Chapter 42: Buffalo Dungeon (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Buffalo Dungeon (6)
It was an unbelievable sight.
Speed Weapon was so shocked he almost stopped the melody he was struggling to play.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he forced himself to blow into his recorder with all his might. Yet, his eyes remained glued to Kang Geomma.
"Crazy..."
Saki Ryozo gasped in disbelief on Speed Weapon's behalf. Chloe, who had been cheering for Kang Geomma non-stop, also stood with her mouth agape. Their faces were filled with utter shock.
Speed Weapon turned his head back to look at Kang Geomma and the magical beast.
Something rising from his knuckles wrapped around the sashimi knife held in his right hand. A faint, shimmering blue Sword Aura.
What Kang Geomma was manifesting right before their eyes was undoubtedly an Aura. And a profound one at that, powerful enough to illuminate the entire vast cavern, which had been plunged into darkness just moments ago.
...Kang Geomma, you shatter common sense every single time I see you.
Forcing air up from his lungs and into the recorder, Speed Weapon kept his eyes locked on Kang Geomma. He could feel bloody phlegm bubbling in his throat, but his eyes shone brightly.
His eyes were filled with awe and respect. His heart pounded wildly at the fact that he was witnessing a legendary moment firsthand.
Fwoosh!
The Aura enveloping the sashimi knife flared up even more fiercely. As the Aura intensified, spiderweb-like cracks began to spider across the blade. The current Murasame was simply not enough to contain Kang Geomma's Aura.
Steeling his resolve, Kang Geomma's expression hardened as he gripped the sashimi knife firmly.
"Moooooooooo!"
The Cow King roared. It was a cry like a warrior's battle shout, resolved to fight to the death.
The magical beast snorted loudly and scraped the ground with its hooves. Its single remaining arm raised a massive double-bitted axe high. Its movements were ominous.
At the same time, a sinister, blood-red light coated the double-bitted axe.
Crackle!
"""!"""
Shock filled the cavern. Only Kang Geomma offered a faint, intrigued smile. A prickly, unpleasant sensation brushed against his skin. It was undoubtedly magic power.
"This is impossible. How can a magical beast use magic...!"
Saki Ryozo spoke in a trembling voice. Chloe, glancing over, swallowed hard.
Magical beasts could not use magic. That was an immutable law of nature. Demons used magic, their exclusive domain, to subjugate and control magical beasts as their subordinates.
Yet, the demonic energy enveloping the Cow King's double-bitted axe was undeniably magic power. The sinister light that started at the blade flowed down the shaft.
But how? The fleeting question was quickly answered. The Cow King was burning its own life force as fuel to generate magic power.
Using its own body as kindling and pouring its life force like oil, it had kindled magic power. Saki Ryozo was speechless.
The fighting spirit of a magical beast prepared to die. On top of that, the immense power scraped from the very bottom of its life force was knocking on the door of the magical realm.
Boom!
Launching itself off the ground, the Cow King charged forward ferociously. The sinister light wrapped around the axe scattered in all directions.
Kang Geomma did not retreat; he simply steadied his breathing. His eyes calmly met the enemy charging fiercely toward him.
Speed Weapon's melody faltered. Blood trickled like spiderwebs from his lips, which tightly gripped the recorder. His cheeks were completely hollowed out; it was a miracle he hadn't collapsed yet.
Speed Weapon squinted, looking up. Keeping the cry that rose to his throat locked inside, he repeated the words in his mind.
...I believe in you.
Conviction shone in the eyes of those watching.
"Moooo!"
The Cow King cut off its roar sharply and swung its axe. The flashing red magic power extended from the edge of the axe blade, forming a crescent-shaped wave.
It was a massive, wide-range attack born of their overwhelming difference in size. If caught in it, one would be torn to shreds, leaving nothing behind.
Kang Geomma closed his eyes and opened them. His dark pupils were half-hidden behind his eyelids. The cheering of his teammates, which had sounded like background noise, faded from his ears. A state of perfect, empty mind.
A sharp sound of slicing wind rang out. Along with a wave of scorching heat, the Cow King's attack reached Kang Geomma's feet.
In a split-second life-or-death moment, Kang Geomma's eyes captured the death of the entity. Red lines appeared on his retinas.
If I cut, it will sever.
The meaning of the phrase, which had once felt so vague, finally clicked.
Kang Geomma focused his half-closed eyes.
Then, his shoulders and arms swung of their own accord. Following the trajectory of the sashimi knife, the afterimage of his Aura whipped through the air.
Swoooooosh!
Kang Geomma's Aura clashed with the Cow King's magic power. His slash sliced through the oncoming magic. The Murasame moved for one sole purpose.
To cut and sever.
Even amidst the turbulent magic power, his artless swordplay accurately pierced and split the red lines. With every strike, remnants of the magic power scattered like blood-red dust.
Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous explosions filled the cavern.
A sudden warmth filled the once-chilly air. As the wind rushed backward, Chloe's and Saki's skirts fluttered. The mere shockwave of the clash scraped against their skin.
Soon after.
Thunk!
Hearing the rupturing sound, Saki Ryozo, instead of holding down her skirt, shielded her eyes with her arm to keep her vision clear of the swirling dust. She flinched.
The sashimi knife was buried halfway up to its hilt in the Cow King's chest. Kang Geomma twisted the blade like a key.
Swoooooosh!
Starting from its muscular chest, a brilliant blue Sword Energy engulfed the magical beast's massive body.
"Moooooooooo!"
The Cow King roared in agony. Kang Geomma twisted the sashimi knife once more. The Aura-infused blade gouged the beast's insides. The sound of bones crushing and snapping echoed.
The Cow King's eyes began to turn a dull, grayish-white. The beast's roars, which had echoed through the cavern, subsided into a low rumble.
