Chinese-Made Main

"Main, huh……."

[Unlike the Main we met at the Carnival family before, this one's completion is different.]

[It's a complete Main.]

'I know that too.'

Albert looked around. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠monster and human corpses mounted on the walls like art pieces were horrific. The intense bloody smell piercing his nose was dizzying. It was too thick. Having conquered countless battlefields and gates, Albert could tell. At least hundreds had died here.

Albert frowned.

"A terrible hobby."

"Hahaha, calling it a terrible hobby is a bit harsh. Well, it can't be helped. How could a mere criminal understand an artist's heart?"

The Main that had been embedded in the wall emerged and smirked.

"By the way, who are you? I don't think we've met."

"If you want to hear my name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first as a matter of courtesy?"

"Ah, my apologies. My name is Forneus."

He introduced himself elegantly like a noble, his red eyes gleaming.

"Now, your name……."

"No need."

"What?"

"Why should I tell you my name?"

"……You said you'd tell me if I gave you my name……."

"Did I? I only told you to say your name first, I never said I'd give mine."

Forneus looked dumbfounded.

Just then, Hansen rushed in from outside, panting.

"Huff huff…… E-Everyone!"

"Ha, Hansen!"

"You're alive!"

"Yes, I barely survived. And I've called for reinforcements."

"Hansen!"

"Damn it! We were counting on you!"

"Then everyone…… kuh……."

Hansen discovered the man who had become a cold corpse by then. Sadness filled Hansen's face.

"……We're a bit late. If only we'd come a little sooner……."

"It's not your fault……."

"It couldn't be helped."

"……You're right. Now's not the time for this. Let's get out of here!"

Hansen tried to lead the people outside.

Seeing this, Forneus let out a deep sigh as if it were absurd.

"Tsk, even after I warned you, you're still trying to run…… Did you think I'd allow that?"

He intends to kill one more as an example. Since two test subjects came crawling in on their own, he'll kill the most useless old man to show them. That escape is impossible. And to imprint his strength on everyone.

'Then, lightly…….'

Forneus kicked off the ground, his figure sliding forward. His target was the old man mixed in the group.

'Kill…….'

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

But the moment he moved, Albert moved as well, precisely blocking the trajectory he was heading toward.

"They don't need your permission to run away, do they?"

Albert gave a light sneer.

Forneus was startled.

'He reacted? To my speed……? What nonsense…….'

Forneus was confident in his speed. Among Mains, he was unparalleled in speed. Even those above praised Forneus's speed, and he had never lost in speed even once until now. Swift Forneus. That was his alias.

Yet.

'A mere human caught up to my speed and even blocked me……? Is that possible?'

"Why are you looking at me like that? What? Don't tell me you're surprised I blocked you?"

"……It was just a coincidence. Don't think this is my full power!"

Forneus drew up the magi unique to Mains. As black energy wrapped around his body, he began moving again. Indeed, his speed was noticeably different from before. The surprising thing was that his speed kept soaring as if it had no limit.

[He really is fast.]

[Analyzing.]

[Maybe around the end of A-rank Hunter?]

[He seems focused on speed.]

[He's still accelerating. About 225m/s.]

[Not yet reached the speed of sound.]

Though he hadn't reached the speed of sound yet, it was certainly an incredible speed. For an ordinary person, it would be impossible to even capture with the naked eye.

Of course, that too.

'Hahaha, how about it? You seem to be among the stronger humans…… but you're still human! There's no way you can beat a Main who has transcended human limits.'

Forneus circled around triumphantly, looking for an opening in Albert.

He had fought and defeated numerous strong opponents. Occasionally, there were humans with power comparable to Mains. Mid-expert, high-expert, and even peak-expert, and beyond that, masters.

'High-expert wasn't much.'

High-expert was certainly strong, but it was a bit lacking to be called superhuman. He was strong, but his speed fell short. In the end, he couldn't keep up with Forneus's speed and was thoroughly toyed with.

