Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World

Standing there for a minute to catch his breath, another rumble nearly knocked him over. It was a sharp reminder that it wasn't over—it wasn't just the fake butler that was a current danger. 

'I have to find Blythe…or maybe, I could use this chance to leave? Would I be better off? I don't know,' he considered, entering the desecrated corridor. 

Leaning against the wall as he walked, it seemed the singular use of his new weapon drained him more than he thought. 

Some stumbling and limping led him to a stairwell into the main lobby. Just from the steps, he could see the state the mansion was left in— 

Flames gripped the wood at the entrance as smoke filled the room, coaxing coughs from him. 

'It's burning?—' He thought, covering his mouth and nose with his shirt. 

"Raaaah!" 

—Just as his foot reached the bottom of the steps, a manly roar boomed as he witnessed the wall to his right burst through. A cloaked figure flew across the lobby, crashing into a wall with the shattering of their bones loud and clear. 

Stepping in was the one responsible for the sudden entrance: the tall, brawny butler of heightened age. 

"Norbert—?!" Gael called out. 

The aged butler looked over, breathing out as he wiped the sweat and blood from his chin, "Lord Gael? You're alright…That's a relief." 

It looked as though the massive butler had been through his fair share of battle. Much of his uniform was cut up, with slashes and bruises left on his hardened body. 

"What's going on–? Why are we under attack?!" Gael hurriedly questioned. "It's the Venator, isn't it?"

"This isn't the work of simply the Venator…It's the Exterminators–a nasty, infamous group within the Venator," Norbert explained, breathing out as blood dripped from his wounds. 

Even just standing there, the burly butler nearly fell to a knee, coughing up blood. 

Gael moved over quickly, lending a shoulder to the best of his ability despite the disparity in stature, "Hey–! Keep it together, Gramps!"

"I apologize…In my old age, it seems my body isn't quite what it used to be," Norbert apologized, breathing out. 

It wasn't just blood that seeped from the butler's wounds, but blades remained stuck in his body with holes bored through. There was no doubt he took an inhuman amount of damage, yet somehow remained alive and breathing. 

"We must keep the enemy forces from the basement…That is Lady Peonyvale's command," Norbert explained. 

"The basement? Where's that?" Gael asked, keeping the butler's arm slung around his shoulder, having to use every bit of strength to lend himself to help the man walk. 

"Down…that hall–we must go," Norbert guided, pointing towards the doorways that led between the twin staircases. 

'Shit…He's bleeding out,' Gael thought. 

Moving through the opened doors, the following corridor was much more bare, devoid of paintings or trinkets. There weren't any rooms linked to the hall leading deeper, only whatever awaited below. 

Walking with the massive man leaning on him, it was clear his body had evolved in strength as well. Even so, his own exhaustion made it an arduous task. 

"Lord Gael…I must make a request of you at this time…Hkk!—" Norbert asked before coughing up scarlet, keeling over. 

"Hold up, big guy! You really shouldn't be talking right now—" Gael worriedly said, grabbing the butler's arm to try and help him up. 

It felt like grabbing a tree trunk, hardly even able to wrap his hands around the massive bicep. 

"If I fall, you…please protect Lady Peonyvale. I know it's unfair to put such a request on a stranger, but…Hggh!" Norbert requested before hacking up more blood. 

"Listen, man, you're not—!" Gael reasoned. 

Before he could get the words out of his mouth, a chill crawled over his back. It was a disturbing sensation, like a malicious wind breathing down his neck. 

That's when he heard it—the scrape of a footstep from behind. 

"Who's—?" Gael questioned, spinning around while tugging on the butler's arm for him to stand. 

Again, he paused, finding a confusing feeling in his heart. The one following him into the corridor was the woman of silver hair. 

"Blythe?" Gael called out, taking a single step towards the woman. 

"Lord Gael! That's not her—!" Norbert shouted, forcing himself to his feet. 

"What?—" Gael glanced ahead. 

It was then a twisted grin stretched itself over the beauty's face, warping it into a frightening mask. 

"Ah…It's no fun when you figure it out so quickly. I wanted to crush your hearts," the soft, feminine voice twisted itself into a masculine one. 

The one wearing the face of the lady reached up, tearing away the false suit. Somehow, the lithe, slender build of the woman was torn away as the bones of the pretender cracked and moved, taking on the physique of a muscular man.

"It's you…seriously? I thought…" Gael shook his head in dismay at the sight of the intruder. 

A laugh left the lips of the odd man, slicking back his light brown hair as he was left in nothing but black pants, "Thought you finished me off? I'll admit, that last attack really put the hurt on me. I'm a fragile guy, you know." 

It felt like a cruel joke, considering the sheer muscularity of the man who wore many faces. 

"Dolus, the Frail…" Norbert muttered. 

"What? You know him?" Gael asked, glancing at the butler. 

"That man is the co-captain of the Exterminators, that heinous branch of the Venator…He possesses a unique body blessed by the Divine Spirit Ulgam…" Norbert recalled. 

"I don't really know what any of that means, but you're telling me he's dangerous–I know that!" Gael said. 

Dolus seemed delighted at the topic of conversation, waving his hand in the air bashfully, "Wow, I'm really famous, aren't I?" 

Though he was hesitant to fight, a part of him was ready; that piece of him that wanted to prove himself, to feel excitement–something that wasn't a commodity in his past life. 

"I'll–" Gael insisted, attempting to step forward. 

There was no space to prove his resolve as he found the large, strong hand of the butler in front of him, impeding his path. 

"You must go to Lady Peonyvale. That is her wish," the butler who barely clung to life claimed, standing tall. 

Looking up at that imposing tower of a man, it was hard to say anything in rejection. 

The proclamation from the old butler stoked a laugh from the face-wearing Venator across the hall, "Hah!—What did I do to get so lucky today? Facing the "Devil's Fist"—I'm honored."

"That is the name of a warrior from decades ago. I'm only Norbert, the head butler of the Peonyvale family," the old man corrected, adjusting his suit even as his wounds dripped. 

Gael stood there, unsure of what to make of the situation, "You're a monster and all, but I seriously can't just run while an old guy fights! I've got some traces of honor, y'know?!" He reasoned. 

"Go, Lord Gael. Honor me with that request," Norbert said, looking back as he gave a sturdy thumbs-up. 

It was a hard pill to swallow, knowing that by turning away, it was all but guaranteed that the old butler would meet his end. 

'Shit…If we both end up dead, it'll be for nothing. Fine!' He accepted, running deeper in the hall. 

As the young man, fresh and ignorant of the fantastical world, sprinted with his heart thumping, the foul laughter echoed behind him. 

"Hold on, hold on—don't make these decisions without me!" Dolus playfully shouted as he dashed forward with inhuman power in his legs. 

—Thump. 

The Exterminator was intercepted, colliding directly into the chest of the mountainous butler. 

"You will have to go through me first," Norbert strongly proclaimed, looking down at the man. "—I am not bypassed easily, mind you." 

"Fine by me," Dolus smirked.