Chapter 32
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 32
Chapter Title Overwhelming Victory
After scarfing down lunch in record time, we headed to Han River Park just as Yu Minha wanted.
The weather was cooler than expected, drawing crowds out for strolls or bike rides.
Ah, this is the kind of air you need to breathe.
Kang Siyoon fiddled with his mask, his regret plain to see.
He probably wanted to feel the crisp breeze on his bare face, but with all these people around, masks were a must.
Over therecourts empty!
Yu Minha pulled a basketball from his bag and shouted over his shoulder.
He was buzzing with excitement, like a puppy hyped up for a walk.
I hurried after him, chuckling under my breath.
If he had a tail, itd be wagging like crazy.
Stepping onto the green clay court felt oddly awkward for some reason.
When was the last time Id set foot on ground like this?
The past ten years, my feet had only known palace carpets, training field sand, or the wet mud of battlefields.
Memories from Grand Quest Saga flooded in hard.
Shards of images stabbed into my brain like shards of glass.
I clutched my head at the sudden turmoil.
What the hell? Why now?
Id recalled those memories plenty of times before.
But theyd never hit my central nervous system this vividly, like they were real.
Enemies Id cut down in Karis von Waldens body, monsters Id repelled, moments of hardwon victory.
They all crashed into my consciousness at once.
Hngh.
My mind blanked out for a second, legs wobbling.
Luckily, there was a bench right next to meI avoided making a total fool of myself.
But I couldnt escape Kang Siyoons line of sight from behind.
Whoa, Karis. You okay? What was that?
Hoo... Im fine. Just twisted my ankle a bit.
For real? You sure?
I said Im fine. Youre too worried.
A few deep breaths later, the sudden pain faded away.
I flashed Kang Siyoon a faint smile and waved him off.
Go warm up first. Working your muscles without proper prep could lead to injury. Our bodies are our livelihoodswe cant afford to get hurt.
Got it. Check that ankle and come join when youre good.
Will do.
I watched him head to the court, then tilted my head back.
Time to sort this out.
Ive relived those old memories hundredsno, thousands of times. So whys this happening now?
Especially if past memories were flashing back like this, youd expect scenes from my trainee days too, right?
But just now, it was only Grand Quest Saga stuffonly Karis von Waldens memories.
As my mind raced.
My status window popped up uninvited, without a single command.
What the
I checked every stat and detail grade, wondering if something changed, but everything was the same.
About to dismiss it as a glitch, I spotted something blinking down below.
Status Ailment Otherworldly Being PossessorActivated
A status ailment that had never activated before was flashing.
I stared blankly at the words Otherworldly Being.
I thought it was just a descriptor from borrowing a Grand Quest Saga characters body. It actually has its own debuff?
Id seen other trainees status windows beforethey each had one status ailment.
And at key moments, itd flash and activate.
Kang Siyoons Intimidation kicking in during his level test was a prime example.
But Intimidation came with a full debuff breakdown.
Mine, Otherworldly Being, showed no extra details no matter how I looked.
Possessor, long time no see. Heres a brief rundown on the activated status ailment, Otherworldly Being.
Right then, the system generated a message like itd read my mind.
Familiar setup, but this time, the window was bloodred instead of the usual gold.
You are currently 100 synchronized with Karis von Walden. That means you can use the full functions of his body. But its not just the body.
...No way.
Yes. As the possessor, you can access Karis von Waldens mind too. However, since Han Jihyuk possessed this body, Karis von Waldens mind is forcibly sealed. It usually stays that way, but in sudden triggers, the crown princes mind can briefly awaken and influence you.
The Grand Quest Saga memories flooding in unconsciously.
The headache from the hypervivid recallyep, status ailment side effect.
The crown princes mind awakening naturally triggers the status ailment Otherworldly Being. It can cause side effects like momentary memory overload, loss of selfcontrol, or manifesting the princes habits.
How do I deactivate the status ailment?
Simple. Fulfill what Karis von Waldens mind unconsciously craves. Satisfy that sudden urge, and itll deactivate.
With that, a quest window appeared.
Emergent Mission A crown prince knows no defeat. Show an overwhelming victory worthy of my renown right now. Format irrelevant, 60minute limit
The bloodred text felt a tad unsettling.
I read the emergency mission twice, grinding my teeth.
Overwhelming victory. Where the hell was I supposed to get an overwhelming victory right
Ah.
