35. A: The Worm-Needle parasite and The Inedible Crystal

With a swift and precise attack, I...

Sssshhhh.

“.….!!!”

Splash.

Succeeded in decapitating the giant, distracted lizard, and so...

“hup.”

And so, I jumped back from atop it as I avoid the torrent of dirty brown blood splashing around, when...

-Conditions have been met

Skill: Agility Lv4 has become Lv5-

Finally...

-Conditions have been met.

Skill: Acceleration Lv1 has been acquired.-

When finally, the first step is done.

Thinking so, and landing on ground, I look ahead of me, at the lizard’s corpse as it slowly loses its power, before then...

Thud.

Before then, falling to ground motionlessly next to its pool of dirty brown blood.

Then looking at that, and feeling confused at how I didn’t level up, I...

“Haaaa....”

I sigh. Before then, calmly touching my neck, and feeling those cold arms of death embracing it, as the whispers resume...

The whispers, warnings, and murmurs telling me to run, to prepare, and to get ready...

“Before ‘it’ start.”

Saying so, and almost getting lost in my own thoughts, I am suddenly interrupted when...

“Chaaaaa.....”           “Chaaaaa.....”

“Chaaaaa.....”           “Chaaaaa.....”

“Chaaaaa.....”           “Chaaaaa.....”

“Chaaaaa.....”

When a series of weird high-pitched shrieks ring from far away corners around me.

“Pfuuu...”

Spit.

But not even getting the chance to feel surprised about them, I...

Fuuusssh.

Pierce through air.

I glance to the side, looking at a weird needle-like object accelerating through air, as it...

Pierce my eye.

“.... or not.”

Saying so, and easily catching the needle a few centimeters away from my left eye, I can’t help but look at it surprised...

And No, that’s not to mean that I had not expected something like this to happen, No.

“I have predicted it actually...”

That the weird flower would do something like this. After all, that flower was clearly...

“a parasite...”

Calmly saying so, I can’t help but look surprised at the weird 4 cm needle between my fingers, as its weird worm-like tentacles flail around. But...

“Really....”

“to think that from such a cute flower...”

“such disgusting thing will appear....”

“whistle~.... just how more crazy will this place be?....”

Jokingly saying so, I suppress a smile, while also looking at the pinkflower instantly withering in its place for a moment, before then...

Throwing the needle aside and looking to ground as I...

Inhale. Exhale.

As I take a deep breath.

Inhale. Exhale.

After all, I don’t have a lot of time...

Inhale. Exhale.

So might as well, get this done as fast as I can...

Thinking so, and deciding to follow the whispers in my ears, be them a hallucination of the Oblivion, a warning from my instincts, or simply a thing I am still not clear on, I...

ZzZSsZSssZsh

Raise my head and stand.

ZzZsZsShsSsZS

Straighten my back and stand.

ZzSssZshZSsZ

With all my power, I stand.

And with my eyes clearing, I...

Stand.

As I finally start. And so...

“let’s do this...”

“as fast as we can... let’s do this.”

Saying so, I push my attention to the maximum, as I get both observer and fragmented mind to work, while also looking...

At the streams of black mist around me...

At the intensifying lightning covering my body...

And...

At the black vortex madly swirling around me...

Looking at all of that, with the only expression on my face been...

My excited smile.

.........

And so, where to start from, hmm? Is it from the time in the oblivion? From the moment I first come into contact with Curse? Or is it...

“From the first time I looked at the Obelisk?”

Well, I guess explaining in order would be better, and so.... back to drowning in the Oblivion, I guess...

So at that time at the Oblivion, I was.... drowning.... melting.... and disintegrating...

All, as the oblivion attempted to absorb me, to devour me, and to assimilate me...

Honestly, it was Dangerous.... though, in a way, it was also self-inflicted, but who cares for that... so anyway... I was drowning and melting, and it WAS close, you know?

Well, if not for Observer, that is.

Because, if I didn’t have Observer, its mental resistance, or its senses-enhancement ability, I probably would have failed in seeing through the Oblivion’s true colors, and so...

“I would have probably missed the chance to touch the core of curse...”

Smiling as I say so, I look around me, at the beautiful white glow covering my body, at the intensifying red and blue lightning accompanying it, and...

.... at the black vortex of Curse, devouring the mist around it.....

And then widening my smile at all of that, I also get to move, as I...

Stretch my right hand, and...

ZZzZSHSzzZ.

Lightning sparks sound.

“Hold it.”

Saying so, I gaze at it...

That fascinating Orb of Light, with all its colors gently swirling inside of it...

As if attempting to contrast the Demonic Vortex outside of it...

And Holding it like that, I really can’t help but excitedly smile. After all, it’s just so...

-Spiritual Nucleus (Tainted): A Crystallized Core of Tainted Spiritual Energy, isolated from Curse. It’s made of Tainted Fragments of different origins, as such it lacks stability and purity. It’s not edible, but that’s not a problem.-

”it’s just so tempting...”

“That I really....”

Lick lips.

“Want to eat it...”

Saying so, and feeling the obsessive glint my eyes shine with, I...

Smile again, before then...

Suppressing all the random thoughts and emotions in my mind, as I look up from the Orb’s light and into the Curse around me, before then glancing at that thing in front of me...

Hmm? Oh, you are asking, what thing is it this time?

Sorry, sorry, but it’s nothing special this time, okay?.... ‘Cause it’s just your plain, old...

Vicious smile.

“Headless Carcass of a Demonic Beast.”