Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Chapter.4 Eyelids (12)
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***
Thwack!
The massive body shot toward the enemy like an arrow released from a bowstring.
The target was the largest and strongest-looking one in the center of the pack.
According to the Professor's experience, a body like this beast's had to be used with utmost caution and calculation.
[Right ankle: Compound open fracture (regenerating: 12%)]
[Left knee: Fracture (regenerating: 64%)]
‘The left leg will take 7 seconds to regain function, and the right... it might be faster if it just disappeared!’
Due to the nature of a body that constantly consumed and regenerated, combat power fluctuated wildly during battle. The key was distinguishing what to discard and what to preserve for the next move. From that perspective, right after starting the fight—like now—was when his combat power peaked.
‘If the first strike lands properly, you've already won half the battle! Even if half my body gets smashed in this attack, I can break through if I take down the commander!’
Ding-!
[Mutation Bloodlust activated. Consuming blood.]
[Mutation Bloodlust: Maximizes regeneration by consuming blood. Death if consumed blood cannot be replenished.]
This was the skill listed in his traits that had changed from [Glass Body] to [Extreme Regeneration]. It had originally said 4x, but as his body grew and the total infection factor increased, it now read as maximizing regeneration.
‘Saving the ultimate move for last is so outdated!’
Pour the strongest attack from peak condition onto the most important target. A strategically obvious choice. Red steam billowed from his body, and wounds began healing at an absurd speed.
Kwaaak!
The Professor, flying like a bullet, grabbed the forearm of the largest mutant in the pack's center and yanked it down with all the momentum of his flight as he landed.
Kuuung!
Several mutants at the landing point were flung away by the impact, and excruciating pain raced from his toes up through his entire body.
Crunch! Crack! Snap!
“Grrraaaahhh!!”
‘Hold on! If I collapse here, it's over!’
The impact of landing had misaligned every bone from his calves to his femurs, but it was within calculations. Red steam poured out, bones realigned in an instant, strength returned to his legs, and they resumed function.
Grrrind!
“Khuh!”
The creature over 4 meters tall toppled toward him because the Professor had shot forward like a cannonball and yanked its arm. Now, finish it off.
Tendons bulged across the Professor's entire body. Muscles swollen to their limit screamed, and his feverish red-hot body spewed energy in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy.
“If you survive this, I'll praise you!”
The forward momentum tilted the Professor's grounded feet as the axis. Twisting his waist at the same time, he swung the gripped arm like a club, pouring every ounce of his body's strength into slamming it down!
A faint memory: a teammate from the 14th Special Forces who had been a wrestler in civilian life often used this bare-handed technique to slam enemies down—using a leaping charge to pivot on the planted foot and hurl the foe face-first into the ground.
“Shepherd Takeeeeeedown!”
Kwaaaaaang!
With the ultimate technique named after his teammate's nickname, a massive crater formed in front of Turan's gates.
***
Plip, plip-plip.
Amid the thick dust, chunks of shattered pavement rained down like sleet around the boulevard. The scene resembled a bomb blast.
“Huff, huff, hngh!”
In the center, the Professor knelt on one knee.
[Right shoulder, arm, left leg, thigh: Compound fractures (regenerating via Bloodlust: 56%)]
[Ribs 2, 3, 5: Fractures (regenerating via Bloodlust: 67%)]
[Left eyeball: Destroyed (regenerating via Bloodlust: 93%)]
[Right hand, left big toe: Lost (regenerating via Bloodlust: 23%)]
‘Mutation Bloodlust... I thought it was just an emergency survival tool, but actually using it—it's beyond imagination.’
Shwaaaaa—
His body, wrecked to the point of immobility right after the attack, sucked in the blood of surrounding mutants in an instant and began repairing. Legs when leaping into the pack, shoulder and chest on collision, most of the lower body on impact with the ground, and the rest of the upper body on the slam. He'd thrown every body part into the attack expecting total shutdown, yet aside from dizziness, it was nearly fully recovered already.
The Professor glanced at the mutant beside him—its upper body nearly exploded in the center of the massive pit.
‘Rank 6 mutant. No other high-grade ones around, so this was commanding the local forces. The rest are all Rank 7s and 8s. No need to bother with them.’
The queen's orders to the mutants occupying this place were obvious: [Capture the designated human city, defend the city from human hands] or similar. Even Rank 8 mutants without intelligence, and Rank 7s with beast-level smarts, would panic in situations beyond that command.
‘The first order to capture the city is done. The remaining one is to defend from humans... but do I even look human to them?’
A body eroded by mutants everywhere except the brain. Outwardly, in essence, in composition—I am a mutant. To them, this was a sudden mutant attacking their own. And he'd taken out the only command-type capable of thought...
‘How half-beast mutants act in this situation is obvious.’
Slink.
Hesitate.
They glanced around warily, slowly putting distance between themselves and the crater. Beast instincts overrode mutant ferocity. Fleeing a stronger predator is animal nature. And they weren't pushing from outside the city in—they were retreating from inside out, so it didn't contradict the queen's orders.
Chiiiiiik—
‘Good. Just don't provoke them, maintain an untouchable aura, and walk out of the city... Huh?’
The Professor checked his status. Regeneration had finished everywhere except his clothes, returning him to normal. But the steam pouring from his body hadn't stopped.
“Oh no... don't tell me!”
His arm—blazing red—spewed red steam and shriveled in an instant. Skin drying so taut that any sudden move would crack it. Checking frantically, the same was happening all over his body.
[Mutation Bloodlust: Maximizes regeneration by consuming blood. Death if consumed blood cannot be replenished.]
Death if consumed blood cannot be replenished.
Death. Death. Death...
