NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 84
84th Chapter: “You, Become Mine.”
Director Gamur… The real name of the man who took his body is Chandler.
He was once the son of the leader of the infamous syndicate, Helheim, known throughout the continent.
Until just 30 years ago, they boasted an overwhelming size that was dubbed the worst in the continent.
During the chaotic battles with the demon world at that time, they betrayed their own kind and sided with the demons.
They said it was obvious that humans would lose.
They claimed it was simply to join the side with the higher chances of winning, as they would eventually become a colony of demons, but in reality, it was the result of their desire to abandon the human path and pursue murder.
Their existence lived up to the title of the worst, being a bane itself.
They were powerful enough to guard the bridges leading to the demon frontline.
No matter how many times they were eradicated, they would resurrect like cockroaches and murder again, much like undead monsters disguised as humans.
The number of humans they killed was comparable to even that of the demon army.
Just hearing the name of Helheim, which was more demonic than the demons themselves, made people shudder.
Of course, that was the story of the older generation from 30 years ago.
At present, the fallen Helheim is merely a group that exists in textbooks.
There were heroes who defeated those relentless demons.
Gerard Chain Silver, Taili Lurdesiel, Luna Delrawer, Ayan Dreyfus, Gritona Viole.
And the previous Saint Maria Shaikar.
No matter how well Helheim survived, it couldn’t stand against the powers of those heroes.
It was fated once they caught the attention of those who were said to have even defeated the Demon King.
But Chandler did not give up on Helheim.
He was brainwashed by his parents that the Demon King was the true master of the world.
It was necessary to create an environment conducive for the demons to thrive, just like 30 years ago.
To do that, anything that could symbolize humanity had to be eliminated.
For example, the Saint.
Coincidentally, the organization called Doomsday offered their assistance.
Chandler, unable to let such a good opportunity slip away, gathered the scattered remnants of Helheim to form a band of thieves.
The time had come to execute that plan.
And now, once he receives the key potion that is crucial to the plan, everything will be smooth sailing.
“But something feels off?”
Currently, he is facing a member of Doomsday with whom he had set up an appointment.
However, Chandler felt an odd sensation from him.
The figure cloaked in a black mantle, with their face hidden by a hood, was indeed a member of Doomsday, but their aura felt different from when he met them before.
Moreover, the voice belonged to a woman, not a man.
“But you, are you really the alchemist from Doomsday?”
It’s always best to double-check.
The unshakeable sense of discomfort prompted Chandler to ask in a suspicious tone.
Then the woman spoke with a displeased voice.
“Is there a problem? Chandler.”
“…!”
She looked a bit flustered and made him wonder if she was a fake, but with just one phrase, he realized she wasn’t.
Only the people of Doomsday could identify his disguise.
“No, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Anyway, about the potion…”
“Here.”
Without further ado, she produced a vial.
It seemed to be the potion he requested, but there were signs that the label had been torn off.
It looked pretty similar to a glass bottle that contained fruit juice. Moreover, it emitted the rich aroma of fresh fruit.
“Is this really the potion I asked for?”
“Are you implying you don’t trust me? I’m just trying to help, and you’re making me feel bad.”
“Oh, no! I have no intention of rejecting it, so please don’t get me wrong.”
“Just to clear any misconceptions, this has been modified for taste to make it easier to consume. If it tasted bitter for no reason, it would raise suspicions.”
“Ah, I see!”
That was reasonable enough. Chandler nodded and put the vial into his pocket.
“Oh, and this too.”
“What’s this…?”
“Feed it to the criminals. It’s a stamina recovery potion that reduces exhaustion and hunger as much as possible. They’re probably not eating three meals properly due to the clergy watching over them.”
“I see. Thank you very much!”
“Now, there’s nothing more to give. But I’ll check in soon to see how things are going, so handle it properly.”
“I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life.”
Chandler bowed deeply, received the two potions, and hastily vanished.
As the woman watched him disappear completely…
“Hey.”
