Became the Patron of Villains

Alon knew quite a bit more about a character named Myaon than the other mercenaries.

This was because Myaon was a companion character that could be recruited into the protagonist’s party in ‘Psychedelia’ after clearing a certain level of the labyrinth.
In the early stages of the game, many players frequently recruited her, even at a low level, as she would join the party at a much higher level.
Alon, having played through several personal events with her, couldn’t help but know her well.

“……”
However, despite this familiarity, Myaon’s suggestion caught him completely off guard, and Alon maintained his silence.
“Got something on your mind?”

Myaon smiled subtly.
Alon, who was staring at her face, which remained radiant despite the scars, slowly asked back, “Suddenly…?”
“Suddenly? This is already our third time meeting.”

Myaon, her cat-like ears twitching, continued, “By now, we’ve figured each other out, haven’t we? I know you’re strong.”
“Ah.”
Alon let out a small sigh at her words, finally breaking free from his halted thoughts.

He could now guess why she was making such a proposal.
He remembered that Myaon’s tribe had a tradition of revering the strong.
Though it was a distant memory and not entirely clear, he recalled that her tribe held a strong sense of admiration for those more powerful than themselves.

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‘Worshipping strength… They feel a profound attraction to those stronger than them.’
Alon looked at the numerous scars scattered across Myaon’s body, almost like the marks of her tribe, and spoke, “Sorry, but I have to decline.”

“Huh?”
Myaon’s expression showed slight disappointment at his words.
However, it wasn’t long before she let out a sigh, as if it were unbelievable that she had been showing such a face just moments before.
“Well, nothing I can do about it then. I was really thrilled when I got overpowered in one move…”

Her tone was full of disappointment, but her expression resembled that of a saleswoman who had just failed to close a deal.
Watching her, Alon thought to himself again.
‘I knew that the way beastfolk and humans think is clearly different, but this part… is really something else.’

As Alon was thinking, Myaon spoke up again, “Well, still, let me know if you change your mind. I’m pretty charming, you know?”
Like a persistent salesperson, she said her piece and left.
As Alon stared blankly at her retreating figure, he suddenly heard Rine’s voice, who had been silent until now.

“Shall I take care of it, Sir?”
“…Huh? No need for that.”
“She spoke rudely to you, Sir.”

Rine, who hadn’t taken her eyes off Myaon as she walked away, uttered this chilling statement.
Alon pressed his lips together tightly.
“No… you’re not thinking of killing her just because of a few words, right?”

Alon, realizing that there was someone even more unusual than Myaon nearby, quickly responded, “There’s no need for that. She didn’t actually cause any harm.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Rine nodded immediately and shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Alon felt a strange sensation.
‘Something feels off.’
He tilted his head, feeling that the way Rine treated him was a bit too excessive compared to how others, like Deus and Seolrang, treated him.

Just then—
“Break’s over! Everyone, move out!”
Argonia’s sharp voice announced the end of their rest, and Alon, halting his thoughts, got up and started walking into the darkness once more.

***
About a day passed.
The expedition to exterminate the foreign invader had spent a night in the labyrinth, a place «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» akin to the abyss, and continued to move forward.

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They had now reached the 4th layer.
‘As expected, it’s really different from the game.’

Alon clicked his tongue as they had only reached the 4th layer despite traveling for more than an entire day.
Considering the large group’s slow pace and inability to take shortcuts, the reality of traversing the labyrinth was starkly different from the game.
In the game, simply defeating certain monsters would naturally lead to the next level, but here, in the depths of the abyss, monsters appeared relentlessly, and just dealing with them had taken more than a day.

Alon once again made up his mind never to enter the labyrinth again as he looked around.
The mercenaries, who had ventured into the labyrinth several times before, were familiar with the abyss-like darkness, even making occasional jokes, but for Alon, this place had already become somewhere he never wanted to return to.
‘There is a good item for wizards around the 40th floor of the labyrinth, though…’

For a moment, he recalled some information from the game, but soon shook his head, deciding to give up on the item altogether.
It had taken over a day just to descend to the 5th floor, so what about reaching the 40th?
It was easy to realize that it would take an incredibly long time.

After some time passed, a voice came from ahead.
“We’re almost at the 5th floor.”
Alon, who had been walking absentmindedly, turned his gaze toward the mercenary’s voice and saw a door in the distance, glowing as if it were the exit of the labyrinth.

Not long after, they finally arrived at the 5th floor.
“…The 5th floor, huh,” Alon muttered expressionlessly.
But that was just his exterior. Inside, he was genuinely surprised.

