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#196. What You Lose When You Grow Up (4)
The boy couldn’t help but be somewhat surprised at the sight revealed inside the door.
A pure white hexahedral space.
Black lines like lightning on the wall.
‘Cube?’
It was the same scenery as the inside of Ignis’ cube seen in number 37.
It wasn’t exactly the same.
This was a larger space, with complex machinery and panels lining the walls, and most importantly, in the center.
A glass globe perched on a small pillar.
A yellow object emitting a brilliant light was floating inside it.
The identity was clear.
The strong resonance of the yellow jewel inside my body made my entire body pound like a heart.
The next moment.
Wheeeeeeee!
Ray rolled forward without any hesitation.
Crunch!
The wolf’s fiercely rushed forward and bit the spot where Ray had been standing.
Ray, who had rolled on the floor and gotten up, turned his back to the pillar and glass ball and watched the wolf at the entrance to the power room.
‘The momentum is growing stronger.’
The materialized black mana that formed the wolf’s body was darker in color and density than on the deck.
On the other hand, the yellow flame attached to the body has its power greatly weakened.
It seemed like light losing its place to darkness.
…need stronger light.
Ray put his hand behind his back and felt for the glass ball.
Woof─
I tried to secretly shock it by pouring mana, but the glass ball did not move at all.
In a way, it was natural.
As it is a device that protects important items, it would not be made of ordinary glass materials.
‘The element of destruction is difficult to use.’
It’s hard to fully focus on crafting the element of destruction because you have to keep an eye on the wolf right in front of you.
‘If we fight now, our chances of winning are low.’
The extreme malice that the opponent was spewing out far exceeded our expectations.
‘It’s hard to predict behavior.’
You can’t tell if the other person is being consumed by instinct or if they still have their sense of reason.
At that moment, something the size of a fingernail flew through the air and landed on Ray’s ear.
It was a mechanical punishment.
Is’s voice pierced into my ear.
─To unlock the device, you need the security key that the elders have. I’ll bring it down now, so hold on a moment… .
“No, there’s no need for that.”
Ray muttered softly.
In the boy’s eyes was the image of a wolf preparing to pounce.
A situation where everything surrounding you belongs to the realm of uncertainty and impossibility.
But it didn’t matter.
Because there has never been a moment in our lives when life was not a series of dangers and hardships.
Keuuuuuuu!
The wolf leapt from his spot with an ear-piercing roar.
For a moment, the body shook and then transformed into the shape of a giant, violently spinning awl.
Ray didn’t take his eyes off the rushing evil, and he didn’t move.
Life is always a series of ups and downs.
Every time, it was my intuition that helped me overcome the situation and expand my horizons in life.
This could be the reason why the boy was currently relying on his animalistic senses instead of rational calculations.
Distance getting closer in real time.
The moment before a giant awl appears in front of you and pierces your face.
───!
Ray, who had not moved even a muscle until now, bent down deeply with a lightning-quick movement.
The awl traced a precarious trajectory across my back, leaving a burning pain.
Then I heard the sound of something breaking behind me, and when I turned my head I saw shards of glass flying high up.
And the center of it.
There is also a yellow jewel that emits an incredible brilliance.
Ray, who had chosen a pose, flew straight towards the jewel.
The wolf on the other side, returning to its original form, also leaped towards the same target.
A jewel falling from a great height in the sky.
The boy’s outstretched hand held the other half of the jewel, and a dazzling beam of light formed between the two jewels that had once been one.
A moment when time seemed to have stopped.
As the boy’s body floated through the air, the filament of light gradually became shorter.
The wolf’s mouth, gaping open in a hideous manner, also got closer and closer to the jewel.
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yet.
widely!
The boy’s hand grabbed the jewel first, just in time.
A wolf’s fangs digging into the back of your hand.
The boy moved his lips.
“It’s your loss.”
A bright yellow flash of light from the fist instantly engulfed the entire power room.
In the world of light that unfolded quietly, darkness ran wild, shaking, rippling, scattering and gathering repeatedly.
At some point, my vision returned.
A landscape that is gradually revealed.
In front of the boy who was standing intact, another boy was lying on the ground.
“Coolook…! That’s what Father was talking about…!”
The enemy, who had raised his head with difficulty, spat out as he looked at the intact jewel in Ray’s hand.
Neither darkness nor light clung to the body that had lost its right arm.
The black mana from the ring was also washed away, and what was now before my eyes was a boy with an ordinary appearance.
“Now I understand…! Cough…! Why was Father so wary of you…!”
“… … .”
Ray looked down at his opponent with dry eyes.
There are three remaining executives of Murcred.
Upset, lazy, vicious.
According to Curiosa’s childhood memories, Ups*x was a girl.
Lazy was said to be large for his age, but lazy and dull.
Vicious was said to be a mysterious child who went around killing small animals and insects.
That was about 20 years ago.
It is unknown why he still looks young, but if we were to choose the most likely one out of the three.
“Vicious.”
Vicious, who flinched, soon laughed and said.
“What? You know my name…? Did that traitorous Curiosa tell you something…? Cough…! That coward who always hides in the closet.”
Vicious’s malice and momentum were not dampened in the least.
However, his gasping for breath and his bleeding arm indicated that he did not have much time to ask questions.
