Chapter 31

Soul Eater

I left the ruins area and proceeded on going to the upper area .

[Soul Eater, huh...]

The Dark Hero who was called the strongest .

A monster that even that person couldn’t defeat .

Well, I’m not sure if it’s really a monster, but...

The Dark Hero died in the ruins area .

When he had encountered the soul eater and was injured by it, he had fled towards that room,

and there, he drew his last breath .

Did the situation happen like that?

Soul Eater .

I can only imagine how a monster who have that kind of name to be a really dangerous monster .

Is it possible to get out of this place without encountering it?

[If it was possible, the Dark Hero would have done it...]

He was once called the Great Sage .

With such a title, he must have been more intelligent than me .

So, I think that encountering such a monster would have been inevitable .

I look downwards toward my own hands .

[I hope I could still beat it with my Abnormal State Skill . ]

If it has something like a resistance towards magic...

If my skill can’t pierce through its resistance... I can’t possibly hope to defeat it without my skill taking effect .

I’m worried that my skill won’t work, just like that one time I used it against the goddess .

Is it really just towards that goddess that my abnormal state skill wouldn’t work?

I’m about to fight against the monster who drove the strongest man to his death,

Soul eater .

On the other hand though, if my skill would work against that kind of monster, I would be extremely confident with my skill .

For my skill would be something that could defeat a monster who had killed the strongest man .

[......... . ]

This battle may become something like an important milestone for my future .

This important milestone will show what my abnormal state skill of this “level” could do .

v

My level have went up twice .

I have yet to encounter any monster yet .

The passage I’m traversing on was made of stone .

This passage doesn’t look like it’s naturally made .

It’s as if this is an artificial passage .

If you put it in another way, this passage may have been made by human hands when there was an existing civilization in here .

I can finally see the stairs that connects between the two areas .

Although this ruins were built a long time ago, I could still see some remnants of the humans’ life in here .

In the first place, this place was not originally made so that it would be something like a disposal area .

[I feel like this ruins were called disposal ruins, not just because it was somehow been named like that, but for some unfortunate past events that have happened to this place...]

I rest my back behind a wall before I head forward .

I only keep my head out so that I could keep a lookout at the surroundings .

This is quite an open space .

This area is not completely filled with darkness .

It’s subtle, but the wall is glowing a bit .

Does the raw materials used in this wall react to the magic energy of those who walk through here?

Anyway, it looks like I won’t be needing my leather bag to light up the place .

The whole area was surrounded by buildings that could be said that they really were something that could be found in a ruins .

There’s a mud wall erected on the bare ground .

Some of the artificial walls have already fallen down on the floor .

It’s like I’m looking at the scene of a place after it got hit by a small earthquake .

And there are also those things scattered about— human bones .

Counting out the individual skeletons I see, there should have been about 4 people who died here .

There have been, at least 4 disposed people who have reached this place in the past .

No— it’d be 5 people if the Dark Hero was included in the count .

Were these four the friends of the Dark Hero?

Or did these people try climbing out of this ruins separately?

If you have the fighting ability to survive in this place and the food required so that you can survive, you will then be able to leave this place .

In my case though, I’m completely relying on my skill for combat but...

Well, if you possess some convenient magic, it would have been possible to escape from the monsters without having to fight them .

Though I say that,

[.........]

I need to stop thinking of unnecessary thoughts .

I was finally able to ascend the ruins and reached here .

I shake these thoughts away of my head .

This is not the kind of situation where I have the time to think about sentimental thoughts .

I continued observing my surroundings .

In the back of those buildings, I could finally see the staircase leading up towards the upper area .

I could even see some kind of... big door at the end of the stairs .

Is that door finally connected to the ground outside?

But, that would mean—

-that the thing I’m warned of should be here .

The Soul Eater .

Though I say that— where the heck is it?

Is its body made out of spirits, since you can’t eat spirits if you can’t touch one .

Even after I looked around the place, I still can’t see a trace of that monster .

I put my head out a bit more so that I could see more of the place . n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

If that monster would appear somewhere, it’d be around that place .

It seems that there’s another area in the back .

From my hiding spot, I can’t even see a glimpse of that place .

I place down my glowing leather bag on the ground in the passage where I came from .

After placing it down, I went through the passage again and went back to my hiding spot .

I started slowly walking along the walls so that I wouldn’t be noticed by that monster .

I’m able to arrive on the next area by not carrying anything .

I would try peeking out towards that place without giving away my location .

It’s really quiet in here...

Slowly reaching out my head, I’m about to peek out of the wall I’m hiding in now .

Let’s see what on this area that—

[!]

What the heck is that?

Is that a face?

It’s like, that— the face of the Buddha or the Virgin Mary .

