“Isn’t it just a matter of putting Eun-young unni in the spotlight and the duel is over?”
Certainly… No matter how impressive the Ilseom’s knights are, I didn’t think they could withstand the shockwave from that cat.
‘It’s hard to dodge too. It just bursts out without any preparation.’
“That might be the case.”
“Uh… Um… Azraelon isn’t fully powered yet. It’s tough to use abilities multiple times.”
“What? Hey, Nyan-nyan? You can barely spit out five times. That’s all you can do?”
“Please don’t say anything about our Azraelon.”
Joo-ah, lying down, playfully taunted Azra with a wave of her hand, prompting Eun-young to respond unusually.
(······ That Joo-ah will one day find out what I’m capable of.)
‘…… Azra, she was just joking. Can’t you pick up on the mood?’
(······ I don’t know what that is!)
Azra growled at Joo-ah in frustration, but to me, it just looked like a chubby cat purring.
Anyway, feeling quite annoyed at Rakan, who charged in as if to swat Eun-young’s arm, it seemed Azra had strained a bit to use its power.
Although it was fatigue setting in, the destructive power was still there.
‘The rebound force is strong, but its lethality is surprisingly low. It’s a weird ability for a demon to have such a benign feel to it.’
“Hmph! Don’t worry. I’ll sweep everything away as number one!”
“Hahyun, what are you believing to say such a brash statement?”
“Just wait and see, hehehe.”
… Whatever happens, the final player, Ham Eun-young, possesses such power that I couldn’t even picture us losing in the duel.
“Yeon-hee, you don’t have to practice… right?”
“I’m just going to focus on getting used to this bracelet.”
“Is there anything to get used to? I don’t feel any effects yet.”
As Joo-ah, still sprawled out, asked in confusion, Yeon-hee stroked her chin and turned to Hahyun.
“There’s definitely an effect. By the way, do you know who made this bracelet?”
“Why? Should I look it up?”
Noh Ha-yoon shrugged, as if she were merely suggesting it.
“Yes, please.”
“That’s not hard. But making a request is tough. Even if they permit it, it’ll be really expensive. Those dwarf folks are experts at scamming.”
Since she was at least a ‘Witch’ of the Vision Guild, it meant she could make a request.
Yeon-hee seemed to like the bracelet, saying that if a request could be made, she would find a way to manage the costs.
‘The flow of magic doesn’t seem to have increased… What’s getting better, I wonder? I can’t tell.’
On the contrary, I felt lighter over time, but I couldn’t grasp why Yeon-hee wanted that bracelet.
Afterward, as I watched the sparring session of my companions, I secretly approached Yeon-hee, signaled her, and then slipped away.
After creating some distance from the house in [Stealth], I promptly activated [Transform].
I hadn’t even tasted the spatial ability possessed by Bin Chi-seung, but it certainly seemed promising.
Since I had a special ability known as ‘Sense,’ I could see a way to escape; otherwise, other hunters might have simply starved to death if locked away.
‘To acquire the [Sanctuary of Vigilance], I need to defeat another ‘Great Evil One’…’
That said, I had no intention of taking risks.
Although also alleviated to some extent, the mental contamination made it too risky to face directly, so I would only figure out what style they employed.
The point that appeared on the mini-map was quite far once again.
Perhaps the strong ones cluster around the capital, allowing the villains in regional areas to run rampant.
Upon touching the point on the mini-map, I gradually outlined a person’s figure.
‘Hmm… another unfamiliar face. The slender build indicates a female.’
There must be many villains who could operate forever without detection if I didn’t interfere, and this woman seemed to belong to that category as well.
The woman that appeared struck me as attractive, with chestnut-colored hair, even to one smitten like me with Yeon-hee.
She appeared to be in her late twenties, but considering the traits of hunters, she should presumably be in her thirties.
[Temptress of Discord Haseirin]
– Instinctively senses lovers at the peak of their love and can seduce one of them with a high probability.
– A heinously wicked Great Evil One who artificially creates unbearable moments of separation.
– Another hobby of this dreadful villain is gathering the seduced and forcing them to fight to the death.
– Unless you intervene, her heinous acts will remain unknown until the end of the world.
– So far, she has led 433 people to their death.
– Currently, she is inflicting pain on 27 individuals.
– Reward: Skill [Sanctuary of Vigilance], strong resistance against seduction and provocation.
‘What kind of lunatic is this…?’
A madwoman who has driven an astonishing 433 people to death.
Indeed, she was a villain, murdering about 290 more than Bin Chi-seung.
‘At least the number of people currently suffering from her is low. That implies she seduces and kills soon after.’
At this point, I even wondered if my previous incarnation, Cha Jin-hyuk, didn’t even qualify among the villains.
– You can inspect the evil acts of [Temptress of Discord Haseirin].
‘This is where it gets tricky… I need to look at it just enough to back out.’
I hesitated for a moment before accepting, and my field of vision changed, transporting me to an open area.
Now, it was an abandoned, commonly seen construction site.
Inside, more than twenty men and women were tangled together, scratching, biting each other indiscriminately.
