Chapter 106: Celebrations

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After the whole incident happened, we decided to go relax and eat something out. The good thing about being “side characters” is that all the attention goes to the big shots, my brother and Henrietta mostly, so they were left to deal with the press and the TV interviewers for the news, who wanted just every little detail about what had happened.

And about us? Well, we moved out stealthily, and Hilda ended up joining us too. Kevin brought us to his favorite place to eat burgers, a place named “Jonny’s Burgers,” located near the China Town of Stronghold City, a lively place. Though there were a few thugs, nobody tried anything against us; the auras we gave off were enough for any thug to walk away as fast as possible.

“Oh man, I missed this so much…” Kevin sighed, munching on a huge, triple-patty burger with extra cheese and lots of barbecue sauce, bacon, fried onions, and pickles. “Hahh… I feel like all my problems are gone now.” He sighed in relief while drinking some ice-cold Coke.

“Hmm, they’re certainly alright... Ugh, but too much meat and grease; this is not going to do well in my stomach tonight…” Dan Baihe complained.

She always had a rather light diet, mostly eating rice and fried vegetables with chicken, fish, or other seafood. A huge, greasy burger was not something she was used to, even while living in the USA, the land of burgers!

“Come on now, you asked for the double burger patty with extra goat cheese; eat it,” I laughed, munching on my second guacamole burger. “These are really good though; the patty’s so tasty and juicy! Jonny’s done it.”

“Right?! They’re godly!” Laughed Kevin.

“Burp… I like the spicy chicken wings the most, hehe.” Annabelle had her entire face covered in spicy barbecue sauce; two empty plates of wings rested in front of her as she was devouring a third.

“You kids eat like monsters, damn! I like that!” Hilda laughed, drinking a huge jug of ice-cold beer after going halfway through her quadruple-patty burger.

“Yeah, all’s good, I guess, but why is SHE here?” asked Baihe, pointing at the silver-haired, red-eyed spectral lady sitting at my side.

“I… feel strangely close to Anna; I don’t know why. It feels comfortable to be around her.” Sara sighed, sipping some soda. “Sorry, am I annoying you guys? I'll leave… I just thought that… No, never mind.”

“Hah, you don’t have to leave,” I said, stopping her. "Stay; another friend is always better. Anyway, it is partially my fault that you feel this strange sensation of comfort. I’ll explain to you what happened."

I told Sara what had happened to her in more detail, alongside Hel’s thing, and about the whole battle that transpired. And lastly, thanks to one of my special abilities, because she’s kind of a monster now, she ended up being qualified as a “friend”.

“So you tamed me?!” Sara felt offended. “Oh my god, that sounds so weird…”

“E-Eh?! Look, that’s not the case! A friend is not taming something; it's actually just creating a bond and a connection. You can do whatever you want.” I sighed. "Sorry, though; I know it’s weird. I’ll find a way to take that title away from you; it kind of happened automatically.”

“Sigh…” Sara sighed, sipping some more soda while eating her fries. “Well, it could be worse. I could be dead right now. I died, actually. That Hel, honestly, was everything to me—the only family, and... To think she only wanted my body as a vessel, just to bring destruction to everything. Hector must hate me so much now… Ugh, can I even continue being who I was? I’m an Undead now; I’m not even a human…”

“Well, I’m not exactly a human either…” I sighed. “Look at this wing I have here.”

“Eh?! You got a wing?!” Sara gasped.

“I’m a Nephilim, a half-angel being—a weird evolution the constellations gave me," I shrugged. “It is what it is. At this point, it's more beneficial to be non-human with all the monsters roaming everywhere. Since the monsters began appearing, people've gotten used to crazy things happening all the time now. Also, Annabelle here is... well, she’s not human either.”

“Hi!” Annabelle waged her hand covered in barbecue sauce. “Do you want a spicy wing? They’re so spicy that even an Undead would feel alive if they ate it!”

“A-Ah, thanks…” Sara sighed, grabbing the wing and giving it a bite. “Ah! S-So hot! Urgh, cough…”

She started drinking soda desperately, and we started laughing a bit.

“See? You still have your taste buds and your eyesight; you can smell, talk, and do everything you did before. Aside from little details like… Err, your heart is not beating, you’re pretty alright!” I said. “You can continue being who you were and just forget about us, or maybe stick around and find out what happens next; it’s your decision. Being given the [Friend] Title by my family shouldn’t tie you; I cannot give direct orders to my tamed monsters either; they only do what I say because they trust me a lot.”

