Illusion Hunter in Another World
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Reincarnation (2)
Wait, could this actually be a good thing?
Taking a moment, I calmly assessed my current situation.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large red bird swooped down, landing in the middle of the street. The young child was just about to walk into the alley when the bird blocked his way.
“Kyaahh!”
As the bird let out a horrifying screech…
“Aaah! Mommy!” the child screamed.
Terrified, the kid instinctively bolted and ran for his life, but not before the bird quickly snatched up his bag.
Just like that, the bird had immobilized its prey in a matter of seconds.
The child whimpered, but, strangely enough, the bird didn’t seem as famished as I was.
Instead, it playfully tapped the child with its beak, showing no interest in making a meal out of him.
Amazing! Even in this distant galaxy, there are birds! The theories were right—planets with magical energy do host creatures similar to those on Alpha Uri!
I secretly watched the scene unfold, momentarily swept up in excitement.
“Hmm.”
I should really calm down, though.
There’s still a giant red bird in front of me, after all.
From what I remember of this body’s memories, I can eat birds.
Finally, I’ve encountered something that qualifies as legitimate prey.
And as the most powerful Archmage of my time, I could kill that creature with a simple cough.
Once I get accustomed to the mana here, conquering this small planet won’t be a big deal.
The only question left is how long it’ll take to regain my ability to use magic…..
“Huh?”
Just then, something caught my eye. I noticed a strange ripple near the bird’s feathers as it chased the child.
But that wasn’t all.
I simultaneously felt a mysterious force emanating from the ground beneath my feet.
What?
It was as though a chilling liquid infused with celestial energy was flowing through every cell in my body.
This is…
Mana.
For the first time since my reincarnation, I sensed the Earth’s mana.
“This is Earth’s mana?” I blurted out, astonished.
I immediately dropped to all fours on the asphalt, propping myself up with my arms and legs like a dog. I had no other option.
My God, Earth’s planetary mana is—
“What?”
It’s too much.
Way, way too much!
“No wonder I adjusted so quickly. I’ve only been here a few seconds, and I can already feel the mana coursing through me!”
Normally, mana adaptation—the time it takes to align oneself with the magical energy of a new environment—takes a while.
But on Earth, that period would clearly be incredibly short.
If other planets have just a bucket of mana to dip your toes in, Earth is like a swimming pool filled to the brim with it!
“Is this even real? Geez, how can there be such a goldmine of a planet!”
In awe, I was tempted to bend down and lick the ground.
This place is paradise!
With this much mana, there’s nothing I can’t do!
But wait a minute.
“Ah.”
While I was lost in the euphoria of mana, I sensed a subtle, distant gaze.
“Keeek? Kookook.”
“……”
I finally noticed that the child and the monstrous bird had ceased their squabbling and were now eyeing me cautiously.
Well, fair enough. That makes sense.
A random stranger shows up, starts shrieking to himself, and then drops to all fours in the middle of the street.
I’ve unintentionally drawn attention to myself.
Ahem. Clearing my throat, I stood up awkwardly.
My original plan was to slip away quietly.
“Ah, um…”
However, things didn’t go as expected.
Because the child, standing under the shadow of the monstrous bird, opened his trembling lips.
“Mister!”
He looked straight at me and cried out, “Pl-pease, help me…”
His voice shook with fear, and the giant bird seemed to scrutinize him from behind.
“Help me!”
I guess Earthlings are educated like this. When faced with danger, seek help from a passing adult, huh?
I let out a sigh.
Of all the people to ask for help, you picked an alien like me?
“Can you help me?” he continued, “Pl-pease save me from that…beast, Uncle!”
And what if this alien wasn’t a powerful wizard like me?
What would you have done then?
With a relaxed attitude, I replied, “Alright, I’ll help you out.”
The little Earthling heard this and whimpered with joy.
But then his face fell as I pointed at the half-empty plastic bag he was clutching—the snack he had been enjoying earlier.
“If I catch that bird for you, would you give me that in return?”
“What?”
“You heard me. Will you give it to me?”
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
As I spoke firmly, the child hesitated, but then quickly responded.
“You want my ice cream? But it’s already half-eaten…”
“Keeek!” The bird let out another screech, and the child quickly caved.
“Okay, okay, take it! J-just please save me!”
The situation was becoming critical. As the bird prepared for another screech, the child was startled bolted toward me.
Running away with your back turned to a predator?
As the child sprinted my way, the giant bird unfolded its wings and took to the air, lunging down on the child like a high-speed arrow.
“Hey! Move!”
I instantly stepped in front of the child to shield him. The bird’s talons came within inches of my face, but I felt no fear.
Hmph.
After all, if it were anyone but me, the Chief Wizard who once protected an entire planet, a flick of my wrist would’ve easily separated the flesh from this bird’s bones—wait, why isn’t my magic working?
“Huh?”
My momentary hesitation cost me. My attempted wind spell fizzled out, and the bird’s talons easily ripped apart the brick wall next to me.
Bang!
“Keeek!”
The bird soared back into the sky, letting out another ear-piercing screech as it circled overhead.
The child in the hat had wisely taken the opportunity to flee when I intervened. Now it looked like I was the bird’s new target.
