Immediately, Kaleem adopted a fighting stance.
The fish-woman lunged at him. With swift reflexes, he dodged her claw aimed at his head and rolled to the side. As he rose to his feet, another claw slashed toward his ribs. He raised his arm to block—only for the strike to tear off a chunk of his flesh.
Pain exploded through his mind.
Sweat beaded down his face as blood streamed from his shredded arm. "What the fuck am I doing?" he muttered, voice strained. But even as agony clouded his thoughts, he frowned and locked eyes with the creature. Anger surged.
The blood from his wound stopped mid-flow, congealing under his control.
"Damn you!!!" he roared, his growl guttural and vicious. He had expected pain—but not this much. If not for his evolution into a mystic, he would have lost consciousness.
This time, he charged.
Faster—much faster than before.
His skin flushed red as thick veins bulged visibly across his body. The creature's eyes widened in surprise, too late to react—Kaleem's hand pierced straight into its stomach.
But then... no blood.
Instead of gushing out, it simply vanished.
His eyes widened. Air shifted behind him.
Reacting instantly, he ducked. A claw barely missed his face by a hair's breadth. He twisted, grabbed the creature's face, and slammed it into the ground.
But it too disappeared.
Three more identical creatures emerged from the mist.
That's when he understood.
He was trapped inside an illusion.
His mind raced, analyzing the nature of the Mystery he faced. Dodging and retaliating did nothing—the more he fought, the more appeared.
If he didn't do something soon, he was going to die.
His mana reserves were draining fast.
Suddenly, his eyes began to glow—and then came the sound of flesh tearing.
From his lower spine, a thick crimson appendage burst forth. A grotesque fusion of slick, fibrous muscle and hardened skin.
[Strange Art: Biological Transfiguration – Flesh-Binding Tail]
It pulsed with blood—alive, connected directly to his nervous system. Using his unique ability to convert blood to mana, the tail served multiple functions.
It coiled, twisted—and then whipped outward in a sweeping arc.
Illusions shattered.
Wind pressure blew back the enemies, giving him precious space. He jumped back, the tail snatching onto a tree branch and yanking him toward safety—beyond the mist, which lingered near the lake and continued to spread.
He pulled out his phone, fingers trembling, and sent a report.
Mission complete. Extraction request initiated.
Now, he swung through the trees, heading toward the lake entrance—fully aware he was now being hunted.
He scoffed bitterly. "Cocky bastard... thought I'd sweep through this mission." He clenched his jaw, body aching. "If not for my quick thinking... I'd be dead."
Just as he was about to clear the final stretch of trees, **something** grabbed his leg mid-air.
Too fast.
Too strong.
He tried to lash out with his tail, but it was useless.
The next moment, he was ripped backwards—slammed into the earth, hard.
Cough—Cough—Cough
Dust rose.
Kaleem pushed himself out of a small crater, vision hazy, body trembling from the impact. He shook his head—forced clarity into his gaze.
He was back.
Back near the lake.
"The main body… it's at the lake. Maybe even its center," he muttered grimly.
He stared at the shimmering water. Frustration flickered in his expression. There was no escape now. Not without killing the source.
Sighing, he retracted his tail and sat down, meditating lightly—he couldn't afford to drop his guard.
Ten minutes later.
Only 20% of his mana was recovered—but it would have to do.
He clenched his fists and approached the lake bank. Dozens of fish-like humanoid creatures now stood before him—both male and female in physiology.
He rushed forward.
His tail burst forth once more, slamming into one of their heads—this time, the skull caved in.
Blue blood splattered across the ground. Brain matter and bone fragments sprayed like wet clay.
The others roared and charged, expressions rabid.
Though sluggish, Kaleem fought back fiercely. Most were illusions—two were real. He realized the only option was forward. Escape was no longer possible.
He dashed toward the lake.
There—a figure floated above the center of the water. Humanoid in shape, but made of water. Its features mirrored the fish-people below.
It looked at Kaleem—and raised its hand.
Instantly, Kaleem's eyes widened.
A gust of wind slashed above his head. He ducked just in time, eyes catching a transparent tentacle, most likely made of vapor and water molecules.
More strikes came.
He rolled to the side—a crater formed where he had just stood. Then another strike—too fast. It hit him squarely.
Three ribs shattered. He was flung into a tree.
His fair skin turned purple from the damage. Gasping for air, he looked up.
It wasn't even moving.
The entity had created yet another 'illusion'—but this one could interact with the physical world.
"Why was I reckless.... Should I have waited…?" he thought bitterly. "How could I be so foolish…?"
"I'm not the protagonist from books who gets cheats and OP skills at the start… I am just an ordinary guy who just got lucky." He said this as his face slowly morphed into that of despair.
The fish-like creatures approached, slowly.
They meant to drag him to their master.
"Is this really my fate, am I truly about to die?" he muttered as his eyes closed. Then, in that split moment, his entire life flashed before his eyes.
His childhood.
The awkward teen years.
The moment the ritual succeeded.
The danger of his first mystery kill.
His first near-death experience
The loneliness....
Duke, Andrea, Sir Craig....
And then—
NOOOOOOOOO!!!
Kaleem roared.
His face twisted into something savage—equal parts beast and beauty.
"I REFUSE!!!"
His tail lashed out—tearing through the illusions in a wide, brutal arc.
His eyes burned a brilliant crimson.
The entity watched from above, unmoved. But Kaleem was already rising. Blood surged across his body—his skin glowing red.
[Strange Art: Biological Transfiguration – Predator's Claw]
He redirected blood into his heart—triggering explosive blood cell proliferation.
The excess blood rushed to his arm, seeping outward, forming a thick layer of flesh that wrapped his forearm up to the elbow.
It crawled over his fingers.
Solidified.
Curved claws—4 to 5 inches long—formed.
As they completed, the entire mass compressed, shrinking to the size of his arm. The flesh turned black, dense and deadly.
The creature above the lake finally reacted.
It recognized the threat—and began to move