Ch.132Monster vs Monster

It may seem out of the blue, but what can we define as a ‘person’?

Setting philosophical aspects aside, most Earth dwellers would think of the species ‘Homo sapiens.’

Then what about in Grantis?

Humans, elves, and dwarves with relatively similar physical characteristics despite differences in innate lifespan and aptitudes.

Various tribes of beast-folk born with animal characteristics, and among them, the beast-kings with particularly pronounced bestial traits.

Lycanthropes, whose appearance is difficult to distinguish from beast-folk.

Vampires, succubi, and lamias who possess intelligence equal to or greater than humans and can appreciate culture.

Goblins, kobolds, and orcs who, despite having somewhat lower intelligence and cultural levels, can communicate and form collective societies.

Where do we draw the line for the category of ‘person,’ and from where do we define them as ‘animals’ or ‘monsters’?

Normally, such questions would be continuously discussed from a philosophical perspective, accepting change and progress over many years.

When Grantis was engulfed by black mana, there was someone who needed to find an answer to this question as quickly as possible.

To protect ‘people’—not just ‘humans’ or ‘elves’—from ferocious ‘animals’ and ‘monsters,’

To define which living beings belonged in the category of people, and to exclude/avoid/isolate those that fell outside that category.

For the first ten years, no problems arose.

Over the following decades, many things happened, but the answer he had derived remained valid.

As time passed, landscapes changed, and even after ‘he’ was no longer of this world…

The legacy he left behind still cherished his ‘answer.’

{Confirming monster intrusion into the final defense zone}

Protect people.

Drive away animals and monsters.

This basic concept of ‘protection’ is included in the barrier techniques used by all adventurers traveling through Grantis.

But the definition of the ‘person’ category that a man agonized over in that distant past—

Was it identical to what the barrier magic of A.S. (After Settlement) 101 defines as ‘person’ right now?

{Direct encounter with detected monster confirmed. Database search… No 100% matching data}

{Considering possibility of mutant species or artificially created synthetic beast… Unable to conclude due to insufficient evidence}

{Analyzing whether the encountered life forms possess characteristics of humanity or monsters…}

{Confirmed that all 15 bodies are primates with bodies suitable for bipedal locomotion}

What about genetically similar immigrants who clearly came from ‘outside’ Grantis?

Or Homo sapiens who have been reincarnated into another world across the barriers of time and space?

Or people who have gradually ‘changed’ as they adapted to and overcame the black mana over the years?

{Detected two types of mana patterns, ‘human’ and ‘monster,’ in all 15 bodies}

{Confirmed that 10 out of 15 bodies possess oral structures based on carnivorous animals}

{Confirmed that 5 out of 15 bodies possess oral structures based on omnivorous animals}

{Initiating inference about the identity of the 15 creatures based on the above data}

If they fit even slightly into the defined scale of ‘person,’ would they be accepted and embraced as people?

Or if they deviate even slightly from that scale, would they be considered non-human and thoroughly excluded?

{Conclusion 1: The 10 bodies based on carnivorous animals are judged to be derivatives of ‘lycanthropes.’}

{Conclusion 2: Among the 5 bodies based on omnivorous animals, 1 female form with a tail is judged to be a derivative of ‘lycanthropes.’}

{Conclusion 3: The 4 bodies without tails among the 5 omnivorous-based bodies are judged to be vassals or subspecies of ‘vampires.’}

There’s no way to fathom the mind of the man who contemplated what a ‘person’ is hundreds of years ago.

However.

{Action plan determined – Immediately exclude the 15 encountered monsters, dissect them and secure samples}

The conclusion reached by his legacy was clear enough for anyone present to understand.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After defeating the continuously swarming Dragoons and advancing, we finally reached the crystal vein cavity located in the deepest part of the Korkas Mine.

Unlike the dark tunnels, none of the lighting fixtures inside the cavity were destroyed, and the red crystals protruding from the ceiling and walls reflected the light beautifully.

In the middle of the cavity, two silver objects lay on the ground.

They were shell-like objects split in half, and when put together, they would be slightly smaller than a soccer ball, with the inside completely empty.

Just as Seti said, “Could a baby Dragoon have been born?” Jessica replied that golem-type monsters couldn’t possibly lay eggs.

With a silver flash crossing before our eyes, the final battle of the Korkas Mine recapture operation began.

*Thwack*

“Guhk!”

“Ryan!”

From top to bottom, right to left, hiding behind crystals, then emerging from elsewhere.

The silver something, presumed to have been born from the egg, ravaged us as it flew around the cavity at a terrifying speed.

With a body slam attack of unimaginable power for its small size, it knocked down the large beast-king warrior in one hit, then hid among the crystals and fired red beams.

*Fwing-*

“Mina! Behind you on the right!”

“Waaah!?”

A thin beam of light that repeatedly reflected and refracted through the red crystals, coming from blind angles.

