"...Huh?"
I did my best to open my eyes and look around. As I regained consciousness, a sharp pain spread throughout my body, feeling as if thousands of needles were piercing each of my muscles.
Looking down at my body, I could see that most of my clothes had been destroyed, revealing large burns. I wanted to heal them, but when I tried, I realized I didn't have the mana to do so.
[Health: 100 / 1200]
[Mana 0 / 800]
Ugh... this is going to be difficult. I had to recover mana as quickly as possible. The burns on my body were oozing blood, and I didn't want to bleed to death.
As I was thinking of a way to recover mana quickly, I heard a pitiful scream. Looking toward the source of the noise, I saw that the homunculus, which had previously been embedded in the ground by my blow, had turned into a mass of tentacles trying to reassemble the core in its chest.
I wasn't going to let that happen, so I stood up and approached it.
"Persistent bastard..."
I said, and I could see its eyes fix on me before covering its core.
I searched for my staff and picked it up from the ground, before stabbing it into its chest. The creature let out a deafening scream before deforming into a white, dirt-filled liquid. When I killed it and looked around, I could see the spider that had been riding the homunculus, with a large stone embedded in its body.
"So you fell and ended up embedded there, huh? You saved me the trouble... ha ha ha."
My laughter was interrupted by a familiar sound.
[You have killed an S-rank creature while being of lower rank.]
[You have been awarded an S-rank lucky roulette].
Yes...! Please let it be something incredible that will save me. I begged the system before sitting down on the ground.
[Health 50/100]
"I have to hurry, my health is dropping rapidly."
I said to myself before opening the roulette window. I didn't look at the items displayed on it and spun it right away. After a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, the roulette stopped and a message appeared accompanied by fireworks and lights.
[Congratulations! You have gained a skill: S+ Rank Mana Control]
[Mana Control: You become more sensitive to your surroundings thanks to mana, allowing you to detect enemies, traps, or hidden places. You can also feed off of it. You can use mana directly from your surroundings]
The new window describing my reward was something new; usually, only the name appeared, and I had to guess the rest. Of course, I'm not complaining about this change.
That aside... Feed off mana? How does that work?
[Alert, Low Health! - Health 10/100]
Damn... I was so focused on the description that I forgot about this. It said I can use the mana from the environment, right? Let's try it.
With that in mind, I began to relax and focus on the mana outside my body. Unfortunately, this was not easy. From the beginning, I used internal mana, so using mana outside my body is something completely new.
I shook my head to clear my mind and concentrated on the same method I had used since childhood.
I simply imagined my body slowly regenerating as the mana entered my body and turned into the healing spell. Fortunately, this worked, and I slowly healed completely, getting rid of my wounds, except for the pain and fatigue that ran through my body.
Once ready, I stood up and went to the most injured person.
"I hope I can reattach your arm,"
I murmured, getting rid of the stone I had previously used to trap the paladin. Next to her, I had stored her severed arm, so I concentrated on reattaching it.
"This isn't as pretty as it is in anime..."
As I used the healing spell as strongly as I could, flesh, veins, and skin slowly formed over the missing part, creating a sight that would thrill any medical student. After a long effort, her arm was completely reattached, leaving her as good as new.
"One down, the rest to go,"
I said before standing up and going to the others.
After what felt like hours, everyone was healed and there were no wounds visible on their bodies. I dragged them all together to the entrance, only to discover that the door was sealed by a large stone.
"Were other creatures here while I was unconscious...?"
I asked myself, before looking around for more presences. I felt like my body was more sensitive to my surroundings, so it didn't take me long to dismiss my idea. Maybe it fell during the fight.
With that in mind, I returned to the interior of the dungeon, looking for a place to hide.
As I walked, I came across a pile of bones and heavy armor. It belonged to the skeleton that had been fighting hand-to-hand. Not far from it was the wizard's. I wanted to take their things, but my hands were already full.
After walking for a while, I found a hidden passageway. I quickly crawled inside with the others, only to encounter several more creatures.
"Stalkers, huh? I don't have time for you, get lost."
Thanks to my body using the mana from outside, I created a strong flame that I threw directly at the deformed wolves. The strong light completely blinded them before they exploded into thousands of pieces, accompanied by their screams of pain.
"How easy it is to kill these things."
I mocked them before closing the passageway with stone and sitting down with the others beside me. I let out a long sigh before leaning against the wall and taking a long rest.
...We need to get out of here. If we encountered an S-rank creature on the first floor, then the others will be full of even higher-ranked creatures... What was Alice thinking when she agreed to come on election day?
As I lost myself in my thoughts, the paladin began to move, then opened her eyes.
"Hello, did you rest well?"
I asked with a smile.
"Ah... yes, very well,"
she said, before turning her head away. A deep blush covered her neck and face.
...I don't think I'm handsome enough to have that effect. At that moment, I remembered how my clothes had been reduced to ashes, leaving large parts of my body uncovered.
Well... It feels very refreshing to create these reactions... Now that I think about it, everyone I make eye contact with tends to blush. Am I that handsome?
In response to my cheeky tone, an annoyed presence made itself known.
[Maybe you are on the outside, but on the inside you're the worst I've seen in years.]
...You took your time showing up. I thought you had abandoned me. By the way, you think that about me too, huh? I'm irresistible...
Before I could continue speaking, familiar mana needles pierced my lips, sealing them completely. This startled me, alerting the girl next to me.
"Is something wrong?"
At her question, I raised my thumb, begging her not to look at me or ask any more questions.
[Although you are attractive enough for me to give you the opportunity to spend the night with me, the effect you have on mortals in your world is unique to you.]
I tried my best to respond to her words, but my lips remained sealed. Seeing me, the threads that bound me vanished, allowing me to ask
What do you mean?
[You see, the Onis of this world are not created like those of other worlds. These are the result of a pair of Succubi or Incubi and a member of the Orc race.]
...What?
[You are constantly releasing pheromones, which affect all mortals near you.]
T-Then that's why I'm like a plague! How can I stop that?
[Well... you shouldn't have been able to stop it in the first place. That was only possible for Onis with blood purer than yours. But since you received the body of a high-ranking Oni, your blood was strengthened and received some things that are lost with each generation.]
So it's your fault! I thought I would be reduced to being ignored like in my previous world, but it's only because of the reward given to me by the system you created!
[If you look at it that way... I thought you would be happy, you always wanted a partner, didn't you?]
I remained silent at the goddess's words. Of course I want a partner, but... First I have to find a way back to Earth.
[... Putting that aside, I don't know why you're angry. Many would be grateful to have orc blood. On the other hand, succubi...]
What about them? Are they different from what I think?
[Well... They are the 'original' form of these. They gain power by absorbing people's vitality, devouring their souls. This allows them to copy the form of their victims and use high-level illusion magic. Thanks to this, they became the leaders of the underworld. One of them is your grandmother.]
Wait... Did you say my grandmother?