Right on cue, I heard my name called.
Karis! Hurry up! Were all warmed up!
Come divide teams already!
An overwhelming victory, format irrelevant.
The perfect stage to meet that condition was right in front of me.
I shoved the system window aside and stood.
Coming right now.
Yu Minha, done stretching, was already practicing shots.
Heo Yubin, totally unfamiliar with outdoor sports, just kept swinging his arms.
Kang Siyoon sneaked videos of him, snickering.
I stepped onto the court lightly, and Yu Minhas eyes lit uphe tossed a pass my way.
Sudden pass, but I snagged it effortlessly with one hand
Hm?
My hand shot out on instinct, and the ball settled right in.
Yu Minha clapped wildly.
Karis, youre way too good at sports, seriously? Catching with one hand like its nothing!
Haha... My hand just moved on its own.
My palms are too small for thatIm jealous!
I passed back to Yu Minha and rolled my shoulders.
Same vibe as the nametag game.
As expected, Karis von Waldens body is optimized for physical games and sports.
Years on lifeordeath battlefields made splitsecond reflexes a given.
And Id piloted this crown princes body for a decade, so proficiency was off the charts.
Ive got one suggestion!
Before we started for real, Yu Minha raised his hand.
Give me a shot to redeem my loss from last time!
Huh?
I got crushed by Siyoon hyung in nametag. I have to overcome that bitter taste! Im confident in basketball over other sports, so Ill win and get revenge!
You still hung up on that?
Kang Siyoon rolled up his sleeves to the elbows, grinning casually.
I played some ball in schoolsure you wanna go?
I play whenever I can! My favorite manga always has these matchup scenes!
Then 2v2 it is, to even the numbers. Karis, you cool?
Fine by me.
And so the 2v2 match was on.
Me and Yu Minha vs. Kang Siyoon and Heo Yubin.
Okay, Yubin. When the ball comes like this, just snatch it. Got it?
IIm not sure, but Ill try!
Dribble on the ground like this. And passes go like...
While Heo Yubin got crashcoursed, Yu Minha and I shook out our wrists to warm up.
Karis, you know the rules, right?
All remembered.
Youre tall with killer physique, so post up under the basket for rebounds. Ill watch from outside, pass to you, or take shots when I see openings!
Do whatever you wantjust dont get hurt.
Im so pumped! Finally playing ball with friends!
Rockpaperscissors for first possessionKang Siyoon won.
Here we go?
Dribbling at halfcourt, scouting, he dropped low and drove in a flash.
Quick steps faking a layup, then brake and fade back.
Fadeaway!
Yu Minha, caught flatfooted, yelled in panic.
Kang Siyoon, wide open, smirked and shot.
Looked like a sure bucket.
Hm, this should do.
I gauged the distance and exploded off the ground.
Power surged from my knees, launching me up.
My long right arm swatted his shot clean.
Bang!
The ball I spiked slammed the court.
The empty court echoed with the thunder.
...
...
Karis, your hops are insane!
Kang Siyoon and Heo Yubin stared blankly at where the ball landed, clueless.
Only Yu Minha, sure itd been scored, thrust up a thumbsup.
I grabbed the ball and passed to Kang Siyoon.
Keep going?
Yyeah. Dude, that was kinda cool just now?
Thanks.
Go easy, yeah?
Not happening.
Kang Siyoons next possession ended in an outside shottoo strong.
It ricocheted off the backboard right to Heo Yubin.
Yubin! Grab and pass here!
Nope, cant let that happen.
My body moved on autopilot again.
Fluid as an octopus, I leaped over Heo Yubin.
Even jumping late, snagging the rebound was easy.
Plenty of hang time, even.
My elbow hovered way above his headHeo Yubin muttered in daze.
Hhow do you even block that.
I landed light and dunked onehanded, no sweat.
From the threepoint line, I thumbsupped Yu Minhahe froze like a broken robot.
Iincredible. Karis, how many years you been playing?
Its been a while since I played for real. Bodys still stiff.
That jumps straight out of a manga. You sure youre not from one?
Afraid not.
Not mangamore like a game.
Kang Siyoon fetched the ball, face soulless.
Didnt hear the go easy part?
Nah, I heard.
Then why go this hard?!
I glanced at the lingering Emergent Mission and smiled.
Heat was building inside me.
Because I need an overwhelming victory.