How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 28

Punishment with Punishment (3)

I could almost picture the dumbfounded expression on his face as he opened his eyes.

“Are you running away! How ridiculous!”

Singel shouted, sounding incredulous.

At that moment, his sword carved a deep furrow into the spot where I had been standing.

Whoa! I would have been hit if I had been just a hair slower.

His aim was far more precise than I’d anticipated.

‘So, he can sense my location even with just the sound of my footsteps….’

I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying to suppress even the smallest sound as I fled.

Even if I couldn’t completely silence my footsteps, I had to maximize the distance between us while minimizing the noise I made.

That was the crux of my primary tactic.

And the second part is this!

‘……Undine, Sprite, keep attacking him. Don’t worry about my mana reserves.’

Maintaining the spirits’ relentless assault, I focused solely on running.

This is one of the key advantages of spiritism.

There’s no need for me to aim each attack individually.

Once I issue the command, they target the enemy at their own discretion.

Therefore, obscured vision is not an obstacle for them.

Spirits don’t rely on sight to perceive their targets.

Papat Papat!

Water arrows rained down incessantly.

Bolts of lightning accurately struck toward him, flashing continuously through the dissipating fog.

“Annoying! So, it’s spiritism!”

He clicked his tongue, and I heard the whoosh of his sword as he swung it!

He was likely trying to dispel the spirits with his blade.

Since his sword was imbued with aura [magical energy], striking a spirit with it would break the summoning and banish them back to their realm.

But I didn’t sense any spirits being dispelled.

That meant he was just swinging at empty air.

‘That guy hasn’t reached the level where he can discern the presence of spirits. He’s clumsy.’

I was gradually getting a feel for his limitations.

If the rest goes according to plan, this might actually work.

‘Until then, I’ll evade and avoid as much as possible!’

As I leaned back as far as I could, the guy’s sword slashed through an innocent wall.

A shiver ran down my spine.

‘He’s still tracking my location…….’

This cat-and-mouse game couldn’t last forever.

Even now, my mana was being drained by the spirits in real-time, a sensation I couldn’t ignore even if I wanted to.

The guy was also expending his strength to chase me and defend against the continuous spirit attacks by surrounding himself with an aura barrier.

Who would tire out first?

It was literally a race for survival.

The one who faltered and stopped would die.

After what felt like no more than ten minutes, the end of our short game of tag was in sight.

The thinning fog, the very fog I had created, signaled its imminent demise.

The guy’s figure emerged from the dissipating mist.

“Haa…… Haa…… I finally see you, spiritist…….”

Singel pointed his sword, grinding his teeth audibly.

He must have been incredibly frustrated.

It was a shame he hadn’t sustained any injuries, despite my orders for the spirits to keep attacking.

Did he block everything with his aura?

I could see clear signs of fatigue, but he was still a threat.

“The struggle is over.”

“……Yeah, it looks like it.”

I had no choice but to agree.

I could no longer use the fog as a shield to maintain distance.

I had dismissed Undine and Sprite a little while ago.

‘More than anything, I have almost no mana left…….’

I could barely summon one spirit again and squeeze out a single attack.

Just one.

After that, I’d be lucky if I didn’t faint.

There was no denying I was cornered.

“It’s over! Spiritist!”

Singel rushed in to settle the score.

The sword he wielded aimed precisely for my neck.

Defense was impossible.

If I used space transition [teleportation], I’d pass out instantly.

Then…….

‘Whether it works or not, I have to try!’

All that was left was to face him head-on.

Instead of running, I stepped forward without hesitation.

I crossed my arms and braced myself, colliding with the blade without flinching.

I was already prepared to be cut.

The blade tore through my forearms.

“This…….”

But the guy gritted his teeth instead.

Thanks to my unexpected action, the sword missed its mark slightly, so the blade didn’t reach the bone.

Now was my chance!

I grabbed the sword without hesitation.

The blade dug into my skin, and drops of blood welled up and fell.

It was hot.

And it hurt.

The cut on my arm and the palm of my hand throbbed so intensely it felt like I was holding a hot iron.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A desperate scream tore from my throat.

I felt like I would drop it if I didn’t scream.

If I let go, it would all be over.

Knowing that, I refused to release my grip.

“Are you crazy?!”

Singel seemed bewildered by my actions and tried to forcibly wrench the sword free.

How foolish.

If he had thought about it calmly, he could have simply let go the moment I grabbed the sword.

Wouldn’t he be able to defeat me with his bare hands?

But the fact that he couldn’t even process that meant he was also fatigued and his judgment was impaired.

