Science/Magic

1Looking at the creature's body, Bloed let out a deep breath and sheathed his saber.     

"Good work, Aya."     

"… No, you did most of the work."     

"But it could have escaped without your help."     

Aya blushed slightly and did not deny Bloed's words.     

After all, Bloed's words were true. Against this creature, most of his long-range means of attack were useless.     

The creature could absorb energy, so he could not use his guns, and [King's Aura], which used psychic energy as the base, was useless as well.     

His only option was to use [Imaginary Slash], but he had already split his mind twice today, so he could only use [Imaginary Slash] or [Door of Nothingness] once more before his calculation zone recovered.     

To be honest, he was already feeling a bit tired.     

"Fortunately, the plan worked." Bloed let out a tired sigh.     

Aya nodded.     

Bloed and Aya's plan was very simple. They just needed to fall asleep and bait the creature into attacking them.     

Of course, they were not sure if the creature would fall into the trap. Hence, they acted as realistically as it was possible.     

In truth, Aya was truly asleep. She only woke up after Bloed moved and the creature screamed in pain.     

Looking at the creature's dead body, Bloed heaved another sigh.     

"Let's go. We need to leave this place. The smell of blood could attract other creatures."     

Aya nodded.     

But right then, the pair's expressions changed.     

Just now, the pair detected the sound of footsteps coming from the front.     

Moreover, the footsteps were uneven, as though they belonged to more than one creature.     

"Aya, how many?"     

"… I'm not sure. It sounds like four. However, their footsteps…"     

Aya wrinkled her brows before looking in the direction of the sound with a dubious expression.     

"… They seem the footsteps of people."     

Bloed was startled.     

But in the next second, he saw a small ball of light floating in the air.     

And behind it, Bloed saw a familiar girl followed by three people that Bloed did not know, included an injured girl.     

Just like Bloed, the girl was surprised when she saw Bloed and Aya.     

Then, she smiled with a slightly mischievous and tired expression.     

"We meet again, Bloed."     

She was Isabella Castor. The second strongest student in Academy City.     

…     

Fifteen minutes later, the two groups left the place where Bloed killed the creature and sat down while recounting their experiences to each other.     

According to Isabella, they followed one of the creatures until the tunnels just like Bloed's group. And just like Bloed and Aya, the tunnel collapsed just after they entered it, trapping Isabella and three of her club members inside.     

Fortunately, Isabella was very knowledgeable about magic circles, so she quickly realized the reason behind the collapse of the tunnels and used her own means to deactivate the magic circles, avoiding a tragedy.     

Even so, their troubles just started. After Isabella found out the reason behind the tunnel collapse, she and her club members started to search for another exit. That was when they met the creatures inhabiting the tunnels.     

Unlike Bloed and Aya, who just met one creature, Isabella's group met two. Moreover, they did not know about the creatures' ability to absorb mana, so they were caught off-guard.     

One of Isabella's club members was gravely injured after a creature absorbed her entire mana pool and bit her shoulder, and the other two received several minor injuries.     

Fortunately, Isabella's quick wits helped her to realize the trait of the creatures and formulate a way to kill them. Otherwise, the four of them would have been buried in the underground tunnels.     

"I know a bit about healing magic, so I managed to stabilize her condition. However, she needs urgent treatment or she is going to die." Isabella said while looking at the injured girl.     

Bloed nodded. He could see that the girl was pale due to blood loss, moreover, she was moaning in pain and sweating profusely.     

When Bloed used a hand to touch her forehead, he discovered that she was burning hot in fever.     

"At this rate, she will not survive if she does not receive attention soon."     

Isabella but her lips. She knew that Bloed's words were true, but she did not have a way to help her.     

Just like she told Bloed, she only knew a bit about healing magic. She could only close her wound to stop the bleeding.     

However, she did not have any way to stop the infection or help with her blood loss. Plus, the girl was completely bereft of mana after the creature absorbed all of it, so her body was very weak, making the situation even worse.     

Bloed thought for a moment before nodding.     

"Let me help her."     

He then took two syringes out of his storage device and injected them into the girl's arms.     

"Hey! What are you doing!?" One of Isabella's club members asked with an agitated expression, but Isabella stopped him with a gaze before looking at Bloed curiously.     

"These are... Some kind of potion? Will it help her?"     

Bloed nodded. "It should. What I injected into her is used to treat injured on the battlefield. It can diminish her pain, reinforce her antibodies, and replenish her blood loss. You should start seeing the effects in a few minutes."     

"Antibodies? What is that?" Isabella asked with a confused expression.     

Bloed was already used to it, so he just put on a wry smile and did not reply, making Isabella pout.     

Fortunately, she soon realized that Bloed's words were true.     

Not even two minutes later, the breathing of the girl turned smoother, her temperature decreased, and her cheeks turned slightly rosier.     

The improvement was so fast that Isabella and her other two club members were astonished.     

"… Really, you are full of surprises, huh."     

Bloed shrugged without answering.     

However, Isabella's eyes were filled with more curiosity when she saw that.     

So much that she could not suppress it.     

After all, Bloed was already very strong for his age. Moreover, he was also an expert in golem-making.     

She also knew that he was very knowledgeable about magic circles. After all, he managed to detect the function of the magic circles on the walls and knew how to deactivated them.     

And now, he took out two strange potions that healed her club member in an instant.     

Isabella had the feeling that Bloed was surrounded by mystery, and being a mage, she could not help but want to reveal every one of the things that he was hiding.     

"… Hey, Bloed, Will you consider coming to my club again? I can make you the sub-leader if you want, how about it?"     

The words of Isabella surprised not only Bloed but also the two club members behind her.     

But before Bloed or they could say anything, Aya grabbed Bloed's hand and looked at Isabella warily.     

"… No."     

Isabella was stunned, but then, she put on an amused smile and giggled.     

"Don't worry, miss cat. I'm not planning to steal your man."     

Aya said nothing, but the suspicious and wary glare that she was directing towards Isabella showed her opinion.     

Obviously, she did not believe Isabella's words.     

Isabella could only smile wryly.     

Bloed did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Shaking his head, he pulled Aya back before refusing Isabella politely.     

"I'm sorry, but I'm not planning to leave my club."     

"Really? It's a shame." Isabella sighed softly and shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try. What should we do now? Should we continue searching for another exit?"     

Bloed hesitated for a moment and thought about telling them about Regina's possible rescue, but just at that moment, Aya's cat ears twitched again.     

Startled, she looked towards the depths of the tunnels and pulled Bloed's hand nervously.     

"… Bloed, something is approaching us."     

"A creature?" Bloed asked.     

Aya furrowed her brows and shook her head hesitantly.     

"… It's more than one of them."