22
Chapter 22
I carefully stepped toward the cabin.
I kept my distance and slowly examined the exterior first.
"Is anyone inside?"
Milen's voice came from behind.
I gave a light nod.
"Probably."
One side of the roof had collapsed, and part of the wall was completely covered by vines.
The windows were boarded up with tree planks, but one of them was tightly shut as if blocked from the inside.
'Who could be inside, or...'
I stopped in front of the door.
The hinge was rusted, and fallen leaves were piled thick at the base.
Oddly enough, the leaves right in front of the door were faintly scattered.
It looked like traces of someone recently going in and out.
"Carl! Are you in there?"
Milen called out, but there was no response from inside the cabin.
"...Maybe he's not."
The doorknob was old but unusually clean.
Scattered leaves and a clean doorknob.
This meant someone was using this place.
And a strange stench leaked through the crack in the door.
A strange stench leaked through the crack in the door.
Feeling an ominous premonition, I gathered mana at my fingertips.
'This smell... I've smelled it somewhere before.'
There was no presence, no wind, no beast sounds.
Yet, an inexplicable tension seeped from beyond the door.
At that moment— Thud.
I heard the sound of something dropping from beyond the door.
I reflexively lowered my stance and raised my staff.
"There is definitely something inside."
Milen whispered quietly.
I nodded and stepped back.
It was then.
The wooden floorboards inside creaked and shifted.
A scraping sound on the floor, as if dragging something heavy.
'...What is it?'
It was clearly a deliberate movement.
Someone was approaching while hiding themselves.
I steadied my breathing and drew up my mana.
Preparing to use Water Barrier, I crouched below the window.
Milen, holding the doorknob, quietly signaled with a nod.
When I nodded, Milen slowly opened the door.
'It's not locked.'
The moment I thought that, the door was roughly thrown open.
Slam!
"Gasp!"
Crash!
Milen screamed and fell backward.
As soon as the door opened, the trapped stench burst out.
A massive man with long hair stood in front of the door.
His eyes were bloodshot red, as if he hadn't slept for days, and his hair was matted and disheveled.
Something pitch-black was smeared thickly around his mouth.
"Excuse me... are you Mr. Carl-"
"This is mine!!!"
Shrieking, the man lunged like a madman.
He had something raised in his hand.
Is that...... a dagger?
"This is crazy!"
I stepped back without hesitation and deployed mana into my staff.
[Water Barrier]
A fleeting moment.
Water flowing from the crystal ball spread out like ripples.
As the transparent film unfolded, the dagger struck with a clang.
The blade bounced off, and the man let out a bizarre scream.
"It's mine! I said it's mine!!"
"Carl! It's me! What's wrong with you!"
Milen shouted from behind, but the man's eyes lacked focus.
It was a madness driven by instinct, like a starving beast.
'Did he take some kind of drug?'
My wrist ached just from the single shock of the impact against the barrier.
Carl swung the dagger a few more times.
It was clumsy, but his monstrous strength made it sufficiently threatening.
"Phew-"
I exhaled as I dodged.
My heart raced from the maddening pressure.
Under the continuous attacks, the Water Barrier began to crack.
I could block it, but just holding out wasn't going to solve this.
It was then.
Carl grabbed his head and screamed.
"Aaargh!!!"
Crunch! Crack! Snap!
The sound of tearing flesh and twisting bones echoed.
Carl's body warped and distorted.
His muscles bulged as if they would burst, and a dark aura rose from his back.
His skin turned black, and red blood vessels bulged out.
Carl's form was collapsing.
'......What is this.'
The Dagger had already fallen from his hand, replaced by long, sharp black claws.
Hideous bones jutted out in a row from his forearm to his shoulder.
The guy... was no longer human.
"Grrr..."
He—no, it glared at me.
Something that was neither Beast nor human.
I felt it instinctively.
This is dangerous.
"Carl? What on earth is that?"
I heard Milen swallow his breath.
My breath also hitched.
"...Run away."
Milen, shivering, didn't look like he would be of any help at all.
Even if we ran away together, it was obvious I'd be left behind.
If that was the case, it would be better for at least one person to go and ask for help.
Milen flashed an apologetic look for a moment, then bolted down the Forest Path.
......He's damn fast.
Besides, the Monster had been glaring only at me, not Milen, from the start.
'Why does it keep glaring only at me?'
A bone jutting from its forearm slid back into its body with a swoosh.
'...Huh?'
The Monster reached out its hand toward me.
An ominous feeling washed over me.
Whoosh—!
A hole in its hand.
Something popped out of that hole.
I twisted my body reflexively.
Something tore through the Water Barrier, flew past me, and embedded itself into the Tree behind me with a thwack.
"Gasp-"
My body was frozen, so I couldn't turn my head, only rolling my eyes to check.
What had shot out of its hand was a pure white bone.
That bone was as sharp as a spear, and it stopped halfway lodged in the Tree.
