Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Pure White Saintess
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Kkaebi, now fully revealed, held the dagger I had given him beforehand.
"Kkaebi. Kill them all."
I gave the order.
Kkaebi's Wind Step.
Like a raging black wind, Kkaebi shot toward Park Jeong-hwa in an instant.
Kkaebi's dagger sharply grazed the flustered woman's throat.
Red blood spurted from her neck.
Park Jeong-hwa clutched her throat with both hands and toppled forward.
"J-Jeong-hwa unnie!"
Jeong Sia's panicked voice came from behind at the sight.
I had expected as much.
Even after being drugged, Jeong Sia had tried to turn Park Jeong-hwa over to the police without a single curse.
Still, she probably hadn't wanted to see the death of Park Jeong-hwa, whom she once respected and trusted.
But that didn't mean I planned to stop Kkaebi.
This was all early education.
For adapting to the tragedy that would soon unfold in the world.
"Deacon Park!"
Choi Chi-won shouted in shock upon seeing Park Jeong-hwa dead in the blink of an eye.
A pro who handles the dark underbelly?
"Choi Pro, don't get excited. Keep your cool and stay rational."
At my words, Choi Chi-won quickly regained his composure and looked at me.
"Not even a Death Knight, and a mere skeleton using skills. Definitely unusual. But if a single dagger is its only weapon, it can't be my opponent."
Habit? Acting all high and mighty?
"We'll worry about tampering with evidence later. Kill them all first."
As Choi Chi-won finished speaking, a change occurred in his body.
"My trait is [Abyss Wolf]. A transformation-type trait."
Why explain that?
Crunch.
The sound of bones grinding rang out as his size slowly grew, tearing his police uniform.
Black fur sprouted across his body, and in an instant, he towered to the ceiling.
"A werewolf, huh."
With a wolf's head, sharp claws, and talons, it was clearly a werewolf.
"Grrr. That tough hide can't be pierced by a puny dagger. Plus, a werewolf's regeneration is beyond imagination."
"Yeah, sure. Impressive."
Indeed, it was a bad matchup for Kkaebi, who focused on speed.
With his strength, he couldn't pierce that thick hide, and even if he inflicted wounds or injected poison, regeneration would win out.
'But this humble one still has one skeleton left.'
To my left.
Hwayeom 3 emerged from the black swamp.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hwayeom 3 is delighted to finally be able to help its master.] At my command, he immediately thrust his palm toward Choi Chi-won, now a massive werewolf.
A cramped space with no room to dodge, protected by a green barrier.
No better setup for unleashing flames.
Whoosh!
Mana extended from the skeleton's palm, forming a fireball.
"Grrr? A flame skill?"
Flustered, Choi Chi-won crossed his arms to protect himself.
But what good would it do?
No matter how tough and thick, hide was still just hide.
"N-No—!"
His intelligence seemed even lower after turning into a werewolf.
The fireball exploded right in his face, engulfing his body in flames as he let out a agonized howl.
"Gaaahhh!"
This much was appropriate.
A summoner who handles slightly special skeletons but isn't overwhelmingly powerful.
That would be my public image for the time being.
I sniffed the smell of burning hide and turned to the last enemy.
Conveniently, the one who had put up this green barrier.
"W-Wait a second. I was just told to put up a barrier."
He frantically made excuses as our eyes met.
"Yeah. Don't worry. That barrier skill you're maintaining? Keep it up, and I'll let you live. You saw how fast my skeleton moves, right? Try anything funny, and you're dead."
I smiled brightly and spoke as gently as possible.
"Y-Yes! Got it."
Despite my consideration, the man trembled in fear for some reason.
I needed him to keep sounds from leaking out until Choi Chi-won's agonized cries subsided.
And shortly after.
'It's over.'
As the cries died down, Choi Chi-won reverted to human form.
His body was charred black beyond recognition.
'He bragged about his regeneration.'
Definitely needed to finish him off.
Stab!
I walked over to the fallen Choi Chi-won and plunged a dagger into his heart without hesitation.
This ends it.
Now, time to deal with the cops guarding the door.
As I slowly stood and was about to order Kkaebi.
"H-Han! I'm not dead!"
Jeong Sia's urgent voice came from behind.
Not dead? Who?
Park Jeong-hwa's throat was slit, and the explainer had a dagger in his heart.
"It's not over yet."
A frustratingly polite voice came from below me.
"My [Last Gasp] skill lets me move for a short time even at the brink of death."
"Unbelievable."
What kind of life did he live to be an explainer even after coming back from death?
I looked down to see a pistol in Choi Chi-won's hand.
With my current stamina, I wouldn't die from a shot at this range.
"And even if you survive, I can take that woman with me."
The gun wasn't aimed at me.
Jeong Sia behind me.
Choi Chi-won was targeting her.
I immediately kicked the hand holding the gun.
Bang!
But the bullet had already fired.
I urgently activated my brain, entering the slowed world.
I stretched my hand with all my might, following the bullet's trajectory.
