Into the Creations 1116

Chapter 1116 – 1116. Dark Moon

‘The first method that comes to mind… is a trap.’

I recall the first day I entered the Lumel Forest.

Back then, I dealt with the pursuers using an air trap.

‘……I’ll give up on traps. The traps I can set are limited.’

I know how to make booby traps, but I don’t even have bombs to use right now.

The magical air trap consumes a lot of mana.

‘More than anything, there’s a high chance they know about air traps.’

Judging by the number of people chasing us, it’s clear that Major Bag of the 105th Unit and the Resistance have joined forces. Then, they would have surely shared information about air traps.

There are 15 pursuers chasing me. Two of them are first-class mana awakeners.

And I am a third-class battle mage.

The calculation is complete.

‘I’ll fight. I’ll kill the enemies and rise from prey to hunter.’

I quietly checked my equipment.

After about five minutes, I could vividly feel their presence. They appeared between the trees. They aimed their rifles at me and quickly scattered. They advanced towards me, using the trees as cover.

Unlike the 105th Unit, which was annihilated by an air trap on the first day, they were cautious.

“I didn’t expect you to just stay here. Did you run all day and get so tired that your legs won’t move?”

“You must be tired too, right?”

“We took turns tracking you. And unlike you, we adapted to the Lumel Forest early on. Stop the pointless resistance and surrender.”

“Surrender? I was going to say that first.”

“You call yourself a battle mage, but you’re quite arrogant. Do you believe in that paper-thin barrier of yours? What are you waiting for, shoot! Let’s show this arrogant bastard that magic or whatever is meaningless in the face of numbers!”

They pulled their triggers simultaneously from all directions.

Sensing a small explosion of mana, I immediately used the Moment. The world slows down. I can see the bullets fired from the muzzles.

‘Mana bullets. There are a lot of them. At this rate, even a third-class barrier will be easily shattered. I’m glad I used the Moment as soon as I sensed the mana.’

They made a mistake.

They approached within 10 meters to ensure they killed me.

‘My telekinesis range is 15 meters. They’ve stepped into my range.’

It would be difficult to twist their necks with telekinesis as they are.

Living beings, including humans, have a small amount of magic resistance by nature. Telekinesis is a magic that is greatly affected by the target’s mental strength and magic resistance. It’s more efficient to grab objects than to directly grab a target’s body with telekinesis.

‘Mana bullets are a bit tough, but… it’s better than grabbing a person’s body directly.’

I decided to use telekinesis to catch all the incoming mana bullets. A total of 72. It was a lot for 15 people to shoot.

‘They were planning to kill me for sure, even considering the barrier.’

There are too many mana bullets. My capacity is not enough to control them all.

‘I’ll give up on complete control and just change the direction of the mana bullets. As long as they don’t come towards me.’

As I activated the mana rod, the Moment was released. This means one thing. The movement of mana is also affected by the Moment. In other words, the mana rod is also accelerated. The formula was already calculated, so there was nothing to hold me back.

The activation of telekinesis was faster than the speed of the mana bullets.

The mana bullets that were flying towards me changed direction and began to fly wildly. Dozens of colorful trajectories of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple were drawn in the air. It was like watching a kind of artwork. However, the result was too horrific to be called art.

“Kaaaaaah!”

“My arm!!!”

“H-help me. My legs are frozen!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

One red mana bullet passed by my side. It hit a tree and caused a small explosion. It was a fragmentation bullet.

‘The tree is on fire. Another pursuer will come right away.’

Six people survived the chaotic mana bullets. Of course, just because they survived doesn’t mean they were unharmed.

I picked up my rifle and approached them to finish them off. I need to conserve mana. There’s no need to use magic to kill enemies who have lost their combat power.

The dry sound of gunshots rang out six times.

I fled the scene before other pursuers could arrive.

‘I was nervous because there was a mana awakener, but… they’re not much different from ordinary people. Is it because they’re first-class?’

