The Barbarian landed on the floor, deflated by several heads. Three, if I had to guess. The library rumbled as the Barbarian got up, growing about a head as it did so. Still at least 2 of me tall.

And I was tall, nearly 183 centimeters (6’0), but I was in fact shorter than that, 180 (5’10). Clearly not tall enough in this would, however.

But more importantly right now, how the hell did I reflect that attack just now? I mean reflect it by such a large margin. I would never be able to do that, especially without even the passive version of the skill that improved my form.

Unless I did do the skill.

Calling my status screen up and shoving it to the side of my vision, I saw what I hoped for the most.

Deflect was at the bottom of my skill panel.

Something was very, very wrong about this world. You couldn’t learn skills unless you spent points normally, but clearly the norm was only in my own damn dimension. Turlough’s too.

The Barbarian, Juggernaut, even, charged towards me once more. Undeniably a little bit slower this time, however. Making all the difference.

Barely weaving out of the way of the strike on instinct, I maneuvered around for a few long seconds. Both buying what I needed from the system, as I didn’t want to take another chance, and gathering the mana I needed.

4 mana gathered into my right fist, Power Strike, Shockwave, and the newly acquired Swift Strike being applied to it all at once.

Dodging a final strike from the Juggernaut, I weaved under the much too large arm and placed my strike directly above the Juggernaut’s heart.

Hopefully it wouldn’t kill him, as that was against the law. Although it was in self-defense…

The moment my strike landed, after doing a little hop to reach up there, the Juggernaut shook. Unfortunately for me, that strike didn’t even phase him. At least not that I could tell. Clearly, even with its speed reduced, and presumably everything else, it was not to be reckoned with.

Raising my arms to protect my body in anticipation of the retaliation attack I was too deep in to dodge, my right arm was shattered and I was sent flying a good distance away. Enough for me to scramble back to my feet and curse that I hadn’t bought any resistance skills, whether that be pain or physical force.

Hearing the Juggernaut begin its charge towards me, I leaped high into the air and landed exactly on top of its head. Roaring in rage, it shook its gigantic head violently. Anticipating this, however, I poured mana into Shockwave and attacked its temple, hoping that its brain would be reached and scrambled to some extent.

This attack, much unlike my first, did have a visible effect. It stumbling about and raising one of its arms to hold its head. Deciding this was the perfect opportunity to flee with the librarian, I rushed back to where I had left her. Finding her in but a moment, I grabbed unto her in a rush and made a mad dash for the door.

The Juggernaut recovered its concentration just as I had made it to the front door, resulting in it screaming in rage and charging at me.

Would I get out of the door? Most likely. But I would rather dodge because of the libr-

The Juggernaut suddenly slipped on the floor under its feet, a slimy grey substance forming there.

Grease, a spell that I was taught about being a serious counter to new and inexperienced Monks, whose own speed would be their downfall with this spell.

———

Turlough was a little curious as to why Ainz had gone out. And seeing as the warehouse job provided to him by extra was over for the day, he thought ‘why not? I’ll follow him.’

But, having got distracted by a stray black cat, who he found cute, even if he didn’t admit it, he bought some food for him and managed to give it to the cat whose fur was as dark as midnight.

Then, after seeing all the fleeing people, even if they were more calm and exasperated than scared than you would expect, he knew something wrong had gone down.

So he ran against the crowd to the source of the disruption, eventually finding himself at the window to a library. In which he watched Ainz dance with the Juggernaut for awhile, trying to find an opportunity to cast a spell without hitting Ainz.

Not like he had many to begin with, his Aspect of the Barbarian had limited him to level 11. This had resulted in him having not a very vast repertoire. His only long ranged attack spell being Firebolt, which was out for hopefully obvious reasons.

He winced as Ainz got smashed into the floor by the Juggernaut, and he cheered internally when Ainz delivered a good hit to the Juggernaut.

Seeing Ainz run to the back of the library made him confused, but upon seeing the librarian in his arms—arm—he understood. Seeing the Juggernaut recover, he knew what was coming.

