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78.26% The Extra Villain in the Novel / Chapter 18: [18]

Chapter 18: [18]

The cave was dark and eerie.

While the weather was indeed growing colder, the chill inside felt even more biting.

The atmosphere was oppressively heavy, with only the sound of dripping water breaking the silence.

Hugo was hunched over, tense, and alert, scanning his surroundings nervously.

In contrast, Ethan moved forward with a casual demeanor.

'I don't sense anything special,' he thought.

The cave appeared ordinary on the surface. Despite the spooky ambiance, there was nothing more to it.

'Should we go a bit further?'

Flap! Screech!

"Hiiik!"

A bat suddenly flew out of the darkness.

Hugo shrieked, cowering.

"Get up."

"Y-Young master, but just now—"

"Those aren't the problem. Stand up."

"Yes…?" Hugo looked up at Ethan with a bewildered expression.

Adjusting to the darkness, Hugo could vaguely see Ethan's face.

'Is he... smiling?'

It seemed as if Ethan was almost glad something had finally appeared.

Hugo couldn't comprehend Ethan's state of mind. How could he be so relaxed in such an extreme situation?

'Bats.'

But Ethan had his reasons.

The appearance of bats meant they were on the right path.

"We found it."

In the darkness, a pair of fierce red eyes gleamed.

Ethan didn't need to see it to know.

Every hair on his body stood on end, warning him of danger.

Hugo, too, sensed the change in the atmosphere.

His pupils narrowed, and his breathing became labored.

'A vampire's nemesis.'

Within Hugo flowed the blood of a werewolf.

'Overwhelming physical capabilities.'

His resilience was almost inhuman, capable of recovering from extreme exhaustion in just a day.

All these traits stemmed from his lineage.

However, Hugo was unaware of this fact. Living among humans had dulled and faded his primal instincts.

The most effective way to awaken a beast's dormant instincts is to confront it with fresh prey.

'The air has changed.'

The innocent look on Hugo's face turned ferocious.

However, having lived a lifetime with a gentle disposition, Hugo couldn't easily accept the rising bloodlust and wild instincts, showing clear signs of confusion.

"Filthy blood mingles within you," someone started walking out from the darkness.

The man, who appeared to be a young man, had dark hair, a pale face, and a sinister presence.

He alternated his gaze between Ethan and Hugo, speaking in a cold, low voice. "What brings you crawling all the way here?"

"We came to deal with pests like you. Isn't that right?" Ethan grinned at Hugo.

He was leaving this to Hugo.

Though he seemed strained now, soon Hugo's true nature as a werewolf would be revealed.

'That's why I didn't teach him swordsmanship.'

There's no need to teach a beast how to hunt. Acting on instinct is their best fighting style.

A cat doesn't need to be taught to catch mice or snakes.

Wolf blood flowed in Hugo's veins.

'And noble blood at that.'

No matter how much Ethan thought about it, the storyline was undoubtedly twisted.

But no matter how absurd it seemed, Ethan had to survive in this bizarre world.

"Then I'll be on my way."

The vampire's gaze shifted from Hugo to Ethan.

"...Are you mocking me?"

"No, why would you bother with me when your nemesis is right there? Go ahead and duke it out."

Ethan's words seemed to break the vampire's patience, as his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"A brat like you isn't even worth turning into a thrall. Just die." The vampire's hand shot towards Ethan's face.

But Ethan tilted his head to avoid the attack.

'Fast hands.'

He had been prepared since sensing the attack, but he nearly had his face pierced.

"...You dare to dodge, human?"

"Can't you fix that way of speaking? It's really annoying."

Ethan's sharp retort twisted the vampire's face in anger.

"If your wish is to die in agony, I'll grant it—"

Roar!

Before the vampire could finish, a terrifying roar echoed from behind.

From behind, Hugo's silver hair started to spike upward in two large prongs. His innocent visage was long gone, replaced by a feral one.

(He looked like Garou from OPM. Image in the comment section.)

Seizing the moment of distraction, Ethan dashed away at full speed.

The vampire turned to chase him but was intercepted by a beast leaping towards him.

Grrr!

Hugo's body transformed.

His frame grew larger, with silver fur and a long snout.

The transformed Hugo lunged at the vampire.

Hugo, who had already possessed exceptional agility and resilience, now far exceeded those levels as a werewolf.

The vampire couldn't react in time.

"Graaah!"

The vampire screamed in agony as Hugo's razor-sharp claws tore into his shoulder.

Blood flowed from the vampire's wound, and his pupils contracted in pain.

The vampire swung his claw-like nails, aiming them like blades at Hugo.

Hugo, eyes fixed on the vampire's hands, dodged the attack effortlessly.

He growled, consumed by his primal instincts.

Realizing the severity of the situation, the vampire's expression hardened.

