Chapter 232

Chapter 232. Sprouting Tier (3)

I felt as though my consciousness could flicker out at any moment, but I gritted my teeth.

‘Don’t give up.’

No matter how deep the quagmire, climb out with determination.

Only then can you see the end.

‘There’s not enough mana to create the “Lightning Prison”.’

The same goes for “Flame Strike.”

Ultimately, there wasn’t a single 5th-grade electric attribute magic I could use on the spot.

But should I despair just because of that?

‘Think, find a way to escape this quagmire.’

I forcibly held onto my consciousness, which was gradually fading, and focused my eyes.

As if waiting for this moment, a familiar object came into view.

Lying nonchalantly on the dirt floor was undoubtedly the Owl’s Companion…

It was the dagger I had given Kim Yul.

The dagger that Kim Yul had dropped while the nemesis-rank evolved species dragged me along was lying there.

I summoned strength into my arms hanging above my head.

Although they didn’t move well, the dagger was thankfully not too far away.

Every time I was dragged along, I got closer to it.

Thanks to this, I could grasp the Owl’s Companion without significant movement.

Three magics were stored in it since Kim Yul hadn’t properly used it in battle before being knocked out.

And among them, the magic most suitable for this situation, causing the least harm to me, was…

‘A 4th-grade earth-attribute root vine, realized with wooden attribute mana.’

Upon casting the magic, over a dozen roots shot up from the ground.

“Kuwaaaa!”

The scene that unfolded before me wasn’t very beautiful.

Frankly speaking, it was rather gruesome.

The vine, made of tree roots, writhed madly, encircling its target, inevitably making it gruesome.

It vaguely resembled the tentacles seen in sci-fi movies.

But just because it looked grotesque didn’t make it a problem.

I hadn’t cast this magic for beautiful scenery.

‘Earth attribute, and wood attribute in particular, are strong against water.’

The upper hand of mana types, like a game of rock-paper-scissors, exists for a reason.

Look at the evidence.

Ever since the 4th-grade mana, it was a 4th-grade magic, and yet the nemesis-rank evolved species couldn’t easily break free.

Inside, chunks of ice were causing a commotion, but that was all.

Unlike the half-hearted “Lightning Prison” attempt earlier, this was a different result.

The ice could pierce and slash the root vine, but eliminating it completely was impossible.

‘I’ve at least bought some time.’

First, I cast a detection magic.

Thankfully, Kim Yul’s mana was still intact.

Over by the woman and children, it seemed someone had died as only one mana signature remained.

It wasn’t the best outcome, but it wasn’t the worst either.

‘I must reach them while someone is still alive.’

I fumbled with the potion bottle I retrieved from my inventory.

My bones were too broken; drinking a potion like this would surely cause problems later.

‘A potion is not a cure-all.’

Whether I broke my bones again to attach them or found some other medical method…

‘It would pose various difficulties.’

But this was no time to hesitate.

‘My vision is blurring too much.’

I bled too much from my head.

Even with a player’s physique, I couldn’t hold out much longer.

I poured a potion over my head.

Then, in need, I aligned the bones of my fingers and legs.

“Gah, argh!”

The pain was vivid, even though my body was battered and torn.

Tears, saliva, and blood indistinguishably mixed and dripped onto the ground.

I genuinely wanted to give up right there and then.

That way, I wouldn’t have to feel this pain anymore.

Even when the thought of quitting surged up countless times, I drank the potion instead of lying down.

But strangely, the effect was dull.

I tried drinking two more bottles, but it felt as if it just leaked through a hole somewhere.

Ultimately, I postponed my recovery and crawled toward Kim Yul and the civilians.

‘I need to move quickly and form a barrier.’

While moving, I saw Kerak’s spear I missed and used it as a staff to stand.

“You persistent thing!”

An unwelcome shadow loomed over my head.

‘Already!’

The nemesis-rank evolved species had broken free of the root vine quicker than expected.

I hurriedly cast a space-warping magic.

But as soon as the nemesis-rank’s hand touched me, the magic broke, and the impact rebounded on me.

Once again, I heard something crack.

This time, I distinctly felt it.

Before even finding the cause, the nemesis-rank seized my head.

And with a thud, slammed it into the ground.

Had I not lost my grip on the dagger I was holding then, things might not have turned so dire.

But my hands, used to the spear, reflexively gripped it tighter.

Thanks to that, the dagger pathetically soared away.

“Ghh…”

Thud, thud!

Every time I was hauled around, it felt as if my brain was rattling.

There was no resisting the dizziness and nausea, forcing me to vomit blood again.

The body, which had barely recovered to move, got wrecked again.

After pounding my head into the ground multiple times like that…

Still holding my crushed face, the nemesis-rank evolved species lifted me.

“If only you’d just pass out; clinging onto consciousness tenaciously, aren’t you?”

The annoyance in its tone left me incredulous.

‘How laughable.’

I found it more annoying that it mimicked human language, pretending to be a sentient being.

If only those creatures were mere beasts without an iota of thought…

‘Then this war wouldn’t have continued.’

Today wouldn’t exist either.

It was perplexing how they evolved to cause such human suffering.

The nemesis-rank, gripping my head, began fondling my arms.

Then muttering whimsically, the consideration in its words was absurd.

“Would tearing it apart calm it down a bit…?”

It hadn’t been that long since my limbs were torn apart and regrown, and it was happening again.

But I wouldn’t just accept it quietly.

