Chapter 75 - Best Condition (3)

A city steeped in darkness and light after sunset. Even on this little-used street in a failed commercial district, the rush-hour crowds of the metropolis were only a short walk away.

In this corner of the city, an old man carrying a spear—Lee Munryong—ran.

Gripping his spear and clenching his teeth, he smiled fiercely at the white-coated man before him, Yohan.

Ambushed without warning, Yohan had immediately summoned his weapon, a grimoire, and now stared straight at him.

There were two kinds of people in this business. Those who hesitated for an instant before killing someone in an unexpected situation...

"...!"

And those who could burst a person's head without the slightest hesitation.

Though he could see nothing, overwhelming murderous intent flooded Lee Munryong's senses. This bastard was clearly the latter kind.

The attack had already begun.

'This will kill me.'

So he planted his left foot in a forceful stomp.

BOOM!

He quickly shifted from a one-handed grip to holding the bottom of the shaft with both hands, twisting his body into a swinging stance rather than a thrust.

He stood on the boundary between life and death. The slightest delay would kill him.

In one continuous motion, he gathered his body's strength from his toes upward, adding the momentum of his charge. He stepped forward with his right foot and stomped a second time.

BOOOM!

He swung the shaft down like a mace.

'Baji Six Harmonies Spear.'

Strange as it might sound, it was only natural: Bajiquan was stronger with a spear than with fists.

The descending shaft collided with a blow from the invisible monster.

KABOOOOM!!

The thunderous impact was louder than the stomps that had shattered the asphalt. The spearhead broke off and flew away.

To an onlooker, he would have appeared to strike empty air and break his spear. But he had felt it unmistakably.

'The Invisible Vampire.'

He clenched his teeth as vibrations traveled down his spear shaft.

'It really exists!'

The familiar of the grimoire <Mysteries of the Worm>.

Absurd though the rumor sounded, word had spread that <Lemegeton> and <Mysteries of the Worm> might have the same master. To prepare for that possibility, Alphonse had told Lee Munryong about the Invisible Vampire.

Knowing it existed did not make the monster easy to fight. Still, knowing about an invisible monster and not knowing were two entirely different things.

That warning had let him recognize it quickly. ... Without it, he would have been in serious danger.

His spear had broken, but he was alive. Though he had only barely blocked a single blow.

"■■■■■!!"

The invisible monster roared. The air trembled.

For a brief instant, a hollow smile touched Lee Munryong's lips. He had drawn on every ounce of strength and skill in his body. For the monster, that had been a basic attack.

With no effort at all, it unleashed another deadly blow.

The shock made his body tremble. His eyes shook too. But he did not close them.

Watching an invisible monster might sound strange, but he needed every scrap of sensory awareness he could muster to dodge.

He had never fought a monster this powerful before. But after a lifetime earning his living with blades, this was not his first brush with death.

All he could trust was the martial prowess he had honed himself.

Mind, technique, body. All three together.

He would not waver. He would not doubt.

And so...

He screamed desperately inside.

'Wooooah! Save me! My boooody!'

And his trained body moved to keep him alive.

His left foot drove against the ground. His head tilted to one side.

WHOOSH!

Grizzly's arm narrowly swept past his head. Its overwhelming speed made the wrinkles on his face quiver.

He could not let that even graze him. It would be fatal.

Clenching his teeth, he kept moving.

Of course, he wanted to congratulate himself very much... but dodging was no cause for celebration.

He did not know whether that had been the monster's left arm or its right. But if he stayed this close—

Left, right, left again. A flurry of blows would be the death of him.

So his target was the monster's master, the magician visible behind it.

Naturally, the creature would not stand idly by... but Lee Munryong was not alone.

He did not get along particularly well with his client, but the man had skill.

SPLASH!

Alphonse had begun preparing his magic the moment he saw Yohan. Tentacles of water rushed toward Yohan at high speed.

Grizzly moved to block the magic first.

"Graaah!"

With a swing of its arm, it tore the watery tentacles apart and knocked them away in one stroke.

That was enough. A momentary opening.

Lee Munryong stretched his right foot forward and lowered his body. Just a little closer.

Aiming the opposite end of the shaft instead of the broken spearhead, he bent his knees and extended his arms. He thrust the shaft forward and smoothly released it.

Driven by his strength, it flew straight ahead and struck Yohan's ribs.

"—Ghk!"

CRASH!

The impact knocked Yohan to the ground, where he rolled.

Surprise flashed in Lee Munryong's eyes. He had aimed for the heart, but the man had twisted his body at the last instant!

There was no time for regret. He immediately kicked off the ground and leaped far back.

KABOOM!!

Grizzly drove its fist into the spot where he had just stood, leaving a crater.

Having gained some distance, he pulled a spare spear from the fishing bag he had set on the ground and unfolded it.

CLANK!

"My life flashed before my eyes. All sorts of thoughts went through my head in those one or two seconds."

