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Chapter 51: The Lizardman
Arghhh! Its a mage!
Following the destructive charge of three cars, a fierce warrior burst in, followed by a surge of fire magic. Amidst this, shrill cries of alarm pierced the air.
My headddddd!
Arghhh!
Capture them!
Avoid it!
Run away!
Fight!
The chaos among the test subjects had reached a point of no return.
Fire! Fire! Put out the fire! Hurry!
Bring the extinguisher!
Wait, start with that bi*h first Arghhh!
Dear test subjects, please stop worrying about the fire and focus on Curtain Call! I have no intention of setting the hospital on fire anyway.
In 90 seconds, a huge wave would hit the building.
The next magic circle to be completed was a water spell that churned with a brilliant blue color.
Well now, I must attend to my own matters.
The magic circles were set to complete the magic on their own and activate the spells in sequence.
I had informed Curtain Call of the intervals at which the spells would be activated so she would have to dodge them on her own.
Die, die, die, die!! You Helistic bastards, die all of you!!!!
It was a scream filled with madness. That must be Curtain Call but would she really remember the timing of the spells activation in her current state?
Ah, forget it. She will handle it, I suppose.
The hospital and the test subjects were ablaze, quite literally. When I expanded my detection spell and checked, I found that the majority of the test subjects went down to the first floor. They would be chasing both Curtain Call who boldly darted in and out of the building and the virtual mage conjured by one of my magic circles.
I left the magic circles alone and threw the skateboard on the ground.
[Dazzling Dance Moves]
[Agility of the Fox]
[Invisible Hand]
[Hazy Presence]
A dazzling pattern of lights emerged over my black hoodie.
When I stepped onto the board, it began to race forward with incredible speed, even though I hadnt pushed off with my foot at all.
Brbrbrbrbrbrbr!!!
The wheels of the board created a terrible noise since I was riding on the unpaved dirt road. A cloud of dust rose behind me, but no one was paying attention to me thanks to the tremendous commotion and the darkness.
Navigating the hospital felt like clearing levels in an RPG game, requiring one to endure various hardships and obstacles in a predetermined order.
Why bother dealing with the hospitals minions one by one and physically overcoming the traps laid out as if seeking some great fortune or glory?
The strategy was simple: while a tank drew the aggro on the first floor, I would ascend to the third floor and swiftly deal with the boss. And thats it
But before making a direct attack, there was a place I needed to visit.
I steered the board towards a dark corner inside the hospital parking lot.
Yes, thats it.
There, right there, was something I needed.
A round and wide object made of metal
It was a pot lid.
No, it was far more efficient than a pot lid.
[Round Shield (E-rank armor): A round shield made of metal, equipped with a strap on the inside for attachment to one arm.]
It was a piece of junk equipment, devoid of any magical enhancements.
According to the setting, someone from the Wild Guns team that had entered here before had brought it along. It was just a disposable item, always left lying around for anyone to use as they saw fit.
[Magnetic Control]
Buzzzzzzz!!
I activated the second-order magnetic control spell with my left hand and started pulling the metal shield toward me. And soon enough, the shield quickly attached itself to my left hand.
Ugh, its a bit heavy for someone with a strength of 8.
I then accelerated towards the hospital building again. Moving with the shield like this made me feel somewhat like a superhero.
Anyway, at the moment when the skateboards explosive acceleration reached its peak
[Leap]
Boom!
I used magic to jump. However, I couldnt reach the third floor with a single leap using the Leap spell. But that wasnt a major issue.
Alright, for this part. Ill just overcome it with a bit of agility!
This part was crucial. It wasnt my first time attempting such a feat, but executing these maneuvers perfectly with only an agility stat of 8 was a challenge.
However, a few enchantment spells I had activated in advance helped in controlling my posture in mid-air and allowed me to move in the intended manner, albeit with some difficulty.
I twisted my body and adjusted the skateboard to the right angle in the air. At the same time, I cast a new spell on the board.
[Hardening]
[Blast]
I activated an explosion spell beneath the board whose durability has been increased through magic. And propelled myself even further into the air!
I was catapulted through the air while holding on to the board.
The world spun dizzyingly. The hospitals outer wall, a window, and the face of a sniper fumbling with his rifle rushed towards me at breakneck speed.
Hello?
Aaaah!
The sniper was so surprised that he took a shooting position a step too late.
Ratat!!
He fired his gun but I was already extending the shield in front of me. Of course, I couldnt rely solely on this flimsy shield, so I added a layer of magic for protection.
[Protective Circle]
Ding, ding, ding!!!
Good. I rushed into him with my defensive posture intact and flattened him beneath me.
Crash!
Ugh!
Everything went exactly as planned! I subdued him right then and there.
I released a burst of electricity from the hand holding the shield.
[Lightning]
Fzzzzzzt!
Guuuuh.
The metal shield conducted the electricity exceptionally well.
See? If youre a veteran (stagnant water), you have to do at least this much.
Dont move!
There were two windows on the third floor, and correspondingly, two snipers.
The sniper standing at the other window was yelling at me.
He was a test subject with an unnatural third arm attached to his back.
Hey, wait a moment!
He ignored my words and lifted his rifle.
Hmm, no use talking then. Well, the timing is perfect
Now!
Kwoooosh!!!
The second magic circle I had prepared activated the second spell.
It was such a huge wave that it was hard to believe that it came from a place without water.
