Mutation #1

 

There is an old saying.

They say that in a tiger’s den, the fox reigns supreme.

Max, who claimed to be the number two man in the vigilante group, did not agree with this statement.

“Hey, what? Who’s the fox? I’m a tiger too. I’m just a little smaller than Dawson.”

Max’s neck was tense as he led his six vigilante men forward.

The steps are brisk, and the murky air of the underground waterway feels sweet.

Now that I was away from Dawson, who always nagged and picked on me for trivial reasons, I felt like I could finally live a little.

“Mr. Max, the roads here are really complicated. We don’t even have a map…”

“I think it would be best to turn back around here.”

Unlike Max, his subordinates looked quite unwilling.

That’s understandable, the underground waterway was so quiet.

I heard that there are a lot of rats scurrying around.

Why doesn’t anything, let alone a rat, show even a hint of a nose?

Rather, the fact that nothing appears stimulates ominous imaginations.

Max was also secretly anxious inside.

However, the captain must not show any signs of discouragement here.

“That zing, zing, squeak, squeak—you all just keep talking nonsense. Are you guys rats, huh?”

“But isn’t our mission simply to block the cave passage with planks? We don’t need to go this deep and wander around—”

“Who would be lost if they were lost, you little punk!”

Max grabbed his subordinate by the collar.

For a moment, the subordinate’s cheekbones suddenly stood out.

The subordinate twitched his lips as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped.

Oh, that’s strange—

The reaction was completely different from what Max had expected.

If Dawson did the same, everyone would be like, “Sorry—” and die.

‘This kid, this isn’t going to work.’

Max stared at him for a long time before roughly pushing his subordinate away.

I really wanted to show them a lesson, but the other guys’ expressions weren’t very good either.

“Even in the dark, there is a way to find your way. Look, kids.”

As Max raised his wrist, the looks in his subordinates’ eyes changed.

On that arm hung a silver bracelet with an elegant sheen.

Artifact Bracelet, “Pure White Radiance”.

“Mr. Max, that bracelet—”

“Yes. The captain trusted me and entrusted me with the job.”

Of course it’s a lie.

There’s no way greedy Dawson would entrust a valuable artifact to his subordinate.

While Dawson was busy planning the operation, Max snuck the artifact out of the warehouse.

‘Just put it back in its place before anyone notices.’

Every thing has its own use.

What good is an artifact if it’s left in a warehouse for a hundred days?

Even the pure white brilliance must be sad about its fate.

Max rationalized as he held out the bracelet towards the dark passage.

Pazuzu—

A faint, cloudy light formed a circle over the bracelet.

If you look at the amount of light itself, it seems like a normal torch would be better, but

This light requires neither oil nor firewood.

Moreover, it has the mysterious property of not going out even when placed in water.

“and!”

“Is that the artifact’s ability, Mr. Max?”

The subordinates gasped. Even the guy who’d been grabbed by the collar earlier had his eyes wide open.

They are such simple guys.

Max chuckled and shook his bracelet.

“It’s still too early to be surprised.”

I’ve noticed Dawson’s handling of the bracelet before.

The light that had been shimmering in pure white splendor spread out in all directions with Max’s gesture.

On the wall, on the floor, on the dirty water—

Tiny white specks of light, like fireflies, clung to the waterways and chased away the darkness.

“wow-“

“How are you, kids?”

“It’s bright and beautiful⋯.”

The subordinates’ eyes sparkled.

Max, who had regained his authority thanks to the artifact’s glow, continued to explore the underground passages.

“As expected, it’s strange. Traces of monster hunting are everywhere.”

Max looked around with a suspicious look.

Rat claw marks and bloodstains carved into the wall.

Fallen pieces of flesh.

Max is an adventurer who has been through a lot in Garden.

In his eyes, all these circumstances pointed to one conclusion.

“Someone was secretly hunting monsters in the sewers. No, they might be hunting right now.”

Max smiled sinisterly and stroked his scabbard.

“This, this… It looks like a big rat has crawled into the canal. And there might be more than one or two.”

In principle, what my subordinates said was right. At this point, it’s time to head back.

Even if it were discovered that there were adventurers out of control in the underground sewers, it would be Dawson’s decision to dispose of them.

But it wasn’t just the darkness of the sewer that blinded Max’s eyes.

“If you fight, you win unconditionally. This is your chance to earn credit.”

Greed makes people blind.

