I bought time for Azra to unleash her powers, and a few minutes later, Azra gave me a clear answer.
(So it seems to be right to take the most aggressive stance you can think of. Of course, I don’t mean to use brute force. Just a little screw-up on your part and you’ll be shredded into thousands of pieces.)
‘I’m not going to do anything like that. But is it really okay? If I go on the offensive, won’t they rip my brain out and kill me?’
(Hmph! Quite the opposite. That woman will feel more curiosity than fear at the thought that there’s a being who knows information she kept to herself.)
‘Really…?’
From some of the developments I had experienced, it seemed very dangerous, but Azra’s confident tone shook me.
(This is… time is really short. Just as Eun-young is coming out of the ‘Snow Woman’s’ room, I’ll be on my way.)
Suddenly—
With a sound of something snapping, Azraelon’s illusion vanished.
If we’re talking about the ‘Snow Woman,’ it must be Noh Ha-yoon. When both of them are in the room, does Azraelon stay outside? Or maybe Azra wanted it that way.
“Hm…”
I rubbed my brow with my finger and spoke.
“Inessa…”
“How many times are you calling me? I asked if you had something to say.”
“I’m in a hurry. Really in a hurry.”
“What of it?!”
“More importantly, Inessa. Are you thinking of striking Jo Gi-man with me?”
“?!!”
If I’m going to go out anyway, I might as well just spit it out.
At the sudden mention of Jo Gi-man, Inessa’s face filled with surprise.
The dialogue we had just exchanged was mixed with annoyance but had been smooth until now; this time, she showed considerable hesitation.
‘Her reaction is 180 degrees different from what I imagined.’
I could definitely tell Azra’s insight was better than mine.
“Do you know what kind of being Jo Gi-man is to say something like that?”
“Kind of being…?”
What should I say to move the conversation forward? While pondering that…
Click—!
A chilling sensation touched my neck, reminding me that my life was as fragile as a candle in the wind.
‘A gun…’
The muzzle of an unusual rifle was pointing at me.
It was a ridiculously long gun made of shimmering silver metal.
I had heard that a hunter using such a weapon had joined the ‘Do.’
‘Sniper Patrick, was that the name?’
This was no ordinary gun.
I was told it was a work of art born from the concentrated craftsmanship of dwarves.
It looked like a few pieces of Ancient Crystal had melted into it…
As I glanced at the man in a cowboy hat aiming the gun, he winked at me, stroking the long barrel.
‘He seems much stronger than the dwarf Eom Sang-wook who fought against Yeon-hee. Almost on par with the goblin who whistled…’
I looked back at Inessa.
A monstrous villain who had plunged many innocent people into suffering.
One day, she would inevitably make it onto my list of villains.
Yet her past achievements were too extraordinary, and if I could take advantage of that, it would be more than welcome.
‘She probably doesn’t know that Jo Gi-man is a returnee… Maybe she knows he’s strongly linked to the apocalypse, though.’
Of course, I didn’t know Jo Gi-man’s movements after I died in my past life either.
He probably doesn’t wish for the world to end, but reflecting on his movements, it was evident he was preparing to dominate this world.
‘It might be better to perish than be ruled by such a madman.’
Anyway, since Inessa’s powers weren’t perfect, I needed to moderate my statements.
“What do I know? I do know that guy is an unprecedented bastard. And that he has the ability and will to bring this world to ruin.”
“…… Ruin, ruin… That interpretation is indeed possible. But how? Do you have some sort of foresight?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s funny. A unique ability user suddenly appears? Isn’t that a bit too contrived? It smells like a trap. Jacks! Recheck ‘Whistle.’ There might be some setup in reverse.”
“Yes!”
Creak- creak-
The man called ‘Jacks’ wheeled himself to a corner, holding ‘Whistle.’
‘Seems like that guy is in charge of items. His physical abilities are pathetic, but his magical power is top-tier here. He seems to be a special ability user… to gather such capable individuals…’
It seemed more beneficial to utilize this guy’s past capabilities.
In fact, his ability to find other ability users might even be better than Jo Gi-man’s as a returnee.
“Phuh… This is fun. Now it’s getting interesting for you, right?”
Clearly amused by my sudden change in attitude, she looked at me with bright, curious eyes.
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she began to nibble her lip, deep in thought.
I anticipated the words she would follow up with, so I decided to get a jump on it.
“I know that there’s a significant gap between your capabilities and ours.”
“Yeah, I was going to say the same. Isn’t there a huge disparity? What gives you the right to propose a collaboration?”
“No, think about it. The difference in the appearance of Yeon-hee from last time compared to recently.
If we’re not going to hit that guy right away, teaming up with us, who are rapidly growing, wouldn’t be unreasonable. You know there’s no team other than us with the ability to figure out Jo Gi-man’s true nature, right?”
Of course, most of it was merely hopeful thinking.
We were still far from being on the same level as Jo Gi-man.
Even so, saying such things was plausible, since today we had perfectly responded to Inessa’s schemes.
Considering she had used earrings to abduct Yeon-hee, my claim of having foresight would surely hold some weight. The same could be said for anything related to Jo Gi-man.
To revolutionarily change a future without answers, cooperation with Yeon-hee, who has ‘the unseen,’ would be a beneficial deal for Inessa.
Initially, it probably was a scheme to entice or imprison Yeon-hee, but she knew that wasn’t going to be easy.
Just looking at the minuscule ratio of women among the goblins confirmed that.
‘Charming’ doesn’t work well on the same sex in the first place.
‘Thinking about it that way, Haseirin, who can charm women, is indeed quite a talented woman in that regard.’
Momentarily, the thought of the Great Evil One Haseirin crossed my mind, but what mattered was this.
“…… Alright. I’ll observe a bit longer.”
