Chapter 39

Chapter 4 Eyelid (12)

***

Thud!

The massive body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, aimed at the enemy.

The target was the largest and strongest-looking one in the middle of the group.

According to the professor's experience, this beast-like body had to be used very cautiously and strategically.

[Right ankle: Compound open fracture (regenerating: 12%)]

[Left knee: Fracture (regenerating: 64%)]

'Left leg will recover its function in 7 seconds, right... it might be faster to lose it!'

Due to the body's characteristic of constantly consuming and regenerating, his combat power could fluctuate drastically during battles. The key was to distinguish between parts to sacrifice and parts to preserve for the next move. At this point, right after the battle started, his combat power was at its peak.

'If the first command to capture the city is achieved, and the remaining command is to protect the city from humans... will they even see me as a human?'

A body almost entirely infiltrated by the mutant, except for the brain. Whether by appearance, core components, or composition, I am a mutant. The sudden attack by a mutant that emerged from nowhere on them, and now capturing the command unit that can think a bit more...

'The behavior of these mutants, who are half-beasts, is predictable.'

Slowly.

Step by step.

The mutants were gradually increasing their distance from the crater, sensing the surroundings. The instinct of beasts drove them away. When encountering a stronger predator, fleeing is a natural instinct. Moreover, since they were moving from inside the city to outside, it didn't really contradict the queen's orders.

Squish-

'Good. As long as I don't provoke them and maintain a non-threatening state while walking out of the city... huh?'

The professor checked his body. All parts had already finished regenerating, returning to their original state except for his clothes. However, the steam coming from his body hadn't stopped.

"Damn... Could it be!"

His arm, which had turned bright red, was emitting red steam and rapidly drying up. The skin was so dry that it could crack with the slightest movement. Checking his body hastily, he found that the same phenomenon was occurring all over.

[Mutation Bloodlust: Maximizes regeneration by consuming blood. Death will occur if the consumed blood is not replenished.]

Death will occur if the consumed blood is not replenished.

Death. Death. Death......

"Damn it! Do I really have to replenish blood throughout the duration to avoid dying?!"

The professor turned his body, which had been heading towards the city gate.

[Mutation Bloodlust: 3 minutes 17 seconds]

The corpse of the 6th-grade mutant, which had been impaled beside him, was already completely dried up. The professor could see himself turning into the same state in less than a minute.

The thought of needing to stay far away from the monstrous life form that was tearing apart its kin and consuming their blood was the last thought of the mutant whose head was grabbed by the large hand.

***

Whew....

Ding-

[The effect of Mutation Bloodlust has ended.]

"Phew! Phew! I survived! I almost died! I really almost dried up and died!"

The professor lay sprawled next to the dried-up corpse of the mutant whose waist had split in two. It was really close. The last mutant he chased had turned into that state, and there were no mutants left in the vicinity. With about 30 seconds left of the bloodlust, if he hadn't had the vial of mutant blood in his bag, he might have ended up lying next to the dried-up mutant.

'Mutation Bloodlust... a skill with risks as great as its performance.'

The performance is unparalleled. With that level of regeneration, he could engage in combat without worrying about consumption. A broken leg could be used as if it were intact, making it practically unbreakable if the pain were ignored.

'But that insane blood consumption... limits the battles I can fight.'

This time, the opponent was a mutant, so he could kill them and obtain blood. But what if the opponent wasn't a mutant?

'I would self-destruct before even a minute of fighting.'

In the end, the Mutation Bloodlust skill is a specialized skill for fighting mutants.

Well, anyway. Everything turned out well in the end. The combat power was beyond imagination, and the path out of Turan was cleanly cleared.

'Hmm... I feel like I'm forgetting something important...'

The professor checked to see if he had missed anything, but everything he had brought back, except for the blood he had used, was still intact.

'Blood. Blood. Something related to blood. What is it? Why is this so uncomfortable?'

But no matter how much he thought, nothing came to mind except for the mutant blood.

