NOVEL WEB Chapter 197: Will
"Instant... kill?"
Seeing this scene, Mash and Ritsuka Fujimaru couldn't help but widen their eyes slightly.
That creature—Mash had encountered one earlier when she was searching for Ritsuka. Even with both of them working together, it had taken a lot of effort to take it down. Granted, Mash wasn't exactly built for offense as a Shielder-class, but the strength of that werewolf had been confirmed. It was not far off from the Shadow Servants they had faced before.
They hadn't doubted that Will would win. But none of them had expected him to win so effortlessly.
To their eyes, all he did was casually extend his hand when the werewolf lunged at him—and the fight was over.
"Incredible…"
This only reaffirmed to Ritsuka just how wise she had been to avoid fighting him earlier.
Meanwhile, Will lowered his head to look at his own hand, a thoughtful expression flickering across his face.
He summoned his system interface again, several lines of text appearing before him:
[Permanent Trait: Hunter's Emblem]
[Rarity: SSR]
You are a hunter who walks the night. In defense of humanity's dignity and survival, you hunt those things that were never meant to exist in this world. You are a sentinel, watching over the chasm between man and the deep cosmos. And for that, you have willingly embraced forbidden knowledge—to wield forbidden power.
But beware: when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. The more you learn of the forbidden, the more you yourself become the taboo.
—Tonight, the Old Hunter joins the hunt.
[This trait is hidden from other players.]
[As a permanent trait, it can be taken out of this simulation after completion. Both of Guinevere's personalities will benefit from the effect, but the Rune Library will not be shared.]
[Equipping this trait grants the skill: Forbidden Knowledge of the Old Hunter · EX (Hidden Skill)]
[Skill details are hidden from all but the user. To others, it will appear as a different skill.]
[You can decipher some knowledge left by beings from the stars and memorize these as runes with various effects. Aside from the locked-in rune "Curse of the Bloodborne," you gain three additional memory slots for runes.]
[Rune: Curse of the Bloodborne — Unique to the Hunter trait. In order to combat the forbidden, one must sometimes become it.]
[You can perceive all of an enemy's weaknesses. When an enemy shows a flaw—whether deliberately or involuntarily—you may exploit it to bypass all defenses and inflict massive internal damage.]
—Dust to dust. Blood to blood. All begins in blood, and all returns to blood.
The description was long and complex, but Will got the gist of it quickly.
Only three words mattered here:
Overpowered as hell.
Strong. Incredibly strong. Easily one of the top three skills Guinevere had obtained so far. Not only did it have great potential for growth, but its core skill was exceptionally practical:
—If you find a weakness, you can ignore all defenses and strike directly.
After discovering the skill in his profile, Will had immediately tried it out on that foolishly charging werewolf.
Although the werewolf hadn't revealed any obvious openings, its wide, slow movements—far too open for combat—were clear weaknesses in Will's newly enhanced eyes.
So, he simply reached out.
And the werewolf's flesh practically parted for his hand, as if inviting it in. His palm slid through muscle and sinew effortlessly—and in that instant, it died.
In a way, this rune's ability was somewhat akin to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. While it couldn't match the absurdity of killing abstract concepts, it was still only one facet of a much larger, multifaceted skill.
The only limitation was that it took up a Rune slot—but since Will didn't even have five runes equipped yet, that wasn't much of a problem.
"This feeling... not bad at all."
Staring at the bloodstains still left on his hand, Will's lips curled into a slow smile.
As the evil persona born from Guinevere fused with the Blood Fiend's Spirit Origin, he didn't just tolerate violence—he reveled in it.
The sensation of driving his hand into blood and flesh, of sinking into living matter and utterly destroying it from within, was almost intoxicating.
Then he turned around and addressed the two behind him:
"What are you two standing around for? Time to move."
With that, he turned again, confirmed the direction he wanted, and began walking.
Ritsuka and Mash quickly picked up their pace to follow.
Soon, Ritsuka naturally sidled up beside him and asked cautiously, "Um, Lord Hyde, may I ask a question?"
"Speak," Will said coolly.
"Where exactly are we going?" she asked meekly. "Of course, I don't doubt your determination to resolve this Singularity. But as your humble, lowly subordinate, may I ask what the objective of our next move is, oh wise and mighty leader?"
"No one's ever told you you talk too damn much?"
Will suddenly stopped in his tracks and gave her a cold glance.
"If you know your place as a subordinate, then act like one. You don't get to question me. Do what I say, and if you don't like it—die. Understood?"
