The Fraudulent Protagonist Obtained a Fraudulent Item (1)

The fraudulent protagonist obtained a fraudulent item. (1)

The incomprehensible notification window appeared before the supporting character's eyes just as he thought to block the collapsing ceiling with his own body. Then Bone Armor, which he hadn't been able to use due to insufficient mana, activated automatically.

Kwaaaang!

The Bone Armor perfectly blocked the falling building debris, allowing both the supporting character and Arty to remain unharmed.

What the hell? Mana supply? From what? The user? What user?

While Joyeon stood dazed by the sudden notification, a burning sensation on his finger made him look down at his right index finger.

A ring...? Ah.

—Aaaah! Finally! It actually connected! You stupid idiot! You almost got us killed!!

Along with the new notification window, a voice Joyeon absolutely did not want to hear echoed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside his head.

Auntie...

—Who are you calling auntie, you disrespectful brat! Do you want to be cursed that badly?!

Thanks to the ability god and the ring's effect, Joyeon finally understood what had happened to him.

It was a gift from the Modern God and the Magic God. They supplied me with mana.

—That's right! You should've checked your gift the moment you woke up. How could you forget while flirting with Arty like an idiot! And what the hell was that crazy stunt earlier?! You almost got Arty killed too!

It was a last resort to save her. So, where is it? The gift I received in the dream. I don't have it on me right now.

—Stop saying stupid things and check your inventory. The Magic God put it there on purpose so you wouldn't lose it.

Inventory?

Joyeon opened his inventory. What had once been only two slots had now expanded to three, and one of them contained a pitch-black gem.

No way... it definitely wasn't there before...

The gem he took out from his inventory floated into the air and began orbiting around him just like Arty's raw gemstone.

But what exactly does this thing do? How did it restore my mana?

—Tsk!

The ability god clicked her tongue at Joyeon's request for an explanation and directly cast an appraisal spell on the gem. Immediately, an information window about the gift from the Modern God and the Magic God appeared.

A simple effect. Yet for the current Joyeon, it was an item possessing an effect more powerful than anything else.

So it's like... a mana storage?

—Exactly! If you'd known the effect, you wouldn't have pulled such a stupid stunt.

Annoyed by the ability god's sarcastic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remark, Joyeon shouted.

"Of course I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if I'd known! You should've just told me back then!"

—Why are you yelling at me?! Go complain to the Modern God or the Magic God! Besides, you're the one who forgot!

"...You stalker auntie!"

—W-what?! Stalker?! You perverted bastard! I'll curse you right n— Hey, let go! Let go of me! Modern God! This guy is—!

The ability god's voice that had been talking to Joyeon suddenly cut off. Judging that he probably wouldn't be able to talk to her for a while, Joyeon continued cursing her in his mind.

"Joyeon~?"

Only then did Joyeon realize the situation upon hearing Arty's voice from below. He had been lying on top of her to protect her while conversing with the ability god.

"What's... going on?"

"...I'll explain later if I get the chance. You owe me your life now too, so we're even."

"O-oh..."

"Master!!! Are you alright?!"

"Joyeon!"

While Joyeon and Arty exchanged a brief conversation, his followers and the Rion Party arrived together, lifting the heavy building debris to rescue him.

"I'm fine. Lara. What about the War Trolls?"

"Ah, yes! About two left, but we've almost finished them off! Master, are you really—"

"I'm fine. Really. No problem."

Now able to stand after pushing the debris aside, Joyeon brushed the dust off his body and extended his hand to Arty. Arty took his hand and stood up as well. After asking Tiasia, who approached with a worried expression, to dust off Arty's clothes, Joyeon touched the black gem flying around him with his hand and grinned.

"As long as I have this."

****

Outside the hospital.