'Hmm. I guess I was so close to dying from lack of blood that I'm now concerned about the extra blood the [Mental Fatigue] condition doesn't have.'

It was a bit ambiguous, but his exhausted mind refused to think further. The professor slowly walked out, passing the dried-up mutant corpses. His mind was no longer preoccupied with forgotten matters. All he could think about was finding a cool river nearby.

***

Whoosh!

Splash!

"Ooh! Got it!"

Ding-

[Item - Upper Meldib Fish Acquired: A type of fish commonly caught in the northern Rodric region. This species has a distinct hierarchy, with higher-ranked individuals living in clearer upstream waters.]

About two hours ago.

When he left Turan, it was just before dawn. The path to the next city wasn't difficult. He just had to follow the main road south. As he dragged his exhausted body along the road, a very alluring sound caught his attention.

Whoosh!

[.....Whoosh-]

"Water!"

Since [Mental Fatigue] had turned into [Overcome Mental Fatigue], he often caught information that wasn't necessarily a crisis but piqued his interest. This time, the sound caught was undoubtedly the sound of water.

As if he had never been tired, the professor ran breathlessly. When he saw the sparkling river in the morning sunlight, all thoughts of debt repayment deadlines and travel times to the next village vanished from his mind.

"Yayyy!!"

Splash!

Water. Clear, clean, and refreshing morning river water enveloped him like heaven.

'Life. This is life! The soft texture, the moisture, the coolness! Ah, I'm so happy. All the tension and fatigue from the night are melting away...'

The stress and pain accumulated from the brink of life and death, and the body's tearing and splitting, were melting away like the river flowing. No more thoughts came to mind. The professor's subconscious was flowing beyond the river, towards the origin of water...

Ding-

[Water Mana Affinity Acquired (100%): 1st Tier: Embrace of Water]

It seemed like a very important message, but the professor had no time to think about it. Until the sun fully rose, his consciousness floated with his body on the water.

---

"Chomp chomp... The taste is subtle because the organs are missing... Salmon? A mix of salmon and mackerel?"

And now, two hours after entering the water, the professor, who had just regained consciousness, was eating a late breakfast while checking his status window.

[Water Mana Affinity - 1st Tier: Embrace of Water]

"Embrace... Embrace..."

The professor opened the spellbook given by Roman and read it, lost in deep thought.

[...Thus, the enlightenment of magic varies from wizard to wizard. Some may understand the strong power of water, others the beauty of water, and still others the movement of water. The important point is that the moment they gain this enlightenment, they truly become a water wizard. This means they have fully understood one aspect of water, and are thus granted the 1st Tier.]

"....Really. I'm a wizard."

1st Tier. One who has fully understood a part of an attribute.

While other wizards might have tried to understand and accept water, I simply enjoyed being in the water from the moment I overcame my fear. The 'Embrace' enlightenment probably stemmed from that.

Regardless of other things, the moment I entered the water, I felt completely accepted. I understood that feeling clearly. It's indescribable... but it's an incredible sensation.

"Let's see... Hmm... Will this work?"

The professor, sitting by the river, threw the fish bones he had finished eating into the river.

Plop!

The bone, placed on the gently flowing current, didn't move downstream but stayed in place, slowly moving upstream at the professor's gesture.

"Hehe. This is really amazing."

The water listens to me. A strange sensation at my fingertips made him wonder if this was mana. Unlike the mana that piled up in his body when he played as a warrior, this mana moved delicately, as if playing along his fingertips. It felt like he had gained a new sense, giving him a childlike joy.

"I can probably play with it like this... Should I try a spell too?"

The professor flipped through the book to the section on spell usage, having already read about the origin and principles of magic.

[Occupation: Wizard's Test Subject]

Although he had become strong enough to devour a group of mutants in five minutes, his occupation was still [Wizard's Test Subject]. Since some NPCs treated players differently based on their occupation, he needed a proper one.

"Being a wizard is a respectable enough occupation. It also starts with the character 'Sa'."

The professor's eyes began to sparkle with anticipation as he read the incantations from the book.

***