Wait, System! Stop Helping The Protagonist!

"Hey, we are done resting. Can you please stand up now?" Anastasia squinted her eyes at Ashton’s lewd face. She knew this guy was having some kind of indecent thoughts running inside his head. She didn’t know who or what, but it annoyed her deeply. "Our strength was restored so long ago. So why are you still lying down on the ground?"

Completing the finish touch inside Ashton’s head, he finally stood up and stretched his body. "Miss, not just the body; we also have to recover our state of mind. With a sound mind and body can we reach our true selves."

Anastasia raised her eyebrows. "I know that, but who recovers their state of mind with that utterly disgusting expression you were having?"

"Ahem!" Ashton coughed, hiding his embarrassment. "Not everyone’s way is the same. Just like not every person is the same."

Anastasia’s eyebrows raised a few centimeters.

Seeing Anastasia giving Ashton such a look, he decided to divert the topic as usual. "We can talk about this deep philosophical topic later. Now we have to save our companions first!"

"As always. I will take the lead, and you follow behind me."

"Huh?" Anastasia pointed at Lovia and Rias and asked. "What about them? Are we going to leave them alone here? What if something kills them in our absence?"

"Yes, we will. You don’t have to worry about them. I just checked every corner of this side of the ward. Except for us, there is currently no one here. Also forget about anyone from outside coming here. If someone could come here, they would have arrived earlier and would be with us right now. Even if someone comes, capturing a few low-level Filths won’t take long for us."

Anastasia contemplated Ashton’s words, mostly feeling his conjecture was right. So, she decided to believe every time.

What Anastasia didn’t know was the reason Ashton was confident with his observation was because in the book, throughout Rias and Anastasia’s clearance of this ward, no outside force came inside, and their group had already arrived earlier than the original timeline.

Afterward, the duo headed deep, leaving Lovia and Rias behind.

Despite growing stronger, they hid their arrogance and threaded their path with caution.

Every step they took was met with silence. The further they got to the center of the ward, the atmosphere began to become more eerie. The ward beds have vanished from their sights. Only puddles of black blood could be seen here and there.

Anastasia voiced her doubt, breaking the silence. "Where are the Filths?"

"I don’t know. Just be careful." Ashton, who was in the front, had sweat running down his forehead. ’What is happening? Where are the other lower-level Filths? How could they disappear? The density of the mob on this side of the ward was a little higher than the entrance’s. So, how come we didn’t see any Filth or get ambushed by them?’

As Ashton’s mind spun, gathering every bit and piece of information for this Filth Drop, a realization hit him suddenly. ’Unless...’

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he turned back to warn Anastasia. "Let’s go bac–"

However, his warning was met with Anastasia’s finger. It pointed to his side, targeting something that was in front of him.

"Ashton, there is someone standing up there." Anastasia spoke with a solemn gaze.

Ashton followed and saw the chain that connected to the dome of the tower. It was chained to an iron cage with protruding spikes. In front of it stood a man wearing a bird-like beak mask. He wore a long dark overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. His hands clasped behind his back as he stood with a hunched back. He looked like a plague doctor Ashton had seen in books and movies.

"Please, do not disturb the patient." The plague doctor’s coarse voice drifted into their ears as they got hit by a sudden Filth Energy.

...

"My patient, please don’t cry."

A plague doctor pierced the heart of an already dying man.

"Oh, your daughter is a brave little soul. May her name be etched on the Lord’s grave."

The plague doctor closed the eyes of a four-year-old girl who was covered in yellow pus. Beside him was a woman kneeling with vacant eyes.

"Why do you resist?"

The plague doctor’s cane penetrated a man’s head, protecting three young boys and girls with rotten trees growing out of their pores.

"Eat. Eat their flesh to have them be born anew!"

The plague doctor stuffed various infected parts onto a woman on the bed beside the window. Her face was devoid of sadness as she stuffed the infected body parts. A caring smile appeared on her face with blood and hair smeared on her mouth.

"Kill her. She has done enough."

The plague doctor ordered a nurse without a shred of emotion in his voice.

...

"Why... why would you?" Anastasia muttered with tears rolling down her eyes. "You... you are not a doctor."

"I told you to not disturb the patient." The plague doctor spoke with a hint of anger in his voice.

Meanwhile, Ashton took a deep breath, calming down his emotions. ’Something has gone wrong. Something truly has changed that I do not know of. The early awakening of the Blood Curled Nurse can be a coincidence, but Plague Extinguisher’s awakening is not. Someone or something has been messed up.’

To awaken the Plague Extinguisher, you have to clear the area of mobs and try to attack the chains. Only then would it awaken. But before arriving and killing any mobs, the Plague Extinguiser showed up. It was calmly waiting for its victim to arrive.

At that moment, Anastasia spoke, gritting her teeth. "Ashton, we will have to kill this bastard. I can’t watch it for a second."

"Not will, but have to." Ashton spoke, his gaze meeting the round glass eyes. "This bastard has to die if we want to come out alive from his ward."

"Do you feel he is that dangerous?"

"Yes. Because to me he is stronger than anything I have seen and met."