Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: What a Waste
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It was instinct.
Kang Geohan had used his full-body mirror ability.
Countess Kali Stehold's ability.
He wanted to see it in more detail.
And Kang Geohan was overwhelmed.
"Ah...."
Crunch!
Countess Kali Stehold's mana essence was a complex yet beautiful knot.
If Kang Geohan's mana essence was merely a thread as thick as a finger,
hers was a tangle of such threads woven together like macramé, like the double helix of DNA, stretching throughout her entire body in intricate, beautiful structures.
And when she channeled mana, it moved in bizarre ways, like kinetic art.
Not just twisting or vibrating in simple motions,
but condensing, exploding, the surrounding mana essence strands quivering from the shockwave like a double helix, the trembling weaving them into new patterns, condensing once more....
It held changes more varied and ceaselessly dynamic than the string art games he'd played as a child.
Less a part of the body and more a life unto itself. It felt like she was nurturing a living mana essence creature within her.
To freely alter its form and quality like that....
"That's... the nobility's mana control technique?"
It was unimaginably advanced.
"To become a noble, I need something like that too, huh?"
It seemed hopeless right now. He couldn't even imagine reaching that level.
But his heart burned hotter instead. Step by step. So much to do. Being able to see that goal. That made Kang Geohan's heart race.
Then Kang Geohan shifted his gaze.
"Blurry, but... I can see the Giant too."
Giants weren't simply made of flesh and mana essence, making them hard to peer into with the full-body mirror ability.
But focusing his mind, he could at least make out the Giant Heart, with its high mana essence ratio.
Ignoring the sharp headache, Kang Geohan narrowed his eyes and examined Countess Kali Stehold's Giant, Fenrir.
"Insane...!"
He saw five spheres forming a pentagon, each extending two strands that interlocked at the ends, forming a pentagram overall.
"It wasn't 4-core 8-thread...!"
It surpassed that,
5-core 10-thread...!
An overwhelming Giant Heart!
As the cores and threads forming the pentagram rotated and tilted, drawing complex magic circles, Countess Kali Stehold's mana essence reacted, twisting wildly and exploding.
Not a single strand from head to toe lay idle.
While Kang Geohan's mana essence was developed around his lower body and core, hers was evenly distributed from the crown of her head to her fingertips and toes.
Even the thin aura cladding it was elevated into a beautiful silhouette—a perfect mana essence.
Like dancers moving to music, or the elegant balance of floor exercise or figure skating.
The countess's shout cut through the battlefield.
"Hey, junior!
She singled out Kang Geohan.
"Looks like you're already handling abilities... Let me show you something good. Watch closely, eyes wide open."
Vwooom—!
The heat haze around Fenrir warped.
A mirage?
The full moon floating above Fenrir's shoulder split into 2, 4, 8, 16...
In the dizzying, kaleidoscope-like scene, the backs of the still-surviving custom units Perseus and Levaime fluttered about.
Kang Geohan realized.
"Not a mirage. Not light refraction!"
Something far more advanced,
spatial refraction.
"This ends it!"
With the countess's clear shout, her greatsword turned into a massive blade of light. A single swing cleaved through the dozens of split moons before her.
The exposed backs of Perseus and Levaime in the kaleidoscope shattered along with them.
Crack!
The mirror shattered, and steam, flames, and explosions tore gashes across the plains like demon claws. And then,
Screeech!
Crack!
Boom!
Thud!
Perseus and Levaime fell in pieces to the ground.
Leaping over space,
over direction,
slashing the distant enemy from behind.
Kang Geohan brushed the goosebumps from his arms.
"Spatial Refraction."
An ability that made something like inertia control look like child's play.
"Truly... ridiculous."
Saxen Gold remarked.
"Why didn't you help sooner?"
Countess Kali Stehold shot back.
"I'm exhausted, man. I pushed it because the juniors were watching. Even then, that shield guy surviving would've messed it up somehow. What a pain from the start."
Dismissing it like that, the countess turned to the group.
"Let's pull out now. We've stayed too long. We're barely outside the perimeter... This much commotion won't sit well with the Wolf Queen."
She gestured in one direction. There, three massive wolves—shoulder height four meters, body length seven—prowled lazily.
Kang Geohan shivered.
"When?"
Even absorbed in battle, how had three wolves slipped through SPU detection without notice...?
"The Mad Moon Zone is truly dangerous not because of the madness contagion, but because of the Wolf Queen. Let's go."
