119. My Buff is a Drug
【 I have a bad feeling about this. 】
【 I need to get out, right now. 】
Ian must have sensed something was wrong too, because he pulled out of Hye-yong's body.
The moment Ian withdrew, the headache vanished as if it had never been there.
What was the problem?
— It seems your body is simply too weak to receive my strength.
Ian seemed to have a theory.
"Ah, if that's the case, I could just use a buff...."
— No. Any trick you try will likely end the same way.
— My intuition tells me the body needs, at minimum, the physical marks of sword training on it.
Ian glanced at Kwon Jin-ah and pointed a finger at her.
— You.
"M-Me?"
Flustered, Kwon Jin-ah pointed her index finger back at herself.
— Yes, you. You're a swordsman, aren't you?
"W-Well, yes, I am."
— My eyes are never wrong.
Just as the Virus possessed a supernatural sense for sniffing out and killing swordsmen, Ian seemed to have his own ability to distinguish them.
'He's right. Kwon Jin-ah is a much better fit than me.'
Hye-yong had fantasized about fighting with a possession union, just like in the cartoons he watched as a kid, but he humbly acknowledged his own inadequacy.
"No other choice, Kwon Jin-ah. You'll have to accept him and fight."
"M-Me? You're talking about me?"
"Yes. Apparently, if the host isn't a swordsman, the possession fails."
"E-Even if I let him possess me, can we really beat senior Seong Yu-ran? She's an A-rank and I'm only a C-rank...."
Hearing that, Ian let out a scoff.
— I don't know the exact gap in skill between that creature's host and you.
— But the gap between me and that monster is just as clear.
— That day, we both died from blood loss and wounds, but in the measure of pure combat, anyone watching would have declared me the victor.
— I am confident I can win again if we clash.
— Did you not come seeking me out because you had no other way to fight that thing, and needed my help?
— Then trust me, young swordswoman.
Kwon Jin-ah thought to herself.
'I can't keep hesitating just because the idea of accepting a ghost feels a bit creepy.'
'The Captain would never do anything that harms me.'
'This is something I have to do right now.'
She seemed to waver, then finally nodded her agreement.
"If you put it that way... I'll do it. The possession."
She spoke while looking at Ian, then turned her head toward Hye-yong.
The look she gave him said, strike while the iron's hot—get this possession thing over with, fast.
Hye-yong decided to satisfy his own cravings while encouraging Kwon Jin-ah.
〔 As I thought, I wasn't wrong about your talent. Even the spirit chose you over me. 〕
〔 M-My talent...? 〕
〔 From what I see, you seem to be acquainted with Seong Yu-ran. 〕
〔 We aren't acquainted. I simply admire her as a fellow Awakened who uses a sword. 〕
A senior she admired.
Then her assumption that she couldn't win made sense.
〔 If things continue like this, Seong Yu-ran will be completely consumed and devoured by the Aberration. 〕
〔 Hoping she has the same talent you do—the talent to resist the encroachment and keep your sanity even as the Aberration devours you—would be greedy of me. 〕
〔 You'll be saving a senior you admire, Kwon Jin-ah. With your own hands. 〕
Kwon Jin-ah's demeanor sharpened with fresh resolve.
'Right. I told myself I was ready for this much when I decided to follow the Captain.'
'I was just lucky. Lucky I met a man called the Captain and wasn't disposed of.'
'If senior Seong Yu-ran goes wrong like I did, the odds are high she'll vanish without a trace.'
When Aberrations are involved, impossibly surreal events like this happen as if they're nothing.
In Kwon Jin-ah's mind, Yeongyeon was an organization that could make a person disappear and erase the memories of everyone around them as a matter of routine.
If they dragged this out and left her be, the existence known as Seong Yu-ran might be completely erased from the world.
'The Captain accepted that spirit into his own body without batting an eye.'
'To save senior Seong Yu-ran, just like he did for me.'
'So I can't afford to hesitate either!'
Her resolve fully hardened, Kwon Jin-ah conveyed her will to Hye-yong.
〔 Captain! Please make Mr. Ian possess me! 〕
〔 Looks like you've steeled yourself. Then I'll tell you the method. 〕
'You'll have to pull it off for me, Kwon Jin-ah, since I couldn't do it right.'
For his own vicarious satisfaction, Hye-yong fed Kwon Jin-ah a distorted set of instructions.
〔 Raise your right hand high and shout 'Spirit Orb Mode!' loudly, and Ian's spirit will be sucked onto your right palm. 〕
〔 Wh-What? What did you say? Spirit Orb Mode? 〕
Through their Resonance, he felt Kwon Jin-ah's massive fluster.
In moments like this, he had to push harder.
