Villain Simulator, Ch 115

Though Lucas could easily have blocked the attack, he knew Jean was eager to show her skills to Barbara, so he purposefully left an opening.

Jean seized the opportunity, stepping forward and striking Lucas's midsection with the practice sword. Although the blow was harmless, Lucas feigned injury with a convincing grunt and fell dramatically to the ground.

His fall was so skillful, even a certain country's soccer team might have applauded.

"Are you okay?" Jean exclaimed, dropping the wooden sword in alarm and rushing over to help him up, her face full of concern. "I'm sorry—I didn't mean to hit so hard!"

"Daddy!" Klee was even more alarmed than Jean, clutching Lucas tightly and wailing, "Please don't die, Daddy! Wahhh!"

"Mmmph!" Lucas, small as he was, found himself smothered in Klee's much larger embrace. 

For a brief moment, Lucas relived the terror of being flattened by an unstoppable force—a sensation he had unfortunately experienced with Barbara just last night.

"Klee…" Barbara, blushing slightly, spoke up, "I think your daddy might be getting squished to death."

"Eh?!" Klee gasped and quickly released Lucas. The small boy now looked thoroughly dazed, his face flushed as he teetered between consciousness and confusion.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Klee asked, gently shaking him, her voice filled with worry. "Say something, please!"

"He'll be fine," Barbara reassured her, stifling a laugh. "Though… he might be a little dizzy."

"It's all your fault!" Klee huffed, puffing out her cheeks as she patted her chest in frustration. "Why'd you have to grow up so big?! You almost squished Daddy to death!"

Upon hearing Klee's outburst, Barbara and Jean both dropped a few silent beads of sweat, realizing just how oblivious she was to her own situation. 

Perhaps this was what it meant to not appreciate one's blessings.

Fortunately, after last night's… intense experiences, Lucas had developed a certain resilience to "big mountains"—no, to "older sisters." Within a few moments, he had cleared his head and regained his composure.

If Jean's sword strike had dealt 5 points of physical damage, then Klee's "attack" had definitely added a stun debuff.

Just as Lucas recovered, the game board signaled it was time to continue, and this round, it was Lucas's turn to roll.

"Wait a moment…" Jean seemed to recall something, her brows knitting together. "Wasn't there a message on the board yesterday saying you had to do something 'bad' before the game could continue?"

At Jean's question, both Lucas and Barbara visibly paled.

"So…" Jean narrowed her eyes, suspicion flickering in her gaze. "Did you do something bad, Lucas?"

Lucas and Barbara exchanged a quick, worried glance—one which Jean didn't miss. Her sharp gaze settled on them, and she frowned. "Does this 'bad deed' have something to do with Barbara?"

For anything to be classified as a "bad deed," it would need both a subject and an object. Jean herself couldn't be the victim, and Klee, as Lucas's daughter, seemed an unlikely candidate. That left Barbara as the most plausible answer.

Though Jean did have a favorable impression of Lucas, if he had wronged Barbara, she certainly wouldn't let it slide.

Just as Jean's gaze grew sharper, Barbara suddenly spoke up. "It's not Lucas's fault. I… I was the one who asked him to do it."

"What?" Jean and Lucas exclaimed in unison.

"Back when we got separated from you, Lucas and I discussed how he could complete the 'bad deed' required for the game to continue." Barbara blushed slightly. "So… I let him…"

"It… it wasn't that serious!" Barbara quickly shook her head. "I just let him… peek at me while I was bathing, that's all."

Whoa, whoa. If she'd agreed to it, then it wasn't "peeking"; that was practically an invitation!

"Is… is that all?" Jean asked, frowning in concern.

Though it was certainly serious, considering the unusual circumstances, she found it more understandable.

Though Jean struggled to accept this, the fact that Lucas was now allowed to roll the dice confirmed he had indeed completed the required bad deed.

"Fine. It was for the sake of the game," Jean finally sighed, patting Lucas's shoulder. "But if you ever think of using Barbara as… inspiration for unholy activities, I'll make sure you regret it!"

As if! Ever since he got that simulator, Lucas had left "solo activities" far behind.

And besides, Barbara was long past being just inspiration material.

Lucas nodded solemnly, "Don't worry—I'd never do that."

"What are you talking about?" Klee asked, eyes wide in confusion as she looked from one to the other. "Klee wants to do it too!"

"No!" the three others said in unison.

...

Finally, Lucas tossed the dice.

A three and a four.

Sighing, he noted with disappointment that he hadn't rolled a one, meaning he couldn't revert to his adult form just yet.

[A wave of monsters is approaching…]

As the text appeared, the ground around them began to tremble. Fissures opened in the earth, and countless monsters crawled out, surrounding the group of four.

