Ep12

We stayed a night at the village inn. I would have liked to set off right away, but even I needed to make all kinds of preparations to hunt a dragon, one of the most absurd creatures in a fantasy world—I was still a tender Hero on his 5th day, after all. I was a chick out of its egg, just as the dragon was young.

A natural deodorant was needed. This hunt would fail if I was noticed by the dragon first, because the current me would have no way of catching it if the lizard unfurled its wings and flew away; therefore, it was important to make a surprise attack. The only way of having a chance at victory would be to conceal noise and smell, then approach the dragon while it was enjoying a sweet dream and rip up its wings or its hide.

I was able to procure deodorant from a village hunter.

The next thing was time. Presently, my body was literally a chaotic mess due to having activated my cells. I was in the middle of recovering my body to how it was in my prime. The enhancement effect of having reached Level 204 had accelerated my muscle development, but attaining an S-rank in Skills wasn’t easy even with the Hero perk. Still, it shouldn’t take too long to achieve since I had done it once before.

The biggest problem was…

“Yaawn~!”

“Yawn…”

The fools who had been continuing to yawn from a while ago was extremely bothering me. Lanuvel and Luggage Boy, who had deeply fallen for the wobbling great being’s charm, had actually come back late at night to immediately drop dead asleep on their beds. Regretfully, they weren’t able to learn a single thing; otherwise, they would have dropped into their graves instead of their beds. And the next day morning, they had begun to nod off drowsily.

“Hey. You don’t have to follow me.”

I planned on beating the dragon to submission by myself as, after all, Professor Morals was sure to lecture me if these two happened to die an unnatural death by participating in the hunt. No, it would be fortunate if it ended at a lecture.

Putting aside Luggage Boy, Archaeologist Lanuvel was a celebrity. What would happen if rumors got out that she died within five days of entering the Hero’s party? My ‘reputation’ would hit rock bottom. It would be putting the cart before the horse if my reputation fell while trying to raise achievements. It would be better to chase them off in advance so they couldn’t loaf about nearby, if only to prevent that tragedy.

However, it wasn’t going smoothly…

“It’s because I think Hero-nim would abandon us and go off on your own!”

“I think the same as Miss Lanuvel.”

The fools stubbornly stuck to me like glue. Though they would have had a little more persuasiveness had they wiped off the sleep in their eyes…

I shrugged.

“Don’t regret it.”

Nearby the village was an extremely ordinary forest. Rabbits, deers, foxes, pines, azalea, webworms, mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes…!

In the first place, the village couldn’t have even been built if the forest hadn’t been ordinary. However, a little further in the forest was a colony of Orcs.

Orcs. Translated to Korean speak, they could perhaps be called pig-demons. However, they merely resembled pigs because of their flat noses—they were in no way genetically related to oinking swine. And forget being fat, they had the muscles of a bodybuilder. Being a purely foreign word, they were just ‘Orc’ even in English, though it would indeed be a laugh to call them pig-demons. *TN: This paragraph may be confusing due to the Korean perspective.

“GuGu!”

“KuKu!”

The majority of monsters including Orcs used a primitive language and so Interpretation didn’t work. In fact, they couldn’t communicate even among themselves, so they mainly used body language. The reason behind this is that their lifespans are extremely short and they are born without a home environment. They multiplied in droves like hunting dummies in a role-playing game.

The condition for their appearance is a clean region with concentrated mana, which is why they were rarely born in cities or villages. To sum up their existence simply, they were an infinite EXP supply.

“Hero-nim! It’s an Orc patrol team!”

“We’ll help out as well!”

The muppets were about to go forth, one wielding fire magic, one wielding a spear, blatantly trying to steal my EXP.

This is why companions are unnecessary.

“Stay out of it.”

Shiing~

I unsheathed the Elemental Sword Endymion from its azure scabbard which was wrapped in pure-white cloth. The Orcs who saw the brilliant gleam of the blade flinched and trembled—their survival instincts had perceived the danger of this sword.

My current Level was 204. It would be difficult to hunt even the weakest of dragons, but that was something I knew from the start. This was why the Orc colony located on the path to the dragon’s hideout was important. I planned on raising my Level here a bit.

▷Race: Orc ▷Level: 51 ▷Job: Soldier(Crowding→Combative Spirit↑) ▷Skills: Patrolling(E) Spearmanship(F) Stamina(F) ▷Status: Agitated, Wary

Level 50, the standard of a page who dreamed of becoming a full-fledged knight of some affiliation. The Skills of an Orc are so pathetic that a knight would win by a landslide if they were to actually fight, but there is a chance they’d end up losing their life if careless; this is because of their racial characteristic.

The Orcs, who only had males among their race, had greater physical abilities than male humans in all aspects. Muscular strength, agility, sense of smell, endurance, resistance… If a highschooler from Earth and an Orc were to go one-on-one, supposing that they were both Level 1, the highschooler could never win even with the protagonist buff.

“TuTu!”

“BuBu!”

Was it perhaps because of the Skill Taunt(E) I learnt back at the black market while hunting Elves? The Orcs chose to fight bravely despite being frightened out of their wits. I only felt thankful for this.

The Orcs’ average Level was low because they were a patrol team. But still, as they say, little drops of water make the mighty ocean. It was also the method of growth which Professor Morals recommended.

There were fourteen Orcs in total, a number that was just right for a light workout.

I took off in a dash from my slightly bent knees, ignoring the arrows and spears flying my way as I moved in a straight line. An arrowhead pierced my clothing and a few drops of blood splattered out as it pricked my skin, but it wasn’t able to lodge itself in my stone-hard skin.

“QuQu?!”

“KuKu?!”

The Orcs thrusted forth their spears at me even as they panicked. Their choice of action wasn’t a bad one to stop a charge, but my weapon was much too powerful for their crude spears to defend against.

Elemental Sword Endymion. This was a weapon capable of slaying even Demon King Fedornar. With high-rank Skills and the strength of a Level 204 on top of that, it was possible to steamroll over the Orcs before me.

Chop-

Slicing their weapons and…

Chop-

Slicing off their heads too~

There was no need for anything like flashy swordsmanship or footwork. I ran wild among the Orc team patrol while only being careful of my eyes and ears. Defending is for dogs or rats-

‘Not there! You demon!’

“YuYu?!”

