Chapter 63
Chapter 63
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Cheating
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"GRRRROOOOAAAAARRR!!!"
My greeting must have really struck a chord, because the beast sprang up with a deafening roar.
But that roar felt a little off.
My body tingled and buzzed. My eardrums felt like they might burst, and all strength drained from my limbs.
My will to fight? It vanished in an instant, swept away by that single roar. No other thoughts crossed my mind.
Beating it. Winning and getting out of here. Surviving and going home. Those ideas had flown out the window long ago.
All that remained was the raw instinct to live, the only thing keeping my hand gripped on the sword hilt.
In the face of that endless roar, all I could do was grit my teeth and endure. Nothing else.
Nothing at all.
The roar finally ended. I pried open my tightly shut eyes, and the first thing I saw was a blue window.
Insane.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Just one roar had nearly knocked me out?
Propping up my trembling body with the sword hilt, I looked up.
All I saw was one thing.
Piercing eyes staring down at me. Killing intent aimed at the intruder who had dared touch its treasure.
"H-Hey, wanna just pretend this never happened? I'll leave right now."
The beast halted at my words.
Oh. Does it understand? If so, perfect. I could use an artifact right—
"GRRRROOOOAAAAARRR!!"
"Of course not!!"
It had only paused to raise its hand. A massive palm hurtled through the air.
I yanked the sword free just before it could smash down. It was tough, but it came out smoothly.
If it were that easy, I wouldn't be here. I'd be an athlete back in my old world.
Ignoring Lachesis, I leaped to dodge the attack.
BOOM—!!
As the rocks crumpled under the impact, I barely escaped the danger zone and glanced back at where the hand had struck.
The boulders were pulverized. Rocks hundreds of times tougher than my body.
"Instant death if it hits."
No doubt about it.
I'll win. But in its current state, this sword is useless.
"Right now, it's just scrap metal."
Even Kim Tae-hyun had to fight this thing with the sword and awaken to a new level before winning.
This is a growth-type weapon. It grows with its owner.
And how do you use it—
"Whoa!!"
Thanks to Lachesis's warning, I barely dodged the second attack.
I've been feeling it for a while now, but without Raphael's blessing, I'd be dead several times over.
I quickly ducked between the boulders, weaving from rock to rock to stay out of sight.
I can't do anything if I don't shake the ogre's gaze first. What now?
As I kept shifting positions behind the rocks, the ogre scanned around, smashing a few boulders with its hand to pinpoint me.
After repeated crashes of shattering rock, things went quiet. I peeked out—and there it was.
"That's cheating."
The ogre's teeth. Yellow fangs bared as if readying another roar, strings of filthy drool dripping down.
And then—
"GRRRROOOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!"
The mind-shattering sound crashed over me again.
This time, there was nothing to grab onto. I collapsed, body frozen stiff.
I avoided fainting, but my body wouldn't move. Face-down, I locked eyes with the ogre.
This time, it wasn't the hand. It raised the club in its other hand sky-high.
The club rose so high it nearly touched the glowing crystals above, then swung toward the ground.
All I could do was stare at the descending club.
"Fuck."
"Huh? Huh? What do I do? What do we do!!"
No one was around, but Raphael jumped in place, assessing the situation. Lee Seong-hoon, who had gone to steal the weapon, had been flattened under the club.
That went beyond flat as a pancake. He was squished like a dried squid.
"You said using magic would draw its aggro to me!!"
Raphael had been casting spells nonstop since the ogre first rose and roared.
The only spell she could use was Angel's Blessing, but she chanted it fervently.
She'd cast it three times, yet the ogre never glanced her way, fixated solely on Lee Seong-hoon.
"What a total liar!!"
She stomped the ground four times, but nothing happened.
In the now-silent cave, it didn't take long for Raphael to grasp her predicament.
"What do I do?"
Her face paled as she looked toward the ogre. After mercilessly smashing Lee Seong-hoon with its club, it scanned the surroundings as if searching for a corpse.
"What do I do? What do I do!!"
