Chapter 63: If There is a God (6)

Is It Bad That the Main Character's a Roleplayer

Chapter 63 If There is a God (6)

Getting to Montata wasn't that difficult. The only fight I had—as always—was my personal battle against motion sickness.

"I can see the coastline!"

Still, we successfully reached Garorim. The water running between the islands seemed especially blue. The sky was unusually bright, considering the circumstances.

"Watch out for arrows!"

Was it when we got closer to the straits? Arrows began flying toward us from the cliffs surrounding Garorim.

Tracing back the arrows' trajectory, we located a building on the cliff. It started from the shore and climbed all the way up to the terraced rocks, occupying one part of the cliff.

"Raise your shields!"

I continued standing on the deck as proudly and tall as before. Tatatatak. The arrows flying toward us when they struck sounded like heavy rain pouring over us.

"Uwah, can you actually break through all that?!"

Hoho, what weak faith.

I walked toward the bow, only knocking aside the arrows that would hit me.

While I didn't know whether it was because of the sail catching wind or the boat just following the current, the ship was constantly approaching Garorim.

「A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.」

「❖ Fangs Aimed at Jacrati

∎ Destroy the base of Vipurit's gang

∎ Pirates eliminated: 0 / ??

∎ Optional: Kill Vipurit」

That was when enemy ships appeared from the island.

"Enemies incoming! Get your weapons!"

"Hah, I don't know if this'll end well."

"Don't spout such weak things. All you have to do is hold on until he returns from killing them all!"

"Can we even survive on our own, though?"

Some adventurers and sailors were talking among themselves. They might not have said it for me to hear, but I could take a hint.

Not in a bad way, but more to the point of wanting to say something like, 'Oh, okay, I'll hurry up then.'

"Victory to my sword, glory to the heavens...!"

As such, I raised my sword to perform the ceremony before going to battle. Swish. One of the arrows grazed right past my ear, and another stuck into the wood near my feet.

I lowered my blade.

"The time has come to pay for your sins."

Immediately after, I pulled my torso forward and took a step as though trying to stop myself from falling. Then, the sound of shattering wood emanated from my feet before my body explosively shot forward.

Whoosh!

Bam!

I stepped on the railing, soared through the sky, and noisily slammed onto the approaching enemy ship.

"What the hell!"

"Uwargh!"

"Crazy bastard, k-kill him!"

The ship lifted slightly out of the water before resettling, to which its passengers began swearing.

The splashing water, the rocking boat, and the pirates swearing and reacting in different ways played in front of me in slow motion.

Slash!

However, I spent no time appreciating the view. I swung down my sword and added blood to the scene before me.

I couldn't cut down the one guy behind me from where I landed, but that didn't really matter.

I sensed him lose his balance and hit the railing. It was almost impossible for him to attack me in such a state.

Thud, bam!

Before the ship even stopped rocking, I sped to its other side.

Thud!

"Eek!"

"That madman!"

I jumped over to the next ship and did the same as before.

After dealing with those scared guys, I moved on to the next ship.

I was almost like a wolf who snuck onto a farm and prowled through a herd of sheep.

Of course, there weren't actually that many casualties since I aimed to inflict maximum damage rather than dealing accurate blows with every swing of my sword. I also didn't swing more than twice before moving on as well.

More people fell into the sea or suffered some cuts than people who immediately died.

However, that was enough for me. From the beginning, my goal had been to use these vessels as stepping stones to reach land and delay them from reaching our ship.

By doing it like this, the crew would survive while still being limited in their movements.

"That bastard!"

Meanwhile, a guy who finally realized my pattern swung his weapon at me the moment I landed. He seemed quite observant.

However, I had a certain skill called [Survival Instinct].

"Kill—!?"

Bam!

Following the skill's instructions, I lay low as soon as my body touched the boat.

The front of the ship rose from the shock, and the guy trying to attack me cut his sword through empty air.

Slam!

Then, the area I was standing on, alongside my body, lifted again.

