I Just Wanted to Play Gacha Games For the Rest of My Life, But I Reincarnated as an Evil Pair of Tights!

“You’re awfully comfortable for a little girl travelling with a group of men you’ve never met before,” he bellowed in surprise, “I know your magic is powerful thanks to that display earlier, but what will my men think when they see us like this?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied nonchalantly, “they’re your men, and you’re the leader. They’ll understand.” There was a hint of amusement in my voice, and a slight smile on my lips. “Besides, they’re probably more concerned with the possibility of you seducing me.” I giggled, enjoying the moment.

“That’s not funny!”, he shouted angrily, “I would never do such a thing!” His voice was laced with indignation and fury, and I could feel his body tense up.

“I said don’t worry about it... Also, I’m a boy”, I said in a mocking tone, letting out a soft chuckle.

“You’re a what? A boy?! What kind of a boy dresses and talks like this? All of it just makes you seem like a girl!” Jakub said incredulously. “But that name, Hero. A very masculine name.” He sounded exasperated. “How old are you, 14? 15? I have never met anyone your age who wears clothes like these. Where are your parents, anyway?” I could feel a hint of genuine concern in his voice, which surprised me.

“I technically don’t have parents, as far as you’re concerned,” I replied.

“What do you mean you don’t have parents? Everyone has parents.” He sounded confused and bewildered. “And what do you mean ‘technically’?” His voice was filled with suspicion and disbelief. He looked over his shoulder at me with a puzzled look on his face. “Are you an orphan? Is that it? What kind of parent would abandon a child like you?“

Before I could answer, I could sense... something big approaching.

“Perhaps instead of asking questions you should keep your eyes on the road,” I said cooly. “Something’s coming.” Jakub whipped his head back and squinted at the path ahead. “It’s coming from the south,” I added. I could sense the presence getting closer, and it was definitely not friendly. “Get ready,” I said in a warning tone. I could feel the elves’ confusion at my words. The thing which was coming must have been out of the range of their best scouts. Or perhaps they weren’t looking for a monster of such size and strength. They didn’t stand a chance. They were only elves, after all. My horse reared back and let out a frightened whinny. It sensed it, too. “Get off the road!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. The elves immediately pulled their horses to the side of the path.

A massive form leapt out from the undergrowth, its teeth bared and six claws outstretched, that’s right, six arms, ready to tear us to shreds. It was a minotaur, as far as I could tell, but it was different, even if I ignored the extra limbs. It was bigger than any I had ever seen in the Wealdthurst dungeon. It was easily three times the size the average, making it absolutely huge at around 15 metres tall. Its fur was black and matted with blood. It looked demonic. Its horns were curved and wickedly sharp, and its eyes were a fiery red. It landed on the ground in front of us with a thud, its massive hooves sending tremors through the earth. It let out a bellow of rage, its mouth foaming and its eyes filled with fury. It stood before us, its massive muscles rippling beneath its skin.

I used (Mind)Channel to telepathically communicate with the minotaur. I couldn’t understand what it was saying, but I got the general gist of it. It was enraged. Enraged at me specifically, and it was not going to back down. It was a mindless beast. I tried to convince it to stand down anyway, but it would not listen. I was left with no choice but to defend myself and my elven companions.

I hopped off Jakub’s horse in one swift movement and landed right in front of the minotaur. The elf was shouting something behind me, but I paid him no attention, my focus solely on the monster in front of me. I could sense its rage and hatred, and I knew it would not stop until it killed me. I could see the veins on its forehead bulging and throbbing, and its chest was heaving as it took heavy, laboured breaths.

“Everyone, scatter!!” I shouted. I could feel the elves moving away from us, and I could sense their confusion and fear. They were unsure of what was happening. They didn’t understand what was going on. But they obeyed my command and they scattered. The minotaur was still staring at me with a fierce intensity and I could feel its anger and hatred growing.

