Chương 44: Chapter Forty Three

Ding! You have destroyed a 'LV: 6 Lesser Mad-Crab (F)' (1) Experience gained for Class: ' Treasure Hunter (B)' Alert! (2) Unread system notices! Bob, for a split second, did nothing. The world seeming to freeze for him the moment he realized that the door had slammed open. His death notice already written.

'REND!'

'EAT!' Before he then realized that time had, in fact, not stopped. But rather the crabs which were after his head had.

'Treasure Sense' showing that the two in the lead were still somehow stuck in the doorway. Which meant he might have a chance. Seeing the two unread notices, he immediately jumped at them. Physically, he had nothing left to give. And he doubted any of his illusion Skills could draw them away while he was still right in front of them, injured and near death. Though, to be honest, a good amount of why he chose to go all-in on a pair of unchecked cards was simply down to hope.

Hope that if whatever Skill he must've created could do this to him, it could also do the same to his chitinous adversaries. Ding! Dimensional Path Skill Acquired: Shattered Space (D) Ding! Congratulations! New Class available! Class: Dimensional Mage Rank: A Though desired by King, General and Merchant Prince alike; few and far between will you find a Sapient mind who dares to meddle with dimensional forces. Or, rather, the issue might be that those who try are often found in many places.

As the potent and esoteric form of Magic is known for keeping its practitioners… limited. Class Focus Dimensional Magic Attributes Intelligence, Willpower, Constitution Requirements: Intelligence: 50, Willpower: 50, Creation of a Dimensional Path Skill Upon seeing that he'd managed to acquire a D-Rank Skill as well as an A-Rank Class part of Bob wanted to shout aloud in celebration. Fortunately, the rest of him realized that now wasn't exactly the best of times.

Immediately trying to speed-run the process of trading out Skills while completely ignoring the objectively more impressive Class. What limited Constitution gains it might give wouldn't do enough to matter and he couldn't risk the activation of its Class Skill throwing him for a loop. He'd just barely pressed the 'confirm' button for the transfer when the situation near the doorway changed. A sudden wave of pressure rippling through the room before one of the two attacking 'blips' was shoved violently backwards.

Leaving the remaining crab more than enough space to charge through the room's entrance. The impact of the Skill change was devastating. Like having a grand-mal seizure while in full body traction. It felt as though he was only held together by the system's will. Bob somehow suffering no actual damage from the act despite it feeling like every last splinter of him was on fire. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The events caused his hold on 'Treasure Sense' to flicker.

His mind desperately clinging to both it and consciousness as the crab's 'signal' jumped ever closer to him. It losing precious seconds when it was forced to veer around the massive fallen chandelier in the middle of the room. Finally, just as the 'blip' was nearly on top of his location, it was done. Control over his body suddenly being released back to him and Bob immediately attempting to target the crab with his newest Skill.

Hoping beyond hope that the ability's description wasn't just 'causes self to explode'. As the mana ballooned within him, the kaleidoscope of color in his shattered eye shifted to a singular hue. His world turning blue-grey as the surrounding waters shuddered from the oncoming attack. And it was inches from impacting, when the mana that was about to rupture within him, suddenly appeared someplace else.

'SHRE-' Alert! - 1 Health The waters in front of him almost twisted into an explosion. A force briefly tugging at him before he was then launched away; showered in crab viscera and sliding across the mosaiced tile. His already shattered form further fragmenting during the trip. Doing his best to ignore his body literally falling to pieces, Bob negated a system alert as he focused his attention on 'Treasure Sense'.

Mind simultaneously elated to see the crab's aura vanish and dismayed to note how much mana the achievement had cost him. A dismay which elevated itself to something more dire when he realized that, with the Skill having taken a third of his available energy, he could only use it twice more. Something which, unless 'Treasure Sense' was glitching out somehow and miss-counting crabs, was going to be a bit of an issue. As the second crab charged through the doorway, this fact initially caused him to hesitate.

Allowing it to clear almost half the distance between them before he realized that his uncertainty was about to get him killed. At which point, he finally activated a Skill. Though this time, not one which cost him any mana. As the calm and serenity of 'Battle Meditation' rolled over him, he was briefly angry with himself for not activating it earlier. Back when a steady mind might have allowed him to slaughter the smaller crab before its older siblings had gotten through the door. Only briefly, however.

As soon that was swept away with all other useless thoughts and emotions so that he could focus on the more pressing issues at hand. Pressing issues like the massive crab only a few feet away from him.

