My Audio Books Chapter 1140 Gh

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Villain Hides His True Color

Chapter 10

Chapter 30 Chapter 29 Chapter 28 Chapter 27 Chapter 26 Chapter 25 Chapter 24 Chapter 23 Chapter 22 Chapter 21 Chapter 20 Chapter 19 Chapter 18 Chapter 17 Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Chapter 14 Chapter 13 Chapter 12 Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Chapter 9 Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 1

Chapter 10

In the late hours when all the nursery students were asleep.

Inside a supply storage of a partitioned building, the voice of an angry man leaked out.

"Fuck! What's wrong with this month's collection?"

The man's name was Bae Dalsu.

As House of Flowers' oldest member who has been working here for 15 years, he was the de facto manager in charge of the panhandling operation.

Bae Dalsu tapped a plastic container on the floor. Half filled were bundles of bills rolled up with rubber bands.

"Kwak Chungsik. What do you think part of the reason for this is? You try to answer it. Why has our profit been cut in half?!"

"Maybe it's because the vagrant population around here has decreased a lot…"

"Son of a bitch! How can you give me that shit? Then go to another district and earn money! Is it so hard? You don't know how to take the subway?"

"I-I'm sorry."

Kwak Chungsik bowed his head with his hands behind his back.

In fact, he had a lot to say about this, but he knew whatever he said would be useless if he couldn't come up with the money.

It was best to just keep his head down without making any excuses in this situation.

"Why have you been slacking off these days? Do you take me for a fool because I've been going easy on you?"

"O-of course not!"

"What do you mean no?! You fell down a few days ago and I missed all those kids!"

"T-that's…"

Kwak Chungsik couldn't understand why he has been suffering from the recent fatigue.

He couldn't wake up on time when the broadcast alarm rang each morning, and even while working, he would sometimes feel dizzy.

In fact, perhaps because he had been standing for a long time now, but his legs were shaking and he felt like he was about to collapse.

"And, punk. Have you found a test subject to be sent to the director next month?"

"Oh, the thing is…I couldn't catch a vagrant this time, so I'm still…"

"I see, so you failed. You have to clean up your shit. Whether you have to kidnap or coax some bastard, do whatever you have to do."

"…I understand."

"But if you can't find one, then you'll be the one to go to the experiment laboratory."

"H-huh?"

"You've seen it before, right? How children who are sent there turn out. If you're not confident, tell me in advance and I'll take you there myself."

The scene he saw in the past passed through his mind. The terrible scenery that decorated the beautiful garden.

'No, I'll never go there!'

Kwak Chungsik shook his head vigorously.

"No! I'll definitely bring someone!"

"Good, punk. Do well this time, understand? There are many who can take your place…You know what I mean, right?"

"O-of course!"

Bae Dalsu tapped Kwak Chungsik on the cheek, then threw the cigarette he was smoking to the ground and crushed it.

Then, as he got up from his seat, he reminded him as if he suddenly remembered.

"Oh, and there are organizations watching the children these days, so make sure to get handwritten consent. If I find out you're forging notes like last time, I'll be the first to kill you."

"Y-yes!"

"Tsk, you useless punk."

Bae Dalsu left the supply storage after saying so.

And in a little bit.

Kwak Chungsik, who was left alone, collapsed into the chair the man was sitting in. He wasn't standing for long, but his legs were already shaking.

'What the hell happened to my body?'

After only one hour of standing in place he was already finding it hard to stand.

He wanted to get tested at least once at the hospital, but if he did such a thing, it would be the same as admitting that he was useless.

"Fuck…"

He had to prove his usefulness. If he was useless, he might be abandoned again.

Like when he was abandoned by his mother after birth.

Or like when he was abandoned again after being adopted.

'I have to be a useful person…'

If he was abandoned this time, he was destined to be taken to that terrible place.

In order to prevent that from happening, he must resolve this.

'Where on earth will I get a test object?'

The back alleys of the vagrants were rumored to be difficult to operate for a while.

And most of the kids in the nursery now seemed to be aware of what it meant to be sold to other facilities.

There was only one option left.

'I have no choice but to look among the new recruits.'

Kwak Chungsik recalled the appearance of a new child. A boy with messy hair who was always smiling as if he was a little out of his mind.

'He said his name was Choi Noah…'

He recalled receiving the tray from the boy who had put food on it.

Since the boy had such a timid personality, he thought he only had to threaten him a little before he begs to be sent to another facility.

'I just have to do what I've always done.'

In any case, he has done it countless times. So maybe this work won't be too difficult either.

'I'll have to start immediately starting tomorrow.'

* * *

Dinner time that everyone was looking forward to.

The nursery students who had returned from panhandling flocked to the canteen loudly.

Although it was only one meal a day, most of the children lived here because of this one meal.

It was by no means easy to survive by oneself with the body of a child in Neo Pyongyang, which is out of reach of the state's jurisdiction.

As soon as the precious meal time was about to start, suddenly, the door of the canteen opened and someone barged in.

Boom–!

Kwak Chungsik and his gang. With their appearance, the noisy canteen quickly fell into silence.

In particular, Kwak Chungsik's expression today was very fierce, so everyone lowered their heads so as to not make eye contact.

He looked around the canteen for a while before walking to one of the tables without hesitation.

Then, he stopped in front of a child playing with a game console.

"Noah Choi."

"What?"

Noah hadn't even raised his head at the call. He was still eating rice with one hand and keeping his eyes fixed on the game console.

Seeing such a scene, the two friends beside Kwak Chungsik became agitated and blurted out.

"W-what? What did you just say?"

"It looks like this son of a bitch is crazy and wants to die."

Half-elf twins and self-proclaimed left and right arm of Kwak Chungsik. Like him, they were considered minors because of the special circumstances even though they were actually over 20 years old in terms of years they've lived.

After calming down his two friends, Kwak Chungsik lowered his voice and spoke to Noah.

"Why are you eating here? Are you eating without my permission?"

Noah glanced up at him, then ignored him again to focus on his game.

"Hyung. Sorry, but you're interrupting my game, so please go somewhere else."

"T-this punk is really…"'

Boom-!

Kwak Chungsik kicked the table leg hard. Surprised by the sound, the children around the table hurriedly evacuated to another place.

Then, on the big table, there were only the two of them left.

In the midst of that, Noah was still playing his game tactfully and eating with one hand. Kwak Chungsik got closer to Noah's tray. And…

"Ptooey."

Yellow spit floated on the soybean paste soup that Noah had been eating. It was only then that his spoon stopped.

"Kuku, something like this is more befitting for you, punk."

However, Noah casually pushed the tray away as if nothing had happened.

"Hyung, you can eat it. I'm not hungry anyway."

"Huh? What do you mean…?"

He couldn't believe a nursery student would refuse to eat. It was completely incomprehensible with his common sense.

At that moment, he noticed small specks on Noah's clothes. It looked like fried chicken or pork cutlet batter.

'No way, this punk…He's secretly eating outside?'

Kwak Chungsik couldn't understand where his confidence was coming from. To him, Noah was just a newbie who had recently entered the nursery.

He felt as if all the rules of life he has followed had been turned upside down. Kwak Chungsik shouted.

"Hey, you punk! When you talk to me, you should at least look at my face and answer!"

He snatched the game console from Noah's hand.

Then, the boy who had always smiled brightly until now made a cold face for the first time.

"That's important to me. Give it back."

"Haha, if you want it, take it yourself."

As if to play a joke, he made the gesture of putting the old game console in the soybean paste soup.

The friends next to him giggled and laughed as Noah watched the scene.

By chance, Kwak Chungsik made eye contact with him. And without realizing it, his breath stopped.

