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Villain Simulator-Chapter 119: The Hunter Of Chaos Monsters!
[The skill ’Basic Swordsmanship’ has been upgraded to ’Intermediate Swordsmanship’.]
’Finally! I broke through.’
The notification appeared, signaling the upgrade in my swordsmanship. Instantly, I felt the change as a black mist of Chaos energy enveloped my sword.
But I didn’t pause to marvel at it.
Instead, I charged through the army of Chaos monsters with even greater ferocity—like an ant facing a storm, yet radiating a black aura like an executioner.
The [Evolution Sword], having taken the path of Chaos energy instead of mana, was like the Scythe of the Reaper of Death—tainted with black color and harvesting life, leaving no trace left.
Moreover, with each kill, the Chaos energy being absorbed and stored by the sword was increasing at an astonishing rate.
Near the boundary wall of the high-level Chaos Dungeon, I created a semi-hemisphere of pure, maddening destruction, from which no Chaos monsters emerged unscathed.
Swah-! Swah-! Swah-!
With every strike, I felt myself growing stronger, my stats and swordsmanship skills increasing with each passing moment.
However, the monsters seemed to stretch on endlessly in every direction.
Not to mention, I was not even a real warrior or wizard.
My class was Nobility, and I relied on the [Revered Physique] and [Dual Mana Stream] to emulate the fundamentals of other classes.
Despite my growing stats, my true skill set lagged far behind the real deal. Not to mention, I had Rachael on my back, whom I had to protect at all costs.
Consequently, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t evade all the attacks.
Hands.
Chest.
Thighs.
I felt pain all over my body, and I truly experienced what it felt like to be hit by a Chaos monster instead of the one I summoned myself.
Unlike the protagonist, whose masochism would cause him to pump up from the pain in such a situation, I was just a villain who had no choice but to endure it.
Nonetheless, I had a posture that did not bend even with the pain because of my trait Composure (A).
『A composure that is unshakeable regardless of the severity of the circumstances.』
The indescribable agony I endured, compounded by the relentless onslaught of Chaos Monsters, each one more powerful than the last, created an incredibly gloomy environment that would cause even the most courageous players to lose control and flee in terror.
But my expression remained stoic, and I fought with mechanical precision, always choosing the most rational course of action.
Cold sweat formed on my forehead, and blood flowed as if leaking, yet my pride made my lips stained with blood curl upward in the face of such a situation.
"That’s it? It doesn’t even tickle."
『A pride that is paradoxically elevated in the face of adverseties.』
That was my pride that made each of my actions unhesitatingly ruthless.
Yet, the continuously exhausting and refiling stamina was draining my mental strength so fast that I wanted to lose my mind and collapse, or maybe take a step back and buy time.
But I resisted the urge.
Not only because I wanted to make the most of the situation, but also because...
『I was a noble, and the words compromise and effrontery aren’t even in my dictionary』
If people were to know what I was doing, they might ask:
Why was there a need to suffer and struggle so much?
Even if I had complete confidence in my plan and even had a backup in case things backfired, why couldn’t I take the easy route?
To them, my answer would only be one.
’If you only do what you can do, you can never be more than you are now.’
My eyes blazed with ruthless determination—with each hit, Chaos energy seeped into my body, but I simply linked and fed it to my [Evolution Sword] through a temporary pathway created by Chaos Medium.
Of course, with such a vast amount of Chaos energy flowing, I was constantly hitting and increasing the upper limit of Chaos Medium.
But it was a challenge I had to face head-on.
For this moment, regardless of my situation, I had to pour out everything I had until the very end.
Before the time was up, I had to kill as many Chaos Monsters as possible.
Only then would I be able to decorate the splendid finale.
I became even more determined as the battle continued to rage. With each level I gained, my senses sharpened like a razor’s edge.
The once-golden hue of my eyes darkened with the infusion of Chaos energy, giving them an ominous glow.
Black veins traced their way across my skin, indicating the spread of the Chaos energy that coursed through me.
But I pay it no mind; my focus was solely on the only task at hand:
’Kill Chaos Monsters and protect Rachael at all costs!’
.....
Someone once said:
Time will pass extremely slowly when you fight on a life-and-death battlefield with every ounce of your strength. Yet you won’t care about the passage of time. To you, everything would still be happening in the blink of an eye.
My condition at the moment mirrored that sentiment.
To me, it felt like the world had become monochromatic, or I had become color blind.
Everything started to look black, white, and slow.
On the battlefield, I jumped with the same mindset as someone prepared to die, since I knew I wouldn’t die unless my head was crushed instantly.
Perhaps it was because of that, or because of the Chaos energy spreading through my veins, or because of the feedback from my Evolution Sword, but I felt as if a new sensation had been unlocked in my body and my eyes had been opened to a new perspective.
"…!"
It wasn’t an illusion; it was real.
Like the saying goes, the closer one is to death, the more enlightened they become.
’Since when have I entered this state?’
I didn’t know, but what I did know was that my sword was getting clearer than ever before.
The dark mist that was surrounding my sword had, at some point, somehow taken on a pitch-black tar-like form, spreading into the air and thickening it.
Yet, strangely, I didn’t feel suffocated or weighed down; instead, I felt lighter and lighter.
If the initial manifestation of this thing was Sword aura, now it was entirely something else.
Suddenly, Charlotte’s voice from the past echoed in my head.
— Master, on the battlefield that goes back and forth between life and death, the sword gets lighter and takes on its own bright color. You will know once you unlock the proper Sword aura.
She said something about... a bright color?
"Hahahaha."
I burst out laughing.
With the intensity of the battle, I could say that I was really at the crossroads of life and death.
The words that Charlotte said before, whether or not I could understand them at that time, when I upgraded my swordsmanship, I realized them at once.
