Chapter 200: In No-Pay Casual Gamer's Inventory...

There was almost nothing No-Pay Casual Gamer's inventory did not contain.

To Yujun, that inventory was a cure-all and a handyman in one — the sort of repairman you called for a single fault and who ended up fixing everything else. It felt like a patron standing solidly at his back. However grand a mess he stirred up, the inventory seemed certain to see it through, and the confidence pouring off it showed plainly on his face.

"I understand that you want to leave the forest. Even so, you must not. This matter concerns the peace of the Continent."

Yan, chief of the tribe, said it.

"Then at least tell me what it is."

"...Stubborn. Very well."

Yan sighed and went on.

"Human. Do you know of the Demon God Worshippers?"

"I do."

Knowing them was the least of it. He was their foremost enemy, and most of the Demon God Worshippers were desperate to take him. Few beings anywhere were tangled up with the cult as deeply as Yujun.

"Since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you know, I will spare you the explanation. In any case, the Demon God Worshippers invaded Sourtul Forest. The invasion itself was no great matter. They used the monsters to carry out all manner of experiments, and even that we did not trouble ourselves over much. The problem is..."

Yan glanced east, then turned his head away.

"They mean to summon a Balrog — a thing that could cast the Continent into peril."

"What's a Balrog? A monster?"

"The name of a creature that existed only in myth."

"And what does that have to do with keeping people from leaving Sourtul Forest? Can't you just kill it?"

"It is not so simple. As I said, the Balrog is a being out of myth. Its rank stands high enough to rival a Demigod. Its raw might does not quite compare to a Demigod's, granted... but no matter how strong a player may be, the gap in rank makes it impossible to so much as wound its body."

Yan spilled the words out in a rush and pressed on.

"On top of that, the Demon God Worshippers will resist fiercely. This will not end with facing the Balrog alone. Even if we hold the creature back, Worshippers from every corner will come pouring in without end."

The cult's numbers were beyond compare. Even if only a fraction of them descended on Sourtul Forest, the scant phantasm folk could never hold them off.

"So it's a problem that goes away if you're strong enough, isn't it?"

Yan shook his head.

"...With our strength, even the Balrog alone is more than we can handle. The difference in rank means our attacks will not land at all, and if the Demon God Worshippers join them on top of that... it would be more reckless than throwing eggs at a boulder."

"Hmm..."

"The tribe is small, and we do not have many people. Even so, I lead them. We will labor for the peace of the Continent, but I will not do it by casting my people's lives aside."

"Hold on. The Demon God Worshippers seem to come and go through Sourtul Forest as they please. Does sealing the exit even mean anything?"

"The Worshippers manage it through a kind of loophole. The Balrog, by contrast, cannot leave Sourtul Forest unless it first does something about us."

"The Balrog can't use that loophole?"

"They forced the summoning to begin with. The narrow passage they travel is one the Balrog can never pass through."

"You're sure?"

"I am certain."

"The exit of Sourtul Forest hasn't been sealed only recently, has it? Why have you been blocking it for so long?"

"...We began sealing the exit once the Demon God Worshippers started coming in. They soon found a way to escape, but even that loophole was not without its cost, and we refused to open the exit so they could not roam freely."

"Well, that's a sad little story. Anyway, from what I'm hearing, this ends if we just kill the Balrog."

"Did you not hear me? The Balrog's rank is high. You may be strong, but your rank is lower than even ours. Therefore your attacks cannot damage it."

"Won't know until I try."

"...There is no talking to you. Stubborn to the bone."

"You're the one caught in your own prejudice."

"What?"

"If you really can't believe me, fight me and judge for yourself."

"Fighting among ourselves would be pointless."

"I'm just saying, take a look at what I can do."

Yan was about to answer when a shout cut him off.

"Chief!"

One of the phantasm folk came running, utterly out of breath. Panting hard, he startled at the sight of Yujun standing there, blank-faced.

"What is it?"

"The Balrog... has been summoned."

Yan let out a heavy sigh, as if the inevitable had arrived.

"Tell everyone to prepare."

"Yes, Chief."

"You're going to stop it?"

"Not to stop it. To make the seal upon the exit firmer still."

"Then you don't care where I go, right?"

Yujun said it with a thin, pleased smile. Before Yan could get a word out, he had already taken up his sword, that same smile still on his face.

"Why are you so happy?"

Manuela, beside him, asked.

"Less happy than relieved. We skipped the annoying part."

"You're ridiculously optimistic."

"Thanks for the compliment, Manuela."

"You only ever say thank you at times like this..."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Thank you for staying by my side?"

"...What?"

Manuela blurted it back, caught off guard for an instant — but Yujun had already kicked off the ground and was sprinting away like a shot.

"Oho. Do you know where the Balrog is, Master?"

Paranet, appearing once more, said it as he ran alongside.

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I looked the whole place over while I was searching for the phantasm folk. Strange thing — an alien energy was gathering in just one spot. Figured that was a sign the Balrog was about to be summoned."

"...Master. Isn't that cheating?"

"Cheating? How is it cheating?"

"You close your eyes once, and somehow you grasp all of that?"

"It's not because I closed my eyes. My stats are just high."

"Even counting my equipment, I must be up in the thousands, and I still cannot do what you do."

"Guess you're a crow-tit."