'…What the fuck? Has his eyes always looked like this?'

He hadn't been able to see his eyes properly because he was always smiling.

Looking at it like this now, strangely, it looked a bit dull. It's like looking at a corpse.

Kwak Chungsik simply couldn't understand the fact that he was scared of such a young child.

"Fuck! You can have this dirty trash game console back!"

He held out his arm and was about to throw the game console to the floor.

But at that moment.

Whoosh–

Something gray seemed to have passed his eyes, and before he knew it, the game console was back in Noah's hand.

Noah carefully cleaned the old game console and put it in his pocket.

"W-what was that just now? How did he do that?"

"Eh, did Chungsik just give it back to him?"

The nursery students who pretended not to watch but were watching everything opened their mouths.

Each child's voice flew like an arrow from behind and stuck to Kwak Chungsik.

He thought it would be troublesome if it ended like this. If he doesn't show something now, even the power he had could be shaken.

"You crazy punk! I'm really going to kill you!"

Kwak Chungsik used his large size to grab Noah by the collar.

Originally, he didn't intend to fight where the cameras were, but now he wasn't in a position to back down.

"You went crazy because you wanted to die today? Huh?"

Since it had gotten to this point, he thought it would be better to step on him right now, rather than break him down little by little.

But…

Looking at the boy he had grabbed, he saw that he was smiling as brightly as before.

"Hyung, I heard you collapsed recently. Do you have some kind of illness?"

"W-who said that?"

"Don't overdo it. If you keep doing this, you'll get sick and die early."

With that said, Noah put his hand on the part where he was grabbed by the collar.

At first, Kwak Chungsik thought he was trying to remove his hand, but instead, he stuck his body closer as if he didn't want to fall off.

'What is he doing? He doesn't know how to fight?'

As soon as he thought that.

"Keuk!"

Suddenly, his vision blurred. The dizziness that he had experienced every day these days had come again.

'Damn it…Why all of a sudden?!'

However, in this place where other nursery students were watching, he couldn't show the unsightly appearance of him falling down.

'That would really be the end of everything.'

The authority accumulated so far and the ability to control the children will all disappear.

'Then I'll be abandoned again…'

Kwak Chungsik clenched his teeth. However, his body tilted back and forth regardless of his will.

'Oh, no…!'

And the last scene he saw…was the image of Noah smiling.

* * *

After the incident at the canteen, a rumor began to circulate in the nursery.

[Kwak Chungsik has a fatal disease.]

[I heard he doesn't have long to live.]

At first, it was a rumor that only went around behind Kwak Choong-sik's ears, but these days, he can hear it everywhere in the nursery.

Naturally, Kwak Chungsik's health has already deteriorated to the point where he had no time to care about such rumors.

His plump cheeks, which had already become only bones and skin, were pale and sagged like bloodless meat bags.

On top of that, his teeth and nails were falling out day by day, while his hair crumbled like powder just by the slightest touch.

Thus, his life withered at a rapid pace.

The children at the nursery began to turn a blind eye to him.

'Why is this ridiculous thing happening…?'

The other children would normally flatter him, but now even those who share the same room as him stopped paying him any attention.

Even the two half-elf friends who used to call him brother stopped visiting him.

Instead, they were having fun reigning as new kings in his vacancy.

'Those damn punks…'

He was trembling at the betrayal.

Naturally, he never really trusted them either, but he never even imagined that he would be thrown away so coldly.

"Hey, I'm coming in. How are you feeling?"

In any case.

It's ironic, but it was none other than Noah who had stayed by his side until the end.

As always, he came in with a bright smile. And he would sit next to him and rub his shoulders as if it were natural.

'Doesn't this punk find it troublesome…?'

Noah hasn't missed a single day and has always come to massage him.

'Because I'm useless, everyone else has left…'

Even the parents who had given birth to him, the ones who had vowed to raise and love him.

Everyone has thrown him away…

'But how come this guy hasn't left me?'

He was suddenly overcome with a sense of guilt.

'What in the world did I try to do to this guy who is so nice?'

He thought perhaps the reason why he is sick like this now was because of karma.

'To die in vain…'

In the end, he wanted to apologize to this guy properly. He wanted to thank him at least once.

However, his consciousness had become more and more blurred.

Strangely, his physical condition has deteriorated rapidly ever since Noah came.

'To see his face one more time, did I force myself to endure it?'

Kwak Chungsik intuitively sensed his end.

To convey his last words, he opened his mouth by squeezing out all his remaining strength.

"Tha…nk…you…and…sorry…"

Did the boy understand him?

He didn't know.

But now that he had delivered everything he wanted to say, he could rest now.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't have any regrets in life…

'With this, at least I can die with one less regret.'

The two mothers who had abandoned him.

Even the fate of being born in such an unfortunate way.

Now he felt like he could forgive everyone.

Kwak Chungsik smiled.

And that smile, it was the most comfortable face he had ever made in his life.

'Thank you…Choi Noah.'

Thanks to him, he can forgive this world before he dies.

'Meeting you was the luckiest thing in my life.'

The moment he was about to breath his last breath–

Noah spoke.

"Wow, hyung is like a cockroach."

Hmm? What? What did he just hear?

Did his hearing become strange because it was time to die?

Kwak Chungsik doubted his ears.

"Is it because elves have a long lifespan? You're still talking even though I've sucked so much vitality."

"?!"

"Aye, honestly, if I knew it would be this long, I'd just look for another way. It's taking too long to complete a general quest."

"Y-you…what do…you mean?"

It was hard to keep up with the situation. What was he talking about?

'Don't tell me…?'

Does that mean he had orchestrated everything? Then, the fact that he became like this is also…

"Y-you son of a…bitch!"

He didn't know where this energy was coming from. Kwak Chungsik, who had no power to talk, vented his anger roughly.

Noah who was in front of him smiled brightly and spoke.

"Hu…I can't do this. If I leave hyung like this, I feel like you'll survive and drag this on, so I'm going to kill you now."

"Y-you…!"

"Huh, I don't think people will doubt how you die with all the rumors that have been going around anyway."

Kwak Chungsik looked at Noah with his eyes wide open.

Noah's hand slowly melted, and he began to climb up Kwak Chungsik's body. Unidentified flesh gradually approached his face.

'Ah, no…!'

He wanted to scream, but his voice wouldn't come out because he was too weak.

There was a devil living in the nursery. He had to let people know right away.

But now the only remaining person by his side was the devil.

"Keuh, friendship…Why did you trick me?!"

Kwak Chungsik cried. He asked while squeezing out a voice that didn't want to come out.

What the hell did he do so wrong for Noah to kill him so painfully?

Was there a point he had missed? Hasn't it been only a month since they started living together?

In a nonchalant tone, Noah spoke.

"I hate people who disturb me when I play games the most."

And soon.

Noah's face turned into a warm sticky liquid.

* * *

I started working on the rest of the gang after killing Kwak Chungsik.

In fact, the other guys were beyond my concerns in the first place, but I didn't like the way they had giggled in the canteen.

After absorbing their energy every night for a few days, the half-elf twins began to lose their strength.

Then, the children of the nursery began spreading a rumor, saying that it was the curse of Kwak Chungsik. As a result, the twins ran away from the nursery in a frightened state.

Thanks to this, I was able to finish the job quite comfortably.

I found the twins hiding in a bathroom at a closed subway station.

"S-stop! Don't come closer, monster!"

Bang–!

One of them fired a handgun he had gotten from somewhere. But it could only break the innocent bathroom tiles after the bullet passed through me.

"To be honest, I was so thankful that you two had run away."

"Ah, no!"

"I was consuming your energies little by little for a while, so I was worried that you would die from that."

I spread my body wide and attacked them both at once.

