A Delicate Mind
My mind was delicate, but the interest my summons showed toward me far exceeded what I had expected. Just like when I had tested the performance of the Hoop, every single one of my summons came rushing over this time as well. The two Number One brothers in particular were breathing heavily through their noses, staring at me with sparkling eyes. It was as if they were silently arguing over who would get the next turn.
Even if you look that eager, it’s pointless. Playing with you guys versus spending time with Yeonhee—which would you choose?
I shook my head and looked forward. In that short time, Rakan’s excitement had reached its peak; thin streams of blood were dripping from his nose.
"Kke-kekekek-"
Whoa… He really does look like a rabid wolf now.
And perhaps I had gone mad as well. The moment I killed the Great Villain, the clear state of my mind grew murky once again. Is it because I was exposed to that filthy energy…? I feel an urge to tear Rakan apart.
Come to think of it, I had been a little strange ever since the day I secretly watched Bin Chi-seung commit his atrocities. If this influence grows stronger the more Great Villains I kill… I might need to start moderating myself.
Since Master was good at noticing such things, I would ask him the next time we met. Or rather, he would probably tell me what path to take without me even needing to ask.
"Clack clack."
I clicked my teeth to signal him to begin. Come at me. Moving my body a bit should clear my head.
The gap between us was so vast there was no need to drag things out, but giving him a few minutes to get used to his new body wasn’t difficult. The aura I feel from him is definitely stronger than the Number One brothers.
The level of Alpha Rakan had already far surpassed even that of Fang. That meant he was somewhere in the mid-early B-grade range.
Swish—
Without any warning, Alpha Rakan vanished from my sight in an instant.
Swish— Swish— Swish—
Only the grass where he had briefly stood rustled gently, revealing the path of his movement. His light footsteps created waves of mana that reached me with a slight delay, painting clear, intangible lines inside my head.
He was leaping around in every direction with no discernible pattern. He’s not even using any techniques and he’s already this fast… His physical ability is truly incredible.
I was genuinely impressed. I sharpened my senses and focused them around me, taking the fight more seriously. After all, I held the position of leader among the summons—I couldn’t afford to look pathetic.
"Kiihyaaaook!!"
"Krrruuuuooo!!"
As Rakan kicked off the ground and began circling me at high speed, the other summons grew incredibly excited and roared at the top of their lungs. In their hands, they were already clutching the beef jerky Yeonhee had given them.
They get this hyped up just because I’m fighting?
Still, having an audience did make things a bit more fun. At that exact moment, Alpha Rakan’s razor-sharp claws tore through the spot where I had been standing.
Whoosh— Shiiiing—!
Nice. His attack power is top-tier too. At this level, he should be quite useful in the Direwolf boss fight.
I dodged once, then twice, then ten times, and kept evading all the way to twenty. His attacks were rough yet flexible. They seemed to leave openings, but never gave me a chance to exploit them.
His movements are strange. Is this what wild instinct looks like?
He was originally a human, so how could he move like this?
Clang— Clang-clang-clang—!
After several minutes of deflecting and blocking his strikes, I reached a single conclusion.
Good. Let’s use this guy as a training dummy.
For my anxious comrades who were frustrated by the widening gap between them and Yeonhee, there could be no better sparring partner. We had an unspoken agreement to rest only once a week. Maybe I could invite the team over on our day off and have them train with him.
Anyway, I’ve seen enough.
Crack—!
Using the absolute evasion technique Bran, I completely nullified his attack. Then, as Alpha Rakan stumbled past me, I grabbed his neck tightly with my Venomous Thorn tail.
Success.
"Krrk— Krrruuugh…"
He tried to pry my tail off with both hands, but it was futile. The hooked tail from the centipede hell isn’t something even an ogre could easily remove.
It would have been smarter for him to cut the tail off with the claws he was so proud of. Realizing this, he slashed at it with his nails, but the tail—densely wrapped in flame armor—didn’t break as easily as he hoped.
Thud—!
I yanked the tail, pulling him close, then drove my knee hard into his abdomen.
Crack—!
The sound of multiple ribs shattering rang out.
"Kyaeng—!"
Hm? His bones shatter from just that?
It seemed that after my strength surpassed 500, the destructive power of my attacks had grown far beyond what I had anticipated. Or maybe my mind was so clouded that I couldn’t control my strength properly.
Soon, white foam bubbled from his mouth. I bound him with Chains of Flame and hurled him away like a bag of trash.
Crash— Bang—!
"Ouch… I told you to go easy."
Yeonhee muttered as she watched Rakan roll across the ground, clutching his stomach.
Hmm…
Alpha Rakan, who had slammed into the stone wall, thrashed for a while before losing consciousness. Yeonhee let out a deep sigh at the sight and immediately unsummoned him.
"Still, it’s better to keep Rakan merged, right?"
I nodded.
"Even if Rakan loses some experience, it’s better to keep him like that. By the way, you suppressed such a strong monster without even using any special skills… Ilwol, you’ve really become incredibly powerful, haven’t you?"
