Chapter 149: Sound Manipulation, Title

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Sound Manipulation, Title

Seraphina Sullivan gripped the [Poisonous Python Black Whip] in her hand. The whip’s body made a faint scraping sound in the darkness as she walked.

She took each step with caution. While the night vision from her [Analysis Glasses] was clear, her reaction time and judgment were still slightly impaired by the absolute darkness.

A long-range weapon like a whip, which offered both distance and control, was clearly more suitable at the moment than the [Silver Needle Sword] meant for [Close Combat].

As Seraphina Sullivan cautiously explored the abandoned ruins, she also took the opportunity to experiment with her newly acquired [Sound Manipulation] [Ability].

She took a light breath and tried to imitate the shriek of the [Night Rat] they had just encountered.

An almost identical, threatening "SKREEEK" escaped her throat.

The sound made Sean Chandler, who was keeping a vigilant watch beside her, jump, nearly triggering his [Beastification].

Next, she mimicked the mournful sound of wind whistling through the collapsed walls, and even perfectly replicated a garbled voice message someone had once sent in the group chat: "...The price of supplies is getting insane..."

The imitation was so lifelike it was nearly impossible to tell from the real thing.

"This [Ability] really is something," Seraphina Sullivan murmured in admiration, her eyes lighting up. ’Using this for scouting or... ambushing people would be almost impossible to defend against.’

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she glanced over to see Sean Chandler wearing an expression so complicated it bordered on utter despair.

Seraphina asked, puzzled, "What’s wrong?"

The corner of Sean Chandler’s mouth twitched. "It’s nothing... It’s just, seeing your face but hearing the deep growl I make when I use my [Beastification Ability]... and that complaint just now in a gruff man’s voice... It feels... really weird. Even a little terrifying."

The intense "uncanny valley" feeling made his skin crawl.

Seraphina Sullivan: "..."

She decided to shelve this new [Ability] for now, seeing as it was liable to inflict psychological damage on her teammate.

She refocused her attention on her surroundings.

Beneath her feet lay a shattered highway. In the distance, the shadowy silhouettes of buildings loomed like the skeletal remains of colossal beasts.

’The system really dropped us in the middle of nowhere. It looks like we’re still a long way from the city ruins.’

She frowned. ’So, where could the [Shelter] be hidden?’

Sean Chandler agreed, voicing another concern. "It’s also strange. Ever since that one giant rat, we’ve been walking for a while and haven’t run into any other monsters. That feels off."

"Yeah,"

Seraphina Sullivan agreed, her sense of caution heightening. ’Where have all the monsters in this darkness gone? The quiet is actually more unsettling.’

Flora, carrying Moe, slowly shuffled its roots along behind the two of them, its enormous flower opening and closing out of boredom.

Moe lay sprawled on Flora’s soft bud, its little head bobbing as if it were about to drift off to sleep.

And yet, the very second after Seraphina had finished lamenting the lack of monsters—

WHOOSH!

An intensely blinding beam of white light erupted from the distant horizon without any warning!

In the suffocating darkness, the light flared like a sharp sword rending the night sky.

It would undoubtedly draw the frenzied attention of every living creature under this eternal night!

...

「Elsewhere.」

"Damn my luck! Damn it! Damn it all to hell!"

Nicholas Jensen sprinted desperately through the darkness, roaring internally.

’What kind of garbage [Title] did this stupid system give me?! [Monster Slayer]? Sure, it helps me find monster [Weaknesses] more easily, but what’s the deal with this built-in AOE taunt [Effect]?! Is it afraid I won’t die fast enough?!’

He’d never run so pathetically in his entire life. Dozens of pairs of crimson eyes glinted in the darkness behind him, accompanied by the grating SQUEAK of monstrous cries and the scrape of sharp claws on the ground as they pursued him relentlessly.

It was a pack of [Night Rats], enraged by his [Monster Slayer] [Title] and locked onto his [Aura]!

He mentally cursed himself for being so happy about getting the title in the last instance.

He clutched a high-powered tactical flashlight in his right hand.

The blinding beam of light swung wildly as he ran. Each time it swept behind him, it briefly illuminated the monsters’ savage faces.

Their huge, bared yellow teeth; their red eyes, glinting with bloodlust; and their sharp claws, capable of tearing through steel.

Of course, he knew that using a light in absolute darkness was suicide—it made him a moving target. But he had no choice!

A frantic skirmish moments ago had broken his night-vision goggles. Without this light, he was completely blind, unable to take a single step. He would have died even faster.

"Dammit! Goddammit! Just die already!"

Backed into a corner, Nicholas Jensen skidded to a halt, a vicious glint in his eyes.

He spun around to face the onrushing tide of rats and swept his hand through the air.

The [Space] beside him rippled. The next moment, more than a dozen assorted firearms—

—from submachine guns to assault rifles—

—materialized from his precious spatial item. They floated in mid-air on either side of him as if alive, their dark muzzles aimed squarely at the charging swarm of rats!

"Hmph. You filthy rats, did you really think I only know how to run?"

Nicholas Jensen’s face twisted into a grimace that was a mixture of lingering fear, rage, and the savage satisfaction of finally fighting back. "I was just looking for a place open enough for me to give you a proper burial!"

The next second, he gave the mental command.

DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA—!!!

The deafening roar of gunfire shattered the eternal silence. Muzzle flashes spewed furiously into the darkness, creating a dense web of crossfire.

A storm of metal poured mercilessly into the rat swarm.

The [Night Rats] may have undergone horrific mutations, but they were still flesh and blood.

Bullets tore through their hardened hides, pierced muscle, and shattered bone.

The first few rats at the front of the charge were instantly riddled with holes, collapsing with shrieks of pain. The momentum of the swarm behind them faltered.

Nicholas Jensen focused, precisely controlling the floating firearms. He alternated between single shots and sweeping bursts of fire, putting his [Metal Control] [Ability] to full use.

’Looks like this [Metal Control] [Skill] I nearly died to get in the last instance really is the perfect fit for me!’ he thought, a thrill of triumph surging through him as he watched the swarm get whittled down in the hailstorm of bullets.

Before long, the last standing rat was taken down with a precise headshot, and it collapsed, convulsing.

The acrid stench of blood and cordite filled the air.

Nicholas panted, surveying the carnage of rat corpses. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a smile of a survivor touching his lips. ’No matter how bad my luck gets, I can still...’

But before he could even finish the triumphant thought—

WHOOSH—!

An incredibly sharp sound of something slicing through the air came from directly overhead, without the slightest warning!

The sound was unlike any known bird; it was more like the sonic boom from the violent flapping of enormous, leathery wings!