Extra's Magic

Boom...

The entire structure creaked and collapsed into the river, sending massive splashes of water skyward. Some droplets reached so high that they landed on my face.

"Yes!"

My tense body gradually relaxed as the nervousness and adrenaline dissipated, leaving me feeling both mentally and physically drained.

I wiped the droplets of water from my face and brushed my dark bangs to the side.

Growl...

On the other side of the river, hundreds of Abominations stared at me with their completely white eyes, devoid of irises.

Their unblinking gaze made me flinch and feel slightly uncomfortable.

"..."

For a few minutes, we just stared at each other in silence.

While I recovered my strength, the Abominations ran back and forth, trying to find a way to cross the river. One creature even attempted to swim through it, but the strong currents quickly swept it away from view.

It screeched and cried as it struggled to stay above water.

"Dumbass..."

Sneering, I slowly stood up, dusting of my black pants that were now covered in purple blood. The liquid stunk like rotten flesh.

Growl...

The Abominations followed my every move, but they could do nothing except stare. If they were even slightly smarter, they might have been able to cross the river with some effort.

Fortunately, they were like mindless zombies, focused only on their target and not on how to reach it.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, a projectile impaled the ground beside me, burying itself deep into the ash soil.

"Wha-"

I didn't even have time to turn around before another wooden spear flew past me, creating so much air pressure that I nearly lost my balance.

Boom...

The projectile struck a dead tree in the distance, sending splinters flying and causing it to explode in a shower of debris and a small shockwave.

I let out a groan as I dashed away from the river. I spoke too soon!

Whoosh... Boom... Whoosh... Boom...

Like heavy artillery strikes, spears rained down from the sky, imbued with Mana and creating shockwaves with an effect similar to a grenade. If one of them were to pierce my body, I would surely die.

Boom...

One of the spears struck dangerously close, causing me to momentarily lose my balance.

"Shit…"

I tried to rise, but my eyes locked onto another spear just a few meters from my chest.

Time seemed to slow down and all I could hear were the danger alarms ringing in my head.

Clank...

The spear impaled me through the left side of my chest with such force that I was yanked out of the Abominations' weapon throwing range.

Cough… Cough…

Blood flowed from my parted lips like a fountain as I vomited and spasmed from the sudden lung failure. I couldn't even drink a potion; the constant flow of blood forced it out.

Growl…

On the other side of the River, the creatures cheered while I drowned in my own blood. They gritted their razor-sharp teeth and rubbed their claws together as if clapping.

Cough… Cough…

I clenched the hilt of the spear impaling my chest and pulled it out with a sudden movement.

"…"

For a moment, it seemed as if the lights around me dimmed and the world spun like a rollercoaster. I barely managed to keep hold of the Health potion.

Cough… Gulp…

I forced myself to drink both the blood and the Health potion, filling my mouth with a fishy taste.

The wound on my chest began to heal slowly, but the process was agonizing. I almost shed a tear from the pain.

Cough…

Spitting out the last mouthful of blood, I growled as I heard the Abominations celebrating.

"…"

I felt a sudden urge to disturb their joy and raised my hand in the air.

!

The monsters instantly fell silent, looking towards my extended hand with its middle finger proudly raised.

Although I knew they wouldn't understand the gesture, I felt better hearing their growls instead of their celebratory cries.

Huff…

After my wound fully healed, I rose to my feet and glanced at the rows of Abominations glaring at me.

"All of you… Go duck yourselves!"

I shouted at the purple-skinned creatures before turning and moving away from the fallen bridge towards the dead forest.

The Abominations screamed and roared, but I paid them no attention.

As I entered the forest, the sounds from outside disappeared completely, as if the trees absorbed all the noise.

"I need to find my team…"

I moved swiftly through the forest, maneuvering around the Abominations that tried to attack me. I surpassed them in speed and escaped without wasting too much energy.

Along the way, I had to engage with a single creature that jumped on me from a tree. A single, precise slash of my katana to its neck was enough to send it to the afterlife.

It was only a G Rank Abomination. A normal human, if lucky, could also defeat it with a weapon.

Thud…

As the Abomination's lifeless body fell to the ground, I heard heavy footsteps nearby.

Quickly, I dashed in the opposite direction. Although part of me wanted to know what kind of monster it was, I didn't want to risk my life out of curiosity.

The less you know, the more you live.

"Sh... K... Mov..."

After a couple minutes of running, I heard hushed human voices and quickly climbed up into one of the thicker trees, so the branches could hide me.

Growl...

Climbing up the sapling, I was about to reach its top, when suddenly an Abomination leaped from the nearby tree, digging its teeth into my shoulder.

The monster expected me to thrash around and try to make it let go, so it'd have an easier time to make me fall to the ground, but I didn't even flinch.

The Abomination also noticed this and slowly lifted its eyes meeting mine, before a blade made out of golden threads stabbed through its forehead, making its body go limp before it fell to the ground.

"..."

I quickly hid behind a branch without taking the time to bandage my shoulder. I listened intently to the human voices that were approaching.

Although I had no reason to hide, I preferred to keep my separation from my team a secret. I could have easily lied my way out of it, but it seemed like too much trouble.

Tap...

Soon, a group of four people came into view. I scanned their faces but didn't recognize any of them.

Their pale expressions and hurried footsteps made it clear that they were running from something. They didn't even bother to look around as they passed through the vicinity, completely disregarding their safety.

I would have called them fools, but I knew that they were well aware of the dangers of the forest. There could only be one reason for them to ignore the threats of the dead forest…

Something even more terrifying was chasing them!

As I watched the group disappear into the distance, a chill ran down my spine. The forest had fallen silent, and the only sound was the pounding of my heart. Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees. I froze, my eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.

A branch snapped and I caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. It was big, much bigger than any animal I had ever seen. Its eyes glowed in the darkness, and its breath came out in hot puffs, visible in the air.

I held my breath as it emerged from the forest, its massive body covered in dark purple fur. Its teeth were bared in a snarl and its claws dug into the ground as it moved closer.

'Monster Abomination!'

I cursed under my breath. These creatures were a terrifying combination of monster and abomination. They possessed the characteristics of both, making them even more formidable.

For instance, a Winter Wolf is a G-rank monster. But if it were to become an abomination, its attributes would increase, allowing it to reach an even higher rank.

The monster's eyes glowed white with hunger, and its mouth salivated as it let out a deafening roar that echoed through the forest.

Roar...

I watched as the bear-Abomination hybrid disappeared between the dead trees, sighing as it vanished from my senses.

There was no way I could fight such a creature. Not even in my wildest dreams would I dare to challenge it.

"They'll probably die..."

I muttered, shaking my head as I looked in the direction where the group and the Monster Abomination had run off.

The group had simply been unlucky to encounter such a monster. There was nothing more to it than that.

Sometimes life is just unfair.

Even if I wanted to help them, I couldn't. I wasn't willing to risk my life for strangers. That was just too heroic for me.

I also couldn't replicate what I had done in the dungeon when I had mimicked the voice of the wyvern. I didn't have enough mana.

"Unfortunate..."