Antagonist Protection Service

I didn't know what the formula was that calculates the reward received from completing a Contract, whether it was solely to do with retrieving our portion of the stolen World Stability from the Protagonist or if it even took the listed Difficulty into account at all, but the reward this time was definitely more than I had expected.

3-star Difficulty, even if the Drakon-Rasa Contract itself didn't pose much of a risk to my life, was an entirely different beast compared to 1-star.

The differences can clearly be identified even if you place the Protagonists of each Difficulty side-by-side.

For 1-star Difficulty, all of the Protagonists were weak in terms of combat strength for one―or at the very least weak enough for me to kill them by myself with Poor Physical Ability―and two, they were very vulnerable in terms of defensive capabilities.

Weak and vulnerable.

Excluding all other factors, the Protagonists of 1-Star Difficulty all met both of these conditions.

Meanwhile, the Beloved, who was Blessed by the Father of the Holy Sun as well as who possessed an Amulet which would resurrect her once upon death, wasn't either of these things.

If I recklessly tried to kill her before figuring out what her #HiddenTruePower was, then not only would she have resurrected, but I have a feeling she may have even unintentionally retaliated in turn with her Blessing.

Didn't she mention something about such "incidents" in the past?

Just before she revealed the Amulet to me―at that moment, she confessed something.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure... There have been incidents in the past where I've exploded with this golden magic after feeling it all bubbly inside me, but all I know is that it's something I have because of the Blessing... It's caused a few incidents in the past because of that..."

Of course, whatever 'feeling bubbly' or 'exploding with golden magic' meant wasn't exactly unequivocal, but I could make a solid guess that it wouldn't mean anything good for any nearby aggressors.

And I do think it wasn't unreasonable to assume that this 'explosion' would have occurred should I have tried to kill her prior to removing the Amulet, considering the Difficulty rating.

I'm also glad that the other love interests were all very willing to extricate themselves from the situation following my involvement, particularly the mage who seemed to have vanished since we first talked, but anyway, it was all over now, so there was no need to worry.

In any case, now that I'm aware that such items like this Amulet exist, I should be considerably more prepared for similar scenarios in the future. Although, I don't think it's something I need to consider until taking on more 3-star Contracts...

Also, unless there came a time where the Protagonist was legitimately invincible, there shouldn't be any issues, but even that would be too far-fetched.

Anyway, back on track. What would be the best use of this hefty reward I've received?

First of all, let's ask.

"Librarian, do you have any recommendations?"

"Certainly! Umm, let's see... ordinarily, I might have suggested some Body Strengthening Elixirs or ancient medicinal herbs, but alas, the efficacy of Elixirs and the like will be severely diminished if you do not have experience in internal refinement... furthermore, there is even a possibility that considerable damage may be wrought upon the internals of your body if you intake it wrongly! In the first place, Enki, as you do not have mana, I am concerned that you may also not have the potential for Qi Refining or Cultivation... My knowledge on the topic is lacking, but essentially, if you cannot properly circulate the Qi of an intaken Elixir or potent medicinal substance, the worst case may result even in death! Fret not, however! I'm most certain we can find a solution! Mhm, certainly!"

"...What?"

All of a sudden, she started spewing terms and phrases the meaning of which was utterly unknown to me.

Refining? Cultivation? What the hell was she going on about?

'Isn't 'Qi' what they call spiritual energy in the east or something? I remember hearing about it once or twice... ah, no, yeah, weren't there a couple of pretty famous Challengers who were said to use it...?'

"You told me to do my job, so I researched!"

Hopping and twirling on her stool that acted more like a stage for such performances than something to sit on, she bore a bright grin while proudly announcing that.

I didn't know precisely what she was talking about, but I could at least interpret her meaning that it wasn't a good idea. If so, then I was fine with trusting her judgement.

After all, there was absolutely no reason to risk my life for something uncertain.

"Okay, if that's off the table, then what?"

It was generally a good idea to make a plan about what build you want even at the start.

It doesn't matter if you won't reach it until late-game, or even if you don't achieve the desired build at all; so long as you're confident and you have somewhat of a plan, the chances of success rise dramatically from that alone.

After all, as much as planning ahead and preparation was key, the ability to adapt to the unexpected advancements that come your way was also a tremendous skill.

In my case, since I can't use mana, a magic-based build is impossible, so that can be crossed off the list right from the get-go, or at least for the moment.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if a physical-based build is possible, either. Everything I've seen online about Challengers who fight melee involves them strengthening their bodies with magic, and that fits with what I've witnessed first-hand in Illusory Worlds, too. Take the red-head love interest, Kran, as an example.

Of course, their bodies are also stronger than a normal human's regardless, but the magical strengthening added on top is the icing on the cake. So, if I can't strengthen my body with magic, and I can't even use the Body Strengthening Elixirs that the Librarian mentioned, maybe a physical-based build is also out of the question.

Honestly, that really sucked―I did want to be able to build towards something that could utilise both the Holy Sword and the Villainous Blade to the fullest, but if that's not possible, I might have no choice but to discard that idea...

"If that's the case, then is the only option left an assassin build...? Or a ranger, I guess..."

Considering my occupation, assassin would make the most sense. I already have Sneak for that, too. And an assassin with a gun was basically a ranger, right? Or rather, a rogue with a gun made an assassin.

However, I couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.

'If I run into a situation where I have to confront the Protagonist directly, aren't I just fucked?'

That was also the most likely situation to occur, too, wasn't it?

Of course, that would only be the case for Protagonists who had the means to fight or to kill me, but for the sake of caution, I should move forward under the assumption that every Protagonist higher than 2-star Difficulty possesses such means.

At least, until I get a grasp on how dangerous 2-star Contracts are, but that's it for now.

'Well, let's just have a look―refresh my memory on what's available...'

Opening up the Shop, something immediately caught my eye.

"...Oh, I completely forgot about that! Librarian, why didn't you remind me to check?"

"P-pardon me! It must have slipped my mind as well...!"

Glancing over to see her bowing her small head awkwardly, I returned my attention to the menu before me with a sudden smile.

More precisely, my attention was drawn to another, undisclosed reward from completing the Drakon-Rasa Contract.

Service Charge | 5,750 U

1 | A.Skill - [Tyranny of the Demon Lord] - Demon Lord of Terror

2 | Trait - [He Who Shall Not Be Named] - The Nameless Dark Wizard

3 | P.Skill - [Mastery of the Duel] - Emperor of the Arena

4 | Trait - [Noble Soul] - Archduchess Lucretia de Christina-Rasa

"Hah..."

I suppose, even after everything that happened...

Lucretia still fell victim to tax.