Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chapter 25.
Yes.
It would have been less surprising if Gunter had revealed his hidden power and swept away all the enemies.
But there was no such twist.
He was weak as expected, and walked a tightrope throughout the test.
...Yet, the achievements made in the meantime caught the eye.
Finding the ventilation shaft and successfully infiltrating, and then spontaneously executing a pincer movement with a captured comrade, could be understood.
But using the organization's boss as a puppet to plunge the warehouse into chaos in an instant.
Preventing an unscheduled Priest's 'individual ritual'.
The scene where the leadership was wiped out in an instant was quite impressive.
The one-on-one duel with the Paladin, where he showed movements far beyond his apparent abilities for a moment, was also very interesting.
But what caught her interest the most was—
'That not a single sacrifice died.'
It wasn't a coincidence.
It was clearly intentional, a necessity.
Gunter had been acting with that purpose from the start.
'He probably didn't even know the objects to be stolen were people….'
Again, Gunter is not strong.
A weakling who would have died if he had made just one wrong move in there.
However, in such extreme situations, he did not freeze in fear.
Nor did he move in a panic, making a reckless gamble.
He simply chose the most rational move, every time.
At the most irrational moments.
—Why are you so quiet? What was the new recruit candidate like?
The execution squad, unlike other units, performs 'special missions'.
For that reason, Moon Wolf had been observing five specific items when evaluating new recruit candidates.
Combat power.
Observation skills.
Intuition.
Crisis management ability.
Psychological stability.
And excluding combat power, Gunter's remaining four items could be described as follows.
"Perfect."
—...?.
"...Should I say he has an innate sense for finding the right answer."
Yes, that's right.
The voice on the receiver fell silent for a moment, then let out an exclamation of admiration.
—Wow... This is the first time I've ever heard you, the squad leader, give such an evaluation. I'm so curious? Tell me more. Huh?
"You'll see for yourself later."
There was actually one thing she hadn't bothered to mention.
Something she liked even more than his judgment.
His instinct to move to save the sacrifices first, even at the risk of danger.
The will to protect, unbroken despite his lack of strength.
That honest goodness was rare in this unit, filled with these crazy vengeful spirits.
It was something that had long since faded for her.
'Golden Fox didn't file that report for no reason.'
Moon Wolf changed the subject with a short sigh.
"What about your mission?"
The subordinate replied energetically.
—2nd Platoon Leader reporting! Mission a great success! We prevented the ritual.
"...Really?"
Despite the news of success, Moon Wolf remained silent for a moment.
In fact, she was superior when it came to discerning emotions through voice.
"Did you borrow power again?"
—I had no choice. An unscheduled 5th-tier Paladin appeared.
"...A 5th-tier Paladin?"
—Yeah, seemed like a disciple of the Seven Great Imprints. If it weren't for me, everyone would have died?
"The price."
—...We paid it, hehe.
Moon Wolf's eyelids slowly lowered and then opened again.
In that brief silence, an unwelcome calculation was finished.
"...So how many months do we have left now?"
—Hmm, about half a year?
"I see."
—Hehe... But I did well, right?
Moon Wolf took a short breath.
"You can go in, you worked hard."
—Yeah, you too, Squad Leader!
Moon Wolf turned off the receiver and stood still for a moment.
The scene of the lower levels was reflected in her red eyes.
The streets shrouded in deep darkness, the faintly flickering lights.
Half a year.
Another one leaves, and another one arrives.
When will this damn fight ever end?
Will there be an end?
What was certain was that, barring any major upheaval, her own end was closer.
'The answer... huh.'
Moon Wolf took a deep breath.
And then, she disappeared into the shadows without a trace.
When the two, dragging their exhausted bodies, arrived at the lodging Moon Wolf had recommended.
The time had already passed four in the morning.
Ryan, who had his hand on his room doorknob, hesitated and spoke.
"By the way... don't you have anything you want to ask me? I feel like you'd have a lot."
Gunter replied immediately.
"Later."
"Huh?"
"It's okay, so speak when you want to talk about it later."
At those words, Ryan's expression became deeply moved.
"...Thank you."
It had been a difficult night.
He felt greatly relieved at the thought that he didn't have to bring up painful old stories right away.
"As expected, I've got a good friend!"
Ryan, smiling brightly, entered his room.
"...Ahem."
Gunter, who had been diligently reading Ryan's past through his character sheet, entered the next room with a slightly guilty look.
.
.
.
One of the good things about this city is that it has some scientific tools available under the name of Magic Engineering.
For example, a shower with hot water.
