The Runaway Warrior from Extra

Chapter 9: The Butcher of Juniperville (4)

Truth could not be found without inquiry.

The "Eye of Truth" was a high-ranking blessing, but it wasn't a constantly active ability. However, once activated, it became an eye that revealed all truths.

"How did you get your hands on the walkthrough?"

I could see it.

What had happened in the village was not a murder but a series of disappearances.

"Kidnapping Extras and killing them?"

Where had the missing people gone? The answer lay below.

"Imprisoning them in a dark dungeon, threatening them to spill everything they knew?"

The ones trapped in this underground place were Extras and those who had accidentally come to Juniperville and been mistaken for Extras.

"Breaking their bodies with violence, shattering their minds with humiliation?"

So far, only three people had reached the mansion where I lived: Emily, Walter, and the unnamed thief.

Just those three.

"And after forcing them to confess everything they knew, did you kill them to silence them when they were no longer useful?"

The rest had fallen into Lucas' trap and vanished without a trace.

"How many did you kill that way?"

"Strange... I thought we could make a deal."

The Extra in front of me wore a kind and benevolent mask, but he was clearly evil.

"Sid, don't forget. I have the walkthrough."

The walkthrough Lucas had created seemed incredibly important to me. It was likely true.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have revealed the existence of the walkthrough the moment he faced me, nor would he have emphasized his competence and necessity so strongly.

"The walkthrough is practically my lifeline. I've encrypted it so thoroughly that only I can understand it."

If I had been a fellow reincarnator like him or if I knew even a little about "Astoria Saga," I would have immediately realized how important the walkthrough was. I would have done anything to maintain a good relationship with him.

Since human memory was limited, the information an individual Extra could possess was always fragmented or superficial.

That left only one option: to trade.

"In other words, without me, there’s no walkthrough."

Even if I had to turn a blind eye to his horrific deeds.

But he was wrong.

Contrary to his expectations, I was not a reincarnator. I was merely a character in the story who had learned a few facts.

"If... something happens to me, where do you think you'll get this kind of information? I guarantee you, nowhere!"

Yes. This was a hostage situation from the start.

The hostage wasn't a person but information. Numerous Extras had already reached an irreversible state, and all the information they held was with Lucas.

"I don't need it."

Just as he had subdued the other Extras with fear, he intended to wield the walkthrough as a weapon to control me.

Even if the walkthrough was a prophecy detailing every future event, if it was something designed to manipulate me, I didn't need it.

"Then... negotiations are off."

As soon as he said negotiations were over, the threads of fear that Lucas had woven extended toward the underground prison, connecting to the prisoners like puppets to a puppeteer.

"Even if you are a hero... you're still just a kid. It shouldn't take long."

"Fear" was a power of domination.

It shackled the invisible chains of the mind, imprisoning oneself, breaking the target’s will, and forcing obedience.

"Come out, you trash."

With Lucas' sinister command, chaos erupted in the underground prison.

Creak—

The rusty hinges let out a metallic sound like a scream as the prisoners were released.

"The master's orders..."

"Hurry, if we don’t obey... more torture will..."

Inside were Extras who had already become slaves to fear, their sanity paralyzed by prolonged torture.

"Since we need to return them relatively intact, let's start with waterboarding. Get ready."

"Y-yes, master."

These Extras, whose skin clung to their bones, looked as though they could be either living beings or corpses. Each of them picked up ropes and torture tools and began approaching us.

"You... Were you planning to do the same to Rena?"

"Can't an older brother discipline a younger sister who doesn’t listen? I need a safety net, too."

I was the walkthrough. Rena was the torture.

Lucas had never intended cooperation. He had planned to control and dominate us from the beginning.

"Rena."

"Si-Sid... I-I'm sorry. I don't understand what anyone is saying. I don't know why you're so angry."

"I'm sorry for putting you through this."

"H-huh...?"

"No matter what happens, I'll protect you."

This was the follower of "Fear."

"My name is Sid Naruen Valer!"

For the first time, I was facing an opponent as a hero.

"The last hero!"

***

"You little brat!"

A violent kick struck Sid in the stomach.

Though he clutched his stomach in pain and grimaced, Sid quickly stood back up like a punching doll. Meanwhile, the slave who had kicked him fell to the ground, clutching his own shin.

"Aaaargh...!"

Even as Sid was struck, he persistently targeted his attacker's injured shin.

"What's wrong with you? Get him already!"

"Ca-capture him!"

The situation was dire. I was outnumbered, and the basic physical difference between a child and several adults was overwhelming.

It was almost impossible for a young child with weak strength to take down fully grown adults, let alone several.

"What are you doing?!"

"Ugh, M-master. That cunning kid keeps aiming for our injured spots..."

However, Lucas' slaves were already severely weakened from prolonged torture. Their bodies bore clear marks of torment, and their stamina had deteriorated drastically.

But who could tell what kind of torture they had endured? How could anyone see their injuries clearly in this dark underground?

Yet somehow, Sid seemed to see all their weaknesses as if they were plain as day. He was relentlessly targeting their wounds to hold his ground.

To Lucas' knowledge, there was only one ability that could ignore the darkness of such a dim dungeon and allow someone to exploit their opponent's weaknesses so effectively.

"Could it be... has he already acquired the 'Eye of Truth'?"

The "Eye of Truth" allowed one to see through all illusions and traps, even exposing the weaknesses of others.

Usually, such a powerful blessing was granted only to great sages or archmages who had reached a level of omniscience or to those who had uncovered a world-shaking truth.

