"Fuck."
I cursed as soon as I woke up.
Damn it, I really can't live without swearing.
Even through my hazy vision, I could see the bright red pool of blood.
Having fallen asleep in it, I was naturally covered in blood from head to toe.
The blood that had soaked into my clothes and hardened was unpleasant in itself. Washing this would be a pain...
But what was even more fucked up was that all my plans had gone awry. I complained inwardly.
*Why the hell did it go berserk there of all places?*
It's still ridiculous thinking about it now.
There should be limits to how difficult things get.
If they were going to drastically increase the enemy's stats, they should've at least left the strategy intact. Isn't that common decency?
The Demon King and the System had basically given me a big "fuck you."
With this one move, I'd lost quite a lot.
I lost all trust in future strategies, and on top of that, I destroyed what little faith my party members had left in me.
In short, I was screwed.
"Haah..."
A situation that naturally drew sighs.
Stress automatically made me furrow my brow.
But after a moment, I decided to just accept reality.
*Well, what can I do about it?*
Complaining won't change anything.
I'll just shoulder these countless injustices and move forward. This was the only path given to me.
*Sigh, I should clean myself up first.*
After collecting myself for a while, I got up from the pool of blood.
Then, a sound from my body.
Crack-
"Ugh..."
My whole body screamed in protest, probably because it had been overworked after so long.
Every movement made my muscles ache and joints throb.
It felt like I'd become an old man... Still, thanks to "Pain Resistance," it was at least bearable.
This is why I need to level up my skills.
See how helpful they are even in daily life.
As I was finding some peace of mind, something occurred to me.
*Come to think of it, I'll have to listen to the kids throwing fits too.*
Since the plan failed, it's only natural they'd complain.
I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
I wonder which will break first, my body or my mind?
I'm betting on the latter.
Those women's nagging is no joke.
"...Are you awake?"
"Hm?"
As I was thinking that way, I heard a voice beside me.
Turning my head, I saw Yulice kneeling there.
"Oh, Saintess?"
I couldn't help but be surprised.
Wasn't she supposed to be resting? Why is she still here?
I asked her with confusion in my voice.
"Are you sure you don't need to rest?"
"Don't worry. I rested plenty while you were sleeping."
If that's the case... I had nothing more to say.
I thought for a moment about why she had come.
There's nothing she would have left here, so did she come to complain?
It's a reasonable guess. She might have shielded me earlier for the sake of rest, but now that I've had a good sleep, there's no reason to hold back.
She'd probably demand to know how things got to this point.
In situations like this, there's only one approach.
*Strike first.*
Bow my head quickly.
I've heard that people can't be harsh to someone who's sincerely apologizing. Following the wisdom of our ancestors, I did just that.
"I'm truly sorry. I never expected it to go berserk there... I should have planned more meticulously. It was all my fault..."
"Ah, no, no! It's fine, I didn't come here to blame you for that."
She waved her hands, accepting my apology.
Her expression also seemed to contain a hint of pity.
Was my apology that pathetic?
Well, it's fine as long as I avoided getting lectured.
As I was feeling relieved, she spoke up.
"The reason I came here was... just to check if you were okay. Even if you were tired, sleeping in a pool of blood... isn't that a bit much?"
"What? Ahaha, well..."
I was momentarily taken aback by her unexpectedly kind words.
But that was just for a moment, as she did something even more shocking.
"My goodness, look at all the blood on you. Wait a moment. I'll clean it up for you."
Saying that, she extended both hands toward me.
Soon, a warm light like the sun began to emanate from her delicate palms. The blood on my skin and clothes burned away and evaporated.
All that remained was my clean body and clothes.
A fresh, clean sensation enveloped my entire body.
It was Purification, one of the Holy Arts that a Saintess could use.
A versatile skill exclusive to priests that, depending on how much holy power is infused, can eliminate anything from dust to deadly poison.
The Saintess had just used it on me.
Of course, since she only removed blood, she probably didn't use much power... but I was surprised that she used it at all.
*What's going on?*
Seriously, what's happening?
She's the same person who would never heal me even if I begged.
Questions began to pile up in my mind.
Regardless, the Saintess patted my shoulder and said:
Pat pat.
"There, done. You're clean now. You don't need to wash up anymore, so go get some rest."
"Uh..."
"As for your comrades... don't worry. I'll try my best to persuade them. Don't be too discouraged just because one plan failed. Fighting!"
"Uh, yes... thank you."
After saying that, the Saintess gracefully entered the tent.
"Whoa..."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Why is she being so kind to me these days? What's she thinking?
If I knew her intentions, it might be different. But since I have no clue... even receiving such kindness made me uncomfortable.
I checked to see if she had done anything to my body.
I was clean, but who knows if she might have played some subtle trick?
I circulated some mana through the blood vessels in my body and swung my limbs a couple of times. After checking, it didn't seem like anything had changed in my body.
