Chapter 14 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Section 3: Fate Manipulation (5)

Of course, it's not that I can't fight at all.

Thanks to the repeated training in the practice room, my throwing skill has improved from the lowest level to a lower level.

Moreover, to fully use ‘Gram,’ I have been repeatedly depleting my mana, increasing it slightly.

As a result, I've been hitting my fatigue peak recently due to the repeated mana depletion.

Lately, I feel like I've truly become a Frondier.

Moreover, since I've played the game to the point of being bored, I know the patterns of the monsters.

While reality isn't exactly the same as the game, it generally shows the same patterns.

However, a Frondier must always be an incompetent and lazy person.

Whenever I played the game as Aster, I thought about something.

Aster is great, but he is too famous and receives a lot of expectations.

Allies naturally depend on Aster, and enemies are overly cautious, making it hard to figure them out.

On the other hand, a Frondier is in the opposite position.

No one will expect anything from a Frondier, and if they are an enemy, they will be the perfect character to let their guard down.

There are advantages to this position.

‘Moreover, there’s Thanatos.’

When I first wove the Black Heaven, the god Thanatos tried to kill me.

There's no guarantee that my bluff will work forever.

So, to avoid being discovered by Thanatos, it's better if I don't stand out in this world.

Cybel seemed exasperated but was still diligently dealing with the ratmen.

During this time, I quietly observed her fighting.

Then, I positioned myself to face the ratmen in her blind spot,

Weaving (織造)

Weaponry Workshop 1st Edition

Grade - Common

Iron Dagger

I threw the woven dagger, hitting them.

The ratmen fell one by one, completely defenseless against my daggers.

They were distracted by Cybel and couldn't see the daggers I had woven.

I thought it would be that easy to take them down.

‘...Huh?’

While counting the remaining numbers as I dealt with the ratmen, the air suddenly rippled.

Cybel didn't seem to notice.

Did I see it wrong?

...No.

I quickly scanned the surroundings.

Something was there, using the darkness as a backdrop, shimmering like a wisp of smoke. It was quickly approaching Cybel.

"Cybel!"

I shouted and threw a dagger.

It was almost simultaneous with the wisp attacking Cybel.

"What, ah!"

Cybel barely managed to dodge upon hearing my voice.

But her steps were unsteady.

I approached her and knocked down the remaining ratmen with dagger throws.

I wasn't worried about her noticing my weaving. She didn't have the leisure to observe me fighting.

Thud, the sound of air escaping from fabric.

Cybel collapsed.

"Ah, ugh."

Blood seeped from her hand, which clutched her abdomen.

Indeed, she didn't completely avoid it.

Cybel tried to get up but fell back down.

I approached her and examined her condition. Her eyes were bloodshot, her breathing labored, and her limbs trembled, not moving as she wished.

"What, what is it? Why is this happening?"

"It's a paralyzing poison."

"Paralyzing poison?"

"Yeah, one of them had a troublesome weapon."

"Ugh, I see. Am I okay?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of the rest, so just rest. There's probably a sleep effect mixed in. You'll be fine when you wake up."

"Ugh, but... You can't fight..."

Despite her words, Cybel's eyes slowly closed.

Actually, there is no sleep effect in this poison.

It's more like a kind of hypnosis. Cybel had a long dungeon exploration today and had already consumed a lot of mental and physical energy dealing with the traps.

She was already fatigued.

If I tell her there's a sleep effect, she'll honestly believe it and fall asleep quickly.

"...Alright, then."

I confirmed that Cybel was asleep and stood up.

Phew, I took a deep breath.

Don't get anxious. If your mind wavers, your body will make mistakes.

──The poison that seeped into her is very lethal.

──The one who attacked her isn't just a ratman.

──Everything I told Cybel was a lie.

Stay calm.

If I can pull this off, I can turn the lies into the truth.

Looking around, I could only see the corpses of the ratmen, but I couldn't find the creature's form.

I didn't get anxious about this. It's supposed to be like that.

I bit my lip.

An invisible enemy. The shimmering wisp in the air. A weapon coated with a deadly poison.

A ‘heretic’ capable of injuring Cybel, who is destined to be loved.

I know who this creature is. It's a being that should never be in a low-level dungeon.

Its name is Slev.

Born human, it became a monster, bound to its soul.

The most troublesome thing about Slev is that once it touches you, it's over.

The poison on that blade is lethal.

It's not a lie that I told Cybel it was a paralyzing poison.

The level of paralysis is different, though.

At first, the limbs stiffen, just like how Cybel couldn't get up earlier.

