I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 149: To Protect Everyone (3)

The fundamental principle of alchemy lies in mixing something to create something new. There were no fixed standards for what could be included in that "something."

It could be a special flower or the organs of a creature. It could be a stone that overflows with magical power or ashes that never stop burning.

What alchemists desired was nothing more than an absurd dream of achieving the most perfect thing in the world. For that goal, mixing humans with other creatures was not a difficult task at all.

Mira had experience seeking knowledge in various ways to increase her skills. Thus, she was able to understand the existence before her with her knowledge.

'Could this be the modified human of alchemy that I've only heard about...?!'

Alchemy, a study that handles magical power in a completely different way from magic. Among alchemy, bioalchemy—the mixing of living creatures—was one of the most taboo fields.

In another world, the holy knights would immediately charge out and turn everything into a mess... Those bastards use the beautiful phrase "for other races" as a shield to threaten the world.

Once again, the villains who threaten the world with that righteous-sounding shield. Mira’s hostility toward the Inter-Species Liberation Army deepened.

“Gehck! If there’s no next, I’ll be the one to go first!”

However, continuing her thoughts in front of the enemy was showing a weakness.

As Mira hesitated, stunned by the phenomenon of absorbing magic, Bruugus, without hesitation, lumbered forward, moving his massive body toward her.

“Damn, Fremen...!” “Too late! Women are food for me!”

Mira’s species was the Mano. They were a race that lived underground due to their sensitivity to sunlight.

Perhaps because of the harsh underground environment they had to adapt to, her physical strength was far superior to that of a regular mage.

However, her strength was nothing compared to Peacekeeper, who had dedicated his life to physical training. If Bruugus, who had crushed Peacekeeper into a pulp, closed the distance, she stood no chance.

“Damn, if it continues like this...! There are still many candidates who haven’t reached the Sky Garden yet...!”

It was truly a life-or-death crisis. No matter how skilled a mage was, it meant nothing if they were struck before they could cast their spell.

Bruugus was a giant with a height over 2 meters, his body like a massive rock. Magic had no effect on him, and no matter how much she struggled now, it was futile.

Was this the end? Just as she was half resigned to this fate, a faint sound reached her ears. It was as if a wolf was quickly passing through the bushes... Definitely the sound of footsteps.

“Geck?” “...!”

Bam! From between the thickly risen trees, a pink flash shot out like a lightning bolt. The quick flash, leaving an afterimage, aimed for Bruugus' neck in a graceful curve.

Bruugus, not yet understanding the situation, instinctively stopped in his tracks, his sense of danger rising. He raised his thick hands, like lids of a pot, to cover his neck.

Then, the blade that had come a half-beat too late only scratched his palm.

‘That’s... a candidate?’

Mira only realized the identity of the sudden flash of light after Bruugus blocked it. It was the pink-haired girl, Alice, whom she had encountered during the first exam.

She never expected to be helped by a candidate. As Mira belatedly understood the situation, Alice clicked her tongue and stepped back lightly. Bruugus, furious, swung his arms wildly, sweeping the ground in all directions.

“Tch, such a valuable chance to pierce his neck is gone.” “Graaagh! How dare you make a scratch on my precious body! I won’t forgive you!”

Crrrack! Bruugus's monstrous arms, as thick as an orc's barrel, snapped the trees around him like twigs. The force of the blow was so powerful that it seemed that any human hit would immediately be reduced to a bloody pulp.

But Alice remained calm, watching Bruugus’s movements. At the perfect distance, she struck and withdrew, drawing him toward her.

Soon, when Bruugus, his patience worn thin, raised his hands high and charged toward her, Alice, moving as smoothly as if dancing, slid into his embrace.

“This is like a fly... Gah!” “The kind of flies you know must shoot sharp stingers, right?” “Ugh!”

Swish! The successive thrusts, penetrating deeply, battered Bruugus’s body as if tenderizing meat. Alice’s swordsmanship pierced his flesh like she was tenderizing pork.

