- Hmm?

Pride noticed the changes happening to Theodore’s body almost instantly. Its senses were almost a hundred times more sensitive than that of a human, so it noticed the change in pulse rate, body temperature, and pupil contraction almost immediately.

The fear in the monkey’s body disappeared. 

Pride was puzzled.

- You… What type of trick are you playing?

Every creature would feel fear in front of Pride, since it was at the apex of the food chain. It didn’t matter how strong the creature was. Magicians and aura users were no exception, even for those beyond a certain level, and it was the same with monkeys. Pride felt uncomfortable as it tried to deconstruct this new phenomenon.

Theodore slowly raised his body. He lifted his right hand, which was ridiculously small in comparison to Pride’s claws.

Paang! 

A flash emerged from his index finger and blew off Pride’s head.

“... Ah?”

Ellenoa, who was struggling to breathe, couldn’t help opening her mouth. She stared at the decapitated monster in disbelief. It would be a fatal blow to any normal creature.

Theodore, no, Alfred looked down at the body with clear eyes as Pride’s head smoked from the blow.

He nodded as he flexed his fingers.

Wise. You realized that it was better to pick me.

There were only two authors Theo could summon with [Overwrite], Alfred and Lee Yoonsung. Myrdal’s name had never even come up. Theo had been torn between Lee Yoonsung and Alfred, but he eventually made his decision, and he had chosen Magic Bullet’s creator, the war hero Alfred Bellontes.

Gududuk... Gududuk...

However, a monster that had killed dozens of elite magicians wouldn’t fall to such a blow.

Flesh started to wriggle as it rose from the monster’s neck. They could see bone regenerating visibly. The regeneration was almost like a reversal of time. There was a cold light in Alfred’s eyes as he watched the bizarre phenomenon in front of him.

This is beyond a troll’s regeneration. More accurately, this is closer to immortality than regeneration. It isn’t an enemy I can win against with fatal blows.

Alfred had correctly identified the mistake Herman and the other convoy magicians had made. Only a master level opponent with Veronica or Blundell’s firepower would be able to completely annihilate this monster. If the convoy magicians had stayed strictly on the defensive and focused on tying it down, they may have been able to survive.

- You bastard. Monkey, you...!

Pride’s half regenerated flesh had recovered enough for it to let out a horrifying low frequency scream. Its compound eyes had regenerated as it glared balefully at him. It had been thoroughly offended that a mere monkey had dared to attack it. Its killing intent was immediately reflected in its form.

- Ogre’s power. Minotaur's power. Cyclops’ power.

Pride’s body suddenly swelled in height and breadth. Thick, corded muscle bulged under its skin as ropey tendons and veins stood out in stark contrast. The incarnation of violence raised an arm which was thicker than a log.

- ■■■ ■■■■■■ ■■■■■■!

The monster’s four fists struck the ground with a furious roar.

-■■ ■■ ■■■■!

Alfred didn’t hesitate as he jumped into the air with Ellenoa in his arms. The earth rippled outward as Pride unleashed a devastating blow!

Alfred called out, “Ellenoa!”

“Yes? Yes!” Ellenoa replied involuntarily to the powerful voice.

“I will blow you away! Take care of your landing!”

There was no time for a reply. Alfred pulled out wind magic from Theo’s memories. He quickly cast Gust Wind, a blast which could blow a person away like a leaf. If Ellenoa also used Pride’s shock wave, it wasn’t difficult to fly a few hundred meters. More importantly, Alfred needed to remove Ellenoa from this tempestuous battlefield.

So, he blew Ellenoa away without any hesitation.

“Kyaaak!” Ellenoa shrieked as she was sent flying into the night sky. Alfred was a little worried about her eventual landing, but he trusted that it wouldn’t be an issue for a high elf who was beloved by the wind.

He angled his descent to land a bit further from the epicenter of Pride’s blow as he continued to strategize. He landed lightly on the ground.

Huuung!

At the very moment he landed, a huge fist emerged from the dust cloud, blowing away the dust with sheer wind pressure. This blow was three times more powerful than the one Theo had faced. If he were to be hit, he would disappear without a trace. So, Alfred gave up on attacking and focused all his strength in his chest. This was the body technique received from Lee Yoonsung—the Iron Board technique.

For a moment, the image of a red pillar appeared around Theo’s body.

Slam!

Alfred’s nose started bleeding as the huge fist rebounded off his chest. He took advantage of the reprieve to throw himself to the right. It was overwhelming just being near the violence. As Alfred attempted to open the gap, the monster’s three other fists swung through the air.

Aldred smiled coldly as he faced the wall of death. “Fool.”

His body turned into a haze.

Battle Song. Sonata of Speed. Vivace.

Moving one beat faster meant he would die. Moving two beats faster also meant he would die. If that was the case, then he would move three or four beats faster. Alfred dispersed the force of the three fists more precisely and accurately than the inexperienced Theo would have done. He threaded through the gap between the fists with millimeter precision as he appeared in front of Pride’s chest.

