Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Guest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Underestimate a child, and you'll be in for a world of hurt.
I rack my brain, searching for the best way to resolve this situation.
What is the enemy after? Can I solve this through dialogue?
But I can't even speak.
The absurdity of my own foolish thought makes me crack a self-deprecating smile behind my mask.
The questions I had before are of no help in resolving this situation.
It doesn't matter who the opponent is or what their purpose may be.
They are an intruder.
They must have come with malicious intent.
An uninvited guest who entered without permission must be driven out.
How?
I'm back to square one.
Should I lure them outside and eliminate them?
I glance past my opponent. That seems a bit difficult.
Outside the orphanage, a faint, dome-shaped barrier envelops the grounds.
It looks quite sturdy. They must have prepared an expensive one.
Breaking it isn't hard, but I'd have to raise my magic power.
The Grim Reaper's magic leaves traces easily.
Even if I break the barrier and defeat the enemy, one wrong move could expose my identity as the Grim Reaper.
I have to hide my power as much as possible so they don't find out I'm the Grim Reaper.
Hmm...
Wait a minute! Why am I overthinking this? There's a very simple solution.
A brilliant solution comes to mind, and the corners of my mouth lift.
‘I just have to hold out until Rene gets back.’
I don't need to defeat them myself.
I just have to keep them occupied.
Just long enough for Rene to defeat the other intruders and return here.
I won't even need to use the Grim Reaper's power. If I control my magic carefully while fighting, there's no risk of my identity being revealed.
Of course, if they're more skilled than I anticipate, I don't know what will happen.
Well, it's not like I have a better plan right now.
If I've made a decision, I should act on it immediately.
Before my opponent makes the first move.
*Step.*
I put a hand on my hip. Then I raised my middle finger.
My opponent flinched at my action.
Right after, I ran toward a more open area.
I heard the sound of pursuit. I didn't think they'd fall for such a simple provocation.
My eyes darted around, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon, and I found something suitable.
I ran to the flowerbed, picked up a garden trowel, and got into a stance.
The intruder stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of me.
They covered their face with a hand and bowed their head. Their shoulders trembled.
A moment later, the intruder raised their head, removed their hand, and spoke.
“Hey, kid. You think that's gonna work?”
The voice was laced with ridicule.
And it was a voice I'd heard somewhere before.
I tried to remember who it was, then stopped thinking and gripped the trowel tightly.
Right now, I need to focus on what's in front of me.
It's true, fighting with something this crude will be difficult.
Even if I enhance my body and the trowel with magic, it's a pitiful amount compared to my opponent's total magic power.
Still, they say a weapon's effectiveness depends on who wields it. So, you never know until you try.
In response to my opponent's mockery, I gave a light shrug.
I heard the opponent let out a snort of laughter.
‘Now…!’
I quickly grabbed the watering can from the flowerbed and threw it at him.
The watering can flew with the fierce momentum of a cannonball.
The target was his head.
It had enough force to smash a normal person's head open.
But the watering can stopped dead in mid-air, just short of its target.
*Sssss—*
Suspended in the air, the watering can slowly froze over.
‘Is this his power...? Freezing... a tricky ability. I'll have to be careful.’
Cracks formed on the watering can, and it shattered.
Normally, I would have been flustered by my opponent's ability, but instead, I kicked off the ground.
My opponent showed a hint of surprise at my bold move.
In an instant, I closed the distance and thrust the tightly gripped trowel toward his heart.
Just then, I felt his magic power concentrate around his heart.
A defense?
I judged that it would be difficult to pierce through with my current power.
Without hesitation, I changed my move.
From close range, I did a backflip, kicking out at a new target as I did.
The opponent seemed flustered by the sudden change in attack, and thanks to his delayed reaction, my kick landed squarely on his chin.
He touched his reddened, swollen chin. Losing his balance, his legs staggered.
I didn't miss the opening. The moment I landed, I rushed him again.
And again, I thrust the trowel.
*Thud!* But it was blocked by something hard, failing to pierce his heart.
‘Tch…!’
“How dare you...!”
Spitting out a voice filled with rage, my opponent quickly extended an arm toward me.
I used his arm as a vault, launching my body upward and fluidly moving behind him.
The moment my feet touched the ground.
I followed up with a roundhouse kick.
*Thwack!* The opponent grunted as the kick connected with his side.
A slight stumble. The opponent yelled, spinning around and swinging his arm widely.
I ducked to easily avoid it, then quickly grabbed his swinging arm, pressed my back tightly against his torso, and with all my strength, lifted and slammed him onto the ground.
*CRASH!*
By reinforcing my body with magic, even a child's body can do something like this with ease.
“Guh...”
I mounted his body, clenched my fists, and repeatedly slammed them into his chest.
*THUD! THUD! THUD!* A series of heavy sounds echoed.
They may be a child's fists, but fists infused with magic hurt far more than a normal person's.
The opponent let out a pained groan, his body convulsing.
‘Tch, he's tougher than I thought.’
I can feel the impact.
Normally, his bones and organs would be shattered, and he would die on the spot.
But because he's also reinforcing his body with magic, I don't feel any bones breaking.
In fact, the more I hit him, the more my own fists hurt. Still, I didn't stop, because he was clearly in pain.
“Aaargh!”
Magic erupted from the man, sending my body flying into the air.
I twisted my body as I fell, landing safely by bracing myself with my hands, and immediately rushed toward him again.
The opponent had just struggled to his feet.
I can't give him a moment's rest.
A fist flew fiercely toward me. I tilted my head to the side to dodge, then closed in and threw a punch.
My fist slammed into his chest.
"Khh," he grunted, taking two steps back.
I unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
The opponent groaned, gradually being pushed back.
He tried to block my attacks and counter, but his strikes never even grazed me.