I could sense it was stronger than me, much stronger, much higher level than my 200. It was a legendary monster. The stuff of myths. I wasn’t sure what it was doing here, but if I didn’t stop it, it would kill the Elves and wreck death and destruction upon the land (as I suspected it already had). My best lead for finding Tomiko and reuniting with Elissa would be gone.

The minotaur lifted up one of its arms suddenly and pointed its open palm into the sky. With a black flash, a scythe had materialised in the beast’s hand. The weapon was huge, and it was covered in blood. The minotaur swung the scythe in an arc in front of him and I could hear the air splitting. It was fast. Faster than me. Its stats were off the charts.

My vision tilted as my decapitated head fell next to my sandalled feet. I could see my silky-white tights were covered in bright-red blood trickling down my legs.

“HERO!!”, Jakub’s voice boomed. I could hear a series of screams from the elves.

“I told you to scatter!!”, I would have yelled, but my vocal chords had been obliterated.

The minotaur roared with laughter and took a step forward, its hoof crushing my head beneath it, squishing the flesh and bone with a crunch.

—

Jakub watched as the six-armed minotaur sliced off Hero’s head with its massive scythe. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Just moments before, he had been talking with the young mage, who claimed to be a boy, but by all appearances was a girl. And now Hero, the one foretold by the oracle, was dead. He had never seen such a gruesome death. It was a horrible sight, and he could feel his heart sinking, his stomach churning. He had seen many deaths, and been the cause of a quote few himself, but this was different. This was horrific, one-sided obliteration. If only he had been faster, stronger, smarter, if only he had paid more attention to the path ahead, if only he had seen the danger, if only he had warned Hero, if only he had saved her, then none of this would have happened.

What was he to report to his people, the village elder, and to Zofia? It was unlikely he’d ever get the chance to do it. The huge beast, having been satisfied by crushing Hero’s head in a splat, looked up and beyond towards Jakub and his men. A look of recognition dawned on its bestial face. It had finally noticed their presence. The minotaur’s gaze was cold and cruel, and Jakub could feel his blood run cold, a chill running down his spine. The beast let out a low growl, its nostrils flaring. It started walking towards the elves, its stride long and confident, its steps thundering.

The something impossible happened. Hero’s body, which for some inexplicable reason was still standing, turned on its heel and waved to Jakub. He felt his jaw drop as Hero’s body raised its other hand and instantly the minotaur was encased in a spiky, stone egg that matched it’s size. He could hear the beast roaring inside the prison it was trapped in, but there was nothing it could do to escape. It was a miracle. There was no way the spellcaster could have survived a strike like that. It had cut through the girl’s neck and severed the spine. Not even an experienced mage could survive a blow like that. But somehow the body was still moving.

Focused on the stone egg, Jakub almost missed what was stirring his men into a frenzy. One by one, they drew their bows and nocked their arrows, all aiming them at the stone egg, their faces filled with fear and apprehension. Jakub could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and his heart was beating fast. He could see the stone egg cracking, some kind of yellow, viscous liquid spilling from within, and a faint red light was shining from within. There was something terrifying about that light, and Jakub felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

Then Jakub’s jaw dropped a second time, along with the other 16 men he called brothers in arms. Hero’s neck had sprouted glistening transparent tentacles. It was a scene straight out of a children’s nightmare and even worse was the fact that they were not quite tentacles but looked more like a set of four long tongues protruding out of the wound where the girl’s head should be. It was grotesque and macabre. The tentacle-tongues began slithering against themselves, before forming a ball resembling a mannequin’s head.

The stone egg was almost broken. Jakub could hear the beast within it bellowing and roaring, its voice filled with unabated rage and hatred. He could feel the tension and the fear among his men. They were all on edge, and it wouldn’t take much for them to break. The beast was strong, and it was determined to destroy everything in its path. They stood no chance. They could feel its aura assaulting their every sense. It was a creature of destruction and chaos, a living embodiment of the concept itself. They could feel the weight of its power and the magnitude of its strength. They were overwhelmed and intimidated. It was all too much for them. The only thing that kept them from fleeing was their sense of duty and their loyalty to Jakub, their leader. He had to do something.

