#87 Someone's Actually Using This?
The skeleton was enormous, radiating an overwhelming pressure unlike anything before. Whoooong! A chilling ripple emanated from its entire body—a hyper-concentrated, ultra-dense mana that no one had ever heard of or seen.
Xiao Shin swallowed hard without realizing it.
Boom! The sword slamming down onto the building floor sent out a massive vibration. Rumble rumble rumble—
'What kind of lunatic is this?'
Xiao Shin hurriedly shifted his gaze toward Furball. The giant Shabel Tiger flinched in surprise, its eyes rolling as it backed away.
'Damn beast!'
Whoosh! Moments later, it leaped out the window and fled. Xiao Shin ground his teeth.
'Can't let it get away.'
This wasn't some cheap prize. China's top tycoon wanted the Ice Dragon egg, and he'd offered two SS-rank magic stones for it. No way he could let it slip.
Whoosh! Xiao Shin's body sprang into motion too. Kicking off the ground, he chased after Furball at blinding speed.
[Look at this bastard.]
Veins began bulging one by one on Theo's forehead.
* * *
Thud thud thud thud! Furball bolted out of the building at full tilt.
Thud thud thud—
Suddenly, a chill ran down its spine. Glancing back, it saw a shadowy figure charging in. The mana pouring off him was no joke.
'Strong one.'
Really strong. Not just ordinarily strong—this guy was the real deal.
But Furball didn't shrink from something like that. Among the foes it'd faced so far, some had been even tougher.
Kang-ho always stressed one thing.
-Mungchi-ya. When we fight, pick your spot carefully.
Kang-ho was a warm-hearted guy.
-Fighting in the city is trouble. Buildings collapse, people die. So when it's time to throw down...
Grrrrowl— Furball bared its white fangs.
-Head out of the city center, to somewhere deserted. Got it?
Boom! Furball launched a body slam at the incoming foe.
"Guh?!"
As the attacker flew back from the unexpected hit, Furball twisted mid-air.
Thud thud thud thud thud! Straight toward the wasteland beyond Seoul.
Once out of the city, the bustling urban energy faded fast. Furball kept running until it reached a complete no-man's-land. Overgrown bushes everywhere, crumbling asphalt roads like ugly scars from the past.
Furball planted itself firmly, waiting for the enemy.
Whoosh! Xiao Shin arrived moments later, clicking his tongue in admiration.
'Not your average intelligence.'
City-savvy. And it looked familiar somehow. Shabel Tigers acting this smart were rare as hell.
'Plus...'
With that massive bulk and absurd power?
'Damn.'
Suddenly, his heart sank.
-Don't provoke it no matter what. That's definitely one of Choi Kang-ho's beasts.
He'd run into it by sheer bad luck.
'Where's Choi Kang-ho?'
Luckily, no sign of him. For now.
Xiao Shin gathered his thoughts.
'Snag the goods and bail. Running into the owner would be bad.'
Thud! Kicking the ground, his body shot forward toward Furball.
But just as he closed in—
Boom! A ferocious strike hammered into his back.
"Gah!"
A scream escaped before he could stop it.
'Fuck.'
He scrambled to recover, only to find that massive skeleton right in front of him.
Gulp.
[Where you going, punk? New-and-improved Dad's speed is at least three times faster now.]
Theo stood beside it, arms crossed, beckoning with a finger.
That gear on his hand...
'Gauntlet of the Constellation...'
No ordinary guy. The sword the skeleton wielded was a peerless artifact, and now there were two of them.
[You're no ordinary drifter. Nothing like those other nobodies.]
Theo nodded slowly.
[So I'll handle you personally—with my full power.]
Theo pulled another skeleton from his pocket.
"...?"
Fwoosh!Roooar—!
It transformed into a colossal monster. Kasumus, the bone dragon of evil—now even huger, shining with pure mana unlike its grim appearance.
'Insane.'
The skeleton was a monster, but that dino was one too.
Xiao Shin's eyes darted wildly.
[Where's Seol-a, you little shit?]
'Seol-a?'
What the hell was Seol-a?
He glanced at Furball. It averted its eyes.
'What the fuck is this situation?'
Theo took it as refusal and gnashed his teeth.
Rooooaaar—!
Mana surged wildly from Theo's body.
[Fine. You're dead today.]
At the same time, azure mana cloaked Father and Kasumus, their power far greater than before. The two summoned beasts charged at Xiao Shin.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Father's magic sword Apophis stabbed where he'd dodged. BOOM!
An explosion erupted. An eye formed in the center of Apophis's blade, amplifying its power even more.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The area exploded like grenade after grenade.
Crunch! Kasumus bit into Xiao Shin's body.
"Gaaah!"
Xiao Shin smashed his elbow into Kasumus's lower jaw and broke free. He tried to retreat, but Father's pursuit was relentless.
