Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Monkey Dream
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Monkeys sliced into the woman with the knives in their hands. They thinly carved her skin and shoved it into their mouths, then ripped open her abdomen and dragged out the contents inside.
“Guh... Hngh...”
The woman no longer screamed.
No, she couldn’t. Her facial skin had long since been peeled off, and her tongue was rolling across the floor. She was still alive, but that wouldn’t last much longer.
‘...Next up is probably the man on the right. After that, the highest chance is me across from him.’
His heart pounded wildly at the brutal scene he was witnessing for the first time in his life, but Ian kept his head as calm as possible.
The current situation was clearly being caught up in an anomaly.
The identity of the ghost story was probably Monkey Dream.
In the original tale, it wasn’t monkeys but little dwarves that appeared and killed people, but what was right in front of his eyes now was unmistakably monkeys. They resembled chimpanzees, but they were definitely primates nonetheless.
In that case, the Primate Slayer Knife should be able to fully exert its effect.
According to the description in the grimoire, primates died instantly the moment they touched the knife, before they could do anything. Just lightly pricking their flesh would slaughter them.
That said, he couldn’t just leap up from his seat and charge at them right now.
There were simply too many of them. And every one of those numerous monkeys was armed with blades. If he launched a surprise attack, he might kill a few, but wiping them all out would probably be impossible.
So, he waited for an opportunity.
When they approached to kill him, he would recreate two of them and slash down the remaining three with the knife. That would eliminate all the monkeys in this car.
He didn’t know the situation in the other cars. But he wouldn’t think optimistically. It was best to assume the worst possible scenario and act accordingly.
Killing these ones would be the best outcome to end the situation, but if not, he might have to head to the conductor’s car.
His head already ached at the thought, but Ian steeled himself inwardly and waited for the monkeys to draw closer.
“Eeek, aaaah!!!”
The next turn after the woman died.
The man who had been sitting there dazed snapped to attention as the knife plunged into his body and began screaming. Ian silently crossed himself in his mind, praying he went to a good place.
He didn’t feel guilty watching the man die.
‘I’m not a hero. I’m a mage.’
He would save people if he could, but in a situation where he couldn’t, he wouldn’t let his heart waver with needless thoughts.
That way, his chances of survival would be higher.
[Ukkik!]
Moments later, the monkeys that had neatly butchered the man turned their heads toward Ian with shrill laughs. Ian narrowed his eyes and quietly watched them approach.
...Grip.
Strength naturally flowed into the hand holding the grimoire and the knife. Ian felt the soft texture of the grimoire’s cover and waited until the monkeys thrust their blades forward.
And the moment they slowly reached out their hands.
Whoosh!
Ian’s eyes widened as he wildly swung the grimoire in his grip. With a smack, the head of the lead monkey snapped around backward.
[Ukk?!]
[U, ukkik!]
The other monkeys panicked at the sudden turn of events. Ian didn’t miss the opening; he tossed the grimoire aside roughly, tapped two monkeys with his fingers, and carved knife marks into the bodies of the remaining two.
The two slashed by the knife died on the spot.
The monkeys touched by Ian’s fingers finished their judgment and twisted their faces, but Ian was faster than they were at swinging their knives.
“Be reborn anew.”
Crunch!!
The moment he spoke, the monkeys compressed right there. Ian wiped the sweat beading on his forehead as he looked down at them, now shaped like small cubes.
[U, ukkiiik... ukkik...]
The monkey struck by the grimoire and sent flying flopped around on the floor, unable to regain its senses. Ian kicked away the knives scattered around it and stabbed a blade into its leg.
That was the end. Ian roughly shook off the thick blood coating the blade, then picked up the compressed cubes and stowed them in his bag.
‘I’ve got two more materials. Not bad.’
Even without seeking out anomalies on purpose, he had already collected three materials. At this rate, he could try even more alchemy in the workshop.
Ian nodded to himself and picked up the fallen grimoire.
Rustle.
The moment it was in Ian’s hand, the grimoire flipped open its pages on its own.
