Chapter 257 — What If (5)
「Disguise │ When activated, alters the composition of the body to imitate an ordinary human.
Effect: Nullifies Demonic Energy detection and tracking until the skill is deactivated.
Total HP reduced by 50% (maximum 90%).
Total MP reduced by 70%.
HP recovery speed reduced by 50% (maximum 90%).
Physical Defense reduced by 20% (maximum 50%).
Magic Resistance reduced by 40% (maximum 80%).
Physical damage received increased by 30% (maximum 100%).
Magic damage received increased by 90% (maximum 200%).
Divine damage received increased by 500% (maximum 1000%).
HP decreases by 1 per second (maximum 999).
Inflicts status ailment ‘Mana Circulation Disorder.’
※With duration of skill usage, all effects other than nullification of Demonic Energy detection and tracking gradually intensify.
※When the skill is deactivated, all effects other than nullification of Demonic Energy detection and tracking are gradually removed over a certain period of time.
The time required for removal is proportional to the duration of skill usage.」
「Mana Circulation Disorder │ The Mana within the body becomes tangled and cannot be properly controlled.
Mana recovery speed is reduced by 30%, and Skill: Mana Control is nullified.
When Mana is used, there is a certain probability of Mana Backflow occurring, causing damage to the user.」
It was a skill that had suddenly popped into existence while the Mountain Lord was away creating places where I could gather food.
You know, like how Life Conversion had suddenly appeared while I was hunting the Sea Dragon at sea.
“I’m sorry. I’m still inexperienced.”
I had no idea why they were only giving me this now.
Did I look so miserable that they were offering charity in that whole “give poison, then give the antidote” fashion?
But if they already knew I’d figured things out, couldn’t they just come out openly and hand it to me?
Was this supposed to mean they would provide conveniences but had no intention of meeting me?
…Giving me this would make it easier for me to chase after you, though.
“I won’t make the same mistake again.”
It was true that their help had opened a path for me, but I still had absolutely no idea what their intention was.
What standards were they even operating by?
Thinking about that, I focused on my body.
After all, I couldn’t afford to pass out again while using the skill.
Through delicate control, the Demonic Energy was altered into Mana, and a fairly severe agony raced through my entire body.
I could feel myself becoming sluggish.
“How is it? Has the Demonic Energy been concealed?”
But at least the effect was unmistakable in proportion to the pain.
The right hand I had left exposed so I could confirm it visually began returning to its original color.
It was no longer black.
“Did I succeed?”
Of course, the debuffs I received in exchange for this Disguise hurt down to the bone.
The reductions to my HP and Mana pools were one thing, but the increase in damage received was brutal.
Divine damage in particular had reached a level where I would have to assume I’d die the instant I was hit.
And there was no need to even mention the damage-over-time effect.
If I got ambushed, I’d die without even getting a chance to react.
“……?”
And now that I looked more closely, Mana Circulation Disorder was no small penalty either.
Normally, using Mana felt like spraying water through a fire hose.
Now it was worse than trying to shoot water through a straw with its opening crushed nearly shut.
At the very least, I probably needed to give up on the idea of fighting while ‘Disguise’ was active.
“…Unless you can still feel the Demonic Energy—”
Well, that was roughly my assessment of the Disguise skill.
More importantly, Yukgwi, why aren’t you saying anything?
Worried that something might be wrong, I stared at Yukgwi.
[I take it back. You really are a selfish bastard.]
Soon, an accusation whose true meaning I couldn’t understand came flying at me.
“Pardon?”
[And me too… I really am…….]
It was such a completely out-of-nowhere scolding that it barely even hurt.
All the more because Yukgwi had suddenly covered the head with both fins.
I was simply baffled.
“…What’s wrong?”
Still utterly confused, I tried speaking to Yukgwi several more times.
Naturally, no answer came back.
“Why…?”
Seriously, what is this all of a sudden?
Is this because I passed out?
I started coming up with every possible theory about Yukgwi’s baffling behavior and even reflected on my actions.
Despite having no confidence whatsoever that I’d identified the right cause.
[I’m ba—… Did you two fight?]
“…No.”
Probably…?
I don’t think we fought.
Probably….
I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck while looking at the Mountain Lord, who had arrived at just the right moment.
I don’t understand what’s happening either.
Do something.
My gaze desperately screamed for help.
[Ancestor?]
[Don’t talk to me. I’m drowning in self-loathing.]
[Yes.]
But even the Mountain Lord’s attempt failed.
Our eyes met again.
The various medicinal herbs clenched in the Mountain Lord’s mouth added a strange bit of humor to the awkward atmosphere.
[Why are they like that?]
“…I don’t know either.”
If I knew, I would’ve tried calming Yukgwi down already.
The Mountain Lord and I whispered while gauging Yukgwi’s mood.
[Oh? Come to think of it, Sir Knight. Your Demonic Energy’s completely gone.]
Then, noticing the change in me, the Mountain Lord widened the eyes.
