Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Dispel (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I darted between the trees in the forest, dodging the bastard's attacks. The thickening fog had come at just the right time and proved quite helpful.
Whiiiish—!
The freak fired shadows based purely on its senses, but I could see them clearly with my own eyes and evade them.
—Damn human scum!
A freak who spouted bullshit lines like "you're just a damn human yourself" despite being human at its core.
Still, even a pathetic creature like this was a grotesque mutant. The attribute of the "grotesque core" grafted into its dantian was, naturally, shadows.
By some twisted coincidence, I knew of a grotesque whose Spectrum was shadows—no, darkness itself.
One of the eight Masters of the Underworld.
This one was probably just a lowly minion serving him, or a cheap imitator idolizing the guy. In terms of grotesque rank, it was the weakest of the third-rate bunch—a chimera freak who'd grafted a monster's arm onto itself like some back-alley butcher.
Of course, even a lowlife grotesque like this had strength bought by selling its soul, on par with an active senior knight. Grotesque mutation above all bloated the dantian to enormous size, meaning an insane amount of available mana.
—Who's calling who a mongrel!
Right now, the freak had been pierced by the word "failure."
Low-tier grotesques were all like this. Point out the botched surgery that made them, and they'd lose their shit.
Kwaaazzz—!
The shadows curved in like a crescent blade. I lightly leaped up to dodge.
—You shitty mongrel larva bastard!
Freaks like this always projected their own weaknesses and traumas onto others when they cursed. While calling themselves shitty mongrel larvae.
"Mongrel's you. I'm pure-blooded human—"
Kwaaaak—!
The moment I spoke, shadows whipped toward me like a lash. I hurriedly backflipped away.
That was close just now.
It felt like it'd pinpointed my position by sound. This bastard's sharper than I thought?
Anyway.
Right now, all I could do was buy time. No matter how pathetic the grotesque, at my current level, there was zero chance of victory. A grotesque's mana pool was at least thirty times a human's on average.
The absolute mana gap was just too vast.
"Two minutes..."
That said, it wasn't like there was no way to beat it.
Precisely, there was "time."
I checked my wristwatch.
8:58 PM.
Officially, I just needed to hold out two more minutes. When Dispel hit, all mana in the area would vanish temporarily, and the freak wouldn't be able to swing its shadows around anymore.
"...What the hell."
But why'd it get so quiet?
The attacks had stopped at some point.
I climbed a tree and peeked at it.
—Haaaaah...
The freak had gathered all its shadows, wrapping its body like a cocoon. The surrounding winds were sucked into it, and shadows writhed ominously at its feet.
Like a kaleidoscope, jagged, gear-like patterns swirled inward and outward.
...Dangerous.
Very.
If I didn't respond, I'd die.
The moment that instinct hit, Perion surged through me. Was it the <Notebook>'s survival instinct? Without any conscious command, heat welled up in my dantian and raced through my body.
Fooosh...
The falling leaves caught in the wind slowed. Watching petals circle just around my shoulder, I felt the acceleration of my thoughts.
"..."
Over there, Soliet had deployed a defensive technique, shielding Kielly behind her. She'd sensed the danger too.
At that instant, the freak's cocoon began to split open.
—Krrrkrrrrk.
Compressed shadows visible through the cracks. They spun, grinding against each other like they might burst—then suddenly stopped.
And exploded in one go.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
The freak's shadows scattered. I leaped as high as I could. Right after, crumpled metal-like shards whipped through, shredding every tree in the radius.
...Kugugugu!
The forest tore apart wholesale, shapeless trees collapsing in ruin. Shattered into thousands of pieces, they smeared across the ground like liquid.
The lush woodland turned to wasteland in an instant.
"..."
I landed slowly amid the devastation, eyeing the grotesque that had detonated its shadows.
—Kuhuhuhuhuhuhu.
Beyond the freak's cackling, shoulder-splitting madness stood Soliet. Her body was covered in wounds. But Kielly behind her was unharmed.