Grease was ready to be cast a moment later, and, after waiting for the perfect moment to cast it, he did so flawlessly. Allowing Ainz to escape the library, no matter how long that would last.

Ainz round the corn to Turlough in an instant, seeing him there caused Ainz to question quite a few things in his slit eyes, but he didn’t have time for that right now.

“Haste, or something,” Ainz asked, knowing that the Juggernaut would be on his tail in a few moments. Most likely at least.

Turlough’s heart bled as he wished a heartfelt goodbye to 5 of his 8 points, 3 gone from Translation, him having had the skill panel already open from earlier, considering buying something to help the fight. Haste being one of the spells considered.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Turlough saw the Juggernaut burst out of the building behind Ainz as he finished casting the spell, but in the next he found himself a trashcan to puke in along with the librarian, Ainz nowhere in sight in the little alley he placed them in.

Walking around the corner to peak on the situation on the road along with a much greener, in a metaphorical sense, librarian, he saw Ainz expertly dodging every single one of the Juggernaut’s attacks. It never even coming close to hitting the vibrating Ainz.

At least Turlough didn’t think so, he couldn’t see it very well.

In the second after Turlough had begun to watch the fight, the Juggernaut hit itself directly in the face. Flying into the air and causing a minor quake in the ground as it returned to Earth.

But before it could get up, a figure different than Ainz smashed its face into the ground. A gigantic woman Turlough and Ainz no doubt recognized. The one who had threw a car at an earth golem.

She had come out from a road that was not in view of Turlough and the librarian’s little hideout, but that didn’t particularly matter in light of the Juggernaut’s complete destruction. Shrinking back down to a normal size merely after two attacks.

———

Zegar had practically raised the newest generation of Monks, he was a brother to the middle generation, and he was a son to the eldest generation. He knew every single one of the other 41 Monks that resided at the Bastion.

So, when he arrived after 5 hours of continuous running, he was already prepared for the eventuality of everyone being dead.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Instead of the empty Bastion of Auiver he was hoping for, he saw something much, much worse. Lined up a circle in front of where Zegar had fallen to his knees was 39 stakes. On these stakes were 39 Monks, crucified. Tied to the middle of the circle was another Monk, still alive and breathing.

Only, Zegar didn’t have any hope for them.

Instead he counted the stakes, making sure that none had escaped before he committed himself to the grim task he had thought deeply about for his 5 hour long journey.

Finding that a singular stake was missing, Zegar fell to the floor from relief.

Ainz had escaped, Zegar thought with too much jubilation to fathom.

He wasn’t there when the portal had opened, nor was he informed of it due to the immediacy of everything.

Zegar began to remember when he lied to Ainz about failing his left hand Deflection, he remembered when Ainz had sucked all the blood out of a cow within his first month here, he remembered when he lied to Ainz about wanting to go on the Hero’s Quest, knowing that it was Ainz’s dream to go out with an adventuring party.

He remembered how hard it was to put so much.. dismissal into his voice at Ainz’s level. He remembered when, against all odds, Ainz had begun to surpass many of his fellow Monks in raw skill.

He remembered when-

Touching his chest, Zegar felt warmth. Not the kind you would usually feel upon touching it, but a warmth much more malicious in origin.

“That wound won’t go away unless you get treatment from a Paladin or a Cleric. Unless you are some sort of.. Holy Monk?” Said a voice, both female and male, both beastial and angelic.

Pulling the short dagger that had been shoved through Zegar’s liver out, the voice began to speak again. Zegar falling completely to the floor in the meantime.

“That wound won’t kill someone of your class and level quickly, however. So I suggest making peace with yourself. Do note I will be watching for any attempts to live,” the voice said again, bones echoing with each step it took away from Zegar.

Turning his head to face his attacker, Zegar saw nothing but the starry night sky. His beautiful luminosity being dulled in the face of… everything.

Zegar, knowing that he was indeed not some sort of Holy Monk, stood to his feet.

