Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Library (3)
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They barely managed to slip through the cave entrance.
"...Bihyeong. Put me down. I'll fight alongside you."
Mina felt the presences of those racing toward them and gripped the Divine Breeze Fan tightly.
But Bihyeong didn't let her go.
"No way. We can't take them head-on right now. No chance of winning."
"...Huh? Then what do we do?"
Her confusion was perfectly understandable.
Staying put like this was just waiting for death.
However, Bihyeong had already anticipated this situation.
'Since coming to this world, has anything ever gone exactly as I planned?'
The endless frustrations, butterfly effects, and his half-demon singularity had made Bihyeong utterly meticulous.
"You saw me pull out about ten books earlier, right?"
"Yeah. But why bring that up now?"
He'd said it was to create a Cultivation Method by selecting forbidden books.
So why mention it at a time like this?
That's when Mina caught the sly grin on Bihyeong's face.
"Truth is, I only needed eight books to get the Cultivation Method."
Something on immortal cultivation, Daoist scriptures, and illustrations would do.
Even so, Bihyeong had deliberately added extras, injecting 'content' into this world.
"The Yokai Encyclopedia was to tag them with the 'yokai' attribute."
Make the enemy yokai, and an exorcist can exorcise them.
That's the 'common sense' of this world.
"In other words, even our spells will work on cultivator."
"Then all the more rea—"
"But the spec gap is still too wide."
They wielded power rivaling mid-tier Hierarchy Ranks.
Overwhelming for him at Rank 2 and Mina at Rank 1.
So, they just needed to buy time.
'The protagonist doesn't hide his power. Until that kicks in.'
Bihyeong hoisted Mina on his back and raced toward the cave's depths.
The single path twisted like a snake burrow, its ceiling so high he had to crane his neck just to glimpse it.
At the end of that path lay the cavern.
"We'll hold out here."
Bihyeong set Mina down and clenched his fists.
"Mina. Buff me up."
"...Got it!"
The Divine Breeze Fan swung, fire-attuned energy riding the wind to envelop Bihyeong's body.
'......'
Feeling the energy's flow, Bihyeong adopted it as his 'Root' in place of demonic power.
Boom!
His foot slammed down fiercely, rotation adding torque to his sturdy frame.
His clenched fist whipped through the Demon Combat Technique's arc.
Kaboom!
─Crack!
One strike.
A single swing crumbled the cavern wall, sealing the entrance in rubble.
"...Hoo."
This should hold them off for a while.
'Even if they're cultivator, they can't handle the energy lingering in this cavern.'
This was where a dragon had ascended.
Its aura naturally remained.
'To cultivator, attacking here is like a mouse before a cat.'
Yet Bihyeong could shatter the wall thanks to the Yokai Encyclopedia's effect.
It defined the space itself as yokai, allowing spells and his exorcist physicality to apply.
'Lucky I tested this method in the game beforehand.'
In truth, Bihyeong had polished a strategy for clearing it, learned from veteran players.
He realized that as long as the base eight books were there, any extras would still yield the Cultivation Method.
And depending on the extras, killing cultivator granted bonus gains beyond the method.
'The time will come. Just hold out until then.'
Bihyeong turned.
Mina sat panting, drained from wielding the Divine Breeze Fan.
'Not surprising.'
Twice entering the library, once just now.
Three activations already.
As an endgame weapon, buffing others consumed massive energy.
Her control minimized it, a testament to her skill.
'Still, she's at her limit now.'
No more wielding the fan.
Forcing her vital energy could even touch her 'innate true qi', risking permanent damage.
'When the hell are they coming?'
Thud!
Thud!
Rumble!
Heavy impacts shook the sealed entrance.
The dragon-aura stones blocked the cultivator's attacks, but they wouldn't hold forever.
Bihyeong grew anxious.
'Come on already!'
Did his frustrated outburst transmit somehow?
Change began from behind.
"...Huh?"
Mina's startled voice echoed off the walls.
Bihyeong ignored it, focusing on the shift in her 'aura'.
'It's here!'
Mina's eyes widened in shock.
"This... Wh-what's happening all of a sudden...?"
"It's the effect of the second forbidden book I added."
A smile crept across Bihyeong's lips.
"Classic munchkin novel trope."
But even a standard munchkin tale was a forbidden book.
Originally, it showed readers the 'dream' of ideal strength, then drained their life until they withered.
Bihyeong, however, focused elsewhere.
'If I leverage this when gaining the Cultivation Method, I could smash cultivator or whatever.'
On the 'munchkin' genre setup itself.
'Adding this book lets you wield high-rank exorcist power in this world.'
Reason he brought Mina, reason he bided time against the cultivator.
"Nice."
Bihyeong felt his own body surging with power.
Lower dantian.
Tiger-like energy pooled there.
'...Huh? My demonic power's rising too?'
News to him.
No big deal.
'As long as I don't use it, Mina won't notice.'
If she did, he could just blame the forbidden book's effect.
Bihyeong tuned out his demonic power and clenched both fists.
Kaboom!
Clapping them together unleashed thunderous roar through the cavern.
