99th Chapter: Blessings in this Absurdly Cool World
“……Gurk.”
Clenching my teeth, I endured the excruciating pain and pulled out the rib bone of Tara’s mother, which was deeply embedded in my torso.
Or rather, it wasn’t Tara’s mom anymore. It would be more accurate to call it something that once was Tara’s mom.
“Gurgle.. Gurgle…”
The grotesque lump of flesh still twitched and groaned unnaturally.
Six arms sprouted from its back, scratching the ground violently. Its open chest cavity writhed as though searching for food, and it emitted continuous gasping noises, sounding like it was on the verge of death at any moment.
I watched it briefly through my red-tinted vision, blurred by blood.
[Monster Information]
[Name: Blessed Urbanite – Sara Anette]
[Health: 52/1510 Magic: 0/0]
[Strength: 229 Agility: 143 Intelligence: 3]
[Details: One of those chosen by the Demon King of Eternal Flame, Astarte. The frail human flesh has become a corrupt vessel for conferred power. Once consumed, it can no longer be considered human.]
“Can no longer be considered human?” Thus, it was categorized as a monster.
Astarte. Since that name came up, these surprise “parties” were surely the work of the Resurrection Sect.
Also, “one of those chosen”… This meant there weren’t just these monstrosities everywhere, right?
―Monsters! They’re monsters! Help!
A sudden recollection of the screams of citizens from my previous life popped into my head.
Could it be… they weren’t yelling at crazy Resurrection Sect members running amok but at monsters like this?
“Damn, now I understand.”
With that belated realization, I sighed and dug into my waist pouch to gulp down ether.
However, a loud warning beep interrupted my thoughts, displaying yet another status window in front of me.
[Status Anomaly – Unrecoverable]
[Details: Cursed by Destruction. An inherent spell of Astarte, the only outcome of which is death. Healing can be done only with a blessing at the Goddess’s temple.]
[Status Anomaly – Severe Bleeding]
[Details: Fatal bleeding. Continuous loss of health. Without treatment, death will occur quickly.]
“Dammit.”
Just great.
Being injured by something like Sara apparently made recovery impossible. I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly amidst the absurdity.
“Koff!”
Speaking of which, my body, as if protesting its own near-destruction, coughed up a mouthful of blood. Intense pain ran through my entire body, and blood spurted out from the numerous holes in my abdomen and back.
Dizziness overtook me, and I slumped down beside what used to be Tara’s mother.
“Gurgle… Gurgle…”
Shut up! The incessant horror flick sound from beside me was giving me a headache. Can you please stop messing around, Tara mom?
So, I stabbed the monster with my sword to finish it off. It twitched briefly, then fell limp and silent.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Then, unexpectedly, the level up fanfare played three times. On checking my level, I confirmed that wasn’t a mirage—I had leveled up by three after defeating this thing.
My current level: 183. Escorting Tara’s mom and fighting across the streets had resulted in the slaughter of many Resurrection Sect members. I had gained around eight more levels than in my previous life.
I struggled to keep my fading consciousness and glanced blankly at the sky.
‘Then, should I just wait for death?’
I was overwhelmed by a suffocating emptiness rising deep within my chest. Every time I saw the grotesque lump of flesh lying next to me—what used to be Tara’s mom—it grew increasingly immense.
Having lost all will, a thought crossed my mind: if you want to kill me, go ahead. I don’t care anymore.
“…Urgh. Ugh.”
Against all odds, I managed to stagger back up. Even slight movements caused me immense pain, leaving me dizzy, but I forced myself to step into the back alleys of Kern.
It was because of two faces that helped prop me up: First was Lucy’s expression of disdain when looking at me. The second was Tara’s earnest gaze looking at me.
‘Surely it’s fine to go, as long as I can report the final result.’
I had to tell Tara at least.
Sorry. Your mom… I couldn’t find her.
Judging by that, she must surely be alive, avoiding the chaos.
That’s what I needed to tell her.
It was my last bit of conscience, having failed the quest after already claiming the reward.
“…”
“…”
As I passed through the wide plaza of Kern’s central district and reached the entrance to the back alleys, I suddenly sensed movement behind me.
I turned around to see dozens of Resurrection Sect members pointing their swords at me.
“Damn, you guys have good instincts, here for my fatty belly reputation?”
With a hoarse voice barely capable of making jokes, I attempted sarcasm.
However, as always, the followers of the Resurrection Sect remained silent, charging at me without a word. Their group behavior still remained alarmingly synchronized.
“Boring.”
With a metallic chuckle, I grasped the hilt of my sword and slowly drew it. But it was then that I realized I lacked the strength to even pull it out.
“Ah.”
Crack! Clang! Crunk!
The exclamation of shock and the sounds of countless swords stabbing into me happened almost simultaneously.
I looked down. My body looked like a hedgehog, pierced with blades.
“Koff…”
I tried hard to comprehend the situation with my impaired mind, but I failed to fully understand.
‘If only I could let go quietly…’
Even though the fact that I was about to die was far from my comprehension…
…my desire to obliterate the Resurrection Sect followers surged with relentless intensity.
“Fatal…Thorns.”
Bam! With my last will, my cloak split into twelve separate strips. The surrounding cult members’ bodies were shredded by the wildly flailing thorns.
