Something had gone terribly wrong.
I couldn't understand the situation. Sudden berserk mode? Hadn't I prevented that?
I'd clearly cut off both horns, cleanly and without any room for error. Having seen this scene dozens of times in the game, my judgment should have been correct. The berserk mode should never have happened. But in the end, it did, and the party fell into chaos.
"Hero, what's going on?! Didn't you say cutting off the horns would solve the problem?"
"So it was all lies! What are we going to do now?"
The complaints from the party members around me sounded like noise. Feeling as if I were floating alone on a deserted island, a memory suddenly flashed through my mind.
"Warning! Unexpected variables may intervene during gameplay!"
The last thing I heard before transmigrating into this game. As I remembered it, I felt anger rising within me.
*What a bastard...*
So this is what they meant by "variables."
I could sense malice somewhere. Pure malice, determined to screw me over somehow. This wasn't a simple variable.
In a way, this could significantly impact my future strategies. It wasn't something that could be dismissed as a mere variable.
"Hero, are you alright? Snap out of it!"
The situation was serious, but I had no time to think about that now. The Minotaur was about to go on a rampage in its berserk state.
I looked at the hand roughly shaking me from behind. So it was Yulice who pulled me back. I shook my head a couple of times, then greeted her.
"I'm back. Thank you for saving me."
There were many things bothering me, but right now I needed to deal with the problem in front of me.
"Hero! What are you going to—"
"Please be quiet, I'm assessing the situation."
I got up and carefully observed the creature. Forcing my confused mind to calm down, I tried to think clearly. I didn't know how it activated its berserk mode, but I needed to examine it first.
"Demon King and Hero Party" never presents impossible problems.
No matter how difficult or troublesome the problem might be, there's always a breakthrough. Despite the situation having come to this, I wanted to believe that.
-Guooo...!
I could see its two red eyes, rolling wildly with madness, having lost all reason. It had always acted on instinct, but now there wasn't even a trace of rationality left.
And the black mist rising beside it in real-time...
...Black mist?
I tilted my head in confusion.
*That wasn't there originally.*
The only effect visible when berserk mode activated was supposed to be glowing red eyes. There was never any black mist-like effect covering the entire body. Not for the Minotaur, not for other monsters, not even for the Four Heavenly Kings.
Only one being had such an effect.
The Demon King.
The master of all demons.
The crystallization of chaos concentrated into one being.
*Ha.*
A laugh escaped me as I figured it out. So that's what was going on—the Demon King had shared his power with this creature. That damn bastard was playing tricks.
Though unexpected, it was certainly possible given his powers.
Thanks to this, I was starting to get a sense of what to do. Thinking of the game's lore, I quietly muttered to myself.
*...The horns.*
The creature's horns weren't just triggers for activating berserk mode. More precisely, they functioned as a kind of energy battery.
It normally condensed excess energy in its horns, then released it in emergencies. That was the basic principle of berserk mode that I'd discovered after hundreds of attempts. That's why dealing with the horns first was essential.
But this creature had used berserk mode without that reserve battery, relying solely on the power shared by the Demon King. Power used without a battery certainly wouldn't last long.
Simply put, the creature was in a premature state.
If we could just hold out, the turn would eventually come back to us.
"...We're changing our strategy from now on."
So I spoke, trying to maintain my composure. Although this was a theory improvised from partial clues, it seemed the most plausible right now. I had to trust my judgment and move forward.
"Saintess, please apply as many buffs as possible. We don't need power now, focus on defensive blessings. Camilla, please help me draw its attention. Adel, continue with suppressive fire. Lily, use defensive and control magic instead of attack spells."
"..."
"..."
I briefed each party member quickly and simply. They all seemed displeased, but given the situation, they appeared to follow my orders for now.
That's a relief. I was worried they might resist even here. Camilla, seemingly curious about the plan, asked with a prickly tone.
"What are you planning to do?"
"From what I can see, it's not in a normal state. Berserk mode activated without horns can't last long."
"So you're saying we should hold out until it gets tired."
As expected of someone who's participated in various operations as a knight. She understood immediately.
I nodded lightly and readjusted my sword. Now it was the creature's turn to charge.
[Your agility increases due to Blessing!]
[Your reaction speed increases due to Blessing!]
Thump thump.
I could hear my heart beating violently inside my chest.
Though I was mentally prepared, I couldn't help feeling tense.
When the creature first activated berserk mode and swung its axe, I couldn't even see it. Even if it was an unexpected blow, it was fast enough to be invisible. So how would it be now, after receiving buffs and being prepared?
"Here it comes!"
Fortunately, I could react.
As soon as I heard Camilla's shout, the creature charged.
Boom!
With one ground-shaking step, its massive body instantly closed the distance. Its speed was truly insane, perhaps enhanced by the berserk mode. It felt like watching a runaway train. But it was still within a range I could react to.
Eventually, when it reached close quarters with the two warriors, it swung its axe.
Whooooosh!
The axe, carrying tremendous mass, swung down quickly from above.
I instinctively knew.
*If I block this, I'm dead.*
Considering the creature's monstrous strength, this wasn't an attack that could be blocked. The Saintess must have known this too, which is why she focused on agility and reflex buffs. I immediately twisted my body and rolled to the side.
BOOM-!!
Simultaneously, I heard the sound of the ground breaking. The ground shattered by the double-bladed axe came clearly into view.
It's fortunate the creature had lost its reason. If such an attack came in an unpredictable trajectory, I would surely have been obliterated.
Though I felt relieved, I had no time to sigh. Even if its attack pattern was predictable, its physical prowess was still overwhelming.
That's when it happened.
Thwack!
An arrow flew from somewhere and pierced right through the creature's eye. Having lost its left eye in an instant, the creature let out a pain-filled roar.
