Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Translator: Penny
Episode 45: Yoo Eunha [End]
I had a nostalgic dream after a long time.
"Eun-ha, are you going to hang out with me again today?"
"Yeah, we're exploring the Gates together today."
"Ah, take us along too!"
"But... Jian, you have to retake your exam today because you failed. Sister says you'd be a great student if you just passed the test..."
"Then just ask them to lower the difficulty!"
"Um... Miss Jian, if the exam were easy enough for you to pass, wouldn't it be so easy that the entire school would pass?"
"Ecclesia, even you're doing this? Arin! Help me out here..."
".............ZZZ"
"...Ugh."
Seo Jian, Ecclesia, and other companions—Yu Eun-ha cherished her joyful days at Raon Academy, filled with laughter and camaraderie.
Creak...
"Eun-ha, are you ready to go?"
"Sister!"
But unlike those memories, her sister was now by her side.
Unlike the memories from before her regression, her sister radiated warmth and kindness, leaving a gentle impression on everyone.
Yun Se-a, the Student Council President, sat at her desk, looking weary as she worked through paperwork.
As Yu Eun-ha imagined herself handing Yun Se-a an energy drink, a smile naturally bloomed on her lips.
If only I could live life as I see in this dream, she thought wistfully.
But that hope shattered as the scene shifted.
The Seven Demons and their minions continued to target the Academy relentlessly.
But the vision of himself fighting alongside Yun Se-a had vanished without a trace. Instead, he saw only scenes of Yun Se-a, always heavily wounded, single-handedly dealing with their enemies.
Her eyes, though not as dull and cloudy as those of a dead person—not like the glazed eyes of frozen fish—were gradually losing their clarity, as if she were losing something.
Whenever they left, the Demon's subordinates relentlessly pursued them, and Yun Se-a's eyes grew increasingly lifeless.
The Academy engulfed in flames, a woman confronting a knight clad in jet-black armor—it was Yun Se-a again.
Her eyes had long lost their vitality, and her lavender hair, drained of its luster, had turned a shocking ashen gray. Yet, even in this state, Yun Se-a charged at the Jet-Black Knight, constellations swirling around her as she unleashed a blinding flash of light.
After plunging the shimmering crystal sword into the heart of the colossal knight clad in ash-gray armor, Yun Se-a collapsed onto the knight's corpse, muttering something under her breath.
Only then did it seem we had returned to the Academy. I saw myself and my friends rushing toward the fallen Yun Se-a...
"Sister, please... Sister...!"
When we lifted her limp body, Yun Se-a's arm fell lifelessly to her side.
Like a completely dead person, even the faint glimmer in her eyes had faded, leaving them dull and lifeless.
"No... No...!"
Unconsciously reaching out, Yu Eun-ha awoke to find...
"...You're awake? You were muttering quite loudly in your sleep."
Yun Se-a was there, surrounded by bizarre contraptions strapped to her hands and arms, scribbling notes in a recording notebook.
"What's not working?"
Before returning to the Academy, I was instructed to suppress my Mana usage as much as possible, and as a result, I received three Restraints.
I suppose this means I'll have to wear these three Artifacts even after enrolling in the Academy.
Since these Restraints can also be used on others in a pinch, I actually quite like them.
Seriously, why would they give me three of these?
Still, Eve told me I could unleash my full power this time, adjusting it to match the enemy's level, so destroying them should be easy.
First, the choker around my neck.
This device completely absorbs my Mana and disperses it into the atmosphere as Mana. Ms. Eve said I could remove it whenever I wanted. I won't wear it; I'll use it on subdued enemies.
Second, the bracelet.
Even after removing the bracelet and initiating my power release, this earring restricts my power output to around 50%. Though it's said I can adjust the output to 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, or 70% by pressing a button... wearing it prevents me from using my Gravity Field, so it seems like a wash.
The final Restraint was the earring.
This Restraint limits the use of Mephisto's Remnants. It's said that if I ever remove it, it means I'm in a truly dangerous situation, and an alarm will be sent to Eve.
I need to use this wisely.
Suddenly, I remembered explaining the origins of my newly acquired abilities to Eve after she saw the countless gems I had created.
Seriously, I was completely shocked back then too.
