"I can't believe my eyes..."
Garth had stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes riveted on the dark heights of the cave. His breath was short and ragged, but it wasn't fatigue.
It was surprise. And perhaps a little excitement.
"What is it now?"
The voice came from behind. Grave, authoritative. It was Keld, their group leader, a veteran whose charred armour still bore the mark of the Guneseven shot down a few minutes earlier.
Garth pointed with his chin to the rocks beyond, his gaze still fixed.
"Over there. I saw... something. Something watching us."
The others burst out laughing.
"Are you hallucinating again? Have you burnt your brain out from the fighting?"
"We're in Elroe's Labyrinth, you idiot. Of course there's stuff watching us."
But Garth wasn't laughing.
He squinted, his hand tightening on the shaft of his spear.
"No. It wasn't a classic monster. It was small. Humanoid."
There was silence.
Keld stared at it for a long moment.
"Do you think...?"
Garth nodded slowly.
"I think it was a half-Oni.
A wave of tension spread through the group. Jokes died on the lips.
Not a sound.
"A half-Oni here? Are you kidding?"
"It's supposed to be rare, this kind of shit. And dangerous, isn't it?
"Yeah, but if she's watching us... she's alone. And probably weak."
Keld straightened up, his eyes shining.
"If it is indeed a half-Oni... we can get a good deal out of it. Very good."
Someone hissed through his teeth.
"A creature like that fetches a lot of money. Slavers, alchemists... even the nobles of the big cities could pay big money for it."
Garth smiled at last.
"So what are we waiting for?"
Keld motioned to two scouts.
"Spread out. We'll do this properly. If it's what you say, she's ours. Alive if possible."
As the distant voices died away, I realised straight away that I'd been spotted.
You don't have to understand their language to get it!
The humans looked at each other and exchanged gestures.
Military signs. Clear, clean.
One of them points in my direction. He says something, his voice low but tense.
I don't understand a word.
Their hands rest on their weapons.
Their movements are slow and controlled.
"They're not preparing a picnic, I'm afraid..." They move forward, cautiously, with their hands on their weapons.
They move forward, cautiously, fanning out.
Two on the left, one on the right.
The rest stay back, ready to intervene.
They know what they're doing.
They're not lost tourists, just like me.
And I'm standing there like an idiot, hiding behind a rock, clutching my makeshift weapon to my chest like it's about to turn into a sniper rifle.
I start shaking.
It's not the cold, is it?
The heat is still there.
As unbearable as ever.
But this time, it's coming from the inside.
I can't understand it.
But I can feel it.
[The skill has reached the required level. Skill acquired [Mana Perception LV1]]
"WHAT!?"
No time to figure out what's going on.
The humans are getting closer.
I stand up like a mole who's just been woken up by a shovel,
and I run as fast as my puny legs will carry me.
"She's running away! Catch her!"
OK, I don't speak their language, but you don't need an A-levels to know they're out to get me.
"System! What the fuck is this mana drill doing here?
[Mana Perception: ability to detect internal and external mana flows. Allows for greater magical awareness]
"Gné?"
I blink, dodging a pebble,
trying to figure it out while my brain spins at two FPS.
"How exactly did I unlock it? Black magic, human sacrifice, demonic pact?"
[You've been exposed to a concentration of high quality mana during combat].
"... Fucking YES! Thank you Guneseven for dying like a champion!"
I laugh inwardly like a dehydrated hyena.
A light bursts above me -
A fucking fire spell explodes the wall next to me.
I roll to the ground in a badly calibrated Dark Souls reflex,
swallowing burning dust with every breath.
"Seriously?! Now they're sniping me Call of Duty style?!"
Another spell splits the air.
A wave of heat bites my skin.
I scream without thinking.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"
I roll onto my side, the burning stone scraping against my skin, the smell of ash filling my nostrils.
I can feel my lungs screaming, my legs begging to give up, my heart pounding like it's trying to get out of control.
Another spell explodes nearby.
Too close, in fact.
I can feel the heat biting, lacerating, digging its claws into my back.
"Bloody hell, to think I was supposed to be a basic human!"
That's when it happens.
Something twists inside me.
"What the fuck is going on with my body?!
Wait a second... last time I unlocked Mana Perception, so maybe now..."
I gasp.
I feel a current sliding under my skin, vibrating along my veins, as if something inside me were responding to the surrounding furnace.
[The skill has reached the required level. Skill acquired [Mana manipulation LV1]].