The rubble sealing the entrance shattered into dust.
Yes! This is it!
"...Bihyeong."
He sensed Mina's tremor.
She rose slowly, regulating her breath, gripping the Divine Breeze Fan tight.
"Those things... they're all yokai now, right?"
"Yep."
"Then... no holding back?"
"Obviously."
Her trembling stopped at his grin. She exhaled deeply, resolve hardening her gaze as she unfurled the fan.
"Right now... even basic spells should pack a huge punch."
"You nailed it."
Exactly.
Gaining high-rank-equivalent power wasn't just the energy influx.
It elevated mastered techniques to high-rank potential too.
Like his Path to the Apex.
'Just a dream that fades when we leave, though.'
Still, 'proficiency' could skyrocket.
That was the bonus.
'Basic spell proficiency, but...'
Max out proficiency on all elemental basics?
Groan. That unlocks a Hidden Piece.
"Want first go?"
He yielded to Mina, and she nodded.
"Thanks."
"Plenty of yokai to go around."
All cultivator in this world were yokai now.
No pity wasted.
"Yeah."
Mina nodded and swung the Divine Breeze Fan.
Whoosh.
A simple slash through empty air.
But the wind it birthed soon carried 'Earth' spell weight, launching like hurled boulders.
Krunch!
Three pursuing cultivator's heads pulped instantly.
Nineteen left.
"Next up."
Snap.
Mina folded the fan and pointed at the ground.
Even in its graceful arc, wind lingered.
Crickle-crackle—!
Countless plants sprouted from the cave floor, forming a prison around the cultivator.
Massive vines bound them, stripping freedom; thorns pierced flesh.
Their forms warped hollow, yokai-like.
"Demon... scum......"
Their voices glitched, devolving to speaker static.
Krunch!
Mina unfurled the fan again; vines converged, crushing every yokai.
"Wow."
Bihyeong clapped.
'Insane talent. Just boosted energy and spell limits, and she handles it like it's always been hers.'
It reaffirmed: without his wildcard, Mina was the academy's top talent.
'That was countering principles, right? Never taught or shown her.'
Countering opposed generation.
Infuse extra energy into one element to 'devour' the prior spell.
'Result carries the devoured spell's traits.'
Like those vines.
Base Wood growth spell.
Yet that crushing power was pure Earth solidity.
'Simple example: Feed Wood energy into Fire for unquenchable flames.'
Until the fuel burns out or overwhelming energy snuffs it.
'Countering's usually easier than generation, but...'
That was for veteran exorcists.
For a first-year academy student, an advanced technique.
'Seriously impressive.'
Mina stock, new all-time high!
"Hoo. Tough stuff."
Mina steadied her ragged breath and looked to Bihyeong.
"Bihyeong! How was I just now?"
She bounded toward him with eager steps.
Ding!
Then, a notification chimed.
Not Bihyeong's system.
"Huh?"
Mina pulled out her phone and checked.
Horror spread across her face.
"B-Bihyeong. It says I'm almost at Rank 2!?"
"For real?"
Incredible.
Regular classes hadn't even started, yet nearing Rank 2.
'Talented Ridge Crossing enrollees take a year; the gifted, three months.'
'Pure talent. Mastering the sudden surge cracked the Rank 2 wall.'
He'd planned to nurture her anyway...
But this exceeded expectations.
'Doesn't matter. Great news!'
Bihyeong beamed.
How could he not smile at his future party member's growth?
"Congrats!"
"Ehehe... But I haven't broken through yet."
She scratched her head bashfully, but her grin betrayed her joy.
'...This brings me one step closer to Bihyeong.'
Before, he'd seemed worlds ahead, like off on a distant journey.
Now, standing before Rank 2's wall, she felt his lead acutely.
'I'll break through once we're out!'
Mina burned with resolve.
'Guess I should check my own techniques too.'
Inspired by her, Bihyeong itched to properly wield Root and Demon Combat Technique.
'Path to the Apex boosted Demon Combat Technique's limit to Rank 1.'
But he'd never fully unleashed it before.
His demonic power reserves were too meager.
Not anymore.
Pull everything out, test the limits.
Maybe glimpse beyond.
Bihyeong rose with that fire...
─Crack.
...or tried to.
Something odd echoed in empty air.
"What?"
Frozen mid-motion, Bihyeong looked up.
The ceiling loomed high, flawless, no cracks.
So what was that sound...?
As he stared puzzled, it happened.
Craaack—!
Not the ceiling—empty space fractured like shattered glass, collapsing.
A massive rift appeared.
Black as the cosmos within.
But as it widened, he realized how wrong that was.
'...Pupil.'
The blackness was just one creature's eye.
When the rift matched a baseball field,
its 'head' barely peeked through.
It was a dragon.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [An aura I haven't felt in ages. Truly nostalgic.] A voice pierced straight into his mind, system-like.
No mouth moved, just staring silently, yet goosebumps surged beyond chill—his soul creaked.
'That's...'
His half-demon instincts screamed.
'Not a yokai made here.'
The thing before him was a true 'yokai'.