READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 2 - Behemoth Diablo
Behemoths come in various types.
I had no way of knowing which type attacked my village.
One thing was certain: even the weakest Behemoth is formidable.
In terms of adventurer levels, its minimum level would be 45. For solo adventurers, the recommended level would be 60—45 plus an extra 15 for the difficulty of fighting alone.
To stand a chance against such a foe, a Sacred Weapon was essential.
These weapons, equipped with slots for Spheres, were the tools of high-ranking adventurers.
“Made it just in time,” I muttered as I returned to the village at sunset.
The village, perched on the grasslands and surrounded by wooden fences, looked peaceful. The Behemoth hadn’t arrived yet, and the villagers were going about their day as usual.
“Deus!”
The wooden gate creaked open, and a girl my age ran toward me.
She had medium-length pink hair and large, round eyes. It was Reyna.
“Reyna…”
I hesitated.
Knowing how Reyna felt about me in my previous life made interacting with her difficult.
Back then, I had only seen her as a childhood friend—right up until she proposed to me.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so serious? And where’s Zeke?”
Reyna brushed her hair back and looked up at me with concern.
(It seems she’s misunderstood my expression.)
I decided to use her interpretation to my advantage and answered in a grave tone.
“Zeke… is dead.”
“What?”
“We were climbing a cliff when a wyvern attacked. He… he fell.”
“No…!”
Reyna’s eyes welled with tears.
She had feelings for me, but she also cared deeply for Zeke as a friend.
“I know how you feel. I’m hurting too,” I lied, holding her and stroking her head.
Deceiving her felt wrong, but telling her the truth wasn’t an option.
“By the way, Reyna, where’s the village chief?”
“The chief?”
“I need to report what happened to Zeke.”
“Right, of course. He went back to his house a little while ago.”
“Thanks. I wish I could comfort you longer…”
“No, it’s okay. Go talk to the chief.”
“Sorry.”
I headed for the chief’s house at a brisk pace.
Reporting about Zeke was just a pretense. My real goal was the Sacred Weapon.
The chief, a former adventurer, had once reached C-rank.
That meant his level ranged from 45 to 54. At that level, he was likely to have a Sacred Weapon.
“Chief!” I burst into his house.
“What’s the matter, Deus? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
The chief was in his living room, stroking a cat napping on his lap.
“Zeke’s dead! A wyvern attacked, and he fell off the cliff!”
“What?!?”
The chief stood up in shock.
“More importantly, do you have a Sacred Weapon?!”
“I… I have an F-rank sword, but—wait, what about Zeke?”
“He’s dead! I told you—he fell! That’s it! Chief, I’m becoming an adventurer, so I need that Sacred Weapon!”
There was no time to waste.
I rushed through my explanation, determined to speed things along.
“The Sacred Weapon is in the village warehouse. Take it if you want. I’ll inform Zeke’s parents.”
The chief agreed without hesitation, clearly preoccupied with Zeke’s death.
Had this been a normal situation, he would have firmly opposed me, saying adventuring was too dangerous.
“Thank you, Chief!”
I left his house and sprinted to the warehouse.
Even an F-rank Sacred Weapon was immensely powerful.
With my experience, I could defeat the Behemoth—even in this body. Unless, of course, it was one of the stronger variants above A-rank.
“Got it!”
Inside the warehouse, I quickly found the Sacred Weapon—a long sword called Prism Gulliver.
It was tucked away in a corner alongside farming tools like hoes and sickles.
“Wait—what?! Why is there no Sphere?!”
The weapon had a slot for a Sphere, but it was empty—a rare and frustrating sight.
Without a Sphere, a Sacred Weapon was just an ordinary sword.
“This is no better than fighting with a hoe…”
I cursed the chief under my breath.
“AAAAHHHHHH!”
Suddenly, I heard screams outside.
I immediately knew what they meant.
“The Behemoth is here!”
I grabbed the Prism Gulliver and dashed out of the warehouse.
Even without a Sphere, it was still a sword, and I would use it.
The fight to protect the village had begun.
(Damn… it’s heavy!)
The longsword I could easily wield with one hand in my previous life now required all my strength to swing with both hands.
Though I was an adult in age, my current body lacked the muscle to back it up.
I didn’t need a mirror to know how frail I looked.
“ROOOOAAAAARRRR!”
As soon as I stepped out of the warehouse, I saw the Behemoth.
A massive, muscular quadruped with menacing horns.
“You’ve got to be kidding me… It’s an A-rank variant.”
The enemy was a Behemoth Diablo, an advanced variant of the species.
Even in my prime, it would’ve been a struggle to defeat it solo.
With the Sphere-less Prism Gulliver, I wouldn’t even scratch it.
(Why is an advanced variant here?! No, focus!)
I noticed something unusual—the Behemoth was injured.
Part of its abdomen was exposed, the skin stripped away to reveal a thin membrane.
Through it, I could see the faint outline of its heart.
(If I strike there, I can win!)
Before I could overthink it, my body moved on its own.
“Everyone, stay back! I’ll protect the village myself!”
The chief charged at the Behemoth, wielding nothing but a hoe.
“Chief, get back! I’ll handle this!”
I dashed past him.
“Deus, wait!”
“Stop, Deus!”
I heard my mother’s panicked cry but didn’t slow down.
“Deus, no!”
Reina’s voice joined the chorus.
“AAAAHHHHHH!”
I ignored them all, gripping the longsword with both hands and pointing its tip at the Behemoth.
“ROOOOOOOARRR!”
The Behemoth swiped at me with its massive forepaw.
The blow was easily the size of a house; even a glancing hit would be fatal.
“I’ve seen that attack before!”
I stabbed the sword into the ground and vaulted over the Behemoth’s attack, using the sword like a pole in a high jump.
Clearing the strike, I landed right in its blind spot and—
“Take this!”
I felt the satisfying resistance of my blade piercing flesh.
“Grooo… groooaaah…”
The Behemoth’s roars weakened.
My sword had punctured the membrane and pierced its heart.
“This ends now!”
I twisted the blade, fully destroying the heart.
The Behemoth collapsed, lifeless, its massive body hitting the ground with a thunderous crash.
“Somehow… I managed to win…”
The damage to the village was minimal—just part of the wooden fence and some farmland.
Thankfully, there were no casualties.
“Deus, what in the world was that… those moves…!”
“Amazing…”
The villagers stood frozen in shock.
I collapsed to the ground in front of the Behemoth’s body, trying to catch my breath.
Without the stamina I had in my previous life, even this level of combat left me utterly exhausted.
“Hmm? I came here to handle the request, but it seems the job’s already done.”
An elderly swordsman approached as I steadied my breathing.
This was the adventurer who, in my past life, had defeated the Behemoth and saved Reina.