Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: [Reality] Summoning
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KABOOM!
With a deafening roar that tore at his eardrums, the asphalt pavement crumbled like tofu.
Through the thick cloud of dust, a monster with red skin strode forward, swinging its four arms.
"Grrrrowl!"
Two massive bull heads snorted in unison as they glared at him.
Their expressions seemed to say, That all you got?
This bastard's actually enjoying himself right now.
Meanwhile, someone's on the verge of dying here.
A short time had passed since the battle with the Twin-Headed Minotaur began.
It wasn't long, but he was already struggling.
Its four arms wielded different weapons in wildly unpredictable arcs, dancing through the air.
As soon as the axe came crashing down, chains lashed at his ankles. Dodge that, and a halberd sliced at his side.
How the hell am I supposed to handle this thing solo?
[Mana Detection] read the monster's movements, red lines scribbling chaotically across his vision.
What good were visible attack trajectories if dodging them was still a nightmare?
Vrrrrm!
His mana circuits screamed in protest.
He was in full-dope mode, pouring every skill and trait into the fight.
By real-world standards, that put him at C-Rank Hunter level—but back then, he'd held back some power, and this was before his trip to the [Iron-Blooded Alchemist] world.
He was way stronger now, so he figured his combat prowess ranked solidly in the upper tier of C-Rank Hunters.
Probably true, right?
But this thing was a Raid Boss.
Fighting a party-level target solo was just too brutal.
Sigh. Damn it. Should've bolted the second the Gate opened.
What glory was worth this hell?
But what could he do?
He had to fight.
"Come on, you bull-headed freak!"
"ROOOAR!"
The beast bellowed and charged, its massive axe plummeting toward his skull.
He couldn't dodge.
Dodging would leave him open to the follow-up mace.
With [Mana Coating] on his three-section staff, he smacked the axe's shaft, twisting its path aside.
Clang!
"Ngh…."
The impact jolted his wrists numb.
No breather—the chains whipped at his ankles next.
"Hup!"
He leaped straight up, evading the chains, then twisted mid-air to jam the staff into one of the beast's jaws.
Thwack!
"Grk?"
It connected solidly, but that was it.
The monster barely turned its head, then swung its remaining arms as if to say it was meaningless.
Is this thing's durability for real?
[Steel Body] must belong to this freak, not him.
He'd landed hits whenever openings appeared, but his attacks barely scratched it. Meanwhile, even a graze from the beast was lethal.
Crunch!
He dodged, but the halberd's tip still grazed his side.
His first solid hit.
"Urk!"
The razor-sharp blade shredded his clothes and carved into his flesh.
His side burned, blood soaking through from the gash.
Thanks to [Earth's Blessing], it'd heal in time… but.
This won't cut it.
A quick clash gave him the measure.
He couldn't win this.
No matter how many fortuitous encounters he'd gained in manga worlds or how inflated his stats were, the raw class difference was too vast.
A C-Rank Raid Boss.
Needed at least ten C-Rank Hunters in a proper party: tanks, DPS, healers, buffers, debuffers.
No way was he stronger than that optimized team.
"Grrrowl…."
The beast smelled the blood and grew frenzied.
Seeing it lick the blood from its halberd sent chills down his spine.
No options?
He couldn't die here.
He opened his inventory.
Time to pull out the secret weapon that had saved him from countless crises.
Bear spray.
Worth a shot, right?
Monster or not, it wasn't invincible.
Those huge nostrils—blast 'em with pure capsaicin, and it'd be reeling.
"Eat this, you bull bastard!"
He feinted a staff swing toward its chest.
Hissssh!
As it paused to attack, he sprayed the bear repellent straight at its face.
The spicy capsaicin gas spread like red mist, engulfing its head.
"Kueh?"
It froze.
Did it work?
"Chii! Purrr!"
It sneezed once, blinked its big eyes at him.
Tears maybe? Or not.
That was it.
Ah, we're screwed.
Doesn't work on monsters.
Well, it kinda did—a tiny bit.
Duh, if it worked on monsters, it'd be called Monster Repellent, not Bear Spray.
He'd known it was a long shot.
Just grasping at straws.
"Wraaaargh!"
Instead, tasting the spice enraged it completely, sending it into a berserk rampage.
Axe and mace spun like windmills, smashing everything around.
BOOM!
