Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
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Kugugung.
"Krurrr."
The battle with Cheong was nearing its end.
And if I had to give an honest assessment of Cheong right now, frankly, I hadn't expected her to hold out this long.
I knew her mental fortitude was impressive, but seeing her push to this peak today...
She took a direct lightning strike and a pillar of fire.
Not only that, but stone pillars rising from the earth and razor-sharp wind blades as well.
Despite taking every single one of my attacks head-on, she was still maintaining her consciousness.
But even after my words, Cheong steadfastly refused to fall, standing firm on all four legs.
Thanks to the metallic energy and wood buffs she possessed, she looked unscathed on the outside, but inside, the accumulated damage must have turned her into a mess.
It seemed best for her to just collapse and get treatment quickly, but...
Step.
"Krurr."
She seemed intent on continuing this fight until she completely passed out.
-No! You don't have to go this far!
In the midst of it all, Silpi shouted while maintaining the wind barrier.
Well, this fight was on a whole different level from before, so it must have looked even more spectacular and intense than usual.
-Cheong, you're hurt too, so let's stop and rest now!
There's no way Cheong wants that.
"Krurrr!"
-No, Cheong!
Silpi, even after living with us like this, you still don't understand Cheong?
Cheong is happier right now than ever.
'I get that feeling.'
Even if Cheong doesn't have our level of high intelligence, she's far smarter than a regular beast.
And with her instincts far sharper than ours, would she fail to objectively assess her own power?
No, her superior instincts would have made her realize it even quicker, more acutely.
That she was the weakest among the three of us in terms of raw power.
"Kruring!"
Until recently, she was second in the pecking order, or at least equal to me.
But once I became an Imoogi, the balance of power shattered.
Now Cheong was solidly third—dead last in power, facing an insurmountable cliff.
But what about now?
Wung.
She met my full power head-on and even managed to wound me.
Just like when we first met.
Like those fierce battles back then where winner and loser alternated—we could fight on equal footing now.
Tremble.
But that was the limit now.
No matter how much vitality the wood element granted, perfectly wielding it on the spot was nearly impossible.
"...Kring."
Her body was at its limit.
But she still had power left.
What does she want in this situation?
To let her accept the outcome cleanly and without regrets.
"......"
I couldn't risk pushing further and causing some real problem.
So.
"Kring?!"
With each other's strongest possible strike, we'd bring it to a close.
With those words, I began drawing out every last bit of energy remaining in me.
The total amount had decreased from battling Cheong, but even during this brief exchange, my energy was recharging diligently, making this final strike possible.
Kiiiiing.
A clearly different, alien hum from before.
A pure jet-black power, unlike the colors of all the various attributes I'd shown so far.
That dark sheen, like the scales on my body, startled not just Cheong preparing her finishing blow, but Silpi as well.
-El! Have you lost your mind?!
Why? What's the problem?
I clearly said we'd settle it with our final strikes.
-What!
-Huh?
Did Cheong get scared?
Or is she despairing at my attack?
"Kruring!"
No.
Cheong was staring at me more seriously than ever, preparing her attack.
Ignore that resolve and tell her to stop here?
-Ugh! I really don't get why you two are fighting so hard.
She feels that way now because she's the strong one.
If the day comes when we surpass Silpi, and she acknowledges her own weakness and hungers for strength, she might burn even hotter than us.
Nod.
White energy rising from Cheong's right forepaw.
A pure white aura, matching her body's color, enveloped her foreleg.
It might look unchanged at a glance, but I regarded her warily and spoke gravely.
As Cheong charged at me, I unleashed all the power I'd gathered in my mouth straight ahead.
A palpably omnipotent sensation, utterly different from before.
A technique that felt this profound deserved to be called a proper 「Skill」.
I didn't have a status window, but if I did, this attack would surely register as one.
I was that confident in it.
This was among the top skills I'd used even as Jijiyong.
'If I were to name it... yeah.'
My first self-created skill.
⟨ Eclipse Nova ⟩
Ding.
7:30 PM. Subway.
The train car was packed with people overlapping at rush hour.
A woman who luckily snagged a seat tilted her head at her suddenly vibrating phone.
'What is it?'
A single short vibration, so not a call.
A text or notification maybe?
She cautiously pulled her phone from her pocket and lit up the screen.
There was one notification visible.
"Huh? What's this? A new update?"
It was news of a new update for the game she played.
The one game she played almost exclusively, despite not being much of a gamer.
It might seem childish, but this game was surprisingly popular.
She heard talk about it at the office all the time.
And it got plenty of streaming coverage too.
Anyway, she checked the update notes for Protect the Earth's Hero!, or Jijiyong for short.
'Hm. New sacred treasures and achievements.'
First up were new weapons and achievements.
The weapons weren't for her main class, so she lost interest, but the achievements were a bit different.
The new one was [Irregular].
From the description, it unlocked a brand-new storyline completely divorced from the main plot.
A trash achievement with no penalties or buffs.
But the bit at the end about opening a new hidden route grabbed her attention.
"A hidden route, huh."
Probably a new story made for this update.
And you needed this achievement to access it.
The gamer's blood boiled at those words: hidden route.
But her excitement deflated at the next line.
"What? A hidden achievement?"
It was the first hidden achievement in Jijiyong history—a system where you had to meet special conditions to unlock it.
And those conditions would be officially listed in the next update.
"Argh, that's kinda annoying."
Why tease it now instead of waiting for the next update?
She decided to move on from achievements.
"Let's see the other stuff..."
The following updates were minor option tweaks and revisions to existing content.
And reworks for certain items.
"Large-scale update preview."
And words that really got her going.
Jijiyong themselves announcing a massive update.
Rumors said PVP was coming, but who knew if it was true.
'Hm? New skill?'
She thought the update notes ended with the large-scale preview, but what was this surprise?
Scrolling further, "New Skill Added" appeared on her screen.
"New skill... Eclipse Nova?"
She first checked which classes could learn the new skill.
If it wasn't for her current character, she wouldn't bother much, but if the effect was good, she could always make a new one later to pick it up.
"Classes... what the hell?"
For a moment, she doubted her eyes.
The skill said [All Classes]—an incredibly broad range.
Maybe a beginner skill? But the conditions afterward made her nod.
Yeah, all classes can learn it, but only if you meet the conditions.
'What if it's something ridiculous like Strength stat over 100?'
Not like a mage could pump Strength anyway.
So she figured the conditions wouldn't be too harsh, but holy crap.
At this absurd condition, she nearly cursed out loud.
She barely held it in, thanks to being on the subway surrounded by people.
'Sigh. Calm down.'
If they set such a bizarre requirement, the effect must be worth it.
Whether swordsman, fighter, or mage, everyone handles mana and learns attributes—it's insanely hard, but not impossible.
'Wonder what the effect is.'
Still reeling from the conditions, she slowly read the skill's effects.
And before she knew it, she yelled out loud, forgetting she was on the subway.
"What kind of total noob skill is this?!"