Impregnation Reincarnation Adventurer ep033. Grotesque Monsters

 

 

It was hideous.

It looked like a melted human, forcibly patched together into an uncanny figure.

Its eyes are emitting a black light. I know that’s contradictory, but that’s how it looks.

A sticky, tar-like liquid gurgled out of its countless mouths. When it spills into the garden, it quickly rots the plants, the water, and the soil it touches.

What we’re seeing is something that has boiled the down the concept of death.

For a moment, I was gazing intently at the oddly shaped monster, but I quickly shake it off and looked for Cindy and others.

「 !! Cindy! 」

I find her lying face down on the ground.

She’s not even responding to my call. She’s not even twitching.

I feel my spirit grow cold, not wanting what I think to happen.

A short distance away, I find Zash and others crouched down. They seem conscious for the time being so we can assume that they’re safe. I quickly undo the clasps and drop all the luggage I was carrying on my back.

「 I’ll go get Cindy. Alex, can you buy me enough time? 」

「 Are you looking down on me? I’ll beat that monster up in no time 」

Alex runs like an arrow and strikes down the monster with a swinging flamberge. Thud, a sound of cracking is heard, and the monster got cut in half. The hideous lump of flesh, spreading its foul stench, and sludge-like fluids lets out an agonized cry, coming from all the mouths on its body.

Alex’s attacks are working even against an unidentified monster. It’s safe to let him take care of things. I made the decision and ran to Cindy and the group as fast as I could.

「 Hey, are you guys okay? What happened to Cindy? 」

I asked Zash and others, but they seem stunned, and unable to do anything but look at me, and shake their teeth and fists.

I punched them in the face as hard as I could. My level won’t do much damage to them. That’s fine. The three have recovered from the pain and their eyes look focused.

「 Go run to Claire, and help Alex if you can 」

They immediately took action.

I carried Cindy.

「 Woah! This is… 」

I picked her up and her whole body was stained with blood and mud.

She must’ve been attacked before she could get the weapon at hand. The dagger in her hand was covered with black sludge. The sludge is sticking to her skin, and it smells unpleasant as if it’s burning. Could this be some kind of poison?

The smell of decay mixed with iron stings my nose. Gastric juices rise from my stomach out of reflex, but I managed to swallow them down. It’s risky to have this stay if it’s poison.

I took out my dagger and sliced through her equipment. It was corrosive as expected, I easily stripped her equipment like it was brittle. All the water left in the canteen is used to wash away the black mud stuck in her body. It was the last drink for me but I’m not sparing it.

「 Ugh! 」

「 Endure it, Cindy! 」

「 A-ai… 」

Cindy desperately endures the pain.

I managed to cleanse her, but the left bruise-like marks on her body from the burns. It almost looks like she’ll scream in pain if I touch it. This is troublesome. I took out painkiller potions and an antidote and gave them to her. This should alleviate some of the symptoms and slow the progress of the condition, but this treatment is only to comfort her.

「 Don’t you lose consciousness 」

「 A-Ai… 」

I wrapped Cindy’s body in my cloak and ran to Claire as fast as I could, careful not to get hit by the flying chunks of the monster’s flesh and its fluids.

「 Claire, take care of Cindy, the black mud touched these areas. I don’t know if it’s poison or burn, but she’s badly bruised. It’s hurting her too. I gave her painkillers and an antidote for the time being 」

「 Okay. Leave her to me 」

「 Thanks, I’ll assist Alex and the group 」

Claire’s eyes widened for a moment and her mouth looked desperate, but she quickly bit her lip and nodded. What can a low-level guy like me do to help out against a monster that got Cindy and the group? Knowing that she still chose to send me off.

「 Don’t worry, I won’t do the impossible 」

That was a lie. I know that I’m the most reckless.

But, nobody else could move.

「 I believe in you 」

Claire gave a short line, her voice trembling as she began to treat Cindy and others.

「 Ehehe, thanks 」

I quickly retrieved my weapon and dumped my luggage, running to Alex.

*****

Alex was still fighting the monster.

No, maybe I should say that the situation’s getting worse.

「 Wheeze…J-Just how much do I need to cut you down! 」

The mass of tar-coated flesh surrounded Alex. There are four of them.

Several pieces of wreckage scattered around, Alex must’ve cut those down.

Alex, who showed no signs of gasping for air when fighting golems, is now breathing heavily. He seems to be worn out from dealing with the monster. I’ve come to join him, but I’m weak, so what I can do…

「 -I just have to do it 」

I readied myself.

I hold up my crossbow and hold my aim.

Shoot.

The arrow I fired was aimed at the wrong place, and it got sucked into the center of the monster’s vacant eyes.

