Chapter 44

Here’s the English translation of the provided novel text, adhering to the given glossaries and maintaining a natural flow:

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Episode 44: Pluto’s Black Star

044 ? Pluto’s Black Star #3

“Here—footprints. They couldn’t have gone far. Hurry up!”

“Hah, huff, hng…! I-I’m coming…!”

Huff—. My breath was so ragged it felt like it was bursting from my throat. I may not know martial arts or swordsmanship, but I was at least confident in my ability to run.

That confidence was quickly crumbling.

Hippolyte was practically flying across the ground. Her long legs kicked off the earth like a cheetah’s. d*mn, she could probably outrun an actual cheetah.

Even with the boost I got, my physical abilities were still just slightly above an average adult male’s, so all I could do was barely keep up with Hippolyte.

Maybe to match my pace, she occasionally turned back to wait for me.

“Run faster!”

“Ughhh…!”

d*mn, forget losing to a necromancer—I might just drop dead from chasing Hippolyte.

“f*ck… can’t… breathe… hng, sh*t…!”

“Tch, d*mn it—!”

Whoosh—.

Suddenly, my body lifted into the air. The reason? Hippolyte had hoisted me onto her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

The fact that she could carry me like a light lunchbox was already mind-blowing, but watching the scenery blur past as she leaped forward was even more insane.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—.

d*mn, it felt like riding a two-legged car. For a second, I even had a flashback to modern civilization.

“Whoa, no joke, you’re crazy fast. At this rate, we don’t even need a carria—”

“Bite your tongue! Shut your mouth!”

“Eep…!”

At the threat of biting my tongue, I clamped my lips shut.

I stayed silent the whole way, just watching the scenery and Hippolyte’s messy brown hair fluttering like a horse’s tail. Honestly, the unkempt strands tickling my face were annoying, but if I complained, she might’ve thrown me off.

Skrrrt—!

Then, Hippolyte suddenly stopped. The abrupt halt sent her sliding across the dry ground from sheer momentum.

From my perch on her shoulder, I had a perfect view of her thighs tensing like brakes, which was… weirdly fascinating.

Of course, that thought vanished the second I heard her low growl.

“We’ve caught up. Time to get down.”

I planted my feet on the ground and looked around, only to find myself in what seemed like the same open plains we’d been running through.

“There’s nothing here.”

“Feel the mana. There’s a mage here who knows concealment magic. To hide something this large… Could they be from the Karinthos Ivory Tower?”

Feel the mana? All I could feel was the muggy air and sweat trickling down my back from the heat.

Every time words like “mana” or “karma” came up, I was reminded that the humans here were fundamentally different from those on Earth. It was unsettling.

“There—!”

Hippolyte suddenly slashed at the air. The same blade wind that had cut down the Skeleton Dragon earlier sliced through empty space.

Splurt—!

Even though she’d only cut air, a fountain of red liquid sprayed out like a geyser. What the hell?

Swoosh—.

At the same time, the surroundings began to warp, like old paint peeling away.

The plains vanished, replaced by a dark, gloomy passageway with cold, moss-covered stone walls.

What kind of sorcery was this? Even Sima Yi, caught in a resonance trap, wouldn’t have been this shocked.

Hippolyte remained eerily calm.

“This feeling… We’re inside Pluto’s ruins. We’ve been running through them this whole time. So the entrance to the ruins was in Kalin’s Swamp too.”

Her eyes locked onto a black-robed corpse slumped in the distance, already cold and lifeless.

“To see through Golos’ concealment magic… Your instincts are sharp… But it’s too late… This place is our domain… Saturated with d*ath’s magic…”

From the shadows, more black-robed figures emerged, blocking our path.

All I could do was tremble. sh*t, did I make a mistake coming here? Just as regret flickered in my mind—

A necromancer—probably the psychopath named Koma—wearing a spiked necklace like a flail’s head spoke in a sinister voice.

“Warrior… Your skill and strength are indeed heroic… But you’re still one step short… That won’t be enough to defeat us…”

Crackle, fizz—!

At the same time, black lightning sparked from Koma’s necklace.

“The incantation… is already complete… As a seasoned warrior, you know what it means to face a mage who’s finished casting…”

A mage who’s finished casting?

My instincts screamed that nothing good was coming. Every time magic got involved, things went to hell!

“Get behind me, Samaritan! Something big’s coming!”

d*mn, she’s reliable.

I didn’t hesitate to duck behind Hippolyte. Her fluttering red cloak was so reassuring it almost moved me to tears.

“Ideos… Kufer…!”

With that incomprehensible shout, a violent spark erupted from Koma’s necklace—a literal black lightning bolt.

Crackle, zap—!

The black lightning zigzagged off the stone walls like an arrow before shooting straight toward Hippolyte, who stood firm in front of me.

“Just cut it down—!”

The way she swung her sword at the lightning was impressive, but—

Whoosh—.

Her blade passed harmlessly through the bolt. The result? The black lightning struck her dead-on, and she collapsed with a choked scream.

“Guh… ugh…!”

sh*t. With my human shield gone, it was all on me to deal with these cultists.

“Psycho Split… The great primordial chaos, the power of the abyss… Even Jupiter’s bloodline… won’t withstand this… There’s one more… Barbarian, you d*e too…”

The necromancer’s necklace crackled again as he gathered mana. If this kept up, I’d be fried to a crisp by black lightning.