My heart pounded beyond my eardrums, thump, thump.
'A ranged attacker with that huge body?'
The guy aimed exactly for my neck.
If I had been even a little late, it would have been over.
[Water Barrier]
I drew out Mana again and spread the barrier.
As soon as the barrier formed, the Monster charged.
Another bone was rising in its hand.
"Mine..."
Its voice was low and murky.
A somewhat distorted resonance, like a Beast mimicking speech.
I retreated and gathered Mana again.
[Water Bullet]
A light flashed from the Crystal Ball, and a blue bead flew out.
Thwack!
It hit exactly on the face, but not a single scratch appeared on its darkish skin.
However, perhaps it wasn't without damage, as the Monster howled.
"Kuaaaargh—!"
At that moment, the air flipped.
Hiss—
A black and red aura surged from behind its back.
An unpleasant energy, completely different from Mana.
I didn't know much, but it wasn't a good sign.
The bone extending from its fingertips became as sharp as an awl.
Its shoulders heaved, and bones jutted out unevenly beneath its skin.
Its eyes rolled back, its body swelled, and its flesh split.
A Beast wearing a human shell.
It was nothing more, nothing less.
"A second phase? Oh, fuck..."
I shouldn't have hit it. While spitting out belated regrets, another Bone Bullet flew at me.
Clang!
This time, the barrier barely took the hit.
"Hngh..."
My heart pounded in the tense fight, and I gradually became short of breath.
My remaining Mana was about half.
The Water Barrier swayed precariously, its ripples uneven.
...At this rate, I probably won't last many more hits.
The Monster slowly approached.
"Damn it... How am I supposed to kill that thing."
I muttered.
Thwack! Thwack!
I backed away and fired a few more Water Bullets, but the Monster charged at me, flicking its tongue as if mocking me.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
It swung its lumpy arms, pushing away the Trees as it charged.
Thump!
"Urgh!"
It rammed its entire body straight into the barrier, and churning currents splashed everywhere.
The Water Barrier barely held its form.
Whoosh-!
And, once again, a Bone Bullet flew at me.
Thwack.
"Argh!"
I couldn't block it this time.
A Bone Bullet pierced right through my arm amidst the shattered Water Barrier.
Staggering from the impact, I rolled on the ground.
A pounding pain spread as if a heart had formed in my arm.
One side of my vision was dyed red and slowly blurred.
Tears even welled up. ...It hurts like a bitch, seriously.
Beyond the crushed barrier, the guy was watching me.
His pupil-less eyes definitely held a sneer.
'Son of a bitch.'
My Mana had almost bottomed out, and my breathing grew as thin and rough as a thread.
A red light flashed through the guy's rag-like clothes.
'...What's that?'
Near his heart, an ominously pulsating Jewel faintly glowed beneath the skin.
A single chance.
I couldn't be certain if that was the Monster's weakness, but it was worth trying as a last resort right now.
If even this failed, there was no other way.
I raised my trembling hand.
Despite my desperation, Mana didn't gather.
'No, please....'
Slosh—
At that moment, water slowly rose from the Crystal Ball and created a single Water Bullet.
A small, wobbly bead. That was all.
I aimed at the guy with my Staff.
The guy charged relentlessly, as if he didn't care at all about my Magic.
The moment he reached right in front of my nose, I fired the Water Bullet, and.
Thwack!
It hit exactly on the Monster's chest, right at that red Jewel.
There was no shattering sound, but the guy's body stiffened.
"Kuaaaaargh—!"
A scream that felt like it would tear my eardrums burst out.
The Monster's body heaved, and pitch-black blood spurted from its mouth.
Its form wildly distorted, and the Beast wearing a shell staggered.
"Kuurgh...."
The Monster swayed back and forth like a deflating balloon.
Thump!
Ultimately, it collapsed.
"Pant... pant..."
Sitting slumped and breathing heavily, I didn't take my eyes off the guy.
I watched for a long while, but it didn't move anymore.
......It was a miraculous victory.
***
"Ugh...."
As the tension released, my head momentarily spun.
Fortunately, I didn't pass out this time.
...It was thanks to the Bone Bullet lodged in my arm keeping me conscious.
The stinging pain felt like proof that I was alive.
Anyway, I succeeded in taking down the unidentified Monster all by myself.
'What on earth is happening.'
Judging from Milen's reaction, this Monster was indeed 'Carl'.
But... he probably didn't originally look like this, right?
The dead Monster was even more hideous than when it was alive.
The black skin drooped down, and its body shriveled up.
Just like a dried-up lung in an anti-smoking poster.
Was it because of the 'black light' the Residents mentioned?
That ominous aura I felt throughout the fight.
I don't know its identity, but it definitely isn't unrelated to him ending up like this.
A half-broken Stone caught my eye.
'That's...?'
It was definitely the spot where I had landed the Water Bullet.
Just a moment ago, it looked like a Jewel shining with red light, but now it was just a black Stone.
