Chapter 146

Rea​d o​n K​at​R​eadingC​afe

Carlos was genuinely baffled by my request.

His usually emotionless face now showed clear disbelief.

He furrowed his brows and narrowed his blue-gray eyes.

I wondered if he was questioning my sanity.

If someone suddenly asked me to do something like that, I’d doubt their mental state too.

Asking someone to cut off your own limbs?

Who in their right mind would make such a request?

Besides, from the outside, it already looks like I have no limbs.

Murmur’s spatial connection has transferred my arms and legs to another space.

It’s not like they’ve been severed, but to anyone who doesn’t know, it would seem like I’ve lost them.

To Carlos, I must look like a limbless person rolling on the ground.

My mouth is covered in blood, and my shoulder area is still gushing hot blood.

And here I am, asking him to cut off limbs that don’t even seem to exist.

It’s no wonder he might think I’ve lost my mind.

Yeah, even Lucia thinks this request is bizarre.

It’s understandable if he questions my mental health.

But what else can I do?

I can’t cut off my own limbs by myself.

Look at this.

I’ve been biting as hard as I can, but it’s still not severed.

The bone is tough, and the muscle is resilient—it’s too much for my teeth and jaw.

“Ah, maybe I didn’t explain enough. I’ll just get to the point since we’re short on time.”

Before Carlos could sink deeper into misunderstanding, I quickly explained the situation.

My limbs have been transferred to another space due to spatial manipulation.

I can’t think of any way to retrieve them, so I’ve decided to just cut them off and regenerate them.

But I can’t do it alone, so I need you to sever them for me.

“Hmm.”

After I summarized the key points, Carlos let out a low hum.

“…Is there no other way?”

“As you can see, this is the situation.”

I raised my arm to show the severed area.

No blood or bone is visible.

Only the distorted space remains fixed.

Carlos let out a short sigh.

He bent slightly and grabbed what was left of my arm, pulling it with all his might.

Nothing changed.

This wasn’t something that could be resolved by pulling.

The gate created by Murmur’s spatial connection was firmly fixed to my body.

At least someone of captain-level strength would be needed to interfere.

“…I see.”

Having tried it himself and seemingly convinced, Carlos muttered in a low voice.

His blue-gray eyes gradually cooled.

The warmth in his gaze faded, indicating he had made up his mind.

“I’ll do it. Are you okay?”

What does he mean by “okay”?

He’s about to mercilessly tear off my limbs.

It’s going to be excruciatingly painful—can I handle it?

Is that what he’s asking? Hehe, how considerate.

“…I’m ready. Please do it.”

Yes, I’m ready.

I’m actually looking forward to how Carlos will tear apart Lucia’s limbs.

Carlos doesn’t carry a weapon.

Not because he didn’t bring one, but because he doesn’t need one.

His entire body is a powerful weapon.

“…”

Carlos clenched his fist.

The tendons and veins on the back of his hand stood out.

The sound of muscles expanding echoed.

His fangs grew sharper.

Long, curly gray fur covered the back of his hand.

His ash-gray hair swayed like waves.

Animal ears twitched on top of his head.

A tail slowly wagged, poking out from his pants.

Supernatural ability.

【Werewolf】

This is why Carlos is called the Hunting Dog of the Family.

A dog trained for hunting.

But Carlos has broken free from the Family’s restraints.

He’s not a dog—he’s a wolf.

Humans can tame dogs, but they can’t control the wild nature of a wolf.

‘So this is the beast transformation ability. It’s my first time seeing it in person.’

An ability possessed by only a select few among supernaturals.

Those who can transform into beasts.

While the animals they transform into differ, they share a common trait.

They all boast immense physical prowess.

Humans possess superior intelligence compared to all animals, but their physical capabilities pale in comparison. If you were to face a wild beast bare-handed, even a martial arts master wouldn’t survive. 

Beast transformation abilities allow users to retain human advantages while fully embracing the strengths of animals. As a result, their physical abilities far surpass those of other supernaturals of the same level.

‘It’s the half-human, half-beast mode.’

They can fully transform into beasts or take on a hybrid form.

While full transformation maximizes their abilities, the hybrid form is already formidable.

At the very least, he should be able to tear off Lucia’s limbs with sheer strength.

“It’s going to hurt. Scream if you need to.”

“…Saying it like that makes it sound weird.”

I forced a laugh.

He’s probably saying I don’t need to hold back my screams because it’ll hurt.

But the way he phrased it makes it sound like he’s mocking me.

“Ugh…”

“…”

Carlos grabbed my right arm, which was dangling from my earlier attempts to bite it off.