After a moment’s hesitation, she accepted my proposal and asked.
“But you need to tell me one thing. Just who the hell are you? I was willing to believe you were Yeon-hee’s summoned creature, but what is your true identity?”
“I could say I’m an old follower of Lee Yeon-hee.”
“A follower… That doesn’t just mean you’re following, does it? If you’re a follower of Lee Yeon-hee, does that mean you become ‘invisible’…?”
“Not everyone is like that. I’m a bit special.”
“…… If that’s the case, how can I trust you even more? You could grow strong and come after me!”
“As I said earlier, I’m someone who can see pieces of the future. With the world on the brink of destruction, is targeting you really so important?”
“─?!”
At the mention of destruction, Inessa shuddered.
“Not just Jo Gi-man, but you know that as well. There was someone else who knew…”
She probably thought she was the only one aware of the world’s finitude and had lived her life as such.
The myriad emotions crossing her gaze just then must have contained countless days of unspeakable past.
‘Hmph, it’s no use looking at me with those eyes. One day, I will make you pay for your crimes. Just wait.’
The hybrid of human and goblin, the ‘Glimmerkin.’
The screams of the nameless woman who gave birth to it and fell into despair were still vivid.
That’s why I wanted to make that woman pay for what she had done, but for now, I was too underpowered, so I should prepare for the future.
She quietly nodded.
The atmosphere had already surpassed 99%.
Now I just had to make it out safely.
“I think we’ve talked enough. I should be going.”
“What? Already? The conversation isn’t over yet!”
“It is for me. I’m a rather busy person. More importantly, where is this place?”
I knew we were flying in the sky, but that alone didn’t help me pinpoint my location.
“……”
In response to my question, Inessa said nothing, just biting her nails.
Eventually, a map formed in my mind.
‘Jo Gi-man is marked on the map, so it doesn’t really matter.’
I roughly got the sense that we were somewhere between Europe and Korea.
Without delay, I stood up.
This made Inessa even more restless.
She didn’t seem sure if letting me go was really alright.
“I need a pact… a pact, before you’ll let me go.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit excessive?”
“Yes!”
It was hard to believe that someone who could see the future would rely on the power of a pact.
From the way her face turned beet red, it seemed her pride was being severely wounded.
‘The most important thing is to prevent the world’s destruction caused by the blue-eyed forces. Jo Gi-man is aiding in that. Stopping them should take priority, so it’s right to postpone dealing with Inessa.’
Images of suffering women flickered in my mind, but I wasn’t a deity nor could I control everything.
“Fine.”
We made a pact to fight against Jo Gi-man and the forces threatening the world.
We added an agreement not to harm each other until then.
‘It’s shaky at best; we’ll call it an uneasy truce.’
“I’ll see you next time.”
“Wait, wait! Take this!”
Creak- creak-
The man in the wheelchair approached, handing me a bracelet.
It was the restored ‘Whistle.’
‘This guy has the power to enhance artifacts…’
This was an unheard-of ability.
To grant the power to activate items placed in a spatial dimension is quite something.
He truly is a valuable talent.
“I can’t activate it first, can I?”
“No, no, you can channel your magic and have a brief conversation with me.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be faster to simply exchange contact information?”
“Wha, what! No way!”
‘What do you mean there’s no way?’
I nodded casually and turned to head for the exit.
The guy who had aimed a gun at me tipped his hat slightly.
His well-groomed beard was impressive.
Like Eom Sang-wook, the last guy I met, this one had no mask on, but it was clear that the degree to which individuals are affected by ‘charm’ varies.
Even though his actions were friendly, his eyes were filled with caution.
The chilling sensation of the muzzle he pointed at me still lingered.
‘Sniper… This guy is the most dangerous. His range must be enormous.’
A monster capable of shooting powerful magic bullets from a distance far beyond my sensory perception.
If I faced off against these guys in a full-scale war next time, he would be the first I’d need to take out.
‘Is this it?’
Zzzzw—
Reaching the end of the mint-colored space, I turned the doorknob, only for it to buckle like paper. No, it was just paper.
“Ah! Don’t turn it so hard!”
I could hear Inessa’s voice panicking from behind.
Wasn’t it possible to make the door from something other than paper?
Whoosh—
As I opened the door and stepped outside, the contours of a flying object became clearer.
While it had been slightly distorted, it resembled a paper airplane that we all knew.
‘What an interesting ability. How many unique skills are there in total?’
I threw myself into the air without delay, flying quickly towards the flashing location of Jo Gi-man.
*
After Il-wol had left.
Inessa leaned her head on the table, remaining silent for a while.
The hunters following her were at a loss, seeing her abruptly gloomy demeanor.
Creeek- creeek—
The man holding a silver rifle sat across from her, meticulously cleaning the gun’s muzzle, and asked.
“Shall we go catch him again?”
“…… No.”
The man’s gentle smile only widened in response to Inessa’s curt reply.
It was the first time for him.
No one had ever spared Inessa when seeing her like this.
It was only natural to strip a pretty woman of her skin and for men to tear them apart and murder them.
This time, however, was an exception.
That just shows how dangerous a man they considered ‘Jo Gi-man’ to be.
Is he strong enough that even a sliver of her power would be required to deal with him?
He hadn’t seen ‘Jo Gi-man’ yet, so he shook his head slightly, eager to meet him soon.
“Even with your power, it won’t be able to kill him…”
Inessa’s words seemed to penetrate his thoughts, causing him to flush.
“Heh… You’re the only one I can’t kill.”
“Sigh… Think whatever you want.”
Inessa envisioned the future where she was decapitated and consumed by Jo Gi-man, but she chose not to mention it.
“If I gather the Evolutionary Gems and eliminate the competitors… I will become a deity. Then I can finally be at ease…”
She kept repeating just that.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