Even the pure white light could not dislodge the sticky, large lump that had taken hold in Max’s heart.

“Let’s move quickly.”

Max led his men into the darkness.

***

The boss room of the polluted sediment site, the “Reconstruction Room”.

We gathered in front of the boss room, fully prepared.

I healed all the wounds I received from fighting, slept well, and ate a hearty meal.

Everyone’s condition is perfect.

Of course. Because I was the one who managed it.

“Just do as I told you beforehand. Don’t be too nervous.”

I spoke, making eye contact with each and every party member.

Now, finally, let’s say a few words of trustworthy words worthy of a party leader to boost their fighting spirit.

While I was coughing and thinking of great words.

“Kid, is your butt okay?”

Mitchell chimed in.

“⋯What?”

“You went to bed for two hours yesterday.”

“Ah. That—that exists, right—”

I had kept my whereabouts the night before somewhat vague.

Things get complicated if I have to explain where I came from, like how I knew the vigilantes might be here, and so on.

I just roughly buried it and moved on…

Mitchell, who didn’t know the details, seemed to have taken it for granted that I had been in trouble for two hours.

“Are you constipated, Estelle?”

Wagner also looked at me with a worried look and asked.

“It’s good to eat lots of vegetables and drink plenty of water. And I heard yogurt helps too.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Of course, this might be embarrassing for a young lady like Estelle, but… I know from experience how painful it is. I was so devastated—”

⋯The misunderstanding is getting deeper and deeper.

Thanks to that, I ended up hearing about Wagner’s painful experiences.

I really didn’t want to know.

“May I suggest something?”

Flora raised her hand.

A bright face.

Is that a clear-eyed madman?

I don’t even need to hear what the hell you’re talking about. That’s bullshit.

“It’s better to fight in peak condition, right? So, let’s all cheer and wait until Estelle clears her throat.”

“Be quiet, senior. Okay, let’s go in.”

bang.

I kicked open the door to the boss room with all my might.

“We have entered the reconstruction room, the deepest part of the contaminated sedimentation area.”

“Warning: An irreversible transformation monster awaits adventurers.”

A narrow, square room, similar in shape to a stack of cigarette packs.

From the drain near the high ceiling, fluorescent wastewater flows ceaselessly into the room like a waterfall.

Broken pieces of stone are scattered here and there like islands⋯

An amorphous monster, half-submerged in water, that changes its color and shape frantically every moment.

That guy is the boss, the transformed monster.

“let’s go.”

My heart races. A surge of elation surges through my body at the prospect of a formidable foe.

Okay, let’s give it a try.

“senior.”

“I’m ready-”

The boss battle began with Flora’s preemptive magic.

A hazy mist emanating from Flora’s fingertips.

This is the newly learned “Magic Fog”.

The target is not a mutant monster.

Three subordinates lurking around the transformed monster, the ‘Shining Eyes’.

If you let these guys use their specialty, the ‘luminous gaze’ attack, at will, it’ll be a headache.

Just by looking at it for more than 3 seconds, you will receive a comprehensive gift set of status effects including confusion, paralysis, mutation, and petrification.

Of course, I have already prepared a way to deal with it.

—…!

—…!?

When he lost sight of what was ahead, his golden eyes began to dart around.

Flora’s magical fog effectively neutralized gaze attacks by blocking vision.

“Okay, okay. It’s my turn now, right?”

While the glowing eyes were confused in the fog, Mitchell leaped into the air without hesitation.

The fog won’t last long, so we need to quickly deal with the minions before it does.

The perfect candidate is Mitchell, who is agile and has exceptional power in one shot.

“Huh-”

Kwakwang—!

Mitchell was slammed into the middle of the monsters like a missile.

—Kirik…!

One shining eyeball, completely struck by the “brain shock,” passed away without even knowing what had happened.

And now the most important opponent.

The task of marking the mutant monster falls to Wagner and me.

“There’s no need to push yourself too hard, Wagner. We just need to buy time while Mitchell and Flora deal with their men.”

“hmm.”

The deformed monster slowly turned towards us.

That fluid body constantly changes into all sorts of shapes even as it rotates its posture.

—Grrrr …

A sound like boiling phlegm resonated from deep within the monster’s body.

The next moment, the random transformations stopped and the thing became fixed in one form.

The sight of a huge, clenched fist.

Named “Shape of Crushing”.

‘Not bad.’

