Chapter: 979
An hour had passed. It was still bright daylight.
Looking at the position of the sun, it feels like there’s still quite some time before sunset.
I slowly moved forward while taking in that sight.
Even though I was moving my body calmly, my head was filled with various thoughts.
I recalled the concerns about the similarities mentioned by Shin Noya.
Additionally, I took stock of my physical condition in case of an unexpected situation.
‘… Huh…’
As I circulated my energy, observing my body, I realized I wasn’t in the best shape.
It couldn’t be helped. I had already taken quite a beating when dealing with the Blue Leader at night.
Though thankfully, I hadn’t suffered any serious wounds, so there was that.
However, constantly moving my body when I should be resting to recover meant there wasn’t much time left to heal.
‘… It’s true that regeneration doesn’t work well when using that body-translating technique.’
While it’s a significant power that alters the body, the drawbacks are quite evident.
Changing my body feels like my bones might shatter!
And after transforming, it takes a considerable amount of energy just to maintain that change.
Also.
The transformed body heals wounds more slowly, and I feel pain more intensely, among other things.
All in all, aside from the ability to change my body, this power had really few advantages.
That being said.
‘I hope nothing happens.’
Already involved in a battle with the Blue Leader.
Considering the injuries I had received prior, it meant my body wasn’t in the best state.
Aware of that, I would rather prefer to pass through this quietly.
‘… Indeed.’
Could that really happen?
I tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling I sensed for some reason.
Gradually, I began to arrive at my destination.
‘Hmm.’
I stood in the midst of a bushy grove and glanced around.
‘Nothing seems to be here?’
I couldn’t see anything at all.
Could it be that someone’s watching me from somewhere? I attempted to elevate my sensory perception slightly to confirm.
Crackle!
I sensed a presence.
The moment I turned around to feel it.
“Hahaha.”
A cheerful laugh reached my ears.
At the same time.
“It’s you!”
An overwhelming amount of battle intent surged towards me.
*
Kuwagung—!!!
Something seemed to fall from the air. I twisted my body to evade the attack.
‘What’s this?’
It was an unexpected ambush. What on earth was going on? I rolled my eyes while dodging successive assaults.
Is this the work of that Similarity?
If so, then it’s certainly the doing of a Similarity.
However, it didn’t seem like they attacked me directly. Maybe they called in troops?
‘That’s not it.’
The presence felt distinctly like it came from one person.
This one individual must exhibit a particularly strong momentum.
I squinted my eyes and gazed at my opponent. An assault came through the dust.
Avoiding the flying claws, I focused on the face belonging to the owner of those hands.
‘Ah.’
That was when I recognized who she was. It was my first time seeing her in person, but I already knew of this woman.
‘Red Chief.’
Red Chief Hong Jeong.
I think I’d heard her referred to as the strongest noble or something like that?
‘Just looking at the name implies she’s the strongest among the chiefs.’
She appears young. The other chiefs also looked significantly younger than their actual age, but that could be attributed to the Moonlight Tribe’s characteristics.
Considering that.
‘She doesn’t even seem to have reached adulthood yet.’
While the other guys seemed to be in their forties or fifties.
This red lady had a face that looked barely past her teenage years.
“Hehehehe—!!!”
In the midst of it all, she suddenly seemed charged with excitement, darting towards me.
‘Tsk.’
She was fast. It seemed she didn’t use any weapons. It looked to me like she mainly relied on unarmed combat skills.
Boom—! Kbang Kbang—!!
Whenever her fist or claws grazed the ground, it shattered, and trees fell at their mercy.
The energy permeating her movements was impressively intense.
‘Hmm.’
What should I do about this?
‘Why did this girl suddenly jump into the fray?’
Honestly, there was no need to overthink it. It was already quite clear.
‘It’s the doing of that Similarity.’
This had to be the chaos that Noya was concerned about.
Still, what was the reason for sending the Red Chief?
As soon as I finished contemplating, even more questions arose.
However.
Hwaaaaak—!!
‘Damn it.’
I was in no position to entertain thoughts.
After dodging those nails once again,
Thud—!!
I stamped down hard on the ground and twisted my waist.
My rotating foot made contact with the red body.
Paaang—!!!
The shockwave erupted, launching her backward. It didn’t land perfectly, though.
Red managed to block the attack and perform a roll even in that brief moment.
“Oh… you’re attacking during that gap?”
She widened her eyes in surprise at my sudden assault.
Holding back a sigh, I said to her,
“You are not the person I wanted to find.”
She seemed to ask, “Where did Yusa go, and where are you four years ago?”
“No, that’s right. I was waiting for you.”
The Red Chief just laughed, casually replying, “I was just curious about what happened to our foolish older brothers.”
Crack—!
She crouched down like she was preparing to leap. The ground trembled, and the pressure grew as her toes dug in.
“Wanna see what the top looks like?”
Kuuung—!!!!
A red flash shot towards me.
Oh, no.
I frowned beneath my mask, taken aback by the sight of the impending red streak.
Never did I think she would come charging like that. I certainly hadn’t expected her to.
Quagagagagak—!!
‘Crap!’
I narrowly dodged the claws. At that very moment, I caught sight of her tail whipping behind her.
Kwak!
I shifted my hand to avoid the tail swinging towards me but realized there just wasn’t a good angle to evade it. I had to block it.
Thud!!
My arm felt a jolt of pain as I was pushed back.
It looked just like a tuft of fur, but how could it be so sturdy?
