Chapter 33
Shouldn’t the system at least tell me how to survive?
It’s not like they’ll hand it to me on a silver platter, but at the very least, there should be a hint about how to escape, right?
I can’t just tackle him with a barehanded body slam against those twin swords…
The urgency of the situation started to sharpen my mind.
No. No matter what, I can’t die here.
I had spent two days running around until my feet were covered in blisters, finally making a deal, only to get an ending where I die in vain? I couldn’t accept that.
Plus, I had a gut feeling that if I died here, I wouldn’t be able to return to reality.
The word “Hard Mode” flickering in the upper right corner of my vision only strengthened that feeling.
But… isn’t this a bit too unfair?
If I’m going to run into a lunatic like this while trying to complete a quest, I might as well be doomed to die!
[SYSTEM] Warning! The difficulty of the quest is significantly higher than your current stats!
…Huh?
At that moment, I blinked at the sudden system message and stared at the translucent window in surprise.
[SYSTEM] Difficulty adjustment in progress
…3
…2
…1
[SYSTEM] One of your stats will increase by 50 for the next hour.
???
???
???
Wait, what? No explanation?
I was taken aback, but this was definitely better than nothing.
I quickly debated with myself, and with shaking hands, I pressed option 1.
Please…
Honestly, getting some persuasion would be the best case, but truthfully, given my terrible luck, I had only one thing I desperately wished for.
Not gullibility…
I prayed again and again, and after not too long, the system finally sent a message.
[SYSTEM] Persuasion has increased by 50 for the next hour.
Time limit 60:00
Huh? Is this real? This is actually happening?
I was stunned, but I didn’t have the time to be in shock. I immediately checked Randolph’s status.
Name: Randolph
Age: 26
Occupation: Assassin Guild Master
Title: Shapeshifter
Status: Method (49%)
As I quickly scanned the info, something seemed off.
Method status?
Was it referring to method acting or something? It was exactly the type of obsession I expected.
I double-checked and saw that his status had already changed.
Status: Method (46%)
Ah, he just transformed, but it looks like he hasn’t completely snapped out of his obsession yet?
Looking at the rate at which it was decreasing in real-time, it seemed my guess was right.
“Now that the introduction is over, I guess it’s time for you to die.”
Seemingly running out of patience, Randolph pointed his deadly twin swords at me again.
“Wait a second!”
I quickly raised my hand to stop him.
Luckily, it seemed that enough of the old James’ personality remained, as Randolph hesitated at my words.
“I can’t die right now, you know…?”
“Everyone I kill says the same thing.”
“Same thing?”
“Wait a second, it’s always, ‘I can’t die like this,’ right?”
From the deadly glare in his eyes, it didn’t seem like he was going to show mercy to anyone who said such things.
Yeah. So he’s the Assassin Guild Master. What was I expecting, really?
But just as I was about to resign myself, I was thrown off again.
“You said it’s a shame to kill me, right? Is this some kind of hope torture?”
“Hope torture? I didn’t intend for it to come across that way. If you feel that way, I apologize.”
“Then why did you say it was a shame and all…”
“That was sincere, but one must separate business from personal matters. However, you are a person who helps clean up the trash that disrupts the empire’s order. So, when I have time, I’ll stop by the temple and pray for you.”
What a crazy person. I don’t need that.
Even if I did go to the temple, I don’t think a handsome assassin like him would be welcomed there. Wait. Is he planning to disguise himself as a paladin again since he’s so immersed in this?
“Hey, can’t you just spare my life?”
Lost in my thoughts, I realized that the negotiation time with this guy wasn’t going to last long, so I quickly asked in my most pitiful tone.
However,
“That’s difficult.”
Randolph rejected my plea with a logical tone, completely different from the tears he showed earlier.
Seeing his cold demeanor, I knew my desperate attempts wouldn’t work.
The way forward is persuasion.
My persuasion stat was now 56.
It wasn’t extremely high, but it wasn’t terribly low either.
And Randolph…
Status: Method (39%)
He still hadn’t completely shaken off his obsession.
So it was worth trying again.
“Hey, do you remember what I said…?”
“…?”
“I, uh, said the trash I was cleaning up was the evil trash that disrupts the empire’s order.”
His face subtly shifted.
I hadn’t really expected it to work, but it seemed to be getting through.
This guy… does he only respond at strange points?
Well, it was working, so I pressed on, determined to seal the deal before he could change his mind.
“You feel the same, don’t you?”
“Me?”
“You became an assassin to clean up the filth in this world, right? You chose the job of a cleaner because that’s part of your nature.”
In fact, it was probably because James had taken a sick leave, but the truth didn’t matter.
This was just gaslighting.
“Same here. The reason I came into this ballroom and started picking up trash… was because I wanted to help cleanse the world, even if only a little. But I can’t die yet, because I haven’t completed my mission in this world.”
“Mission?”
“My mission to clean up this rotten world…”
I gazed at the shapeshifter with a solemn expression.
“That’s why I can’t die yet.”
Honestly, even as I said it, I thought, What the hell am I even saying?
At this point, I might as well have said, Is the nonsense over yet? and stabbed him right there.
I could tell that I wasn’t convincing myself at all, but I slowly closed my eyes.
Then…
[SYSTEM] ‘Shapeshifter Randolph’ has been moved by your words! Persuasion +5
…Unbelievably.
Incredibly… it seemed like my persuasion had actually worked.
“Yeah…”
Thud.
The twin swords lowered as Randolph took a step back, his face now showing uncertainty.
“I see. I certainly started this to cleanse this rotten world.”
As the delusional shapeshifter muttered confusedly, I opened my eyes wide.
I had thought I might have succeeded based on the system message, but was this really happening?
Is this… the power of the persuasion buff?
Even though I was spouting nonsense, it seemed like persuasion was working…
I knew it was important during gameplay, but now I could truly feel it in the moment.
Persuasion was such a ridiculously overpowered stat.
“To punish the greedy pigs…”
Wait a second.
As I half-listened to Randolph’s muttering, something seemed off, and I opened my eyes wide.
His lines sounded eerily familiar.
Wait, isn’t this the same line he says when we meet under the full moon, at the fountain in the plaza?
I had memorized the lines perfectly from retrying this scenario so many times.
So, the next line should be…
“I took up the sword to bring them hell.”
“I took up the sword to bring them hell.”
Hah! It’s exactly the same, isn’t it?
As I mentioned before, this line was inevitable when trying to romance this pervert.
And among the community, this line marked the beginning of the romance route with Randolph… which of course, left me completely bewildered.
Wait, suddenly? Wasn’t he going to kill me?
Is this guy really this crazy?
Or did my gaslighting go so deep that it worked too well?
No, when I think about all the possibilities, it’s still strange that such an out-of-the-blue situation is happening so suddenly.
I was much more confused than Randolph, who was muttering in front of me.
Things kept happening that didn’t match what I knew from Arc, making me wonder whether I could still trust the knowledge I had.
“Yeah.”
Maybe I hadn’t spoken up during the usual lines because I was too busy processing my thoughts.
Randolph suddenly spoke.
“Then, as I thought, it’s my mission to clean up this place filled with greedy pigs.”
???
This line wasn’t in the script!
