NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76: Idiot
One misstep, and I'd be a scorch mark on the ground.
And that made me anxious—more anxious than I wanted to admit. The Alpha deer wasn't just sharp; it was too sharp, unnervingly perceptive. It could pinpoint my general location almost immediately, as if I were walking around with a glowing target painted on my back.
Most likely, it was tracking me through sound and smell. What was it—part stag, part bloodhound?
Even now, as I wove through the debris and shadows, its beams kept coming, each one clipping just close enough to remind me that a single mistake would mean the end.
And then there were its eyes.
I could swear I hadn't locked eyes with it—at least, not on purpose—but somehow I'd still been caught in its illusion earlier. The memory of that sensation, that bone-deep helplessness, still made my skin crawl. I had no intention of letting that happen again.
But that left me with a problem. What was I supposed to do—charge in blindfolded? I wasn't Matt Murdock, and I definitely wasn't on some samurai crap.
Sure, I had [Danger Sense], but it wasn't going to whisper, "Hey, watch out for that rock sticking out of the ground before you faceplant."
Then… an idea came to me. Something I hadn't tried before.
Why hadn't I tried this before?
Swapping the positions of two figures—completely separate from myself—hadn't even crossed my mind until now. Was it possible?
[Phase Walker – Rank SSS]
Description: Bend space to your will, making no location safe for your enemies.
Warp – Instantly teleport yourself, allies, enemies, or objects as far as your eyes can reach, or to a marked location.
Swap – Switch places with another target, be it ally, enemy, or object, as long as they're within line of sight or marked. You can also switch the positions of two other targets under the same condition.
Leap – Teleport to any pre-marked location, no matter how far.
So… it was possible.
And yet, somehow, I'd gone this long without realizing it.
I was definitely an idiot. But in my defense, it had been one relentless, chaotic mess after another since I arrived in this world—barely any time to stop, breathe, or experiment with my abilities.
Realizing there was a whole new way I could twist [Swap] to my advantage, I got to work immediately.
I came to a halt, letting my breathing settle just enough to focus, and began forming [Inferno Lance]. Heat gathered in my palm, swirling and tightening into a sphere of deep orange flame that bled sparks into the air. The moment the fireball began to take shape, my stealth shattered like glass, and the alpha deer—and every remaining member of its herd—snapped their attention toward me.
The alpha's antlers flared, charging with that familiar, dangerous glow, a beam ready to be unleashed. I didn't flinch, didn't even raise a hand in defense. My focus was locked on the stag barreling toward me, head lowered, its sharpened horns aimed squarely at my chest with lethal intent.
I let my peripheral vision pick up the alpha—just a glance, careful not to lock eyes. That was enough to keep it in my line of sight without giving it the opening it needed for its illusion trick. I needed both targets visible for what I was about to try.
The beam came—white-hot, blistering, cutting the air like a railgun.
And in the same heartbeat, I released [Inferno Lance] at the charging deer, the blazing projectile screaming toward it just as the alpha's beam screamed toward me.
Then I moved—no hesitation, no second-guessing—triggering [Warp] and [Swap] in the same breath.
[Warp] tore me out of the beam's path, bending space just enough to drop me far from danger, while [Swap] worked on a completely different target—my intended kill. The deer I'd aimed [Inferno Lance] at vanished in an instant, replaced by none other than the alpha.
The charged beam that had been screaming through the air twitched mid-flight, recalibrating its course to hunt me. But the alpha wasn't looking my way—it was suddenly staring down a fireball the size of its own head, its eyes widening in that split second of bewilderment before survival instincts kicked in.
Too late.
[Inferno Lance] slammed into its chest with a sharp, concussive detonation, flames erupting in a violent bloom that lit the clearing in an orange glare. The blast sent the alpha skidding and tumbling across the churned earth, a trail of scorched fur and smoke in its wake.
I reappeared midair, balanced precariously atop another gnarlbeast's back, my boots sinking into the dense fur as the startled creature lurched beneath me.
The beam was still on me—of course it was—but I didn't panic. The moment it closed in, I warped again, letting gravity drag me down toward my new mount, ready to drive Gravefang deep before the alpha could get back on its hooves.
The beam fizzled out mid-chase, the oppressive hum fading into silence.
I reappeared in front of my prey, Gravefang already in motion, and at the last instant triggered [Swap] again—my target vanishing, replaced by the alpha in the same breath. My eyes snapped shut before the switch fully completed, and I drove the blade forward without hesitation.
It sank in.
The alpha let out a deep, guttural grunt—half pain, half fury—the kind of sound that vibrated in your bones.
[Danger Sense] flared like an alarm bell in my head, and I reacted on instinct, springing backward with my eyes still squeezed shut, my body twisting to keep my face turned away from its line of sight. I didn't risk even a glance. One wrong look, and I'd be back in that bone-chilling illusion.
I warped again, putting a safe stretch of ground between us before daring to lower my gaze.
The alpha was staggering now, each breath coming in ragged bursts. Its hide was scorched black in places, patches of fur curled and smoking. The stab wound in its side oozed dark blood, the flesh already swelling and paling from the venom working its way through its system.
It wasn't dead yet. But it was close.
"You damn goblin."
Its voice was low, guttural, and brimming with venom.
The alpha's horn began to glow—but this time, it wasn't alone.
The antlers of the...