Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 203

TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!

Thanks toZehaal for the Ko-Fi and this chapter~

(4/12)

Chapter 203 – Champion’s Blessing

It was two days after the day trip with Hans-san.

While Lokish was away, I went hunting deep in the forest. Suddenly, a loud voice echoed in my head.

“Loki, everything is ready. I can give it to you anytime, so come to the divine realm when it’s convenient for you.”

Though the voice didn’t identify itself, I immediately recognized it from the tone and manner of speech.

From the content of the message, I quickly understood what the preparations referred to:

Riste’s resurrection.

My heart began to race.

At the same time, I thought it would be a good time to show my face.

With that in mind, I made my way to the divine realm via Savarina’s church about ten minutes ago.

There, Alicia collapsed in front of me and cried uncontrollably.

Next to her were Liste, who didn’t seem fully recovered but could stand and speak normally, and Ril. She had summoned me for a reason and looked solemn as if she understood the situation.

To put it bluntly, this was not the scene of a ceremony to grant the highest level of divine protection.

“It’s my fault! I neglected my duties. I let down the people who came all this way. Ugh… How could I have done such a terrible thing? Ah…”

Repeated self-reproach and words of repentance.

But even as I watched her, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

She had undeniably been careless. Considering the circumstances when Ril had revealed her skill by summoning her split body, it was clear that the goddesses hadn’t realized until then that possessing outstanding skills could be dangerous.

This confession only served to further prove that what Hans-san had said was true.

They weren’t indifferent to the lower world exactly.

They focused on larger-scale things and rarely had the opportunity to show interest in one individual among many.

I suppose it’s typical of gods, and I think that’s the reason behind it.

But from the perspective of that individual, it’s no small matter.

They were kidnapped at an age when they couldn’t remember their parents’ faces. They were treated harshly and died after enduring nothing but hardship, never seeing any light.

If believing in the gods’ wishes meant facing such a fate, it’s no wonder they would express resentment.

If I were in their place, I would hate the gods with all my heart and do whatever it takes to get revenge.

Can they accept the facts and take measures to prevent this from happening again?

Personally, I don’t think they should call souls from Earth if they aren’t prepared to accept responsibility and overcome this issue.

“It’s tough to hear, but I think you have to accept it.”

“You’re right. Thanks for the report.”

“It’s because we don’t understand enough about how the lower world works…”

“Fortunately, I think the improvements are relatively easy to make. Once we realize what needs to be done, we can quickly get back on track. Why don’t you discuss it before calling the reincarnated souls again? If you still can’t come up with a satisfactory answer, I’ll give you some advice from a human perspective.”

“Ugh… I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Her face is a mess of tears and snot.

Felin said she couldn’t add any new skills, so there’s nothing we can do for those who have already been reincarnated.

But if they regret it enough to look like this, I’m sure they can improve in the future.

Then it’ll be okay. I’m sure it will be.

I tell Alicia it’s not all her fault and watch her leave.

(She’s the most pitiful goddess.)

Her feelings are strong.

She’ll work hard.

But she’s clumsy and can’t produce good results. Yet, she doesn’t give up.

Suddenly, that figure overlaps with someone I know well, and I shake my head as if to shake off such thoughts.

Phew…

I’ve achieved my first goal. When I looked ahead, I saw Riste and Ril standing there.

“Loki, thank you so much for everything this time.”

“No, it’s nothing. Riste seems to be able to talk normally again, and I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Now it’s my turn. I’m ready to start. Is everything ready?”

“Of course. Are you sure? We still have time to eat all the food we want.”

Even with the highest level of protection, Ril would be unable to move properly for a month or two.

I thought I would at least let her eat her favorite meat dish before bed, but she refused.

“I told you yesterday. This apology was planned from the beginning, and I’m not asking for anything in return.”

“I see. I understand. Then, Ril, please proceed.”

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll just give it to you first. No one here understands this skill very well anyway.”

“Huh…?”

W-wait… What do you mean?

Ignoring my confusion, Ril reached out one hand and turned her palm toward me.

I no longer feel fear, but her seriousness and sincerity are unlike anything I’ve seen before. I can’t help but stand up straight.

“I bestow upon Loki the blessing of the ‘Champion’—the power that has been entrusted to you, here and now.”

I don’t feel like I’ve gained anything.

My body glowed faintly as before. Immediately after, as if the power had been drained from her, Ril collapsed to her knees.

“Ril!”

But before I could rush over, Liste, who had been standing beside her, crouched down first.

She spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear; Ril’s face was contorted in agony.

“I saw your resolve clearly.”

At those words, Ril smiled faintly for a moment.

Seeing this exchange, I thought the relationship between the Goddesses seemed okay despite my worries.

Just as I thought that my consciousness returned to the lower world.

“Thank you…”

I didn’t know if she heard me.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

When I returned, the Ria statue was still empty.

I still haven’t heard anything about resetting skill points.

I considered asking about it, but it didn’t seem like the right time, so I held back and left the church.

I’m not brave enough to ask for another chance to journey to the divine realm.

Besides, there are other things I need to check first.

Unable to suppress my impatience, I searched for the “Champion” exclusive skill, which not even Ril understands well.

But—

As expected, the only unfamiliar skill I can find is the one that was announced earlier:

Soul Armor Lv1: Retain the soul of a monster that took its own life and add one randomly selected ability to yourself. Maximum number of Soul Armors: 1. Mana consumption: 5

I had imagined skills with impressive names like “Battle Aura” or “Battle Path,” so this name was quite unexpected.

