Chapter 75

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 75

Chapter Title: True Ancestor Ameris

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Six ghouls chasing Erina. Two behind me. And one to the left, I suppose.

Ghouls are nothing more than unranked trash mobs, one by one.

Which is why even Erina alone could handle this many somehow.

I'm not even sure if they could properly scratch her body, which is as tough as a regular person clad in heavy plate armor.

She's just running away because she has no resistance to things that scare her.

Thinking that, I swung my hand.

The moment I activated the skill, my vision was engulfed in black smoke.

Erina started babbling in panic because her sight had suddenly gone dark.

"Ah, I can't see anything! Am I dead?!"

"Don't worry, I'll save you."

It wasn't just because I knew the training scenario in advance.

Ghouls rely on light and shadow to distinguish enemies.

In that sense, my Dark Screen skill has great matchup.

'What a blinded ghoul would do is obvious.'

They'd charge straight toward Erina, whom they'd already locked onto as a target.

This situation was a perfect chance to test my skills.

'If I can't handle even this much easily, breaking through Ameris's Night will be impossible.'

I can do it.

To prepare for this 'Ameris's Night,' I'd trained relentlessly on chaining Flash Strikes specifically to counter Lee Seong-hyeon.

I'd drilled it into my body.

Three in a row went off without a hitch, but four always stalled out.

Three should be enough to clean up the ones targeting Erina easily.

If I could pull off four in real combat...

"Hoo."

With one deep breath, I straightened my posture.

'Tilt the body back naturally. Like lying down.'

The balls of my feet slammed into the ground, and the recoil shot up from my toes to my thighs.

"Urk!"

My body rocketed backward at an uncontrollable speed.

The instant I triggered Flash Strike, I spread both arms wide.

Pfuk.

I jammed my blades precisely into the necks of the two ghouls.

"Kyaaack!"

The recoil from the stab halted my momentum, and as I yanked the blades free, I felt thick blood dripping from the hilts onto ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the backs of my hands.

'Two down!'

Feeling the swords lighten, I immediately crossed them and dropped into a low stance.

Again.

Toward the ghoul chasing Erina from the opposite side.

The moment I activated the skill, the Dark Screen thinned, and my body launched forward so fast that my surroundings blurred into hazy shapes.

My brain raced to process the info and map the area, but the speed denied even that.

The edges of my vision smeared, the world turning into a motion-blurred mess.

But.

'I have to stop perfectly at the exact spot I want.'

This one was at the tail end of the ghouls chasing Erina.

From here, it was six straight to right in front of her.

"I can do this."

Muttering that to myself, I kicked off the ground once more.

A hard brake for the third Bunny Hop, pivoting direction.

The instant my feet hit the ground, it felt like slamming on massive brakes—my whole body shuddered to a halt.

A thrilling jolt surged through me.

"Die!"

The sensation of my blades slicing through flesh hit its sixth mark.

My hurtling body finally stopped.

'Last one on the left.'

As I shifted into position for a fourth chain, a wave of dizziness hit like the skill jammed up.

'Damn. Failed again.'

In a flash, I teleported behind the last remaining ghoul.

Kra-kra.

Snapping its neck was no trouble at all.

"Haa... haa..."

Nine in total.

First time chaining three in real combat—success.

Four failed, though.

The Dark Screen that had suddenly appeared lifted just as abruptly.

"What the hell hap—"

Baek A-rin, about to chew out Kim Si-woo, froze mid-sentence.

Kim Si-woo was drenched head to toe in blood. Around him rolled the corpses of the nine ghouls that had been targeting the group, their necks cleanly severed.

'Is... is this even possible?'

Baek A-rin stared at him in shock, but Kim Si-woo was just catching his breath a little.

She was speechless.

No, awestruck.

From the moment the Dark Screen appeared to when it vanished—no more than five seconds. About the same as her own large-scale skill cast time.

She could've achieved similar results with her skills.