Alfred grinned savagely as his hand dug into the monster’s chest .

Puhwakak!

Four Magic Bullets, fired from every digit of the right hand except for the thumb, sliced through the muscles covering the monster’s heart.

- ■■■ ■■■■■■!! 

Pride’s body started glowing from the terrible pain. A single blow from Pride would finish this battle. A glancing blow would cause a severe injury. Alfred also didn’t have the raw firepower to kill his opponent. Despite that, the hero was dancing like a storm in front of the monster.

-This rat bastard!

None of Pride’s attacks seemed to work. The punches and kicks were neatly avoided, and the gaps left behind were ruthlessly exploited. Alfred’s blows were simple, devastating, and always landed on vital points. Pride was just Alfred’s prey.

Alfred glanced at Pride derisively.

If you can’t die, I’ll just turn you into a living beehive.

If it continued like this, Alfred would be able to endure for an hour or two. Every time a flash was fired from his fingers, the monster struggled while the hero firmly defended his superiority.

However, that thought was soon overturned.

***

Exactly five minutes later...

- .... Your trash tricks won’t work anymore.

Its pride was more important than anything else, but Pride wasn’t stupid. Just as Alfred observed it, Pride was also watching Alfred. It was not an apex predator for nothing.

As Pride transformed, Alfred felt a chill run down his spine.

Crunch... crunch...

Its front legs had turned into octopus tentacles, as a blade-like tail lashed threateningly. Pride’s form had completely abandoned the human silhouette. Alfred had been able to overwhelm Pride because he had been able to anticipate its behavior. It wasn’t difficult to know the timing by reading the movements of the muscles, joints, and cartilages since they resembled humans, no matter how strong they were.

However, he didn’t know the characteristics of the monster. so his responses would be delayed.

- Die.

The Caracalos’ blade tail flashed through the air! Alfred jumped backwards reflexively, but blood streamed freely from a horizontal cut on his chest. The fabric had dulled some of the blade-tail’s sharpness, but if he had been a heartbeat too late, he would’ve been bisected.

This time, Theo’s knowledge had saved him. Caracalos was a dangerous A rank monster that inhabited the southern swamps. Its tail was small but contained mithril, so it was well known as a weapon which could slash through any metal or defense spell.

Damn it, this is more than an aura user.

Alfred clicked his tongue as Theo’s knowledge slowly floated to the surface of his consciousness. He had lived in the north all his life, so he’d had no interest in the southern creatures. Moreover, he hadn’t read books like Theodore. If surprise attacks like this kept on happening, it would be difficult to hold out for ten minutes, let alone an hour.

So Alfred turned his attention inward to the observer.

Boy, can you hear me?

- I can hear you.

Theo was watching the battle from inside. The two men, who were on opposite sides of a coin, finally looked at each other. Although Alfred was using Theo’s body, he couldn’t fully utilize his abilities as the skills acquired by Memorize or the artifacts thoroughly belonged to Theodore Miller. Alfred Bellontes was a stranger in Theo’s body, so there were limitations.

In order to continue, I will need to deeply connect to your consciousness. I need your consent to do that.

The response came back quickly.

- Sure, I agree.

… That was fast. Is it okay to decide so quickly when you don’t even know what side effects there will be? Connecting my consciousness to yours can be dangerous, even if I am inferior when it comes to magical knowledge.

The blonde man almost seemed worried as he spoke to Theo. Alfred’s appearance remained unchanged in the world of their consciousness. He had the majesty of royalty and the dignity of a warrior who had been called a hero. Theo felt strangely impressed as he slowly nodded. He was determined from the moment he decided to fight that monster.

... I respect your will, boy.

There was no way to withdraw anyway. It had reached the point where Theo absolutely needed to hold Pride off, at least until Ellenoa’s safety was guaranteed, or Veronica’s arrival. Until then, he needed to protect himself from the certain death before him. Gambling with the hero’s soul was better than having a worthless death.

At that moment…

[Object name ‘Alfred Bellontes’ and the user ‘Theodore Miller’ have perfectly harmonized their consciousness. The Overwrite feature has been stopped. The user’s self might become contaminated.]

[Hidden feature Transmission has been activated.]

[If Transmission is successful, the fragment of Alfred Bellontes will be completely restored. If you fail, you will lose all the skills you have acquired from the essences. The mental shock can also cause the self-destruction of your ego.]

[Are you sure you want to approve Transmission? - Y/N]

Theo didn’t hesitate, even with the creepy advice.

“Transmission!” As he answered, two flashes of light shone brightly in the dark mental world. One was the soul of the majestic and brilliant hero, while the other was the soul of a body not yet fully grown. The two lights swirled around each other in the air before becoming one stream.

Kiiing!

It was like a lightning bolt had struck Theodore Miller.