'Ah, when I break those who think they're strong, that look in their eyes and expression is truly fantastic.'

He even played a fun game. There was a time he fought a mid-expert who was protecting his family. He put up quite a fight. He did his best to protect his family and even displayed power rivaling high-expert despite being mid. So Forneus targeted his family. When he slowly killed the family with overwhelming speed, the man's screams. Eyes filled with intertwined rage and despair. When he finally killed him, that expression was the best among all the dead faces he'd seen.

'Kuhuhuhu…… I want to do it again.'

Now, how should he cook this one. He had a good idea.

'Come to think of it, this man tried to let my test subjects escape. In that case…….'

If he chased after them right now and killed them, what kind of expression would this man make? He was curious. Since he needed them for experiments, he couldn't kill them all.

'Let's kill just a few.'

He intended to show him. His own powerlessness. The expression when breaking the pride of someone who thinks they're strong was truly a masterpiece. An artwork he never got tired of no matter how many times he saw it.

'I'm looking forward to it. How that handsome face will contort.'

Having made his plan, Forneus tried to head outside to chase the escaping ones. Just as he was about to throw his body toward the passage.

"This is disappointing. Where are you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trying to go in such a hurry, leaving me behind?"

Albert blocked his path again.

He was certainly fast. But speed is relative. No matter how fast Forneus was, he couldn't be faster than Albert, who had reached the pinnacle as an EX-rank Hunter.

"H-How…… My speed!?"

"What do you mean how, it's just……."

Albert assumed a flicking posture. His target was the guy's forehead. But unlike when used on others, mana gathered on his fingers. The opponent was a Main. Moreover, a serial killer who had killed dozens, hundreds of humans. Criminals don't need human rights.

"Because you're slow."

Smack!

It was an ordinary flick, but when Albert used it, it had enough power to blow away a Main's head in one go. It might be a joke to others, but when Albert used it with intent, it became a one-hit kill attack.

[Did you get him?]

"Ah……."

Those words should never be said. A flag statement with a curse that even those whose necks were cut and hearts destroyed would spring back up. Moreover, the recovery was fast.

"Kuaaaak! You think you can kill me with something like this!?"

He revealed himself again. Clearly his head had been blown off, but it regenerated. His face had changed slightly. Sharp fangs protruded. Horns of a demon had grown on his head, slightly different from those seen at the Carnival family before. Those had been single horns. This one had three horns.

[A triangular Main.]

[Around mid-tier?]

The number of horns indicated a Main's rank and power. Three horns meant he was among the stronger Mains.

'His true form.'

He had revealed his original appearance. The moment he returned to his true form, the aura felt from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him rose exponentially.

Albert clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Thanks to you, things got troublesome."

[Why is this my fault? You know too, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Albert, the characteristics of Mains!]

[They don't die in the first place! Those guys.]

He knew, but. Mains from that world and this world might be different, so he had wondered.

"We Mains are immortals! Do you think you can kill us with attacks that aren't holy power!? Uwahaha!!"

Mains were immortals. There was only one way to kill them. Holy power. Only by breaking their horns with powerful holy power could they be killed. Of course, breaking the horns didn't kill them immediately.

"Despair! It's impossible to kill me!"

"Maybe. But it doesn't really matter."

In an instant, Albert closed the distance in a flash.

"……!"

Forneus was startled. Though outwardly calm, he hadn't let his guard down at all. Already from one death, he knew how strong Albert was. Without taking his eyes off him, he poured all his attention into watching his movements.

Yet.

'Did I miss him?'

Once again, the one-hit kill flick struck. Though his head burst, since the horns didn't break, Forneus regenerated.

"Wow, are you an amoeba? Seeing you regenerate even after bursting like that, maybe the evolution theory of Mains from amoebas is correct."

"Kuh…… You bastard!"

Simultaneously with regeneration, Forneus drew up energy and moved with enhanced physical abilities. He intended to outrun him with speed.