"K-keuaak!!!"

Well, I didn't have to control my power anymore, so I thought I could devour them to my heart's content.

*Drain Life

As such, that's how I absorbed the two.

[Elf Genetic Value has increased.]

Then…Finally, a new message appeared before my eyes.

[Elf gene is activated.]

"Oh?"

I hurriedly opened my status window to check.

Classification: Special

Grade: A

Description: Awaken the dormant genes.

Dormant genes:

(1) Human: 88.6%

(2) Elf: 5.1%. (Active)

(3) Beast: 2.5% (Inactive)

(4) Dwarf: 2% (Inactive)

(5) Unknown: 1.7% (Inactive)

(6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive)

The elf genetic value, which had been marked as inactive has changed to active.

"So…What can I do with this?"

The condition was met, but I felt frustrated because I didn't know how to use this skill.

Just as I was sighing, I noticed a subtle change in my reflection in the mirror.

"What's this?"

My ears were a little pointed.

It isn't as pronounced as an elf, but if you look closely, the shape of my ears were different from that of an ordinary human.

No way…that's all this skill is?

This couldn't be classified as an A-grade skill. I wanted to believe that it couldn't be.

No, there has to be other effects…

The moment when I tried to rationalize it…

In the ears that had become pointed, a strange voice began to flow in.

— By any chance…Can you hear my voice?

== Translator's Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section.

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Villain Hides His True Color

Chapter 11

Back when mankind hadn't come across the existence of elves, even in those days, elves were already a familiar existence found in numerous materials.

Novels, comics, movies, animations, etc…

And for me in particular, it was from an RPG game whose character was iconic and hard to forget…

The characteristics of elves in such materials were as follows.

1. Pointy ears and beautiful appearance.

2. Pacifists who love forests and animals.

3. Symbol of longevity with the lifespan of a tree.

4. Friends of spirits who protect mother nature.

Like their name, they could be said to be the epitome of a fairy.

But…

The elves that appeared on Earth were quite far from what mankind had imagined.

Instead of having the mysterious air of living on dew for the rest of their lives, they usually enjoyed eating pork belly and drinking alcohol.

Stories of their beautiful appearances also deviated quite a bit between elves, as can be seen from Kwak Chungsik's face.

If there are some similarities…it's that they have pointed ears and have a longer lifespan than humans.

In the end, the elves that mankind dreamed of don't exist in this world.

But even so, it was difficult to dismiss these fantasies as just false.

Because in fact, there are past records of ancient elves with such characteristics.

Fantasy elements such as sharing warm communication with plants, or being revered in a large number of worlds.

I didn't know it was this kind of skill…I looked at the flowers blooming in the garden.

And as I focused all my attention, the faint sound of a conversation began to trickle into my ears.

— Hehe, I'll sprinkle you with a lot of seeds.

— Honey~ put your pollen into me!

"…"

The conversations between plants weren't as mysterious or beautiful as I had imagined.

As a result of continuing to watch the garden, I realized that the only thing on these primitive creatures' minds was to breed…

Was it because of this fanatic obsession that weeds grew between asphalts?

While agonizing over the providence of nature, a little child and a nursery teacher walking in the garden caught my eye.

Among the three groups I arbitrarily labeled, this child belonged to the 'flower' group.

"Wow! What's the name of this flower?"

The little child asked, pointing to the bright red flowers blooming in the garden. The nursery teacher smiled and answered kindly.

"Haha, this is a flower called Sarubi."

"So pretty! Does this flower have a meaning?"

"Let's see…When I looked it up, Sarubi is called the flower of hot passion."

– Breed! Breed! Breed! Breed!

"Ah! That's why it's red!"

"Right, and have you noticed? There is another secret hidden in this flower besides the meaning of its name."

– Breed! Breed! Breed some more!

"Really? What is it?"

"In fact, Sarubi is full of honey, so you can eat it as a snack when you are hungry like this."

The teacher picked a flower.

Snap–!

– Breed! Breed! Bree…Keuaaak!

– H-honey noooo!!!

The Sarubi flowers screamed. For reference, the pistil of a flower contains its reproductive organ.

The teacher put the flower in his mouth and happily ate it.

"Hmm~ The honey water is so sweet."

"Wow~ Teacher, me too!"

I looked at the terrible scene and turned my head.

As expected, this is a trash skill. I'm afraid this was a failed pick.

I got a special A-grade skill, but I can't believe it's more useless than a D-grade skill.

"Haa…"

I sigh without realizing it.

For the time being, I thought I should study how to use this skill a little.

By the way…What was that then?

I recalled the moment when I first gained this elf ability.

– By some chance…Can you hear me?

A sudden unidentified voice.

If I think about it now, it's clear that the voice also came from a plant, but as far as I can remember, there were no plants around and only the cold cement.

The fellow had spoken words that were incomprehensible to me.

— Please help me!

— If this continues, everyone will die!

— We don't have much time left!

There was desperation in its voice.

And at that moment, a new message came to mind in front of my eyes.

[Challenge – Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).]

Condition: Find 'Elf Garden.'

Period: 3 months.

Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium).

It was a new Challenge.

However, I really don't know anything about this place called 'Elf Garden.'

I thought the voice would tell me if I waited a little longer, but unfortunately, I haven't heard the voice since then.

So I had no choice but to return to the nursery empty handed.

For now, it seems like an exploration quest…

In fact, I don't really like this kind of Challenge of having to find something.

Not only does it take a lot of time, but if there is no clue as it is now, even the beginning wasn't easy.

In the end, I have no choice but to wait for luck.

I want the medium-grade box, but…I guess I should give up on it for now.

There was no point to it unless a clue appeared in front of me. At this point, it would be foolish to invest time and have nothing to show for it.

While I was organizing my thoughts, a broadcast came out of a speaker in the garden.

[Ahem, as we have announced the other day, this morning's assembly will be held in the auditorium. Everyone, please don't forget to arrive on time.]

Looking around, I could see the children heading to the auditorium in twos and threes.

Well, I don't need a medium-grade box right now anyway, so there's nothing particularly disappointing about it.

After neatly emptying my lingering feelings about the Challenge, I followed the other children to the auditorium.

* * *

Most of the children were already gathered when I arrived at the auditorium.

On normal days they would have been as late as possible and barely gathered just before the assembly began, but strangely, their behavior was quick today.

In addition, they were looking around with an excited expression, as if expecting something.

I guess something is happening today.

As soon as I thought that, a middle-aged man walked up to the podium.

It was the chief teacher who held the highest authority at 'House of Flowers,' Bae Dalsu.

After testing the microphone for a while, he opened his mouth.

"Ahem, the reason why we are having the assembly in the auditorium today is to make an important announcement to our friends."

"I'm sure some people may already know this, but a 'periodic sponsorship' will be held next Saturday."

At the end of Bae Dalsu's words, smiles bloomed on the children's faces. I was also happy.

An opportunity has finally arrived.

In fact, it was to participate in this event that I have been holding my breath in the nursery.

In general, when it comes to sponsorship at a nursery, I'm sure it's the same concept as a talent show or a school arts festival to express gratitude in front of the guests invited from outside…

However, the purpose was different in this city.

A fact I had learned while investigating information related to nurseries, the word sponsorship here at the nurseries in Neo Pyongyang had a slightly special meaning.

It was a time for the children to promote themselves to the sponsors.

Like a kind of exhibition event where the children are the products.

People attending this event were either parents of ordinary families or scouts from prestigious families of heroes who wanted special races or excellent children.

As Neo Pyongyang is the city where the largest number of superhumans resided, the sponsors who visit here would also be very special.

"And one final announcement. This sponsorship will be held as a joint event with other nurseries."