I half stop, stumbling against a rock.
"Wait... WHAT!?"
Mana?
Isn't that the thing in isekai that makes any clown completely cheat?
"Future power to me!"
I clench my fists as I feel my body vibrate like an old 56k modem on the verge of implosion.
A nervous laugh shakes me.
Because damn it, I've managed to do something.
Not by training.
Not by a miracle.
Just the sheer stubbornness of a living creature.
I scream without thinking.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"
Yes, again!
"Okay, mana in my body... do something!"
[In your situation, a use of fire magic would probably be productive].
"Because of the Middle Stratum?"
[Partially. As previously mentioned, the Oni have a natural affinity with fire].
"So I can defeat them?"
[Impossible.]
What...?
System!?
[Using fire magic can still slow down your enemies. However, serious injuries will be inflicted if you use it without proper mastery].
"Who cares, I'll die if you don't!"
I close my eyes. I concentrate on the mana in my body.
A timid flow.
Shaky.
Clumsy.
But alive.
"It's now or never!"
I grit my teeth. I hold my breath.
I want to breathe fire.
I want a fucking Katon like in Naruto.
REAL HELLFIRE.
I grab everything I've got.
All the mana.
All the hate.
All the panic.
I push it towards my mouth, like a chakra-possessed psychopath.
I scream:
"Katon! Ultimate fireball!"
And then...
A splash.
Not an inferno.
Not a flaming tsunami.
Just a ridiculous mini jet of malformed flames, like a Bic lighter with a flat tire.
The flame laboriously advances three metres, pitifully bursts against a pebble, and is extinguished in a pathetic poof.
Silence.
Even humans stop running for two seconds.
[The skill has reached the required level. Skill acquired [Firebending LV1]]
[Skill has reached required level. Skill acquired [Fire Magic LV1].
I stand there trembling, my mouth still smoking.
I feel a silly grin creep up my burnt face.
"It's level 1... what was I expecting? A Kamehameha?"
And then the humans explode with laughter.
Literally.
Some of them kneel down, holding their ribs.
I grit my teeth.
I feel something stir in my body.
A shiver. An uneasiness.
An overflow.
"Again?! That's a lot, isn't it?"
Before I know it -
My body explodes.
Not in game over mode.
In furious propulsion mode.
A blast throws me across the room like a rocket on amphetamines.
I fly in a straight line.
And then I crash into a wall.
As I feel my bones crack in a concert of demonic orchestral pain, I try to get up. Every movement is an insult to the logic of the living body.
"You didn't fucking lie, you bastard! It HURTS to use magic without control!"
I straighten my head as best I can - and then something goes wrong. Something's seriously wrong.
My arm's on fire. Literally. Not 'stylish', not 'badass magician'. Just burnt. Burnt. Half charred. And I can feel hot liquid dripping all over me.
But that's not the worst of it.
Screams ring out. Far away. Human.
"Garth!"
I look up. I can see him at last.
And I understand.
One of the guys has collapsed. His armour is torn. And right in the middle of his chest, a hole. A fucking hole. Big. Neat.
And... it's my size. The shape. The trajectory. The blood.
I look at my own silhouette. I'm covered in red. Not my blood. Well... not all of it.
"Wait."
"Is that me? Is that... me?"
I just ran through a human. Literally.
I just... killed someone.
Not a monster.
Not some foul bug or eldritch aberration.
A human.
My stomach churns. My breath catches. My heart decides to improvise a drum solo.
"I've killed..."
The thoughts pound me, all at once. The shock. The pain. The fire in my veins. The mana still moving inside me like an epileptic snake.
And that smell. Of ash. Of blood. Of me.
I want to vomit. To scream. To disappear. Anything but that.
[The skill has reached the required level. Skill acquired [Co-Mind LV1].
A new pain strikes me.
Not in my arms. Not in my legs.
In my head.
In the skull.
An outright explosion. As if my brain were trying to give birth to a volcano.
Data.
Information.
Voices. Numbers. Lines of code.
I understand nothing.
I understand nothing.
[Error in assigning skill.]
[Error: brain data does not match neural norms of this world.]
What? What? WHAT?!
I press my hands against my head, as if I can stop it exploding. The pain increases. More pain. And again.
[Emergency measure activated.]
"EMERGENCY?!"
I gasp. I tremble. I wobble.
Then, suddenly - nothing.
Silence.
"Thank you, System..."
Silence.
No little beep.