〔 It might look silly, but it's the official Yeongyeon possession method. You have to follow it exactly. 〕
〔 O-Okay. 〕
〔 Then lower your head, pull your body back slightly, and absorb the orb-moded spirit into your chest as if shoving it in. That completes the possession. 〕
〔 At that moment, you also have to shout 'Possession Union!' loudly. 〕
'Spirit Orb Mode... Possession Union... I have to shout these out loud? In front of the Captain?'
That's just too...
Isn't that too embarrassing?
〔 Captain, is shouting absolutely necessary? You didn't say anything at all when you did the possession.... 〕
〔 That's because I'm already proficient. A beginner like you won't succeed without this method. 〕
As he sent his will, Hye-yong swiftly cast a buff onto Kwon Jin-ah.
Naturally, since it was a buff he'd just made up, he didn't forget to add the hiding function.
〔 You have to do it, Kwon Jin-ah. Don't even think about half-assing it. The more confidently you shout, the more stable the possession becomes. 〕
"Ugh...!"
Kwon Jin-ah squeezed her eyes shut, her face turning red.
'Even if it's embarrassing, I have to do it! This is a matter of life and death!'
Snap!
Finally, she raised her right hand high and shouted out loud.
"Spirit Orb Mode!!"
Fwoosh!
Ian's soul was sucked onto Kwon Jin-ah's palm.
Just as Hye-yong had instructed, Kwon Jin-ah lowered her stance, bowed her head, and shoved the spirit into her chest.
"Possession... Unioooon!!"
Her face was bright red, and her pronunciation crumbled, so the epic grandeur he'd expected was completely absent—it just looked adorable.
'Augh, shit. That was even more cringe than I thought.'
He'd thought it would be cool, but it made his fingers and toes curl.
However, one thing was definitely pulled off just as he'd imagined: the special effects.
As the orb-state soul was slowly absorbed into Kwon Jin-ah's body, a gale of spiritual wind began to whip around them.
"Hrk...!"
The turbulence was strong enough to send the collar of her uniform flapping!
The wind calmed as Ian was fully absorbed into Kwon Jin-ah's body.
"......This is far better."
It was still Kwon Jin-ah's voice, but the aura she gave off was completely different.
Even her eyes had turned sharp.
The very image of a gallant knight!
It was a little cringe, yes, but there was a definite sense of vicarious satisfaction and a rising thrill—the realization that the special effects from the anime of his childhood had just manifested in reality.
Kwon Jin-ah activated her sword artifact.
"It's shorter than the sword I usually use... but I can just extend it with Mana."
Every single action overflowed with confidence, making him believe he could really trust them.
"Well then, shall we go?"
Hye-yong reached out to Kwon Jin-ah via Resonance.
〔 How does it feel? 〕
〔 ......It feels strange. 〕
〔 You have to get used to it. Only then can the spirit demonstrate its true skill. 〕
〔 I'll try my best. 〕
Honestly, that was pure headcanon, but it seemed like the right thing to say, so he just said it.
"Lead the way. To where that bastard is."
"Understood. Follow me."
It was finally time to wrap this up.
'Now, with the lion head pattern in my hand....'
Hye-yong bolted out of the orchard, with Ian-possessed Kwon Jin-ah right on his heels.
-
"Hah, hah...."
Amidst an endless sea of skeletal soldiers that kept coming no matter how many she took down, Lanfang was struggling.
Through the tears in her uniform, cuts were visible everywhere, and blood was flowing.
Her stinging wounds and exhausted body began to slow her movements.
She was just starting to think she should run and regroup with Hye-yong when,
Something swept through like a flash of lightning, and in an instant, every single soldier crumpled to the ground and stopped moving.
"It's them, all right. Soldiers of Kanasen."
That person the Master called his subordinate.
Something about her was different—she looked so dependable, so cool.
And she was incredibly strong!
So even the Master's subordinates are amazing.
Lanfang was awed.
"You held out well, Lanfang. Thanks to you, I've found a way to fight this Aberration."
Hye-yong created a healing buff and treated Lanfang.
"I'm glad I was helpful...."
"You've done your part, so get some rest. We'll handle things from here on out."
He left Lanfang behind and ran again.
The lion head pattern clutched in his hand guided Hye-yong toward the Virus.
— General!
— We've awaited your return.
— We shall follow the General.
Skeletal soldiers blocked the path along the way, but they showed no hostility. Instead, they knelt before the Ian-possessed Kwon Jin-ah and paid their respects.
They were clearly soldiers of Baharf.
Proclaiming their undying loyalty, they fell in behind Ian.
'We're close now.'
Next to the dormitory building, on the walking path.
The Virus was strolling leisurely, searching for a target worth killing.
"They're right there. That black-haired swordswoman...."
"Yes, I can feel him. That's the one."
Ian walked forward slowly to meet them.
In the center of the walking path.
The two swordsmen faced each other.
"You...."
"Good to see you again, monster."
