School Starts #4
School Starts #4
Are they targeting it?
That Fragment?
Those bastards, do they even know what they're aiming at? This isn't normal.
Maybe this Fragment is important to monsterkin too.
Come to think of it, last time Quoperelzora also freaked out when she saw a Fragment. And she even managed to sense it and track it down.
Can all monsters and monsterkin sense Fragments? I'm not sure, but the fact they want them means they're useful. That usefulness must have something to do with power.
We absolutely can't let the monsterkin have it.
"Right."
Two Antillery armies.
They were fully armed, as if they'd come with a clear purpose. And the composition was highly diverse. From the Workers I'd slaughtered to Guardians.
And some of them looked seriously strong.
One of them had a bigger head and a larger frame than the rest. Its antennae were longer, its carapace looked tough, and the sword it held seemed quality.
There were exactly two like that. They were probably the commanders of the two armies. For convenience, I'll call them Antillery Generals.
Anyway.
—Fzzt!
—Tzzt!
As expected, they clashed.
The moment the two armies collided, they started ripping into each other.
—Crunch!
—Boom!
Hundreds of Antillery tangled in one spot, swinging weapons and biting their enemies. Some ganged up to tear off carapaces, and others stabbed weapons into vital points.
"They're fighting each other."
"Not each other. They were enemies from the start."
Before I knew it, Kitty had latched onto my back.
"Whatever the case, it's a good thing."
The two armies were similar in size. If their goal is that Fragment, they won't back down. One side will be wiped out, the other practically destroyed.
Then we profit.
"When the fight's over, let's go snatch it!"
"Good idea."
And so, Kitty and I watched the Antillery war. It was a bloodbath. Blood and carapace flew everywhere. Yet neither side retreated. Both factions kept battering each other to pieces.
Finally, a victor emerged.
"Kee-ohhh!"
A roaring General.
"Fzzt!"
"Chzzt!"
The left army won. But since their strength had been evenly matched, the only survivors were one General and a handful of Workers. Even those were barely half-dead.
The victorious ones turned toward the Fragment and began to walk slowly toward it.
"Geun-cheol. Time to steal it."
"Let's go."
The General looked strong, but in that condition it could never beat me. Still, I expected a hard fight, so I stayed on edge.
I'll finish it decisively.
—Thump.
I dropped down from the pillar and ran lightly. The distance was too great for a surprise attack. Frontal approach felt a little off, but against a bunch of cripples, it was worth a shot.
"Kee-oh—?!"
As I went, the General turned, spotted me, and leveled its weapon.
"Looks strong."
Even half-dead, it definitely looked powerful.
"Kee-ohhh!"
"Fzzt!"
"Chzzzzt!"
Maybe it gave an order, because Workers with missing arms charged at me.
"Get lost!"
—Boom!
Of course, after I'd just one-shot fully healthy Workers, these half-dead ones couldn't do a thing. I casually wiped them out with kicks and sword strikes, then stood before the General.
"Krrr... Kee-ohhh!"
The General roared. I could feel its rage.
—Fwoosh!
Furious, the General raised its chitinous sword high and kicked off the ground. My immediate impression was: fast.
"You bastard!"
"Kee-oh!"
It lunged in an instant and thrust its sword at me.
—Boom!
I blocked the strike with a diagonal rising cut, twisted my hilt, and launched a counter.
"Kee-eek!"
But it seemed to have some sword training itself, because it quickly responded and stepped.
"Not bad for an ant head!"
"Krrrrk!"
—Clang!
That's how the sword fight with the General continued.
Its raw strength was higher than the glass-like ones. After all, it was a carapace-covered warrior over two meters tall. Its technique might be lacking, but the monsterkin's characteristic monstrous power made it tricky.
"Hup!"
I calmly deflected its attacks, spotted an opening, and drove a counter in. But even in its half-dead state, the General responded properly, defending solidly while pressing its own attacks.
I knew right away.
"This bastard!"
This opponent is at least my equal. I can't win easily. So I'll take a hit and kill it.
"Aaaaargh!"
—Fwoosh!
I momentarily boosted my sword aura's output. Then, I made a show of it—pulled my arm way back as if about to unleash a huge technique, and launched a mighty blow at a controlled speed, like swinging a club.
"Krrk!"
In that instant, I felt its mockery. It quickly gathered its sword, and, taking advantage of my supposedly big move, executed a swift thrust.
—Shunk!
Its blade stabbed into my left triceps.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!!!"
The scream that burst out of my mouth was like Guan Yu stepping on a Lego on his way to get water after waking up in the middle of the night.
"—Krrk?!"
But this isn't mere overacting.
"That was War Cry, you fucker."
I was wearing underarmor with a shield deployed. I might be bleeding, but it's no fatal wound. At that perfect timing, my War Cry hit, and its antennae stiffened as it faltered.
