Chương 24: Chapter 23

Dashed The two humans and one orc threw every fire-related skill they could conjure into the tide of worm monsters. Flames rained across the blood sea. Explosions of fire erupted among the swarm. Burning fist projections tore through clusters of flesh. Yet despite all of that, they were barely making a dent. Even Mei's strongest fire skill, [Dragon's Breath], could only kill a handful at a time. Worse, it only worked on the worms foolish enough to leave the protection of the magic-eating acidic blood.

The moment a worm stayed submerged, most attacks simply dissolved before reaching it. A cluster of worms suddenly activated [Blood Tsunami]. A towering crimson wave surged upward and crashed across the desert, cutting off the trio's retreat.

"Look out!" The blood wave slammed into Mei's shoulder and splashed across Adam's chest. Adam immediately tore off his shirt before the acid could burn through the fabric and reach his skin. Mei wasn't nearly as lucky. Her crop top left her shoulders exposed and the acidic blood landed directly on her bare flesh. She gritted her teeth. Smoke rose from her shoulder as skin blistered, blackened, and slowly melted away, exposing the raw flesh beneath. Not a scream escaped her lips.

Players possessed pain tolerance far beyond ordinary humans, but that didn't mean they felt nothing. If anything, magical attacks often hurt more than mundane injuries. The fact that Mei remained standing was impressive in its own right. Adam hurriedly cast [Desperate Heal]. The healing magic neutralized the lingering acid and restored the damaged flesh before the wound could worsen. He didn't hesitate despite the cost. Mei's contribution to the fight was worth far more than his pathetic fireballs.

The moment the spell finished, his legs gave out. Adam collapsed to one knee as the mana drain hit him all at once.

"This... isn't working..." he muttered weakly. They could kill the worms. The issue was the quantity of them. There weren't hundreds. Or even thousands. Tens of thousands was a much closer estimate. At their current pace, it would take hours to exterminate the swarm. Possibly days. And there was no chance they survived that long.

"There's no other way!" Granessa roared. Her flaming fist projections smashed into the blood sea one after another, sending up clouds of steam and burning flesh. The worms had already cut off every route of escape. Running was no longer an option. Adam remained kneeling while his mana slowly recovered. Since he couldn't contribute much at the moment, he used the opportunity to observe the battle more carefully. Mei unleashed [Dragon's Breath] every time the skill came off cooldown.

Between uses, she relied on weaker bullet-based abilities to keep the swarm at bay. Granessa fought differently. Flames wrapped around her fists with every punch. As she struck, giant fist-shaped projections of fire erupted outward and plowed through the sea of blood. Her primary skill was called [Flame Fist]. Watching her fight reminded Adam of a certain anime character. That observation wasn't important. What was important was the realization that followed.

Despite the Game's skill system being almost entirely imagination-based, no two people's skills were truly identical. In theory, anyone could create the same skill. In practice, that never happened. Every person imagined things differently. Even when two skills shared a concept, subtle differences in perspective produced different results. Weapons and classes seemed to play a hidden role as well. Adam knew this firsthand. His legendary skill had originally been inspired by one of Mei's abilities.

Despite copying the basic concept, the result had been completely different. His imagination had taken the idea and exaggerated it far beyond what Mei intended, accidentally creating a skill of a much higher rank. Yet it also had obvious weaknesses. His attack moved at a snail's pace. Mei's abilities, meanwhile, shot through the air like real bullets thanks to the interaction between her skills and firearm-based class. The core idea was similar, but the execution was entirely different.

The same principle applied to Granessa. Adam was almost certain that if he attempted to recreate [Flame Fist], it either wouldn't work at all or would produce some bizarre variation. For one thing, he wielded a staff. Both hands were usually occupied. Trying to throw punches while casting magic sounded ridiculous. Even if the skill formed successfully, his imagination would likely twist it into something else entirely.

As he watched Mei and Granessa desperately hold back the endless swarm, a thought slowly began forming in the back of his mind. A thought that had nothing to do with fighting the worms directly. And everything to do with how skills were created. Before the thought could fully form, a sudden change in the battle interrupted it. The blood tide began flowing in reverse. The countless worms stopped attacking and started retreating, dragging the crimson sea with them as though pulled by an invisible force.

"Are they retreating...?" Mei asked hopefully.

"Did we scare them off?" For the briefest moment, a sliver of hope appeared. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Then it was immediately crushed. The blood and worms flowed together, merging into a single mass of flesh. That mass grew larger and larger until Lord of Flesh's original body stood before them once more. The giant worm was covered in small bleeding wounds and patches of charred flesh from their attacks, but the damage was clearly superficial.

Compared to its enormous body, they had barely scratched it. The creature towered above them, easily dozens of feet long. Its massive bulk cast a shadow across the desert, making the three adventurers seem insignificant by comparison.

