Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 173 - A Hero’s Wet Dream
173: A Hero’s Wet Dream
173: A Hero’s Wet Dream
Appearing in the Library, I only gave the Librarian a quick greeting and immediately opened up multiple instances of the Assistance Menu at once.
Spreading the three open tabs side-by-side, I moved each to a different submenu.
First, the monetary reward.
Currently Available World Stability : 5,420 Units
Before the Contract, I had only 90 units, meaning I had gained just over 5,000 this time.
I recall it being marginally less than what I gained from Drakon-Rasa, but bearing in mind the time investment, this was a hell of a lot more efficient in terms of an effort to reward ratio.
Then, the Villainous Blade upgrade.
Item – [Villainous Blade]
Unleash the power of a true villain with this malevolent blade.
*Possesses Evil properties
*Possesses Anti-Protagonist properties
(This weapon grows with each Protagonist Dispatched)
Protagonists Dispatched Since Acquisition : 6
*Form Change
*Self-Cleansing
*Soulbound
Grade : Unique
“Soulbound…!
That’s good!”
Exclaiming instinctively, I nodded my head with a smile.
‘That means I’ll never lose it, even if it gets knocked away and I can’t resummon it, right?’
Next, the Service Charge ability reward.
Service Charge | 5,420 U
1 | A.Skill – [Tyranny of the Demon Lord] – Demon Lord of Terror
2 | Trait – [He Who Shall Not Be Named] – The Nameless Dark Wizard
3 | P.Skill – [Mastery of the Duel] – Emperor of the Arena
4 | Trait – [Noble Soul] – Archduchess Lucretia de Christina-Rasa
5 | P.Skill – [Divine Blood] – Cecilia, God’s Daughter
6 | P.Skill – [Mana Corruption] – Kijin, Demon King
7 | Trait – [Heart of a Witch] – Aradine, White Witch Queen
My eyes instantly flickering to the bottom item, I located the new Trait and opened the description without hesitation.
Trait – [Heart of a Witch]
You possess the heart of a witch; magical, mystical, and eternally scorned.
Witches are despised.
They are burned at the stake for being wicked and heartless.
Will you also follow that path, or will you show them wrong?
It is a burden not in fact for the kind to bear.
(Your heart becomes that of a true witch)
Price : 5,000 U
“…Huh?
Well what the hell is that supposed to mean…”
Once again, the description was far too vague for me to figure out what exactly it did, but I was certain it had to have some kind of hidden use, similar to Noble Soul.
Closing the description window, I was about to simply purchase Mana Corruption before finally moving onto the Holy Sword, but suddenly stopped.
‘Wait…
Do I really need it right now?’
Of course, Mana Corruption was what I wanted to buy the most, but when I thought about it, I wasn’t sure if that would be the smartest decision.
After all, not only would that spend all of my World Stability, making me unable to purchase almost anything else, but I didn’t even know if I could make use of it right now.
‘I still don’t have a way of producing mana myself, so I would only be able to gather whatever I breathed in through the air, and even then, is that useful for me right now?’
To be honest, I didn’t know what the answer was.
All I knew was that I couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse for why I really needed it right at this moment.
“It’s also a Skill, so it would only be Level 1 if I bought it now…
It’s not going anywhere, so it should be fine to leave it for now.”
What I needed instead was to prepare for an upcoming excursion to the Augury Tower.
Now, what exactly I needed to prepare for was unknown since information about the Floors of the Tower was heavily controlled, but at the very least, I knew a few things for certain.
“I’m confident I’ll be fine in terms of offense and defence, at least for the lower Floors.
Otherwise, isn’t it just utility that remains…?”
I still had the potions in Storage, thankfully, so I didn’t need to spend anything buying more of those, and besides, if I was really in dire straits, couldn’t I just go directly between the Tower and the Library once I got there?
‘What do I need, what do I need…’
For a while, I found myself scrolling through each of the Shop menus for anything that might catch my eye, even though most of me didn’t think I’d find anything.
Eventually, I paused, my gaze caught on an item I had already looked at once before.
Item – [Villain’s Vizard]
A sinister vizard that obscures the whole face of the wearer.
Because it is the Villain’s, the wearer’s identity cannot ever be revealed.
The only exception is the Hero.
*Possesses Magic Nullification properties
*Possesses Recognition Disruption
(Effects cannot be neutralised by any being other than the designated Protagonist)
Grade : Unique
Price : 2,000 U
“…”
Ordinarily, there would be no reason why I would need such an item.
After all, if all I was doing was travelling to different worlds, then so long as I only visited them each a single time, I had nothing to worry about even if my identity was exposed.
However, that wasn’t the same for Earth.
I already knew that taking out some Frontliners would be inevitable.
If, by any chance, someone happened to spot me doing so, and I couldn’t get rid of them in time…
or even just if rumours about me somehow spread among other Challengers, or worse, to the internet, my chance at living a normal life would be practically over.
Even if the chance was slim, if Earth became an uninhabitable, unsafe place for me to live…
I would only have the Library left.
“…”
Item Purchased
[Villain’s Vizard] deposited into Storage
With that, I shouldn’t have anything to worry about in regards to my identity being exposed.
