Chapter 468
Chapter 468
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 468
Chapter Title: Ramyu (3)
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It might seem redundant to bring it up again now, but Ramyu was an extraordinarily special being.
She possessed abilities akin to divine authority that no one else had, yet she hadn't awakened under the influence of the system.
Nor had she cultivated mana, qi, chakra, or anything similar to hone her powers after birth.
'The fact that she's not even originally from Earth, yet she's settled here as if she owns the place... that's already proof enough.'
In truth, if one delved deeply into her uniqueness, there was no end to it.
In a word, she was an irregular born from the whims of some god.
Her very existence was a bundle of variables, a joker card capable of shaking up the established board.
"An... invitation?"
"That's right. An invitation."
That was why.
He had thought of using that Invitation on Ramyu.
'Truth be told, I wasn't sure how best to use it, so I'd been shelving it until now...'
The people he had formed bonds with on Earth were mostly returners who had already awakened and come back from another world.
Somehow, from the early days of his activities on Earth, he had ended up building a force to counter the Heaven-Defying Society, so it had naturally turned out that way.
The exceptions might be the low-ranking underlings who became vampires on Earth and joined his blood pact, and his one and only friend, Kang Taesan.
Either way, turning them into awakeners felt a bit iffy.
There was no guarantee they'd return with anything remarkable, after all.
'One Invitation costs a million points... and a Return Scroll for insurance is two million each? Even with all the karma I have, that's not something to splurge on...'
Of course, in Kang Taesan's case, it was purely for his safety.
He was already entangled in all sorts of incidents as an agent of the Ability Management Bureau, despite lacking any special abilities.
What would happen if he awakened something powerful on top of that? It was obvious.
'And handing him the Invitation and Return Scroll would require some explanation too.'
For all those reasons, he had never used a single Invitation until now.
But finally, he had found the perfect use for it.
"If you use this method, you'll grow much faster than you could now. You'll get a unique skill, and the growth bonuses will help a ton too."
"Hmm, you said that once you awaken, you're sent to a random otherworld after 24 hours... like my homeland, Kosiyas?"
"Exactly. Of course, you won't be sent to that place, since it's already a sealed dimension."
Considering her abilities, it didn't matter much where she ended up.
If things got dicey, she could just hop dimensions and return to Earth.
"...So, I'd be going there all alone?"
Ramyu, seated on the living room sofa, lowered her head slightly as she spoke.
Hun could easily read her true feelings.
They had been together constantly, and he had even linked with her once via Mind Link.
No matter how willing she was to cooperate for the sake of growing stronger, heading alone to an unknown world with no information was bound to make a young girl like her hesitate.
He flashed her a grin and slipped a hand into his pocket.
"As if. I've got a plan for that."
What he pulled out was a single sheet of paper.
It radiated an ominous aura that set it apart from the ordinary.
"...What's this?"
"With this, I'll know exactly where you've gone."
It was a contract forged by Hesperon, weaving together his ability Chains of Oath and various curses.
Originally, it could only be used on someone he met face-to-face.
But the countless incidents along the way had spurred his growth.
Now, he could wield his powers through intermediaries like this without direct contact.
'Well, that's only possible because I'm essentially the principal, proxying his authority as if I were him myself.'
Either way, the possibilities were endless.
He shrugged lightly and continued.
"Don't worry too much. We're already bound by fate. I'm not about to shove you into danger alone while I kick back."
"Okay."
This was a major experiment for him too.
A chance to reassess the strategic value of Ramyu's abilities.
Whether it was his sincere persuasion that swayed her, or her lingering naivety about the world...
Ramyu docilely signed the highly suspicious contract.
She even pricked her finger as instructed and let a single drop of blood fall.
"...Ah!"
A bizarre connection followed, drawing a sharp gasp of wonder from her as she looked over her body in fascination.
Hun reacted to the sensation just as strongly.
'Good, it's working as planned. Smooth sailing so far.'
He gave Ramyu a meaningful look.
No time like the present.
They had come this far; no need to hesitate.
He pulled out the Invitation (1,000,000) bought from the VIP Market and applied it directly to the girl before him.
And right then—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Dimensional inflection point detected. Connecting to the Akasha System. A burst of blinding light erupted in an instant.
Several lines of text appeared before Ramyu's eyes.
Exactly as Hun had described beforehand.
Next came her unique skill, or so she'd heard.
'This is awakening... I wonder what ability I'll get. Hope it's something good.'
A unique skill was the one power every awakener possessed, its growth potential overwhelming all other abilities.
Hun had said even the greatest one wouldn't surpass her innate authority, but more powers were never a bad thing.
'Honestly, what she has now is already more than enough...'
As the tense girl swallowed dryly—
⚠️ ERROR CODE ⚠️ Error code detected.
Such a warning appeared before her face.
"Huh?"
"...What's wrong? Something happen?"
"No, right in front of my eyes..."
It seemed visible only to her, as Hun looked puzzled.
But there was no time to explain.
