Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Putting Magic to Use
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“Quwak! Quwak!”
“Gotcha!”
I finally caught the Ice Waddler scampering around the front yard using earth magic.
I'd dug up the dirt along its escape route in advance, and it tripped over its own feet.
Pretty nimble for a penguin.
It's a penguin that's great at running away.
“I won't eat you, so behave.”
“Quwak?”
“Yeah. I won't eat you.”
Good thing I'd learned how to communicate with summons beforehand.
Thanks to that, I could understand the Ice Waddler and make it understand me.
“Undead roam around here at night. If you're noisy, you die. I die too.”
“Quwak...”
“Yeah. Good.”
The Ice Waddler lowered its voice right away at the mention of undead.
It even looked scared, glancing around and flapping its wings.
It's omnivorous.
Anything but rotten food works.
Luckily, the Ice Waddler I summoned was a female.
As long as I supply proper food, it'll lay eggs.
Even better, it's smart enough to recognize unfertilized eggs and just discard them without brooding.
No need to fight over eggs or steal them to eat.
Just supply protein periodically!
This is a fantastic protein source!
“You're a fine penguin, aren't you?”
“Kwak?”
“Yeah. Fine one.”
I quickly pulled out a fruit Cosmic Dust had sent.
“Quwak!”
“Whoa, shh.”
“Kwoong...”
The little guy chirped happily at the fruit but quickly clamped its beak shut with its wings.
Then it glanced around again, wary of any undead approaching.
Even isekai penguins fear the undead.
“The sun hasn't fully set yet, so we should be okay. Probably.”
The undead were about to start stirring.
From now on, we had to stay completely quiet.
If it was just one undead, I could hack it apart with the machete.
But there were too many in this neighborhood.
If they swarmed, I'd be dead in seconds.
“Quwak.”
“More?”
“Kwoong!”
The Ice Waddler ate two more fruits and patted its belly contentedly.
Feed it well, and it'll lay eggs—no waste at all.
Of course, no meat—too precious.
But plenty of fruit, so fine.
How high is Human Lover's affinity that her summons cry and dance for her?
It's a total food bundle!
No wonder Human Lover was thrilled about getting an Ice Waddler.
Feed it, get eggs.
Release by water, get fish.
Perfect.
Bingbing.
Not bad.
Cute vibe.
Good.
Ice Waddler is Bingbing from now on.
Bingbing. Bibing. Bibibik...
Not bad.
While I looked away briefly, Firepower Enthusiast and Human Lover started chatting.
Bedtime anyway—time to crash for the night.
“From today, you're Bingbing.”
“Quwak?”
“What? Don't like it?”
“Kweuk. Kwueuk.”
“Huh? Your name's Iceblob?”
“Kwaak!”
“No. You're Bingbing. Night, Bingbing.”
Iceblob? Too hard to say.
Bingbing it is.
Pet names should be easy to call.
“Kweuk...”
Bingbing clearly hated the name.
But no choice. Gotta adapt if we're living together.
“Brr, cold. Come here.”
I crawled into the tent and hugged Bingbing.
Fluffy fur, decent size—felt nice.
Rustle.
“...”
I cautiously opened my eyes.
A sound came from outside the tent.
Since learning combat magic, my hearing sharpened.
I don't miss even faint noises.
'Bingbing's still asleep.'
If Bingbing woke and made noise, it'd spark all-out war with the night's uninvited guests.
Handle it before then.
If they rampage, it's over.
'One. No, three.'
Three undead had come.
Using combat magic's sensory boost and presence detection, I even glimpsed their forms.
Up close, sound alone reveals rough outlines.
'Two long-armed ones. One small.'
The long-armed ones were like those from the underground mall last time.
Sage Time Gallery calls them 'Ghouls'.
'Two Ghouls are no problem. The small one's the real threat.'
Small for an undead.
But it screams.
Probably the one that'd make the whole neighborhood echo.
'Gallery calls it Screamer or Screecher.'
If it spots me, it's a bloodbath with every undead around.
Want to run, but nowhere to go.
Escape blocked by Screamer.
Entrance guarded by Ghouls.
They closed in.
Sensing my flesh scent?
Stay put, and Ghouls rip the tent, shred Bingbing too.
Can't solve this alone.
Ask the gallery.
To hit the Screamer through the wall, need massive firepower.
And even if successful, next problem.
Wall collapses, huge noise and sparks.
Flank the wall to burn it? Screamer screams first.
Fire magic's destructive and optimized for slaughter.
But noisy and flashy.
If just one undead or I could kill them all, fine.
One wrong Fire Bullet now? Disaster.
Cosmic Dust somehow pulled in Elf Hunter from afk.
Perfect timing.
Needed combat expert's advice badly.
Elf Hunter gave instructions.
Until now, he'd taught 3rd-circle combat magic.
Now, early 5th-circle, skipping 4th.
Elf Hunter shared ultra-condensed, improvised tips.
How to handle mana silently, hide spell form.
Didn't understand a bit, but memorized and mimicked the incantations.
Like giving the answer key, not the solving method.
Elf Hunter sent a video of an elf shooting a bow.
I used all body-related magics he'd taught to copy the motion perfectly.
Pasting the elf's movements onto myself.
Already ultra-high difficulty.
'Motion copy... Not for my level. Head splitting.'
Motion copy done, I parted the tent slightly, gripped empty air like drawing a bow, aimed at Screamer's presence.
Shoot arrow through walls without bow.
Ghouls drew closer.
As Bingbing stirred awake in the tension.
'Draw string. Release like pushing.'
Fired mana at empty air.
All strength drained with the mana arrow.
Horrific fatigue, headache hit.
Nauseous. Mana depletion.
Max penetration, extreme noise suppression, spell cloaking.
All mana hogs, advanced techs.
Twing-!
But it worked.
Ultra-quiet mana arrow pierced entrance, wall, fence—through the Screamer's head waiting to scream.
Precision strike.
No noise, victim clueless how it died.
Screamer's head half-exploded.
Ghouls unaware.
'Machete...'
Hands shook from depletion fatigue.
But two left—moved fast.
Screamer down, fire okay now.
Not too strong, though.
Flame to blow Ghoul heads fine.
Gathered remaining mana.
Wand in left, aimed from below at Ghoul entering—jaw up.
“Bang.”
Boom-!
Fire Bullet from close range flashed, pierced Ghoul's jaw, blew head off.
Ghoul with vanished occiput toppled slowly.
Door Ghoul finally spotted me, charged.
I upheaved yard dirt with earth magic—it tripped forward.
Chance.
Crunch.
“...Hah. Fuck. Thought I was dead this time.”
Near collapse, slammed machete, split last Ghoul's skull.
Vision blurred from depletion.
I slumped beside dead Ghoul, gazed at snowy night sky.
“Kwak...!”
“...Hey. Bingbing. Freezing. Let me in tent...”
Thud.
Flopped onto Ghoul corpse.
Can't hold out.
Sleep crashing.
Body forcibly shutting down.
“Kwuung..”
Bingbing bit my clothes, dragged me inside tent.
Puffed fur to warm, hugged me.
Lucky.
Won't freeze in blizzard.
'This insane place. Leaving tomorrow.'
At dawn, bail.
This city's unlivable.
Anywhere unlivable, though.
Damn ice age.
In this worst case, one silver lining: I'm a mage.