Chapter 99. A Shrimp Caught in a Fight Between Whales
“Ah, damn it.”
The sudden appearance of the fanatics caught me completely off guard.
I had literally just been getting showered with fanfare for becoming a hero.
Seriously, these trashy bastards had absolutely no sense of timing or restraint.
I wished they would all just drop dead and disappear.
[Emergency Quest Generated!]
[Countless fanatics have attacked the Hall of Heroes! Stop them!]
[Quest Reward: Fragment of Mixed Madness.]
Weren't these guys supposed to be hiding?
Did they come out to interfere because it looked like I was about to become a hero?
Surely the fanatics weren't divided into different factions and fighting among themselves for power, causing this whole mess because of some disagreement, right?
When I talked with Chaos, I was pretty sure he said it wasn't time yet...
Could this actually be the moment when he was supposed to reveal himself?
Was I considered ready now?
“Father, do we really have to fight those people?”
“What do you mean, Daughter?”
The monsters that appeared to possess the Fragment of Madness mentioned in the quest reward looked like twisted human figures covered in pitch-black matter.
Their bodies were coated in something glossy and sticky that was hard to tell whether it was liquid or solid.
Arms, legs, eyes, and mouths grew irregularly all over them.
Compared to the Seeds Jamani had brought before, which still looked relatively human, these things might actually be Roots.
[Modak: No! The Root I met was completely black!]
“Really?”
Then what were those things?
More importantly, what was their goal?
They were clearly here because of me, but I had no idea why they had launched an attack like this.
Still, putting that frustration aside, an event like this wasn't necessarily bad.
The interview had been so boring that even while playing a game, I had found myself wanting to play a game.
Something this game-like was more than welcome.
“I can feel a power from them similar to the one Father possesses.”
“You mean ‘Madness’? Well, that makes sense. Those guys worship Madness. It's not like I'm the only Madness that has ever existed in history.”
“Are they not Father's people?”
“I've never had bastards like that under me.”
I had no idea exactly what they had done, but it wasn't difficult to imagine.
I'd already heard crazy stories about people trying to sell me, the embodiment of Madness, like some kind of human trafficking victim.
So this wasn't exactly impossible.
I had always figured that if I continued doing things that went against the fanatics' beliefs, one day they might come to eliminate me.
It was a pretty common story.
Someone gets worshiped as a god, but the moment they say something their worshipers don't like, those people start shouting,
You're not our god! You're a fake! That man is an impostor! How dare you mock us while wearing the appearance of our god!
Boom! Boom!
Standing on top of a pillar, I calmly watched explosions erupt all over the place.
Grandpa Alo, a Great Hero, was still here.
These bastards certainly had guts.
Then again, maybe they had come precisely because they were confident enough to do this.
Either way, I didn't like it.
“...There are a lot of them.”
“Are you going to fight? I'm ready!”
[Jjikjjik: Their individual combat strength does not appear particularly high. If our soldiers were here, I do not believe this would be a difficult battle.]
...Huh?
Wait a second.
Now that I thought about it, Jjikjjik and Jayeon, who I had obtained during this test, were still here.
That meant the forest I had been in was one of the regions that actually existed in the game world.
O-Oh my god.
I'd done it again.
Just like what happened with the Elves of the Mother's Forest and Poweol.
Why did I only realize this now?
The tower looked so unrealistic that I'd assumed it was either an unimplemented region or some isolated special area!
Wait... did they sense me using the power of Madness and come here because of that? Wow, that's insane. I'm getting chills.
Then did that mean Asset had actually existed in that location for a brief moment?
Was this proof that Asset could leave the tower or palace whenever she wanted?
“...Anyway. Jjikjjik, how long would it take you to bring the others here?”
“If you give the order, I can have them here within thirty minutes.”
“Good. Bring them.”
Boom!
For a moment, it felt as though an enormous pressure had slammed down on my body like something out of a fantasy shonen manga.