“I see…” Sara sighed. "Though I doubt things can go back to normal now that everyone knows what I became... It would be better if I stuck around with you guys. If you don’t mind, hah. Until I can sort things out... a bit better.” She looked so depressed.

“Sure! I don’t mind!” Annabelle smiled happily.

“Do whatever you want.” Kevin shrugged.

"Okay, fine, but you don’t stay at Anna’s house! You have your own house, right?! So go there! We have enough people living there already!” Baihe complained. “Hilda, you’re out too!”

“Eeh? But I liked the free lodging!” Sighed Hilda.

“Wow, you’re talking like you own her house or something.” Kevin sighed. “What’s up with that? You’re the freeloader here…”

“T-That’s…!” Baihe was quickly shut down by Kevin, a surprising sight to behold.

“Okay, okay, let’s calm down…” I facepalmed. “Sorry about that; they’re the goofy goobers sometimes.”

“Heheh…” Sara started to laugh a bit, covering her mouth timidly. “You guys are nothing like the hunters I’ve met in my life…”

“Well, well, we got her to laugh; that’s a plus, no?” Hilda celebrated by drinking more beer.

“It’s going to be hard to explain everything to the Hunter Association Director, but we’ll do our best.” I sighed. “Brother sent me a message; he’s coming here, so let’s talk with him about this stuff too.”

“A-Alright. Thanks for... helping me so much. It would have been perfectly fine to just kill me after what I became, but you chose to save my life instead. I'll be forever grateful for this. I swear as my creed as an Assassin.” Sara bowed her head.

Well, if I didn’t save her, I would feel terribly guilty; after all, it was my actions that provoked this butterfly effect that made it, so the Apostles of Death appeared sooner than expected, provoking her early death, something that didn’t even happen in the novel’s story!

I had to save her, or the guilt would have eaten me alive!

“N-No problem…” I forced a gentle smile. “Hahah…”

"Okay, but there’s another condition; let’s change seats.” Said Baihe angrily as she forcefully made Sara sit at the side of Kevin where she was while she came to my side.

“What kind of condition was that?” I sighed.

“I-I just like being at your side; I’m your second in command, after all, right?” Baihe said proudly.

“Second in command? You’re making up titles now.” I laughed. “Oh, now that I think about it... So Hel doesn’t bother you again; let’s do this. Keep it a secret, please.”

“Huh?” Sara wondered what I was doing. [Netherworld’s Specter: Sara (A Rank)]

Ding!

[Character [Sara] is eligible for a [Super Growth Package Gift (C Rank Privilege)]!]

[Unlockable Abilities]: [Spectral Body (S)] [Undead Master (S)] [Phantasmal Veil (S)] [???] […]

[Overall Description]: [Sara is quite the unique girl; after having been killed and turned into an undead through her possession of Hel, a Constellation, she has acquired great potential but cannot normally tap on it without the intervention of a Constellation, or a growth package.]

[However, aside from that, she feels insecure about herself, disgusted, even. She cannot fathom what she has truly become. Despite her lonely nature and her silent personality, she’s someone who needs a person by her side to guide her down the proper path.]

[To awaken her interesting abilities, not only a Privilege is needed, but people that could help her accept what she has become and to move on, trying to amend for the things she has done and that she regrets.]

[Package Cost]: [10000 Plot Points]

Wow, she has three potential S-rank skills! But she probably also lost a lot of her Skills after Hel got exorcised out of her body… Well, you win some and you lose some, as they say.

Ding!

[You’ve exchanged 10000 Plot Points, and you’ve purchased the [Super Growth Package Gift (C Rank Privilege)]!]

[You’ve used the [Super Growth Package Gift (C Rank Privilege)] on [Character]: [Sara]!]

[Her Innate Skills And Talents Have Awakened!]

[All Of Her Stats Have Increased!]

[You Have Become [Character]: [Sara] Sponsor!]

[The Cosmic Throne {Queen of the Underworld} has lost her Sponsor and future Incarnation!]

[You Can Now Grant More Privileges To Your Sponsored Incarnation.]

FLASH!

Sara immediately felt a divine light descend upon her body and soul, granting her and awakening a power dwelling within her new self, which she had never thought possible before.

