STM 9

The air shifted again in the same spot where the pursuer holding the greatsword had appeared. Soon a black portal opened, and this time, a mage wearing a long robe rushed out. Then,

Splash!

He fell straight into the pond.

“Ugh! Argh, what’s this?!”

He flailed helplessly because his feet didn’t reach the bottom, and he quickly waved the wand in his hand. At that instant, his body floated into the air and landed on the ground.

“Cough, cough. Damn, why was the pond right under the portal…”

“Haas, you’re so clumsy.”

The sudden voice made the mage, whose name had been called, flinch and turn his head reflexively. A young woman in combat gear stood there, holding two swords.

“Enya! What the hell, you..”

But Enya’s face already showed displeasure. She glanced at the dripping-wet Haas once and looked around.

“What is this place? Are you sure the monster ran this way?”

Yes. Haas answered irritably while wringing water from his clothes.

“The location of the tracking parasite attached to the monster is right here. Damn, it even came all the way to Ornod.”

“Ornod?! That’s impossible! How the hell did the monster move? Magic doesn’t even work on those things, so how…”

“How would I know? You can’t transfer monsters with portals made by magic, that’s certain. But…”

“But what?”

Instead of answering, Haas furrowed his brow, and Enya pressured him.

“If you don’t know, just say you don’t.”

“There’s nothing I don’t know. It’s just strange. The only portal monsters can pass through is… the Eye of Hell.”

Enya’s face stiffened immediately.

“That’s absurd. Stop talking nonsense and follow me.”

As she walked off first, Haas grumbled and followed.

“Yeah, it’s absurd. Only divine beasts can create the Eye of Hell anyway.”

***

Enya trusted her lord but never lowered her guard. When facing monsters, carelessness was always fatal. Yet the sight before her eyes matched her expectations again. No, it even surpassed them.

To eliminate a monster, one had to extract the black stone hidden somewhere inside its body. The problem was that locating the black stone was difficult.

As long as the black stone remained, the creature wouldn’t die, no matter how many times its body was cut or pierced. So unless luck was extraordinary, one usually had to hack the monster apart repeatedly before finally killing it.

But now, the monster lying before her lord had its two legs severed yet its body was otherwise intact. Such a clean corpse was rare enough to draw admiration.

Impressive, your skill improves every day.

But she couldn’t show emotion before her lord. Even praise was inappropriate. So she called to him in a calm tone.

“Your Grace.”

Even when Enya spoke, he only kept staring at the hole in the monster’s side where the black stone had come out.

What’s wrong? Curious, she followed his gaze and noticed something lying right in front of the monster’s corpse.

Huh? A knife? It looked too shabby to belong to her lord. It was an old kitchen knife at best. Then where had it come from? As she was wondering, a murmur reached her ear.

“Just a coincidence?”

“Pardon?”

When Enya asked carefully, he only cast an indifferent glance toward one spot. What’s over there? When she turned her head to follow his line of sight, she frowned.

“Huh? That crumpled shape… isn’t that a person?”

Indeed, a person lay sprawled on the ground in an awkward posture.

Is he dead? If alive, shouldn’t we save him? She hesitated. There must be a reason her lord left him alone. As expected, he flicked the black stone in his hand toward Enya.

“We’re returning.”

With that short order, he turned his body. Enya tucked the black stone inside her clothes and followed his command. While walking, she asked cautiously.

“Who is that person?”

“Adeye Lu.”

She froze. For a moment, her face twisted in rage. Just then, Haas, who had finally reached the scene late, spotted her.

“Ha, ha, the monster’s already… as expected of Your Grace… huh? What’s wrong with you?”

“That bastard. He’s Adeye Lu.”

“What?! Why’s that guy here…oh, right, this is Ornod. But it’s not somewhere Adeye Lu should be… wait, where are you going?”

Where else? Enya raised her swords and gnashed her teeth.

“If he’s alive, I’ll cut off his head, and if he’s dead, I’ll slice off his limbs.”

Haas grabbed her arm in horror.

“Forget it. Even His Grace is leaving him alone. Why are you making a scene?”

Enya glared at the fallen man with eyes full of murderous intent, but when Haas refused to release her, she reluctantly turned her head.

“Fine.”

Yet her anger didn’t fade. She spat a curse toward Adeye Lu.

“Go get drunk again and drown yourself in a pond! Tch!”

***

Beep-beep-beep-beep.

The alarm rang loudly.

…Ah, time to deploy? I’m so tired. I can’t open my eyes. While consciousness rose from the depths, I tried to grasp my situation. But I couldn’t move even a finger.

Why? Did I stand night watch yesterday? No… I lay on the machine in the underground lab that sent me to Tubain…

Huh? Tubain?!

My consciousness cleared at that instant. I tried to force my eyes open but my lips parted first.

“Ugh… shit.”

My whole body ached. The arm twisted backward hurt so much that I needed a long time to pull it forward.

“Ha, shit.”

I moaned once, closed my eyes for a beat, and then remembered everything. I entered Adeye Lu’s body, then I answered a spirit’s request, and I met a monster. I barely crawled up a cliff and then…

“Damn that bastard.”

That bastard who kicked me off with his boot. I had told him a monster chased me and I begged him to catch it, and he attacked me instead?!

He kicked me like a soccer ball and sent me flying through the air!

I opened my eyes wide and pushed my torso up with furious strength. I cursed once again, but rage became fuel.

That bastard smiled at me before he kicked, right? Then he kicked, right? That smiling bastard.

He kicked me off the cliff knowing a monster waited behind me. He meant to kill me on purpose.

I got so mad that I almost choked on curses, but anger let me lift myself enough to take a step.

How did I survive?

I looked up without thinking and saw a thick branch above me half broken and hanging.

Ah, I hung on that and lived.

What rotten luck,,no, if that smiling bastard hadn’t kicked me, I wouldn’t need luck at all!

“Damn, fuck…”

[Notice. A long time has passed.]

Mo’s message blinked. Only then I thought of whoever must be waiting for me.

How long had it been? I stood on my feet and ran a few steps in panic.

“Ugh.”

The pain in my shoulder forced me to stop.

[You were unconscious for two hours and twenty-seven minutes.]

Two hours? Normally survival mode ends and I pass out for at most an hour.

That smiling bastard did this. I wrapped my sore shoulder with my other hand and quickened my pace. I hoped Petal hidden in the carriage was safe.

“Back off, everyone!”

“What’s going on here?”

“Could this be a monster’s doing?”

People gathered near the carriage cluster and murmured. Their voices made anxiety spread. If something happened, it had happened already. Could someone have found Petal…?

“Ah, Lord Lu!”

Marvin called, but I ignored him and scanned the scene. Several people lay on the ground.

Why are these people like this? Why is everyone just watching?

Worry rose with confusion. Where is Petal? I moved fast through the crowd, and Marvin stepped in front of me.

“Lord Lu, you cannot go!”