… There was no need to dodge. Torn skin would get better with some saliva, and clothes could be newly bought as well. It was a foregone conclusion that my clothes would disappear if I fought a dragon, so there was no need to feel regret for them.

The important thing was efficiency and Skill development.

▷Race: Arch-Human ▷Level: 205 ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Endurance(A) Physical Strength(A) Agility(A) Resistance(A) Regeneration(A)… ▷Status: Berserk

My Endurance rank had shot up after having endured the Orcs’ attacks with my body. I knew some friends in the past who liked to fight elegantly without getting hit, but a feeble body was just a good EXP ticket. Dodging machine gun bullets was only possible in movies. In reality, it was often the case that an arrow would find its mark on your buttocks from far away—and this was why it was necessary to train your sphincter.

“My ass is a bit sexy, isn’t it?”

“WuWu…!”

The Orc archer who had been continuing to blatantly aim for my rear from a while ago turned around and began to run away quickly. It was the last remaining one.

Lanuvel swiftly conjured lightning using magic and shouted, “Hero-nim! I’ll deal with-!”

“Leave it.”

“Eh?! Why?!”

“So that the Orc colony will gather in one place. It’d be a hassle and take too much time to go around hunting them down one by one.”

I was currently drenched all over in the green blood of Orcs. I would have been able to get less blood on me had I fought a little more carefully, but this was the most effective way of hiding the smell of a human from the pig-nosed Orcs’ sharp sense of smell. I sprayed the deodorant bought from the village on top of the blood.

Preparations complete.

We followed after the footprints left by the Orc archer that fled.

“Even though my Level is way higher than Hero-nim’s…”

“Even though I wanted to show you my spearmanship…”

The pair of muppets constantly grumbled while walking through the forest. From the gist of it, it seemed like they were discontent at not being given the chance to take down the Orcs together, going on about also being respectable companions of the Hero and whatnot.

I abruptly stopped in my footsteps.

“Wha-, what is it?”

Lanuvel ducked her head, acting cute. It seemed like she did feel bad about all the complaining.

“I’ll explain the plan to you guys from now. We’ll surround and wipe out the Orc colony by the power of our friendship. Their estimated numbers are 5 thousand. You only needed to watch out for the Level 400 chieftain, Level 300 Sorcerer, and Level 200 Champion. Any questions?”

“Me! Me!”

Lanuvel raised her hand suddenly. I nodded at her, urging her to quickly ask.

“When will reinforcements arrive?”

“What reinforcements?”

“…”

“Lanuvel will push from the west gate, you’ll take the east gate, and I’ll take the north. I’d like to blockade the south as well, but it can’t be helped seeing as we don’t have enough friendship power.”

Truthfully, I didn’t like the power of friendship. In my opinion, there was nothing like justice in lynching an opponent in numbers just because the opponent was strong.

However, I wasn’t so foolish as to look away from reality—I was still weak. I was in no place to be picky about methods and means until I grew strong enough. There was no chivalry to speak of when you were weak.

“Still, don’t worry too much. There’s a river to the north, so it’s no different than a dead end to the Orcs. With no path of retreat, the Orc colony will be coming at us viciously. It’ll be thrilling, right? Isn’t it like you can already hear the sounds of your Level rising? If you have another question, ask away.”

“…”

It seemed like my plan was so perfect that she had nothing more to ask.

Let’s show them what our friendship is about.

* *  *

It was said to fool the enemy, you must first fool your allies.

If I had truly intended on thoughtlessly charging in from the front, I wouldn’t have smeared filthy Orc blood all over my body, and I would have disguised the two morons as well. The reason I didn’t do that for the two, however, was that Lanuvel and Luggage Boy were the bait meant to draw the attention of the 5 thousand Orcs.

“Hm… Is it a bit too much to call them bait?”

Saying that painted me in a rather bad right, so as the elaborate strategist that I am, I shall correct myself: they had an advanced role of luring away the mob in order to assassinate the Orc leaders.

Lanuvel was the one to start the plan.

Boom! Fwrrsh!

She shot off a blast of fire magic towards the Orc colony. With this as the signal, battle broke out in the west and east of the colony. Level 200 Magician Lanuvel’s spells made glorious explosions, while Level 286 Luggage Boy’s spear pierced and mowed down the Orcs.

“KuKu!”

“MuMu!”

The Orcs, who had had a bit of time to prepare themselves thanks to the Orc archer who got away, began to split and swarm towards the west and east. The middle area of the colony became quiet as if Moses’ miracle had occurred.

“What simple-minded Orcs I say.”

Though if you thought about it, they wouldn’t have lived behind such primitive wooden fences for walls if they were smart.

I lightly jumped over the fence and quietly infiltrated my way in, relaxedly making it to the center of the colony.

“CuCu…”

“KuKu…”

The Orcs, who had developed noses, had a strong tendency to blindly believe in their sense of smell, which was why it was simple to trick them so long as you erased your smell.

Why didn’t they know this, you might ask?

The answer is that they had little experience in facing clever humans. Their lifespans were extremely short and their language was too crude, and so they couldn’t leave anything like lessons for their later generations. This was why they never made any progress.

It was also why they didn’t attack the village of humans despite it being quite nearby. To them, humans were creatures of unknown. Nevertheless, they did have an eye for things, so they were aware that the sturdy fences built in the human village and the clean clothes of its residents were worlds apart from what they had. As a result, the Orcs perceived them as a higher race.

There was another reason on top of that. The Orcs would frequently come across human groups passing through the forest and would end up in battle, but the mercenaries guarding merchant caravans were stronger than the Orcs. Nothing need to be said about those knights who guarded the carriages of nobles. So as a result, the Orcs got the misunderstanding that all humans were stronger than they were.

‘It becomes a problem after they realize that they thought wrong.’

They would raid villages, stealing women, food, weapons and so on. After coming to know the taste of humans, they would start to run amok just like that.

This Orcs tribe would continue to indiscriminately attack human settlements until they were subjugated by a knight order, mercenary party or the like.

“It’s over there.”

The chieftain’s residence was a shabbily built log cabin. With the rest of the Orcs having swarmed outside, surprised by the power of our friendship, there was not a single guard protecting the chieftain’s house. I could clearly see the situation inside through the gaps in the logs.