She hadn't pulled any tricks.
I pondered with my hand on my chin.
*It definitely can't be goodwill.*
Given my curse characteristics, it couldn't possibly be goodwill.
So what's her intention... I thought about it for a while but couldn't come up with an answer.
Having no choice, I decided to focus on other matters.
*Since I don't need to wash up anymore.*
There's a lot to do.
Since the plan went awry, I needed to rebuild a meticulous strategy, and I also needed to persuade my companions to follow that strategy.
Also, since we're almost at the Insect King's castle, I should level up to catch Valkan.
Defeating the mid-boss, the Minotaur, means the real battle against the Four Heavenly Kings has begun.
In other words, I'm busy.
As I was thinking about all this, something suddenly came to mind.
*Oh, that's right, I got a quest reward!*
The quest I received before defeating the mid-boss.
It said I could choose one skill if I defeated the Minotaur.
I wasn't sure what kind of skill list it would show, but I was looking forward to it.
For someone like me who doesn't have many skills, even something small like this would be a big help.
So I started to claim my reward.
I opened the System window and clicked on the "Claim Reward!" notification in the corner. Then, a list of selectable skills appeared before my eyes.
And I couldn't help but curse.
*Holy shit...*
The reward list was much better than I had expected.
+
[Congratulations!]
You've overcome adversity and defeated the Minotaur. Now choose your reward!
1. Insect Arts
2. Puppet
3. Eternity
4. Regeneration
5. Iron Command
※Note: All these items are replicas!
※Even though they're copies, they should help you on your journey, so it doesn't matter, right?
+
My mouth hung open in shock.
I didn't care if they were replicas. In fact, it made more sense that they were.
Having the original versions of these skills would be unthinkable.
Skills that I've seen hundreds of times while playing this game hundreds of times.
Yet skills I've never once obtained.
"T-This is..."
I muttered with a trembling voice.
"These are the Authorities of the Four Heavenly Kings..."
The System is giving out something insane.
*
In the game I've transmigrated into, "Demon King and Hero Party," each of the Four Heavenly Kings has their own unique ability.
Abilities that make them not just powerful individuals, but monsters that threaten humanity. Abilities that are both their identity and torture devices for party members.
The game company simply called them skills, but I called them Authorities. Well, such overpowered skills deserved to be called Authorities.
I had put in considerable effort to obtain them...
*I never thought I'd get them here.*
For once, I looked at the System window with approving eyes.
"Man, I always believed in you."
That's right.
If the difficulty increases this much, there should be corresponding rewards.
I always believed that "Demon King and Hero Party" wasn't such a terrible game.
Of course, I can't deny it's a bad game... but at least they don't make you do the impossible.
After praising the System for a bit, I fell into contemplation again.
Alright, so.
I've realized that I've been given good skill options.
Now it's time to choose which one to take.
*What should I pick?*
Whichever I choose, it'll be more than enough to pull my weight.
But I shouldn't think of it just in those terms.
Skills this good usually influence the character's growth direction as well.
In other words, I'm determining my primary growth direction here.
Which skills will synergize with this one as a base? Which skill would help the most when defeating the Four Heavenly Kings?
I pondered and pondered.
Slowly, I approached it through process of elimination.
*First, I'll pass on Insect Arts and Puppet.*
I can't deny they're good skills, but they're too difficult to use. Also, battles that rely on overwhelming numbers will eventually reach their limit.
*Similarly, I'll pass on Eternity...*
Honestly, in terms of performance, this might be the best.
But again, it's too difficult and ambiguous to use.
To use this, I'd need the proficiency of "that guy"... which would require considerable practice.
Especially considering I need to defeat the Insect King Valkan in the near future, it would be almost useless.
*So what's left are Regeneration and Iron Command.*
I pondered.
Let's see... which one suits me best?
Something that synergizes well with me, is necessary for future strategies, and can be used effectively regardless of which class I choose...
*Wait.*
Thinking about it, the answer came surprisingly quickly.
*The choice was already decided, wasn't it?*
Perhaps my reason was momentarily confused by the flashy options.
Knowing that the simplest is often the most efficient.
Regeneration.
A skill with a name whose function anyone can understand.
A simple ability that greatly enhances the user's healing capabilities.
But considering the upcoming battle with the Insect King and its versatility, this was the only choice.
So I chose option 4 without hesitation.
Then the System window chimed.
+
[Congratulations!]
[You have acquired Regeneration, Replica version!]
+
Whoosh-
The effect appeared quickly. The muscle pain that had been making my body ache disappeared, and the joint pain vanished.
Even the scratches I got from the floor were disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Phew..."
I let out a light sigh as I felt the new power entering my body.
Good.
Now I can fight more comfortably.
With a satisfied expression, I was about to head toward the tent.
No, wait, before that...
"Just to be safe, I should wash up."
The Saintess purified me, but you never know.