-Guooooo!!
Of course, it was Adel's doing.
Good, now the creature's field of vision would be reduced. All we had to do was hold out and chip away at it bit by bit.
...Fortunately, the rest of the battle was easier.
Camilla and I somehow dodged the rampaging creature and kept its attention. Meanwhile, Adel continued with suppressive fire, chipping away at its body.
"Bind it!!"
With Lily's 3rd Circle magic "Mana Bind" added to the mix, dealing with the creature became relatively manageable. After fighting like that for about 10 minutes, the creature's berserk mode inevitably began to fade.
-Guooo...
The exhausted creature's massive body slowly collapsed. The sight of this muscle monster, twice my size, falling was quite a spectacle. Without taking time to savor the victory, I immediately beheaded it.
We seemed to have won, but I needed to confirm the kill just in case of any variables.
Slash!
Only after completely cutting through the creature's tough neck could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Haaa..."
It was just one battle, but I felt like I'd aged ten years in the process. I nearly lost my life, and an unprecedented variable had occurred. No wonder I felt drained.
Slowly.
Perhaps because the tension had eased, my legs gave way and my body slowly sank down. The floor was soaked with the Minotaur's blood, but... whatever. I didn't care if I got stained or not. After nearly crossing the river to the afterlife, such things meant nothing to me.
[Quest Clear!]
[Check your reward.]
As I sat on the floor, a system window appeared before my eyes. A blue window bringing good news. Come to think of it, I had received a quest right before the battle. I'd forgotten about it amid all the shocks.
Normally in the game, I would have checked the reward window with great anticipation. But right now, I didn't even feel like it.
*Let's check it later.*
The reward wouldn't disappear if I checked it a bit later. As I pushed the system window aside, a shadow fell over me.
Looking up, I saw Camilla and the other party members looking at me with disapproval.
*...Ah.*
Come to think of it, the strategy I had confidently proposed had failed miserably. I had cut off both horns on the premise that berserk mode wouldn't activate, but it did anyway.
From their perspective, it wouldn't be strange to blame me for this situation. I gave a bitter smile. Was I destined to never rest?
"Wait a moment."
Just as I was thinking that, the Saintess suddenly stepped forward and stood between the party members and me. Her tired eyes scanned both sides alternately.
Then, with a sigh, she addressed the party members.
"I know you all have a lot to say to the Hero. But in the end, he fought at the front line, and we won, didn't we? So let's postpone assigning blame for now."
I was touched for a moment. I almost burst into tears, albeit briefly. Despite her disapproval of me, she was still the Saintess after all. She knew how to comfort the unfortunate with compassionate eyes.
I hadn't expected her to step forward and mediate the situation.
"...I have a lot to say, but."
In the end, Camilla backed down first.
"Let's talk about it later."
I was surprised by this too. One way or another, I had expected them to argue that the strategy hadn't worked. I hadn't expected them to back down so readily. This must mean that they also felt this incident was unusual.
The black smoke flowing from the Minotaur was definitely an alien power. I only thanked Yulice after watching them walk far away.
"Thank you, Saintess. I keep receiving help from you, earlier too."
"Oh, no. We're party members, so that's only natural."
When I bowed my head, she frantically waved her hands. I mulled over what she had said without thinking.
*'Party members...'*
Well, could I really be called that? Openly treated as a traitor, a villain. Did I deserve to hear those words? Was what she said truly thoughtless, or was it said with careful calculation?
Many negative thoughts surfaced briefly before settling down again. Even in this moment of receiving help, I couldn't help but guess at her true intentions. At least for me, pure goodwill was a completely unsuitable term.
Thinking about my situation for a moment made me feel quite pathetic...
*...*
But gratitude was gratitude, and this was a problem I had to figure out separately.
"Then, I'll go in first. I'm quite tired."
"Ah, yes."
Of course, I didn't show any of this. I just smiled and saw her off. Fortunately, I wasn't so immature as to reveal my inner thoughts in front of others.
So I kept wearing a smiling mask until the end and waved to her. Then a thought occurred to me.
*Oh, I forgot to ask about that.*
How exactly did she save me earlier? The battle ended somehow, but there were still some unanswered questions.
One of them was her action earlier. I clearly couldn't react to the creature's axe. Neither could Adel, who was sensitive to sound, nor Camilla the knight, who was closest to the creature. It was a strike that perfectly exploited a gap in everyone's awareness, which no one had anticipated.
But how did she notice it? She wasn't particularly sharp in her senses, nor was she physically superior, nor was she closer to the Minotaur than we were. Did she perhaps possess incredible reflexes that even I didn't know about? It was something my shallow mind couldn't comprehend. Because of this, my curiosity soared high, but...
*Ah, whatever.*
In the end, I let this go too. I was too exhausted to think about such insubstantial and secondary issues. This, that, rewards, problems—I'd think about them all later.
Right now, I just... just wanted to rest.
I'm tired.
And so I fell asleep, almost passing out, on the bloody floor.
*
"...Phew."
Meanwhile, in a forest somewhat distant from the Hero party's lodgings. Standing alone there was a blonde, blue-eyed woman—the Saintess, Yulice von Yugrasia—who breathed a sigh of relief.
"Somehow... I prevented it."
She had worried about what to do if the strategy unfolded as it had in the past. Fortunately, she was able to intervene just in time. With this, one tragedy from the past had been averted.
Or more precisely, it was the past from Yulice's perspective. After all, Yulice was a regressor who had returned after experiencing defeat in battle against the Demon King's army.
For a brief moment, her expression wrinkled as she thought of the "past" Hero.
*...Poor person.*
It certainly wasn't a good memory. She recalled for a moment. The past days, soaked with blood, insects, lifespan, misunderstandings, and despair...