“No matter what, it’s precious power, but throwing it away like this is useless.”
The once intimidating black energy, along with Liu Xiao-Wo’s magic power, was melting away like a soft cat.
I summoned ‘Gori’ and had it pick up the cat.
“Biiiit!”
──?!!
“Wow?! It’s a one-eyed bat?! How cute!”
“Biiit!!”
The summoned ‘Gori’ flapped its wings energetically while carrying the black cat.
Though ‘Gori’ could easily lift an average adult male, the weight of this black creature was not as light as it seemed.
“Biiibbit!!”
As I summoned another, Liu Xiao-Wo’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“Oh my, you’re handling multiple monsters? Especially this one, I’ve never seen before… It looks a bit like a ghostly black creature? It’s adorable! You’re amazing!”
“Huh? It’s nothing special.”
“A power I’ve never seen before… How is summoning a C-rank monster nothing?”
It seemed she had finally decided to use honorific speech with me after some consideration.
On the surface, I must look quite a bit younger than her. But I guess it doesn’t matter.
“If I summon ‘Jim’, she’ll be even more surprised.”
(Nya-heung…)
The cat dangling from the bat’s legs briefly glanced between Liu Xiao-Wo and me before ultimately fainting and drooping its head.
“Hmph, damn guy. Sleep forever.”
She hurled curses at the unconscious summoned beast.
“These… weren’t you the one who created them?”
“I did create them, but… this wasn’t what I wanted. They were partially consumed by that damn Collective of Evil, and I can’t do anything about it. It’s really a headache.”
“Hmm… If it’s already halfway consumed, isn’t it dangerous?”
“There’s a balance between me and that thing. It’s too far away to break that balance. As long as nothing special happens, it should maintain like this…”
“······ That’s delicate. Let’s head over there for now.”
“Yes.”
I moved on with Liu Xiao-Wo for a while. We aimed for a location where even if Jo Gi-man noticed the clones, he wouldn’t be able to identify us.
After about twenty minutes of travel, I finally found a secluded clearing and came to a stop.
“Whoops.”
Despite the speed we maintained, Liu Xiao-Wo was following me without breaking a sweat.
Considering I had just significantly shared power with the blue cat earlier, I had adjusted my speed, but apparently, that consideration was unnecessary.
“Even if I max out my speed, she’d probably catch up. I thought I was pretty fast… but what the hell is that monster?”
No matter how fast a wolf is, it can’t outpace a hawk soaring through the skies.
“Sit.”
“Uh? Ah, yes.”
The bench had rusted beyond management, so I spread a blanket on the ground and asked her to sit.
“Uh, um… can I really sit?”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“Oops… I’m sorry.”
After hesitating for a moment, she gently laid herself on the blanket and began smiling uncontrollably as if it was the greatest thing ever.
“Hehe… it’s so soft.”
It’s just a pretty basic blanket, yet she was enjoying it like a child.
‘How strange… how did it come to this?’
It’s an odd picture—me, bossing around the strongest one in China to sit, and her obediently following.
‘Before going to the dinner hall, I envisioned a very serious situation…’
I thought there was a high chance I’d end up dead.
But the outcome so far was the exact opposite.
For some reason, Liu Xiao-Wo was looking at me with eyes full of affection, and for me, it didn’t feel that difficult to treat her kindly.
I couldn’t quite understand why. Maybe it’s because she reminded me of someone with a similar aura.
‘What Inessa said about her not being difficult to deal with was indeed true.’
My trust in the oracle soared through the roof.
‘She’s someone I must kill… but her abilities are off the charts.’
When she spoke, I should assume whatever she said would happen and act accordingly.
“Uh… um…”
Liu Xiao-Wo, who had been fiddling with her lips, struggled to find her words.
Every time our gazes met, she would wave her hands in front of her face and just smile bashfully.
‘I need to drag this out for about 100 minutes. What kind of conversation should I have?’
I could probably kill some time just staring blankly at her, but I might be able to gather some information I didn’t know too.
“Shall we start with introductions?”
Unable to handle the silence any longer, I threw out the first topic.
“Uwaah! Yes, yes! I’ll listen to anything!”
“······?”
She seemed a bit too tense, as she didn’t catch what I said.
Even her hands and lips trembled, and she tightly clenched her fists.
‘Shouldn’t have tried talking to her.’
Despite this, her eyes were fixed on me, and oddly, they appeared much clearer and more vivid than when we first met.
As she glanced around, inspecting my face repeatedly, her eyes gradually filled with tears.
‘… This isn’t the right atmosphere for a conversation. She’s really unpredictable.’
As with many Awakened Ones, her emotions seemed to fluctuate wildly.
And for some reason, she seemed to be perceiving the world anew at this moment.
Could it be that the disappearance of the cats by her side had freed something within her?
While I made such assumptions, I allowed her to fully enjoy the current moment.
As I sat in a diligent posture, gazing at the sky, she appeared to brighten even more.
Her glare on me was a bit intense, but the longer it lingered, the more her magic power astonishingly recovered, so I just went along with it.
Tap-tap—
“Ugh…”
After about ten minutes, I heard something that sounded like drops falling.
Liu Xiao-Wo had slipped her fingers through the gaps in her blindfold and was wiping her eyes.
I decided it would be best to just ignore such a thing.
Whoosh──
Without thinking about anything, I enjoyed the spring breeze carrying the scent of flowers, passing by several times.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve just sat here blankly like this.’
The weather was so nice that I might have unconsciously smiled.
“It’s beautiful…”
“Hm?”
“Um… oh…”
When I turned my head, Liu Xiao-Wo hurriedly shifted her gaze away.
‘I heard she wasn’t originally like this.’
