Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Keres's Afterimage
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After sorting out her thoughts, Lee Ru-ri closely observed Kalikan's attack patterns.
The bones that the Counterattacking Kalikan pulled out were sharp but not particularly durable.
Every time she raised a rock wall to block the attacks, they shattered easily.
The problem was their incredible regeneration, making up for their sharpness and fragility.
It seemed at least three times faster than the regeneration of the Kalikan that had been bound by the Drayger.
Kalikan's attacks targeted Lee Ru-ri's openings with astonishing reaction speed, leaving no room to catch her breath.
In this situation, there was no choice but to block Kalikan with rock walls and create distance.
'At this rate, there's no end in sight.'
She had been watching intently to read Kalikan's patterns, but its openings weren't easy to spot.
'I need to lure out an opening.'
While she pondered for a moment, a bone from Kalikan that she failed to block pierced her thigh sharply.
"Hngh."
As her stance faltered from the surging pain, Kalikan immediately pulled out another bone, aiming straight for her heart, unwilling to miss the chance.
The pain wracking her body sparked a faint anger.
"Get out of the way."
Glared sharply at Kalikan and extended her hand, unleashing a burst of black energy that shoved it back.
"Hm?"
Lee Ru-ri was surprised by the black energy she had unconsciously released, and Kalikan seemed startled too.
It was a strange sensation she'd never felt before.
Soon, Kalikan charged again, seeking her opening.
The pain in her thigh persisted, but she had no time to dwell on it now.
'That thing from earlier.'
Recalling the moment she unleashed the black energy on Kalikan, she tried again.
Bwoooong!
"Did it work?"
The black energy turned into a powerful gust, halting Kalikan in its tracks.
'This feels different from using skills. What is it? It feels vaguely familiar... let's try again.'
She squeezed her mana hard to release the black energy once more.
And in that instant as it poured toward Kalikan, she noticed her mana gauge flickering black for a brief moment.
―Again.
"Huh? You can talk too?"
Kalikan ignored her question and pressed her harder, picking up even more speed.
Lee Ru-ri began countering its attacks not with skills, but by quickly and precisely unleashing the black energy.
The two clashed fiercely for quite a while, trading blows like spear and shield.
Now, the time her mana gauge flickered black lasted longer.
And accordingly, she could not only block Kalikan's attacks but also land counterstrikes here and there.
By controlling her mana well, she could slam the black energy down like a hammer in a fixed area or shape it into a sharp spear to strike Kalikan.
Lee Ru-ri felt somewhat satisfied with how quickly she had learned to wield the black energy.
―Insufficient. Again.
"I think this is good enough."
―In that state, you can't even touch a hair of His presence.
"His presence?"
―Defeat me, and you can meet him.
Kalikan attacked with speed incomparable to before, as if it had awakened.
'At this rate, I might actually lose.'
Lee Ru-ri timely raised rock walls to block Kalikan's assaults.
Layers of rocks piled up before her.
Kalikan relentlessly sought her openings without giving up.
'Wait, what if I use skills and this black energy together?'
She immediately summoned a rock and poured black energy into it.
Kalikan's bone turned to powder before even touching the rock.
The startled Kalikan was flung backward, blocked by the black energy.
"Pretty useful."
While she admired her own power for a moment,
Kalikan steadied its disrupted muscles and glared fiercely at her.
"You must be pretty popular."
―What's that?
"Never mind if you don't know. Gonna come at me again?"
As Lee Ru-ri assumed an attack stance, Kalikan smirked and leaped high into the air.
From the dark void, Kalikan appeared, gripping a long, sturdy-looking bone with both hands, hurtling toward her at tremendous speed.
'If the rock was that effective, what about Extinction?'
She hurled a massive Extinction infused with black energy at Kalikan plummeting from above.
Extinction swallowed Kalikan whole.
Plop.
Charred black, Kalikan barely supported itself, slumping against the wall.
―Closer.
"What? Promise not to attack first."
―I promise.
She approached Kalikan.
―Kill me.
"Hey, that's not me. It's not right to one-sidedly finish off someone who can't fight back. How about giving me your will instead?"
―My will?
"You know Drayger?"
―That insolent salamander?
"Salamander... Pfft. Anyway, named ones like you have wills, it said."
―I see.
Kalikan gently closed its eyes, seemingly understanding her words.
Lee Ru-ri quietly activated Aura of Submission. Kalikan's favorability began to rise.
[The Counterattacking Kalikan's favorability has increased by 1,000,000.]
[Cumulative favorability with the target so far: 1,000,000]
[(S) Hidden Skill Activated (Success): 1 condition completed. (Remaining conditions ― 0 total)]
[(SS) Hidden Skill Activated (Failure): Conditions not met. (Remaining conditions ― 1 total)]
'Huh? An SS skill condition appeared. But how do I...'