The big technique was a feint too.
Pretending to use a big move—pretending to attack at a slightly slow speed—I abandoned the act. Against the now-faltering creature, I immediately launched a speed sword strike.
—Slick!
My sword bisected the General's upper body horizontally.
"Kkt...!"
Even though it's an ant head, I could clearly sense its expression of disbelief. Its upper half fell to the ground, and the light soon faded from its eyes.
"I won...! Whew!"
That bastard was a pretty strong opponent.
If it hadn't been worn out by battle, it would've been even tougher. So this is army-commander-level skill, huh.
"Geun-cheol. Are you okay?"
Only then did Kitty approach. Her tone was worried, but her face was calm. She probably doesn't think I'd get seriously hurt by that.
"Yeah. Kitty, bring the bag."
"'Kay!"
Right away, Kitty brought the bag. It had emergency supplies inside. But as I tried to get them, I saw blood streaming down my arm.
"Ah, fuck. Is it deeper than I thought?"
The pain's pretty bad too.
—Rrrip!
I immediately stripped off my top and checked the underarmor.
"It's torn!"
"Geun-cheol! You're bleeding a lot!"
Kitty's panicked voice. Sure enough, a lot of blood was flowing and the underarmor was ripped.
"Damn!"
I'm gonna need a repair on this thing, huh?
I took the underarmor top off too and—
"Whoa!"
My triceps was split wide open!
Even with the underarmor and shield up, it had that much destructive power! I thought, if my strength had been weaker, it might have pierced straight through!
Wow, and look at the torn muscle and all that blood gushing out.
"Hurry! Kitty! Rinse it with water! Put on medicine and wrap some bandages!"
"Uh, uh-huh! Got it!"
"First pour water and wipe with gauze!"
Kitty uncapped a water bottle and poured it over my wound, wiped the blood with gauze, then applied disinfectant.
"Grk...!"
It really does hurt.
"Geun-cheol. You okay?"
"Yeah. This is fine. Next, put on the superhuman Madecassol."
"Uh-huh... But will it seal up properly?"
"For Awakened, it always closes up. Just wrap a bandage for now."
—Pat, pat.
The emergency treatment finished. I immediately got dressed and stood up.
"That bastard was a pretty tough opponent. Hey, General. I'm taking this sword as a trophy, 'kay?"
I lightly addressed the corpse and pried the sword from its grip.
A truly odd blade, brimming with monsterkin flair. Let's name it Hyper Chitin Sword. A weapon that looked like it was made by grinding and modifying carapace.
I checked if there was anything else to take, but there wasn't much gear besides that. They were Antillery, so their skin was natural armor anyway.
"Okay Kitty. Let's go get the Fragment."
"Are you going to offer it to her?"
"Can't I offer gold instead?"
"Heh-heh, gold is nice. Well, Kitty just follows her orders. I won't take it until she tells me to."
"Try listening to me a bit too."
"I'd like that."
Kitty and I crossed a low hill and approached the force field beyond.
"The Fragment."
A red regular octahedron. Surrounded by a force field, it emitted a red light. Naturally, a measly force field like that means nothing to me.
—Whoosh!
As I stepped forward, my body passed through the force field as smoothly as could be. At the same time, my vision warped. My body trembled as if I'd entered a strange space where past and present overlapped, and all sorts of memories surfaced.
I knew right away.
My old memories are resurfacing.
—Swoop.
I reached out and grabbed the Fragment.
—Fwoosh!
Light engulfed everything.
* * *
[Fragment acquired]
[Skill unlocked — Mana Helm (E)]
[Skill level increased]
[...]
Several notification chimes rang out, like whispers in my ear. When I opened my eyes, Kitty and I were back on Earth.
"We're back, Geun-cheol."
"Can you send me home first?"
"'Kay."
With a light escort from Kitty, I returned to the dorm. The time... is late dawn. If I wash up and shut my eyes for a second, it'll be time for school.
"I used those early-morning hours damn productively."
And they really were productive.
I gained combat experience, coins, a skill, and a Fragment. As I thought, what I need to do in my current state is collect Fragments.
"Geun-cheol. Kitty has to head back soon. Make sure to treat your arm properly. Okay?"
Kitty stood in front of me, looking up as she said that.
"Yeah. But it'll heal fast, so don't worry."
"Mm."
—Pat, pat.
I placed a hand on her head and petted her, and she liked it a lot... A-ra-style. I can't speak for the terrorist Void Princess, but Kitty is really cute.
—Fwoosh.
Soon Kitty left, and I was alone in my room. I opened the cupboard right away, took an antibiotic, gulped down water, stripped, and stepped into the shower to let the water hit me.
"..."
And I recalled memories.
Old memories.
When I was little... no.
As if recalling memories from even earlier than that... several memories surged through my head. If I were to sort them out, they go like this.