The Battle Was Over

The White Phosphorus Bomb burned out quickly. The flames gradually died down, and billowing smoke drifted in the wind.

Seeing that it was almost finished burning, Edward hurriedly adjusted his flying posture and hoisted the RPG onto his shoulder. The crude mechanical sight framed the monster's head below. He pulled the trigger and fired.

Of course, the RPG with the Red Warhead wasn't some video game weapon that could cure every giant-monster problem. It was just a warhead Edward had modified.

It wasn't loaded with explosives, but with thermite. On a whim, he'd wanted to test how his weapon would fare against a giant monster.

Now that Mr. Insect saw the flames on his body die out, he began using the red light to repair himself.

He knew he'd miscalculated. The giant spider form that had always served him so well had become a sitting duck. But he was confident he still had a chance to turn things around.

As long as he could recover, he could launch a web attack, bring down that fly-like pest buzzing around, and then drain him of his flesh and blood...

Thinking this, he felt that his injuries had almost healed and the pain was gradually fading. Just as he tried to move one of his long, hairless legs, burned clean by the fire, a red lump trailing smoke splattered against his face.

Fortunately, it didn't have the same penetrating explosion as last time. His hard carapace withstood the small blast. But the High Temperature that followed made him writhe in agony. Fireworks erupted above his head again.

The Red Light could only withstand so much. Temperatures this high could melt the treads of an Armored Car, let alone a body of flesh and blood.

From the air, Edward watched the giant spider roll back and forth on the ground, letting out a piercing shriek. The river nearby rippled from the vibrations.

Luckily, he was far away and wearing a helmet. Up close, the sound might have knocked him unconscious.

The monster gradually fell silent. Its eight long legs curled up in a spasm, and its body turned pitch-black, blending in with the scorched earth.

A large hole had caved in the monster's head. All the flesh inside had carbonized, with wisps of sparks still rising from it. It looked like the glowing embers of a campfire.

Edward landed far away. The Magic Gems in his Flying Backpack had little Magic Power left after keeping him hovering for so long. He didn't approach. The lessons from countless movies and TV shows in his Previous Life had taught him that when you thought a monster was dead, it usually wasn't dead yet. Countless protagonists had fallen at the very moment of victory, dying alongside their monsters.

He decided to end this battle, which was starting to get boring, and return to his more interesting daily life. But when he rummaged through his Spatial Ring, he found he had no heavy weapons left!

That was mainly because Monica had taken most of his stock. After thinking it over, he came up with an idea.

He took off one glove from his combat suit and, without worrying about hygiene, put his index finger in his mouth to moisten it and test the wind. The wind was just right, so he put his helmet back on and took out some chalk to draw a Transmutation Circle on the blackened ground.

The Transmutation Circle was simple; it just needed a lot of space. It took him two minutes to draw. When he finished, he placed both hands on the circle and murmured,

"Transmutation, begin."

The Transmutation Circle on the ground flashed, but nothing seemed to happen. A thin white vapor rose from the ground, and a puddle of liquid quickly evaporated.

He immediately ran backward as if it were something terrifying. The wind carried the invisible gas toward the spider's still-smoldering head. In an instant, flames leapt up, scattering sparks everywhere.

As expected, the monster hadn't been entirely dead. It had still been hoping to take him down with it. When the fire ignited, it began rolling violently. But this time, what burned wasn't an external Fuel source. It was the monster's own flesh and blood.

That was right—Edward had used the Transmutation Circle to gather the Oxygen in the air above. The Pure Oxygen that the wind carried over created an oxygen-rich environment around the giant spider. Things that normally couldn't burn began to blaze fiercely at the touch of even a faint flame.

He'd worn his helmet and run away quickly because he was afraid of inhaling too much Pure Oxygen, and because he feared the Oxygen might cause a violent explosion.

The giant insect on the other side rolled around a few times, then truly stopped moving, leaving its flesh to burn in the fierce flames. But the oxygen-rich environment didn't last long. The open space and the wind blowing off the river gradually weakened the fire.

Still, the abundant fat inside the giant insect had caught fire. Before long, all that remained was a pile of ashes and its shattered, scorched carapace.

Seeing that the giant insect was truly dead this time, Edward let out a long breath and dropped onto the riverbank.

That skirmish tonight had been thrilling. It was the first time he'd killed an opponent with the strength of a Sky Knight, and he'd nearly lost his life. Luckily, Mr. Insect had stupidly transformed into a flightless sitting duck, which had let Edward take him down with relative ease.

Just what kind of monsters were these mysterious hunters? Mr. Insect had told him so much, and Edward had picked up plenty of useful information, but the layers of mystery before him had only grown thicker.

