LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 26
Chapter 26. Intruder
I calmly handle the attacks from the two of them.
I blow away the violent wind approaching from the left with a fist press and slice through the barriers flying at me from all directions with my hand blades.
It’s not an attack that I need to care about, but if there happens to be another person with the same type of ability as mine, there’s a chance that the power could suddenly increase dramatically.
From the way they fight by applying various abilities, it seems that the possibility is low.
(Well, that’s true.)
Someone as unique as me probably doesn’t show up often.
There is a decisive difference like my abilities and theirs.
They increase their strength by using and training their abilities, while my ability controls my very existence. Because of this, my numbers are constantly fluctuating.
The reason my ability number is 0 is due to the nature of the ability itself.
This ability measurement device can accommodate fluctuations in numbers to a certain extent.
However, that only works within a limited range.
It can only handle fluctuations up to around forty or fifty thousand.
It can’t handle fluctuations over one hundred thousand and will always produce an error.
It’s because of these anomalies that I believe in the fragility of this world that worships ability numbers.
If there were another person with an ability like mine, and they were a dangerous individual, would we be able to deal with them instantly?
It would be not easy.
So far, no one has ever been cautious, even a little, just because of my numbers.
Numbers are just a mere indicator.
What truly deserves attention is the ability itself and the person’s thoughts.
Even if the number is 0, or even overwhelmingly low, depending on the ability, it’s possible to defeat any opponent.
If you don’t take this into account, you’ll be trampled helplessly, just like the two I’m fighting right now.
“What’s going on?! It’s not working at all!”
“I don’t know! We have no choice but to keep attacking!”
It seems the two opponents are getting anxious because their attacks aren’t effective against me.
I would have preferred a battle that could change their perception of me, but it seems like they’ve run out of options first.
At this point, I no longer have a reason to stand here.
I should finish this quickly.
Pulling back my right arm, I unleash a strike.
—-Hoh, an interesting one. Perhaps I should run an experiment.
The eerie voice suddenly resonates in my mind, sending a chill down my spine.
The hairs on my body stand up, and sweat drips from my forehead.
My body is screaming that the owner of that voice is a dangerous being who can reach my heart.
I immediately pour all my power into my legs and try to escape, but I was one step too late.
A pitch-black darkness emerges from the ground and engulfs me.
…..
“I messed up.”
Now, I am trapped in an unseen, ghostly space.
Darkness surrounds me, and I can’t even see an inch ahead.
“Well, let’s try a few things.”
I quickly attempt to escape.
I clench my fist tightly, step forward, and unleash a full-force punch into the space in front of me.
“[Mountain Breaker]”
A fist that exceeds the speed of sound collides with the darkness.
“—!!”
The shock is more than I expected, and I can’t help but grimace.
A sharp pain runs through my fist.
“Sturdy, huh? Then…”
I lower my stance deeply, concentrating my fighting spirit into my fist.
“How about an attack that can’t be blocked?”
A faint crimson aura begins to glow, and the space shimmers.
I take a deep breath.
“[Star Piercer]”
The unavoidable fatal blow tears through the space with its momentum.
However,
“I see, so this is what happens.”
The hole in the space is instantly repaired.
The speed at which it happens forces me to frown, unable to escape in time.
“This might take a little longer.”
While I keep an eye on what’s happening outside this space, I continue searching for a way out.
◇
“What is that?”
A black sphere suddenly appears.
It swallows up Yanagi-kun and stops his movement, floating in the air even now.
Though it doesn’t even touch me, my instincts keep screaming at me to stay away from it, sending out an incessant warning in my mind.
While cold sweat drips from me in front of the ominous sphere,
“Wh-why are they here?! They shouldn’t appear here!”
I hear Yamada-senpai’s trembling voice from behind.
At first, I thought those words were directed at the ominous sphere.
But as I notice the players from Unryu High in front of me, their faces turn pale as they look toward the forest, I realize that there’s something else there, not the sphere. I turn my gaze toward the forest as well.
“Hyuh!”
The sound of my throat going dry in surprise.
Monsters are natural disasters that can appear anywhere.
But that’s in the real world, and it’s always been that way.
Yet, this is a pseudo-space.
It shouldn’t be the real world, but…
“No way…”
Monsters emerge from the trees in the forest.
And it’s not just one.
There are easily over twenty monsters, crowding together in the limited space.
If there’s any hope left, it’s that these monsters don’t have an absolute powerhouse among them.
I can see goblins, orcs, and skeletons—low-rank monsters.
Even so, numbers are power.
Given our current exhaustion, it’s clear that we’ll be overwhelmed.
“B-but! Even if we die here, we’ll just be sent back to the original place, right?”
“Nene, in this clearly abnormal situation, if we’re not sent back from this space, it’s normal to assume that there’s something wrong with the system itself. If we die in this state, we could really die for good.”
“That’s…!”
“It’ll be fine. Hattori-san will take care of it! After all, she’s from the Special Ability Unit!”
These words are just a form of comfort.
They’re nothing more than temporary solace, meant to keep our hearts from breaking, to prevent despair.
I’ve never heard of a case like this.
Hattori-san could respond immediately to known situations, but in this unprecedented scenario, would she be able to arrive in time?
(Even so, I can’t die yet!)
With trembling hands, I grip my bow.
This is my first time fighting monsters.
But even so…
(If they get in the way of saving my sister, I’ll shoot them down, no matter what they are!)
Before the countless monsters, the golden bow seems to amplify my resolve, its glow intensifying.