'In my true form, I'm twice as fast as before! Even if you're fast, you can't…….'

"Running away like a rat. Don't make it annoying."

It was meaningless. Even if he became twice as strong, there was no way he could shake off Albert, an EX-rank Hunter. Just like an ant becoming twice as strong couldn't beat an elephant. No matter how strong the guy became, he wasn't a match for Albert.

"Kuaaaak! Die!!"

Giving up on running, Forneus attacked Albert with sharp claws that could easily tear through steel. In response, Albert also threw a punch.

'What a foolish choice! My claws can pierce steel! Yet you're countering with a fist!'

But something different from his thoughts occurred. His proud claws, capable of piercing steel, shattered into pieces the moment they touched Albert's fist.

"Huk!"

"Is that all? For something with such good momentum, it's nothing much."

"H-How…… My claws can pierce steel……."

"Must be Chinese-made."

Albert's fist pierced through his arm as is and embedded into Forneus's face beyond it. Naturally, it burst like a watermelon again. And the regeneration began.

"……You're strong……. But even so…… you can't kill me. I am immortal!"

"That's right, Mains are immortal so they can't be killed without holy power……. But you know what?"

Albert smiled sinisterly while looking into Forneus's sharp red eyes that had finished regenerating.

"Your body is immortal, but your mind isn't. Even if I can't kill your body."

The moment Albert swung his fist again, Forneus died once more and fell into darkness. Three deaths. As his head regenerated, light dispelled the darkness. But at the same time, darkness greeted him again. Four deaths.

"You can't kill an immortal. But you know, that doesn't mean there are no methods at all."

"Kek!"

Fifth death.

"Do you know how many of your kind I killed in that world? I have the walkthrough perfectly memorized."

Regarding Mains, Albert wasn't a beginner looking for a heading party but a veteran soaked in experience. If their bodies were immortal and couldn't die. It was enough to instill absolute fear of death and despair to make their minds die.

"Kuaaaak! Stop!!"

The regenerated Forneus burst magi and attacked Albert. Albert lightly dodged and suppressed him. The guy did his best, but there were things that couldn't be helped no matter how hard he tried. Albert sneered at the suppressed him.

"Why? Where did the polite speech go? You should keep it up, right? People, you know, what do you do if you lose your initial resolve."

Keep the concept. Once you've set a concept, you have to push it firmly. What if you suddenly lose it?

[Mains aren't people, are they?]

[Can you call these guys people?]

[You can't!]

[（ 」｀д´)」!!]

'Ah, right. I forgot.'

Crack!

He burst Forneus's head. Endless despair. When it exceeded 30 times, 40 times, 70 times, 100 times, Forneus's mind was slowly dying. Submission by overwhelming power. In a desperate situation where he couldn't run, couldn't win, couldn't even die, Forneus regretted for the first time.

'I shouldn't have become a Main…….'

Becoming a Main. And around the time his mind was dying, Albert grabbed his horns.

"I've always been curious."

[What are you trying to do?]

"Can't I break these horns?"

[You experimented countless times in that world. Without holy power…….]

Grind!

Albert gritted his teeth. With the help of skills, the energy flowing from Albert's body was enough to distort space. Dragon? No, a power incomparable to dragons was felt from him. All that power was concentrated in his hand solely to break the horns.

'Break it.'

Light flashed in his eyes, and soon an amazing thing happened. What had failed countless challenges in that world.

Crack!

Succeeded here. He broke the Main's horns with pure strength, without holy power.

[……Crazy, how can he be this crude…….]

"What did you just say?"

[A-Ah, no, more than that…… H-How did you break the horns?]

[It was impossible in that world.]

"Well……."

Albert looked at the two broken horns and threw them to the ground.

"Must be Chinese-made."

Albert laughed as he looked at the guy making a horrified expression while looking at his broken horns.

"You should use good stuff. Why make a fuss using Chinese-made."

[Was he a Chinese-made Main……?]

After all, domestic products are the best.