I spent my time waiting, manufacturing bombs until deep into the dawn, pouring out the corpses of captured monsters for dismemberment with my summoned creatures.
Splish-splash—
In the makeshift pool I had dug up in one corner of the front yard, Fibryn was happily swimming around.
It looked like I had just roughly dug a hole and poured water into it, but in reality, I had created a luxurious pool filled only with Irmana’s water, made from stones collected from Dark Space.
(Fibbuuur──!!)
A cotton candy-like creature with a water-like hue waved its soft paw at me.
Fibryn, expressing gratitude, was so cute. Everything about its actions made it an adorable creature.
I greeted Fibryn with a small wave of my finger.
Tingling—
In the deep dawn, even the grasshoppers had fallen asleep.
‘Good, at this hour, there’s a high chance they’ll be careless.’
I activated my cloaking ability and boldly pressed the point directing towards the Great Evil One Haseirin.
*
[Temptress of Discord, Haseirin]
‘Ugh, damn her. She’s killed this many people in the meantime.’
As soon as I moved, the updated information about Haseirin gnawed at my psyche.
Now, the number of people Haseirin had killed had surpassed five hundred.
If I had grown a little faster, maybe the people who died wouldn’t have had to… I involuntarily felt a fog descending in my mind.
‘Focus. If I fail this time, even more people could die.’
I first scanned my surroundings.
This was definitely the café where I had last seen Haseirin.
Thanks to the thick darkness, the café, despite having beautiful lighting, gave off a strangely desolate atmosphere.
Cautiously stepping out of the café and spreading out my sensory waves, I sensed the target I was looking for.
‘It’s good that I detected them right away, but why are they here at this hour?’
Are they, like last time in the abandoned building, here to indulge their dirty desires by pitting people against each other?
‘…But that’s not it.’
Only five men surrounding Haseirin were sitting in meditation, illuminated by the moonlight.
I couldn’t sense any other presence…
‘All five of them are High-Rank Hunters. Did she charm them all?’
It was concerning that Haseirin’s bodyguards had increased to five, but what stunned me was that they were on high alert with her in the center.
Haseirin, sitting in the heart of the O-Man constellation, was dozing lightly.
Why are they waiting here instead of at home?
‘It feels like she’s prepared for an attack…’
If she had sought help from a future-seeing ability user like Inessa, it would make sense. But as far as I know, such abilities are extremely rare globally.
Of course, someone like Inessa is at the top, while the rest can barely see events that happen a day or two ahead. That’s impressive too.
In any case, the chances of her seeing the future were slim.
But if a skilled ‘fortune-teller’ had prophesied, “It’s dangerous to be at home,” or “Be cautious during the dawn,” it would change things.
‘Hmm… or maybe she discovered some intangible connection related to me…’
Whether it’s that she’s connected to Haseirin or pinning coordinates around her doesn’t matter; I’m using a dimensional shift ability.
Even though I can’t see it with my senses, it’s clear that there’s something connecting her and me.
If there’s an ability user who can sense that, then her actions would make sense.
‘Phew— but she still hasn’t detected me.’
– Even beings with a higher rank than you cannot perceive your [Stealth] with just their five senses and items.
Advanced and enhanced stealth.
With [Dark Illusion], my presence was drawn into the shadows, allowing me to easily deceive even six strong opponents, who were presumably at the lower end of A-rank.
‘Should I get a little closer?’
[Mutated Crawl]
– Can move silently and stealthily.
I had to utilize all available skills.
I narrowed the distance to 50, 40, and 30 meters.
They still remained unaware of my existence, meditating with their eyes closed.
Just because their eyes are shut doesn’t mean they can’t see their surroundings.
Their sharp senses approached me violently, like a bone-deep drumbeat.
‘Incredible strength. Their physical abilities may be less than that of the Variant Blood Mosquito, but thinking of their other skills…’
I observed the dozens of intangible shields and strings surrounding them, each one a tool, equipment, and skills designed to detect hidden entities. They all seemed costly, indicating a lucrative business at play.
Yet, importantly, they still couldn’t detect me.
‘What should I use to attack…’
Now, it was time to choose my means of assault.
In fact, the most certain way would be to self-destruct just like I did when I took down the Blood Mosquito variant.
That way, I could certainly wipe out not just those six but the entire area without a trace.
However, if I toss my life away every time I face a strong enemy, I won’t survive in the long run. There were circumstances surrounding the Mosquito blowing up like that.
For now, I opted out of [Manhwa Portal].
While it provides great stability with the invincibility, I had doubts it could deal meaningful damage to them, having the magic explode into thousands of bullets.
Fire magic was also out of the question.
If I gathered all my magic power for a powerful strike, it could deal a considerable blow, but the question remains on whether it could cut through the five and reach Haseirin.
What about the [Skeleton Bomb]?
While the [Skeleton Bomb] has more destructive power than magic, it faces limitations when focusing on singular point attacks.
Of course, I was currently training for a coordinated attack using ‘Gori’ to overcome that, but I was still far from ready.
‘[Meteor] will likely be dodged somehow.’
Meteor falls at incredible speeds, but they’re already superhumans who have surpassed human limits.
Thinking back to when I encountered ‘Rough Tooth,’ the evolved form of teeth in the “Mighty Living Statue” dungeon, it momentarily reacted and avoided the meteor’s range.
