Chapter 32

“I’m… dying…”

Annoyingly persistent.

My plan to shake him off and set a trap went awry from the start.

How does that big guy even follow me through narrow spaces?

Sure, he has the physical strength to smash through everything, but it’s still an irritating miscalculation on my part.

Every small mistake threatens my life.

I duck.

At the same time, a terrifying shockwave brushes past my head.

The shockwave soon turns into a deafening explosion, blocking my path.

Damn scary!

Did he just throw a boulder the size of a person?

Feeling my hair stand on end, I changed direction.

Toward a small, narrow, abandoned ruin where no one lives.

Fortunately, the Swamp Area has plenty of such zones.

After all, this is still a place where people live, so they naturally gather toward the center.

At least the basic infrastructure is intact.

So, moving toward the ruins was also to minimize potential civilian casualties.

If it were Quaker, they’d probably charge straight into the center if it meant creating an advantageous situation, regardless of civilians…

But honestly, my conscience wouldn’t allow that.

What did the civilians do wrong?

This is between me and this guy. We should settle it ourselves.

…And so, I entered the deserted ruins.

Luckily, he followed me into the ruins.

Now it’s time to torment him.

I took a deep breath, kicked off the wall, and leaped upward.

Like a video game character, I bounced off both walls in succession.

In reality, it’s a trick using Gravity and Repulsion.

Well, that’s not important right now.

I landed on the rooftop and looked down at him.

“Wow, even from the fifth floor, he looks huge.”

How was that even hidden in a human body?

I clicked my tongue as I watched him roar up at me.

How long do I have to hold out?

He can’t maintain that state forever.

Body transformations use calories and nutrients as fuel—the more extreme the change, the more energy it consumes.

Of course, you can push it to last longer.

The problem is, that means sacrificing your internal organs.

If he keeps rampaging like this… his organs will start failing within 10 minutes.

Then, naturally, it’ll be my victory.

“Good call bringing him to the ruins.”

The building shakes.

He’s grinding through the walls, climbing up to the rooftop.

“Did I push him too far?”

His ferocity makes me reflexively regret my actions.

I sighed as he grabbed onto—

No matter how strong he is, he can’t climb without something to hold onto.

And… fitting the name “ruins,” most of the buildings here are unstable.

A normal adult male like me might be fine, but a guy the size of two gorillas smashing through the buildings? They won’t hold.

Like the cracks on the rooftop.

So—maybe I should kick the ladder out.

I lifted my foot and stomped the ground a couple of times.

With maximum Repulsion.

Normally, this wouldn’t collapse a building, but—

What’s the situation now?

The rooftop is already cracked from overuse.

In this state, adding more shock…

“Crush under the building, you snake bastard.”

The building, which had survived for years in the Swamp Area, began to tilt.

And that was a fatal problem for Salmusa.

The building was falling in the direction he was clinging to.

Falling from tens of meters high is bad enough, but being crushed by a building? Even a monster like him wouldn’t walk away unscathed.

…I should get out of here too.

Like a hardboiled movie protagonist, I ran across the rooftop and leaped toward the next building.

The distance was short.

I filled the gap with my ability.

Using Gravity, I clung to the wall and quickly climbed up to the rooftop.

The building shook as if a small earthquake had hit, and I almost fell, but luckily, I made it to the rooftop safely.

…I can’t see what’s happening below because of the dust.

The concrete building, possibly over a hundred years old, crushed someone as it collapsed, and the dust it released covered the area.

I leaned on the railing, waiting for the dust to settle.

Please let this be the end.

I’ve already caused enough trouble.

Even if it’s a deserted area, causing this much commotion will make cleanup a hassle.

I desperately looked down at the ruins as the dust slowly settled.

Then, a scream reached my ears.

“Persistent to the end, huh?”

Even an elephant would’ve died by now, you damn bastard.

I sighed and started tearing off the rusty railing with my ability. I didn’t have a proper weapon.

Even if it’s rusty, it’s good enough to stab someone.

After turning the railing into a short spear, I jumped off the rooftop.

For a normal person, it’d be suicide, but I’m a User.

Falling toward the ground, I used Gravity to stick to the wall and slid down vertically, landing safely.

“Hmm.”

Now that I’m down, it’s hard to gauge the exact location.

He must be buried somewhere under that pile of rubble.

Following the screams, I climbed onto the rubble.

“!)*(@#&!#(*!”

But standing on the rubble gives me a rough idea.

Over there.

I walked toward the sound and saw an arm sticking out.

“…Still moving, huh?”

The arm was in terrible shape. The bones around it were all broken, and the fingers were swollen.

And the arm itself was red, probably from bearing an insane amount of weight.

“…Relentless, absolutely relentless.”

I stabbed the rusty spear into a gap.

And—

I pushed it in with Repulsion.

The intense vibration in my hand and the sound of flesh tearing.

“!*@&!(*$#&(!!”

I could feel the spear piercing his body.

“One won’t be enough…”

One.

Another.

After stabbing six spears into him, I sat on a nearby rock to catch my breath.

His screams were getting weaker, so it was only a matter of time before the last spark went out.

“Sigh. What about the shop repairs?”

Honestly, it would’ve been better to just beat him half to death and extort money.

But with my current skills, I can’t subdue him yet. I really need to train once life stabilizes.

And… if possible, get a communication device and prepare to ask Mina for help.

As for Seolhwa… honestly, I just want her to grow up normally.

Her ability is too abnormal.

I’d rather she live as a powerless person. You don’t need that kind of thing to live in this world.

So…

Damn.

I felt the ground shake and immediately used Repulsion to bounce away.

Just in time, as bones pierced through where I was sitting. Then, he finally pushed through the concrete pile and stood up.

“Kill… you…”

“Wouldn’t it be polite to just die at this point?”

His body started shrinking.

Guess he lost the strength to maintain that size.

Soon, he returned to a form similar to what I first saw, kneeling and glaring at me.

“Damn… bastard…”

“How does it feel to get beaten by that damn bastard?”

“Ha…”

Too stunned to speak, huh?

I crouched down, keeping a slight distance.

He can’t harm me anymore like this.

“Futile… isn’t it…”

“That’s life for you.”

“Just… one thing… tell me…”

“What is it?”

What could he possibly ask me?

I looked at him curiously as he gasped and asked me a question.

“How… do you know… my past?”

“Actually, this is a novel, and you’re a character.”

A pure, white truth.

But he glared at me with eyes full of rage.

“…Lying… till the end…”

“Believe it or not.”

I didn’t lie. Whether you accept it or not is up to you.

“Ha…”

His head slumped forward, and his body collapsed.

Phew.

Is it finally over?

“…I should go home and sleep.”

I need to tell Seolhwa and Mina to stay at a hotel for a while.

It’ll cost me, but judging by the state of things, repairs are needed.

My wallet’s going to get thin again.

I sighed, pulled the spears out of his corpse, grabbed him by the neck, and left the ruins.