night sky, guided by moonlight and starlight.
"A shooting star of light sailing the night skies for what lies ahead"—that's what one of the merchant guild employees had said was the meaning behind the Miresho's name.
Pretty fitting, in its own way.
-Splash!
Right now, I was soaking in the bath while gazing up at that night sky.
No city lights down below, unfortunately, but the view of the heavens through the bathroom window was stunning.
Whether it was the cleaner atmosphere compared to Earth letting the stars shine brighter, or my superhuman eyesight—dozens of times keener than a human's—didn't matter...
‘It's pretty.’
I admired the view in solitude.
Lewis had wandered off inside the ship to check out something fun, leaving me alone.
A little lonely, sure, but sometimes enjoying a quiet bath by myself like this wasn't so bad.
Still, the emptiness was hard to ignore.
‘But this has its own charm.’
Setting aside the loneliness, the airship's accommodations were better than I'd expected.
No—actually far better.
Stran had put thought into preparing this room, upgrading a standard suite with extra conveniences and furniture. It was impressive.
Furniture prioritizing practicality over medieval European flair, giving off a modern vibe... subtle lighting...
An atmosphere that soothed the soul.
As expected of a mega-merchant guild master? It even topped the inn I'd stayed at in Asral City.
He'd designed it himself, apparently. Surprisingly competent businessman, that guy.
Of course, I couldn't deny his shady dealings, but honestly? I didn't care if he killed or sold people.
Back then, it only mattered because it involved people connected to me. Trying to shove human morals onto a demon? Pointless.
As long as things worked for me, that was enough.
‘...Anyway.’
-Swish.
I reclined in the spacious tub.
A warm herbal scent rose from the water.
‘That hero—what the hell happened for him to sell his holy sword and start wielding a demon blade?’
Even in this relaxing ambiance, I couldn't clear my mind completely. I mulled over the situation.
The hero using the Demon King's sword.
I had no clue how he'd gotten it, let alone how he was wielding it.
Heroes were inherently antithetical to demonic energy—heroes and Demon Kings were natural counters to each other.
The Demon King's class was mage anyway, so he never wielded it himself. As far as I knew, one of his summoned swordsmen did...
‘What the hell happened to them?’
From spotting the Demon King in the city to boarding this airship, only two days had passed.
So what could have gone down in those two days? If I sharpened my senses right now and listened in on their quarters—
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Auxiliary Skill II – Rabbit's Ears Enhances the user's hearing, allowing sounds up to 5km away to be heard.
-Creak! Creak!
The harsh sound of a bed shaking violently.
“...Ugh.”
I clamped my ears shut right away.
No good.
This was seriously bad for my mental health.
I'd welcome peace and quiet, but eavesdropping on a man and woman making love? Gave me the weirdest vibe.
Is that why adventurers on those jobs could stomach it?
Unless they were total horndogs—
‘No, stop. Don't get invested in irrelevant nonsense.’
For starters, could the hero and Demon King really be an item? At this point, I was starting to question my own head.
Whatever. As long as it benefited me, fine.
What mattered was the hero's ‘corruption’ timeline, and when the humans and demons would clash in the final battle.
Scenarios that wouldn't trigger unless a player like me advanced the story.
But with the main plot twisting like this, I couldn't afford to relax...
If it came to that, I'd prepare ahead.
I needed a reply to the Frost Elf's note anyway. Might as well recover the Great Sage's magic while visiting.
With the Great Sage's spells back, nothing to fear except Transcendents.
Hell, if I could pull off game feats, even Transcendents wouldn't scare me.
I'd killed them all once with these hands.
‘Anyway, rough plan set.’
-Swish.
I rose from the tub and wrapped a towel around myself.
Bathing alone here felt a tad lonely.
Dragging Lewis by force felt wrong—memories of tossing her to the tentacles before made my conscience twinge.
Plus, she was sulking from all the wyvern breaths I'd made her fire earlier.
‘Something nice? She won't bathe with me since the tentacle thing...’
Hmm.
“Ah.”
Right.
I'd forgotten about that.
Perfect timing since I was already in the bath—worth a try.
-Zap!
I opened my subspace and reached in.
Brought it along to test later, then forgot.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📖 Name: Purified Sacred Tentacle ⚔ Level: Lv.250 ❤️ HP: 6,900,000 ✨ MP: 25,000 📖 Description: Monster that parasitizes the uterus, feeding on female bodily fluids to breed. Its secreted mucus is said to be good for skin care. -Thud.
What I pulled from the subspace was a tentacle the size of a child.
Back when I'd ripped Lewis free from the undead demon, I'd snagged a sample piece.
Thanks to its insane regeneration, the fragment had stabilized without issue.
“But... how do you even use this?”
-Squelch.
“Hmm...”
The texture in my hand was seriously creepy.
How to describe it? Like dozens of snails crawling over my skin...
Imagining this thing enveloping me, toying with every inch of my body—yeah, horrifying on every level.
Explains why it's straight out of a hentai game.
Books even listed it as an aphrodisiac ingredient. Identical to those tentacles.
‘If the game allowed stuff like this, it'd never pass Korean ratings.’
At minimum, 19+ lock.
‘Good thing Novel Online doesn't have it.’
Of course, Novel Online was rated 15+.
I'd never encountered this monster in-game.
Even if such lore existed, it never appeared in the main story. No point hoping.
...Though side novels had a few bits like that.
“Yeah, using this is a stretch.”
Anyway, putting it on my body? No way.
The sweet scent was nice, but physiologically? Hard pass.
This gross thing devouring me?
And if someone forced it? They'd have to be downright demonic.
‘Still kinda disappointing.’
▶Monster that parasitizes the uterus... mucus good for skin care.
...Ah, right—elves supposedly love tentacles. Maybe Arke knows how to extract the mucus.
“But why do elves even...?”
Whatever. Time to store the tentacle.
Staring at the wriggling, slimy thing was visual torture...
And Lewis had panicked and cried every time she'd seen one since then. Better keep it hidden.
“I'll figure it out solo next time.”
With that, I grabbed the tentacle to shove back into subspace.
But then.
-Zap!
“Eek?!”
I yanked my hand back.
As soon as my finger touched the tentacle, a spark flared, followed by a sharp sting at the tip.
Felt like I'd been sliced...
“What?!”
-Drip.
Blood trickled from my finger.
A tiny cut on the tip—it healed almost instantly, but that wasn't the issue.
Did this tentacle bite me?
...It did have sacred attributes now.
Bonus damage against demons made sense, but a non-lethal monster dealing any damage to me? Impossible.
So the cut came from something else.
“Tch. Annoying.”
-Thoom!
To investigate, I hit it with Graviton, levitating the tentacle into the air.
It floated up, smacked the ceiling—and that's when something odd appeared.
Like a sharp sword.
“...?”
No way.
It dealt damage and that telltale sacred numbness, pointing to only one thing—but that seemed too far-fetched.
The hero was still kicking. Even in this bizarre world, that scenario couldn't have played out.
I refused to believe it.
-Shing!
The sword shape slid downward, then dropped.
-Pierce!
A blade gleaming with holy light stabbed halfway into the floor.
One oddity: it was slathered in tentacle mucus.
“...Huh.”
I let out a short sigh.
Confirming what the sword from the tentacle was, I was at a loss for words.
A pristine white sword radiating holy light.
Yeah. A holy sword.
The legendary blade only a hero could possess—and wield.
📜 ITEM ⚔ Hero's Holy Sword
▶ Equipment
“This... is straight-up insane.”
```