Mutation #2

 

At this very moment, when we have reached the peak of our ability to pull out,

There is no room to waste even a second.

Strategy? Defense? I don’t have the luxury of paying attention to such things.

There is only attack.

I ran towards the transformed monster without the slightest hesitation.

“My life for-”

A writhing, deformed monster in the shape of a long dragon blocks your sight.

I jumped up from my seat with a loud bang.

“I know.”

The other party members present here probably don’t understand the meaning of my shout.

It would be the same for anyone in the world of “Nine Stars”.

But even if no one knew, I really wanted to say this line.

I can’t help it because I’m Korean.

No, honestly, I can’t help but think of Zealots as they run around with their dual swords in such a desperate manner.

Crunch.

As soon as I jumped, I stabbed the twin swords into the head of the mutant monster with all my might.

Then, he spun around in the air and slashed down the frost sword he had placed there.

Sugar Gak—

A highway of two black lines is drawn on the giant body of the transformed monster.

Dragon shape? Albania.

Even if you roughly calculate it, my current attack power is overwhelmingly greater than his defense power.

The monster’s skin was cut away like pudding without any resistance.

“What, what is that?”

Mitchell gaped in bewilderment.

This is the first time you’ve seen a crazy wizard who makes swords in both hands and wields them.

And it’s a sight to see that crazy tactic working so well.

But if you are shocked by just this much, there will be many more surprising things in the future.

I shouted as I slashed at the deformed monster with my frost sword.

“Don’t just watch. Strike now!”

“Okay-”

Surprisingly, it was Flora who took action first.

Maybe he’s used to it since he’s already witnessed my crazy antics before.

“You can just hit them without thinking about the consequences, right?”

Dismissal—

Flora fired magic arrows one after another with a refreshing expression on her face.

“He’s losing his mind. I’m going to force him now!”

Wagner also put down his shield for the first time in a while and took a full swing with his mace.

—Geu⋯Gurareut-

At Wagner’s blow, the deformed monster began to vibrate violently and lose its pulse.

Mitchell didn’t miss the opportunity and jumped over the guy’s head, which was swaying from side to side like an air doll that had started to lose air.

“That’s it – you stand right there.”

Although it’s not as good as I am now, “Brain Shock” was still our party’s strongest attack throughout this hunt.

This one room will be quite large.

Besides, the transformed monster is now defenseless.

It means that there is a very high chance of a fatal blow.

“Eww!”

All eyes are on Mitchell as he falls dazzlingly through the air.

Mitchell accelerated, slamming his heel into the monster’s massive body.

Kuguagwang—

The ground shakes.

A huge lump of sap shaped like a dragon lay unsightly on the ground.

That was great, Mitchell.

If I had to rate it, I would give it a 10 out of 10, no, an 11.

“Let’s finish.”

The transformed monster, who had allowed all of our party’s concentrated attacks to pass through in an instant, fell into a state of complete stupor.

Are you feeling down? It looks like you need some time to catch your breath.

However, this fight is not a fair sporting event.

A fight that ends only when one side is annihilated.

Once it breaks, we only dig up the wounds even more.

While Wagner and Flora focused on the torso of the mutant monster, Mitchell focused on the head.

I took a step back and got a more precise view.

“clairvoyance”.

There is no need to take in everything in my eyes.

Now, you just need to find one.

‘Where did you hide the core?’

The Transformation Monster is also a strengthened version of the Mud Monster and Slime series.

The core hidden somewhere in the fluid body is the biggest weakness.

However, it is really hard to find because there is a core the size of a baby’s fist floating inside a giant body that is over ten meters long.

Unless you happen to get lucky, it’s hard to aim for and attack.

Usually it is like that⋯

But I have clairvoyance.

Hururuk.

As I concentrated my gaze to the extreme, my eyes began to burn as if they were on fire.

Long dragon feet, torso, wings, tail⋯

It scans everything like a sophisticated X-ray machine.

‘Found it.’

The core was between the legs of the mutant.

Even if it wasn’t necessarily because of the core, it’s a point that’s usually treated as a vital point by other living things.

⋯What is this?

Why is the core there?

For a moment, my fingertips stopped.

Even though they are enemies, I know they are monsters without gender distinction…

Because poking Juji is too cruel.

“There’s nothing I can do. Why are you hiding the core there?”

He closed his eyes tightly and swung the frost sword.

Sungdeung—

Thump thump, thump.

To my disgust, the severed core was still flopping around on the bottom like a live fish.

—G- …

The loudest screams since the battle began were heard.

That desperate, painful voice made me feel a little sad.

“A fantastic strike! The core of the mutant monster has been extracted!”

The deformed monster, which had maintained its form despite several powerful attacks, could not withstand this one.

Kwaaaa—

The dragon’s form collapsed, and the wastewater that had formed its body poured out in all directions like waves.

Everyone is struggling under the force of the waves that suddenly rise up to their waists.

Especially since I’m so small, it’s even harder for me.

Other people’s water reaches their waists, but mine is just neck deep.

“Wow- I’m not good at swimming-”

“Take my hand.”

Wagner stood there like a lighthouse in the middle of the sea, pulling Flora’s hand.

“Phew- Wagner, me too!”

“Hey, Gomtang- Me too-”

“⋯Everyone, don’t let go of my hands and hold on to my body tightly.”

We clung to Wagner’s body and waited for the wave to pass.

“Eh, huh huh- ha, really. That little brat, his actions are so dirty to the end.”

Mitchell spat repeatedly, brushing the wet hair from his face.

“Hey- well, at least one of my questions has been answered.”

“what?”

