Chapter 1106

〈 Chapter 1106 〉 1106. Dark Moon

In order to save the falling No. 31, I hurled my body toward the waterfall.

The magic I was using was an adaptation of the barrier Venus instructor had used before. Stepping on transparent platforms that appeared in midair, I stretched out both hands toward the falling No. 31.

Now all I had to do was grab No. 31 like I did earlier and create a platform to return over the waterfall.

Pfft.

I grabbed No. 31’s shoulder and waist.

But then, an unexpected variable occurred.

Crack.

The barrier-made platform shattered. No. 31’s weight was heavier than expected—not her natural weight but the added heaviness from her wet equipment and clothes. A Grade 1 barrier, especially one made small for use as a stepping platform, wasn’t as sturdy as I had anticipated.

‘We’re falling!’

I activated Blink.

Instinctively, I tried to construct the spell formula for Levitation magic that I had just seen. Even if I couldn’t perfectly fly through Heaven, a brief levitation to reach the ground should be possible.

Just as the formula calculation was about to finish, I spotted Instructor Venus far away, looking shocked.

Without any witch factor, and being only a Grade 2 mage, what would he think if I managed to use Grade 4 Levitation magic, even for just a moment?

‘Shit.’

I abandoned Levitation and constructed a Barrier formula instead. Tweaking part of it to maximize shock absorption. I stacked three Grade 2 Barriers.

‘The waterfall is over 500 meters high. This won’t be enough.’

My bracelet glowed. Just before the activation of the Grade 4 Barrier, I intervened with willpower to alter part of the formula. Sacrificing its solidity to enhance shock absorption. Though this made it weaker against sharp attacks like swords or spears, such concerns were irrelevant as we plummeted toward the base of the waterfall.

‘Just in case…’

Using Blink, I prepared another formula.

“……”

Holding No. 31 tightly in my arms, I watched the small lake below grow closer.

The three Grade 2 Barriers shattered instantly, but fortunately, the Grade 4 Barrier held firm, protecting us from the impact.

As soon as I submerged, I activated the magic.

‘Bubble Room.’

Grade 2 Magic: Bubble Room.

Bubbles enveloped my body and No. 31’s. While Bubble Room was primarily a water-element defensive magic, it proved more versatile than a Barrier. The late Instructor Belha used it to trap opponents and apply attack spells.

‘If you activate Bubble Room underwater, you don’t sink further—you float upward instead.’

We survived.

Just as I let out a sigh of relief, I sensed something massive approaching from below. Glancing down, a fish over 3 meters long charged at me with its mouth wide open. Its razor-sharp teeth popped the Bubble Room.

‘A fish like this…!’

The flow of water pressed against my body, making it hard to breathe.

‘Why can I breathe even though it feels constricted?’

Normally, drowning causes suffocation, makes your body heavy, and blurs your vision. But I felt fine. Without using any magic, I could breathe underwater and move my limbs freely. I could even sense the flow of water and knew exactly what to do next.

‘…It’s an ability.’

The third ability after the ones that triggered lightning and accelerated my body and thoughts.

It awakened by pure luck—or so I thought. It felt suspiciously like some deity was watching over me, granting me abilities as needed.

There was no time to dwell on it. The giant fish lunged at me again.

‘Blink.’

In the slowed world, I completed the spell formula and canceled Blink as the fish approached. As it got right in front of me, I activated the magic.

‘Electric Spark.’

The sphere of electricity slipped right into its gaping mouth.

Zzzzzzzap!

The sphere exploded, sending electric currents surging in all directions—including toward me. Using my ability, I deflected the current heading my way. Success. In the water, the giant fish was thoroughly cooked by the electric shock.


The fish corpse was swiftly carried away by the current as I ascended to the water’s surface. Unlike me, who can breathe underwater, Unit 31 would drown and perish if submerged for too long. Absentmindedly reaching toward the sky, I was startled to feel something solid—like touching a pane of glass.

“…So the surface actually feels like this?”