No matter who I killed, when, and where.
Even if the only people I really cared about not seeing me that way was a select handful…
It was a necessary expenditure, at least in my eyes.
With that, I was down to 3,420 World Stability.
It was still a decent amount, but not enough to purchase anything from the Service Charge menu, and so I closed it.
I didn’t need any more Items, however, I could still buy a good Trait or Skill, or perhaps upgrade either of the Skills I currently possessed.
A certain idea occurring to me, I decided not to go with the latter.
Judging by the types of Frontliners I’ve seen on television and in the media who are the fastest to clear each Floor, I didn’t think any upgrades to Lockpicking or Sneak would do me much good in the Tower, at least not in comparison to what I could be getting.
Instead, I thought acquiring a new Trait would suffice.
And, in that regard, there was one I had been keeping my eye on from the very beginning.
Trait – [Heightened Senses]
A hybrid between a beast and a man, you exhibit capabilities matching such an expectation.
Strength, power, speed, life, success, survival.
Feats only attained by those who display mastery over the most basic of concepts.
You will not lag behind the competition, and that fire in your blood makes you strong.
(All senses are strengthened considerably)
Price : 3,000 U
Scanning over the description, I ignored all the nonsense that didn’t make any sense to me and focused only on the important part.
“‘All senses’.
That means it should help things like my balance and instincts too, right?”
I imagined that would be the case, and if so, perfect.
Although I found the main meat of the description majorly confusing, I still considered what could possibly be meant by some of the lines.
‘I wonder if it means it’ll make me more competitive…?
Doesn’t sound very useful, but it’s hyping itself up a lot in the description…’
If there was the possibility for some other, hidden benefits I wasn’t thinking about, then that was great, but even without that, I still thought it was a great Trait to get.
Since it would primarily give me a better sense of control of my own body, it effectively just makes me better at swordsmanship, and particularly if I ever wanted to dual wield like I did with the Villainous Blade and Holy Sword before.
‘Well, anyway, let’s just get it.’
Trait Purchased
[Heightened Senses] added to Status
“Oh!”
Immediately after purchasing the Trait, I noticed a tremendous difference.
My eyes were significantly sharper, I could hear the sound of the Librarian’s soft breathing all the way from the other side of the room, I could feel the cool, still air gently grace the surface of my skin, and many more bizarre sensations hit me all at once.
Like I thought, even my sense of balance and body awareness, both inside and out, was considerably heightened.
“This is great…
Wow.”
Staring down at my hand, which I clenched in and out of a fist numerous times, I was clearly able to tell how much strength I was putting in and delicately control it, as well as the movement of my individual fingers while I did so.
Honestly, I didn’t even know stuff like that was included in ‘senses’, but perhaps the Trait was being a bit generous.
In any case, before I was finished, there was one, final thing I needed to check.
Opening the Storage, I moved my attention to the Holy Sword.
Item – [Awakened Jackass Hero’s Holy Sword]
A Holy Sword possessed by a young Hero infamous for his abuse, discrimination and narcissism.
Some prayed the ancient spirit sealed within the blade would lead the Hero down a path of righteousness and virtue, but alas, such a hope appeared to have been akin to a fool’s paradise.
The Holy Sword has since found itself a new owner, and another blessed man no less.
This Chosen of the Goddess, a Hero in his own right, is bound to take the old spirit on an adventure quite unlike anything he’s ever seen before.
Of course, whether or not it was something he would call righteous, did it even matter?
*Possesses Holy properties
*Possesses Anti-Evil properties
*Possesses Anti-Demon properties
*Possesses Pinnacle Magic Resistance
*Indestructible
*Sunlight Spear
Ego Item – (Ancient Hero Eligos)
Grade : Legendary
My jaw dropped when I saw it.
“‘Indestructible’, ‘Sunlight Spear’…
‘Awakened’…?
It even has a new description…”
Not only that, but it even acquired a new property of Magic Resistance, not to mention the ancient spirit of an old Hero finally waking up…
‘Didn’t it just get infinitely better…?’
Before I could revel too much in the satisfaction of Upgrade Heaven, however, the Librarian’s voice abruptly cut through my internal celebration.
“E-Enki, emergency, emergency…!”
Dismissing the Assistance Menu tabs, I hurriedly made my way over to her, blatant panic struck on her face.
“What’s wrong?
Is there another Red Contract?”
Gritting my teeth, I thought it was terribly unfortunate timing.
I wanted to go to the Tower as soon as possible, but if a second Red Contract appeared now while I already had one on the backburner, I might have to delay my Tower visit if the Difficulty wasn’t too high.
‘Damn it, why does this have to happen now…’
However, the Librarian shook her head.
“That’s not it!
Look!”
“Wait, what?”
Seeing her firm denial of my assumption as she produced a white scroll from the sleeve of her robe, I widened my eyes.
If that wasn’t it, then what could possibly…
Before I had the time to wonder, the Contract Details appeared in front of me.
And, at that moment, I realised.
“…The Protagonist is John Pierce…?”
The problem was more complex than I thought.
