The Wizard Has A Biochip

— Biochip, lock your aim onto that shark’s face.

[Beep!]

A glowing dot appeared in the center of its forehead.

The beast froze.

The muscles throughout its body stiffened.

Its tail began swaying slowly as its eyes scanned my armor.

It understood.

The strange steel creature standing before it was far more dangerous than it had first appeared.

Without letting out another roar, it abruptly turned its body.

It tried to flee.

But...

It was already too late.

My finger pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The launcher’s internal mechanism sprang into action.

The runes engraved around the barrel flared brilliantly.

An explosive fire crystal was propelled forward.

The projectile crossed the distance like a crimson bolt of lightning.

The impact came almost instantly.

BOOOOOOM!!

The explosion completely engulfed the shark’s head.

Fragments of bone, teeth, and blood were blasted in every direction.

A crimson rain splattered across the rocks near the waterfall.

The creature’s body remained standing for a single second.

Then...

It collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The only sound left was the rushing water of the waterfall.

I walked over to the carcass.

Its head had simply ceased to exist.

All that remained was a charred mass mixed with shattered bone fragments.

I crouched beside the corpse.

I watched the muscle fibers still twitching involuntarily.

Its scaly hide possessed astonishing durability.

Even so...

My weapon had torn through all of it without the slightest difficulty.

I frowned.

My first reaction was to assume the shark had simply been weak.

But the longer I observed its body...

The more I realized that conclusion was wrong.

The problem wasn’t the monster.

It was my weapon.

It was simply far too powerful for a creature of that level.

For a moment, I considered cutting off a few pieces of meat for a barbecue, but I quickly gave up on the idea.

Instead, I turned my attention back to the real reason I was there.

I approached the boulder that had been partially melted by the acid.

Growing between its small cracks was a delicate plant.

The Luminous Herb.

I carefully removed a small harvesting knife attached to my armor’s belt.

I cut only the secondary root, leaving the rest of the plant intact.

It was a basic rule for any gatherer.

If you uprooted the whole thing...

There would never be another herb growing there.

The first ingredient had been collected.

The next several hours passed without any major difficulties.

Thanks to the Biochip’s scanning field, I quickly located the remaining mission ingredients.

Along the way, I had to eliminate a few lesser creatures.

A spiny lizard that tried to ambush me from behind a tree.

A colony of venomous insects drawn to the glow of my armor’s crystal.

And a giant moss rat.

None of them posed any real threat.

I returned to the Tower.

I passed through the main entrance.

The runic statues remained motionless after recognizing my password.

A few minutes later, I was once again standing before the specter in charge of the missions.

I placed all the gathered ingredients on the counter.

The ghostly being silently examined each one.

After a few seconds, it nodded.

— Mission complete.

A small pouch appeared, floating before me.

Five magic crystals.

I took the reward without saying a word.

I stored the crystals in my armor’s inner pocket and walked back to the mission board.

This time, my eyes searched for something more interesting.

That was when a black scroll immediately caught my attention.

Its edges were sealed with red wax, indicating an exceptionally high level of danger.

I carefully removed it.

The magical letters lit up.

[Mission]

[Investigate the source of an anomaly in the Eastern Forest.]

[Classification: Dangerous.]

[Reward: 50 Magic Crystals.]

[Recommended Level: Acolyte II or above.]

[Description: Numerous magical beasts have abandoned their usual territories and migrated toward the same region of the forest. An acolyte named Tomelur disappeared during a reconnaissance mission. Investigate the source of the disturbance and confirm his whereabouts. If you find survivors, provide assistance. If only traces remain, report them to the Tower.]

I read everything slowly.

Fifty crystals.

It wasn’t a fortune.

But at last, it seemed like a mission worth taking.

I brought the scroll to the specter.

It registered my identification and handed me a small enchanted map.

The lines drawn across the parchment glowed faintly.

A pulsing red dot marked the destination.

I stored it away.

A few minutes later...

I was once again passing through the Tower’s gates.

VROOOOM...

The engine mounted in my chest vibrated steadily as I walked.

I followed the direction indicated by the map exactly.

As I advanced...

The forest began to change.

The trees grew larger.

Their trunks became thicker.

Very little sunlight managed to penetrate the canopy.

The air felt heavier.

More humid.

Much quieter.

Perched upon countless branches were enormous carrion eagles.

They made no sound.

They merely watched me.

Their yellow eyes tracked every one of my movements.

I knew that species.

They rarely attacked living creatures.

They preferred to wait.

Patiently.

Until someone died.

I swallowed hard.

An ordinary acolyte would probably be trembling in a place like this.

But...

It was difficult to feel fear while carrying this much firepower.

— Biochip.

—Something’s wrong.

—Can you identify the cause?

[Beep.]

[Analyzing atmosphere...]

[Analyzing airborne particles...]

[Analyzing volatile organic compounds...]

A few more seconds passed.

Then...

[Beep!]

[Biological particles detected.]

[Molecules characteristic of blood have been identified suspended in the atmosphere.]

[Predominant composition:]

[Water (H₂O)]

[Iron-rich hemoglobin]

[Plasma albumin]

[Elevated traces of globular proteins]

[Nitrogen-based compounds]

.

.

[Source of concentration: Unknown biological scent.]

[Direction: Southeast.]

[Estimated distance: 517 meters.]

.

.

.

.

.

My heart began to race.

There was enough blood in that area for microscopic particles to remain suspended in the air.

That could only happen...

After an absolutely massive bloodbath.

I wasn’t intimidated.

I continued moving forward.

.

.

.

.

Hidden among the trees, I remained perfectly still.

Not even my breathing seemed to exist.