My eyelids grew heavy.
Blackness.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
…
…
The relentless level-up fanfare shook my consciousness with surprising clarity, oblivious to the situation.
[The Immortal King Rustica Asmodeus has enacted a Forced Fixed Axis Reset.]
[The Resurrection Reset Point has been updated.]
[Date – Continental Calendar 1108, January 13, 02:44]
[Location – Markeiteuriseu. The Upper Region of the Promised Plain, Western Gate of Small Town Kern]
Dazedly looking down at the panel in front of me, Lucy slowly detached her lips from mine.
Was it just me, or did Lucy’s pale face, lacking any color, have a faint blush?
“Ughh. Failure again? No, I’m starting to feel embarrassed too! How many more kisses do we need? Just kill me already! Die! Die! Wahhh!”
Suddenly collapsing, Lucy lay down, throwing a tantrum like a cartoon.
Being caught off-guard by the unexpected kiss made her overreaction understandable, doubling my own confusion.
“Hey Lucy! You’re weird, but seriously, why are you throwing another fit…?”
That’s when I noticed a purple glow emanating from the pouch at my waist.
A bit later, an alert popped up.
[Item Information]
[Name: Box of the Dead]
[Notification: Item Update – The Box of the Dead from the previous life has been updated.]
“…”
Carefully, I fished through the pouch and retrieved the Box of the Dead. Having done this so often must have something to do with how naturally the lid opened to reveal its contents.
[Find Tara, the girl in the slum. A legendary quest with shockingly great rewards awaits.]
[A girl around seven years old. Short brown hair with gray eyes. You’ll know her when you see her.]
Such a note lay within.
Slum? Tara? Shockingly great rewards? Legendary quest?
What does all this even mean?
‘Hold on. Calm down… Calm down.’
Don’t panic like an amateur. It’s not like I haven’t experienced something similar before, right? That’s correct. It’s familiar. Too familiar it’s making me feel nauseous.
‘Also, Lucy’s reaction just now…’
It seems like we are in ‘that situation.’
Well, it might be quickest to inquire with the person who retains the memory. So I turned my head toward Lucy.
“Hey Lucy, is this the moment?”
“Yes, it is!”
“…”
It is what I expected.
The feeling of someone else hearing about my death was indeed disheartening. No matter how many times it happens, it still feels weird.
Lost in thought there for a moment—when I realized Lucy had transformed back to her normal state, she had a temper tantrum going. Pointing at me, she shouted.
“What are you hesitating for?! Hurry up and get ready to fight! Time is plenty! It’s precisely because of your indecision that we keep failing! Pump yourself up! Hurry up!”
“…Got it, man. You’re giving me too much sass…”
How many times has this failed, leading her to act this way? With the intense pressure, I couldn’t even ask. Honestly, wasn’t up to five tries acceptable?
With no other choice, I headed toward Kern’s downtown area, feeling like the head of a household.
“Hey Lucy, if I get bitten by a monstrous thing and go insane, you better stab me in the gut to wake me up.”
I told Lucy this half-jokingly, a line I had been pondering since she reset the point of return for me.
Her slight reaction indicated Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise. She then gave a strained, breathy laugh.
“You’re the same damn guy as always.”
Shaking her head, she muttered those words. Seems like my counterpart from the previous life might’ve said something similar.
Nonetheless, Lucy smiled mischievously as she said,
“My answer has already been said twice. You ought to regain your memory and find out yourself.”
“…Damn expensive, huh. Cheapskate.”
I immediately drew twin swords and utilized the Black Wing ability, streaking across the night sky like a meteor.
“Whoosh!” In one leap, the scenery rushed past in a blur.
“Let’s check this out. It’s pretty close by.”
I first decided to focus on the residual memories as Lucy had suggested.
Though not particularly interested in Lucy’s answer, it was true I was curious about what had happened in my past life.
‘This direction.’
I was soon able to find the residual memory. Near the entrance to the back alleys of Kern, the lantern light had stopped moving.
Died in a really awkward spot, huh? That was my first thought.
‘And… Tara, was it?’
While wandering near the entrance to the slum, I observed the vagrants passing by.
Then I glanced again at the note inside the Box of the Dead.
[Find Tara in the slums. A legendary quest with shockingly great rewards awaits.]
[Around seven years old. Short brown hair and gray eyes. You’ll know her when you see her.]
“Seven years old, short brown hair… gray eyes…”
A child this young could be carrying a legendary quest. If I come across someone matching that description, I might as well accept the quest just in case. Thankful inwardly to my past self for this tip, I walked in the direction where residual memories lay.
When I discovered the residual memories,
“Uh.”
I stiffened.
My corpse, riddled with dozens of holes, lying stretched out was indeed shocking. However, the reason for my primary astonishment wasn’t that.
It was the girl sitting hunched next to my corpse, gazing at the cityscape that first caught my attention.
“…Tara?”
I guessed her name aloud, and at the sound of it, she turned to face me.
Her short brown hair swayed gently. Her silvery-gray eyes calmly scanned me. After a moment of silence, she tilted her head questioningly.
“Hey, who are you?”
An inevitable reaction a child would show upon meeting an unknown adult.
Her voice carried a full measure of caution.
