Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Fifty Steps Back for a Hundred Steps Forward
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Clack. Clack.
In the quiet space, the sound of something moving echoed. The wooden piece advanced, devouring the white one.
"Check."
"Eek!"
With a flustered voice, the horse moved once more. This time, it was white's turn. They shifted pieces back and forth, each eyeing the other's king.
Matching their hair colors perfectly, silver-haired white...
...and black-haired black were locked in play.
"Let's wrap this up quick and head back. It's almost two hours."
"Can't even win a single game?"
"..."
Sophia smiled. Isia smiled back. For some reason, a battle of nerves sparked between them.
The two didn't get along well. They hadn't exchanged many words to begin with, and their only common ground was the same class.
And Lee Seong-hoon.
So why were these two awkwardly playing chess alone?
The answer lay in their positions: Seong-hoon's maids one and two. It was a deeply insulting role, but there was no choice.
They had to obey his orders. No matter how awkward the company or ridiculous the command—"You two don't seem to get along, so go hang out for two hours."
That was the master-servant bond.
"Just kill two hours and snap a proof pic?"
"Hmm. Check here."
Thud.
The black piece swallowed the white one, opening the path to the king.
Sophia's smile cracked slightly at being ignored, but she feigned composure and moved her piece.
Blocking the path to the king, setting a trap.
"Oh. Can't waste something that important."
Basic move. Isia muttered as she advanced again, breaking through the blockade. At the same time, she devoured Sophia's moved piece. But Isia grinned cheekily.
"Check."
"Do you have to say it?"
"Yep."
"...You're starting to resemble Seong-hoon."
Isia's face flushed at that. What? Her smile vanished for a moment. Absurd.
"That's not a compliment."
"...I know."
Her reaction rubbed her the wrong way. What was that? Taunting? Pretending to be shy while casually resting her left hand on the table. A black ring glinted on her ring finger. Ring finger.
Sophia glanced down at the ring, her face hardening coldly as she moved her piece. A move she shouldn't make, but she forced it anyway.
Sacrificing a pawn to take a piece, but she wanted to. No, she had to.
"Check. You know Seong-hoon said he wants to eat my cooking every day not long ago?"
Isia glared, an exclamation mark practically popping over her head. Her cheeks puffed out before she grabbed a piece and targeted the king in retaliation.
"Check. Don't lie. Last time on our da, date... Hmm!! During our date, you said your dream was marrying rich."
Date? The word made the table edge crack under her grip. She eased the force in her arms and forced a smile. Isia smiled back.
They were clearly smiling, yet the furniture creaked from their mana.
It had to be a lie. She'd stuttered on "date." That's just like Isia.
"Check."
We hugged last time.
"Check."
She came to my house.
"Check."
She said she'd give me a ring too.
"Check."
I already got mine.
Check. Check. Check. Check. Even in a position to slay the king, the checks kept coming.
"Check!!!!"
Their war of nerves didn't end until every piece was gone.
How many times was this?
I'd lost count. Lately, wasn't I just running nonstop? My stamina felt improved. Shouldn't my Stamina stat go up by now?
"Right?!"
"No idea what you're on about—keep running!!!"
"Kyaaak!! I don't wanna run anymore!! I was running earlier too!!"
That's my line. I'd run way more. Don't exaggerate.
"Whoaaa!! That's kinda fast!!"
I hurled explosion runes at the approaching black swarms while sprinting. My mind raced even as I ran.
Ignoring the idiots blabbering beside me, I assessed the situation.
The lady we'd locked eyes with had her neck snapped clean off. She crumpled like she'd passed out, then vomited these black things from her mouth.
A barrier like a curtain unfurled over the island at the same time. It was already dark night, and now even the moonlight vanished.
In its place, a blood-red moon greeted us as we fled the charging black horde. No end in sight. Swarming disgustingly like roaches—what the hell?
"What are these things?! What's going on?! Is this training too?!"
Reasonable question. Justitia was under a barrier right now. One set by a grand mage—no intelligent being could breach it.
Yet they'd pierced it. Impossible under normal logic. Or so.
"I sense demonic energy from them?!"
Even the angel detected demonic energy. That left one thing to consider from here.
Not how, but why.
Their reason for invading. For ambushing us. How came later.
I glanced back. The black things kept shifting forms. Not just one—wolves, lizards, lions, frogs.
Imitating every animal imaginable.
"Starting to get it now."
I spun around and lobbed another explosion rune. Then I drew my practice scythe.
"S-Seong-hoon? What're you doing?"
I gripped the scythe tight. The foe was a demonkin. Broken bones across their body, monsters birthed by snapping them—
A demonkin battle tactic: "Sacrifice Offering." No need to snap a phone pic; I knew what these monsters were.
