The Core of the Nightmare
At this very moment, having reached the peak of my current potential, I cannot afford to waste even a single second. Strategy? Defense? I have no room to spare for such things. Only offense. Without a shred of hesitation, I sprinted toward the Mutated Monster.
"My life for—"
The monster, writhing in the shape of a long dragon, blocked my path. I kicked off the ground and leaped into the air with all my might.
"—Aiur!"
The other party members here wouldn't understand the meaning behind my shout. The same would be true for anyone else in the world of Nine Stars. But even if there wasn't a single soul to recognize it, I absolutely had to deliver that line. I’m Korean; I can’t help it. Honestly, how could I not think of a Zealot while charging forward heroically with dual blades?
Slash!
At the peak of my jump, I plunged my dual blades into the monster’s head with every ounce of strength I possessed. Then, rotating once in mid-air, I dragged the Frost Sword downward.
Shugagak—!
Two high-speed highways of sword marks were carved into the dragon-shaped creature’s massive body. A dragon form? Who cares. Even a rough calculation showed that my current attack power overwhelmingly surpassed its defense. The monster’s epidermis was sliced away like pudding, without the slightest resistance.
"W-what is that?"
Mitchell stood agape, her jaw hitting the floor. She must have never seen a crazy mage create swords in both hands and go on a suicide charge. And she’d certainly never seen such insane tactics work so well.
But if she was shocked by just this, she had a lot more to be surprised about in the future. I hacked away at the monster with my Frost Sword and shouted, "Don't just watch! Attack now!"
"Okay—!"
Surprisingly, Flora was the first to act with agility. Perhaps she had already adapted, having witnessed my madness once before. "I just need to hit it as hard as I can without worrying about the aftermath, right?"
Pajik—!
With a refreshingly bright expression, Flora unleashed a barrage of magic arrows.
"The beast is disoriented! Now is the time to push!"
Wagner, for the first time in a while, set aside his shield and delivered a full-swing blow with his mace.
—Gueu... Guralak!
Under Wagner’s strike, the monster vibrated violently and began to lose its composure. Like an air doll losing its air, it wobbled left and right. Not missing the opportunity, Mitchell leaped over its head.
"Yeah, this is it! You stay right there!"
It wasn't as strong as my current output, but Thunder Kick had been our party's strongest attack throughout this hunt. This single blow would be significant. Furthermore, the monster was currently defenseless. That meant the probability of a critical hit was extremely high.
"Uryaaa—!"
All eyes gathered on Mitchell as she performed a dazzling descent from the air. Adding acceleration, she slammed her heel into the monster’s massive body, driving it into the ground.
Kugwang—!
The earth shook. The giant mass of fluid in the shape of a dragon lay sprawled on the ground, looking pathetic. Excellent, Mitchell. If I were to score it, I’d give it a 10 out of 10—no, an 11.
"Let's finish this."
Having taken the full brunt of our party’s concentrated chain attacks, the monster was completely in a groggy state. Is it painful? You look like you need a lot of time to catch your breath. But this fight isn't a fair sporting match. It’s a life-or-death struggle that only ends when one side is annihilated. Once it crumbles, we only dig deeper into the wounds.
While Wagner and Flora focused their attacks on the monster’s torso and Mitchell on its head, I took a step back to gain a more precise view.
Clairvoyance.
I didn't need to capture everything in my sight. Right now, I only needed to find one thing.
'Where did you hide the core?'
The Mutated Monster was also an enhanced version of the mud monster/slime series. Like them, the core hidden somewhere in its fluid body was its greatest weakness. However, with a core the size of a baby’s fist submerged somewhere inside a body over ten meters long, it was incredibly difficult to find. Unless you got lucky, it was nearly impossible to target.
That was usually the case, but... I had Clairvoyance.
Whoosh!
As I focused my ocular power to the limit, my eyes began to burn as if they were on fire. The dragon’s long feet, torso, wings, tail... I scanned everything without exception, like a sophisticated X-ray machine.
'Found you.'
The core was between the monster’s legs. Even without the core, that spot was generally considered a vital point for other living creatures as well.
...What is this? Why is the core there of all places?
For a split second, my fingertips froze. Even though it was an enemy, and I knew it was a monster without a gender... stabbing the crotch was just too cruel.
"It can't be helped. Why did you hide the core there?"
I squeezed my eyes shut and swung the Frost Sword.
Sung-deong—!
Flop, flop.
Disgustingly, the severed core flopped on the ground all by itself like a living fish.
—Gueuararalak...! Guaaaak!
The loudest scream since the battle began echoed through the room. The voice was so filled with agonizing pain that even I felt a pang of heartache.
Fantastic Strike! You have extracted the Mutated Monster's core!
The monster, which had maintained its form despite numerous powerful attacks, could not hold on this time. Kwaaaa—! The dragon shape collapsed, and the wastewater that formed its body poured out in all directions like a tidal wave. Everyone struggled in the sudden wave that rose to our waists. Especially for me, it was even harder because my body was small. While the water reached the others' waists, it was up to my neck—damn it.
"Uwak— I can't swim well—"
"Grab my hand."
Standing firm like a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean, Wagner pulled Flora’s hand.
"Puhah— Wagner, me too!"
"B-bear-guy— me too—"
"...Everyone, don't let go and hold onto me tight."
We clung to Wagner’s body, huddled together, waiting for the wave to pass.
"Et, ptooey— Ha, seriously. That bastard, his methods are filthy until the very end."