Keeping his eyes on the enemy, he spoke to Alphonse.

"If you want me to buy time against that monster, I'll need at least three times the original fee on top."

"We have no time to haggle while facing him. We'll discuss it later."

Alphonse glared at Yohan as he staggered to his feet.

He was drooling like a dog, his eyes wavering. But that was from pain, not fear. His black eyes gradually regained focus as he glared back at them.

"Ghk... guh... hah!"

I breathed raggedly through the agony spreading through my body.

The exchange had happened in an instant, followed by an unexpected sneak attack. From what Sion and Ellie had shown me, I knew some humans could enhance their physical abilities with breathing techniques.

But I had never imagined anyone could move that fast or hit that hard.

'Damn it...'

My ribs throbbed, pain radiating from them.

'He's fucking fast.'

My goddamn reaction speed... Twisting my body had been the best I could manage.

Once I dealt with this... I would have to contact Sion and learn those breathing techniques, even if it meant arousing suspicion or getting entangled with her.

"..."

Grizzly stood in front of its master, ready for another attack.

Watching Yohan stand, Alphonse took out a flask and recited an incantation. He held nothing back. This was his strongest magic.

"Waters of the storm, rage once more."

Rainwater gathered during a typhoon had been refined through magic and alchemy into the purest essence.

The pure element of water rose toward the sky rather than the ground.

PITTER-PATTER!

Dark clouds formed, and rain began to fall.

Looking at the scene the rain revealed, Lee Munryong said,

"Getting wet will slow me down... but there are benefits."

Invisible or not, it still had a shape.

In seemingly empty space, something unnatural appeared.

"Haaah...!"

The falling rain splashed off Grizzly and streamed down its body, revealing its position.

Lee Munryong extended his spear, keeping Grizzly in check.

"Fighting monsters has been the task of human warriors since ancient times."

Meanwhile, the magic-infused rainwater gathered on the ground and swelled like slime.

BUBBLE, BUBBLE!

It helped him hold Grizzly at bay.

Ultimately, this battle would be decided by the fight between the magicians.

Alphonse drew the one-handed sword at his waist, hidden beneath his coat. It was a magical blade, plated in silver and engraved with spells.

Rainwater trickled down the blade and gathered on it. He swung the sword.

A blade of water flew forth, carrying the force of the slash.

"—!?"

Still reeling from the impact, I hastily rolled out of the watery slash's path.

'Fuck... What the hell is that water cutter!?'

Pain and irritation twisted my face. If this had not been a life-threatening situation, I would have demanded to know why I didn't have any fantasy-style magic like that.

In any case, I rolled across the ground without worrying about how I looked.

I couldn't use ritual magic in this situation. To counter the enemy's magic, I brought out the magic I had recently learned.

Spirit magic.

"Gnomes!"

At their master's call, a band of gnomes rose from the rain-soaked ground.

"Waaaaah!"

"Let's go!"

"Gnome gonna kill you!"

They each pulled a sickle from their white beards or pockets and charged Alphonse.

"—What?"

Alphonse's eyes widened.

One of the four elemental spirits? Gnomes, the spirits of earth?

He quickly pulled out a flask containing seeds suspended in water and threw it at them.

"Eh?"

"What's th—aaah!?"

The seeds grew at tremendous speed, sprouting thick vines that wrapped around the gnomes and tangled them up.

"W-waaah!"

"Gnome's nutrients getting sucked out!"

"H-help this gnome!"

Earth spirits, taken out by Vine Whip!

Faced with that pitiful spectacle, I couldn't squeeze my eyes shut in front of an enemy, so I narrowed them to tight slits instead.

Maybe I should rename them house elves rather than earth spirits...

... Still, that was fine. They made coffee and cleaned, so I personally liked them.

Besides, they had served their purpose.

Startled by the unexpected appearance of spirits, Alphonse quickly checked on Yohan. But Yohan was already gone.

He had made a swift decision in the instant Alphonse faltered and gotten himself out of harm's way for the moment.

Grizzly and the gnomes were dismissed. Footsteps splashing through rainwater echoed down the alley.

Lee Munryong breathed heavily.

"Hah..."

He held out a hand that trembled from torn muscles and asked,

"Got any healing medicine? A potion or something?"

Alphonse handed him a flask of red liquid. He drank the potion, and his wounds healed as his body recovered.

"... At times like this, magic really is convenient."

Then he looked down the alley where Yohan had disappeared, puzzlement in his eyes.

"I had to strike around the monster, so I couldn't put my full strength into it... but he still shouldn't be in any condition to move."

"Gnomes."

"What?"

Alphonse answered quietly.

"Of the four elements, earth symbolizes vitality and resilience."

His expression was displeased.

"Contracting with earth spirits must have increased his body's overall durability—his bones, muscles, skin, and so on."

... It did not particularly matter. What he had to do remained the same.

Alphonse raised his head and looked up at the rainy sky.

The spell was in place.

As long as this rain fell, the bastard could not escape.