POV: He's Just Standing There?!

━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━

(A little earlier)

There was a Pseudo-Behemoth in the City?!

The citizens of Arcadia glanced at the horizon, their hearts heavy in worry. There was so much wrong with the current situation!

- This Behemoth seemed OP!

- It could control the Blood Rain!

- How had it even appeared in the City?!

- …

It was rampaging in the Slums for now, but it was only a matter of time before it made its way to one of the Districts, and that would be a catastrophe!

They could only pray that the Protectors would succeed in taking care of the monster. After all, they were the ones in charge of organizing Arcadia's defenses.

One such Protector was already on the case…

A bloody ghost flew in the blood rain, heading straight for the beast's location as he cursed non-stop.

"Goddammit, designated volunteer, my ass! Why do I have to go near that hellish thing?! Tch— All those bastards are freaking using the rain as an excuse to cower away."

He was being as careful as ghostly possible, knowing a true Behemoth could probably exorcise him with a simple look. At this moment, he really felt like quitting the Protectors.

There was only one thing keeping him going, and it wasn't Arcadia's fate. Nope, he was in it for the Mana Stones, and at least the reward for this insane mission was huge.

This much was only normal considering the target. Suddenly its earth-shattering shriek resounded. — SHRIEEKKK! — It was instantly followed by a pillar of bloody energy.

"Oh god, we're totally screwed!" The ghost cried out. Even an Apocalypse-level ancestor would have trouble blocking something like that!

Not only was it MASSIVE, but it contained so much energy that a single drop would make his entire body explode!

He addressed a small non-genuine prayer to whatever Town or being had stood at the beam's location. They ought to be utterly gone from this world.

"Tch— That's gonna be a lot of damage estimation paperwork." He grumbled as he accelerated.

But not long later, the same thing happened again…at the same spot?! Something was wrong!

Spamming Ultimate Abilities? Very Behemoth-like!

Casting at the same target twice? Very odd! There shouldn't have been anyone in the Slums able to survive the first blow! It would require an incredible protective array.

"Don't tell me that Behemoth somehow stumbled upon a Renegade Secret-base?! Please, not the Blood Cultists or Chaos Worshipers. They're the worst!" The ghost spat out.

But would it stop at one hit? Apparently not!

- Bloody Light!

- Bloody Light!

- Some More Bloody Light!

- …

As it kept happening, his body began shaking.

No Town or Base could possibly be that resilient! Wait, was the Behemoth simply digging Arcadia itself?! Wait, what if Arcadia's Heart was real, and it was aiming for it?!

Either way, the unlucky scout had to confirm it all with his own eyes.

But as he finally reached the scene of "destruction,"…. He could only stare speechless. What the hell had happened here?! Why was everything so pristine?!

There was a small town in the distance, the plaque at the entrance reading Alcove. Besides being flooded with bloody water, the place was entirely intact.

The Behemoth's immediate surroundings were also way too clean. It wasn't digging either. Then just what was it— He froze.

On the Behemoth's back stood a lone human. He was young, injured, and weak-looking yet was staring straight at the monster without fear. But then… — SHRIEEKKK! —

The youngster disappeared from his vision, engulfed by the red energy.

The light finally receded and…

"WHAT?!" The ghost exclaimed in shock.

Not only was the human perfectly fine, but he was even taunting the Behemoth?! He was energetically brandishing his middle finger. What kind of madness was this?!

Had this guy been tanking hits head-on the whole time?! Who was he?! How could one be so powerful?! More importantly, why hadn't a professional like him ever seen the guy?!

Also, what was up with those injuries? Wait…those weren't made by magic! Had he been self-mutilating for the fun of it? What the heck was happening here?!

Suddenly he heard a cry nearby.

Another flabbergasted lady had appeared, one the ghost remembered having seen before. She worked for the Awakened Association, right?

In her stupor, she forgot to hold her Magitek Umbrella, her fair skin instantly turning the black of death, "Ha!" She finally came to her senses, the two sharing a look.

They shared the same incomprehension.

"H-he's .just standing there?!"

"He's just standing there…."

They felt so lost.

"…."

"…."

The ghost finally remembered his purpose, grabbing his Magitek Communicator. "Agent GT 3456 reporting. The situation's quite…odd." How was he supposed to explain this?

"Odd, how? Is it a True or Pseudo Behemoth? What about its goal? How many towns did it destroy?" An authoritative voice was heard.

"Unknown power, zero casualties, the target has been fighting one human all this time. No, not fighting. It's one-sided magic blasting with little effect." The agent muttered.

"That's to be expected. Even raining infinite spells on a Behemoth might not pierce their defenses: otherwise, they wouldn't deserve such title!"

"No, Sir. The Behemoth's doing the blasting while the human's just standing there, acting injured."

"Just standing…"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

The communication ended abruptly.

But this was only the start. It didn't take long for the news to blow up like wildfire. A lone unknown guy fighting the Behemoth? What?!

Every Awakened and their mothers who could brave the rain all came out of nowhere to gaze upon this strange event, all having the same reaction.

5

20

50

200

The numbers kept climbing at a phenomenal speed, their curiosity somehow overcoming their survival instinct.

Before long, there was a literal army surrounding the creature and the Overpowered Ancestor, everyone wanting to know who he was.

Everyone had a theory:

- He was one of the few Wanderers

- He was some Noble Clan's ancestor that had been in deep slumber

- They were all under the strongest illusion spell ever. After all, this scene was just impossible.

- …

But as the Bigshots of various organizations appeared, all the gawking bystanders were put to work. Protectors, Light's Chosen, Awakened Association, Academy, various guilds, etc.

For the first time in Arcadia's history, they could stand right next to a Behemoth and prepare to slaughter it, the being only targeting that one immortal human.

This guy was singlehandedly carrying humanity! Everyone's eyes shone with awe, already planning how to establish a connection. Mana Stones? Offering their daughters? A drink?

But that's when "Shadow Star" showed up.

The C-Ranked party just happened to know the man above.

He was no god. He was a weakling that just happened to be the perfect counter to the Behemoth, one that could be eradicated by even the weakest here.

The Awakened assembled all grimaced, disregarding their plans to invite him over. Heck, some had even been planning to offer their daughter up! Good thing they hadn't!

This event would be the highlight of his life, only to return to mediocrity afterward. Extremely specific defensive skill, no potential, and a Slum Dweller to boot.

They finally realized that the weak substance-less minions he kept invoking wasn't him being playful. No, this was already his best.

He was trash, undoubtedly trash, the shiniest turd of them all! They all glanced at the man valiantly spilling his blood with contempt. Talk about a faker!

Even the well-natured ones looked at him with pity. This new fame would only hasten his downfall. In any case, they all placed him in their "Not worth helping" mental folder.

Well, not all. At this moment, a bloody ghost suddenly felt strange. He had just learned of how weak the guy was, and yet why did he find it all the more admirable?!

Was he the only one? No, a lowly lizard on the ground mightily clenched his fist in worry as he glanced at the scene.

The Greedy Bloody Ghost had always pursued mana stones, but he suddenly felt greedy for something else. He wanted the power allowing a weakling to face a Behemoth!

A broken skill? Please! An ordinary man would cower with a look! If anything, this bloodied guy was more deserving to be called a Bloody Ghost!

In any case, everything was set up. As soon as the youngster moved, it would be time to fell the Behemoth. Oh, this would be glorious!