“Fire!!”, Jakub commanded. His voice was calm and confident, despite his feelings of uncertainty and fear, “Fire where the egg is cracked and don’t stop! Even if it doesn’t work, we’ll die trying!” There was a collective shout from the elves, and they released their arrows simultaneously. They streaked through the air and impacted accurately inside the liquid. The beast was hit with dozens of arrows in an instant, but the damage was minimal. It was like striking at a rock with a sword. There was no effect. It was only when a dozen more arrows entered the cracks did the stone begin to give way. A large section of the stone egg collapsed, and the beast roared again. It was clearly enraged, and its body was covered in wounds.It seemed the egg was also lined with long spikes on the inside.

Behind the beast, the strange sight of shining white petals falling from Hero’s newly formed-face, eyes, hair, ears, lips, nose included. It startled the men, which gave the minotaur the chance it needed to free itself completely from the prison that was holding it back.

It was angry. Very angry. But in that anger, it failed to see Hero get into a crouching stand. With a leap, she launched herself at the minotaur’s exposed back. Striking it so fiercely that both she and the monster ricocheted in opposite directions. The minotaur tumbled forwards and onto the ground, while Hero flew upwards and backwards, her white dress flapping violently in the air, before she landed elegantly on her feet, a good distance away from the fallen beast. She didn’t even lose her balance. Her dress was not torn or tattered, and it was as clean and pristine as before.

“I suggest you give us some room, for I can’t guarantee none of you will get in the way otherwise!”, Hero called out in her sweet feminine voice. She had her arms folded across her chest, and she had a stern expression on her face. She sounded confident, and her tone was reassuring, but Jakub couldn’t comprehend how someone so small could defeat a monster of such magnitude. He felt his resolve waver. It was impossible. There was no way she could do it. And yet, a part of him wanted to believe, a part of him wanted to hope. But he couldn’t afford to lose his wits. Not now. He had to stay focused. He had to remain alert.

“Retreat!!” Jakub shouted at his men, and they followed his orders without hesitation. They quickly rode off, heading deeper into the forest, leaving the two combatants behind. As soon as they were far enough away, they stopped and watched the battle unfold from a tall, old tree which they had swiftly climbed. There was no need for words. They all knew what was happening. They could feel the intensity in the air, the anticipation, the tension, their own fear and awe.

“She’s actually holding her own against that thing!”, one of the men cried out. “She’s so small and fragile looking, and yet...” Another voice cut him off, “But what if she loses? What if she dies?” The men went silent for a moment.

“Didn’t you watch her die, you fool? She must have powerful healing magic, otherwise she’d be done for!”, someone said in a mocking tone, followed by a series of nervous laughs from the others.

“If anyone can win, it’s her,“ another said. The men nodded and muttered their agreement. They were all rooting for her. They were all praying to their gods for her victory. Indeed, Jakub was praying too. For he could see the beast was losing ground with each blow.

The battle picked up pace until it all they could see was a series of explosions ripping through the surrounding forest. Their elven eyes were not capable of following the action.

–

My body was a mess of gore and viscera. I had lost both of my arms. One was torn and shredded by the monster’s teeth, and the other was ripped off her body. A stump remained, spurting blood, painting the monster’s mouth a deep crimson. The battle had turned melee quickly after I had ‘disappeared’ the minotaur’s scythe with (Domain)Control. Instead, turning it into a harmless rubber facsimile of itself. The minotaur didn’t seem to like that very much, which is how I found myself in my current predicament, after we had exchanged countless blows.

I had managed to break one of the monster’s legs, but it was holding up just fine thanks to its endless endurance and stamina. Despite the countless attacks I had thrown its way, it did likewise. And even though my blows had hit their target, they didn’t do enough damage to take it out. It was a hard opponent. Harder than anything I had faced before.