⚙ SYSTEM ERROR ⚙ Analyzing cause. Error detected. Unauthorized entity access confirmed. Presence of Code Name ■■■ detected. Error code forcibly deleted. Correction: Approving input command. Impossible. Adhere to protocol. Proceed with removal. Objection. ... Before she could speak, a flood of messages scrolled up like a heated debate.
The conclusion came soon after.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Awakening unique skill. Executing forced expulsion from Earth. A fierce headache stabbed into Ramyu's mind.
She had been warned it would hurt, but this was beyond any preparation.
In her fading consciousness, as her vision dimmed—
✨ AWAKENING COMPLETE ✨ Unique skill ...... awakened. Otherworld transfer in 1 second. The final message window flickered by.
Beyond it, Hun stared at her in shock.
Then her mind went black.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...What the hell?"
Hun blinked blankly.
Everything had happened too fast to react.
"Why did the Otherworld Teleportation Circle activate right away?"
He stared incredulously at the spot where Ramyu had stood moments ago.
Only a fading warmth lingered, proof someone had been there.
'Her passing out during awakening was expected...'
Hadn't he done the same on his first awakening?
It was practically common knowledge here.
If someone collapsed in public, the Ability Management Bureau's transfer investigation team arrived with emergency services to check for awakening.
'The problem is the teleportation circle. It shouldn't appear until 24 hours later, ten minutes before transfer. But it swallowed her up immediately.'
Hun frowned.
Something had clearly gone wrong during the awakening.
She had looked panicked, trying to say something just before blacking out...
'Was it because she's not from Earth?'
That was the only guess he had.
He hadn't anticipated a partial failure like this, rather than total collapse.
"Whew, what's done is done."
Thank goodness for the insurance.
Hun gripped the contract with both hands and narrowed his eyes.
A faint presence emanated from it, his beacon to Ramyu.
'No major threats to her safety yet. Still, I need to get there fast.'
Right after losing consciousness was her most vulnerable moment.
She could return on her own once awake, but defenseless now, even a passing wild animal could make her a meal.
'One second on Earth is about ten there. No time to waste.'
His Mind Link, amplified by Limit Break, extended through the contract's channel to that distant place.
It vividly relayed the energy flows around her destination, as if he were there himself.
"Whew, this should do."
Not something easily done.
But after touring nearly ten dimensions, with his accumulated know-how and effects like World Invasion, it was feasible.
Whoosh—
Otherworld Teleportation Circle Summon activated at his feet.
The same pattern that had claimed Ramyu glowed softly.
And in the next moment—
He who remained alone vanished without a trace.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The peculiar floating sensation of dimensional travel faded.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Transfer to the Sabacheon Dimension completed. A message appeared before Hun.
"What?! What's this?!"
"Teleportation? Is this guy a cultivator too?!"
But he had no time for that.
No sooner had he appeared than a group surrounded him, radiating murderous intent.
"Heh, unbelievable. Not one, but two crawling in here one after another?"
"Wonder where our intel leaked. Grab him and interrogate first."
"Even so, waltzing in like this? They must think we're a joke."
Axes, greatswords, chain scythes, hooks—over a dozen men and women armed to the teeth growled as they closed in slowly.
No chance for friendly talks.
'Ah, damn. Looks like I landed in a no-go zone.'
They seemed highly skilled, not mere thugs or bandits.
Maybe a secret organization's members.
Hun sighed softly and scanned around.
This was definitely Ramyu's coordinates, but she was nowhere in sight.
'From what they said, she came here. Probably locked up somewhere for interrogation.'
He had rushed after her, but time flowed differently between worlds.
Three minutes on Earth could be over thirty here.
Of all places for her first drop...
Talk about rotten luck.
'Or is it really just chance?'
As he pondered, Hun scowled.
A malicious transfer right as a fresh awakener passed out?
He'd never heard of such a thing.
This location might have been deliberate.
'...No, thinking later. Reunite with Ramyu first. Track the lingering mental waves here and...'
As he decided his next move—
"Ha, this guy's spacing out!"
"What? Thought he was frozen in fear, but no?"
The encircling group smirked derisively.
From their view, it was insulting.
Over ten wielding savage weapons, oozing killing intent, and he daydreams?
They hesitated, wondering if he was hiding some master technique.
That nonchalance screamed arrogance of the strong.
But soon, one voice shattered that caution.
"...Wait, it's a bluff! He hasn't even opened his core channels, let alone a cultivator! Never properly handled chakra!"
"What? For real? Then that teleport just now..."
"Must've borrowed some otherworldly artifact! Damn, trying to fool us with cheap tricks!"
A man observing Hun through a circle formed by thumb and forefinger shouted.
The air boiled with rage.
He had done nothing, but they erupted in fury.
"Kill him!"
"No, don't kill! Interrogate for info! How'd he know this place?!"
"Ha! First to grab wins!"
Martial artists charged from all sides with terrifying momentum.
And at that instant—
'Found her.'
Hun's eyes gleamed, sensing Ramyu's presence.
He had held back just in case, but now...
No need to spare them.
'Range set.'
Bzzz—
Mental waves erupted from Hun, spreading outward.
Carrying horrific corruption that even the weak couldn't withstand.