“What? What the heck is that?”
The mysterious entity that had charged in with great momentum suddenly slammed on the brakes right before colliding. It then clung to the monster’s body like a cicada stuck to an old tree.
It wasn’t just an incomprehensible action.
“What the heck is that guy?”
It was a being that had not a shred of flesh, only bones. At least, that’s what it looked like, except for the torso wearing leather armor.
“A Skeleton… Soldier?”
It was too well-built to be called a Skeleton Soldier, and the magic power it possessed was extraordinary.
That Skeleton Soldier lifted its head, momentarily locking eyes with the monster, then dedicated its head to it.
Crunch-!
As the skeleton’s head was swallowed by the monster, Noh Ha-yoon could clearly see it holding something inside its mouth.
And to her, the Skeleton Soldier looked almost as if it was smiling. If she had told someone passing by this, they would have undoubtedly shaken their heads and called her insane, but that’s how it felt to her.
Creeeeak-
A flash of light erupted from the monster’s mouth in an instant.
Kaboom-!!
A powerful explosion soon followed.
Afterwards, a number of strong-looking hunters rushed in to finish it off, but judging by what Noh Ha-yoon saw, they were only going to play the role of clean-up crew.
Grrrroooaaark-!
The monster was already in a seriously injured state.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the image of the Skeleton Soldier rushing towards the monster and throwing everything it had left a profound impression on Noh Ha-yoon, even if it was classified as a weak monster.
“So cool…”
That was the kind of hero she always dreamt of.
The last thing she remembered was the monster losing its limbs before her memory faded away. Perhaps she had let her guard down, certain of the monster’s demise.
The Skeleton Soldier that used bombs.
Irmana, the summoner who had devised the bomb placements before the final self-detonation, must have been the one behind that, but strangely, Noh Ha-yoon found herself curious about the Skeleton Soldier.
Though she was a sorceress, Noh Ha-yoon was not cautious by nature. She had a personality that shot first and asked questions later.
As soon as she regained consciousness in the hospital, she immediately began searching for Lee Yeon-hee’s contact information and sent her a message. She resolved that if she didn’t get a reply, she would have to visit her in person someday.
But surprisingly, she received a response from Yeon-hee sooner than expected. She was very happy, as it meant she could resolve her curiosity.
“Haah… That Skeleton… there was definitely something special.”
Noh Ha-yoon murmured as she came back to her senses.
‘If I can figure out what mechanism allowed the Skeleton and Yeon-hee to exhibit such movements and destructive power, I could reach the pinnacle of ice mage much faster.’
She thought. And since she believed this required creating a situation that could evoke some urgency, she had summoned them here. In truth, it was a ridiculous plan.
It seemed absurd with just a little thought, but she was already in a state where her reason was not functioning properly, trying to overcome the terror of her past.
“I won’t stand the pathetic sight of not being able to face a monster properly anymore.”
Wooooooosh-
“Come on… let me shoot an ice spear packed with a ton of magic power at that Skeleton’s head. Then show me how your strength works.”
Noh Ha-yoon waited for Helen’s party while trying to conceal her presence as much as possible.
.
.
.
Step step-
They were just about to arrive at the meeting spot.
Il-wol felt an unsettling sensation and instinctively looked back.
“Something’s there. A disturbingly condensed magic…!”
Someone had entered the range of his senses quickly and attempted an attack. It was the flow of magic he had felt once before. The person who had summoned them here.
Swishhh-!!
“Hey! What kind of first greeting is this?!”
He saw the ice spear fashioned like a sharp spike flying accurately toward his head.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward and swung Argen’s dagger to shatter it.
Boom!
Crack-
“Ugh… My bones are all misaligned!”
The joints twisted in a chaotic manner, the resonance from the dagger vibrating through his entire body, conveying just how powerful that attack was.
And the attack wasn’t just once.
Thwack!
Bang-!
Clang-!
“Aou… Why is it so heavy?!”
It only ceased after he had taken three more ice spears.
“Whoa! What the heck?!”
“Who is it?! Damn! A villain?!”
“Il-wol?!”
While Helen’s duo were chattering away, they suddenly froze like deer in headlights at the string of shattering noises echoing around them.
And at a distance, someone’s doll revealed itself.
“Hahaha! Wow, this is insane! You reacted before I even threw it?! Wait! But you guys… are you connected…? No, there’s a faint connection, but…”
Noh Ha-yoon walked slowly towards them, laughing heartily, but then began mumbling words that made no sense.
‘I didn’t know that person had this kind of character.’
Crack-
She tried to recall her memories while realigning the bones, but all she could remember were fragments.
It was understandable, seeing as when she was active in her previous life, Noh Ha-yoon was already sprouting wings for growth and soaring upwards, so they had no intersection. There had been quite a gap in their awakening times too.
She clapped her hands as if genuinely surprised and approached them.
