Blood Cloud (1)
Blood Cloud (1)
Most monsters are categorized by species.
The Red Leaf Hound—Red Hound, for short—is fixed at 7th Rank. Any other variants are simply labeled as Alphas. That's it.
Individual differences exist, but they aren't distinct enough to warrant a separate species classification.
That thing is different.
Aerus of the Blood Cloud.
A monster so special that both the Association and the player's system gave it an epithet and a proper name.
By rank, it's a 3rd Rank. And even among those, it's classified as an Alpha entity.
In <Savior>, it's a monster that ranks pretty high on the list of things that turn the world into a complete hell.
Across all my playthroughs, I never died to Aerus. But I've encountered it plenty of times.
There were playthroughs where I killed it. But not once did I kill it cleanly.
The playthrough where I started reliably subjugating 3rd Ranks was the 8th Iteration.
Before that, my specs were either mediocre, or even if my output was superior, I was riddled with sloppy flaws.
The 9th Iteration exploded midway through because I took a wrong turn while seriously exploring a sinister route.
The only playthroughs where the player could solo subjugate a 3rd Rank or higher were the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Iterations.
'Ah, shit.'
And here I am, standing before a monster with that kind of potential.
Obviously, it isn't a 3rd Rank right now.
If it were, there wouldn't be any survivors.
- Graaaah!
Still, to me, that thing was a monster.
A roar crashed down, my clothes flapping wildly. The explosive noise tore at my eardrums, and the intense killing intent drained the color from my face.
Momentum—or should I say Qi Sense? Together with my Spatial Perception, I gauged that thing's level on reflex.
It looked comparable to that 5th Rank monster Hong Yeon-hwa had incinerated...
My fingertips trembled at this shitty reality. Steadying my ragged breathing, I checked my body's condition.
The sensation below my left forearm was faint. The flesh had been gouged out—if I'd felt that pain fully, I probably would have screamed my lungs out.
As for mana... more than half remained. My core and circuits were screaming in pain from the overuse. My body, aside from the forearm, was mostly fine.
Armament status. The spare sword I'd brought had blocked Aerus's front paw and was now scrap metal.
The Sky Wing Feather was slowly restoring its form as I poured mana into it. Without its recovery function, that last attack would have turned it to junk too.
'Shit.'
Shit, shit, shit.
I almost really fucking died. My head went ice-cold.
This wasn't 'I might die.' It wasn't like the training at the Cradle. It wasn't 'I could die if I mess up,' like during a dungeon outbreak.
Death was right in front of me. If I didn't have Spatial Perception, if I didn't map my surroundings through that sense, death would be a flickering phantom in the pitch-black darkness.
Defensive magic, the sword I used in place of a shield, the Sky Wing Feather, the aura wrapped around my whole body, and Body Reinforcement Technique pushed to its limit.
If even one of those had been missing, I'd be dead.
'Run...'
I have to go. There's no reason to hesitate.
If I fight that thing, I'll die. My survival instinct screamed.
My life is what matters. What else is there?
I was selfish to begin with. The reason I've been struggling so desperately to get stronger was only to save my own skin.
With that thought, I pulled my foot back.
And then, information from inside the shelter seeped in. There was no time to filter it out.
I couldn't register everything. Only fragments of information came through.
Fear and anxiety. I could feel the inside of the shelter, overwhelmed by a chaotic storm of emotions, however briefly.
I am selfish.
A question rose up.
Back then, why did I save that person?
I had absolutely nothing to gain, I nearly died, and I lost my leg because of it. So why did I move?
- 'You're filth that should never have been born,' huh?
Because I had to feel wronged. Because I had to deny those words. If I'd stayed still then, it felt like I'd be accepting them.
Crrk! I clenched my teeth. A liquid that wasn't saliva sloshed around my mouth. The sharp sting jolted my mind awake.
I roused my mana. My creaking core spat it out. I circulated Body Reinforcement Technique using the mana cycling through my entire body.
I stepped forward.
Fwoosh! The aura, gorged on mana, blazed wildly around my body.
- Kwarurung!
