Chapter 16 - Diopina's Dungeon (2)
“Ms. Etiang, please prepare the most powerful spell you can. We need to disable one of them the moment we start.”
“I can do it, but……. the amount of mana those things have is enormous. To fire a single shot that can disable something of that level, I'd also deplete my mana and be unable to participate in the subsequent battle……. Is that alright?”
Having a large amount of mana meant having high mana resistance.
Etiang asked again, sounding troubled.
“It doesn't matter. If your magic can't disable them, we will abandon the fight. However, if your magic successfully neutralizes one, Mr. Kevin will take on one of the remaining two. You just need to hold out until I take care of the last one and return.”
“Understood.”
Kevin answered calmly, as always.
“W-wait a minute.”
However, an objection to my plan was raised.
It was Etiang, who had been continuously voicing her concerns.
“I don't mean to belittle Mr. Kevin.
I'm also aware of the evaluation that Mr. Kevin has one of the top skills among E-rank mercenaries.
But this is a bit of a different case.
Those things in front of us right now are no joke.
The weight and physical force coming from those giant bodies are…… frankly, not something an E-rank mercenary can handle.
I didn't come here to watch someone die right in front of my eyes.”
She was adamantly opposed.
“It's alright. Mr. Kevin won't die.”
I said to the agitated Etiang on behalf of the expressionlessly standing Kevin.
I had realized it during the last D-rank mercenary qualification exam.
‘Kevin is strong. Much stronger than I thought.’
Of course, it wasn't the kind of strength one would normally think of.
Kevin's attack skills?
Well, to be honest, they were terrible.
The mace Kevin carried certainly had enough power to break the bones of a small monster in one blow.
However, it was slow.
So slow that small monsters could easily dodge it.
Against medium-sized monsters, it might cause a little bruising, but it wouldn't inflict critical damage like broken bones.
Against large ones, it was safe to say it would do no damage at all.
However.
“Even I, a D-rank, am not confident I could push Mr. Kevin over. Mr. Kevin's defensive skills are the real deal.”
With just a buckler, I had been able to overcome the D-rank mercenary qualification examiner's attack and defeat him.
So, was that examiner stronger than Kevin?
I actually thought it would be more difficult to defeat Kevin, an E-rank mercenary, than the examiner.
That was because the shield techniques of the old mercenary named Kevin, whose hair was streaked with gray, had reached the level of a master.
‘Now that my skills have improved, I can see it more clearly. Just how ridiculously overpowered Kevin's defensive skills are.’
If he focused solely on defending, Kevin's shield techniques would surely hold out for quite a long time, even against the attacks of that giant Chimera up ahead.
“But….”
Despite my firm words, Etiang still seemed worried and tried to continue.
“Thank you for your concern. But if you say any more, I think I will feel like you're disrespecting me.”
Kevin cut Etiang off.
At the confidence blooming from his gentle suggestion, Etiang could no longer speak and just bit her lip.
“That spell, can you do it now?”
I asked Etiang, trying to refresh the awkward atmosphere.
“I need to recover my mana for about an hour.”
“Alright. While Ms. Etiang recovers her mana, let's all have some time to get ready. Mr. Kevin and I will also recover our mana and stamina in the meantime. Brother-Bob, please take watch during that time.”
“Uh, uh! Sure.”
Bob, who had been listening to our conversation blankly, answered awkwardly.
Kevin looked at Bob with a worried expression.
Etiang seemed displeased about something, but she sat down right there and began meditating to recover her mana.
Around the time an hour had passed in that awkward silence.
“It's ready.”
Etiang said curtly.
“Good. Let's begin. Brother, I'll leave Mr. Dorn and Ms. Etiang's protection to you.”
Leaving behind a nodding Bob, the three of us walked down the long cave and reached the large cavern.
There stood three giant Chimeras with hideous appearances.
The creatures were howling, dripping a disgusting purple fluid.
Dozens of heads from different monsters and dozens of pairs of arms and legs were haphazardly attached to their huge torsos.
“Uweck.”
Unable to bear the sight, Etiang let out a dry heave.
“You know what to do, right? After you release the spell, regardless of the result, Ms. Etiang will quickly return to where Bob and Dorn are.”
Fortunately, the Chimeras' bodies were too large for them to chase us down the passage we had come through.
It was a measure for minimum safety.
“Yes.”
After answering, Etiang immediately began to chant a spell.
Unlike before, when she simply uttered an activation word, she savored each and every syllable of the formula.
Three rings made of mana shot out from Etiang's hands as she formed a hand seal.
And within those three empty rings, unreadable runes were densely packed.
The circles and the runes inside them rotated together and expanded.
It was like watching the evolution of power.
Like a faintly started ripple overlapping and overlapping to furiously rush at the earth as a giant wave.
An astonishing change, as if a small sigh had become a great typhoon.
The interaction of mana that occurred within the circle was marvelous and brilliant.
And when the long chant that continued from her mouth ended and the activation word finally came out.
