Chapter 44
Seeing that the person who appeared to be the supervisor was in quite a dangerous situation, I immediately used Blink to stand beside him.
Naturally, I set my destination point slightly behind him so others wouldn't notice.
"You're the exam supervisor, correct?"
"Y-yes, but... who are...?"
Is the situation too urgent for him to hear properly?
Looking closer, I could see he wasn't just bound with ropes—his mana was also sealed with some strange magic.
It was clearly visible with magic vision.
Is this the primitive magic that some of these monsters are said to use?
Should a Senior rank be taken down by something like this?
Mea would have probably torn through this and escaped.
The gap between Seniors must be quite significant.
Anyway, since he was the one who needed to issue my confirmation stamp, I extended the courtesy of introducing myself again, "Apprentice Explorer, Roman."
"Apprentice...? This isn't the time! Forget about me and get out of here! Somehow, return and report this! A mutant... a special B-rank mutant has appeared!"
Mutant?
Is he talking about that?
One creature that resembled a Bugbear yet was subtly different.
Acting like it was some kind of king, it was just glaring at us from atop the altar.
If it was a king, it must be a tyrant.
It didn't even care that its lair and subordinates were being swept away by Leaf's ultra-high-pressure water cannon.
Is it instinctively wary of the most threatening enemy?
Observation.
It was observing me.
In its eyes, along with a fierce destructive urge, I could sense fragments of intelligence not usually seen in common monsters.
"Were you taken down by that thing, supervisor?"
"...Shamefully. And it's Jake."
Since it was strong enough to subdue a Senior rank, it must be considered a First Floor apex predator.
Perfect for an exam.
I readjusted my grip on Axis, my newly acquired equipment.
"Jake."
As I called his name, I sharpened my mana to cut through the ropes binding him.
The ropes must have been some kind of magic tool.
As soon as the ropes came loose, Jake formed hand seals, muttered a short incantation, and shook off the primitive magic's binding.
However, unless one was a Devil Sorcerer, once one’s mana had been depleted once, they were essentially unfit for combat.
Even Spirit Summoners consumed their own mana to maintain spirits, let alone other classes that used their mana for everything.
If he were a martial artist, he might have been useful as a vanguard at least.
However, I never had any intention of fighting alongside him from the start.
"I'll handle this, please escape with the others, Jake."
Can't use Blink freely with you around.
I'd knock him out, but I was uneasy about him getting hit by stray attacks.
In this case, letting him leave is the best option.
I wish he'd hurry up and leave, but Jake was hesitating cluelessly.
"Even so, leaving it to an apprentice..."
"This is the best option."
"The best..."
Jake muttered wistfully as if seeing off a lover.
No, use that time to hurry up and leave.
I shouted with irritation, "Hurry!"
"Damn it!"
Finally seeming to make up his mind, Jake cursed and hurriedly started gathering the others.
Using his slightly recovered mana for physical enhancement, Jake hoisted two people onto his shoulders.
"...Sorry. I'm counting on you."
Leaving quickly would be more helpful than your motivation quip.
His words were so solemn and resolute that I matched his tone with an appropriate response, "Don't forget my confirmation stamp later."
"...I'll write you a recommendation letter too."
With those words, Jake finally left his position.
Simultaneously,
The creature that had been merely watching finally began to move.
Its wariness from carefully observing what kind of being I was couldn't suppress its rage at having its sacrifices taken away.
"GRAAAAH—!"
BOOM—!
It leaped up, shattering the stone slab that served as an altar.
The force of its descent wasn’t something Magic Bullet could stop.
But it was too soon to use Blink—Jake's eyes were still too close.
So, should I just take the hit?
Not quite.
SLASH!
In an instant, Rei's fist, wrapped in silver mana, smashed into the creature's distorted face as it lunged.
It didn't end with one hit.
Rei further accelerated with her mana.
In a flash, she delivered dozens of punches.
It was completely different from when she fought Malebris.
The speed, destructive power, movements.
She had grown to an entirely new level.
Anyone could see this was no mere apprentice Explorer.
"Y-you... did you come with an instructor? No, this isn't training..."
"Please hurry and leave."
Snapping back to his senses at my words, Jake started moving his legs again.
"Don't let your guard down! This bastard dodged everything!"
It looked like direct hits to me.
But even those were dodged?
Moreover, the creature was purely physical, making Rei's innate magic, Argentooth, less effective.
For Rei, who specialized in mage killing, this wasn't a favorable matchup.
Solo combat really isn't the way.
But that was why we had companions to cover our shortcomings.
"Roman! When are you coming!"
"Coming now."
Rei's urgent call suggested she was struggling to handle the mutant alone.
Technically, Rei seemed to have the upper hand.
