Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Point Thief
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Caw—!! Caw—!!
In the artificial forest where the sound of crows echoed, a woman stamped the ground in frustration.
Every time she swung her arm, the thick grass bent limply. Even when the blades got tangled in her hair, it quickly restored itself.
Like magic, her golden locks returned to their perfect form. Her blue eyes scanned the surroundings, her brows furrowing tightly.
"This is driving me insane!! Why the hell are there crows in an artificial forest? There isn't a single other living thing here!!"
She grumbled, but she wasn't wrong. This place was a holographic creation from Justitia. Aside from the holographic projections—that is, monsters—no living creatures existed.
So it had to be someone's magic, a familiar, or a tamed pet.
There were several possibilities, but her mind didn't stretch that far. She was just pissed at the situation.
The reasons for the blonde woman's—Raphael's—anger were quite complex.
First off.
She'd been separated from Lee Seong-hoon. That damn random matching. Why did this school love random teams so much?
Not only did she have no one else she was close to, but she didn't even want to get close to anyone else. And yet, she'd been forcibly split from him.
The biggest problem was his tendencies.
Lee Seong-hoon.
That guy was obviously going to have a blast without her. He always did. Sneaking around somewhere she wasn't.
Having fun all by himself. Raphael couldn't just stand by and watch.
'I know how to have fun too.'
She laughed too much sometimes, but she was starved for entertainment. She absolutely couldn't let him enjoy it alone.
"It seems like someone's magic."
And the second reason for her anger.
"Can't you figure that out just by thinking about it a little?"
This woman. Raphael narrowed her eyes and glared at her.
White hair cascading to her waist, not a single strand out of place, sword at her hip.
The damn elite angel hurling curses with a deadpan expression.
"Why do I have to team up with a human—no, an angel like you~? Why don't you go back to the Heaven Realm? That's an order. Go home. I'll tell God for you."
"How are you going to tell him when you don't even have a way to contact him? And I'm using my own vacation time."
Raphael crossed her arms and snorted. Reason? She could make one up. She hadn't spent thousands of years tormenting lower angels for nothing.
"Because I'm your superior. Because I'm your big sis. Now. Go back right this instant!! I'll say you went home early because you were sick!! Want me to rip off your bracelet too?"
Raphael stopped and declared it proudly with arms crossed, but Michael didn't even pretend to listen and kept walking. She sliced through the grass in front of her with a blank expression and pressed on.
"Hey? Hello? Didn't you hear me? Where are you going?!"
She wasn't incapable of thinking it wasn't worth responding to. But this was how to deal with Raphael. Just ignore her when she spouted nonsense.
That Lee Seong-hoon guy couldn't grasp this simple tactic, so he struggled with her every day.
"Doesn't a superior's word mean anything?!"
"Raphael."
"Finally responding!!"
"Haven't I told you before? Having two more wings doesn't make you my superior. You and I are equals."
"Even equals have a hierarchy within them. Gabriel can't even talk back to me normally!!"
"That's... not true."
She held back from saying it was because he was scared of her temper. Raphael would throw a fit, so Michael just walked on silently.
Michael kept her expression neutral. The blonde walked beside her with hands behind her back, chattering nonstop, but she ignored it all.
What kind of human—no, angel—had an endless supply of words like a storyteller?
Her head throbbed a little. But she didn't show it.
"So~ Huh?"
The chattering Raphael suddenly stopped. Naturally, Michael halted too. She looked at the reason.
"What?! What's this?! Let go!!"
It was the crow Raphael had been cursing earlier for being noisy. The black bird was tugging at her hair relentlessly.
"What's wrong with you?! Do even animals recognize my beauty?!"
"Not impossible, but crows are clever birds. To me, it looks like it's telling us to follow."
"Clever, and it does this?!"
"Karma. Everything in the world is karma."
Raphael couldn't bring herself to swat the crow, so she let it drag her along. Surprisingly, the crow released her hair and began leading the way.
"What the—?!"
"It's real."
Of course, it could be a familiar or some kind of magic. There might be a trap waiting where it was leading them. But for some reason, this crow felt safe to follow.
It was a gut feeling. That crow moved like it was truly alive. Beyond mere magic.
Even if it was a student-level trap, Michael could escape it easily, so she followed quietly.
"You damn crow!! If there's any trap, you're toast!! I'll roast you!!"
"Can you catch it?"
"Hmph. Aerial combat is my spe— No wings."
She pitied the fool who muttered to herself and deflated on her own. Before she knew it, the crow had stopped.
It hovered in the air, circling one spot. Wondering what it was, they followed—and saw—
"Grrrrrr..."
A monster.
Sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, piercing eyes, a sleek body supported by four legs that looked incredibly agile.