Two, three, and four arrows were fired in rapid succession, aimed at the same monster.

I target and shoot the eyes of the misshapen mass of flesh, turning them into a hedgehog using arrows from the crossbow.

This continuous-fire crossbow is capable of shooting up to 15 arrows in ten seconds. Although it’s less powerful than a longbow, or a single-shot crossbow, I find it useful as a weapon that can inflict damage many times in a short period. The lack of power is compensated by applying poison to the arrow.

「 !!! 」

The monster’s deafening cry of death echoes.

Its whole body is covered with fluid from the mouth and one falls to the ground.

It’s convulsing violently, but it doesn’t seem to be struggling.

Good, they’re strange monsters, but my attacks seem to work.

「 Alex! I’m reloading my magazine! Buy me some time! 」

「 !! You’re quite cheeky for a small fry! 」

He curses me, but his movements have regained energy.

He doesn’t swing his sword with brute force anymore, instead, he prioritizes parrying and evading with a graceful stance. Then, he counters and cuts the monster into two with a single blow. It’s a sure-death special technique from a swordsman with a high level.

「 As expected, your blazing sword nickname isn’t just for show 」

「 Don’t call me that! Also, are you not done yet? 」

「 I’m done! I’ll take the one behind 」

「 Got it! 」

I put up the gap between the monsters and put an arrow into each of the three waiting at the back.

When the arrow pierced the monster, its strange body trembled greatly, and then it fell, gurgling, leaking sludge from its mouth and eyes. It’s an arrow with a much stronger poison than the previous one. It uses a powerful paralyzing potion used to slow down the large monsters, although the killing power is reduced.

The effect is instant, and after five shots were fired into each one of them, they stopped moving completely.

Meanwhile, Alex cut five of them down in close combat.

One-on-one, a one-sided counter sneaking to the bosom of the opponent.

He pulls it off with a cool look on his face, but no matter how you look at it, he’s a fighter from another dimension.

「 Is Cindy safe? 」

Alex asks while catching up his breath.

「 Yeah, she’s alive. But parts of her were exposed to the black mud were badly bruised, so I left her to Claire 」

「 I knew it, their fluids are dangerous! Dammit! They look like shit 」

「 Cindy’s equipment is also corroded. Your weapon might not last as long 」

「 I see. These guys are troublesome! 」

Not bothering to hide his irritation, Alex swings his sword. He unleashes a blow that gouges out the ground, and the chunks of flesh he cuts to two are flung off the distance. The returning blade takes out another one, and then another one with a flowing motion, and as a bonus, the blade returns, and two bodies are dealt with.

Alex’s outstanding ability seems to surpass even the quantity of enemies.

However, the enemies are still coming out and fighting him, and he can no longer hide his fatigue.

I changed mags and took down a few more of them, but things aren’t getting any better. Alex cuts down another one that I couldn’t beat after the last shot.

「 There’s no end to them! Just where are they coming from? 」

「 There’s no sign of them regenerating. There are simply too many of them 」

「 Tsk, all these small fries swarming the place… 」

Alex exhaled, regulating his breathing, and then he swung his sword in a large horizontal motion.

「 Get down, Zaryu 」

Hearing him say that, I immediately ducked down.

「 —Uooooohhh!!! Ryaaaaaa!!! 」

Flame comes off his blade. No, it’s the mana that flickers red like a flame.

The condensed mana mediated through the blade and extends shakily to form a super long blade. Alex swings it down with all his might. Like the dawn that dyes the horizon red, the blow he unleashed with all his might, fueled by his mana, carves a crimson horizontal line in the air.

Monsters fall down, spewing fire from the cut parts.

Alex reduced every monster in place to ashes in one single blow.

「 Zee, zee, zee, Haa, fufufu, see that Zalmen!? This is my trump card…geho 」

「 H-hey, you okay? 」

Alex’s face was pale as he collapsed on his knees, leaning on his sword like a walking stick.

I hold up Alex who had lost his strength, supporting his sides and knees with my arms.

His body was surprisingly light. You won’t think that he’s wearing metal armor. A shiver runs down my spine at the sight of him, as if he’s burned his life away. His fresh blood trickling down the edge of his lips reminds me of death, which makes me even more uneasy.

「 W-What the hell’s that face, that’s so pathetic! Wait, what the hell?! Let go! Don’t carry me like this! We’re both men, at least just support my shoulders 」

I ignore Alex’s squeals and carry him to Claire.

Anyway, the battle is now over.

All that remains is to send them off the dungeon as soon as possible.

Then, we’re all done here.

Trying my best not to look directly at the anxiety coiled in my chest, I run through the burnt garden to join my allies.