Close combat was not the answer.

As I sensed the range of destruction from the upheaval of the road, a new realization dawned on me.

-!

The most intense roar I had ever heard burst my eardrums. A high-pitched ringing ensued. Rubble pelted my body.

‘Damn it.’

The size had grown, affording me some leeway to dodge, but it was a narrow escape, almost turning me into dried fish.

It hurt. I surveyed the surroundings with spatial perception.

That bastard must be an alpha, for it had brought a horde of monsters. Countless creatures swept through the area.

The ones who had been barricading the shelter had now crumbled, engaging in individual fights.

Thankfully, the door to the shelter was firmly shut. Had it been open… that horde of monsters would have charged towards it.

‘Ugh…’

My left arm was in pain.

I hadn’t fully evaded the impact. Perhaps because I was slightly within the area of influence, the flesh on my already Qi-depleted left arm was torn off again.

Now it was even more difficult to move my left arm. The exposed bone where the wound was gave me chills. It was puzzling that it was still functional.

Is it because I’m a superhuman? Had I not been, I might have died from shock.

I cast a minor healing spell and wrapped my arm with sky’s wing feathers like a bandage.

Mist rose in clumps, slowly engulfing the surroundings. Even then, Aerulus’s eyes were locked precisely on me.

‘Close combat isn’t the answer.’

If I got pummeled at close range, I wouldn’t last long. It was the same with just grazing and deflecting attacks. It merely extended time a bit.

Then, I must strike from a distance.

I had no arrows or bow to shoot, no bullets or gun to fire from afar, no tools to throw at a distance.

But I had something else. I steadied my breath and brought my hands together. It was akin to a starting pose. Maintaining calm, I expelled the magic from within my body outward.

-Wooong!

The magic formed into a spell. A simple structure. The spell was easy on magic consumption and not burdensome to cast repeatedly.

‘Magic Bullet.’

Magic spheres created behind me were shot forth. It didn’t end with one. As soon as they were formed, they were propelled without delay. Countless magic bullets rained down on Aerulus.

-Boom!

Explosions enveloped Aerulus. It didn’t stop at a single blast. The magic bullets that collided with the blood mist erupted.

They didn’t inflict damage. The magic bullets only slightly disturbed the Blood Cloud without breaking through.

But they brought explosions. I modified the spell to increase the explosive force. I couldn’t inflict damage, but the successive blasts could push back. The continued explosions pushed Aerulus’s advances.

-Rumble!

First came the growling. The ground torn up by Aerulus followed.

A rapid leap. Spatial perception wasn’t fooled. I quickly twisted my body.

A violent slicing sound grazed my ears. My earlobes tore. I swallowed the now-familiar pain.

I twisted my waist. Qi wrapped around my legs flared violently.

I was about to kick. As soon as I sensed the writhing Blood Cloud, I abandoned my attack and extracted my body.

-Crash!

Where I stood a moment ago, a bloody slash poured down. The Blood Cloud extending from the claws stretched out, transforming into a slashing attack that swept across space.

A new attack, not shown before. Was it kept hidden? A beast playing mind games?

The plan remained unchanged. Avoid close combat. Block the creature from a distance.

I took the hit. I created a distance and fired various spells. Magic bullets, magic slashes, offensive spells with elemental changes, and binding spells to immobilize.

All sorts of magic traced patterns in the space.

Naturally, Aerulus tried to break through them to close the distance. The monster charged, backed by overwhelming physical abilities.

I dodged and deflected everything. I accepted the unavoidable damage and deflected everything else as best as I could.

As long as I had spatial perception, it was doable.

As long as Qi wasn’t destroyed in one hit, it was doable.

I couldn’t shake it off with physical ability alone, but if I stiffened it with magic, it was possible.

Magic rapidly drained away. I forcibly drew in magic from the surroundings. The unrefined magic superheated my circuits.

I would suffer from aftereffects, but it’s better than dying.

I stalled for time. Rescue from outside. I didn’t know when it would come. Even if it did arrive, I didn’t know how long it would take to break through the outer wall, but I had to trust it was the only way.

-Grrr…

A short while later, Aerulus’s roaring mouth shut. The repeated flailing of its forelegs ceased.

‘What’s going on?’

