Center of gravity.
For all warriors engaged in close combat, the most crucial aspect is the center of gravity.
If the center of gravity is misplaced even once, it can lead to unexpected counterattacks.
As one approaches the realm of a master, the movement of the center of gravity becomes more natural.
– Bang!
However, Victor was different.
Despite having significant physical strength due to drugs and his innate body, his skill level couldn’t keep up with his physical specs.
The ground under his foot suddenly bulged out.
Wobble!
Victor’s vision shook violently.
He tried to shift his balance to his right foot immediately.
But.
– Swish!
A fist came flying, seizing the opportunity.
‘Just with this mere fist!’
Victor tried to block it.
It seemed possible to block it. But his body didn’t cooperate.
In the split second where his center of gravity hadn’t fully shifted.
Ian boldly exploited Victor’s staggering stance.
‘Attack as strongly as possible when you get the chance!’
Ian gritted his teeth and threw a punch.
A pointed fist, covered in Lunar like a gauntlet, struck Victor’s face.
— Crack!
A sound like something breaking accompanied a heavy pain imprinted on his fist.
That meant the opponent received a significant shock as well.
Sure enough.
– Drip.
Blood poured from both of Victor’s nostrils.
After checking his condition in a daze, he burst into a laugh.
“Ha ha…”
Seeing this, Ian was slightly taken aback.
‘Even after hitting him this hard, he’s fine?’
Should he have brought a sword? It’s a pity he couldn’t bring it due to the weight limit.
As Ian was about to follow up by transforming the gauntlet into a sharper edge.
– Bang!
Victor rolled backward to widen the distance.
Without giving Ian any time to react.
Gulp. Gulp.
He pulled out a yellow vial from his pocket and quickly drank it.
“Heh heh. You’re dead, you little brat.”
Victor, who uttered a line like a third-rate villain, suddenly began to bulge.
– Crackle.
His muscles bulged with a strange sound.
Simultaneously, coarse purple veins popped up.
‘… No way.’
Ian furrowed his brow.
The unauthorized awakening drug, a core item of the episode [Rat Nest].
Had it already fallen into Victor’s hands?
Rat Nest is an episode that spans from the vacation to the second semester. The game’s timeline might be accelerating.
Ian’s contemplation ended there.
“Die!!!!!”
With blood-red eyes bulging, Victor charged again.
At an even faster speed.
— Roar!
Though Ian barely managed to block it with his shield, he was pushed back ten steps.
[55]
In a single strike, over 10 points of health were drained.
The problem wasn’t just the health.
‘It hurts?’
A vivid pain felt after a long time.
Cough!
With a cough, a handful of fresh blood was spat out.
This shouldn’t happen when 55 points are still left.
‘… Did the shield fail to activate?’
‘The impact just now was on par with the Gergos.’
Of course, the fist felt stronger due to its smaller surface area.
‘Could it be that if physical strength is extremely high, the damage penetrates the health system?’
It was a plausible theory.
Even the most bizarre bracelet would have its limits.
Bang!
Victor charged again.
An enormous pressure, as if a tank were advancing.
Ian immediately cast the earth spell, but…
Thud!
The pile of earth shattered into dust, scattering in all directions.
“Dieeeeee!”
— Kwaaaaang!
The shockwave lifted the surrounding dust momentarily before it settled again.
However, the result was markedly different from before.
Victor’s fist.
It pierced through the silhouette hidden by the dust.
“Ha… Hahaha! Was this all there was to it?”
Victor laughed harshly, looking at the crushed head.
“I’ll pulverize you completely!”
Boom!
His fist slammed down vertically.
The human shape distorted like a sandcastle.
“Hahahaha! Did you see that, Emilia? Just three blows were enough. The one you feared so much!”
Bang! Bang!
Victor continued to punch the remaining form, as if trying to leave no trace. He was driven by instinct, incapable of rational thought. The side effects of the Awakening drug were gripping his body.
At that moment.
A voice came from behind him.
“What are you doing?”
A cold voice.
Victor shuddered for a moment.
It was the voice of Ian, whom he thought he had pulverized.
A gust of wind blew.
The dust cleared.
What he had been hitting was just a pile of earth.
“What the, what is this.”
“Oh, I developed a new skill. Something like a doppelganger.”