However, she had no choice but to roll away from the ground. Bruugus, who didn’t care whether he was stabbed, threw his body with reckless abandon.

Is it really just a scratch on a blade carefully sharpened by my older sister? Alice was dumbfounded at his resilient skin, which seemed almost made of some alloy.

“Aaaagh! I won’t forgive you any longer! How dare a woman hurt me! A woman should raise me up!”

“Wow... Looking at your appearance, it doesn’t seem like there’s any woman who would raise you up...”

“Shut uuuup!”

Bang! Bruugus, enraged, raised both fists high and slammed them down onto the ground with all his might. The impact was so strong that Alice staggered, her balance shaken on the trembling ground.

If I take a real hit, this could be dangerous... As she thought this, sweating coldly, Mira suddenly shouted from behind.

“Candidate! Step back! Kentroom Satellites!” “Oh, yes!” “Don’t miss it... Ugh?! What are these?!”

Without hesitation, Alice jumped backward at Mira’s shout. Then, all sorts of objects flew toward Bruugus at an alarming speed.

It was gravity magic, which turned the surroundings into a center that attracted all objects. While its lethality was significantly reduced, it was incredibly effective at hindering movement.

As Alice safely retreated to Mira's side, she spoke with a voice full of sincerity.

“Phew, thank you so much. Without your help, I would’ve been done for. But... your skill is impressive. You're on the level of an active Fixer.” “Ah, ahaha... It’s nothing like that, Examiner.”

Thanks to their previous encounter during the first exam, they could quickly identify each other without much conversation.

So, instead of chatting, it was time to focus on defeating the monster in front of them. Alice drew two swords from her waist and pointed them at Bruugus, asking Mira a question.

“Examiner, do you think that guy has any special abilities? I’m sure he must....” “How do you know... No, he definitely said he absorbs magic from spells. That must be the special ability you’re talking about.” “Absorbing magic...?! That’s an absurd ability.”

Alice furrowed her brow, feeling a bit perplexed. She had already met modified humans who admitted to being such three times, so she had no doubt that this ridiculous ability was real.

Seeing Peacekeeper lying around, she figured Bruugus also had incredible physical capabilities. That meant magic wouldn’t work, and even winning without using magic would be hard.

It must be an opponent even active Fixers would struggle with. As Alice continued to think, she glanced at Mira and said quietly.

“Examiner, it’s a sudden request, but... could you act for a moment? I have a secret weapon that might work on that guy.” “Acting...? Mmm, alright. Given the urgent situation, I’ll do whatever you say.”

Mira looked slightly confused by Alice’s sudden request. It wasn’t a situation where acting would make sense—especially with that bulky monster charging at them. The fact that Alice hadn’t explained the details made Mira even more bewildered.

Bruugus, continuing to knock away the branches and rocks coming at him with Mira’s gravity magic, soon realized that magic had been cast on him. He opened his mouth wide and began absorbing the magic.

Then, seeing Alice and Mira having a meeting, Bruugus charged at them with both arms wide open, shouting.

“I can’t take it anymore! I’ll tear you both apart and swallow you whole!” “There’s no way magic doesn’t work on me! Enchantress Flare!”

“...Hmm? Oh, aah. Really! Stop! He’s dangerous!”

Screech! With a high-pitched sound, Alice’s sword blazed white hot. It looked as if divine power, now lost, was wrapped around it.

Although Bruugus had the ability to absorb magic, he knew nothing about magic. His body could forcibly tear magical power from spells, but he couldn’t use the absorbed magic.

But even someone like him, unversed in magic, couldn’t help but realize that the glowing white blade was undoubtedly magic.

‘Hmm? I see... You don’t know! That little girl doesn’t know I absorb magic!’

Bruugus twisted his ugly face into a creepy grin. Since he hadn’t seen Mira’s magic being neutralized by absorbing her magic, he seemed to want to verify the truth of this with his own magic.

‘Hehehe! I’ll show you despair that no struggle can resist!’

