Side Character Who Became the Pseudo-Protagonist

Chapter 48: Dead On Arrival (1)

CRASH—!

The entire vehicle slammed through the glass entrance of the café, causing glass shards to scatter everywhere.

"Down!"

I immediately yelled, kicking over the table we were sitting around and using it as a shield against the shards.

Everyone dove behind it with me. Everyone except Lucy, who had already taken cover behind a chair even before I’d even shouted.

’Did she...anticipate this happening?’

This wasn’t the time to ask.

I turned over to assess the situation. Luckily, the truck hadn’t hit any of the other customers or people within the café.

After the initial shower of glass subsided, the others sprang into action. Aidan vaulted over the table and rushed toward the nearest customers—an elderly couple—and helped them to their feet.

Meanwhile, Colette and Ruby began casting a quick [Barrier] around the group gathering behind us.

Yet all I could do was stare at the wreckage.

’What...just happened? Was this some kind of event in the game? Or—’

Though a few seconds later, from the crash, the side passenger door creaked open. Then came a man struggling to crawl out of the seat with cuts everywhere on his body and face.

The sight finally forced my feet to move. I sprinted toward him and caught him before he could collapse onto the glass-covered floor.

It was the driver.

A twisted metal bar had impaled his abdomen. There wasn’t as much blood as I would’ve expected, but that didn’t mean he was safe.

"Hey! What happened?"

The driver’s unfocused eyes struggled to find mine.

"It’s...dangerous." His voice barely escaped his throat. "The cargo... One of them is still alive in there—"

The moment he realized someone had reached him, whatever adrenaline had been keeping him conscious finally disappeared, causing him to go limp in my arms.

But that was when something slammed against the inside of the cargo container.

BANG—!

"Everyone, get back!" Cecilia shouted.

I carefully lowered the driver onto the ground before turning toward the wreckage.

The rear doors exploded outward.

Something enormous came crawling from the darkness.

Six thick limbs struck the café floor one after another, each ending in claws long enough to puncture straight through the tiles. Its hunched body resembled a bear, though overlapping plates of blackened bone covered it from its head to the base of its tail.

’A Half Behemoth...?! Why the hell was a C-Class Monster here?’

Several of those plates had already been cut away, exposing dark muscle underneath. Needles remained embedded along its spine, while a section of its abdomen had been opened and crudely stitched shut for transport.

Yet despite injuries that should’ve left it dead several times over, it was still moving. And its narrow yellow eyes...were fixed on us.

"You’ve gotta be—"

SHLK—!

Three metallic streaks flew past my head before I could finish—Aidan’s swords.

One buried itself between the exposed plates near the creature’s shoulder, while the other two curved around its body and plunged toward its hind legs.

At almost the exact same moment, Lohan threw several talismans into the air.

"Lightning Prison!"

The papers disintegrated as threads of Logos emerged, igniting into arcs of rampant electricity. The sparks shot downward, wrapping around the Behemoth’s six limbs before tightening all at once.

"Gurghk—!" the thing screamed out in pain.

"Get the civilians out!" Aidan shouted, extending one hand toward his embedded swords.

[Attract]

All three blades ripped themselves free simultaneously, dragging streams of black blood behind them as they returned to his side.

But all that did was cause the monster to become more enraged. And with strong outburst, the thing completely snapped Lohan’s bindings.

"...Well," Lohan muttered, already pulling another stack of talismans from his sleeve. "That usually works."

"Nolan!" Cecilia called out. "Try to distract the thing!"

Behind us, the girls had begun guiding the civilians toward one of the windows the crash had shattered. With the entrance completely blocked by the truck, it was the only way out of the café.

Ruby crouched beside the opening, sweeping the remaining shards of glass away from the frame. Meanwhile, Colette maintained the [Barrier] between the civilians and the fight.

Cecilia stood on the other side, helping each person climb through the wreckage.

"Careful! One at a time!"

An elderly woman was halfway through the window when the Half Behemoth’s head suddenly turned, now blood-red eyes locking onto them instead.

’Shit...’

Whether it was the noise, the movement, or simply a monster’s instinct to hunt the weakest prey, it immediately lost interest in Aidan and Lohan.

And just as it took a step toward them, I figured I had to do something.

[Spell Sequence Initializing: Tier 1 Offensive Ignition Type—]

[Firebolt] x3

BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM!

Three detonations slammed into the Behemoth, one on its knees, chest and face. The force caused it to stumble a bit, but there was barely a scratch on its face.

But the attack seemed to do enough to bring its attention back to me.

"Ahh...now what?"

The monster’s claws tored through the floor as it launched itself forward. I just barely managed to throw myself sideways as it thundered past me and slammed headfirst into one of the café’s support pillars.

Yet before I could regain my footing, it ripped its head free and swung one of its enormous arms toward me.

’Too fast—!’

"[Repulse]!"

A metallic streak buried itself in the creature’s wrist, causing the Behemoth’s arm to veer just enough off course to pass inches above my head.

"You’re welcome!" Aidan shouted from my side.

"Wasn’t planning on thanking you!"

"Then I’ll let the next one hit!"

Thankfully, we had bought enough time. From the corner of my eye, I saw the last of the civilians—the elderly couple—make it outside.

But the others didn’t let up all the same.

Lohan sprinted past me, a talisman igniting into a ball of concentrated flames before he took a big inhale—

And breathed it all out.

FWOOOSH—!

Flames covered the entire area, and the heat alone was enough for the monster to stumble back a bit while blocking with its arm.

I was about to use the opportunity to run forward and do something, but a sudden voice called out to me.

"Nolan...!"

Turning around, I realized that it had been Lucy calling out to me.

’Lucy? What does she want with me?’

Ruby saw my hesitation and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Go. We’ll handle it from here."

I nodded before hurrying over to Lucy, who was crouched beside the same chair she had hidden behind from the beginning.

"What is it?"

"I...I know how to beat that thing."