Everything happened in an instant. First, that blinding light, accompanied by the burst of flames that burned my back, and then that "BOOM" that almost ruptured my eardrums. For a second, I genuinely thought I was going to die right there, and I would have, if not for that.
Woosssh
A strange black energy burst from my back and wrapped itself around my body, completely covering it. Thanks to that, I was saved from the intense heat of the flames, but… then I felt something hit me, and it hit me hard, so hard that my feet left the ground. In the blink of an eye, I was in the air, spinning wildly.
"AAAAAHHG! WHAT THE HELL…?!"
In a situation this absurd, for some equally absurd reason, my brain could only focus on counting how many times my body was spinning.
-7-8-9-56-12-9-9-9-9.
That turned out to be completely useless, since being blinded by that energy, I could not tell the sky from the ground, and I was also extremely dizzy.
BEEP
[Close your mouth, Mr. Robert, or you will bite your tongue.]
"What?!"
CRASH
Before I realized it, my head smashed into something hard, and to my surprise, it was that object that shattered into pieces instead of my skull. I took more hits, blows coming from all directions, or rather, it might be more accurate to say that my body was slamming into multiple objects.
-Hmm… now that I think about it, Dad had a game very similar to this. It was… its name was paintball, paint bull, pin… pin something. I do not remember the name, but it was about a ball bouncing off many walls.
Back then, my brother and I always competed to see who got the highest score.
"How nostalgic…"
[Your tongue, Mr. Robert! YOUR TONGUE!!]
-OKAY!!!
CLANK!
Finally, after one last hit to my back accompanied by a loud metallic sound, my body came to a stop.
Woossh
And at that moment, suddenly, that black energy disappeared as fast as it had appeared.
I regained my vision.
"Ouch…"
But I lost what had been protecting me.
"Cube, scan me. Tell me how many of my bones are not broken."
[At your service!]
BEEEEEEEEEP
[Wow.]
"And? How bad is it?"
[Surprisingly, all of your bones are intact.]
"Oh, that is grea… ouch!"
When I tried to get up, a sharp pain ran through my body.
"And what is that supposed to be…?"
[Your bones are fine, but your muscles took a severe beating.]
"Damn it…"
"Aaah… what was that thing…?"
[What thing?]
"That thing that went… boom."
[Oh, that was a Necronian thermobaric grenade.]
"Grenade… great."
"Will that hurt the hero?"
[That superhuman?
No.
Necronian weapons only work against interdimensional entities.]
"Then why did I feel like I was burning alive a moment ago?"
[You felt it, but you suffered no actual damage.]
[Think of it this way. If you cut yourself with a Necronian weapon, you would feel the same pain as with a normal weapon, but with the difference that it would not cause any real injury.]
"I see, but how can weapons like that even exist?"
[It is all due to the material they are forged from, which is classified. If you truly wish to know, rank up.]
"Fine… wait! If these weapons only cause imaginary damage, then right now the hero is…"
[Writhing in pain?
Yes.]
Hearing the cube's words, I could not help but feel a bit of pity for the guy who had almost broken my shoulder not long ago.
[I must apologize, Mr. Robert.]
"Huh?"
"Apologize? Why?"
[My calculations indicated that you would fall on the fifth floor or perhaps the sixth, but I was mistaken. The explosion launched you above the fourth floor, and then you fell all the way down to the first. My sincerest apologies.]
"Ah… well, do not worry… everyone makes mistakes… ouch."
I said that while unconsciously letting out a groan of pain.
"Wait, floors? Where exactly am I?"
[Inside the building, 98.5 meters from the mission point.]
I was surprised by the cube's words, but I quickly confirmed them myself.
When I looked up, I saw that I was in some kind of library. There were a couple of desks, computers, and gigantic shelves filled with books, although most of what I just mentioned was broken and scattered across the floor.
"And this?"
In the process, I discovered the source of the metallic sound from my last impact.
"Is this a ladder?"
Beep
[It appears to be the remains of one.]
I stared at the ground for a while, where the ladder lay. It had a bright yellow color that made it easy to identify even in the dark, although the paint was somewhat worn, perhaps due to the passage of time.
"The rest should be…"
I looked up at the ceiling and froze when I saw the enormous hole in it.
"…"
-It is too big. My body did not cause that kind of damage. Something very large must have fallen through here, or maybe something tried to climb up.