“W-What’s going on?! My strength… It’s rising?!” She wondered.

“It is something I call sponsoring; it is one of the few abilities I have, haha.” I giggled. “I did it with Baihe and Annabelle because they were being predated by evil Constellations that wanted to force them to become their incarnations, the same is true for you! It might not be as good as genuine sponsorship, but it’ll work as a barrier so creepy constellations don’t try to force you into becoming their slaves.”

“S-Such power is possible?! You’re… Well, you said you were half-angel; could this be the ability of a Nephilim?!” Wondered Sara. “A-Amazing, I’ve never... Ah, I need some time to process all of this…”

She suddenly stole Hilda’s jug and drank the rest of the beer, sighing in relief.

“Hey, my beer!” Hilda complained angrily.

“Sorry, but I really needed that... I’ll buy you another,” Sara sighed. “I just… need to calm down. It feels somewhat… relieving that that woman will not bother me anymore. Thank you, Anna. I’ve made up my mind now; I’ll join your guild!”

“My guild?!” I asked. “Sorry, but we’re in my brother’s guild, so…”

“I’ll join that guild as well! I’ll see if the members of my guild agree to continue being by my side or not after this incident…” Sara said. “But if it goes well, could they join as well? There are some loyal members.”

“W-Well, uh… I’ll see if my brother approves that first!” I sighed. “But for now, stay in your guild.”

“Then I’ll make you the co-guild master!” She said.

“No, stop it!” I facepalmed. “Don’t try to reward me for what I’ve done; I’ve done it out of guilt, honestly... Just leave it be.”

“E-Eh? Hic…” Sara felt confused, suddenly getting slightly dizzy. Was she drunk? That was really fast! Because she is undead, she lacks any protection against alcohol.

Once my brother and Henrietta arrived with Scarlet, we enjoyed a meal together, talked, and discussed everything. Sara was rejected from joining the guild, and the day ended.

A discussion with the director followed the next morning. We couldn’t even rest properly because we had to wake up really early in the morning. We explained to him the details, even Sara’s current condition.

He pondered what to do but decided to keep her current form a secret from the public, and he allowed Sara to continue being a hunter, mostly out of need, as the city would lose a strong protector if they tried to throw her into jail.

And well, the preparations to raid the castle were going smoothly; in a few days, we were getting up there and ending this whole ordeal once and for all.

[The Cosmic Throne {Queen of the Underworld} is angry at you.]

[She says she hates you!]

[She is saying to go fuck yourself!]

[She is asking to get her Grimoire back!]

[She’s complaining that the punishment of being sealed for a hundred years inside her Realm is not fair!]

Yeah, go fuck yourself, Hel.

Anyways, angry death goddess noises aside, it was time for me to go to my last stop before the castle raid, and it would be yet another Dungeon.

This black key is in my hands right now, and it'll lead me to a Trial Dungeon where I can get a Subclass, I’ll use it now that it’s the middle of the night and everyone’s fast asleep.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

Giving a last look at my room, I stepped through the portal fearlessly. It felt as if I were walking through an endless tunnel of colors until I suddenly landed on a cold, stone floor.

I glanced around, finding myself within a world of darkness with a purple sky, a red moon, black clouds, and a withered forest.

In the distance, I could see a large cliff, a small, ruinous town, and on top of that cliff, a large and ancient-looking castle.

Ding!

[Welcome to the [Trial Dungeon: Deserted Hellscape]

[In this Dungeon, you’ll face not only trials of battle but also those that have to do with the heart.]

[To begin your journey, walk into the nearby town. This wasteland is filled with strong monsters; be careful; time is tickling.]

[You’ll have to complete the Trial within 72 Hours. If you cannot complete it within this time frame, you will be automatically expelled, but you can try again after a few days.]

[Time goes several times faster inside this Dungeon compared to the outside world.]

[Depending on your performance in completing the trials, a special Subclass will be given.]

Oof, 72 hours?! This is not going to be easy, isn’t it?

“ROOOARRR!”

And right as I stood up, I heard the roar of a beast approaching—no, several beasts approaching at the same time.

I gave a single look to my back, finding out a pack of over seven creatures, resembling long human-like monsters with pale white skin, almost bald heads, sharp ears, and noses, and menacing red eyes, with long canine fangs and huge black claws.

[You’ve been spotted by a pack of bloodthirsty [Blood Thralls (B+ Rank)] x7!]

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