The Transmigrated Author

Chapter 24: Monster Overhaul (2)

klak, klak, klak,

Running through the endless paths of this cave, I quickly left small marks of rocks to memorize certain patterns to figure out the lair of the cave and to think that the rushing tactic was working, Valencia's footsteps could be heard as she followed me throughout the remainder of the cave travels.

What proved difficult was seemingly finding the perfect coincidence to retrace Jan and Louise's footsteps, with the patterns they left behind and the carcasses of monsters that lay on the ground I was somewhat getting closer to them.

wang!

Another cave distortion sound and to think Valencia followed me all the way here but we met a dead end to our pathing.

I was lost for words to see that there was nothing here but a complete rock-solid wall in front of us and suddenly Valencia appeared out from behind.

"What are you doing we need to go deliver the flag back to Kolek now." She said in a distasteful tone.

I realized that she wasn't following me because she was clueless in this dungeon, she followed me because she thought I knew the location of the flag this entire time and that she was following me because I had the flag.

"We can't go back yet we need to go find Jan and Louise first." I said in a calm tone.

"I'm sure Jan and Louise wouldn't struggle in this cave even if they were together or alone." She retorted.

She was right, Even though this cave was supposedly qualified and ranked as a C-ranked dungeon what the people didn't know when they analyzed the cave was that there were different sections of distortions which changed the original ranking of what a dungeon should be.

Because the analyzers said that this cave has no boss was most certainly correct, when I was writing the novel during its early stages I made a principle that all dungeons will always have a boss after you reach a certain room the boss inhibits.

It was obvious that they hadn't found the boss room after searching through and through but this stage of the dungeon only required our main characters to enter. So I'm not sure if we could enter or not but I can't see why we shouldn't try.

The air suddenly got tighter and the pressure of someone exerting pressure in this cave was clear as I got to my knees I tried to tilt my head towards Valencia who seemed to be angered at this as her expression was in between anger and concern.

I could feel the pressure coming through the dead end of this cave. This person who was doing this shouldn't be the fodder villain I had in place. There shouldn't be any top-tier character that appears this early into the story.

Then Valencia walked towards the wall as she was slowly resisting the enormous amount of pressure engulfing this cave as the man behind the walls shouldn't be someone who should be fought.

Valencia placed her hands onto the wall and began exerting pressure into the wall pressing on it, BANG, the wall shook as she struggled to pour out mana into the wall, BANG, she kept trying as small cracks began to appear, BANG a hole set wide open dead centre.

As the pressure was removed I got up to see the mess behind the rubble caused my Valencia's surge of anger.

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Standing next to her I could see Jan and Louise who were frozen in stone as if they were staring at someone with fear.

I turned towards the man who stood there looking at the two of us in surprise, A black robe with the symbol of a cross marked out with an X. My head began thinking who this person could be.

But then I activated Perceptive mind to see the name of this man...

FWANG!

[Due to limitations and the Strength level of the user being analyzed, only the name can be revealed...]

[System Analysis: Name: Gavin Stone (Previous name: Mordred Ashbourne) Titles: [...] Strength:???, Speed: ???, Endurance: ???, Mana: ???,]

I really couldn't catch a break after seeing the terrifying characters I made from just a keyboard 4 years ago...

But to think it was Mordred would be a long shot, And if we were to tick this man off he probably would've killed us without hesitation.

He was one of the Anti-Villains in the story, he was also a previous reincarnator of Jan's world and one of the strongest villains I've made. I wasn't just fearful; I was shocked to see things change so much.

"There's 2 more that have arrived? Interesting..." The tone he spoke in was a sophisticated manner and he oddly sounded different to what I had originally imagined his voice to be. He doesn't sound as intimidating as I thought.

FWANG!

[Automatic translation for the voice has been adjusted accurately. You've Gained passive resistance to the ability: Vocal empowerment]

To think the system would pull a kind move for me was strange. Isn't it supposed to be a balanced, scaled kind of system? Shouldn't that make me immune to attacks related to speech?

Sounds good to me, honestly. It would save me a ton of time dealing with users who rely on intimidation and pressure.

Most importantly, Mordred stood there, eyeing me and Valencia.

"Hmph, the potential of this world is interesting indeed. Daughter of the Ex Sword Saint Freya, the eldest son of the billionaire Villerion family, and the irregularity top prospect watched by all the guilds, Jan Ates." He looked at each one of them while speaking, and for a moment, his gaze met mine, and I froze.

"You, the one holding that silver crossbow." He said oddly. "Who are you?"

Eh? Well, I'm the author and your sole creator, you idiot. But I can't tell him that; there's no way they'd believe a teenager near adulthood.

"I'm just a crossbow user," I responded swiftly with a disdainful expression.

"I see. If a no-mana person is using a crossbow in this world, it's for the best if I end you here." His voice deepened, and fear crept up my spine.

Jan and Louise had still reactions. Louise seemed less concerned about my safety, but Jan's teeth was gritted, audibly grinding together, He looked at me with a look of desperation and concern trying to take a step forward, then freezing up under Mordred's gaze.

