Chapter 19: Chapter 18
TL/ED: Hamsterminator
Mana Rampage.
It was one of those that was tucked away in a corner among countless stars.
As if it were saying, "Don’t pay attention to me."
Even so, the reason Jin chose this one was clear.
Because he had never once seen a skill that included the keyword "Rampage" be weak in short-term battles.
And now.
Jin instinctively knew his choice had not been wrong.
Feeling an incredibly light body, and the immense power swirling inside it.
Swoosh..!
The monster gestured lightly with his hand.
That was all, yet Fenrir and Jin both widened the distance in opposite directions.
Boom!!
Right after, a thunderous roar erupted behind them.
The steel frame of a three-story shelf exposed to the invisible force crumpled with a cracking noise, and the packaged supplies tumbled down.
In the meantime, Jin, who had closed the distance in an instant, threw a punch.
Whoosh-, Thunk!
The sound of slicing through air and the sound of hitting something burst out in quick succession.
A rainbow-colored Force Field shimmered in the air.
Repelled by the recoil, Jin was pushed back and immediately drew his Gravis from his waist.
Bang-!!
A golden thread-like line that broke the sound barrier collided with the Force Field.
It precisely targeted the spot he had just pounded with his fist.
Thunk!
The shockwave that radiated from the point of impact momentarily revealed the outline of the hidden Force Field, then rippled away and vanished.
The red-hot bullet, unable to penetrate the shield, ultimately fell to the floor.
All of this happened within a single breath.
“Interesting!”
The monster laughed heartily and snapped his fingers.
Then, the steel frame of a nearby shelf bent with a grinding sound and wrapped around Jin’s wrist like a living creature.
And then came the Lightning Magic.
Zzzzzap!
The zigzagging bolt of lightning emitted a pure white light as it flew toward him.
But in that moment, Fenrir’s sword sliced through the steel frame with a swift slash.
Freed from the bind, Jin narrowly dodged the lightning and leapt high.
Using the second-story shelf as a stepping stone, he spun in midair.
And drove his heel down toward the monster.
Thunk-!!
But this too was blocked by the Force Field.
At the same time, an invisible force struck him.
Immediately ejected into the air, Jin clenched his teeth.
Even though he had anticipated a counterattack and curled up in advance, the shock still rattled his entire skeleton.
What kind of broken-ass skill is this?
No matter how hard he hit, the Force Field absorbed all the impact,
And if he showed even the slightest opening, a transparent hammer capable of crushing steel frames came flying at him.
On top of that, there’s the sibling skill Chain Lightning.
At this rate, he might just understand Team Rocket’s pain.
Jin felt it in his bones once again.
That damn Plague Doctor is a genuine monster.
That’s an undeniable fact.
If he were alone, no matter if Mana Rampage's granddaddy showed up, he’d have definitely died.
So he had to protect him.
That werewolf who was buying time alone over there.
“Grahh!!”
Roaring, Fenrir swung the sword in his hand wide.
The steel bars flying in from all directions were simultaneously sliced in half.
Even after that, Fenrir dodged incoming magic and slashed again and again at the repulsive Force Field, but his desperate efforts were in vain as he was struck by the invisible force and lifted off the ground.
Unfortunately, the spot he was thrown into was filled with twisted and shattered steel debris distorted by magic.
At this rate, grilled wolf skewers would be on the menu.
Jin caught the massive body flying like a missile in midair.
Sizzle..!
He managed to come to a stop just before being skewered in the back and asked the staggering Fenrir.
“How many seconds left?”
“20 seconds? 15 seconds? Not sure.”
“Try squeezing out some strength. I think just a few more hits will break that thing.”
With those words, Jin kicked off the ground.
The Plague Doctor gradually grew larger in his field of vision.
The Force Field surrounding him and even the fine cracks forming on its edge.
Just a bit more. Just a little bit more.
He muttered inwardly as he wrung out his mana.
Crackle!!
An even fiercer red spark.
Jin's already superhuman strength accelerated once more.
Jin, closing the distance at a speed that even surprised himself, swung his fist with all his might.
Boom!
At last, the sound emitted by the Force Field changed.
The sensation against his skin. The feel in his hand was distinctly different.
If earlier it had felt like striking sticky, thick mud,
Now it felt like hitting a thick steel plate.