I tried holding it in my hand, but I couldn't feel any energy at all.
'Was this the cause?'
Considering the guy collapsed only after this was smashed, it's probably not a wrong deduction.
...This is annoying.
A crazy world where Monsters like this run rampant.
More and more, this world feels like shit.
Besides, if it were a game, at least one item would have dropped.
In reality, there was no such thing, and I just got a pure white piercing on my forearm.
Ah, did it give me... some EXP, at least?
Rustle, rustle.
I heard the sound of someone pushing through the Bush from somewhere.
"Sir Riv!"
It was Milen's voice.
At this rate... is he faster than I thought?
The Village strongmen followed behind.
Bewildered faces holding Farming Tools like sickles and pitchforks.
The Inn Owner I saw earlier was mixed among them.
I silently raised my hand to signal that I was okay.
I struggled to my feet and took a step away from the Monster's Corpse.
"W-what in the world is this..."
Milen's eyes widened.
The strongmen also stared at the Corpse, frozen.
The torso was shriveled, and the skin was distorted like burnt rubber.
A human shape remained, but, well... it was hard to see it as a person.
"Is that really... Carl?"
One of the strongmen asked carefully.
I kept my mouth shut for a moment, then spoke while pressing down on the wound on my forearm.
"...Not anymore."
At those words, no one said anything else.
Supported by the Village people like that, I slowly returned to the Village.
The Monster I defeated was loaded onto a Cart and moved along with us.
Even though it was dead, a suspicious stench still emanated from the Corpse.
No one wanted to go near it.
***
An Inn room.
My arm was already bandaged.
The Village Herb Gatherer came in person and gave me first aid.
The coldness of crushed Herbs seeped into my skin, accompanied by a bitter medicine smell.
The bleeding had stopped, but the throbbing pain remained.
I hope I don't get infected with some weird disease from this.
Honestly, it was hard to trust the medical knowledge of this world.
I leaned back and lay on the Bed.
I was so tired that I didn't even want to think about moving my body.
Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the ceiling.
'Is this... the Other World.'
In fact, there hasn't been a single moment since I first fell here that wasn't dangerous.
Fighting, running away, and fighting again.
I've almost genuinely died more than once or twice.
I suddenly placed my hand over the Bandage wrapped around my arm.
I had the illusion that the Bone Bullet the guy fired was still lodged there.
That black Stone.
If I didn't have that, would I have won?
Or rather, did I barely win because that stone shattered?
More importantly... what if that stone wasn't its weakness?
The moment my thoughts reached that point.
I heard the sound of someone cautiously knocking on the door from outside.
"Sir Riv, are you awake?"
It was the Village Chief's voice.
I just wanted to rest quietly right now, but it seemed I no longer had the luxury to do so.
I slowly pushed myself up.
Placing a hand on my bandage, I fell into thought for a moment, but ultimately I decided to open the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and the Village Chief entered.
Milen was with him, standing behind.
"How is your condition?"
It was a question I'd been hearing for days.
I answered while remaining seated on the Bed.
"I'm fine. My arm hurts a little, but I can manage."
Milen approached and examined me, then nodded silently.
"That's a relief."
"What's the matter?"
"About that Stone you gave us, Sir Riv...."
The stone that came out of the Monster after I killed it.
I had handed that stone over to the Village Chief for investigation.
"...The stone?"
When I asked back, he nodded and continued speaking.
"Actually, there are rumors circulating in other Villages that people have turned into Monsters. Having seen that sight yesterday, we can no longer dismiss it as a mere rumor."
"So it's not just this Village's problem."
"That is correct."
Even other Villages. This isn't a simple accident.
Could someone be intentionally spreading this?
Milen nodded and continued.
"I don't know for sure yet... but I suspect that the Stone you gave us, Sir Riv, might be the cause"
The Village Chief opened his mouth heavily.
"That's right. So we are planning to contact a nearby Order."
An Order?
"Are you talking about the Sereon Order?"
"Yes. We suspect this might be related to a Demon."
A Demon. Does this world even have things like that.
This is really a mess.
"We plan to write up an official report and submit it along with the Stone."
"But... why are you telling me this?"
They could just handle it themselves. Why go out of their way to tell this to an exhausted me?
"We can't leave out your story, Sir Riv, so we came to get your permission."
"My permission?"
"Yes. Would it be alright if we write about your achievements in the report?"
Hmm... I'm a Wanted Criminal, but this is a different Fief, so maybe it's fine.
And well, it's not like they actually won't write it if I tell them not to.
In fact, telling them not to would look even more suspicious.
"Yeah, well. I don't mind."
"Th-thank you!"
"If you don't have any further business, please leave now."
At the eviction order, the two quietly bowed their heads and left.
Battles continuing for days, Mana pushed to the absolute limit, and wounds left all over.
Both my body and mind. They were pretty much at rock bottom now.
...I'm so tired I could die.