The violent waves surged as if they were about to engulf the hospital, causing a tremendous shock.
The entire building started shaking.
Caught off guard by the sudden impact, the second sniper faltered. In that moment, I gained time to respond to his shooting.
Ratatat!
I wanted to block like a superhero with my shield but my agility was just too poor.
[Distortion Field]
Bababang!
The sniper was taken aback as he saw the bullets being deflected by an invisible barrier before flying off in random directions.
Hey, do you like superhero movies?
Huh? Uh??
While he was bewildered and uttering confused sounds
[Magnetic Control]
I imbued the shield in my hand with a strong magnetic force and hurled it at him.
Swoooosh!
The flying shield collided with the rifle he was holding.
Crash!
Argh!!
The second sniper, struck by the shield, fell backward with the shield still attached to him.
Is this about done here?
I muttered to myself and shifted my gaze elsewhere before casting a spell on the fallen sniper.
[Thunderbolt]
Fizzzzzzzzzzzz!!
Rrrrrrgh!!
Due to the Ring of Corrupted Flame, I often felt an impulse to invoke fire-type spells even in unnecessary situations. However, for subduing individuals, the stun effect of lightning-type magic proved to be more efficient.
[System: The Enhanced Vigilance trait has been activated.]
I thought it was a sufficiently dangerous situation so far, but suddenly the vigilance trait kicked in.
My senses were forcibly sharpened, allowing me to perceive the flow of magical power, the presence of killing intent, and other dangers around me in my mind.
There was nothing inside the room that could pose a threat to me. The problem was, what about outside the window?
I felt a chill down my spine. And a sinister killing intent.
I thought of casting a spell No, I shouldnt use magic. I need to dodge!
I quickly turned my head and activated the Short-Range Shift trait to move my body.
[System: Due to insufficient agility stat, the efficiency of Short-Range Shift has been reduced.]
I ignored the system nonsense and forced my body to move!
I was able to move my body quickly with the feeling that the joints of my waist, legs, and knees were creaking.
Thwack!
It was only afterward that I could see what the danger was. A throwing knife. The sharply thrown knife had whizzed past where I had been a second ago and embedded itself in the wall.
And in the direction from which the knife had come there, hanging outside the window, was a test subject with hands eerily evolved like those of a lizard.
And here I was wondering why I thought I couldnt stop it with magic.
The enemy was a former fixer turned test subject, bearing a fixer name, and the mid-boss of this abandoned hospital quest. His fixer name was well
Ah, Mr. Leopard. A pleasure to see you.
You fu*king fixer. Have you crawled all the way here just to oppress us further?
His lizard-like face was distorted grotesquely.
Well, I bear no particular grudge against you folks but you were a fixer once, werent you?
Thats right. I chased money, burning through my luck and life, until I ended up here. But it seems your luck has run out.
Well, you see. I brought another person to hold someone like you.
Leopards mouth was grotesquely split wide open on either side of his face. He flashed a horrifying grin with his grotesque mouth that stretched far beyond the limits allowed to a human and stuck out his forked tongue to lick his own forehead. A true monster.
Correct. A mage cannot stand against me.
Among the fixers who wielded bizarre abilities through their innate magic, this lizardman was a peculiar case. He employed primitive forms of natural magic, much like Lee Chang-hyuk
Swoosh!!
Multiple knives flew in again from outside the window.
[Protective Circle]
I instinctively activated the protective circle, but the knives continued their flight and penetrated the barrier as if it wasnt there.
Those knives!
Leopards unique ability was to nullify magic within a localized area. The knives, propelled by his telekinesis, could pierce through protective shields and distortion fields.
I couldnt block them. I had to evade! Ah, damn it, theres no time. This is too harsh for a mage.
[Invisible Hand]
I didnt want to resort to such things again, but I threw myself away with the invisible hands.
[Leap]
And then, I belatedly activated a leap.and narrowly avoided a disastrous tumble to the ground.
[Fireball]
Whoosh!
You move well for a mage!
With those words, Leopard ducked under the window to avoid the fireball. Tch lucky for you, it would be nice to get a modification to make my body faster.
Leopard soon revealed himself from another window and hurled a knife.
Seriously, moving in patterns? This isnt some 90s shooter game!
[Invisible Hand]
I propelled myself forward again.and then raised my magical power. Just because the enemy relied on predictable patterns didnt mean I had to follow suit. This time, I opted for a completely different tactic.
[Magnetic Control]
[Spell Amplification: Maximization]
Zzzzzzzz!!
A shield endowed with excessively amplified magnetism floated in the air. The shield hovering like a drone spun violently and intercepted the trajectory of the incoming knife.
Ting!
Wh-what is that!?
This shield wasnt brought along for nothing!
[Chains of Domination]
Shshshshsh!!
Golden chains wrapped around the shield. And the shield that was imbued with magnetic power and telekinetic power through the chains . was launched like a projectile.
Thwack!!
Ugh!
Sadly, he moved a half-beat faster than I did. With near-death desperation, he dodged and the spinning shield I had hurled merely grazed some part of his face or head.
Leopard who had momentarily concealed himself beneath the window.
Haha! What a shame!
Revealed himself with a clichd taunt. And now, as if he was definitely planning to finish this off, he prepared to swing his arm with several knives wedged between his fingers.
Ah, watch your back!
?!
The shield I had sent flying was returning at a tremendous speed.
Crash!!
Hmm, in the game, I always took down Leopard this way; it seems to work here too.