I realized it was some kind of water-related ability. Applying force with my hand, I pushed myself up onto the water’s surface, standing atop it without being affected by the current.

“Huh. This must be what it feels like when you use that tier-3 walking-on-water spell in games—a complete garbage spell, but hey.”

I surveyed my surroundings. Having lost my night-vision goggles earlier, I focused mana into my eyes instead. Though not as bright as the goggles, it was enough to make out the terrain around me.

“Over there—there’s a nice cave to rest in.”

But I didn’t rush in blindly; wild caves usually have owners.

“Ice Arrow!”

An arrow made of ice shot into the cave.

“ROAAAR!”

An enraged howl echoed as eleven wolves burst out, snarling fiercely but staying on the shore, unable to enter the lake.

“…”

With no emotion, I drew the assault rifle strapped to my back, aimed at the wolves, and pulled the trigger—not forgetting to silence the shots with a suppressor.

Eleven bullets. Each hit a wolf’s head.

Even soaked, this expensive rifle used by elite soldiers functioned perfectly.

“Wolves usually run away… Guess they’ve lost all fear because of the Dark Moon.”

Stepping over their corpses, I entered the cave.

Inside, a massive three-meter wolf lay dead, its skull pierced through by the Ice Arrow I had fired earlier.

“…Guess I got lucky.”

This added to my growing sense of annoyance.

Using wind magic, I flung the wolf’s body far away. Next came cleaning the cave. The stench was unbearable, so I used Water Magic to clean it roughly before laying down a waterproof tarp and placing Unit 31 on it. I blocked the cave entrance with Wind Cutter magic, cutting down trees and using leaves to hide any light from escaping.

“With the Dark Moon tonight, if any monsters see our light, we’re done for.”

After finishing everything, both my mana and stamina were depleted. Lying there, staring blankly into the dark void above, I thought:

“Should I escape?”

It was a perfect chance to flee.

“…No. Must be losing focus because I’m tired.”

The slave mark branded on my right forearm.

Until that’s dealt with, there’s no way to escape. By now, the battalion is probably in chaos, dispatching troops to find me and Unit 31. Even ignoring me, they’d prioritize her—she’s special.

“They’ll track the slave mark and figure out the direction soon enough. We’ll likely be rescued by noon tomorrow. Lucky we didn’t bring emergency rations.”

All I need to do is stay quiet.

My mana partially restored, I cast a spell on the prepared firewood.

“Fire.”

The magical power was impressive. The wet logs blazed fiercely, drying instantly with barely any smoke—an improvement worth the modified incantation.

Looking at Unit 31 lying on the ground, I noticed her top was soaked with blood. Her face was pale, and what I thought was rainwater turned out to be cold sweat.

“I protected her as much as possible during the fall… Could she have been injured otherwise?”

Recalling the events before the fall, I remembered being tossed around violently by the Air Boom. It was surprising she wasn’t more hurt.

Sighing, I removed her wet clothes. If she died here, so would I. Fortunately, I had an emergency kit, so basic first aid could be administered.

“…Hmm?”

Her injuries surprised me. While there were torn wounds on her shoulder and collarbone, the bleeding had stopped, and most were already healing—visibly regenerating before my eyes.

“Is this recovery also due to the Dark Moon? Whatever it is, she’s definitely not human…”

If she woke up and went berserk, I doubt I could stop her.

Trying to redress her, I noticed how icy her skin felt.

“Even if her clothes are wet, this level of coldness isn’t normal…”

Scanning her body, I took note: damp purple hair, pale skin, slightly protruding breasts.

“Can’t figure out the cause just by looking…”

Instinctively, my gaze drifted toward her chest. Her white bosom was slightly smaller than my fist. Considering she’s still developing, she might grow into a well-endowed woman later.


The rosy nipples were beautifully shaped and pink. Was it because of the cold? They were standing erect.

Gulp.

I swallowed for no reason. I could feel blood rushing to my groin.