'Please reach.'
If even one finger could catch the bullet's path, I could save Jeong Sia.
Almost there.
Just one knuckle more. A little further.
A bit faster.
The bullet indifferently grazed my fingernail.
It pierced Jeong Sia's chest.
Investing in stamina this life was inevitable, but this moment made me regret the gap in agility.
Time returned to normal, and Choi Chi-won's satisfied voice reached my ears.
"Success. See you in hell, Lee Han."
You bastard.
He smirked faintly and collapsed on the spot. Faint experience points rose.
I rushed to Jeong Sia.
Blood flowed from her left chest.
Had it hit her heart?
"Ha... Han..."
Her pale hand weakly gripped my jacket.
As long as she was conscious, she could be saved.
"Noona. Use your skill quick."
She had those healing skills from the last broadcast.
"C-Can't..."
Can't? Why?
She had plenty of mana for it.
"What do you mean?"
"Can't use... skills on myself."
Damn it.
No wonder the skills seemed too overpowered.
I hadn't expected such a stupid restriction.
"You have to make me braised ribs... Sorry..."
What the...
Braised ribs now?
She's dying?
"Hold on."
I pulled out my phone.
'Ask Cha Jin-hyuk to find a high-level healer? Or call 119 and get her to the nearest hospital?'
"No, Han."
Jeong Sia gripped my hand tightly, stopping me.
"I know my body best. I get what that means. Not much time left."
Unlike before, she looked me straight in the eye as she spoke clearly.
I'd seen this countless times in my past life.
She was burning her final spark of life.
"Don't assume. You never know. Maybe an ambulance has a healer trait holder."
Jeong Sia shook her head slightly and struggled to speak, still holding my hand.
"Then you could get caught. Thinking about the police chief from the Resurrection Church and the others, they'll pin this as simple murder, not self-defense."
What?
Ridiculous. I hadn't even considered it.
"You're worried about me right now? When you're dying?"
Worrying about others even now.
If this was madness, it was madness.
"The living have to live properly. And somehow, this feels like my fate."
Foolish nonsense.
"So burn this house, erase the traces, and run. Han."
Giving up her life over the Resurrection Church?
Besides, their downfall was already set.
I didn't know whose hands or how they fell in the previous round.
But equating them—disappearing without a trace before the Demon Realm war—with Jeong Sia was absurd.
"Don't worry. I have countermeasures."
Jeong Sia chuckled at my words.
"What countermeasures? Don't lie to comfort me, Han."
Harsh words nearly escaped my mouth.
"Not a lie. I have..."
Jeong Sia ignored me and continued.
"Regretful. Wanted to hunt with you, use my [Resurrection] meaningfully someday."
Hm.
I stopped trying to persuade her.
Not giving up, just curiosity struck.
At my call, Jeong Sia looked up at me with gentle eyes.
I apologize for saying her heart was weak.
She was quite strong.
Not many could face death so calmly.
"Let's go on that hunt. And make braised ribs tonight."
I reached out and closed the questioning Jeong Sia's eyes.
"Noona. Stay in the dark a bit. Preparing a review."
"What does that even..."
As if strength was draining, she slowly grasped my hand over her eyes.
"...It was fun, Han."
With those final words, her hand went limp, and she met her end.
"Kkaebi. Kill that guy too."
At my command, Kkaebi moved swiftly.
"W-Wait, you said you'd let me live!"
The last cop watching from the entrance.
No other skills, it seemed—he sent resentful glares and collapsed powerlessly.
"Just in case. What happens next can't leak out."
Confirming the experience gain, I carefully laid Jeong Sia on the floor and stood.
"Hwayeom 3. Destroy."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Skeleton 'Hwayeom 3' has been destroyed.] I returned Hwayeom 3 to nothingness.
What if I turned Jeong Sia into my skeleton and had her use [Resurrection] on herself?
The only restriction on 'Skeleton Creation' was that it couldn't be used on corpses dead for over a minute.
Moments later, as if her soul were departing, a black skeleton emerged from her body.
I had one question.
Using [Resurrection] on Jeong Sia was already a given.
It was meaningful that my skeleton had it, but most importantly.
'Skeletons disappear when I die.'
So long-term, keeping Jeong Sia as a hidden card by saving her was more beneficial to me.
"Use [Resurrection]."
Now, what would happen?
The skeleton creation process always had that soul-extraction visual.
Would the skeleton retain its abilities after Jeong Sia revived?
This was a major issue.
If the skeleton persisted as a separate entity even after her revival...
The nameless skeleton nodded and knelt before the dead Jeong Sia.
As the skeleton's hands touched her body.
A blinding white light spread, enveloping the skeleton and Jeong Sia's form.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before my eyes.
In the skeleton's place.
A woman in pristine white robes, exuding an inviolable aura, sat.
'No way...'
Her mere presence made the air tremble and my hair stand on end.
Unless she was a constellation, she couldn't emit such power.
"Pure White Saintess."
At my words, she slowly turned her head.