『…』
“Come out.”
『…』
“Come out, you snake bastard.”
Suddenly, her voice changed to that of a man, and it was a rough one at that.
『How’s that? Isn’t my acting killer?』
“Yeah, it was infuriating acting, you bastard.”
『Ke… kek!』
As soon as the white snake emerged from the shadows, I grabbed its neck and twisted it like a rag.
It felt much more satisfying to make it into a twisted doughnut than to roast it.
*
I emerged from the forest after a scuffle with Muto.
They promised to modify my voice, but I was a fool to trust that snake.
『But there’s no disappointment, right? It turned out well in the end.』
“If it hadn’t gone well, who would you blame?”
『Um…』
I was already irritated by the fact that I was mistaken for a woman, and this jerk was only adding to my annoyance.
I wanted to twist it some more, then deep-fry it with flour and oil, and sell it in the market as “Snake Fried Doughnut”.
『By the way, I’m looking forward to how things will go from here. If it turns out that the stamina recovery potion you gave them was actually a monster transformation accelerator, their faces will be priceless then.』
It goes without saying, but of course, I switched the potions.
The monster potion that was supposed to be fed to the worshipers would be given to the criminals, and the real fruit juice meant for the criminals was what I was keeping for myself for snack time, and I had been busy tearing off labels in a hurry.
“My plan is for the criminals to transform into Lycanthropes, while the worshipers just get to eat bread dipped in fruit juice.”
『Chandler’s face, as he realizes just how tricked he was, is going to be really entertaining. Haha.』
Though it was minimal, I still managed to earn some credits from it.
Thanks to our earlier conversation, the erosion rate decreased by about 20%.
‘That aside, he was indeed no ordinary guy.’
~~~~~~~~
[Chandler]
Race: Human
Class: Swordsman
Aura Class: 5-star
Mana: 90/90
Alignment: Self-centered/Obsessive about the Past
Emotional Affinity toward Users: Friendly (medium)
~~~~~~~~
While handing over the potions, I checked Chandler with “Mana-eye.”
From the way he was being so polite, he seemed like just a lowly foot soldier, but in reality, he was quite impressive.
First of all, he must have shared a bond with Director Gamur before his transformation, so skill-wise, he’s not to be underestimated.
He wasn’t just the son of the leader of Helheim, who had terrified the continent.
And the other criminals were equally formidable.
Even if they had soured after 30 years, they were known to be cruel due to their former affiliation with that organization.
Thus, this mission is quite hard within the A-rank category.
‘But from now on, it’s going to be easy mode.’
In just a few days, the criminals will transform into Lycanthropes instead of the clergy.
And no matter how skilled they are, since they will end up as mere low-level Lycanthropes, all their stats will regress.
Moreover, they will lose their reasoning and run rampant, making them easy to subdue.
Actually, the term “hunting” would be more appropriate.
『I’m glad you’re here. If not for you, that knight commander’s plans would have resulted in total annihilation of the paladins.』
“Someone else could have handled it…”
In the main story, Trisha and Lyman, instead of me, would partake in the mission.
In that version, no matter how hard the mission was, Lyman would effortlessly carry everyone through it.
Even without swapping potions like I did, it wouldn’t have been a problem for him.
In that scenario, all the worshipers would transform into Lycanthropes.
The main characters, who were completely oblivious to what was happening, would swallow it whole, but Lyman would perceive the strange components.
The potion would have no effect on Lyman, who is not human.
However, fearing for the others’ transformation, he would secretly neutralize the potion while they slept.
The moment Chandler would catch a glimpse of that scene, he would discern his identity, and simultaneously, the worshipers would undergo the transformation.
That would probably occur at dawn on the second day.
On that second day, as their bread supply ran dry, the moment they’d have to hunt for food directly would trigger that incident.
‘Nonetheless, the worshipers who transformed into Lycanthropes would surely return to their original forms, resulting in a happy ending.’