So Jin didn’t stop.
He planted his feet on the ground and relentlessly threw punches.
He struck, struck, and struck again.
In the process, all kinds of magic hurled by the Plague Doctor tore his body to shreds, but he didn’t even register that.
He only pushed his assault further.
The sparks intensified.
Crackle!!!
The light that swallowed his pain began to consume his reason as well.
What came after that would be the loss of his life.
That was the rightful price to pay, the natural consequence.
Perhaps it was a small miracle that the Force Field broke before that could happen.
...Clang─!
As shards scattered, Jin’s bloodied body collapsed backward.
And like a bolt of lightning, a thrust pierced the monster’s chest.
“Grrr!”
Fenrir twisted his snout.
Then one step, two steps. He began to advance with all his strength.
At the end of that path was a staircase leading to the basement, and the monster stumbled back toward the place Fenrir had come from.
But only for a moment.
Grabbing the blade with his gloved hand, he slowly lifted his masked face.
“Entertainment I never even imagined. Truly... delightful.”
A chilling voice unlike before. Immediately afterward, a pitch-black energy surged from his body, and just as it began to take the form of enormous wings.
Click.
Jin, now aiming his Gravis, spoke through ragged breaths.
“That’s enough... Go to hell!!”
Boom─!!
A gunshot like thunder.
The monster, hit at point-blank range from barely five meters, staggered backward and fell.
In Jin’s eyes, the entire sequence unfolded in endless slow motion, like a piece of stretched taffy.
Tick. Tick. Tick-
His internal clock, diligently moving its second hand, finally completed a full revolution and rang the bell.
At the same time, a deafening explosion swept through the warehouse.
***
It was truly a terrible day.
Jin had bought his favorite ramen from a convenience store.
Let’s soothe this hunger in a good mood! he thought joyfully as he tore open the bag.
But what do you know?
The product he bought specifically because it had a piece of kelp, had no kelp.
Does that make any sense?
Others post proof shots boasting they got two pieces, and here I am with this mess.
He was deeply disappointed, but there was nothing to be done.
He had already boiled the water.
So he added the noodles, the soup powder, the flakes.
And slurped it down without much thought.
The problem started that evening when his entire body began to ache, and soon the symptoms worsened to the point he could hardly stay conscious.
His bones felt like they were cracking, muscles melting, internal organs burning.
Jin writhed all night from that primal pain.
How many times did he faint and come to, then faint and come to again?
Finally, when the first light of dawn faintly colored the world through the window.
A Status Window appeared before Jin’s now-mushy mind and body.
「(Complete!) Crisis」────────────
You survived.
Reward: Perk XP 3,000
──────────────────
*
*
*
“Raccoon!”
With a completely contextless shout, Jin regained consciousness and the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.
But that wasn’t surprising.
For a vagabond with neither home nor possessions waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling every day was natural.
What really brought his senses back was the most horrible sensation in the world. He jolted up and shouted like a scream.
“Food!”
Sensing movement, he turned his head and saw an unfamiliar face blinking at him before cautiously speaking.
“Are you alright?”
To which Jin, trembling like a drug addict going through withdrawal, replied.
“No. Not at all. I’m sorry, but do you have anything to eat? I need it. Badly.”
“J-just a moment.”
As the woman hurried out, Jin broke into a cold sweat.
To an outsider, this might look like some kind of farce, maybe even make them curse at the absurdity of it, but in truth, it was a far more serious situation than it appeared.
Jin had PTSD related to hunger, and if left unattended, it could escalate into full-blown panic.
This time was especially bad, practically like he had gone five days without eating.
So when the woman came rushing back, Jin snatched the plate from her hands, not even checking what it was, and stuffed his cheeks until they nearly burst.
As he chewed hungrily, he realized oh, it’s apple pie.
With his reason still out of reach, but the color returning to his face, Jin began to come back to life.
"What. This is..."
Noticing the IV needle stuck in his arm, he looked around at the medical equipment surrounding him, then asked the woman blushing in a corner,
“Hey.”
“...Yes?”
“Where am I?”
“You’re in the Resistance hideout.”
But the answer didn’t come from her mouth.
A man pulled back the tent flap and entered, looking at Jin as he spoke.
“How’s your body holding up?”
“Oh, you?”