Mitchell spat repeatedly, brushing back the wet hair that had fallen over her face.
"Wow— but one of my curiosities was solved, at least."
"What?"
"The wastewater, you know. It had such a delicious-looking color that I kept wondering what it tasted like— um, the taste is really terrible."
Flora smiled brightly, looking like a drowned rat. No, you shouldn't be smiling so happily in this situation... you’ve probably been poisoned, too. Well, whatever. I brought enough antidotes.
However, it was too early to let our guard down.
"...What is that?" Mitchell muttered, narrowing her eyes.
Amidst the debris of the collapsed monster, a small shadow stood up, stumbling.
"It's not over yet?"
Wagner, who was shaking the water out of his clothes, raised his shield again. Right, Mitchell said it. That bastard’s methods are filthy until the end. Mitchell was right. The main battle was over, but the Mutated Monster had one final attack pattern. A so-called 'desperation pattern.'
The difficulty of this pattern changed every time. So, it was hard for me to prepare an accurate strategy in advance. I could only hope it would end without much damage. Basically, if the party members were villains, it was easy and simple to deal with, but conversely, the more righteous they were, the harder it became.
"It's coming!"
At Wagner’s shout, the shadow stretched its body and reached out toward us. It wasn't a speed you could dodge. It was a guaranteed targeting attack that you were bound to be hit by anyway. The shadow burrowed under Mitchell’s feet as if it had been aiming for her from the start.
"Mitchell!"
"Mitchell!"
Mitchell’s eyes widened. The shadow covered her entire body, and after a moment, it returned to its original state.
—...Understood.
A chilling voice echoed through the boss room. Step, step. Soon after, the shadow approached Mitchell. With every step, the shadow’s body changed slightly, forming a new shape. It didn't grow larger. It was a small frame, barely different from mine. It didn't take on an intimidating appearance like a dragon or a giant fist. Nevertheless, Mitchell’s shoulders began to tremble as she looked at the shadow.
"...How are you..."
Mitchell couldn't finish her sentence. Instead of the frozen Mitchell, Wagner took action first.
"I don't know exactly what that thing is, but it's safe to assume it's an enemy. Everyone, don't hold back and let's fight."
He raised his mace with all his might, but Wagner’s expression as he said that wasn't very bright. It made sense; the opponent was a child. A small elf kid who looked about ten years old. Her skin was as white as snow, and her hair was as red as a burning fire. ...Just like Mitchell.
The child stared at Mitchell expressionlessly with fox-like, narrow eyes. She didn't even show hostility toward us. It was as if she were saying, "Go ahead and attack if you want."
"Mitchell, are you okay?"
Flora looked back at Mitchell with worried eyes. But Mitchell didn't seem to hear Flora’s words.
"...Ed."
Mitchell took a step toward the child.
"Mitchell, wait!"
"Ed... Ed!"
"Mitchell!"
Wagner tried to stop her with a loud voice, but Mitchell kept walking as if possessed. She walked, and at some point, she began to run. Sparkling tears were already welling up in the elf’s eyes.
***
Meanwhile, at the same time, in the early region of the Polluted Waste Deposit.
"Idiot, Max, you fucking idiot!"
The vigilante gasped for air. How did it end up like this? He felt like he was trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn't wake up. At first, he thought it was a trivial mission. A simple task of carrying a few boards to close off one cave passage. If it weren't for that bastard Max, the work would have been finished long ago. If things had gone as planned, he would have been back in Garden by now, resting with a beer.
"What do we do now?"
Another vigilante said with an anxious look. His pupils trembled like a terrified rat. It was a pathetic sight, but it was hard to blame him. His own appearance was surely the same.
"Should we go back?"
"How can we go back like this? Several people have already died."
Six vigilantes had come with Max, and now only three were left. They still found it hard to accept this situation. Why were there traps? Did they know we were coming from the start? Who? How? Since when?
But there was no one to answer that question. In the air dominated by anger and fear, only the recriminations against each other were repeated like a loop. Right. If it weren't for that bastard Max, things wouldn't have turned out like this. It’s all because of that moron—
The vigilante gritted his teeth. The end of Max, who had sunk and drowned in the wastewater, was still vivid before his eyes. And that gaze. Those eyes, bloodshot and wide open. As if resenting us, as if cursing us—
"Damn it!"
The vigilante kicked a stone fragment on the ground. The stone, bouncing off the wall, disappeared into the wastewater slowly, just like Max back then.
Who is resenting whom? We are the ones who should be angry.
"There must be people who set traps somewhere ahead. I won't go back until I see their faces with my own eyes."
"I agree."
"I'll tear them to death. I'll pay them back a hundred times, a thousand times over."
The vigilantes, their eyes flashing viciously, threatened in chilling voices. Their faces were full of poison.
—Cough, cough...
And, in fact, they had been poisoned for a long time. Because they had forced their way through the traps, everyone had received the baptism of the Polluted Waste Deposit without restraint.
"I'll kill you, you sons of bitches..."
The vigilante moved his staggering legs. His eyes were unfocused, as if drunk, and he trembled incessantly. The poison that had already penetrated his brain no longer allowed him rational thought. However, even so, a question occupied a corner of his mind.
'Max, that bastard...'
Max’s body, which had fallen into the wastewater and not surfaced. But what was that silhouette that had been shaking violently under the water? As if transforming into something other than human.
The vigilante couldn't watch that sight until the end. The warning of instinct echoing in his head made him flee in a hurry.
'Is he really dead?'