Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 219

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 219

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The ruined kingdom of Sahara, ruled by the Queen of Corruption and Curse.

Though I had never entered the Sahara Dungeon before, the reason I was well-versed in information about this place was thanks to the data posted online by players who enjoyed 【Hirome】 primarily for dungeon exploration.

[To clear the Sahara Dungeon, you must kill the Queen to obtain the core.

Rather than the Queen’s own attack power, dealing with the undead monsters protecting the Queen is more troublesome.

So if you’re prepared to sacrifice about 2 bottles of ‘Spring Water of All Things’ with Star of the Hero’s health at 900 or above, all swordsmanship and light aura mastered, then exploration is recommended.]

Each and every monster in the Sahara Dungeon Castle was a high-level undead.

Nevertheless, the reason the player who posted the strategy guide could cut through the horde of undead monsters and point their sword at the Queen’s heart was partly due to the extra life provided by ‘Spring Water of All Things’, but largely because Star of the Hero’s aura attribute was light.

Light aura demonstrates almost invincible power when facing undead monsters.

In contrast, Cheri’s aura attribute was ice. No matter how strong he was, the difference due to aura attributes couldn’t be ignored.

Fortunately, the Ghoul Legion, meant to fill that gap, faithfully fulfilled their role.

Before the Ghouls’ numerical assault and Cheri’s attacks, the undead horde protecting the Queen gradually decreased in number.

And finally, when we entered the massive hall where the throne was placed, I was able to face the Queen of Corruption and Curse.

She sat quietly on her throne, looking down at the rebels.

“I’ll finish this quickly, so please step back.”

Saying this, Cheri climbed the stairs leading to the throne, step by step.

Even during this, the Queen showed no signs of attack. As if she was waiting for Cheri to come up.

‘Something’s suspicious.’

An undeniable sense of unease stabbed at my mind like a thorn stuck under a fingernail.

Whatever trick the Queen was hiding, I knew it would be useless before Cheri’s sword.

But that… wasn’t it too defenseless?

While Cheri climbed the stairs, I desperately recalled the information about the Sahara Dungeon I had seen on the internet.

Things like the Queen’s characteristics.

Then, Cheri, having climbed all the stairs, stood before the Queen.

It was when the tip of his magic sword pointed toward the Queen’s heart.

[Caution. Be sure to max out ‘Star of the Hero’s’ magic defense before attempting.]

The last paragraph of the dungeon strategy I had forgotten suddenly flashed in my mind.

Be sure to raise magic defense before attempting. Because…

[The Queen of Corruption and Curse possesses a powerful charm skill, so making eye contact with weak magic defense will result in ‘status ailment’.]

Because that was the only way to resist the Queen’s charm skill.

[If you receive the attack called ‘Kiss of Death’ in that state, you’ll die in one hit.]

“Cheri…?”

I called out to Cheri, who wasn’t moving while pointing his sword at the Queen.

However, he neither looked back at me nor swung his sword to pierce the Queen’s heart.

He just stared at the Queen.

Then, as if she had been waiting, the Queen rose from her seat. When she placed her hand on the flat side of the sword blade pointed at her, the sword tip dropped powerlessly downward with a thud.

Only after the Queen took a step did I see what had been invisible to my eyes. The Queen’s face, which had been hidden by a flowing black veil.

I immediately ran toward Cheri.

【Are you going to kill me? Even though you swore to protect me.】

The Queen’s voice echoed in my head.

Her voice, which rang directly in my mind without going through vocal cords, was sweet enough to make my tongue tingle even as I heard it, but my mind began to boil more and more with rage.

I knew this voice all too well.

“Cheri!”

【Come here. Become mine.】

The Queen’s skeletal hand reached toward Cheri.

Clang. The magic sword finally fell from its master’s hand and rolled on the floor.

【Kiss me.】

Then, just as the Queen’s hands touched Cheri’s cheeks and tried to pull his face toward her.

Having barely climbed all the stairs, I grabbed Cheri’s collar and pulled hard without thinking of the consequences.

His body, afflicted with a status ailment, fell toward me with pathetic ease.

Falling backward with him, I immediately covered Cheri’s eyes with my hand and growled at the Queen.

“How dare you imitate my face in front of Cheri?”

