Chapter 274 : A Battle Maniac
Chapter 274: A Battle Maniac
There's a saying:
"You can know the depths of ten fathoms of water, but not the depth of a single fathom of a person's heart."
In other words, no matter how much you examined a person's outward appearance, you could never completely understand what was inside them.
Cyber-Module's Necromancer especially loved emphasizing that point through its scenes and characters.
The most representative example was the main heroine, Irie.
Despite her rough behavior, she was actually a soft-hearted girl on the inside.
Miyu, despite appearing timid and gloomy, occasionally charged ahead recklessly.
Silence, Ciel, Evangeline...
Even Araya, whose name had barely even appeared in the Original Story.
Almost none of them had personalities that perfectly matched their outward appearances.
Perhaps that was simply the author's philosophy when creating characters.
Or perhaps the author wanted to portray how everyone living in this cyberpunk city wore a mask.
Of course, it was also possible they hadn't put that much thought into it.
Still, judging by the way the Quiz Contest questions had been written, it was obvious the characters had been carefully crafted.
There was no reason Guardian would be any exception.
On the surface, he might have appeared to be a kind-hearted monk who had been expelled because of his unwavering sense of justice.
But no one truly knew what lay beneath that surface.
I'd believed Guardian had joined the protagonist's party because he'd been inspired by the protagonist's actions and ideals.
He'd made countless remarks throughout the story that certainly implied as much.
And no matter how I looked at it, I'd assumed he'd been expelled because his excessive sense of justice...
Or rather, because he couldn't sever his lingering attachment to the secular world...
Had driven him to violate his order's teachings.
But...
Thinking about it carefully...
There had always been several things that didn't quite add up.
'Why hadn't Guardian severed his own ties with the Mafia?'
Guardian needed power to avenge his fellow monks.
So he injected himself with the illegal custom-firmware nanomachines distributed by the Black Dragon Gang, becoming an Adaptee.
As a result, he had effectively become little more than a slave of the Black Dragon Gang.
Eventually, under the orders of the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang, he had no choice but to enroll in the Academy.
Right.
"No choice."
'But... did he really?'
Why had he taken revenge against the gangsters who harmed his fellow monks...
Yet never rebelled against the Black Dragon Gang, who continued harming not only him but countless innocent civilians as well?
A man supposedly driven by such overwhelming justice hadn't cared in the slightest about being expelled from his religious order.
So why had he accepted the Black Dragon Gang's commands under the excuse that he "had no choice?"
His behavior in this world was equally strange.
Because I'd been preoccupied dealing with Kallia, the other Mafia organizations, and the Dragon...
And because he'd rescued Evangeline without asking for anything in return...
I hadn't examined the matter very deeply.
I'd simply accepted him at face value as a genuinely good person.
But...
Was that really true?
The only difference between Guardian in the Original Story and Guardian in this world was whether or not he'd been afflicted with the Curse of the Dragonkin.
Yet that difference alone had driven him to flee from the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang and even formulate plans to oppose him.
Why?
Because he lacked the strength to oppose the Black Dragon Gang in the Original Story...
But after obtaining the Dragon's power, he'd gained enough confidence to fight back?
As though he'd simply acquired a stronger weapon?
Fine.
Let's assume that's true.
But...
Was that really the behavior of someone devoted to justice?
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed far more like the actions of someone calculating, patiently waiting for the right opportunity.
'It was all a mask.'
A monk enduring hardship in pursuit of justice?
No.
Rather than lofty ideals like that...
He desired something far more primal.
Far more instinctive.
“You want to become stronger. Don't you?”
Guardian wanted strength.
He wanted to fight stronger opponents.
The reason he'd accepted the Mafia's illegal custom-firmware nanomachines hadn't been to uphold justice.
It had been to make himself stronger.
The reason he'd obeyed the Gang Leader of the Black Dragon Gang's order to enroll in the Academy in the Original Story...
Was because it would allow him to grow stronger.
And fight stronger opponents.
The reason he'd joined the protagonist's party hadn't been because he'd been inspired by the protagonist's ideals.
