Chapter 2: Magic Overload
Thwoahhh—
My fist, filled with overflowing magic power, was unleashed.
And then—
Kkuddrdrdrd!
A sound of something shattering into pieces rang out.
“Kyaaah!”
“K-Kkuhhaaak!”
That “something” was my arm, unable to handle the raging magic.
“…?”
The tattooed woman, who had involuntarily screamed, looked up with a puzzled expression.
‘Damn it.’
My attack hadn’t dealt proper damage to the enemy.
It only gave an enormous threat and then self-destructed midair.
‘…This damn innate trait.’
It was all because of Magic Overload.
It lets me have tremendous magic power but doesn’t provide a body strong enough to handle it.
My weak, frail body couldn’t endure the swollen magic.
‘I really need a magic suppressant.’
To live day-to-day and plan for the future, magic suppressants were essential medicine for me.
But—
‘Lee Sehan.’
Because of some punk like him, I didn’t take my magic suppressant today.
That’s why I ended up like this.
‘Well, if I’d taken the suppressant, maybe the Red Hunter would have killed me.’
Maybe it was only because I hadn’t taken it that I could at least plan to face this tattooed woman.
That doesn’t mean I’m thankful to Lee Sehan or anything.
“…What’s this?”
The tattooed woman finally spoke as she assessed the situation.
“Ha. I got scared for nothing? You’re dead.”
Seems like I only irritated her.
She probably judged my attack as nothing more than a bluff.
She wasn’t entirely wrong.
I had just wrecked my right arm doing that.
“Wait! I didn’t want to do it either!”
“Shut up and die, you pack mule.”
She strode toward me, angry expression and heavy steps.
She seemed embarrassed that a mere pack mule scared her and made her scream.
But I had something to say too.
“I tried to kill you in one hit, but I couldn’t control my strength.”
Honestly, I expected my arm to break.
I thought sacrificing one arm to kill her would be a good deal.
I didn’t expect my broken arm to veer off the attack’s direction.
But now it was different.
The tattooed woman was already close, and my attack wouldn’t miss.
“Hmph!”
Thwoahhh—
I threw another punch with my still-usable left arm.
Again, with tremendous magic power.
“Hmph! I’m not falling for it this time!”
The tattooed woman didn’t even bother to dodge this attack, thinking it was another trick.
She only twisted her body slightly and stabbed at me with a dagger.
Crack.
“Ugh.”
My left arm, unable to endure the magic, broke again.
Still, thankfully—
‘The direction was roughly right.’
The attack didn’t miss.
Kraaaaaash!
“Kyaaah!”
This time it was for real.
The attack hit properly, and the tattooed woman was sent flying.
However—
‘She screamed? So she’s not dead.’
I aimed for her center, but the trajectory twisted, so I hit her shoulder.
Not a spot where instant death would be expected.
And—
“Ugh.”
With every breath, sharp pain radiated from my chest.
It seemed not only my left arm was broken.
‘If this keeps up, I’m really going to die.’
What I feared from releasing the magic power was now becoming reality.
My 3-star level body was collapsing, unable to handle at least 8-star, maybe higher magic power.
A really troublesome situation.
More than anything, the tattooed woman still wasn’t dead.
“You… you bastard… were you hiding your strength?”
She asked.
I couldn’t answer.
I desperately had to suppress my rampaging magic.
“…With that power, why the hell were you just a pack mule?”
Fortunately, she hadn’t noticed my broken left arm yet.
But it was only a matter of time.
It wouldn’t take long for her to realize both my arms moved unnaturally.
She sighed, readjusting her dagger grip.
“Hoo… You’re not going to let me live, huh?”
“…”
No. I want to live, so please just go away?
That’s what I desperately wanted to say.
But the moment I opened my mouth, I felt like my magic would go out of control.
“You never thought a pack mule would kill you, huh? But you might as well try to fight.”
She slowly advanced toward me.
I focused with all my might and uttered—
“…Ra.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll let you live… so go.”
I did it!
I controlled my magic and managed to speak!
“…”
She didn’t respond.
Ah, why the hesitation?
Go already, before I kill you!
“…You’re not in a proper state, are you?”
Damn.
I was found out.
I realized too late.
Suppressing my magic and forcing out words meant I couldn’t control my facial expression!
She approached with a malicious grin.
“You’re full of bluff. Almost fell for it.”
Now that it’s come to this, I had no choice.
I had to use my last resort.
“…You know what?”
I said it outright.
I couldn’t control the magic anyway, so I just let it flow through my magic circuits.
This one time, I was determined to kill my enemy no matter what.
“I won’t listen to nonsense. Die!”
The tattooed woman lunged at me.
And I—
“I still have two legs left!”
I focused magic into my right leg and delivered a spinning kick at her.
Thwoahhh—
Massive magic swirled around my leg.
But again, the leg couldn’t endure the terrible magic.
Crack!
My shin broke.
Damn.
The attack trajectory twisted.
The tattooed woman still charged to slit my throat.
The extended dagger was about to pierce my neck.
Thwack!
Crack!
“Huh?”
A dumbfounded sound escaped my mouth.