In fact, his attacks were large and full of openings, so I used those chances to land even stronger blows.
‘What the...? I thought he'd be strong. He's nothing special.’
Like me, he's not revealing his true abilities.
Actually, it seems like he's also restraining his use of magic, perhaps to avoid attracting attention.
In essence, we're fighting with just our combat skills.
‘With all that magic power, I thought he'd be an experienced fighter. But he fights like a complete amateur. Is this some advanced strategy to make me let my guard down? If not... well, whatever. I'll just focus on the fight at hand.’
“Urgh, this little brat...!”
Getting hit repeatedly by a child must have really bruised his pride.
I could feel his anger.
But, perhaps because he was letting that anger guide his movements, he was even more full of openings than before.
In other words, he was easier to hit.
“Stop flitting around... If I can just land one hit, just one hit...!”
His punches and kicks were certainly destructive.
However, his movements were large, straightforward, and clumsy, making them easy to dodge.
Even street thugs don't fight like this.
“Ugh...! Why can't I hit you? I'm clearly dodging, so why am I the only one getting hit?!”
That's because I'm mixing feints into my attacks.
He seems to be reading my attacks, but his body's reaction is slow.
Too easy.
Honestly, I don't think my hand-to-hand combat skills are particularly outstanding.
Everything I know, I've learned through experience while living in this world. In other words, I'm just average.
That's why when I fought Red, I was outmatched in terms of physical combat.
But this guy is different.
He's weak.
At least, if we continue to fight with just physical skills, I'll definitely win.
‘If this goes well, I might be able to finish this myself.’
The moment I had that thought, a chill of cold magic ran down my spine.
“Hah!”
I stopped my attack for a moment and leaped backward.
The ground where I'd just been standing froze over.
I continued to jump back, retreating.
The ice kept spreading, chasing me as I dodged.
As I retreated, I picked up the trowel that had fallen on the ground.
After I'd retreated some distance, the opponent's attack finally stopped.
There was now a distance between us.
We faced each other. While I was still composed, his breathing was ragged.
“Tch! Dammit, I never thought you'd have these kinds of skills. As I thought, you're no ordinary kid....”
His voice was full of irritation, as if he'd run into a troublesome opponent.
His attitude was so ridiculous I couldn't help but chuckle.
It's not that I'm strong, you're just weak.
“Playtime's over, kid! I don't have time to mess around here either!”
My guard went up instantly.
Tch.
I was trying to end this before he started using magic.
A cold aura gathered around him and solidified.
Dozens of small icicles formed in an instant.
The opponent flicked his finger, and the icicles shot toward me all at once.
I lowered my stance, kicked off the ground, and charged forward.
“No way...! You dodged all of them?!”
‘The direction of the attacks is so obvious.’
I dodged all the icicles, closing the distance, and in no time, I was right in front of him.
I swung the trowel at his ankle. But the area I attacked was covered in ice, blocking it.
Next, I quickly leaped up and drove the trowel toward his neck. But again, it was blocked by ice.
I can't give him an opening to attack. I continued my assault relentlessly.
Each time, I was blocked by ice.
The opponent was so busy defending that he couldn't attack.
In that case, I'll try this.
I briefly loosened my attack.
As if spotting an opening, the opponent reached out his arm, and I parried it with my hand.
I felt my hand freezing and frowned slightly. Then, I spun and delivered a roundhouse kick to his side.
My foot was caught by the opponent's hand.
My foot began to freeze.
I brought the trowel down on the hand that held me.
*Clang!*
It was blocked by ice.
“This is the end, kid. Just stay frozen for a little while.”
I answered his venomous voice with a slight smile.
It's not over.
I quickly moved my other leg, aiming for his temple.
It connected with a heavy thud. The impact made him let go of my foot, and he staggered backward awkwardly.
Of course, the ice seemed to have prevented a critical hit, but his head must have been rattled quite a bit.
“You...!”
A cold chill swirled at my feet.
*Thwip.* I dodged, and an ice spike shot up from where I'd just been standing.
I infused the trowel with magic and threw it at his head with all my might.
As expected, ice formed and the trowel got stuck in it.
I kicked off the ground, clenched my fist, and punched the handle of the trowel with all my strength.
The ice shattered, and I leaped forward, delivering a headbutt.
*CRACK!*
*Crack.*
My mask cracked, and a piece of the opponent's mask broke off.
“......!”
My eyes widened.
When I froze for a moment, he seemed to notice something, touched his own mask, and then his eyes widened in realization.
Then, his eyes narrowed in displeasure.
“Tch! This is ridiculous. Something's wrong. How could I, the protagonist, end up in this state against a mere kid?”
Those eyes.
It's Isaac.
Why? How? My mind suddenly reeled with confusion.
Still, I snapped out of it and prepared to continue the fight.
“Lily...?”
My body, about to lunge forward, froze.
Lena had come out into the yard.
Her voice was drowsy with sleep.
Lena was rubbing her eyes.
I was so bewildered my thoughts were about to short-circuit. Did we fight too loudly?
What do I do? Keep fighting? But if I do...
Just then, Isaac's eyes glinted.
I had a bad feeling.
Isaac was about to snap his fingers, so I picked up the fallen trowel and threw it.
Isaac grunted in pain.
I had intended to sever his wrist, but it only ended up embedded in his forearm.
His fingers didn't stop.
Should I use the Grim Reaper's power now?
I had no choice. I was about to raise my magic power and incinerate Isaac in an instant.
But in that moment, the everyday life I'd spent here flashed through my mind, and I hesitated.
'Ah... damn it...'
That split-second of hesitation made me half a beat too slow.
*Snap!*
A clear sound rang out.
I quickly ran to Lena and hugged her with all my might.