Antagonist Protection Service

[The Protagonist, 'Itou Touya, the Reincarnator', has been dispatched.]

[Contract complete.]

Immediately after having the Librarian confirm the death of the Protagonist, I returned to the Library.

Coming up with some kind of excuse for what happened to me would be... more than just a little bit of a pain, so just in case I ran into anyone while trying to clean up, I wouldn't return to Earth just yet.

'It shouldn't take long with those potions.'

I could buy a potion from the Store and drink it, but there was no need for that.

Anyway, I fortunately wasn't out for nearly as long compared to last time, so the time...

"...Ah."

April 10.

"..."

Another month had already passed... and Spring Break started.

'Then, is no one here after all?'

There weren't as many notifications as I expected this time as well, perhaps because people were already getting used to the fact I might not answer for such long periods of time.

Well, it was convenient, so I wouldn't complain.

Opening the Assistance Menu in front of me, I simultaneously inspected the description of the Villainous Blade.

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 : 5

*Form Change

*Self-Cleansing

Reading it through, it seemed to have acquired another property.

"'Self-Cleansing'...? Librarian, do you know what that means?"

"Certainly! Um, I think it means the blade doesn't get all sticky with blood when you hit someone with it!"

"Oh... Alright then."

It wasn't very exciting, but I guess progress was progress. Moving on, there was the ability obtained from the Antagonist through Service Charge.

And, if my previous discoveries turned out to be correct, then that could lead to me finally unlocking the pathway towards magic.

Merely imagining the possibility was enough to get my heart pumping.

Nervously, I opened up the Service Charge menu.

Service Charge | 7,440 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

My fists clenched when I saw it.

'Yes!'

Without hesitation, I opened the skill description.

Skill - [Mana Corruption] (Passive)

The Demon King, cursed by the heavens with an inability to interact with mana, developed this Skill with his own two hands in the midst of famine and war.

Using this perversion of what was once a pure, natural force, he ruled.

From that point on, he was an enemy of the world.

(Mana you interact with becomes corrupted)

Price : 5,000 U

After reading through the description, which again was more like exposition surrounding the lore and background of the ability rather than an actual explanation of what it did, I thought it more or less matched up with what the Dragon Tribe Elders had told me.

Even still, it was quite intriguing, and I actually thought this kind of curious description made me much more hungry to make the purchase than something like the flat, matter-of-fact descriptions of the Black Wisp and White Death.

'I'll definitely get that next.'

In any case, there was a list of priorities and, now that that was out of the way, it was finally time to make use of the World Stability I'd been saving up.

'The 'Draconic Shadow', right? Where was it...'

It was time to buy some armour.

To be honest, it was some damn good timing―after experiencing first-hand what it was like to get lacerated all over by sharp claws and mauled by fangs, there was no way in hell I wanted to go through something similar again.

So, even though part of me held no doubt that it would surely happen again at some point...

Well, the least I could do was get something to prevent it in the meantime.

"Ah, here it is... Oh, it looks awesome!"

The moment I tapped the item name to open it, a massive second window appeared.

Item - [Draconic Shadow]

An armoured garb with dark themes so as to let one blend in with the shadows.

Produced by the greatest Master Craftsman of the Dwarves, it is a flexible outfit which flawlessly combines fashion and function, providing for the wearer both supreme elegance and protection.

Being tailor-made with a specific individual in mind, it is something designed from the outset to bring forth the utmost of particular qualities in its ideal wearer - as such, the materials utilised were prioritised for the efficiency of that individual, and the proportions or properties of the outfit cannot be altered.

*Possesses Superior Presence Concealment

*Possesses Intermediate Magic Concealment

*Possesses Superior Magic Resistance

*Possesses Weight Reduction Enhancement

*Possesses Physical Regeneration Enhancement

(If the wearer is not the dedicated individual, it may induce a sense of malaise)

Grade : Unique

Price : 6,000 U

"Oh, wow. I didn't realise it had so many properties. Librarian, isn't this huge?"

"Certainly! It's a great deal, that's why I picked it! Aren't I doing a good job!"

"Of course."

Muttering that with a smile, I wasted no time in buying the set.

Item Purchased

[Draconic Shadow] added to Storage

'It'll increase my natural regeneration when I wear it, right? I should just wear it now then.'

Thinking that casually, I summoned it straight from Storage, replacing the utterly tattered clothes from the disguise.

"Oh...?"

The moment the fabric appeared directly on my body, my eyes naturally widened.

For one, I found it immensely convenient that it would automatically equip itself when I summoned it with that intention, meaning I didn't need to go through the hassle of putting it on myself, but also...

"It fits extremely well. I've never worn anything like this before..."

Somehow, it felt as if I was wearing something made specifically for me.

'Because of the description...? I guess whoever it was made for had the same proportions as me-- no, wait, that's stupid. It's infinitely more likely to just be because it's created through World Stability, so the Library created it just in my size.'

Leaving that thought there, I obviously could no longer see my own body since it was covered by the freshly-equipped sleek armour, then further covered with a black cloak.

Despite that, I could feel the enhanced healing, like faint itching on my skin.

'With that plus the potions, I wonder how fast the recovery would be...'

Aside from that, I decided to test out the armour for a bit, stretching, running, crouching, and jumping in all sorts of ways to experiment with the flexibility and comfort, and what could I say?

'It's perfect...'

Really, there were no complaints that I could spout even if I tried. It even had synergy with Sneak―if I put the hood up and crouched, I was sure it would be hard or almost impossible to notice me, at least for an ordinary person.

Furthermore, I had no idea why it ever would, if the need arose for me to punch or hit someone with my bare fists, my hands even had all-encompassing gloves to protect me.

'I guess they're also good for preventing anyone from discovering my temperature.'

At that moment, the Librarian abruptly jumped up.

"Oh! Enki, I forgot!"

"Hm? What's up?"

"I remembered! This was your sixth Protagonist Dispatched! That means you've been promoted!"

Hearing her words, my eyebrows rose.

"...I have?"