"Hmm…"
The edges of the hole were filled with cracks and impact marks, proof that it had been forced open, but some sections looked different, with no marks at all. I focused on those parts, carefully examining the edges until I finally saw it. Yellow remnants of that ladder, stuck specifically to the edge of the ceiling.
"I see. Now I get it."
This was an interior transfer emergency ladder. Its purpose was to allow a safe exit in case the elevators failed and other routes were blocked, but what made them unique was that they connected to floors from inside the building through hidden trapdoors somewhere in the room.
"Hmm…"
As I examined the ladder more closely, my mind began to consider my options.
-If the trapdoors on the upper floors are still intact, I could use them to climb faster to the fifth floor, avoiding possible obstacles in the hallways, but…
There were very few buildings in Regulus City that still used this ladder system. The reason was simple. It was archaic. If the building suffered serious damage, the structure connecting the ladder to the trapdoor could break easily, and many superhumans considered jumping outside the building a much more viable option.
-If this one broke, then what guarantees me that the rest are still intact?
I thought while looking at the nearly destroyed ceiling.
-This floor must be around 20 meters high, maybe more.
[It is exactly 24.7 meters high.]
"…"
"No… no."
-I should not risk my life like that. That is what the mission itself is already doing.
Beep
[Mr. Robert, hurry up. Remember that your time is being tracked.]
"Ah… what?"
[The message clearly stated that you only had one hour to complete the mission.]
"Well… that is true, but how much time do I have left?"
[You have exactly 46 minutes and 21 seconds remaining.]
"Great…"
For a moment, I panicked thinking I had wasted too much time, but it had only been 15 minutes.
"That is nothing. I can handle 46 minutes… I think."
Deep down I doubted it, but I could not falter. Even though I did not fully understand what I was doing or what I was about to face, I knew that if my mind and heart were in sync, I would succeed. I just had to focus on a single purpose.
"I can do this… I can do this."
I told myself as motivation.
-As long as I do not run into more problems.
"Alright, cube, we will take the long route using the normal stairs. Does this room have an exit that is not blocked?"
[One moment. I will scan the area.]
The cube floated above the shelves and released a brief bluish glow as it scanned the entire area.
BEEEEEEEEP
"Well?"
[There is a clear route. You just need to go around those shelves.]
"Great."
I immediately moved following the cube's instructions, and while doing so, I took a few glances around the room.
"Hmm… no doubt about it, this is a library."
It seemed this building was dedicated to study and information storage.
-From the outside, it looked like a normal apartment building.
Each building in the city served a specific purpose that benefited it, storing information, weapons, vehicles, parts, people, and so on.
-I imagine many students fried their brains in here.
I thought as I moved between the massive shelves that almost touched the ceiling.
[To the right, behind that shelf.]
I went around what seemed to be the final obstacle and found myself facing a large doorway with no doors.puertas.
[For you, Mr. Robert, I present your exit.]
"Why do you suddenly sound so elegant?"
[Apologies if my attempt at being friendly does not satisfy you, Mr. Robert.]
"Huh? I did not mean to… uh… agh."
"Sorry."
[It is nothing.]
After that brief and strange exchange, I stepped forward decisively toward the exit, accompanied by a sudden confidence that made me feel like nothing could stop me.acompañado de una repentina confianza que me hizo sentir que nada podría detenerme.
Tap.
Tap.
Toca.
I was only a few steps away, but just before my foot touched the ground outside the library…
FFFIIIIUUUSSSHHH
...
...
…
BAAM!
Before I could leave the library, an extremely fast object passed right in front of me and slammed violently into the wall next to the exit, just a few meters from my position.
"…"
For a second, my body was completely frozen, overwhelmed by surprise and fear. Then a voice echoed in my head, screaming at me with overwhelming intensity, ordering me to do just one thing.
RUN.
"…!"
I listened. I ran as fast as I could back into the library, not knowing where else to go. In my panic, I hid behind the first shelf I found, only three meters from the exit. It should be noted that this shelf was quite small compared to the others.
I tried to calm myself, but it was impossible. My heart was pounding wildly, gripped by fear, while my lungs suffocated on the air I refused to exhale, afraid of making even the slightest sound.
-What the hell was that?
I asked the cube in my mind.