He could see the sky as if they were no longer inside the labyrinth.
And it wasn’t just any sky—it was a bright, clear sky.
Looking at the blue grasslands and the crumbling ruins scattered below, Alon thought to himself.

‘…This is completely different from what I saw in the game.’
Although the scenery was similar to what he had seen in the game, the feeling upon reaching this place was somehow different.
In the game, the 5th floor had been more like a save point for resting, but here, it was truly peaceful.

Alon felt a brief moment of calm, as if the heavy burden on his heart was being lifted.
However, it didn’t last long.
“All right, take a short break and then start preparing immediately,” Argonia’s voice reminded Alon of their purpose, and he slowly began reviewing their plan.

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‘Let’s hope the operation proceeds according to plan…’
***

Right after the Outer God extermination squad arrived at the 5th floor, the mercenaries, who had taken a brief rest, soon got up and began preparations in earnest, just as Alon had instructed.
And then—
“Click.”

Watching their precise movements, Maverick clicked his tongue and shifted his gaze.
He looked at Alon.
To be honest, Maverick still didn’t like him very much.

No matter how he looked at it, Alon didn’t seem particularly strong.
‘What’s so great about a guy who’s already panting just from walking through the labyrinth?’
Maverick recalled the conversation Argonia and Himan had a few days ago.

No, to be more accurate, he recalled their expressions at the time.
They had all been drenched in cold sweat, silently holding their breath.
‘What on earth did they see?’

Maverick had looked at Alon several times but still couldn’t find anything special about him, so he turned away, his face showing clear confusion.
And then—
“Huh?”

At that moment, he felt something strange.
Something so trivial.
But mixed with a sense of déjà vu.

As Maverick pondered what it might be, he turned his gaze once more and realized what was causing the déjà vu.
It was the noise.
The bustling noise his subordinates had been making as they prepared Alon’s plan—none of it could be heard.

It was as if time had stopped.
Sensing something was wrong, Maverick looked at the mercenaries and soon identified the source of his unsettling feeling.
It was the mercenaries.

Just moments ago, they had been chatting and joking as they carried out their tasks, but now, they were all frozen.
As if they were dolls.
They had stopped in the exact positions they were in while preparing for the plan.

Motionless.
As Maverick, feeling increasingly uneasy, tried to speak—
The mercenaries’ bodies began to collapse.

Like slow-motion.
Starting from their legs like pillars, the mercenaries’ bodies slumped diagonally to the ground.
Splaashhh!

Red bloodstains soaked the ruins and the green plains.
And then—
“!”

Maverick, his eyes wide open in shock at the sudden turn of events, saw it.
Standing so nonchalantly before the fallen mercenaries was a goblin.
He felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness as he locked eyes with the goblin, who was emotionlessly staring back at him. In that moment, he realized several things.

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The goblin in front of him had killed his subordinates.
The goblin in front of him was the foreign entity that this expedition was supposed to exterminate.

And that he needed to draw his sword immediately.
However, despite being aware of all of this—
He couldn’t take any action.

He couldn’t scream out in rage.
He couldn’t draw his sword.
He couldn’t even call for reinforcements.

He couldn’t do anything.
Even though the figure before him was a goblin—one of the thousands he had slain before—
Instinctively, he knew that ‘this’ was no ordinary goblin.

The gaze of the goblin—or rather, ‘it’—met Maverick’s.
In an instant, Maverick understood the emotion in that gaze.
It was one of boundless boredom and arrogance.

It was filled with ennui, as though indifferent to everything happening.
And there was arrogance, as though looking down on everything from above.
At the end of those emotions—

“Who gave you permission to meet my eyes?”
It pronounced its judgment.
A finger was raised.

Slowly.
But surely.
It pointed directly at Maverick, as if marking his approaching death with precision.

And then—
Just as Maverick, overcome with terror, closed his eyes as he saw the finger begin to move—
“Freeze.”

A cold, emotionless voice echoed.
Crack-crack-crack-!!!
The earth froze over.

Ice crystals, spreading like greedy fingers, surged over the grass in waves, freezing everything in their path.
“Crystal.”
Crack-crunch~!

A chilling sound, like something being squeezed and crushed, reverberated through the air.
“Get a grip.”
Hearing that voice, Maverick opened his eyes and saw—

A man standing with his back to him, wearing a black coat fluttering in the freezing wind. From his left hand, a pale gray magical energy flowed like smoke.
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Before him, the goblin—or rather, ‘it’—was trapped within a crescent-shaped ice crystal, its eyebrows slightly twitching as it faced off against the man.

It was Count Palatio.
Maverick, as if entranced, could only stare blankly at that back.