“Ah, d*mn it!”

So I drew my sword and charged.

“Wh-what?!”

They clearly hadn’t expected me to rush in. The black-robed figures panicked.

Honestly, attacking a mage mid-cast is just common sense.

“S-stop him!”

Koma shouted at his comrades. They hesitated, but my sword was faster.

Schlick—!

My longsword, which had sliced through goblins and crocodile hide, now cleaved through arms and shoulders, spraying bl**d. The robed figures faltered.

In that moment, I realized—

These guys aren’t that strong physically. I can take them.

Whoosh, thunk!

With every swing of my sword, screams of “Agh!” or “Guh!” echoed through the narrow passage. Some tried to fight back with daggers, but—

The reach difference between a palm-sized dagger and a longsword half my height was insane. I lopped off their wrists before they could even touch me.

Splurt—.

The stench of bl**d was disgusting, but this wasn’t the time to care.

“Wh-what are you doing?! Subdue him with spells!”

“W-we’re trying! Nothing’s working…! Mental spells aren’t affecting him!”

“They say some Samaritans have strong mental resistance… Is this b*stard one of them?!”

“The hell are you talking about…?! You idiots…!”

I had no idea what they were saying, but the black-robed figures were arguing among themselves.

Splitting into factions mid-battle? That’s just asking to lose.

I cut down every arm and shoulder in my way.

In a world with terrible welfare for the disabled, losing an arm was as good as a d*ath sentence.

“D-done! Ideos… Kufer…!”

The necromancer finally finished his incantation. Black lightning surged from his necklace again.

This was the same attack that had taken down Hippolyte, a seasoned Silver Tier warrior. I was screwed.

But dodging lightning in a human body? Impossible. I braced for impact.

“d*mn it! Guh—!”

“G-got him…! You stupid b*stard…! G-good…! Two excellent corpses…! Mars’ warrior and a Samaritan…! You’ll both be my undead servants…! Ahh…! I-I can’t wait…!”

The necromancer’s grotesque laughter filled the passage. But something felt off.

I’d screamed reflexively, but… I didn’t feel any pain. No burning, no headache.

My muscles tingled slightly, but it was bearable. What the hell? A miss?

Either way, a high-cast-time attack doing nothing was a golden opportunity. I raised my sword high.

The necromancer, who’d been laughing like a madman, flinched.

“Wh-what?! The Black Star’s Psycho Split didn’t work?! Th-that’s impossible!”

As he fumbled with his necklace, I brought my sword down with all my might. His arm hit the ground with a thud.

“M-my arm! My arm—!”

“Not yours anymore.”

“Wh-what?! This doesn’t make sense! Pl-Pluto! Grant me power…!”

Clutching his bleeding stump, the necromancer staggered back. I didn’t get it either, but one thing was clear—I was the apex predator here.

“Praying won’t help. Here, I’m the god.”

“D-d*mn you…!”

“Should’ve picked a better class!”

“Wh-what are you—?!”

Schwing, splurt—!

My sword severed his remaining arm. With both limbs gone, he flopped to the ground, thrashing before going still—either dead from bl**d loss or unconscious.

“Hah…”

With the fight over, the adrenaline faded, and cold rationality returned.

My legs felt like jelly, and my sword hand trembled like an old man’s with Parkinson’s. d*mn, I actually beat mages!

“Ugh… grr…”

A pained groan snapped me back to reality. I’d forgotten about Hippolyte, who’d collapsed protecting me.

“Guh…”

Face-down on the ground, she groaned like someone with a bad cold. She wasn’t dying, but she wasn’t in good shape either.

sh*t, what’s the first aid for magic-induced injuries? CPR?

Panicking, I grabbed her wrist to check her pulse.

Ding—.

『Name: Hippolyte Heavensinger Lv. ??

Status: bl**d Curse》 Moonlight Allergy》 Severe Menstrual Cramps》 Respiratory Distress》 ????》』

Different from before. Respiratory distress? What?

I laid her flat and tilted her chin up to open her airway.

“Guh…”

But her breathing didn’t improve. Are there pressure points for respiratory distress?

sh*t, I don’t see any. Still, I had to do something.

Her chest—I needed to compress it.

I undid the straps of her breastplate.

Clank, clatter—.

The side and back fastenings were tough, but I managed. Underneath was… a sports bra? A tank top? Just a thin black cloth.

Thud—.

And way bigger br*asts than I’d imagined. My rationality flickered.

Oh, sh*t—.

No wonder she had trouble breathing with these pressed down by armor.

“Uh, Hippolyte. This is, uh, first aid. Nothing weird.”

After that disclaimer, I placed my palm on her chest.

Squish.

The softness traveled from my hand up my spine straight to my brain. Wow, something this soft exists?

d*mn, one more touch.

Squish, squish—.

Just as I was enjoying the sensation—

“…Nngh, ugh…! Y-you coward…! Cough, hng…!”

Hippolyte suddenly jolted awake, coughing violently. I was so relieved I shouted.

“H-Hippolyte! You’re awake!”

“Hah…! Wh-what happened? Why are you… touching my chest?”

“sh*t.”

[Afterword]

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