My broken shin twisted the kick’s trajectory and struck the tattooed woman’s jaw squarely.
‘Should I call that lucky?’
The tattooed woman was mortally wounded.
It was impossible for her to survive a direct hit to a vital spot with such a brutal magic attack.
“Alive… huhk!”
Relief from her survival was brief.
Thud-thud-thud.
I collapsed.
“Damn, you…”
My magic, which remained in excess even after killing my enemy, started destroying my body.
Crack!
My previously intact left leg shattered.
If I couldn’t suppress this magic, I had no idea what would break next.
Bones? Muscles? Organs?
So before that—
“Ughh…”
Shk-tak.
Shk-tak.
I crawled desperately.
Toward the fallen corpse of a Steel Faction hunter.
‘He definitely had a potion.’
A healing potion.
Worth millions each, crazy expensive.
If I could get a potion to heal my broken body, I could at least put out the immediate fire.
‘First, fix my broken leg and somehow escape the dungeon.’
That was plan one.
Of course, I had to desperately suppress my raging magic while doing so, or else my body would shatter again.
Even if I escaped, it would be insanely hard to return to the organization and convince or threaten the quartermaster to give me more suppressants…
‘Damn. This is basically a death sentence.’
A de facto death sentence.
But I couldn’t give up.
‘I have to live.’
I had to live.
I couldn’t die so meaningless, failing to take my revenge.
Shk-tak.
Shk-tak.
Twisting elbows, knees, head, and pelvis, I crawled.
A full-body contortion circus.
But eventually, I succeeded.
‘Potion!’
I found one after searching the hunter’s body.
“Ugh.”
With my barely moving arm, I took out the potion.
Now, if I just open the cap and pour it on my leg, yeah.
I might be able to walk out.
Just then, a sound crushed that faint hope.
Grrr—
I instinctively turned my head and locked eyes with a monster with green skin, buck teeth, and a pig-like snout.
‘….’
No luck.
Maybe the orc I thought I killed was only knocked out.
I didn’t really care why.
What mattered was the result.
The current situation.
Kruuuuaaahh—!!
‘I’m screwed.’
Checkmate.
The orc roared loudly looking at the bodies of its fallen comrades strewn around.
Then it charged at me.
Bam!
It kicked me with all its might.
‘…!’
I opened my eyes wide in pain.
Still, I managed not to lose the potion.
This was my only hope now.
But hope was scarce, and despair everywhere.
The orc was coming to kill me, and my barely suppressed magic started rampaging again due to the pain.
With all limbs broken, I couldn’t fight the orc like I did the tattooed woman.
The final blow came next.
Bam!
Another powerful kick from the orc sent me flying.
And—
‘The cliff is just too much!’
I began freefalling.
Strong wind hit my whole body.
Kwooooh!
The orc’s victorious roar echoed in the distance.
I opened my eyes wide.
I had to somehow lessen the impact of the fall.
I—
‘Can’t die like this!’
I had to live.
Ding!
[Tenauzes’s Arrangement 4]
-
Left by Dragon Lord Tenauzes for the last dragon.
-
Contains a very powerful dragon’s power.
-
You might find a special treasure.
-
Entry restriction: Magic power 1,000,000 or more.
[You have entered the dungeon.]
Boom!
“Ugh, grr…”
After a long fall, I hit the ground.
More precisely, I collided.
‘I can’t breathe.’
The height was considerable, and the landing was far from proper.
I flailed my limbs trying to lessen the impact, but it didn’t help much.
I was just grateful I hadn’t died instantly.
‘I’m going to die like this!’
Though I avoided instant death, death was very close.
Thanks to my 3-star level body, I barely survived, but my injuries worsened.
My limbs, which I could barely move, were now completely uncontrollable, and my magic raged even more fiercely.
At least, the pain had passed the limit and I barely felt anything anymore.
‘Potion…’
I strained my head toward the potion I desperately held onto.
If I could just drink this, I might stay alive for now.
What happens after, I didn’t know…
‘Let’s just survive first.’
Gritting my teeth, I slowly moved toward the potion.
Since my limbs didn’t work, only my head and neck movements could move me.
Wriggle-wriggle.
I moved like a worm.
But it was a struggle for survival.
Even if it meant this much… I must live.
Wriggle.
Finally, I reached the potion.
Now begins stage two.
Snap.
I bit the potion cap with my teeth.
I had to open this somehow.
But it wasn’t easy.
Grit.
The cap kept slipping.
I managed to get it here, but how to open it?
‘Damn.’
Cursing filled my mind.
Opening a bottle cap only by biting requires delicate control.
And I didn’t have that luxury now.
‘Should I just break it?’
Using biting force, I thought I could shatter the bottle itself.
Sure, shards might get stuck in my mouth, but the potion’s healing would be better than the injury.
‘Break it.’
I decided.
I bit the neck of the bottle with my entire mouth and clamped down hard.
Crack.
Crunch.
I heard the glass breaking.
Just a little more and it would shatter.
As I poured all my strength into breaking the bottle—
[Who the hell are you?]
A voice stabbed into my brain.
‘…!’
I was shocked.
Someone was here.