Fenrir turned and departed first. Kang Geohan recalled his Golems while eyeing the wolves watching from afar.
Monsters prioritizing territory defense, holding back from charging.
Unlike the beasts that lunged at humans indiscriminately, these suppressed their killing intent.
"That's how strong they are, huh."
Like the lizardmen with their tactical movements, these wolves were no ordinary monsters. Even Countess Kali Stehold, who had displayed such fearsome prowess, proceeded with caution.
It was a moment to reaffirm this world was no cakewalk.
"Even retreating, we should grab the spoils. Go ahead. I'll snag the key parts quick and catch up."
"Do that. I'm fully drained... Moving slow, so hurry and follow."
"Yep. Yep."
Thud! Thud!
The countess's Fenrir receded into the distance, and Saxen Gold gathered the group to explain Giant disassembly.
They efficiently dismantled the Giants, then lit the beacon.
Mission complete. A yellow flame signaling return to the fortress.
* * *
Shwaaa—
Warm water infused with various herbs rained down like a shower.
Countess Kali Stehold pressed her hands against the wall and showered for a good while.
The perfect temperature, the herb-infused water soothing her exhausted muscles and mana essence.
A good sleep like this, and her mana essence would grow a bit.
Today's battle was among the fiercest in her life, enough to jolt her stagnant mana essence.
"The real problem starts now, though."
This luxury of showering after battle would likely be the last. The thought brought a twinge of sadness.
Drying her hair with a towel after the shower, she pondered.
"I didn't expect Logot Kingdom's forces to be that strong."
She'd heard the rear had been attacked. Wanting to wrap up the dragging Sea Labyrinth battles quickly, she'd led the all-out assault from the front, pushing the enemy back to claim the area.
Fine up to there. The issue was, after cornering them, the enemy's main force in reserve moved.
"Their forces are at least three times ours."
Only one reason they'd hidden that power without rushing the attack.
"Luke said it? That rookie Kang Geohan felt malice from the enemy... They aim to wipe us all out."
Hiding their strength, cutting retreat routes first, tightening the encirclement slowly to annihilate us at once—they'd waited and waited.
Hoo...
Exhaling a frustrated sigh, the countess still felt a spark of hope.
"A fine junior. Kang Geohan."
In this sightless situation, a junior giving reason to look ahead.
"This war will be a prolonged one, many veteran Riders will die... We need new heroes, and he's perfect."
A hero handling abilities with a 1-core 2-thread Cyclops, breaking through 3-core 6-thread Levaime's inertia control.
To raise this new hero faster....
Mid-changing, the countess's gaze drifted to her table. The wooden box she'd unpacked upon arrival. She thought of the item inside.
"Should I... give it?"
But she shook her head without thinking.
"What a waste. It's dangerous too... Should I just keep it? But...."
She hadn't used it till now because....
Knock knock.
As Countess Kali Stehold finished changing, someone knocked. Viscount Luke Heyend.
"Come in."
She had much to discuss with Luke.
Setting aside her dilemma, they huddled to decide next moves. The conclusion was inevitable, really.
As things wrapped up, Luke said,
"By the way... We need to reward the heroes who saved you this time. Something lightning-fast and unprecedented. Morale's already low, so a shocking reward to rally them is key. Especially since they not only saved you, but defended the eastern border fortress, and completed all retreat procedures in advance to buy us time. Rewards fitting all that."
"Yeah. I'm thinking about it."
"And... that rookie Kang Geohan needs something special. We'll need new heroes going forward... Something to accelerate his growth maximally?"
At Luke's words, Countess Kali Stehold murmured unwittingly.
"...What a waste."
"Pardon?"
"No... Nothing. Ugh! But what a waste!"
A question flickered in Viscount Luke Heyend's eyes. But he didn't pry. He never pressed his liege on unspoken matters.
"Understood."
The countess sighed.
This guy's always like this. What do you understand?
He could've asked, but no, too damn compliant.
Irritated by the unknown, she shook her head.
Maybe she wanted someone to force her choice.
"Luke... You're too soft. No bite."
Viscount Luke Heyend smiled.
"Don't you have the teeth, Countess? I've got the tongue for advice—that's enough."
The countess averted her gaze.
"Always so boring."
She glanced at the wooden box on the desk once more.
"...What a waste. Dangerous...."
Unable to decide, she said,
"Anyway, muster everyone at dawn tomorrow. No time."
"Understood."
By tomorrow, she'd decide. With that thought, the countess rose.