The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 82



Back to the Demon Realm

Unlike the first expedition, this one had no grand speeches.

It was, quite simply, urgent.

Though the Puppet Master’s regeneration was low, he would eventually heal with time.

We had to encounter him before that happened to have any chance of victory.

A fully healed level 86 Puppet Master?

He would be far too overwhelming for me to face right now.

Therefore, we engaged in various discussions as we made our way to the demon realm.

“How long do you think it will take for his wounds to heal?”

“Hmm… Well, if we think in terms of an average person… I’d say it would take at least about seven months.”

His regenerative ability is probably at a normal human level.

There wouldn’t be any miraculous healers like Ulysses around, so it would definitely take that long.

Up to this point, it was good news.

“How long will it take to get to him?”

“Wait a moment. I’m calculating. Ugh… of all places, he’s in the very depths of the demon realm. No matter how fast we go, it seems like it’ll take well over five months?”

This was not good news.

The distance to him was far too great.

And that wasn’t all. There would undoubtedly be countless monsters along the way. Since I was injured, they would be desperate to prevent anyone from intruding.

In other words, we had to face numerous monsters while also taking the shortest route to him.

Just going there was tough enough, and now we had a time attack to deal with.

“Looks like it’ll definitely take more than five months…”

It seemed like it was going to be an incredibly tough journey without a doubt.

There was no helping it. I had to think of it as just going to a high-level hunting ground…

Just like during the Convergence, it was Season 2 of the high-level grind.

For now, the monsters at the entrance of the demon realm were easy.

“Only goblins are coming out day and night.”

“Thank goodness for that, Lady Adele. I’ll clear the path in front, so please provide support from the back.”

From his perspective, there was no reason to place strong monsters at the beginning, so it was mostly just weak mobs.

Camilla and I led the charge, while the remaining party members provided support from the rear.

Thanks to that, we were able to advance at high speed without hardly stopping at the entrance.

“This demon realm always has such a stuffy atmosphere…”

“The monsters aren’t strong, but they’re annoying…”

“Let’s take breaks little by little from here on out. Rest is just as important as combat.”

However, it started to get a bit troublesome from the middle. There were more monsters that inflicted debuffs.

Warrior-type monsters with high stats fought straightforwardly, while gimmick-type monsters had low stats but inflicted various debuffs.

That combination could be quite bothersome to deal with, even if their levels were low.

Their combination was perfect for wearing us down.

It was obvious who had set this up in such a way.

It was clear that some puppet master was pulling the strings.

—

Anyway, from this point on, rest became quite important. I needed to recover my stamina quickly to proceed with the next battle without any issues.

Of course, even during my breaks, I did what I could.

[Completion: 8.2%]

For instance, the Second Solitude Summoning Technique.

It was frustrating how slow the progress was, even though I poured my magical energy into it every single day without fail.

After all, it was no ordinary high-grade magic. The goal was to fill the percentage as much as possible before reaching the Puppet Master.

Thus, we continued our journey.

[Completion: 8.9%]

[Completion: 14.7%]

[Level Up!]

[Completion: 17.8%]

There was good news as well. First of all, I leveled up.

I realized that I didn’t necessarily have to use only my magical energy for the Solitude Summoning Technique. Just like the King of the Beasts had done, I could offer sacrifices to increase the percentage. The sacrifices I chose were none other than the corpses of the monsters I had defeated.

Just as Olek had made offerings, I could use the corpses as sacrifices with [Power of Sacrifice].

It seemed that the corpses I had captured were recognized as my property.

The Puppet Master probably never expected that the monsters he sent would be recycled like this.

The downside was that I could no longer earn side income from the monster corpses, but… right now, the Solitude Summoning was more urgent.

[Completion: 32.2%]

Two months passed like that.

We were still quite far from reaching the Puppet Master, but so far, things had been going relatively smoothly.

The monsters were manageable, and while they were annoying, they were at least not overwhelming.

As the journey lengthened, I found myself talking more with my party members.

To be more precise, it was the party members excluding Camilla and Adele.

Well, considering my position, being able to have a conversation was already something.

“By the way… wouldn’t it be better for you, Luke, to take down the Puppet Master alone?”

“Eh? Wow, are you really throwing me under the bus like this?”

It seemed that Lily still hadn’t completely shaken off her fear of the Puppet Master.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant! If we end up getting brainwashed or something, it would be difficult to face each other…”

Of course, her concerns were valid. Indeed, if we went as a party, we would likely interfere with each other, so going alone might seem like a better option.

In fact, the most challenging scenario when facing the Puppet Master would be if we tried to hunt him down with a military unit. If that happened, we would witness the spectacle of half the soldiers fighting against each other.

—

I hope this captures the atmosphere and nuances of the original text!

But the worst choice was to go on a raid alone.

“If I go alone, I can still hunt, right?”

“···Ah.”

First of all, the skill gap is too wide.

That wasn’t the only problem. A duel with that guy would surely be difficult, even if I had a MacGuffin.

After all, his abilities would come into play. What if I gradually lost control of my body due to his powers?

If that happens, what would the outcome be? There would be no ending other than becoming his puppet.

Did I really not try that method? Of course, I did. And it ended up failing miserably.

So at the very least, I needed someone to break the brainwashing.

If not, I needed someone to distract him while I was being brainwashed. His abilities required concentration, after all.