An overwhelmingly ominous presence slowly descended from the sky.
Instinctively, I knew what it was.
The mysterious Root everyone had been talking about.
With difficulty, I raised my head toward the sky where that enormous presence was coming from.
My body felt almost frozen, and even moving my neck was difficult.
Ohhh.
Nice entrance.
The creature had a gigantic body covered in countless pale-white hands.
The hands wrapped around it like demonic armor.
It was probably better to think of those hands as some kind of scales.
Above its small head floated a pitch-black ring that looked like a representation of the sun.
Behind its back was a sphere dripping some kind of sticky liquid.
There wasn't really any other way to describe it.
A boss monster had appeared.
{How can there be so many foolish beings?}
[The 13th Root of the Fanatics, ‘Holy Knight Bearing the Sun of Destruction,’ has manifested!]
[It is an extremely dangerous existence!]
[Avoid fighting it!]
“Modak... you met something like that?”
[Modak: The one I met looked weaker than that! How would I have escaped if I'd met something like him?]
The Root slowly descended toward the ground.
Its pale face was filled with contempt.
Chaos had sounded extremely confident about the Roots even when two Great Heroes were present, so I had assumed they had to be powerful monsters.
But this was far beyond what I'd imagined.
I'd never felt anything this intense from Grandpa Alo.
Not even from Erol.
I tried reading the flow around the Root, but everything near it was horribly distorted.
Maybe Dorphin could do something, but I didn't think I could interfere with its flow even slightly.
“Wow. Is that thing at Great Hero level or higher? This game's balance is insane.”
“Father, lower your head.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It's coming...!”
BOOM!
I'd been staring at the Root's overwhelming presence in the sky when something even more powerful suddenly exploded over me.
There was nothing ominous about it.
It was simply overwhelming strength.
That force completely swept away the sinister presence that had been trying to sink into my body.
But the pressure was so intense that I felt like I was about to be blown away.
No.
I was being blown away!
I was literally flying!
It didn't feel like being hit by wind.
It felt like standing directly in front of water bursting out of a dam.
“Kugh!”
“Master!!!”
Jayeon had jumped into my arms a moment earlier, so I curled around her protectively.
Jjikjjik rushed over and used himself as a shield.
He got badly hurt, but thankfully I didn't take much damage.
I should give this loyal servant a present later.
The overwhelming pressure was so strong that it was actually classified as a debuff and lowered my stats.
But after some time passed, the pressure slowly weakened.
The debuff had probably worn off.
Apparently, being crushed by someone's presence counted as a status abnormality.
Once again, I appreciated having high resistance.
It didn't seem like that had been some automatic system adjustment caused by a level difference.
Like how killing monsters far below your level gave less experience.
While I was lying on the ground absentmindedly analyzing everything, I finally realized the source of the overwhelming presence that had erased the Root's aura.
“This... is Grandpa Alo?”
Grandpa Alo had nearly sent me jumping rope across the boundary between life and death with just two flicks to the forehead, so obviously he wasn't weak.
But this was far beyond what I'd expected.
I'd always thought of Great Heroes as human nuclear bombs.
Apparently, that description had been more accurate than I realized.
Karantlia...
If we'd accidentally made either the Empire or the Alliance our enemy, what would have happened to us?
{The Great Hero of True Sight... I did not expect someone like you to be here.}
As if responding to Grandpa Alo's power, the Root glared at him and unleashed even more energy.
But Grandpa Alo still seemed to have the upper hand.
Right.
He was the strongest Great Hero.
That means this guy rushed into a place like this without proper information?
Even though he's a Root belonging to the same fanatics as Chaos, who mentioned Pi's name during our conversation?
Were the fanatics divided into factions?
Maybe there were moderates and extremists.
Some who listened to Chaos and others who didn't.
If so, this guy must have come here without receiving any information from Chaos.
He hadn't been ordered here.
He had come on his own.
