I wonder how many times I've died so far? To be honest, I haven't kept an accurate count, so I don't remember, but based on my vague recollection, I think I had died around 540 times before starting the battle with the Golden Living Armor.
Since beginning the conquest of the Golden Living Armor with the Parasitic Sword Puppeteer, I've died another nine times.
So, the total number of deaths is roughly 549.
In other words, this attempt is the 550th.
"Puppeteer," I said, "lend me your strength."
It was another negotiation that had occurred countless times.
"Sure thing, Master," the Puppeteer responded cheerfully.
"Hmm? Is something bothering you, Master?"
Suddenly, I had a thought, so I was lost in contemplation, and the Puppeteer gazed at me curiously.
"No… I just realize how human-like you've become."
When I first saw the Puppeteer, it had a rather uncanny and non-human appearance, but now, I wondered how it looked. It seemed as if its silhouette was imitating a human form.
Yes, with each meeting, the Puppeteer appeared to be getting closer to a human appearance.
"Hmm, I wasn't originally in this form. I started changing suddenly," the Puppeteer noted, also seeming perplexed by the transformation.
What could this mean?
"Save & Reset" is supposed to reset time, which should rewind everything. However, the Puppeteer is gradually becoming more human with each encounter. This contradicts the idea of time rewinding.
Could it be that the Puppeteer's growth is somehow escaping the rewind of "Save & Reset"…?
But there's no point in thinking about it further.
"Is your goal to become more human? If so, that's a good thing, right?"
"Master! How did you know about my dream!?"
"Just by looking at someone, I can understand their ambitions."
"Oh, I don't really get it, but it's kind of amazing!"
In truth, I only knew because I had heard it before.
◆
"It's quite a coincidence that you knew about the existence of this hidden room, Master."
"It's as if you were aware of it too, with the way you phrase it."
"Well, you know, despite how I look, I'm quite knowledgeable."
"That's good to know."
"As a knowledgeable guy, here's a piece of advice. With your current abilities, you'll die as soon as you enter this room."
"Unfortunately, I already knew that."
"Hmm, having a death wish, huh? You're quite the unique Master."
As the Puppeteer and I exchanged banter, I entered the hidden room. As I did, a total of 20 golden Golden Living Armor appeared.
"Black blade."
Instantly, a black blade materialized in my right hand. When I thought about it calmly, I realized that I had faced more challenging battles when dealing with the group of 10 Armored Bear Bugbears. At that time, I had no weapons and no proper skills. I had overcome that dire situation, so it would be strange if I couldn't handle the enemies in front of me.
"Hey, you small fries, come at me!"
I used " Provocation " on all the Golden Living Armor. As expected, they all rushed forward.
Three seconds later, I stepped to the right, avoiding their attacks. Then, I reversed my body and swung the sword downward from above. This allowed me to follow up with an attack on the Golden Living Armor that had been engaged in friendly fire.
Yep, everything went exactly as planned.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
Confirmed the defeat of monsters.
Skill points acquired.
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
First off, one down.
"Wow, amazing, Master! Your movements are like you're predicting the enemy's every move!"
"I really am predicting them."
"Could it be that you, Master, possess the power of precognition!?"
With a conversation with the Provocation kept to a minimum, I set out to defeat the monsters.
"Hey, what are you all so scared of? The target is right here."
The battle has only just begun.