Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 73
“Huh?”
Before she could grasp the situation, Aaron came running after her.
“Nancy!”
But something felt strange about their height difference. Even though Aaron was tall, she had never had to look up at him this much before.
That’s when Nancy realized—it wasn’t that Aaron had grown taller.
She was falling.
Beneath her, a dark, bottomless pit opened up.
“Aaron! AAAAHHHH!”
Aaron immediately jumped after her. His plan was to grab her and use his sword to anchor them to the wall. With both his sword and hers, he could somehow carry her back to safety.
But first, he had to catch her.
Aaron stretched out his arms and legs to reduce the air resistance and increase his speed. He was getting closer.
Just as he was about to grab her, a huge shadow emerged from the wall and swallowed Nancy whole.
“Nancy!”
Aaron drew his sword to slash at the shadow, but before he could swing it, another shadow engulfed him as well.
Inside the shadow, Aaron was tossed around, but thankfully it wasn’t hard. Instead, it felt squishy. Although it prevented him from getting a concussion, it was so slippery that he couldn’t get a grip. As he tried to cut through with his sword, he felt the shadow shudder in fear of the hero’s weapon. It trembled and then spat him out.
Aaron landed on something hard. It felt like the floor of a prison. As he picked himself up and looked around, he realized that he was indeed inside a cage, its bars curved like those of a birdcage.
“Where’s Nancy?”
His eyes darted around the area. Luckily, she was in the cage next to his, separated by the bars. It seemed the cage was divided in half. While it wasn’t a great situation, at least she hadn’t disappeared somewhere far away.
“Ugh…”
Aaron heard Nancy groaning in pain. She seemed to have hurt her arm when she landed, clutching it as she lay on the floor.
“Are you hurt?” Aaron asked, concerned.
Nancy groaned louder in response.
“Well, aren’t you dramatic, whining just because you fell a little bit? And you call yourself the hero!”
A mocking voice echoed in the air. A woman with large horns and a cloak made of what looked like raven feathers approached, smirking.
“But I like it. Cute girls are always good at whining!”
One of the Four Cardinal Guardians, Dije, walked closer to Nancy’s cage, her eyes gleaming with malice as she observed Nancy’s pain.
“So the new hero is a young girl, not some bearded old man. I like what I see. Small and fragile, just the way I like it.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?” Nancy shot back.
“Oh, you’ve got quite the mouth on you. That’s okay. The more unruly you are, the more fun it’ll be to train you. How exciting! Now, why don’t you cry a little more for me?”
Dije leaned closer to the bars, sticking her face between them for a better look at Nancy. Startled, Nancy scooted back on her hands, causing Dije’s eyes to narrow with sadistic delight.
“There’s nothing quite like the sound of a cute girl crying to get me excited. Go on, cry for me!”
Is she a pervert?
Nancy trembled in fear, which only seemed to excite Dije further. The demon was breathing heavily, aroused by the sight of the hero’s fear.
How pitiful.
Normally, that voice would flicker and disappear quickly, but this time, it lingered much longer.
If you’re watching this, can’t you do something more than just say ‘how pitiful’? Aren’t you supposed to help me?!
Nancy desperately hoped the system would activate some groundbreaking skill to save her, but nothing happened. No divine intervention.
So much for faith! There’s no one to rely on but myself!
