Let's Do One Job (3)
The ruins surrounded by a pine forest were astonishingly quiet.
No hum of air conditioner outdoor units, no birdsong, no rustling leaves, no chirping insects. Nothing like that existed. Only the occasional whisper of wind passing through empty spaces.
The ruins inside the Gate stood frozen, as if time itself had stopped.
The only sound here was my footsteps echoing on the concrete floor.
That pine tree... I've seen it before.
For a brief moment, I'd glimpsed the shape of the pine outside the window. It was striking, with pinecones jutting like thorns from the trunk's end.
Remian pine from Yggdrasil.
That pine existed in the world of Yggdrasil. Humans had cultivated it for explosives. Ruins and Remian pines. Materials from Yggdrasil and Earth mashed together. Dimensional rift fit perfectly.
But it didn't suddenly fire those pinecones like that.
It must have mutated under the influence of spatial mana. I didn't know the details. This was my first time stepping inside this Gate.
"It's way quieter than I thought. Nothing here?"
I was streaming as I wandered the ruins. It would've been scary alone, but chatting with viewers dulled the fear a bit.
Some viewers worried about my chattiness and wanted me to hush, but I wasn't concerned. No ambushes here.
Whirr—
Not on stream, but a faint mana barrier enveloped me in a 50-meter sphere. Anything entering? I'd sense it first.
No straight corridors over 50 meters in this crumbling building. Commercial complex—twisty passages everywhere.
"So how do you get out of here? You guys."
I tossed out the half-asked question from earlier. None of my prepped Gate raid streams had interiors like this.
Viewers exploded with answers. We'd hit over 500 now.
Chat flew too fast to read fully, but they answered quick. Still, lies possible—like before—so caution.
First-wave viewers kept chatting too.
They fixated on my thorn-drop trick. Magic lured 'em—main interest: spells.
But that wasn't magic.
Just spatial mana wrapped around me. Explaining? They'd blank. No confidence they'd get it.
Thud—
I strolled, eyes on chat. Peering right down an alley—MS25 convenience store, lights on outta nowhere.
"Gonna pop in there real quick."
Reason? Faint spatial mana vibes. My gut hit.
Checked chat en route. Nailed it.
Their "instinct"? Reading spatial mana.
Anyone can sense spatial mana. Space is always with us.
Handling it? Different story.
Ding-a-ling—
Door opened—rotten stench hit my nose. Rats, roaches skittered across the floor.
"Ugh..."
Swallowed nausea, pushed inside. Spatial mana thick deeper in.
Creeeak—
Opened the "stockroom" door. Strong mana aura inside.
Tension spiked. Barrier snagged something. No more chit-chat. Viewers noted my sudden quiet.
Grinning at the praise, I picked up a can from the stockroom. Trash at a glance, but purple mana particles clung.
Strong enough to spot purple dust visually.
"This the mana stone thing, right?"
Cocky question. Predictable replies.
Savoring reactions, deep breath. Spatial mana saturated. Home turf.
Made sense. Collision of Gates birthed this via spatial mana. No mana? Weirder.
"Hoo..."
Inhaled mana—calm washed over. Mind cooled, senses sharpened.
Like meditating in Yggdrasil's misty woods. Earth life dulled it. Gal binge, games—faded.
Mana wrapped me, sensations bloomed. Eyes closed, I savored, inhaling deep.
Thud thud thud!
No time. Massive footsteps outside. Not human.
Boom! Crash!
Too heavy. Barrier snag? Them.
Spam deleted fast. Chat too quick—missed it. Fingered pocket can.
Mana stone lured "monsters." Logical. Elements attract like properties. Spatial mana same.
Boom!
Footsteps neared, stopped at door. It sensed me too.
"......"
Staredown through filthy glass.
Gathered spatial mana—stopped. Questions? Nah. Prepped elemental instead.
Enemy across? Elemental plenty.
Whoosh—!
Elemental basics: water where wet, fire where hot, wind where breezy.
Concrete ruins? Earth.
Fwoosh!
Yellow-brown earth element swirled my right hand. Plentiful here.
"Sten Slegg."
Chanted ma-eon for boost. Simple: make rock, launch.
Soccer-ball stone floated, ready.
Aimed at glass, infused thrust with left mana.
"Shot."
Fired.
Kaboom!
Shockwave—glass shattered, concrete pillar holed.
Two huge monsters slumped by shards, purple blood pooling. Shockwave kill.
Viewers watching live? Exploded.
Regulars too.
Aggro'd newbies same shock. Praise thrilled me, but mana zen kept me serene.
Glanced chat, approached corpses.
Wood, needles, concrete fused body. Purple skin elsewhere. Grotesque.
"Eugh..."
Not lingering. Dawn-street drunk vibe.
Backing away—glint in vomit-core: purple shine.
Strong mana source: that.
"Guys... that thing... expensive?"
Gross touch, but pricey? One shot.
T-Ten thousand? Two? Twenty. Down payment. Keyboard fund. Pick 'em—done.
Plus fee... finances comfy.
"T-Ten... for real?"
Crept to corpses.
Squelch!
Ew. Nasty. Sticky slime on skin—hate.
Plop—
Pushed through—hard snag. More mana than can. Felt it.
Pulling out—
Click—
Cold on nape. Sound: muzzle.
"Don't move, bitch. Twitch and your head explodes."
Male voice. Mana pulsed from gun, hand. Instinct: elf.
Somehow bypassed my barrier.
"Elf... an elf."
Deep breath. Thick spatial mana filled me. Old memories flashed. Pleasure... disgust. Why I ditched elves, hid. Revulsion told.
Drip! Plop!
Building shook, floor vibrated. Stream gear hissed.
Shff—
Ignored warning, stood. Turned—he gawked, confused.
Pointy ears. Elf. Masked, but mana sense: odd spells.
Click—click—
Gun trained, triggers pulled. Dud.
Crunch!
Stared—pistol crumpled to ball, rolled.
"W-What the fuck...!"
Ditched gun, fled. Nope.
Thwack!
Headbutted air, tumbled. Approached slow.
"Kneel and bow your head. Before you stands the Archmage who has attained omniscience."