I asked her,
"...You okay?"
Soliet nodded silently.
That's just how she was. Whether before or now, she hated losing people.
Even if we were just a team thrown together by the College Board, once we were a "team," she wouldn't let a teammate die. At least not in front of her eyes.
She'd lost too many precious people, making protecting others a habit.
I bit my lip and checked my wristwatch.
8:59:50 PM.
Still ten seconds left.
—...Pathetic worm.
51 seconds.
The freak's eyes fixed on me, writhing grotesquely. Right eye and left eye rolling independently.
Meaning even it had been burdened by that ultimate move.
—I won't forgive you. How dare you insult me, you human scum.
52 seconds.
I looked up at the sky.
Currents were gathering in the fog-shrouded night sky. Mana, spores, and winds clumping together as nature prepared its own revolution.
A mana phenomenon invisible to the naked eye—the precursor to the mana phenomenon "Dispel."
53 seconds.
Dispel was a chance to strip ranks clean. With mana gone from the air, my <Notebook> wouldn't work either, but neither could any lifeform in the area use mana.
—I'll kill you! Kill you! Rip you limb from limb!
54 seconds.
The freak spat blood-flecked ravings, gathering shadows.
Gazing at this monster beyond grotesque, a thought struck me.
55 seconds.
The "Perion" flowing through my veins right now.
The thing that burdened my body most heavily while amplifying it most fiercely—a product of chemistry and mana.
56 seconds.
So, even without mana, wouldn't Perion's unique "chemical body amplification" remain?
"57 seconds."
Counting down, I closed my eyes. Summoned Perion again. Felt the heat originating from my dantian race through my limbs.
I opened my eyes.
—Die! Wretched human, shitty failed larva!
Eight tendrils of shadow shot from the freak, blocking every path to shred me utterly.
"58 seconds."
Shadow blades rushing right to my face. Beyond them, nature's mana blooming on the horizon.
The mycelium's spiritual will lit the night sky blue in a flash as it germinated.
Thus, 59 seconds.
Tsiiiiiing—!
A crystalline chime rang out like shattering glass across the heavens and earth. At the same instant, the freak's shadows crumbled to fragments. All the mountain fog dispersed, the air clearing.
—What!
To the startled freak, I feigned surprise and explained the phenomenon.
"...Oh my. Isn't this the 5th-grade mana phenomenon, Dispel?"
Still sounds like reading from a textbook, but whatever. It'll come with practice.
I smirked faintly and clenched my fist.
"Let's fight fair and square."
—...Dispel?
The freak seemed briefly flustered, then flashed a confident grin.
—Foolish human. My body has been modified to be infinitely superior to you humans.
The words were true enough. Botched surgery or not, those arms were definitely from a monster. Plenty powerful even in a no-mana zone.
Didn't matter.
I still had plenty left. The Perion heat coursing through my body.
—Brats like you can't beat a grotesque no matter what tricks you pull. We are infinitely superior to humans...
I charged the freak as it muttered nonsense. One big step, and I was at its jaw in a flash.
—...!
It threw up its guard in shocked panic, but too late.
Thwack—!
Uppercut to the jaw. Its mouth snapped shut, severing its tongue. I grabbed its floating waist and slammed it knee-first.
Krunch—
Spine shattered. Then I seized its face and smashed it into the ground.
Boom—!
I mounted the half-buried freak. Pounded my fist into its already-ruined mug.
——!
Once. Shattered its teeth.
——!
Twice. Broke its nose.
——!
Thrice. Burst its eye.
——!
Four times. Crushed its forehead.
Finally, to pulverize its face completely—
"Stop."
Someone grabbed my shoulder. My paused breath resumed. My fading consciousness snapped back to the world.
"..."
I turned.
It was Soliet. In her red eyes, I saw myself blood-soaked.
"It's dead."
I looked back at the freak.
