As the tremor grew stronger, the pursuing Hushclaws suddenly halted. Then, they began to retreat.

  “…are they afraid of the mountain collapsing on them?” he asked.

  “No,” Freya replied grimly. “That’s not what happened. We just lucked out.”

  She continued running.

  “What do you mean?” Ren asked.

  “The leader stands on the highest peak while its underlings attack. It stays there because it’s the safest spot. Anything that approaches openly gets turned to salt by the ‘gaze’,” she explained.

  Ren understood how they lucked out. They had chosen a random mountain. And somehow it was the right one. When the slope began to crumble, the leader had ordered the horde to pull back. Because it was on top.

  “I’m sorry. The leader is after me. You were dragged into my mess,” Freya said suddenly.

  Before Ren could question her, he sensed a massive void at the peak. It was over four meters tall. The shape was monstrous even through absence. Lower body like a massive armored horse, thick exoskeleton layered over bulging muscle. Six crab-like arms sprouted from its neck. One was severed at the joint, leaving only a stump.

  The leader of Hushclaws was rushing down the slope at full speed.

  Freya was about to throw Ren off when Ren suddenly shouted, “Don’t throw me! Jump right!”

  She did without hesitation. The leader tore past where they would have been, wind blasting against them from its speed.

  Ren fired a Water Bullet.

  The leader reacted instantly, smashing the projectile aside with one of its crab arms. It had learned. It believed that if water did not touch its head, it could not be suffocated.

  However, Ren had no intention of holding back right now. The Water Bullet burst into droplets upon impact. Several struck the leader Hushclaw’s armored face. Ren immediately formed a new Water Bullet around its head, making it appear as if those droplets had reassembled.

  The Hushclaw leader dashed forward instantly!

  It knew it would die if it didn’t kill Ren!

  “Run!” Ren shouted.

  Freya turned and shot down the opposite side of the mountain like a bullet.

  “Slow down! I can’t choke it if we get too far!” Ren yelled over the wind.

  “It will squash us if we slow—”

  “Jump right!” Ren cut her off sharply.

  She pivoted mid-stride and leapt. A massive claw slammed down where they had been a split second earlier. The salt crunched and a crater formed.

  Freya landed, rolled once, and sprang back up without losing speed. Behind them, the Hushclaw leader followed in fury.

  Ren’s warnings came in quick bursts.

  “Left!”

  She swerved.

  “Duck!”

  She lowered herself so close to the ground that her chin nearly brushed it as another claw swept over them.

  Two things became clear to Ren.

  First, Freya’s physical stats were absurd. He had underestimated this crazy woman. She was likely brushing against the upper limits of pre–first Class Evolution physical capability. Even the Level 10 Hushclaw leader could not overtake her in pure speed and reaction.

  Did she forget she was a Mechanic, and not a Martial Artist?

  Second, the giant decapitated woman was behaving strangely.

  Until now, it had followed a simple loop. Fire Bullet flew up. The gaze followed. The Fire Bullet turned to salt. The gaze tried to look down where the noise was coming from—from Freya and Ren.

  Another Fire Bullet appeared. The gaze shifted back upward.

  But now—

  The gaze was just staring at the sky. It was waiting for a new fire bullet to come. It wasn’t looking down at all, even though Ren and Freya were making too much noise.

  Ren felt a cold wave wash over him. The giant decapitated woman’s patterns could change!

  Ren had to stop shooting Fire Bullets soon or something might happen.

  “Can you kill the leader quickly? We don’t have time to wait for suffocation!” Ren called out.

  “I can, but it’ll make noise!” Freya replied.

  Ren glanced around. They were momentarily shielded by a massive salt pillar.

  “Do it!” he said.

  “Curl in!” Freya ordered suddenly.

  Before he could question it, she threw him aside.

  Ren barely had time to tuck his limbs. He hit the ground, bounced once, and rolled. Pain flared across his back and shoulder, but he forced himself up immediately.

  Freya was already engaging the leader. The saw teeth screamed as her blade tore through invisible exoskeleton.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Ren narrowed his eyes. She couldn’t see the leader Hushclaw. But she knew how it moved, and fought. The leader Hushclaw was attacking her like she was its mortal enemy. It wasn’t even trying to crush Ren despite him still maintaining a Water Bullet around its head. There was definitely some history between those two.

