Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Villainess
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"Now that I've properly taken you in as my disciple, it's time I straightened out my attitude toward you."
Volkan spoke those words with a stern expression as he plopped down onto the ground.
"Where to begin... Well, if we're talking about my foundational art, the Violet Divine Art, I suppose we start with the Mount Hua Sect."
The first glimpse I'd gotten into old man Volkan's past.
He sat there with that grave look on his face and began recounting his history to me.
"Our Mount Hua Sect was once... Oh, and just so we're clear, it's Mount Hua—the flowery mountain—not a volcano. Call it that, and I'll put a hole in your gut next time."
"I never said anything like that."
"Some other fool did. Anyway, our Mount Hua Sect... That's why the Daoist families... carried out their righteous deeds... and so on..."
"......"
And so I listened to Volkan for a while.
"In the end, my true name is Unhyeon."
"Unhyeon... Too awkward. I'll stick with Volkan."
"You rude little shit."
Volkan grumbled that, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"Maybe that's easier for you anyway. Regardless, I became the fourteenth sect leader of Mount Hua Sect, but it wasn't long before the sect was wiped out. Monsters slaughtered our disciples, and the Demonic Cult swept in to finish us off."
"I see."
"That's how Mount Hua Sect met its end. Clutching only the Violet Divine Art, I refined it in my own way and used it to crush those Demonic Cult bastards."
"For someone like that, your nickname's awfully elegant. Flame Plum Blossom?"
"That one's from before. The crown prince gave it to me out of respect."
"So what was the original...?"
"Infernal Ghost Demonic Sword."
Damn, what a brutal moniker.
The kind no righteous sect member should ever have.
I let out a low whistle of admiration as I gazed at Volkan.
"Didn't you just mention something about Daoism?"
"I was young back then too..."
"Young doesn't quite cut it for a nickname like that..."
"Let's skip the trivial details."
It didn't feel trivial at all.
But since Volkan insisted, I let it slide.
"Anyway, I was young in those days. I cut down Demonic Cult scum left and right, earning that savage title. The assassins had me on edge too. Speaking of which..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ This guy's talking way too much... I shot Volkan a cold, disinterested glare.
"I know the most about handling assassins, so let's skip that."
"Hmph... Fair enough, you probably would. Very well, I'll teach you two divine arts."
"Two?"
"One is the Violet Divine Art. The other is the Blazing Flower Divine Art. But the Violet Divine Art is A+ rank, while the Blazing Flower Divine Art is S-."
"Why the difference?"
"Because the Violet Divine Art is unfinished, and I customized the Blazing Flower Divine Art to my body."
"S- means it has some major drawback."
"If your body can't handle it, it incinerates the user."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ A revenge so fierce he'd burn himself for it. Is that what drove him to create it? The holy sword let out a faint sigh.
"Now, I'll teach you the incantations. Just follow along exactly as I instruct."
I sat down in front of Volkan.
He grinned at me from across the way.
"Even you won't master this in one go."
With that, Volkan opened his mouth.
"The Violet Divine Art is the pinnacle of our Mount Hua Sect's martial legacy. The Blazing Flower Divine Art is the culmination of my half-century of refinement. Mastering both will be a challenge even for you."
As he spoke, Volkan placed his hand on my back and began guiding the mana.
'Breathing.'
I employed the Hero's orthodox breathing technique.
It felt like infusing the Violet Divine Art and Blazing Flower Divine Art into it simultaneously.
'Together.'
I moved.
The mana responded to my will and flowed. Thanks to my Fighting Aura gift, tied to mana and ki, it was effortless.
I settled it into my body.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Skill acquired: Violet Divine Art (A+)]
[Skill acquired: Blazing Flower Divine Art (S-)]
[Extreme Thunder God · Violet (S) absorbs the properties of Violet Divine Art.]
[Technique: Hero's Orthodox Breathing level has increased.]
"Wh-what? You mastered them in one try?!"
"Yeah, more or less."
I was too lazy to explain anymore.
Might as well own it shamelessly.
"Was it that hard? You just breathe and follow the pattern..."
Volkan stared at me with a dumbfounded look.
"Fine, you're a prodigy, you little monster. Mind if I smack you once?"
"You might kill me, so hold back."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I stepped outside.
Maybe because it had been so long since I'd been out.
Munching on a piece of bread felt amazing.
'I could just live like this.'
Moderately peaceful, moderately lively.
Scraping by on potions made by Cheongsu, snagging a pretty girl, living in a cozy little house.
That used to be my dream.
Back then, I burned with ambition, ready to sacrifice everything to climb.
But what I thought was the top was just a frog in a well.
Once I realized there were even bigger fish above, my fire fizzled out.
'Not exactly fond memories.'
I was walking along, eating my bread, when I sensed movement from an alley.
It felt like someone fleeing desperately.
'Not being chased, though.'
What could make her run like that?
