Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Very Small Sacrifice-6
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Baek Se-ra opened her status window.
'First things first, I need to bulk up my weight class.'
Her magic itself had to grow more powerful. Her cold magic needed to inflict greater damage on monsters. The oni and ghosts that would emerge from the Parade of One Hundred Ghosts Gate were bound to be even stronger.
'This should do it.'
Soul-Shaving Blizzard
Each time you deal damage with cold magic, the enemy's spell resistance decreases.
A trait limited to 'cold magic' and activated only 'when dealing damage.'
Its effects were restricted, but that very limitation made it highly efficient. It was a trait Baek Se-ra had always kept in mind, thinking, 'Someday, I should pick this one up.'
'But it's not enough.'
Her spells didn't discriminate between friend and foe. The Blizzard Guild's frontline tanks would get caught in the blizzard right alongside the enemies.
She needed a trait to protect them.
Flesh-Filling Ice
When allies take damage from your cold spells, a portion of that damage is deferred.
The Blizzard Guild's tanks already had traits equipped like 'Recover health when taking cold damage.' As long as the tanks didn't drop dead instantly, the guild's healers could pour on plenty of healing.
With these two traits, Baek Se-ra and the Blizzard Guild would become significantly stronger. Strong enough to stand a real chance against the enhanced Parade of One Hundred Ghosts.
'Now for the penalty.'
She bit her lip hard. Pink letters shimmered before her eyes.
Thrill of Ruin
When someone holds your weakness and you feel anxiety that they might use it to destroy you, you feel pleasure.
The conditions were complex, but this was a penalty she could only select after taking both 'Incapable of Resisting Blackmail' and 'Voluntary Weakness Exposure.'
Her weaknesses were already scattered among an unknown multitude. Add in the inability to resist blackmail via those weaknesses, and now this penalty that made her feel pleasure in those moments.
'Haa...'
Penalties that affected the mind could never be taken lightly, no matter how minor they seemed.
Humans, after all, were driven by pleasure in the end.
Selecting this penalty would make Baek Se-ra crave Lee Seong-ha blackmailing her. She'd start anticipating it. She might even maneuver to provoke it.
Even without 'Voluntary Weakness Exposure,' she might end up filming her lewd acts and sending them to him. Or deliberately teasing and provoking him, waiting for his retaliation.
This was the last penalty she wanted to take. Even with it staring her in the face, her resolve wavered.
The guild she had nurtured and protected for so long. Her body and mind, meticulously maintained with dignity for the guild's honor and prestige.
All of it might be cast aside.
'But...'
This trait merely let her revel in the 'might' of ruin. It didn't make her desire actual ruin.
Lee Seong-ha wasn't the type to want her destroyed.
Nothing would happen. At least not outwardly.
Her body might be defiled and ravished by him in secret, where no one would know—but that was something she'd steeled herself for the moment she became his slave. She just hadn't wanted it.
Now, she would.
'Doesn't matter.'
She selected the penalty.
Did picking this mean the guild would collapse? No.
On the contrary, it would grow far stronger. The positive traits she'd chosen would remain even after toppling the Parade of One Hundred Ghosts.
She'd become a slightly different person from her past self, but she'd still be Baek Se-ra.
'But this still isn't enough.'
There weren't many penalties left. She could secure plenty of points by grabbing 'Defeat Addiction' right below 'Thrill of Ruin,' but that was out of the question.
The moment she took that, she could no longer remain Baek Se-ra, leader of the Blizzard Guild, or Baek Se-ra the hunter.
'What's left...'
Baek Se-ra agonized.
Easy Prey
The people around you actively seek out your weaknesses. Once they have them, they use them to blackmail and assault you.
Taking this would give her ample points. But it was difficult to select for entirely different reasons.
'A trait that affects others...'
It wasn't absolute. Individual mental fortitude, personality, or traits and artifacts that resisted mental interference could block it.
But it only delayed the inevitable; the influence this trait spread couldn't be completely erased.
Taking traits like this was legally prohibited. Korea had seen a major incident before.
