Chapter 49
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 049
Chapter Title: Strange Talent
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Strength, and cunning.
Since ancient times, people have compared these two virtues, weighing their values against each other. Like the tales of David and Goliath, or Odysseus and Polyphemus.
All such legends carry the same lesson.
'The more cunning one is, the more dangerous.'
And so, Woojin prioritized the witch over the Iron Mask. Her cunning was a talent more perilous than anything else.
"Grrr..."
The black panther crouched low, ready to pounce at any moment. Once a witch, but now not even a trace of that cunning remained. Only the beast's overwhelming power and feral instincts lingered.
Did that make it more dangerous... or weaker?
'...Can't jump to conclusions.'
The presence radiating from the black panther was anything but ordinary. It had that distinctive aura unique to high-rank beasts. Woojin stood atop the rooftop, carefully tracking its every move.
Paang!
Another firework burst from the banquet hall. Using it as a signal, the black panther kicked off the ground and slashed its claws toward Woojin.
No machete, so he had to block with his body. Woojin met the claws with his forearm, deflecting them.
Kakagak—!
The claws scraped against his scaled skin, producing a grating screech. The instant Woojin thrust out his fist for a counterattack, the panther yanked back and landed on another rooftop.
'Instant acceleration.'
One of its more dangerous talents. The ability to burst into several times its normal speed in an instant.
Hwarak—
Black energy coiled around the panther's claws. With a mighty swing of its forepaws, long blades manifested along each talon.
Dark claw marks hurtled toward him. Woojin urgently leaped to the adjacent building.
Jjeojeojeok!!
The rooftop he'd just been standing on crumbled away in neat, tofu-like blocks.
'Shadow Blade.'
A talent that fired off that dark energy like blades. Seeing it, Woojin realized the panther's true nature.
'A Night Shadow Panther.'
A rare beast with immense power. A monster rarely mentioned even in the Demonic Realm Chronicles. Woojin himself had seldom encountered one.
One hypothesis formed in his mind.
'The witch's transformation magic... it doesn't just mimic a beast's appearance. It copies their innate talents too.'
Naturally, a question arose.
'...Just what the hell is this transformation magic?'
The foes he'd faced earlier all had bizarre abilities, but digging through past experiences, he could recall similar cases here and there...
The witch's talents were too alien. The moment that thought struck him, a faint sense of dissonance crept in.
'Might as well try capturing it.'
He had a promise with Cindy anyway, so capturing the panther if possible would be ideal.
The problem... was the lack of time.
No leeway to capture it and haul it back to the mansion by hand. Even now, the Iron Mask was fleeing beyond the city.
And the black panther's power was no joke either.
Jjeok, jjeojeok—!
Dark blades rained down without respite. Woojin dodged frantically while roughly calculating in his head.
...Psshuk.
Suddenly, smoke rose from the panther's claws. The black energy flickering out. It had exhausted its Shadow Blades in the onslaught.
Right on cue, Woojin reached a decision.
'Alright, no more deliberating.'
A plan came to mind—one unusable against the witch but effective on beasts.
Now he just had to turn the idea in his head into reality. He needed to end this quickly. Woojin poured strength into his soles.
Kwajak!
The wooden shingles beneath his feet splintered. With that, he launched himself at the panther like a bullet.
"Kuwaak?!"
The panther let out a startled cry. It activated its acceleration to retreat. But Woojin leaped again, closing the gap in an instant.
The panther swung its forepaw. Woojin ducked under the attack, then drove forward under its armpit, aiming for the flank.
The panther twisted to follow. But Woojin had already rolled into a high jump. He thrust out both arms, vaulting over the panther like a pommel horse and planting his hands on its back.
Teok.
...Woojin mounted the black panther.
"Kyaooo—!"
Predictably, it didn't stay still. The panther thrashed in fury, leaping and rolling, turning the surroundings into a wasteland.
Pang, pababang!
Even now, the fireworks continued from the banquet hall. Citizens out for a nighttime stroll, drawn by the spectacle, gaped at the rampaging black panther beast.
"...Kyaak—!"
"Guards! Call the guards!!"
Screams echoed from all directions. The ceaseless rampage of the panther amid the bursting fireworks... utter chaos.
Fortunately, the panther soon changed tactics. It seemed to realize thrashing alone wouldn't shake Woojin off.
It needed to accelerate.
Just as the panther coiled to leap...
"...Not that way."
Woojin muttered, zapping its left flank with lightning. The panther flinched in agony and veered right.
Woojin nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
A game he'd played for fun in the Demonic Realm when he had nothing better to do. His skills hadn't rusted despite the time away.
Instead of a whip, he used lightning jolts, yanking its nape scruff like reins... and the panther's direction bent to his will, more or less.
The problem was its speed, which defied common sense.
Twung!
