Chapter 61: The Nightmare Queen’s Battle (3)

I’m rolling with the Nightmare Queen, lifting her for a sidewalk slam onto the floor.

Then I get hit by another outstretched kick.

Damn, how many times is this?

After getting kicked, I grab her waist, spin her, or lift her with force and slam her down.

Is it just me, or is she letting my grappling moves land?

Feels like a high-level sandbag that levels me up just by attacking—not bad, but my house is turning into a wreck.

In the midst of this, I keep dumping points into my stats as my level rises.

Gotta hit harder.

Puk, urk, kip, kuk, ugh.

I’m the one taking most of the hits, but she’s the one panicking.

I don’t like getting hit, so I trip her legs, tackle, and push her down.

“Oh.”

This is driving me nuts.

Even when she’s down, her chest—her chest—

“Ugh, uhhm.”

“Why’re you closing your eyes!?”

With her eyes shut, I can’t bring myself to punch her face.

No choice, I go for a headbutt, but she’s intangible again, unharmed.

Still, the face attack startles her, and she turns translucent, slipping away toward the bathroom.

“Ha. You’re really strong.”

Her torn clothes shift back to the zip-up swimsuit from when she crossed over.

It clings tightly, accentuating her groin—sleazy yet her face’s pure and innocent vibe makes it dizzying.

[Ang, ang, ang!]

Room 204’s audio gets louder, probably pissed at the wall noise.

Guess they’re a noise victim too this time.

But thanks to that live moaning audio, I’m not distracted by her body.

Maybe the way to block her is listening to YouTube trash like “I couldn’t escape my father-in-law’s demands…”

If Room 204 cuts the audio, I might try it.

No, if I don’t try, I’ll just get devoured.

“Phew.”

Taking a breather, I see my house is trashed.

The Sultan Boys’ bromide is torn at the bottom, flapping, and nothing in the room looks intact.

A 40,000+ level monster, human-sized, forces a street brawl in a tight ring.

“I know strength as a superior being. You’re strong. So, can’t we end this fight and love each other?”

“Why love?”

“Because I want to live here.”

“Where?”

“Here. By your side.”

No money, yet boldly demanding a free ride.

Your ancestors paying the rent?

“Why should I?”

“As I said, we’re structured like humans, so we can be a couple. Curious? I’ll show you.”

Honestly, I’m curious.

Our intense grappling has me holding her body, touching here and there, building subtle anticipation.

But this is probably another charm tactic.

“No tricks. Fight me. If you win, I’ll see the truth. You gathered monsters with a decree to marry whoever brings my head. Your minions said so.”

Level up again.

Every attack, every charm dodge, levels me up.

I’ve gained over 30 levels already.

Her level’s so high, anything I do with her boosts my level.

Plus, either her Strength is low or my Shield King absorbs well, but her attacks aren’t that strong.

Her speed’s beyond me, but Shield King reduces 90% of damage, so my effective HP is…

What, ten times higher?

Can’t even calculate it.

Should’ve studied science.

Anyway, Shield King makes my HP crazy high.

The LV40 wraith’s whining trait is the best so far.

“If I force you to yield, I can win your love?”

“Then I’d beg for my life, and if you say love, I wouldn’t refuse.”

“You’re wary of vitality theft, but you’re a giant, right?”

“True.”

“Then your vitality’s greater than most. Don’t you think we’d make a great couple? A butterfly sipping from a lake doesn’t dry it up.”

Huh.

Since I’m a giant, if vitality’s what they want, I must have a ton, right?

Kinda tempting…

No.

Almost fell for it again.

“Fight me. Why the tricks?”

“If you don’t love me, it hurts my pride.”

Her gentle, innocent words keep tugging at my heart.

I should hit her while she’s talking, but I can’t muster the strength.

And at that strength, she blurs and dodges anyway.

“Hey, Queen.”

“Yes?”

“The wraiths’ lingering thoughts recorded your actions. High-handed, freely cursing, confident. I remember it clearly.”

“Did they?”

“I know you’re acting all pure and innocent. What’s with the saintly pretense? You just want to drain my vitality, nothing more, nothing less.”

“…Maybe saying I fell for you is a lie.”

“Yeah, a lie.”

“But I’d rather win your heart and survive than kill you and take this place.”

“Hmph, so you have a reason or situation where you can’t kill me.”

“…”

I think I’ve found her weakness.

They say you learn by getting hit.

Got hit, now I get it.

“Your Charm stat’s so overinvested, you lack the strength and stamina for close combat.”

“Your Intelligence is high. I hid it, but you figured it out. Still, my Intelligence is probably higher.”

No, the Sage’s wraith said her Charm exceeds 50,000, making traits useless.

Though it worked against Room 204’s Japanese girl noises.

Unless she got an event boost or consumed a treasure, a 40,000-level Nightmare Queen’s total stats don’t exceed 100,000, with the other seven stats averaging about 7,000.

If Charm’s over 50,000, the higher it is, the lower her other seven stats must be.

My Strength and Speed are boosted, plus double events and Swordmaster and Shield King effects add real stat corrections.

In close combat, my stats are in the thousands.