▷Race: Orc ▷Level: 387 ▷Job: Chieftain(Leadership=Tribe↑) ▷Skills: Throwing(B) Leadership(C) Hand-to-hand Combat(D) Resistance(D) Stamina(E)… ▷Status: Agitated

Was it perhaps because I had come 9 years early? The black-skinned Orc chieftain’s Level was significantly lower than I remembered it to be. And what was with the pretty Elf pressed under its large body?

“HuHu!”

“Hagh! Sob!”

… It seemed like they were preoccupied with the union of the two races.

‘Do I have to come back later?’

___________________________________________

“… Yikes, look at me being all distracted.”

I got the feeling I knew why people got addicted to voyeurism. The muscular Orc’s technique wasn’t anything to joke about. What lay before me was the volcanic eruption of sexual frustration of a male-only race, namely Orcs. The moans and cries of the cowering Elf added an extra level of intensity to it all, to the extent that I felt sorry about interfering, but…

Crash-!

I slashed through the logs of the cabin and charged in. Now, while the Orc chieftain was unarmed and focused on the Elf’s buttocks, was the perfect opportunity to assassinate it.

“KuKu-?!”

The startled face of a black pig greeted me. However, the Orc chieftain’s Level of 387 wasn’t for show. Just as Alex had the other day, the Orc’s response was extremely fast due to its superior physique despite having noticed late the surprise attack—it grabbed the iron sword which had been placed nearby and swung it at me.

Slash-

However, there wasn’t so much as the clashing noise of metals. This was the difference from the time with Alex.

Elemental Sword Endymion was on a different league compared to a 0.3mm mechanical pencil. To compare them was blasphemy in of itself.

Splatter-!

The Orc chieftain’s green blood dyed the inside of the cabin, but I didn’t stop—the wound was shallow. I didn’t feel the blade cut bone.

Elemental Sword Endymion’s cutting ability was outstanding without a doubt, but it wasn’t to the extent of being able to cut a Level 387 Orc’s bone like air.

“GuGu!”

“VuVu!”

The other Orcs, surprised by the sound of a pig being murdered in the cabin, came rushing over. I had wanted to deal with the matter quietly, but I wasn’t able to exhibit the skill at my prime which had been perfect enough as to massacre my companions in one breath in the 1st Playthrough.

Low Skill ranks, Level, physical ability, equipment… The reason for my failure was rather mixed. The need to grow stronger than I was now grew ever more pressing.

“Become my EXP!”

I ignored the Orcs coming at me from behind. A Level 300 Sorcerer’s attack was somewhat threatening, but it couldn’t be compared to the chieftain who could recover from its wounds in no time. I kept my eyes fixed on the Orc before me.

Grip.

Taking one heavy step forward with my right foot while pressing down on the big toe, at the same time I threw out my right arm and stabbed Endymion at my opponent’s heart.

“TuTu…!”

The Orc chieftain retreated in an attempt to dodge, but ended up tripping over with a crash. Unsightly though it may have been, it had certainly managed to evade my decisive stab.

‘But what are you gonna do next?’

Someone who had fallen down couldn’t do anything.

“Kyak?!”

Correction: there was one thing.

The Orc chieftain grabbed the slender ankle of the Elf whom it had been sharing intimacy with and pulled her before itself. Having seen through its simple thoughts, a wry smile escaped my lips.

“Taking a hostage?”

“FuFu.”

Humans and Elves were hardly different appearance-wise. The majority of Elves could be easily distinguished by the shape of their ears, but Orcs distinguished between the two races by their sense of smell. But here was where the misunderstanding lay: I didn’t smell like a human as I had covered myself in Orc blood. The pretty Elf’s body odor unique to her race had also become faint after having skinship with an Orc.

In short, the Orc thought the Elf and I were kin. Still, it knew how to use its head pretty well for an Orc.

Prrk-

But that was all it was capable of.

Elemental Sword Endymion’s sharp sword point pierced the elegant chest of the Elf, digging deeply through the bruise and wound-covered skin.

Prrk-!

And penetrating through her back, the sword impaled the Orc behind her as well.

“Gu…?”

Sword lodged in its throat, the Orc chieftain looked at me with eyes full of puzzlement. Apparently, it had previously had some fun with this method. However…

“Hostages don’t work against me.”

Any ties in this fantasy world was no different than dirt to me. I wasn’t curious in something like the circumstances of an Elf who ended up in an Orc colony.

“Th-, thank y-…”

The Elf thanked me right before she breathed her last. It seemed her partner hadn’t at all been to her liking.

I was a little thankful to her too.

▷Race: Elf ▷Level: 892 ▷Job: Tamer(Taming→EXP↑) ▷Skills: Breeding(S) Taming(A) Empathy(B) Foraging(C) Elementalism(D)… ▷Status: Cursed, Sprained, Fatigued

The Levels of the Elves I was coming across these days were all formidable. And they gave loads of EXP.

Around this time in the 1st Playthrough, I had gotten a savage beating from Alex and was spiritlessly going about the royal palace, not even aware that precious chunks of EXP were leaving the world even then.

This is why information is important.

‘Was it just a coincidence?’

This Tamer was somehow similar to the Elf I had kissed back in the black market. Pretty Elf, around Level 800, cursed by a demon. There were a whole three commonalities between now and then. Although I had poked my nose into all kinds of places in the 1st Playthrough, I didn’t have information regarding these kinds of characters who died early.

“Hm… well, whatever.”

I had still busted the Demon King’s ass well enough even without knowing. Then it’s fine, isn’t it? Digging into secrets would only get me involved in troublesome matters and have my time stolen.

My adventure was all that mattered.

“Yali yali yalasung, yalali yala~𝅘𝅥𝅮”

Just like the refrain of this song.

“YuYu?”

“Orky, have you heard of the Song of Cheongsan?”

“Yu…?”

“How ignorant!”

I had killed a Level 387 Orc chieftain and a Level 892 Elf Tamer, and my Level had once again begun to rise like mad. It was no problem even if several Orcs jumped me.

First, the Level 296 Sorcerer.

“KuKu?!”

I directly took on the ball of fire blasted at me from close quarters by the sorcerer with my body, continuing to charge onwards, and collected a pig’s head as compensation for the burn.

Thud…!

It sure rolled refreshingly.

“Come at me, friends.”

“QuQu!”

“KuKu!”

I had originally planned to end this matter with an assassination, cautiously, but that became unnecessary after I hit the lottery (Level 892 Elf). I had better quickly deal with this Orc colony and move on to the next stage.

