chapter 17
“How the hell did this happen… ?”
It was something unknown. Clearly, the only thing left where the mandrake should be is the pit.
Anyone can see the traces of digging up the soil. Even judging from the size of the hole, the mandrakes here seemed to have lived at least 100 years.
“… It looks like someone hit the ball.”
“Iknow, right. I guess who picked it before us?”
Charlotte, who witnessed this scene belatedly, screamed as if she was full of energy.
“hey! commons! do you think that makes sense? In the first place, other groups besides ours couldn’t come in here. Unless you become a supervisor!”
For some reason, Eden didn’t hold back his opinion.
“But take a look at this. Doesn’t Charlotte-sama think so?”
“… … .”
I thought for a moment.
‘Charlotte is right. The fact that the groups were divided in the first place would have been the intention to separate the test venues. Since each group has different bans, they will need a test that suits them. Therefore, the premise that another group other than ours took the mandrake first cannot be established.’
However, her last words caught my heart.
-Unless you become a supervisor!
viewer.
In other words, if it was an insider who stole the mandrake, the story would be different. Or an outsider intruding with the help of an insider.
However, even so, it does not explain why he did this.
Even if you steal the mandrake from this place that was created as an illusion in the first place… … .
‘Wait, fantasy… ? If mandrakes aren’t fantasy… ? If someone broke in with a real mandrake… ?’
When I thought that far, I shook my head.
‘No, even so, this is too drastic. If that had happened, the supervisor watching all of this would have stopped the test right away… . That’s what it should be… . Why is there no announcement yet?’
It was then.
“captain! Come here!”
Awakened from my thoughts by Eden’s urgent call, I approached him.
“Look at this.”
Ethan pointed to a place not far from the pit. I said with a slight twist on my face.
“… … blood?”
“Right? I must have misplaced my eyes.”
Bloodstains were evident even from a mutt passing by. By this point, I was starting to get a bit anxious.
The missing mandrake.
unknown blood.
A supervisor who doesn’t give any notice.
Isn’t it too unnatural to dismiss all of this as mere coincidence?
After possessing this world, there is one thing I realized for sure.
The ominous premonition was that it usually fits well.
I started memorizing the chant in advance in case of an unexpected situation.
It was a multiple reinforcement magic consisting of a total of three complex techniques.
“I want mighty power like the waves that divide the great sea, agility that allows me to move like an eagle flying through the sky, and the boldness that will not collapse even in the face of any injustice, the agent of mana commands me. .”
A ring in the form of a circle emitting white light appeared above the head, but it quickly disappeared.
5 mana rings.
That meant I was a 5th circle mage. Normally, wizards store mana in their brains and knights in their hearts to create circles.
As an exception, there were magic swordsmen who created circles on both sides, but exceptions were only exceptions.
Experienced mages do not reveal their circles even when chanting.
It’s because it’s like revealing his power soon.
However, for complex spells or powerful spells that require great concentration, the circle will appear regardless of the person’s will.
Of course, that was just a mistake. Fortunately, the circle disappeared before it was fully revealed, so no one would have seen it.
“Strengthening the whole body.”
Due to the damn amount of mana, I was out of breath just by using strengthening magic a few times.
It was also the decisive reason why Abel Croy, who showed outstanding talent in mana handling, stopped at the 5th circle.
Of course, being single with only one original attribute, ‘enhancement’, also played a part. As a result, he stayed as an assistant wizard, but he was able to join the warriors’ party because he was the best in the empire in terms of reinforcement.
It was ironic.
Gradually, vitality began to flow through the body. The mana flowing through his veins covered his entire body.
Every time the heart pumped vigorously, the muscles expanded explosively, the blood vessels bristled, and the circulation of blood became faster and faster.
I could feel the blood circulating all over my body.
“… Leader, were you a strengthening magic user? Surprisingly. But why did you suddenly use magic?”
“Heh, it’s just reinforcement magic. It’s nothing too.”
“charlotte. It’s not nice to say that to a colleague.”
Embarrassed by the completely unexpected reprimand, Charlotte lowered her head like a dead puppy.
“… … huh. sorry.”
Frey, who had been comforting Charlotte like a sister, turned to me. she asked with a serious face.
“It’s okay, Charlotte. It’s going to happen next time if you don’t. More than that… . Are there any enemies around? I don’t feel anything with my gut feeling… .”
Perhaps it was because he was a future sword master, so even in this situation, he was not vigilant and was making his own preparations.
‘As expected, the only thing I can trust is you, Frey.’
Such a promising talent could never be lost to that murderer.
“I can’t say for sure, but… . It’s better not to relax. It seems that there is a problem with the test. First, let’s follow this bloodstain. I will take the lead.”
Silence passed. The party also seemed to be aware that something was going on strangely.
We held our breath and slowly followed the blood trail.
Sabak. Sabak.
The bloodstains were quite long.
No one opened their mouths, so the only thing that resonated in this space was the sound of footsteps.
Not even the wind was blowing. In fact, if Mandrake were here as planned, I planned to further deafen.
Mandrakes can never be pulled out by normal means.
This is because the moment it is pulled out of the ground, it emits a tremendous roar that can burst the eardrums.
Therefore, I was planning to pass the test by forbidding hearing, and to receive additional points by forbidding the four senses.
―However, due to someone in front, all plans were disrupted.
“… for a moment.”
I muttered in a low voice and stopped. The bloodstain was cut off.
