Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Shin Seha (1)
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Shin Seha's room was still dark.
Thanks to the thick blackout curtains blocking the windows.
In this room, she couldn't feel the passage of time at all.
Shin Seha liked that.
It didn't feel like another pointless day had ended.
"Phones haven't been ringing lately."
Shin Seha's mood wasn't bad these days.
Because she hadn't heard from Association President Park Sangcheol in a while.
The voice that had been harassing her to join the protests and strikes.
Just the fact that those calls had stopped made her feel like she could breathe again.
"He's not the type to stay quiet..."
She didn't know why the calls had suddenly tapered off.
She didn't want to know.
She just hoped this peace would last as long as possible.
Her mind wasn't entirely at ease.
Just imagining the phone ringing again made her palms sweat.
Until she was completely free of Park Sangcheol, this anxiety would probably continue.
To forget her unease, she turned her gaze back to the monitor.
There was nothing else to do anyway.
Shin Seha blankly read down the text on the monitor.
The Mage Gallery was lively as ever today.
All because the newbie had stirred up something new again.
"This kid really has endless energy..."
When the newbie first said he was distributing items.
Shin Seha had no intention of taking one.
She would never climb the Tower again.
Besides, what use was a shield when she never even left the house?
But seeing everyone in the Mage Gallery decide to take one changed her mind.
In a few days, the gallery would be buzzing with item talk anyway.
If she was the only one left out?
That was unacceptable.
"What an idiot, seriously."
Shin Seha thought her behavior was childish.
No different from an elementary school kid forcing herself to watch a show she didn't like just to join the class chatter.
"...Should I open it?"
The box sat untouched in the corner of the room.
She had no intention of testing it.
Despite its excellent performance, it was fated to gather dust unused.
Just like her, holed up in her room.
"Huh?"
It was then.
A new comment appeared on the post she was reading.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(33R.33Y): (@pKkaetchu) Did you get your package okay? Post a review if you did.
It was the newbie.
Of course, with everyone else posting reviews, it was natural he'd wonder why she was staying silent.
Shin Seha slowly turned her head to look at the package box in the corner.
"Can't just take it and say nothing."
Shin Seha hesitated for a very long time.
Finally, she dragged her heavy body up.
Her joints creaked like a groan.
She carried the box to the living room and carefully peeled off the tape.
"......"
Shin Seha swallowed dryly and pulled out the shield.
Heavier than expected.
The cold metal felt chilling.
"Hoo..."
She set the shield on the floor and stepped far back.
Planning to test if it could block her magic and report back.
Shin Seha timidly raised her right hand.
Crackle.
A tiny spark jumped from her fingertip.
But it was hard.
Mana control was incredibly difficult.
It hadn't been like this before.
A spark so weak and unstable it was hard to believe it came from an A-rank Lightning Mage.
"Weakly... really weakly..."
Muttering like an incantation, Shin Seha controlled her mana.
The spell she planned was a basic lightning bolt, one she could cast without skills.
It was right then.
‘Kya aaak!’
A scream flashed through her mind.
Burning corpses. The eyes of her comrades filled with despair.
Unconscious fear disrupted her mana control.
"Ah... no..."
It was beyond her will.
A massive lightning spear launched out of control.
Kwaaaang!
With a deafening roar, blue light filled the room.
The shield was fine.
No one knew how it was made, but the Unique-grade shield took an A-rank mage's spell head-on without a single scratch.
The problem exploded elsewhere.
The magic blocked by the shield bounced right back, spreading throughout the room.
Pajijijik-!
The TV screen shattered, smoke rising from the computer.
The ceiling fluorescent light broke, showering glass shards.
Soon, the entire house plunged into blackout.
In the darkness, Shin Seha opened her eyes.
Her body was unharmed.
Of course.
A lightning mage couldn't die from electrocution.
But her surroundings were not.
The air reeked of ozone.
Unknown debris littered the floor.
The house was a total wreck.
Seeing the scene, Shin Seha froze.
It was just like that time.
When she had massacred her comrades.
"Ah... aaah......"
Panic overwhelmed her.
***
A few years ago.
When challenging the 40th floor of the Tower.
Her team was fighting the boss.
The boss was a knight on a skeletal horse, the Dark Knight.
Back then, Shin Seha was one of the rare lightning mages in the world.
Climbing the Tower had been easy so far.
Most enemies turned to ash before her lightning.
Overwhelming talent and skill.
She thought the 40th floor would be the same.
A Korean team had already cleared it.
She'd gotten rough info from them.
"This should be enough."
She was strong.
One spell and the fight would end easily.
Then she'd exit the Tower and give interviews to crowds of reporters.
Youngest A-rank Hunter, Korea's fastest 40th floor clear.
Glamorous titles awaited her.
Just imagining it made her heart race.
"Seha, ready?"
The tanker tapped his shield and asked.
All her teammates' eyes turned to her.
Eyes full of expectation and trust.