“But…”

“What?”

“It’s natural to want to look kind and pretty before someone you like. If you prefer my honest queenly self, I’ll be that. But if you want a certain image, I’ll adjust to it.”

Her words are so persuasive.

I’ve seen rough women act completely different—gentle—around outsiders or men, so it’s not totally strange.

“Why abandon your true nature?”

“It’s who I am. And I don’t think men like a strong, muscular body. Mine’s soft and plush.”

Ugh, everything’s a charm tactic.

Thanks to it, resisting her charm boosts my level past 500.

Did she come to be a sandbag?

“No intention to fight?”

“I don’t think I can win.”

“Then you’ll die.”

“You can’t beat me either. Our strength and stamina balance out. Neither can deliver a killing blow.”

I feel that too.

But the more I hit, the more my level rises, giving me the advantage.

“You’ve got Magic, right?”

“I don’t want to look monstrous.”

To cross the gate at this level with Gate Utilization, her Magic must be high.

Her Strength is low, and I doubt she dumped into Agility or Luck.

Probably Magic, but I can’t tell.

Since growth is a Magic-consuming skill, is she not using others to maintain it?

Her insane Charm is her relative advantage, so she morphed into a seductive female form to charm me.

Then—

The ????? above her head starts spinning like a slot machine from the second digit.

“Oh.”

“…?”

“No need for you to… Ah! Sob…”

A tear rolls down, and she collapses, sitting.

“What? Another trick?”

“Sob, ugh, waaah.”

????

What’s with her?

I saw the ????? level above her head shift like a slot machine.

The first ? stayed, but the next four spun.

Something changed with her level.

She’s not leveling up fighting me, so what’s this?

“Why… instead of me… Urk, sob.”

Even this feels like a charm tactic.

She’s just crying, not moving or attacking, so I stay wary, turn on the computer, and put in wireless earbuds.

The noise isn’t as loud now, so Room 204 might turn off the speaker.

Earbuds should hold out until the battery dies.

“Not gonna fight?”

She looks up, eyes wet and glistening… Ugh.

Then she cries harder, like a scared kid, not even wiping her tears.

“Then you die.”

Level 40,000.

Gotta kill and absorb her.

But how?

After fighting the Black Slaughter Sword Demon, my Intangible Sword level hit 30.

With a sword, I can use Intangible Sword Space Slash.

But in my room, swinging it could shred the wallpaper, desk, TV—it’s a long-reach weapon, so I didn’t use it.

Swing a club, stick, or bench press bar in a one-room.

Think the house stays intact?

She cries for a while, then lifts her head to look at me, eyes closed, head bowed.

Like she’s awaiting judgment.

“What’re you doing?”

“…A body with only Charm. If dying raises your level, I might be glad.”

“We fought to kill each other.”

“I never tried to kill you.”

“Hmph.”

True, kinda.

She fought hard, but fundamentally kept trying to charm me.

If I fell, she’d probably drain my vitality until I withered and died.

Feels like I’m the bad guy here.

I call out her crimes.

“Hey, you sent more than a few to cut off the giant’s head. What’s this nonsense?”

“Cut it.”

She lifts her hair, showing her pale, pretty nape.

Wow, that nape… No, this is driving me nuts.

Gotta kill her quick.

…Wait. How do I kill her?

Trying to execute her now…

This is too much like murder.

Leaving aside other issues, what about the body?

At least zombie piles are hard to recognize as corpses.

This is just a human.

Kill and can’t dispose… It’s a murder case.

There are ways.

Chop the head, torso, limbs.

Grind them in a blender and send them back through the gate…

Really helps my personality.

I’m fine with virgin ghosts, but I can’t handle gore.

Without those details?

“A man in his 20s was arrested for killing and dismembering an unidentified woman.”

“Police revealed his identity: Kim Joo-heon, 27, single, male.”

“He’s causing confusion with absurd claims the victim was a monster from another world.”

“In detention, Kim demands a rice cooker and plant pot, saying Earth will end if he’s not freed, prompting a psychiatric evaluation.”

“Posters and toys used bizarrely were found, suggesting experts believe excessive immersion in comics and games may be the cause.”

“Kim Joo-heon escaped detention naked. Police are in pursuit.”

“What drove a former teacher to such an extreme act? The escape and whereabouts remain a mystery.”

“…Sorry to ask while trying to kill you, but can you shrink?”

Even a two-hand-sized figurine would make me hesitate, but killing and disposing wouldn’t be too hard.

But she’s a full-on human woman now.

Can’t kill her like this.

“Don’t you want me big?”

My gaze dips below her neck, then snaps to the ceiling light.

Good thoughts, good thoughts.

I kept having these thoughts, but trying to kill her makes them really bad.

“Hooey~ Hahaha. Hehehe.”

Mimicking the old man in traditional clothes at the family mountain spring, shouting “Raniya, Raniya” to befriend deer, I feel purified and calm.

Phew.

“I want you small now.”

“Before I die, I want to be my most beautiful self for you.”

“Huh?”

“In your dreams someday, I want to give you a dream where our love comes true.”

This is driving me nuts.