“… … .”
A cool sensation running down the back of your neck.
An unpleasant sound echoing at the same time.
cringe cringe
The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that sound was that I was glad I didn’t block my hearing.
“… I mean. What is it? i don’t have that… lyrolga. I’m sure you saw it. Did you see it too?”
… voice? Indeed, can this be called a voice?
Before determining whether it was male or female, it was not the kind of sound that could come out of human vocal cords in the first place.
It is gloomy, grotesque, and unstable, like a beast being led to a slaughterhouse struggling to survive.
An incomprehensible sound that I dare not even dare to express in words.
aww cringe
It sounded like a beast chewing and swallowing a large piece of meat.
Even though I knew I had to turn my head towards the source of the sound, I didn’t move as if my body was frozen.
“Didn’t you say it wasn’t playing? it’s true It’s salty. trust me Is he the devil? Buy it? Roger it. no. no”
An alarm bell alerting you to danger rings in your head.
Instinct screams.
tell me to run away
You should never come face to face with that.
A primal fear invades the whole body.
But i know
What is that incomprehensible being in front of me now?
How could I not know? Because even at this moment, the ‘Oath of the Dead’ I put on her was manifesting.
“… Instructor Rachel.”
I don’t know why she is here.
No, I don’t know if the girl I knew is right now.
The hideous demonic energy radiating from the whole body could no longer be regarded as human.
What the hell is going on here?
Rachel was nibbling on a corpse whose original shape was unrecognizable.
muttering incomprehensible words.
The head is gone, organs and limbs are scattered everywhere.
Seeing that the mandrake was clutched on one side of her missing arm, it seemed that the corpse that was going into Rachel’s mouth was the culprit who stole the mandrake.
Reddish eyes, scattered hair, twisted joints, can you call that a human?
Rachel, who was eagerly eating, slowly raised her head.
Then he slowly turned his head towards me. A form that can never be broken by humans.
He looked at me with a face covered in blood and flesh and smiled brightly.
Drawing an arc, the corners of the torn lips came up to the bottom of the ear.
“Eh? devil? Got it.”
I took a deep breath,
“-every.”
He shouted with all his might and ran toward the party.
“Run away-!”
At the same time, Rachel also ran towards me.
The grotesque sight of him moving his hands and feet at the same time was grotesque enough to make him let go of his reason.
It looks like a giant spider with a human face has found its prey.
“Dead? Deed deed. Dada da da da da da uh uh uh huh Find, find, find? Find. had been.”
I shouted loudly at Charlotte, who was still muttering while standing still.
“Evil… ? The real evil… ? no. no. Nonsense. It can’t be. It’s all fantasy anyway. right? I told you everything here is an illusion. That would be fake anyway. yes? let it be huh? let it be please.”
“Hey crazy! What are you doing!”
“hahahaha… . okay. Because this is an illusion. this is a dream There’s no way the evil will come out of a place like this… ? right? sister. dad. Come on tell me I’m right I don’t want to have nightmares anymore. huh? wake me up soon… .”
Seeing him talking bullsh*t with his unfocused eyes, he seemed completely stunned by fear.
In my heart, I wanted to throw it as food for that monster, but Charlotte was also a person with talents that would surpass her sister in the future.
If Rachel was real and not an illusion, she might really die.
I couldn’t take such a gamble when I didn’t know if this situation was fantasy or real.
‘Patience. There’s nothing useful about it, but it only holds onto my ankles until the end.’
Swearing inwardly, he put Charlotte on his side.
Fortunately, Eden and Frey were in a state of consciousness.
“Frey! Eden! Run with all your might without looking back!”
At the same time, I also moved my feet with all my might.
Eden, who was running while looking ahead, asked me in a frightened voice.
“captain! I-what is that! Could it be that monster, that monster is Supervisor Rachel? So, should that also be considered a kind of test?”
That’s what I want to ask.
“Zile! The pace is too fast!”
thud! thud! thud!
The sound was rapidly approaching. Despite running with all her might with her whole body strengthened, Rachel was rapidly closing the distance.
‘At this rate, you’ll be caught! What should I do? Should I fight Mr X. What are the supervisors doing!’
Eden said in a nervous voice.
“captain! How do I do this? It’s an illusion anyway, but wouldn’t it be better to fight whether it’s porridge or rice?”
There is no time. You have to choose.
At this point, unless you’re an idiot, you know. That there was an abnormality in the test.
Moreover, since Rachel is a supervisor, she can intervene in the test at any time.
That means that there is a high possibility that the monster following me is not an illusion, but a real existence.
I stopped walking and put the salat down in place. Eden asked, puzzled by my sudden action.
“captain… ?”
“Either. That is not an illusion.”
“Well, yes… ?”
“Probably the real Instructor Rachel.”
“I can’t!”
It’s no longer time to go blind. If I just ran away like this, it was almost certain that I would die without being able to do anything.
I tried not to reveal my strength as much as possible, but what use would it be if I died?
‘okay. It’s up to us to look around.’
Before I knew it, Rachel approached me and smiled at me.
Both corners of the mouth were bizarrely torn. Suddenly, it occurred to me that he might be smiling happily on his own.
“Deed deed dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee deed deed deed deed deed deed deed deed deed.”
I injected mana into Sieghart’s seal in my hand.
At that moment, a huge spear appeared in my hand.
“Magic spear. axion.”
As if answering my call, the purple mana embedded in the blade swayed like a wave.