Gasping for breath with a distance between us, I regulated my breathing, which was close to collapse, and observed Aerulus’s demeanour.

For some reason, it had stopped. Its eyes, still watching me, seemed to be contemplating something.

It was a brief respite, regardless. I managed to soothe my overworked body, circuits, and core for a moment.

The sweet respite didn’t last long. Aerulus, having finished deliberating, showed signs of movement.

-Thump!

Aerulus struck the ground. An invariably destructive leap followed. I hurled my body backward, forming spells in the process.

I blocked the approach. As before, I countered with magic while maintaining a distance.

The red mist approached… but it didn’t. My body tensed momentarily.

Aerulus was not heading towards me.

The direction had changed.

Towards… the firmly closed entrance of the shelter.

Effectively, a place teeming with easy prey for Aerulus.

‘Oh damn it.’

I knew Aerulus’s goal. It was clear from the blatant desire in its eyes.

I felt the blatant murderous intent.

The moment I saw those blood-soaked, bright red eyes, I couldn’t help but feel it.

Murderous intent is usually associated with filthy and nasty emotions.

The desire to kill usually stems from ugly emotions.

The true killing intent I had felt from the back-alley thugs was nothing but dirty, vile, and lowly emotions.

But Aerulus was different.

I realized it the moment our eyes met.

It wasn’t right to add to the murderous intent, but it was a pure emotion.

Aerulus’s murderous intent contained no sordid grudge.

Hunger.

The foundation of the murderous intent was nothing but hunger.

To eat is to survive.

One survives by preying upon others.

To hunt, to not be hunted, one becomes stronger.

And thus, one hunts.

A clear and concise way of thinking. No sticky malice attached.

There’s no complex reason for predators in the wild to eat herbivores. It’s not something that should be condemned as wrong.

“……”

Aerulus was no different.

Why did it attack me initially? Because it saw prey with no reason to be spared.

Why is it now ignoring me and heading towards the shelter? Because I’m not prey that can be easily eaten, and the shelter is teeming with vulnerable targets.

How long can the shelter’s door hold off Aerulus? I can break it, so why couldn’t Aerulus?

For a moment, it seemed as if time had stopped.

Aerulus, which had rushed into the shelter, stopped. Even the falling stones from the sky paused with it.

It was like before.

When I had dragged my feet back, it was as if the world paused, waiting for my decision.

The world slowed down. Thoughts accelerated. Monsters swarming in and superhumans guarding the entrance were scattered by Aerulus.

There was no one to stop it. If Aerulus crawled through the entrance as it was, everyone inside would die.

I had to block it. That thought crossed my mind. My rationale calmly calculated. Can I block it? I asked again.

Could I survive if I did?

Not in an open space like this. Not where I can easily dodge and move out of the way. Not where I can easily fire off spells.

Even if the shelter’s corridors are wide, they aren’t as spacious as this place.

I would have to face the attacks that would otherwise turn me into mincemeat head-on, in rapid succession.

I couldn’t blindly cast spells. My body, hardened by Qi and enveloped in Hardening, would have to endure it all.

That’s just suicide. Throwing away my life for the sake of dragging out a few more moments.

Frankly, haven’t I gathered enough excuses?

That thought had crossed my mind.

I hadn’t rested a moment since the dungeon’s rampage began.

I killed every monster in sight and saved people who hadn’t managed to evacuate. I blocked monsters that targeted those people.

Everything was fraught with the risk of death. Even with all my strength, I was just a rookie who had never faced a real battle before.

For hours, I had run around like this, somehow managing to stall even a monster that could be considered an alpha.

I’ve met the bare minimum. I’ve filled the basic excuse. No, I’ve more than filled it.

If anyone heard my side, there wouldn’t be many pointing fingers, calling me a selfish bastard.

They would say I’ve done enough.

So, there really was no reason to stomp on the ground here.

Bang! The ground beneath me shattered. I extended my leg. The space changed rapidly.

A different speed than before. Whoosh! Blood spurted from my leg. The excessive strain cried out in a red scream.

I blocked the entrance to the shelter. Aerulus’s eyes widened. Momentarily, I was faster than it.

Aerulus approached.

The thick foreleg, the vicious claws protruding from it, and the enveloping, charging Blood Cloud came forward.

Death loomed in my invisible field of vision.

****