  Ren didn’t have time to dwell on it. The horde of Hushclaws, no longer blocked by their leader’s rampage, rushed toward him. He steadied himself.

  I can only use one spell to fight, he calculated grimly.

  He could use three spells at once. However, he was using Mana Zone and Fire Bullet constantly. That left him with only one Spell to fight.

  He released the charged Water Bullet at the nearest attacker. It shattered the creature’s knee. It fell. The one behind collided with it, and within seconds both were trampled by their own allies. But more came.

  Ren quickly looked around. He was surrounded from all sides. A single spell wouldn’t save him. Ren made a decision. He stopped firing Fire Bullets into the sky for a moment. He created a Water Bullet in one hand and a Fire Bullet in the other, and mashed them together, creating steam and mist. He repeated the motion five times, covering the entire area around him in mist.

  The gaze was still staring upward, waiting for the Fire Bullets. Freya, now fighting in an exposed position, was temporarily safe because the giant’s attention had not yet shifted downward.

  The mist obstructed the view of Hushclaws. They slowed, trying to find Ren. Then—

  A Fire Bullet flared and flew to the sky. The Hushclaws charged toward the launch location of the Fire Bullet. There was a figure beneath the launch location. They crushed the figure, trampling over it, believing it was Ren.

  Instead of Ren, a corpse of Hushclaw appeared on the ground. Though, the Hushclaws couldn't see that due to the mist.

  Another Fire Bullet appeared further away. Again they charged. Again they trampled something unknown.

  Ren, who was hiding in a safe place in the mist far away, kept changing the launch location of Fire bullets. Until now, the Hushclaws had seen Fire Bullets come out from above his head. They believed that was the case even now. But Ren was firing the Fire Bullets from top of high level Hushclaws this time! He was using Mana Zone to launch the Spell from another location!

  The Hushclaws couldn’t see that due to the mist. They kept trampling their comrades!

  I thought the mist wouldn’t work, since the Hushclaws seemed to know where other Hushclaws are even when they are invisible. But it looks like they can see the invisible Hushclaws due to some sort of special eyes. And since it’s an eye ability, a simple mist can block it, Ren thought.

  He kept changing the Fire bullets’ launch location. He was gaining rapid EXP. These deaths were counted to be caused by him.

  The battlefield descended into chaos.

  Just when he was wondering how Freya’s battle was going, a notification appeared in front of him.

  [Level 10 Hushclaw killed.]

  [1045 days lifespan gained.]

  [1000 EXP gained.]

  Ren’s heart leapt.

  ‘She killed the leader!’ He almost smiled. ‘Now we just need to escape—’

  “PREEEE. TTTTYYYYY.”

  Everyone on the battlefield froze when they heard the eerie voice.

  The Hushclaws. Freya. Ren.

  No one moved. A primal fear gripped their hearts.

  “PREEEE. TTTTYYYYY.”

  The voice spoke softly, but everyone could hear it.

  “PREEEEETTTTY. FIREWOOOOORKS.”

  Ren was alarmed. Goosebumps ran over his skin. The voice was coming from the direction of a giant decapitated lady! And the voice was coming closer!

  The Hushclaws frantically burrowed themselves into the salt mountains and salt pillars. They ran with their tail between their legs.

  “PREEEEEEETTY. FIIIIREEWOOOOORKS. SHHOOOOOOW. MOOOOOOOORE.”

  Ren felt nauseous. Somehow, he knew the giant decapitated lady was coming for him. For his Fire Bullets!

  “Ren!” Freya called out to him, unable to see his location inside the mist. “We need to run away! The giant woman is coming!”

  ‘No, that’s impossible,’ Ren tried to reason. ‘She is too big. If she is coming, why can’t we hear her footsteps? Is she flying? Then we should’ve heard the voice of the wind. It’s just—’

  “SSHHOOOOOOOOW. MOOOOOOOOREE. MOOOOOOORE.”

  The voice came again, closer.

  Freya found him and pulled him out of the mist.

  Ren finally snapped out of his stupor.

  “Move!” She dragged him toward a massive salt pillar and shoved him down beside it. He fell onto his back.

  Before he could react, she dropped over him, bracing herself on her knees and elbows, shielding him with her body. Then she pulled out her sword and swung it at the giant salt pillar next to them, trying to collapse it on them, and hide their bodies underneath.

