Eloi's Mad Gumiho
Mandy had always considered herself an ordinary human.
That made sense, since as a child, she looked no different from anyone else.
People had called her pretty even back then, but she still fell squarely within the human category.
Mandy didn't realize she was a half-elf until after puberty hit.
That was when the elven traits started to emerge.
One of them was her ears.
They weren't as sharply pointed as a full elf's, but not as bluntly rounded as a human's either.
It was like someone had blended the two perfectly.
After that, Mandy began questioning her own identity. And eventually, she learned the truth.
Her mother had been raped by an elf—and that's how she was conceived.
Viewing herself as a seed of misfortune, Mandy shrank inward, growing more and more introverted.
She became hypersensitive to others' gazes, letting them eat away at her day by day.
To protect her, Eloi was born.
Another personality formed.
The newly emerged Eloi's temperament was the polar opposite of Mandy's.
Eloi was wild and violent, like a beast.
If she saw someone as an enemy, she'd charge without a second thought and rip out their throat.
Her destructive tendencies caused no end of trouble.
As things spiraled toward the worst, the personality of Mandy—which had been lurking beneath the surface—finally surfaced.
She stepped forward to calm Eloi, and in doing so, became far more active than before.
Mandy struck a deal with Eloi.
In Neo Seoul, Mandy's personality would take the lead; when there were no prying eyes, Eloi would handle things.
Eloi judged now was her time to shine.
A spear had already appeared in her hand.
It wasn't just any spear.
It was an item unearthed from a dungeon.
A weapon of immense power that automatically summoned itself to its owner.
Its blade split into nine prongs, evoking the image of a nine-tailed fox.
Hence its name: the Mad Gumiho.
The Mad Gumiho was a weapon of legend even in Kurayan.
For it to end up in Eloi's hands might have been fate, in a way.
After all, she carried elven blood, even if only half.
Vmmm!
The Mad Gumiho vibrated in Eloi's grip.
Sensing her fighting spirit, it was responding.
Eloi grinned wickedly and spoke.
"So, what's it gonna be? Wanna get torn to shreds and fed to the monsters? Or you gonna obey me nice and quiet?"
"If I don't, I become monster chow?"
"Hoho! Why ask something so obvious? Oh, wait—there's a third option too."
"What's that?"
"Kill that bastard over there, and you and I get all cozy. Then maybe everyone's happy."
The "bastard" she meant was Kim Sang-sik, perched atop his double-humped camel.
Kim Sang-sik overheard and went pale as a ghost.
"W-why kill me? I haven't done anything!"
"You know Mandy's secret."
"I swear I won't tell a soul. I'll keep it secret forever."
"Pfft! Who'd believe that? Better to just kill you and seal your lips clean."
"Please, spare me!"
Kim Sang-sik slid off the camel and dropped to his knees.
Running was out of the question.
He'd get caught in seconds anyway—begging was his best bet.
Tears and snot streaming down his face, he looked up at Eloi.
She snorted in disgust.
"Ugh, what a pathetic sight—a grown man bawling like a baby."
Her gaze shifted back to Zeon.
"What should I do with him? Your call."
"None of those appeal. I'd rather talk to Mandy. Call her out."
"Can't do that. She's too soft."
"Still, I'd like to see her. How do I make that happen?"
"Simple! Beat me. If you crush me good, she'll come out. Not that it'll happen."
"Straightforward. Lucky me."
"You think you can take me?"
"One thing I'm curious about— you that cocky just 'cause of that spear?"
"What?"
"Aside from being a half-elf, you don't seem all that special. Kinda overconfident, don't you think?"
Zeon's words carried a mocking lilt, and Eloi's face hardened.
Gripping the Mad Gumiho tightly, she snarled.
"Fuck! Think you're hot shit just 'cause I played nice? Time to knock some sense into you."
"Couldn't agree more."
"Hah! I'll rip that smug mouth right off your face, you fucker!"
Eloi's rage erupted.
She swung the Mad Gumiho wildly.
In an instant, mana-forged spear phantoms filled the air.
It was one of her skills: Rain Spear.
The Rain Spear unleashed with the Mad Gumiho packed devastating power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Where the spears struck, the sand exploded like a volcano, pillars erupting and scattering in all directions, turning the area upside down.
But Zeon was nowhere to be seen.
Eloi scanned sharply for him.
She spotted him soon enough.
He had shifted twenty meters to the left.
No wounds from the spear in sight.
"Cheap tricks..."
Eloi rushed at him like the wind.
The Mad Gumiho extended, thrusting straight for Zeon.