"Wait! Don't kill him, please." Jan pleaded, shaking his head slightly. He fumbled his sword as he was unable to maintain his grip. I could give him props for trying to save me, but I knew how much this pressure was getting to us. It seemed useless trying to move at this point.

Valencia on the other hand seemed like she was getting ready to block the attack but I doubt she could do anything me, there was one person who could help my situation, and I knew damn well Mordred wasn't the type to bluff.

"Farewell then, user of the 'bow'," Mordred retorted, pouring dark energy into his right hand and extending it towards me.

Dark energy began to rise, twisting and turning into the shape of a flying lizard. Its obsidian scales glinted with malicious light as he fired it straight at me,

Valencia's eyes widened at the attack, and she began to shake slightly. I watched her mutter under her breath, "Can I stop that attack?" But thanks to the Clockwork of Time, I had time to think.

Time was slowed for a bit. If only there were a way to block it. A way to block... it. Oh, right. I can block any projectiles flung at me and deflect them with near-perfect accuracy. But this attack seemed no different than any other.

However, it felt more like a test; it emitted a lot of ominous energy, but overall, it was just a lizard sticking its tongue out like some idiot. I feel like he purposely held back on that attack since Mordred could obliterate any mid to low-high-tier character in my story.

As my arm began to glow with coiling shadows, the energy flowing to my hands swirled, pulsing with crimson-red lightning. I slowly watched the attack come towards me, and even with this pressure, all I had to do was touch the attack in a state where my hands and fingers would connect with it.

Time it... I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins as the attack slowly neared. As if luck seemed to be on my side, time returned to normal, and my hand slammed into its open maw. I was praying for a miracle to happen, and a sudden faint spark of light began emitting from the force between me and that lizard...

[Parry successful!]

[Attack is now being redirected at 2x speed...]

HRAH!

As my heart pounded with urgency, the system's message flashed in front of my eyes. I sent the attack back towards Mordred, although the force nearly ripped my arm from its socket. The parry wasn't perfect, and I was lucky that I connected with the attack just in time.

My chest heaved in relief as I took a deep breath, and Mordred completely absorbed the attack back into the sleeve of his black robe.

Jan's eyes widened, his grip tightening on his sword. Louise, usually composed, couldn't hide a flicker of astonishment. They exchanged a glance, and a silent acknowledgment passed between them.

Valencia glanced at me in shock as I stood there, heavily breathing from the exhaustion of using two heavy abilities.

"I've never seen such a thing from an archer. Interesting. Deflecting is one thing, but to redirect with equal force..." Mordred looked at me as he stroked his chin in a contemplative manner. "Then you've proved yourself worthy to live. You guys will do."

My stomach twisted. His gaze lingered on the cage, still shrouded in shadow. With a sigh that rattled the cavern walls, the obsidian bars retracted with a shuddering groan, and the full horror of Mordred's creation unfolded.

Light glinted off a chitinous carapace, towering ten feet high and spanning half the cavern's width. It was a Frankensteinian nightmare, stitched together from every monstrosity we'd encountered in this cave so far: the muscled bulk of an ogre, the serpentine head of a lizard dripping with slimy drool, the razor-sharp claws of a spider skittering nervously on its armoured limbs, and the guttural growl echoing from a goblin-like maw.

The very air crackled with the thing's raw power. Its eyes, mismatched orbs of glowing embers and reptilian malice, locked onto us with a hunger breaking open the cage keeping him away from us.

The floor trembled with each ponderous step it took, the stone groaning under its monstrous weight. This was no mere beast; it was a monstrous amalgamation of every nightmare I'd written onto a page.

Mordred commanded the monster to walk towards him as he injected the syringe into the monster. It began rattling in anger, the mouth foamed, and its arms swung everywhere in the room—BANG, BANG, BANG—it slammed its arms heavily against the sides of the cave.

GAHHHH!

The monster was transforming Its arms flailed, clutching its head in agony, a guttural RAHHHHH tearing through the air. Covering our ears to muffle the piercing sounds, the hybrid monster underwent a semi devil like transformation. Weird spikes sprouted from half of its arms and head, and a sinister horn emerged from the side, releasing a foul odor of demonic energy.

Mordred casually strolled onto the IDS Platform, his figure framed against the monstrous scene. The oppressive atmosphere began to ease. Standing before the platform.

"Good luck. If you come out alive the next time we meet, I will spare the life of you four." he waved at us leaving.

HWANG!

I swallowed hard, gripping my crossbow so tight my knuckles cracked. The fear hung heavy in the air, but through it burned a defiant spark. I just had to support the three of them until Jan awakens his ultimate skill.

____________________

Author Notes:

- Rel was 0.95 seconds away from missing the parry.

- Rel has been using his Aura Concealment ability to hide his mana and presence, although not aware that he has been using it, it is likely to be revealed very soon.

- Vocal empowerment is a type of speech where you can put 'pressure' or 'fear' within the user's words. So if this is used on a character, they tend to feel a sense of belittlement usually.

- The monster Mordred reveals is a combination of all the monsters in that cave: Slimes, Goblins, Trolls, Ogres, Spiders, and Lizards.

- Mordred and Jan come from the same world.