It was strange.
So strange, the way that creature elicited such a profound, gut-wrenching fear within me.
"What the hell is that?" I asked, brows furrowing in disbelief.
It had eyes.
Yes.
Eyes.
It was dark.
Black, in fact.
Like a silhouette wihout a true form.
Multiple eyes.
But its hands… no, its fingers.
Claws.
Extremely long and sharp claws that stretched out with sinister grace.
I couldn't discern a mouth; only complete and utter darkness where a face should be.
The forest, already teetering between dim and total blackness, didn't help one bit.
Yet, somehow, I was able to see with startling clarity.
Perhaps this is what it feels like to be trapped in a dream.
Things that shouldn't be possible unfolding as if perfectly ordinary.
Hah.
Why am I even going through all this?
Sometimes, being stupid and reckless, failing to account for future consequences, unforeseen variables, and ever-shifting circumstances, actually comes in handy.
Nah.
Who am I kidding?
That only works for naive protagonists blessed with plot armor thick enough to deflect even the most improbable disasters.
I can't afford to be reckless, not when the person I'm actually trying to bring down operates on an entirely different level.
It's never been easy to defeat someone who's perpetually lucky.
Even back on Earth, I saw it with my own eyes: people who sailed through life without ever lifting a finger, people who thrived without ever experiencing the world's cruelties. Not even once.
I saw many like that.
Even back in the orphanage.
"MOVE!"
Boom!
Crap.
I got lost in my own thoughts.
But how the hell did he do that?
I looked.
Somehow, the creature that was so damn far away was now standing exactly where I'd been moments before.
Its claws were extended, ready to rend.
Damn.
I would have died if I hadn't been yanked out of the way at the last possible second.
"I don't like deadweight. I just hope I'm not overestimating you."
I glanced back.
His hand was on my back.
Teleportation.
I see.
Is that why he's so confident?
That's why he doesn't care what ability I have.
But according to what I know, teleportation was never one of his skills.
Come to think of it...
Something is wrong with my knowledge of this world.
This guy…
Jason is supposed to kill him in the future.
Yet, three years from now, he supposedly appears in Arcane City.
Hmm.
Am I missing something?
"Don't look at it," he said, as I was about to turn back.
"Why?"
"I hate slowpokes."
"You hate everything, don't you?" I retorted, slapping his hand off my back.
It's time I reversed my mana veins.
Sigh.
I've been procrastinating because I hate the pain that comes with it, but I don't have a choice.
I can only feel safe once I regain that power.
"Stop."
"What?"
"Stop what you're about to do."
"Why?" I frowned.
Hm.
This guy…
How does he keep reading my mana?
I'm running on impossibly low flow right now.
How the fuck does he still read me?
"It moved," he said.
I looked at him.
Damn.
The usual amusement had vanished from his eyes, replaced by cold calculation.
He's seriously analyzing it.
"You said I shouldn't look at it. How are you tracking its movement?" I asked, taking steady breaths.
I don't know what to do at this point.
I can't revert to my powered mode; this creature could do something I don't anticipate before I even complete the process.
And I am utterly powerless without reverting my mana flow.
Like, literally powerless.
"It seems to read thoughts focused on it," he said, ignoring my question.
Okay.
How the hell is he analyzing the creature so quickly?
"That's not possible," I said.
"You seem to forget, this is a world made of everything but reality."
Tsk.
I hate this fucking situation.
That only means the creatures can be ridiculously overpowered, and we can't do shit about it.
"How did you confirm it reads thoughts?"
"A hypothesis. But you just helped confirm it."
The voice sounded distant.
Wait.
I frowned.
Fuck.
BOOM!
"Fucking bastard, so you used me to test out your theory," I spat, tasting blood.
Damn it.
Somehow, his words influenced me into thinking directly about the creature. Thankfully, at the last second, I managed to manifest an explosive potion and hurl it forward.
But yeah, it only helped to mitigate the impact of the creature's attack.
Bastard actually abandoned me.
"This isn't good… It's evolving… Its reaction speed increased by 0.6 milliseconds based on its previous reaction speed," I heard, looking up to spot the fucker squatting in a tree.
"It's marked us both," he said. "But perhaps if I teleport a distance…" He droned on, but I just shook my head and focused on my own predicament.
Why did I even let him have so much control for so long? If I keep letting him have his way, I might die before I know it. Fine.
It seems I have to take back the reins of this game.
"Hey, Leon," I said.
"Don't interrupt my thoughts," he said seriously.
"I think it moves that fast by time drag," I said, then grinned slightly.
"…..What….? But that can't… wait, NO!" He realized what I had just done.
Too bad you realized it too late.
Have a taste of your own medicine.
In an instant, all I saw was a shadow materialize just before him, its claw swinging.
But…
He warped.
Well.
So did it.
Thing is, I planted an unexpected variable in his train of thought. And given how ridiculous, yet plausible, the thought was – not to mention terrifying if true – he considered it. No, more like he began thinking about the creature more deeply, lessening his guard for a split second, thereby thinking 'directly' about it.
He truly is right about it attacking targets who think directly about it.
"Can't waste this moment." I closed my eyes.
I have to transform fast.
"ARGH!" I clutched my chest and collapsed as I twisted, reversing the flow of mana in the first vein.
Fuck.
[DING!]
Huh?
I opened my eyes, still in pain.
[Keyword detected according to timestream alignment.]
[Time drag.]
[Timeline in accordance.]
'System?'
[All conditions met.]
'No, this is not the system.'
[User is outside the influence of the goddess of life. User has now unlocked one of the four Hidden Laws of the 'God's Bane.']
[The one who altered time.]
[Ding!]
[Current Available abilities under the first Law.]
[Time Drag.]
"What?"