He was level 38, thus he had 42 mana. He had spent much of it on his return trip, however what he spent had long regenerated. Meaning he was at full capacity.

He had 8 leftover skill points as well.

Opening the system skill shop, he searched for the two skills he wanted.

Calligraphy and Skinning.

Monks were known for many things, fighting was one of them, to be sure, but most of all, they were most well known for their helping of the general populace. Whether that be through teaching or gathering lost livestock, they did it.

Here, Zegar simply searched for these skills ancient, peaceful Monks were known for, and now, he would apply them best he could.

Spending one mana each for both of the skills, Zegar reached for himself. Not even thinking about defiling the corpses of the other Monks.

After a few short moments of ‘Skinning’, Zegar had enough ‘material’ to write a decent sized message with.

Although potentially it could be washed away by the rain, Zegar decided he would simply shelter it with his own corpse. Although, again, he doubted if the Litch would keep his body here.

So, instead, Zegar poured mana into one of his skills, Iron Grip, and ripped out one of his vampire teeth. Quite befitting for a message to a Dhampir, Zegar thought amidst the pain, laughing.

Using said tooth to crave a message into the ‘material’, he was satisfied. This message wouldn’t be washed away, unless the Litch found humor in taking it away.

In which case, all his efforts were useless.

He shrugged.

And then collapsed.

———

I had been taken in for, at least what seemed to be, my act of vigilantism. Was I in trouble? No. Was I going to be reprimanded? Also no.

At least, that is what the librarian had assured me about. Turlough also being forced to come along and the librarian doing it of her free will. As…

“A thank you for saving my life,” she said, looking away. “Can you even do that?” I questioned, mentally, and physically just a moment ago, thanking Turlough for refreshing my Translation. “I mean, are you allow to come to my… meeting?”

“Well sure I am, I’m here after all; also, I am the sole witness for judging if your use of powers was appropriate and within measure for the situation. Although I may be biased.. it doesn’t particularly matter considering this incident wasn’t a big one,” she continued on.

‘She’ being Jane Manning.

I nodded, it made sense after all. There were ‘cameras’ in the library, but a witness down at the scene had to he preferable by many times over.

The door to the interrogation room me and Jane were in opened, Turlough being in his own separate one for being there twice in 2 days. And of his own course this time, too.

Walking into the room was a man, bags under his eyes poorly hidden, to my superior sight, by makeup. Clearly this was quite the demanding job.

Or he simply had no control.

“To get this over with in the fastest amount of time possible, please answer my questions ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” the man nearly spat, collapsing unto his chair.

“First, is one of you two related to the ‘Juggernaut’?” He asked, pulling out some sort of notepad that had the question written unto it, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ under it. But instead of Juggernaut, it was ‘Villain or criminal who incited the act of vigilantism’.

“No,” both me and Jane said in sync. After which the man simply circled our answer on the sheet.

The rest of the interrogation, if it even was that, went in the same fashion, him asking simple questions from his notebook and circling our collective answer.

After about 5 minutes of ‘yes-or-no-ing’, we were let loose to the world. The man mumbling something about his work schedule and the sheer amount of idiots that refused to answer his questions plainly.

Leaving the building with Jane at my side, I searched for the nearest bench and sat down at it, Jane following me without a word. “What are we doing here?” She asked, curious.

“I’m waiting for Turlough,” I replied, gesturing to the part of the bench still free, “You can wait with me, if you want.”

Jane looked around, searching for something maybe? “Sure.”

Sitting down next to me, we began to wait. Simply staring at the air in front of me, I occasionally turned my head around to look at Jane. Who was on her ‘phone’.

After about a minute more of air-staring, Jane suddenly spoke. “You don’t know how to use a phone, right? Or have one,” She asked, her eyes turned to face me.

“Correct, I do not,” I answered, to which she smiled. “Great then! I’ll show you the basics on mine. When you get a phone of your own I’ll help you whenever you need it there, too.”

Scooting closer to me, she placed her hand in front of chest, her phone being carried by it. “So first of all…”