It was because he saw it as an opportunity to become stronger and face even greater enemies.
The reason he hadn't done the same in this world...
Was because he'd judged the Black Dragon Gang to be the perfect opponent against whom he could test the power he'd obtained through his contract with the Dragon.
And now...
“The reason you're refusing treatment is because you don't want to lose the power the Dragon gave you. Even if it means dying, you can't stand the thought of becoming just another ordinary Adaptee. Isn't that right?”
“......”
Guardian didn't answer.
Instead, the smile he'd been desperately trying to suppress finally appeared across his face.
That alone was answer enough.
“......Interesting.”
There really was a reason I'd become so obsessed with Cyber-Module's Necromancer.
Nearly every character, whether good or evil, was a liar in one way or another.
That was what made them so fascinating to watch.
But setting that aside...
I found myself hesitating slightly.
Should I really continue treating Guardian as one of our party members?
Now that I'd seen his true nature as a battle maniac...
Was it truly the right decision to keep him by the others' side?
Could accepting him as an ally someday place my kids in unexpected danger?
The conflict only lasted a moment.
My conclusion came quickly.
'Even better.'
Characters driven entirely by justice were actually much harder to deal with.
Sometimes circumstances forced impossible choices upon you...
Yet they'd still choose incomprehensible paths simply because of their sense of justice.
But if someone was a battle maniac instead...
As long as I gave him opportunities to become stronger...
As long as I let him fight stronger enemies...
He'd do anything I asked.
There were plenty of things I could never expect from soft-hearted(?) kids like Irie or Silence.
Guardian was different.
So even after uncovering what lay beneath Guardian's mask...
Nothing I needed to do had changed.
I still intended to cure the illness caused by Dragon Magic.
And raise him into the party's dependable bruiser.
“Receive the treatment, Guardian.”
Keeping both hands in my pockets, I spoke.
“What the Dragon gave you was nothing but a curse. It only intended to sacrifice you. If you truly want to become stronger, receive treatment under me and obtain real power.”
“......”
“For your information, the Dragon Magic placed upon you has probably already been broken. After the Dragon lost to me, it ended up as nothing more than an experimental lab rat inside a prison. The only thing remaining in your heart now is the aftereffect of its magic. And with those outdated modules you're wearing, you're currently weaker than the average Academy student.”
“......”
Guardian's eyebrows twitched.
For a moment, I wondered whether I'd chosen the wrong words.
Apparently not.
I'd hit the mark perfectly.
“So receive proper treatment.
Grow stronger under me.
I guarantee it.
You'll become incomparably stronger than you are now.”
“......”
Guardian quietly remained silent after hearing my words.
But only for a moment.
“Kuh...!”
“......?”
“Kuhahahahahaha!”
The stiffness vanished from Guardian's face as hearty laughter erupted from him.
His booming laughter echoed throughout the training facility before he wiped the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
“......You've surprised me several times within such a short period.”
“Did I say something strange?”
“You may have.
Or perhaps not.
Depending on one's perspective, it was certainly an extraordinary thing to hear.
After all...
Until now, the only person who ever saw through my true nature was our Head Monk.
Then suddenly, a conglomerate heir I've barely met starts saying things like that.
How could I not find it amusing?”
“I was being completely serious.”
“I know.
This humble monk simply chose the wrong word.
Rather than amusing...
I should have said astonishing.
Your insight is truly remarkable.
It seems you didn't inherit the position of Chairman of the Stingray Foundation through bloodline alone.”
“Kuhahahaha!”
Guardian burst into laughter once more.
“Regardless, I've heard everything you had to say.”
“So?
Your answer?”
“You already know it, don't you?
Very well!”
Guardian clenched his fist tightly.
“I shall follow you.
For all this time, I have been miserable because I could find no way to fill the emptiness within my heart.
Only now has that emptiness finally begun to fade.
I find the path you've shown me exceedingly pleasing.
However...
Before that...”
After trailing off, Guardian suddenly assumed a fighting stance toward me.
Every artificial muscle and neural circuit within his body visibly heated up, as though prepared to charge at me at any moment.
