Chapter 138 A Black Liquid

'This qi... feels warm...' Jay thought as the aforementioned energy coursed through his body.

He didn't know exactly if it was his perception or if the qi really was hot, but what couldn't be denied was how different it felt compared to the energy of his little ones or when he used his wind control.

Both belonged to him, he knew that well, but they worked differently.

While his wind control felt refreshing and mystical, this one was warmer and more violent, fitting considering what kind of super this one belonged to.

He wasn't going to complain either, after all, more energy would never hurt, especially in situations like this.

The only bad point about it might be, he really wasn't an expert hiding his energy, so it was possible that someone would notice that he was using qi.

Glancing at his energy usage window, Jay could see that his total energy bar had increased a bit.

While Jay was busy, the girl on his shoulder, who was watching to see if the monster was chasing them, couldn't help but voice one of her doubts, "You're going faster than before, were you holding back...?"

Because the speed at which Jay was going increased noticeably, for a rank (C) super like her, it was something quite obvious to notice.

"You could say that..." Jay replied, not wanting to elaborate and hoping that the esper wouldn't notice the qi current inside him.

Faith didn't say anything for a few seconds, which could be taken as her being content with the answer, if it weren't for the fact that she was looking sideways at Jay.

From her intense gaze full of curiosity, it was clear that she was analyzing him as much as she could.

"...Why did you stop me before?" Asked Faith suddenly, "My attack managed to hurt it, which means its vulnerable to my attacks, I think the two of us could have defeated it."

It was a considerable change in attitude, considering that only a few minutes ago she was just as tense as Jay, but after exchanging a blow with the monster, her confidence had visibly improved.

At this, Jay couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, as he thought that like him, Faith understood that while by appearance the humanoid monster didn't appear to be as imposing, this was a monster in a much higher league than both of them.

"What are you talking about, that obviously belongs in the (B) rank, we are no match for it." Jay said matter-of-factly.

Now looking directly at Jay, Faith replied, "...That... couldn't be? His body wasn't that strong, and while admittedly its speed is incredible, it lacks everything else, especially energy."

By this point, Jay was getting suspicious as to whether they really had had the same monster out front, since what Faith was saying, at least the last bit, wasn't true.

After all, he had confirmed it with nothing less than the radar of his little ones, who had never been wrong when making a judgment call.

This led him to think that perhaps the one having trouble detecting the monster's energy was not him, but Faith.

As to why this was happening, Jay could already get an idea, and it had to do with the senses of an average esper.

Surpassing the pugilists but lagging behind the mages, espers had a natural sense for being able to sense the energy of other living beings.

The power and precision of this sense, while always present in the espers, as with their abilities, was something that depended as much on the talent and practice of the esper as on the rank to which they belonged.

Thus, the senses of a rank (D) esper could not be compared to that of a rank (C) esper and so on.

Still, it was something that most espers, especially those exceptional ones, such as academy students used to be able to gauge the energy of their opponents, since in a fight, the more information one possessed, the better.

However, Jay, having a much better alternative, which was the radar of his parasites and the system itself, always put this sense of his on the back burner.

One could say that it was remiss of him not to pay attention to this as it was his thing and not the system's, and they would be right.

But in this specific situation, Jay couldn't help but think that he made the right decision, as otherwise, he would have tried to confront the monster just as Faith did, not knowing that the monster was (B-) rank.

Unfortunately, right now was not a good time to set out to find out why Faith couldn't sense the monster's energy, so Jay decided not to delve any further into the subject.

Looking in a certain direction, Jay spoke, "Just... trust me, besides, even if it were true and it was (C) rank, you're missing something very important... that thing just broke my smartwatch when we were about to call for help."

At the end of his sentence, Jay's tone of voice couldn't help but turn to one of mockery, as to whether he was laughing at the situation or something else, only he knew.

"...Yeah, you're... you're right, that level of intelligence does not belong to any rank (C-) monster.."

For a moment, Faith stood still and said nothing as she narrowed her eyes, but shaking her head slightly, she quickly agreed with Jay.

Noticing a little discomfort inside Faith thanks to her little ones, Jay asked, "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I think I used a little too much energy on my last attack." She replied.

It was a bit odd for a super like her to have energy problems after throwing a single punch, but feeling that she wasn't lying, Jay decided to leave the subject there.

"By the way, we're heading to where the others are right?" Faith asked.

"Yes, even if our watches are broken, at least one of them should have theirs intact, as for if the monster tries to break it again... this time we'll be ready." Jay replied with a confident tone, or at least as confident as he could be in this situation.

This was normal, after all, he didn't exactly know how to prepare to try and stop a (B) rank monster, which apparently just seemed to be toying with them.

