Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Guy Who Owes Me One(?)
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🎮 Character Spotlight 🎮
Wanna kill off those annoying NPCs? Shady merchants who overcharge you, village chiefs dumping tedious chores on you. Blacksmiths who botch enhancements. Allied commanders who spike your blood pressure. Even those backstabbing noble twerps who betray you after asking for favors. A character who can lop the heads off all of 'em. Introducing the Berserker Maserus!
Roughly speaking, if there was promo copy for a character, it'd suit this protagonist just fine.
The player character Maserus from the original game was exactly that kind of existence.
Typically, NPCs in games have no-attack attributes or respawn on death.
It's an element to prevent game progress from grinding to a halt—whether for quests, story, or even small stuff like weapon enhancements.
However,
the character Maserus shattered that common sense.
A berserker—or straight-up murderer—who beat down everyone, friend or foe alike.
From the get-go, he wielded a high-grade item, Caladbolg,
and unlike other player characters starting at 4th Grade Intermediate combat power, Maserus kicked off as a 9th Grade Advanced Warrior.
At first glance, he seemed like an over-specced cheat character right from the start.
Handsome face too, making him the most popular guy among female players.
However,
unlike that overpowered spec, the consensus was that Maserus's route had discriminatorily higher difficulty than any other character.
Not just tougher enemies.
The character's worst flaw and most standout feature.
Maserus couldn't interact with NPCs.
Well, he could, but instead of normal dialogue, his options boiled down to exactly two actions.
Kill them. Or ignore them.
From tutorial instructors to blacksmiths, priests, even the emperor you meet later.
For Maserus, progressing the story meant nothing more than killing or sparing whoever was in front of him.
Not just quest flows, but even essential interactions deemed mandatory.
To get gear, he'd have to kill other warriors or blacksmiths,
and for recovery, slaughter priests for holy water and potions—or rely on his pathetically inefficient self-heal.
Plus, his weapon was fixed to Caladbolg, so by endgame, his combat power actually lagged behind other characters.
An existence so skewed toward combat that the differentiated early spec felt like a trap.
And thanks to those unique elements setting him apart from other player characters, he enjoyed cult-like popularity.
Of course, among hardcore players like me, a few had attempted and succeeded at no-kill NPC clears with him—extreme playthroughs that were possible.
But that was just a freak variant route relying on god-tier physical skills.
In the actual story flow, Maserus was an existence who drenched every place he went in blood, turning everyone into enemies until Caladbolg finally snapped in the emperor's hands and he met his end.
Brutal and merciless...
yet somehow stirring curiosity about how this guy ended up like that, along with a twinge of pity.
But with no interactions beyond other NPCs or solid plot hooks, what happened to him stayed a mystery to the end.
The only scrap we could glean was that 'something involving nobles' had gone down.
On that vague setup, players could only spin their own theories and guesses—that was the limit.
In the end, without further info released, it sadly remained a MacGuffin.
And right now, at this moment.
The man in question, Maserus,
no, Mazelan—future NPC slayer—lay sprawled on the deck after getting pummeled in the rain until he tasted dust.
As I gazed down at him,
I fell into brief contemplation.
Just moments ago, Mazelan had been spilling his guts in front of me—what you'd call a full confession, or excuse-making if you wanna be picky.
Sure, as a bounty hunter he'd earned infamy among us, but he didn't seem like some mindless killer whose screws had come loose.
I didn't know the details, but probably something over the next two years twisted his mind like that.
Anyway, the key thing was how I handled this guy right now.
'Killing him... feels off somehow. He's sorta indebted(?) to me, after all...'
It'd avoid annoying revenge drama down the line, so that was one option.
However...
As someone who'd played the original game extensively, I felt a personal attachment to this character.
The thrill of pulling off that no-kill clear challenge with him was one of the top highs of my life.
Even scored me enough tips to keep my back warm through winter, as a bonus.
So, in a way of repaying that past favor(?),
and for another reason I absolutely couldn't ignore,
I decided to let the guy live.
I'd already extended a hand to one protagonist... Ambasha... and brought her under my wing.
In this setup, offing future Maserus too would just tangle the already messy timeline even worse.
I didn't care what happened on land,
but if these ripples drew weird aggro and the original fire spread to the seas, shit would really get annoying.
To sidestep the hassle,
I chose to let this guy flow along the original story path.
Even if, for him, it wasn't exactly a great flow.
'Come to think of it... makes me curious. How the hell does a guy like this end up that way in just two years?'
If things went well, I might uncover the truth behind that original MacGuffin soon enough.
Feeling a thick wave of curiosity about it,
I unwittingly muttered under my breath.
"Just what the hell happened with those nobles..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Let's call it here."
With those words, the merciless beating finally wrapped up.
Mazelan and his crew had been pounded so thoroughly there wasn't a spot on them that didn't hurt.
Luckily no broken bones or anything, but getting handled this perfectly during all this was a first for them.
Even so, deep down they felt relief.
'L... Li... ved...'
'Th... Thought I was a goner...'
Rumors of the fate awaiting those who messed with the Pirate King's crew had spread far and wide.
Limbs hacked off and tossed to sharks in the sea.
Or tied to the prow, withering away pathetically under the scorching sun from hunger and thirst.
No matter what horror you imagined, ending up like this on deck was pure dumb luck.
Then.
"On your feet."
"Y... Yes, sir!"
The Pirate King's command rang in their ears.
That voice alone now carried a heavy dread; staggering, Mazelan and crew forced themselves upright through sheer willpower.
"I'll end it here for today. But if anything like this happens again... don't expect mercy next time."
"Y... Yes! U... Understood!"
"W... We'll keep it in mind, Pirate King!"
"Th... Thank you so much for your mercy!"
Mazelan and crew offered genuine gratitude as the grim reaper sheathed his scythe and backed off right before their eyes.
That's when,
as the Pirate King turned sideways,
a tiny voice, barely audible, reached Mazelan's ear.
"Just what the hell happened with those nobles..."
"?!..."
Words laced with something like curiosity—different from everything so far.
But to Mazelan, it was a spine-chilling bombshell.
Didn't that mean the Pirate King already knew full well he'd come on a noble's commission?
In other words, the Pirate King's involvement in this job wasn't mere coincidence.
'No way...'
As that realization dawned, stirring chaos in his mind,
the Pirate King approached his waiting subordinates nearby.
"Any injuries?"
"Y... Yes... S... Sorry, Captain... I just..."
Frankling apologized in a quivering whisper.
But the Pirate King patted her shoulder and spoke in a calm tone.
"It's fine. I know you did your best. Don't get down on yourself—keep pushing forward."
"I... I'll remember that... Captain..."
Her fearsome face now tinged with embarrassment.
Even that faint smile looked kinda creepy somehow, but the Pirate King paid it no mind and smiled back.
Then, shifting from Frankling, he turned to the girl beside her.
Her eyes sparkling, he met them with a gentle gaze.
"Father..."
"You nearly got in big trouble, but thanks for calling me at the perfect moment. You did great, Ambasha."
"Hehe..."
The girl blushed and grinned...
calling the Pirate King 'Father'.
Watching that heartwarming scene—so different from moments ago...
Mazelan felt the puzzle pieces in his head click together, finally grasping the full picture.
'That filthy duke bastard... set us up to get screwed from the very start!'