On top of that, Sid seemed to be demonstrating the hero’s innate ability, "Indomitable Courage," which granted him the strength to get back up as long as his fighting spirit remained unbroken.

Lucas couldn’t comprehend it.

"How... how is this possible?"

No matter how much the opponent was the protagonist, was this even a winnable fight to begin with?

In particular, in the game he knew, "Indomitable Courage" was an ability that allowed the protagonist to endure with just 1 HP remaining. The activation rate was purely luck-based and not nearly this high.

But Sid kept clenching his teeth and getting up, over and over.

Since there was no visible HP bar, he couldn’t count it precisely, but it had long surpassed any reasonable probability, mathematically speaking.

Since he judged everything based on his game knowledge, it was even harder for him to accept his current situation.

"Move aside, you useless trash! Bring me my tools. I’ll handle this myself!"

Sid looked like he could collapse at any moment, but he couldn’t be left as he was.

Virtue was a power that grew deeper and stronger the more it accumulated.

What if that courage, which defied even death, continued to build up and surpassed a certain threshold...?

When his thoughts reached that point, a chill ran down Lucas' spine, gripping his heart.

"M-Master! I-I brought it."

"You sluggish worms. Hand it over!"

What Lucas received was one of the oldest weapons in the world, an instrument that evoked primal fear.

Crack—!

With a sharp crack, a twisted leather whip revealed itself.

"Heeek—!"

"Please, not the whip...!"

The slaves, who already had the terror of the whip ingrained deep into their bones, immediately flattened themselves against the ground upon hearing its sound.

"What, do you already think you’re a hero?"

But for some reason, the protagonist—Sid—did not fall.

Crack!

Lucas skillfully swung the whip, making the explosive sound pop right next to Sid's face.

The sudden thunderous noise made Sid flinch. Lucas didn’t miss this chance.

"See? You’re still just a kid. Weak, scared, a pathetic brat who pisses himself when he gets hit."

The whip didn’t just have destructive power that could break the sound barrier—it also produced a sharp sound that invoked intense fear.

Lucas' slaves feared that terrifying sound even more than the pain of being whipped.

"No matter how strong a man is, after five lashes, he starts sobbing. Do you think you’ll be any different?"

No matter how much of a hero he was, Sid was still only ten years old. He had likely never experienced something like a whipping before. Lucas was confident that just a few lashes would break his spirit.

If he could just break that arrogant brat’s pride once—just once—and engrave true pain and fear into his body...

Even the protagonist would end up begging for mercy at his feet.

In this world, "Fear" was that kind of power. No other Extra had ever endured it.

"...You’re right."

Strangely, Lucas felt like he had seen this scene somewhere before.

The sight of Rena, who had fallen into a state of incapacitation, and the protagonist desperately protecting her seemed oddly familiar to Lucas.

"Huh...?"

It was strange. It shouldn’t be like this. Despite the differences in age, circumstances, and location, the setup was identical.

"I am weak and afraid. That’s true."

The main story hadn’t even started yet. Why was that line coming out of the protagonist’s mouth already?

"So, I swear on my name...!"

"S-Stop! Are you kidding me right now?"

To Lucas, this situation felt like a cruel joke.

If this were real, he needed to run away immediately. But if it were a bluff, he’d only end up looking ridiculous.

However, fear was a power that ruled and reigned over the minds of others. It could never become a laughingstock.

On top of that, if he left himself exposed, Sid could take advantage of the opening and escape the underground prison.

"Do you think I’ll back down just because you’re reenacting that scene now?!"

Lucas had to make a quick decision. Was this a bluff, or was it truly the moment of awakening?

"I will not kneel to 'Fear'...!"

"Shut up!"

In that decisive moment, he chose the only option he was sure of.

"I will not use my weakness as an excuse, nor speak of failure as a justification!"

"Keep your mouth shut!"

That choice was to trust the walkthrough he had written himself. According to it, there were three minimum conditions for the Holy Sword manifestation event:

Rena had to be incapacitated, the protagonist had to learn all the secrets of his birth, and finally, it had to be a scenario boss battle.

Against a Mid-Boss, a mere Extra, or a regular mob, the Holy Sword event would not trigger, no matter how many conditions were met.

Think about it—how absurd would it be if the heroine fell into danger and the protagonist awakened his ultimate skill while merely fighting a common monster or dungeon boss?

That was why the minimum requirement was a scenario boss battle.

Scenario bosses each had a party wipe skill that could incapacitate the entire party in one hit.

After the wipe skill activated once, there would be a cutscene where the hero, who endured with "Indomitable Courage," would awaken their ultimate skill.

"So, answer my call, O Holy Sword of 'Courage'...!"

"I’ll engrave the 'Mark of Fear' upon you!"

Knowing this, Lucas concluded that Sid was only bluffing.

After all, he was just an older brother to his childhood friend—a truly insignificant Extra. He was convinced he could never be a boss.

At the final clash, right before anything happened, a faint thread of light began to glow in Sid’s empty hand.

"Huh..."

Lucas Fraune—or rather, the one who had possessed him—looked at the blinding light and realized one last truth.

The mistake had been thinking of everything as a game. Or perhaps the real error had been dismissing himself as nothing more than an Extra.

And so, in the underground prison of an unknown rural village...

Indomitable (不屈)—a sword that could never be broken.

"O Invictus!"

Thus, the flame of courage rose—the flame that was also called Invincible.