But now, looking at the sword in my hand in the slowed time, I realize that even she wouldn’t be able to understand this strange phenomenon.
Nevertheless, I had a gut feeling about this situation.
Instead of radiating brightness, my sword aura had taken on a deep, ink-like blackness—reminiscent of the Gates of Chaos during the Chaos Ritual.
’Could it be...’
For a split second, my eyes turned toward the projection of the giant eye in the sky, which remained focused elsewhere, and I felt a thrill of excitement coursing through me, accompanied by goosebumps.
’Hehe... Hehehe... Hahahaha!!!’
I burst out laughing devilishly in my heart, and I wanted to relax and feel this astonishing development, but my situation didn’t allow it.
[Status abnormality: ’bleeding’ occurs.]
[Caution: Health is decreasing at an incredible speed.]
[Caution: Stamina is too low.]
The flashing notifications from the system were too gloomy to enjoy the moment.
So I ignored it all.
Even if my mana had recharged, I avoided using the Book of Spells, not only because I had other plans but also because I wasn’t in any situation to do it.
There simply wasn’t time, and I couldn’t afford it.
My movements were slower than before.
Even with Daisy’s help and all the Buffs and Blessings’ support, I really felt that my body had reached its limit.
Still, because of my pride, I was resolutely stuck to my goal that I had before entering the dungeon—I never stopped hunting Chaos monsters for a moment.
If the movement was slow, it was slow.
It didn’t matter to me.
Each ounce of energy was dedicated to hunting down even one more Chaos monster.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
I let out a primal roar, fueling my adrenaline and forcing my body to keep moving forward.
I could sense Rachael’s body trembling on my back and her grip tightening with each passing moment.
Though she remained silent, I knew Rachael was watching everything unfold, afraid to speak and break my focus, knowing it could lead to our demise.
Not to mention, she couldn’t do anything, even if she wanted to, because all her energy was being used to barely contain the ocean of Chaos energy within her, originating from her class, Chaos Empress.
Sensing its huge presence at my back sent shivers down my spine, yet it also stirred a thrill within me, knowing that soon I would wield this power to fulfill my own ambitions.
Suddenly, it was at that moment...
[The Evolution Sword has absorbed sufficient Chaos energy and is ready to upgrade from its prototype phase.]
[Does the host wish to proceed with the upgrade?]
’No!’
I promptly declined the upgrade. I had my own plans.
My gaze briefly darted towards the system’s timer, displayed at the periphery of my vision.
[00:00:06]
Realizing that the time was almost up, I deliberately slowed my movements, strategizing to create distance between myself and the encroaching army.
With my heightened senses, time seemed to stretch endlessly, until finally, the countdown reached its climactic moment, ticking down to the final second.
For that split second, I mustered all my power, retrieved the Book of Spells, and cast a spell I had been saving up mana for.
"Guardian’s Sanctuary!"
In an instant, a shimmering, translucent cocoon surrouned me and Rachael, providing invulnerability for 12 seconds from monsters’ attacks below level 400.
The gaze of tens of thousands of Chaos Monsters bore down solely upon me as they descended upon the cocoon, unleashing their onslaught with unbridled fury.
[Lv.120: Crimson Chaos Wyrm]
[Lv.180: Voidspawn Harbinger, Malgathor]
[Lv.160: Chaos Leviathan]
…
The army stretched before me, vast and seemingly endless, stretching out like the immeasurable horizon.
It was overwhelming, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see the end.
Yet, in spite of the overwhelming sight, my focus remained fixed on the notifications that popped up before me.
[Skill merging has been completed.]
[New Skill Acquired: Chaos Core]
——————
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[Chaos Core]
[Description: Monsters have Monster cores, and Chaos Creatures possess Chaos cores.]
(To be noted: Chaos Creatures are true rulers of Chaos, and Chaos Monsters have no Chaos core.)
[Remarks: In the vast infinite cosmos, sometimes rare miracles do happen, allowing even a human the chance to possess a Chaos core.]
——————
[Does the host want to accept the new skill?]
Though I had anticipated something groundbreaking, my pupils still contracted to dots at the revelation of this skill, its mere existence shattering my three world views.
Nonetheless, I didn’t let the shock cloud my judgment, and I still remembered the task at hand.
While the addition of the Chaos Core was undeniably a priceless boon, for the current situation, it was still only an icing on the cake.
Thus, without hesitation, I adhered to my original plan and swiftly shattered the small tablet concealed behind my gums with my teeth.
Though it felt like an eternity, not even a second passed in reality.
In an instant, a violent surge of concentrated life force and mana erupted from the shattered tablet, coursing through my veins, mixing with my blood, and healing my body at an extremely rapid speed.
But before the healing could truly take hold, Rachael’s body trembled against mine, her grip tightened around me with alarming intensity, and suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain flared in my neck as I felt Rachael’s incisors plunge deep into my flesh.
In that same heartbeat, the boundless ocean of Chaos energy within Rachael surged into me, engulfing my body in a cataclysmic torrent that tore through my body and overwhelmed my senses with a force beyond anything I had ever experienced.
It was so overbearing that all three of my A-ranked traits combined failed to contain it.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
Dark blood red text flashed one after another relentlessly in my vision.
[Chaos energy within the host has exceeded sustainable levels.]
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Without immediate treatment, the host’s body will collapse in 8 seconds.]
[00:00:08]
[00:00:07]
Unfortunately, that was all I managed to discern before my vision blurred, fading like a wisp of smoke.
My body, as if devoid of life, collapsed to the ground like a puppet with a broken string, and my eyes remained wide open as my golden pupils turned jet black and a piercing scream rang in my ears.
"ADRIAN!!!!"