Clown 1

Back against the wall: a saying that meant there was no room left to retreat, only to act and fight to achieve one’s goals.

And I really like this saying.

I mean, think about it.

There’s a certain truth to it.

When people are desperate, they pour out everything they have.

And even setting aside that mental aspect, if your back is against the wall, you no longer have to worry about what’s behind you and can devote all your attention to the enemy in front of you.

It’s actually quite practical.

Just like right now.

Crunch—!

In front of me are the enemies I must strike down.

Roar—!

Behind me is a city engulfed in flames.

Thanks to the fire, there’s no chance of enemies appearing from behind, though it also means our path of retreat is equally blocked. However, that doesn’t really matter. I never had the slightest intention of running away in the first place.

Crunch—!

In a way, this had always been Lee Han-soo’s way of life. He had always been forced to struggle in dead ends with no escape. There simply were no other options.

‘The Pediatric Ward’: He fought the disease with everything he had.

‘The Amusement Park’: He fought the pain of being abandoned.

‘My room.’ After that, He continued his endless struggle against loneliness, a battle with no victor.

[We were born as warriors. If we do not fight, we die.]

In some ways, Lee Hansoo’s life was similar to that of a barbarian.

But if you looked at the reality of it, there was one decisive difference between me and them.

[You still haven’t broken that habit of running away.]

When there were no options, I fought. In other words, whenever there was an option, I usually chose to run.

Crunch—!

I hated struggle. I knew better than anyone how exhausting it was. More than anything, there wasn’t much I wanted badly enough to fight that hard for.

Unlike now.

“Raveeeeen!!”

The moment I shouted her name, the ally who had followed my stupid plan began casting magic.

[Alluva Raven has cast Level 4 attack spell [Water Cannon]

[Alluva Raven has cast Level 6 support spell [Property Conversion]—.”

The flames consuming the city spread even more violently.

Whooooom—!

Following behind me, Astarota scattered a fierce aura with every swing of his sword, proving exactly why he was the King’s personal guard.

“…M-Monster!”

“Damn it, where the hell did a monster like that come from?!”

It was an overwhelmingly one-sided battle, to the point that the numerical disadvantage felt meaningless.

That was only natural.

In this world, even raising your character to the level of the Corpse Collector was enough for people to call you a one-man army.

‘It went without saying that he was skilled, considering how close he was to the king.

The same went for me.

Now that my Shield Barbarian build was more or less complete, I didn’t think I’d be outmatched no matter who they brought in.

‘The pairing is good, too.’

Most of all, it was nice not having to protect our rear.

Boom—! Boom—!

I charged like a tank, shaking the ground with my footsteps as I smashed through the enemy ranks. Astarota followed behind me, grinding everything to pieces.

“Bethel—raaaaaaa!!”

“Don’t get too excited. Judging by the fact that there are only soldier-class enemies here, the real ones must be further back.”

Tch, look at him scolding me under the guise of giving advice.

If I were the king, he wouldn’t even dare open his mouth.

‘…Well, he’s not wrong.’

These guys were just buying time. The real fight hadn’t even started yet.

The Corpse Collector, the Blood Knight, and the other members of Orcules—

Not a single one of them had revealed themselves yet.

Yeah, so…

Craaaack—!

This was the time to push forward as much as possible. Once they finish their preparations, breaking through will become significantly harder.

Dash—!

I picked up the pace.

Crunch—! Crunch—!

The faster my arms and legs moved, the louder their impacts became. At some point, the enemy soldiers began to retreat.

“Fall back!”

“Distance! Maintain distance!”

For every step I took toward them, they retreated one step.

Of course, they said that, but in reality, it was no different from turning their backs and running away.

After all, we were charging at them at full speed.

“A-Aaah!!”

Crunch—!

“S-Spare me—!”

At some point, I stopped keeping track of how long I had been crushing the skulls of the soldiers left behind.

‘Then we should be about halfway there now…’

If we could pull this off one more time, we would be able to enter District Seven, a place that was practically my home. Wait, does that mean we’ve already burned more than half of District Eight?

“A-Ah… n-no—!”

Crunch—!

As we set fire to the streets and played a deadly game of tag, I briefly felt like I’d become a villain.

But I didn’t feel particularly guilty.

This is a world where those who view their enemies as ‘human’ don’t survive long.

Hum—!

And besides, it seemed like the free ride ended here.

Flash—!

An overwhelming wave of mana shot out in a straight line from afar, engulfing the area in a blinding flash.

[Defense successful]

[Aegis Barrier absorbs all damage]

Luckily, it was smaller than my shield, so the guard succeeded.

But that didn’t mean I could relax. The fact that they had deployed their elite members meant they were fully prepared to take me down.

‘Then it’s about time for me, too…’

To prepare to meet them at full strength.

[The character has cast [Iron Fortress]

[The character has cast [Scales of Greed]

Just as I activated both Knight-Crushing Mode and Mage-Crushing Mode, a group of about twenty people appeared in front of us. Since this was a gear-dependent game, there was no uniformity in their equipment.Ironically, however, it was precisely this individuality that gave off the unmistakable aura of elites.

Not that it made me nervous.

“This is as far as you go.”

Among the elites, I spotted a very familiar face. The moment I saw him, I understood just how formidable the group was.