A thunderous roar echoed. It came from the monster, Aerus. Over its already blood-colored fur, a deep crimson mist coiled tightly.
Unique Abilities aren't exclusive to superhumans. Even if the terminology differs, even if the method of manifestation and activation varies, beings other than humans clearly possess them.
Monsters are the same. Most are lumped together under species traits, but entities as special as that one definitely have a Unique Ability.
「Blood Cloud」
A Unique Ability that manifests a mist seemingly made of blood.
That Blood Cloud also acts as an aura. Simply by wrapping around its body, it boosts its specs, becomes sturdy armor, and serves as a vicious weapon to tear enemies apart.
- Kwa-deud-deuk!
The ground was trampled. It was the monster's steps, not mine. A chunk of asphalt caved in, and its massive body shot forward.
Fast. Its specs are overwhelmingly superior. If we move simultaneously, I'll lose. I have to anticipate its moves and act first.
I predicted its movement with Spatial Perception. Grabbing the practically useless sword in a reverse grip, I hurled it. The blade, cloaked in aura, sliced through the air.
Aerus didn't react. It didn't even try to defend.
- Kang!
The sound of metal striking metal. The sword shattered against the mist, scattering fragments into the air.
'Of course it didn't take any damage.'
Aerus closed in. As the distance shrank, my Spatial Perception creaked.
'It's an Alpha.'
I stopped hoping otherwise. That thing is definitely an Alpha entity. And it's actively receiving backup from a rampaging dungeon.
Which means Aerus is the dungeon's core. Where Aerus stands is the dungeon's center, the place where its power is strongest.
The force pushing back my Spatial Perception grew stronger. It interfered with gathering information. My face crumpled into a deep scowl.
Its thick front paw stretched out. The Blood Cloud wreathed even its long, sharp claws.
In return, I thrust out a hand imbued with my own aura. Keeping my injured left forearm in mind, I extended my right hand first.
- Kwa-deud-deuk!
Blood Cloud and aura scraped against each other. An absurd repelling force shot through my arm. It felt like my hand would snap instantly. Gritting my teeth, I deflected its trajectory.
Seogeok! Aerus's heavy front paw, barely deflected, plowed into the ground.
If that attack had landed squarely, my flesh would've split like tofu. A chilling premonition raced through my mind.
'I can't let it hit me.'
Having taken a hit myself, I knew the fundamental weight class difference was too great.
I barely survived just now, but if I let it land consecutive hits, I'd be reduced to ground meat.
- Kwa-deud-deuk! Kwang! Seogeok!
The battle was joined. I kept deflecting its attacks. The deflected blows ravaged everything around us.
Buildings caught in the trajectory of its claws collapsed one after another like dominoes. The asphalt cracked and split. Abandoned cars on the road were sliced to pieces and burst into violent explosions.
In terms of technical skill, I had the upper hand. Calling a beast technical is laughable, but thanks to this gap in skill, I could deflect its attacks.
In sparring sessions with Professor Atra, I tried countless weapons once or twice, but what I handled the most were my hands and feet.
Even while wielding a sword, I had to throw a punch or swing a leg if I lost the blade.
Thanks to that experience, I could deflect the monster's attacks.
- Kwagagak!
My aura was gouged out in large chunks. It wasn't a problem. I replenished the hollowed-out aura.
The energy was solidified even denser than before. Mana drained out as if through a gaping hole, but I drew it up anyway, overworking my circuits and core.
At least it wouldn't be destroyed in one hit. I could withstand it a couple of times. Unless it was a sudden, full-power attack like before, I could hold on.
I could just restore the consumed aura.
But...
'Tsk.'
Not only was my Spatial Perception creaking, but my mana recovery was also becoming sluggish.
Damage accumulated in my body. I was deflecting the attacks outwardly, but I couldn't completely negate the burden transmitted to my body.
I hadn't planned for a protracted fight, but I wasn't going to last as long as I expected.
Then what about a short fight? Could I kill it?
I looked for an opportunity. Its front paw came slamming down. A shadow fell over my body.
Its movements are large. Generally, that allowed me to deflect attacks and occasionally land one of my own.