"So it's really unfortunate, but in this sponsorship, there is no choice but to limit the number of participants."

While those in the flower group smiled, other children couldn't hide their disappointment.

It was a natural reaction. It was obvious that everyone has endured a terrible life all for the hope of this event.

I could hear buzzing sighs here and there.

On normal days Bae Dalsu would have yelled at them to be quiet, but he only raised one corner of his mouth when he saw it.

Then he spoke.

"But I think all the friends here would like to go to the sponsorship event. So the teachers had a meeting and came up with one method in the end."

Bae Dalsu took out a red sticker. The sticker was engraved with the words 'good job.'

"I'll take the friends who earn this good job sticker here to the event."

"So, it's important to be a good child who listens to the teacher well, right?"

The children's eyes lit up.

The children in the flower group were still relaxed, but the children in other groups had a bloodthirsty look as if they would kill for one.

"We'll end today's assembly with this. Everyone, go back and have a great day today. Now~ Attention, bow."

"Thank you!"

The children's voices resonated louder than ever in the auditorium. They rushed out and started cleaning the surroundings with brooms.

As I watched, I thought to myself.

Hmm…This development isn't much fun.

I might not be able to attend the sponsorship event. If so, there was no need to remain here.

Should I reveal my abilities now?

If I did that, I might be able to join the flower group and attend the sponsorship event.

However, it could be said that revealing my cards with only this much work would do more harm than good.

On top of that, I don't think they'll particularly like the abilities I have.

For example, the ability to turn my body into liquid.

It felt very insignificant compared to the ability to emit fire from your hands or fly in the sky.

Should I just kill everyone and start over?

Rather than competing with such children, I thought it would be the better option.

As soon as I started to have such thoughts, someone spoke to me.

"Hmm. Aren't you the new friend who had just joined the nursery? Your name is Choi Noah, right?"

When I looked up, Bae Dalsu who was standing on the podium a while ago was looking at me. What's going on all of a sudden? I've never talked to him before.

As I found it strange, he said with a kind smile.

"Haha, Noah. Do you have time right now?"

"What's the matter?"

"As a teacher, I've been watching you, and in my opinion, Noah seems to be a good enough child to attend the sponsorship."

That's right.

Considering that I've been holding it in and staying calm, even a whole box of stickers wouldn't be enough for me.

I guess I was worried for no reason.

Nodding my head, I reached out.

"Well, give me a sticker."

"Uh, h-hear me out. I gave a sticker to another friend earlier, so I don't have any on me. Speaking of which…Do you want to come with teacher to get a sticker?"

"Hmm…It's a bit of a hassle. But okay."

"R-right…Thank you."

It would be difficult if this guy suddenly changed his mind and said no, so I thought it would be better to accept it.

I followed him out of the auditorium.

* * *

Bae Dalsu nervously turned the steering wheel. Due to his reckless driving, vehicles in the other lanes were honking.

'Fuck…Why am I the one who has to do this?'

He was currently in a very bad mood.

Originally, this should have been done by the trash in charge of chores, but the situation suddenly became complicated.

'Tsk, those punks are useless in the end.'

Bae Dalsu recalled Kwak Chungsik who had died a while ago and the half-elf twins who ran away.

It wouldn't have mattered much if they disappeared, but the problem was that there was no experiment to send to the director at the moment.

'Damn! I didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing myself.'

He was extremely reluctant to tarnish his career.

So he would use one of the children whenever he did something illegal.

But for now, there was no time to select a new person to proceed with the work.

In the end, he had no choice but to do it himself.

'I'm glad this guy was here.'

He looked at Noah in the back seat through the rear mirror.

One day out of the blue he came to the nursery on his own accord.

Bae Dalsu couldn't understand what was so good outside the window that made Noah smile.

'Unknown origin and it hasn't been long since he came here…I'll be able to dodge this bullet somehow.'

In the worst case, he can say that the child ran away on his own, but in that case, an investigation into welfare costs might start because he would have to knowingly report the wrong number of children.

'As expected, it's better to erase the traces of him being here in the first place.'

Fortunately, he has never received a subsidy in this child's name, so as long as the other children keep their mouths shut, he'll be able to move on without difficulty.

'Damn! I have a lot of work to do. I'll have to deliver him as soon as possible.'

The force stepping on the accelerator increased. The vehicle began to leave the city at a high speed.

As the number of buildings outside the window gradually decreased, he finally arrived at an unknown mansion located in the suburbs.

There were high fences around the mansion, and a red sign indicating that this is a private property was attached in front.

Bae Dalsu clicked his tongue at the ominous words.

'Tsk, it's creepy every time I come here.'

When he recalled what was beyond that barbed wire, he began to feel nauseous. Turning off the engine, he got out of the car.

"We're here. Get out."

"Here? What about my sticker?"

Noah looked at Bae Dalsu with a puzzled look. Looking at the innocent look on Noah's face, Bae Dalsu was overwhelmed with disgust.

'Is he still pretending not to know?'

As a result of taking care of children through the years, he had come to realize that they were keener than what adults gave them credit for.

Therefore, most would start to notice that the situation had gone weird at this point. And the reaction was generally divided into two.

Either cry and cling to him, or deny reality by pretending not to know.

Bae Dalsu hated the appearance of such children to the point he felt terrible disgust.

"Shut up and get out of the car!"

"…"

Noah looked at Bae Dalsu for a moment before getting out of the car.

Then, Bae Dalsu beckoned Noah towards the entrance of the mansion.

"Do you see that fence over there? Go ahead and ring the doorbell and wait. Soon the door will open. Then you can go in."

"Over there? It's annoying, so can you just bring the sticker to me?"

Noah pretended not to know until the end. At the desperate appearance, Bae Dalsu briefly gave a vain laugh.

"Oh, my. It's disgusting, so stop acting because it won't work."

"What do you mean? You said you'd give me a sticker."

"Haven't you already figured it out? How can I give up a sponsorship seat for a trash like you? Think about how much that would cost."

"…So teacher lied to me, right?"

"When did I say I would? Maybe because I'm getting older, I don't remember haha."

The smiling boy's expression hardened. It seems that it was only now that he was starting to accept reality.

Bae Dalsu liked children who showed such an expression.

The moment when those little ones, who only think about themselves, finally realize reality and become frustrated.

He felt like his stress was relieved to some extent.

"No one knows that you and I are here anyway, so don't think about it and hurry up and go into that mansion."

"Huu…That's good."

The boy's stiff expression began to turn into a smile again.

'Is he trying to bluff now?'

"What do you mean?"

"It means it's okay for me to kill teacher now."

"What? Hahaha! Crazy punk."

For a while, he laughed out loud.

Sometimes there were guys like that. Children who believe that they are special beings like they're chosen in this world.

When he was young, he also thought that he would someday awaken an ability and become a special being like the heroes in the cartoons.

But it's all just an illusion. He was just an ordinary extra without even a name.

'How many years did it take before I realized that?'

So he hated children who were obsessed with such vain delusions.

"Teacher has one last thing to teach you."

He wanted to see this delusional child crying and begging for forgiveness.

Fortunately, the director didn't have strict conditions for the supplied experiment.

'He'll be used as an experiment anyway, so he just needs to be alive.'

Bae Dalsu took off his watch and approached Noah. At that moment, Noah spoke.

"If you hand over the sticker, I'll shoot you less painfully."

"?!"

Suddenly, when he came to his senses, there was a gun in Noah's hand that he had never seen before. And the end of the gun was pointing at him.

He was shocked by the sudden appearance of the gun, but he thought it was probably a toy.

'Is this his last ditch effort?'

"Oh, my. What are you going to do with that toy…?'

Clank–!