“…What am I thinking about in this situation? No, does a situation like this naturally cause arousal?”

With only the two of us in the cave, her body grown cold, and a beauty rivaling any celebrity right before me—this was a scenario I had indulged in Fantasy about more than once as a man.

“…It’s an unavoidable situation.”

I reached out toward Number 31’s chest. Not to molest her but to examine her condition more thoroughly.

Ignoring the soft skin and icy chill felt through my palm, I opened my Astral senses. Normally, using this method to understand someone else’s state would be impossible, but I could make it work by resonating with their mana.

‘This is possible because she isn’t resisting. Let’s see… 48 mana nodes… That’s four times the number of mine.’

I wasn’t surprised. Given that she’s a witch influenced by the Dark Moon, this much was expected.

‘Some of her mana nodes are tangled, leaving traces of spellwork within her body. The coldness comes from that.’

In an instant, I identified the cause and took action. Extending my will through the astral plane, I resonated with her mana and dissolved the lingering spellwork.

‘Since I’ve saved her life, I suppose it’s alright to take a closer look, right?’

I began analyzing Number 31’s mana nodes and astral presence.

‘Her astral level is at Grade 2, yet it’s far more complex than an ordinary human’s. Should I call it an upgraded version? Makes sense since she has innate witch factors.’

Even unconscious, her mana nodes remained active. Carefully examining without disrupting the flow of her mana, I grasped the essence of her mana breathing technique.

‘Indeed… Her heart is different from an average human’s. This must be the mana core that witches possess.’

A specialized organ for storing and outputting mana. Right now, it’s focused on storage, but as she grows stronger, her mana core will reveal even greater power.

‘Number 31’s mana breathing technique belongs to a witch. While I can study it, I can’t use it without a mana core myself.’

Accepting my limitation cleanly, I moved my hand away from her chest. Her complexion had slightly improved, but her body was still cold due to wet clothes.

‘Drying her clothes with Fire magic… but I don’t have mana left.’

Using her mana via resonance? Impossible unless I dominate her astral presence, which I’m not capable of doing.

‘She is recovering somewhat, but if I leave her like this, she might die.’

An idea came to mind.

A physical solution.

Sharing body heat.

‘Should I do it? Or not? If Number 31 regains consciousness midway… it’d be disastrous.’

But if I don’t and she dies from hypothermia? That’d also be catastrophic.

‘She might survive thanks to the recovery boost from the Dark Moon’s influence. But the problem is… I can’t be certain.’

After some deliberation, I decided to avoid the worst-case scenario. If she dies, Venus will kill me.

‘All I need to do is hold her until her body temperature rises. If she wakes up mid-process, I’ll explain. Surely, she wouldn’t kill her savior… right?’

Though doubts crept in, my actions were swift.

I removed all her upper garments.

‘There’s a slave mark on her shoulder. On closer inspection, it’s not quite what it seems—a mere tattoo-level marking disguised as a slave insignia.’

Not exactly surprising.

Next, I undid her lower garments. Removing her white standard-issue underwear revealed her private parts. Her purple pubic hair was damp from the rain, growing like grass. Beneath it, her vulva was tightly closed in a straight line.

I suddenly felt an urge to spread her delicate pink folds.

Looking around unnecessarily, I confirmed I was alone.

‘This is for examination purposes. To check if her vulva is injured.’

So, I gently parted her. It was a pristine pink. My heart raced. Stricken by guilt, I averted my gaze upward. My erected penis throbbed painfully.

‘…This isn’t the time.’

To save Number 31, I needed to share my body heat.

I embraced her. Her cold yet soft skin pressed against mine. My erected penis found its way between her thighs. Its rigidity was beyond my control—it was pure instinct.

‘Let’s think positively…’

My heated erection could effectively warm her cold vulva and thighs.

Swaying sway.

Unintentionally, I moved my hips. My rational mind screamed that I shouldn’t, but my fiery impulses and primal instincts whispered that this extent was acceptable.

Torn between conflicting emotions, despair washed over me.