This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

When the witch grabbed my hand, it felt as if time itself had stopped.

Why was she holding my hand?

Why was she asking for my name?

I had no intention of staying close to her.

Not even a little.

Not at all.

I didn’t have a hobby of living next to a ticking bomb.

So, I tried to slip away and make my escape…

But then, they started talking about "divine revelation" and dragged me to the nearest Sun Church temple.

“Divine revelation!”

“Well, it’s not surprising considering you’ve performed such incredible miracles in succession! Rofus, guide us!”

At the temple, I was treated like royalty.

Priests rushed over to pour divine power into my body, and I was served freshly cooked meals and given a soft bed.

I had to eat and rest in bed.

Shouldn’t I be fleeing right now?

Yes, that’s the correct answer.

I should have run.

I had healed the witch.

There was absolutely no reason to continue pretending to be a saint. So why was I lying here, eating and resting?

“Are you feeling alright?”

It was because of the witch, who sat beside me, holding my hand and staring at me with shining, earnest eyes.

Damn black magician!

There’s a black magician here! Someone, please arrest her!

Get her away from me, please!

She’s terrifying!

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I won’t let you fall, Saint.”

Her voice, as she gently held my hand, was like that of someone meeting a cult leader.

It seemed this bomb had decided to stay glued to my side.

That wouldn’t do!

What if she exploded again?!

“Witch.”

“Erfa. My name is Erfa, Saint.”@@novelbin@@

“Miss Erfa, it’s time for you to go back. I am fine.”

I am totally fine.

I don’t have divine revelation or anything.

It’s just that having you near me is nerve-wracking and makes me sweat and shake.

“I can’t. Please let me stay by your side until you’re fully recovered, Saint.”

“I really am fine.”

“But because of me…”

It didn’t seem like she’d listen if I put it nicely.

I had to be more forceful.

“Miss Erfa, you are beautiful now. No one will judge you by your appearance anymore. But what’s more important is your inner self.”

“My… inner self.”

“If your heart lacks peace, what use is a flawless appearance? I am merely someone who heals the lowly. I can heal the exterior, but that’s all. Healing your heart is something only you can do for yourself.”

“What should I do? Please, guide me.”

Could she just stop talking and disappear already?

I was running out of things to say!

Self-help books and Sunday school phrases, help me out here!

“Have a conversation with yourself. Try to figure out what you truly want. The chains that bound you are gone now. In your newfound freedom, decide how you want to live your life.”

“...”

“I was just a walking stick. The sick need a stick, but once they’re healed, the stick is meant to be discarded. Leave me and soar freely. Find what you truly want and pursue it. That’s what I wish for you.”

In other words, please just go away.

I spoke those words with a compassionate smile, and tears began streaming down Erfa’s face again.

“How can I repay you for this grace… How can I ever repay you?”

You don’t need to repay me.

I’m planning to disappear.

“I didn’t do this expecting repayment. If you must repay me, do so with your life. Live an admirable and wonderful life. Let go of hatred and resentment, and become someone who loves herself.”

And don’t explode again.

Got it?

I won’t be seeing you again.

I’ll be quietly escaping, and we’ll go our separate ways.

As I anxiously watched Erfa, she slowly stood up.

“I swear, with my entire life.”

She smiled radiantly.

Beautiful, yes, but no matter how beautiful, a bomb is still a bomb.

“For you, I will live an extraordinary life.”

“I believe you will, Miss Erfa. You deserve it.”

“Thank you. I will never forget this.”

You can forget.

No, please forget.

Erfa bowed gracefully and left the room.

Only after the door closed did I collapse onto the bed.

I thought I was going to die.

Why is every single day like a rollercoaster?

Now it’s over.

The witch, who had been keeping a close watch on me, was gone.

I could quietly disappear now.

That’s how most Saint legends in the Arkal Empire end.

Now that I’ve bestowed blessings upon you, don’t sin anymore and live ethically and morally, blah, blah, poof.

I disappear.

The Lilia Church people arrive and say, “This guy isn’t a follower of the Goddess?”

“You’re a heretic.”

Whoosh, up in flames.

I’ll pass on that kind of ending, thank you very much.

I got up from the bed, opened the door, and stepped outside.

“Saint! You shouldn’t be up yet!…”

“It’s time.”

I smiled at them all.

“I must leave now. May we meet again, if Grace wills it.”

“What? But Saint! The Lilia Church has arrived ahead of schedule and is on their way here right now!…”

They arrived early?

Damn it!!

I have to run!!

Right now!

I quickly activated Time Stop.

The whole world froze.

In this state, I began moving forward, repeatedly toggling Time Stop within its limited range.

Every use drained a massive amount of mental energy.

Unlike Body Modification, where I could casually manipulate a customization window…

Unlike Absolute Hypnosis, which only required focusing on a target and issuing commands…

3000x Sensory Amplification? I haven’t used that yet, so I wouldn’t know.

But this!

This Time Stop skill consumed an absurd amount of mental energy.

Why the hell was this skill designed like this?

Couldn’t it just freeze time and let me move around freely?

Or maybe it got unnecessarily complicated when transitioning from the game to reality.

Either way.

I pushed forward slowly, enduring the mental strain.

In the frozen time, I advanced step by step.

In the distance, I spotted an express train leaving Mars City.