As Noah loaded the gun, an ominous sound came as if the metal was interlocking.

'Do toys sound so realistic these days?'

"I-it's a toy, right?"

Then with a meaningful smile, Noah spoke.

"I don't know. But won't we find out once I pull the trigger?"

Bang–!

"Kueaak!!"

Both his thighs were penetrated. The terrible pain felt as if iron skewers made of fire had pushed in.

Unknowingly, he collapsed on the spot with yellow lines running down his pants.

Unlike what he saw in movies, the pain he felt went far beyond his imagination.

He couldn't suppress his scream. At that moment, the sight of a gun appeared in front of him and touched his forehead.

Clank–

"It's noisy, so stop shouting."

"Aah…you crazy…"

Like a lie, he was able to swallow his scream. In a trembling voice he begged.

"P-please spare me. I'll forget everything about today. And when we go back, I'll make sure to put your name on the sponsorship event. So please…"

"Before that, give me a sticker."

Bae Dalsu hurriedly took out a bunch of stickers and handed them over. The words 'good job' were scattered all over the ground.

"H-here. I-I gave it to you, so hurry and call an ambulance. I'll bleed out like this…"

Without paying any attention to Bae Dalsu, Noah grabbed one of the stickers.

Then he stuck it on Bae Dalsu's forehead and read the words.

"Good job."

"Ah…ah…H-hold on!"

Bang–!

Bae Dalsu died without even the time to scream.

* * *

"Keuh…this is the taste."

Perhaps because it's been a while since I used a gun, I felt like I had relieved some of the stress I've been holding back.

The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. I had forgotten about this fun because I've been quiet lately.

I placed Bae Dalsu's body in my inventory and packed the stickers that fell on the ground.

"I can't believe I came all the way here for these stickers."

In fact, from the time he took me to the parking lot and not his office, I had some idea that this would happen.

However, there was no other way for me to do it cleanly.

"Thanks to him, I can participate in the sponsorship."

Bae Dalsu is dead, but it'll be okay if I show the stickers to the other teachers.

This guy never came to the nursery often anyway, and it was mainly up to other teachers to prepare for the event.

And by the time they feel something is strange, I'll be out of there.

Now, if I attend the sponsorship and catch the eyes of at least one decent person, I'll have a normal identity.

"Huu…I should secretly head back now."

Since it was about an hour away from the city, even if I walked, I thought I could arrive back by dinner time.

Today's dinner was probably pork cutlet?

It was a decent meal after playing outside for a long time. I shouldn't buy food outside and just eat home-cooked meals today.

As soon as I thought that, a message window popped up in front of me.

Ding–!

[Condition for the Challenge – Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest) has been met.]

[Find Elf Garden (Completed).]

[Challenge updated.]

[Challenge – Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).]

Condition: Find the 'Flower of Shadow.'

Period: 3 months.

Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium).

"Huh?"

The Challenge was suddenly updated.

Why the fuck did it happen? I didn't do anything.

There was only a large mansion in front of me.

Ah, is this Elf Garden?

High towering fences and bare thorn trees surrounding all sides. It was too gloomy to be called Elf Garden…

To be honest, I didn't have any clue, so I was going to let go of my lingering affection…

The story will change again. There was no reason to refuse the reward in front of me.

This has cleared things up.

As expected, this world was a game of luck.

And fortunately, I had a decent justification to go over that tall fence.

I rang the doorbell hanging in front of the mansion.

Ding, dong–

Soon after, a gruffy old voice came from inside.

— Who is it?

"I'm from House of Flowers. Teacher told me to come here."

— …

And in a little bit. Possibly an electronic device of some kind, a small door next to the huge main gate slid and opened automatically.

Does it mean to go inside?

In any case, I was just grateful. Thanks to this, I can carry out the Challenge comfortably.

I thought it would be difficult to grow for the time being, but maybe I'll be able to pick another good item or skill before leaving the nursery.

"Let's finish it quickly and go eat dinner."

I pushed open the door and went inside.

== Translator's Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section.

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Villain Hides His True Color

Chapter 12

Past the fences, a narrow road carefully paved with asphalt appeared.

On both sides were thick towering trees, and beyond that were only dark shadows despite it being daytime.

"It's quite spacious."

Let alone the mansion, all I could see were trees and grass when I looked around.

Was it safe to say that this was really made by carving out an entire mountain?

On top of that…there's even a trace of magic over there.

A faint magic light was shining between the fences and forest.

I don't know exactly what kind of spell it is, but it seems to be a kind of intruder alarm or trap.

It was a good thing I came in through the front door.

I'm not sure if the owner of the mansion had installed it himself or had employed someone from inside, but…

One thing was certain, it wasn't a skill a beginner could accomplish.

If I had sneaked over the fence and infiltrated, I might have had to suffer quite a bit in the middle of such a trap.

For now I didn't have a particular method to deal with magic…so if possible, it'd be best to avoid the trap.

While looking around like that, the sound of a car's exhaust began to be heard from afar.

And in a little bit, a small truck with dirt everywhere arrived. In the luggage compartment were burlap bags with several suspicious stains.

Soon after, the truck door opened, and an old man wearing an old shirt and overalls got off.

He had a large hump on his back. It looked like a toad carrying around a bird's nest.

"What are you staring at?!"

As I stood still observing him, the old man shouted in a voice resembling a crow. It was the same voice I had heard at the entrance a while ago.

"Are…Are you telling me to get in the truck?"

"Who else is here besides you?! If you don't want to be carried in the luggage compartment, get in the car now!"

It was an old man with a dirty temper. For a moment I thought about killing him, but I put that idea on hold for now.

Let's watch the situation.

There was no way to find clues in this wide area right now, so I thought it would be better to follow him into the mansion first.

If it's 'Flower of Shadow,' I thought it would more likely be hidden somewhere in the mansion than blooming like a weed on the side of the road.

I got into the truck according to the old man.

An unidentified smelly odor poked my nose. It smelled like rotten seafood.

I felt nauseous, so I immediately lowered the window while the old man drove the truck without saying a word.

"…"

We drove along the mountain path for a while. The mansion was much wider than I had thought.

About 10 minutes or so passed. In front of us, who had arrived near the top of the mountain, another gate appeared.

It was iron bars with colorful flower decorations that would suit old European mansions. After a while, the old man got out of the car and opened the gate.

Squeak–!

The unpleasant noise of rusty iron echoed through the mountains.

Then, on the wide plateau, I could see beautiful flowers and trees.

Sure enough… Is this why it's called Elf Garden?

I admired it somewhat.

The scenery of this huge garden was incredibly beautiful, as if the elves had really cared for it like what was mentioned in the Challenge's explanation.

The old man got back into his truck and entered the garden. Then he parked the truck in one corner close to the entrance.

"Get out."

As expected, I didn't like being told what to do, but this time I got off without hesitation.

The old man held the bags that were in the luggage compartment in both hands before throwing one at me.

"What's this?"

"Just shut up and follow me."

"…"

An unknown damp liquid permeated little by little from the handle of the bag. It inadvertently got on my clothes.

Should I just kill him now?

However, it was a waste to come all the way here and kill him, so I decided to keep the old man alive for now.

I shifted the bag around and followed the old man to the side of the garden.

After finishing everything, he ordered me again.

"Turn around for a second."

"…Why?"

"Stop talking! Turn around when I tell you to turn around!"

When I reluctantly turned around, the old man quickly began to tie my body with a tough rope.

I was dumbfounded by the shameless attitude, so I watched for a while before putting strength into my arms to shake off the old man.

No, I was going to shake him off.

What's up with this old man?

My current muscle strength with 2 points in Body was already out of the realm of a normal human.

