The minutes keep passing, and the grade-4 monsters fall one after another. I have to push my brain to its absolute limit to avoid making a fatal mistake. I’ve already made three minor errors, each one costing me the loss of an arm or a leg. At one point, I had to fly back and forth for several seconds while my leg regenerated.

  Less than half of them remain now. The five most dangerous ones haven’t moved from their position at all. That mana-and-Imra beam hits every twelve seconds or so. I lost another arm by reacting too late, but I learned from my mistakes and now keep moving in the same pattern at all times.

  I’m circling that group, using the bodies of other monsters as shields. I need to make sure there’s always at least one corpse between the attack and myself. That way, I can buy a blink of time and erase another monster—killing two birds with one stone.

  Aren’t they going to attack me? Those four devil-like figures remain stuck in the same spot. The only thing that’s changed is their expressions. The longer time passes, the angrier they look. They’re genuinely furious now. I kill a half-serpent, half-human monster by driving my sword into its forehead. I see them shouting at each other, but nothing more—they still don’t attack.

  Can’t they attack me? That’s the real question. I focus on continuing my movement, annihilating every grade-4 monster I can. I leave only a small space in my mind for them—I need to stay alert in case something changes.

  My mana reserves look good. I’ve spent a little less than half. The hit-and-run tactic has worked perfectly. It’s easy when most of the monsters are idiots who don’t try to plan or trap me. Sometimes they even hit each other, and the laser beam contributes to the carnage. I only spend the mana necessary to keep them away and kill one when the opportunity appears.

  I teleport to avoid being crushed by two massive rocks. In that same instant, the beam strikes where I had been standing. Three separate attacks had combined—I’m sure I would have died if I’d stayed there. The beam ends up killing a red goblin-like monster about seventy centimeters tall; it was the one responsible for one of the rocks.

  The other attacker only shows its head from time to time. It looks like a mole with enormous claws and exquisite control over earth mana. Several times it has tried to ambush me from underground.

  I lower my head, pull my right shoulder back, and my left sword draws a crescent arc, severing the arm of a massive troll-like monster from my old world. The arm—thicker than my torso—hits the ground. I use it as a foothold to launch myself away and dodge black spikes falling from the sky.

  The troll doesn’t care. It charges at me without an arm—well, half an arm now. Its regeneration is nothing to scoff at, rivaling my own. I dodge an ice sphere from a yeti-like monster from the villain’s dungeon while accelerating to cut off the troll’s leg.

  More monsters join the dance. I calculate the timing based on the energy gathering in the distant monster’s arm. I leap forward, then my next step goes in the opposite direction. Using gravity’s pull, I snap back to where I was.

  The beam strikes a monster that tried to follow my movements. It also blows away half the torso and head of the troll that had already lost its leg. The beam misses me by mere centimeters, but the heat shatters my defenses, burning my face and body. I can’t stop—I jump and propel myself through the air to dodge more spells while healing.

  No matter what I do, no matter how many monsters die, those five still refuse to join the fight. They just watch from the same place where I first saw them. Are they weak? Are they controlling the monsters? Is there some restriction? Are they following orders?

  Now I can afford to think more clearly. Fewer than thirty monsters remain around me. Most are injured, their mana reserves nearly depleted. It’s only a matter of minutes before they’re all dead.

  As expected, that’s exactly what happens. I finish them off within minutes. There’s only one complication—while dodging the final beam, one monster self-destructs. Several fifteen-centimeter spikes made entirely of venom mana mixed with death lodge themselves throughout my body. The most dangerous one pierces my cheek, stopping just short of my brain.

  I hesitate for a moment, wondering whether to teleport away. My gamble pays off. They still don’t attack me directly, and I don’t need to waste mana retreating far to heal.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  I’m badly injured. The venom is extremely potent, and the death mana makes it even worse. My brain and life mana are working overtime to keep me conscious. Once I stabilize things somewhat, I use death mana to annihilate the venom spikes at their source.

  I focus on eradicating the poison completely. I didn’t feel it at first, but while it isn’t immediately lethal due to my healing ability, it spreads aggressively. It wants to consume everything around it. I don’t think it could kill me outright, but if it spreads through my entire body, I might not feel the same way. It’s better to remove it entirely.

  I’ve dealt with poison mana before—especially in recent years with Brendu. I know how to handle this. The real problem is those beams every few seconds. Fortunately, after the second attack, I manage to eliminate every trace of venom. My death and life mana work in perfect harmony, destroying and cleansing simultaneously. It’s beautiful.