Of course, Ian was not the type to miss the timing of an attack just to talk.
While confusing his opponent with words, Ian extended his foot.
Simultaneously, he cast [Leap] towards the sky.
This added more physical force to his kick.
And that accelerated kick.
Hit Victor Jan precisely between his legs.
Crack–!!!!!!
A dreadful sound, as if thousands of reproductive cells were disappearing, filled the forest.
Victor Jan knelt on the ground, clutching his lower abdomen.
“Ugh. G-guh… Ugh.”
He groaned unintelligibly, foaming at the mouth.
‘He’s even foaming at the mouth.’
With him in such a state of panic, there was plenty of time to finish him off.
Ian gathered as many metallic elements as possible from the surroundings.
He planned to strike him down in one blow like a hammer.
Just as he was about to finish his preparations.
— Screeeeeam!!!
“…?”
A scream echoed from afar.
‘That voice… Could it be Elena?’
It was unmistakable.
It was the same scream she let out whenever she saw something terrifying.
Come to think of it, if only Victor Jan had come here… it meant the rest of Emilia’s group was up to something else.
‘Damn it.’
In that moment of hesitation.
“Grrrr!”
Victor scurried away on all fours like an animal.
— Noooooo!
The direction Victor was fleeing and the direction of Elena’s scream were opposite.
He had to choose one.
The choice wasn’t difficult.
Ian ran towards the direction of Elena’s scream.
◆
Danya’s group separated from Ian.
While searching for a temporary base, Danya’s nose twitched.
‘… The scent of people!’
Danya’s sensory acuity was unmatched due to her being in heat.
This heightened sense was one reason she suppressed her rising s*xual desire. If she gave in, she’d lose this sharp awareness.
‘I can pounce on Ian after the test.’
Her resolve had subtly shifted from ‘never pounce’ to ‘pounce later’.
She shouted with confidence.
“Get ready, Nyah! Someone is coming!”
At Danya’s command, the party members quickly took their positions.
With Ian absent, Elena took the front line, Danya played the role of an aggro tank, and Lina was the main damage dealer.
They had become quite synchronized after spending several days together.
People soon emerged from the bushes where Danya had indicated.
“Quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
A woman with radiant golden hair emerged.
It was Emilia’s group.
Their party also consisted of three members.
From the rear, Lina greeted Emilia loudly.
“It’s been a while! Emilia.”
“You too, Lina. You look quite happy.”
“Of course! It would have been better if I had come over sooner! Hehe!”
Lina laughed cheerfully.
Danya squinted, observing the two alternately.
‘It seems like a psychological battle…’
Though Lina was smiling brightly, the corners of her mouth were twitching slightly, unlike her usual self.
Emilia’s words also had a peculiar undertone.
Danya’s observation was accurate.
From Emilia’s perspective, this was indeed a psychological battle.
Lina was the first to leave the group of female students Emilia had gathered.
“Smiling after betraying us. I didn’t know you were so shameless.”
“Huh? No? I just came to the right side.”
Lina tilted her head innocently.
That innocence only irritated Emilia more.
‘That fox-like woman, she sometimes acts like she knows everything.’
Emilia sighed and waved her hands sideways.
“We don’t want to fight you. Move aside and let us pass.”
Emilia’s words made Elena turn and look questioningly.
She seemed to be asking, ‘What should we do?’
Lina grinned and put a finger to her lips.
“Hmm. Emilia, you’re not yourself today, are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Because right now, we’re good prey for you. We don’t have a proper tank. So why aren’t you attacking and just passing by?”
Lina tilted her head.
That natural gesture further provoked Emilia’s anger.
“I’m just looking for monsters…!”
“You’re hunting something bigger. What is it? Why are you telling us to move aside?”
“…”
Thump Thump.
Lina lightly tapped her lips as she walked around, as if deep in thought.
Then she snapped her fingers loudly.
“Oh, I get it!”
“…?”
“Why don’t you just be honest? You’re after Ian. You’re always so insincere. Come to think of it, you’ve always been like that, manipulating people from behind.”
“…”
“I think you’re quite shady, Emilia.”
Hehe-
Lina laughed and spewed her unfiltered thoughts, causing Emilia to finally snap.
“… You wretched woman.”
Crackle!
A long streak of electric current surged straight towards Lina.