"Damn it!"
He bolted without looking back.
Forget fighting.
Run to survive.
Luckily, its bulk made it sluggish.
He evaded attacks and dove into a nearby commercial building.
Crash!
Shattering the glass door, he tumbled into the lobby.
Sprinted straight for the emergency stairs.
Narrow stairs should hinder that bulk.
Up to the second floor, third—mad dash.
Thud! THUD!
The whole building shook.
Peeking over the railing: it was smashing through walls to climb.
If stairs were too narrow, just bulldoze the walls. Brute force.
"Crazy bastard. Figures it's a monster—pure dumb muscle!"
He'd thought post-Hunter life meant no more exhaustion from running, but combat adrenaline and fatigue had his breath ragged.
He kicked open the rooftop door.
An open expanse.
Nowhere left to run.
"Haa… haa…."
Leaning on the railing, he peered down.
The street was still pandemonium.
Pulled out his smartphone for the time.
Only three minutes since the Gate opened.
Felt like an hour, but just three minutes?
Makes no sense.
Other Hunters are still too far.
He needed to hold at least ten minutes, but three in, and he was wrecked.
With it climbing the stairs, it'd reach the roof before backup arrived.
Or maybe collapse the whole building.
What now?
Think, Lee Jun.
Just when life was turning around—came for back pay, not to die.
Too unfair.
Damn tough body; staff wouldn't kill it no matter how much he beat it.
He'd die first.
Only one way.
Trait points caught his eye in the status window.
502 points.
Saved for future harem-building, but no point if he died now.
Need firepower. One-shot potential.
Strongest attacker he'd met so far.
Erika.
The heroine from the original Abyss Miner manga, a genius swordswoman.
Her sword, [Divine Sword: Hakunakirimaru], had unmatched attack power.
A cheat weapon that loosed ranged slashes capable of cleaving space with a casual swing.
It'd one-shot the oni form that shrugged off all his attacks back then.
No way he could match that power, even now.
Of course, without him logged in, the Abyss Miner world was paused.
Erika there was still a novice who'd just gotten her sword.
A Japanese sword-wielding high school girl (sorta) who knew zilch about swordsmanship.
Summon her, and she'd neither dodge nor block the monster's attacks.
99% chance of instant death on arrival.
Forget the morbid curiosity about what happens if a summon dies—useless anyway.
But.
The sword's power was guaranteed.
If he tanked aggro and created an opening—just once.
Time it perfectly for one swing.
It could work.
"Worth a try."
No—had to.
Or he'd die.
THUD!
Footsteps on the stairs grew closer.
It was almost here.
"Fuck it!"
He thrust his hand into empty air.
"Summon character! Erika! Temporary summon!"
Blood money—his points—drained away.
Flash!
Dazzling light erupted from thin air before him.
And within that glow, a familiar silhouette emerged.
One he hadn't seen in ages.
Long black hair, pale skin, and a Japanese sword with cherry blossom patterns on the hilt.
Slender figure with modest curves—Erika herself.
The sparkling light outlined her body enticingly, but crisis mode kept things from… escalating.
"…Huh?"
As the light faded, Erika stood there, dazed.
Her eyes darted around in confusion.
Makes sense.
Last she remembered from Abyss Miner: he'd helped her get Hakunakirimaru, they parted, he rested at the inn briefly, then logged out to reality.
For her, barely moments after parting, suddenly summoned to an alien rooftop.
How could she not freak?
"Lee… Jun… sir?"
Spotting him amid her scan, her eyes widened hugely.
Already big, now enormous.
Shocking, yeah.
The Lee Jun she knew was his Abyss Miner self.
Post-[Iron-Blooded Alchemist], more muscle, taller, face… more human.
Aura totally changed.
Modern clothes, not miner gear.
Miracle she recognized him at all—but she did, instantly.
"Where… no, Lee Jun sir, your appearance…."
"No time to explain, Erika! Situation's critical!"
BOOM!
That instant, the rooftop door exploded off its hinges.
Dust cloud parted to reveal the Twin-Headed Minotaur's colossal form.
"ROOOAR!"
"Kyaa! W-what is that?!"
Erika yelped, stumbling back.
Fair—girl chased by kobolds on floor one, now facing a Raid Boss? Hardcore.
Should've stayed longer in Abyss Miner, leveled her up.