‘Damn it.’
Biting my lip, I began to gather my energy.
My body surged with vitality.
I tried to decode the bastard’s actions with my keen eyes.
‘Crazy.’
I needed to contain my surprise as I observed her.
‘No clear pattern to the movements.’
Even when I focused, I just couldn’t see her actions as clearly.
The power of the mind’s eye is supposed to enable me to gauge my opponent’s energy and foresee their next move.
‘This girl…’
She didn’t give off that kind of sensation.
It wasn’t that she didn’t have energy to begin with.
Even now, she was panting heavily, exuding a wild energy, so she definitely possessed it.
‘Does that mean she just doesn’t rely on a strategy like herbivores?’
The expected attack patterns weren’t visible.
She simply moved on instinct.
‘I never expected this.’
She wasn’t a beast or monster. While she looked human, she smashed into me like a wild animal.
This was a first in my experiences.
“Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!”
As if having the time of her life, the Red Chief barreled towards me, brimming with excitement.
Seeing her reminded me of something.
‘Ah.’
It wasn’t the first time I experienced this feeling.
I had fought a creature with a similar vibe before.
‘She resembles Bong-soon.’
Her approach was just like Bong-soon’s, fighting purely on instinct.
Despite looking formidable, she rushed at me exactly like that.
“Where are you trying to dodge to?!”
Kwadeuk—!!!
Her claws sliced through the air.
The energy was so intense that it left marks in the air where they passed.
I twisted my head in a flurry, dodging her relentless onslaught.
She was just like Bong-soon, only she didn’t sound nearly as threatening.
The real issue was.
‘That’s a far stronger Bong-soon.’
The disparity in strength was overwhelming. She seemed to be on the level of Gui Chang from my previous life. This felt as though it reached that level.
“Hahahaha!”
Seeing her charging toward me with a grin on her face, mixed with a glint of madness in her eyes.
‘Who would believe someone could look so insane without having been possessed by a demon?’
I couldn’t fathom how someone with a clear mind could wear such an expression.
After weaving around for a while, she took a brief pause.
“Oh? Are you giving up now…?”
Thud!!
“Gaggh…!”
I dove into the advancing Red Chief and slammed my fist right into her gut.
She was shocked and flew backward.
This time was different. She didn’t manage to block my attack, nor did she perform any acrobatics.
Kwaggagagagang!!
A thunderous explosion erupted, leaving chaos in its wake.
Shaking off my hands, I loosened my body slightly all at once.
A Bong-soon who was unbending in her resolve?
What was the level of that Ghost?
‘So what’s next?’
It all felt alright.
Despite it being daylight, I wasn’t worried about anything with the Moonlight Tribe as long as the moon hadn’t risen.
“Cough…!”
Amidst the dust, Red was kneeling. I could see her clutching her gut, spitting blood.
“Hehehehe…”
Yet she was still laughing. Seeing her laugh while regurgitating blood was downright eerie.
“It’s fun… it’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun…?”
Her eyes sparkled with delight. It was clear she was intent on killing me!
What the hell should I do with this situation?
Even in my current condition, I could potentially emerge victorious.
‘There’s still quite a while until nightfall.’
It was crucial to conserve whatever strength I could.
‘Should I throw a few jabs?’
If I played this right, I’d even be able to provoke her to make things a little easier.
With that assessment, I opened my mouth.
“It’s trivial.”
Red turned to look at me in response to my words.
“It doesn’t even feel rewarding; it really doesn’t excite me.”
“… Hahaha. Why? But it’s still more entertaining than the Blue Leader, right?”
“Blue? Ah.”
She nodded, as if recalling something momentarily forgotten.
“There was someone like that.”
“Hahaha. You really forgot that you made a hole in your chest? It hasn’t even been a day, you know.”
“I’m not so magnanimous that I would bother remembering the weak.”
“Oh… what’s that? Do you like that phrase?”
“Furthermore, this also applies to you four years.”
Knock knock! I gently rolled my wrist.
“It’s just so terribly idle, just like the boredom of a monotone existence.”
I focused my heart. My magical energy wrapped around my hand.
“If we’re really going to compare who is better, the trick I witnessed yesterday was slightly more entertaining.”
“What…?”
My words caused Red to stop in her tracks. It appeared my mention of Blue being superior had caused her to stiffen up.
‘Hmm.’
I squinted at that.
I was just trying to provoke her a bit, but surely it had worked?
If it didn’t pan out, I’d need to prepare another way to taunt her.
“Oh, that’s a bit…”
Fortune favored me, as it seemed unnecessary after all.
“Are you really ticked off?”
Kwaaa—!!!
‘Damn it.’
I had to swallow my frustration against the tidal wave of energy surging towards me.
The murderous intent and speculation overwhelmed the air like never before.
‘… What was it that I said?’
Looking at Red, was it the strongest noble I referred to her as?
I remembered hearing some explanations.
‘This feels a bit beyond the pale.’
The overwhelming presence escaping from what seemed to be a suppressed state was beyond comprehension.
Did I just mess up?
Tch. I clicked my tongue and licked my lips.
It honestly appeared as though I might have erred.
If things continued like this…
‘Looks like I have to take her down.’
I was curious if it would be possible to leave her alive or possibly turn her into a demon.
But going by her current demeanor, it seemed unlikely.
With a breath, I steadied my resolve.
‘Let’s take her down.’
Just like she did before.
I prepared to unleash the lethal intent I had been harboring within my body.
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