Then, the internal organs slowly harden, and the lungs stop functioning. Breathing becomes painful, and when it reaches its limit, the heart and brain finally stiffen.

This process takes about 12 hours.

Within this time, we need to break through the dungeon and go to a church or hospital for an antidote.

12 hours might seem like a lot, but she could die from shock before then.

The sensation of slowly dying is hard for an ordinary human to endure. Even if she survives, she could suffer significant psychological aftereffects.

So, I need to take care of this creature as quickly as possible.

"...Where are you?"

I lowered my stance and scanned the surroundings.

Slev can't be seen with the naked eye. As a soul, it doesn't even make a sound.

The only thing visible is a slight shimmer when it attacks.

However, I threw a woven dagger at it just before it attacked Cybel.

I couldn't confirm it properly, but given the trajectory, it must have hit my dagger.

Slev's form becomes more visible as it takes damage, like a veil slowly being lifted.

However, it's most dangerous when it's in perfect condition.

So, it was fortunate that I managed to hit it. Now, the shimmer that should only appear when Slev attacks is visible all the time.

The shimmer grew larger,

And just as a weapon flew horizontally toward me,

Clang, the creature's dagger clashed with mine.

"Ah!"

Slev pushed its dagger forward, trying to force a physical struggle.

Lacking divine power, mana, and strength, I couldn't win in a physical struggle.

That's right. If this were a physical struggle.

Swish!

I wove a dagger in my empty hand and slashed at what I guessed was its arm.

Screeech!

A sharp scream.

The creature retreated in pain but didn't drop its weapon.

It was a shallow cut. I couldn't see it, so it was unavoidable.

My left hand remained empty.

Slev must be confused. My empty hand cut its arm.

"...It's more visible now."

I swallowed.

The odds aren't high. But against a ghost, this is the only gamble I can win.

Slev seemed a bit wary.

The dagger I threw earlier and the cut on its arm must have made it realize I have an invisible weapon.

However, it didn't last long. It swung its dagger at me again.

Clang! Clang!

I kept Slev's faint form in my sight and deflected its attacks with my weapon.

Slev doesn't use proper sword techniques. It just swings at me with a speed far beyond mine.

"Huff! Huff..."

My flesh trembled.

It felt like my lungs were being damaged with each breath.

I completely abandoned the idea of attacking and focused solely on defense.

The opponent isn't using proper sword techniques. Yet, each moment of blocking felt like a thrill, making my blood run cold.

As my attacks failed, the creature pressed harder.

Each time I blocked its fierce blade,

-Hate.

I heard its voice.

-Hate the gods.

-Hate the gods who lied to me.

-Curse all the gods who gave me eternal trials.

The voice was full of resentment and anger. It seemed to be left with only such emotions. The attacks felt like a torrent of grudges.

However,

"What do you want...!"

I am not a god. I don't receive the love of the gods. I don't have divine power or talent. I almost died because of a god.

Clang!

It was getting harder to just deflect. Was it time?

I raised my right hand, holding the dagger. While blocking the creature's dagger, I released the grip.

Clang!

With a brilliant sound, the dagger left my hand, making it look like I had dropped it.

My empty hand. My exposed chest. Slev would definitely target this opening.

Whoosh!

Slev's dagger shot straight at me.

'Please!'

Weaving again.

Please hold on.

Weaving (織造)

Grade - Legendary

Gram

'Ugh...!'

As soon as I held Gram, nausea hit me.

Even without Black Heaven, I had already used a lot of mana.

But the creature was distracted by its lost weapon. Its movements were predictable.

'If I miss this, I'll die early!'

I swung Gram from above down at Slev.

Swish!

The sound was brief.

My hand trembled.

Gram disappeared.

The symptoms of mana depletion spread throughout my body.

In contrast, Slev didn't even scream. It quietly revealed its entire form.

Thud, it knelt, and its expression showed no pain.

Was it the final moment?

Just as I thought that,

-Is this the sword of that person?

I heard Slev's voice. It was faint and grew more distant with each syllable.

I panted and suppressed the convulsions in my body.

"Do you know the owner of the sword?"

-Did I get cut by that sword? Even as a soul.

"...Yes."

It's hard to deal damage to Slev physically. As a soul, it can't be touched except by that dagger.

I don't know exactly how I managed to cut Slev.

Perhaps because weaving is close to ‘magic.’ Or because of Gram's own properties.

I don't know, so I kept my words to a minimum. Even if I spoke, Slev wouldn't have the time to hear them all.

-...Is that so.

-Can I still reach that person's sword?

With those words,

Slev's revealed form slowly disappeared. Not just concealed, but completely vanished.