I was Reincarnated as an Incompetent Leader with Zero Popularity who met his downfall early on. Instead of banishing the hidden cheat Protagonist, I decided to embrace him, and somehow, I ended up being treated like a Hero instead. - Chapter 29

“You’re late, you dumb dog!”

A voice rang out as two figures dashed toward me—one with golden hair and the other with black. It was Mian and Chrono. As soon as they reached me, the fiery witch shouted in irritation.

“Seriously, your timing couldn’t be worse! If my magic were back, I’d turn that thing to ash in no time!”

“To ash? Don’t forget, we’ve got a hostage,” I reminded her.

“I can control it enough not to involve that child. Don’t underestimate the bl00d of the Clobel family,” Mian retorted with fierce determination.

Her statement was compelling. Even during her moments of recklessness, she had shown an impressive ability to target her magic precisely—like the time she reduced only a table to ashes. No wonder Thomas relied on her, and it was clear why he despaired so deeply upon realizing her magic was sealed.

“Can’t you at least produce a small flame?” I asked.

“Not yet, but I can feel the seal on my magic weakening.”

Mian seemed to have already been attempting to break through the seal as she spoke. Despite the cool, damp air near the nearby marsh, sweat dripped down her pale skin.

“Got it. It might be a long shot, but do your best,” I said.

“You always have to add unnecessary comments! Just say, ‘Please,’ and leave it at that,” she huffed.

Ignoring her sulking, I turned to the black-haired girl standing beside her.

“Chrono, I need you to supercharge us with your power. If possible, weaken that slime as well.”

“Huh?” Chrono blinked in surprise.

“I’m going to attack that massive slime a hundred times.”

Chrono’s eyes widened as I gestured toward the enormous slime and explained my plan. Hearing Thomas’s story back at the base had reminded me of the Slime Slash skill—a skill I had reluctantly acquired after relentless persuasion from someone at the temple. However, at the time, I couldn’t use it because I didn’t meet all the conditions.

The activation requirement? Landing a hundred attacks on a slime. I double-checked this in the skill manual in my room, so I was sure. Thankfully, it didn’t require defeating a hundred slimes—just a hundred attacks.

My plan was simple: attack the giant slime a hundred times with my sword. By the 101st strike, the skill would activate, allowing me to defeat it. But there were a few problems.

For one, the slime might flee during the process. Even though my attacks wouldn’t inflict much damage, the repeated assaults could scare it away. Slimes are generally cowardly creatures when not hunting for food. In the countryside, it’s common to see kids chasing small slimes with sticks, only to be scolded by adults for provoking a potential retaliation. Whether that warning is true or not, I don’t know.

On solid ground, I could simply chase it down like a mischievous kid and keep hitting it. But with a large marsh nearby, the slime could dive in with the hostage and escape. If that happened, it’d be game over. That’s where Thomas and his team would come in, blocking the slime’s path with shields or wooden boards to prevent it from reaching the water. They’d need to use all their strength to push it back repeatedly without getting absorbed themselves.

As for me, my task was even more demanding. I had to swing my sword with full force a hundred times to meet the skill’s activation requirements. Half-hearted strikes wouldn’t count—it was explicitly stated in the manual. And I had to complete this within an hour. Tomorrow, I’d definitely be dealing with sore muscles.

That’s why I needed Chrono’s help. Her prayers during battles had consistently enhanced our attack power, magic, and stamina. After researching her abilities, I guessed that her skill was likely called The Prayer of Bravery.

This time, I hoped for a stamina boost. The faster I could finish this grueling task, the better. Her skill could make all the difference.

“What are you talking about? Isn’t she supposed to be useless? How could she pull off something that convenient?” someone interrupted skeptically.

Snide remarks came flying in from the peanut gallery. I briefly considered telling Chrono not to bother enhancing those jerks. Giving them any unnecessary advantage would only lead to more heckling while I was in the middle of attacking the slime.

For now, I decided it was best to have Chrono use The Prayer of Bravery only on Mian and me while leaving the others to fend for themselves. With that decision made, I turned back to Chrono, about to give her instructions—but she spoke first.

“I… I can’t do it…”

“Huh?”

Chrono’s crimson eyes trembled with confusion and sadness.

“I can’t do something as amazing as supercharging you all! I’m so sorry for being useless…”

Before I could respond, she shouted, “I’ll go get someone who can help!” and bolted off like a startled rabbit. Dumbfounded, I could only watch her retreating figure with a slack-jawed expression.

Right. Chrono still didn’t fully understand her own abilities. I should’ve just asked her to pray as usual. It was too late to regret it now—what’s done is done. But I definitely hadn’t expected her to take off at full speed.

“…Someone go bring her back,” I muttered.

Mian, leaning against a tree, was too absorbed in her concentration to respond. In the end, Thomas, though clearly displeased, reluctantly volunteered for the task. Maybe he was curious about the “helpful person” Chrono had mentioned.

That left me surrounded by people who utterly despised me. It was almost funny, in a grim sort of way.

“Well then… looks like we’ll all be getting a nice dose of muscle pain together!”

Ignoring the snide remark of “Speak for yourself!” hurled at my back, I drew my sword and faced the giant slime.