Too late for regrets.
Not a bad call at the time.
"Listen, Erika. I summoned you. Need your help."
"Help…?"
"Yeah. Gotta kill that monster. Can't pierce its hide myself. But your sword—Hakunakirimaru—can."
He gripped her shoulders firmly.
"Can you do it?"
Her eyes wavered—fear of the unknown place and chaos, confusion, mixed with trust in him.
Then she gripped her hilt tight and nodded.
"If it's what you want, Lee Jun sir… I'll do anything. You saved my life. And…"
"And?"
"N-nothing."
She shook her head with a bright smile.
Whatever it was, that's the spirit.
Good thing he'd maxed affinity.
Future bus rider for sure.
"Plan's simple. I'll draw its eyes, freeze it—but just for a second. That moment, you sever its neck. Got it?"
"Y-yes!"
"Fail, we both die. One shot to end it."
"But… I-I still can't handle a sword well…."
"You can. I believe in you, Erika."
That did it.
"Yes, Lee Jun sir. I'll make it happen."
She inhaled deeply, assumed stance.
Drew Hakunakirimaru with resolute eyes—its translucent silver blade gleamed like moonlight-forged steel in the sun.
"Ready!"
"Go!"
He charged straight at it.
Too close to Erika, and she'd freeze up.
Needed distance—for her sake, closing it for him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Twin-Headed Minotaur charged.
Tank-rush pressure.
One tank equals three high school girls in firepower, he joked inwardly to ease tension, maxing [Mana Detection].
World filled with red lines.
Trajectories visible.
Each survivable alone, but threads converging inevitably to death.
Fine.
End it first.
Axe and halberd plummeted simultaneously.
Dodge this.
Whoosh!
Blades grazed his head, hair whipping.
Chaining attack? Staff-cut.
Lost the staff to the chains—fine.
No weapons needed from here.
Mace incoming—duck waist-low.
Abandon offense, pure evasion—better than before.
Crunch.
Staff mangled in chains.
Farewell, partner.
Memories flashed.
Actual life-flashing?
Anyway, after several dodges.
Target opening arrived.
Mid-combo, four arms swinging organically—gaps between attacks lengthened at key points.
Inevitable flaw from human-like anatomy.
Twisting toward the halberd, he offered his right shoulder.
Left had heart—too risky.
Flesh to take bone, as they say.
Yield flesh, claim bone.
Yield bone, claim your life.
"Raaagh!"
Battle cry with max [Body Enhancement].
Concentrated mana into bones and muscles.
Splat!
Halberd bit into his shoulder.
[Steel Body]-trained muscle and bone, mana-reinforced, still tore and splintered.
"Gaaah!"
Excruciating agony surged; he screamed unwittingly.
Pain whited out his vision beyond imagination.
Clack, clack.
Teeth chattered madly.
But it wedged the blade between bone and muscle, halting it.
It tried to yank free.
As if.
Muscles clenched, biting the blade.
Left hand seized its arm.
Even this felt dizzying; body that moved freely now creaked horribly.
"Now! Erika! Slash it!"
Blood spewed from his mouth as he yelled.
But before his cry reached.
A chilling aura exploded behind him.
"Haaah!"
Erika's shout.
And.
Shiiiing!
Silver flash lanced from Hakunakirimaru's tip.
In the story, unblockable.
Absolute Severing Slash—nothing withstood it.
Swoosh!
Flash grazed past him.
Cleaved the beast's thick body vertically, piercing clean through.
"…!"
Time froze.
All four eyes bulged.
Realization of doom.
"Dumbass."
He smirked at it.
Shoulder agony threatened blackout, but that idiot face kept him talking.
"Split in half and die."
Sliiiice.
A vertical line appeared center-body.
Split as if always two, halves parting left-right.
How sharp? Cut surfaces only now bubbled red blood.
Then erupted like fountains.
Thud! Thud!
Halves crashed down; halberd slipped from his shoulder to the ground.
"Huff… huff… We did it."
Blood poured from his shoulder, soaking clothes.
Vision blackened; tension released, legs buckled.
Consciousness fading.
Would die like this.
But first.
Before….
Royal Physician, self-heal.
Activated the trait's second effect on himself.
As he collapsed, final sight:
Blaring system messages and Erika, hurling Hakunakirimaru aside, rushing over sobbing.