But these weren't mere Hilichurls or slimes. Instead, they were high-ranking monsters: Geovishap Hatchlings, a Rifthound, a Stonehide Lawachurl and even a Pyro Regisvine.

Monsters that, even on their own, would cause major trouble were emerging as if there was no monster budget to worry about.

Even if Lucas and Jean hadn't been turned into children, facing this many powerful enemies at once would have been a formidable challenge.

"Wh-what do we do now?" Barbara stammered, anxiety flashing across her face. "This is way too many!"

"Stay calm!" Lucas quickly reassured her. "Remember, this is a game. If it's a game, there has to be a way to win. There must be some way out of this…"

"Maybe they just look strong but are actually really weak?" Klee guessed, raising her hands as a large fireball materialized in her palms. "Kaboom!"

Even as a child, Klee's elemental power had been considerable. Now, with her adult form amplifying her Pyro abilities, the massive fireball struck a Geovishap Hatchling dead-on, shattering part of its stone armor but failing to deal critical damage.

Worse, the monster roared in rage, stomping toward them with a vengeance that made the earth shake with every step.

"Oh no," Barbara scratched her head nervously, laughing. "Looks like we made it mad!"

"Jean!" Lucas suddenly called, an idea flashing through his mind. "It's your turn to roll next. Hurry! Maybe the next event will help us deal with this!"

"Yes!" 

Jean quickly realized the strategy.

Using one round to counter another, magic against magic!

Just as the monsters closed in, Jean picked up the dice and threw it toward the board.

A roll of four and five—nine steps forward!

But when the piece moved across the board and landed on its new square, the text that appeared left Jean, Lucas, and Barbara all staring in dismay.

[Repeat the previous round's event.]

Meaning…

The ground began to rumble again, and yet another wave of monsters emerged from below, surrounding them on all sides.

Monster count, doubled!

Instead of solving the problem, they had now made things far worse.

"This was your solution?" Barbara asked anxiously, her face pale. "Didn't it just make things worse?"

"How was I supposed to know this would happen?" Lucas said, feeling helpless. "Think of something else!"

"What else can we do?" Barbara's voice trembled as she watched the overwhelming horde of monsters closing in like a tidal wave. "Are we… going to die here?"

"I don't think so," Lucas tried to reassure her. "It's just a game. If we lose, we probably just go back to reality."

After all, The Hero Klee vs. the Demon King was a fairy tale come to life from Klee's innocent imagination, and in a fairytale world, the heroes never die, right?

But that didn't mean Lucas would just stand there and surrender.

As a Stonehide Lawachurl charged forward, Lucas formed an ice spear in his hand and hurled it straight at its chest.

"Dragon Piercing Spear!"

The Stonehide Lawachurl, who hadn't flinched at Klee's massive fireball, wasn't about to back down from a small ice spear. It raised a giant hand to swat it aside.

Unexpectedly, the razor-sharp ice spear pierced clean through the Lawachurl's palm, continued through its chest, and exited, leaving a gaping hole.

[Executioner perk activated: Permanent 10% strength increase]

The Executioner perk had the potential to grant bonuses after defeating a target, depending on the strength of the enemy.

But in the current situation, these bonuses wouldn't mean much.

Lucas might be able to deal with a few monsters, but with his limited stamina, he could only form so many Dragon Piercing Spears before tiring.

"What now?" Jean asked, pressing her back against Lucas, her brows furrowed with worry. "If the game ends, are we going to…?"

"I don't know," Lucas answered coolly. "But we need to make sure Klee and Barbara are safe."

"You and I think alike," Jean replied, managing a faint smile. "If only we were in our regular bodies right now."

Together, Jean and Lucas's combined abilities could buy enough time, even if they couldn't defeat the horde outright.

But just as they braced themselves for a final stand, a clattering sound broke through the tension—the unmistakable sound of dice hitting the wooden board.

"It's Klee's turn!"

Amid the chaos, Klee had taken her turn and rolled the dice once again.

The three of them gasped.

Their situation was already critical, and if Klee's roll triggered another dangerous event, it might be game over for all of them.

A roll of two and four—six steps.

[Summon the thing you fear the most.]

This was it. They were doomed.

As if the two waves of monsters weren't enough, now they had to deal with a summoned boss on top of it.

After all, for a little girl like Klee, the scariest thing imaginable would probably be another huge, fearsome monster.

Let alone a creature terrifying enough to frighten even Klee, who was typically so fearless.

A summoning circle appeared in front of them, glowing intensely as a figure began to take shape in the center.

When the light faded, everyone squinted in confusion at what they saw, their faces filled with astonishment.

---

Author's Note: Mommy is joining the game 😈