Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Entrance Evaluation (4)
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In the latter half of the entrance evaluation for Reverse Hero Saga, the timing of encounters with demons varies depending on the protagonist's location.
The farther west you are, the later the encounter; the farther east, the sooner it happens. It was easy to infer that the demons had torn through the rift from the east.
Though the exact spot was unknown, knowing they emerged in the eastern sector left only one option: comb the eastern area thoroughly.
There was no surer method than grinding it out, but the downside was the sheer time and effort required.
Still, he arrived just in time to prevent a victim from appearing in a hair-trigger situation.
Right before the demon sank its fangs into the person's neck—perfect timing, right? Yes, perfect.
"Hm? A guy?"
This demon called Hobabas preferred devouring men over women by far.
Hobabas halted its bite on the ashen-haired freshman's nape and turned to look at me.
"...Heh, you're really High-value."
Confirming my face, she lifted the corners of her mouth, drool practically pooling as she licked her purple lips with her purple tongue in a lewd smack.
Knowing she favored men over women—and Exquisite men over regular ones—that's why I called it perfect timing despite the dire straits.
Now that she'd spotted me, all her attention was locked on me.
"Yeah, sucking mana from men beats women any day. Congrats, Exquisite human bro—you're my appetizer now."
Whoosh!
"Kyaaak!"
Crash!
Hobabas flung the original prey—the ashen-haired freshman—into the bushes like a garbage truck dumping a bag, then sauntered toward me with lazy steps.
"Suuup, fuu..."
That unshakable leisure only an overwhelming superior could show. While she approached, I reactivated my frozen mana core.
Vitality surged through my body, power settling into my limbs—the physical enhancement from my A+ mana sensitivity.
My Solar Body meant low mana capacity, but efficiency? Second to none.
To a demon that sensed mana reserves, my small tank with sky-high efficiency was a perfect lure for complacency—a sharp dagger in disguise.
Thus, while Hobabas strolled up smugly, I prepared for battle in peak condition.
"Bro my ass, you centuries-old hag mosquito."
"...What?"
The moment she closed the gap, I spat the magic words that would rile any woman—human or demon—and unleashed a full-power straight punch.
Smack-!
The straight from Azure Dragon Twelve Swords' First Form, honed over three years of daily spars with that kid.
Nothing better for striking a heedless foe fatally. This was the most perfected, powerful straight I'd thrown in twenty years.
Plus, she'd dropped her guard completely and lost composure from my words—the impact would double.
Every positive factor I could leverage converged in this ultimate straight.
"Heh, did a mosquito bite me?"
"Damn. No dice, huh."
To Hobabas, it was just an itchy nip.
Inevitable, really.
At this point in the story, even the fate-chosen hero couldn't dent a mid-tier demon. How could I—a guy with zero combat growth since age thirteen—do any damage?
Expected, sure. But seeing my all-out punch do zilch firsthand? Hollow.
Once academy life starts, I gotta train for real. Not even scratching her is a shock.
"Anyway, shall we eat?"
As I inwardly resolved to grind harder from now on, Hobabas brushed my fist from her face, baring sharp fangs with a wide maw.
Soon, those would pierce my nape, draining my mana core dry.
Superhumans die without mana in their core, so she planned to suck me dead.
A fitting act for her moniker Mana Absorber—converting victims' mana to her own power, treating even superhuman foes as mere snacks.
"Bon appétit. Ahhhn. Sluurp."
Crunch!
"Guh!?"
Hobabas plunged her fangs into my nape without hesitation and chewed into the flesh.
The agony of flesh tearing made me gasp, but I clung to my wits and wrapped both arms around her head.
"Hm?"
Puzzled by my embrace instead of resistance, she hummed curiously—but only briefly.
Sucking my mana trumped questioning me. Her 'Mana Absorber' trait began pulling it out steadily.
"Gr, ughhh..."
Mana draining with blood? No joking about that sensation—pure torment.
Like double the daze of blood loss. Holding onto sanity was a bitch.
But after twenty years surviving that hellhole Yang family through grit—and rising again despite erectile dysfunction fueled by vengeance—this was nothing.
I wasn't frail enough to lose it to some vampire-mana-suck haze.
Clenching my teeth, I activated the trait I'd honed seven years for this moment: 'Mana Fluidization'.
Mana Fluidization (A)
User's mana gains fluidity.
The alert from playing Reverse Hero Saga popped in my vision's corner, and my mana reshaped, flowing at my command.
I immediately drew a thin mana thread from what was being sucked into Hobabas, stretching it long.
"Sluuuuurp."
Mana still flowed into her steadily, connection unbroken.
With mana linked like this, even absorbed into her body, I could sense it.
"Gr, gruuuh..."
My scant mana reserves emptied in seconds; now, one more suck would finish it.
First time hitting zero mana—exhaustion hit harder than expected.
But it was fine. I'd endured for this exact moment.
Squeeze.
I tightened my arms around Hobabas's head, pressing it harder to my shoulder.
Even at full strength, I couldn't meaningfully affect her; she'd shrug this restraint effortlessly if she wanted.
But fine—she wouldn't get the chance to escape.
"Hey, mosquito."
I rasped to Hobabas, who kept sucking my last dregs regardless of my hold.
"This'll burn High-value."
"Suck?"
Ignition.
With those words, I jolted the thin, elongated mana thread.
This accursed Solar Body mana was hyper-sensitive; that tiny shock ignited it fiercely.
Whoosh-!
The flammable Solar mana blazed along the fuse-like thread.
"Uh, uup?!"
Hobabas finally realized something was wrong and tried pulling away, but the flame path led down her throat.
Most of my mana was already in her gut—no stopping it now.
The spark raced along, reaching the bulk inside her.
Roooarrrrr! BOOOOMMMMM!!!!
The Solar mana ignited instantly, detonating massively from within.
Hobabas vanished without a corpse.
Of course, taking the zero-range blast, I didn't emerge unscathed either.
Whoomph-
The shockwave hurled me skyward; I crashed through treetops, snapping branches, then slammed into the ground.
That ended my memory.
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