Chapter 30

The monstrous bird descended from the sky, its red eyes narrowing as it growled.

“Ah, ah…”

The old butler clutched his head with both hands, recalling the most horrifying moment of his life.

The night that had turned white as the day, the pure white blaze descended, and even the sturdy cathedral crumbled like lava.

People nearby were melted from flesh to bone.

Watching the bird gnawing on the heads of people of all ages in the middle of the square, he thought:

There’s no hope for mercy. This is a calamity devoid of good and evil.

There’s no hope for help. No human exists who could deal with this.

“…It’s here, the demon of destruction has come to take the life it couldn’t claim that day.”

“Oh, that old man is at it again.”

Jack was about to move the old butler when—

Thud!

The monstrous bird grabbed Hersel’s ankle with its cauldron-sized hand and flung him away.

His body rolled on the ground like a pencil.

Thud.

He came to a stop, lying still as if dead, even blood trickling from his forehead.

Jack’s eyes widened as he shouted.

“Young Master!”

Meanwhile, the monstrous bird lifted its head and inhaled deeply.

Seeing this, the old butler spoke in a resigned voice.

“It’s all over. The fire demon will arrive. Hellfire that will melt everything!”

Fwoosh!

Dark magic flared around the bird.

* * *

After a quick lunch at the company cafeteria, I started typing on my laptop.

I had connected the gaming mouse and keyboard I brought from home because this was a crucial moment.

“…Deputy Manager, you even brought those things now?”

“I’m about to face a boss battle.”

“What?”

“If I die, the save file gets erased, and I have to start all over again. I need to play seriously.”

The scenario was at the midpoint, and the characters’ abilities were at their peak for this point in the game.

Though I’m not a beginner, and progressing through chapters wasn’t too difficult, I was so tense and using familiar equipment for one specific challenge.

[Phase III: The Fighting Crow]

This monster was designed by the creators to be unkillable. Could I, with pure skill, defeat it? I wanted to prove it.

Tatata—

Click, click!

“Wow… Your hands are really fast.”

The bird’s punches, kicks, and grappling attacks were hard to deal with even if you memorized its patterns, requiring quick reflexes.

What I was doing went beyond blocking; it was complete evasion.

Argh!

Ah, dead again.

“Oh my!”

Despite showing off my divine control, it was game over.

Mirei looked puzzled as she asked,

“You were at full health, but died from just one laser beam?”

“That was an instant death move.”

“But you didn’t get hit. I saw you dodge it perfectly. What kind of game is this?”

As Mirei said, I hadn’t even been touched by a pixel. Many users had complained to the developers about this, but the response was outrageous.

[The breath attack is an ultra-high-temperature attack that melts everything around it. Even if you avoid the direct hit, it’s intended to be fatal. This is not a bug.]

In simpler terms:

[This is meant to kill you. It’s designed to kill you.]

But seriously, setting a death judgment at 180 degrees around it?

Those lunatics…

“Poorly made games are always like this.”

I closed my laptop roughly.

Failed again.

While packing up with weakened hands, I heard a strange sound from the laptop speakers.

[Hersel!]

[What are you doing? Get a grip! Get up quickly!]

Blinking in surprise, I saw the system window upon opening my eyes.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 39 seconds]

That’s right, I had become Hersel.

Just moments ago, I had been flung by the monstrous bird while in cooldown state.

So that was a memory… no, more precisely, a life-flashing-before-my-eyes experience.

‘Ugh… I thought I was dead from the headache, but I survived?’

[You survived because you were thrown to the ground. But the impact was severe.]

My right eye saw only red.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my eye and stood up, though my body ached.

Thanks to the trait ‘Noble Blood’s Ember’ that made me want to maintain composure even in times like this, my posture was straight.

Which made it more painful.

‘Ugh! Even my ankle is messed up.’

[Now is not the time to be whining, Hersel! Look over there!]

At Donatan’s warning, I looked at the monstrous bird.

The shimmering air and its puffed-up chest were familiar sights.

Damn, it’s preparing its breath attack?

This is crazy.

Given how swollen its chest was, the breath attack would soon be launched.

With my heart shrinking, I alternated my gaze between the bird and the system window.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 29 seconds]

In this state, from my experience, it would fire in about 20 seconds.

There wasn’t enough time for the invincibility to re-activate.

‘But where is Mircel? I thought he’d be here by now.’

[Look to the 7 o’clock direction.]

I looked beyond the bird at the servants’ dormitory.

Mircel was perched on the top floor window sill, ready to jump down at any moment.

The last feather floated about 15 meters high, so he must have needed to get to a high spot.

Swoosh!

I pointed at the bird.

Then I pointed at myself.

Next, I pointed at Mircel.

Finally, at the feather.

My signals were telling him to cut the feather and run after the breath attack was fired.

Mircel seemed to understand, nodding with a complex expression.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 15 seconds]

“Whew~”

I sighed as I looked at the monstrous bird, holding dark magic at its beak.

What could I do to buy time right now?

There must be something…

As I racked my brain, a metallic object flew through the air, gleaming as it cut through the space.

Clang!