The wound was irritated, and the pain shot through my nerves to my brain.

I squirmed. My nonexistent legs kicked the air.

“It’s fine. Do it.”

I smiled through the pain.

It probably looked like a forced smile.

Sorry for making you see that expression.

But my heart is racing so much it’s hard to bear.

Carlos aimed his claw-like nails just below my shoulder.

A moment of silence. Carlos stared at my shoulder without even a twitch.

Then, in an instant, a swift strike came down on the dangling arm.

Thud!

“Ah?! H-Hkkk…!”

His nails sliced through my right arm in one go, embedding into the ground.

Ah, it’s off. My right arm, which was connected but invisible.

Not anymore. It’s severed. One of Lucia’s limbs is now detached.

Blood gushed out like a fountain. Of course—arteries and everything were severed. I’ve experienced this many times before. Blood poured out from the severed area. Now, I just need to regenerate…I looked up at Carlos with a faint smile.

“…Th, thank you. He, hehe…The other parts too, pl, please…”

“…Got it.”

Carlos lifted his blood-soaked nails again.

This time, he didn’t hesitate.

Without a moment’s pause, the guillotine fell.

His target was my left arm.

Unlike my right arm, it was intact since I hadn’t bitten it.

But it wasn’t sturdy enough to withstand Carlos’s strike.

Slice.

“Ah, ahk…”

I kicked my legs and slammed my heels against the floor.

Where have my legs been transferred to?

If anyone’s watching, I’m really sorry.

Suddenly, my legs appeared and started flailing on their own.

Now, they’re about to be sliced off and become cold chunks of meat.

“Ah, no…I don’t want to…”

“…I’ll finish it quickly. Endure it.”

Ah, I accidentally let that slip.

It’s fine, really. Lucia is perfectly fine.

It’s just a habit. I used to whine about the pain while self-harming alone. Actually, I’m feeling great. My brain is soaked in adrenaline. Carlos is so skilled. Too skilled, actually. You don’t have to cut it off in one go—you can slowly carve it out like using a saw, okay?

Carlos kept his word.

He wasn’t lying when he said he’d finish it quickly.

With a wide swing of his claws, he severed both legs in one strike.

Lucia’s legs fell to the ground, carving deep grooves into the exhibition hall floor.

And just like that, Lucia was truly limbless.

All that remained was her head and torso. That’s it.

Sticky blood began to pool on the floor.

I was submerged in the blood I had spilled.

Hehe…I feel so good…

Should I stay like this for a while…?

I want to stay like this forever.

The blood gushing from the severed areas.

I could feel my life slipping away.

I’m breaking. Lucia is falling apart.

That fact was unbearably delightful.

The thought that a pretty, capable, and promising girl like Lucia had been reduced to a useless piece of trash made my body tremble with joy. 

What can Lucia do now? All she has is her torso and head. The only things that come to mind are a stress-relief punching bag or a masturbation toy. 

Huh? Human rights? I threw those away along with my limbs.

Well, enough joking.

This isn’t the time to relax.

I activated my super regeneration. The supernatural ability honed under Frey’s training quickly began restoring my body to its optimal state. 

The bleeding stopped. My stumpy limbs twitched and grew back. Elbows formed, forearms took shape, wrists and fingers returned to their rightful places. The same happened with my legs. Thighs, knees, ankles, and finally, fully intact toes.

It didn’t take much time.

The regeneration speed has definitely improved.

Frey’s training was truly effective.

She’s an amazing instructor, Frey!

I’ll have to ask her for another lesson next time.

“Haa, haa…”

Although my limbs have regenerated, the remnants of the pain still linger. 

I panted, lost in the afterglow. I wanted to stay like this forever, but the changing reality wouldn’t wait for me. I staggered to my feet. 

I glanced at the chunks of meat that were once part of me, then turned to look at Carlos.

“Thank you. For cutting off my limbs.”

“…”

“Anna is in the restroom. It’s strange that she hasn’t come back yet. Let’s hurry.”

“…Alright, got it.”

Tears pooled in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.

I roughly wiped them away with the back of my hand and hurried toward the restroom.

The rift had just opened, so only a small number of weak monsters were crossing over.

But even low rank monsters are deadly to ordinary people, especially to a child like Anna.

Please, let nothing have happened to her.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Carlos’ conscience is tormented.

He didn’t do anything bad, but his conscience still hurts.

Who would be grateful if someone cut off their limbs?

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A Carlos POV would be nice heh, though translating that sounds like a nightmare… 

Oh yeah, a new way to show abilities, it looks cleaner to me, do tell me if you think it’s weird though.