That 346: Mystery Magic

" Mystery magic... is it?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Nanami poked her braless breasts with a little bounce,

"I don't want to die either. But I still have some peace of mind—thanks to this magic."

"What kind of spell is it?"

"Pulputa."

With just those two syllables, I understood almost perfectly what she meant.

"Ohhh. I see."

"Wait, you actually get it?"

"Yeah, well..."

"Guess it's nice having otaku friends. Ayumi doesn't know anything about this kind of thing at all."

After gaining the power of a "player," I've never once regretted being a gamer.

"It's Dragon Quest, right? Something unpredictable."

"That's it. Random-effect magic. That's what makes it mysterious."

We were now moving to a two-story building right nearby, looking down on the "zombies."

They, with red eyes, were busy constructing their meat staircase as usual.

Of course, we intended to finish our task before their hands could reach us.

"This magic works best in situations just like this—neither when you're alone nor when surrounded by everyone else. The ideal moment is when you have one reliable companion right beside you."

"Wasn't Pulpunte known for causing incredibly harsh negative effects?"

If we follow the original story, our allies might suddenly die too.

"Yeah. It affects both friend and foe alike."

"Is it really just a nuisance?"

"Only if you have companions who understand how to handle it properly. Also, Cure Spell II is a must."

I suddenly look up at the neighboring building where I had just been resting. There's no one there anymore. The refugees who had finished sleeping and having a light meal have already moved down to the first floor using the elevator.

Once this task is done, I'll join up with the refugees and then hurry toward Shibuya Station.

Incidentally, there are nine known effects of the mysterious-type magic that have been investigated.

Summarizing the story she told,

1. The spell transforms into a yamabiko and embeds itself into a tree spirit.

2. One random "hostile lifeform" is summoned.

3. One random effect from fire, water, or lightning type I to V activates.

4. All allies, including myself, fully recover magical energy.

5. All allies, including myself, fully recover from injuries.

6. My physical condition deteriorates extremely severely. In some cases, I may die instantly. Illnesses can be cured with Healing Magic II.

7. Summon something "incredibly terrifying" and attack the "hostile lifeforms" around you.

8. Rewind time by about one minute.

9. A mysterious phenomenon with neither positive nor negative effects. (Example: handing the script of Hamlet to a completely exhausted undead chimpanzee, etc.)

That's what it says.

"Hmm. Quite diverse, aren't they?"

Among these, the clearly negative effects are likely — numbers 2 and 6.

"Also, number 3 is dangerous too. The spell, once released, doesn't distinguish between friend and foe....But if 'Nameless' is by my side, it shouldn't be much of a problem."

Well, I do have strong skills in magic resistance, after all.

It's not often I'd use such a risky spell in battle, but in situations like this, it might actually come in handy.

"Of course, what I'm aiming to unleash this time is..."

"Seventh. I'll summon a monster ally and ask it to cover us."

"By the way, what kind of creature is this 'incredibly terrifying being'?"

Could it be something from the Cthulhu Mythos?

"I don't know. It seems to change depending on my mental state. It kind of manifests as whatever I feel afraid of at the moment."

"What about the one that appeared before?"

Like giant spaghetti monsters or hulking serial clown killers. Sometimes even anime characters show up—like the one who ate Mami in 'Madoka Magica.'

You mean the witch of sweets, Charlotte (glasses twitch).

"The worst thing to look at was probably the giant, thrashing cock. The way it cleared a path through the zombies was... honestly, pretty intense."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I pray our collaboration video isn't banned."

Incidentally, due to the difference in survival odds, I'm currently holding the video camera.

It's my mission, then, to safely bring this back and fully expose everything that's happened here.

"Then, shall we begin soon?"

"Yes."

I brace myself, waiting for Nanami's incantation.

After a moment of deep thought, she...

"Um... uh... Well, since this is a dangerous spell, I made the incantation a bit longer to prevent mistakes. It's kind of embarrassing, though."

"It's fine. Hurry up."

"Okay. —'Pīrika pirira ra, poporina peperuto'! Look at this!"

As Nanami said her spell in a distinctly magical girl anime style,

whoosh!

a fiery mass shot toward me with quite a deadly intensity.

I dodged it with a slight tilt of my head,

"That was the second one of the Fire-elemental spells."

"Ah, sorry about that."

"Be prepared. Don't worry about it—let's keep going."

"Got it....Here I come...!"

That was how our little ordeal began.