Mana Strike

"——'Mana Strike: Pierce'!!"

Within the flash of light, I thrust out the glowing rebar.

JUUUU!!!

The sound was different.

Not an impact.

An explosive sublimation sound, like a heat source of several thousand degrees instantly vaporizing a block of ice.

The tip of the rebar touched the orc's steel-like hide.

The thick fat and muscle that normally would have deflected it were instantly gasified by the super-heated mana, clearing a path.

No resistance.

It felt like plunging my hand into water.

ZUDOOOOON!!

The lance of light pierced through the center of the orc's chest——and burst out through its back.

A circular scorch mark was burned into the wall behind it.

Bu, mo…?

The world stopped.

The orc's movement froze completely.

The iron post that should have been swinging down with full force had stopped mid-air, just centimeters from my shoulder.

Only the wind pressure sliced through my hood and rustled my hair.

The orc's murky eyes slowly looked down at its own chest.

There was a perfectly clean hole about five centimeters in diameter, clean enough to see through to the other side.

The wound had been instantly carbonized by the extreme heat, not a single drop of blood spilling.

I had vaporized everything: heart, entire chest cavity, all of it.

Pakiiin…

The next moment, a clear sound broke the silence.

The rebar in my hand, its purpose fulfilled, had shattered.

Unable to withstand the torrent of mana that exceeded its limits, it crumbled into sand-like iron powder and trickled away.

All that remained was the grip tape portion I'd been holding.

"… Good work."

I tossed aside the shortened grip.

Just a piece of construction material bought at a hardware store for a few hundred yen.

A crude iron rod I'd sharpened on the riverbank late at night.

But in its final moment, it had shown a brilliance that rivaled any legendary holy sword.

Zuzuzu…

The orc's massive body swayed.

A body stripped of its vital core was nothing more than dead weight.

Its knees buckled, and it pitched forward.

I sidestepped on unsteady legs to avoid it.

ZUSHIIIIIIN…!!

The orc's enormous frame crashed into the marble floor, sending tremors through the building.

Not a single twitch.

Complete silence.

Stillness returned to the entrance hall.

The students watching from the second and third floor galleries seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

An overwhelming, vivid conclusion.

Their minds couldn't yet process whether the scene before them was real or a hallucination.

The destroyed school building. The massive corpse lying there. And the small figure standing beside it.

After a few seconds.

"… D-did he win…?"

"Amazing… did he actually beat it…?"

Someone's trembling murmur spread like ripples.

And the moment it transformed into certainty.

"UOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"He did it! He actually did it!"

"We won! We're saved!"

Explosive cheers shook the building.

Applause, whistles, stomping feet.

Relief from being freed from terror, and excitement at witnessing the birth of a hero, poured down in a torrent.

Girls sobbing with relief, boys pounding the railings and shouting.

It was like the fervor of a stadium after a miraculous come-from-behind victory in a championship game.

I stood at the center of that enthusiasm and pulled my torn hood deeper over my face.

I wouldn't show my face.

I had no intention of announcing myself.

(This is rough.)

Under my hoodie, my body was screaming.

The lethargy from extreme mana depletion clung to my limbs like lead.

I shoved both hands into my pockets so no one would notice my fingers trembling faintly.

Staying on my feet was the best I could manage. If even a single goblin had remained now, I would have been devoured without being able to lift a finger.

But I'd won the gamble.

I looked down at the orc's fallen corpse.

I hadn't won.

This was a paper-thin victory grasped through meticulous preparation, knowledge from my past life, and the sacrifice of my partner.

Praise was still pouring down from above the hall.

'Who is that!?'

'Amazing! Look over here!'

'Thank you!'

They didn't know.

That I hadn't fought to protect them.

I'd only acted to protect my own survival zone and, if possible, collect resources.

Hero? Savior?

Arbitrary labels. I was nothing that noble.

(Well then.)

I let out a deep breath and switched mental gears.

No time to be sentimental.

This was the middle of a dungeonified school building. There was no telling when another "hole" might open, or when the outside SDF would storm in.

It was time to claim my "reward."

And I needed to leave before I got stuck with any annoying questioning.

I crouched down beside the corpse, acting as if I couldn't even hear the cheers raining down from above.

That was the end of my hero act.

From here on, it was time to be a greedy adventurer.