For him, this was a great opportunity. After all, he had only suffered minor scratches from Alice’s sword earlier.

If he absorbs the magic surrounding the sword, he thought he could endure it with his body. So, Bruugus opened his arms wide, showing off his body, daring Alice to attack.

In the confusion, while Alice was bewildered by the blade stuck in his body, he thought he could easily crush her slender body with his own.

This was Bruugus’s last thought.

Crunch! Bruugus’s body was sliced diagonally from shoulder to waist, as if it were butter at room temperature. His massive body collapsed helplessly, spilling intestines and blood as he fell backward.

“Ge- geck...? H-how... is this possible... My... my body... Magic shouldn’t work...”

“Well, this isn’t magic. Do you know what plasma is? Oh, maybe you don’t know much about science?”

“Ge-gegeck... This can’t be...”

The reason Alice’s blow worked on Bruugus, the modified human who absorbed magic, was simple.

Alice, as a rare species with no magic flowing through her body, wielded plasma created by consuming fuel. So, no matter how strong the body, unless it was a dragon or something of that level, defense was meaningless against extreme firepower.

It was a fatal mistake for Bruugus to assume Alice’s sword was magic when it was actually plasma.

“Well... amazing... I didn’t know such firepower could exist without magic.” “Heh, yeah, but this... has terrible fuel efficiency, so unless I’m forced to use it like this, it’s hard to use. If the opponent suspected it, it would have only scratched their arm.”

Luckily, I got lucky. Alice scratched her head sheepishly. Then, remembering something she had forgotten, she suddenly shouted in the direction she had come from.

“Everyone, it’s okay now! Come quickly!” “Hey, candidate! What do you mean by come quickly...?”

Mira, looking tired, tilted her head. Then, from the direction Alice was waving, a group of people appeared, rushing in.

By the looks of it, more than ten people were in the group, and at least two or three of them were fairies. Mira immediately realized that they were none other than the isolated candidates.

“Are... are you really okay?” “Eek! S-skeleton!” “This... looks like the modified human from earlier...” “Examiner Mira! Alice, you did it!”

The disheveled candidates showed signs of joy upon seeing Mira’s presence.

It was natural for them to feel relieved, given the dangerous monsters that were roaming around the Sky Garden. The fact that an active Fixer came to help them brought great comfort.

But their joy didn’t last long. Someone noticed the presence of a strange woman walking toward them from deep within the forest.

“Ugh, there’s someone over there...”

Their eyes naturally turned toward the unfamiliar figure.

Could it be another isolated candidate? Or maybe another enemy? As their vigilance heightened, the woman’s appearance became clear.

“Well, Bruugus is dead? I thought he would last longer... Well, I guess this is the end for a modified human who absorbs magic but can’t use it.”

She stepped out from between the trees, a woman with a ponytail pulled back in a neat style. At first glance, she looked like an ordinary human woman.

But the six eyes that appeared on her face and the four arms that sprouted from her back made her abnormalities glaringly obvious.

Mira immediately raised her magical power, preparing to cast a spell as she stepped forward, asking seriously.

“...A modified human?” “Correct. I’m sorry, but you all will have to die. You’re in the way of Olvis-sama’s goal.”

Creak...! The four hands sprouting from her back were glowing with magical energy, easily visible to the naked eye. The pressure was so strong ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) that even from a distance, the heat could be felt.

This... is dangerous! Realizing the terrifying power of the magic, Alice raised her sword, but at that moment, the situation was already over.

“What’s this? A dud? Don’t shoot these lights, you annoying brats.”

Ugh...?! With a flash like lightning, the woman with the ponytail was blackened, her eyes rolling back.

And from the back of the group, a powerful presence approached, walking calmly toward them. Alice, sweating coldly, let out a wry laugh and relaxed her body.

The overwhelming strength she recognized was familiar to her... and she knew exactly who it was.

“Little ones, you’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to the adults and take a good rest.”

It was the appearance of Tempest, the walking disaster.