บท 54: Hunt [1]
".....You want to team up with me?"
I was somewhat confused by the sudden proposal. Of all people, I didn't expect Leon to be the one suggesting this.
He was the one who usually avoided me when he could. Why the sudden change of heart?
That was unless...
"You need something from me?"
"....."
He remained silent but that was all I needed to hear.
"No."
Which was why I rejected him.
I planned to make use of the time to practice my skills and train. I had no time for distractions.
I thought that my message was clear, but just as I prepared to leave, Leon spoke.
".....It'll be beneficial for you too."
That's when my steps paused.
Beneficial for me too?
Suddenly, I recalled something; 'The game is called Rise of the Three Calamities, and the main character is called Leon'
They were my brother's words before my death.
Ah—
It then clicked to me.
This person was the main character. He was the character that the world was centered around. It didn't feel that way to me because I had been so focused on myself, but such was the reality of the situation.
While his presence brought a lot of danger, it also brought a lot of opportunity.
'I may be taking this opportunity from other characters, but I don't particularly care...'
To begin with, I didn't know the plot of the game.
Whether I changed the plot or not, I didn't care.
'Hmm, but maybe I should...'
Would this affect the events that the quest window would display? ....Or would the quests adjust to the situation?
It was certainly something to think about, but it didn't weigh heavily on my mind.
If there was an opportunity, then I didn't plan on missing it. Even if it ended up screwing with whatever event that was going to happen in the future I wasn't sure existed.
So...
I turned around to look at Leon.
"I'll listen. What sort of opportunity are you talking about....?"
Whether it screwed with the future or not, I didn't care.
I didn't live for the unknown future.
I lived for the present.
***
Leon stared at Julien's back as it disappeared into the crack. Shortly after he left, a figure walked up from behind him.
"....Did he accept?"
It was none other than Aoife. Behind her were four other people. Of which, Leon only managed to recognize Evelyn and Luxon.
"He said he wanted a few days to himself."
"A few days to himself?"
Aoife frowned, but before she could say anything, Leon cut in.
"I accepted."
"....Hm?"
Aoife's eyebrows jumped a little but they soon recovered.
"Are you sure?"
"...Sure."
The conversation was supposed to end there, but a figure with long black hair jumped in on the conversation.
"Is it really a good idea to invite him?"
Leon looked towards him.
Wesley Montague. One of the top rankers within the year. He was ranked within the top 10 the last time Leon recalled.
But as Leon stared at him, he felt himself grow uncomfortable.
He couldn't quite put it, but...
'I don't like him.'
There was something about him that felt off to Leon.
Still, considering that he had been chosen for the team, he pushed his feelings aside and asked,
"Why do you think so?"
"Don't get me wrong. He is strong. However, he will be a burden to us. Monsters don't have emotions and without emotions..."
Wesley ended his sentence there but the meaning behind his words was clear for everyone to understand.
Leon looked back to see the reaction of the other group members. Besides Aoife who seemed unsure, and Evelyn who seemed confused, they all shared the same opinion as Wesley.
Leon sighed.
Not because he didn't understand where they were coming from, but because his 'instincts' told him otherwise.
That...
If he didn't bring him, he'd regret it.
But how could he explain this to them? In the end, frowning, Leon looked at Wesley and answered.
"....Whether he'll be of use or not, we'll see later. For now, we will wait."
***
Swoosh—!
"Ah... Tsk."
I stood up and clicked my tongue.
"...Another fail."
Extending my hand, I withdrew the thread that extended from out of my forearm. I then sat in silence and stared at the distant creature running away from the area.
It had been two hours since I had left the supply station at the Academy gate's entrance.
"I don't have much time."
My appointment with Leon was set for exactly three days, Zone [F].
With our expedition lasting for about a week, three days was plenty of time for me to train and improve.
The Black Region was split into 7 different zones which went from [A] to [G]. Each Zone contained a different environment and habitat.
I was currently in Zone [A].
The safest of all the seven zones.
Such was my current limit. Besides my new ability and curse magic, I was practically defenseless against the monsters.
I had no choice but to go to the safest zone.
"Thankfully, I'm not as helpless now..."
Swoosh—!
A thread coiled down from my forearm, slowly crawling toward the cracks of the rocky surface beneath. I used my mind to carefully guide the thread around the cracks and towards the distance where a furry creature stood.
'Aurorahemoth'
Such was the name of the creature I was currently hunting.