Turning my tattered dress into a burst of needles with Couture, sharp spikes dug into the minotaur’s claw, releasing me from its grasp. Avoiding landing in the minotaur’s open jaws, I knocked a tooth out as I kicked back and landed softly on the ground. Armless, bleeding. I cast Cleanse on myself for appearances and because it didn’t cost me MP.

Using (Re)Construct was draining my MP, but I decided I needed those arms for balance. The more MP I spent the faster the regeneration. This is why earlier I had distracted the monster by using (Domain)Control to create a spiky egg, with a very thick liquid inside to prevent it from getting out easily. But that too had cost me precious MP. It was my only lifeline against this thing. I was currently sitting on 75% MP, and unless I did something, it was only going to drop further.

Because the monster had so many limbs, it didn’t seem all that phased by practically losing function inone of them. It still had five claws with which to skewer and crush me.

My biggest problem was that unlike in an anime or an action-movie, I didn’t possess some kind of magical inertia behind which I could put weight behind my blows. I had to literally throw myself, together with throwing kicks and punches with a snapping motion in order to do bullet-like damage to the minotaur’s thick (and smelly) hide.

“Let’s get this over with. I can already see we won’t come to an agreement,” I said.

The minotaur bellowed at me and swung its massive arm at my head. I dodged under the attack, practically breaking my spine in the process, jumped and grabbed hold of the beast’s hoof. I used my momentum to swing like a gymnast and slam its head back onto the ground with me. The impact caused the earth beneath us to rumble, as another crater formed in the forest floor. The minotaur’s body shook from the force of the impact, and it let out a roar of pain and anger.

Alright! While this wasn’t the first time I pulled that move. But I did manage to execute it so effectively this time because I was getting a read on the minotaur’s movements. It was getting more and more sluggish as the battle dragged on. While it was on the ground (and wouldn’t be for long), I had to do something.

I crouched, getting ready to jump vertically into the air. If I didn’t have much weight, I’d have to use something which did.

(Domain)Control

A massive great-axe, resembling something I’d once used in a certain monster hunting game materialised above the minotaur instantly. What was special about this particular great-axe was that the edge was sharpened to a sub-atomic level upon creation. And like any sharp edge, it would blunt quickly. But it’d make this hit count!

I jumped towards the hilt and grabbed it in mid-air. The great-axe swung with the impact, carrying me with it. I needed to anchor myself to something.

Couture!

My tights extended out of my feet and shot into the ground, anchoring themselves like a tree deep beneath the ground. Using the rotational momentum of the great-axe and the force of my tights pulling me towards the ground elastically I brought the axe down onto the minotaur right as it was thinking about getting up. The blade cut into the monster’s neck, but all of its 5 arms had caught it-mid strike. The blade was cutting into the hands, but it’s bones, seemingly made of steel were stopping the great-ave from slicing the minotaur in half.

The creature had its mouth open and a look of utter agony on its face. But it wasn’t giving up. It was still struggling. It was still resisting. It was still trying to survive the moment of impact, which I was extending by making the great-axe heavier and heavier with (Domain)Control.

“Don’t think you can just stop my axe, when it’s made out of different principles than your existence!” I called out.

I kept stacking more and more mass into the axe until the ground beneath the Minotaur’s feet started boiling. The sheer weight of the weapon I summoned was turning the soil beneath the Minotaur’s feet into magma.

Which would cushion the weight and possibly sink the monster into the ground, I thought to myself. This was no good. So I was continually solidifying the soil and cooling it with (Domain)Control. This was causing the ground beneath the minotaur to crack and explode into dust. I was literally turning the soil beneath the monster’s feet into nothing. With each blast we were both sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. It was so resilient; I had to admire its determination and zest for... wanting to kill me.

I was down to 40% MP.