***

6 AM.

Around the time the sun began to rise, I found their temporary camp and killed the remaining eight people there. It was indeed the 105th Unit. The tents that made up the camp were from the Freesel Kingdom army.

I burned the tents and gathered supplies. The highest priority was food, and then bullets. Unfortunately, there weren’t many mana bullets.

“This is absurd.”

A dignified, heavy voice came from behind.

I was startled. Even if I was tired, I didn’t expect someone to approach me, bypassing my senses. Cold sweat ran down my neck. I had a barrier ready, but it wasn’t good to be attacked first.

I dropped the emergency rations I was holding and turned around.

There was a tall, middle-aged man. He was a man wearing a black military coat. His mechanical right arm smelled of oil.

“While I was away for a moment, my unit was annihilated by some brat, not even a panther from the Ross Unit…. Brat. How am I supposed to accept this fact?”

“It’s simple. Think of your last words.”

I aimed my rifle at Major Bag.

“Of course, I have no intention of listening to your last words.”

I firmly pulled the trigger.

The muzzle spat fire. The shell casings fell down with a cheerful sound. 12 fragmentation bullets, 4 electric bullets, and 5 impact bullets. I didn’t hold back on the mana bullets.

It was enough firepower to make Major Bag’s coat tattered.

“The brat is audacious.”

The problem was that only his coat was tattered. The mana bullets barely tore off Major Bag’s artificial skin. Gray steel was visible through the torn artificial skin.

“…His machine parts weren’t just his right arm.”

“As I get older, my body isn’t what it used to be. So, I used the money I earned to get modifications. I needed a performance test anyway…. If you’re a monster secretly raised by the higher-ups, you’re not a bad opponent.”

I took out a magazine loaded with mana bullets from my pocket. Major Bag was pretending to be calm, but the mana bullets couldn’t be completely ineffective. I had to inflict as much damage as possible.

Major Bag stretched out his right arm towards me. Part of his right arm glowed blue.

Wiiiing.

“Brat, that’s a dangerous thing for you to play with, so it’s confiscated.”

“……!!”

The rifle in my hand flew into Major Bag’s grasp. Not just the rifle. The pistol and elemental sword I had prepared as secondary weapons also flew away. The magazines and knives were no exception. The worst part was that even the artifact bracelet I received from Lexi was taken away. His grasp was covered with metal objects, including my belongings.

Fortunately, Major Bag didn’t recognize that the elemental sword and bracelet were artifacts.

“I commend you for not being obsessed with weapons. Usually, people would cling to their weapons and get dragged along. But how are you going to fight without weapons? With those weak fists of yours?”

I connected mana to the elemental sword. Major Bag, who wasn’t a mana awakener, didn’t notice even when I openly moved mana.

“You’re mistaken. My weapon is mana. A substance you can’t even perceive.”

Those who haven’t awakened mana have an inferiority complex towards mana awakeners.

Even just knowing how to handle a little of mana, the mysterious energy of this world, makes life easier in many ways. Especially in special jobs like the military, mana awakeners are treated well and promoted faster than non-awakeners just for that reason.

“Did you learn how to provoke from that woman?”

Major Bag’s face contorted. His expression was vivid for a machine.

Click.

His left wrist bent, and a gun barrel popped out. White light gathered at the end of the barrel and was fired at me. It was a laser. I ran to the side and barely avoided the attack.

“Show me how far you can go with that fancy mana of yours!”

The laser was fired again. This time, I couldn’t avoid it. It collided with my third-class barrier and was neutralized, but a hole was punched in the barrier.

‘…If I get hit one more time, the barrier itself will disappear. If I reactivate the barrier… the mana I can use for a counterattack will be dangerously low.’

I had used a considerable amount of mana getting here.

‘I can’t survive by focusing on defense.’

The laser was fired. I couldn’t avoid it. The barrier disappeared.