Gunter washed off the grime and threw himself onto the bed.
A fatigue comparable to working three shifts of manual labor washed over him.
Considering he had to inject detoxifying drugs midway through because he couldn't stand it, he would probably wake up half-dead tomorrow morning.
[Addict Saintess worries about aftereffects]
However, instead of sleeping immediately, Gunter reread the character sheet he had been looking at earlier.
Ryan Parker.
25 years old.
Height 195cm, Weight 105kg.
1st-tier Warrior.
Main weapon: Two-handed hammer...
The character sheet contained quite detailed information.
'...It's good, as expected.'
It was a function he had used usefully in-game, and he hadn't expected Ryan's to open up so suddenly.
[Party member 'Ryan Parker' is incorporated into your scenario]
This message was likely the cause.
Was Ryan, an existence outside the scenario, also recognized as a 'supporting character'?
Either way, he was relieved that stat points could now be distributed.
'Ryan can get stronger too.'
Furthermore, according to the information on the character sheet... surprisingly, the guy wasn't just an extra.
'Maybe I'll be able to benefit from him.'
Next, Gunter brought up another status window.
A 'very important' window that became accessible upon becoming a temporary member of Night Crow.
[Influence of Rutian Theocracy in Border City: 10089]
Act 1, Chapter 3.
From now on, the scenario will proceed a little differently.
'It's free action time.'
Now, the choice was up to him.
He could go to Haven and take on the organization's requests, or he could personally roam Border City and eliminate Rutian remnants to lower their influence.
The next scenario would be unlocked when the influence score dropped below a certain level.
He knew that he would be promoted to full member and assigned to a unit once it dropped below 10,000.
'The problem is, if my performance within the time limit is poor, the influence actually increases.'
If that happens, all sorts of grim scenarios will be unlocked, and Rutian's forces will rampage further in Border City.
The sacrifice of innocent people will increase, and high priests and Paladins will be dispatched.
Vicious experiments and rituals will proceed even more unchecked, as a bonus.
The options narrow... and survival becomes even more difficult.
'It means moving further away from the true ending.'
That's why he had to move quickly.
While reducing Rutian's influence.
Gathering allies.
Accelerating growth.
And preventing such tragedies through various efforts, such as collecting powerful artifacts.
'…Can I do it?'
Knowing the grim latter half of the game, a sense of helplessness often washed over him.
As it had been until now, the path ahead would be nothing but a thorny one.
Swish-
Gunter unconsciously took out the glass marble from his pocket.
He had received it from the girl earlier.
It was perhaps natural that the process of obtaining it came to mind.
'It was crazy.'
It was fortunate that things went well; if they had gone wrong, the outcome would have been disastrous.
Gunter had never considered himself a saint or a hero.
He knew that those around him—guys like Ryan—considered him good.
But that was merely due to the minimum sense of decency he possessed as a modern person.
Injustice or the weak right before his eyes?
He had turned away from them many times.
How could he save every misfortune that caught his eye when he could barely take care of himself?
'I'm not a god.'
This time was an exception.
His trauma had been triggered.
From now on, he would have to maintain a cold and calculating stance.
'If I repeat such sucker's moves, game clear will be out of the question.'
Gunter carefully placed the glass marble on his desk, turned off the light, and lay down.
As his eyes blurred, on the verge of closing, the last scene from his memory flashed by.
The grubby appearance of the two siblings bowing their heads deeply.
—Thank. You.
...Well, it felt a little better than falling asleep intoxicated by the generous rewards of a No Death Clear.
.
.
.
Ting-!
[Gaze of '◇' is strengthened]
['◆' falls silent]
The next day, at noon.
I woke up with a terrible condition, as expected.
My throat was parched with thirst, and my body felt as heavy as if lead weights had been attached to every joint.
'Damn it.'
[※ Clearance reward settlement is delayed. The system is analyzing your transcendent achievement]
I felt like I needed to eat something to clear my head, so I looked for Ryan, but... he wasn't in his room.
Surprisingly, I found Ryan in the training ground located in the basement of the lodging.
"Hoo, hah. Hoo, hah."
The 195cm, 105kg giant was repeatedly doing handstand push-ups.
His massive body rose and fell with mechanical, precise breathing.
The floor was already soaked with sweat dripping down his back.
'How long has it been since he was beaten and imprisoned, then released?'
Normally, he only moved lightly, just to warm up, and didn't show much enthusiasm for training.
He was the type of fighter who relied on innate senses and experience.
But the Ryan now was different.
With gritted teeth, he silently repeated the training, and I felt something changing.
I didn't want to disturb him.