"Got it! Loud and clear! I apologize for overstepping!"
Ritsuka saluted immediately.
"But," Will said again, smirking, "what did you just call me?"
"L-Lord Hyde?" she ventured.
"Lord Hyde?" His eyebrow lifted.
"Yes!" she nodded rapidly. "Since we're under your command now, I thought a more respectful title was appropriate! Unless... you prefer something like Boss Hyde?"
"...In that case," Will chuckled and gently lifted her chin with two fingers, tilting her face toward him, "why don't you try calling me 'Master'?"
"Uh…" Ritsuka froze for a moment, face instantly flushing crimson. She opened her mouth, but her nerves got the better of her. She sucked in a breath, cheeks burning like fire, before mustering her courage and whispering:
"Ma—"
"Senpai!"
Mash suddenly shouted, raising her shield. "Multiple hostile signatures approaching! Should we fight here?"
"Tch."
Annoyed at the interruption, Will released Ritsuka's chin and waved dismissively.
"Since you're so eager to be my subordinate, prove it. Clear out those small fries and show me you're worth keeping."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Ritsuka quickly turned her focus toward the enemies closing in.
Mash engaged them shortly after, guided by Ritsuka's support.
The enemy was a group of automata—constructs made of indistinct mixtures of wood and metal, each with an unsettling humanoid face that triggered the uncanny valley. Emerging from the fog in waves, they made the already eerie atmosphere even more dreadful.
While Mash fought, Will continued observing.
Ritsuka technically "commanded" her, but she didn't interfere with Mash's tactics. Mostly, she just monitored the battlefield—alerting Mash to new threats or warning her of sneak attacks from behind. The rest she left to Mash's judgment.
Which made sense. Mash was the true combatant. Having Ritsuka bark orders at her would've been like a layman coaching a pro.
Will could tell: Ritsuka's main role was as a mana source. She stayed close to supply energy via Chaldea's Mystic Code, converting her life energy into magical power for Mash.
The only reason she was on the battlefield at all was because she couldn't support from afar.
Watching her trembling in fear, knowing she could die at any moment, and still standing her ground—
Will shook his head.
Guinevere might've found that touching. Maybe even admirable.
But Will was different.
"You chose to stand beside me, thinking it was safer, didn't you?" he said coldly. "Did you really think if danger came, I'd save you?"
Busted, Ritsuka gave an awkward laugh and admitted, "Well... I can't deny that I kinda hoped you would. But I figured, since you're so strong, your presence alone would scare off weaker enemies, right?"
"And even if something did come after me, sure, I know you wouldn't care about a worthless grunt like me… but those monsters don't know that, right? If they attack me, it'd be like they're disrespecting you. And that's unacceptable!"
"Oh?" Will sneered. "So you thought a few flattery lines and a bit of moral guilt-tripping would compel me to act? You think I'm that easy to manipulate? What makes you any different from those automata?"
"Senpai!" Mash shouted from the frontlines. "There are too many! I can't hold them off! Fall back—!"
But her warning came too late. Automata were already flooding in from all directions, cutting off their retreat. Mash tried to break free, but was pinned down.
Ritsuka paled.
Left with no other choice, she turned to Will again with pleading eyes.
He saw it.
And shook his head.
"No one told you? Overly clever girls aren't very likable… and to be honest, I don't like you very much."
"But…" Ritsuka tried again, "being a smart flunky isn't a bad thing, right? I could save you a lot of trouble, yeah? Wouldn't I be more useful to you alive?"
"Such as?" Will asked.
As the automata crept closer, Ritsuka grew more desperate.
"I'm with Chaldea! If we reconnect to the real world, I can be the bridge between you and HQ! We can analyze historical data and help you resolve this anomaly!"
"Not enough."
"We can take care of low-level Servants while you focus on bigger threats!"
"Still not enough."
The closest automaton now raised a chainsaw arm, its blade revving toward her throat.
"I—I'm really cute! Please, Master, save me! I'll do anything!"
Just as the chainsaw lunged—
Clink.
Two fingers caught the blade mid-swing.
Tears glimmering in her eyes, Ritsuka stared in shock and joy as Will calmly said:
"You said it yourself."
After all, as the embodiment of Guinevere's darker self, he was a bastard who always followed his desires.
And honestly?
He was kinda looking forward to seeing humanity's last hope wearing a maid outfit, serving him tea and calling him "Master."