“Damn it! Don't tell me I have to keep replenishing blood the whole duration or I die?!”
The Professor spun toward the gates.
[Mutation Bloodlust: 3 min 17 sec]
The Rank 6 mutant corpse beside him was already desiccated. In his mind's eye, less than a minute from now, he'd look the same.
Mental Fragility screamed warnings at the retreating mutants.
‘No.’
The Professor charged them. If he didn't catch them, he'd die.
“Hey, where you going! Come here! Now! Don't run!”
“Keeek!”
“Kraaah!”
Thud thud thud thud!
With skin starting to split, the Professor pursued like an enraged bull.
“Stay there, blood bags! Give me your blood!”
“Gooeok gooook! Gueeek!”
The mutants fled for their lives.
Less than a month old, their minds held no mother's commands anymore. Only terror—of the red steam, the massive shadow leaping beyond the round moon.
Kwaak!
“Gotcha—!”
The thought of fleeing this grotesque lifeform ripping kin alive for blood was the last for the mutant whose head was gripped in a massive hand.
***
Shoooo...
Ding-!
[Mutation Bloodlust effect has ended.]
“Gheek! Hngh! I'm alive! I almost died! I really almost shriveled up dead!”
Beside the bisected, desiccated mutant corpse, the Professor sprawled out spread-eagled. It had been razor-close. The last chased one ended up like that, no others remained as they'd all fled, but Bloodlust had 30 seconds left. Without the bottled mutant blood in his bundle, he'd be lying desiccated beside it right now.
‘Mutation Bloodlust... performance matches the massive risk.’
Performance was top-tier. With that regeneration, he could brawl without minding damage. Legs stayed planted even broken—ignore pain, and it was as good as unbreakable.
‘But that insane blood consumption... limits usable battles.’
This time, against mutants, he could kill for blood resupply. But if not?
‘I'd self-destruct before a minute.’
Ultimately, Mutation Bloodlust was an anti-mutant specialized skill.
Anyway, results were perfect. Combat power exceeded expectations, and the path out of Turan was cleared cleanly.
‘Hmm... feels like I forgot something important...’
The Professor checked for misses, but aside from used blood, everything brought was intact.
‘Blood. Blood. Something blood-related. What? Why so uncomfortable?’
But nothing came to mind except mutant blood.
‘Yeah. Almost died from blood shortage, so Mental Fragility's nagging about no spare blood.’
Vague, but his exhausted mind refused more thought. Passing desiccated corpses, he slowly stepped outward. No more thoughts of forgotten things in his head. Only wishing for a cool river nearby.
***
Splash!
Flop flop!
“Oh! Caught it!”
Ding-!
[Item acquired - Meldib Upstream Fish: A common species in Lordric North. Uniquely, individuals have a strict hierarchy; higher ranks live in clearer upstream waters.]
About two hours earlier.
Leaving Turan at dawn. The road to the next city wasn't hard—just follow the main road south. Dragging his weary body along, the Professor's senses caught an alluring sound.
Splash-!
[.....Shwaaaaa—]
“Water!”
Since [Mental Fragility] became [Overcome Mental Fragility], non-crisis info sometimes pinged his senses like this. Now, unmistakably water sounds.
Racing there as if fatigue vanished, a river sparkling in morning sun soon appeared. Debts, timelines to next village—gone from his mind.
“Yeehawww!!”
Splash!
Water. Clear, clean, cool morning river water enveloped him like heaven.
‘Life. This is life! This soft texture, moisture, chill! Aaah, bliss. All tension and fatigue from overnight melting away...’
Fatigue from life's edge, stress piled from body rupturing and splitting—dissolving like river flow. No thoughts left. His subconscious drifted toward the water's source beyond the river...
Ding-!
[Acquired Water Mana Affinity (100%): Rank 1 - Water's Embracing Power]
Some vitally important message popped, but the Professor had no time for it. Until the sun fully rose, his consciousness floated atop the water with his body.
---
“Chomp chomp... Bland without seasoning, taste is iffy... Salmon? Salmon and mackerel combined?”
Now, two hours after entering the water, recovered Professor ate late breakfast while checking his status.
[Water Mana Affinity - Rank 1: Water's Embracing Power]
“Embracing power... embracing power...”
The Professor pondered deeply, Roman's magic book open before him.
[....Thus, insights into magic vary by mage. One may grasp water's fierce power, another its beauty, yet another its fluidity. Crucial is that the moment of insight births a true water mage. Fully understanding one facet of water grants Rank 1.]
“....It actually happened. I'm a mage.”
Rank 1. One who fully comprehends one aspect of an element.
Other mages strove to understand and accept water, but he'd just enjoyed immersion post-fear. ‘Embracing power’ likely stemmed from that.
One thing certain: entering water, everything accepted. Indescribable... anyway, sublime.
“Let me see... Hmm... like this?”
Sitting by the bank, he tossed eaten fish bones into the river.
Plop!
On the gentle current, the bones didn't drift—instead, at his gesture, they slowly swam upstream against the flow.
“Heh heh. Pretty amazing.”
Water obeyed him. Odd sensation at fingertips— this mana? Not brute accumulation like warrior days, but delicate, dancing along fingers like new sense organ. Childlike joy filled him.
“Seems like play with it like this... Shall I try a spell?”
Skipping to spell usage, past origins, principles, etc.
[Job: Mage's Test Subject]
Strong enough to devour a mutant pack in 5 minutes, but job still [Mage's Test Subject]. Some NPCs treated differently by player jobs—needed a proper one.
“Mage is plenty respectable. Has ‘mage’ in it.”
Eyes gleaming with anticipation, he read the incantation from the open book.
***