Salvation Through Delusion C8

Chapter 8

“Fuck!”

I spat the curse through gritted teeth, gripping the knife with both hands as I climbed onto the monster’s body.

Then I drove the blade down again, twisting it with every ounce of my weight.

[Warning. Danger. Evacuate immediately.]

Not yet.

If I didn’t widen this gap now, I’d never have a chance to shove anything into it later.

Balancing on the writhing creature’s belly, I ripped the knife out and stabbed again. This time—it sank in.

Which meant I’d found it. The switch.

“Hik—kik—kikhhh!”

A horrible screech ripped through the air as the monster convulsed violently, its entire body flipping over.

I was thrown off its side and slammed into the ground.

“Urgh—damn it.”

Even as I tumbled, I twisted in the direction of the red arrow flashing on my right. Instinct from countless battles kicked in.

The moment I rolled aside, a massive leg slammed down where I’d been. The impact made the ground tremble.

I crawled, rolled again, keeping low. It still wasn’t enough.

[Entering survival mode.]

At the alert, a three-minute countdown appeared at the top left of my vision.

My heart thundered so violently I thought it would burst.

Overhead, above the pond where the monster had emerged, the air began to churn violently.

A twisting wind, like a vortex, tore open the sky—and from it, a long black leg emerged.

It landed gracefully despite the pond beneath it, then leapt in a single bound, covering several meters of ground in an instant.

The figure paused briefly, scanning the area, then—seeming to sense the monster’s presence—raced toward it at incredible speed.

Dust-caked boots. Black combat gear. A massive greatsword glinting in one hand.

A hunter. A pursuer come to slay the beast.

But instead of attacking, the man stopped. His lips curved slowly, almost lazily.

“Adeye Rue?”

My breath caught.

When survival mode activates, it’s like injecting your body with a massive dose of adrenaline—mind sharpened, senses honed, muscles flooded with energy.

I could move at my absolute limit.

Even in Rue’s weak body, I could follow the escape route Mo laid out.

Barely.

Each step felt like my heart might explode, my lungs tearing apart—

BOOM!

CRACK!

A monster’s leg struck the ground inches from me, pulverizing a tree as thick as my torso.

Shards of bark and splinters rained down like glass.

No time to dodge all of it.

To follow Mo’s arrows, I’d need to twist my body at a ninety-degree angle—but I’d just fallen moments ago. My muscles screamed in protest.

So I hurled myself sideways instead, extending my hands to soften the fall—only to crash hard into packed earth.

“Guh!”

Pain exploded up my arm. No time to dwell on it.

[Beep—beep—beep.]

The blinking red warning flashed again—an old, hated sound, one I’d heard in every battle. I didn’t hesitate.

I rolled, fast as I could.

BOOM!

The leg came down again where I’d just been. Barely missed. Again.

“Huff—huff—hah—”

Every breath tore through my throat. I had no idea how my body was even moving anymore. To anyone watching, I probably looked insane—rolling, crawling, leaping at odd angles.

But it was keeping me alive.

That was all that mattered.

Still, I couldn’t keep this up forever.

Following Mo’s arrows, I spotted a crevice between large boulders up ahead. Big enough, maybe, to hide behind.

Good. Just a little further—

[New variable detected. Updating escape route.]

What?

I was sprinting toward the rocks when new data flashed in front of me—Mo had changed the escape route to the left.

Gasping, I wanted to shout.

What variable? What’s happening?!

There was a solid hiding spot just ahead—a place I could rest for even a second. And now it was telling me to turn back?

Damn it. I wanted to argue, but there was no time.

The monster was in a frenzy, kicking up so much dust that visibility dropped to nothing.

“Shit—can’t see!”

All I could do was trust Mo’s guidance. My body moved on reflex, following the glowing red arrows instead of my own instincts.

Until—

A steep slope appeared ahead of me. Practically a cliff.

Wait. This was the same slope I’d lured the monster down earlier.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Don’t tell me—am I supposed to climb this?

The arrow blinked insistently—right up the slope.

“Haah—fuck—haah—”

I cursed under my breath. I had no idea what variable Mo had detected, but in every past battle, trusting it had kept me alive.

I had to trust it again.

Even if my body couldn’t take another step.

If I stopped now, I’d die anyway.

And my survival mode timer was nearly up.

Once it ended, there’d be backlash—Mo would shut down temporarily, and my body would crash.

So this had to work. It had to.

12… 11…

The countdown fell rapidly.

I dropped to all fours, dragging myself up the incline, each movement trembling.

Come on. Just a little more.

5… 4… 3…

Almost—please—

“Urgh!”

I forced out the last of my strength and reached the top, fingers scraping rock. My only thought was to climb—just climb.

So I didn’t notice the shadow standing above me.

2… 1… 0.

“Haah—!”

The moment survival mode ended, my upper body collapsed onto solid ground.

Fuck. I was done. Completely done.

I couldn’t move a finger.

My face pressed into the gravel, the stones biting into my skin. I didn’t even have the strength to shift away.

If the monster caught up now, fine. Let it.

At least it would be quick.

But no attack came.

After several ragged breaths, I realized—the pounding footsteps behind me were gone.

What…?

Without raising my head, I moved my eyes.

Boots.

Just in front of me.

Heavy leather boots, like military combat gear.

“…Huh?”

The sound slipped from my lips before I could stop it. Summoning the last dregs of my energy, I lifted my head.

Someone was there. Tall.

For a moment, my fogged mind couldn’t register who or what I was seeing. Then I noticed the enormous sword in his hand.

Ah. He’s here to hunt the monster.

Relief flooded through me so fast it made my chest ache. I didn’t even register his face—just the thought that I was saved.

“Th—the monster…”

It’s right there. Behind me.

I weakly lifted a trembling finger, barely able to move it.

“Go… quick…”

Go kill that bastard.

I exhaled, a faint laugh slipping out with the words.

“Finally… I can live—”

—or so I thought.

But the rest of the sentence died in my throat.

Because of his face.

He stood against the sunlight, features shadowed, but I could tell he was young—mid-twenties, maybe.

Dark skin. Black hair.

And eyes that glimmered faintly gold beneath the shade.

But what froze me wasn’t the color of his eyes—it was the smile.

His lips were thin, long, and curved upward, stretching into a perfect, radiant smile.

One so bright you couldn’t help but want to smile back.

Except—why did it feel wrong?

It was cheerful, almost charming… but my gut twisted in warning.

Why was he smiling at me?

I struggled to raise my torso, to get a better look—only for his boot to move.

Toward me.

Thud!

The kick landed before I could react. A dull, concussive shock rattled through my ribs, like something had burst inside me.

Not once—not even while being chased by a monster—had I taken a direct hit.

But this stranger had kicked me without hesitation.

And the bastard was still smiling.

“Ugh!”

The cry tore from my throat as my body lifted off the ground.

No exaggeration—I was airborne.

The hang time stretched endlessly, long enough for realization to dawn.

Right. Behind me… was a cliff.

In that brief, eternal second of free fall, fury flooded my chest.

What the hell—

Was that thing even human?