But she was certain.

Nine ghouls surrounding them in impenetrable fog— all downed without a trace.

If she'd been the target, her head would've been gone before five seconds were up.

'This is way beyond normal standards...'

The way Kim Si-woo evaluated himself.

He always measured against the scale of the trials weighing on him.

Those trials were always too vast for him to handle alone, so to him, this was just par for the course.

That's why, in both his past and present lives, he'd undervalued and undersold his own worth.

But Baek A-rin, watching him up close, could see it.

Kim Si-woo had already surpassed the level of a typical academy student.

'Not easy.'

Successfully chaining three Flash Strikes in real combat was a solid achievement.

Enough to say I'd gotten stronger, for sure.

But it wasn't enough.

'I need to nail four in a row.'

That's my only path to getting stronger right now.

"Skillbook."

'Five total...'

That's how many skills I've acquired so far.

Not a small number by any means.

No, it's overflowing.

Compared to back when I had just one, it's unimaginable.

But out of these five, only three are viable mains, excluding Fate Intervention and Phantom Body.

Considering their ranks—E, D, D.

'I wouldn't even make average for elite academy students.'

This [Growth-Type Skillbook] I got? Total cheat.

If it showed up in Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy, even the sideline edgelords would be impressed...

Nah, those guys might love it.

'Spit while lying down, huh.'

The cheat is that it lets me keep acquiring skills indefinitely.

If not, growth stalls out.

'The issue is the tutorial froze after I got Fate Intervention last time.'

I tapped and swiped lightly on the skillbook.

[Tutorial: Ameri /

Not exactly "froze"—it's like the paper got ripped, cutting off abruptly.

'Ameri' probably means Ameris.

But is it telling me to go to Ameris's Night, or meet Ameris herself? No clue.

'So I gotta try everything I can guess.'

Anyway, I have to stop Lee Seong-hyeon from getting Ameris's heart.

'Stop him, huh.'

Thinking about it, it's weird.

The tutorial's directions always seem geared toward thwarting Lee Seong-hyeon.

Or rather, like it's made for me specifically...

As I sorted through the tangled thoughts, Erina's voice called from under the tree.

"Shibby Siwoooo! What're you doiiing! Come make a fiiiire!"

The nights in the ghoul field are brutally cold.

Once the sun dips, you need a blanket or you'll freeze solid.

Hold up.

We definitely brought torches—why's she struggling? Can't find 'em?

She'd apparently tried rubbing sticks together; her nose was smudged with black soot, looking ridiculous.

And right beside such an Erina.

"C'mooon, light! Light up!"

"Baek A-rin?"

Baek A-rin, pouring all her strength into rubbing sticks and blowing on them.

What the hell are you doing there?

"Damn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it! If Kang Hwa-yeon had come along, lighting a fire would've been easy!"

Aren't you two besties? She thinks of Hwa-yeon like some flint starter.

Thinking that, I approached Baek A-rin.

"Is Hwa-yeon your lighter?"

"Hwa-yeon bailed, so why am I stuck doing thiiiis...!"

I grinned at the clearly pissed-off Baek A-rin and replied.

"Gotta have at least one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of you two around for the Black Ebony name to have any clout, right?"

At my words, Erina stormed over in mock rage.

"Y-You're ignoring meee?!"

"Shut up and be quiet."

I flicked her forehead hard.

Then unzipped the front pouch of my backpack nearby.

"Got something to show you. Don't freak out."

Saying that, I pulled out the torch and flicked the switch.

-Click.

With the switch sound, a small flame bloomed, warmth spreading from my hand.

""...?"?"

Baek A-rin and Erina stared, dumbfounded.

Like primitives seeing fire for the first time.

"This here's fire. Hot, see."

...

"Siwoo, you fuuucking geeeenius!"

"Why the hell didn't you pull this out from the start?!"

The primitives advanced to hang me up for sacrifice.