"Of course. I'll go all out from the start."
Shin Seha nodded confidently.
She reached toward the sky, and storm clouds began to swirl.
"Heavenly Punishment."
With the incantation, countless lightning bolts poured down as if the sky had torn open.
Power enough to turn night into day.
But back then, not all boss monster patterns were fully analyzed.
No one could predict what happened next.
Countless lightning bolts fell over the skeletal knight's head.
But the enemy didn't fall.
The Dark Knight raised his shield from atop his horse.
Seeing no damage, Shin Seha bit her lip.
"One more time!"
Shin Seha gathered mana again to prepare her spell.
It was then.
"Uh... that..."
One teammate muttered uneasily.
Everyone's eyes went to the Dark Knight's shield.
The shield was absorbing all the lightning.
The next moment, the shield shattered, spewing light.
Magic reflection.
Blinding light filled the area again.
Her own magic returned straight at her allies.
The tanker ally instinctively raised his shield and used a skill, but it was useless.
"Block it! Dodge!"
The tanker's shield tore like paper.
Lightning melted his armor and pierced his body.
The healer, prepared for emergencies, fared the same.
Before he could use any skill, his clothes charred black.
"Aaak!"
It all happened in an instant.
Screams and the smell of burning flesh.
Teammates collapsing.
Comrades who trusted her moments ago turned to black char before her eyes.
"Wh-what...?"
Amid it all, Shin Seha survived.
Lightning mages don't die from shocks.
She even absorbed the lightning that killed her comrades.
Shin Seha felt her power grow stronger.
She wasn't happy at all.
"Ah... aaah..."
Her mind went blank.
She couldn't think.
Only the still-standing Dark Knight and her comrades' corpses on the floor.
The Dark Knight slowly walked toward her.
"Die...!"
Shin Seha's emotions exploded.
A torrent of pure power—rage, sorrow, self-loathing—swept everything as lightning.
Apparently, the boss could use that damned shield only once.
The Dark Knight turned to dust without resistance.
[Successfully cleared 40th floor.]
"...."
A cold system message appeared.
Even after defeating the boss, only silence remained.
No comrades left to cheer her victory.
Heavy, horrific silence.
Shin Seha stood blankly, staring at her teammates' corpses.
Corpses that couldn't be taken out of the Tower since they weren't items.
"At least... grab their belongings..."
Ozone and burning flesh stung her nose.
Nausea rose, but she lacked the energy to vomit.
Like a madwoman, she rummaged through the bodies for souvenirs.
Then, with the familiar floating sensation, she was ejected outside the Tower.
"Ah... no..."
Outside waited crowds of people.
She had interviews scheduled.
Bright lights and noisy murmurs.
Reporters rushed in, flashes popping.
"Shin Seha Hunter! You're out!"
"Congrats on clearing the 40th floor!"
"Youngest record! One comment on your thoughts!"
"Ah......"
People congratulating her. Cheering voices.
But Shin Seha couldn't say a word.
Voices buzzed in her ears.
Seeing her blank expression, some noticed something off.
"Huh? Where are the other teammates...?"
One question.
That single line brought terrifying silence to the noisy space.
Eyes turned to her back, the empty Tower entrance.
No way? Faces hardened instantly.
Doubt appeared on everyone's faces.
"Ah...."
Shin Seha couldn't bear the stares and collapsed on the spot.
After that day, hunters learned the 40th floor boss Death Knight's hidden pattern.
A one-time attack reflection used when receiving instant-death attacks.
Countless reports and new strategies were made.
Useless to Shin Seha now.
From that day, Shin Seha holed up in her room.
Swearing never to use magic again.
***
Days passed.
No reply came from pKkaetchu.
Since that day, pKkaetchu hadn't posted or commented in the gallery for a while.
"Something must have happened."
Maybe just busy with real life, but the timing was suspicious.
Her occasionally odd reactions nagged too.
I wasn't the only one; others were starting to sense something off.
ㄴPungdeng-i: Should we try contacting her just in case?
ㄴIcebox: Real-life contact over a few days offline? Isn't that too much?
ㄴPungdeng-i: Just a bad feeling.
I was puzzled by Pungdeng-i's reaction.
ㄴㅇㅇ(222.222): You know something?
ㄴPungdeng-i: Sorry, can't talk about it casually.... I shouldn't have brought it up.
That answer made me even more uneasy.
I texted Pungdeng-i privately.
[Could it be related to the shield I sent?]
Reply came after a long wait.
A text laced with hesitation.
[Maybe.]
[It happened a few years ago. Didn't make the news, so most people don't know....]
Kim Suho cautiously began spilling about pKkaetchu, Shin Seha's past.
The horrific accident on the 40th floor years ago.
How the aftermath was handled, and her current state.
"...This happened?"
I was pretty shocked by the backstory.
Who knew the jokester pKkaetchu had this behind her?
I fiddled with my phone to hear more details.