It drooled as it stared at them.
"Looks like it led us right to it."
Michael drew her sword. She checked her bracelet even in the fluid motion.
A pretty high-point monster.
"Hm."
No hesitation. She didn't do things just because she wanted to, but if she did, she gave it her all. That was Michael.
This must be God's will—she thought as she worked.
Before the monster could react, its legs were severed.
"Whoa. It's still amazing no matter how many times I see it."
"Gabriel could do this much."
"You saying I'm incompetent? What?"
No answer. She swung her sword. It cleaved through the monster's body as it howled without dying. Next, the head.
Blood scattered, but being a hologram, it didn't splatter. The severed head floated lightly in the air.
Michael sheathed her sword, taking in the sight.
At that exact moment. Michael's eyes widened. Her usually emotionless face filled with bewilderment.
"Huh?!"
The blonde beside her showed even more shock.
Normal creatures don't die instantly when decapitated. About 3 to 5 seconds. There's a window before death.
The moment Michael sheathed her sword, the crow dove in. Like a water gun, it rocketed forward and pierced the floating monster head.
Michael froze. Raphael checked her bracelet beside her, but the points read 0P.
She might have endured it up to that point. But then.
Caw—!! Caw—!!!
This damn crow didn't flee. It circled nearby, cawing relentlessly.
Like it was mocking the fools who'd lost their points, it flew just out of reach, taunting them with its cries.
Even louder than before.
"Hoo."
Her hand trembled on the hilt. A vein bulged on her forehead. Her tightly pressed lips quivered.
Caw— Caw—!! Caw—!!
Now it was even rhythmic. Michael wanted to swing her sword right then. But.
'Out of reach.'
It flew at a perfect distance. Untouchable. Knowing that only fueled her rage more.
As thoughts of how to kill it filled her head—
Something approached from afar.
Blue hair, blue eyes. Expressionless face. Hand resting on her hilt, walking with grim determination.
"Found you."
"I'm not in the mood right now. Try somewhere else?"
"Not like last week."
"This isn't something rivalry can—"
Caw—!!
Slash.
Michael's patience snapped, and she swung her sword. But the crow dodged as if it were obvious. Her blade halted awkwardly in empty air.
"Right there!! Point thief—!!!!"
Ignoring the fool chasing the crow, Michael acted like nothing happened and sheathed her sword.
"Want to go?"
"That just now?"
"Warm-up."
Words like "So shameless—!!" from afar went ignored by both.
"Man, total landslide victory. Landslide."
"See? Points just came in again."
"Told you. This is my stage, right? From today, call me the great and mighty Seong-hoon-nim. I permit it."
"Yeah. You would've looked cool if you'd stayed quiet just then!!"
She didn't miss a beat. Tch. I smacked my lips and scanned the surroundings. No people, naturally.
We were sitting on some nearby rocks right now. Following Lachesis's guidance, this was a spot no one would come to for a while.
The points rolled in without us lifting a finger—the crows handled it. Sitting here chatting with this idiot meant the crows snagged the killing blows and brought in the points.
In just a short time, we'd racked up [2300P]. Considering weak monsters gave about [50P] each, that was a lot.
Flying around and snatching last hits made the points pour in.
"At this rate, we're number one, right? Do I not have to do training anymore?!"
"Thank me."
"Yeah!!"
Yang Min-ji beamed innocently and bumped her fist toward me. I panicked for a second but got it and fist-bumped back.
"We're actually the strongest combo, aren't we? I bet even Kim Tae-hyun couldn't rack up this much!!"
"You didn't do anything."
"That's why it's a team. We cover each other's shortcomings."
What shortcomings of mine did you cover?
"Your personality!!"
Should I kill her? I shoved down the thought and pressed down on her head. Even as she whined "Ow~", I didn't stop.
Don't do things that deserve it.
"Unless something crazy happens, we're number one. Want a drink?"
"Sure. What crazy thing's gonna happen? Even Kim Tae-hyun can't beat us in this situation."
That's why I keep saying you did nothing. I pulled a drink from my [Inventory] and handed it over. Ignored her "Ooh, spatial magic!!"
"So good!!"
She made an ecstatic face, probably her first mana-infused drink. I glanced at her once, then closed my eyes.
At the same time, my vision shared with the crows. Crows are smart creatures, so they didn't need constant control, but I gave orders now and then.
So I closed my eyes—and
—Kyaaah!! Don't come!! Stay away!!
—Michael?! Where's Michael!!
—Why are there so many?!
The scene was shocking. The blonde was running. From the crow's view below.
And a massive horde of monsters chased after that blonde.
"This."
We're screwed.
I shot to my feet.
"This guy's mouth is always the problem—!!"
Some habits don't change, even when you know better.