Miserable Reincarnation

3 – Awakened Magic Power

“……?”

While wearing a bewildered expression, Lian decisively crushed a steel pipe, forcing a beast to shriek out in utter agony.

A single blow.

No matter how caught off-guard the creature was, killing such a monster in one shot with a fragile body like his was a matter of a completely different dimension.

No matter how firmly his center of gravity was fixed or how good his posture was, he should fall short when it came to sheer brute strength.

‘The creature outweighed me several times over.’

Even if he aimed for the mouth, under normal circumstance he should have been thrown back.

‘But why.’

For decades, the common wisdom he had learned on the battlefield shattered into a million pieces. It was nonsensical, but Lian’s reason insisted it was reality.

‘How is this possible?’

Even if he naturally excelled at physical combat, the situation failed to make sense by any logical standard.

Unless this place was a world where common ‘sense’ did not apply.

Suddenly, a neon sign faintly glowing in a corner caught Lian’s eye.

[Deckard’s new escort-roids will keep your home safe.]

– Equivalent output to a rank 3 physical ability user!

– Able to defend against rank 2 magic!

– All these features for the low price of 30 million cels!

“……Magic?”

Lian didn’t exactly comprehend what a ‘physical ability user’ meant, but he clearly recognized the word ‘magic’.

Lian’s face fell. How had he lived, not noticing such a signboard over the past decade?

Even if he had been captured by a gang.

[Have you ever thought you were born in the wrong era?]

They should be direct with what they mean. This far surpassed any level that could be masked as being of a different era.

Lian gritted his teeth, remembering the face of the person who had dragged him into this world.

He had been aware that his body’s recovery rate was abnormally fast. The thugs only beat him up because of his unusually sturdy constitution.

It is just that his fragile psyche had not been able to comprehend it until now.

“He’s quite a madman.”

He wasn’t particularly big in size, but considering he was just a poor, hungry kid, his strength was not ordinary. The same went for his muscular density and his kinetic vision.

Despite taking such beatings, he never once broke a bone.

A genius.

Knowing well from his past life that pride was a poison, Lian never seemed to deny that fact.

Because his body, which seemed to be on the verge of collapsing just moments ago, was bursting with vitality that was hard to believe.

Groooow…

And from a certain moment, this strange energy began to pulsate throughout his body, in tune with his breathing. He didn’t know what to call this energy, but he was certain that not everyone had this ability.

He met many gang members, and none of them demonstrated this kind of ability.

“I’ll have to check later.”

Lian’s thoughts did not linger for long.

Grrr…. a wolf’s claw flew at him at blistering speed.

Lian twisted his body to evade the attack. The surprised wolf’s eyes widened. Lian’s previous move was impossible unless one had eyes in the back of their head.

“My senses are waking up.”

Lian looked at the pack of wolves with sharp eyes. There were four left. Among them was a huge beast that was formidable even compared to the others.

“Is it… the leader?”

It appeared to be three meters at least.

What kind of world had allowed for such a beast of a dog to exist?

Even today, the homeless people were considered pests and thrown into prison. In comparison, this seemed almost like a leniency.

After one beast howled out in pain, they didn’t attack randomly. They surrounded Lian and waited for a lapse, ready to pounce.

Red eyes glowing from the dark shadow, echoes of howls from all directions. It was a situation that might scare even an adult; however, not for Lian.

He had been on the battlefield for a full decade. The fear he once felt had been long overcome, and the ability to seize and charge intimidates came from such an accomplishment.

Rian drew calming breaths, focusing all his concentration. The reasoning of it mattered not, because instinctively, he felt it was necessary.

Thump.

The pulse echoing in his brain. At the same time, a nameless energy that had been throbbing through his veins began to gather in one point.

It was probably thanks to this nameless energy that he could declare such a boldness.

“……”

He knew nothing about this energy, but one thing was for sure.

He seemed to know how to use it.

Rian, holding the iron pipe, took a small deep breath.

Zzzzzzzt …!

Beginning from his heart, a tingling sensation spread throughout his entire body.

It felt like his whole body was being fortified.