That was the first thing that came to my mind when I looked at that .

The face of a humongous stone statue is buried down in the dirt wall .

Something that looks like a golden jewel is inserted on the statue’s forehead...

I turned back and look at the door .

More specifically, in the center of the closed door at the end of the stairs .

The shape of that indention looks oddly similar to the jewel...

I once again looked towards the stone statue just so that I can make sure of it .

I see .

So, I would need to insert that stone from that stone statue’s forehead into the door so that I could open it?

[......... . . ]

I breathe out a small sigh .

More like... didn’t I find it already?

No matter how I think about it, that thing— can only be the Soul Eater .

I bet that if I were to get that gem, it would then start moving .

It would absolutely move .

There is no reason for that thing to not move .

I pulled my body out of my hiding spot for a bit .

So that I could spread out my arms and target that thing .

I point my hand towards the stone face .

[

Bishhhuuunnn!!!

[—offu!? ...ngghh, —graahh!?]

I hide back towards the walk reflexively .

[Kuuaahh!? Aaahhh–!?]

Drip... drop...

A few drops of my blood feel down on the ground .

[—fuu, it hurts... sh*t...]

I have a sudden bad feeling and withdrawn my hand reflexively .

If I had been even a little bit late,

It would have been possible that I might lose my hand up to my elbow .

I checked where I’m bleeding at .

...Okay, this should be alright .

I’ve only lost a little bit of my fingernails and some meat surrounding it .

The pain that I’m feeling right now is just from the pain of having my raw nails peeled off .

They’re just raspberries, I can ignore them .

I have already experienced the pain of having my raw nails being pulled off by my parents .

After all, I have already known pain a long time ago .

I take out a cloth I had prepared in my pocket and quickly tied it around my fingers .

Kyu~

Now then— what the heck is that attack just now?

It was just like Kirihara’s unique skill .

It’s the same beam-like attack .

I think I’ve seen the earthen wall glow for a moment .

And then, I was suddenly shot at by that beam .

It all happened in just a moment .

It’s as if it’s as fast as the speed of light .

It had already shot at me before I could even properly shout out my skill .

I can’t even call out my skill .

I can feel when that thing over there would make its move .

That thing could also sense when I’m making my move .

Conversely though,

I think I have control of when I’m about to fight him .

The beam will be activated the moment that I have the will to attack .

That means though that I won’t be able to attack from this side .

For me to land an effective attack— I need to find an opening .

What should I do?

I need that jewel so that I could pass through that door .

For me to obtain that though, I need to kill that human-faced stone statue .

However, I can’t invoke my unique skill as that beam of my opponent would pierce through me .

Invoking my skill requires me to verbally utter the name of the skill .

I also need a certain amount of volume in my voice .

These were all verified when I was trying out my skills on monsters on my way towards the upper area .

What should I do?

Is the only key for me to break through this deadlock is for me to status up?

Should I go back and restart leveling up in ruins area again?

Or should I try leveling up my skill levels?

Should I bet on the skill I don’t know if I could learn, or go back towards the lower area and start leveling up again?

No— I can’t even use my skill in the first place .

In that case, should I increase my level first so that my stat would increase?

Returning in that area where I can’t see any sign of anyone other than me... Should I waste my time in search for monsters there all day long?

Or should I go back further down where the experience is lower?

If I were to go back down there— how far should I go?

[Or should I just—]

-become a permanent resident of this ruins?

[...there’s no way I’d do that . ]

I don’t want to live the rest of my life in this ruins area .

I would get the power I would need so that I could oppose that f**king goddess and finally crush her with it .

I can’t possibly achieve anything without getting out of here first .

Hmm?

[What’s that?]

The earth is vibrating...?

Another part of the stone wall in this area have fallen down because of the vibrations .

Should I get out of this hiding spot?

Is it because I have not moved for quite some time?

It seems that thing have started moving away from the place it was first buried .

[............]

The speed of its counterattack seems to be about the same as the speed of light .

If we’re talking about its status, is it that the of this thing is on a different league?

It’s reflexive ability far surpasses the reflexes that I have personally cultivated down in the lower area .

At the moment that I was about to turn my arm, I would immediately get intercepted by his beam .

In other words, it’s a situation where I have been overpowered just because we have a gap in the speed of our consciousness .

In short, I have no gap for me to exploit to .

I look towards my aching fingertips .

The disposed people who have arrived here before me should have greater status than me .

And yet, they have also been killed by this thing .

That thing had even defeated the man who was called the strongest .

Soul Eater .

I fear that this thing is likely the reason why this ruins have been said to have zero-survival rate .

I have no doubt about it .

The strongest monster of this ruins is this thing .

So this must only mean—

[That the last fight for my survival in this disposal ruins, is against this monster . ]