[Wolf.]
-Wolf?
[Mountain monstrous wolf.]
The cube's words shocked me. Behind the shelf was a monster that did not even belong in this nation.
"Aaaaagh…"
I heard what was clearly a human voice, more specifically, a groan of pain.
Grrrrrrr
"Aaagh… no… please… NO!"
Ggrooorrr
"AAAH! No! Please! Someone help me…!"
CRACK
"…"
[It appears to be eating.]
-Yeah, I noticed.
[Your heart rate is increasing. You are having a panic attack.]
-Great.
Grrrrr
-What is it doing now?
[It appears to have caught your scent.]
-Oh no.
[If this continues, it will detect your position in a few seconds.]
-By any chance, do you have something positive to say?
[Nope.]
-Haha, shit. I am really going to die…
GRRRR
Its growls were getting closer.
I knew the only way to survive was to fight, but I was scared. Scared of getting hurt and scared of dying.
-Show me the weapons list.
In the end, it did not matter. I had to cast aside my fear and fight if I wanted even the slightest chance of survival.
Beep
The cube projected its holographic screen in front of me. All the weapons from my previous mission were there. Everything looked the same.
-The sword was broken, the revolver only has one bullet left. There is also the axe and the dagger.
"…"
But there were new things too.
"…"
-This is a joke, right?
***
Mountain monstrous wolf.
A canine beast recognized as the terror of forests. With its incredible sense of smell, its three eyes capable of analyzing prey behavior patterns, and its prominent teeth, which can pierce and tear steel like paper, these abilities easily place it as a category 1 threat. In short, it is a monster strong enough to kill a superhuman.
GRRRR
And now, that monster was here, inside one of the buildings of Regulus City, advancing slowly as it followed the scent of a new prey that was trembling in fear.
Tap
Suddenly, a sound came from the very place where its prey was hiding.
The wolf continued advancing at a steady pace toward the shelves. Following the scent, it slowly peeked its bloodstained snout around the side of the small shelf.
Sniff… sniff.
There it was. No matter how well it hid, its scent betrayed it. And even though, to the monster, the smell of this prey was unpleasant and perhaps offered no nutritional value, it was still determined to go after it.
There was no special reason behind its actions. It was simply following its nature, hunting any individual with the Terran gene. That was the most terrifying trait of monsters, the instinct to kill everything in front of them regardless of the consequences to themselves.
GRROOORR
The wolf lunged behind the shelf, expecting to face its prey, but…
Grrrrr
Contrary to what its sense of smell told it, there was nothing alive there, only a couple of books and pieces of wood scattered across the floor.
Sniff… sniff.
Confused, the wolf sniffed the area again, trying to catch the scent of its prey, but it was useless. The scent had completely vanished.
With no trail to follow, the wolf planned to head toward the library entrance, intending to block the prey that had just outsmarted its tracking abilities.
But before it could move a muscle…
Tac
The sound of an object hitting the ground echoed in front of it.
***
I am an idiot. The wolf was about to leave when I accidentally knocked a book off the shelf.
GRRRR
Now I am crouched down, my face just centimeters away from the monster's bloodstained mouth as it growled fiercely.
At this point, I had to admit that if it were not for that bracelet, I would already be dead.
[Equipment:
-Necronian camouflage bracelet:
While wearing this artifact, you will be completely undetectable to any threat for as long as you can hold your breath.]
-Thank goodness I checked the equipment section, although it would have been great if someone had told me about this earlier.
[Hey, my job is to help you however I can. It is not my fault that you are not paying attention to the weapons the organization has generously provided.]
-What?! I did not even…!
GROOAAR!
The wolf let out an incredibly loud roar that nearly knocked me over.
"…"
Using all my strength, I stayed perfectly still and, above all, silent. In this situation, any wrong move that revealed my presence would lead to a certain death.
GRRRR
-Alright, I am still alive. Looks like the camouflage works.
I could not stay hidden forever, and I could not hold my breath indefinitely. I had to get out of here as soon as possible, but then a question arose.
What can I do about the monster in front of me?
It did not move an inch and kept its gaze fixed on the last place where it sensed my trail.
If I do not move, sooner or later I will have to breathe, lose my camouflage, and then it will kill me.
And if I do move, it will hear my steps and then it will kill me.