"I'll admit, you three are troublesome," Lord of Flesh said condescendingly. Its fleshy body writhed as it spoke.

"However, that's all you are. Troublesome." The giant worm lowered its head slightly.

"You are not a threat to me. This has all been nothing more than a game." Its maw split open into a grotesque grin.

"A game I've grown bored of, so… You will die now." The pink flesh covering its body suddenly glowed blood-red. A heartbeat later, agony exploded inside their chests. Adam gasped and clutched at his heart. The pain felt as though someone had shoved burning coals mixed with molten metal directly into his ribcage. He looked down. Branded into the skin over his heart was a glowing red mark shaped like Lord of Flesh's twisted body. A hurried glance revealed identical marks on Mei and Granessa.

Both women were clutching their chests as well. You have been branded by Lord of Flesh's [Blood Mark] [Blood Mark]: A magic brand seared into the flesh of any individual affected by the caster's blood energy. Effect: Gain control of the blood in the mark's bearer, exerting dominion over their every action. As the notification faded, Adam felt his body stop obeying him. Invisible strings seemed to wrap around his limbs. His muscles moved. But not because he commanded them.

The three began walking forward in stiff, jerky motions, like broken marionettes being dragged across a stage. Directly toward Lord of Flesh's waiting maw. Toward rows of blood-soaked spikes and jagged teeth. Adam tried to speak. Nothing happened. He tried to stop moving. Nothing happened. Every action was under Lord of Flesh's complete control. Panic clawed at the edges of his mind. Think. Think! There had to be something. Anything. His brain raced through every skill, item, and spell he possessed.

Most were useless. The rest were impossible to activate under the current circumstances. Then he remembered something. An item he had been saving. Using his thoughts, he opened his system inventory. Fortunately, Lord of Flesh seemed unable to interfere with that. His mental gaze landed on a single black feather edged in gold. A gift from a very protective mother.

Skysandra's Feather - Legendary A feather of the Roc, Skysandra, offered willingly as payment for guarding her unhatched child and serving as its incubator. Effect: Summon Skysandra to fight (usable outside of the tutorial). Skysandra's Stats: Level 67 Strength - A Constitution - A Agility - S Magic - B Luck - B Adam had planned to save it until after the tutorial. Now that seemed laughable. At the rate things were going, surviving long enough to see the next sunrise would be a miracle.

Leaving the tutorial alive seemed even less likely. At least Mei still had her own feather. That thought eased the sting slightly. With a mental command, the feather floated from his inventory. It drifted gently through the air, glowing faintly gold along its edges. Adam stared at it. Then realized he had absolutely no idea how to activate it. Fortunately, the feather seemed smarter than he was. Warm golden light blossomed from its surface.

The radiance washed over the three of them and the invisible strings controlling their bodies snapped instantly. Lord of Flesh froze.

"What?!" For the first time since meeting the monster, genuine surprise entered its voice.

"My skill was dispelled?!" If the creature had possessed eyes, Adam imagined they would have been bulging from their sockets. The feather drifted downward and landed softly upon the sand. Its glow intensified then it dissolved into countless particles of golden light. Lord of Flesh recovered quickly.

"I don't know how you did it," it snarled, "but it's too late!" The giant worm lunged. The distance between them vanished instantly. It moved so quickly that Adam's brain barely registered the attack. Dodging wasn't an option. Blocking wasn't an option. Even thinking felt too slow. The rotten stench of its gaping maw washed over them. Rows of bloody spikes filled Adam's vision. This is it… It's over. A piercing bird cry shattered the silence that had fallen over the desert.

The sound was so sharp and powerful that it seemed to cut through the air itself. Lord of Flesh immediately jerked its head toward the sky. A massive shadow swallowed the battlefield. The sunlight vanished. The temperature dropped. Adam looked up. His jaw nearly hit the ground. A colossal bird eclipsed the sun. Its wings stretched across the sky like living storm clouds, black feathers edged with shimmering gold. The creature was so large that it seemed impossible. It wasn't merely flying overhead.

It dominated the heavens. A gentle wind swept around Adam, Mei, and Granessa. Unlike the scorching desert winds, this breeze felt soft and comforting. The three found themselves lifted from the ground as effortlessly as fallen leaves. Before any of them could react, the world blurred. The battlefield vanished. Moments later, they were gently deposited atop an enormous sand dune. A spring-fed oasis rested at its summit, surrounded by palm trees and patches of green vegetation.

For several seconds, none of them spoke. They simply stared. They had no idea how they had arrived there. Yet one glance toward the horizon told them they had traveled an incredible distance. Far away, two tiny dots clashed against one another beneath the desert sun. One was Lord of Flesh. The other was Skysandra. The creatures were so distant they appeared no larger than specks. And yet even from miles away, the power radiating from their battle was impossible to miss.