Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: Girl of Steel #1
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The first thing that springs to mind is a long-forgotten memory.
The time when I was captured by the human hunters who ran the Deathros arena and dragged away like so much cargo.
I struggled and resisted as best I could, but against their brutish grips, I couldn't put up any fight—I was just tossed around like luggage.
It was exactly the same now.
I'd been through so much since then, grown and gotten stronger, or so I thought. Yet here I was, flailing helplessly against these overwhelming hands. Thanks to that, all my fatigue and drunkenness vanished in an instant.
The difference this time? Back then, it was hairy, Rambo-like old men who kidnapped me.
"Oppa, you're gonna do that thing with me—! Neung-neung—!"
"What the hell, you brat? Let go!"
This time, it was a girl who barely came up to my chest.
The shock hit harder now. Being hauled off by a bunch of men at least looked somewhat dignified. This? It crushed my pride flat.
From my perch slung over her shoulder like baggage, I caught sight of the faces of people who'd just been enjoying the banquet peacefully moments ago.
Bewilderment. Horror. Terror.
Expressions brimming with whatever you wanted to call those negative emotions. The most frantic voice cutting through belonged to Hippolyte.
"C-catch Gloria! If this keeps up, we're in deep trouble!! That Gloria's gone and made things huge!"
"Hippolyte, what's going on all of a sudden? What's neung-neung?"
"It's that thing the Samaritans do—with their bodies, that tradition or whatever! No time to explain! Someone, a sword—"
Their voices rang clear in my ears amid the clattering chaos, shattering glass, and flying plates.
"It's your fault, Oppa. Getting all tall and handsome like that...!"
The Samaritan kidnapping me—Gloria—galloped off like a horse, bursting out of the mansion and into the expansive garden out back before I knew it.
A garden deserted, devoid of people.
It'd take the others a bit to catch up here.
Srrk—.
Gloria set me down in one corner of the wide open lawn.
"Do you know how lonely and desolate I've been on this continent searching for you, Oppa? I even joined some weird school and worked under this goddess lady. And now we finally meet like this."
"No...."
"So come on, do neung-neung with me—! We did it tons back in the day!"
Damn it, what the hell is neung-neung?
I was utterly baffled by this situation. Gloria, who saw me as her big brother, had kidnapped me and kept insisting we do neung-neung or whatever?
Some Samaritan tradition?
Neung-neung.
Zzzzt—.
A jolt like electricity shot through my head, thoughts spinning wildly. What bubbled up were tales I'd heard from various people about Samaritan customs.
When the time for marriage ripened, they kidnapped a partner they fancied and dragged them to their tent for a criminal-style abduction wedding, right?
"You were so cool talking in front of everyone—I got all excited—."
"Ow, shit."
One hypothesis formed in my mind.
Samaritans in the wilds lived nomadic in small clans across vast lands, so maybe even siblings hooked up like that.
Siblings who couldn't easily find other mates....
No.
But earlier, Gloria said she wouldn't marry her own brother. So not marriage.... My brain wouldn't turn.
"Then come on, let's do neung-neung. We did it all the time before. Just the two of us."
"You and I did neung-neung or whatever?"
"Why pretend you don't know now? Back then, we did it day and night nonstop. Every night—. Every day—."
In the dark night, under twin moons, fangs gleamed.
Beneath them, quivering white fur pelt, failing to hide sizable breasts and thighs ready to burst. It was downright infuriating.
She looked like a high schooler in cosplay, yet that body unleashed explosive power surpassing mine. Incredible.
"Aren't you excited to see how much my grown body's changed?"
"...With our bodies?"
"What else would it be with?"
Shit.
Damn barbarians. What the hell do siblings even do together? My vision blurred, mind blank with rage.
Samaritans were primitive savages through and through. Thinking I'd been treated like that made my limbs tremble, tears welling up.
But those thoughts scattered with the incoming fist.
Thud—!
A boulder of a punch slammed my side. I barely blocked with my elbow—otherwise, it might've punched right through.
Fwhoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
The problem? My body skipped across the lawn like a stone on water from that single blow.
"Damn it—!"
If I hadn't snapped to midair and rolled properly, I might've bounced clear to the horizon. Insane strength.
Throb, throb—.
Even blocking, my elbow guard felt shattered.
"Gahhh, shit, that fucking hurts!"
"Any other guy would've shattered from that. As expected of Oppa—you're tough. That's why you're my Oppa."
"No, what the—."
Before I could protest, a blurry afterimage rushed me through the shadows.
Up close, it wasn't an afterimage—Gloria leaping at me full speed.
Tingle—.
My forehead throbbed intensely; I ducked on reflex. Whoosh—a massive pressure whooshed overhead.
Gloria's right straight.
It grazed my head, the wind alone whipping the garden trees and grass.
Fwaaaah—.
Felt like a missile screaming over my skull. Direct hit? I'd have exploded like a missile victim.
"Damn it—."
Trying to smash my head? Fury boiled over; I clenched my fist without thinking and swung full force into Gloria's gut.
Boom—!
A horrific crash like cars colliding at full speed erupted from my knuckles.
Since hitting strength 15 and becoming Silver Tier adventurer, I hadn't gone all-out on a person. Like Hippolyte said, I didn't want to seriously hurt anyone.
But this punch? No holding back—I'd swung without considering breakage.
Fwhoosh, whoosh, whoosh—.
Still, seeing Gloria sail far off from my hit, maybe I'd overdone it.
Srrk—.