In the wild, a mistake means death.

For the vampire, who had ruled over his territory, the emergence of such a formidable nemesis was a grave threat.

Ethan glanced back as he ran.

'Stronger than I expected.'

He remembered Hugo fighting the vampire on equal terms in the original story. But now, transformed into a werewolf, Hugo was completely overpowering the vampire.

'Is it the effect of training?'

In the original, Hugo couldn't handle his power after transforming into a werewolf.

His incomplete body caused overloads, and his inability to control his instincts was a major hindrance.

But Ethan had trained Hugo's body to perfection. Strength, agility, endurance, and cardiovascular capacity—all were honed to their peak.

By excluding combat training and focusing solely on physical conditioning, Ethan ensured that Hugo could withstand his werewolf form.

'The outcome won't change.' Ethan had a keen eye for such things.

The vampire had been complacent.

Though he ruled his domain, his senses had dulled, and his arrogance led to a severe injury. A deep wound was not something to be taken lightly.

In most battles, the first to bleed was at a disadvantage.

Not that the skill gap was overwhelmingly large. The vampire was more experienced in combat.

But like lions, some beings are born with the knowledge of how to fight.

Hugo, too, could naturally fight without learning specific hunting methods.

'Time to claim my reward.' Without looking back, Ethan sprinted forward.

***

Ethan had bypassed the vampire, but other obstacles still lay in his path.

However, they were laughably weak compared to the vampire.

Emaciated vampires and kobolds, low-level monsters that were hardly a threat.

The cave, though more cramped inside than it appeared from outside, was filled with these feeble adversaries.

Ethan dispatched each one with his dagger as he advanced.

'Still not used to bigger weapons,' he thought.

Despite his rapidly improving swordsmanship, Ethan was most comfortable and proficient with his own body.

Given that his life was on the line in this operation, it made sense to use what he was familiar with.

'It's not as bad as I thought,' he mused.

Ethan, or rather Ryu in his former life, had never killed anyone before.

Although the creatures he was killing now were hardly human, but they had once been human-like creatures of similar size. Yet, he felt no particular emotion while dispatching them.

'Is it because of this character's personality?'

It was possible.

Ethan, as depicted in the original, was an arrogant, ruthless psychopath. A character who enjoyed torture and killing without remorse.

Given that he had taken over such a character, this level of desensitization made sense.

'Besides, this is a novel world,' he reminded himself.

Stab—

Ethan grabbed a goblin from behind and drove his dagger into its neck.

'I'm getting used to this,' he noted.

Initially, he'd accidentally splashed blood on his clothes, but after a few tries, he had minimized such mistakes.

'Hmm, still some distance to go,' he observed, wiping the blood off his dagger.

Staring into the pitch-black cave, he began moving deeper into its depths.

After some time.

"Is this it?" Ethan murmured, spotting a small wooden stick stuck in the ground at the cave's deepest point.

It was surprisingly unimpressive.

'The Dead Tree,' he noted.

Despite its ominous name, it looked like an ordinary wooden stick.

Ethan stared at the stick embedded in the ground for a moment, then began to take steps towards it.

'This is strange,' he thought.

His heightened senses were warning him, almost whispering for him not to proceed.

But Ethan suppressed his instincts and moved forward.

This was what he had come for.

'This is the fastest way,' he resolved.

He wasn't planning to follow the conventional path.

To keep up with the main characters, he had to use shortcuts.

Reaching out, Ethan grasped the stick.

"Ugh."

As soon as he gripped the stick, a sharp pain shot through his hand, spreading through his skin and veins.

The creepy sensation almost made him let go, but he gritted his teeth and pulled out the stick.

The dead, desiccated wood seemed to hum mournfully.

'I feel nauseous,' he realized. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was nauseating.

However, that feeling gradually subsided.

After a moment, Ethan felt normal again, silently gazing at the Dead Tree.

It no longer exuded its previous eeriness.

'Hmm... Is it over?' he wondered, clenching and unclenching his fist.

There wasn't any noticeable change yet, but he knew he had absorbed the power of the Dead Tree.

'Time to head back,' he decided.

By now, the fight between Hugo and the vampire should be over.

— Where do you think you're going?

A voice echoed from behind.

Ethan stopped and slowly turned around, seeing no one. He couldn't even sense anyone's presence.

"I'm not hearing things…"

As he muttered, the mysterious voice spoke again.

— I sense the blood of Blante.

This time, the voice was unmistakable.

An unexpected situation.

Ethan hesitated before speaking.

"Um… who are you?"

— ….

The voice paused before responding.

— …I am also a descendant of Blante. You could say I am your ancestor.

…What?

For a moment, Ethan stared blankly into the empty space.

Ancestor?

Such a setting revealed here, out of the blue?

"Why now?" he muttered in disbelief.


