A suppressed shot echoed a fraction too late in his awareness.
The towering creature staggered, its upper body jerking violently to the side.
Blood splattered without warning — warm and wet, but not his.
It misted across Nathan's cheek in a fine spray. For half a second, his brain refused to process it.
Natsu stood a few meters away, handgun raised, eyes sharp.
She had shot and hit it.
Right in the shoulder.
"—!"
Nathan's thoughts slammed back into motion.
Move!
"Hunter's High!" he barked.
The world around him slowed, dulling sound, dragging motions. Time stretched like thick syrup.
Then it vanished.
"…Huh?!"
The creature was gone.
Neither faded, nor hidden.
Just… gone.
"What the hell—?!"
No time to question it.
Nathan pivoted and sprinted toward Natsu, boots slamming against the wooden platform while time still crawled, forcing distance between him and where the attack had come from.
By the time he reached her, the six second duration expired, and time around him surged back to normal.
Nathan staggered slightly, breath catching up with adrenaline and confusion.
"…What the hell was that thing?!" he demanded.
Natsu didn't look away from the darkness.
"…Creeper."
Nathan blinked.
Oh, wow. Now we're back on playing M*necraft.
"...It won't explode, right?"
"What are you talking about…?" she said, eyeing him weirdly. "No, it won't. It's a D-Rank monster that can turn invisible… and its footsteps are almost silent."
Nathan stared.
"…That's cheating."
"Agreed."
"By the way, thanks for saving me, I'll be dead if you not shoot it in time."
"Don't mention it."
"But…" Nathan added reluctantly. "How are we supposed to fight something we can't even see?!"
Natsu didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she extended her hand.
"Give my sword back."
Nathan didn't argue.
Natsu handed him his handgun back and Nathan quickly retrieved her sword from storage, placing it into her outstretched palm.
She grabbed it without looking.
"It has to drop its invisibility before attacking," she said, shifting her stance. "So I can handle it pretty easily…"
She paused.
"…If I have a runic sword."
Nathan winced.
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
"Just get behind me," she said flatly. "Unless you want extra holes in your body."
"Okay…"
Nathan stepped back.
"…But how did it even get up here?" he added, glancing over the wall. "This thing is about four meters (13 ft) high."
"Its talons," Natsu replied—
*Clang—!*
Steel met claw in a burst of sparks.
She had already intercepted a strike.
"—they can pierce wood easily," she continued, pushing the creature's arm aside. "Climbing isn't a problem."
Nathan raised his handgun, but the creature leapt backward just as fast—
—and vanished again.
"…Damn it," he muttered. "It's fast."
And my Hunter's High is on cooldown. Perfect.
"How do you usually kill that thing?" he asked quickly.
"I infuse fire magic into a runic sword," Natsu replied, eyes scanning. "With that, I can cut through its talons."
"…And without it?"
"...I can parry it." she said after a hesitant pause.
"…Great."
"Which means," she added, deflecting another unseen strike—
*Clang—!*
"—you have to shoot it."
Nathan fired, but the creature had already retreated.
Miss.
I don't even get a second to react!
He clicked his tongue and checked his mana.
[Mana: 1]
Of course…
Because he'd been spamming Hunter's Mark earlier to help Natsu one-shot everything.
Very efficient for ammo economy, sure, but terrible for survival.
"Natsu — just hold it for a few more seconds!" he called.
"What are you planning?!" she shot back, parrying another invisible lunge.
"I need some time to recover my mana!"
"…You're kidding!"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?!"
Another clash between sword and claws.
Then another after another.
Nathan could only hide behind her. Although he hate to admit it, he could do nothing in fast-paced, close combat, especially against an invisible enemy — who could appeared and disappeared in a mere second.
Then, about a minute that felt really, really long—
[Mana: 1 → 2]
Nathan's eyes lit up.
"…Finally."
He exhaled once, steadying himself.
"Alright…" he muttered. "My turn."
He tightened his grip.
"Hunter's Parallax."
The world didn't slow this time—
It shifted.
His perspective detached—
Like stepping outside his own body.
—————————————
Hunter's Parallax
Ability to perceive reality from an external perspective.
When Active:
• Gain adjustable third-person perspective
• Reveals illusions and hidden distortions
• Grants immunity to manipulation-type magic (automatic activation).
• Mana Cost: 1 / 5 second duration
—————————————
A strange awareness snapped into place, together with another perspective hovering behind him.
And suddenly—
He saw it.
At the far edge of the wall.
Watching them.
Crouched low, its grotesque frame shimmering where invisibility struggled to hold.
Got you.
"I'm one step ahead of you, buddy. Hunter's Mark!"
A holographic marker snapped onto its head.
[Creeper — D-Rank — HP: 91%]
The creature tilted its head, and its eyes meets Nathan's.
It noticed.
But too late.
Nathan had fired.
*Phew…*
The shoot connected.
The creature staggered, its invisibility flickering violently as it snapped into view.
[HP: 82%]
…Nine percent? What a tanky bastard.
He fired again.
[Critical Hit!]
[HP: 68%]
Its head snapped back, but it didn't fall.
Instead—
It moved.
Fast.
It dropped off the wall in a backward leap, and vanished again.
"You can see it?!" Natsu called.
"For now!"
And right on cue—
[Not enough mana to maintain skill]
[Hunter's Parallax has been cancelled]
The vision collapsed.
"…And now I can't."
Perfect timing. Truly flawless.
Nathan exhaled sharply.
"Alright…" he muttered. "Time to test the new stuff."
He stored the handgun in one smooth motion—
—and pulled out the SMG.
Storm Needle settled into his hands like it belonged there.
And he immediately adjusted the firing mode.
*Click.*
Full auto.
A grin spread across his face.
"Let's see how you survive this."
Even though the Creeper had vanished—
Nathan didn't move.
Because he didn't need to.
Because the mark was still there.
A faint holographic indicator hovered exactly where its head should be, tracking it in real time.
Even through wall.
Nathan's eyes narrowed as he followed its movement.
This is basically an IRL wall hack…
The marker shifted with slow and careful movements.
The creature was repositioning, circling along the base of the wall.
It's quite smart.
Too bad it doesn't matter.
"I see you," Nathan muttered.
The marker stopped moving, then slowly went upward.
…There it is.
It climbing.
Nathan planted his feet, aligning the barrel with the exact point where the monster would stood after it done climbing.
No hesitation.
The moment the marker rose past the railing—
He fired.
*Prrrrst…!*
The suppressed SMG hissed to life, a rapid stream of controlled fire.
At first, Nathan's grip was unsteady. But at last, he managed to keep his hands in place.
[Critical hit!]
[Critical hit!]
[Critical hit!]
[...]
Shell casings ejected rapidly as projectiles tore through the air, until they absorbed by an empty space as if the air itself had devoured all of them.
Some shoots resulted in critical hits, which meant he managed to score some headshots.
Then blood.
Thick, dark, bursting outward from nothing.
The marker jolted wildly.
A distorted screech ripped through the night as invisibility shattered under the barrage.
Nathan didn't stop.
He tracked, adjusted his angle, and kept firing.
No escape!
Not even two seconds has passed since he started firing—
And the magazine already ran dry.
Silence snapped back in.
Then another stream of notifications flooded in.
[You have slain a Creeper — D-Rank]
[EXP +25]
[Hunter's Gallery Kill Count — Creeper: 0/1 → 1/1]
[Creeper kill quota fulfilled — Dexterity: 2.8 → 3.1]
The Creeper's body staggered, then fell backward with a heavy thud.
Nathan lowered the SMG slightly, exhaling.
"…Wow," he muttered. "That was sick."