“Vicious, what is your purpose, Doctor?”
“Doctor? Are you talking about my father? I don’t know…! That kind of thing…! Hehe…! Everything was arranged by my father, and I’m just a good kid who listens well.”
“How did you know I was heading to the ruins? Why did you damage the tower’s records?”
“I know, I know everything! Kukuk…! My father is omnipotent…! It’s just a thorn in my side that I know where he is and what he’s doing…!”
Vicious’s eyes gradually became unfocused and his speech became slurred.
He seemed to be having a mental breakdown, spitting out answers to questions as if he were a broken machine.
Still, Ray remained calm and continued asking questions.
and.
“Curiosa said that you were adopted by the Doctor twenty years ago. Haven’t you grown old on your own?”
It was at that moment that Vicious’s focus suddenly became clear.
A soft voice flowed out from the corners of his torn lips.
“It’s simple. If your head is stiff, you can’t imagine.”
After that, mad laughter filled the space.
Vicious, shaking his body to the point of breaking.
Ray, deciding that further conversation was impossible, used the jewel’s mana to create a sword.
Woof─
The dazzling light emitted by the lightsaber struck Vicious.
“Try to kill me! Yes, you must kill me! But remember! I will die, but I will not die…!”
The sword fell without hesitation.
Phew!
Vicious’s movements stopped.
After that, the lightsaber responded to Ray’s will and dispersed into mana, disappearing.
Ray looked around in a somewhat dazed state.
“… … .”
It was the end of a long battle.
The bright lights and quiet mechanical noise of the power room caused me to feel slightly dizzy and tired.
The gaze that slowly circled around turned to the hand.
The yellow jewel, with the two fragments interlocked, was in perfect shape.
The mana I felt inside was extremely pure and refined, and also brought back emotions I had felt before.
It was a sense of deja vu.
*
“How many casualties in total?”
“12 dead, 35 seriously injured, 72 slightly injured, a total of 119 people.”
“What about the destroyed equipment?”
“Internal equipment includes three extractors in the central power room. External equipment includes eight mana condensers.”
The damage was minor compared to the force of the invaders.
However, Falun’s expression as he received the report in the conference room was not bright at all.
The other elders gathered in the conference room, who had received only minimal treatment, also had gloomy expressions.
Any remaining pain in your scalp?
Injured by an intruder?
That wasn’t a problem.
The real problem was that their high self-esteem had been brutally crushed.
Who would have thought that Rael Low, which had prided itself on being an invincible fortress, would be trampled by a single intruder?
If the human wizard who had come as a visitor had not intervened, the damage would have been uncontrollable.
“… Okay, I understand. I’ll step back for now.”
“Understood, Elder Falun.”
The reporter nodded and disappeared out of the conference room.
“… … .”
“… … .”
There was a terrible silence.
Complex and confusing emotions filled the elders’ mouths with silence.
Then the door opened and Ray and Iss appeared.
Ray sat down with his characteristically indifferent gesture, and Is followed suit with a timid gesture.
Falun looked at Ray first and said.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“are you okay.”
“I wish I had been treated in the intensive care unit as recommended.”
“It wasn’t that bad of an injury.”
That’s actually the case.
Although he pushed his body to its limits, the only injury he sustained was a gash on the back of his hand from a wolf’s fangs.
Even that wasn’t a deep wound, and it had completely recovered with healing magic.
After a while of hesitation in awkward silence, Falun opened his mouth.
“First of all, I want to say thank you.”
The other elders nodded in agreement and added:
“We will admit our complacency.”
“If it weren’t for you, the damage would have been severe.”
“Thank you so much.”
Iss opened his eyes wide as he saw everyone’s heads bowing at the same time.
This was because I didn’t know that the elders, who were usually stiff-necked, would bend their attitude to this extent.
But there was one thing that Iss did not realize.
The elders’ humble attitude was also due to their fear of Ray.
The person responsible for single-handedly repelling such a powerful invader.
It was impossible not to know which side currently had the upper hand.
“Once again, thank you so much.”
“I’m specifically protecting Rael Row─.”
─That’s not what I was planning.
Ray interrupted.
Murkred is someone we had to face at some point.
As a result, it turned out that he was protecting Rael Lowe, but in fact, it could be said that this battle was largely fought for his own benefit.
… But is it really necessary to reveal that fact?
Philip said that leaving someone in debt is never a bad choice.
Ray said so.
“─I tried. I gritted my teeth and fought with the sole purpose of protecting the dwarves. That’s why my whole body is covered in wounds now.”
“Thank you…! But you said earlier that you weren’t seriously hurt….”
“No. Come to think of it, I was badly hurt.”
“It looks fine on the outside… .”
“Ouch, this hurts so much. I think my right leg is going to hurt every time it rains.”
It was quite a sight to see six elderly people, all of whom were over 1000 years old, struggling with a small 16-year-old being.
It was then that Falun, who was sweating profusely, manipulated the table panel.
Wheein──
Falun took something out of a drawer extending from the wall and placed it on the table.
“I know this is not enough compared to the help we have received, but I hope you will accept it as a thank you.
“Falun, that thing…!”
“Isn’t that something that was agreed upon…!”
Although the other elders showed signs of bewilderment, Falun’s attitude seemed firm.
Ray looked down blankly at the object Falun had taken out.