Men Are Brave
Mentulā… Oro…?
Why them? Arthur froze.
Two names that weren't supposed to show up.
Not now.
Not in this chapter of the 3300 Regni Calendar.
They were… extras—background characters from the middle arc of the novel.
Ones who weren't even supposed to appear until the Eclipse Event at Chapter 100.
"This is bad... they're too strong—even for Lisha and Vayne…"
Arthur tried to warn them—
But before he could take a full step or open his mouth—
Vayne and Lisha had already charged in.
Lisha cast another buff on Vayne.
Vayne dashed like a ninja.
Mentulā simply smiled.
He clenched his fist—
It grew grotesquely—
And slammed toward Vayne.
Vayne twisted, dodging left—
But from Mentulā's wrist, a dark-purple tentacle surged out—
WHIP!
It slapped Vayne's body mid-air, sending him crashing backward.
Vayne barely blocked with crossed arms.
Arthur yelled, "OII! Maybe we shouldn't fight them…!"
Vayne scoffed. "Huh? You mean run away? This is when the fun starts."
No one listened.
Even Levain—freshly healed—laughed at Arthur.
"Ahaha! Typical F-rank. You're not used to real combat, huh?"
Arthur's slime let out a sharp "Bloop!"—
Almost like it was flipping off Levain.
'Damn it. They're not going to listen to me…'
Arthur glanced at Mentulā, Oro, and Vayne.
All smiling.
No fear.
The air was heavy with arrogant confidence.
'Why did they get Dark Power this early...? What the hell—?'
His mind flashed to Kaelthorn.
The offer.
The power he refused at the very start.
He should've touched it first—
Triggered the loop—
Become the weak, slap-only extra that gets bullied by the "real" hero's party.
But instead…
Mentulā and Oro took the deal.
And now, their dark power could wipe out S-rank adventurers.
"This alternate plotline is total bullshit…"
In front of him, Oro—the chonky dangerous one—opened his mouth.
But no words came out.
Only… shadows.
Thick. Slimy.
Like breath exhaled from a fake god's altar.
They drifted forward—
Forming a black arrow in the air.
Arthur instinctively stepped back.
His hand flew to his stomach.
"They're dangerous Dark Power users… And they've only had it for a day..."
Mentulā stood quietly beside him.
Flat face.
Slitted eyes.
Faint smile.
Like an AI that lagged half a second before killing its user.
He raised one finger to his lips.
"Ssshh."
The sky dropped by two meters.
Arthur said nothing to Lisha.
Vayne didn't get it.
They were still ready to fight.
But Arthur knew.
This wasn't a random encounter.
Not a boss fight.
This was a corrupted timeline.
And these two…
Arthur clenched his fists.
"Big trouble…"
Mentulā stood still.
Both his arms began to swell.
Cracks split across his skin—black veins bulging out, pulsing.
His hands mutated into grotesque sacs of flesh—
Shapeless. Wild.
Like meat bags grown without a blueprint,
ready to crush anything in front of them.
Then—
From his back, eight tentacles emerged.
No sound. No glow.
Just slithering out—long, slick, twitching like organs that weren't supposed to be born yet.
They rose.
Hovered.
Formed a twisted formation in the air.
Some cracked forward like whips.
Others spun like living radars.
Oro lowered his arm.
His mouth still wide open.
The shadow arrow had already been fired—
Its tip had pierced the ground… and vanished.
No explosion. Nothing. Just gone.
Arthur took one step back.
Vayne kept his eyes forward.
Lisha raised her staff again—
But her buff light flickered.
Mentulā lifted his right arm.
Now the size of a human head.
He clenched his fist slowly—
And the air around him shivered.
One tentacle shot forward.
Directly at Vayne.
Vayne leapt back—
But another tentacle came from the right.
It bent mid-air—
And struck him from the side.
BRRAKK.
Vayne flew sideways—
Slammed into a tree.
Hard.
Oro looked down.
Another arrow formed in his throat—
Dark. Liquid.
Then—mid-flight— It hardened.
Target: Lisha.
Arthur hadn't moved.
Still frozen in place.
[DING!]
The sound rang again—
No holographic screen.
No long explanation.
Just…
The voice in his head.
Arthur smiled.
"Good skill."
The arrow was fast.
Too fast.
But Lisha didn't move.
Her eyes narrowed.
She raised her left hand slowly, and a circle of light—faint but sharp—formed in front of her.
KLANG.
The arrow struck the shield.
Cracks spread like lightning across the barrier.
But it held.
Lisha didn't flinch.
Only her lips moved—silent words to keep the magic alive.
A second later, the arrow shattered into black mist.
Vayne landed next to Arthur.
His breathing rough.
Blood ran from his mouth, but his posture stayed straight.
Arthur didn't say anything.
He just looked at them—Vayne on the right, Lisha on the left.
Tired. Hurt. Focused.
Standing.
He shifted his gaze slightly—past their shoulders.
Levain was behind them.
No smirk.
No laugh.
No taunt.
He was… silent.
Eyes wide. Knees bent slightly.
Like a child peeking from behind the legs of his parents.
Arthur blinked.
"Shit… I'm not the protagonist here."
He looked at Lisha's calm expression—cracks still glowing on her shield.
At Vayne's loose grip on his daggers, as if he'd drop them just to block with his bare arms again.
"These two… they're the wall. The actual wall. For him."
For some reason, Arthur felt… compelled to move.
To do something.
To show off in front of Levain.
He cleared his throat.
"Stand back. Just run if you have to. Let me handle this."
Vayne, Lisha, and Levain all stared at him—blank-faced.
Arthur, acting cool out of nowhere, triggered universal confusion.
Lisha, panting and rattled, snapped,
"Don't joke around! You're still an F-rank! You could die—you ca—"
Her voice was cut off.
Arthur took a bold step forward.
"F-rank? No problem… I am a man."
He said it with swagger.
But inside?
'Holy crap—I really sound like a protagonist right now—heheheheh!'
Lisha twitched.
"…A man? What's wrong with you?" she asked, clearly alarmed.
"I am a man," Arthur repeated, striking a confident pose—
As if begging her to question him again.
"You freak!" Lisha muttered. "And so what? You're a man and—"
Arthur cut her off, voice deep and dramatic.
"Men… Are brave."