“Haha! The shell has finally been peeled off!”

He smiled brightly and aimed the gun at me. Light particles gathered in front of the muzzle. It would take 3 seconds for the laser to fire.

‘He finally let his guard down.’

The guy, confident in his victory, focused his mind on the laser. He was planning to hit me accurately and finish it.

‘Water.’

Water trickled from the elemental sword that was attached to his right hand.

“?!”

Major Bag reacted a beat late. He was slow to react, probably because he was a machine.

‘Spark.’

The attribute changed to electricity. Even if it was waterproof, electricity would be different.

“Kuhhh…! That brat is using cheap tricks!”

His right arm crackled continuously, and then a small explosion was heard, with black smoke rising into the sky. The weapons that had been held by magnetism fell to the ground. It was clear that he could no longer use his right arm.

“Damn it. Just thinking about fixing my arm makes me dizzy. Die!”

‘Moment.’

[Using Moment. Remaining stacks: 1]

I saw the laser and dodged it. I didn’t have the knack for moving my body, so I fell to the ground. I glanced over and saw Major Bag preparing the laser again.

I had only one use of the Moment left.

‘One time is enough.’

Feeling the sweat dripping down my chin, I stretched out my hand towards Major Bag and activated telekinesis. The artifact bracelet flew from among the fallen weapons. I immediately activated a fourth-class barrier. The laser that was aimed at my head was blocked by the barrier.

“Tsk. So that bracelet was a barrier artifact.”

“It’s a fourth-class barrier. You’d have to hit me with at least three more lasers. Well, that’s if you have the power to do so.”

I regained my composure and got up from my spot.

The laser didn’t fire.

Even though there are excellent optical weapons like lasers in this world, the reason why bullets are mainly used is because the cost-effectiveness of lasers is terrible. In Major Bag’s case, it was obvious that his battery was dead, so he couldn’t fire lasers indiscriminately.

Click.

His left arm changed. The muzzle widened, and I heard the sound of a cartridge being loaded. Immediately after, the muzzle spat fire. Mana bullets flew towards me. I sprinted behind a tree. I didn’t completely dodge them, but some were blocked by the fourth-class barrier.

‘The quality of the mana bullets is good. Even a fourth-class barrier won’t last long. I have to finish this before the barrier disappears.’

I moved the elemental sword that had fallen on the ground with telekinesis. The elemental sword silently aimed for Major Bag’s neck.

“Do you think I’ll fall for that twice?”

He kicked back. The elemental sword flew far away and was embedded in a tree. It wasn’t the leg strength of an ordinary human.

‘His lower body was also a machine. The elemental sword flew out of my telekinesis range.’

It was expected. The elemental sword had done its job by drawing his attention.

‘Shock Wave.’

I used the third-class magic Shock Wave. The shockwave I shot out from my fingertips flew towards Major Bag. The trees caught in the blast broke, and mounds of dirt soared upwards.

Kwaaang!

Major Bag, who was hit head-on by the Shock Wave, was pushed back. His mechanical body withstood the Shock Wave, but it couldn’t prevent cracks from forming on the surface.

‘Should I hit him with another Shock Wave? My mana is dangerously low. Can I create an opening?’

Among third-class magic, Shock Wave is one of the best in terms of pure physical destructive power, but it consumes a lot of mana.

The enraged Major Bag fired mana bullets. The thick tree that had been protecting me caught fire, froze, and fell apart into fragments. The mana bullets finally reached my barrier. The barrier shook. Just as I was about to run to the side in surprise, the mana bullets stopped flying.

Click, click, click.

An empty sound echoed from Major Bag’s left arm.

“Damn it. Did I run out…. Well, it’s fine. You don’t seem to be able to spam magic either, so it looks like you’re low on mana. I’ll just cut you down myself.”

A blade popped out from his left arm.

“You’re going to engage in close combat with me? Are you confident in your tag skills?”