“Chain Explosion.”
The three circles that had expanded to a huge size overlapped in an instant.
“Ignition.”
The moment the magic was completed with the final word, the energy gathered at a single point shot out towards the Chimera at the very front.
Kukukukukukukukung.
The purple blood of the Chimera, struck directly by a single beam of light, scattered in all directions.
Countless explosions at the cellular level.
Each one created a crater over a meter in diameter, disintegrating the Chimera.
The nauseating smell of burning flesh and blood instantly filled the cavern, but the crimson flames that bloomed after the explosion soon incinerated even that.
The super-high temperature heat evaporated the purple blood and incinerated the skin tissue, muscles, and bones, leaving not even ash behind.
Kieeeeeek.
The Chimeras on either side were startled by the massive explosion and hastily moved away.
“Hah, hah. Don't die.”
The explosion hadn't even completely finished yet, but Etiang turned back and retraced her steps.
Her body staggered, as if she had used up every last drop of mana.
But even so, she did not look back.
Her retreating figure was filled with the conviction that the Chimera hit by her magic was surely dead.
“Yes, my pleasure.”
I answered her request with conviction.
She had performed her role splendidly, so now it was Kevin's and my turn.
If we failed here, wouldn't we lose face with Etiang, who had been so vehemently opposed to Kevin stepping up?
Kukukukung.
At the same time Etiang's figure disappeared into the darkness of the cave, her magic also completely ended.
The two remaining Chimeras were separated on opposite walls of the cavern, having avoided the aftermath of Etiang's magic.
Clank, clank.
Kevin, wearing plate armor, made a dull sound as he took his position in the middle of the huge cavern.
Thwack.
He then slammed his giant square shield into the ground and bent his right leg, pressing his body close to the shield.
His posture showed a firm determination to block any attack that came his way.
It seemed his plan was to stand there and tie up the other Chimera while I disposed of one.
After making eye contact with Kevin, I ran past him toward the Chimera that was disoriented by the explosion.
I drew the shortsword from my hip and drove it into the creature's leg.
It was the thickest of the dozens of legs attached to its torso.
Seeing its green skin, I thought it might be an ogre's leg.
It seemed to bear the largest share of supporting the creature's massive body.
Kieeeeeek.
Purple blood splattered, and the Chimera's scream was heard.
A long, grafted arm flew at me like a whip.
Ting.
I parried the arm with my buckler.
A blow with an incredible sense of weight.
It was a natural result, as it was several times longer and harder than the black arm of Adol, who had turned into a Ghoul.
Looking closely, it was a disgusting patchwork of arms connected to other arms, with as many as seven joints.
Where the thin, long arm passed, a short, thick arm was thrust out.
As I jumped up to avoid the fist, the Chimera extended another arm.
The straight punch slammed into the ground with a loud roar.
But that wasn't the end.
Countless arms stabbed towards me in the air, filling my vision.
I opened my eyes wide.
The countless arms and legs protruding like an insect's legs from the giant Chimera's body.
Their detailed forms were captured perfectly in my eyes as if they were frozen in time.
I extended my foot towards one of the hands closest to me.
The shape was mangled, but it was clearly a human hand.
This mad magician used not only monsters but also people as test subjects.
That thought crossed my mind for a fleeting moment, but I didn't stop moving.
I kicked off the arm and did a somersault, landing behind the Chimera.
Chak.
The moment the soles of my feet touched the ground, I gathered mana in my legs.
Mana User.
One who uses mana.
Now it was time to experience its meaning with my whole body.
My Mana Heart gushed out mana.
My Single Core trembled as if it would shatter and resonated.
The muscle fibers in my legs, heavily imbued with mana, swelled up as if they would burst.
A brief moment, not even a second long.
In that fleeting instant, all the mana I had reached in my Single Core gathered in my legs.
A blue light burst from my legs.
Mana Body Concentration.
A body enhancement ability that only a Mana User could perform.
Shweek.
Releasing the mana that had been gathered to its limit, I kicked off the ground and jumped.
My body shot out like a ray of light.
Everything in the world stretched into long lines.
Watching its hideous body magnify in an instant, I thrust my shortsword forward.
I pierced through it and soared into the sky.
The cave ceiling instantly drew near.
Kieeeeeek.
From behind me, I heard the Chimera's scream again.
Glancing back, I saw dozens of pairs of arms flying towards me again.
‘If one time isn't enough, then twice. If twice isn't enough, then until it's done.’
I recalled that thought for the first time in a while.
Tat.
I turned my body in mid-air and planted my feet on the ceiling of the cavern.
Then, gathering mana, I shot myself at the Chimera like a ray of light once more.
I could see the hundreds of eyes on the Chimera's dozens of heads widening.
The limbs of all sorts of monsters crossed to raise a guard.
Puk.
I became a single arrow and pierced through it all.
Behind me, who had returned to the ground, the giant Chimera collapsed, spilling purple blood.