"Clack clack."
"Wow— You’re not even denying it anymore."
I shrugged at Yeonhee. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, and I found myself unconsciously stroking her face, completely captivated.
"Ah… Huh?"
"Clack…?!"
Had I forgotten for a moment that I was still in skeleton form? Snapping back to my senses, I scooped up the slightly blushing Yeonhee and carried her inside the house. A surge of lust flared up, but I quickly calmed myself and gently laid her down on the floor.
What the hell was I thinking while still a skeleton? You idiot.
They said absorbing the energy of a Great Calamity would make me colder and bolder, but it seemed the balance had already collapsed. I shouldn’t take lightly the fact that I’m constantly shifting between monster and human. My mind is more delicate than I thought…
I shook my head and carefully stroked her ear and hair as she rested it on my knee. Yeonhee fell asleep almost instantly. She had pushed herself quite hard today, so I had come in early to help her rest. The moment her head touched me, she lost consciousness.
She’s still so young…
Looking at her youthful, beautiful face, I felt nothing but contempt for myself from just moments ago, when I had considered testing my newly acquired skills on her.
Ah, the Dark Space. I need to see Master.
Feeling sorry, I gently woke Yeonhee and asked her to unsummon me.
"Ugh… I thought maybe you’d skip today at least."
……
She rubbed her eyes and released the summoning. Even while grumbling, she couldn’t hide her disappointment and waved at me with a bright smile.
Ugh… The guilt is killing me…
Once inside the Dark Space, I immediately ran to Rainy. Today wasn’t the day Master was supposed to come. Still, I frantically cast skills in every direction, desperately hoping he would appear.
(Oh! Ilwol~! You came again today!)
Rainy greeted me with the same explosive enthusiasm as if it were our first meeting.
You haven’t grown that much this time, huh?
The distance I had deliberately kept last time had clearly shown results.
(Of course I only grow as much as I eat, right?)
Well, that’s true.
A short while later, the Master I had been waiting for finally appeared. He approached us with straighter, more direct movements than usual. After observing me closely for a moment, he spoke.
[What happened that made you cause such a ruckus? And what kind of nonsense have you been up to that you’re covered in such strange filth?]
As expected, Master immediately noticed something was off and pressed me for answers. I briefly explained how I had manifested a new ability and killed a man designated as a Great Villain.
[Tsk… The cost-benefit ratio doesn’t sit well with me.]
What did he mean? If the ‘Guide’ designated him as a Great Villain, he must have been no ordinary evil. Did you inherit all that karma? And you even took his skills… It’s impossible to know whether there will be a reward for crossing the ‘Great Threshold’ by slaying such a being. Tsk tsk—
Master sometimes used words different from the ones we used, and these weren’t translated. ‘Guide’ refers to the System… and ‘Great Threshold’ must mean class advancement. But did I really make such a bad deal? I thought I came out ahead. Hmm…
As I scratched the back of my head in thought, Master looked at me for a moment before speaking again in a slightly softer tone.
[There’s no need to worry too much, my disciple. You separated the dark karma that wretch accumulated over his entire life and converted it into the karma of slaughter. Your presence has grown stronger because of it, so you should be able to endure it.]
Oh… Is that how it works?
[However, the burden you must carry in the future will inevitably increase. Fate will test you. A lonely battle is beginning.]
……Karma of slaughter? Fate? I simply thought I was just collecting the villain’s skills. I didn’t think it carried such heavy meaning.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I stared blankly at Master.
[Simply put, if you train both your body and mind, it will all be resolved. Of course, solitary wall-gazing training alone won’t be enough.]
I understand. In the end, it’s training and real combat experience.
[That’s right. Work hard. The only thing you have is your talent. Now then, I must be going.]
What? You’re leaving already?
We had only met for a few minutes. Why was he trying to leave so soon?
[I only came because you were causing such a commotion. I was in the middle of refining a secret technique, and now there’s a delay thanks to you.]
Ah… I’m sorry. Anyway, thank you, Master.
I bowed deeply. Master looked at me and left one final piece of advice.
[The wicked energy that has entered your body may cause you to make judgments different from your usual self. Even if an idea comes to mind, think about it two or three times before acting so you don’t make mistakes. It is a different kind of energy from the turbid qi that once filled your body. It will be difficult to resolve in a short time using conventional methods.]
After speaking, Master turned to leave the way he came but added one more thing.
[Now is not the time to be obsessed with dealing with villains, my disciple. This is the period when you must listen closely to your own voice and polish yourself. You must not assume that everything the Guide presents is correct. That thing’s purpose is… Anyway, you must exercise restraint.]
…Yes. I understand.
What exactly was the System’s purpose? I stared silently at Master’s retreating figure as he spoke of it as if it were a person. Mulling over his words, I followed my usual training routine, supplied mana to Rainy, and was summoned back outside a little earlier than usual.
It was because I had promised my comrades that we would tackle the boss fight we had skipped yesterday a bit sooner.