Looking at the remaining mana light, Rei's silver mana was penetrating the creature's body, landing effective hits, while Rei's body remained clean.
However, the creature had overwhelming physical superiority.
Though the hits were definitely effective, the actual damage wasn't significant.
Even its broken nose from the first solid hit to its face had almost completely healed by now.
Its recovery ability was at an abnormal level.
[We'll have to wear it down through Exhaustion.]
[Let us hold it down for the Elf's water cannon to pierce through.]
[Just immobilize it and let my mana corrode it.]
Both were excellent suggestions.
Let's start with the first one, then.
I pour mana into Axis.
The mana circuits engraved in the staff began to emit a dark light as they absorbed mana.
The mana traveled through the circuits to reach the core.
Then, at Axis' tip, the dungeon core resonated with my mana.
The core, having refined mana itself, spread it radially, laying down mana lines too fine for the naked eye to see throughout the area.
The mana lines constructed a grid-like network at regular intervals.
It transmitted to me the exact spatial coordinates and the presence of foreign objects in the space.
A macro and micro expansion of spatial awareness.
My brain interpreted and visualized the information received even from behind me, beyond what eyes could capture.
True to its name, Axis, its sole purpose was to form a three-dimensional spherical coordinate system with me, holding Axis, as the central axis.
A coordinate system that maximized the dungeon core's spatial interference ability, disregarding standard staff or wand capabilities like mana amplification and stabilization.
That was the true nature of Axis.
There was no confusion about the unfamiliar sensation.
I'd already confirmed it several times on the way here.
Within now-familiar sensations, I set the coordinates for my movement point.
And when I blinked and opened my eyes again.
What I saw was the creature's back.
The Magic Bullet I'd already prepared immediately flew toward its back.
First one shot...
My expectation of preparing continuous shots, assuming it would hit, was disrupted by the creature's movement.
The creature's bloodshot eyes glanced at me as it forcibly twisted its body to dodge the Magic Bullet.
"It dodged that?"
[Be careful. That thing has unnaturally good instincts.]
The toxicity of Leraje's mana and Exhaustion triggered upon contact with mana.
Did it instinctively recognize the danger and instantly twist its body to dodge?
Its Instincts might even be better than Rei's.
Perhaps it was because they were both beast-like.
"GRAAAAH-!!"
With a war cry, it changed targets from Rei to me and charged.
While it had been vaguely sensing me as dangerous through instinct, seeing the Magic Bullet confirmed me as the primary threat.
"Tch!"
Rei clicked her tongue and followed.
Knowing about Blink, Rei concentrated mana in her fist for a stronger strike, assuming I would dodge.
The creature's fist fills my vision.
But it would touch nothing but air.
Pop—
I readjust my position with Blink.
This time, I was aiming for—
Crunch—
"Can't dodge this, can you?"
Even if I couldn't see behind the creature with my eyes, it was no longer a blind spot for Blink.
I occupied the space behind it.
Grabbing its mane-like fur, I prepared a Magic Bullet.
However.
Swoosh!
"Ugh?!"
Something pierced my stomach… If I hadn't used Blink immediately, that is.
I would have been impaled by that horn.
Horn, or bone.
On its neck and back.
Sharp protrusions added to the creature's grotesqueness.
This thing... what is it?
It was evolving in real time.
§
"Huff, haah..."
Jake, running desperately while carrying his two unconscious subordinates, caught a faint scent of blood with his sense-enhanced smell.
Not from the Bugbears.
Their blood smell was so fishy it was nauseating, making it impossible to mistake.
This was human blood.
Given how faint the smell is, they haven't received fatal wounds yet, but this is just the beginning.
...Damn it.
Jake felt utterly ashamed of himself for escaping using an apprentice's life as a sacrifice.
He thought he'd prepared himself for death.
He was wrong.
If he'd truly been prepared, he should have stayed behind.
He should have died buying time and sent them—Apprentices—to request reinforcements as quickly as possible.
They will die.
One Elemental Mage handling water.
One Battle Mage with silver mana.
And one Devil Sorcerer, identifiable through mana.
The reason he left was clearly...
Considering the last resort that Devil Sorcerers possessed.
I should have asked for their names.
So, at least, he could remember them.
I will definitely avenge you. Definitely...
Jake made this resolution as he ran with every ounce of strength he could muster.
§
"Hey, hey, move aside."
"Let's finish this already."
"Ah, wait. I have something I want to test."
How long are they going to keep at it?
"Grr, grrrrr."
Cut it some slack. It’s suffering.
"Let's see if it can endure this too. Ready?"
Take it easy, Rei-Rei...
"Roman’s right."
As expected, the humanitarian Leaf supported my thinking.
"I have something I want to try too. You can't monopolize it."
Ah... I expected too much from her again.