Accelerating across the rooftops. Desperate to dislodge the human on its back, the panther pushed itself to the limit. Woojin's hair and clothes whipped like flags in the wind.
He clung stubbornly to its back hide. At the same time, he expanded his senses, searching for the Iron Mask somewhere in the city.
'One lap around the area, and I should sense the Iron Mask's presence.'
Hunting, and tracking.
Capable predators each had talents for locating prey. Owls with night vision, wolves with keen noses, bats with superior hearing...
Woojin's senses surpassed them all. He kept them suppressed in daily life to avoid hindrance, but unleashed them when needed to sniff out prey traces.
'...There.'
Pajijik!!
Woojin zapped it again. The panther instinctively veered. What started as a bid to shake him off had devolved into forgetting the original goal.
No helping it. Deviate from the path, and lightning seared its body. A pain it never got used to, no matter how many times.
Paang!
The panther accelerated again across the rooftops. A citizen below, watching the fireworks, blinked in confusion.
"...Did something just fly by?"
"A bird?"
"Birds fly at night?"
"Must be a bat then."
They'd never know the truth.
From a citizen's view, the panther was just another fleeting blur in daily life. But to someone else, it held profound meaning.
Far off, in a dim alley corner catching his breath, the Iron Mask startled. Their eyes met. Woojin grinned and pointed right at him.
"Stay right there."
The Iron Mask bolted for the barrier. Despite the order to stop, his movements quickened. He began scaling the wall.
Planning to vault the barrier and flee beyond the pioneer city. From Woojin's perspective, that was convenient. The panther's rampage had drawn all the guards' attention anyway.
'The issue... is how to get over that wall.'
Marching out the gate with the panther in tow was impossible. Which was why the Iron Mask chose that escape route.
Woojin's solution was straightforward.
'Jump it.'
He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. Pinning the wind-tossed pages with his finger, he quickly found the desired one.
A sheet covered in strange diagrams and script. Woojin placed his palm on it and focused his mind. The inscriptions glowed pale green, one by one.
Tik, tiding—
Letters rearranged in midair at his gesture. Using Enochian knowledge to cast the spell.
"...Pluma, Gressus."
Feather Step.
A spell that made the body lighter and swifter.
Its target: the black panther. Startled by the sudden change, it hesitated. But soon it seemed thrilled, ramping up its speed even more.
Pang, paang!
Accelerating repeatedly, the panther surged forward. Without any command, it charged straight for the barrier with gusto.
Woojin could guess why.
'Doesn't want to stick around the pioneer city.'
Beasts instinctively avoided crowds, and the fireworks were deafening.
Deafening blasts and erupting fireworks. Seemed like the grand finale. How many mages and gold coins went into this one banquet?
Turning its back on the dazzling display, the panther kicked off the ground with all its might.
Taaang!
The black panther soared high into the sky.
Woojin had worried it might crash into the wall, but the height was ample. Pioneer city barriers weren't that tall.
The panther lightly perched on the wall, then leaped again toward the Demonic Realm.
'Rex needs to step up his game.'
As he entrusted himself to the panther...
The Dark Cultist entered his view.
A forest of stark, withered trees. The Iron Mask stood resolute, as if having steeled himself. He'd finally realized escape was impossible.
...Time to settle the long-postponed business.
Pajijijik!!
"Kuwaaaak—!!"
Woojin gripped the panther's head and unleashed a barrage of red lightning. The panther shrieked endlessly before going limp, unconscious.
'Gotta do what needs doing.'
Fun ride, but... this panther housed an evil witch. To deal with the Iron Mask, he had to handle this first.
Killing could wait. He zapped it just enough to tenderize. The panther's body began shrinking bit by bit.
Pushiiiik—
Like a punctured soccer ball, the black panther dwindled. The beast reverted to a witch.
Woojin blinked in surprise.
'...What the hell is this.'
The witch's appearance was alien. Sleek seal-like skin, mottled spots everywhere... and webbing between her fingers.
Apparently her true form.
'Never human to begin with?'
Speculation for later. Woojin shoved the witch aside, far off. The lightning would keep her out for at least half a day.
He approached his final quarry. Kindly, the Iron Mask had waited until he finished.
The Iron Mask spoke deferentially.
"Noble Night Watchman... what mistake have we made? We wish to know why we face execution."
...What was this nonsense?
Woojin paused, then recalled the dying words of the man he'd killed earlier.
'Mercy—please!'
That one had begged too, like facing a superior officer...
'...They think I'm a Dark Cultist.'
All Woojin's abilities stemmed from his inner core. Essentially the same essence as a Dark Cultist.
At a glance, he looked more like one than a church member. Scales on his hands, felling a witch with lightning. And a stylish mask to top it off...
From their perspective, he must seem like a lofty superior.
'Wonder if I can use this situation.'
Time to get cunning.