I twisted my body. The front paw, scraping away the edges of my aura, barely grazed my body. I spread my left hand.
「Mana Strike: Volley」
The slashes bursting from my palm engulfed Aerus. Thanks to the size difference, the volley of slashes slammed into its flank.
They cut through the red mist. Many of the slashes were lost in the process. The remaining slashes reached the fur.
- Kwa-deu-deu-deuk!
The slashes were blocked by the bristling, stiff fur. Even with reduced power, it only managed to slightly scratch the surface of the hide.
- Kraaaaah!
My eardrums vibrated. Frowning fiercely, I quickly kicked off the ground and retreated.
A huge snout snapped shut where I had just stood. Crack! The eerie sound of teeth clashing vividly reached my ears.
Aerus raised its head with a growl. Clenched between its gnashing teeth was a torn piece of the Sky Wing Feather.
I scanned Aerus with Spatial Perception. A faint scar was etched where the slashes had hit.
Could I kill it?
'It's impossible.'
The Parasitic Moth, which seemed comparable to Aerus, died after taking a direct hit from Hong Yeon-hwa's Flame Bloom.
I don't have an ability with that kind of output.
Calamity Flame? I haven't been able to use it since that day. I've wanted to so many times, but this damn ability hasn't heeded my will.
- Keu-reu-reu-reu...!
I wasn't dead yet, either. One clean hit and it'd be over, but I deflected the attacks, and they continued to smash innocent structures.
Perhaps annoyed by that, Aerus's throat rumbled. A howling screech, like scratching iron with a steel skewer, struck my eardrums.
Then, both front paws lifted high. The coiling Blood Cloud bulged and swelled its size.
A clear signal of a powerful attack. My intuition screamed in agreement.
If it hits, I die.
Block it? I can't. I'll die even if I block it.
Deflect it this time too? My intuition shook its head.
Driven by the killing intent and mana pressure striking my skin, I kicked the ground.
Not forward, but backward. I widened the distance from Aerus.
- Keu-reu-reu-reu!
A chilling cry. It felt like mockery. Boom! The Blood Cloud cloaking its front paws swelled its form once more.
Because the Blood Cloud looked so similar to its fur, it felt like its front paws had nearly doubled or tripled in size.
No, those were its front paws alone. Stretched straight up, the paws extended long enough to reach the roof of a relatively intact commercial building.
Next, Aerus's hind legs swelled. Muscles inflated like balloons, wrapped in Blood Cloud.
'Right.'
If the opponent gets far away, it just needs to close the distance itself.
Bang! The ground behind Aerus burst upward.
As Aerus's massive form shot forward, its front paws, now several times larger, closed in right alongside it.
I couldn't see the sky.
The sunlight was blocked. The area around me darkened.
From above, it came crashing down.
Along the best trajectory for channeling force.
The front paw that had blotted out the sky slammed down.
* * *
She kicked the ground. In the aftermath, a violent gust howled.
Unable to withstand the force, vegetation snapped and lay flat with a rustle. Mounds of earth scattered everywhere, and chunks of wood burst outward.
It was a clear act of environmental destruction, but Atra didn't care in the slightest.
Sipnaha doesn't have a Gate Terminal.
The nearest Gate Terminal is the Edinburgh Gate.
From there, Atra sprinted in a straight line without a moment's rest.
Lee Ha-yul was caught in a dungeon outbreak.
The dungeon's grade is, at most, Grade 4.
The standard rank of the monsters pouring out is at best 8th Rank. Even with the dungeon's backing, it's barely around 7th Rank.
Considering Lee Ha-yul's skill, he could definitely survive.
She had thought that way in the past, too.
That the kid would be alright. Judging objectively, that was the case, and Atra thought so too.
And then, that kid disappeared, leaving behind only a single cold arm.
'Please.'
Atra's face contorted horrifically. The nightmares of the past overlapped with the present.
'Just stay alive.'
If he's alive, she can fix him somehow. There are countless ways to heal in this world. As long as he's alive, she can fix him somehow.
Just repeating that to herself, she exerted her Body Reinforcement Technique and crossed mountains and rivers without a thought for what was behind her.
A golden line was drawn across the sky.