Seeing my options, I concluded that I was screwed no matter what. So I had to kill the wolf before my camouflage ran out.
-Cube, give me the revolver. I will put a bullet through its third eye.
[Okay, but I must warn you that it will not even scratch the wolf.]
-What?
[I already told you. The weapons only work against beings from other dimensions.]
-But in the cave with the salamander…?
[The salamander was infected by Ka'li.]
-Ugh… right. But you said earlier that this thing does cause pain to beings of this dimension, right?
[It causes real pain, but not real damage.]
[If you shoot it in the eye, you will only make it angrier than it already is.]
-Damn it… fine, then I will try something else.
Very carefully, I stretched my arm to grab a small piece of wood lying on the floor. It was quite small, about the size of a coin.estaba en el suelo. Era bastante pequeño, del tamaño de una moneda.
GRRROOOORR
The wolf growled fiercely. It had no intention of leaving this room without killing me in a very bloody way.una forma muy sangrienta.
It was getting harder to hold my breath, and being just centimeters away from the monster's teeth made it even harder to keep my sanity.
-It has to be perfect.
Using only my wrist, I threw the piece of wood as far as I could. It flew through the air and bounced several times against the floor.
Tac
Tac
Tac
It bounced three times in total, each impact producing a very low sound, but it was enough to catch the monster's attention. It turned to look toward the source of the noise.
GRRR!
"…?"
Suddenly, the monster became agitated. It started growling and roaring toward the other side of the library, and then…
BOOM!
It leapt violently in that direction, smashing through multiple shelves in the process.
"…"
The scene was so sudden that my brain could not fully process it. At least seven seconds passed before I realized this was the perfect chance to escape.
I stood up quickly, but silently. I moved with extreme caution, knowing that making even the slightest noise would get me killed, or at least that is what I thought at first.
GRRROOOOAAAAAAR!!!!
CRASH!!
BAAAM!!
The sounds of destruction behind me never stopped. It seemed the wolf had found something to vent all its pent-up rage on, and no matter how curious I felt, I was not going to stay another minute in this library.
***
I reached the exit, where I found the wolf's previous prey, surrounded by a pool of blood. A middle-aged man in an office suit had wounds all over his body, and his head was… it could no longer even be called a head.
"Hmm…"
I fought the urge to vomit and continued toward the normal stairs.
Grooaaarr!!
The wolf's roars grew more distant, but I kept my camouflage active a bit longer. I wanted to get as far away as possible so it could not track me by scent.
I reached the stairs. Several steps were broken, perhaps due to the dead superhuman or the wolf chasing him. Either way, I did not care. I climbed, avoiding every obstacle.
I must have gone up about fifteen steps when I decided I could not hold it any longer. With some fear still lingering inside me, I breathed.
"Aaah…"
Beep
[Camouflage deactivated.
Cooldown before reuse:
30 minutes.]
-Looks like everything worked out in the end.
[Come on, Mr. Robert. You only have two floors left to climb.]
I kept climbing the staircase, noticing how its steps gradually changed their angle.
Tap
Tap
As I listened to the sound of my own footsteps, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened and what was yet to come.
I was aware that it wouldn't be long before I ran into another monstrosity that would try to kill me. Maybe it would succeed, maybe it wouldn't. I wasn't very sure about that, but there was one thing I knew for certain.
[Mission time limit: 41 minutes and 12 seconds.]
I had survived the wolf's attack, and I planned to keep surviving any threat I encountered. No matter the fear, I would keep moving forward.
***
Outside, a blazing fire spread across the outskirts of the refugee camp.
"AAAAAAAGGHH!"
At the center of the flames, a figure emerged and crawled to where the fire could not reach it.
"Aaagh… AAAAH!"
That figure turned out to be a person writhing in pain.
"Aaaaah…!"
There was no visible damage to their clothes or wounds on their skin, yet they felt the fire burning them slowly.
Enduring all the internal pain, even while still surrounded by flames, they stood up.
Wuuusssh
Then, a greenish aura formed around their body.
"…Enough already!"
With a powerful shout, they expanded the aura outward, extinguishing all the flames around them.
"Aaaah…"
"That…"
They began to speak with difficulty, overwhelmed by accumulated pain.
"That damn… damn…"
But they endured it and, glaring at the buildings ahead, shouted:
"That damn brat…!"