This is one of the more notable transformations among the dozens of forms of the mutant monster.

The attack pattern is monotonous.

Just one simple pattern of striking nearby enemies with that huge fist.

“Coming!”

At my shout, Wagner gripped his shield tightly.

A deformed monster with its wrists stretched out like taffy, struck out comically like a scene from an American cartoon.

Kukwang—!

Of course, its power is not funny at all.

Wagner’s foot, which he blocked with his shield, dug into the ground at least 3cm.

However, this Wagner kid is not that easy.

Because it’s a bear.

“⋯It’s okay. I can hold out.”

Wagner nodded, catching his breath.

“You can trust me. Don’t worry and fight, Estelle.”

If you say so, then there is no reason to refuse.

I peeked my head out from behind Wagner, where I was hiding, and aimed at the deformed monster.

“Magic Arrow”, Estelle’s variation.

“Are we going to give each other one?”

I ask, but the mutant monster doesn’t answer.

A shameless bastard.

bread-!

A laser was shot in a straight line from the fingertips aimed like a pistol.

The magic arrow pierced through the giant fist in one breath and embedded itself in the wall behind it.

—Gwarar …

The deformed monster twists its body violently.

Oh, that must have stung a bit.

But it’ll only get more painful. You can’t be too careful now.

The vicious punching continues again.

The deformed monster continued to attack fiercely, changing its form into “Shape of a Saw,” “Shape of a Bison,” and “Shape of Absorption.”

“Hoo-”

Wagner’s breathing becomes increasingly labored.

Even if you know how to respond to all patterns, damage will inevitably accumulate during the actual execution process.

It’s tough because Wagner takes all the attacks on my behalf and even jumps around to dodge them while hugging me.

“Are you okay, Wagner? If you can’t take it anymore—”

“No problem.”

Even if you say that, your face doesn’t look like it’s a problem at all…

It is a man’s instinct to act as if nothing happened in front of a weak girl.

It’s not even tacky to point it out.

I know how it feels, because I was a man too.

“Just hold on a little longer.”

“hmm.”

He pretended not to know and just patted Wagner on the shoulder.

And finally—

“I got them all!”

“We’ll help you too!”

Flora and Mitchell joined in, having dealt with all the glowing eyes in the rear.

“It’s much faster than I expected. Very desirable.”

As always, these are party members who always show a form that exceeds expectations.

Perhaps sensing the unfavorable situation, the mutant monster’s mood changed to something ominous.

Kwarr—

Soon after, the level of wastewater that had risen inside the boss room began to gradually decrease.

The transformed monster continued to suck wastewater into its body without stopping.

The volume grew larger and larger, already swelling to several times its original size.

Come out.

The last and most powerful form of the creature, the “Dragon Form”.

This strategy is also set.

Just extreme damage.

Inflicting more damage than he can handle in the shortest amount of time possible. That’s it.

Our party wasn’t even fazed by the giant transformation monster.

Flora swallows her saliva and casts a magic arrow.

Mitchell giggles as if he finds it amusing and steps in place.

Wagner grips the mace tightly.

And me.

I held a dagger in one hand and a ceremonial sword in the other.

“—Ability Unlock: Take out the abilities stored in the reliquary and strengthen your body for a short time.”

“⋯ Stamina increases by 12.

⋯Magic power increases by 30.

⋯Physical ability increases by 7.

⋯Magic ability increases by 20.」

A surge of power surged from deep within my body.

Every time I breathe in and out, I feel the rush of magic flowing through my veins.

I don’t know why, but… even though there wasn’t a single breeze blowing, my hair was fluttering on its own.

“Casting Frost Sword.”

“A lost experience comes back to me vaguely. I receive a bonus of exceptional talent.”

“You have excellent aptitude for attack magic. You receive an aptitude bonus.”

A long blade of ice extended above the daggers held in each hand.

Wow—

Twin swords, I can’t stand this.

I’ve been waiting for this moment since I first set foot on the polluted landfill.

And it’s not over yet.

It would be a shame to leave out the spirit item “Sagrada Life”.

“I activate Painful Sacrifice.”

“You are addicted. Damage dealt to enemies increases.”

Right now I’m a total killer.

I can guarantee it.

If I pull out the damage meter after the battle, I’ll definitely be number one in damage.

I aimed my two-handed frost swords at the deformed monster.

Preparations are complete.

Okay, let’s cut it.