Lee Seong-hoon.
The person who had fallen here with her. Without him, Raphael couldn't return to the Heaven Realm. And that wasn't all.
She couldn't survive this place at all.
Goosebumps prickled across her skin. When humans die, they come to the Heaven Realm. They get a chance to decide: reincarnation, hell, or staying in heaven.
But what about angels?
Where do angels go when they die? For the first time since her creation by God, Raphael felt true fear of death.
At the same time, she felt a tiny, fleeting resentment toward the God who had sent her here.
"Seong-hoon? You didn't die, right? Seong-hoooon?"
She called out softly, adjusting her volume so the ogre wouldn't hear. Naturally, no response came.
'Should I try a spell?'
He'd said casting magic would draw aggro. Something about the ogre's skin being sensitive to magic.
Would Lee Seong-hoon really die that easily?
'He even survived against the Reaper.'
Maybe he'd pull out some weird item and survive? She clung to that hope, but Raphael hadn't seen him acquire anything new lately.
He hadn't even used the treasure vault entry ticket he'd won in that bet.
The items from the Reaper were probably useless.
'But if it's Seong-hoon...'
Maybe he'd secretly gotten something and survived. He'd drawn the sword, after all.
"Ugh, I hate this. For real."
If he was dead, then Raphael was as good as dead too.
Die quietly? Or go down fighting?
Regrettably, Raphael was the type—or rather, the angel—who chose the latter.
She raised her hands, clasping them in prayer. Pure white mana seeped from her palms.
"《O great Lord of mine.》"
⟨ Angel's Blessing ⟩
It flashed. Mana even brighter and more radiant than typical light-attribute magic poured out.
One verse. Another verse. Just chanting the spell incantation filled the surroundings with dazzling light.
When she finished the final verse and opened her eyes—
The black giant was walking straight toward her.
Its sharp eyes met hers. The pure white light faded, shadows of darkness encroaching.
She looked up at the monster's overwhelming pressure and malice. Fear twisted her lips unconsciously, her eyebrows twitching.
"Eep."
She had to run. But her legs wouldn't move. Humans can exert three times their normal strength in danger, or so they say—but in true peril, humans freeze.
"Sh-Should we pretend you didn't see me??"
As if answering Raphael's question, the ogre opened its maw. Not with words, of course.
"GRRRROOOOAAAAARRR!!!!!!"
The roar.
She clamped her hands over her ears instinctively. Useless. Her body went numb, her will crumbling.
All that remained was the desire to live. But her body wouldn't obey.
Fortunate or not, Raphael avoided fainting.
'If I'm gonna die, I wanna go painlessly!'
For the first time since her birth, she hated her body. She despised her seraphim flesh for enduring even unconsciousness.
The ogre raised its fist. No need for the club.
It lifted it casually. Then smashed down.
This is it. As that thought crossed her mind—
"Huh?"
Raphael let out a dumb sound without thinking. A floating sensation enveloped her body. She'd moved at high speed; the ogre's hand was already a bit distant.
Stunned, she looked around. Someone was carrying her and running.
"Ah!"
I know her. Well, is she human? A woman with cat ears. To an onlooker, it might seem like a weird fetish, but considering her true form, it made sense.
"Lachesis!!"
Raphael nodded brightly. She knew what it meant that Lachesis had come to save her—and what it signified that she was dodging the incoming fists, buying time.
Hanging on, Raphael watched Lachesis's feats.
She evaded the ogre's wide-area swings by the width of a sheet of paper. Not only that—she slipped past attacks from behind as if they didn't exist, spinning through the air in movements no human could match.
'She's not human!'
Raphael realized it late, clapping her hands in awe while held tight.
But even those feats couldn't last forever.
The fed-up ogre finally raised its club. High enough to touch the glowing crystals.
"That!! Isn't that dangerous?!”
"If that hits, you're dried squid!! Dried squid!!"
Unlike the pale-faced Raphael, Lachesis remained calm.
As if she knew something was coming.
With a serene expression, she simply watched the ogre.