That’s it!

I just need to get on that train!

I’ll hop on, escape this place, and…

Find a bathroom to release Time Stop and use Body Modification on myself.

This face has been too exposed to be usable anymore.

When I thought about quickly molding my face into another form, buying a train ticket, and casually leaving the capital…

And then leaving…

Wait a second.

My mental energy was so depleted that I felt utterly drained.

This isn’t going to work. I need to let the skill down for a moment, rest, and then activate it again later.

What kind of absurd skill works like this?

Not using it wasn’t an option either.

I needed to find a place where I could safely deactivate the skill.

As I scanned the surroundings for a suitable spot, I noticed a damp, filthy alley tucked into a corner of the train station.

Perfect!

Surely, no one would be in such a disgusting and grimy place.

I could rest there for a bit, change my face, and leave this wretched city for good.

Good riddance, Mars City. I hope we never meet again.

With that thought, I deactivated the skill.

And as soon as I did—

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Aaaah!”

The moment Time Stop ended, I heard a sound that had been absent in the frozen world—a chilling, brutal noise of flesh striking flesh.

Even in this disgusting, damp alley, someone was here.

I froze, startled, as the sounds continued.

“I told you to sell everything! You wretched brats!”

“Aaaah! I’m sorry! I’ll sell it all! Please! Please don’t burn me again!”

“Get out there and sell everything! If you don’t, I’ll burn the other side of your face too!”

“I will! I will! Just please don’t burn me!”

A deep male voice roared, accompanied by the thin, trembling voice of a young girl, her cries echoing painfully.

Her sobs were so heart-wrenching that I couldn’t ignore them.

Turning my gaze toward the corner of the alley, I saw a large man surrounded by a group of young girls.

The girls’ faces were horrifically deformed.

Some were missing their upper lips and cheeks, as if they’d been burned away. Others had missing teeth, and many couldn’t have been older than seven or eight—the age when they should have been playing innocently at home with their fathers.

But here they were, with melted, grotesque faces, crying and pleading with the man in front of them.

What the hell was I witnessing?

As I stood there in shock, the man spat on the ground and lit a cigarette.

“Damn wretches. You’re garbage thrown away by the match factory. At least be useful. If you don’t bring back your quota, you’ll answer to me. Got it?”

“Yes! Yes! We’ll do it! Please don’t throw us away!”

“Stupid little monsters. Fine. Now scram. If you don’t bring back enough, you won’t get any matches to sell tomorrow. Understand?”

The man spat again, a thick yellow glob, as he turned to leave the alley.

And that’s when he saw me.

He froze in his tracks.

“You… You’re that bastard…”

His emotions shifted rapidly: confusion, shock, and then…

Greed.

“You’re the guy who’s been treating people in the slums, aren’t you?”

He grinned and pulled a dagger from his belt.

The sight of the blade froze me in place.

This was real.

Look at his eyes.

He didn’t draw that to threaten me.

He had definitely—no, absolutely—stabbed people before.

Should I use Time Stop and run?

No.

I was too drained to activate it again.

I needed rest, but why did it have to be here?

“Saint. Oh, merciful Saint. I’ve been struggling a lot lately. Could you share some of that grace with me? Perhaps in the form of money? Surely you’ve earned some from all those treatments.”

The bastard chuckled as he approached, his dagger glinting in the dim light.

What do I do?

Time Stop was out of the question due to the mental strain.

Body Modification?

I didn’t have the time to use it.

Absolute Hypnosis?

Even though it didn’t drain energy after activation, targeting required focus, and I couldn’t manage that now.

That left…

“Stay still, Saint. I’ll just quietly take what you’ve got in your pockets, and you won’t get hurt.”

The thief, confident I was paralyzed with fear, reached for my pocket.

At that moment, as his attention shifted, I reflexively placed my hand on his body and activated a skill.

[Skill: 3000x Sensory Amplification activated!]

“Be quiet!”

I swung my fist toward his head and jumped back.

It wasn’t even a proper punch. Just a desperate, clumsy swing.

The kind of punch that wouldn’t have hurt anyone.

But the thief’s smirk quickly vanished.

His body began to convulse.

“Urgh… Grrk… Aaargh! Aaagh!”

The effect of 3000x Sensory Amplification.

How does it feel? It should be painful enough to paralyze you…

To paralyze you…

Wait.

“Grk… Grrrrrk… Aaargh…”

Blood vessels burst in his eyes, and his teeth shattered from how tightly he clenched his jaw.

I’d heard that when pain exceeds human limits, people can’t even scream.

This must be that.

The thief dropped his dagger and collapsed, trembling violently before going limp.

Blood trickled from his nose, and tears of blood seeped from his burst capillaries.

“…Hey, are you okay?”

No response.

Even an idiot could tell.

He was dead.

Probably from shock.

It was my first kill.

A wave of nausea surged inside me.

I…

I killed someone.

I’d only meant to make him hurt enough to run away. But I killed him.

Already exhausted from the mental strain of using Time Stop to get here, the shock of killing someone was too much for my brain to handle.

My vision blurred, and I collapsed, much like the thief had.

Before I blacked out, one final thought crossed my mind:

If a single punch with 3000x Sensory Amplification caused death by shock…

The demons who endured that daily and remained fine truly weren’t human.