As I rejoined the group after leaving the forest, Jenny anxiously asked,
“Radon! Why did you take so long?”
“I just saw something big.”
[Erosion Rate Decrease: -5]
[+500 Credits]
“Was your butt freezing? Must have been frozen solid.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Frozen solid? Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine.
*
Another day has passed, and it’s now Day 2.
We seemed to be slowly exiting the snow-covered region, but the cold only intensified.
Now even Jenny, who had been resistant to the cold, started trembling… so you can imagine our state.
Instead of the initial four nights and five days of frigid weather being just coffee, this was the top tier.
‘Now that I think about coffee, I really want some.’
I munched on the frozen chocolate while walking, and the others were also wearing things to beat the cold.
Although I could taste the sweetness, it didn’t particularly improve our conditions.
It was so cold that, come bedtime, our sleeping bags were insufficient.
Eventually, the clergy set up tents, and we too pulled out the tent we had brought along. They provided us with bread and fruit juice.
“This is our last of the food supply.”
“It’s alright, Senior. From the next day on, we can hunt. We’ll soon be entering the area where the snow bears inhabit.”
“Jenny, don’t you think we’re going to get eaten by them?”
“Stop being negative! Do you really think we would be scared of a mere daytime bear?”
“What about ghosts?”
“Um…”
Jenny and Trisha became lively with their jokes inside the tent.
In my hand were the bread and the bottle of juice given by the clergy. Just in case, I checked the composition with Mana-eye.
‘Nothing seems off.’
The aroma of grape juice from the bread indicated that they probably put it right. I wondered if Chandler had made a mistake, but there was nothing to worry about.
“Did you finish it all?”
Luska came into the tent to ask.
“It’s time for the night watch. Who’s taking first watch today?”
“Me.”
I raised my hand since I was the one on first watch.
I had finally taken off the thick clothing I had been wearing, but had to put it back on again.
It was nearing 11 PM.
The group was all asleep while I remained on duty for an hour and a half.
With five of us, each would take a 90-minute shift, and it would last until 6:30 AM.
‘Now that I think about it, Lyman was also on first watch. He neutralized the effects of the potion that dwelled within the bodies of the group.’
Feeling bored standing outside the tent, I decided to check on the conditions of the criminals and the clergy.
In the main story, the clergy would have been slowly suffering, but thankfully they were looking fine.
On the other hand, the criminals seemed to have messed something up, displaying painful expressions in their sleep.
As I suspected, Chandler had indeed fed them well. Their skin was starting to sprout hair.
‘The time is almost here.’
By now, Chandler would likely be inspecting the state of the criminals with a confused expression.
Why were the clergy perfectly fine while the criminals were struggling would certainly have caused him some confusion.
As I laughed silently at him,
Crash!-
“Ugh!”
Someone pounced on me and knocked me down.
My heart dropped as this mysterious being, reminiscent of a beast, grabbed my shoulder and forced me to the ground.
An external attack? However, there were no events where thieves or monsters burst in here.
“Huff… huff…”
I could hear the panting breath of a feral beast.
That person sat on my upper waist, pinning my lower body down.
It was incredible strength, making it tough to shake off, and I was horrified at the sight of their face.
“Juster Margil?”
“Huff… grr…!”
Upon recognizing that face, I gasped.
With a youthful face marred by numerous wrinkles, it was unmistakably Juster.
The moment he found his prey, his eyes were lit with ecstasy, and that was exactly the expression he wore now.
More than that… how did he get all the way here when he should have been behind bars?
No matter how insane he is, unless his handcuffs were broken, he shouldn’t be able to escape.
‘He doesn’t have handcuffs!’
What was even more shocking was that his hands had morphed into wolf-like claws.
His wrists bulged, seemingly breaking the handcuffs. Did he bend the prison bars and come for me…?
‘But why me of all people?’
The answer clicked with just a little thought.
“Ma’am… just this once… just once…”
“….”
“Become mine!!”
What the hell.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer.