Beaten by a Chicken

Chapter 16 - 16 - Beaten by a Chicken

Two years later.

One midsummer morning, Rosaline walked through a kilometer-long corridor lined with wisteria flowers, arriving at a hidden corner formed by a collapsed overpass. She pushed aside the bushes, revealing a pile of straw.

This was her secret wild-chicken-nesting spot. The wild chickens often laid eggs here, allowing her to steal two every few days to improve her meals.

She was already 12 years old. Her explorer's attire made her figure appear even more slender. Compared to when she first arrived two years ago, she had lost some of her childishness and gained the delicate maturity of a young girl. She had also grown to over 1.55 meters tall, rapidly approaching her teacher's 1.65 meters.

"Let me see... Hmm, there are five eggs this time? I'll just take two, Madam Chicken. I hope you don't mind..." she muttered to herself. She took out two eggs, a smile appearing on her face, and turned to leave.

Unfortunately, this time she was caught. And the wild chicken apprehending her was not quite like its usual self—

It had grown to a height similar to Rosaline's. A lumpy, scabby tumor had formed on its head, like a giant hyperplastic gland covered in wriggling tendrils. Its exposed body and winged flesh were devoid of feathers, oozing with a foul-smelling slime.

"Uh... you're not looking too good, Madam Chicken..." Rosaline said.

A mutated head, exposed flesh. According to her teacher's standards, these were typical characteristics of a basic Aberration. But on the Continent of Brilliance, such a monster could kill four or five adult villagers. Even more terrifying was that once scratched by it, the corruption would spread, eventually consuming an entire village.

"Kkrr—!!!" Soon, accompanied by a high-pitched crow, the Aberration charged forward. Its sharp beak pierced the air like a keen dagger.

Rosaline remained calm. The moment the Aberration got close, a cyan airflow enveloped her, instantly pulling her to the side with effortless grace. Then, with a gentle flick of her wrist, over a dozen blue bullets, each the size of a thumbnail, rained down like buckshot, freezing the chicken into an ice sculpture.

"...Let me free you," she sighed softly and snapped her fingers. Scarlet flames surged out, engulfing the chicken.

Although the mutated wild chicken was still roaring in its final moments, it soon struggled and collapsed, turning into a charred corpse.

After dealing with the mutated wild chicken, Rosaline felt a pang of sadness. Although she had been thoroughly humiliated by Madam Chicken when stealing eggs before, they had developed a sort of understanding. Now, after a year, Madam Chicken was gone, leaving her, who already had no playmates, feeling even more lonely.

I wonder what kind of life Teacher lived before I arrived... But Teacher is such an reclusive master, she probably doesn't get bored as easily as I do. Even without me, she would be able to live a leisurely and happy life. It's me who needs her...

Rosaline bowed deeply to Madam Chicken and observed a minute of silence in place. Clutching the eggs, she turned to leave. Just as she was about to move, another chicken blocked her path, glaring at her furiously. Its small body was filled with immense power.

Rosaline looked at the more familiar hen in front of her, then at the ugly corpse not far away, for which she had bowed and mourned. Her expression froze for a moment: "...Huh?"

"Where did you go? You didn't wander outside the safe boundary again, did you?" Ivette asked, looking at Rosaline, whose hair was more disheveled than usual, as she sat in the manor's tearoom, holding a book.

Two years ago, after Ivette gifted Rosaline a Sky Ring y2 and continuously helped her improve and develop new magic, Rosaline now possessed a certain degree of autonomy and no longer needed Ivette to follow her everywhere. Because of this, Ivette had specifically divided the map of Ish City into zones: a three-kilometer radius around the manor was the safe zone for free exploration; areas beyond that in the central district required reporting; and the outermost regions were strictly forbidden.

