Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Simultaneous Incidents (17)
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Life is nothing but a chain of regrets.
No one in the world escapes regretting the past. Humans make mistakes, and those mistakes breed remorse. Even those who brightly claim to have no attachments to bygone days harbor quiet regrets deep in their hearts.
Everyone is like that.
And Ahn Su-ho was no exception. As a human, he now regretted his own blunder.
Kang Ha-neul charged at him. Her face was devoid of even a flicker of emotion, like a puppet stripped of its will. Watching her approach, Ahn Su-ho thought:
He had been careless.
He had let his guard down.
He had been arrogant.
He had been imprudent.
And above all, foolish.
What exactly had been so careless? Naturally, it referred to his actions just moments ago.
He had assumed the fight was over with a lax attitude, indulged in unbecoming brutality out of complacency and hubris, and through that lack of caution, bought time for a new enemy to arrive. The result? Kang Ha-neul, whom he had to protect, fell victim to the enemy's brainwashing and now aimed her blade at him.
Thus, he was foolish.
Thus, he was full of regret.
Thus, he felt ashamed and loathed himself.
He couldn't even understand why he had acted that way. He could only mock himself for succumbing to the emotions of the moment and making a stupid call.
But such self-mockery and regret would have to wait. Right now, he needed to focus on the enemy before him.
"......Damn it."
But could he truly call the enemy before him an enemy?
-Swish!
A sharp whoosh cut the air as Kang Ha-neul's hand blade grazed Ahn Su-ho's cheek. What followed was a ferocious barrage.
Yet not a single strike landed on him. His agility stat held a clear edge over hers. Even without activating Morning Star's Breath.
That said, only against her in base avatar state.
-Flash!
In an instant, Kang Ha-neul's body was enveloped in bright light. When it faded, a blue short-haired version of her emerged—one of her avatar presets, the combat type with the 'Acceleration' ability.
-Whirr!
Her blue gown, resembling hospital scrubs, billowed as her combo unleashed with ruthless speed. This time, her velocity surpassed Ahn Su-ho's.
-Thud! Thump! Thud!
"Ngh......!"
Ahn Su-ho reflexively moved to counter the onslaught. But at the last second, his hand froze. After a split-second hesitation, he bit his lip hard and unleashed a smoke bomb with all his might.
Seizing the smokescreen's cover, Ahn Su-ho pulled back to catch his breath. A sharp pain crept anew from his side.
But his attention was elsewhere entirely.
She's gotten stronger.
Kang Ha-neul had grown stronger. Not just her avatar's power—he had already witnessed the Acceleration ability's might during her ranking matches.
No, his thoughts encompassed that too: she was unequivocally stronger now than she had been in those ranking battles.
"......Status window."
-Ding!
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: D 💨 Agility: C (A*) ✨ Magic Power: B 🛡️ Endurance: D 🎯 Technique: B 🧠 Willpower: C 🍀 Luck: D Name: Kang Ha-neul | Gender: Female | Height/Weight/Age: 161cm / 47.1kg / 20 Occupation: Academy Student | Affiliation: Greenhouse Academy Hunter Department, Year 1 Class 1 Superpower: Avatar (C) 1. Activating 'Acceleration' via Combat-Type Avatar temporarily boosts Agility from C to A.
Skills:
1. Slow Starter (Unique, S) 2. Cherry Blossoms of Linked Hearts (Legendary, S)
As Ahn Su-ho had suspected, Kang Ha-neul's stats had improved across the board. Her willpower boost from the grueling fight with Wilhelm had eased the limitations on Slow Starter.
Of course, Ahn Su-ho had no way of knowing that. He simply assumed she had trained and raised her stats, just as he had.
-Thump!
"Guh!"
Ahn Su-ho groaned as a blow slammed into his gut. Just before the fist could withdraw, he barely grabbed her arm. Thankfully, his strength still held the advantage, so Kang Ha-neul couldn't shake him off easily.
"Ha-neul. Snap out of it. Kang Ha-neul!"
Calling her name yielded no response. Her expressionless face twisted only in futile struggle against his grip.
"No use. That big sis's mind is fully locked down. She won't come back unless you kill her."
Ahn Su-ho clicked his tongue at Na Eun-ju's cold words.
Once caught in her ability, escape through sheer willpower was rare. Of course, 'rare' implied exceptions—like Han Gye-wol breaking free on her own in the original story.
But that was a dramatic plot device, fueled by her ironclad sense of self and intense emotions for Ryu Tae-hyun, whom she was forced to fight.
If such a miracle could happen between him and Kang Ha-neul... That slim hope was all Ahn Su-ho clung to as he tried to rouse her.
"Told you, no use."
Naturally, miracles didn't come so easily.
-Roar!
Kang Ha-neul's hair turned red as flames erupted from her gripped hand. Another derivative ability, just like Acceleration.
-Sizzle......
Ahn Su-ho retreated, blocking the heat with frost magic, his face twisted in agony. Not from physical pain.