I still can't forget the sight of my Status Window at that moment.
Information
Name: Yun Se-a
Age: 19
Alignment: Good, Chaotic
Skills
Psychokinesis (A)
You can freely manipulate psychokinesis.
Crystal Maker (S)
You can create crystals that weaken an opponent's mana while amplifying your own.
Recovery (S)
You can perfectly heal any wound, though you will still feel the pain.
Blunted Senses (B)
Due to prolonged experimentation, you have a diminished sensitivity to pain.
Great Fortune (S)
The probability of luck favoring your actions is greatly increased.
Stats
Strength: B
Defense: B
Mana: S
Stamina: F
Agility: B+
Luck: S
><><><><><><><><><><
Azathoth's skill, Crystallization (S), had mutated into Crystal Maker (S). My mana stat had shattered the A+ barrier without even using Mephisto's remnants.
My stamina stat had decreased slightly, but since there was little difference between a D and an F, it didn't matter. Besides, thanks to my Recovery (S) skill, I only needed to avoid fatal blows.
I'm starting to realize my body isn't normal anymore.
Instinctively, I concluded that by taking the hit from Azathoth's Spear, I had absorbed a portion of his remains.
Azathoth's final attack was a self-destructive maneuver: he compressed his entire body into a spear and launched it. Since I took that hit in place of Yu Eun-ha...
This was a completely impossible ability in the game...
Crystallization—a skill that, in past battles against Azathoth, would seal away his abilities by dropping crystal-like fragments, making him slightly easier to defeat.
Now, it had manifested as a new skill called Crystal Maker... and it had become mine.
To be honest, since Yu Eun-ha had already acquired Seo Jian's UR Grade Skill, I knew it was possible to obtain skills. But transplanting a part of a Demon's body was an incredibly dangerous act.
At any moment, I could lose control of my own body to the Demons that had taken it over. I would have to live with the constant threat of berserking and the risk of unknown side effects.
The only saving grace was that, so far, the power seemed to obey my will with remarkable obedience.
Could this be thanks to the massive amounts of Monster body parts and blood I was injected with in the past...?
After accepting a fragment of Azathoth, the agonizing pain from using Mephisto's power had significantly lessened. My body was gradually becoming more accustomed to wielding this power.
Perhaps... it's slowly merging with my body.
The seizures that had periodically plagued me whenever I used the Demonic Eye had also significantly decreased in frequency and intensity. On some days, I experienced no seizures at all, only a mild dizziness.
My abnormally rapid recovery rate, the immense Mana output far beyond what my age should allow, and the fact that my body already contained a fragment of the Final Boss's body and a piece of one of the Seven Demons—
Could such a being truly be classified as 'human'?
I wouldn't be surprised if I were immediately classified as an S-Rank Monster and targeted for extermination.
What does it matter? As long as I don't lose control right now, that's all that matters.
That was all that mattered to me.
But Eve seemed to think otherwise. She desperately wanted me to avoid using the powers of the Demons, including Mephisto's.
Thanks to Eve, who had crafted the three restraints I'd described earlier in just three days, I now had to wear them even at home.
I immediately removed the choker, finding it too constricting. But the other two suppressors proved quite useful.
So, with nothing better to do, I was just testing the artifacts I'd made on Eun-ha.
The restraints' mana-disrupting properties made it difficult to obtain accurate data when I wore them myself. That's why I'd put them on Yu Eun-ha while she was asleep... I hadn't expected her to wake up just ten minutes later.
And for some reason...
"Um... Miss Eun-ha, even so, following me to the bathroom is a bit much..."
"Sister, don't abandon me... It's all my fault... Please."
What kind of nightmare did she have?
How did Yu Eun-ha end up clinging to me like this?
And in such a fragile mental state, too.
To think this was the assassin who tried to kill me just a few days ago... What a truly avant-garde situation.
Well, at least it doesn't seem like Yu Eun-ha will stab me in the back anymore... I guess that's a relief.
"Um... Sister, I'm really sorry about what happened back then."
"It's okay. If I were in your shoes, I would have killed the person who killed me three times the moment I Regressed and started from there."
The next day, I returned to the Academy with Yu Eun-ha, who had barely managed to recover her mental state thanks to my wholehearted mental care and counseling.