‘Some attribute mana has gathered.’

A bit of mana, which had almost depleted after creating the “Lightning Prison” and blocking ice spikes, was now replenished.

While it wouldn’t deal a critical blow, it could be used for a sneak attack.

Stab the nemesis-rank’s eyes to rob its vision and seize the dagger in the chaos.

I had conceived the best I could achieve at that moment when…

– Will you succumb like this?

Kerak’s voice, naturally resonating in my hand, echoed as if breathing.

– Perhaps you could live if you accept my help, why not ask?

Internally, I sneered at his question.

‘If it intended to help, it would have acted before things reached this point.’

I didn’t expect anything from Kerak.

‘Pleading for others’ goodwill changes nothing.’

So instead of clinging to unrealistic hope and begging for aid, I would grit my teeth harder and find a breakthrough myself.

Thus, I intended to ignore the long-forgotten voice stirring in my mind.

– Do not mistake this for helping you.

As Kerak cryptically uttered, a massive surge of mana erupted from the core residing within my heart.

– Just a whim to continue observing, nothing more.

For a newcomer in the scene, his speech dragged on.

‘I’m in no position to complain.’

If, once again, I was to survive thanks to this wretch, it would be the second time.

‘If I survive, I need to have a talk with this guy.’

With both my face and arm locked by the nemesis-rank evolved species, I pulled up the corners of my trembling lips.

“Grrr, are you smiling? To smile in a situation like this, have you finally gone mad?”

How could I not grin when sensing the attribute mana inflating tenfold within me?

Too much confidence in its superiority, to delay and toy, ended up being the nemesis-rank’s only mistake.

In truth, it hadn’t been wary of me in the slightest.

It thought me a walking corpse at death’s door.

No reason not to exploit such complacency.

‘Just one more time.’

Hoping my effort wouldn’t betray me, I clenched my teeth.

「Attempting to evolve Mana Control into Mana Domination!」

Mana, which left my body, scorched the nemesis-rank’s eyes per my will.

“Kiheeek!”

The nemesis-rank instinctively defended with attribute mana, but I acted a split-second faster.

As a result, the nemesis-rank evolved species, clutching its eyes, became a shrieking mess.

Meanwhile, I broke free from its grasp, fell to the ground, and arranged a mana array.

1 second, then 2, and before it hit 3.

“Die, you bastard…”

A “Flame Strike”, swollen to 800,000 mana, rained down from the sky.

A “Flame Strike” crafted with 100,000 mana, would blaze unquenched on a general-rank’s body.

There’s no way a magic with 800,000 mana would wield lesser force.

No matter how sturdy a nemesis-rank evolved species’s body, it couldn’t disregard mana’s hierarchy.

“—!”

Indeed, the nemesis-rank evolved species, engulfed in flames, began screaming in an uncharacterizable manner.

Its frantic dashes were mere extras.

The ice attribute mana within it strove to resist but to little avail.

Once manifested, countering “Flame Strike” purely with mana wasn’t feasible.

Of course, I wasn’t in pristine condition either.

Gambling on a final blow, I had poured every bit of attribute mana I had.

As a result, not even a sliver of mana remained to shield my body.

The flames scattered by the thrashing nemesis-rank melted my skin.

But by then, I was beyond feeling pain.

I was merely conscious, hanging on, refusing to let my mind slip.

The reason I maintained consciousness with such effort was clear.

‘Kim Yul and those civilians…’

Though one had perished, the other was alive not long ago.

I used a detection magic to confirm their survival once more.

“Cough!”

But before the magic materialized, I merely spat blood.

Every attempt to manipulate mana felt like my heart was tearing.

Surely, something had gone awry with my core.

‘Potions are useless.’

The mana seemed to drain away with each attempt.

Something was undoubtedly wrong with my body.

If so, confirming it with my own feet was the only option.

Regaining the Owl’s Companion, I used the remaining magic stored within it.

One mistake was enough.

Though my heart yearned for where Kim Yul lay…

I opted to finish things here first.

‘Whirlwind Spear.’

One of the players’ main club attacks, this magic focused power on a target rather than dispersing it like a pillar or a burst.

Strong winds converged around the dagger like a tornado, then shot forth like a cannon, piercing the nemesis-rank evolved species’s abdomen.

And beyond, toppling rows of trees in its wake.

With fire augmented by wind, the firepower strengthened markedly.

Indeed, fire and wind were a natural pairing.

Due to this, this time, I received confirmation.

「You have successfully neutralized the nemesis-rank.」

An unprecedented volume of mana was absorbed—even after accounting for being thrice split due to party members, it surpassed a dozen times that of a general-rank.

Aside from the message indicating the absorption of mana, numerous messages streamed by, but…

I couldn’t spare attention.

Immediately verifying Kim Yul’s condition with my eyes was paramount.

‘Please,’

My party members’ lives were my responsibility.

That was the obligation I bore upon deciding to lead this party.

Because they followed my commands without question.

That meant their lives rested in my decisions.

So I always remained mindful of the party’s safety.

Whenever it seemed like we couldn’t win or faced a foe beyond our capabilities, I quickly retreated.

Whether on escort missions or traversing corrupted areas.

My efforts had always shone through, resulting in a zero mortality rate within the party.

An outstanding result compared to others losing their party members and clan members monthly, or within a week at the fastest.

But that achievement could end today.

‘How many minutes has Kim Yul been unconscious?’

Damned System