  “PREEEEETTTTY. FIIREEEEEEEWORKS.”

  Ren had already stopped using his Fire Bullets. It made the giant decapitated woman’s voice stop for some seconds, but then, it began again, moving towards them.

  Ren fired Water Bullet, trying to help Freya. They finally succeeded in collapsing the giant salt pillar. It crumbled sideways, with a huge portion falling on top of them.

  Freya grunted, feeling the ginormous weight fall on her back. It would’ve crushed her outright had she not put a huge number of stats into the Constitution.

  “Thank you,” Ren whispered, knowing she had thrown him below her for a reason. His body couldn’t bear the weight of the salt mountain above them.

  “Don’t… mind…. It….” Freya forced out through gritted teeth. Veins popped all over her body and she was trembling like a leaf in a storm.

  Their bodies were only a few inches apart. Salt covered them from all sides. Everything was dark.

  Ren’s Mana Zone did not detect—

  “PREEEEETY. FIIREEEWORKS. WHEEERE.”

  —The voice sounded as if it was only a few steps away from their hiding place.

  Ren and Freya froze, not even daring to breathe. Ren shut down the Mana Zone immediately. There was silence for several seconds. The “gaze” was moving around—Ren and Freya could feel it moving—when suddenly it locked on them. It felt as if the woman was just outside the salt mound. The “gaze” at this distance was far more nauseating.

  Ren wanted to puke. His head was spinning. He could taste salt inside his mouth. He felt as if the insides were turning into salt.

  ‘Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out,’ Ren told himself repeatedly. ‘It can’t see us within the salt mound—’

  “DOOO. YOOOOOU. HAAAAVVEEEEE. PREEEEETY. FIIIIIIREEEWOOOORKS.”

  The voice flowed into Ren’s ears, echoing as though it came from within his head.

  Ren tried to cover his ears. His limbs were becoming white and brittle.

  “SSHHOOOOOOOWW. THHHEEEEEE. FIIIIIREWOOOOORKS. PLEEAAAAAASE.”

  Ren’s ears collapsed, becoming salt.

  “SHOOOOOOWW. MEEEEE. SHOOOOOOW. MEEEEEEE.”

  The voice pounded inside his head.

  He could hear it even without ears.

  Why? Why?! WHY?!!!

  Ren’s eyes turned bloodshot. Salt trickled down from his eyes instead of blood. He couldn’t feel his limbs anymore. He didn’t dare use Mana Zone, fearing he would find them transformed into salt.

  “SHOOOOOW!!!! ME!!!!!”

  The voice’s pitch increased.

  Ren was breathing hard. Breathing?

  With what?

  He didn’t have lungs.

  Why didn’t he? He was a hu—

  What was he?

  “IIIII!! SAAAAID!!! SHOOOW!!! ME!!!!”

  Yes, he was salt!

  Salt was pure! Ren was salt! He did not have arms. He did not have legs.

  He did not have a torso, chest, or head.

  Because he was Salt!

  Pure, white, precious Salt!

  As Salt, his job was to banish evil.

  He needed to expel all that did not belong!

  As Salt, he was the boundary between—

  “Ren!!!”

  Ren sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes snapped open and all he could see was darkness. He tried to breathe, failing horribly. There was no air. He was still below the salt mound, pinned beneath Freya. He could feel his lungs, and legs, and torso. They were not salt. But he was dying from lack of air.

  Freya leaned in again, giving him her air.

  Ren sucked the air like a fish thrown back into water after being held outside.

  “You… blacked…. out….” Freya said, her own supply of air running short. “Sorry… I…. can’t… give… you… more….”

  Ren nodded.

  He could finally think again. It seemed he had fallen unconscious at some point. He could still feel the “gaze”, but there was no other sound.

  He smashed his last two stat points into Constitution, allowing him to continue longer with the tiny amount of air he had.

  Constitution: 8 → 10

  He could feel Freya reaching her limit. She should’ve been able to hold on much longer with her high Constitution stat, but she was currently holding the entire salt mound for herself and Ren, causing her to be exhausted faster.

  Ren knew if he didn’t do anything quickly Freya would die. If she died, she would fall, and he would have to hold the weight of the entire salt mound, which would crush him to death.