By putting strength into my feet at the right time, my body sprung forward like a spring.

Bam!

"Urgh!"

I lifted my knee and struck the enemy's chin with it. I then slammed down heavily on the end of the boat again.

Bang! The impact caused the boat to flip over. The people on board immediately flew through the air and into the sea.

"Uwaargh!"

"Waaah!"

However, before it fully capsized, I had already reached land. Disregarding my sympathy for those guys, I landed on a rock near the seashore.

"Stop!"

Before me was some makeshift building roughly hammered together.

Crack!

I kicked it open and entered, moving my hand behind me. Once I could feel the hilt of my sword resting comfortably in my palm, I unsheathed the silver-white blade, cutting down as if to cleave the sunlight.

"What is that monster!"

"Kill... Kill him!"

It seemed there weren't any Demons here. I advanced into the barracks filled with just people and quickly analyzed the situation.

However, it was still too early to be sure, despite people being the only thing I could see.

Slash!

As such, I poured half of my Arcane Power into my sword and sent out a [Slash].

It wouldn't deal enough damage to kill boss mobs, but I didn't really have a reason to reserve this skill whose range increased the more Arcane Power I used.

Of course, I would save my remaining Arcane Power as much as possible, just in case...

Still, I loved this wide range. I had no idea how I lived before having this skill.

"H-Huh...?"

"Y-You...?"

However, this skill also had some drawbacks. The scene unfolding immediately after I used it was rather uncomfortable.

Crack!

"Kuhuk!"

Especially the process of a person becoming a per/son...

Just seeing one person's cross-section was disgusting, but seeing a group of people with revealed organs only served to lower my mental health.

"M-Monster..."

However, I didn't have enough time to indulge that sentiment. Dragging my feet would only prolong the time I'd have to be here.

While I didn't want to look at them, I hurriedly rushed through this world filled with diced corpses.

Everything the [Slash] had passed through seemed slightly misaligned or had parts sliding off.

My boots stepped on the wet, red rocks as I climbed further upwards.

"Sh-Shoot!"

At that moment, the arrows originally aiming for the ship changed their target. Tatak, Tak, Tatatak. Arrows rained down on me like heavy hail, pounding against where I had been standing.

While their aim wasn't particularly good, the prattling sound was quite annoying.

"Kill him before he gets here!"

Those guys were seriously treating me like some kind of boss mob. I, as the player, couldn't help but feel offended.

Even while grumbling inside, I leaped up and continued to dodge the arrows. I stepped on a rock and jumped further as if trying to show off some acrobatic tricks. Like that, I reached the second camp.

Should I just slice them up with my sword, or should I beat them with my fists since I didn't particularly like being covered in copious amounts of blood?

My fleeting worries continued to flit through my mind. Tickle. Right then, I felt like something moved in my right arm.

Slash!

Since they were connected to the Demons, I couldn't show them any mercy.

Instead of sheathing my sword, I swung it. The blade, which I hadn't even coated in Arcane Power because I thought it would be a waste, pierced through skin, tore apart muscles, and split bones.

Grab!

"Urgh!"

After realizing I could easily swing around the Zweihänder with just my left hand by pouring some Arcane Power into it, I sometimes used my right hand to grab an enemy by their collar or head and toss them away.

"Shit, where did that monster come from?!"

Clang!

My sword was blocked. Then, I stepped onto the enemy attacking from the right and held his sword in my gauntlet before putting strength into my left hand.

Whoosh. The sword that had been pushed aside regained momentum, cutting asunder everything near my left side. The one trying to attack me, along with several other pirates in the vicinity, started bleeding as they writhed on the ground.

Screech!

At the same time, I pulled away the enemy's sword gripped in my right hand to prevent another attack.

After dealing with those on my left, I horizontally held my Zweihänder, which had done its job, and stabbed it toward my right.

"Kuhuk!"

That marked the end of the guy who'd attacked me first. I pulled on the sword I was grabbing onto again.