Quietly stepping back, I brought up his character sheet.
==========
Name: Ryan Parker
Race: Human (Male)
Class: Mercenary (1st-tier)
Age: 25
Alignment: Lawful Good
==========
[Level: 36]
[Strength - 41 Stamina - 29 Agility - 18 Magic Power - 8 Charm - 3 Luck - 15]
[Remaining Stat Points: 0]
One of the benefits of the character sheet being open is that I can distribute party members' remaining stat points.
I had allocated stats according to his build last night, and Ryan was probably feeling the changes in his body right now.
However, that wasn't the core issue.
[A trait exists. Would you like to view it?]
He had a trait, even though I thought he was just an extra like me.
Ting-!
[Trait: Descendant of Giants]
Grade: Rare
Infused with the strong blood of the ancient giants, they inherit some of their ancestors' strength and resistance.
They possess overwhelming strength and stamina compared to ordinary people, but have the disadvantage of a sluggish body.
Strength +40% bonus
Stamina +20% bonus
Agility –10% penalty
※ Maintains strong resistance even when injured or exhausted, allowing combat to continue.
※ The body does not collapse immediately even when sustaining damage above a certain level.
This was the reason Ryan could always stay by my side in Act 1, Chapter 1, and it was a trait connected to the past he was hiding from me.
'…I wish I could have started with at least one trait like this.'
Even considering the decrease in Agility, Descendant of Giants is a blessing for melee types.
It would have been a good match for me, who wields a sword.
'…….'
But there's no use envying it.
In this world, traits are 'innate'.
While there isn't a way to acquire them acquired, it is so incredibly arduous that it's impossible to execute immediately.
'…So that means this is the only trait I have for now.'
[Trait: ???]
Grade: ??
-Cannot form contracts with gods.
-Can acquire and use Karma.
-Can regress upon death, up to a certain number of times.
※ Partial accompanied regression has been unlocked.
※ Other effects are in an unrevealed state. They will not activate until the conditions are met.
This mysterious trait I encountered immediately upon possessing 'Forgotten God'.
I had thought it was a trash trait that only gave the penalty of being unable to contract, but after experiencing a series of events, I finally realized.
There were more secrets hidden within this trait than I had imagined.
'The effects aren't just Death Return and Karma.'
Unrevealed state.
As the words suggest, there are still effects that have not manifested.
I had a premonition.
'Right now, the most intuitive and useful investment is this.'
I can't give up just because there are no clues.
Figuring out the identity of this trait.
That would ultimately be the key to surviving the scenarios to come.
"Hey!"
It was then that Ryan's excited voice was heard.
"Our Captain has arrived!"
He looked clearly more excited than usual.
His tone was the same as always, and his smile was familiar, but his eyes were different.
The person who had been hazy had regained a clear goal and become distinct.
It was good to see.
"What Captain? We're not a knight order."
"Why, it's cool. You'll be doing cooler things than most knights from now on."
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King reminisces about the familiar title]
I chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"...It's a Secret Society, so go ahead and shout it from the rooftops."
"I already put up a banner in front. Anyway, Gunter, where are you going today? You're dressed to go out. Should I follow?"
"No, I'm moving alone today."
Ryan looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Alone?"
Yes, alone.
'Time for investigation.'
Forgotten God.
Many phenomena in this world originate from Divine Ranks.
Then, Karma and Death Return.
Could these two also be the result of some god's intervention?
I harbored such suspicions.
'Of course, none of the gods I know possess such powers...'
Unfortunately, this world no longer remains solely within setting books.
In the reality that has crossed over from beyond the monitor, there are undoubtedly gaps I don't know,
And those gaps have been filled with the unique order of this place.
'If, by any chance, these abilities truly stem from some Divine Rank—'
I must uncover their true nature.
In this game, traits are primarily linked to a character's destiny.
Even if they seem like mere tools now, I don't know where they might lead me in the future.
Frankly, even if I can use Karma and Regression without any price now, there might be changes later.
Perhaps, if I find the proper unlock conditions, they might evolve further.
Either way, there's no reason to remain ignorant.
'Right now, I don't even know the most basic principle of forming a save point.'
What if, frankly, the save point suddenly gets fixed to just before death?
...There's no guarantee that situations where death counts are wasted by repeating unavoidable deaths won't occur.
Therefore, today, when I am unable to engage in combat due to the aftereffects of the drugs.
I intended to uncover the mysteries surrounding me.
My trait.
The origin of the extra character, 'Gunter Sirhe'.
"No, so where are you going!"
I waved my hand and left the lodging.