“… I feel like I’m forgetting something. Ah!”

I remembered what it was.

“Hero-nim~!”

“Please save us~!”

The muppets, who had been surrounded by Orcs, were still hanging in there. Putting aside companion no.1 Lanuvel, it came as a big surprise that Luggage Boy was still alive despite him dragging his feet. I didn’t dislike that spirit of his, however.

“What a fuss. Wait a little.”

I used Endymion to counter the pincer attack of three Orc champions around Level 200. It wasn’t an exchange of blows which involved amazing skill.

You take a blow, I’ll take one too!

But while I was fine, the Orc champions lost their heads one after another. I could feel myself growing stronger with each passing moment.

I had a good momentum going.

“Hero-nim~!”

Ignoring Lanuvel who was coquettishly calling out for help, I decided to first save Luggage Boy who was unyieldingly enduring with a spear in hand. Moving towards the group of Orcs surrounding him, I ignored their crude spears and blades and dived in.

“KuKu~?!”

“CuCu~?!”

The Orcs standing in my way collapsed row after row like bowling pins. I felt as if I had returned to my prime just a little, though the average Level of the bowling pins were a tenth of what I faced back then.

But this was enough for me right now.

“Thank you. I survived because of you, Hero-nim. Pant, pant…”

“… Luggage Boy.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you hang in there so tenaciously?”

It wouldn’t be strange for Luggage Boy to die this instant in his current shape. He had followed my rash order to charge into a colony of 5 thousand Orcs without complaint, and had even endured like an honest fool, not fleeing until I came.

I couldn’t understand why.

“Hero-nim is the one who freed me from the shackles of a slave. My life was yours from that moment on.”

“… That’s all?”

“Does there need to be more reasons? Urghh… I can’t take it anymore now that the tension’s left me. I am sorry. I will rest for a little.”

That said, Luggage Boy threw himself onto the ground and with his mouth wide open, not caring whether dust got in or not, he soon fell asleep. He even started to snore.

I couldn’t help but to smile wryly. Acting like that even though Orcs were swarming about us.

“… A real funny one you are.”

There were certain words I had wanted to hear from Fairy Queen Syvila, but never had I expected to suddenly hear them from Luggage Boy whom I had been treating like air.

This party… might not be bad…

“Hero-nim~! My mana reserve’s all empty~!”

“…”

‘Nope. The power of friendship is annoying after all.’

* *  *

Hunting down 5 thousand Orcs also took work. Even if you were to kill one per second, it would take a whole 84 minutes to finish. 28 minutes if the work was shared among three by the power of friendship.

However, I quickly massacred the lot of them almost by myself. It would have taken even less time had the Orcs not scattered out of fright.

“KuKu~!”

The last Orc fell down in an unsightly manner.

It would have been convenient if they had attacked me with burning vengeance, like Elves who were all about amity would have done, but Orcs didn’t even have the least bit of loyalty in their bones—the moment they judged there to be no chance of victory, they would run without even looking back. It was the natural course of action seeing as they had no family to protect.

Gurgle-gurgle…

The corpses of the Orcs melted and sank into the ground, one after another. This was what happened when a monster born of the power of nature lost its strength and returned to nature. There was only one case when their corpses remained, and that was when they died of natural causes and didn’t become EXP.

As for the Elf from before?

“She’s good magic material.”

Leaving her body to rot just like this or to become feed for wild animals would be disrespecting the dead. She would also be satisfied and be able to rest in peace if her body was converted into funds to keep up appearances for the great Hero who would save humanity.

“Excuse me, Hero-nim? You weren’t going to bury her?”

It seemed Lanuvel was speaking in tongues.

“Why should I?”

“Because the dead Elf is pitiful.”

Luggage Boy, who had woken up before I knew it, nodded as if in agreement. As I took the pure-white cloth which had been covering Endymion and used it to wrap the Elf’s corpse like you would a mummy, I replied, “I’ll say. I’m going to use her body for the greater good because I feel sorry for her. And Lanuvel. You seem to be greatly misunderstanding something, but I’m the righteous Hero. I wouldn’t do something like cutting up a woman to sell her.”

“Huh?”

“What’s with that surprised look on your face?”

“Well that’s because…”

Lanuvel left her words unfinished, glancing about our surroundings.

“Hey. Are Orcs and Elves the same? You two take the Elf’s corpse and return to the village, and contact Prince Nasus. Do that and an undertaker will come with payment for the body.”

“Ah!”

“I expected no less of you, Hero-nim!”

Money was one thing, but this also made for a good excuse to get these muppets off my back. If they dragged their feet like this with Orcs as opponents, it would be utterly inconceivable for them to go up against a dragon; thus, this was a good thing for everybody.

“Hero-nim! You can’t run off on your own!”

“We’ll be waiting at the village!”

Lanuvel and Luggage Boy had employed the power of friendship to their heart’s content at the Orc colony, and vented their frustrations. The two carried the Elf’s corpse and made their way back as if fleeing. Seeing their retreating figures, truthfully, I felt a little worried.

“It’s best they don’t bother Master Mollang, but…”

The reason behind this was that if you bothered Master Mollang too much, it would bite you even as it wobbled. Its bite was more painful than you would think, and even I really didn’t know how it bit with that jelly-like body.

In any case, I turned around with a light heart. It was now time to go assassinate the drag-…

▷Weary: Did I not say I would come without notice?

‘Oh my! My respected Professor Morals, so you’ve come.

‘There have been no problems so far.’

▷Lecture: No! Regretfully there is one! Do you not think you had perhaps given up on the poor Elf’s life too easily? So long as there is life, there is hope. Life is said to be a journey towards death, but by no means does it mean you should give up so simply.

‘That’s a huge misunderstanding, sir.’

I had never given up on the Elf I came across at the Orc colony.

Level 892. How could I give up on this? The very moment I saw that woman who was pressed beneath the excited black pig, I felt a strong tug of destiny in my heart. I saw the bright future where we would soon become as one.

And that’s how it actually went as well. She had become good EXP for me.

▷Headache: It is said that those stubborn of heart will fall into unhappiness. One who does not seek happiness on their own cannot enjoy it. Try treating new bonds with care. You will be able to find a happiness that you did not know before.

“New bonds, huh…”

‘This is difficult. I should take down the dragon first and think later!

‘I think I’ll become happy that way.’