Once the blade had left his grasp completely, I used its hilt to strike the one I had taken it from. Since I hit him square in the face with it, not showing a shred of mercy, he'd probably suffer from at least a fractured nose or concussion. I didn't really have to worry about him anymore.

Clang.

So, I tossed away the sword I'd stolen and looked ahead.

* * *

* * *

Two remaining people were running toward me as though waiting for this moment, while several others seemed frightened and hesitated.

I extracted the Zweihänder from the pirate's lifeless body, splattering blood everywhere.

"Out of my way!"

However, right as I kicked one of them away after cutting off their head, I heard a thumping sound from above.

"You caused a right mess running amok in my territory, kid!"

"Boss!"

What appeared there was a bipedal buffalo, or rather, a pirate of the Shaggi race.

He seemed especially strong, with broad shoulders and a height of about 2.5 meters. Personally, I thought it would be quite fitting if he were either the general or king of this island.

"Boss!"

"The boss is here!"

"You're dead meat now!"

Actually, I was feeling a bit more uncomfortable now because my arm was itching like crazy.

I straightened my posture while holding the Zweihänder, hearing the pirates happily cheer when they saw that buffalo.

"He'll rip your body limb from limb and scatter you across the sea after turning you into scraps of meat!"

"Kill that monster!"

"Die, die!"

The pirates were so damn noisy. I looked at the buffalo, who seemed ready to charge me, blocking out those mosquito-like guys.

Then, the prominent veins on the buffalo's trapezius—he didn't seem to have a neck anymore under all those muscles—caught my eye. Looking closer, I could see the veins were actually gradually popping out beneath his long, dangling earrings and braided hair.

"I'll smash your head in with this club!"

What did he just say? I could see his blood vessels were excessively dilated, making it look as though he'd taken something. And the aftermath of this condition could be...

Crack, Craaack!

"Uwaaaaah!!"

It probably wasn't anything good for me.

My pupils flitted to the corners of my eyes as I watched the buffalo's skin expand and his body swell even further instantaneously. It almost seemed like he was transforming into the Hulk.

Was I afraid? Of course not. I was just wondering if that bastard injected himself with something to suddenly bulk up like that.

Or was he a Demon Contractor?

"To join hands with those damn Demons..."

That aside, I also had other worries.

I still had some Arcane Power left, so should I just take that guy out in one blow, or should I fight him without using any Arcane Power?

Of course, given the circumstances, he probably was this place's boss mob, and it was only right to use up all one's skills while facing a boss... No, but the bosses I'd faced until now had been so formidable.

Compared to the Plague Demon or the dragon, this guy seemed too weak. Even taking meta factors such as my level being fittingly high for the later stages of the game... What else could I use to explain it?

In vulgar terms, he just seemed like rabbit shit to me. I felt like I would deal quite some damage even without using any skills.

It'd been quite some time since the plot started, but seeing how normal mobs still fell like flies when struck by my basic attacks, I suspected it would also work on bosses.

"I'll kill you! You damn brat!"

However, my thoughts got cut off before I could reach a conclusion. After all, this nearly 3m-tall buffalo was running toward me with his club raised high.

"Huwaaaap!"

Alright. First, I wanted to try hitting the guy without using any skills, and if it didn't work, I would use one. However, if it dealt some decent damage, I would continue using my basic attacks.

Honestly, killing twenty enemies at once was far more timesaving than killing a boss in one [Slash]. There was nothing more annoying than spread-out trash mobs.

Bang!

Anyway, the buffalo's wooden club, encased in iron, struck the floor. It was so heavy and sturdy that instead of breaking after smashing into the rock, it left scratches on the floor.

"Know your place."

However, I had already moved away from the point of impact.

While his body had grown bigger, it seemed his brain had shriveled. I raised my Zweihänder against the enemy. My sword, shining coolly like the blade of a guillotine, seemingly cutting through the sunlight, rushed toward the head and arms of the buffalo.

Slash!

"Kuargh!"

"B-Boss' arm!"

His forearm, thicker than my thigh, maybe even as thick as my character's waist, fell to the floor.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to cut off his head. Well, it wasn't that surprising, though.