Chapter 19: [19]

The Blante Swordsmanship Family.

In the novel, it appears as an antagonist family. Though labeled as villains, the Blante family wasn't scheming to threaten the continent or anything like that.

The real issue was the arrogance and haughtiness of its members.

The Blante's authority held no sway over the protagonist, and their fate was sealed from the beginning.

They were destined to face the hammer of justice from the protagonist.

However, that didn't mean they were utterly destroyed by the protagonist.

'The problem is they were hit from both sides.'

By the protagonist and the true mastermind.

Beaten by the protagonist and used by the mastermind, the Blante family collapsed pathetically, unable to live up to its name.

Of course, the protagonist's heroine, the third child Lisa, survives well.

'So what?'

Ethan couldn't care less.

While the Blante family held significant influence on the continent, they didn't play a major role in the original story.

At best, they were third-rate villains.

In the setting, they were indeed a prestigious family renowned for their swordsmanship on the continent, but their children were the problem.

Starting with Ethan, then Morun, and Karon. There wasn't a single character with a normal mindset.

Even without the protagonist, the downfall of the family seemed inevitable.

When Ethan, or rather Ryu, read the novel, he didn't feel that Blante had much importance.

'Bunch of idiots.'

That was the extent of his impression.

However, Ethan now had to navigate through this situation.

Therefore, he was using all the information he had…

— Why aren't you saying anything?

Is such an absurd and unexpected setup being revealed here?

It was ridiculous.

This place was originally a location the protagonist's party had passed through once.

They reached the depths of the cave and gained rewards without much difficulty, serving as a stepping stone for the protagonist's growth.

But at that time, this kind of description wasn't present.

The scene ended with them obtaining the dead tree, and that was enough.

— …Are you ignoring me right now?

At the menacing tone, Ethan shook off his stray thoughts and looked up.

As expected, nothing could be seen inside the cave.

Sigh.

Ethan let out a small sigh and spoke.

"Did you say you are my ancestor?"

— Yes.

Ethan pondered.

What were the chances it was a lie?

It wasn't impossible.

This was a world with monsters and magical creatures, a world where supernatural occurrences were commonplace.

It could be a ghost or some other entity trying to deceive him.

Sensing Ethan's suspicion, the voice echoed again.

— It's not a lie.

Ethan's eyebrow twitched.

It was hard to dismiss the feeling that it was a guilty conscience speaking.

"Why should I believe you?"

Ethan's words were curt.

Instinctively, he knew he could afford to be assertive here.

— W-wait, just listen to me for a moment.

The voice grew urgent, sensing the change in Ethan's attitude.

Accordingly, Ethan's demeanor softened a bit.

'It's hard to believe, but...'

There were more than a few suspicious aspects.

'Still, there's no harm in being cautious.'

Ethan spoke cautiously.

"May I ask your name?"

— Ahem, my name is Feon. Feon Blante. That damn Layla is my sister.

"If you mean Layla..."

— Yes, you should know. I don't know how much time has passed, but I was the head of the Blante fam—

"I don't know."

— What?!

Feon's tone was filled with bewilderment.

But it couldn't be helped.

Ethan's knowledge was only based on the original novel.

To reiterate, the Blante family didn't hold much significance in the story.

Internally, they collapsed due to the foolishness of their members, and externally, they were battered by the protagonist's party, who hogged all the adventures and privileges, ultimately being used by the mastermind.

There wasn't any detailed lore to explore.

Naturally, Ethan's knowledge didn't extend to the ancestors of the Blante family.

Realizing Ethan wasn't bluffing, Feon's voice turned gloomy.

— Kids these days...

"So, what do you want?"

Ethan's voice grew indifferent.

An ancestor of the Blante family.

It was quite an unexpected setting.

But that was all. If he was merely a ghost from the past, Ethan had nothing to gain.

And Ethan had no intention of expending effort on something unprofitable.

— Wait!

"For what reason?"

Ethan's words were brief, but Feon had no time to be offended.

— I will grant you power! From your movements, I see you don't wield a sword.

"…Go on."

Ethan began to show a bit of courtesy.

— Sigh, finally, you're willing to listen to me. To start, yes... In the past, I possessed brilliant talent, but...

Ethan's brow furrowed.

Even from the introduction, it was clear the story would be long.

As Ethan began to turn away without hesitation, a desperate voice stopped him.

— W-wait!

At the earnest plea, Ethan halted his steps without hesitation.

"Do you still have more to say?"

His voice was cold.

— ...Do you not have any human emotions!?

"It seems so."

— Wait! This time, I will really tell you something useful!

Ethan stopped again. Suspicion was written on his face.

— ...How did I end up like this...

As Ethan moved again, Feon hurriedly continued.

— I will teach you martial arts!

"Martial arts...?"