From what I had learned beforehand, she was described as hysterical, cold, cruel, and brutal.
I thought she was somewhat akin to the ‘Witch’, the leader of the Vision Guild back in my country.
But the woman sitting beside me was nothing like that.
But I couldn’t let my guard down.
She was the leader of those oppressing billions of Non-Awakened Ones and the mastermind behind the slave trade.
‘They said her extreme awakening was due to the hardships she faced as a child, but even considering that… it seems excessive.’
As I was caught up in such thoughts, she murmured softly again.
“Thank you… truly…”
She must have expressed gratitude at least dozens of times by now.
I didn’t know exactly what she was grateful for, but one thing was clear: she felt an immense debt toward me.
“If it’s that thankful, how about you help me out with a few requests later?”
“?! Anything! A hundred or even a thousand, just ask! As long as it’s within China, there’s nothing I can’t do!”
‘Of course, you’d say that. Who would dare oppose you?’
Sitting next to her was honestly suffocating.
Just being nearby felt overwhelming just from her aura, making me want to escape right then and there.
I think this might be the first time I’ve believed an Awakened One was definitely stronger than Jo Gi-man.
But I didn’t show any discomfort.
I still had to endure for another hour.
‘What worries me more is that I have no idea what Inessa will do in an hour.’
I could guess that she might wake up the Necrosquall, but what happened after that was uncertain.
‘Sigh… I don’t know. Anyway, she said it wouldn’t cause harm to my country.’
Having received such assurances, I wasn’t overly worried, but I still couldn’t shake the unease.
And soon, the time of [Mimicry] would come to an end. I also had to think about how to separate Liu Xiao-Wo from the situation.
I had a feeling that if I made a sudden exit, something big would go wrong.
“Um, your name… um…”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I…?”
‘This feels like when I first met Yeon-hee.’
The disappearance of the cats had undoubtedly changed her personality. This was probably the original Liu Xiao-Wo.
“Just call me ‘Alpha’. I don’t have a real name.”
“Alpha… yes…”
She seemed satisfied with the meaningless alias I supplied.
I noticed her brushing away tears, and the blindfold she wore had shifted slightly, which caught my attention.
“Why do you wear that?”
“Huh?! Ah… this? Should I take it off?”
“No, it doesn’t matter. I’m just curious.”
“Curious…?”
She smiled brightly and chewed her lips slightly before continuing.
“Because the scars from being abused as a child aren’t easy to erase…”
‘I don’t think it’s worth worrying about that much.’
If it’s something that bothers her, then it’s valid.
“Scars before awakening are hard to erase.”
“Yes. And wearing the mask makes it easier to face people… considering my position…”
‘At least she’s self-aware.’
“Hm— do you find it difficult to talk about the Cat Mask?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. That’s something bound by a contract with that ‘guy’, so I can’t speak of it… I accidentally said a forbidden word earlier, and it cost me 1 health.”
“Does just one word really make your maximum health decrease?”
“I was told I would let it slide today.”
“Oh, I see…”
‘Is she referring to that Collective of Evil? It’s a miracle that she’s kept her sanity while being bound to such a dangerous entity.’
Anyway, having seen the abilities of those five, I felt prepared to deal with them.
The green one had the ability to temporarily banish existences within a certain range and create chaos.
The blue one could be used as a clone and was immensely fast—almost surpassing ‘Sword Dragon’s maximum speed.
The gray one could create a semi-permanent suppression list, and nullify the powers of all within a certain range.
The black could scout using a ‘Ghost Transformation’ ability and was connected to that Collective of Evil. And decisively, I wonder if the one releasing them isn’t gray, but black?
‘The most mischievous red one is probably tasked with protecting Liu Xiao-Wo. It was always closest to her. Just this power alone equips her with almost sufficient party-level strength.’
The ability to release Awakened Ones sounded absurd, yet she also possessed physical capabilities that placed her near the top tier of Transcendents.
‘Remarkable… the barriers seem insurmountable.’
We continued our sporadic conversation, and time passed relentlessly.
You’d think Liu Xiao-Wo would be curious about my identity, but she never once asked a deep question.
“Ahh… um, are you meeting someone…?”
“You’re meeting me right now.”
“Not that… um…”
I didn’t have to make an effort to charm her, which was relieving, but I was growing increasingly concerned about how afraid she might be of my powers.
As we chatted, Liu Xiao-Wo’s aura visibly approached the level I first saw from her.
She told me not to be overly surprised that the power of the blue cat had returned.
“The return of the blue cat’s power means Jo Gi-man has taken note. That idiot, so quick to catch on.”
“Jo Gi-man… is that the name of the fake that ran ahead?”
‘The strongest in Korea doesn’t know? The Chinese really only care about their own issues.’
“Yeah. He’s probably the strongest in the world. It’s best not to provoke him carelessly.”
“That…?! The strongest in the world? I never felt he was quite that strong.”
“He must be weakened due to the Mimicry state. And behind him… well, just don’t think about battling him.”
“Ah… I understand what you mean.”
‘But how much longer will it be? Is Inessa really planning to take the full two hours?’
As the end of the Mimicry time approached, I began to mull over my exit strategy.
“Um…”
“Hm?”
“The person who lured me in earlier, Jo Gi-man… surely you have some connection with him.”
“Well, you could say that. To be honest, I’d feel pleased to rip him apart.”
“······ So he’s an enemy?”
“More like that, I guess.”
“Jo Gi-man… Jo Gi-man…”
Liu Xiao-Wo repeatedly whispered the name Jo Gi-man, her eyes gleaming with intensity.
I felt a chill run down my spine for a moment, but soon after, she managed another smile and asked me.
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