Chapter 40

The goat-headed man was in a panic. He couldn't see the ogre. Around him were the old man fighting the orcs and the children who had fled to the corner of the warehouse, trembling. He strained to hear for the sound of the ogre's footsteps, but the noise of the orcs' battle was too loud.

Looking around, he saw that two orcs had already been felled. For some reason, the orcs that had been taken by the enemy were damaged but still very much alive. The remaining one wouldn't last much longer either.

He was anxious to defeat the ogre as soon as possible, and sweat trickled down his forehead. His body trembled slightly with fear.

He had no idea how things had come to this. It was supposed to be a routine job. He would enter the dungeon, defeat the monsters, and move to the mithril eater. Then, he would defeat the mithril eater, which was suffering from poison, by using the children as bait. It was supposed to be an easy job.

But now, his subordinates were all dead, and he himself was in mortal danger, cornered by just two mages. Mages of unknown origin. One of them was the ogre.

But he had been secretly afraid of the ogre. The old man used spells he had never heard of and was terrifying, but the ogre was even more terrifying.

The ogre didn't flinch even when stabbed with a rapier. Even a scratch should have slowed a human down with pain, but the ogre remained unshaken even after being cut and having its shoulder gouged.

It was like a machine. It didn't seem to feel pain. The goat-headed man's heart was overwhelmed by fear more than the pain, as the ogre acted calmly and without hesitation.

His own breathing sounded unusually loud. When he heard a rustling sound and turned around, he immediately cast a wind spell.

"Is it there! Is it there? Is it there!"

He continued to cast wind blades in the direction of the sound. Paper scraps floating in the wind were cut, and a bucket rolling by was shattered. But there was no sense of hitting anything.

He couldn't see the ogre at all. Fear gradually took over him. His vision turned red, and he no longer cared about the consequences.

"I've made it to Number 4! I won't die here, I won't die here!"

He cast spells recklessly without considering the consumption of mana. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to fight the old man who remained.

But the goat-headed man, in his fear and confusion, didn't care. His mind was filled with the desire to kill the ogre. He wasn't thinking about anything else.

"Vital Strike"

By the time he heard the ogre's words, his vision became unnatural. For some reason, his vision fell to the ground, and with a thud, pain shot through him.

"Suffer in hell's loan hell."

With those harsh words, which didn't match the ogre's cute voice, the goat-headed man's head was severed, and he died.

"Minor Healing III"

"Minor Healing III"

Miharu healed her battered body. She had taken quite a bit of damage. Her HP had dropped to 30%, so it was a close call.

A soft white light enveloped me and began to heal me. The holes and cuts in the "Thief's Evasion Suit" also closed.

"Oh, it's fixed."

Even the equipment was repaired. I was surprised and poked the clothes, but they were like new. I had never seen this phenomenon before. When I used healing magic on others, their clothes were never repaired. The same applied to "Magic Armor."

"......In the game, equipment didn't have durability......"

I see, maybe game equipment is affected by healing magic. It makes sense; it's strange to take damage while wearing iron armor that doesn't break. When it becomes reality, it takes this form.

"But this is really noticeable......Is it beyond the scope of a healer?"

Miharu, the cute healer, has become Miharu, the fixer of everything. I might need to keep this a secret. The game mechanics make everything secret, which is scary.

Hmm, as I tilted my head in confusion, I heard a clatter, and the last orc fell, sparking. Guri and Flexi were gnawing on the orc, which was smoking. You can't eat that, wolves.

"Hmm......Mechanical puppets aren't very smart. They don't pose much of a threat without their controller behind them."

Odin, adjusting his wide-brimmed hat, approached me with a bored look. The controlled orcs were battered but not broken. Odin and the wolves were unharmed, so they must have handled the situation well.

While thinking about the differences from the game, or rather, the changes in the game mechanics to fit reality, I turned to Odin.

With a bang, one of the intact orcs was blown away, rolling and scattering parts on the floor.

Who did that, and why are you breaking my toy? Looking at the entrance with a sigh, I saw people coming in one after another.

"Hey, the goat-headed guy is dead."

"Ha, that's funny."

"Well, he was the weakest among us."

Men in clunky "Magic Armor" entered the warehouse calmly, followed by about twenty mages in second-hand "Magic Armor."

"Hmph, just two of you. You must be good."

"Good, you've killed them all. It'll be a satisfying fight."

"Hmph, I hope you're not just cannon fodder."

