Chapter 62: Crux

The lonesome figure had spent more than a whole hebdomad studying the Fomorians, the Breathing Giant, and the tide of the war. He had used his keen eyes and power of observation to fully discern the reason for the spiraling chaos.

It was simple.

Just like him, the Fomorians wanted to escape. They sought to flee from the quarry into the abyss below. And just like him, the Breathing Giant was in their way—its humongous mass proving to be a truly insurmountable obstacle.

But unlike them, the lonesome figure didn't resort to the mindless tactic of gnawing away at its endless flesh. Instead, he devised a plan.

He was going to teleport.

To use the teleportation circle to vanish into the space above the Giant's nostrils and... invade its body the moment it inhaled! It was an utterly insane plan, one with so many risks it seemed practically impossible.

But the lonesome figure was at the end of his rope. For him, it was do or die.

Nevertheless, teleportation wasn't a power one could easily dabble in. To use the teleportation circle, one required an anchor as well as a vast amount of World Energy.

Luckily, the lonesome figure was blessed with the Oversaturation skill, which allowed him to absorb World Energy effortlessly and store large amounts of it. Unfortunately, he had no anchor. An anchor was a second teleportation circle that would act as his checkpoint once he vanished. But he had no means of creating two teleportation devices, and even if he did, the method of anchorage couldn't get him to the Giant's nostrils.

So, he resorted to another method he theorized—visualization.

If he actively utilized the Effect of "Teleportation" without relying on any external medium, couldn't he tweak the results manually?

The lonesome figure theorized that teleportation worked like communication. There had to be a giver, a receiver, and information, thus forming a dialogue. The first magic circle is the giver, the second magic circle is the receiver, and the object being teleported is the information.

So, what happens when there's no receiver, and the giver is equivalent to the information passed?

The result is a monologue.

In other words, the giver becomes the receiver, and the information reaches its destination through self-looping. This explained instances where teleportation without a defined destination resulted in the object reappearing at its original location, as if it had never left.

That was where the lonesome figure's idea of visualization came in.

What if he used his Mind Palace to conjure an image of himself already existing in the space above the Giant's nostrils, with the teleportation circle in hand, and then teleported to that position?

His proposition was truly incredulous, utterly ridiculous. Anyone who heard it would question his sanity. But of course, the lonesome figure never regarded himself as sane.

Several days of endlessly observing the harrowing bloodshed had begun to unravel the chains in his mind, slowly turning him into a raving lunatic. If not for the incessant voice in his head, Resistance, Silver Lining, and his formidable will, he might have succumbed to madness long ago.

Throughout the week, the lonesome figure prepared arduously. He scribbled the magic circle onto several pieces of paper, trying to replicate the correct form from memory. He read books on magic and revisited his last teleportation attempt, seeking to learn how to control of World Energy within his core. He observed the quarry for hours, committing to memory the space above the Giant's nostrils.

The severity of the seemingly impossible tasks and his repeated failures further strained his mind, nearly driving him to true insanity. Yet, he didn't break.

He completed the teleportation circle, kept his mind intact, learned to control the World Energy in his core, and thoroughly familiarized himself with the behaviors of both the Fomorians and the Giant.

All his meticulous preparations led to the final moment—the moment when he would vanish.

Yet...

He still failed.

Instead of appearing above the Breathing Giant's nostrils, Alex spawned right above the Giant's left shoulder, which, terribly enough, was teeming with bloodthirsty Fomorians gnawing at each other.

....

CRASH!

I crashed right onto the rough surface of the Giant's shoulder, bouncing off the ground at the moment of impact.

"Uhh...shit..."

I held my head and cursed, feeling heavily disoriented.

Did...did it work?

I was still feeling dazed until the system spoke,

[Extreme Bloodlust detected.]

[You are being endangered by an enemy.]

"What?!", my eyes widened and my hair stood on end, my vision slowly returned and my dizziness vanished before being replaced by utter terror.

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian]

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian]

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian]

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian]

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian]

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian]

[Level 10. Mad Fomorian] ...

All around me were the dreadful HUDs, littering my view, each one further tightening the grip of horror around my heart.

...this can't be happening...?

I was completely surrounded by the cancerous tumors who had all paused their infighting and turned to me.

"Oh...God..."

My face was deathly pale and my voice was hitched, my heart was pounding so loudly I felt I was going to die from cardiac arrest. My limbs were shaking terribly.

This horde was nothing like the Skeleton Horde; these were the embodiments of chaos, violence incarnates.

This wasn't supposed to happen! WHY?! WHY DID IT FA-

Before I could even finish lamenting, a Mad Fomorian moved.

FU-

And just like a domino effect, every other Mad Fomorian moved in kind, lunging at me with odious eyes and insatiable violence.

"!!!", I let out a fearful cry and bolted away from them, running as fast as I could along the broad shoulder.

Oh God...why? Why? This wasn't supposed to happen...I did everything correctly so why...?

Tears began to gather at the corners of my eyes as I ran, desperately trying to escape from them but I knew.

Deep down, I knew.

I knew that there was no escape.

I knew that I was going to die.

"Shit!", I tripped over the rough skin and crashed face-first onto the ground.

ROAR!

CREE! CREE!!

EEE!! EEE!!

The disturbing sounds of the approaching horde was growing much closer.

I tried to get to my knees but the moment I exerted my left hand...I felt nothing.

Huh?

Turning to it, my eyes shrunk.

My left hand was utterly destroyed – it was extremely burnt, damaged beyond repair.

My hand too had failed to withstand the incredible strain of the Teleportation Effect, ending up as nothing more than, burnt flesh stuck to dried bone.

Even the Teleportation circle was gone without a trace.

I got up to my knees and turned to the horde, my eyes were dark.

ROAR!

CREE! CREE!!

EEE!! EEE!!

The horde of Fomorians approached.

I stretched my right hand forward and uttered, "Silver Lining."

In response to my words, a beautiful silver uchigatana weaved itself into my grasp.

[Equipped Item: Silver Lining]

A shimmer of silvery light glinted on the blade but my eyes glinted with a dark mad light.

"I knew this was going to happen, I definitely knew...deep down in my heart I knew that I wouldn't leave this place without brushing fangs with these ravenous beasts...yet I hoped for otherwise..."

HA...

I let out a weary sigh and looked up at the Giant's nose, from my point of view it looked like a large mountain.

I guess...am going to have to fight my way up there...

ROAR!

CREE! CREE!!

EEE!! EEE!!

The Fomorian horde closed in on me, their extreme bloodthirst on full display yet, I remained firm.

Gripping the Silver Blade with my right hand, I let out a creepy smile before plunging into the chaos.