In the next moment.

Kwang …!

Rian’s new form shot forward, striking down another wild dog. His attack was crude and blunt, but immensely destructive.

He had never formally learned spear or staff combat. What he learned in the army amounted to short dagger techniques, close combat fist fights, and bayonet tactics.

However, what did it matter if he didn’t learn? This inconceivable physique moved perfectly as per the image in his mind.

Rian plunged into the scattering of terrified wild dogs. Pabang! Taking a random piece of metal he found on the ground as a shield, he blocked their fangs and then stabbed the iron pipe into their abdomen. He had already confirmed that the dogs’ abdomens hadn’t been mechanised. As the iron pipe got pulled out between the ribs, blood jettisoned.

Kekekeing!

“Hooh.”

Even after vigorous movements, his body recovered its stability with one single breath. An inconceivable recovery capability. Not even his past life in constant skirmishes had exhibited such a level.

Of course, Rian knew that the current recovery prowess wasn’t entirely positive. With a body that had never experienced rigorous training, being able to move like this was in itself a miracle.

And in this world, it was certain that there exists no miracle without its cost. After swinging his arm once or twice, Li-an was convinced of this fact. He had, at most, three minutes left. The surging adrenalin was sustaining him for now, but if he couldn’t finish what he had started, he was certain that he would be the one to fall.

The pack leader growled menacingly. The brute assigned his subordinates to confront Li-an while looking for a gap in his defenses. Managing to keep both parties in check, Li-an glanced at the subordinate wolves. Fear spun in their eyes, making them seem as if they would roll over and show their belly after a few jabs.

As Li-an intentionally revealed a gap, they immediately reacted. Yelping back and forth, their timing to leap seemed synchronized. In that fleeting moment, Li-an assesed which direction he should counter first. The speed at which the claws came flying, the expanding angle of the lower jaw, remaining time till the enemy’s attack would hit. The result was a combination of Li-an’s superhuman reflexes and his past life’s judgement.

‘It’s predictable.’

Swiftly, Li-an ducked and charged straight forward.

CRUNCH!

The steel pipe that had moved to the side in an instant drove into the ear of a subordinate wolf. Just as he felt something hit the end of the steel pipe, he twisted with force and pulled it out. Brains spilled as the enemy’s eyes dimmed into darkness.

‘Next!’

If he stopped, he died.

THUD!

Keeping up the momentum, Li-an plunged the steel pipe into the ground, forcibly stopped his physical acceleration, then sprang up as if soaring. The enemies head swiftly turned towards him. Although the enemy tried to catch Li-an by flailing his claw, Li-an’s reaction to thrust his steel pipe was quicker.

CRUNCH!

With a chilling sound of stabbing, the eyes of the wolf were pierced through. The pack leader, during all these events, not losing a beat, swiped his steel claws slashing Li-an’s shoulder. Gush! Blood erupted from his shoulder. Li-an swallowed the pain, determined to pierce through the other eye.

Li-an landed on the ground as if falling. The pack leader couldn’t do the same. He hit the ground like a rag doll, rolling across the scrap heap, and shivered all over.

Grabbing desperately at his bleeding shoulder, Li-an pondered for a moment, then used the steel pipe as a staff to get up, staggering side to side. His shoulder was throbbing in pain, but he fought hard to ignore it.

Holding the steel pipe in one hand, Li-an thrust it into the head of the wolf.

Crash! Crash!

Until the crying stops.

Lian sat on the floor, gasping for air. The surroundings were filled with blood.

“Haa…”

As the tension subsided, the burden that had been mocking Lian’s body rushed in.

Instinctively, a sigh escaped Lian’s lips as they searched through their pockets.

“It can’t be.”

Lian naturally raised their head.

And, a sarcastic smile that didn’t match their age appeared.

Under the darkened sky, countless skyscrapers spewed out their own colors in all directions.

A towering wall stood proudly in the middle of the path leading to the city, almost as if denying entry to the lower class.

“I’m just curious how far you can climb.”

“….”

Today, the desire for a cigarette was particularly strong.