Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Come Back, Raphael
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I've always thought of myself as the hamburger.
The hamburger at the center of a burger set. I figured I was the star, the main event. I thought the whole thing wouldn't work without me.
But what the hell is this now?
The fries and cola have vanished from the burger set. They were right there beside it, but for some reason, they've peeled off.
And just like that, I've become a useless human being. Does that even make sense? A burger set without cola or fries doesn't suddenly taste bad.
Cola and fries are just side items that amp up the burger's flavor.
But...
But─!!
"Turns out, I was just the burger patty."
Not even a full burger. Just a pathetic patty that can't stand on its own without the bun, lettuce, sauce, and all the fixings. The useless one was me all along.
We weren't a burger set. We were just burger components. Me as the patty. Raphael as the bun. Lachesis as the lettuce.
I'm so powerless. Come back, Raphael. No matter how much I knelt and wailed to the four corners of the earth, nothing changed.
My number one spot. My rest. My weekdays. Farewell. Bye-bye.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
I waved toward my number one spot flying off into the distance, and a voice came from beside me. When I turned to look...
Brown hair, with one side braided in a way that drew the eye. But even more captivating were her petal-like eyes.
That's right. There─
"You're the idiot, not me."
─stood an idiot. What the hell is this? One moron leaves, and another shows up. If Raphael's gone, shouldn't they pair me with someone I can actually fight?
We've got Shin Chae-yeon, Kim Tae-hyun, even Michael.
Why stick me with this one? Are they messing with me? Should I cry?
My combat power's already tanked, and now you're making me cry?
"Mind if I have a quick cry?"
"What're you talking about?"
She wasn't taking it. I glared at Yang Min-ji, who narrowed her eyes like she was looking at some weirdo.
It was a glare loaded with "Can't you just play along?" But she hummed along obliviously until a lightbulb went off over her head.
Then she approached me.
"Oh, right. There was that thing on the 11th island last time."
"What about it?"
"This is just between us, so listen up. Think of it as a debt. A debt you owe the great Yang Min-ji!"
"You owe me way more."
"That's all settled!!"
Was it? Whatever. I'd lose anyway.
Whether she read my mind or not, Yang Min-ji pressed a finger to her lips and continued.
"You and Kim Tae-hyun took down that demon on the 11th island, right? They shut down the island and investigated because of it."
Yeah. Uh-huh. Though technically, Kim Tae-hyun didn't take it down, I did─
"What?"
"Huh? They shut down the island and investigated."
"Before that."
"You and Kim Tae-hyun took down that demon?"
What the hell? I clearly said Kim Tae-hyun did it. He didn't correct me, so everyone just assumed...
"I didn't take down any demon. It was already dead when I got there."
"Liar."
It was a lie, but what made her so sure? Yang Min-ji narrowed her eyes and raised a brow.
She's gotten scary lately. Maybe she's built up expectations about me that are way too high.
"You called for backup and vanished. You can't fool my instincts!!"
Got nothing to say to that. Best to clam up. As I shut my mouth, she smirked like she'd won and kept going.
"But the reason for the demon's attack isn't clear. The path was probably through the amethyst cave, using mana-infused amethysts as bait, but they can't figure out the motive."
That hit a little too close. I scratched my head, feeling the sting.
"Y-yeah~ Haha. No way a demon shows up for no reason, right?"
"Exactly!! So they're sending people this summer."
"People?"
"Yeah. People. During summer break when the barrier fades, the church is dispatching some. Their top talent─ Where're you going?"
I bolted without hearing the rest. The church's top talent? That guy—no, that woman—is coming?
Way earlier than in the original story?
Tears in my eyes, I ran. No helping it. Yeah. No helping it.
"This summer, we're spending it at the beach."
Yeah. Raphael and Leviathan will love it. Man, they'll be thrilled.
"For real─!!"
Yang Min-ji chased after me, my tears streaming behind.
"Someone tipped you off, so why run off like that?!"
"It's a seizure. Comes periodically, so cut me some slack."
"Is that it? I don't really like people with issues..."
"Hey now. In modern society, everyone carries some mental baggage."
"Even with that philosophical crap...? Right?"
Not landing. Tch. I clasped my hands behind my back, overtook the strolling Yang Min-ji, and scanned the surroundings.
A forest. Dense trees so thick you couldn't see an inch ahead. They recreated the 6th island or something—it's eerily similar, which is surprising.
This final exam is simple. Hunt the monsters released on the island. Rack up points.