Beasts born from pacts with demons.
Not worth naming. Demonic energy was just corrupted mana. Visible to my eyes.
And these were artificial monsters formed around that core.
「Shaaaaaaaak!!!」
A serpent shadow lunged. Sliced by the scythe, it scattered into the air and vanished.
"Manageable."
"No. If they're this easy to kill, why'd you run?!"
"One step back for two steps forward."
"Fifty steps back for a hundred forward!!"
Shut up. I tapped my fist while eyeing Raphael.
"Monsters made of demonic energy."
"Huh? These?"
She tilted her head while raising her fist, so I nodded. The blonde stared at her fist for a moment before smashing an attacking black monster without looking.
「Gwaaaaaah!!」
It burst with a grotesque cry, scattering into nothing. Kinda scary how it exploded.
Her eyes sparkled as realization dawned.
"Hehe. The era of Angel Punch!!"
Crack—crack—!!!
She stretched with sounds unfit for an angel. I spun my scythe and waited for the next wave.
"Yang Min-ji."
"Yeah?"
"Go fetch an instructor."
"O-Okay!!"
As Yang Min-ji bolted off, I cleaved one more. With her gone, we could fight freely. In the brief gap, I stowed the practice scythe and drew [Death Reaper].
"Raphael."
"Yeah?"
"How many've you got?"
"Three with that last one."
"I've got two. Wanna bet?"
What bet? Raphael eyed me while bursting a monster blind. I had to look to swing, so I answered while slicing.
"Who kills more. Loser does all housework next month. Breakfast included mandatory. Deal?"
"Hoo. Think you can beat me?"
Cheeky. I grinned and hurled the scythe. Five shredded and vanished.
"You better watch yourself."
"Aaaah!! Cheating!!"
Her wail changed nothing. Now I'd get breakfast before heading out.
[Childish, nya.]
"Winner makes the rules."
"Haven't lost yet?"
"Pick tomorrow's breakfast menu. I like doenjang stew."
"I prefer meat!!"
Pffft!!
A monster burst amid the voices. Meat for breakfast? I swung relentlessly, glancing at the rear of the horde.
Some were splitting off elsewhere.
[They're targeting other students, nya.]
"I know."
Clear these first. I whipped the scythe faster. Tested [Spell Eater] just in case—no dice, not magic.
"Tch."
Tricky. I released my singed hand and slashed. Raphael, hyped, was already ahead exploding them.
"Raphael!! Trace the demonic energy after we mop these up!!"
─Got it!!!
Hearing her distant shout, I finished the ones in front.
This couldn't be it. The demonkin probably couldn't intervene directly due to the barrier—or it was tough.
So they possessed a body for this mess. But the goal was murky. Disrupting training couldn't be all.
"There's another objective."
[Obviously, nya. This is a delay tactic, nya.]
I know. Objective or not, clear these eyesores first, then root out the source.
They'd seen Yang Min-ji's ability. She'd be a target—like with Sophia.
They had to have a way here. Definitely.
So lure the real body here and kill it. Before other demonkin ears perk up.
"Lachesis."
[Nya.]
"How many you got?"
[Dunno, nya.]
Should I kill her? Let's say twenty. Can't help it. Lachesis's fault?
[Don't inflate it, nya. About fifteen, nya.]
Should've said so sooner.
Shin Chae-yeon barely gripped her sword. Her hand trembled violently, but she refused to let go.
The reason was simple: the thing before her.
A black something, gorilla-shaped. No time to wonder where it came from or why it attacked.
She merely reacted to the sudden assault.
Each blow was heavy and sharp. The mountain-sized bulk moved with filthy agility.
But it wasn't invincible. She'd "killed" it about ten times. It died, yet didn't stay dead.
Decapitated, the head reattached. Detached briefly, then snapped back. Everywhere else too. She'd hit every vital spot, but no damage.
Chop the head and bury it elsewhere? A new one sprouted.
Unwinnable foe. Wouldn't die, yet pressed until death. Surviving this long was impressive. Anyone else would've perished already.
But her stamina was spent. Holding the sword was all she could manage.
Inevitable. The gorilla roared, raising its massive hand to smash down.
The hand rose. Shin Chae-yeon just stared. No strength to dodge. Had to sever that hand.
Her grip shuddered. Clan teachings—"Always stay calm"—flashed in her mind, but a girl facing death couldn't heed them.
This is it. I'm dead.
That's when it appeared.
Too dark to see clearly. Maybe its hair blended perfectly with the shadows.
It charged. Slashed the gorilla's Achilles tendon.
One more to the falling torso, and it vanished.
The monster Shin Chae-yeon couldn't kill despite countless strikes fell in just two.
Atop the fading corpse stood a boy with a pristine white scythe.
"You okay?"