In the end, I have no choice but to fight......
There was another way to break this impasse: take down Na Eun-ju, the puppeteer. But it wouldn't be easy. Kang Ha-neul shielded her like a bodyguard, back turned. Bypassing her to reach Na would be tough, and even if he did, he'd be stabbed in the back.
-Drip.
Time was running out too. Blood seeped anew between the melting ice on his wound. He refroze it hastily, but it was just a stopgap.
"......"
Reluctantly, Ahn Su-ho drew the sword from his waist. Na Eun-ju, standing behind Kang Ha-neul, grinned.
"Heh. Gonna kill her after all? Yeah, oppa values his life over hers, right?"
"......Shut your mouth before I rip it off."
"You gotta kill that big sis first if you wanna rip my mouth."
Kang Ha-neul stood at an angle, guarding Na Eun-ju.
Ahn Su-ho aimed his sword at her, thinking inwardly: The situation was dire, but not hopeless.
The condition to break Na Eun-ju's mind control isn't death. Precisely, it's extreme pain verging on death—or equivalent mental shock.
That was how Han Gye-wol broke free in the original: regaining sanity just before killing Ryu Tae-hyun with her own hands. The horror of potentially slaying her beloved triggered her awakening.
Of course, he couldn't expect the same from Kang Ha-neul. Unlike Ryu Tae-hyun and Han Gye-wol, who had forged deep bonds through countless near-death trials, he and Kang Ha-neul had known each other barely a month. No hard feelings there.
Yet Ahn Su-ho saw hope in the other condition: extreme physical pain.
Damage taken in avatar state doesn't feedback to the main body. It's like an extra life. Even a fatal wound in avatar form won't kill Kang Ha-neul.
If he inflicted near-death agony on her avatar... With luck, the pain might snap Na's control. Even if not, he could subdue non-avatar Kang Ha-neul with minimal injury.
"......Sorry, Ha-neul."
Was that apology for attacking her? Or for his carelessness that led here?
"......"
The recipient offered no reply.
Just a faint twitch of her brow.
-Thud!
Ahn Su-ho moved first, kicking off the ground. His sword flew toward Kang Ha-neul.
No wasted motion. No hesitation. How could there be? He knew full well his negligence birthed this tragedy; he couldn't afford more folly.
-Whirl!
Their strikes crisscrossed wildly. Kang Ha-neul switched back to Acceleration avatar; Ahn Su-ho swung desperately with his sword. Her absolute speed held the edge, but his unhesitant attacks were no slouch.
-Thump!
Her kick buckled his knee, body crumpling.
-Slash!
But in the next breath, his sword sliced her waist. She dodged at the last instant—mere graze—but red droplets sprayed from the torn gown.
-Dash!
Ahn Su-ho lunged from his kneel, and the rapid exchange resumed.
Soon, a fierce thrust targeted her chest.
-Stab!
Blood sprayed.
Kang Ha-neul didn't evade. Instead, she blocked with her left hand, impaling flesh and bone to seize the blade.
-Crack. Crunch.
The rending meat and snapping bone twisted Ahn Su-ho's face in pain instead. She swung her flame-wreathed right fist; he caught it desperately.
-Sizzle!
Thick steam billowed between their locked hands. Ahn Su-ho unleashed frost magic, intending to freeze his entire arm. The Frost Spirit-blessed ice clashed with fire, vaporizing into mist.
"Huh?"
Na Eun-ju gasped softly, unaware he wielded cryokinesis.
-Roar!
-Sizzle!
Neither spared her a glance. They stood hand-in-hand: one pierced by sword, the other pitting ice against flame.
"Ha-neul......"
Their eyes met. Ahn Su-ho's swirled with turmoil; hers reflected nothing.
"......Sorry. This'll hurt a bit."
Biting his lip, Ahn Su-ho activated Talisman. His sword hand glowed blue, black smoke coiling thickly along the blade.
-Boom!
Kang Ha-neul's left hand exploded. Yet she uttered no scream.
Her stance crumbled. As she staggered back, Ahn Su-ho pursued, rearing his sword for a full swing. Target: her chest center, piercing the heart to dispel the avatar.
-Thump.
He thrust.
-Thump.
Off-balance, she couldn't react.
-Thump.
The battle's fate hung in this dramatic instant. Ahn Su-ho's senses expanded infinitely; time crawled.
Blood droplets scattering in air.
His blade inching forward.
Her right hand belatedly defending.
Those emotionless eyes.
The sickening slice as steel met skin.
In that frozen moment, he felt everything vividly—the sword piercing her heart.
-Stab!
A dull penetration sound echoed as the blade burst through her back.
"Guhk?! Cough?!"
Scarlet blood surged from Kang Ha-neul's mouth. Even under control, a pierced heart shattered her calm; turmoil flickered in her eyes.
"............?"