The monster from Kanasen—Seong Yu-ran's expressionless face was suddenly covered in ecstasy.
"So you came after all. I would have been disappointed if you hadn't."
"I hear you've been kicking up a fuss. I'm about the only one fit to stop you."
Kwon Jin-ah's expression also held a smile.
Though they were clearly mortal enemies, they seemed genuinely glad to see each other.
Was there something exclusive to swordsmen—those who exchange blades on the razor's edge between life and death?
Step, step, step, step!
Hye-yong felt the rhythmic sound of footsteps behind him and turned to look.
Hundreds of skeletal soldiers were marching in perfect order, rows and columns aligned with disciplined precision.
Hye-yong hurriedly cast a shield on himself, but the soldiers had no intention of attacking him.
They merely stood guard, protecting the rear of the general they followed.
The Kanasen soldiers were the same.
The walking path where students once strolled leisurely and chatted had now become a battlefield for the dead.
"It's exactly like that time. This situation, this sunset."
"Yes."
Ian spoke, and the monster answered.
"I've always regretted it. I was just one step away from completion, and it ended so cheaply in a mere draw."
"A draw, you say?"
This time, the monster spoke, and Ian answered.
Seong Yu-ran's eyebrow twitched at Ian's counter-question.
"Was it not?"
"I won. I watched you die, and then I died."
Ian grinned, and the monster grinned back.
But within that grin, there was clear humiliation.
"In that case, this time I'll be the one to win."
"Go ahead and try."
The monster took one step forward.
In the silence, Ian also took one step forward.
【 Listen here, swordswoman. 】
In the tense atmosphere,
Kwon Jin-ah felt Ian calling her internally and answered.
'Yes?'
So this is what possession was—their minds were connected.
【 When I clash with that thing, I cannot guarantee the safety of your body, or your life. 】
【 Are you prepared to die? 】
「Prepared to die.」
The moment he finished speaking, a scene burned itself into Kwon Jin-ah's mind.
Two swords clashing without restraint.
Arms, legs, and fingers—she couldn't tell whose—flew wildly through the air.
Even as their limbs were severed by each other's blades, neither cared.
When a leg was gone, they extended Mana to support themselves.
When both arms were gone, they clenched the sword in their teeth and swung.
Two men, hacking at each other madly with their blades.
It was a duel both gruesome and heart-poundingly stirring.
He was telling her that she and Seong Yu-ran might have to fight like that, right now.
It was clearly a tale of fear and horror.
Yet she had no intention of backing down.
'......I have to do it anyway.'
Strangely, the moment Kwon Jin-ah laid eyes on Seong Yu-ran, the thought struck her: This woman is my destined enemy.
'I have to settle this here.'
'For myself, for the person I admired, and for the Captain who believed in me and entrusted this to me.'
'Even if this body is completely destroyed!'
She had partially assimilated with the personality of Ian, who was possessing her.
【 Admirable, swordswoman. 】
Ian praised Kwon Jin-ah's will and took another step forward.
Seong Yu-ran and Kwon Jin-ah drew ever closer.
Swallowing dryly as he watched the scene, Hye-yong tried to create and cast a buff for Kwon Jin-ah.
[ A Swordsman's Fate ]
But the moment he began creating an exclusive buff for Kwon Jin-ah, he felt a surge of energy roiling inside him.
A sensation that if he channeled this energy into a blessing, he could grant a buff far stronger than usual.
[ A Swordsman's Fate ]
Sword Proficiency increased by 31 levels
Kwon Jin-ah Exclusive
'31 levels....'
It wasn't as absurd as Geum Na-rin's case, but it was still a ridiculous number.
'Did I get a correction bonus for finding the solution?'
At any rate, this was the extent of what Hye-yong could do.
Hye-yong watched the clash of the two swordsmen with bated breath.
— Let's go!
— Let's kill our enemy!
The Kanasen soldiers roared.
— Defend our land!
— Follow General Ian!
Not to be outdone, the Baharf soldiers raised their swords high.
At the very front of the surging armies stood the monster of Kanasen and the Continent's Greatest Sword, Ian, with perfect dignity.
At some point, the two had closed the distance to striking range.
"I will hand you a complete and utter defeat, so that you can never return to life again!"
"This time, I will be the one to win, by perfecting this sword!"
Having affirmed each other's resolve, neither needing a signal, they raised their swords and took one light step forward.
But the power packed into those steps was anything but light.
The sunset.
Its blazing red light draped over the two swords aimed at each other and the eyes that stared one another down—
"CHI-YAAAAAAH!!"
"CHA-HAAAAAH!!"
Seong Yu-ran's left arm and Kwon Jin-ah's left leg flew into the sky at the exact same moment.
Behind them, the soldiers of the two factions entangled and tore into one another, and the war to kill the enemy began.