I sneered at him. I’d be crazy to engage in close combat with a cyborg. I had no intention of giving up my advantage of distance.

“My favorite game was tag. I liked being the tagger. I enjoyed catching the ones who ran away.”

A thruster appeared on Major Bag’s back. I grimaced. Major Bag laughed loudly. The thruster spat fire, and he flew towards me, crashing into the trees and vines that blocked his path.

‘Running away is impossible. I have to fight.’

High-speed combat using a thruster. It wasn’t a good match for me, who was weak in close combat. But it wasn’t like there was no way at all.

‘Telekinesis.’

I control my body with telekinesis. Magic is 100 times more reliable than my hopeless motor skills. I dodge Major Bag, who is flying towards me, to the side. It’s surprisingly easy to dodge.

‘He must be new to combat using a thruster too.’

Major Bag charged at me head-on. His speed had slowed down slightly. I realized that the thruster’s fuel was rapidly running out.

‘If I can hold out a few more times, I’ll have a chance to escape. But… I don’t have the confidence to engage in a battle of attrition against a cyborg. I’ll settle this here.’

[Using Moment. Remaining stacks: 0]

I calculated the formula and glared at Major Bag, who was flying towards me using the thruster.

His blade was aiming for my shoulder. I could feel his intention to drag out the fight more surely by not aiming directly for a vital point. He knew that I was in a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for me to collapse at any moment.

Instead of dodging, I lunged forward. The blade grazed my shoulder. It wasn’t a dangerous level.

‘I’ll endure the recoil with telekinesis…!’

I stretched out my palm towards Major Bag’s solar plexus. It touched. At the same time, my body was pushed back. My back hit a tree.

“Lightning Grab!!”

Using the pain I felt in my back as motivation, I spat out the incantation as if chewing it.

The mana that stretched out from the astral realm raced through the mana rod and transformed into magic according to the prepared formula.

Pajijijijijik!

Hundreds of lightning bolts exploded from my palm and ran through Major Bag’s mechanical body. The surroundings were as bright as day with the light of the lightning.

“You brattttt!!”

Major Bag raised his left arm. But that blade never came down on me. The lightning had destroyed his mechanical body. His expression also hardened. The only thing that moved was his left eyeball.

“Major Bag. I won.”

My mana was already depleted, but I didn’t need mana to finish off a tin can.

I broke off a suitable branch nearby. I deeply stabbed the branch into his left eye, which couldn’t even open its mouth.

A chilling sensation was felt through my hand.

‘The limit of a cyborg is that they can’t replace their brain with a machine.’

If you replace the brain with a machine, it’s not a human, but a robot.

Having won, I let out a deep sigh and turned my back on Major Bag. I glanced back. Major Bag’s mechanical body didn’t fall even in death. It was an amazing body that deserved admiration.

‘I don’t feel envious, though.’

I sat down on the ground. As soon as my mana recovered, I planned to break that amazing body into small pieces. If there was a camera or something attached to that body, and the data was intact, things wouldn’t end at just a troublesome level.

***

Noon.

I dragged my tired body to the meeting place.

Lexi was already there. Her appearance wasn’t normal either. Her right arm was broken, and her pink bobbed hair was slightly singed.

“I found the Resistance’s base and trashed it. The target, Lieutenant Olcor, was alive with his arms and legs cut off.”

“Did you kill him?”

“I had the time, but it was too much of a hassle.”

She shrugged her shoulders. I nodded calmly. I would have made the same choice. I had no intention of taking such a troublesome burden with me.

Lexi came closer. Her head rested on my shoulder.

“Ah. I want to have sex.”

“…Is that what you have to say right now?”

“I was just saying what I really wanted. Let’s go to the stream, wash up, and take a nap. And when we wake up… you know?”

I didn’t mention that I had killed Major Bag.

The time to return to the unit would be longer, but the Tarzan life with Lexi wouldn’t be bad.