In the past, a woman was raped. The police arrested the rapist, who protested, 'This isn't who I am!' as he was hauled off to prison. The woman received massive compensation and settled with him.
It might have ended there unnoticed, but five similar incidents happened around her. The man raped her without context or reason—someone with no prior criminal history.
There were no messages or call logs suggesting she led him on. CCTV footage pointed squarely at the man's guilt.
A thorough investigation revealed she'd taken a penalty that made others feel a desire to rape her. She was immediately imprisoned, and the law was enacted afterward.
Controlling others was that dangerous.
'If I take this...'
An indiscriminate horde wouldn't suddenly start digging for Baek Se-ra's weaknesses. Even if she took it, the only one affected would be Lee Seong-ha.
He already held her weaknesses. He'd jump straight into blackmail and assault.
Offering her body didn't scare her. But turning other people into vile, despicable villains because of her choice—that she couldn't stomach.
Baek Se-ra closed her status window. The darkness faded, and the world came back into view.
'...'
Time was running short. If she deliberated too long, Himiko would charge into the gate on her own.
But she couldn't make this crucial decision alone.
She bit her lip. No answer came no matter how she thought.
"In the end, this is all I can do."
She picked up her phone and dialed.
"Hello?"
"It's Baek Se-ra. Do you have a moment?"
"Of course."
Lee Seong-ha's voice was impossibly gentle. Baek Se-ra clenched her fist until it drew blood.
That man was ordinary.
Not some narcissistic, desire-driven monster like a villain, who wouldn't hesitate to harm others.
Before awakening his abilities, he'd likely lived a normal life. A comfortable job where he didn't burden others or have to become cruel.
Baek Se-ra was resolved. She could accept becoming a monster consumed by desire. That's why she hadn't hesitated on 'Thrill of Ruin.'
But would he?
Could he accept becoming a base, wicked monster because of her—because she wanted to protect someone?
"I... need points."
"And?"
"There's a penalty I can take right now. If I do, you'll probably end up blackmailing and assaulting me with my weaknesses. You'll become that kind of person."
It might be an overblown worry. Even with similar penalties, not everyone on the street tormented the bearer.
Maybe nothing would happen at all. Humanity's Shield might protect him with artifacts or other skills.
Or, the instant she took it, Lee Seong-ha might cease to be the man she knew.
"Is it okay if I take this trait?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
Her tension deflated in an instant.
"Really? Think it over carefully. This could change who you are."
"Yeah. I won't change that much. Even with a trait like that, I won't go around blackmailing everyone—it's just a desire targeted at you, Baek Se-ra. Nafre told me."
"Even so..."
"Aren't you the one having it harder, Guild Leader Baek Se-ra?"
"..."
"You said at first you wouldn't take traits like that at all, but now you have to. For me... honestly, it'd be nice, but I'm worried about you, Baek Se-ra."
"I'm fine."
Baek Se-ra recalled the trait she'd already taken. The one that made blackmail-fueled ravishment feel good.
"I'll be able to enjoy it."
"Glad to hear it. Anyway, I'm okay, so don't worry about me!"
"Thanks."
"Fight on!"
"Yeah. I'll do my best."
The call ended.
Baek Se-ra closed her eyes.
'Worried about me, huh.'
She wasn't alone.
Baek Se-ra worried for Lee Seong-ha. He cared for Baek Se-ra.
Baek Se-ra couldn't abandon the Japanese hunters doomed as sacrifices. Himiko couldn't abandon Baek Se-ra, who would lose her dignity as a woman.
This world was perilous. Threatening villains stirred chaos to sate their desires, and terrifying monsters occasionally emerged to shake the earth. Just recently, even Lee Ha-seon had needed greater strength to prevail against a mighty one.
Humanity's Shield, Foresight of the Sinking Ship Nafre. Like her title, this world was a massive ship slowly sinking into the depths. People made agonizing choices time and again, sacrificing something to avoid losing everything.
Yet some held hands and pressed on, sharing each other's burdens.
Baek Se-ra made her decision.