‘I don’t need anyone else. I just have to kill Haseirin. I only need to split her head cleanly.’
The special ability I gained through job change:
– Acquire ‘Demon Servant’ upon subduing a Great Evil One.
– Acquire ‘Minion’ upon defeating a Great Evil One.
I wanted to subdue and turn her into a fully intelligent ‘Demon Servant,’ but if she’s that prepared, capturing her will be difficult.
Finally, I approached within ten meters of Haseirin.
“…..”
“…..”
The man’s eyebrow closest to Haseirin twitched momentarily.
He opened his eyes and scanned the surroundings, then muttered to himself.
“If I swing and miss today, I’ll tear that sorceress’s mouth open to her neck…..”
‘A sorceress… she must be quite the outstanding one. He seems to have caught onto the connection between me and Haseirin.’
“Quiet… Lady Serin has just fallen asleep.”
After their brief exchange, they reverted to spreading their magic calmly around them in full alertness.
‘It would be dangerous to enter any further.’
Instinctual perception exists.
The serenely rippling zone around them made it hard for anyone, even me in a cloaked state, to push through.
If five A-rank Hunters feel something amiss and wildly unleash their skills, it could get quite complicated. Especially that guy at the back.
‘Ten meters should be enough.’
I have confidence in my movement abilities to believe that.
‘Phew—’
I drew out the newly acquired Great Sword.
Kiieeeng—
The sword seemed to howl as if eager for blood.
‘Beautiful…’
The vibration of the blade resonating in tune with my will was so lovely.
If that beauty continued when I swung it, I would have no other desires.
Whoooosh──
I gathered my magic.
With a mindset of oneness with the sword, I exerted extreme focus.
‘Somehow, this feels good…’
I poured all the energy within me into the Great Sword.
It was almost as if I were forcefully stuffing it in.
Though the sword had become a victim of my will, it still resonated as if delighting in my suffering.
My [Stealth] being so ludicrous lies in the fact that I maintain the stealth status until I release magic.
The immense magical power housed within the Great Sword—nearing 1700—merged with the essence of Earth Cut honed over a century, unleashing an unimaginable energy that burst forth from the sword as if mad.
‘Uhuhuhuh…!’
I kept my breath steady and poured my all into the sword as I charged forward, striking with all my might.
[Air Slash] Flame Cut
─────
?!!
Something clicked.
In that instant, a gigantic bird’s feather swept through my mind.
This sensation is undoubtedly that felt when ‘Black Flame’ activates.
Whoosh── Fwoom fwoom fwoom!!
The flames birthed from the swing of the sword intertwined, creating a swirling yin-yang pattern of crimson and black.
─────?!!
The flames reminiscent of hellfire precisely aimed for Haseirin’s head, and astonishingly, one man—a miracle—blocked the path of my blade with his teammates.
‘They’re dolls who aren’t afraid of dying!’
The Black Flame, first manifested in actual combat!
The black flame, seen only during the explosion of the fire, condensed sharply and sliced through them.
Screeeeeak──!!
The first man hit by my ultimate strike split in half like a watermelon.
“─?!”
The second man followed suit, but the speed of the sword slowed a bit.
The third man’s upper body was shattered, turning to ashes without a trace due to the black flames.
The fourth man’s head burst open and ignited, while the very first one to react—the fifth man—somehow activated an unknown ability, twisting the trajectory of the sword and managed to block my attack at the cost of both hands.
Screech──!
Fwoooom──!
The last man, despite losing his hands, turned back and shouted at Haseirin.
“Ugh! Lady Serin! Quickly, retreat…!”
“Yikes-?! What the hell?! Wh-what kind of monster is that!!”
Haseirin, caught off guard from her peaceful slumber.
It would be a disaster for her, but I had no choice but to swallow my disappointment.
‘Damn…! My critical blow activated with the Black Flame and it didn’t even touch a hair on her.’
Of course, taking down four strong A-rank Hunters all at once was an impressive feat, but considering the slim chance of activating the Black Flame, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss.
‘Having seen my face, I have to kill them all.’
‘Gori!’
“Biiiii!!”
Vrrrrrrr──!
The ring I had summoned while gathering magic ambushed Haseirin from behind.
I called her ‘Gori,’ who had quite a bit of growth from roaming dungeons with me.
When it comes to speed, it can match me without a hint of shame.
“?!”
Haseirin’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of a creature she had never encountered rushing her at phenomenal speed.
“Do you think you can use this filthy thing against me!!”
Yet, Haseirin’s movements could only be described as a superior version of Baek Ah-rin; with a mere gesture, she split Gori in two.
‘But it bought me time.’
Creeeak──
Fueled by the top-tier magic circuit buff, my magic surged back to its peak, and without hesitation, I slashed the throat of the man who had just temporarily lost his awakening ability.
“Ugh- Se…rin…”
Thud─
In the blink of an eye, I decimated all five bodyguards.
‘Huh… is this even possible?’
If I were to assess my ultimate combat power, I would’ve found myself lacking compared to them.
Yet here I was, slicing down those formidable foes altogether in an instant.
‘Hmm… have I been underestimating myself?’
Caught up in level and rank classifications, I reflect on whether I’ve belittled my abilities and overvalued my opponents.
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