  I slowly approach the monsters who have been waiting. The ogre-variant has empty eyes—it doesn’t seem aware of its actions at all. It looks like a puppet, utterly oblivious to where it is or what it’s doing.

  The other four purple-skinned ones, however, are clearly conscious. I can see the rage in their eyes—and now that I’m closer, I notice something else. They’re afraid. Are they afraid of me? That would make sense after slaughtering hundreds of grade-4 monsters… but that doesn’t seem to be it. They aren’t paying attention to me at all.

  I can’t hear their voices. A barrier separates us. The laser can exit freely, but nothing can enter. I’ve already tried sending different constructs infused with every type of mana I have. It’s like striking an immovable wall. The last time I felt something like this was during my sparring match with Ruddo.

  I charge my right sword with all my mana, Imra, and Banner. After several seconds of preparation, my body moves at maximum speed and the blade swings straight at the shield. Nothing happens.

  The shield’s mana doesn’t even tremble. I’m the only one affected—my arm goes numb and my sword is flung away as I lose my grip.

  I don’t understand how this kind of barrier works. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m certain it comes from some kind of artifact; the mana doesn’t originate from any of the five monsters. Honestly, a grade-4 monster shouldn’t be capable of creating something this solid and resilient. I’ve never encountered one that could.

  The ability to repel external attacks while allowing internal ones outward is something I’ve never seen before. I can sense other functions as well. I can’t hear anything from outside, my Imra can’t penetrate it, and the mana is nearly impossible to read—it’s completely distorted.

  What’s even stranger is that my Personal World doesn’t detect it at all. It’s as if nothing exists there, even though I can clearly see it just meters away. That’s advantageous in some situations and disastrous in others.

  I shake my head to stop thinking about how the shield works. I don’t know, and I won’t figure it out now.

  I force my mind to focus on the real problem. How the hell do I break it? The barrier has already proven its durability. If my strongest attack couldn’t even scratch it, I have no way of breaking through.

  The minutes drag on. The purple monsters continue talking among themselves, occasionally glancing my way. I focus on recovering energy and dodging the laser beam. Moving every few seconds is irritating—I want to kill that ogre variant.

  I’m sure they can move. They already shifted slightly earlier. One of the purple monsters shoved another, which caused a chain reaction, and they ended up rolling on the ground—shield and all.

  Why don’t they run? I take a moment to think.

  Can they leave whenever they want? It wouldn’t be surprising with such a powerful shield. Are they waiting for someone stronger? That would explain why they ignore me. Or maybe they can’t leave. Perhaps they’re tasked with directing the beasts. That conclusion forms after noticing how they always look toward the ogre before using that powerful attack.

  I relax slightly. At first, I was desperate to kill them quickly and return. Now I can focus a bit more. When I tune into Glia’s emotions, I sense her concentration, concern, and eagerness to fight—but beneath all that, there’s happiness. She’s enjoying herself.

  That means the village is holding out better than expected.

  Every hair on my body stands on end in less than a blink. I try to stand and flee, but this overwhelming sensation screams extreme danger. I’ve never deactivated my abilities—I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

  My body barely manages to rise before collapsing to its knees. I catch myself with my hands, avoiding face-planting into the ground. The pressure is suffocating in its own way. It has a clear intent—to suppress me and keep me exactly where I am.

  Is this a Jurisdiction? Yes, and I know without a doubt this belongs to a Diamond-rank being. I feel it throughout my entire body.

  A figure appears beside the purple monsters and, with a single strike, obliterates the ogre-type monster, slicing it into pieces in an instant. The purple figures immediately kneel and press their foreheads to the ground.

  “How can you be so useless? He’s just a Sapphire-rank child. How did you let things reach this point?” The woman’s voice is deep—almost masculine. “This is what I get for trusting monsters. I expected nothing from you, and you still disappoint me. You’re worthless. Completely useless.”

  Thanks to my abilities, I can feel the monsters trembling like leaves in autumn. How can I hear her voice? Is the protective barrier broken? No… judging by her words, she’s their leader. She must be the one controlling the barrier.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something this interesting… You could make a fine experimental subject.” Her voice pierces straight into my mind. I have to use all my Imra just to withstand her will.

  Damn it. I’m in serious trouble.