It was thinner and quieter than the beam guns fired by the Dragoons, but its destructive power remained unchanged, and its unpredictable trajectory made it difficult to counter.

Even Phyllis, who aimed her rifle the moment the silver object briefly revealed itself, lost sight of it before completing her aim.

“Tch, it’s fast…!”

“At this rate, I can’t even heal the injured.”

“It seems this creature is the final obstacle of this adventure… this is troublesome.”

The palm-sized silver object flying around the cavity was so fast that even spotting it was difficult.

If it were to charge at me, I could at least glimpse its form through my crisis detection skill, but for some reason, it attacked the other members one by one without paying any attention to me.

Perhaps during our dozens of fierce battles with the Dragoons, it learned that I have the ability to respond to ambushes from behind or fast-moving objects.

*Crash*

“Ah!”

The silver object that instantly burrowed into Fatum’s arms shattered his scale shield with a beam attack from the inside.

The next moment it disrupted Jessica’s spell casting, and the moment after that, it attacked the back of a beast-king warrior’s head.

“This thing…!”

At this rate, we won’t even have time to heal wounds, and we’ll fall one by one.

If I can’t respond with the crisis detection skill, I’ll have to actively trigger a skill to shoot it down.

As I put my revolver in its holster and took a quick draw stance, Jessica, understanding the meaning of my action, closed her eyes and activated the Fragment of Omniscience.

‘I probably don’t need to consume a large amount of mana. For now, I just need to hit it.’

A speed-focused skill use that brings the time from quick draw to hit infinitely close to zero.

No matter how fast the enemy is, once spotted, I can definitely hit it.

As I was preparing for a quick draw while looking at the crystal where it had last hidden, it happened.

*Thud!*

“Kyaa!”

“Jessica!?”

With a dull impact sound from behind, Jessica collapsed to the ground, and the flow of mana connecting us was severed.

Did it circle behind us without me noticing?

But checking Jessica’s condition was more important right now.

“Jessica, are you okay?”

“Y-yes… in the blink of an eye, from behind…”

“Kyaak!”

The scream of the black panther female warrior standing some distance away.

I quickly turned my head in that direction to see the silver object flying like an arrow toward a red crystal protruding from the nearby ceiling.

*Ta-tang!*

*Pak!*

Unable to properly prepare my stance, the skill didn’t activate, and one of the stray white mana bullets broke a light fixture on the wall.

“Be careful. If all the lights go out, we won’t even be able to see the enemy.”

“Yes, we need to be careful. Couldn’t you detect its approach with the Fragment of Omniscience?”

“I’m not sure. If it had a golem core, I could definitely detect it, but it’s so fast…”

Even if we notice it entering our range, it’s already after we’ve been attacked.

It seems my skill is the only one that can shoot it down, but it’s deliberately targeting my companions while staying out of my sight…

‘…Hm? That is…’

While looking around for the silver object, I discovered a dark hole in one corner of the wall.

That must be the tunnel dug to mine crystals and the passage leading to the ancient ruins.

It’s dark probably because lighting fixtures haven’t been installed yet or were destroyed by the Dragoons.

“Phyllis!”

“What is it!”

“There should be ancient ruins through that passage over there! Go there and prepare a Fireball!”

“What…! Why would I—”

“I’ll explain later, just hurry!”

At my instruction to prepare to blast the ancient ruins with a Fireball, Phyllis momentarily looked confused but soon began running toward the crystal tunnel.

As I watched Phyllis running away, I once again took a quick draw stance, and Jessica closed her eyes again to activate the Fragment of Omniscience.

‘Got you. This thing!’

As expected, the silver object flew like an arrow, targeting Phyllis’s back as she ran toward the ancient ruins.

If the ancient ruins were the Dragoons’ stronghold, it was obvious it would prioritize targeting Phyllis who was going to destroy it.

The identity of the silver flash that had been ravaging the battlefield was a palm-sized Dragoon with an elongated body and six protruding legs.

The silver wings on its back resembled those of a dragonfly or beetle, and the pointed part at the end of its abdomen that fired beams protruded like a bee’s stinger.

I activated my skill the moment I spotted it, but it had already approached within 1 meter of Phyllis’s back—that’s how fast it was.

*Ta-ang!*

Three mana bullets that transcended the time between leaving the barrel and hitting the target.

Their power would have been enough to penetrate a giant Dragoon’s armor and shatter its golem core, but surprisingly, this insect-type Dragoon wasn’t pierced or crushed. Instead, it flew into the tunnel wall with the white shining mana stars.

Pinned to the wall by the mana stars like a mounted insect specimen, the insect-type Dragoon,

“Bayonet {Light of} -“

The moment it saw Phyllis drawing her light sword and looking at it, it knew this was the last moment of its life.

“- Phantasm {Sword}.”

*Crack*

The glowing white blade of light split the Dragoon’s body in half.