He gritted his teeth and stood up, then walked over to the monster's remains. Taking out a long metal rod, he rummaged through the ashes until he found a fist-sized red gemstone. It was crystal clear and emitted an intermittent, eerie red glow in the night.

He picked it up and examined it, but had no idea what it was. Could it be the Philosopher's Stone? If so, it would explain how the monster could quickly repair its body and make itself grow larger out of nothing. Could the Hunters be connected to the old monsters at the top of the Alchemist Association? At the thought, he couldn't help frowning.

But on closer inspection, the gemstone didn't look much like the Philosopher's Stone described in the records. In the end, he gave up trying to figure it out. Though the battle had taken place far from White Eagle City, it had made quite a commotion, with flames and explosions. He decided to leave as soon as possible.

Following the principle that a battlefield should be cleaned up thoroughly, he put the red gemstone into his Spatial Ring and stored the larger pieces of carapace there as well.

Then he made some quick repairs to his Flying Backpack, replaced the Magic Gem, and flew back to the hillside north of White Eagle City using the non-glowing gale mode.

He quietly slipped back to Fountain Square. It was around two in the morning, and the square and night market had grown much emptier. Many of the night-market vendors were already packing up.

He'd changed into ordinary clothes on his way over. Pretending nothing was amiss, he returned to the spot where he'd met Mr. Insect earlier.

Just as he'd expected, there was still a deep pit there. He walked over and carefully sensed inside it with his Mental Power. Thankfully, no one had accidentally fallen in. He used the Shaping Technique to fill the pit and even kindly restored the paving stones to their original state. The only giveaway would be that, during the day, people might notice this large patch of paving looked newer.

Without a word along the way, Edward made it safely home. He turned his home's warding array up to maximum, then hurried to the Underground Laboratory.

Tonight's encounter had left him with a constant sense of danger, as if something were prickling the back of his neck. He spent several hours restocking the weapons, equipment, and spellcasting materials he needed and packing them into his Spatial Ring. Only then did he finally relax.

Tired, he went back to his bedroom, took a shower, and went to bed. Though the healing potion and Holy Light Divine Art had forcibly healed his injuries, his body was weak from having healed so quickly.

On top of that, the tense battle tonight and his frantic restocking after returning home had consumed too much Mental Power. Exhausted in both body and mind, he fell fast asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

He'd expected to sleep until noon, but instead he began to dream.

Before he knew it, he seemed to have arrived in a boundless world of darkness. Below it, roiling lava flowed slowly in one direction.

He floated above the lava, yet couldn't feel the slightest heat.

He looked around and found the scene very familiar. Then it dawned on him: Wasn't this the Nether scene from Minecraft?

Just then, a harsh voice he vaguely recognized drifted up from beneath his feet.

"Mr. Smith, we meet again!"

Edward looked down and saw Mr. Insect. He still looked like Kevin, and half his body was submerged in the lava.

Through clenched teeth, he glared up at Edward. His body trembled faintly as he sank, as if something beneath him were dragging him into the lava.

When he saw Edward looking at him, he continued,

"This time, thanks to you, I'll have to sleep in the Nether Sea for who knows how long. But I'll be waiting for you down there! When you reach the Fifth Stage, when your life comes to an end, you'll eventually walk the same path as us!"

After saying this, he stopped struggling and slowly sank out of sight.

Edward thought, You're already dead, and you're still showing up in my dreams to curse me. Why not just stay in your Nether Sea? He was about to fire back when a sudden realization struck him:

"Wait, how do I know I'm dreaming?"

Then his figure began to fade from that world. Just before he disappeared completely, a massive shadow rose from the distant lava. It stared at Edward, who was about to vanish, with a pair of enormous, malicious eyes. Edward felt its gaze and looked back. Then he disappeared from that world.

Edward suddenly jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. The terrifying eyes he'd seen just before waking filled his mind. Outside the window and inside the room, everything was pitch-black.

Restless, he quickly switched on the bedside lamp. He tossed and turned but couldn't get back to sleep, so he sat cross-legged, emptied his mind, and began to meditate...

Early the next morning, Captain of the Knights Reinhardt got up at dawn. He had just finished dressing and was preparing to start his morning training when a guard came to report that someone from City Hall was there to see him.

A City Hall employee dressed as a guard saluted Lainhardt and said,

"Reporting to you, Commander. Last night, the lighthouse guards saw flashes and heard a tremendous rumble in the direction of the Har River delta, as well as flames. Sailors aboard ships in the harbor also heard a loud crash and the shriek of a beast coming from that direction. The mayor sent me to ask whether you'd like to send a ship over to investigate today."

Reinhardt was very pleased with the guard. He'd addressed him by his highest rank and left out the word "deputy." But the news he heard next made him frown...