Thud!
One of the Minotaur's knees hit the ground. With its vision blurring, the magical beast was slowly losing its sight.
The beast managed to lift its head. The victor of the fierce battle was looking down at him.
But for some reason, the human's face did not look bright. Instead, a deep melancholy was written all over it. He looked as though he were offering profound consolation to his fallen foe.
"Moooo..."
The Cow King let out a faint, tearful groan. Tears welled up in its large, bovine eyes.
Before losing consciousness completely, the Cow King summoned the last of its strength to slam the butt of its axe shaft hard against the ground.
Thud!
It was a final request.
Human and magical beast.
Though they could not speak the same language, their true feelings reached each other.
The human, who had been looking down in silence, nodded once and raised his sword arm.
For the first time in its life, the Cow King bared its teeth, expressing emotion. The raised blade flashed brightly for an instant.
Slice!
The sound of the cut was clean.
The blade glided horizontally through the Cow King's neck. No pain was felt.
The beast's ears twitched once, followed by a wet splat. The trajectory of the sword was so flawless that it didn't even realize its head had been severed.
A moment later, the Minotaur's head fell to the floor. The magical beast closed its eyes in satisfaction.
At the end of its lonely life, there was a human.
*
"Pant, pant."
Speed Weapon pulled the recorder away from his mouth. He tried to catch his breath, his breathing completely out of rhythm. Leaning forward with his hands on his knees, a wave of nausea hit him, and he quickly covered his mouth.
His body was a wreck. Though there were no external wounds, his insides were rotting from the aftereffects of his pain-reduction blessing.
It felt as if sharp awls were stabbing him from head to toe. Even when he tried to straighten his back, his off-balance body tilted to the side.
"Hey, breathe. Breathe."
Saki Ryozo approached and patted the staggering Speed Weapon on the back. Soon, his legs gave out completely, and he collapsed onto his backside.
"Haa, haa."
Speed Weapon took deep, heavy breaths, exhaling white plumes of air.
He spat bloody phlegm onto the ground, propped himself up with his arms, and barely managed to sit upright. Then, he turned his gaze toward Kang Geomma.
Kang Geomma was staring blankly at the magical beast's corpse. It was not the kind of expression a victor would wear.
Speed Weapon had intended to let out a cheer of triumph, but instead, he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Weapon."
"Yeah, what?"
Saki Ryozo, who was crouching beside him, spoke up.
"...I think I understand what you meant earlier."
"What I said earlier?"
"You know, about that legend stuff."
"Ah, that."
Saki tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling.
"And I also get why you follow him around like a lost puppy."
"Hey, when did I ever do that?!"
Speed Weapon flailed his arms in protest. Saki let out a smirk, her eyes narrowing, before turning her gaze back to Kang Geomma.
"For some reason, I kind of want to hang out with Kang Geomma too."
"...Did you hit your head or something? Or are you possessed? The Saki Ryozo actually wants to do something?"
Saki Ryozo let out a self-deprecating chuckle, finding it absurd herself. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she asked,
"Weapon, under the academy rules, it's impossible for Kang Geomma to skip a grade this year, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. It's explicitly stated in Article 2, Section 4 of the school regulations."
Speed Weapon shrugged as he replied. Saki tapped her temple with her index finger, lost in thought, before continuing.
"Then what about the opposite? There's no rule saying that's not allowed, right?"
"Saki, don't tell me...?"
Speed Weapon stared blankly at Saki. She merely offered a sly grin and kept her mouth shut.
*
The Minotaur was dead.
Even with Speed Weapon's pain-reduction blessing layered over me, my body staggered from the oncoming wave of intense pain. I let out a short laugh.
This is actually pretty good, all things considered.
I had faced the enemy without the Blessing of Painlessness. That alone was a significant achievement. If I went back to the academy and rested well over the weekend, I would recover my condition to some extent, even if not completely back to normal.
"Geomma-kun!"
Chloe rushed over and threw her arms around me. I appreciated the gesture, but...
I stood still, trying to catch my breath. If I choked and started coughing, it felt like my lungs would tear apart.
When I gestured for her to step back for a moment, Chloe blushed in embarrassment and gave me some space. I let out a short breath.
As I was suppressing the extreme fatigue, a status window suddenly popped up before my eyes.
*
[NEW! Congratulations. You have manifested a new blessing.]
*
A fortuitous encounter that the protagonist, Leon, was originally supposed to obtain.
I smiled bitterly. There was no point in regretting what had already happened; it wouldn't change anything.
Besides, I had no choice but to face the Cow King if I wanted to cling to my lifeline.
With a trembling index finger, I tapped the newly appeared text.
Flash!
*
[Blessing of Transfer]
You can transfer your owned blessings to living organisms or objects.
[※ However, physical contact with the target is strictly required.]
*
Yeah, a simple explanation like this is much better than a long-winded one. Since it was a blessing I had manifested back when I played 'Miracle Blessing M', it felt quite familiar.
It was a synergy-type blessing that showed its true worth when combined with others rather than on its own. Its rank was even an Essence Spirit-class, of which only a few existed in this world.
Let's look on the bright side.
I let out a deep sigh. Just then, the tightly shut stone gate creaked open like a gaping mouth. Through the gap in the door, a figure came into view.
Creeeeak—
It was the checkpoint employee. His face was a mix of complex emotions. Although he was smiling, his distorted expression made him look even creepier than a magical beast.
Chloe blinked. She looked back and forth between the door and me, then tugged at my sleeve.
"...Geomma-kun, earlier you told me..."
"Chloe, what I asked of you earlier."
I gave a low chuckle and nodded.
"Now's the time."
"Yes!"
Nodding vigorously, Chloe kicked into high gear and dashed toward the employee.