It was an entirely unexpected answer. A strange feeling stirred within him.

He didn't expect much.

It was an unexpected stroke of luck, and initially, the Blante family didn't hold much significance in the novel.

The talkative ghost from the past was intriguing, but Ethan wasn't going to be swayed.

He didn't expect to gain much either.

He thought the ancestor would speak about some family secret techniques or treasures.

But what Feon mentioned was entirely unexpected.

Seeing Ethan's reaction, Feon spoke triumphantly.

— Isn't that quite tempting? From observing you suppressing the monsters, I could tell. You don't rely on a sword.

"Is that so?"

Ethan tilted his head.

He held a dagger in his hand. It wasn't very large, but it had sufficient lethality.

Ethan had killed most of his enemies with this dagger.

Ethan's movements were swift and minimal. He killed monsters with the least effort, making it hard to infer much from his actions.

— You weren't a novice with the dagger, but I can tell. Those who use swords show reliance on the sword in every move. But you didn't. You wielded the dagger as if it were merely a tool.

"That's a rather unusual remark for someone claiming to be my ancestor."

— Hmph! Just because we are a family of swordsmanship doesn't mean one must practice with a sword. All swordsmanship aims to attain strength. I simply chose a different path to achieve that strength.

"I see."

Ethan smiled faintly, nodding slightly.

It was an interesting answer.

Someone from a family of swordsmanship choosing a different path...

It was quite interesting.

Feon seemed to feel a sense of kinship with Ethan, but the reality was different.

Ethan didn't shy away from using a sword.

It was simply that he was more familiar with hand-to-hand combat.

But no matter how skilled one was in unarmed combat, it couldn't compare to the lethality of a blade.

This was an unchanging truth.

Therefore, Ethan had always intended to train with a sword. He was not one to be confined to a single discipline and had no qualms about learning something new.

Having considered this, Ethan narrowed his eyes. His gaze indicated that he recognized his advantageous position.

Feon subtly sensed Ethan's intentions.

Though he felt a surge of shame, now was not the time to dwell on it.

"Your proposal doesn't particularly interest me."

Feon became even more desperate in response to Ethan's unexpected reaction.

— Y-you spineless wretch?! A man should commit to one path…!

"I disagree."

In MMA, a fighter with a well-rounded skill set was often stronger than one with a single outstanding strength.

Having a unique weapon was good, but relying solely on it would eventually lead to defeat.

The skills Ethan had honed were of this nature.

'But it does pique my interest.'

Ryu trained in modern martial arts.

In terms of martial arts, he had nearly reached the pinnacle. During his career, Ryu was nearly invincible.

But fundamentally, it was a sport.

In contrast, this world was one where swords and spears were common.

Combat meant killing; if you didn't kill, you would be killed.

Of course, one could kill with martial arts, but it couldn't compare to weapons.

Now, this supposed ancestor was offering to teach him martial arts.

Ethan's interest was piqued.

What kind of martial arts had been devised by a member of a prestigious swordsmanship family, specifically for killing?

However, Ethan had no intention of clinging to this offer.

Feon's proposal was intriguing, but it wasn't essential.

— Hoo… I concede.

Feon finally admitted his defeat.

The more he spoke to Ethan, the more he felt he was getting caught in his own words.

— I'll be honest about my situation.

"I don't have much time, so keep it brief."

— …You're irritating to the end.

Feon's sigh echoed through the cave.

— Everything I've said is true. Despite being born into the Blante family, I shunned the sword. Engaging in hand-to-hand combat made my blood boil. But, of course, it wasn't well received. It was seen as rejecting the path our ancestors had paved.

Ethan listened silently, frowning.

— Do you sympathize with my story now?

"No. Your introduction was too long, and I was considering leaving."

— ….

Seeing Ethan's demeanor, as if he might turn and leave at any moment, Feon had no choice but to summarize his situation as concisely as possible.

After hearing the whole story, Ethan slowly spoke.

"So, the bottom line is you need to parasitize me to avoid disappearing?"

— Parasitize is an unpleasant term. It's more of a symbiotic relationship...

"It doesn't sound beneficial to me."

Ethan had already outlined his plans for the future.

The urgent issue of mana had been somewhat resolved with the 'dead tree.'

Using the dead tree, he could significantly shorten the time needed for mana training.

— No. You'll need me. Are you planning to rely on that unpleasant thing you just mentioned? That's a poor choice. While it may grant you power immediately, it's not a good option. Mana absorbed through such means will cause problems from within.

"Is that so?"

Ethan tilted his head.

In the novel, there was no such depiction.

But Feon's words weren't entirely without merit.

The dead tree had the power to absorb the mana of the dead.

While it was depicted that the protagonist used it without any penalties, there was no guarantee it would apply the same way to Ethan.


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