▷Race: Chaos Dragon ▷Level: 999+ ▷Job: Supreme Ruler(Conquest→Battle Spirit↑) ▷Skills: Chaos(SS) Destruction(SS) Oblivion(SS) Battle Spirit(S) Deadly Venom(S)… ▷Status: Drowsy, Muddled, Twilight

“… Hm.”

“Chao…?”

“Pardon the intrusion.”

I had followed the correct address to the young dragon’s nest, and a pitch-black flying lizard was peacefully lying down in a fairly large pit that was shaped like the vent of a volcano.

Only…

“Chaoooooo—!!”

“Goddamn.”

It turned out that the nest owner hadn’t changed yet.

_________________________________________________

Turning around, I dashed towards the forest.

If the Hero who came to hunt a dragon ended up hunted instead, that wouldn’t even amount to be a cheap joke retold by a bard, let alone be an achievement or rise in fame.

“Chaooo!”

My opponent was an ancient dragon among ancient dragons—the ‘Twilight’ on its status window was proof. This meant its hour of death was near.

Of course, it would’ve been fine if it was an obese lizard that didn’t do its age justice even with the Twilight status, but surprisingly its job was ‘Supreme Ruler’, which spoke volumes of how belligerent it was. And that was why its Level and Skills were all beast.

That Supreme Ruler dragon was naturally not fameless. In the 1st Playthrough, not only did I not encounter it, I didn’t even know it had died of natural causes; however, I did hear about it from others as it appeared in stories of an evil dragon destroying countless nations about as often as a customer frequented a shop.

Three pairs of wings, massive frame, pitch-black scales, aggressive… It was exactly as the stories described.

Oblivion Dragon King, Noebius.

Although it was slightly pushed down the danger ranking due to Demon King Fedornar’s revival, it was an existence that took a spot among what Fantasia’s natives considered the ‘Five Disasters’. I knew of the other Disasters since, in the 1st Playthrough, I subjugated them one after another in later years, but the one before me was a monster of a card that I was completely helpless against in my present state.

Flap! Flap!

The three pairs of wings of the great black dragon which rose into the sky blocked out the sun like a solar eclipse. Furtively glancing up, I saw the Oblivion Dragon King opening its maw wide.

‘Dragonbreath…!’

The strongest attack method which made the absurd lifeform that was a dragon even more ridiculous in a fantasy world—dragonbreath. When it came to a dragon king, the might of that breath was even more terrible than a natural disaster.

“Chaooo!”

Following a violent roar, the dark venom sprayed out of the Oblivion Dragon King’s maw rained upon the ground like a waterfall.

Splash—!

The deadly venom spread everywhere like a flood. All animals and plants touched by the dragon’s breath turned black in an instant and died. It was no use even when those animals fled to higher places such as mountains or boulders—the poisonous gas emitted by the venom was extremely fatal as well.

I managed to come out unscathed, however; the dragonbreath had been off mark.

“Has its eyes gone bad with age? What pathetic accuracy.”

I ran in the opposite direction of the village. The muppets I couldn’t care less about, but bringing harm to the great being was the one thing I wanted to avoid.

The appearance of the Oblivion Dragon King derailed my plans big time, but it wasn’t to a despairing extent.

▷Race: Arch-Human ▷Level: 346 ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Endurance(S) Physical Strength(A) Agility(A) Resistance(A) Five Senses(A)… ▷Status: Developing

I had been wildly growing stronger even since I took out the Orc colony. Although I still only had one S-rank Skill, it was just as hard in the 1st Playthrough to achieve S-rank as well. It was so hard that the general opinion was that A-rank was as far as you could attain with just effort.

But that didn’t apply to me.

‘Master Mollang. Thank you.’

My body was reacting on its own. When bacteria and poison invaded my body, the leukocytes produced in large amounts from the bone marrows created antibodies through phagocytosis to eliminate the antigens. When a wound opened on my body, the thrombocytes derived from megakaryocytes instantly formed a blood clot by clumping and stopped the bleeding.

I didn’t need the likes of healing and curing magic of a fantasy world.

Sss…

The darkened parts of my skin which was exposed to the poisonous gas returned to normal. The Oblivion Dragon King’s breath was basically poison. While it would have been dangerous had its breath landed on top of my head, I was given time for my leukocytes to produce antibodies due to the dragon misaiming by far.

With this, I was now immune to its poison, but there still remained a threat to be dealt with.

“KuKu…!”

“BuBu?!”

I ran into a group of Orcs which had been escaping from the dragon’s breath. Refusing to run away all together like buddies, they instead rushed to attack me.

The reason for this was simple.

Covered in head to toe with deadly venom, I was an extremely threatening existence to the Orcs, and that was why they were attacking to prevent my approach.

But it wasn’t as if I couldn’t give way either.

“Move-!”

I took on the Orcs’ attacks with my body as I charged. Their various bladed weapons dealt harsh blows, but I ignored them while coldly observing my surroundings, cutting down any high-level Orc I saw using Endymion.

“CuCu~?!

I was no pervert that enjoyed pain, and neither did I have great tolerance for suffering. I merely pushed onwards using the power of science.

The endorphins would suppress physical pain. Normally, endorphin is only released in large amounts from the pituitary gland and hypothalamus during intense exercise or when under stress, but I had no such restrictions.

Only, abusing this had to be avoided due to addictive sensation of ecstasy. It was a hormone that needed to be controlled in moderation.

“Whoo~! Gettin’ high baby~!”

“HuHu…?”

“Die! Die! Become my EXP! Nyahahah!”

“QuQu~?!”

During battle, the adrenaline released from the adrenal medulla triggers the blood vessels throughout the body to expand, thereby enhancing reflexes and bodily functions. In addition, adrenaline suppresses the digestive system and helps prevent being hampered by the related bodily functions.

However, too much of this hormone is also dangerous—you could collapse from hypertension.

“How persistent!”

“Chaooo!”

I continued to run, while the Oblivion Dragon King also continued to follow.

When I saw a powerful monster half-dead on its feet, poisoned by the dragon king’s venomous breath, I would sneakily approach and claim their life using Endymion.

It was the ultimate teamplay!

My Level rose at an amazing rate, while my Skills which had stopped at A-rank broke through their limits and improved in all aspects.

Nothing else needed be said.

“Hahah! This is my first time getting carried like this!”

“Chaoooo-!”

The good team that we were, we adventured across the lands of Fantasia through day and night. Nobody, no one, could get in our way.