It was a helmet.

The helmet struck the bird’s head and bounced off.

“Hey, old man! I don’t plan to die doing nothing like you! Got it? I want to enjoy myself before I go!”

It was Jack’s voice.

He threw the steel gauntlets he was wearing at the bird and shouted towards the dormitory.

“Are you all just going to stand there like this useless old man? Don’t you want to use the money you worked so hard to earn? You hate the thought of dying without spending it, right? Then throw something! You never know, you might blind it!”

“Do you have a grudge against me or something?”

“Shut up!”

Maybe Jack’s words had an effect.

“That’s right! I’ve saved a lot of money!”

Led by an angry-faced Selly, knives, shields, glass bottles, and even dolls were hurled at the bird from the dormitory windows.

“Ow!”

Someone threw a shoe at my head.

It felt intentional, but I let it slide.

It bought us an extra turn.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 1 second]

[1-second invincibility cooldown: Available]

The bird, eyeing the dormitory, opened its beak wide.

Inside, a completed white sphere radiated heat.

This was the breath attack about to be launched.

“Where are you aiming that beak?”

I smirked at the bird, taunting it while sticking the coat I had taken off earlier onto its back.

“Wasn’t that prepared for me?”

The bird glared at me, then unleashed a beam of light with a roar.

Kiiiiii!

They say white light is the hottest when it burns.

Just as the scenery turned white, Mircel cut the last feather.

That was all I saw.

The intense light that could melt steel completely burned my vision.

[Physical attack detected.]

[Special ability activated.]

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds]

Fwoosh!

After the fire demon passed, I stood in the thick smoke, covering my now naked body with the coat I had stuck to my back.

As I leisurely buttoned it, my hands slipped due to the blood from wiping my forehead.

…Strange. I thought I got hurt just from being thrown, but I wasn’t fazed by the truly dangerous attack.

‘This isn’t all-purpose.’

Anyway, I had used up the extra life I received as a bonus.

With the barriers down, the only thing left to do was to run outside, but I wondered if that was possible.

According to the original plan, I would take the bird to the next stalling location and look for an escape opportunity.

“Hm.”

The only positive thing was that I had imprinted on the bird that physical attacks and even its strongest breath attack were useless against me.

What would it do next?

Wild beasts generally avoid creatures like armadillos that they can’t hunt.

I wished it would react that way…

Unfortunately, it was a vain hope.

Whoosh!

The bird approached me without hesitation, drooling.

Its predatory gaze made my insides churn.

Feigning composure, I hid my inner turmoil and fueled the ‘Noble Blood’s Ember’ trait.

“Why? Do I look that tasty? Try taking a bite if you want your beak broken.”

My bluff didn’t work at all.

The bird found me amusing and let out a bizarre laugh.

Kikikiki!

Feeling an ominous chill, sweat trickled down my back.

Its crescent-shaped eyes seemed to say, ‘You’re definitely edible.’

At that moment, a stream of red rain fell, reflected in my right eye.

Drip!

Hearing the sound of water hitting the ground, I cautiously rolled my eyes.

Countless red dots appeared on the ground.

It was my blood from the wounds I got while rolling on the ground earlier.

‘I’m bleeding in front of it?’

I had appeared invincible to the bird until now, but I had shown it my bleeding form.

This was highly significant.

Though the bird wouldn’t know about the ‘1-second invincibility,’ its wild instincts would make it highly perceptive of an enemy’s weakness.

Now, it would think of me as edible meat.

It might have also found my running away suspicious.

My heart pounded, and my breath became short.

[1-second invincibility cooldown: 23 seconds]

As I watched the system window, the bird opened its beak wide.

Despite knowing I couldn’t dodge, I moved my trembling feet.

The bird followed me leisurely, beak open, mocking me.

Kiiiikkki!

As I staggered back, dizziness hit, and I nearly blacked out.

Maybe it was anemia.

Yet the pain in my ankle was starkly clear. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Honestly, I just wanted to rest now.

Surviving this long with such a weak body was a miracle.

However, my pride wouldn’t let me leave like this, so I clenched my fist.

Seeing myself cowering before a monster I had killed countless times, I decided not to go out pathetically.

“Huff!”

Just as I was about to punch the bird’s beak, the surroundings were engulfed in white light.

The light lasted only for a blink of an eye.

Boom!

A thunderous sound erupted from the clear sky.

My eyes, which had been half-closed, slowly opened wide in surprise.

Before me stood a man, holding the bird by its neck.

Kieeek!

“You’ve wrecked my house quite thoroughly.”

Hearing the familiar voice, I realized that the thunder earlier was no natural phenomenon.

Though it was hard to believe, the man before me made it possible.

He was a man who had reached a level of power that combined extreme speed, strength, and skill, rivaling the forces of nature.

He turned his head slightly, showing his neat upper teeth, and looked at me.

“Hersel, it’s good to see you again.”

The complex charisma in his voice made me feel a sense of reverence, and I closed my tired eyes.

The man standing before me was Aol Ben Tenest, one of the strongest in the Asares world.

With him back at the mansion, there was nothing more for me to do.