“Please grant me... one proper lesson.”
“......Very well.”
Tsk.
It couldn't be helped.
I nodded.
My posture, however, remained unchanged.
Both hands stayed tucked inside my coat pockets.
Guardian frowned in apparent dissatisfaction.
“This humble monk distinctly said... 'a proper lesson.'”
“Know your place.”
I answered coldly.
“Did I indulge you so much that you've mistaken me for someone easy?”
“As if... that were possible!”
At that instant, Guardian exploded from his position.
His tightly compressed artificial muscles unleashed their stored energy all at once as he surged toward me.
He was fast.
Remarkably fast considering he was using outdated modules.
It seemed the Black Dragon Gang had provided him with equipment that was far better than I'd expected.
But...
That was all.
He was simply faster than expected.
No matter how fast he was...
He couldn't compare to me.
Speed.
Strength.
Dynamic Vision.
Durability.
Judgment.
Adaptability.
Reflexes.
Objectively, others might judge differently.
But from my perspective...
He was laughably weak.
“Your head is too high.”
I casually muttered a single sentence.
At that very instant—
KWWAAAAAAANG—!!
Guardian, who had been charging directly toward me, suddenly changed direction at a perfect right angle before being slammed violently into the ground.
The floor had been constructed from special materials capable of withstanding the strength of Adaptees.
Yet the instant Guardian struck it...
A crater nearly one meter deep was blasted into the surface.
“GUHAAAAAAAH!”
Even while coughing up a cry of agony, Guardian didn't lose consciousness.
The moment he escaped the crater, he immediately analyzed the situation.
“Thr...! Threads...! When did they...?!”
He instantly realized that nearly invisible threads from the Cloud Spider were wrapped around his body.
He desperately tried to tear them away.
It was useless.
The next instant...
I manipulated the threads and launched his body through the air.
KWWAAAAANG—!!
Like the tip of a cracking whip, Guardian's body shot away at terrifying speed before smashing into the wall.
Even throughout all of this...
I never removed my hands from my coat pockets.
After the Cloud Spider reached Lv.6, I'd realized I could generate and manipulate threads without needing to wear the gloves.
The threads I'd already controlled with complete freedom had become even less restricted by terrain.
My own movements had become vastly less constrained as well.
“GUHAAAK?!”
BANG!
KWWAAAANG!
KWWAAAANG!
Like someone wildly cracking a whip, I hurled Guardian's body around without restraint.
Each impact shattered sections of the walls and floor.
His body itself was completely wrecked.
I'd deliberately held back.
Had it been an ordinary human, they would've died from the very first strike.
By roughly the fourth collision, his limbs had already bent into grotesque directions.
Some had even been torn away.
Blood poured freely from his shattered skull.
His bones, made of special alloy, had broken completely, piercing his blood vessels from within.
At that point...
Even for him...
Any further would likely become life-threatening.
So I stopped.
Even so—
“Kuhahahaha! Kuhahahaha!”
He struggled desperately to stand.
Several of his internal organs had undoubtedly been damaged already.
His condition was critical.
Yet...
His face was overflowing with joy.
“So strong...!
You're so strong...!”
Remarkably, his lungs and jaw had somehow remained intact.
His pronunciation was perfectly clear.
Still lying on the ground, he stared at me with eyes overflowing with ecstasy before desperately asking,
“M-May I... call you... Master?!”
Contrary to his words...
Guardian's bloodshot eyes looked as though they wanted to kill me that very instant.
That was simply his own twisted way of expressing respect after discarding his mask.
Knowing that...
I answered.
“As you wish.”
“Ooh...!”
Muttering an exclamation completely unsuited to his appearance, Guardian wore the delighted expression of a child receiving a birthday present before collapsing unconscious onto the floor.
Thus ended what was called a "practice spar"...
But was more accurately described as a "one-sided beating."
To anyone else, it would probably have looked excessive.
But since Guardian himself was one hundred percent satisfied...
There wasn't really a problem.
And so...
I parted ways with the kind and righteous monk from the Original Story...
And gained a battle-crazed disciple.