The Price of Arrogance
The giant insects were standing in a posture so rigid and disciplined it was almost unsettling. It looked like a beehive that, if prodded the wrong way, would result in my life being terminated on the spot. "Hmm... I wonder what kind of method would make people say I handled this with perfect, clean efficiency." But I couldn't just not deal with them. Wasn't this the very training and practice I’d set out to do in the first place? I poked my head out slightly from the pile of rubble where I’d been hiding.
'What do I do~? How should I handle this~?' They were perfectly positioned, leaving no openings. Of course, they didn't seem to have realized we were here yet. The situation was still flowing in my favor. And there was one thing I was curious about. 'Why are they guarding that so intensely?' Looking at the way the guards were arrayed, it was obvious they were protecting something. But what on earth was it? Was there treasure inside?
I thought about what bugs would bother guarding. They weren't goblins; would they even care about gold or valuables? I didn't think so. If that was the case, there was only one thing left. 'It’s gotta be eggs...' I wasn't certain, but usually, in terms of genre tropes, there was a 50,000% chance it was eggs. You know how it is—you walk into a spider dungeon and suddenly, eggs! So, I dared to predict that what was in there was definitely eggs. And so what if it was?
'I have to burn it all.' Of course I had to burn it all. Eggs that didn't even drop a treasure chest were just trash to be disposed of. Ah, well, maybe I’d keep a few just in case they were ingredients. If they were going to make me this angry, they should have been prepared to be burned to a crisp. I reached out, eyeing the guards over the rocks. I wanted to take them all out at once, but I wasn't quite at that level of skill yet. I planned to take them out one by one, slowly.
That was when it happened.
Poke—
"Eek-!"
A cold, ticklish sensation struck my side. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop a loud noise from escaping and dove back behind the rock. I peeked out again just in case, but the guards were still standing there, seemingly oblivious. 'Which bastard was it...!' That sticky yet cold sensation. That special texture only a slime could have. I turned around, still hiding behind the rock.
"Who is it...!" It had to be one of these two little guys hiding behind me. I began to interrogate them in a whisper. Honestly, I had a strong suspicion about exactly one of them, but I grabbed both of them anyway. "Confess quickly. If you do, I'll end it with just 16 consecutive flicks to the forehead."
Squeak...?
The tiny sound pierced the ears of the two jellies, and Heindung-i looked flustered, as if asking what on earth was going on. And then there was Geomdung-i.
Squeak—
"Look me in the eye."
Squeak, squeak?
It was turning its head, trying its best not to meet my gaze. The little guy who was always so shameless, never even knowing what it did wrong, was actually acting guilty... I let Heindung-i go and grabbed Geomdung-i firmly with both hands. "What, was the 16-flick punishment such a bolt from the blue?"
Squeak—?
Geomdung-i replied as if it didn't know what I was talking about. "...I'll see you later, for real." It was a good thing we were inside the Tower; if we were outside, I would have—ugh. I tore my gaze away from the still-shameless little guy and looked back at the guards. It had been a bit dangerous because of Geomdung-i, but I had my thoughts organized now. The space around here was wide, and if the guards were able to move and operate, it was clearly designed to be sturdy. So, the skill. I could use it, right?
I reached out toward my thumping heart. Mental imagery... Mental imagery! Keep reciting that sensation I trained so hard for! My mind was filled with the deep sea and the color blue. It was silent. It felt like I was swimming alone in the middle of the vast ocean.
Flash—
I opened my eyes. My fingertips tingled with the familiar sensation of mana. But. In front of my eyes, there was no familiar indigo sphere—nothing at all. Was it a failure...? As if. It’s about adjusting the position, you amateur!
I poked my head over the rock. Two indigo-colored droplets formed behind the guards. A grand success. I had agonized and agonized over learning this positioning. The memories of going back and forth through the Gate over twenty times since meeting Sion overlapped with the indigo sphere.
'You... you aren't really from some noble family, are you?'
'You don't even have a common, old-fashioned Circle...'
A masterpiece achieved without a single mental cultivation method, mental imagery, or Circle. Even Sion suspected I wasn't from any family. This was talent. Was I actually supposed to be a mage, not a chef?
"Heh."