However, for some reason, the old man's strength was stronger than mine. So I fell to the ground in an instant while tied.

The old man had tightly tied the rope to the point where my skin had turned white.

"Keukeu…Today ended quite easily."

The old man made an unpleasant laugh. Upon closer look, the rotten smell was coming out of his mouth every time he spoke.

"Lay there for a while. I haven't finished my work for today because you suddenly came."

He opened one of the bags that we had just moved and pulled something out.

Inside was a ball of red flesh dripping with blood, but I couldn't guess exactly what meat it was.

"Meal time. You lazy punks."

The old man grabbed a chunk of flesh in his hand and kicked a nearby tree.

Then the tree began to tremble, and at one point, the bark rolled down as if a snake was molting.

Inside, red muscles wriggled, and thick blood vessels pulsated in-between.

It looks just like what I saw when I cut open human skin in the past.

And in a little bit.

The features of a face seemed to have sprouted on the tree. The face had no eyes, nose, or anything, but it was huge as if a whole person had been swallowed.

— Kill me…Please kill me…

From it, I heard a voice.

What's…this?

A clear voice different from ordinary plants.

It sounded similar to when I had received this Challenge.

Is this related to the 'Flower of Shadow?'

As soon as I thought that, suddenly, all the plants in the garden began to transform at once.

The trees' thick bark peeled, and in it, bizarre faces appeared.

Everywhere was quickly covered with red flesh. The entire garden wriggled like it was alive.

Looking at it, I felt as if I had entered a huge intestine.

— It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!

— I want to go home…Mom…

— Kuaaak–!!!

Screams and groans leaked out from all over the place. And among them, the most frequently heard phrase was 'kill me.'

I see…so that's what it was.

I can roughly guess what has happened here. The plants in this beautiful garden…All of them were 'human.'

The children sold in the House of Flowers seem to have really become flowers here.

The old man threw the flesh in his hand at the trees shaped like humans.

Without hesitation, they ate it with their big mouths.

Having emptied the bag like that, he looked down at me and smiled unpleasantly.

"Keukeu…You must be surprised and can't even cry."

Certainly, it's as he said. I was surprised. Is it a variety he had developed himself? I've never seen these strange creatures in the previous round.

What the hell should I call these? Tree humans? Human trees?

Anyway, it was a taste that was hard to understand for a person like me who had extremely normal thoughts.

"Hmm…dimwitted punk."

When I didn't say much, the old man frowned and his forehead narrowed. He seemed to have wanted me to give a more dramatic reaction.

"What are all the large monsters here?"

I asked him.

The old man stared at the stone mansion seen far beyond the garden and spoke.

"Haha, all the plants here can be said to be the creations made by my great master himself. Although most of the guys here are just failures."

"Creations?"

"Haha, even if you don't ask me, you'll find out soon anyway."

The old man lifted me, who was tied like a caterpillar, on one shoulder, and slowly climbed the hill to the mansion.

My body shook here and there whenever he took a step.

Seeing his relaxed steps, it seems that he believes he has captured me completely.

…I guess now was my only chance.

While he had lowered his guard, I had to dig up the information I needed.

"Grandpa, what will happen to me now?"

"Keukeu…You must be scared now. In the future, you'll be reborn as a beautiful flower under the grace of the great master."

"Like the monsters I saw before? Do I have to live like that for the rest of my life?"

"Hmph! They're just failures. As long as you succeed, you'll gain enormous power. So you should be honored!"

"I see…Do you know where the 'Flower of Shadow' is?"

"Shadow? What kind of nonsense is that?"

The guy who had been answering all my questions so far suddenly looked like he didn't know English.

There would be no reason to act like that now, so maybe he really didn't know anything.

He was no longer useful.

"I can kill him now."

"Hmm? What did you just say?"

While the old man looked back with a surprised face, I quickly changed my body to a liquid and released the bondage.

Immediately, I took a military knife out of my inventory and put it in the carotid artery of the old man.

Pak–!

"Keuk…keu!"

Thanks to my precise diagonal stab, the vocal cords in front of the larynx were neatly cut off.

It'll be impossible for him to scream now.

I pulled out the fresh knife before the old man could fall to the ground. Then, from his ribs to groin, I opened his stomach in one motion.

Shiik–

Due to the momentum of my action, the wound spread open just like that and all the contents inside poured out onto the ground.

Maybe by now he would feel an emptiness in his stomach.

"Keuk! Keuh! Keuh!"

The old man, who stumbled for a while, bent his arm in the air and collapsed in a ridiculous pose.

I took another knife out of my inventory.

And then I approached him step by step. Lastly, I was going to put another knife in his heart.

But…

"?!"

The old man's condition was somewhat strange. No, to be exact, the contents poured out from him were strange.

The organs that should have been bright red were black and dead.

In addition, when I looked closely, there were even white maggots in it.

A stench permeated everywhere. It smelled dozens of times worse than the old man's mouth a while ago.

"Keuk!"

I stepped back, pinching my nose.

And then…

Behind the old man's protruding back, something orange began to wriggle and stretch out.

Dozens of stems resembling coral reefs. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before.

…What was it again?

While I was pondering over my memory, I recalled the contents of the children's great encyclopedia that I had read at the nursery not too long ago.

Cordyceps Militaris?

Come to think of it, it looks just like the shape of a fungus. As soon as I thought so, a human face popped out of the fungus.

– Damn it. Because of this I lost a useful body…For the time being I need a new host. I have no choice but to get another one of my master's test subjects.

"Host?"

— That's right. Thanks to the grace of my master, I've gained eternal life as a host…W-wait! Y-you can hear my voice?!

"Yes."

— No way… Even my master can't hear the voice of plants…Ah, I have to let my master know…

The Cordyceps Militaris was noticeably shocked.

It hurriedly controlled the old man's body and crawled toward the mansion. Although the limbs were bent, his speed was quite fast.

I approached that kind of guy and once again put a knife into him.

But…

— Keukeu, it's no use. My body is stronger than steel because of the grace of my master.

The Cordyceps Militaris crawled without stopping despite my continued attacks. My physical attacks didn't seem to be working very well against him.

And I can't absorb this smelly and disgusting bastard…

I was conflicted. At this rate, he'll run away if I leave him alone, but he was too dirty for me to touch.

At some point, I remembered a memory that I had forgotten.

"Ah, there was that."

The Turbak Brotherhood was both a drug cartel and a kind of terrorist organization preparing for war.

Therefore, among the weapons I had acquired in their arsenal, there were weapons that were simply meant for war.

Finally, the day has come where I can try this.

I pulled a gasoline tank and a flamethrower out from my inventory.

Until now, it's been indoors or the situation wasn't good, so I've been neglecting it.

"To be honest, I really wanted to use it from the moment I first saw it."

Check the installation. 1500 PSI. It's enough pressure to have no problem shooting flames right away.

I aimed the hose at the bastard.

The Cordyceps Militaris urgently looked back and shouted.

— Hey, wait a minute! If you do something like that here…

But it's too late to stop me. How can I endure something that looks so fun?

"It's going to be a little hot."

I opened the valve connected to the tank. Gas was mixed with the fuel, and compressed gasoline was injected forward.

Then, it came in contact with the torch's flame and a huge flame burned.

— Kueaaak!!!!

A flame resembling a dragon's breath engulfed the bastard. The Cordyceps Militaris burned in an instant and an acrid black smoke rose.

This is fun.

While I was at it, I also gave fireworks to the trees around me.

— Kyaaak!!

— It's hot! It's hot! It's hot!

I can hear the cold scream filled with anguish among the plants. The beautiful garden became covered in flames.

It was bodies that can't return to being human anyway. They also wanted to die, so wouldn't they be grateful to me?