‘He’s tired too!’

More than anything, the decisive evidence was that my forearm was only slightly torn, even after being cut.

And the fact that I was still holding the sword like this!

The cutting power of a sword imbued with aura is terrifying.

If the aura had been intact, my arm and neck would have been severed in an instant.

But now, the fingers gripping the sword were only slightly cut and otherwise unharmed.

This was partly due to the increased toughness of my skin and body thanks to my ability, but more than anything, it meant that the sharp edge of aura had dissipated!

“Give it backkkkkkkkkkk!”

I grabbed the sword and forcibly pulled it.

The heat searing my hand was excruciating, but I ignored it.

“You impudent brat!”

The guy, losing his composure due to anger and fatigue, resisted fiercely to prevent me from taking the sword.

He’ll probably realize my intention soon, but by then….

“You’re already done for!”

I’ll end it before he regains his composure.

“Sprite!”

I resummoned Sprite with every last ounce of my strength.

I ignored the sensation of something vital leaving my body at that moment.

“Burn him with all your mighttttttttt!”

One shot left.

As if in response, Sprite converted all the remaining mana into electricity and lunged forward as if to pierce through the guy.

Paat!

The blue flash erupted from below, striking his torso.

The moment the final electric shock pierced the guy’s heart,

there was definitely no aura resisting the attack.

My victory.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was somehow lying face down on the floor.

When did I fall?

Did I pass out right after using spiritism?

“Kkeueueuk…… I can’t muster any strength.”

Unable to fight the dizzy feeling any longer, I collapsed again as I was.

After a while, as soon as I regained enough consciousness to distinguish things, I first confirmed that I had won.

If Singel were alive, he wouldn’t have left me, who was so out of it, alone.

‘……I’m alive.’

I survived.

As soon as my vision cleared, I barely raised my head and first looked for that damn Singel.

I saw the charred corpse of a man lying there, blackened beyond recognition.

It was definitely him.

‘Fortunately, the last blow landed properly…….’

Still, there’s always a chance.

I barely propped myself up on my knees.

“Kkeueung…… Ugh! My legs…… I can’t get any strength.”

I wanted to collapse again, but I had to endure it.

I picked up the sword that the guy had been using.

The blade was covered with my blood, which had dried thickly.

If I hadn’t had the hemostatic effect thanks to my lowest-grade regeneration, I would have died from blood loss.

I used it as a cane and approached the guy.

Pook!

I stabbed it into the guy’s neck as it was.

With this, there’s no way the guy will be resurrected, even by any chance.

I sat down on the floor and sighed deeply.

‘I really thought I was going to die…….’

I had thought about fighting a strong person someday several times.

But when it came to the actual battle, the situation far exceeded my naive expectations.

‘It’s much harder…… and scarier.’

I stroked my neck, which had become strangely chilly.

If I had made a single mistake, that sword would have been lodged in my neck right now.

‘Anyway, I’m glad my prediction was correct.’

The chronic weakness that aura users experience in the early stages.

That is the fatal fuel consumption.

The guy blocked all attacks with aura.

That also means that while surrounding the body with aura is possible, precise control is not.

If he were a true expert, he wouldn’t have blocked every attack with aura, but would have aimed for greater efficiency.

Or he would have ignored them altogether.

The method I chose, after considering all that, was to deplete both my mana and the guy’s mana to the limit.

After all, without aura, the guy is just a human who is good at using a sword.

Therefore, the one with even a sliver of mana left is bound to win.

‘But it was close…….’

I took a breath and pulled out a potion, downing it in one gulp.

“Kkeueu…… I’m alive.”

I never knew a potion could taste so sweet.

Thanks to the effects of the lowest-grade regeneration and the potion, my torn arm healed considerably after lying still for a few minutes, leaving only a faint scar.

This will disappear completely if I get enough rest.

‘……Getting cut is terribly painful. How do the other guys endure this?’

I can’t comprehend the mentality of those who can laugh even when their flesh is torn and their bones are broken.

The protagonists are amazing…… How can they laugh while getting hit like that all over their bodies? I can’t do it.

I don’t think I’m being overly dramatic.

Do I need pain relief measures?

There was definitely an ability of that kind…… but it’s a bit of a waste to spend points to get it.

Ah!

“Points!”

Come to think of it, I defeated a minor character, so something must have happened.

Remembering what happened with Rudel, I hurriedly looked up and pulled down the window with my name on it.

“Okay! What are you going to give me today?”

I’m ready.

Please give me a gift!