Anyway, our difference in weight class was just too big. Even when he was bent over slightly after trying to strike me with his club, his head still towered over me.

Furthermore, his reflexes weren't that bad.

The moment I turned to raise my sword, he realized my plan and tried to pull away. As a result, my cut ended up lower than I intended. That was, closer to his wrists.

"B-Boss!"

"You rotten bastard!"

It seemed like my status had immediately risen from brat to rotten bastard.

I went after him again, scattering the useless blood on the floor. The buffalo, who had already retreated, clenched his teeth and swung his club with his remaining hand.

I stepped down hard on the ground, moving about my Zweihänder.

Screech!

The buffalo's club and my sword met. The iron enveloping the club was crushed to bits and scattered to the ground before the wood revealed underneath burst into tiny pieces.

Chunks of the club's upper part flew through the air.

"God fucking, shit."

At that moment, various curses left the buffalo's mouth. It was truly quite satisfying to hear.

However, I also felt the same... No, I hadn't yet reached the point of throwing around insults like that. I was just a bit frustrated.

Of course, I'd felt the same way about all the bosses, excluding the plague Demon and the dragon, but their damage output was so bad even when I didn't use any skills...

It was a good thing, but it just felt so bland.

"H-He isn't normal..."

"R-Run away!"

"We never heard something like that would come here!"

The pirates observing this scene started running away. Now that even their last hope was lost, his subordinates only thought about escaping, completely abandoning their leader. The bond between criminals truly was a wonderful thing.

"Damn those bastards!"

The buffalo seemed pretty speechless, even impressed, by the sight of his men running away while screaming so loudly. Since their screeches were like nails over a blackboard to me, I immediately picked up my sword, preparing to kill the source of that noise.

"Now that it's like this—!"

As my legs propelled me forward, I swallowed my breath and swung around my sword.

[Breaker]. My sword, coated in black energy, sliced through the buffalo from the top of his head to his crotch. The blood spurting out of that thing splattered across the floor.

Clink.

Then I heard something breaking...

Crack!

"...!"

Suddenly, a jar he had with him fell to the floor alongside the two halves of the buffalo, bloody liquid spewing from it.

It seemed to have broken due to the impact of falling onto the ground... No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like anything good!

The spot where the jar fell was right next to me. I was the first to be swept up in the liquid's effects without even being granted a chance to escape.

As with the Plague Demon, the liquid only came up to my ankles, and I didn't really suffer from any abnormalities.

"Uwargh!"

"Run away!"

"Urgh!"

No, I will correct myself. It seemed I was the only one who survived because I wore proper shoes.

"Those damn Demons...!"

No!! Usually, when things like this happen, shouldn't I say something like, 'Hm, did he want to do something here? Well. I guess it doesn't really matter,' to refreshingly complete the scene?!

Next time, before cutting someone down, should I check what they have on them before killing them!?

I instantly let a multitude of complaints run through my head as I deliberated the situation. The pirates and even the land were in ruins.

"Mister Knight!"

"...Don't come closer!"

Uwaargh. Deb, no! You shouldn't come here!!

"It's Demonic Energy!"

"What?!"

I quickly strode over the liquid.

As the pirates more or less died due to their boss' self-destruction, I thought it through. I wasn't sure whether Purifying this stuff with fire would work, and I also had no way of obtaining fire nor a method to stop the flames from spreading right now, so I just gave up.

Moreover, the liquid was spreading too quickly, and there were so many slopes here that it would eventually reach the ship.

Right now, ensuring our ship wasn't destroyed was our main priority.

"Get out right now—"

"Demon Knight!"

Huh? Why did a familiar voice I hadn't heard in a few days suddenly reach my ears?

"I'm over here!"

When I saw the face of the person who just climbed up the rock, her flaming hair the most striking feature, I bit my lip. I couldn't help it because I would have laughed out loud otherwise.

"It's my turn now from this point on!!"

The HP draining machine was here!!