‘…? What are they doing, laying down items with recognition-inhibiting techniques?’
“Unil, go for it~”
– Ughhh!! Waaaaah! Serin called my name!! Get lost before I tear you apart! I must be with her!
– Kyaaaaaa!
– Waaah!
– D-Don’t bite! My neck, my neck!
‘This is a mess beyond comprehension.’
The fights among ordinary folks are far more brutal and horrifying than battles between Awakened Ones, and mixing men and women only increases the discomfort.
– Die, you bastard!! Serin is mine!!
– Serin is mine! You pumpkin-headed piece of trash!
– Gahhh! K-Knife! S-Stop pushing!
– Eeeeek…! Die, you filthy, smelly ones! A night with Serin is mine!!
“Ahahaha- Unil! Is that all you’ve got? Is that all the love you can muster for me!!”
‘…… It’s that woman.’
It was a sight I didn’t want to see any longer, yet a woman sitting on the opposite sofa was clapping her hands and laughing.
‘She’s undeniably a rare beauty, but if she didn’t have skills, such a situation wouldn’t happen.’
“Ahahaha- Blue shirt! You’re not giving up that easily, are you? Your boyfriend is watching!”
– Aaaaah… Serin…!
‘I see…’
I realized that the phone in the hands of the Great Evil One Haseirin was pointing toward a man.
And beyond that screen, a woman, presumably the girlfriend of the man, was crying profusely as she called out for Haseirin with a desperate, ecstatic expression.
‘Is she trapped somewhere?’
The woman on the video call had a gag in her mouth and her arms tied behind her back.
Haseirin trembled at the sight of such a woman.
‘Crazy woman…’
Seeing that unbearable scene gave me a slight headache, so I set aside the detailed situation and examined Haseirin’s abilities.
‘It probably won’t be felt… Hmm?’
However, unlike with Bin Chi-seung, I could vaguely sense Haseirin’s aura.
‘Is she stronger than Bin Chi-seung? Or can this ability level up as well?’
Regardless, I didn’t care too much.
‘Ability stats at the top tier of B-rank. The overall balance seems good. Kind of gives off the vibe that she’s quite agile like Ah-rin. Still, in a one-on-one fight, I don’t see it being a huge challenge to suppress her… But that ability is the problem.’
She was a rare type, a melee fighter with special abilities.
I wanted to see how she utilizes that ability to separate lovers, but if that could also apply to me, it would turn into a major headache.
[Calmness] does not prevent all status abnormalities, after all.
‘Could I fall into that condition…? It might be possible.’
Lovers at the peak of their love.
Would Yeon-hee and I fall under those criteria?
‘In any case, ending up in a location like this is quite troublesome.’
She probably wouldn’t be residing in this location as the devil herself, and given my limited time, it didn’t fit.
But just as that thought crossed my mind, the location suddenly shifted again.
‘Huh?’
I arrived in a beautifully decorated, reasonably spacious café.
‘Another café, huh?’
It seems I’ve been visiting cafés increasingly often lately.
I used to avoid crowded places as much as possible, but now this hadn’t been so bad…
As I fell into thought in [Stealth], I noticed a woman appearing in the waves of my senses.
Soon after the woman entered, everyone in the café turned to her.
Haseirin crossed the café and took a seat, constantly scanning her surroundings.
Then suddenly, a surge of magic rippled from her eyes as she stared intensely at one of her lovers.
At that moment, something began to emerge on the body of one of the people Haseirin was gazing at.
‘Looks like a mark is being engraved… This must be a hunting ground to identify suitable lovers. Seems this is the place.’
Haseirin, that wicked woman, didn’t speak a word, merely busy marking her prey.
‘Doesn’t seem to be any limitations on her abilities? She’s just freely placing markings.’
Several hours felt like they zipped by rapidly, and after garnering a few pieces of information, I ended the footage.
Returning to the spot where I activated my transformation, I sighed a few times and reflected.
‘There are two bodyguards.’
Just two powerful A-rank hunters were observing Haseirin within distance where I could keep her in sight.
‘It’s tough. Two strong ones at a level of Maeng Seong-yong… Were they caught by Haseirin’s abilities, or are they just henchmen? Either way, that must be tiring.’
Based on what people were discussing in the café, the timeline of the video appeared to be during the weekend, and she had invested quite a long time searching for her prey.
‘When ready, I could take a shot during the weekend… Arriving early to provoke her a bit and lure her elsewhere seems doable. But that isn’t the real issue.’
Could I confront both A-ranks and the Great Evil One with high capabilities from B-rank?
‘Is there any need to take such a risk when my growth is still incomplete…? Value judgment is necessary here.’
Having my own space is something special.
Now that I realized the Dark Space is not entirely mine, the value felt even higher.
And those hunters known as Transcendents are bound by certain limitations, yet they enjoy the enormous merit of having their own personal space to assert themselves without interference.
At least within that space, they are the strongest.
‘I want it… With a little effort, it might be possible to take her down. I could self-destruct if need be. But not yet. I have no countermeasure against mental contamination.’
I shook off my lingering thoughts and returned home.
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