Just before it pierced him, Zeon swung his gauntleted fist.
CLANG!
A metallic ring echoed as the Mad Gumiho bounced off.
"What the—?"
Eloi blinked in shock.
The Mad Gumiho, true to its dungeon origins, boasted insane piercing power.
Normal weapons or armor shredded like paper.
Yet this unassuming gauntlet had blocked it.
"That thing's a dungeon item too, huh."
"A friend made it for me."
"Fuck! Some human made that?"
"You're half-human yourself—bit much to trash 'em, no?"
Zeon chuckled.
No wonder she was stunned.
The gauntlet he wore was made by Kaili, the rare enchanter he'd met before.
Fusing it with a red dragon's eye had evolved it into the Superheat Gauntlet.
It was a far cry from Kaili's original creation.
Its power rivaled the Mad Gumiho's.
"Die!"
Eloi went berserk.
She flailed the spear madly while scattering something from her pocket around Zeon.
It was a trap.
Designed in Neo Seoul for hunting monsters.
Far from ordinary.
Any mana-bearing lifeform in range got yanked in by terrifying suction and bound.
Even the strongest beasts froze momentarily once caught.
She'd tossed over a dozen.
Zeon's escape routes were sealed.
She attacked freely—but every blow met his gauntlet.
CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks flew with metallic clashes.
Eloi pressed forward with attacks; Zeon retreated, defending.
Advancing was easier than retreating, and you could put more force into offense—making it stronger.
The aggressor had the edge.
Or so Eloi thought.
Reality proved otherwise.
Zeon slid backward like he was tethered by invisible strings—too smooth for her speed to catch.
Worse, he hadn't used a single skill yet, just observing her every move.
As if gauging her true strength.
"Fucking bastard..."
Eloi lost it, swinging the Mad Gumiho wildly.
Each swing unleashed massive skills at Zeon.
BOOM!
Sand erupted; slashing winds whipped everywhere.
Zeon's hair fluttered in the gale, but his eyes—hidden behind strands—betrayed no tremor.
The Mad Gumiho split into nine true blades—not illusions.
With a gesture from Eloi, the nine spears rose high.
A blinding light poured from the mana linking them.
"Die! Nine Spear Strike!"
Her ultimate skill unleashed.
Zeon's retinas filled with the glare.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Fun."
It had been ages since anyone bared their teeth and charged him like this.
Since the Leviathan fight far south, most monsters avoided him outright.
He hadn't had a real scrap in forever.
Facing someone going all-out brought a rare thrill.
Zeon channeled mana into the Superheat Gauntlet and struck.
WHOOSH!
Flames roared from the gauntlet.
The crimson blaze spiraled like a dragon's breath, smashing into the Nine Spear Strike.
BOOM!
"Ngh!"
A stifled groan escaped Eloi. Her face drained white from the shockwave.
Far from toppling Zeon, she'd taken a direct hit.
The nine spears scattered; through the gap, Zeon charged.
His glowing red gauntlet burned into view.
For a split second, the crimson gem on its back resembled a massive beast's eye.
Zeon closed in and unleashed a devastating punch.
THUD!
"Gah!"
Eloi screamed, flung backward.
Crossing her arms had saved her—any slower, and her chest would have caved in.
Her arms felt like they'd snap.
But Zeon's assault wasn't over.
CRACK!
His knee smashed her face.
No scream this time.
Nose shattered; her mind reeled.
Still, Eloi fought to rally for a counter.
Zeon wasn't about to let her.
THUD!
His fist slammed her gut.
Eloi vomited her stomach's contents, tumbling across the sand.
"Fuck!"
She reached out.
The Mad Gumiho summoned to her grasp—but she couldn't swing it.
Zeon pinned her chest with his knee and clamped her wrist with iron fingers.
Eloi gnashed her teeth, trying to shake him off. Futile.
Still pinning her, Zeon spoke.
"Call Mandy."
"Fuck off!"
CRACK!
His fist crashed into her face.
Cheekbone shattered; blood sprayed.
"Call. Mandy."
"You... bastard!"
"Don't wanna die? Then..."
Eloi glared with venomous eyes.
But meeting Zeon's gaze, she swallowed dryly despite herself.
What kind of eyes...?
Cold, emotionless black orbs.
Like staring into a monster's, not a man's.
"Last chance. Die as Eloi, or bring out Mandy. Choose."
"Sh... shit!"
With that, Eloi's expression flipped in an instant.
The defiance vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
It was Mandy.
"Hic... sob!"
Tears streamed down Mandy's face.
Zeon smiled at her.
"Now we can talk."