Demons, forests, heroes, monsters, knight orders, mercenaries, cities… They were all swept away like the dust before a vacuum cleaner.

‘It’d be great if tomorrow will be like today!’

How many days had passed like this without my being aware of it, I wonder? Even our friendship and adventure, which had seemed like it would last eternal, had a final stop.

Our parting was as abrupt as our meeting.

* *  *

“Chaooo?!”

My dear partner, Oblivion Dragon King Noebius, was gracefully soaring across the night sky when it crashed headlong into the ground with a scream.

Boom-!

At first I suspected an attack by the Demon King. Apart from the possibility of that ‘sponsor’ of mine attacking out of envy for our terrific friendship, it was impossible for the strongest existence in a fantasy world, a dragon, to be brought down in one blow.

But that wasn’t it.

▷Race: Chaos Dragon ▷Level: 999+ ▷Job: Supreme Ruler(Conquest→Battle Spirit↑) ▷Skills: Chaos(SS) Destruction(SS) Oblivion(SS) Battle Spirit(S) Deadly Venom(S)… ▷Status: Old Age, Dislocation, Sprained, Total Exhaustion, Twilight

It couldn’t fool its age. It seemed even the strongest dragon was helpless before time. Its prolonged flight had pushed its spine and wings beyond their limits, and its body couldn’t hold up as its stamina failed.

As for me, on the other hand…

▷Race: Arch-Human ▷Level: 903 ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Resistance(SS) Berserk(S) Physical Strength(S) Endurance(S) Agility(S)… ▷Status: Good

I had grown fantastically strong!

My Level had approached the limits of what could be reached through hunting in this peaceful continent. If I wanted to break through Level 999 from here, I absolutely needed the help of my ‘sponsor’ who possessed many demon minions that were packed full of EXP.

Our adventure had ended at a perfect timing. If there was anything to point out, though…

“This might be a little fatal to my reputation…?”

I unhurriedly took in my surroundings. The earth had become contaminated by the dragon’s breath, and I couldn’t find anything alive around.

The number of cities which had been wiped off the map, because of the poor-sighted dragon king shooting its breath in all the wrong directions, wasn’t few. And the damage wasn’t just limited to this region—half of Fantasia’s middle continent was in the same shape.

Demon King Fedornar had managed to plunge humanity into the depths of fear without even lifting a finger.

Scary bastard.

▷Sigh: What a truly fearsome student you are!

‘Ah! Professor Morals. It’s really been a while.’

▷Troubled: I had no chance to intervene due to the ongoing critical situation. It would have been awful if things went wrong because of me, after all. That is why I waited until the battle ended, but it seems even the continent which was peaceful ended along with it.

‘What do you mean it ended? It’s too early to give up!

‘Didn’t you tell me to not easily give up?

‘There’s hope in this 2nd Playthrough!’

In the world of Fantasia, with its middle continent as the center, there are four other similar-sized continents that altogether form the shape of a cross: the east continent, west continent, north continent, and south continent. And the Oblivion Dragon King and my main area of activity was the middle continent. The surrounding four continents were still fine even now, and furthermore, a whole half of the middle continent which had received a big blow was untouched.

Statistically speaking, 90% of humanity’s homes were still intact, and that was why it was too early to give up.

▷Affirmative: Correct. Hope is an important virtue to the Hero… In any case, even a trustworthy and excellent steed mustn’t be removed of its bridle. This situation has come to pass because you blindly believed in the memories and information from your 1st Playthrough, yes?

I wouldn’t deny this. I had thought a young dragon whelp to be living in that nest, but who would have known a dragon of extreme old age on the verge of death to be just sitting there instead? It was even highly aggressive and powerful.

It was no longer the time to worry about character—my reputation had ended up going down the drain while trying to make an achievement.

“Still, there is something I gained in return for that.”

“Chao…”

Oblivion Dragon King Noebius, who was all but spent, was quickly running out of life. Had it given up chasing me in the middle and returned to its nest, or folded its wings to take even a brief rest, it would have at least lived for a year longer.

However, this dragon had walked the path of the mighty until the end. It was the road it had chosen itself.

“Hey. Are you satisfied?”

The Oblivion Dragon King hadn’t lost its dignity nor its spirit even as it was dying. I approached the huge head of the collapsed dragon and asked it a question, and it opened its mouth to reply.

“Chao.”

“I see.”

The language of dragons couldn’t be translated by any Skill. Even scholars who had long studied dragons couldn’t understand their words. Only when a dragon lowered itself to polymorph into a human to speak in the language of man could a conversation be established.

But this moment was an exception. I had no way knowing the expressions of reptiles, but I felt something similar to conviction that the Oblivion Dragon King was laughing.

As if saying that it was an enjoyable defeat.

“I enjoyed it as well, Noebius.”

Stab.

I drove Endymion between the center of the dragon king’s forehead. Although it wasn’t a being that could be so simply killed with this much, but even a gentle breeze is dangerous when the flames of life is almost spent.

“Chaooo…”

The dragon’s last will had a large part in it as well. It would have been different had it still harbored regret towards life, but it was satisfied by the outcome of our fight which was so intense as to have destroyed half of the middle continent. And that was why it gladly granted me the right of the victor.

It passed on to me its own power which had been accumulated over long years, and the sheer amount of it was beyond common sense.

Whoosh—!

The dragon’s body, the size of which rivaled a small mountain, turned into a flood of jet-black venom and swept across the earth once more.

Oblivion Dragon King Noebius… It was a terrifying dragon until the very end.

It would be nice if Demon King Fedornar, who had simply died just like that after getting his ass beaten, learned something from this.

A villain should have some grit I say.

“… Uh?”

I was bewildered upon seeing the change in my status.

The dragon hadn’t simply left me EXP and its heart after dying. It had even left me the element of ‘chaos’ which could be said to be its own identity.

▷Race: Chaos Human ▷Level: 999+ ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Resistance(SS) Chaos(SS) Berserk(SS) Physical Strength(S)… ▷Status: Internal Chaos

Thanks to that my status abilities had also fallen into chaos. My race was chaos, my Skills were chaos, and my status was also chaos.

There was nothing but chaos everywhere!

However…

‘Professor Morals, what’s with that mosaic?’

