Chapter 54
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 054
Chapter Title: Bow
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Woojin woke from his sleep and sluggishly hauled himself upright. He stretched as he sorted through his thoughts.
Dark Cultist Vikram.
'...What a shameless bastard.'
He couldn't bear lagging behind someone who'd worked harder than him. The very notion was infuriating... but it was still within the realm of understanding. Holding the lead had been Vikram's pride, after all.
But everything that followed had crossed the line.
When he'd pushed himself too hard learning the Eye of the Mind and nearly lost both eyes, he'd stolen a relic and played the victim. Thick-skinned didn't even begin to cover it.
'Still, I gleaned some useful intel.'
Information on the Dark Cultists.
His head wasn't firing on all cylinders right after waking... so he'd sift through it all slowly, organize the key bits, and roughly forget the rest.
Decision made, Woojin peered out the window. The sun was dipping toward the horizon.
'How long was I out?'
Time for a check.
Woojin stepped out of the bedroom. A savory aroma immediately tickled his nose. Cindy and the witch sat across from each other at the table, mid-meal.
Cindy spoke up.
"You're awake. You slept for ages."
"How long exactly?"
"Roughly fifteen hours, I'd say? Didn't clock it precisely."
Cindy glanced at the witch.
"Rachel. Grab a water glass and a bowl."
"Ung..."
The witch chewed her food and rose from her seat. She was in the cortizan guise they'd seen at the banquet hall. She seemed capable of basic communication now.
"Taught her to talk in the meantime?"
"Yeah. Passed the time while waiting for you to wake... She picked it up quick. Mind's shattered, but some language skills stuck around."
As Cindy explained, the witch returned from the kitchen. The so-called Rachel naturally set the glass and bowl in front of Woojin.
Pour—
Without any order, Rachel deftly filled the glass and placed it before him. It was an oddly domestic sight.
'Looks like her mind's recovering a bit... Memories coming back too?'
He was curious about the witch's condition. Conveniently, he had a trick he wanted to test on her.
'Eye of the Mind.'
He closed his eyes to awaken the third.
But it felt underleveled. Vikram, who'd originally wielded it, had cheated his way to activation, so Woojin's grasp was shallow.
The insights came in fragments. More like raw intuition than anything. And that gut sense whispered that the witch meant no harm.
'Useful in its way... but nowhere near peeking into someone's inner world.'
It was only natural. He couldn't even contemplate his own yet.
Woojin opened his eyes and gingerly lifted the glass. He had to mind his strength—no need to shatter it.
Cindy's gaze, mid-spoonful of stew, tracked his hand.
"That thing... still hanging on, huh?"
She pointed at his hand, covered in gray scales. They'd shrunk some, but they were still obvious.
"Needs another day to fully fade."
"Gonna have to be careful heading out."
A real hassle.
Woojin had a habit of reining in his strength, senses, and skills during daily life. They wreaked havoc otherwise.
Some took time to dial back once unleashed.
"Think you can keep what you saw under wraps?"
He asked Cindy. Anyone would find it suspicious.
She flashed a grin in reply.
"Funny you say that—I was about to ask the same."
She gestured to Rachel's neck, ringed by a tattoo like a necklace.
Come to think of it... cursing the witch wasn't exactly aboveboard. If the Church Alliance caught wind, punishment was certain.
"One secret each. Makes life a little less tense."
"You got it."
The two clinked glasses to seal the deal.
One minor dilemma lingered.
'What to do with these inner cores.'
Woojin rubbed his chin as he eyed the two cores on the desk. One from Stone Skin, the other from Chain Scythe.
He hadn't grabbed the multi-mouthed man's. Things had moved too fast, and the lightning bolt would've charred it black anyway.
'That freak... his abilities were downright bizarre. Barely human.'
Like a beast mimicking a man, or a body infested with parasites. Given that, its core probably held little value.
In that sense... the witch Cindy had tamed—Rachel—was similar.
'Too alien to pass for human.'
Her mermaid-like form screamed inhuman.
In other words, even if he killed the witch and devoured her core, he likely wouldn't inherit her memories. Only human cores carried those.
'Better to interrogate her for the intel if possible.'
Witch on hold. Which left him with these two cores...
'...Doubt eating them yields much.'
The witch and mouthy man were mission reinforcements, but Chain Scythe and Stone Skin were Vikram's direct underlings.
They knew less than he did. No standout info from their cores, and he'd already claimed their skills—nothing tempting.
'Feed 'em to the wolves.'
Stone Skin to Rex, Chain Scythe to Misha. Settled, Woojin stretched out on the bed and turned in.
The next day at noon.