I realize now that it’s a skill that’s difficult to understand just from the text.

Even the goddesses, including Ril, don’t fully understand it. Is it because it involves “taking a life”?

Since they were in the divine realm, they likely only knew the basics and didn’t understand the effects.

Then,

(The questionable points are “1 type,” “maximum number of soul armor,” “magic power consumption,” and maybe “monsters” as well.)

I’ve collected as much skill data as possible and narrowed down the questionable points likely to change as my level increases.

It’s just a guess, but I decide whether or not to spend skill points on this skill, even if it means skipping Spatial Magic.

Since it’s a skill that can’t be obtained from monsters, I’ll consider it seriously.

(Is this the same type as Slave Magic?)

As I rubbed my chin and stared at the status screen, I suddenly noticed a new tab added to the top right of the skill screen.

I immediately opened it, but it was blank, just a black background.

This is another new development.

Well, if it’s “monsters,” then there’s only one thing to do.

I rummaged through my leather bag and quietly checked the time.

Confirming that I still had several hours to hunt, I immediately flew toward the sea of trees.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

“Yes, it’s a miss. Next.”

I ran through the forest, taking out the monsters one by one without using Call to Assembly or sweeping them away with Lightning Magic.

How to use Soul Armor.

I got the hang of it after defeating the first ten or so monsters.

First, use the Soul Armor skill when defeating a monster.

Based on my experiments, it doesn’t matter if you use it before or after.

However, using it after will definitely result in a time limit.

Since it’s called “soul,” if the soul disappears into the ground over time, all is lost.

It’s only effective immediately after defeating a monster, and one of my stats will randomly increase when I do so.

In my case, those stats are Strength, Intelligence, Defense, Magic Defense, Agility, Dexterity, Luck, and Magic Power—eight stats in total.

Even when I defeated the goblin fighters that frequently appeared earlier, I didn’t see any monster characteristics, such as an increased strength tendency, so it’s safe to assume that the increased stat is truly random.

Incidentally, I could check what increased and the numerical values from a newly added tab. I could even check the tab without having to open the status screen just by closing my eyes and focusing.

I checked Slave Magic just for the sake of it and found the same phenomenon. I guess this is how the inhabitants of this world, who do not have status screens, check their special skills with tabs.

The monsters I defeated were numbered, so it’s almost certain that the number of slots will increase as my skill level rises.

If I don’t like it, I can overwrite it with the next monster, so I feel the design is relatively reasonable.

If it were the type that automatically attached to an empty slot instead of overwriting, I would have to determine the maximum value myself, which would be hellish work.

So far, so good.

The content was easy to understand, and there was nothing difficult about it.

However, from here on out, there are many deep and interesting, albeit tedious, elements.

First, as mentioned above, when I defeat a goblin fighter, one of my stats increases at random. However, Strength is mostly around 50, and the highest increase I’ve seen so far is 73.

Conversely, Dexterity is usually around 20, with the highest increase confirmed so far being 24.

These numbers reflect individual differences, and even with the same Strength, the parameters that increase are random within a certain range. The range of parameters that increase depending on stats, such as Strength and Dexterity, also varies greatly.

Additionally, when I defeated goblin archers, who don’t normally gather with Call to Assembly, I noticed that the pattern of increases was reversed.

Strength averages around 20 with low parameter increases, while Dexterity averages around 70 with high parameter increases.

Later, I found that goblin mages have a high average increase in Intelligence, suggesting that the distribution of increased stats is not biased toward monster characteristics.

However, depending on the monster’s characteristics, the stats that are increased will be higher than other stats if they are the monster’s specialty.

This means that the Strength and rank of monsters are also relevant.

In the deepest layers, the weakest hobgoblins have average increases of 10–15 for all stats. When a higher-tier orc with a more defined build surpassed 100 in Strength, it felt like I finally saw my top priority.

The ideal scenario would be to obtain Defense from the rarest ogre or a higher-tier orc and aim for parameters near the maximum value, though I’m unsure of the exact amount.

Preferably, I would obtain two of them.

Through testing, I concluded that this skill should be kept at level two, which consumes fewer points.

An increase of nearly 100 in a stat is equivalent to the total bonus stats of a skill at level 7.

This is a significant number for someone in my current position.

Additionally, while I clearly need Defense, I can use Agility to strengthen that stat as well, depending on my current stats.

However, the downside is that the Soul Armor skill always targets only one enemy.

Because of this fatal flaw, I can’t collect them and apply the highest value from among them.

Nevertheless, I enjoy setting goals and relentlessly challenging them, as I did when I played an old game and tried to select the best options.

In fact, I love it.

It doesn’t cost any money. As long as I have magic and monsters, I can do it. So, I guess I’m happy.

(Hah…hah…I’m in trouble. Another element that will get me hooked. I won’t be able to sleep…)

I want skills and strong parameters.

I can’t have everything.

In a dedicated hunting ground, I’d gather around bait to summon lightning. During downtime, I’d spend hours refining options.

I’d use up all my magic until I could no longer fly. By the time I was alone in the sea of trees, it was past midnight.

Regretting getting too carried away, I gazed at the yellow star in the sky that looked like the moon.

(Still, this skill—I bet it would be even more beneficial for someone other than me…)

If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!