Its face was gone. Brain fluid and blood streamed from the shattered skull like a brook.
"...Yeah."
I nodded, rising. Wiped the sticky blood from my fist.
Then my eyes met Kielly's. He was sprawled on the ground.
"S-s-s-sorry."
"..."
I said nothing, preparing for what came next.
The freak was dead, but the situation wasn't over.
Greeeeaaah—!
A roar from the nearby cave. Thud-thud—something huge stirring awake, pounding the mountainside.
The "Grizzly Bear" emerged, glaring with crimson eyes, its massive bulk revealed.
The mountain, freed from the mycelium, was reverting to its original ecosystem—survival of the strongest devouring the weak.
"...A-a-a bear? W-w-what do we do?"
Kielly freaked out.
"What do you mean, what?"
The bear drooled at us. Anyone could see we were prey.
Even in Dispel state, the bear was formidable. That thick hide and muscle was armor-grade.
"We run."
I glanced behind. Fog had made it seem like a sheer cliff, but now clear, the other side was visible. A jumpable distance to solid ground.
"Looks like 20 meters or so."
I offered Soliet my hand.
"I can manage alone. Take him, please."
"Him" was Kielly.
A bit disappointing, but Soliet wasn't the type to need help anyway.
I hoisted Kielly onto my shoulder.
"Wh-wh-whoa!"
Lighter than expected. Lost some weight, huh?
"Hey, Sion, h-hey, wait. Y-you can make it, right? You can jump it? Soliet! Can't the team leader carry me?!"
"Shut your mouth before I toss you."
"Yes, sir."
No telling when Perion's effects would wear off.
I bolted immediately. Kicked off the cliff edge and leaped.
Whoooosh...
Feeling the wind whipping my body—
"——Aaaahhh!"
While feeling it, I—
"Kyaaaaaaaah————"
"Jeez."
Thud.
"Aaaah—"
Landed on the other side. Kielly wriggled free the moment we touched down.
I turned back. Soliet stood at the windy cliff edge.
She probably meant nothing by it, but my heart sank.
Overlapping with the her from a near future who'd abandoned enduring her pains.
"What're you doing? Jump!"
Greeeeaaah—!
The Grizzly Bear bellowed behind. Soliet glanced casually and leaped.
Whoooosh...
A falcon-like glide through the cliffside winds.
But a bit short.
I reached from the edge. Soliet barely grabbed my hand.
Scraaaape—!
Her body scraped the cliff. Thud—quite a hard impact.
Good, no fall.
"..."
I looked down from atop the cliff. Soliet looked up from within it.
Her face was scratched up. Heavy bleeding from shoulder and side. Dirt caked everywhere.
I sighed softly and asked,
"...You weren't trying to suicide, right?"
Soliet's eyes shifted without answer. Strangely fixed on my sleeve hem. After a long moment, she asked in a dazed voice,
"Lost... a button?"
Out of left field.
"What're you on about? Get up here."
I pulled Soliet up. Once on solid ground, she sat and scanned around.
"Where's Kielly?"
"Over there... wait, what."
I started pointing to the bushes, then froze. He'd been there a second ago—gone.
"...Must've bolted already?"
Scared I'd hit him?
Quick on the uptake.
"Hm. What an idiot."
Soliet muttered in disbelief, standing.
"Then, shall we go?"
She said it like nothing happened. I snorted, brushing dirt from my butt.
"Yeah, whatever. Got something to find anyway."
"Yes."
Soliet looked indifferent. I perked my ears.
Aaaaaah—
A mandragora's scream nearby.
"Let's go."
As I turned to find it, Soliet said,
"Yes. Thank you."
I walked on like I hadn't heard.
Honestly pretty surprised, but didn't want to look uncool showing it.
"Thank you..."
Instead, I muttered descending the trail. Smiled to myself.
——Kaaaaaaaah.
Maybe thanks to the mandragora drawing near.
My mood lifted nicely.