I sighed. The boss-like figures appeared. I slumped my shoulders, and the men laughed.

"Seems like you're surprised. This dungeon is our lifeline. We're all supposed to gather if there's an attack."

"Attacking means you have confidence, right?"

"Just two of you, how boring."

The three of them explained to us. Do you always practice those lines? I always wonder about that when I see characters in novels or anime.

With a disappointed look, the leader-like man folded his arms and looked down at me.

"Seems like it was unexpected."

"Maybe you'll be spared if you beg for your life."

"Strong ones should resist until the end."

I decided to "Investigate."

Lion Head Level 28

Dragon Head Level 30

Snake Head Level 18

I see, they're "Chimera." The snake head is stronger than the goat head.

"Are you the remaining bosses of 'Chimera'?"

"Yes. We are 'Chimera,' the top of the strongest group."

"Want to lick my boots?"

"Show us your power."

The bosses are impressive. Especially you, Snake Head, you're the weakest, right? Well, it doesn't matter. I don't need to look for 'Chimera' anymore.

"I'll give up then."

I shook my head and decided to give up.

"Hmph, to give up so quickly is pitiful."

They seem to have misunderstood, so I'll explain.

"No, I mean I'll give up on exploring the dungeon today."

It's impossible to conserve MP like this. I'm disappointed.

"What?"

"Have you gone crazy?"

"Put your life on the line."

Ignoring the puzzled bosses, I gave Odin a thumbs-down. He chuckled and spread his arms.

"Let's confirm the pinnacle of great magic."

"Triple Magic"

Odin's hands glowed brightly with mana. The unique skill of a Great Mage, "Triple Magic," allows three consecutive spells in one turn. Odin cast three level IV mage spells in succession.

And I leveled up to 19.

Great, I leveled up, Miharu.

Watching the bosses turn to ash and fly away in the wind, I tilted my head in confusion. I had a question.

"What's wrong?"

Odin, who was examining the orc remains, noticed me tilting my head cutely and asked.

"Ah, that's strange."

"What do you mean by strange?"

Odin's single eye gleamed with curiosity. He was always curious.

"Well, I just killed nearly fifty people, but I don't feel any guilt at all."

That's strange, isn't it?

"You must be evil."

"No, even if you're evil, you should feel some guilt after killing so many."

In my past life, I was an ordinary middle-aged man. In this life, I'm a good girl, Miharu. Killing humans, not just monsters, and feeling no emotional turmoil is strange. Looking at the rolling corpses, I realized this belatedly.

"Hmm... As a god, I don't understand, but how does it feel?"

"Well, it's... just a sense of satisfaction. That's it... That's it!"

Trying to explain my feelings, I suddenly realized something.

"What is it?"

"It's just the satisfaction of clearing an event! Yes, really!"

I understand this feeling now. The satisfaction of defeating evil and the sense of accomplishment. It's the same feeling as clearing an event in a game.

"Wow. I'm in a game mindset."

Shock. I'm not really shocked, which is shocking. Wow.

Miharu opened her mouth, shocked and stiff. Odin, holding an orc part, chuckled.

"Game. Hmm, the feeling of enjoying a game on a board. That's it, right?"

"Is it?"

"Yes. You are a god. You don't seem to realize it, but you are a god, like us. Gods don't care about killing humans."

"Wow. I can't deny it, which is frustrating."

Wow. Miharu stiffened. Indeed, this is a game-like body. I can't deny it. So, game players are gods. Game mechanics do seem like the work of a god.

In battle, I felt no fear, and even when injured, I didn't flinch or hesitate. And this event is similar to a common game event.

To think I'm getting a cheap sense of satisfaction from clearing an event and killing evil... I'm a dangerous person. I need to be careful...

"Ahh! I've done all the events! I've never chosen 'No'!"

I remembered helping Yami in the dark night. I remembered it.

In my past life, I was an ordinary middle-aged man. If I heard about a monster and thought I might be able to help a friend, would I go?

......I'm not that righteous. When I reincarnated as Miharu, I was only six years old. I wasn't dragged by Miharu's body.

So, what does this mean?

I realized I was being dragged by the feelings of a game player. I realized something dangerous.

This, it's like... If I know it's an event, I'll probably charge in without hesitation. The problem is that I don't realize it's an event. I'll probably realize it after it's over.

"I see, game mechanics."

There are many disadvantages to this body.

I need to get stronger quickly. I'm in trouble. The idea that the protagonist is a god, well, the player is in a god's perspective, so it's not a problem.