Chapter 597: terrifying tentacles 改良 terrifying tentacles 改良
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“Emi... are you conscious?”
Sensei spoke to me, above my head, as I lay on the cold floor of the control room.
I am.
But it’s been a month since I last ate anything decent.
So I’m pretty exhausted.
I looked up at Sensei to show that I’m conscious.
Sensei, looking worriedly at me, too weak to even stand up, is currently wearing... a rather revealing outfit.
Her torn prison uniform is barely covering her large breasts.
Her belly button is completely exposed.
The reason she’s dressed like that is because she let me eat her clothes.
When the table in the dining area completely disappeared, Sensei finally realized that I had been eating it.
I think she’s a bit slow to notice, even if she was concentrating on drawing the magic circle...
And then, half-believing my claim that I can “eat anything”, she offered me a part of her cloth prison uniform as food.
She also chose some unnecessary machines installed in the room, and offered them to me.
The table and chairs, Sensei’s clothes, the machines, and the wooden box that contained the Darkeyalon magic stones...
I somehow managed to survive this month by eating those things.
Therefore, this control room, which originally had an inorganic feel to it, has become even more desolate, with those things gone.
But.
Although I’m alive.
Even after a month, I still couldn’t learn 【Absorption】... or any similar magic technique.
Or rather, before a month even passed, I reached my physical limit, and couldn’t even train anymore.
Even though I can function as long as I have something in my mouth, be it sand or stones...
It’s frustrating.
<I never imagined that we’d be in a situation... where there’s nothing to eat...>
Extra-sama’s lamenting voice is also weak.
I wish I could have stocked up on food...
<The food you ate on the first day, enough for three months... the nutrients your body didn’t need at the time were converted into mana and absorbed into your soul. It seems that you can’t store them as nutrients...>
Since Extra-sama, who has been inside me for a long time, says so, it must be true.
But if it’s absorbed as mana, can’t I use that mana to satisfy my hunger...?
<The mana contained in food is usually negligible. Currently, there’s no other way to alleviate your hunger than to eat little by little, at regular intervals.>
And yet, I foolishly ate everything on the first day...
So this happened.
It’s all my fault, from start to finish.
I brought this upon myself.
I feel really sorry for Sensei, for having to deal with this...
“Emi... Emi?”
Sensei, worried about me, who was lost in thought and unresponsive, shook me in a panic.
Oh, sorry, sorry.
I’m alive, I’m alive.
I blinked to convey that.
And Sensei, please don’t touch me.
I might want to eat you.
Sensei, after making eye contact and confirming that I’m conscious, breathed a sigh of relief, smiled slightly, and said in a slow, loud voice—
“Rejoice, Emi! ...The foundation of the teleportation magic circle... is complete!”
—She declared!
Surprised, I glanced at the magic circle.
It’s a little hard to see since I’m lying down, but it’s completely circular, and densely drawn.
“However, it’s still just the foundation... It’s not unusable in this state, but there’s a risk of accidents. I still need to draw some supplementary patterns on the outer perimeter. The mana consumption is way too high right now. At most, I can only send one person. If I teleport one person in this state, it’ll consume a large amount of the giant magic stone’s mana. If that happens, there won’t be enough mana for the facility’s barrier, and the sludge will... S-Sorry, what was I talking about...?”
Sensei, proudly putting her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest, was explaining the situation, but realizing that she was rambling, she quickly summarized—
“Anyway, ten more days! Just wait ten more days! And then... we’ll both be safe!”
Ten... more days, huh.
My stomach growled—Gugyuuuu.
<...Will we make it?>
Will we...?
I’m hungry...
This might be bad...
“Emi... I’m sorry...”
Sensei, sensing my sadness after hearing “ten more days”, slumped down and apologized.
No, no... it’s my fault.
You don’t have to apologize, Sensei.
“And so. I observed many times how his contracted spirit absorbed mana from him. Therefore, when creating this Magic Prosthetic Body, I referenced the spirit’s mana absorption mechanism. Although this arm of mine looks like a normal human arm... it’s actually something like a ‘spirit’s arm’.”
“............!!”
Here!
Looking at Sensei’s smooth, white arm... I realized what had been bothering me, and gasped!
“That’s why it was truly careless of me to encourage you, a flesh-and-blood human, to learn 【Absorption】, and I’m sorry! I apologize!!”
Sensei apologized to me again, but honestly, that’s not what’s important right now.
That’s it!
‘Spirit’s arm’!
<What did you realize, Emi!?>
...Extra-sama.
<Yes!>
Up until now... I’ve been observing and trying to imitate Sensei’s 【Absorption】.
But.
My body... my constitution is not suitable for learning 【Absorption】, right?
<...Yes. You have too much mana, and your mana resistance is too high.>
Yes, that’s why.
That’s why I’ve been desperately training, so that even I can use 【Absorption】.
But.
<But it didn’t work...>
Yes, it didn’t work.
But that’s only natural.
A human arm isn’t an organ for “absorbing mana” in the first place.
Because Sensei absorbs it through her arm, I assumed that’s how it’s done... but that was the mistake.
Because my arms are human arms.
And Sensei’s arm is a “spirit’s arm”!
<Eh, eh? What are you trying to say, Emi!?>
“In other words...”
I, mustering the last of my strength... somehow managed to sit up, and glared at the giant magic stone.
“Emi!? What’s wrong!?”
Sensei, noticing my strange behavior, is panicking, but I don’t have the energy to spare for her.
“Fuu...”
I exhaled quietly, and focused.
<What are you planning to do, Emi?>
I don’t have a “spirit’s arm”.
So I can’t absorb mana.
Am I wrong, Extra-sama?
<N-No...?>
Then.
“I’ll just create one.”
My own “spirit’s arm.”
An organ for mana absorption!
“Aah...!”
I quietly gathered my resolve, and extended two 【Black Tentacles】 from my shoulders.
They look the same as always, rough, thorny, and menacing.
Because I’m used to extending them like that.
But their nature is completely different.
My usual tentacles are weapons, for piercing, tearing, and crushing to kill.
But these tentacles are different.
They’re not that sturdy, except for their claw-like tips.
They’re weak tentacles.
So weak that... they probably have almost no mana resistance.
<No way... !>
I imagined the sludge surrounding the room we’re currently in.
That’s right.
Come to think of it, it was also absorbing mana by extending tentacles made of sludge.
I should have been imitating... that!
“RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
After letting out a bark, I... shot the tentacles from my shoulders towards the giant magic stone with all my might!
The two tentacles, extending straight ahead, deeply pierced the giant magic stone!
And then, the next moment!
Towards my tentacles...
A large amount of mana from the giant magic stone started flowing in!