▷Confused: I, I also do not quite…

He was hesitant instead of giving a refreshing answer like usual. Could it be an ability which even the teaching staff that created this ridiculous education system didn’t know? Or was he feigning ignorance despite knowing all about it?

Honestly speaking, it didn’t matter either way.

“My oh my~𝅘𝅥𝅮”

My heart began to flutter like in the moment before scratching the covering of a housing lottery ticket.

________________________________________________________________________________

Turning around, I dashed towards the forest.

If the Hero who came to hunt a dragon ended up hunted instead, that wouldn’t even amount to be a cheap joke retold by a bard, let alone be an achievement or rise in fame.

“Chaooo!”

My opponent was an ancient dragon among ancient dragons—the ‘Twilight’ on its status window was proof. This meant its hour of death was near.

Of course, it would’ve been fine if it was an obese lizard that didn’t do its age justice even with the Twilight status, but surprisingly its job was ‘Supreme Ruler’, which spoke volumes of how belligerent it was. And that was why its Level and Skills were all beast.

That Supreme Ruler dragon was naturally not fameless. In the 1st Playthrough, not only did I not encounter it, I didn’t even know it had died of natural causes; however, I did hear about it from others as it appeared in stories of an evil dragon destroying countless nations about as often as a customer frequented a shop.

Three pairs of wings, massive frame, pitch-black scales, aggressive… It was exactly as the stories described.

Oblivion Dragon King, Noebius.

Although it was slightly pushed down the danger ranking due to Demon King Fedornar’s revival, it was an existence that took a spot among what Fantasia’s natives considered the ‘Five Disasters’. I knew of the other Disasters since, in the 1st Playthrough, I subjugated them one after another in later years, but the one before me was a monster of a card that I was completely helpless against in my present state.

Flap! Flap!

The three pairs of wings of the great black dragon which rose into the sky blocked out the sun like a solar eclipse. Furtively glancing up, I saw the Oblivion Dragon King opening its maw wide.

‘Dragonbreath…!’

The strongest attack method which made the absurd lifeform that was a dragon even more ridiculous in a fantasy world—dragonbreath. When it came to a dragon king, the might of that breath was even more terrible than a natural disaster.

“Chaooo!”

Following a violent roar, the dark venom sprayed out of the Oblivion Dragon King’s maw rained upon the ground like a waterfall.

Splash—!

The deadly venom spread everywhere like a flood. All animals and plants touched by the dragon’s breath turned black in an instant and died. It was no use even when those animals fled to higher places such as mountains or boulders—the poisonous gas emitted by the venom was extremely fatal as well.

I managed to come out unscathed, however; the dragonbreath had been off mark.

“Has its eyes gone bad with age? What pathetic accuracy.”

I ran in the opposite direction of the village. The muppets I couldn’t care less about, but bringing harm to the great being was the one thing I wanted to avoid.

The appearance of the Oblivion Dragon King derailed my plans big time, but it wasn’t to a despairing extent.

▷Race: Arch-Human ▷Level: 346 ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Endurance(S) Physical Strength(A) Agility(A) Resistance(A) Five Senses(A)… ▷Status: Developing

I had been wildly growing stronger even since I took out the Orc colony. Although I still only had one S-rank Skill, it was just as hard in the 1st Playthrough to achieve S-rank as well. It was so hard that the general opinion was that A-rank was as far as you could attain with just effort.

But that didn’t apply to me.

‘Master Mollang. Thank you.’

My body was reacting on its own. When bacteria and poison invaded my body, the leukocytes produced in large amounts from the bone marrows created antibodies through phagocytosis to eliminate the antigens. When a wound opened on my body, the thrombocytes derived from megakaryocytes instantly formed a blood clot by clumping and stopped the bleeding.

I didn’t need the likes of healing and curing magic of a fantasy world.

Sss…

The darkened parts of my skin which was exposed to the poisonous gas returned to normal. The Oblivion Dragon King’s breath was basically poison. While it would have been dangerous had its breath landed on top of my head, I was given time for my leukocytes to produce antibodies due to the dragon misaiming by far.

With this, I was now immune to its poison, but there still remained a threat to be dealt with.

“KuKu…!”

“BuBu?!”

I ran into a group of Orcs which had been escaping from the dragon’s breath. Refusing to run away all together like buddies, they instead rushed to attack me.

The reason for this was simple.

Covered in head to toe with deadly venom, I was an extremely threatening existence to the Orcs, and that was why they were attacking to prevent my approach.

But it wasn’t as if I couldn’t give way either.

“Move-!”

I took on the Orcs’ attacks with my body as I charged. Their various bladed weapons dealt harsh blows, but I ignored them while coldly observing my surroundings, cutting down any high-level Orc I saw using Endymion.

“CuCu~?!

I was no pervert that enjoyed pain, and neither did I have great tolerance for suffering. I merely pushed onwards using the power of science.

The endorphins would suppress physical pain. Normally, endorphin is only released in large amounts from the pituitary gland and hypothalamus during intense exercise or when under stress, but I had no such restrictions.

Only, abusing this had to be avoided due to addictive sensation of ecstasy. It was a hormone that needed to be controlled in moderation.

“Whoo~! Gettin’ high baby~!”

“HuHu…?”

“Die! Die! Become my EXP! Nyahahah!”

“QuQu~?!”

During battle, the adrenaline released from the adrenal medulla triggers the blood vessels throughout the body to expand, thereby enhancing reflexes and bodily functions. In addition, adrenaline suppresses the digestive system and helps prevent being hampered by the related bodily functions.

However, too much of this hormone is also dangerous—you could collapse from hypertension.

“How persistent!”

“Chaooo!”

I continued to run, while the Oblivion Dragon King also continued to follow.

When I saw a powerful monster half-dead on its feet, poisoned by the dragon king’s venomous breath, I would sneakily approach and claim their life using Endymion.

It was the ultimate teamplay!

My Level rose at an amazing rate, while my Skills which had stopped at A-rank broke through their limits and improved in all aspects.

Nothing else needed be said.

“Hahah! This is my first time getting carried like this!”

“Chaoooo-!”

The good team that we were, we adventured across the lands of Fantasia through day and night. Nobody, no one, could get in our way.

Demons, forests, heroes, monsters, knight orders, mercenaries, cities… They were all swept away like the dust before a vacuum cleaner.

‘It’d be great if tomorrow will be like today!’

How many days had passed like this without my being aware of it, I wonder? Even our friendship and adventure, which had seemed like it would last eternal, had a final stop.