Woojin, Cindy, and Rachel left the city. Off to the Third Pioneer City to enlist Bow's aid and get an appraisal on the witch.
"Hitting the road again already..."
Cindy yawned lazily. Walking everywhere was wearing thin. Woojin felt the same.
The expedition had turned the nearby Demonic Realm into a snooze-fest. Repeated purges had wiped the beasts clean.
They chatted idly as they strolled.
"Be nice with a mount."
"Tarasque's too sluggish, no? We'd arrive later."
"Wolves are quick."
"Huh. Kinda curious now."
Mid-chat...
Crunch, cruuunch—
A weird noise cut in. Both heads snapped toward it.
Rachel triggered her transformation. Her body ballooned, shredding her outer clothes. A massive black panther emerged.
Cindy nearly fainted in shock.
"Hiiik, wh-what...?"
"Get behind me."
Woojin gripped his machete and stepped in front. The panther padded closer, movements cautious.
Swish.
The panther elegantly crouched, offering its back. A clear invitation to ride.
Woojin pieced it together late.
"...Must've overheard the mount talk. Witch turned panther for us."
"This is Rachel?"
"You just saw it. And she tipped us off she could go black panther."
"Even so... she's huge."
Cindy peeked from behind him. She gulped. Terrified, but trying not to show it. You couldn't fear your own leashed beast.
Cindy mustered her courage and approached. The curse kept the panther utterly docile.
"...We can ride a panther?"
"Of course. No saddle sucks, but we'll manage. Sit up front—you'll be safe."
Woojin scooped her up and plopped her on the panther's back. Caught off guard, she stiffened.
"I-I didn't say yes to riding!"
"Walk instead?"
"...Isn't that safer?"
"Nah. There's a knack to it. It'll get chilly—layer up."
As they bantered, he fashioned reins from rope around the panther. Knots tight to hold fast.
He settled in behind, then rigged a seatbelt from the spare rope for Cindy. She ended up reclined against his chest like a chair backrest.
If they took a tumble, his bulk would airbag her—no harm done.
"All set... let's roll."
Bang!!
The panther shoved off the ground and surged forward. Acceleration ramped up with every stride. The scenery stretched like taffy.
"KyaAAaA!!"
Cindy screamed bloody murder.
They reached their destination.
Cindy slid off the panther's back. Her legs wobbled like a newborn fawn's.
"Never... doing that again."
She grumbled threats nonstop. Short trip, but it'd drained her mentally. Rachel, human again, kept stealing nervous glances.
Calming Cindy's jitters would take time.
"Take Rachel home and rest. Better see Elder Bow tomorrow."
"We could go now?"
"Just chill. Nothing urgent."
"...Fine."
Cindy tottered off toward home. Rachel hurried over and grabbed her arm, steadying her against a fall.
From a distance... they looked like affectionate sisters.
'Weird way for a witch hunt to wrap up.'
He hadn't seen that coming. Woojin watched their retreating figures a moment longer, then headed off slowly.
He entered the training grounds. Bow sat in his usual spot, deep in meditation.
"...Jin. Mission accomplished?"
"Yes. The banquet was a hoot."
"Handled it well again, I see. Wolves are with Rolland now. Treats must be working—they're warming up to him."
Bow spoke in his typical flat tone. He suddenly tilted his head Woojin's way.
"Something wrong? Your vibe's off from usual."
"...Mind if I ask one thing?"
"Shoot."
No way he'd mention Vikram. Learning of his old disciple's death would crush the man.
But one thing nagged at him.
"What sparked your Eye of the Mind?"
"...Tricky one. You usually dodge that topic."
"Got curious all of a sudden."
Bow pondered briefly before answering.
"Something unbearable happened. Hard to put into words... Everything just felt tedious. I disappointed myself. A massive trial hit, so I chased an even bigger one to drown it out."
And so he'd gouged out his own eyes. No different from forsaking his martial path.
"But nothing changed. Reckless self-sabotage, really. Fell into heart demon territory, meditating days away... Then one day, a delusion struck."
"What kind?"
"Wanted to see into people's hearts. I'd always been hopeless at reading them."
The instant he harbored that impossible wish, Bow's third eye—the Eye of the Mind—awakened.
"...That cover it? Never spoken it aloud before—still rusty at telling it."
"Yeah. Got the picture."
"Good. Long talk's wearing me out. Off with you."
Dismissed. Woojin withdrew without protest.
Bow resumed his meditation.
Reliving the past hurt... but somehow, his chest felt lighter. Like shedding a long-borne weight.
'...Better hit the sack early.'
For once, sleep would come easy tonight.