“...Jjikjjik. Hurry and bring the others.”
“What? But even if we come here, we would only get in the way...!”
“Hey. We need to earn points.”
Grandpa Alo was clearly stronger than the Root.
But the Root was still at least Great Hero level.
While fighting something that strong, Grandpa Alo couldn't afford to also deal with all the monsters currently destroying the palace.
The fastest way to resolve everything was to let Grandpa Alo focus entirely on the Root.
More importantly, if I made a big contribution here, I could make both the Hall of Heroes and the Empire owe me a favor.
That alone would benefit me.
It seemed like a pretty good bet.
“...I shall obey your command!”
“Daughter, can you buff the mice?”
“Just trust me. I'll repay your faith in me.”
I left Jayeon with Jjikjjik and summoned Modak.
We stood side by side.
If we lasted thirty minutes, the mice would arrive and overwhelm the enemy with numbers.
Human-wave tactics might be crude, but numbers were still a powerful weapon.
I could activate my Domain skill immediately.
But it would be better to observe the situation a little longer.
The Root didn't seem to have noticed my presence yet.
There was no need to activate my Domain, spread the power of Madness everywhere, and basically shout, Hey! I'm right here!
“That guy obviously showed up without knowing anything... so what the hell are these things?”
The creatures had appeared before the Root and continued pouring out behind it.
Half of their bodies had been swallowed by some strange black substance, twisting them into monsters.
The quest said they dropped Fragments of Mixed Madness, so I could at least tell that they had been consumed by the power of Madness.
But could I actually fight them?
[The spirits residing within the Hall of Heroes are inspired by your indomitable will and lend you their strength!]
[Your stats have greatly increased!]
Hmm!
Looks like I can!
Let's go!
Whoosh!
As if it had been waiting, one of the fanatics' monsters charged straight at me.
It had two extra arms and a huge mouth that kept snapping open and shut.
Gross.
Thud!
Before I could even move, Modak threw a punch.
The instant his fist struck the creature, flames spread across its body.
I'd already confirmed Modak's terrifying attack power several times, but every time I saw it, he felt reliable all over again.
All that effort I spent constantly talking to him until we became friends had definitely been worth it.
Clatter!
I wrapped a chain around the burning creature.
Then I spun around like I was doing a hammer throw and hurled it toward a densely packed group of enemies.
“First! Over there!”
BOOM!
My buffed physical abilities were so absurd that I couldn't control them properly.
I jumped into the battlefield where the palace people were fighting, crashed straight into one of the fanatics, and caused its body to burst apart.
I'd never received a buff this ridiculous before.
Not even Mallang had boosted me this much!
Was this why this place existed to create heroes?
“What are these things?!”
“Indomitable Knight! They are Sprouts of the Fanatics! They are not especially powerful fighters, but there are far too many of them!”
The NPCs living in the palace probably weren't designed to be weak either.
But with this many enemies, it was obvious they couldn't do much.
The guy who had guided me to the tower had already been decapitated.
I had seen the woman who acted as an interviewer nearby and told her to run, but I had no idea whether she was okay.
This whole situation was a complete disaster.
“Everyone, fall back first and reorganize properly!”
BOOM! BOOM!
This wasn't even a real battlefield, yet once two Great Hero-level beings started fighting, the poor people below them couldn't even stand properly.
Why couldn't those two just fight each other and only hurt each other?
Every time one of them swung a fist or weapon, the ground split open and shockwaves exploded outward.
...Wait.
If the mice came here, wouldn't they all just get wiped out by a single stray attack?
Was I making a terrible mistake?
“Everyone, gather in front of the tower! I'll collect the scattered people and bring them over! Hold your position there!”
“U-Understood! May fortune be with you, Indomitable Knight!”
I'm a hero now, though...
Whatever.
I still hadn't done anything worthy of the title.
I could use this opportunity to show everyone a properly heroic side of me.
And if they still refused to call me a hero after this?