The Queen’s face revealed beneath the veil was identical to mine. And it was exactly like my face when I was invited to the royal ball and had full makeup done!

‘The strategy guide didn’t mention this!’

No wonder Cheri couldn’t move at all!

I shouted while tightly embracing Cheri’s body.

“Don’t touch Cheri. Don’t even look at him. He’s my Cheri!”

At that moment, the Queen’s face, which looked like mine, twisted horribly.

Her facial skin began to bubble and boil, then became Cheri’s face. Not a single feature among those facial features was unlike Cheri’s.

Soon, as Cheri’s low voice echoed in my head, my fingertips began to stiffen rigidly.

【Your knight…】

Bang!

I fired a magic bullet at her before she could finish her sentence.

【Kiiiiaaah!】

My body, which had been losing sensation as if frostbitten, instantly became free. But I didn’t stop there.

“Where does a fake think it’s acting up? Cheri doesn’t look like that!”

Bang!

【Grrrgh!】

“His voice is lower and cooler too!”

Bang!

“The way he looks at me has more affection in it!”

【Grrk! St-stop…】

Bang!

“From head to toe, you’re far from being able to imitate my beloved Cheri, you fake.”

Only after landing one more shot and sealing the Queen’s mouth with golden chains did I stop shooting.

Only then did I release Cheri from my arms and wave my hand in front of his eyes.

“Cheri? Cheri, snap out of it.”

“…”

Cheri’s eyes looking at me were vacant.

It seemed the status ailment was still persisting.

While looking around to see if there was any solution.

“I’m… fine.”

As if suddenly coming to his senses, Cheri got up from his spot, picked up the sword he had dropped, and said.

“I’ll deal with the Queen.”

“What? What if your condition becomes strange again?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m perfectly fine.”

“But your body was stiff. You even dropped your sword.”

“That was just…”

Just?

“I couldn’t bring myself to raise my sword against the Queen who wore the Marquess’s Daughter’s face….”

The nape and ears of Cheri, who then turned around, were bright red.

I pondered the meaning of that and covered my mouth.

‘Wait a minute. If it wasn’t a status ailment, then he heard everything I said….’

What did I babble about earlier?

* * *

A lakeside not far from the outskirts of the Royal Capital.

The people from a nearby village who had come to enjoy the atmosphere of the lake bathed in evening glow were the first to notice the strange occurrence there.

“Hey, somehow the ground is shaking a bit… Huh, huh?”

The entire area of land near the lake began to sink like sand quicksand in a desert.

Several people who missed their chance to escape found their ankles caught in the quicksand like prey fallen into an antlion’s trap.

“Sa, save me!”

“Don’t struggle! It’ll make it harder to get out! Stay calm and slowly…. What, what is that.”

Something bizarre caught the eye of the man who was reaching out his arm to save his acquaintance swept away by the sudden quicksand.

At the center of the sand quicksand. Something long and gaunt suddenly popped out, cutting through the sand.

“A hand?”

Looking closely, it was a pale hand like that of a corpse.

That hand groped around the surrounding sand like a predator searching for prey, then finally tore through the pile of dirt like ripping cloth and fully revealed itself.

A woman with bluish skin, dressed in a black dress and wearing a veil.

However, the man immediately realized that it was not human. The gleam in her eyes visible through the veil was blood-red like that of a demon.

“Ugh, a, a demon!”

The terrified man’s scream caught the Queen’s attention.

The man couldn’t run away even as he watched the demon gradually approach him. For some reason, his entire body wouldn’t budge as if buried in earth and sand.

Just as the Queen’s hand was about to touch the man’s face.

“Lili, stop.”

Thud. The Queen’s claws, sharp like those of a beast, stopped right in front of the man’s nose.

A grumbling voice continued from behind the demon.

“Ugh, my clothes are covered in sand. Wasn’t there a more decent escape route?”

【Impossible….】

The Queen answered in a dejected voice, then glared at the man before her with flickering eyes.

She looked as if she wanted to pour out curses at him right away.

【Handsome men… extermination….】

“I understand your feelings, but there’s only Cheri around here who could be called handsome, so don’t curse him.”

Soon a red-haired woman approached the demon’s side.

Though dressed in foreign clothes, the remarkably beautiful woman asked the man, who was still frozen like a statue, in an overbearing manner.

“Hey, where is this place?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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