Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Familiar Feeling is Back

"’Something’s not right... This place is wrong... I feel like... I’ve forgotten something?’"

Lloyd muttered, shaking his head hard. He dug his fingers into his temples, trying to make himself think more clearly.

Then he spoke to the two girls clinging to him on either side.

"Evelor, Miss Desda, I think we’ve forgotten something important. We’re not here to have fun. We’re supposed to be looking for someone, and then go help Ren... Ren..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Desda impatiently cut in:

"What are you talking about, Lloyd? You promised me you’d relax and enjoy tonight, that you absolutely wouldn’t think about anything else. Have you forgotten?"

"Well... I guess I..."

"Guess what? Are you trying to be a player who toys with a girl’s feelings? Let’s go! I want that giant stuffed animal."

Desda said in a cutesy voice and, being stronger than Evelor, forcibly dragged Lloyd to a shooting gallery. She then slapped a large bill on the counter with a flourish.

The stall owner’s face immediately lit up. He sidled over and handed Lloyd one of the latest bolt-action rifles on the market, the kind equipped with a right-angle bayonet.

"Heh heh, Sir. The gun’s got a hundred rounds. Go for these targets. This is where the real fun’s at."

As he spoke, the stall owner pointed a finger toward another prize display shelf a short distance away.

Lloyd looked in the direction he was pointing.

Lined up on the shelf were freshly severed human heads, dripping with blood...

Some belonged to the gorgeous dancers from the adjacent stall, some to the handsome youths who had been singing and dancing, and others to the kindly old men who had been playing music.

All of their eyeballs had been gouged out, leaving only dark, gaping sockets from which bloody tears trickled.

And yet, their faces were filled with joy and excitement. Their lips were curled into ecstatic smiles, as if they were still immersed in the festive atmosphere.

Their lips still opened and closed, as if chanting a hymn or murmuring a soft whisper.

Lloyd turned his head again and looked toward the Divination stall Evelor had been so eager to visit.

On its table sat a shimmering Crystal Ball, stuffed full of eyeballs of every color. They were slowly turning inside it, then swiveled in unison to stare at Lloyd.

Lloyd felt a BUZZ go off in his head. Without a second thought, he raised the rifle, aimed it at the stall owner before him, and pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

After a muffled bang, the stall owner’s entire head disappeared, leaving only his body standing in place.

But the headless body began to clap excitedly, a voice of praise issuing from its stomach:

"Excellent shot, Sir! This prize is yours."

As it spoke, it reached for the top of its neck as if to pluck off its own head and offer it to Lloyd as a prize.

But its hands found only empty air. It could only mime the motion of scratching its head, then it shrugged, spread its hands helplessly, and said:

"My apologies, Sir. I can’t seem to find the prize. Could you please help me look for it?"

This sentence, however, did not come from its stomach.

It came from Lloyd’s feet...

Lloyd quickly looked down. He saw what was left of the stall owner’s head lying at his feet. Half a mouth was curled into a grotesque smile as it spoke again:

"Congratulations, you’ve found the prize."

The sight not only made Lloyd’s breath catch in his throat, but it also terrified the two girls beside him, who let out ear-piercing screams.

’Looks like they’ve finally realized something is wrong...’

Lloyd gritted his teeth, tossed the gun aside, kicked away the half-head on the ground, and grabbed Evelor and Desda by the hand.

"This place is wrong! Let’s go, now!"

He was just about to run toward the town entrance when he suddenly felt the air around him fall completely silent.

The previous clamor, laughter, and music—it all vanished.

The townspeople, who had been singing, dancing, and skipping about, all came to a halt and turned to look at the three of them.

CRACK... CRACK...

The sharp sound of breaking bones echoed through the air.

It was the townspeople who previously had their backs to them. They were slowly twisting their necks until their heads had rotated a full 180 degrees to face them.

Their faces still held joyous expressions, but they seemed completely frozen, without the slightest change.

It was as if those weren’t their faces, but masks made of human skin.

"Sniff... Yi, I’m so scared..."

Evelor whispered in a tearful voice, hugging Lloyd’s waist tightly.

"Lloyd, you’ll protect me, won’t you?"

Desda’s voice was also filled with terror as she hugged one of Lloyd’s arms tightly against her chest.

"Shh. Don’t startle them. We’ll slowly back toward the entrance..."

Lloyd, for his part, remained relatively calm. He spoke in a low whisper, trying to move his feet.

But he discovered that his legs, for some reason, had become incredibly heavy, as if he were sinking into a bog. He couldn’t muster any strength at all.

He gritted his teeth, trying desperately to pull his legs free, but he was only met with a profound sense of helplessness.

’It’s as if the lower half of my body doesn’t belong to me anymore...’

Meanwhile, the surrounding townspeople seemed to notice his subtle movements and began to close in on the trio, one step at a time.

They approached with smiles on their faces, yet in total silence. Their pace was slow, but every step landed like a heavy weight on Lloyd’s chest, causing his breathing and heartbeat to quicken, and quicken, until he felt a dizzying sense of suffocation.

"Lloyd? What are we going to do?"

Desda watched as the encroaching townspeople completely surrounded them, her voice tinged with obvious despair.

Beside him, Evelor had begun to sob quietly.

"Sniff... I’m sorry, Yi. I failed to protect you..."

Lloyd didn’t answer. He just closed his eyes, allowing the dizziness in his head to intensify, making it feel as if the whole world were spinning.

He muttered under his breath:

"’Wrong... This is wrong... This isn’t how it’s supposed to be...’"

Then he snapped his eyes open and shouted:

"This is absolutely not how it’s supposed to be!"

Then, he wrenched his arm free from Desda’s tight embrace, his hand instinctively reaching for his waist and closing around something familiar.

A sword hilt.

Lloyd instantly felt a familiar muscle memory reawaken within him as he violently drew the weapon from his hip.

It was the exquisitely crafted Command Saber, the one he had been too reluctant to use.

It was also the same blade Weiya had used when she saved him.

’It’s back! It’s all back!’

The heaviness in Lloyd’s legs vanished, and the panic in his heart subsided.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he swung the long saber in his hand, bisecting the nearest townsperson with a perfectly executed and skillful downward slash.

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