“There’s wastewater. It’s such a delicious-looking color, I kept wondering what it would taste like—well, it doesn’t taste that good.”

Flora smiled brightly, looking like a wet mouse.

No, you wouldn’t be in a situation where you could just be laughing like that… You would have been poisoned.

Okay, that’s fine. I brought enough antidote.

However, it is still too early to relax.

“⋯What is that?”

Mitchell muttered, narrowing his eyes.

In the remains of a collapsed mutant monster.

Inside, a small shadow slowly rose up.

“It’s not over yet.”

Wagner, who was shaking off the water from his clothes, raised his shield again.

Yeah, Mitchell did.

That guy’s actions are dirty to the end.

Mitchell is right.

The main battle is over, but the mutant monster has one last attack pattern.

Also known as the ‘outburst pattern’.

The difficulty of this pattern varies each time.

So, it is difficult for me to prepare an accurate strategy in advance.

I can only hope that it ends without much damage.

Basically, if your party members are evil, you can easily defeat them, but…

On the contrary, the better you are, the more difficult it becomes.

“Coming!”

At Wagner’s shout, the shadow stretched its body towards us.

It’s not a speed that can be avoided by avoiding it.

It’s a confirmed targeting attack that you can’t avoid from the start.

The shadow dug into Mitchell’s feet as if it had been aiming for him from the beginning.

“Mr. Mitchell!”

“Mitchell!”

Mitchell’s eyes widened.

The shadow covered Mitchell’s entire body once, and after a moment, his outstretched body returned to its original state.

—⋯I understand.

A gloomy voice echoed through the boss room.

Step, step.

Then a shadow approached Mitchell.

With each step, the shadow’s body changed little by little, forming a new shape.

The size did not increase.

At best, a small body that is not much different from mine.

It didn’t take on an imposing appearance like a dragon or a giant fist.

Still, Mitchell’s shoulders began to tremble slightly as he looked at the shadow.

“⋯How could you⋯.”

Mitchell couldn’t continue speaking.

Instead of Mitchell, who was frozen, Wagner took action first.

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but I think it’s safe to assume it’s an enemy. Let’s all fight it without any mercy.”

He lifted the mace he had been holding tightly, but Wagner’s expression as he said that was not very bright.

That makes sense, since the other person is a child.

A small elf boy who looks to be about ten years old.

Her skin is as white as snow, but her hair is as red as blazing fire.

⋯Like Mitchell.

The child stared blankly at Mitchell with narrow, fox-like eyes.

They didn’t even show any hostility towards us.

It’s like saying, “If you want to attack, do it as much as you want.”

“Mr. Mitchell, are you okay?”

Flora looked back at Mitchell with worried eyes.

However, Mitchell seemed to not hear Flora’s words.

“⋯Ed.”

Mitchell took a step toward the child.

“Mitchell, wait!”

“Ed… Ed!”

“Mitchell!”

Although Wagner loudly tried to dissuade him, Mitchell continued walking as if possessed.

While walking, at some point, I start running.

The elf’s eyes were suddenly filled with sparkling tears.

***

Meanwhile, the early part of the same time polluted sediment area.

“You idiot, Max, you fucking idiot!”

The vigilante exhaled heavily.

How did this happen?

He felt like he was in a nightmare from which he would never wake up.

At first, I thought it was a trivial mission.

A simple task, just grab a few planks and seal off one cave passage.

If it weren’t for Max’s son, the job would have been over quickly.

If it were normal, I would have gone back to Garden by now and was resting with a beer.

“What do we do now?”

Another vigilante spoke with an uneasy look in his eyes.

My pupils dilate like a frightened rat.

It was a pathetic sight, but it was hard to say anything. I’m sure he’s the same now.

“Should I go back?”

“How can we go back like this? How many people have already been killed?”

Max and six vigilantes came, leaving only three left.

They still had a hard time accepting this situation.

Why was there a trap?

Did you know we were coming from the beginning?

Who? How? Since when?

But there was no one to give that answer.

In an atmosphere dominated by anger and fear, only the cruelty directed at one another is repeated like a loop.

Yeah, if it weren’t for that little Max, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.

It’s all because of that jerk—

The vigilante gritted his teeth.

The image of Max’s death, sinking in the sewage, was still vivid before my eyes.

And that gaze.

Those eyes, bloodshot and wide open with all their might.

As if they were blaming us, cursing us—

“Fuck!”

The vigilante kicked away a piece of rock that had fallen to the ground.

The stone fragments that bounced off the wall slowly disappeared into the sewage, just like Max did back then.

Who is blaming whom?

We are the ones who should be angry.

“There must be some guys setting a trap somewhere up ahead. I can’t turn back without seeing their low points with my own eyes.”

“I agree.”

“I will tear you to pieces. I will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold.”

The vigilantes, their eyes gleaming menacingly, shouted in chilling voices.

These are faces full of poison.

—Cough, cough⋯.

And, actually, I’ve been addicted for a long time.

Because everyone was baptized in the polluted sediment while forcing their way through the trap.

“I’m going to kill you, you little shits⋯.”

The vigilante moved his unsteady legs.

His eyes were as if he was drunk and he was trembling incessantly.

The poison that had already penetrated his brain no longer allowed him to think rationally.

However, there was still a question that lingered in a corner of my mind.

‘Max, that bastard…’

Max’s body, which had fallen into the sewage and was not floating.

But what was that silhouette shaking violently under the water?

As if transforming into something other than human.

The vigilantes couldn’t watch the scene until the end.

The instinctive warning ringing in his head made him run away in a panic.

‘Is he really dead?’