'DESTR-' Alert! - 1 Health Seeing no other alternative, Bob quickly activated the mana-hungry ability. A second explosion going off with similar results to the first. Him again being tossed away and negating a system alert as the monster's signal disappeared from his mind. Leaving just enough mana within him to power the Skill one last time. The two remaining crabs had ceased their own conflict shortly after the first D-Rank died. By the time the second was dead, one of them had already made it into the room.

Nixing any chance Bob had of targeting them while they were both stuck in the entryway. Which meant he had to find a way to kill them while they were apart. And hopefully far enough away from him that he wouldn't take any damage from the explosion. What was left of his body feeling like little more than a few collapsed in boards.

'Battlefield Meditation' allowed him to act quickly. None of the innumerable 'what ifs' his anxious mind conjured able to pierce through its steady wall of calm. Instead, he simply identified a possible solution for the impossible situation and attempted to actuate it. By hurling the greater length of his tongue off to his left, and beginning to waggle it with all the energy he had left in him. As the leading crab charged towards him, it blocked off any view of his main body to its slower sibling.

Thus, as the last rampaging crustacean entered the room, the only bit of him it could see was the end portion of his tongue twitching eight feet away. So, obviously, it set out after it. Its charge was more of a straight shot than its brothers'. So, by the time the first crab had managed to get around the room's obstructions, it was exactly where Bob needed it to be. And so, without even the slightest hint of hesitation, Bob finally activated his last use of 'Shattered Space'.

Though not with either of the crabs as its target. Rather the glowing 'Treasure' which was now situated directly between them. The world exploded. The tearing screech of shattered metal sounding almost melodic when smothered by the water's embrace. Bob's destroyed eye unable to physically witness the results of the copper chandelier's detonation, but 'Treasure Sense' filling in all the important details. Allowing him to watch two auras be snuffed out while one treasure multiplied into several thousand.

Bob quickly realizing, as the last shard finished ricocheting off his indestructible surroundings, that it had indeed been a good idea to wait until the first crab was in-between him and his target. For a good few minutes, he simply… sat there. Seemingly unable to believe he'd actually survived the situation. Then he realized that, while severely diminished, the crab shrieks filling his mind hadn't entirely disappeared. He was almost shocked to notice the tiny 'blips' still alive on the rooftops above him.

Their pinprick auras having gone entirely unnoticed amongst the calamitous sensations that were their more powerful siblings. Unfortunately, insignificant though they may be, in Bob's present state they were a genuine danger. Though it felt as though he was trying to lift a mountain, Bob slowly forced his tongue to once again move. This time throwing it towards the room's far corner. An area out of sight from the rooftops. And then, he began to pull.

It felt as though he was dragging raw skin across a plain of salt and razorblades. Every inch was an agony. Every foot a calculation of how fast he could manage to move himself without dealing damage. Bob refusing to look at how much Health he actually had left. Knowing full well that the information would probably cause him to stop, or go more slowly, or any one of a dozen actions which might motivate the crabs above to take the plunge. At which point, he felt truly uncertain of his ability to hold them off.

Eventually, he made it. Bob almost weeping internally as the last cry finally cut off. Using the barest scraps of mana he had left to cast a quick 'Lifeless Disguise'. Finally able now that he was out of line-of-sight. And then, despite lacking any of the required biology to necessitate such an action, he quickly passed out.

Though the sounds of conflict had dissipated and the alarm cries of lesser crabs slowly petered out, the rage filling the ground floor's sole remaining occupant refused to be so easily assuaged. To be fair though, its rage could never be assuaged. Not since it had become trapped. Not since its diet had been restricted to the meagre bodies of foolish newcomers. Not since its last evolution had boosted its intelligence to the point that it could nearly comprehend the horror of its own situation.

But now though, that rage was different. Enhanced by the realization that what little food it was allowed to subsist on had been taken. That even the hope for a decent meal, those larger crabs which had learned long ago to stay far out of reach, had now seemingly also vanished. And, unlike its lesser brethren, it was smart enough to remember the reason why. An intruder. One despised by everything inside of the creature. Hated more than rogue octopus. More than larger crabs.

More than the room it was trapped in, even. One which had stolen all of its prey. And taken all of its territory. Its every action filling the crab with an ever-more indescribable amount of fury. Fury for which it had very few outlets. The screams echoing from the manor's ground floor may have lacked the telepathic quality that a local walking box so despised; but that didn't mean they weren't far reaching. The Crab Behind the Wall's actions ironically working against its own desires.

Driving away any curious local crustaceans who might have been interested in filling the manor's recent power vacuum. Not that it would have cared. Its mind currently fixed onto a single objective. To KILL the creature which had dared to claim its home.