Our parting was as abrupt as our meeting.

* *  *

“Chaooo?!”

My dear partner, Oblivion Dragon King Noebius, was gracefully soaring across the night sky when it crashed headlong into the ground with a scream.

Boom-!

At first I suspected an attack by the Demon King. Apart from the possibility of that ‘sponsor’ of mine attacking out of envy for our terrific friendship, it was impossible for the strongest existence in a fantasy world, a dragon, to be brought down in one blow.

But that wasn’t it.

▷Race: Chaos Dragon ▷Level: 999+ ▷Job: Supreme Ruler(Conquest→Battle Spirit↑) ▷Skills: Chaos(SS) Destruction(SS) Oblivion(SS) Battle Spirit(S) Deadly Venom(S)… ▷Status: Old Age, Dislocation, Sprained, Total Exhaustion, Twilight

It couldn’t fool its age. It seemed even the strongest dragon was helpless before time. Its prolonged flight had pushed its spine and wings beyond their limits, and its body couldn’t hold up as its stamina failed.

As for me, on the other hand…

▷Race: Arch-Human ▷Level: 903 ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Resistance(SS) Berserk(S) Physical Strength(S) Endurance(S) Agility(S)… ▷Status: Good

I had grown fantastically strong!

My Level had approached the limits of what could be reached through hunting in this peaceful continent. If I wanted to break through Level 999 from here, I absolutely needed the help of my ‘sponsor’ who possessed many demon minions that were packed full of EXP.

Our adventure had ended at a perfect timing. If there was anything to point out, though…

“This might be a little fatal to my reputation…?”

I unhurriedly took in my surroundings. The earth had become contaminated by the dragon’s breath, and I couldn’t find anything alive around.

The number of cities which had been wiped off the map, because of the poor-sighted dragon king shooting its breath in all the wrong directions, wasn’t few. And the damage wasn’t just limited to this region—half of Fantasia’s middle continent was in the same shape.

Demon King Fedornar had managed to plunge humanity into the depths of fear without even lifting a finger.

Scary bastard.

▷Sigh: What a truly fearsome student you are!

‘Ah! Professor Morals. It’s really been a while.’

▷Troubled: I had no chance to intervene due to the ongoing critical situation. It would have been awful if things went wrong because of me, after all. That is why I waited until the battle ended, but it seems even the continent which was peaceful ended along with it.

‘What do you mean it ended? It’s too early to give up!

‘Didn’t you tell me to not easily give up?

‘There’s hope in this 2nd Playthrough!’

In the world of Fantasia, with its middle continent as the center, there are four other similar-sized continents that altogether form the shape of a cross: the east continent, west continent, north continent, and south continent. And the Oblivion Dragon King and my main area of activity was the middle continent. The surrounding four continents were still fine even now, and furthermore, a whole half of the middle continent which had received a big blow was untouched.

Statistically speaking, 90% of humanity’s homes were still intact, and that was why it was too early to give up.

▷Affirmative: Correct. Hope is an important virtue to the Hero… In any case, even a trustworthy and excellent steed mustn’t be removed of its bridle. This situation has come to pass because you blindly believed in the memories and information from your 1st Playthrough, yes?

I wouldn’t deny this. I had thought a young dragon whelp to be living in that nest, but who would have known a dragon of extreme old age on the verge of death to be just sitting there instead? It was even highly aggressive and powerful.

It was no longer the time to worry about character—my reputation had ended up going down the drain while trying to make an achievement.

“Still, there is something I gained in return for that.”

“Chao…”

Oblivion Dragon King Noebius, who was all but spent, was quickly running out of life. Had it given up chasing me in the middle and returned to its nest, or folded its wings to take even a brief rest, it would have at least lived for a year longer.

However, this dragon had walked the path of the mighty until the end. It was the road it had chosen itself.

“Hey. Are you satisfied?”

The Oblivion Dragon King hadn’t lost its dignity nor its spirit even as it was dying. I approached the huge head of the collapsed dragon and asked it a question, and it opened its mouth to reply.

“Chao.”

“I see.”

The language of dragons couldn’t be translated by any Skill. Even scholars who had long studied dragons couldn’t understand their words. Only when a dragon lowered itself to polymorph into a human to speak in the language of man could a conversation be established.

But this moment was an exception. I had no way knowing the expressions of reptiles, but I felt something similar to conviction that the Oblivion Dragon King was laughing.

As if saying that it was an enjoyable defeat.

“I enjoyed it as well, Noebius.”

Stab.

I drove Endymion between the center of the dragon king’s forehead. Although it wasn’t a being that could be so simply killed with this much, but even a gentle breeze is dangerous when the flames of life is almost spent.

“Chaooo…”

The dragon’s last will had a large part in it as well. It would have been different had it still harbored regret towards life, but it was satisfied by the outcome of our fight which was so intense as to have destroyed half of the middle continent. And that was why it gladly granted me the right of the victor.

It passed on to me its own power which had been accumulated over long years, and the sheer amount of it was beyond common sense.

Whoosh—!

The dragon’s body, the size of which rivaled a small mountain, turned into a flood of jet-black venom and swept across the earth once more.

Oblivion Dragon King Noebius… It was a terrifying dragon until the very end.

It would be nice if Demon King Fedornar, who had simply died just like that after getting his ass beaten, learned something from this.

A villain should have some grit I say.

“… Uh?”

I was bewildered upon seeing the change in my status.

The dragon hadn’t simply left me EXP and its heart after dying. It had even left me the element of ‘chaos’ which could be said to be its own identity.

▷Race: Chaos Human ▷Level: 999+ ▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%) ▷Skills: Resistance(SS) Chaos(SS) Berserk(SS) Physical Strength(S)… ▷Status: Internal Chaos

Thanks to that my status abilities had also fallen into chaos. My race was chaos, my Skills were chaos, and my status was also chaos.

There was nothing but chaos everywhere!

However…

‘Professor Morals, what’s with that mosaic?’

▷Confused: I, I also do not quite…

He was hesitant instead of giving a refreshing answer like usual. Could it be an ability which even the teaching staff that created this ridiculous education system didn’t know? Or was he feigning ignorance despite knowing all about it?

Honestly speaking, it didn’t matter either way.

“My oh my~𝅘𝅥𝅮”

My heart began to flutter like in the moment before scratching the covering of a housing lottery ticket.