No [Confirmation].
Only this voice.
[Partial reset completed. Cognitive instance successfully transferred.]
I freeze.
Wait... why do I feel it differently, that voice?
[Functional integration in progress. New mental interface: online.]
I stand there, mouth half-open, staring into space like an idiot.
A thought crosses my mind: I'm having a mental bug. Saiko 2.0 version, schizophrenic deluxe edition.
"What are you... supposed to be?"
[System-derived unit, relocated due to failure to install [Co-Mind] skill].
I blink.
"You... hacked my brain?!"
[For reasons unknown, the System was unable to assign the skill to you due to abnormal brain structures].
...Sorry!?
Oh no. Maybe it's because I'm a reincarnate...
[As a result, the skill has been replaced. The sub-system that was assigned to you no longer exists as a separate entity. It has been integrated into your mental structure].
"BUT ISN'T THAT A BIT OF A VIOLENT CONCEPT?
[From now on, I'll be partially sharing your cognitive flow. Functions performed: calculation, magical assistance, environmental analysis].
[Additional note: normally, the sub-systems assigned to living beings do not intervene proactively. However, I am no longer linked to the Rank 2 System in charge of the Great Labyrinth of Elroe].
I squint.
"Wait... are you telling me that I literally have the System in my head?"
[A fragment, yes.]
[Deprived of a hierarchical link, my actions are now governed solely by my initial programming.]
"So I have... magical AI built in now?"
[Temporarily, yes. Until the link to a higher system structure is re-established]
"A more... global structure?"
[The Global System is composed of a central core (rank 1) overseeing multiple subsystems (rank 2) responsible for regions, functions or species. These in turn employ units like me (rank 3) to manage individual entities].
I collapse on the floor, half dead, half hilarious.
"You know what? I'm going to freak out. But I'm going to do it in style.
The soldiers' screams are getting closer - they've obviously moved in the meantime. They're literally angry and shouting in all directions.
[I'm offering you combat assistance, would you like to activate it?]
"What's that?
[The system will temporarily take control of your body for the duration of the confrontation, in order to fully exploit your current abilities. ]
Wait... So I'm weak just because I lack the knowledge to fight?
[Affirmative.]
Damn it... I'm supposed to be getting strong, but before I can have a built-in Super System version of "me", I've already got to survive these guys.
"Okay... Yes."
At that moment, it was as if my mind was fading. I was no longer in control of my body - I was like some kind of spirit, a passenger in my own carcass.
My body propelled itself forward at extreme speed, pushing its limits to the breaking point.
A sharp snap, and I'm already on my feet. My bony weapon in hand.
The three humans don't have time to react.
I charge at the first one - the one with the axe.
My claw splits the air and grazes his throat. He recoils just in time, but his cheek opens in a spray of blood.
The second - short sword, heavier armour - tries to flank me.
But I retreat without understanding how.
Wait... I've got Danger Perception, haven't I?
How the hell does the System use it so well?
My body pivots. A blast of mana gathers in my hand.
A flame shoots up. No bigger than a camping torch, but enough to force him screaming backwards.
The third casts a spell.
A fucking fire spell.
And he's clearly level 2 or 3, the way he's outclassing me.
My body plunges to the ground, rolls under the incandescent spray, then shoots up again.
I strike. My bony spear sinks into the mage's thigh.
He screams.
Not dead. But no longer mobile either.
The swordsman returns to the charge. He's quick. Too fast.
I block. Not fast enough.
His blade cuts into my side. The pain makes me scream - or rather, I think I'm screaming. I'm just a voice trapped in a box.
My body takes the strain for me.
"Fuck, when I wake up, I'm going to be in pain..." I say.
And then the System launches its counter-attack.
A smile appears on my face.
Not a happy smile.
A sneer.
The swordsman's hand flies, literally, in a spray of red.
He falls to his knees.
Two down.
The last one - the guy with the axe - swings his weapon at me.
Too fast.
I take it in the back. I spit blood.
But the System doesn't care. He moves on to finish off the wounded when he notices the mage starting an incantation again.
I'm too late.
My body jumps.
His head rolls.
I've just killed another human being...
Of course they wanted me dead. But I'm human. So why do I feel so bad?
I've seen dead bodies on Earth before. So why do I have this strange feeling here? Is it because I'm the one who hit them?
The soldier with the axe is furious. Unarmed, he chose to flee.
I try to pull the axe from my back.
Too slowly.
He has time to disappear.