Monster Taming Broadcast

The Merciful Hero, Ethan.

Back when I still hadn’t gained my unique ability.

In other words, it was a fleeting encounter during a weak period.

Of course.

It was an unfortunate connection, but I didn’t have much ill will towards him.

If I had harbored strong resentment, I would have sought him out to punish him somehow once I gained power.

Even after I acquired strength using my unique ability, I didn’t bother to look for Ethan. I just dismissed him as an immature brat and didn’t think much about it.

Even if he was a trashy human with a shattered personality.

He hadn’t committed sins great enough for me to desire revenge, at least according to my standards.

Boglebogle—Is that Ethan over there? Am I seeing things?

Luna-chan—Maybe it’s just someone who looks like him?

“I think it’s definitely Ethan. I mean, how many people have such a free-spirited face like that?”

Luna-chan—Oh? Now that I listen, that makes sense.

Pururu—Haha, you’re really saying whatever comes to mind.

Mirstin—I shouldn’t be making fun of someone’s appearance, but… he really does have a free-spirited look.

Mysticism—He’s ugly.

This wasn’t sarcasm. Nor was it an attack on his character.

It simply meant that Ethan’s face was so bizarre that I wondered if there was anyone else who looked like him.

Put positively, he had an unusual appearance.

To put it plainly, he looked seriously distorted, overflowing with individuality.

Even a self-portrait painted by Picasso under the influence would look more put together than that.

I heard the name “Ethan” means “strong and enduring,” but perhaps it refers to the lasting mental shock he inflicts on others with that face.

Pururu—But is he really a Fallen Hero?

Boglebogle—Yep. That’s Ethan, also known as the Merciful Hero.

Mysticism—The more I see him, the weirder he looks.

Yumi—Let’s refrain from criticizing his appearance. He didn’t choose to be born like that.

Rize Nova—Hmm. To be honest, I can’t quite tell what’s different about him compared to you all. They all look the same to me.

Mirstin—Take that back.

Boglebogle—You can make fun of his appearance. He’s trash for betraying humanity.

Boglebogle—And I heard he did something terrible to the Gauntlet too.

Remembering what I had said in the past, Elise started to share the story of the past between Ethan and me through chat.

The Assistants who saw Elise’s ongoing messages were enraged.

Pururu—What a scumbag.

Pururu—He was called a Merciful Hero. Damn it.

Boglebogle—That was a title bestowed by the kingdom, that’s how the public knows him.

Mysticism— His face is dirty, and so is his character.

Mirstin—Wow. Was he really trashy as he looks?

Rize Nova—He deserves to be punished.

Luna-chan—Did something happen between you two? I’m hearing this for the first time.

Luna-chan—Then, let’s have the Gauntlet join in and torture him together.

Yumi—No wonder he looks repulsive.

Yumi—I never thought a person’s character could be so proportional to their appearance.

Yumi—If he looked like that, he should at least have a good character.

Pururu—The attitude change is immediate.

Anyway.

Something tells me that guy might have also become a Fallen Hero.

He was, after all, a person whose character was completely broken, which didn’t match the title of Merciful Hero.

[Are you acquainted with that prisoner?]

As I stood there staring at Ethan, Infernos asked with curiosity.

I nodded at that question.

“Well, I guess we do know each other.”

[That’s surprising… Were you close? If you want, I can free that prisoner.]

“You can free the prisoner? Do you actually have that authority?”

[I don’t have authority. But if I talk nicely to the guards, it’s no trouble to let one prisoner go.]

That was unexpected.

Infernos wasn’t just a simple constant in Hell.

I had been somewhat dismissive, thinking he might have delusions and memory loss…

[So, what will you do? Just go to the guard torturing that prisoner and tell him to stop?]

“No, it’s fine. We do know each other, but we aren’t close.”

We were actually closer to being enemies.

Just as I was about to add that, Ethan, who was hanging and being tortured by a pillar, made eye contact with me.

“You, you are…!”

In that moment.

Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise.

It seemed he recognized me too.

“Gauntlet, it is you, right?!”

As if he had found the lifeline of salvation, Ethan shouted.

His voice was filled with relief.

Boglebogle—Why is he the first to act like he knows me? Is he crazy?

Pururu—Where does he get off acting familiar? He’s asking for death.

Mysticism—

Yumi—Even his voice is ugly.

Mirstin—It sounds like a pig squealing.

Luna-chan—Gauntlet, please greet him warmly. And then let’s run over and torture him.

Because of Ethan’s shout.

The attention of some prisoners and guards in the Punishment Zone turned toward us.

[Hmm? Could that possibly be an Explorer?]

[What a dullard. You just now noticed an Explorer showed up?]

[No wonder I felt suddenly weakened. It was because an Explorer was nearby.]