“Haha, what’s this? Did I get nervous in a new environment? No matter, I’ve dealt with worse.”
I chuckled, brushing off my previous mistake.
With renewed focus, I stretched out my hand again, attempting to cast various spells at the circling monster: from explosive magic and elemental spells to curses. But after about ten frustrating seconds of trying every kind of magical spell, it finally hit me.
“W-why isn’t my magic working?”
What’s going on?
This can’t be happening? It’s not working? My magic isn’t working!
“Why? Seriously, what the hell?”
There’s more than enough mana here, and my spell formulas were definitely correct, so what’s the problem? My magic isn’t coming out at all.
I was defenseless, standing under the ominous shadow of what I presumed to be a carnivorous bird.
“..…….”
I didn’t hesitate for long.
“Help, someone save me! Ahhh!”
I bolted, shouting for help, just like the little Earthling had done earlier.
Holy Shit!
“Aaaah!”
“This planet is insane! What kind of garbage planet has creatures like this just wandering around?!”
It’s terrifying.
The giant bird, possibly hungrier than before after its previous playtime with the child, pursued me with a vicious intensity.
Damn. How the hell am I supposed to hunt down such a massive creature when I can’t even use magic?
“Ugh!”
My clumsy escape was both brief and jarring.
I’ve finally identified the nagging discomfort I’ve felt since my rebirth.
“Skreeee!”
The shrill whistle of wind sounded from above, heralding the monster bird’s dive, its beak sharp enough to easily pierce a frail Earthling’s flesh.
I sprinted faster out of sheer terror, but then—
A sharp pain erupted from my right knee.
“Ugh!”
I crumpled onto the pavement without warning.
That’s right, this body has—
A leg problem.
I can’t run with this body.
An icy chill washed over me.
Just as the monstrous bird was prepared to skewer me from above, I tripped and fell flat on my face.
So this is how it ends.
“Ugh!”
My eyes clenched shut in apprehension.
Bang!
A deafening sound filled the air, like the sound of a drill penetrating through bone.
“Keeek…?”
Huh?
“…….Hold on, where’s the pain?”
Cautiously, I opened my eyes and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“What the—?”
The monstrous bird was stuck in place, its beak lodged into the concrete just inches from my head.
The impact had created a small crater, as if a meteorite had just fallen.
“Could it be…”
I nudged the lifeless bird with my foot, confirming what I’d already suspected.
“Did you really just nosedive yourself into the ground?”
Is this bird stupid?
I shook my head in disbelief.
This monster had been dive-bombing me with lethal intent, aiming to pierce my upper body. But thanks to my clumsy tumble, it had ended up drilling its own head into the concrete.
“So, it is exactly as it seems, isn’t it?”
I incredulously stared down at the bird, probably dead from a self-inflicted concussion.
A monster that dooms itself by diving recklessly?
I’d like to hear an explanation from Earth’s scholars about how such a stupid creature came into existence.
“Phew.”
Anyway, my stumble turned out to be a stroke of luck.
I sighed in relief, which was promptly interrupted as a forgotten pain flared up again.
“Ah!”
Gurgle
My stomach let out a furious growl.
The whole food hunt adventure that led to this mess came rushing back to mind.
Is this bird even edible?
Carefully, I picked up the fallen bird from the ground.
With no obvious grip point, my hand naturally found its slender neck.
Considering we’re from the same planet, the amino acid structure must be…
Just as I started examining the bird, a commotion erupted from the end of the alley.
My attention naturally shifted in its direction.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆
“Police officer! Hurry! Hurry!”
“Don’t run ahead of us!”
“A man just saved me from the Beginner Killer! We’ll lose him if we’re too late!”
Navigating through the maze-like alley between the one room apartments, three people sprinted urgently.
The black haired woman leading the way couldn’t help but frown at the child’s urgent cries.
There must have been human casualties.
They were responding to a reported incident involving a C-class monster known as the Beginner Killer, which had reportedly escaped from a nearby gate.
Please, let me not be too late!
The bird-type monster called Beginner Killer originates from the sandy desert gate.
The Beginner Killer was originally an E-class monster.
It had a soft body that could be dealt with by Earth’s non-magical firearms, which was the reason for its grade.
However, at some point, the Beginner Killer’s grade had explosively upgraded.
“Is this the last known location?”
“Yes!”
“It’s dangerous, so please stay here.”
With its dumb-looking face and soft body, the Beginner Killer had a knack for making novice hunters let down their guard.
In reality, this monster was capable of speeds that could outpace missiles.
Hunters with a rank below C-class wouldn’t even have a chance to see it coming. They’d be killed instantly.
“I will take immediate action…”
However, at that very moment,
The hunter affiliated with the Association stumbled upon a strange scene at the deployment site.
“Huh?”
The monstrous bird, which had slain numerous hunters and thus earned the nickname ‘Killer,’ was lying limp in the hands of some man.
“You, you are…”
A monster too fast to even track with the eye, let alone capture by hand, was now subdued and killed by a man with an icy expression.
Could it be that he slammed it down to kill it?
The hunter stopped in her tracks and instinctively surveyed the signs of battle in the vicinity. It was only afterward that she made eye contact with the mysterious man.