The Legendary Programming Mage

The plot.

This could be said to be the device that drives the story forward and what follows the protagonist.

Specifically, the person called: The MC.

So why...

Why the hell was it following me?

"This is why I wanted to stay away from Beatrice."

I got complacent.

No. She had swayed me with her face and the cuteness she showed when begging for something without an expression.

Argh... What am I even thinking?

I had to focus.

Even without seeing the monster that owned the shadow some distance away, I could piece things together.

First, this wasn't a damn F-rank rift.

Anyone who said that was a liar.

Well, if I considered that I was with the new MC, then it made sense that such an event would happen.

And secondly, the monster coming at me was the E-rank mana beast, Raging Bear.

In this world, the rank of rifts wasn't determined by the boss, but instead by the rank each underling had.

If the rift had a lot of E-rank and F-rank monsters, then it was an E-rank dungeon with the boss being a D-rank.

It wasn't the smartest method of grading, but it seemed to work.

'What will I do now?'

I wasn't afraid, not even a little.

In my past life, I had seen worse things than this.

Running from helicopters that were trying to kill you.

Torturing people. Almost getting tortured. Or doing things blockbuster actors perform in movies.

Yes, that was how insane my life was.

And to be honest, I liked it.

That was why right now my blood boiled.

The same intoxicating sensation I felt when I first used mana washed over me again.

My mind was foggy, but I could think clearly.

It felt...

Exhilarating.

Stomp. Stomp.

The monster, which was behind a rock likely hiding from Beatrice, finally appeared.

Knowing her, this was nothing more than a test.

A test to see just how unusual I was.

I smirked. "Are you searching for a reason to become obsessed with me that badly?"

As soon as the words left my lips, the large bear-like creature appeared.

It had black and purple fur.

Its eyes were hollow black, as if no light could ever enter them.

Roar!

"Shit."

The monster lunged forward, its massive feet breaking the floor beneath it.

『 User has activated Tier 9 spell: Distortion 』

『 User has activated Tier 9 spell: Red Chains 』

Whoosh!

The hissing sound of the monster's claw slicing through the air rang simultaneously with the system window. However, in the next moment, I was gone.

The monster's head quickly snapped upward as my figure appeared there.

Blink.

It was a strange feeling.

Like my body had turned to light and for the briefest moment I ceased to exist.

But I couldn't dwell on it.

Now airborne, I flicked my finger down as four portals appeared all around.

The Raging Bear dodged the first one and grabbed the other, but the red lightning on it forced it to release its grip.

Roar!

The enraged bear charged forward, dodging each of my chains as it swiped its claw at my descending figure.

"Heh..."

I stifled a chuckle as I coated the outer layer of my skin with mana and tied a chain around my waist, sending the sharp end into the ceiling of the dungeon.

"An E-rank mana beast, huh?"

I immediately canceled one of the four chain portals and resummoned it behind the mana beast.

Argh...

A sharp sting struck my head as I felt my mental energy drain away, but the intoxicating sensation pushed me forward.

The portal of red chains appeared behind the monster, piercing its arm.

Rooarr!

Another deafening roar echoed throughout the cave as the bear shuddered for a brief moment before its eyes burned with pure malice.

I quickly untied myself from the chain as the bear lunged into the air.

Now, I was beneath it while it was midair, unable to dodge.

"Adios."

Before the bear could react, I summoned one of the portals in front of me and pierced it from above with the chain.

Thud!

As soon as the almost lifeless corpse landed, the chains—which were still moving as if alive—wrapped around the monster and tightened.

The bear shuddered once more as a final act of struggle.

Then it went still.

The chains hissed faintly as they burned out, filling the cave with the stench of ozone and charred fur.

Finally, a sharp exhale escaped my lips as I fell on my rear.

"Fuck."

Ding!

『 You have slain a Raging Bear [E] 』

『 You have earned: 25 stat points 』

『 You have received: 1¼ days' worth of life force 』

Lying flat on the ground, I stared at the ceiling. "That was exhausting."

But still...

I glanced at the monster lying motionless on the ground and clenched my fist. "I can defeat an E-rank."

Quickly sitting up, I waited for another minute before the footsteps of Beatrice echoed.

Her expression was calm and layered.

But there was something else in it.

"You're ba—"

Before I could finish speaking, she glanced at the dead beast, then at me.

Slowly, she crouched, pressing a finger against its forehead.

The sizzling of the red chains still on its body made her finger tremble before a faint frown crossed her lips.

Only then did her gaze lift to meet mine.

"What are you—"

My mouth opened, but no sound came out.

After a heavy silence, she muttered:

"What exactly are you, Allen Vanderbilt?"

The question lingered between us before she asked yet another one that pressed against my chest.

"Are you even Allen Vanderbilt? Just who are you?"

Huh?!

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A/N:

Hey guys, I just received my new contract from Webnovel, and I'm planning to sign it today.

Because of this, my updates might not be very stable for a little while.

But I promise a massive 10-chapter release on Saturday, when I'll officially be locking my chapters.

I'll also release an extra five chapters in the evening and another three to four on Sunday leading into Monday.

However, there won't be any updates on Friday.

I truly hope everyone who started this journey with me will continue supporting even after I go premium.

Your encouragement means a lot, and if you can, please send gifts, power stones and golden tickets my way too—it really helps.

—Water7