[He was so absorbed in torturing that he noticed it just now.]

[Hmm? Isn’t Infernos next to the Explorer?]

The humanoid monster that had been torturing Ethan.

It also stopped whipping, knocked Ethan unconscious, and twitched its eyebrows while looking at me.

Infernos hurriedly approached the creature and introduced me.

He emphasized that I was an Explorer with the Supported One trait.

And once the explanation about me was finished, even the whip monster along with the other guard monsters relaxed their vigilant gazes.

[Hmm. If you’re an Explorer with the Supported One trait, that’s welcome.]

Clack clack.

With the lively sound of shoes clicking,

The whip monster walked toward me with an air of superiority.

And with a smile, extended its hand.

[Your name is Gauntlet? Nice to meet you, I’m Wifra.]

He had been oppressive while torturing prisoners, but now he exuded a friendly atmosphere while asking for a handshake.

Pururu—Why is that person’s outfit like that?

Mirstin—I didn’t notice from afar, but up close, it looks really shabby.

Mysticism— Must be a pervert.

Yumi—Looks a bit off, doesn’t it? It’s rather vulgar.

Luna-chan—Oh? Why is everyone reacting like this? To me, it looks quite standard, you know? There are plenty of people in South Korea who dress like that. o_O

Boglebogle—It doesn’t look that weird, but I probably could never wear that.

Rize Nova—That whip seems intriguing.

After accepting Wifra’s handshake, I instinctively checked to see where his spot was.

But I didn’t see any mark.

After finishing the handshake, I casually stepped back to check the back of his body, but there was no mark either.

It was unlikely to be hidden under his clothes.

If I concentrated, I could sense it even if it was covered by clothing.

While I was wondering about that, suddenly—

[Oh? Are you interested in my body?]

Wifra asked with a lewd expression while rubbing his chest.

[If you want to touch, feel free to do so.]

Pururu—Are you asking for death?

Mysticism—

Yumi—That monster is a bad monster! Let’s get rid of it!!!

Boglebogle—Seems like a succubus. Let’s kill it.

As Wifra showed such bold behavior, some of our monsters stepped in front of me and spoke coldly.

[Hey now. Our son only touches his mom’s chest.]

[Warning. Gauntlet likes my eyes more.]

[If it’s a tiny chest that one can’t even tell exists, let it be. Father is only interested if it isn’t mine.]

Niarah Nepensys, Iris, and Kinogine Aracne.

Mirstin—Huh? Is that real?

Pururu—Is it really?

Luna-chan—Why is Iris included in this? o_O?

I pushed the monsters back.

And then I asked Wifra a question.

Had he ever broken in a Supported Explorer before?

Wifra smiled and confirmed my question.

[Oh, you recognize right away?]

“I come from the Ancient Labyrinth, so if there’s one that can’t be broken in, it’s usually the case.”

And.

The one who had broken Wifra wasn’t likely to be Artpega Unibicon’s mother.

It seemed Artpega and Wifra were meeting for the first time.

In the first place, Artpega’s mother was said not to have broken in any female monsters.

Wifra seemed to have a friendly disposition towards Supported Ones; he kept smiling at me.

[This Explorer is really strong. If only our Giothani had been as strong as you, he wouldn’t have died.]

Giothani seemed to be the name of the Explorer who had broken Wifra.

Pururu—The name Giothani. Haha.

Mirstin—Haha, sounds like a brand name.

Mysticism—That name is weird.

Yumi—Hey! Don’t make fun of names!

Boglebogle—What is this? I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere.

Luna-chan—Right? I feel like I heard it recently.

Rize Nova—Everyone’s memory is terrible.

Rize Nova—Gauntlet recently installed a Dimension Altar at Kendra. The name of the one who previously installed the Dimension Altar there was Giothani.

“Oh, that’s right. The name of that Explorer was Giothani, right? I had completely forgotten.”

[Hmm? Do you know our Giothani?]

Wifra’s expression turned surprised upon seeing my reaction.

I briefly explained how I knew Giothani, summarizing it for her.

Mentioning all the way up to the current situation at Kendra.

*

The expression on Wifra’s face darkened upon hearing the recent news about Kendra.

She must be feeling heavy-hearted.

After all, the world they were protecting was on the brink of destruction.

If I could, I wanted to share more detailed news about Kendra.

But I currently didn’t have much time.

I don’t know when the vending machine I’m tracking with the Vending Machine Tracking Ticket might disappear.

For now, finding the vending machine was my priority.

Thus.

I promised to share more detailed stories when I returned.

Including what relationship I had with the unconscious Ethan over there.

With that, I told Wifra I would be back soon and started walking in the direction the voice guide indicated.

By the way.

Wifra’s data collection work had already been completed by Artpega Unibicon.

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