But she steadied herself quick, blood trickling from her mouth. Any regret vanished.
"Ow, that hurts—!"
She spat blood with a thunderous roar. For a split second, my blood ran cold.
"I don't even know the last time I felt pain like this. Yeah, this is what I wanted. The humans and monsters on this continent are all so damn weak—they dulled my senses."
"Damn it—."
"As expected, only Oppa can thrill me like this. Never run off and abandon me again."
Now I got what neung-neung was. And why Gloria's 'Oppa' had fled somewhere.
"From now on, we're together forever. Neung-neung every day."
My guess: this was training, a blood fight.
A Samaritan pastime, fitting for primitive barbarians—enjoying hurting each other, drawing blood.
But against Gloria? Opponents just got demolished unilaterally.
Before me, plenty had become her 'kind Oppa.' Imagining their fates wasn't hard.
I'd turn 'kind' soon too, probably. I tensed up.
Srrk—.
Gloria, who'd put distance between us, lowered her head. Planted her hands on the ground, dropping into a four-legged beast stance.
What?
The moment I questioned it, I knew something was wrong.
Her face and fist—dozens of meters away seconds ago—were now at my nose.
Fwaaaah—.
The incoming fist loomed like a mountain charging me. I hastily raised both arms to guard.
Boom—!
The punch hammered my arms; my legs skidded back despite bracing. Worse were the follow-ups.
Each a killing blow.
I instantly understood how Hippolyte lost to her. This was Gloria, holy warrior of Juno, called strongest among humans—!
"Why won't the fists hit?"
Luckily, I was dodging her punches by a hair.
Raw power, raw speed—but the patterns were surprisingly simple, predictable.
After weeks dodging Hippolyte's tricky punches and blades, Gloria's felt beginner-level.
Now I got why Hippolyte said overwhelming power hindered learning aura or techniques.
"Don't dodge! Fight back!"
"Get lost!"
Superior physique needs no more. No need for technique training.
Techniques fill power gaps, after all.
"I said don't dodge!"
Even simple attacks—one hit meant death.
But shit, how was I dodging this?
"Haha, you let your guard down—!"
I hesitated a beat; a sharp handblade sliced for my neck.
I'd been rhythm-game dodging her attacks—then broke the cardinal rule: never pause.
"L-Lord Nox—! Help me!"
『Grace 'Night's Armor' activates.』
『Karma Value 10』
『Current Karma Value +50』
My body flew far. But the impact? Less than expected.
My grace, Night's Armor, nullified strong attacks by my Karma Value—an insanely powerful effect.
"Shit—."
Late activation? My head and body would've parted. Chilling thought.
"What? I felt it connect. How are you fine?"
Gloria shook black shadow-like stuff from her hand, staring at me.
"As expected, Oppa's fun. The only one I can't beat. The only one who can look down on me. You got stronger as I did, huh?"
"Fuck off, psycho—I'm not your brother."
"Why keep saying that? After trading blows with me and coming out unscathed, you're the only man who could—. It's those women, right?"
Enduring Gloria's attacks qualified you as Oppa? This woman's views on people and thinking were seriously busted.
Not that this world's people weren't already full of broken, sick, naive idiots. Nothing new.
A battle-hardened Samaritan like her? Probably took too many headshots—mental hang-ups galore made sense.
"Those women whispering weird crap in your ear, huh? You told me to watch out for witches. Falling for witch sorcery—."
Srrk—.
Gloria planted hands and feet again.
Groooan—.
Her arms and legs tensed, muscles bulging fiercely.
"It's fine, Oppa. I'll punish the witches for you—."
"...."
Silently, I spread my legs shoulder-width, arms extended forward. But she gave no time to settle—leaping at me in crouch start.
Four-legged explosive sprint—like a cannonball.
I steadied my breath, focusing all senses.
Awakening divinity, my syndrome-level sharpened senses predicted incoming attacks' direction and style.
She blitzed like lightning, scorching surroundings, fist swinging for my face.
Predicted pattern.
So I ducked, grabbed her arm, and suplexed her into the ground.
"Wh-what—!?"
Works even on stronger foes. Stronger ones take more shock from their own momentum added.
Hippolyte tip—worked anyway.
Kablooey—!
Ground cratered like a meteor strike. Garden ornaments yanked out, tumbling. Dizzying sight.
No—even the dodged fist's wind might've burst my face.
Drip—.
Nosebleed trickling.
I landed the suplex, yet took more damage. Legs shaky, vision dim, mind foggy.
But I had words to say.
"I never had a little sister like you. And don't talk shit about my women."
"...."
There he is! Honey! Over here! Behind the mansion in the garden! It's already chaos!
The unbeatable Gloria's down?
Look at that wrecked garden! Can't even imagine what happened!
Unbelievable. Even gods ignore her, and someone....
Right then, armed guards and people surrounded us. Hippolyte, sword drawn, rushed first, checked my state, and asked.
"Did you win?"
"...No, I lost."
Standing was a struggle, honestly.
But collapsing unconscious here? Who knew what'd happen. I stood firm.
Gloria, hit by my powerful suplex, was laughing instead.
"Thought I was gonna die for real. How long since I lay staring at the sky? As expected, only Oppa...."
She even placed her hands on her exposed belly, rubbing.
"I said we can't marry, but your baby? I'd take it. It'll be stronger than us for sure."
Fwhoosh—.
"This thrill—first time in my life. Finally feel alive."
From lying flat, she springboarded up and fled into the darkness before we could react.