“Even you couldn’t possibly hold out against this many. Pssit…”

Wow. Earlier, he had abandoned his comrades and fled with his tail between his legs.

Now that he’s got friends, he’s puffing out his chest already—

“Abet Necrapeto! You bastard!!”

The moment she spotted him in the crowd, Lyranne Vivian screamed in rage.

“H-Heh-heh… Miss Vivian, it’s been a while. You look safe, which is a relief! I came back with reinforcements to rescue you, so now come over to this side—”

“What the hell are you talking about?! You’re dead, you piece of shit!!”

“Psssit… Shall I take that as meaning you intend to betray Orcules and side with them?”

“You betrayed me first!”

“Why is it betrayal? Miss Vivian, you are neither dead nor injured, and I have come back with reinforcements to rescue you.”

“…What? Lord Jandel!! No, Jandel-oppa!! Please, help me kill that bastard! I’ll do anything you tell me from now on—anything!”

Having completely lost control to rage, Vivian started throwing out promises I hadn’t even asked for.

Watching her, the Corpse Collector clicked his tongue.

“My, my… It seems I’m already too late. They say you don’t try to take back a woman who’s gone to a barbarian…”

“Aaaaaaagh!!”

Unfortunately, judging by how she was screaming and shaking like that, the verbal argument was a complete defeat for Vivian.

However, I could not afford for my dark magic lackey to lose her composure when we still needed to fight together. I threw in a few words of my own.

“How pathetic. The jealousy of a small man.”

As expected, he was immediately triggered.

“…Excuse me?”

“W-what… did you just say…?”

“I said the jealousy of a small man is pathetic.”

“…W-what are you talking about! That, that was a combat situation, so o-obviously…!”

“I was talking about your height.”

When I cut him off and mentioned his height, he froze, clearly not expecting that.

If this were a game, his stun bar had filled up.

“How pathetic.”

“……”

“Even your excuses.”

When I delivered the finishing blow, he stood there frozen, unable to say a word.

“Wow…”

Even Vivian, who had been screaming with rage, stood with her mouth agape, impressed by my verbal beatdown. Seeing me expose him and read his character perfectly seemed to calm her down.

“Enough talk.”

A man who appeared to be the enemy’s commander stepped forward, pushing the Corpse Collector back.

Hmm, a face I haven’t seen before.

“Bjorn Jandel, your heroic tale ends here.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry, though. I shall inherit the fame you’ve built up. My name is—”

What’s with this guy? Based on his looks, I thought he might be a big deal, but his lines scream NPC.

Whooosh—!

I smirked and threw a hand axe.

“Remember the name of the man who will kill you. My name is Nortia—!”

“Oh, so you can block that, at least.”

“…Ggh! Kill him!”

With his perfect entrance spoiled, the man gave the order to begin the fight.

***

To want to be special.

Is there really anyone who doesn’t have that desire?

Of course not.

All humans want to be special.

A white boy born in America was no exception.

From a young age, the boy loved comics.

American-style cartoons packed with hero clichés. However, the characters he loved most were always the ‘villains’ who left a deep impression before their exit.

Compared to heroes who just happened to gain power and spouted pretty words, the villains who did whatever they wanted and cornered those heroes felt far more special.

The boy admired villains, but the wall of reality was high.

I am not special.

As he grew, the boy naturally accepted that truth, the same one all ordinary people come to realize.

The boy became a man.

I am ordinary.

No matter how hard he tried, that fact would never change.

Or so he thought.

Until he downloaded a cheat version of a game he had once abandoned halfway due to its brutal difficulty, and played it to the end.

[Beginning transfer]

Things he had only ever seen in comics, novels, and movies were happening to him.

A world from within a game spread out before his eyes.

‘Abet Necrapeto.’

The ugly, obese man was given a new name.

In this world, he was no longer ordinary.

He possessed knowledge the NPCs did not, and a future that could make him even more special awaited him. Although he was hated for being an “evil spirit”, the man saw it as just another mark of what made him special.

And in truth, the man was rather special.

He had talent, and among the ‘Evil Spirits,’ he grew strong rapidly. He gained fame and attracted jealous stares.

But the more that happened, the more reckless he became.

Like a villain from a cartoon who couldn’t stand not doing whatever he pleased.

[Why do you have to die? Because you’re weak!]

[Oh, and I just happened to need a suitable corpse!]

If it meant becoming stronger, the man used any means necessary.

In the end, that came back to bite him. He was investigated, and in the process, his identity as an ‘Evil Spirit’ was exposed.

One day, while he was waiting for his execution:

[There is no place in this city where you can live.]

He experienced a fateful encounter.

[Follow me, Abet Necrapeto. I will create a world where you can live.]

Orcules.

A mad terrorist organization that dared to stand against the royal family in this city.

There was no reason not to take that hand. Even if it hadn’t been his only way to survive, the group itself looked magnificent in his eyes.

He followed the leader into the underground fortress, and…

[C-Corpse Collector……!]

Before long, he acquired an infamy that surpassed even his former notoriety.

[Heh-heh-heh—!!]

With each passing day, the sound of his laughter grew louder.

[Why do you all look so gloomy? Smile!]

He was so happy he couldn’t contain himself.

He loved the way people’s eyes were fixed on him wherever he went. The way those very people cried and laughed at his every single action.

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