Anyway, for those reasons, going on a hunt alone was impossible. It was best to go with a small elite group, as we were now.

That way, even if we fought among ourselves, we wouldn’t completely fall under his control.

“Yeah, I get it. You really know what you’re talking about.”

I wondered if she understood me this much.

“Such information is indeed… No, it’s better not to ask about this.”

However, perhaps because I explained too much, she said something meaningful.

What could that wistful expression mean… We had become close enough to speak openly, yet I still couldn’t understand that expression she sometimes showed.

Anyway, the journey continued after that.

[Completion: 35.7%]

[Completion: 39.1%]

[The level of ‘Master of Poison’ has increased!]

[Completion: 43.8%]

Another month passed.

[Completion: 46.3%]

[Completion: 49.9%]

[The level of ‘Multicasting’ has increased!]

[The level of ‘Combat Focus’ has increased!]

[Completion: 53.6%]

Two months had passed.

“Hm, indeed, the deeper I go, the stronger I become.”

“Still, isn’t it manageable? There’s no one here that’s too overwhelming.”

To be honest, up until now, things had gone smoothly.

Excluding the Four Heavenly Kings, there were hardly any opponents who could stand against us.

From noble mtl dot com

Even without me, the party members were already nearing the late 70s in level.

Among them, there were even a few eyeing the 80-level mark. At this level, they would be treated as leaders even within the Empire. And there were a total of five of them. In the Demon Realm, there were only a handful who could stop us.

Thanks to that, we managed to push through to the center rather smoothly. The problem was the rear section.

“…Was it because everything went smoothly until now?”

“…It seems it will take quite a while to break through.”

The monsters in the rear section posed several issues.

First of all, there were just a lot of monsters.

It seemed as if the monsters from the front of the Demon Realm had gathered here, as countless monsters were spread out in all directions in the back.

Among them, there were many incredibly strong individuals, like Minotaurs.

As a result, it was inevitable that we would find it somewhat challenging here.

Like a comprehensive gift set, numerous monsters rushed at us. Monsters that inflicted debuffs, those that roamed in packs, and just plain strong elite monsters.

[Congratulations!]

[Your level has increased!]

[Completeness: 63.6%]

Still, the percentage for the Summon of Solitude was quickly rising.

So let’s walk steadily. It might take a bit longer, but it’s better than making a mistake.

“Damn it, we’re surrounded! We need to find an escape route!”

“An ogre is coming from the back! A cyclops is in front!”

“Let’s just break through! I’ll fry that one-eyed b*stard!!”

[The level of ‘Mana Control’ has increased!]

[The level of ‘Mana Blade’ has increased!]

[Completeness: 68.9%]

[The level of ‘Blood Flow Acceleration’ has increased!]

[Completeness: 71.1%]

“My stacks are full. I’ll unleash a big one.”

“Use it on the big guy if possible.”

“Of course.”

[‘Pain Memory’ level has increased!]

[‘Blood Absorption’ level has increased!]

[Completeness: 77.7%]

“In the end, we didn’t arrive within five months···.”

“It’s okay. We’re almost there anyway.”

Fatigue piled up, and in exchange, experience points increased.

I walked the path slowly, as if solving a problem. The anticipated five months had long passed, but we were steadily growing in the meantime.

Thus, five months and 27 days later.

[Congratulations!]

[Level has increased!]

We finally arrived at the dwelling of the puppet master.

Rather than a castle of the Four Heavenly Kings, a quaint, aristocratic mansion came into view. It wasn’t particularly large, but it certainly looked luxurious enough for the Four Heavenly Kings to live in.

“Finally···.”

“We’ve arrived······.”

The party members gazed at the mansion, each lost in their own emotions. Meanwhile, I took a moment to assess myself.

‘Status Window.’

———-

Name: Luke

Lv: 83

[Skills]

Mana Control Lv7, Mana Blade Lv8, Bright Style Swordsmanship Lv.6, Combat Focus Lv.6, Multi-Casting Lv6, Pain Resistance Lv8, Poison Resistance Lv10, Blood Flow Acceleration Lv5, Pain Memory Lv6, Blood Exchange Lv5, Blood Absorption Lv5, Fireball Lv5, Indomitable Lv2, Master of Poison Lv2, Charge LvMAX, Pain Inscription Lv4, Blood Flow Manipulation Lv4, Hardening Lv3, Electric Shock Lv3, Mana Shield Lv4······

———-

The status window showed significant growth during this expedition. In just a little over six months, my level had increased by three.

Skills had also risen tremendously.

Considering the presence of the Heavenly Body, this was an astonishing growth. This indicated that the experience gained from this expedition was substantial.

At this point, I had met the minimum criteria to face the puppet master.

Fortunately, no one had sustained any noticeable injuries during our journey here.

Everyone was a bit fatigued, but it was enough that with some rest, we could recover.

Of course, there were some regrets as well.

[Completeness: 88.9%]

‘I wanted to summon solitude and leave…’

Is it because of the ancient calamity?

Even after sacrificing all the monsters I caught on the way here, I still hadn’t filled the percentage completely.

The resources required are incredibly high. The efficiency is horrendously poor.

It’s a bit disappointing, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time here.

By now, his wounds must have healed almost completely. I had to start the hunt before he fully recovered.

“Shall we go?”

After a brief, light rest.

We entered the mansion.

Now, there was just one step left until the end of this chapter.