While lost in thought for a moment, Kalikan's gift arrived.
[Acquired Counterattacking Kalikan's Gift. Would you like to check? Y/N]
"Thanks."
[Counterattacking Kalikan's Gift]
[Acquired new skill <Regenerating Bone>.]
"Humans can't pull out their own bones without irreversible damage. You don't mean I should literally extract bones from my body like you, right?"
―If used with that energy, it will serve as a fine weapon.
"Hm, well, I'll figure out how to use it step by step. Thanks, see you later."
Lee Ru-ri smiled at Kalikan and headed back out the entrance she came through.
With Kalikan's will acquired, the gate should have cleared, so naturally, she emerged into the hidden gate waiting room.
"This isn't the waiting room. What is this place?"
Her low voice, uttered in the thick darkness, echoed.
"Oh, right. Kalikan said if I killed it, I'd meet someone. Guess it wasn't planning to send me out early."
She began walking slowly through the darkness.
Splash, splash.
"Ah, water on the floor... Water? Suddenly water in a gate? But this smells awful for water."
The moment she realized something sloshing underfoot, a foul stench assaulted her nose, and she pinched it shut with her hand.
How far had she walked?
―You're late.
Something gripped her shoulders firmly and whispered in her ear.
"What the—!"
Lee Ru-ri extended her hand, shaking off the approaching presence with black energy.
―Oh, I didn't expect this much. How intriguing.
"Who are you!"
Whoosh.
After a sound like rippling wind, the gate's interior brightened slightly.
And finally, the figure before her eyes.
"You?"
―Did you like the gifts I've given you?
"Keres. I don't know much, but gifts are supposed to be pretty things that warm the heart."
―As much as your life has improved since meeting me, you have something pretty and heartwarming?
"If you can talk like that, then come at me. I've gotten stronger."
―Hahahahahahaha!
As Lee Ru-ri took her attack stance, Keres's name appeared at the top of the status.
[SS ― Keres's Afterimage: Current Favorability <3>]
"Oh, right. You can't attack first, can you? Then let's talk first. But unlike our first meeting, it keeps saying 'afterimage.' What's that about?"
―Talk, huh. Nothing beats a conversation with the body.
Ignoring her question, Keres vanished from sight in an instant.
She steadied her momentarily rattled mind and braced for Keres's attack.
'Despite the talk, this guy's on a whole different level from everything so far. Gotta be careful.'
Then, she caught a ripple in Keres's movement.
"Why can I see it?"
She hurled an Extinction loaded with black energy at the rippling distortion her eyes caught.
From the ripple, Keres blocked Extinction with one hand and revealed itself.
"Don't act cool. You're just a monster anyway."
Seeing her hard-earned trump card against Kalikan so easily blocked nearly sapped her will to fight.
But she wasn't one to give up easily.
"Bet I can land one hit!"
She unleashed every attack skill she had, infused with black energy, at every ripple she spotted.
Even as they were blocked each time, she didn't relent.
"Still not hitting? What about double?!"
She summoned Divided Ru-ri and poured out double the attacks.
Regrettably, Divided Ru-ri's attacks couldn't use the black energy.
Still, some of her strikes occasionally landed on Keres.
Each time, Keres's favorability ticked up slightly.
"Haa, haa. Out of breath... Hey, what do you really want from me?"
As she questioned, Keres, who had only been blocking, suddenly rushed in.
"Too fast."
To widen the closing distance, she dashed back with all her might.
Before long, Keres matched her speed.
―Before answering your question, I'll ask one first.
"Hey, I asked first!"
Lee Ru-ri shouted, but Keres ignored her and asked anyway.
―Do you still want to die?
"No."
―Why?
At Keres's question of why she no longer wanted to die, Lee Ru-ri, who had been running vigorously, came to an abrupt halt.
Keres stopped too, waiting for her answer.
Keres's question brought back memories of the past.
'Back then, I couldn't save people. I couldn't even protect myself.'
A deep sadness clouded Lee Ru-ri's face.
"Of course, I could become who I am now purely thanks to you, Keres. It's ironic that a monster who kills people helped me."
She paused, lost in thought.
"But you know, going through gates, I've seen so much death. Thanks to the power you gave me, I saved many, but more I couldn't. And if I die now... I keep thinking countless more might die without recourse. I'm afraid of that."
Keres, who had been listening intently, walked toward Lee Ru-ri with steady steps.
Thinking it an attack, she assumed a counter stance, but Keres simply placed its large hand atop her head.
"What are you doing?"
Lee Ru-ri shook off Keres's hand.
Undeterred, Keres continued without withdrawing its hand.
―You'll die eventually.
"Why?"
―Because you're expendable.
"Keres, please—if you're up for talking, can you explain it so I can understand?"