World's Strongest Became the Game's Weakest Villain

The darkness filling the cave subsided.

My hand still stretched out, I panted as I struggled to keep myself standing.

The clouding in my vision subsided and my head felt lighter, it seemed that the reverse flow had brought some changes to my body.

I could feel it splendidly well with how my mana circuit and dantian trembled. The pain was out of this world, it was enough to make me completely forget the finger I had cut off.

The darkness faded further. Blood swelled up from my insides as I let out a painful sigh.

I could see it.

Thousands of holes in the shape of a butterfly were laden on the monster's body. It should have fallen with how hollow it was, but not even air, mana, or Ki remained around it.

The World's End Beam had swallowed everything.

Emptiness.

I had created an emptiness in space.

That was what the darkness was as well. My attack had even swallowed up the very light of the world.

Those thoughts filled my head as a gust of wind appeared from all over the place to fill up the void.

The enemy threatening my life was gone, but I didn't feel a single drop of happiness.

"I need... to get stronger..."

With that, I toppled forward and fell face-first on the ground.

"Dusk!"

"Eugy!!"

Two screams reached my ears but I didn't have the strength to answer back. Soon enough, I could feel Titania pulling my hair while Dawn tried to lift me.

"Eugggy!!"

"O-oh no... the mana flow... it stopped— I-it can't be!"

"He's dead!?!?"

What the fuck?

"I... am alive."

The two of them sighed as I spoke in a soft mutter.

For not being able to see or hear her, Dawn sure was in sync with Titania.

"Can't... move..."

"Don't worry..." Dawn spoke, wiping her eyes with one hand while holding me up with the other. "You did it, it's over..."

I know, you wench.

Instead of getting sentimental can you please just fucking move to the reward room so that we can get out of here?!

Ah, damn it. The words I wanted to say didn't leave my mouth. I was subjected to hearing her cry and thank me for five minutes straight while Titania nagged me for being reckless and sticking with Dawn instead of running away. Of course, I was too tired and in pain to bother with that.

Soon enough, Dawn stopped and finally, fucking finally, decided to get me some potions. They weren't effective at all other than fixing up the cuts and gashes being thrown around had left on me. Then, she cleaned the stump of my cut-off finger and wrapped it with a bandage.

I had recovered enough to speak, but not enough to move.

"Let's go..." I said, my voice more feeble than I liked.

Dawn nodded and hoisted me up on her back. I wrapped my hands around her neck and my legs went on both sides of her back.

How pathetic.

"Eugy... your finger..."

Titania suddenly came up to us while carrying the dusted finger. Its bottom was unevenly carved out and stones and pellets had dived deep into the flesh. A few deep burn marks showed off the cracked bones over the finger.

Dawn, who noticed the invisible flying finger she was seeing was the work of the fairy stopped in her tracks.

"This... Dusk, you..."

I shrugged.

"That's one finger I won't be getting back."

"Should I chuck it away?" Titania asked.

"Yup, toss it out. And burn it just to be safe."

Titania threw the finger away without hesitation while Dawn kept staring at us.

"She looks like she saw a ghost?" Titania explained. "Or like, is that the expression you make while looking at psychos?"

That can't be. Was there anyone in the world more reasonable than me?

"Let's get going, Dawn..."

"Ah, yes," Dawn nodded and we started walking through the cave again.

Eventually, we found a staircase at the far end going down to the reward room past the ninetieth floor.

Dawn, still carrying me on her back, descended the stairs with a careful gait. Titania was, unfortunately, unable to find a way to reverse the curse of the demonic energy in such a short time, but it wasn't impossible yet.

The reward room was tiny, extremely so.

Like all the others, after the first clear of a floor, the reward kept decreasing.

Studded on an altar in the center, lit up by the yellow light emerging from the altar itself.

A single black masquerade mask sat on the altar. The mask with a simple yet stylish shape with its edges curving up didn't even have a single string to keep it in place. The entire mask was colored black except for three white stripes running diagonally on its center.

"Eugy, that thing has a strong demonic energy running through it."

"It doesn't look good to me, Dusk."

The angel and the fairy could sense something I couldn't. If it was like that, then touching the mask would become a big problem. Before I could decide anything, my right hand started to tremble.

"Ah?"

A purple glow emanated as the ring on my finger buzzed uncontrollably.

"Mother's ring?"

The ring started tugging my body ahead. It was a sudden force that made Dawn step ahead with me on her back. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The mask started whirring as I got closer to it.

In the blink of an eye, a murky shade of red emerged from the mask. The fog-like energy floated up and dashed into the ring on my finger.

We were left stunned as the energy was completely absorbed by the ring, and then, as if nothing had ever happened, both the mask and the ring returned to normal.

"What in the...?"

"The demonic energy... is gone?"

"Heh?"

Dawn confirmed Titania's words with her own assessment.

"It turned into a normal mask all of a sudden?"

"In that case..."

"I'll check it for you," Titania said and flew close to the mask.

A translucent window appeared in front of my eyes.

[Name: Mask of Many Faces

*Type: Gear

*Rank (Adventurer Guild Metric): Adamantium

*Enchantment: Magically Enhanced

*Ability: Can change your face as per your will thrice a day. The mask's shape can be changed as long as it remains a mask. Unknown origin, unknown creator. Suspected to be of Demonic Roots]

Adamantium, huh?

That would put it at the third highest rank.

It would be unheard of to find something like this below the four-hundredth floor.

It seemed Dawn couldn't inspect the mask as she looked at it weirdly.

"Should we take it?" I posed. I was going to take it for myself.

"I am not sure," Dawn muttered. "I don't think it's safe. Do you want it?"

"It's better than leaving it here, right?"

In the end, Dawn handed me the mask, but she seemed reluctant as she did so, almost guilty. I guess she thought she was putting me in danger after I saved her, but I couldn't help her with that.

The reaction it incited from my mother's ring made me inexplicably curious about the mask. Not to mention its rank. I didn't care much for the ability, though.

It was a bad match-up. How was someone who knew the least about faces to willfully change his face?

After bagging the mask, I asked Dawn to put me down.

"I'll take you out now," Titania announced.

I nodded and a flash of light filled my sight.

In the next moment, the world changed.