Chapter 32

Inflation
(Alright! Sooo, to get straight to the point…)

Pyupure, who had suddenly appeared, said something outrageous with the same casual tone one might use to talk about tomorrow’s weather.

(One of the Saviors… has died!)

“… What?”

Time stopped.

Died? A Savior?

(So that means, including Alice-sama, there are only six hopes left! Ahh, what a shame, what a shame! One step closer to total annihilation of one hundred million people, the countdown advancing!)

Pyupure made a gesture like popping a party cracker and laughed gleefully.
… Huh.
Rather than shock, what I felt first was a kind of cold detachment.

“… I see. Well, it’s only natural that the weak die first.”

I shrugged.
Some nameless person dying wasn’t going to make my heart ache.

(Oh my, oh my? You seem awfully composed.)

Pyupure grinned as she peered into my face.

(Your ally count just dropped, you know? No fear? No panic?)

“Not really?”

I snorted.
Then I declared it with the most smug look I could muster.

“Because I’m already level 50.”

That’s right.
Level 50.
Far beyond the average level in this world, on par with even top-class knights.
And I reached it in just a few days.
On top of that, I’ve got the strongest subordinate at level 64 right by my side.

“Thanks to the strongest skill you gave me, this game’s so easy it makes me yawn. I don’t care who dies. I can clear this solo just fine.”

I crossed my arms and leaned back arrogantly.
There are no blind spots for me right now.
At this pace, I should be able to one-shot the final boss.

(I see, I see! Glad to hear things are going so smoothly!)

Pyupure clapped.
But her eyes weren’t smiling.
They carried a nasty gleam, like she was mocking a clueless child.

(But… are you really sure that’s enough?)

“… What are you getting at?”

(Oh, nothing! I just thought that confident expression of yours was absolutely wonderful!)

She wagged her finger.

(Hmm~ yes! Since we’re here, how about a special service from the management? I’ll give you a hint!)

“A hint?”

(Yes! I’ll show you the data of the deceased Savior!)

With a snap of her fingers, a bright red window appeared in midair.

—
[Deceased Data]

Name: Zekka Raven [Savior] Skill: [Blessing of the Berserker] Level at Death: [413] Cause of Death: Devoured by one of the Three Devourers Beyond Reason, “The Star-Devouring Maw”
—

“…………”

… Huh
I doubted my own eyes.
Did I misread it? A bug?
Level… 413?
That’s… more than eight times my current level.

Berserker? Just like my “Blessing of the Murderer,” one of those strongest skills Pyupure hands out, right?
Three Devourers? Devouring stars? What even is that?

(Ahaha! That face! Alice-sama, that expression is perfect!)

Seeing my frozen face, Pyupure burst out in delight.

(This Zekka guy was super hardworking, you know? He kept saying “I’ll save everyone” and leveled himself into the triple digits without even sleeping. Impressive, right?)

“… Then why…”

My voice trembled.

“Why did he die? He was level 413, right!? There’s no way he could lose!”

That’s right.
In this world, level 80 is already enough to be called a hero.
People don’t even know triple-digit levels exist.

Which is exactly why…
That should be the strongest.
There’s no way he could lose.

Pyupure casually delivered the cruel truth.

(Oh, he can lose. At that level, of course he can.)

She giggled, then dropped a bombshell.

(Oh, and by the way…)

“… What?”

(That “Star-Devouring Maw”? It’s waaaay, way lower-ranked than the final boss, you know?)

“… What?”

My thoughts completely froze.

(From the final boss’s perspective, something like that is just a pet dog in the yard! At around level 400, you wouldn’t even beat the guard dog!)

―Thump.

My heart made a sickening sound.
Level 50.

A number I thought was pretty strong in this world suddenly looked tiny… like something less than a microorganism.

Even level 413 is just pet food?
And the final boss is far beyond that?
This isn’t just power creep. This is pure absurdity.

(Well, do your best grinding! At this rate, Alice-sama, you’ll be someone’s snack in no time! Ahahahahahaha!!)

Leaving behind her shrill laughter, Pyupure vanished.
What remained was silence…
and a bottomless sense of despair.

“… Don’t screw with me.”

I clenched my trembling fist.

“Easy game”? “Makes me yawn”?

Who the hell was I kidding?
A world where level 413 gets eaten alive.
At this rate, I might as well not exist.
Beside me, Nagaku-san looked up at me with concern.
Even in his teddy bear form, he seemed at a loss for words at the sheer absurdity of it all.

“… Hey, Nagaku.”

“Yes.”

I tightened my trembling hand and spoke to the stuffed figure behind me.

A question that suddenly welled up from deep within.

“For me… is killing people… a bad thing?”