Despite its name, it was one of the weakest creatures found within the Mirror Dimension. With its tiny body and short limbs, it was essentially a standing target. It bore a resemblance to a rabbit but it was a lot more grotesque in appearance.
With its mouth split into four sections, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth that twisted within its gaping maw, it was anything but cute.
And yet...
Swoosh—!
".....I missed."
Regardless of how much I tried, just when the thread would reach a certain distance, it would detect it and hop away.
"How troublesome."
I wasn't disheartened by the failure.
Though I kept on failing, I was getting closer and closer to the creature with each attempt. That wasn't all. I could feel my control over the thread to be smoother with each attempt.
This was a great experience, but...
"Still too slow."
The rate of progress was nice, but I was still not satisfied.
I sat down on a nearby rock and stared into the sky. It was gray, and a white sun hung in the distance. The air was dry, and there was hardly any vegetation around me.
I closed my eyes and let my mana course through my body before agglomerating towards the tip of my fingers.
Rune One—Rune Two—Rune Three—Rune Four—Rune Five—Rune Six—Rune Seven—Rune Eight—Rune Nine—Rune Ten—Rune Eleven....
Tzzz—
A familiar sound.
Opening my eyes, I pursed my lips.
".....That failed too."
Nothing seemed to be going right for me. [Chains of Alakantria]. I was still struggling to unlock this spell.
It was frustrating, but I had become numb to the sense of frustration.
All I felt was frustration.
"Hah."
As a hollow laugh escaped from my lips, I directed my attention toward the distance where another creature greeted my sight.
I looked toward my arm and took a deep breath.
Immediately, a thread coiled out of my forearm, coiling around my hand and splitting into five different threads.
Drip...
Sweat trickled down the side of my face the moment I split the threads.
Accompanying the pain was a sharp pain. Having to split my attention five different ways was quite exhausting.
Ignoring my eyelid which was twitching, I guided the five threads towards the creature in the distance.
The distance between the creature and the creature shrank.
Ten meters...
Nine meters...
Eight meters....
"Huu."
Sweat continued to pour down from my face as my right eyelid twitched. The pain in my head intensified, and my jaw clicked.
Even so, I persisted and separated the threads.
"....."
I forced myself to suffer in silence as the threads split.
Biting my lips, I imprinted the sight ahead in my mind. Then, closing my eyes and letting darkness embrace my vision, I envisioned a path for the threads which were the only things that appeared in my darkened vision.
Like snakes, they coiled around the ground and neared the creature.
Seven meters...
Six meters...
Five meters...
"Ah."
I stopped right there and opened my eyes.
The creature's ears perked up as its head raised to look around. Clearly, it had detected something but couldn't understand what.
"Five meters..."
That was my current limit.
My finger twitched. One of the threads lunged forward. As if expecting such action, the creature jumped ahead.
Swoosh—
But...
"Hiek!"
It was surrounded.
"Kh."
My hand clenched tightly, urging the threads into action as they surged towards the creature.
This time, there was no avenue of escape. With every path blocked and suspended mid-air, the creature could only observe helplessly as the threads ensnared its body, coiling around its limbs.
"....Hah."
I watched from the distance as the pain in my mind intensified. However, I ignored the pain and smiled.
"I did it."
A wave of relief washed over me as my chest trembled.
"Hieek—!"
The creature continued to trash in the distance as the threads coiled around it. I was just about to put it out of its misery when I frowned.
"Hm."
All of a sudden, I felt multiple pairs of eyes falling on me.
When I turned around, I felt my body freeze. Tens of different pairs of eyes were staring at me. Their expressions were anything but friendly.
I didn't let myself fall into panic and took a deep breath.
The Professor had warned beforehand that there was a likelihood of such a scenario occurring. It was for this reason that I wasn't panicked.
Furthermore, Aurorahemoth's weren't known for their speed.
'I'll probably be able to run away if I want to.'
But...
I clenched my teeth.
For what reason did I need to run away? If I couldn't even handle such weak creatures then how was I supposed to get stronger?
I smacked the side of my head and took another deep breath.
"Right, whatever..."
"Hieek—!"
Clenching my hand, the creature in the distance split into ten different pieces.
"Hm?"
∎| EXP + 0.01%
The sudden notification that flashed before my very eyes took me by surprise. However, taking note of the advancing creatures, I put it to the side and recalled the threads back to me.
This was probably going to hurt, but...
"Come."
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