Chapter 27: Courage
"You have skills, and I acknowledge them," The villain said in a chilling tone, glowering at Bryce while slowly revealing his true colors — his human appearance started melting.
The existences of fake appearances of Kyle's friends also revealed what they actually were.
All the villain's buddies turned into voluptuous women whose bodies sported softness and temptation. They revealed everything they were born with, as their clothes were thin and skimpy; every woman had a belt around their nether regions, allowing short and curly tails to sway behind their plump asses, and the same belts wrapped their tits, squeezing and accentuating them.
But no one was perfect, and those women had glaring issues that many men would find repulsive. First of all, they were just too short, even shorter than petite Sharla, and their faces had piggy noses. Their skin was also pinkish, but that wasn't really that much of an issue.
Still, as they chuckled, some unpleasant grunts, sounding too pig-like, mixed with their laughter as they tried their best to cast [Charm] on Bryce. It was a skill similar to [Taunt] but much more lethal if done right.
Charmed people would listen to a person they took a liking to, executing their orders for a short amount of time. In this way, affected people could hurt their allies or reveal secrets!
Having such efficient effects, [Charm] naturally had its limitations. Unless there was a clear level gap between them or their proficiency in [Charm] was actually high, girls couldn't charm everyone. The same went for male users, and same-gender charms were also more demanding.
Moreover, a charm skill's grade also mattered when it came to its limits.
[Your servants can't charm the hero.]
The villain received disappointing information as the girls around him failed to grasp Bryce's heart. He didn't really mind it, thinking about a punishment he'd give to these girls back home, smiling widely.
He looked the same as them now, his skin pink and nose like a pig, but happy, clearly because of demonic mana coursing through him, which his servants lacked, for they just hailed from the same clan as the demon lord, his father.
His smile faltered for a second as he noticed the hunters freezing out of fear in the distance. Those were naturally under his control, yet their fear of monsters made them disobey his orders. Well, looking around, even the villain himself had to admit that those monsters were terrifying as a group.
Trolls stood out with their tall and lanky bodies, shaking the ground. Humanoid creatures known as Dark Orcs were at their feet and stomping a few steps ahead. They were similar to trolls, just smaller, and their skin was even more withered than trolls.
And mixed within their ranks were animal monsters — black wolves, red boars, and more hurried around, their forms looked feral and starving.
"But even you will fall before such an army," the villain declared with his cold eyes still glued to Bryce.
He didn't know what kind of a life Bryce had lived on Earth, but he inferred that the hero must have practiced swordsmanship and fought against skilled masters. Otherwise, how could the villain explain Bryce's raw skills and courage to fight hunters without heroic skills?
In fact, he was jealous.
Because of his life on Earth, the villain couldn't imagine himself facing monsters and others head-on. He was more of a strategic person, someone who used resources and units to battle others. For that reason, he has been blessed with [Mind Control] skills.
But even the cheat status of a player hadn't enabled him wholly, and the villain was forced to carefully gather intel outside his father's castle, hide his army, and alone sneak around the village to take control over the hunters, slowly but surely.
Even with many means to protect himself, his servants waiting nearby, and his level raised through countless monster sacrifices, the villain knew that one mistake was a certain death. If even just one thing eluded him, he'd be gone.
'No more. I'm growing up as a demon, and my heart will soon get rid of that humanity and its weakness. Your death will turn me into a real monster. Even if I make a mistake, I will be able to take it with my chest up, torture and erase a cause, then move forward with a honed body.'
Blaming all on his humanity, the villain grew impatient and shouted at the monsters, "Kill him!"
They flinched, and a deep fear crossed their eyes as though the demon lord had ordered them, then sped up. All of them rushed at Bryce, with their lives depending on it, and screamed in their peculiar way. Some trolls were so scared that they dropped their spears.
Finding it amusing, the villain's servants commented.
"If those lowly hunters weren't cowards in blood and bones, we would have seen the hero's blood already, wouldn't we, Master?"
"Give us an order, and we will teach them who they should be frightened of, Master."
"They will never disobey you!"
The villain stood silent, not answering those women, for he knew it was all on him. If he was better, he would have hunters with [Taunt] skill pinning down Bryce already, he wouldn't be so worried as usual, and his smile would be genuine.
But as he knew that he had what it took to be a villain and demon lord, that killing intent to kill people for his own gain, the villain sinisterly curled his lips, squeezed his servant's asses, and standing safely behind his defensive measures, the villain raised his chin and triumphantly gazed at the hero's struggles.
And then, at last, Bryce made a move. He warmly looked at Gengo and Sharla, told them what to do, their bodies tensing up, and then turned behind.
Facing his friends, the villain and his servants with his back, Bryce parted his lips to scream the words he'd had used many times to rile up trolls — no voice came out, though.
Bryce felt like something clogged his throat, and without him knowing about it, one of his eyes turned red. That vampire's eye froze the trolls charging at the hero and his party, and as their minds shook with the memories of the golden-haired woman executing the chief troll, all weapons dropped.
They stood in, more intimidated than they had before. Clearly, the woman in their vision was worse than the demon lord they had met recently, and the chief, who had fallen at her hand, was not your usual troll.
He was a historical figure, he was their hope.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
All trolls and their engines flared up in tandem, dispelling any fear and commands left in their hearts. They stomped forward, disregarding any existence around them, and their feet crushed animal monsters and dark orcs into a bloody paste. Their strength surged so much that even Bryce felt skeptical about fighting them.
It wasn't like he'd do it, though.
"Gengo, I leave Sharla's safety to you."
His friend barked. He was bigger than usual, his heroic bloodline and new skill already warmed and activated! His friend could saddle him with his new size, which Sharla had done.
She felt it was wrong to leave Bryce alone, especially between the villain and furious trolls, but he'd given her that peculiar gaze to which she couldn't utter a word.
"I'll see you soon!" Sharla said, tightly clinging to Gengo, and accepted her fate.
Bryce just nodded, waiting for a perfect moment to start moving.
Her fluffy friend gawked ahead. His role was different.
He had to bring out Sharla and himself safely out of the dangerous zone, and his best friend told him that going forward at those trolls was the best idea. But seeing all those dark orcs and animal monsters turning into meaty paste beneath furious trolls, Gengo knew one move would kill him and his friend.
But just like Sharla had accepted her fate, so did Gengo. He was a hero's companion, and a hero had the last word.
Moreover, Gengo believed in Bryce and himself, too!
So without any unnecessary thoughts, Gengo gathered his courage, sharpened his instincts, and moved forward, avoiding all enemies with his keen senses. He pounced around, took clever detours, and even increased his speed when he felt danger stretching toward him!
At last, no enemy stood before him. It was just a forest spreading before him, with no soul in the vicinity.
Gengo barked. I did it, he thought.
But knowing that all danger and nerve-wracking stuff was left behind, Gengo lowered his head and faintly cried. Bryce was amidst the chaos, all alone, which frightened Gengo. The poor dog thought about his weakness and whether he really wanted to be someone like support.
"Good boy," Sharla whispered, tightly hugging her friend and combing his hair. "You have so much courage!"
Gengo wondered whether he had any courage since he took a supportive path, leaving all the burden on his friend. Little did he know that he had more of it than the villain he'd left behind.
Would it encourage and cheer him, though?