The reason for such caution was that during a recent exploration mission in the Mount Ish mountain range and around Luya City, she had discovered several high-level Aberrations that appeared to be at a quite advanced stage of evolution. Due to not knowing their true nature and the overwhelming number of ordinary Aberrations nearby, she hadn't approached them. However, this didn't stop her from suspecting that a higher-tier BOSS-level Aberration existed in the high-risk zones she had marked. Given how Aberrations evolve by devouring each other, the entire Ish Island was like a giant "gu" (a mythical creature, or in this context, a breeding ground for enhanced creatures) cultivation vessel, making the emergence of high-level Aberrations not surprising, but rather inevitable.

"No, no, Teacher warned me, I wouldn't go!" Rosaline quickly explained, then sheepishly scratched her head. "I got beaten by a chicken..."

Ivette fell silent and looked at her for a few moments before continuing to read her book. It wasn't until half an hour later, when Rosaline, having fried the eggs, brought them along with other lunch items, that Ivette contentedly closed her book in the tearoom and leisurely enjoyed the lunch her disciple had prepared.

The sun was shining brightly. Perhaps due to its distance from the equator, midsummer wasn't particularly hot, but rather comfortably warm. A strong breeze blew, clearing the clouds from the sky, revealing a vast, azure blue expanse.

After eating, Ivette stood up and said, "Let's go, to where that mist is."

The "mist" Ivette was referring to was a Dream Mist, or at least, that's what she believed it to be, similar to the mist she had cautiously explored on the negative tenth floor of the Abyss Base three hundred years ago.

It was a discovery from a recent exploration of the "Blackwater District." Inside an uncollapsed ruin, Rosaline had boldly gone ahead and, on the second floor, discovered the pervasive mist. When Ivette followed the old stairs up, she was shocked to find the young girl already enveloped in the white fog.

But...

Why didn't it trigger?

Ivette couldn't understand, but she was certain it wasn't normal mist, nor was there any reason for mist to form there. The fact that Rosaline could enter and exit the mist unharmed meant either the mist's power to draw people into dreams was insufficient, or—

The Dream Mist only affected her.

Considering that she had once brought something from her dream back to the present while in the mist, even if it was just simple clothing, it proved that she seemed to have a strange connection to the Dream Mist, a connection that others, at least those from other worlds, could not access.

Now, she was going to uncover the true nature of that mist. If it was indeed a Dream Mist, she would surely fall into a dream there, and Rosaline, unaffected, could protect her physical body while she slept in reality.

It really was useful to take on a disciple.

For this trip, Ivette and Rosaline's vehicle had been upgraded to a Magitech Motorcycle capable of low-altitude flight, with a hovering capability of up to 200 meters.

However, compared to its land mode, the flying mode consumed magic at an accelerated rate. Furthermore, the elemental capacitors suffered from "elemental decay" over time. The Magitech Motorcycle, which once had a range of over a thousand kilometers, now had a range of less than 100 kilometers, forcing Ivette to stop halfway each time and use herself as a battery to recharge the vehicle.

Fortunately, the technology for "elemental replenishment" was developed before the apocalypse. Capacitors experiencing elemental decay could be revitalized by replenishing the depleted elements... Yes, if this trip to the past is successful, I should seize the opportunity to gather some technical knowledge on this matter... Knowledge changes destiny...

She silently planned, feeling that she was one step closer to becoming a professional "Magitech Mechanical Engineer."

An hour later, Ivette and Rosaline landed the Magitech Motorcycle on a wasteland adjacent to the facility where the Dream Mist was located.

Then, as planned, they conducted a thorough sweep of the area, eliminating all Aberrations that could potentially threaten them.

Finally, they used wind magic to move large debris, entered the building, and blocked all entrances, completing all safety preparations for the operation.

"Teacher, I still don't feel anything," Rosaline said, turning her head as they walked up the stairs to the second floor and entered the mist.

Seeing this, Ivette hesitated and tentatively stepped onto the second floor. However, the moment her body was completely swallowed by the mist, the familiar drowsiness washed over her again.

"Stay here... guard me..." she managed to say, then lay down on the ground, resting her head on her arm, and fell into a deep sleep.