Chapter 53: The Monster in the Rain
One hour passes, and I continue to fight.
It feels as if I will be torn apart by my mana and the absorbed kinetic energy if I lose my focus even for a second.
The rain continues to fall down even harder, and at this point, the raindrops nearly hurt.
My body's burning.
My muscles are screaming.
My head feels like it's about to explode.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
Yet, I feel so alive.
I lead mana through my circuit. It moves at dizzying speed, and it hurts every time I lose control over it and it crashes inside my body.
But I continue to improve even more. I move faster and more recklessly. I do not fear.
My mana pool feels bottomless and I continue use more and more mana, yet there's still a lot left over.
It's fun.
I dodge, and a cone of absorbed kinetic energy blows off the monster's head.
[You have defeated a Bear - lvl 15]
I jump up and the oscillating mana coats my hand, slashing through the troll's neck.
[You have defeated a Troll - lvl 14]
Raindrops freeze in the air, and when they move again, the monster is pushed away from me, breaking against the rocks nearby.
[You have defeated a Bear - lvl 11]
At some point, I almost don't move and just absorb the kinetic energy from the stronger and stronger rain.
It's hard to see, but my [Mana Perception] pierces through the rain, and I attack all moving mana signatures that aren't human.
I stand there and absorb energy from the monsters as they attack me and from the heavy raindrops falling from the dark sky.
Another head blows off.
Another mangled corpse flies away from me.
Notification and I invest stat points.
Into mana.
The rain weakens, and I start getting less kinetic energy from it.
But it's okay; I just increase efficiency.
Don't waste; use it all.
Another notification.
At some point, monsters stop attacking me, so I dash at them.
It's easier to see now.
I stomp, and the rain gets pushed away from me, along with a bunch of smaller monsters that surrounded me.
Multiple notifications about the kills.
A two-headed wolf is collecting mana in its mouth, and I dash at it while propelling myself ahead.
It shoots fire at me, and I jump over it.
While I am in the air, another head shoots its flame at me, and my mana flares up even more. I waste so much mana it almost makes me feel disappointed in myself, but I propel myself towards the ground, pushing against the air.
I slash through the monster's neck with my hand covered in oscillating mana.
Notification.
And then nothing.
Huh?
I look around, the rain is gone.
There are two suns in the sky.
Huh?
My [Mana Perception] sends a wave of mana into my surroundings and covers almost twice as big an area as before.
Nothing, only humans.
Again.
Still no monsters.
I slow the mana rushing through my veins.
I am sorry, but that's all I can do for you, little guy.
Sophie is there, only with Maya and her sister.
Hadwin is together with the twins and the bus driver, Jacob.
From our little group, no one has died, but Lily's eyes are still wet, and for some reason, she's avoiding my gaze.
Even Kim avoids looking at me, and I see his clenched jaw; Kevin seems to be less cheery.
So that's it.
It's fine.
It might be better if it stays this way.
Only Tess seems to be behaving the same way she did before. I catch her eyes with mine and look at her for a long moment.
She is looking at me without any hesitation, not dodging my gaze, not shuddering when I move.
I... see.
I just nod at her, and she nods back.
My [Mana Perception] flares up towards the sky, and I feel the mana collecting again, the same way it did before. It will take a few hours, but soon enough the same thing will repeat, so I need to become even stronger.
Lately, I have become too complacent and even started worrying about what others will think of me.
Not anymore.
I stop in front of Maya.
Her gaze is calm, and she looks at me without any worry. Mana is already circulating through her body, and she exudes the calmness that I know so well.
My body moves so fast she is unable to even dodge as I kick her.
She goes flying through the air, and I slowly walk towards her.
Her face is still calm as she stands up and brushes the dust off her body. A translucent armament made of mana appears around her body, and I start to observe it.
Behind me, someone screams, but then I hear Tess's weapons flying around and the crackle of lightning she is now able to infuse into them.
I continue to observe Sophie, but there isn't even a wisp of mana coming from her, and she holds her little sister in her hands.
Maya dashes at me. Her mana doesn't move that much, so I recognize it as pure strength or dexterity stat.
I dodge under her swing and hit her with my knee, sending her flying again.
When she lifts her face from the ground, I am already in front of her, and while giving her enough time to use her skill, I kick against her translucent armor.
I observe the way her mana moves and the way it reacts to my attacks.
She jumps to her feet and stands there, observing my movements as I slowly walk towards her.
Hmm, that's not enough. I should break her skill to observe it a bit more.
Even while in [Focus], she is slightly impatient and rushes at me.
Her movements slow down under the influence of my skill, as she gets closer and closer to me. I lower my output and hit her chest armor with absorbed energy.
That makes the translucent armor shatter into fine particles of mana, and I continue to observe as it slowly reforms.
"You fucker..."
Huh? Are you slipping out of [Focus] already?
She dashes again, this time attacking me from the side where my arm is missing.
She is probably the fastest one among the survivors.
But.
I only take a small step back, and her kick misses me. Then I take another step, and two of her swings miss me again.
Quick jab against her armor, and it breaks again.
Then I move my own mana, and as she is reforming her translucent armor, I try to copy it.
It fails, and the mana in my hand dissipates.
So I attack her again, and she again activates a skill.
I watch it.
I feel it.
Mana forms in my hand and slowly extends.
I focus more and move the mana.
It gets harder and harder, but I push through.
Soon, a translucent light blue light appears in my hand, taking a shape reminiscent of a short sword.
Then I hear the notification about acquiring a new skill.