The flicker turned to doubt, then horror. Overwhelming agony wrenched her mind free of Na's chains, surfacing like a drowning swimmer.
-Boom!
Ahn Su-ho withdrew the sword; she slumped forward into him, head burying in his shoulder. He couldn't see her face.
"......O, oppa."
He silently embraced her trembling voice.
-Flash!
White light bloomed; the avatar dispelled. Exhaustion crashed over Kang Ha-neul as the sedative's effects, suppressed by the avatar, reclaimed her body.
"Sorry, Ha-neul. Because of me, my stupidity......"
"......Oppa."
Through fading consciousness, she forced words out.
"......Na, Eun-ju. Ability....... Consecutive....... Now's the chance......"
"......What?"
"Candy stick....... Enhancer....... Side effects....... Consecutive use, too taxing....... Right now......"
She meant to explain Na Eun-ju's power.
Mind control couldn't be used consecutively.
Forcing it via enhancer caused severe backlash.
So now was the perfect window to take her without risk.
"......"
Ahn Su-ho's face filled with shock at her fragmented words, as if hammer-struck from behind.
Kang Ha-neul couldn't possibly know about Na Eun-ju's superpower.
Na's ability was top-secret even in the original. No informant could uncover it, no matter how skilled.
Yet Kang Ha-neul knew it intimately, using her knowledge to warn and advise him.
The implication was clear.
"As I thought......"
Gently laying her on the ground, Ahn Su-ho whispered to her nearly closed eyes.
"Ha-neul, you're a possessor too."
"............Huh?"
The bombshell jolted her fading mind awake. Her trembling gaze wandered wildly.
"How......?"
A question laden with countless meanings and emotions.
"Same as you."
Her eyes widened at his reply.
"......Heh."
But the sedative won; her lids drooped. Sinking into sleep, she murmured faintly.
Somehow, she had suspected as much.
With that, her eyes closed. Her sleeping face breathed peacefully, a faint smile on her lips.
"......"
Confirming her state, Ahn Su-ho rose silently.
His own condition was far from good.
The warehouse brawl with the hounds. The clash with Kali upon arrival. The recent bout with Kang Ha-neul.
Cumulative wounds and fatigue from nonstop fighting weren't light.
Blood seeped from the makeshift-frozen side wound. His body bore bruises, cuts everywhere. His left hand suffered burns and frostbite from ice and fire.
His state was critical.
But he couldn't collapse.
Not with work left to do.
Ahn Su-ho glared wordlessly at Na Eun-ju. The innocent-looking ten-year-old girl met his gaze with a chilling smile unfit for her age.
"Impressive, oppa. Didn't think you'd beat that big sis while that messed up. And my power didn't work at all. What's your deal, really?"
"None of your business."
"Aww, can't tell me? I'm curious."
"I said none of your business."
"Whoa, seriously pissed? Your eyes are scary. Like you wanna kill me."
"Yeah. I do."
-Whooosh!
Talisman glowed; ambient mana surged into his right hand, compressing into a black smoke orb.
"Gonna kill a kid like me? No conscience?"
"You're too dangerous to see as a kid. Should've stopped hesitating from the start."
Then he wouldn't have fought Kang Ha-neul. He chided his own carelessness.
Resolved, Ahn Su-ho unleashed the smoke without pause—to slay Na Eun-ju standing idly afar.
But.
"Ngh?!"
A black shadow lunged just before release. Kali. She hurled her battered body at him, clamping his arm with desperate jaws.
-Boom!
Startled, Ahn Su-ho lost control; the smoke detonated. Directionless, it exploded wildly, whipping up gales everywhere.
"This crazy......"
"Ah, ahh. Ahhhh......!"
Despite the point-blank blast, Kali clung to his arm. How did the immobile Kali muster this?
No way?
Realization struck; Ahn Su-ho whipped toward Na Eun-ju.
-Drip.
She pointed frail fingers at Kali, dark blood streaming from every facial orifice.
"Kali."
Na Eun-ju's mind control had backlash from consecutive use—but not impossible. Enduring it, she seized Kali's mind and commanded lowly.
"I'm gonna run now. Block that guy with your life, keep him from chasing."
Eerily similar to Kali's prior orders to her hounds. Just as they disregarded life to assault Ahn Su-ho's group, Kali now stood in death's path to bar him.
"Bye then, oppa."
"Like hell!"
Ahn Su-ho fired black smoke bullets—five aimed at Na Eun-ju.
-Thud! Thump! Thump!
"Urghhh!!"
But they scattered harmlessly off Kali's body. Despite her wounds, she shielded Na selflessly. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
The sight pitied even enemy Ahn Su-ho. Meanwhile, Na Eun-ju wiped facial blood with a smile.
"Wasn't fun meeting you. Let's never meet again, oppa."
With that, she dove into the dark woods. Kali staggered toward Ahn Su-ho like a broken doll.
"............Fuck."
Ahn Su-ho spat the curse at the wretched scene.