At least I had managed to pin the creature in place, even if I was short of killing it.

Using Another 10% I created countless blades of equal sharpness around the minotaur before plunging all of the simultaneously into its flesh from all sides. It was like a meat-grinder and I could see the creature’s organs being torn apart. Blood and other bodily fluids erupted from the wounds. I could see the creature’s eyes widen in horror and pain as it writhed in agony. Its cries echoed throughout the forest and its body shook violently. But it still did not give in. And I would not stop there, as pulsing waves of pressure emanated from where the beast was fighting against the colossal weight of the axe.

I guess I’d have to do this with my own hands.

I pulled out a strand of my hair.

(Domain)Control.

It turned into a golden spear.

I casually walked through the dusty eddies underneath the minotaur.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” I said regretfully, between its legs.

I then tensed my body and released all of my power into one vertical strike, which pierced the beast’s anus.

It cried out in a pitiful voice as I slowly pushed the spear upwards, through its colon, stomach, lungs, heart and finally into its brain stem.

Shockingly, it still stood. A monument to gore. Its flesh ripped to shreds, its bones and organs exposed, splattered on the pressure-polished surface crater beneath us. Even now, when it faced such indignation, it was glaring at me with fury in its eyes and hatred in its heart.

“You won’t be in pain anymore...”, I whispered.

(Domain)Control.

The golden spear instantly expanded in diameter, causing the minotaur’s body to expand as well. It exploded and was cut in half by the axe at the same time, while the countless blades spun like a blender. Pieces of the minotaur’s corpse fell all around me. I could hear a deafening crunch as the beast’s bones were shattered and ground to dust.

There was no sound left in the forest, and the only thing I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat. And the sound of ...

[Experience gained, level 248 attained]

“Hmm, a level up? I thought I was capped at level 200,” I mused aloud as pieces of the minotaur were dropping all around me in a shower of blood and guts. It was a huge jump in level too. 

Could it be that now I was a “Living Armour”, that the limit no longer applied to me? Because I had been separated from Elissa and her level cap?

“Oh well, I'll think about it later”, I shrugged as the last of the minotaur’s guts rained down on the ground with a wet splatter. There was nothing left of the beast’s body, and its head was barely recognisable. “Good riddance,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. The fight had been intense.

This monster, a legendary beast, shouldn’t exist in this region, never-mind just casually drop in on our party like that. It was as if it was intentionally seeking us out. Something was wrong.

But oh well, something to worry about for future me!

–

Jakub could see the scene before him with his Eaglevision skill. It was too horrific for words. The minotaur had been reduced to chunks of meat, and in the centre of it, stood a young girl, wearing a pristine white dress and white tights, with now a drop of blood or gore on them. She had long, silky white hair and an innocent expression on her face. He could not comprehend how she had done it. How could a human girl defeat a beast like that? It was unbelievable. It was impossible.

Still unsure what to make of it all, Jakub lifted his bow into the air and announced “VICTORY!!!”. He was joined by the rest of the men, who cheered and shouted at the top of their lungs, their faces filled with relief and joy. They had won. The beast that would likely have destroyed the forest and their land, was gone! Their cheers echoed through the forest, and they were soon joined by the other elves who had been called for reinforcements, led by a group of scouts. They were also celebrating and shouting, their faces filled with excitement. The whole forest was filled with the sounds of celebration, and everybody was smiling.

When she reunited with Jakub, the first thing Hero said was...

“I’m glad your men are safe and sound.”

This made the elf feel a warmth spread through his chest and a smile tugging at his lips. She cared. That was something he didn’t expect. And yet. The girl was a mystery. He could tell there was more to her than met the eye. But he would not push the subject. She had helped him and his men. She had saved them and possibly countless other lives.

Still, the questions lingered. Who was she? What was she to have defeated such an opponent so completely?

But for now, he was content to keep her company and to be her ally. He had to report back to his village. And the road was still long.