"GRRRROOOOAAAA—huh?"
The roar cut off weakly. No surprise there.
The club that had swung down as if to split the world in two was gone.
Split clean in half, the head clattered to the floor, leaving only the handle.
"Finally cut this damn club."
Hearing that voice, Raphael could only smile brightly.
Am I dead? No pain. Even opening my eyes, I saw nothing.
Did I die and return to the Heaven Realm—? That thought hit me, then I realized I couldn't breathe.
And then.
"Heavy!!"
Only then did my vision clear. Thanks to the silver-haired cat-eared girl who rolled off me.
The first thing I saw was the cat's face. Pouting with puffed cheeks, but I ignored it.
Looking around, I was amid a pile of rubble. Perfectly hidden from the ogre's view.
To the side, a massive crater had formed.
Goosebumps erupted all over me. Just a straight smash, and it made a crater? If that had hit—
I calmed my chilled skin and stroked the head of Lachesis, who was still facing away in a huff.
"You're my lifesaver!!"
Our housecat is the best. I promised Lachesis I'd buy her whatever she wanted when we got back.
Fortunately, I picked up the sword lying nearby.
Out of the ogre's sight. Perfect spot to work. I opened my [Inventory] to quickly prepare and escape.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Pure white light. Blindingly bright. I had no choice but to smack my forehead.
"What were you doing earlier, and why now?"
For real? So it targeted only me because I stole the sword? Now that I'm 'dead,' it's going after Raphael?
Thud— Thud—
Footsteps echoed. Definitely heading for Raphael.
"Lachesis."
"Can you dodge that thing's attacks? Like with the Reaper. No need to last long. Just a little while."
With that, Lachesis dashed off. Watching her go, I took position.
First, I pulled out my practice scythe from the [Inventory]. Then gripped it short and pressed it against the sword.
This weapon is a growth-type. Right now, it's just junk, but unsealing it nine times restores its true power.
The seals represent the owner's growth.
Mental, physical, supernatural—whatever form it takes.
Achieve growth, and one seal breaks. In the original story, Kim Tae-hyun broke eight.
The final one was meant for the last battle. Awakening and becoming one with the sword in a cool scene.
But it got axed.
Even in the original, its true form never appeared.
But seals are magic, no matter how you slice it.
And my eyes see magic. It's a cheat, but it'll work.
I pressed the scythe against it. Tangled magical threads on the sword became visible.
I aligned the blade with the most protruding mana strand.
CLANG—!!
Something snapped, and the mana vanished. The sword's shape shifted slightly.
Growth-type weapons upgrade ranks as they grow.
From Common to Mythic.
CLANG—!!
Another snap echoed. Without hesitation, I kept pressing the scythe.
CLANG—!!
The sword's form kept changing. It grew redder. The rusty blade turned bright crimson.
Like molten lava from a furnace.
CLANG—!!
Mythic rank.
A grade above Legend. Bestowed on items that appear even once in the gods' tales.
The highest rank, yet many are weaker than Common gear.
Simple reason: the name "Mythic."
Myths draw power from belief. The more believers, the more who know it, the stronger it gets.
Thus, power varies wildly depending on the myth's origin.
In this modern age, where faith is lost, few powerful mythic weapons remain.
CLANG—!!
The sword melted. Lost its form. If my settings held true, this change was correct.
CLANG—!!
A famous myth.
There are many.
Greek-Roman. Biblical. Egyptian. Countless nameless myths buried and forgotten.
Innumerable.
But the weapon I gave Kim Tae-hyun was strong.
CLANG—!!
The sword lost all shape. No hilt left—just lava-like liquid pooling in my hand.
One seal remained.
I pressed the scythe against it.
CLANG—!!!!!!
The final seal shattered, and it glowed.
A myth as renowned as Greek-Roman legends.
One that demands nine trials, takes no fixed form. It could be a branch, a staff, or the fiery sword that ends worlds.
I interpreted it this way: formless. A shapeshifting blade that becomes whatever its owner desires.
The red glow faded, and a blue window appeared.