"Pardon? A crow-tit? Why a crow-tit all of a sudden?"

"You know the one. The bird that keeps splitting its crotch."

They broke out of the barrier the phantasm folk had raised. The place where the Balrog had been summoned lay a fair distance off, but it did not take Yujun long to arrive.

High Agility really does pay off. In Yujun's view, Agility was the most efficient stat of all. That was why he had poured most of his unallocated points into it, and the returns had been enormous.

A clearing lay in the heart of the forest, and across it a magic circle had been drawn in blood. Above the circle stood a colossal monster with its eyes shut. One look was enough. It was the Balrog — a muscular body, wings thick with fur across its back, the whole of it giving an impression of unyielding solidity.

Its mind looks awake. The eyes were closed and nothing more. The Balrog's mind and nerves were very much alive.

Two Demon God Worshippers were watching the creature in real time.

"Someone's here."

"Who?"

"Oh, shit..."

"What?"

"It's Shin Yujun."

"...What? Rose. Don't joke."

"If you don't believe me, look with your own eyes."

The Worshipper who had been fiddling with a tube of liquid went wide-eyed.

"...It's really him. Wait, Rose. You're not planning to take him on alone, are you?"

"Why would you think I'd do that?"

"He's the one who killed Rozi. Your little brother. Of course you would."

Rose said nothing.

"Hold it in. We already have orders not to engage him. If we break them, we won't survive the consequences."

Unable to deny it, Rose bit her lip hard. Even so, yielding to reality was something her nature would not allow. She opened her mouth, resolve burning in her eyes.

"We have the Balrog."

"Are you insane? What good is the Balrog if we don't have the authority to control it?"

"Then we use it well."

"You're not in your right mind."

"Don't decide that for me."

"You're the one acting on your own. What do you take orders from above for?"

"I know. That I'm about to get fucked. That's why I want to say I'm sorry in advance."

When that hard resolve showed on Rose's face, the Demon God Worshipper Comain sighed.

"...For heaven's sake. The apostles will be here soon. Why can't you wait for that?"

"You in, or are you backing out?"

"If I back out, what — you want me to ditch you and run? Do I look like that kind of man?"

"You kind of do. But I'll trust that you won't."

"...You owe me later."

"If we live through this, you mean?"

"Yeah."

First, they had to wake the Balrog. It was a vicious monster that made no distinction between enemy and ally, but there was no other way to kill Shin Yujun. The Demon God Worshippers moved even faster than Yujun, striking the back of the Balrog's head with powerful magic.

A thunderous crash rolled through the clearing, and the Balrog woke. Crimson light blazed from its opened eyes. It showed more interest in Yujun, standing before it, than in the ones who had struck it. The Balrog muttered in a low, heavy voice.

"The first offering is a human. Not bad."

"Witless fool! Do you wear those eyes for decoration? I, Paranet, guardian knight of my master, stand here — and you dare call him an offering?"

Paranet stepped forward bravely. Large as he was, beside the Balrog he was no more than a child. He took the first strike, hurling a combined technique at the monster — Thousand-Pound Drop fused with Body Slam.

A tremendous boom shook the air, and the one blasted backward, astonishingly, was Paranet.

"Ghk—!"

Paranet had grown markedly stronger as his level rose alongside Yujun's, bolstered by the effect of Horidan's ring. Even so, he had been overpowered while using the technique he trusted most.

"Wh-what..."

He had not been forcibly unsummoned, but the fact that he had lost shook him to the core.

"Paranet. Fall back."

"Pardon? I can fight as well!"

"No matter how you thrash, you have no way to ignore the Balrog's rank."

"...That is true."

"Stay behind me. If it looks like I'm in danger, jump in then."

"Ah, that much goes without saying!"

Yujun drew the loyalty-brimming skeletal knight back and pulled his mana up. The power within his body stirred, lively and vast. A low thrum filled the air, then a deeper one. An enormous quantity of mana vanished into empty space, and the magic took form.

Yujun seized the space around the two Demon God Worshippers in hiding. Against magic they could only suffer with their eyes wide open, the pair were bound fast, unable to move.

"Did we just get hit? This emptily?"

Comain said it, hollow with disbelief. Rose was no less dumbfounded. Shin Yujun had not even moved, and he had subdued them. Was the gap in power between him and them really that wide?

At first she had thought that if they put the Balrog in front, they could catch that arrogant human. Shin Yujun was nothing but a rookie player, summoned to the Tower of Infinity less than half a year ago. The Demon God Worshippers had been bound to underestimate him, and Comain and Rose were no exception. No matter how high a reputation climbed, it never truly landed until you saw it with your own eyes. And yet, before they could even make use of the Balrog, they had been crushed like this.

Rose fought to keep her composure.

"I already ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠called for support. We hold out."

"This is insane. That bastard is leaving us alive on purpose."

"I know."

All they could do was cheer the Balrog on. And, as if to oblige them, the creature began to move. The one it marked as its target was Yujun. The situation was flowing exactly as the Demon God Worshippers had hoped.

Then the Balrog used a skill.

What?

Yujun's eyes widened a fraction. He had believed Flash was his alone. A monster that was not even a player, using the Flash skill — honestly, it threw him.

Where did it go?

Flash's stealth made it impossible to confirm with the naked eye. Presence was the only way to catch it. Yujun activated his skill.