In the midst of my enjoyment playing with fire…

Ding–!

Messages that I have been looking forward to appeared in front of my eyes.

[Level has risen.]

[Gained a Fragment of Growth.]

"I've gained two levels this time."

I didn't have a chance to gain experience for a while and felt that my growth was a little stagnant, so I took this opportunity to level up properly.

I've said it before but mobbing is the best way to hunt.

The messages didn't end here.

[You've eliminated an existence that meets the standard of 'evil.']

[You've saved those who were in despair.]

[ grade has increased.]

[A new effect has been added.]

Come to think of it…I had forgotten about it because so far it has been useless, but I had a growth skill.

I opened my status window to check the added effect.

Classification: General

Grade: E (Grade F -> E)

Description: A warrior grows through hardships.

Grade Effect:

Grade F: Favorability increases easily.

Grade E: Awaken at the moment of crisis. * New *

*Punish evil to grow the skill.

*Save others to grow the skill.

*This skill cannot be strengthened by yourself.

"Ooh."

Fortunately, the effect this time seemed pretty good, unlike the useless favorability effect.

I'm not sure what 'awaken' means yet, but it appears to be a combat ability at first glance.

"Regardless, I was lacking combat skills, so this is good…"

As expected, it's fun to punish 'evil.'

Perhaps being a hero is more suitable for me than I thought.

"I'll have to deal with the remaining 'evil' now."

Looking at the charred garden, I turned towards the mansion.

The reward I've been looking forward to was waiting for me there.

== Translator's Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section.

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Villain Hides His True Color

Chapter 13

From time to time, Elizabeth would dream.

And after waking up she would always tell her mother about it.

"Mom, I met mister elephant in my dream yesterday!"

"Really? Then should we go to the zoo today?"

"Wow! Really? I'll get dressed now."

Her mother had always fulfilled her dreams.

When cotton candy appeared in her dream, her mother would buy her cotton candy, and when dolls appeared, her mother would buy her a doll.

So before going to bed every night she would eagerly wish for a pleasant dream.

"Hehe. It's like magic! Mom always makes my dreams come true."

"You didn't know? Mom is actually a magician~ So my darling, what kind of dream do you want to have today?"

"Hmm…Oh! I hope pork cutlets appear in my dream today!"

"Then we better buy the ingredients in advance, right?"

"Right! Right!"

That very night. In her dream, she saw her mother hospitalized.

"My darling…I'm sorry mom is sick. I was supposed to make you pork cutlets today."

"N-no! It's my fault that mom is sick because I keep making you tired…So I'll make you pork cutlets when you get better."

"Huhu…What a good daughter."

But her mother grew weaker and weaker.

A rare disease without a name.

No matter what treatment was used, it was all useless.

Her appearance became like that of a plant whose roots had already dried up.

"My darling…if mom dies…Uncle's words…You have to listen well, okay?"

"No! Mom won't die! You can't say that!"

"Huhu…my lovely…daughter, I'm…sorry I can't stay with you longer…Keuk!"

"M-mom! No! Y-you can't die!"

And then…The day she saw her mother die in her dream.

Elizabeth knew that her dream had become a reality.

From then on, she became afraid of the night.

* * *

A certain kind of dream. An irresistible nightmare that repeats every day.

It always begins with a green mist appearing above a city.

The light green powder continues to fall from the sky as it mysteriously wraps around the city as if being blessed by a fairy.

All the while its citizens watch on vacantly at the beautiful scenery.

[No! Quickly run away!]

Elizabeth cried out. But her voice couldn't reach them.

Meanwhile, the green powder completely blanketed the city.

Children, adults, men, women. Everyone breathed in the green powder.

[Ah, no!]

People collapsed helplessly on the ground as dark green grass began to sprout from their bodies.

"Keuaak!"

"S-save me!"

Screams filled every corner of the city that had fallen into chaos.

[P-please stop! Stop!]

There was nothing she could do as she watched the ongoing horror. It was just an empty scream that no one could hear.

"Waah! Mom!"

A child who had lost his parents was crying by himself.

[It's dangerous here! Please run away!]

But the child didn't move. He cried and embraced the pine tree next to him as the screams around him grew.

And soon…The child too, had turned into a pine tree.

[Why…why is this happening!?]

Facing the scene, she closed her eyes tightly.

Meanwhile, plants continued to sprung up endlessly. The world was gradually dyed by the color green.

[Please…Someone please help me!]

Even though she knew no one could hear her, and even though she knew it was a dream that she'll soon wake up from…

She yelled.

However, like always, her dream was running toward its end. Everywhere was being overtaken by the forest, and the gray city was gradually returning to nature.

The nightmare will soon end. And maybe someday, this landscape in her dream will become a reality.

[I couldn't stop it this time either…]

A dream that always repeats. An unpreventable fate.

She was helpless in front of it. The only thing she could do was experience the pain ahead of others.

[I can't even stop it anyway…Why show these scenes to me only…?]

At the moment she became frustrated, in front of her, she noticed a different scene than usual.

There was an unidentified beast. A monster emitting an ominous energy that's difficult to describe in words.

It was leisurely looking at the growing trees in the middle of the green city.

[There's never been a scene like this before…]

She carefully approached the beast and spoke.

[By any chance…Can you hear me?]

She looked at the beast and wondered if it could really hear her voice.

It was a small change, but it was the first difference in this world.

So she shouted.

[Please help me!]

[If this continues, everyone will die!]

[We don't have much time left!]

The beast opened its big mouth and laughed. Before long, it began spewing hot flames from its mouth.

Black smokes covered the sky as the fierce flames burned the forest from all sides.

Then…The unknown beast smiled brightly at the burning forest.

As if I were going to burn everything in the world.

After everything was burned, the beast turned away without care.

[S-save me too!]

She shouted desperately.

[Please take me out of here!]

But the beast disappeared farther and farther away, as if it couldn't hear her voice.

Soon, Elizabeth slowly woke up.

* * *

"Ha…"

Elizabeth let out a small sigh with a disappointed look.

'In the end, it didn't show up today either.'

A strange beast had suddenly appeared in her dream one day. So over several days, she forced herself to sleep with the hope of meeting it again.

However, after that day, only the same nightmare repeated and the beast she had hoped to see hasn't appeared.

'What the hell was that…?'

Scenes from that time were still vivid in her mind.

The way the beast was happily laughing alone in the huge flame as if it was going to swallow the world.

She thought maybe it would be the one to release her from this curse, but seeing that nothing has changed in her life since then, she realized that her expectations might have been unwarranted.

"…I want to live freely too."

She got out of bed and stood in front of a mirror. Reflected in the mirror was an adult woman with full features.

'My body has grown this much, so why am I…'

It has already been 20 years since her mother passed away and she began living with her uncle.

For an elf, she had reached adulthood last year, but she was still afraid of the coming nights like a child.

'Why am I the only one suffering like this…?'

Even though she asks herself this every day, she still couldn't find a reason.

Others might be envious of her who can see the future, but to her, it was a curse that couldn't be escaped.

Knowing the future but still powerless to change it…Rather, it seems to only be an emotional burden.

"Haa…"

A deep sigh leaked out. And then,

Click–

A man opened the door without knocking and entered the room.

An elf in his mid 50s who gave off a scholarly atmosphere. It was her uncle, Rastus.

"U-uncle?"

"…"

Rastus looked at Elizabeth standing in front of the mirror silently for a while. Soon, he closed the door and approached her.

"You're becoming more and more like your mother, Elizabeth."

Saying so, Rastus slowly swept her hair aside.

"I-is that so?"

"Wait a little longer. 'That day' isn't too far away now…"

Thinking of the 'day' Rastus was referring to, Elizabeth trembled a little. She felt as if her whole body was crawling with bugs.