'Damn it.'
Xiao Shin ground his teeth. He'd wanted to save this ability.
But no choice now. He reached into his pocket.
Talismans appeared. He scattered them everywhere.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
White smoke billowed as they summoned something. Corpses rising from the dirt—pale faces, stiff arms outstretched. All in traditional blue Chinese robes, talismans on their foreheads, exuding terrifying mana.
Jiangshi! Weapons forged from processed corpses.
[Huh?]
Theo paused, surprised.
Xiao Shin gestured.
'Grab the goods first.'
Then he fixed Theo with cold eyes.
'Kill this one since he's seen us.'
His unique ability, Daoist sorcery—Corpse Weaponry—activated. Turning bodies into jiangshi and storing them in talismans was peak evil Daoist arts.
Daoist powers were rare among abilities, split clearly into good and evil branches.
Thud! Ten jiangshi in total, each brimming with immense power. Half lumbered toward Furball, the rest at Theo.
But Theo just tilted his head at the sight.
[Someone's actually using this in front of me?]
"...?"
Lots of demon realm folks used evil Daoist arts too. Theo grinned and reached out.
His ability, Necromancer, unleashed its full might.
Shwaaa!
Mana extended from his hand, activating his unique skill: 'Corpse Reclamation.'
Shwa!
The mana seeped into each jiangshi, reverting them to plain corpses.
Plop! Plop!
These were Xiao Shin's power source—the jiangshi that had earned him fame as one of China's Four Heavenly Kings.
Now they crumpled one by one, rotting and stinking.
"Huh?"
Plop! Plop!
"Wha...?"
Xiao Shin screamed involuntarily.
"Wha-what the fuck is this?!"
Ability mismatch. The absurdity of lower-tier powers.
The Awakener world was unfair. Talent decided heaven from hell.
And compatibility gaps between low and high tiers were real, if rare.
Plop! Plop!
As the last jiangshi fell, Xiao Shin's eyes bulged.
'Never heard of shit like this...?'
Of course not—Theo's power didn't exist on Earth. Even in the demon realm, it was bloodline-exclusive to the noble Itilurg family.
Whoooong—
Apophis flew at the dazed Xiao Shin.
Crack!
Xiao Shin hurtled backward, thinking:
'Screwed.'
Something was wrong. Not just the artifacts.
That skeleton's insane combat prowess was unheard of even in China. Its mana wasn't hugely abundant, but its purity was off the charts.
'What the hell is that?'
He frantically pulled more talismans.
'Where'd a monster like this come from? How'd our intel miss it?'
Bang! Bang!
New jiangshi lunged at Theo. Xiao Shin formed hand seals.
Ziiing—
Dark mana gathered in the jiangshi, then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the area.
[Kuh!]
Theo blocked it desperately. Dust clouds billowed, blanketing the zone in darkness.
Moments later, as Theo emerged from the haze, Xiao Shin was gone.
[Shit.]
Theo stomped in frustration.
[Mungchi-ya. What now? What do we do?]
Krrrng... Furball gazed at Theo, thinking:
'Up close, this guy's actually nice.'
[Haa... how? How do we find Seol-a?]
Theo anxiously chewed his nails. Furball thought:
'Misunderstanding's getting worse... big trouble...'
Then—
Whoosh! Phantom raced in from afar in her black suit.
"Ah! There you are!"
[......]
Theo rolled his eyes and trembled.
She poked his side.
"Um, hey."
[What! Don't touch me! I'm thinking!]
Theo snapped irritably. She blinked and held out her smartphone.
"If it's about this..."
"...?"
She asked Theo, who stared at the screen.
"You watching?"
[......Yeah.]
On screen, King was live-streaming.
Seol-a appeared on screen, eyes wide as she looked around, then toddled over. She peered into the camera from King's arms, pointing at the screen and tilting her head.
[Fuck.]
Theo let out a relieved chuckle.
[......]
His narrowed eyes turned to Furball.
[Not Seol-a, huh?]
Furball frantically explained its innocence, shaping a fox from fur, forming an egg, and gesturing protectively.
[Seol-a's precious egg? Kang-ho entrusted it to you?]
Furball nodded.
'Finally, we're on the same page.'
[......]
Theo slumped down in relief, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He sighed deeply, then held out a hand to her.
[Lend me your phone for a sec.]
. . . . . .
"Ah, yeah. Of course Brother Kang-ho's here too. Bro, say hi!"
Kang-ho waved lazily and looked away. King grinned.
"We cut Seol-a's hair—cute, right? Seol-a, wink for 'em."
Seol-a stared at King, then winked one eye. A smile spread across King's face as he stroked her chubby cheek.
Right then—
Theo (Hades) sent 1,000 won!
"Huh? Brother Theo?"