Since Yukgwi had refused to say anything, I had started wondering whether I’d failed.
Apparently not.
I rubbed my right hand with a peculiar feeling.
[No… maybe it isn’t gone? Did you perhaps succeed……?]
“Yeah.”
If even the Mountain Lord said something like that, then I could probably assume there was no chance humans would notice.
I felt satisfied inwardly at the answer.
The skill came with debuffs layered all over it, but I had still found a way to move around cities.
The biggest obstacle had been cleared.
[Then…….]
“……?”
But as I was thinking that, the Mountain Lord lowered the head in a gloomy voice.
Thud.
The deodeok root and ginseng held in the mouth fell to the ground and scattered.
[Are you leaving now?]
So that was it.
The Mountain Lord was already imagining me leaving.
Technically, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
I had agreed to stay only until I found a way to deal with my Demonic Energy.
But seeing the Mountain Lord droop like that was somehow a little funny.
[I worked really hard growing all those crops… I really did…….]
I barely suppressed a chuckle and kept a stern expression.
I might have loosened up on my persona quite a lot, but that distinctive rude, expressionless face still had to remain.
“I’ll stay a little longer.”
[Hah! Really?]
“Yeah.”
And for reference, I wasn’t merely saying that to comfort the Mountain Lord.
I genuinely needed to stay here for a few more days.
“And deliver this to the Grand Chieftain. Tell him I have a request.”
After all, hiding my Demonic Energy alone wasn’t enough for my character concept.
I also needed to thoroughly investigate the Disguise skill.
Read only on MUGEX
* * *
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah.”
Deathbringer was deeply startled by the words that came without giving him any time to prepare.
Of all people, he had never expected Berserk to say such a thing.
And of all times, certainly not now.
“There’s no longer any reason for me to remain here.”
But was that really true?
Had he truly not known this would happen?
Deathbringer looked at the Fighter who had been sinking lower and lower ever since that incident.
By now, she too was giving off a heavy atmosphere, as though trapped in the deep sea just like the Demon Knight once had been.
“…Where are you going?”
“North.”
“Where in the north?”
“I’m going back to my homeland.”
“Ah….”
The Inquisitor had received an oracle, and supposedly it had told her to go north.
So come with us.
If they wanted to find the Demon Knight and stop him—not capture him, just hold him still long enough to talk—they needed someone strong.
So couldn’t Berserk travel with them until then, at least?
Every one of those words died in front of the word homeland.
Deathbringer knew that most people, unlike someone like him, placed considerable importance on the place they called home.
His lips moved soundlessly, and his ears drooped.
“Yeah. Maybe that’s better.”
The interpretation could change depending on how one read it, but as far as Deathbringer was concerned, the latter half of the oracle definitely referred to the Demon Knight.
After all, if you thought about it, someone wandering around after losing their memories could also be called a lost person.
He had no idea which of the three interpretations was correct—kill, save, or send back.
“Are you not leaving?”
“I don’t know. At first I thought about it….”
Still, he knew at least one thing.
There was a high chance the Temple would choose the first interpretation.
“I figured it might be better if I stayed. For Sir Demon Knight’s sake, too.”
But did he have the ability to stop them?
If the Inquisitor chose the first interpretation, did he have the strength to save the Demon Knight from her?
“And it seems like staying here gives me the best chance of running into Sir Demon Knight anyway.”
No.
He didn’t.
But among the party, he was more confident than anyone when it came to carrying a message quickly.
That was why Deathbringer had decided to remain.
“…When are you leaving?”
“Today.”
“Right away?”
“Yeah.”
“…All right.”
But was this really the correct choice?
Looking at the Fighter saying farewell, he awkwardly pulled up the corners of his mouth.
“Take care.”
And would we ever see each other again?
The words he failed to ask tightened around his throat.
* * *
Roughly ten days passed from the day Yukgwi had begun acting strangely.
I spent every single one of those days investigating my newly acquired ‘Disguise’ skill.
Studying the line stating that the effects—the debuffs—grew stronger in proportion to skill duration.
Examining how long the debuffs remained after the skill was deactivated.
Determining the maximum duration I could endure, taking into account the damage-over-time that intensified as time passed.
Researching the drop in combat power caused by Status Ailment: Mana Circulation Disorder and the amount of recoil damage caused by Mana Backflow.
And so on.
It was all preparation so I could travel outside more comfortably.
Drip, drip.
“…Ah.”
However, the result first gave me one overwhelming certainty.
If I fought while using Mana with Disguise active, I was fucked.
“So nosebleeds are standard….”
Of course, Mana Backflow only dealt damage to me. It didn’t cancel the skill itself.
Though I supposed the pain might force me to stop using it.
So fighting wasn’t completely impossible.
But if a fight dragged on, things would become seriously troublesome.
Unless it was an absolute emergency, I needed to avoid fighting from the beginning.
That much was certain.
“So that’s why the original owner insisted on soloing in deserted places….”
Unable to suppress my groan, I dropped onto a nearby tree.
I wasn’t joking.