The visor of my armor shielded my eyes as I carefully observed the massacre unfolding several meters ahead.

The so-called Garden of Demon Babies...

The name sounded almost childish.

The reality, however, was a nightmare.

The map I had received described the place as a normally quiet area where only occasional demonic manifestations could be found.

But this...

This had become a true battlefield.

The shrill cries of the Demon Babies mingled with the moans of the wandering souls drifting among the trees.

The ghostly creatures floated slowly across the battlefield, passing through trunks and rocks as though matter itself meant nothing to them.

Each emitted quiet laments.

Some wept.

Others simply repeated disconnected phrases.

Beyond them, human voices echoed amid the chaos.

— Push them back!

— Don’t let the line break!

— Archers! Fire!

— Damn it! They’re coming from the left!

This was where the blood trail detected by the Biochip had originated.

I continued advancing slowly, using the tall bushes as cover.

I moved closer until I found a small rise covered with exposed roots.

From there, I could observe the entire battlefield.

I immediately understood the situation.

There were two sides.

The attackers were the demonic creatures.

The defenders...

A group of mercenaries.

They weren’t acolytes.

Nor were they mages.

They were knights.

Men accustomed to surviving through physical strength and Vital Energy.

At least eight of them were still alive.

Their formation was disciplined.

Large steel shields formed a defensive wall.

Behind it, archers continuously fired arrows.

The men wore reinforced pauldrons, metal bracers, and broad swords.

Their equipment reflected years of experience.

But the enemies before them...

Were anything but ordinary.

The Demon Babies.

They had no legs.

Their tiny bodies dragged themselves across the ground using only two unnaturally long arms.

Their black claws scraped the earth like blades.

Trailing behind them was a long organ resembling an umbilical cord, leaving a sticky trail across the ground.

Despite their monstrous appearance...

They still resembled human infants.

That was precisely what made them so disturbing.

They had oversized heads.

Huge eyes.

But their faces...

Looked like those of aged corpses.

Their skin was wrinkled.

Their lips were split.

Their noses were crushed flat.

Some had human teeth.

Others displayed nothing but rows of crooked fangs.

As they crawled through the bushes, they murmured in childish voices.

— Blood...

— I need blood...

— I hate living beings...

— Existing hurts...

Whenever one of those baby-like cries echoed...

The entire formation trembled.

Despite their small size, those monsters were absurdly strong.

One of them leaped at a shield.

”BANG~~!”

The impact forced the knight back two steps.

Deep gouges appeared in the metal.

Another immediately lunged forward.

Its claws struck the shield again.

”SCRAAAASH!”

Sparks flew.

The steel was ripped apart as though it had been struck by an axe.

Even so, the mercenaries held their formation.

— Push!

— Don’t let them through!

One of the archers seized an opening.

”TWANG!”

The arrow sliced through the air.

”THUK!”

It pierced straight through a Demon Baby’s chest.

The creature was pinned to the ground.

For a moment, I thought it was dead.

Then...

It began to laugh.

— Hehehehe...

Its tiny hands frantically clawed at the earth as it struggled to pull out the arrow.

Failing to do so...

It slowly lifted its head.

Looked directly at one of the mercenaries.

And cried.

— SNIIIIIIFFFFFF!!

It wasn’t merely a sound.

The wave carried magical energy.

[”Alert.”]

[”Magical energy fluctuation detected.”]

[”Spell identified: Mental Hypnosis.”]

The affected mercenary froze.

His eyes completely lost focus.

Then...

He began to smile.

— Haha...

— They want to play with me...

Bloody tears slowly streamed down his face.

[”Nervous system affected.”]

[”Cognitive functions impaired.”]

Before any of his companions could help him...

Two more Demon Babies emerged from the undergrowth.

They smiled.

Then opened their mouths.

— SNIIIIIIFFFFFF!!

— SNIIIIIIFFFFFF!!

The two spiritual waves struck the man simultaneously.

[”Second curse detected.”]

[”Spell: Spiritual Blindness.”]

The mercenary let out a scream.

He threw his shield away.

Then began rubbing his eyes violently.

— No!!

— I can’t see!!

— I want to play!!

Completely out of his mind, he staggered forward, breaking the defensive formation.

— Idiot! shouted a burly man, who was probably the leader.

— Activate your Vital Energy! Get back here immediately!

But the man no longer heard him.

He laughed.

He cried.

He talked to himself.

— I want to play...

— Let me play...

That was when I noticed something.

The bushes.

They were moving.

Hundreds of tiny leaves swayed at the same time.

Like waves.

My Biochip immediately magnified the image.

[”Multiple movements detected.”]

[”Estimated count: more than forty biological signatures.”]

Forty...

Then a muscular mercenary abandoned his position.

An intense blue aura enveloped his body.

Vital Energy erupted around him.

He gripped a massive battle axe.

— I’ll go get him!

Before he could charge...

The leader grabbed his arm.

Firmly.

— No, Lunit!

— But—

— It’s already too late...

The leader’s voice carried tremendous weight.

He already knew.

They all knew.

The maddened mercenary took only three more steps.

Then...

The bushes exploded.

”BANG!”

”BANG!”

”BANG!”

Dozens of Demon Babies leaped out at once.

They fell upon the man.

— NO!!

— GET OFF ME!!

— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

He vanished beneath that grotesque swarm of tiny bodies.

All I could hear were his screams.

Then...

The sounds of flesh being torn apart.

”CRACK!”

”SLASH!”

”CHOMP!”

The screams grew weaker.

Then stopped altogether.

All that remained was the nauseating sound of the monsters devouring the corpse.

As they chewed...

They laughed.

— Hahahaha...

— Meat...

— Blood...

— The living are delicious...

....

1908 Words