With a goofy smile, I slowly made my outstretched hand overlap with the guards. Two guards were visible between my knuckles. Clench— I made a fist, as if devouring the guards with my hand.
"Swallow."
A short word echoed out. Beyond my fist, I saw the indigo spheres devouring the guards. Not all of them, but the two I had targeted were definitely being swallowed. But it would be too disappointing if it ended here. I twisted my fist, which I was holding, little by little to the side.
Kreeeeek—!! Crack-crack—
The more I twisted my hand, the more the guards' scream-like roars tickled my ears sweetly. Everything was going according to my plan. Unlike their massive and sturdy-looking bodies, I had thought the connection point at their pathetic legs was their weak spot. It was the exact right answer. The indigo sphere connected to my hand was using overwhelming pressure to snap the guards' front and back legs in the opposite direction of how they were meant to extend.
"Ugh-heheheh—"
Seeing the guards changing, like spiders dying upside down, I laughed like a madman. That was when it happened.
Drip—
"Eh?"
I felt a liquid sensation. Looking closely, it was red. "Blood?" Blood. It was blood. As I stared at the red droplets that had fallen to the floor, my vision dyed red. The blood that had flowed down was none other than blood from my own eyes.
"...My training was still lacking."
A backlash reaction that occurs when the attack target has higher capabilities than oneself. I had heard about it from Sion. It seemed that one would have been fine, but two had been a bit of a stretch. Simply put, I had overdone it. But... I had to endure this? After seeing that overwhelming spectacle, how could I stop?
"Die!"
I didn't deactivate the skill or the mana, and I twisted my hand even harder. Crack-crack—!! Kree—!! It was the sound of a giant log being twisted. Added to that, the roars of the guards created a symphony. Were they dead? With my reddened vision, I peered over the rock to confirm the state of the guards.
"Heh-heh, serves you right."
They were dead. And thoroughly so. All their legs were bent upward, making them look like some kind of radar, and they had met a pathetic end. Soaked in adrenaline and dopamine, my mouth tore into a wide grin. Someone else might say it was reckless since there were still three guards left and possibly a boss, but I had thought everything through.
Thump— Thump—
"Haa... Haa... Heindung-i, give me that."
Ignoring the sound of the approaching guards, I stared intensely at Heindung-i behind the rock. Squeak...! The little one looked like it understood what I was saying. It was so smart. Heindung-i ran toward me and hugged my chest tightly. Then, a sound came from behind.
Kreeeeeeee—!!
That was the sound the guards made before spitting acid. It seemed they planned to melt me all at once. I grabbed Geomdung-i with my exhausted body.
Krooooo— Swish—
"It's coming!"
The filthy sound of acid being spewed brushed past. But it was too late. Heindung-i had already finished preparing on my chest.
Whoosh—!
White light centered on me and dominated the surrounding space. My vision, which had been submerged in light, opened again.
"Wow, you really puked it all out properly."
The melted rocks and cave floor came into view before my opened eyes. Where am I now, you ask? Higher up! I was flying hard through the air. White wings of light extended long from my shoulder blades. The falling feathers looked like shooting stars, creating a sense of beauty. I had really studied hard. Even while training, I had looked for gaps to learn how to transform into this form. And I realized that the result was the alignment of Heindung-i's will and mine. I desired the transformation, and Heindung-i used the skill according to that will. That was the secret of this transformation.
And if I were to add one more thing. Transforming into this form came with a cheat-like ability: a full recovery of my condition. It was only once a day, but it was better than nothing. I slowly aimed the sword of light in my hand at the bugs.
"Phew... Now the eye level between bug and human is finally equal, isn't it?"
Kreeeeek—!
The guards roared as if in response. That overwhelming feeling and fear I felt in the previous Gate? It had long since disappeared. To think a mere bug would look down on me and the kids. Now, they didn't even look like cockroaches to me.
"Then, shall we have our second round? Don't you agree?" I drew my sword firmly. The guards were wary and couldn't rush at me easily. In a situation like this, there was a line I had wanted to say at least once. Now was the perfect timing.
"Please. Don't die easily."
I couldn't control my tearing mouth, and with those words, I rushed at the guards in an instant. Squeak-?! While holding Geomdung-i tightly in one hand, of course.