My entire body genuinely ached.
It felt like I had gone back to my frail real-world body.
“I’m dying here, seriously….”
Meanwhile, the nosebleed caused by Mana Backflow still showed no sign of stopping.
Holding a handkerchief over my nose, I lowered my head.
Rustle.
A wind blowing from far away shook the hem of my clothes with the neat, distinctive whisper of the forest.
It was a chill wind that cooled my body.
“…Still, I’ve probably gathered enough examples by now.”
Maybe because I still had the handkerchief pressed against my nose, the words I muttered sounded nasal.
It was unavoidable for a human being, but it suited my persona so poorly that I found it a little funny.
If Deathbringer or the Inquisitor heard me sounding like this, they’d probably doubt their own ears and purse their mouths into little diamond shapes.
I imagined the sight and my expression cracked again.
There was no one watching.
I could laugh as much as I wanted.
But before that reality could fully settle in, an image appeared of the two young people lowering their heads over the place I had left behind.
The corners of my mouth immediately crashed back down.
Grrrrr.
“Hmm….”
…Right.
Until I left the Great Forest, my persona wasn’t truly finished either.
So get your expression back under control.
With that resolve, I reached into my inventory.
Clatter.
What emerged was lunch.
Calling it a lunchbox felt a little grand, but there wasn’t really anything else to call it.
“Haa.”
Fortunately, around then, the nosebleed finally stopped.
In other words, I no longer needed to shovel food into my mouth while keeping a handkerchief stuffed under my nose.
I opened the lunchbox comfortably.
[Waaaaaaah!!]
But the instant the thin porridge was lifted on a spoon, a deafening cry echoed through the forest.
It was what the Mountain Lord did whenever directly calling me wasn’t possible but letting me know of the arrival was necessary.
My startled heart slowly settled back into place.
[Waaaaah.]
It was nice that the Mountain Lord wanted me to come home, but if this kept happening, weren’t the priests eventually going to come investigate?
With a sliver of anxiety, I closed the lunchbox.
I hadn’t gone that far from my hideout anyway, and now that the Mountain Lord had arrived, I decided I might as well go back and eat there.
[Waaah!]
More importantly, if I didn’t go back quickly and scold the Mountain Lord, this would continue forever.
Going back was definitely better.
Without realizing it, I smiled faintly at the unwanted visitor who always seemed to appear right when loneliness began setting in.
“You’re noisy.”
[Ah, Sir Knight.]
Still noisy, though.
I lightly smacked the Mountain Lord’s body with my sword while it was still sheathed.
Only then did the Mountain Lord notice me and whip the head around.
The approaching head stopped right over me, nostrils sniffing repeatedly as the tongue flicked in and out.
[Goodness. Now that your Demonic Energy’s gone, it’s way too hard to find you, Sir Knight. And putting that aside, I can smell blood. Did you do that again? Really, you should take care of your body while you’re at it…….]
“None of your concern. State your business.”
Yukgwi, who had supposedly been sickly ever since that day, hadn’t come today either….
So why was the Mountain Lord here this time?
Just visiting again?
Wasn’t four days in a row getting a bit excessive?
[Ah, right, right. The Grand Chieftain said the thing you asked for arrived today, so I came straight over to deliver it.]
Apparently not.
Part of the Mountain Lord’s body shifted smoothly, and the tip of the tail was held out toward me.
A bundle dangled from it.
“…I didn’t expect you to find it this quickly.”
I accepted it carefully.
Considering travel time between the Great Forest and the outside, plus the time needed to search for the goods, I had expected it to take at least three weeks.
I hadn’t imagined it would arrive this early.
I was both surprised and pleased.
[But what is that? I can’t read, so…….]
“…That is none of your concern.”
Still, saying it aloud myself was a little….
It wasn’t anything truly shameful or embarrassing, but it didn’t feel like something my persona would willingly talk about either.
[Hmmmph.]
That kind of cuteness isn’t going to work.
Act like a Mountain Lord if you’re a Mountain Lord.
I stuffed the bundle into my inventory while looking at the increasingly spoiled serpent.
I’d examine it properly after the Mountain Lord left.
[So stingy.]
“If you have no other business, leave.”
[You think I won’t find out just because you won’t tell me? I’ll ask the Grand Chieftain.]
Go ahead.
I roughly pushed the sulking Mountain Lord away.
I simply didn’t want to explain it myself.
I didn’t care whether the Grand Chieftain told the Mountain Lord.
The Mountain Lord, meanwhile, made an expression of monumental sulking.
Despite lacking facial muscles, the creature was extraordinarily good at conveying every emotion.
“Ah.”
[Hah! Are you going to tell me?]
“I’ll be leaving within the week. Keep that in mind.”
[Hiiiiiiing.]
No, I’d learned everything I needed to learn.
I had prepared a way to hide my identity outside.
It was really time to go.
In the end, I had to use actual strength to pry off the Mountain Lord, who had begun whining for an entirely different reason.
[Hweeeeng.]
Come on, get off me!