What Is This? Leaf's Free Science Show!
Wha—
Leaf's fun science experiment show is free for today only!
'Is science even magic here?'
Anyway.
The gist gets across, so let's move on.
Right now, Leaf's generosity was being laid bare in front of my eyes.
Leaf, who had closed the eyes of her comrades who had died screaming and washed their corpses, where had she gone?
'No way. She didn't go anywhere—she left that psychopath behind just like back then.'
Leaf was subtly marking her territory.
Anyway, Leaf's experiment was pretty brutal.
It started with testing whether she could withstand her ultimate attack, the ultra-high-pressure water jet, then gradually raised the water level until it evolved into asking how long that variant bugbear could survive underwater.
"Wow… amazing, Mr. Roman. Look at this. An 'gami has grown!"
At Leaf's words, I paused briefly from rummaging through the bugbear's habitat and approached her.
There really was a variant bugbear breathing through its 'gami while trapped in the water prison.
"This is real?"
A bugbear somewhere between a bear and a goblin.
One step further, with a massive human-like skeleton and a head that looked like a lion, the variant.
Combined with the protruding bone-like spikes and 'gami I had fought, it was grotesque.
It was the kind of appearance that made you want to say it shouldn't exist.
"So, isn't it a completely different species, not even a bugbear? Some kind of mimic monster?"
Maybe.
Or perhaps it was infected by a parasite that modified the host.
Those kinds of stories exist, right?
Like black alien beings fusing with hosts and self-replicating.
"But why doesn't Roman's magic adapt and evolve?"
From the opposite side, Ray had already approached and leaned into the water prison, asking.
"It's dangerous, I mean, seriously dangerous, Ray."
"It's fine. Even if I'm properly seasoned with Roman's mana, I can't do anything. If I could overcome it, I would have done it before you hit me."
Ray's reasoning was sound.
I had thought the same about that point too.
That variant adapted to various environments and attacks.
Without shaking off the protruding spikes on its back that stuck to me.
Even created 'gami when trapped in Leaf's water prison.
The level of change was so high it seemed like becoming an entirely different creature.
But why couldn't it adapt to Leraje's mana, exhaustion?
[Of course, why would I worry about something obvious? It's my mana.]
Surprisingly, that claim was plausible.
Demons are higher-dimensional beings.
And Leraje, a Great Marquis, was an especially high-ranking demon among them.
Even the variant couldn't adapt to that power.
'Let's verify.'
There was a good way.
"Leaf, let it go. I'll try now."
"Oh, right. I used it too long, didn't I?"
I used it?
Clearly an experimental subject or training tool rather than a mere monster.
Leaf summoned Undine back, dispersing the water prison, and the variant collapsed directly onto the ground with a thud.
Empathy… none at all.
By the way.
The corpses I had found while rummaging here earlier weren't the only evidence of the slaughter that had happened just before.
If it killed people, it should have known it could die too.
That was the truth of the world.
I set aside any guilt and prepared my mana bullet.
This time, not with Leraje's mana, but with Seir's.
Cross-verification.
A mana bullet formed purely from condensed mana, without exhaustion magic, struck the variant's skin that hadn't undergone proper evolution.
Was one not enough?
I fired the mana bullet.
Until its skin tore and the flesh inside burst, spilling blood.
"That's definite."
I concluded that not only had it not evolved after adaptation, but it couldn't even recover.
"This guy can't adapt to demon powers."
The special nature of Leraje's mana.
Even without poison or exhaustion magic, the creature hadn't reacted to demon mana.
[Heh, but isn't that obvious too, Contractee?]
'Right. Even a Great Marquis Leraje could do it, but Seir-nim couldn't? That's absurd.'
[That's exactly it!]
I couldn't see her, there was no reason to.
Why, in my mind, was I seeing Seir standing with arms crossed over her chest, chin raised, and a smug smile as if she were right there?
"Hey, Mr. Roman?"
"Huh?"
"This one… seems dead."
"Eh?"
I put a finger on the variant's nose.
If it were breathing, I should have felt it.
…It's dead."
"At this point, it held on a long time. Mr. Roman's wounds don't heal, you know. Sounds like bleeding out."
Me, the culprit?
Why would I think that?
"That guy wasn't some god, so he had limits. Maybe the power source for evolution ran out just right?"
"You just said yourself it can't adapt to demon power."
Using cowardice as proof.
Let's settle it fairly with provocation and lies.
"There was no guarantee it would live long anyway. I and Leaf beat it plenty."
"…I didn't beat it like Ray."
"Water would hurt more than fists."
I agreed with that too.
Honestly, Ray had a tough-guy vibe, so she might seem stronger due to impact, but in pure power, Leaf was superior.
Anyway, the guy was dead, and dead was dead.
Since it couldn't be undone, focusing on what could be done now was correct.
"No choice. Even the corpse, we have to take it."
Before it rots, maybe we can take it.
[Jake]
Jake arrived at the Main Base after pushing himself with only the minimum sleep recovery and no breaks.
It was the first time he had run that hard.
Even the messenger who had claimed to cover 240 kilometers in two days for reinforcements couldn't match Jake's speed.
To make up for that, he left his two subordinates with a familiar explorer contact midway and ran alone.
As soon as he reached the Main Base, Jake skipped rest and headed straight for the Explorer Union.
While the city assigned security handled the Main Base, the Union was better at quickly deploying a small elite force.
Unlike the city, which required proof of identity, the Union knew Jake, so fast processing was expected.
"Mr. Jake?"
Even in his rundown state, the Union staff recognized Jake at first glance, as calculated.
"Reinforcements, uh, urgent…"
"Stay calm. First, water. Drink water. Explain the situation from the beginning."
Since this wasn't the first time, the staff's response was swift.
After Jake caught his breath by sipping water, he said.
"Near the Windmill at the End of the World, a variant bugbear appeared. Strong, mid to high rank for extermination. Top tier on the 1st floor. Even I, who was careless, was hit."
"Mr. Jake?"
Jake ranked high among seniors.
His 4th-floor expedition wasn't through connections or bribes.
If Jake was hit, then among explorers mainly active on the 1st floor, there was no one who could handle it.
"…The situation is serious. I'll report to the branch head right away and dispatch personnel."
"The branch head?"
"Currently away."
"We don't have time!"
Ignoring the pain in his throat, Jake raised his voice.
"Three novices are still there! They're trying to stall time! Even if we want their corpses…"
"Wait. Three novices at the End of the World Windmill?"
Jake glanced at the newcomer with displeasure, even though the time was already busy.
Red curly hair like a burning flame.
Next to him, a young man with brown hair and a woman with gray hair, taller than him.
Jake had heard of that combination before.
Daughter of the Alexandria Academy principal, and the two young geniuses closest to her.
Come to think of it, they had been test participants too.
The badge on their chests showed they had just passed the test and become official explorers.
"This isn't something for novices to handle… Thousand Swords?"
The direct disciple of the Pioneer.
The flagship of the Frontier Guild.
Even Jake, who had little interest in matters outside the Abyss, knew her name.
She had reached the level beyond regular upper and called the level of senior lower.
Who were these people that made them move without hesitation?
As Jake stood dumbfounded by the incomprehensible development, voices suddenly filled the air.
"What? We're all here. Don't tell me we're the losers?"
It was a voice I hadn't expected to hear, let alone something that shouldn't be heard.
But after hearing it, Jake's confusion cleared completely.
'Ah, I'm dreaming.'
I had already reached my body's limit and fallen unconscious without realizing.
Thinking that, everything felt easier for Jake.
Thus, Jake truly fainted.