At least the face was familiar.
He was the guy who had helped Jin and Fenrir sneak into the country at the beginning of the mission.
Albus, if Jin remembered correctly.
Barely recalling his name, Jin asked,
“So why am I here? What happened to the warehouse? Has a lot of time passed?”
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I’ll explain everything.”
Albus pulled a chair next to Jin’s bed and plopped down as he continued.
“First off, the logistics warehouse collapsed. Completely caved in.”
“Then...”
“Yeah. The job’s done. You just have to go back and collect your cut.”
That was welcome news.
But he couldn’t be too happy about it yet, there was still too much he hadn’t heard.
Jin raised his eyebrows as if to say, “Go on.”
“You want to know how you ended up here, right? It’s nothing big. That wolf Beastkin brought your unconscious body back to the rendezvous point.”
"Ah. Fenrir."
Only then did he remember his fighting companion? Friend...?
Anyway, Jin remembered the Beastkin and asked, with a touch of realization,
“What happened to him?”
“He was in bad shape for a few days, just like you. But he was better off than you, so he went back to Downtown the day before yesterday.”
“...What?”
This bastard?
Then what about me.
Was our brotherhood only worth that much?
Jin trembled with betrayal, as if he'd lost his chauffeur overnight.
Then suddenly, he looked at Albus and asked again.
“Wait a second. You said a few days? I’ve been out that long?”
“Today makes five days. For three of them, we thought you were actually going to die.”
“Huh?”
“You probably don’t remember since you were half-dead, but your body temperature shot up to 48 degrees. The attending doctor said your proteins were denaturing, your organs were hardening like stone, and you even went blind from optic nerve damage.”
Blind? Jin unconsciously touched around his eyes.
Aftereffects of the Mana Rampage?
If so, it didn’t make sense, he could see Albus rambling in front of him just fine.
Even knowing his recovery rate was absurd, Jin couldn’t help but throw out a joke.
“That guy must be a total quack.”
At that, the woman in the corner noticeably flinched.
Then quietly bowed her head and stepped out of the tent.
“...Was that her?”
“That was her.”
As the mood suddenly sank, Albus cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Well, it’s a miracle you lived. From what I hear, you’re an Enhanced Human too, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Jin nodded, because denying it now would’ve just sounded dumb. Then he voiced one last lingering question.
“There was some kind of monster guarding the warehouse.”
At that, Albus made a face like he’d been expecting that question.
“I can’t say for sure, since I didn’t see what you guys faced firsthand. But from what we’ve confirmed, that facility wasn’t just a simple logistics warehouse.”
He lowered his voice.
“We didn’t stay long since the enemy’s cleanup was fast, but in the ruins underground, we found several corpses. Not TB security forces. Mutants. The kind that would rise and move with just a bit of Mana injected.”
Mutants?
What's that again.
Jin furrowed his brows deeply.
It felt like something serious was about to follow.
And that feeling wasn’t wrong.
“You don’t get it? TB joined hands with Black Mages. Those crazy bastards... maybe Mute Town isn’t even their only target. With something this big, even the city government, who normally doesn’t treat us like people, might actually start moving. Fuck...”
Albus’s face was dead serious as he spoke, but honestly, Jin couldn’t fully connect with what he was saying.
So mutants are basically synonymous with Black Magic?
Anyway, that Plague Doctor is a Black Mage, right?
And that guy’s teamed up with TB.
“You might not believe it, but we didn’t send you guys in expecting anything special at that warehouse. We just wanted to hit their hub and mess up their supply lines. Still... I’m sorry.”
Seeing Albus lower his head, Jin scratched his cheek.
“Forget it. I didn’t die, did I?”
Downtown was full of nothing but assholes anyway.
Jin was weak to this kind of apology.
Especially considering that status window, which had been screaming at him to run, had turned around and said, “Oh, you lived?” and even handed him a fat chunk of XP on the way out.
All in all, Jin figured he hadn’t lost anything, so he let out a groaning sound and laid back down on the bed, only for Albus’s voice to poke at his ear.
“No such thing as unpaid effort in this line of work. Thanks to you, we got a lot out of it too.”
That perked up Jin’s ears, and with another exaggerated groan, he lifted his torso.
“So? What are you trying to say?”
“What else, Solo. A reward, of course.”
~~~
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