Gently pushing away the hand that had been caressing her, she changed the subject nonchalantly.

"W-what brings uncle here this morning…?"

"I'm here to regulate your physical condition."

"R-regulate?"

In front of the nervous Elizabeth, Rastus took out an ampoule bottle containing a black liquid.

"Oh…"

After seeing it, Elizabeth spat out a small groan.

The bottle Rastus was currently holding in his hand was extracted from a plant called the 'Flower of Shadow' that had come from the otherworld, and it was one of her least favorite drugs because of the terrible pain.

"You might not like it, but endure it. This is a necessary procedure."

"…Yes."

For his personal goal, Rastus has been molding his young niece's body for a long time.

And because of that, Elizabeth has gained numerous mysterious abilities, such as being able to listen to the voices of plants and controlling shadows. However, she had never wanted these abilities.

"Okay, take off your clothes and lie on the bed."

"N-now?"

"…I have a lot to deal with today. It won't take too long, so hurry up and lie down."

As the planned 'day' drew near, the frequency of Rastus regulating her body had gradually increased.

Elizabeth hated these times of entrusting herself to her uncle.

"…I understand."

Elizabeth's long ears were dyed red as she began to take off her pajamas piece by piece.

The beautiful and immaculate white skin was explicitly revealed under the bright sunlight.

If someone had been watching this secretly, they would never have been able to avert their eyes.

However, like a dry tree, Rastus looked at Elizabeth's body with an emotionless look.

It was as if he was inspecting a machine for repair.

Lying on the bed with her chest covered, she asked in a trembling voice.

"T-today… How long will it take?"

"Didn't I just say? It won't take too long."

With that said, Rastus opened the lid of the bottle and poured the liquid over Elizabeth's body.

Sticky, black liquid flowed down the curve of her body little by little.

Shortly after.

"Keuk!"

From the pores all over her body, liquids of the same color as those from the bottle began to flow out.

Elizabeth frowned and bit her lips to endure the pain, but soon after, with the feeling of her body being ripped apart, she screamed.

"Aahh! S-stop!! I-it hurts, uncle!"

Ignoring her cries, Rastus checked the data on his tablet with a calm expression.

"Hmm…the assimilation rate is quite stable, and the output remains unchanged as well. If it's this much, it's okay to push the limit for the time being."

"Agh! U-uncle! P-please…"

For a while, Elizabeth's cries continued.

By the time the endless screams seemed to have subsided, Rastus put his tablet away and spoke.

"Good job. There's nothing else on the schedule today, so take a good rest in your room."

After saying so, he left the room without batting an eye.

And soon, the black liquids that flowed out of Elizabeth's skin slowly permeated into her body.

"Haak…haak…"

It was only then that Elizabeth could catch her breath. In the lone room, only the sound of her panting resonated.

Her face was covered with sweat and tears.

'…I don't want to do this anymore.'

Hellish days that began after her mother died. Like what her mother had said, her uncle definitely cared for her.

But it wasn't warm love. It was closer to taking care of a cherished tool.

And as a tool, she might one day be used to kill countless people.

'I'd disappear first before I let that happen…'

If that's the case, she thought at least she'll be able to delay her uncle's plan a little longer…

Without wearing any clothes, she stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

She wasn't thinking about anything in particular, but strangely enough, tears began to flow.

As if she was in a deep swamp, she felt as if her whole body was slowly sinking into the bed.

'I wish someone would take me out.'

After an unknown amount of time. She sensed that outside had become noisy all of a sudden.

'What is it…?'

She slightly turned her head and looked out the window.

A fire was seen rising from far away. It was a huge flame similar to the one she had seen in her dream.

"W-wah?!"

Surprised, she wiped away her tears and jumped to her feet.

'Why is there a fire all of a sudden? Over there is the garden, so wasn't it thoroughly managed by uncle?'

All sorts of thoughts passed her mind, but none made sense.

"F-fire! 119! 119! N-no! First of all, I need to wet a towel…"

The moment she was in a hurry and recalling her evacuation training…

She noticed an unidentified liquid seeping through the ventilation window.

"W-wah?!"

The liquid was moving from place to place and flowing down slowly as if it was alive.

'What's that? What did uncle do this time…?'

Wary of the liquid, she slowly stepped back.

Once the liquid finally invaded the room, it gradually fused together as its form began to change.

Then at some point, the liquid had turned into a boy who looked to be 12 years old.

"?!"

The boy looked around the room slowly, then he asked Elizabeth.

"Are you Elizabeth?"

"B-before that…Who are you?"

The boy stared at her for a moment before curling his lips and smiling.

That smile…Elizabeth thought it somehow resembled the beast she had seen in her dream.

* * *

After setting the garden on fire, I took advantage of the confusion to infiltrate the mansion.

Fortunately, there were no traps or traces of magic inside.

I'll start from the upper floors and make my way down for now.

I climbed up to the third floor's ventilation window.

However, the mansion was so large and spacious that despite me having searched for a long time, not even half of it had been explored.

This is going to be troublesome…

As soon as I thought to change my strategy,

— Aahh…

I heard a faint scream in the distance. It had come from the west side of the building opposite to where I was. I guess I better start there.

As I slowly moved towards that building, I saw a man leaving the room inside just as I was about to enter.

The scream belonged to a woman, so there are at least two people.

Fortunately, the timing was good. If I had entered a little earlier, it might have been a 1v2 situation.

But just in case, I waited for a moment before sliding into the room.

And then…

There was an elf woman, who looked to be in her early 20s, standing naked.

At that moment, I heard a pleasant notification in my ears.

Ding–!

[Condition for the Challenge – Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest) has been met.]

[Find the 'Flower of Shadow' (Completed).]

So it was here.

There seems to be a 'Flower of Shadow' somewhere in this room. But unfortunately, the Challenge wasn't over yet.

[Challenge updated.]

[Challenge – Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).]

Condition: Save 'Elizabeth.'

Period: 3 months.

Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium).

Like I thought, there's no way it would end so easily…

For a Challenge that rewarded a medium-grade box, it would have been strange for it to end here.

Ignoring the woman in front of me, I read the explanation again.

Then…

Elizabeth…? I think I've heard of this name somewhere before. But where was it?

It felt like it was on the tip of my tongue. So for now I asked the woman in front of me.

"Nuna, is your name Elizabeth?"

"T-that…Who the hell are you?"

Fortunately, it seems this woman is dense. Anyway, looking at her now, her appearance looks somewhat familiar.

I looked her up and down.

Long black hair that comes down to the waist, a gentle face that's hard to look away from, and…even the bright red eyes that sparkle like rubies.

Although she was a good-looking woman, there was no one in particular that came to mind as I stared at her.

But, her black hair and red eyes were strangely annoying.

Wait…An elf with black hair?

At that moment, the voice of a deep husky woman passed through my mind.

[Huhu. Baby, to meet you here again?]

The first villain to have the 'black' grade before me, and a leech-like woman who once followed me around in a disgusting way.

…The Black Witch, Elizabeth.

Once again, I looked the elf in front of me up and down.

The atmosphere is completely different from then, but slowly looking at her features, my guess seems to be right.

But, what the hell is this woman doing here?

Because of the stark contrast, I stared at her blankly for a while.

She covered her body with her hands and blushed.

"C-can you not stare at me like that?"

"…"

The infamous witch was acting like a little girl.

To be honest, it was unimaginable even though I'm seeing it with my own eyes. This pathetic woman will grow into an SS villain in the next 15 years…

"As expected…It's fun."

My brain started to move as I thought of ways to deal with the fellow in front of me.

== Translator's Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section.

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