ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 186: Burning Bright, Beating Fast ( )

Hazuki swiftly side-stepped a charging goblin brute, driving his blade into its side with shocking ease. Blood splattered as the beast collapsed, and Hazuki didn’t even flinch.

"So you really did possess me, huh!? Damn pervert!!" he snapped, glaring at the floating spirit just above the battlefield.

Ridan gulped and floated a little higher. "W-wait! I never said that out loud!!"

Hazuki pointed his sword at him while stepping over a fallen monster. "You didn’t have to!! You were gone! Then suddenly I’m mid-air kicking wolves and laughing like a maniac! Only one pervert spirit I know would pull that stunt!"

"Technically, you were the one laughing and stabbing. I just lit the fire; you roasted the meat," Ridan replied nervously.

"Whatever," Hazuki muttered, wiping blood off his cheek with the back of his hand. Then he turned, his eyes wild, lips curling into a devilish grin—a grin no sane person should wear.

"All these monsters gotta be worth something, right, Ridan?"

The spirit blinked, alarmed. "Uh-oh."

"Like those trolls over there. Their skins must fetch a pretty coin, right?"

"Y-yeah... actually, their hide’s good for heavy cloaks and armor. And their fangs—"

Hazuki didn’t wait. He charged toward the remaining monsters, flames flickering around his short sword, propelled by instinct and raw mana—no fancy technique, just pure power.

"ALRIGHT! LET’S COLLECT THAT CASH!!!"

He swung his sword through a goblin general like it was made of paper, then blocked a club strike from a berserk ogre, making it stumble back before kicking it hard enough to break its tusk.

Ridan sighed, rubbing his temples. "That pinky promise ring is the only thing keeping this world from total chaos."

Meanwhile, behind a tree, Elvia watched in awe. Her plank of wood was forgotten at her side.

Her breath caught, eyes wide. She’d never seen such reckless savage strength wrapped in one human body—and still live. Each move was dangerous, wild, unrefined—but powerful. Stronger than anyone she’d ever known.

He... he doesn’t even use magic... she whispered to herself.

Her heart pounded once.

Then again.

DUP-DUP... DUP-DUP...

Her cheeks heated.

He... he’s... handsome...

Hazuki suddenly spotted a monster charging toward someone—or rather, someone important.

His eyes widened.

The elf girl.

"Watch out!!" Hazuki shouted, his body already in motion before his mind could catch up.

With incredible speed, he darted across the battlefield, the ground ripping beneath his boots. The monster lunged with claws raised high. Hazuki reached her just in time—colliding with her and rolling both of them to the side.

A fiery jolt shot through his back as the beast’s claws grazed him. His teeth clenched tight, blood soaking through his shirt.

"Ugh... Damn it..."

The girl trembled under him, frozen in shock. Hazuki pushed himself up, standing protectively between her and the snarling creature.

He looked back over his shoulder, offering a crooked smile despite the pain.

"You okay?"

His voice wasn’t gentle, but it wasn’t cold either. Just honest. And that smile—different from his usual mischievous grins. No mockery. No teasing. Just a quiet vow to protect.

Elvia’s heart hammered in her chest.

That face. That voice.

That blood-stained figure standing tall in front of her.

Her chest tightened, breath caught in her throat. Her cheeks flushed red, fingers clutching anxiously at the hem of her shirt.

"...Mmm." she managed to whisper, nodding faintly.

Hazuki turned back to the monster, flames flickering along his blade as he raised it, eyes blazing with fierce determination.

"Now stay behind me."

His voice was calm, steady—yet his presence commanded more than any roar or beast.

Elvia, still stunned, watched as he stepped forward—alone

Ridan’s cloudy, shimmering form hovered high above the chaos, circling with a lazy smirk.

He thought to himself, Maybe this is the problem those two mentioned. He can fight. He can protect. But against this many monsters, he can’t do both at once.

A troll swung its massive club, smashing the ground just inches from Hazuki’s feet. The shockwave made the elf girl stumble, her knees buckling from fear.

Hazuki growled, slicing through another beast, flames coating his blade from deep mana channels.

"Tch... damn it!"

He kept glancing at Elvia. She couldn’t run—he wouldn’t risk it. If she dashed back to the orphanage and got ambushed, it’d be his fault. And if monsters reached the orphanage first? That’d spell disaster.

No. Not happening. Not risking innocent lives.

"Ridan!!" Hazuki barked.

The spirit smirked, still floating lazily.

"You want my help now? You gotta say it right."

Hazuki ducked under a goblin general’s slash, kicking its face in, snarling.

"Fine! Ridan-sama!! Happy now?!"

"That’s more like it!" Ridan grinned.

"Skill activate—Spirit Possess."

A glow washed over Hazuki’s body. The sharp ache in his muscles faded into a surge of warmth and control. His breathing steadied. His vision sharpened. A new power coursed through him.

So this is what magic feels like when Ridan helps...?

"Now, go blast all those bastards," Ridan’s voice echoed from within.

Hazuki narrowed his eyes, raising his free hand.

"Alright then... Fire Burst!"

A glowing red circle spun into existence above his palm, then another—then dozens more.

With a crackling hiss, fireballs erupted from the circles, each chasing down a different monster with deadly precision.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Monsters howled and collapsed, their bodies consumed by homing flames.

Hazuki exhaled, his grin sharpening.

"Yeah... this is more like it."

Behind him, Elvia stared in awe. The black-haired human wasn’t just strong—he was unstoppable now.

Elvia’s breath caught in her throat.

The sound of exploding fireballs echoing through the trees, the blazing sword slicing through monster after monster—that overwhelming display of power—centered around him.

That man.

The human with wild, messy black hair and a voice always grumbling or barking orders. Yet, now... everything about him seemed different. There was an aura, a spark that made her heart pound wildly in her chest.

Thump... thump... thump...

She pressed her hand against her chest, confusion flooding her senses. Her elven instincts warned her of danger, yet she couldn’t look away.

He stood with one foot on a scorched goblin’s corpse, framed against the glow of flames he summoned. His face was dusted with dirt and scratches, his messy hair framing his intense, carefree grin—as if victory was a game.

Why... why does he look so cool right now...?

Elvia’s pointed ears twitched, her cheeks flushing a soft pink.

What is this? Why do I feel like this? she wondered, heart pounding anew.

Even though she was 18, a fully grown adult among elves, she was still young—barely past her first hundred years—and had never felt anything like this. That fluttering in her chest, that nervous need... she’d never experienced it before.

And now...

The human turned slightly, casting a quick, sidelong glance over his shoulder. That brief movement—his smirk, just a quick check to make sure she was safe—sent a jolt through her entire body.

She clutched the hem of her dress tightly, cheeks burning hotter, heart racing ever faster.

Is this... love?

( End Of Chapter )