The more you get, the higher you rank. Straightforward rules.
"Except for this bracelet. Rip it off, and you're out. Watch it."
The only catch. The blue bracelet on my wrist. Tear it, and you're done. Straight to hell training.
The monsters on the island are real, live ones. Dangerous, so the bracelet's a safety device.
Rip it for a warp to safety. But this is training. Training monsters are holograms.
What does that mean?
"It's my stage."
No matter how tough the monster, slice the mana my Mana Eye reveals, and poof—gone. Original plan was to hunt with Raphael's buffs, zooming around. No choice now.
Have to make do with this weak body. No burger bun? Morning roll it is.
"Confidence overload. We dashing off right at the start?"
I nodded and opened my Inventory.
Gonna pull out a bunch.
First, the pendant.
Clink.
The chain rattled as I hung the blue gem around my neck.
Next, the ring.
Slid on Spell Eater, couldn't equip Death Reaper here, so I grabbed the Practice Scythe.
Gripped the naturally balanced scythe. Fully geared up.
"Listen up, Yang Min-ji. We don't fight people."
One other bracelet function. Rip someone else's, and you steal their points.
But I'm not fighting. Points ripe for the taking everywhere, no need to scrap for it.
"We'll dodge 'em. No preemptive strikes. No crossing paths."
"Just monsters, huh. Pacifist vibe..."
"Killing monsters kinda kills the pacifist thing, no?"
"Does it?"
I chuckled at her scratching her head with that innocent grin, then grabbed another item from my Inventory.
Post-its. My trusty magic launcher I've relied on forever.
Scattered them in the air. Infused mana glowed. They burst in black light.
Out came─
"Whoa?! Crows!?"
Shadow crows. The five post-its turned into crows and returned to me.
Raised my arm, and they perched neatly.
"Cool, right? Awesome, huh? Feel free to admire."
"Yeah. Super cool. Looks so real, but that kinda kills the compliment vibe."
She's serious. Her bright smile made smacking her impossible. Raphael's pissed-off face deserved a headbonk, but not her.
Just let it slide.
These crows are part of my scouting spell. Yesterday, Raphael begged to play, but I engraved runes instead. One trip in and out of Inventory, and they're like live crows now.
Makes 'em even more reliable. In this huge forest, following Lachesis blindly risks missing prey.
These give real-time positions. Better than Lachesis in the woods.
Quiet.
Prep done, petting the crows while waiting, the announcement blared.
Stroking a crow's beak during the announcement, I called out to Yang Min-ji, who watched with sparkling eyes.
"Hey."
"Yeah? What's up? This fur's so soft. It's really alive, isn't it?"
"Nah. From now on, no using your unique magic recklessly. Don't get into situations where you have to. Got it?"
Saying what I couldn't on the 11th island. You got caught 'cause you spammed it, and I had to clean up the demon mess.
Like you know the hassle, firing it off anyway.
Not sure if she got it. Yang Min-ji smiled ambiguously, hand over her mouth, all smug.
"Worried about me?"
"What? No."
"Is this that? Tsundere?"
No.
Announcement over, we headed into the forest.
"We got hit."
A dark space. A woman's voice echoed. Solemn, yet beautiful.
"Investigated due to lost contact. Seems she attacked Lee Seong-hoon and died."
"Broke through the barrier?"
A man's voice this time. Invisible in the dark, but his nodding head was felt.
"Yes. Special circumstances, it seems. Conditions met to breach, but got counter-killed."
"Hm. Shame. She handled the vampires well."
Real regret in his tone. But for convenience, not her death.
"Whatever. Assign another demon to vampires. Looks like we need a real pro here. Underestimated Lee Seong-hoon. The Lord's not happy about it."
That's all it was. A low demon betraying a higher one, stealing a contract, fleeing to the human realm—unprecedented.
"Yes. I'll handle it. Can't interfere directly due to the barrier, but sent a warning."
"Warning?"
She nodded at the question.
"Yes. Hope it kills him, but doubtful. Still, warns I'm coming. If he's scared, I can finish him for sure."
"I see. What kind?"
"An undead monster. Cloaked in demonic energy. Slipped it in during training."
Her vile laugh reverberated in the darkness.
"Huh?"
"What."
"Did Yang Min-ji's points just go up?"
"Nope."
"Weird. Killed a monster, but no points?"
Super weird. Confirmed the wriggling black monster vanish.
Then moved on for more combat.