Chapter 451
Chapter 451
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 451
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Whoosh…
Sizzle…
Even as the ominous hot wind corroded the surrounding bedrock, Karen advanced calmly.
She somehow looked in a good mood.
Steadily, ever since her final conversation with Raijin.
- I used to be so sure before, but after meeting Raijin, suddenly I don’t know anymore. You know…
“As expected, meeting Raijin was the right call. This kind of luck again… Hmm?”
Karen had arrived at a massive door before she knew it.
“Blood… reeks something fierce.”
The door, engraved with arrowhead patterns, stood firmly in place.
Its tightly shut mouth looked like it would never open.
Heh…
“Cheap trick, this.”
Whoosh…
Once more, tremendous heat gathered in Karen’s hand.
Sizzle…
The moment her hand touched the door, something bizarre happened.
The firmly sealed door was gone, replaced by one already gaping wide with cracks.
Heh…
A mocking laugh came from behind her.
“Better instincts than that fool who came first.”
A voice that was both Jin’s and human flowed out.
Precisely, Jin had devoured the human, of course.
“Sigh… Why do I always show up after the mess starts? Is it punishment for being late all the time? If they’d sent me first, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Quite confident, aren’t you? If you’d come first, even this body would’ve been satisfied without complaint.”
Seeing that Karen was unaffected by the wind of decay, Bisin discerned that her skill far surpassed Lüjie, who had arrived earlier.
“Bisin, the rotting Bisin.”
“Your name? I’m Karen. You’re the Jin sealed here, right?”
“That was until just now.”
“Hmm… Could you go back inside that door?”
“No other options?”
“He said to call you back if you’re beyond the door, but if it’s open, handle it somehow.”
“Raijin’s words, huh. What’s your take?”
“I’ll handle it somehow. I’m pretty good at listening, you know.”
Heh heh…
Bisin laughed in Lüjie’s body.
“Is that so… Raijin sent another idiot.”
“You two seem pretty close? Maybe stop the bad stuff and get along?”
“You… you reek of the same as Raijin.”
“W-what?”
Karen startled, raised her arm, and sniffed.
“I washed, though. What?”
“…Hypocrite, full of arrogance.”
“…You can tell just by smell? Dog nose?”
Karen peeked beyond the door and grimaced. Inside lay the corpses of the Assembly’s scouts who had found this place, covered in beast bite marks.
“No good, eating just anything.”
“Comrades?”
“No, enemies.”
“Hypocrite, as expected.”
“…You killed them all?”
Bisin didn’t answer.
Clack…
Karen placed one hand on her sword hilt.
Swoosh…
Just that changed her aura dramatically.
“No helping it.”
“Such insolence from mere meat.”
Further talk was pointless.
Bisin spread one hand wide toward Karen.
“Rot.”
[Bisin uses Rot!]
[Rot replaces basic attacks. All target attacks and abilities take on decay properties.]
[Decay stacks up to 100 times, inflicting massive damage upon max stacks.]
Fwoosh-!
A surge of rotting energy rushed at Karen without warning.
Pop-!
Karen swung in a wide arc to shake off Bisin’s energy.
“Useless. It only delays the inevitable.”
“Hmm…”
Swish-!
Persistent contamination followed.
Karen accelerated.
[Karen uses Goblin Step.]
[Movement speed surges dramatically; damage from forward collisions greatly reduced.]
[Fiery afterimages remain along the movement path.]
Flash-!
Sizzle…
Bisin extended his other arm.
Fwoosh-!
Another stream of decay energy lashed out, invading the surroundings.
Karen ramped up her speed, evading both streams of contamination.
Bisin realized she was circling him and held back some power.
Bang-!
Sure enough, Karen slipped in with a flaming sword swing during the moment contamination obscured his vision.
[Bisin uses Mold.]
[Injects mold into collided targets; it doesn’t fade easily.]
[Even if removed, exposure to caster’s attacks causes regrowth.]
[Mold accelerates decay stacks.]
Whoosh…
Thwack-!
Karen’s front kick blasted Bisin away, but he crossed his arms to block most of the impact.
Fizz…
“…Tch.”
Black mold sprouted on Karen’s greaves.
Roar-!
She cloaked herself in flames to burn it off. But the mold didn’t fully vanish, scattering to spots across her armor.
Plop…
Bisin, embedded in the wall, shook himself off and stood. He appeared unscathed.
“I am Jin.”
“So?”
“Barring special circumstances, I live eternally.”
“Again?”
“You’re an ephemeral being.”
“Where’s there a mayfly this big? I’m a fairy, you know.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll rot and meet death all the same.”
“Fairies live long too… Don’t underestimate me. Hmm… More than that, special circumstances…”
Karen grinned.
“Make me wanna create some. Our own special ones.”
[Karen uses Incomplete Combustion.]
[Armor of flame adds to armament based on activity level.]
Her Incomplete Combustion was originally usable only in night raven state. But ascending to supreme realm removed that limit.
Roar-!
A helmet of flame formed atop her armament.
Clack…
Her head now oversized, Karen cackled.
“Check it out, big head, right? Hilarious, huh?”
“…Insane. You mean to fight seriously?”
“You think I’ll lose?”
“Mortal strength and eternal strength differ in rank. How could they be equal?”
Heh…
Karen vanished, leaving a heat haze.