[Caution!!]
[This grimoire is not a weapon. Do not use it to physically strike anything or as a tool.]
Ian read the words on the page and let out a wry smile.
It seemed the grimoire didn’t like him swinging it as an attack.
“Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
When he offered a sincere apology, the grimoire vibrated once and flipped to another page.
[Once you become a mage, getting caught up in anomalies from time to time is inevitable. In such cases, one solution is to calmly observe the anomaly’s identity and find a way to counter it, but there is also a more primal and simple method.]
[Total annihilation.]
[If you kill more than half of the entities comprising the anomaly, the phenomenon will ultimately lose its power and collapse. So if no strategy comes to mind, simply wiping them all out while you think is a valid option.]
Appeased, the grimoire presented a way to escape the current situation. Ian read the text quietly, then let out a groan as he closed the grimoire.
“Kill them all, huh.”
It was the simplest method, just as the grimoire said. The problem was that Ian’s physical abilities weren’t that exceptional.
There were no more monkeys in the car where he stood now. The fact that the anomaly hadn’t ended meant similar events were surely happening in the other cars.
Hunting them down one by one would be grueling.
If he walked openly through the passages, surprise attacks like before wouldn’t work, so he’d have to face off against at least five monkeys head-on... which didn’t seem easy. Even if successful, he’d probably end up with wounds somewhere.
But what choice did he have? If he wanted out, he had to do it.
The Monkey Dream ghost story had no escape method even in the original tale. If this were a dream, he might try something, but this was stark reality. He couldn’t use the typical “wake up from the dream” resolution.
So total annihilation was the only solution. Ian roughly swept back his sweat-matted hair and opened the grimoire to check for useful spells in the current situation.
Sensing his intent, the grimoire promptly displayed one recorded spell.
[Mystic-Suppressing Spell]
[Imbues a specific object with fragrance. Anomalies that smell it feel extreme drowsiness and fall into a sleep state on the spot.]
[Materials: Magic circle drawn with anomaly blood, object to imbue with fragrance, incense or perfume 25ml or more, woman’s blood 100ml, ether.]
The materials were fairly complex, but the effect was perfect for now.
The issue was how to obtain them...
“...Ah.”
A sudden idea struck him, and Ian moved to stand before the dead woman.
A gruesome sight. Her corpse, eyes still open in death, was grotesque enough to induce vomiting.
She would have lived peacefully if not caught in this anomaly. What a pity.
‘Rest in peace.’
Ian silently prayed for her soul as he carefully opened the backpack she had been clutching.
“There it is.”
Fortunately, it contained perfume.
A little more than half a bottle.
With the perfume bottle’s total capacity at 100ml, it was more than enough for the spell.
Ian quickly pocketed the perfume, found a corner to settle in, and drew a magic circle on the padding he was wearing using monkey blood.
He poured the perfume over it. He adjusted the amount by instinct, filled the now-empty perfume bottle with the woman’s spilled blood, and carefully dripped it around the magic circle.
Preparation complete. Ian held his hand slightly above the circle and chanted the incantation.
“I grant you peaceful rest, so may you fall into joyful and happy slumber.”
The incantation ended. A thick perfume scent began wafting from the padding.
Ian immediately donned the now-magic-infused padding and exhaled deeply.
‘No one saw me cast the spell, right?’
Despite his fairly noisy movements, the people still seated remained unmoving. It seemed they only reacted when the monkeys stabbed them directly.
Just to be safe, Ian moved to another car while shouting loudly.
“You evil byproducts of malice, hear me! The servant of the great God shall judge you, so rejoice and receive the spear of judgment!”
They were already exposed to the anomaly. If their ears and eyes were open, they would have realized ghost stories were real.
So, a apostle acting in God’s name wouldn’t seem strange. It was perfect as a cover identity.
Ian dredged up his shallow knowledge of Christianity and drew the sign of the cross like a believer dispatched from the Papal Curia.
The grimoire, understanding his intent, scattered pure white light around them.
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen! Crusaders, join me!”