Wait, System! Stop Helping The Protagonist!

After they were done praising Lovia, Ashton spoke. "I suggest Rias deal the final blow as he hit the Sharp Bumper."

The other two girls nodded their heads, agreeing with it.

Without hesitation, Rias penetrated the Sharp Bumpers’ head with his halberd, ending its pain. After it died, it turned into green specks of light that swarmed into Rias’s chest.

Rias closed his eyes, concentrating on his Life Ring. He saw the green specks of light gradually filling his second ring. What would be a progress of three days happened in just a moment’s worth of time.

"Trully magical!" Rias exclaimed. "So, that is why the dean said Filths are filled with rich rewards."

Anastasia nodded her head. "Yes, not just the Life Essence; you can also get various skills, items, and weapons. This place is a treasure trove but also a slaughterhouse."

"I see." Rias said, melancholy, looking at the tower watching over them.

"Okay, enough chat." Ashton came forward, bringing everyone’s attention to their primary object. "Now that we have a taste of a Filth ourselves, we should try to be efficient when dealing with them."

"We will change our formation. I will be at the front because of my ability. I have great senses, so it is easy for me to scout out potential enemies. Anastasia and Lovia will stay behind me together. Anastasia, Lovia doesn’t have any fighting capability, but she is the most valuable of our group. We need her analytical ability."

Anastasia hugged Lovia’s arm and proclaimed. "With me here, nothing can happen to her!"

"Good." Ashton then shifted to our protagonist. "Rias, we will have you watch our rear. Do you think you can do it?"

Seeing everyone’s hopeful eyes filled with concern, Rias promised proudly. " Leave it to me. I have not learned anything, but with the hunting skills taught by my uncles, I can protect everyone."

’Spoken like a protagonist.’ Ashton smiled before leading the way. "Let’s go. Don’t stay too far."

Finally, the group advances like a team with a functioning role for everyone.

As Ashton was walking in the front, looking everywhere with his Limitless eyes, small red lights bloomed wildly ahead of him.

Just fifty meters away from the tower, the Sharm Bumpers could be seen waiting patiently on the ground, trees and rocks like landmines.

Ashton gripped his sword lightly before warning everyone. "Carefull. I sense many clusters of Life Essence ahead of us. Probably the Sharp Bumpers. You guys wait a little. After I bait out every one of these things, you guys will jump in to finish the job."

Anastasia frowned, disagreeing. "But how will you protect yourself under the onslaught? It’s too dang—"

Ashton raised his hand and cut her off. "Now is not the time. As Miss Anastasia’s royal retainer, I cannot let her near any sort of danger. Furthermore, I have a way to protect myself. After I make these guys, you can do anything you want."

Ashton left, leaving behind those words.

Rias and Lovia might have gotten familiar with them but not on the level of poking their nose in their personal matters.

Ashton carefully threaded through the dirt road, avoiding the Sharp Bumpers waiting in ambush.

’These guys are really greedy. They won’t attack, wasting their chance on me. They want the three outside of their range. But can you little ones stay calm when I get too close to your mother?’ A deep grin appeared on Ashton’s face as he neared the tower entrance.

The closer he got, the more he felt they vibrated.

Just as he took the step that put him ten meters away from the tower, the Sharp Bumpers prepared to launch themselves.

Ashton quickly turned backwards and shouted at the top of his lungs. "NOW!"

The three appeared before Ashton’s eyes and in seconds got drowned by the sharp cones heading in his direction.

A helpless smirk appeared on Ashton’s face as he ran the Limitless eyes to their limit. ’Why did I even put myself in such danger?’

As Ashton’s surroundings began to slow down, the maggots flying out of the Sharp Bumpers bodies began to become visible as their bodies got kissed by the whistling air. The special energy swirling inside the Sharp Bumpers body, the source of Filth’s power, was in Ashton’s range of control.

Ashton activated his Inner Bon—Editor. The plan he formed was to change the trajectory of attack. Even with a 10% change, it was possible to alter an attack completely. However, he overestimated himself. Because his ability as an editor was due to his lack of understanding, he hadn’t fully grasped what it was capable of.

Now, he properly experienced what it felt like to hold great power but no means of utilizing it. Yes, he could change the trajectory of the forty-one Sharp Bumpers with Editor and calculate every possible change with Limitless Eyes. Yet his insufficient Life Essence hindered him from doing so.

’No, I can’t go on like this. Simplify! Simplify the change more!’ Ashton roared in his mind. His eyes began to bleed as the Limitless Eyes was running beyond his current capability.

Now he saw it. The minimal change to his body and the minimal amount of Sharp Bumper he had to change.

Instantly, he tilted his head and body to his left, raising the right leg slightly behind, and used his right hand to have his sword rest on his stomach.

The next moment, the Sharp Bumpers in front of him zoomed past his body. There was no attack from behind as his back was facing the tower.

Ting!

A Sharp Bumper hit his sword—resting on his stomach—the force churning the insides of his stomach. It also signaled his next phase.

He thrust the sword 45 degrees to his left and swung down, ending the crescent arc.

A continuous sound of metal clashing against each other reverberated throughout the forest.

’Done.’

Saying that Ashton’s body slumped into the ground as blood came flowing out of his orifices.

Now, he had to wait for his teammates to finish the job.