For some inexplicable reason, I glanced that way.
A girl burst out from the alley.
Black hair, black eyes—an ordinary girl.
Maybe because I'd been surrounded by beauties lately.
She even looked a bit plain.
"......"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Huh? What's with you staring at that girl like that? The holy sword's chatter faded into the background.
I stared blankly at the black-haired girl.
I knew this girl.
Even though we'd never met.
I knew her.
The one I was most certain of in this world.
'One of the game's protagonists.'
She'd stood right next to the man in the game title screen.
...What a wretched bitch.
Every time I'd said that, my friend would protest,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ No way! Cloé isn't some bitch!! Maybe that's why.
Even when the black-haired girl's head slammed into my stomach, I couldn't move.
As if something had pinned me in place.
"Ah, ah! S-s-sorry!"
The black-haired girl dropped the bread from her mouth, bowed her head to me, then froze.
She looked up at me with trembling eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ What, you into plain girls like that? I mean, she's cute enough, but... really? 'Nah, my type's more like Guild Master Lucia.'
I half-ignored the holy sword's nonsense and offered her my hand with a businesslike smile, helping her up.
"It's fine..."
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 [Encounter Quest]
You have encountered Cloé, bearer of the World's ──.
Capture her interest somehow... or make her lose it.
🎁 Reward: ???
⏰ Penalty on Failure: None
'Main protagonist perks, huh? Been a while since an Encounter Quest popped up.'
I knew how to handle this now.
Test the waters, act disinterested to make her antsy.
With that in mind, I helped the girl to her feet.
"Ah..."
Her cheeks flushed red.
She gazed at me with eyes full of longing.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Quest completed.]
...Huh?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Acquired Phantom Thief's Secret Art (A+).]
[Synthesis proposes combining Phantom Thief's Secret Art (A+) with Thief's Extremity...]
[User approval confirmed.]
[Thief's Divine Realm (S+) created.]
⚔ GIFT ⚔ Thief's Divine Realm (S+) ◇ Can do anything a thief can. ◇ Surpassing the human realm, heading toward the divine. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The ordinary black-haired girl's name was Cloé.
She wore a black sweater and shorts.
Of course, outwardly I had no idea who she was.
I had no intention of saying her name here.
Why? Obvious. A total stranger wouldn't know me, and if he did, it'd be natural to feel uneasy.
"A-are you Han Yuseong, the most famous guy in [Cradle] right now?!"
"Yes, but..."
"I-I'm, I'm a huge fan! C-could I maybe get an autograph...?"
Why would anyone carry autograph paper around here?
Her expectant eyes as she handed me the paper and pen made me flustered for some reason.
I needed to observe her first, so I nodded casually.
'Might as well.'
Let's do this right.
I was curious how amazing the evolved Thief's Divine Realm was.
Leveraging the ultimate sleight of hand from Thief's Divine Realm.
It produced incredibly neat handwriting.
"Wow... Your handwriting's gorgeous too? Are you a god or something?"
Cloé gawked in astonishment.
She glanced at my face, nodded, and muttered that I must be a god.
Even I was surprised.
I'd thought it was just neat script.
'It feels kinda... divine.'
Surpassing human limits might be even bigger than I'd thought.
If handwriting alone felt this different.
What would combat be like?
I wanted to go on a proper hunt with my bow for once.
Or an ambush.
'Shadowless Step gives all sorts of bonuses for ambushes too.'
Or herding monsters for a mass hunt.
Of course, that was a last resort.
Couldn't risk bystanders getting caught up.
My mind raced.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ What the hell, you weren't this good before! 'People grow, holy sword.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ...You're getting real annoying lately, you know that? Me, annoying? What nonsense.
As I bantered with the holy sword, Cloé leaned in close, peering at my face.
"You're different from what I expected."
"Different?"
"Yeah... The rumors about you weren't great."
No surprise there.
I was already a suspicious outsider, but I'd shoved aside all the rolling stones to become Volkan's prized disciple.
Now I'd learned most of his breathing arts too.
I could rightly call myself his one and only apprentice.
And that was just me.
Ermé, who'd come with me, was out there calling herself the Golden Witch or whatever, making a name in Cradle.
She was endlessly sweet to me.
But to others, she was just the witch.
'Lately, they've been calling her something even fancier.'
I recalled the screams: Ghost! Demon! Ermé!
So yeah, rumors about me wouldn't be glowing.
"N-no, that's not it... It's because of Lucia."
"Lucia?"
Lucia was the Execution Princess or whatever.
But I had my doubts.
She never trembled like that in front of me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ That's all an act... 'You talk like you know women so well.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Of course. Because I... Before the holy sword could finish mumbling,
Cloé spoke up, her eyes darkening as she looked at me.
"Even the name Lucia is too good for that villainess."
Someone I'd acknowledged as a comrade.
Being trashed by some other person.
"......"
It pissed me off more than I'd expected.