Bisin startled at losing her trail, thrusting both hands toward the sensed presence.
Bang-!
Sizzle…
A clash of burning and rotting forces.
Bisin grabbed her sword to hold.
“What… movement…”
Her sword faster than before.
Karen’s face hid in the helmet, but her eyes blazed through clearly.
Crystal clear, aflame.
Sensing chill, Bisin summoned full power to contaminate her.
“Decay! Life!”
[Bisin uses Aging.]
[Aging usable only on close targets.]
[Maximizes decay stacks in contact state.]
[Corrodes contacted objects.]
Sizzle…
Something that should never happen occurred.
The sword blade—born of Hae-mun and Kang Seol’s efforts, the ember blade—was rotting away.
If the blade rotted and snapped, it was over. A knight without sword couldn’t beat Bisin.
Knowing this, Bisin gripped the blade and laughed.
“As expected, I win. Mayfly.”
* * *
This was when Karen waded ankle-deep into the supreme lake, struggling.
She pondered while lingering in emptiness, seeking true realm.
She didn’t seek help from Jamad, who’d reached supreme whimsically, or Ur, who’d breeze past even that.
This was her fight alone.
Moreover, to share enlightenment with brother Karuna, she needed direct experience.
She fell into meditation anytime. Body training later; now, organize insights.
Not a sorceress or mage, she could only recall stronger knights.
‘…Rain.’
Sun Knight Rain.
Excluding sleep, she strained to recall his teachings over long hours.
Exhausting time passed.
Supreme realm, which she should’ve reached ages ago, felt distant. Yaksha sword, Rain’s teachings.
They didn’t connect clearly.
The more so, the harder she fought to remember past, but old events meant not all teachings surfaced.
Frustrating, agonizing.
Would Rain never appear again?
Had she escaped his shadow somehow?
‘No way.’
Rain was the world’s tallest tree. No escaping its shade easily.
Habitual recall excluding sleep extended even to sleeping hours.
Rain appeared in dreams.
“Karen.”
“Gasp… Huh?”
Thud-!
“Ow! Head! Am I bleeding?”
“Didn’t hit that hard.”
Karen rubbed her head, bolting up.
“Sun’s high noon and you’re still napping, damn brat.”
“How’d you know I’m here…”
“Skipped noon training.”
“Was too hard… was gonna rest a bit!”
Stroke…
Rain swept her forehead.
Stretch…
Pried eyes open to check pupils.
Yank…
Pried mouth to check tongue and throat.
“Fine. Skipped noon, so train till evening. Out.”
“Ee… Sigh… Got it, Rain.”
Reluctantly trudging to training ground.
“Ha!”
“Ha!”
Late afternoon, yet grounds buzzed. All dead serious about growing stronger.
“Your spot’s here. I’ll watch personally; start from Form 1.”
“Did Forms 1-5 yesterday…”
“Form 1.”
“Fiiiine…”
Rain overseeing personally wasn’t rare, but he lacked time for formal knights.
Grumbles arose that he lavished too much on Karen and Karuna, mere trainees.
Yet today, like her father, Rain directly oversaw her.
“Over there… everyone’s staring.”
“Idiot, staring ‘cause I’m tall.”
“Not idiot, it’s Karen.”
“Stupid Karen, begin.”
“Ugh…”
Smack-!
Smack-!
This man was surely Eastern Ghost.
Eastern Ghosts appear at perfect moments to torment humans.
“How’d you know I skipped…”
“Wrist strength! Swing like that, joints break!”
“Yes…”
“Concise replies!”
“Yes.”
“Strong!”
“Yes!”
Smack-!
Smack-!
Montra swordsmanship Form 1 now proficient. Hate to admit, thanks to Rain’s teachings.
Still, tough was tough.
‘Rain coming…’
Rumble…
Sky suspicious awhile.
About to pour anytime. Indoor grounds under construction, so outdoor only; downpour perfect excuse to halt.
Drip…
Drip…
‘Here it comes! Rain-sama!’
Knights eyed sky at drops.
“Shower. Inside; training over.”
“Send squires to oil armor! Rust otherwise.”
Karen about to sheath and head in when Rain asked.
“What’re you doing?”
“Huh? Raining?”
“What’s rain got to do with you, Karen?”
“…Rain means stop training?”
“Who said?”
“Well… everyone does…”
Rain knelt to eye level.
“You’re not formal knight, no personal armor to rust. Plus skipped noon for rest.”
“Train in rain?”
“No plans to fight in rain? So picky!”
“How often fight in rain!”
He eyed her knowingly.
“Often. Very. Rainy days, snowy, any day—fight. Foes won’t care your excuses.”
Stroke…
Rain stood abruptly.
“Got it? Sword up, to position.”
Rebellion surged.
“Ugh… No!”
“Sword.”
“Nooo! Don’t care! Leaving!”
Smack-!
Karen flung sword, turned to go; Rain spoke to her back.
“Karen, I’ll be here.”
“……”
“Wait till you return.”
Karen glanced back; Rain stone-faced.
“Finish remaining training.”
“Rain sucks… hate you.”
Pour…
Fled grounds, leaving Rain.
Clothes soaked, first scalding bath. Forgot Rain in hot water. Child’s strength: swift forgetting.
Then, into blankets, pillow.