“What are you doing?!”
Helen exclaimed in anger, her feelings evident as she scolded the cloaked Noh Ha-yoon, who quickly revealed her face and apologized.
“I’m so sorry! I just wanted to check something! My name is Noh Ha-yoon!”
Noh Ha-yoon had long hair tied to the left, a height and slim figure reminiscent of a model. Her face was a city-dwelling beauty like the memories of her past, especially her milk-white skin. Terms like “white skin” must refer to someone like her.
“Hah? This is ridiculous.”
Song Jin-kyeong tilted her head while readjusting her sword.
This was the time to charge at someone who had attacked them without warning, so someone should have jumped in and scolded her.
“Uhuhuh! I really apologize for that. I wasn’t aiming for you all, so please let it go.”
Yeon-hee and Helen’s duo clasped their hands together in genuine apology as they stared at Ha-yoon, who was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘So shameless.’
“It’s true that your attack wasn’t directed at us. But really, come on now. If you spat next to me and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t mean to hit you,’ am I just supposed to say, ‘Ah, OK then’?”
Jin-kyeong closed the distance between herself and Ha-yoon, questioning her, while Helen added her opinion.
“Summoned creatures are also our valuable combat resources. I think you can say you attacked us.”
Helen’s words made Yeon-hee nod vigorously.
Hearing their words, Noh Ha-yoon nodded in understanding, then drew in a vast amount of magic power that was far too abundant for a D-rank hunter as she approached.
The ominous sight made everyone in the party hold their breath.
Glug-
It was the first time Yeon-hee had been this tense while in a dungeon. Her keen instincts likely indicated just how great the difference between her and Noh Ha-yoon was.
But seeing the three of them lose their momentum in the face of this showdown made my insides burn.
“Tch—what the heck are you doing? Are you all fools?”
A party member had kicked up a ruckus from the start, and at the very least, they shouldn’t have lost their momentum in this situation. In my eyes, that was absolutely unacceptable.
‘I kinda understand why she showed interest in Yeon-hee, but I can’t watch our little one get discouraged right off the bat.’
I wanted to take action immediately, but as usual, I took a moment to observe Yeon-hee. Every single experience was precious, so I shouldn’t interfere too soon.
Noh Ha-yoon was raising her intimidation while making eye contact with each member of the party.
Flinch-
Helen and Song Jin-kyeong had already lost their momentum in a heartbeat. Their gazes were slowly dropping to the floor.
It was no surprise they were like this. If a giant over 2 meters tall started staring at you as it approached, anyone would freak out. That was the situation now.
Noh Ha-yoon’s lips curled up slightly. Confirming her strength was superior to someone else’s was one of the easiest routes to gain satisfaction. As a fellow human, I understood this, so I wasn’t too upset about the expression she was making.
However, Yeon-hee probably wasn’t feeling great about it. If so, I wouldn’t feel good either.
‘Now—let me try to get the timing right.’
The amount of time someone can focus completely on something isn’t as long as one might think. Especially if it involves visual perceptions, it’s even shorter. And knowing moments when focus can be lost is one of my special skills.
Certainly, I had mainly used this ability to escape back in my previous life, but this time I would use it aggressively.
When Noh Ha-yoon shifted her gaze from the Helen duo to Yeon-hee with an unreadable smile, I felt her magic waver faintly. It was a momentary lapse.
[Reckless Charge]
I burst forth towards Noh Ha-yoon at the utmost speed I could manage, like lightning.
Thanks to [Irmana’s Blessing], my stats were already inflated.
“Eh?! Ugh!”
Noh Ha-yoon clearly never expected I would attack at that moment, and she panicked, enclosing herself in ice.
“Cuvalice-!!”
Bam bam-
Like a snowman made of ice, Noh Ha-yoon froze solid. But rather than engaging her head-on, I flew past either side and slipped into the rear, where her defenses were relatively weak.
‘I’ve watched your videos a few times. It looks like a perfect defense, but the back is relatively vulnerable.’
Swish-
Normally, I would have slid for quite a while due to my speed when charging, but I used [Adhesion] to grip the ground and immediately change direction to push in from the back.
Of course, Noh Ha-yoon hurriedly turned to defend that rear, but with her body weighed down by the ice barrier, her response could only be slow.
The moment she turned around, I pulled out a Skeleton Bomb and lunged into her arms.
“Ahhhh!!”
Startled, Noh Ha-yoon raised both arms to the sky and shouted “I surrender!” multiple times.
“Just as I thought…”
Boom!
I slowed my charging speed again with [Adhesion] and came to a halt, gently nudging Noh Ha-yoon aside.
She had already dispelled the ice barrier.
I held my dagger to the exposed neck of Noh Ha-yoon and glanced at Yeon-hee. She let out a huge sigh of relief and then spoke.
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.