Thanks to the erratic behavior the monster was displaying, that was the conclusion Jay had come to, and while he was thankful it wasn't taking them seriously, it was also a cause for concern.

For that meant that the monster was sure that none of them were really a threat, so it could afford to take its time with them.

Letting out a sigh, Jay took a look at his energy levels, seeing that if he continued at this rate, it would only be a few minutes before he would run completely dry, with his breathing becoming ragged as a sign of exhaustion.

This did not go unnoticed by Faith, who neither short nor lazy, said to Jay, "I can run on my own now."

"I know, but I want you to save all the energy you can for the moment, you're my trump card against that thing." Jay said.

"Thanks but it will be in vain for me to be at 100% if you're completely drained." She replied, not wanting to let Jay work that hard.

Faith was aware that even if Jay was a super with a strong physique, charging her while running at top speed for an extended time was bound to cost him a fair amount of energy.

It was a good argument, though even with that, Jay seemed reluctant to let Faith waste energy unnecessarily, something she noticed and apparently expected.

"...If you still don't want to...there is a way we could both benefit and maybe hold out longer against the monster." She said, watching Jay's face to observe his reaction.

Without her needing to say more, Jay already knew what she meant, she wanted to establish a "link" between the two of them again.

Something they had only recently attempted, a technique that only a few espers with extremely high compatibility could achieve... or at least that was what it seemed at first glance.

The reality was that this was due more to Jay's little ones than the aforementioned technique, but the effects were the same or stronger.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell Faith this, as it wasn't necessary for her to know, but what he was doing was considering what she had said.

Slowing down a bit at the speed he was going, Jay "...Okay, let's do it, but let me stop for a moment then, so we can concentrate."

Jay was looking for a place for them both to stop for a moment, but Faith, suddenly putting both hands on his shoulders, interrupted him.

"No need, you just keep running and leave it to me." Saying this, she proceeded to lift her body completely, using Jay's shoulders for support.

"Woah!"

The next moment, she wrapped her legs around Jay's abdomen, and her arms around his neck, all for a better grip and to increase the physical contact they needed to establish the link.

The latter could be seen especially in Faith's hands, which were wrapping almost entirely around Jay's chest underneath the bandages.

Then, with a smile on her face, Faith began to move all the energy in her body to make contact with Jay's.

Now with that out of the way, Faith stopped talking and instead focused on strengthening the connection she had with Jay.

"How... efficient." Jay said, feeling the new source of energy connected to his body.

For him, it was like a cool breeze of wind on a hot day, giving him a little break from running non-stop.

Again, Jay's speed slowly began to increase, his pugilist's body no longer being powered only by his own or his little ones' energy, but by Faith's as well.

Thanks to this, even though they had to take a turn because of the monster's interruption, the time it would take them to reach their destination was considerably shorter.

***

A few minutes had passed, and after running while being careful not to make too much noise, they arrived where Jay had left the others.

However, what they saw when they arrived was not what Jay remembered.

Jay had expected to see them all in the same place or at least a couple of them, but to his surprise, there was only one person present.... Vilda.

He was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, with his head looking down and both legs and arms immobile.

To the naked eye, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him, but to Jay, he could sense as clearly as day what was wrong.

​ "Vilda!" Jay shouted, quickly approaching towards the esper, with Faith, who had already climbed off Jay's back, following close behind.

The reason for his urgency was nothing more or less than Jay, with his radar, felt Vilda's energy draining at a terrifying rate.

For some reason, even though Vilda was unconscious, he was losing more energy than if he were awake and using his ability to the fullest.

Hence the urgency of Jay, who without wasting any time, infected Vilda with more than a dozen parasites before opening his status window.

_____________________

[Vilda Lundell]

Active Skill: Shadow Control (D+)

Condition: Wounded (Left Side), Sick, (Unknown Disease), Weakened...

Parasites: 17

Assimilation Status: 0% (2% per day per parasite) (Currently blocked by the [Carrier])

(Warning: This host has been infected by an unknown disease, it is recommended to act with caution).

_____________________

"Faith, a little light please!" Asked Jay, to which Faith did not refute and hastily wrapped her fist in light.

*Shrip!

Tearing open the shirt Vilda was wearing, Jay's pupils dilated as Faith stood completely still for a moment in front of the sight in front of them.

All over Vilda's upper body, every single one of his veins were visible on his now extremely pale body, with each vein being a deep black.

Most of these veins were thin, but the closer they got to the left side, the thicker they became, some even getting to the point of rupturing.

Finally, what was undoubtedly the source of this, a large wound in the shape of a missing piece of flesh on Vilda's left side, with all the flesh around it having turned a black color and expelling a black liquid.