The War Troll horde, which had been making great contributions as business partners(?) of Kelts Pitra in this world transformed by the world fusion, possessed a surprisingly systematic organizational structure befitting the word "war" in their name. The most basic entities were Attackers. Tanks, larger than the others and the first to charge into enemy lines. Riders who controlled monsters like Saber Leo that could carry them, possessing superior mobility. Armored units properly equipped unlike the crudely armed Attackers. And finally, the Generals who possessed all the characteristics of these entities and held ultimate command over the horde itself.

The General who had just sent Tanks into the hospital was about to issue another order to charge soldiers again at the screams of soldiers and humans coming from inside.

Shhhk...!

A black shadow that suddenly appeared from inside the hospital instantly spread beyond the hospital and filled the surrounding space.

The War Troll horde momentarily fell into disarray at the suddenly blackened ground and the chilling sensation, but they quickly returned to their original state at a single shout from the General.

"So you're the General. Now that I have some breathing room, I can finally tell you apart."

The General, who had been about to point at the hospital, discovered two humans walking out from the already half-destroyed hospital entrance. He expressed his doubt. Why were humans coming out? What happened to the Tanks?

Male and female. Both were strange beings with multiple stones orbiting around their bodies. The General had learned through experience that underestimating humans could lead to significant damage. And now, more than any human he had seen before, the male human standing confidently at the end of his gaze felt dangerous.

"350 of them, huh~ We've only got thirty or forty people at most. The numbers difference is way too big, isn't it?"

Unable to understand Joyeon's words, the General decided that pondering was not a good idea and gave the same order to the Tanks as before.

"Monsters that don't understand words. When they suddenly act so confident like this, you should wonder if they've prepared something..."

Joyeon sneered at the Tanks preparing to charge and began chanting.

"[Death comes equally to all, yet its timing is most unequal.]"

The Book of the Dead that had appeared from his inventory before he knew it emitted a gray light.

"[In moments of sudden death, regret always accompanies.]"

Following the General's command, the prepared Tanks charged toward Joyeon recklessly before he could finish his chant.

"[Those who regret, rise.]"

Joyeon continued chanting as if the charging Tanks didn't frighten him at all. The Book of the Dead reacted to the Tanks that reached right in front of him in just a few steps due to their massive bodies over 5 meters tall.

Bone Armor, which had always been created at the minimum necessary size due to insufficient mana, had now grown large enough to block all the charging Tanks thanks to the Nuclear Mana Reactor, the gods' gift that removed that limitation.

"Hehehe~ I never thought I'd get to mess with a necromancer's magic again~"

Arty, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been preparing to assist Joyeon by his side")). began interfering with his magic as if dancing.

Using her ability, Arty transformed the Bone Armor—which had been nothing more than simple, massive bones—into a colossal half-bodied skeleton. Unlike the followers, the Colossal Soldier, lacking self-awareness, raised its enormous hand high into the sky for its innate purpose and swatted down the War Trolls like flies, protecting Joyeon.

Joyeon grinned at the neutralized Tanks and completed his chant.

"[The bottomless abyss that drags up the dead.]"

A magic that pulls the dead into an endless hole and turns them into his followers.

Kwoooar...!

"U-uaaah?!"

"W-what?!"

"Kyaaaaah!!"

"Calm down! Please calm down!"

Sudden noisy screams echoed from inside the hospital.

"You must be the unluckiest monster in this world. Because Arty and I are lucky."

Kreeeeeer...!

Thud... Thud... Thud... Thud...!

"H-hiii...! Creepy..."

Arty, who had turned to look at the noisy hospital from behind Joyeon, trembled and grabbed onto his clothes. What slowly emerged from inside the hospital were the ten Tanks that had been killed by Joyeon and the others.

"If all 350 had charged from the beginning, we would've died before I even realized what this item was."

When Joyeon pointed his finger at the War Troll horde, they took the same stance as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when they had destroyed the hospital. With red glowing eyes, Joyeon was already wearing a victorious smile.

"Charge."

Kwoooooooar!!

Following Joyeon's command, the ten Tank zombies charged toward their former comrades.