Chapter 8: The One Who Leads Others Astray

『The quest "Not a Bad Slime" has been forcefully accepted.』

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Ah- crap. I couldn't suppress the impulse to laugh. Shit, she probably thinks I'm crazy now.

Still, I couldn't help but laugh in delight. The outcome was better than I initially expected.

"Are you out of your mind!?" She shouted.

I ignored the girl's protests and took the knife to extract the next brain.

The girl shouted, "STOP IT!" and started kicking at me.

I glared at the girl, wiped the saliva from my mouth, and replied, "Did you forget what these people had just done to you?"

"But this, this- this is wrong."

"It's just- horrible."

I chuckled, "You're right. It is horrible. But you have to get your hands dirty to survive. Life is that cruel."

I saw the fear and confusion in her eyes and softened my tone. "Look, I understand this is difficult for you to comprehend. But trust me. I'm not a bad person. I'm just doing what I have to do to survive."

"You don't have to watch if you can't handle it," I said, gesturing for her to leave.

But the girl didn't move. Instead, she seemed to be deep in thought.

"I...I understand," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been through some horrible things too. Maybe... maybe I can help you."

"That won't be necessary," I replied curtly.

The girl shook her head. "I want to help. I don't want to just stand by and watch you do these things alone."

I contemplated for a moment.

'Oh. I can do that-'

"Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."

I dashed towards the cave exit, searching the bushes and tall grass for the bandits I had tied up earlier.

The ground was damp and cold underneath my feet, and I could see the shadows of the trees stretching out in front of me.

The sound of scurrying animals echoed through the night as my eyes desperately scanned the area for any signs of the bandits.

'Found you.'

I hauled the two bandits up by their bound wrists and dragged them back into the cave, their backs scraping along the dirt floor.

I picked up the sword they had dropped before.

"Umm, what is going on?"

"You said you wanted to help, right? Here."

I gave the sword to her, and she took it hesitantly.

"Take your time. I'll wait outside."

I went outside and leaned against the wall of the cave, closing my eyes and exhaling as I waited.

I fell asleep.

***

I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes.

The girl stood before me, blood dripping from her face and arms.

Her clothes were stained with a deep red hue, and her hair was matted in crimson.

Her skin was pale, and her eyes were wide with shock and exhaustion.

Her grip was tight on the sword in her hands, which was also dripping with blood.

There was a dark aura around her as she stood in front of me.

The girl gave me a radiant smile. "It's done."

『The quest 'The one who leads others astray (Hidden)' has been cleared.』

『The title "The Apostle of Depravity" has been received.』

『The class "Dark Apostle" has been received.』

『The class "Dark Apostle" has been equipped.』

『User ID#41258734 "Eura" is now a part of your household.』

『User ID#41258734's name has been updated.』

Myriad notifications appeared in the space before my eyes, like a shower of stars.

It lit up the air with a soft blue light and invisible characters that seemed to move like stars around me.

『The transformation of household member "Eura Nanashi" has begun.』

"Uggggggggggh!"

The girl's blood-stained body quivered as she dropped to her knees, and her eyes began to stream with tears.

Her face was twisted in agony as her grip around the sword tightened painfully.

She grimaced and groaned, her body writhing against the pain and a deep rumble emanating from her chest.

『The household member "Eura Nanashi" has died.』

The girl collapsed onto the ground. A white light enveloped her body, and she slowly began to dissolve.

A black fog began to gather. It writhed and spun like a black hole and began to form a shape. It began to take the form of a naked woman.

An opaque black fog crept in, writhing and spinning like a maelstrom of night. It coalesced and molded into a figure of a woman.

『The household member "Eura Nanashi" has been resurrected.』

It was the girl. But it was also something else. Her skin was stark white, an eerie contrast against her lengthy, black hair that hung in wild tresses around her hips like a cloak.

Her mouth was curved into an unearthly smile as if she knew something no one else did.

In her lower stomach was a tattoo. The glow from the tattoo revealed the outline of a heart at its epicenter, encircled by wings bursting forth on both sides like a phoenix about to take flight.

『The submission ceremony will now begin.』

The girl suddenly disappeared.

The only thing that remained was a slight shimmering in the air, like a mirage or an afterimage, before it, too, disappeared without a sound or trace.

"???"

She disappeared. What the hell is going on...

Fuck. What should I do now?

Right. The Dark Apostle class. Let's see what this is about.

『Dark Apostle』

『Class Rarity: Unique』

『One who leads others astray. The harbinger of depravity. A being that works under the Goddess of Chaos. They spread chaos and destruction, bringing forth death and fear wherever they roam.』

『Skills』

- 『Corruption Force』

Trait-Type

The corruption force covers your weapon to enhance its effects. Increases outgoing damage by 50% with a 4% chance of causing the effects such as Delusion, Agony, Despair, and Doom.

Delusion: Decreases accuracy and hit rate of enemies by 50% for 30 seconds.

Agony: Decreases evasion and movement speed of enemies by 25% for 30 seconds.

Despair: Decreases defense of enemies by 40% for 30 seconds.

Doom: Stuns the target for 5 seconds. Applies Anti-Healing Curse for 30 seconds.

- 『Presence of Impending Doom』

Locked (Unlocked at Dark Apostle Rank 3)

Trait-Type

You emit an aura that increases the stats of nearby Dark/Heretic/Fallen class users and decreases the stats of enemy units.

- 『Unshackled』

Locked (Unlocked at Dark Apostle Rank 5)

Action-Type

Release your desire for destruction. Increases outgoing damage by 50% and attack speed by 25% for 1 minute.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

- 『Depravity』

Locked (Unlocked at Dark Apostle Rank 7)

Action-Type

Causes a target to lose their sense of values and become filthy. Increases the outgoing damage of the target by 50% while decreasing their defense by 50%. The target loses his sense of control and will attack everything on sight for 5 minutes, effects last until the target regains control

Cooldown: 10 minutes

- 『Pandemonium』

Locked (Unlocked at Dark Apostle Rank 10)

Action-Type

Release an aura that increases all outgoing damage by 500% of Dark/Heretic/Fallen class users. Applies Sloth and Doom to an enemy unit and applies Dark Aura to a Dark/Heretic/Fallen class user who is within aura radius during the initial activation.

Sloth: Turns the user into a stone for ten seconds.

Dark Aura: Absorbs 100% of all incoming damage for one minute.

Aura Radius: 50 feet

Cooldown: 1 day

"There's no clue about what happened to that girl... shit. What have I done..."

I should enter the cave... maybe there's a clue inside.

My feet felt heavy as I stood at the entrance of the cave, almost as if they wanted me not to discover what was inside.

Still, I continued until the metallic smell of blood entered my nostrils.

The bodies of bandits were shredded as if a giant tornado of sharp blades had passed by and minced every bandit. Their blood and flesh intermixed into a soupy concoction that was painted to the ground and to the walls.

"Ugh..." I covered my mouth and nose to prevent myself from puking.

Shit. What did I do?

"It seems that this scene makes your heart linger. I am glad... Humans are the best when they are scared..."

"Oh? You're that girl. W-what happened to you?"

"I am Eura... or rather, I was Eura. That is a name I had long forgotten."

"What did you do to... them?"

The girl, Eura, opened her eyes widely, a smile of utter glee on her face.

I shuddered at the malice in her expression.

"I didn't want him to suffer... so I stabbed him in the chest... but he woke up... the fear in his... eyes..."

"The fear in his eyes... it was so beautiful..."