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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Whoosh!
A breeze stirred through the cave, now eerily silent.
Only hours before, it had been a scene of carnage—blood splattered, weapons clashing, monsters roaring, and challengers shouting.
It was hard to believe the same place could be so tranquil.
The breeze wasn’t coming from the cave entrance, but from within.
At its source, a swirling vortex of blue and white mana spun like waves crashing against a cliff.
It was a special portal developed by Illusion.
And then,
—Step.
A figure emerged from the swirling mana, stepping into the cave.
A slender man with scorched blue hair and fiery red eyes—eyes that should have burned with intensity, yet were as empty as a corpse’s.
And he only had one.
Where there should have been two eyes, there was only one, the other hidden beneath a diagonally wrapped bandage.
His attire was unusual.
A light, uniform-style coat draped over his bare chest, dark blue pants, and worn leather boots, like something a medieval sailor might wear, tucked into his pants.
His unconventional appearance wasn’t just due to his bare chest, however.
It was because,
Crackle…
Crumble…
With each step, his skin crumbled and flaked away like ash.
His skin was cracked like parched farmland under the scorching sun, the fissures glowing reddish, as if lava flowed beneath.
—Step.
Crumble…
Each step distorted the cracks, scattering more ash.
There was nothing left to burn, so his skin simply disintegrated.
This volcanic landscape of flesh wasn’t limited to his torso; his hands, visible beneath the coat sleeves, his neck and face above the collar, were all the same.
Was this what a human volcano would look like?
His grotesque and monstrous appearance was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.
“….”
Despite his skin flaking away, the man stared down at the Azure Witch’s corpse with dead, fish-like eyes.
His emotions were nonexistent.
Not a flicker of feeling could be discerned behind those empty eyes.
The man knelt on one knee, reaching down to turn over Lexa’s prone body.
And then,
Crack!!!
He gripped Lexa’s eyelid and peeled it back, revealing a lifeless, unseeing eye, which he then gouged out.
With his bare hands. No tools.
Squish…
Blood, not yet dry, oozed from the empty socket.
But the man showed no hesitation.
He rolled the eyeball in his hand, wiping away the blood.
And then,
—Peel
He lifted the bandage covering his right eye.
Beneath, like his remaining eye, was emptiness.
A hollow socket.
The man positioned the eyeball, then, lifting his own eyelid with one hand, shoved it into the empty space.
A grotesque and horrifying act.
But he performed it with practiced ease, as if it wasn’t his first time.
He stood up and blinked.
Soon,
His eyes focused.
“….”
As if the eye had always been his.
The man stood still, gazing into the distance.
A moment later,
Wisps of smoke, like steam, rose from Lexa’s eye, and faint images began to appear.
“….”
The last moments of Lexa’s life—dozens of arrows arcing through the air, Tae-jin perched on the back of a black dragon, his eyes glowing crimson, and his six companions.
The man’s lips curled into a slow smile.
He had slaughtered countless people, extracting their eyes to track his target.
He had one goal.
Han Tae-jin, the man with the same crimson eyes.
He had probably gouged out dozens of eyes to find him.
He had probably spilled enough blood to fill a lake.
Crack!
Having achieved his goal, the man plucked out the eye and tossed it to the ground.
It rolled across the cave floor and splashed into the lake in the center.
The man’s near-black lips curved into a wider smile.
Something ignited in his dead, red eyes.
The emotions that had been absent, more lifeless than a walking corpse, now coalesced into a single, potent feeling.
A twisted sense of euphoria.
This maniacal euphoria was the first emotion the man had displayed, a fleeting glimpse revealed in a cruel smirk.
But it was enough.
It revealed everything.
“Kekeke, just you wait, you son of a bitch.”
The man, reborn from ashes, had embraced evil.
Consumed by vengeance, he had chosen to become a vengeful spirit.
The glory he had once known, hailed as the most promising Hunter, was now buried in the past.
Now, having cast aside his soul and forged his burning rage into his very eyes, that man was none other than—
“Han Tae-jin, you bastard, I’ll tear you to shreds.”
…Choi Do-han.
No, he was now just another nameless villain, a hunting dog of Illusion.
The emotion reflected in his eyes was pure, unadulterated vengeance.
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“…Lexa and Devron have fallen.”
At times, one can be overwhelmed by the sheer unease a space can evoke.
A breathtaking landscape, a surreal sight, or standing alone in a vast, ancient hall.
Especially when standing before the one you serve.
Gallidum bowed his head before the endlessly rising steps leading to his master’s throne.
[…I see.]
His master’s voice echoed through the hall, and Gallidum’s head bowed even lower, like a frost-covered branch.
Devron was one thing, but Lexa had been a favored subordinate.
Gallidum braced himself for his master’s wrath.
[Have you identified the perpetrators?]
“According to the Mad Dog, it was a cadet named Han Tae-jin from the Seoul Academy.”
[Is that so?]
“It seems they’ve headed south, but we’ll need more time to determine their exact route.”
[Those lowly insects dare to defy me.]
“I will break their wings and bring them to their knees before you, Your Majesty.”
[Their pathetic attempts to fly will only stir up dust. We must show them that this dust can become a storm, capable of destroying everything they hold dear.]
“Surely…?”
Gallidum raised his head.
Despite his brutal name, he had the sharp, refined appearance of a gentleman, someone who would look quite dapper in a fedora.
However, his skin was as pale as a two-week-old corpse, his ears pointed like an elf’s, and his red pupils were slitted vertically, like a reptile’s.
His monster ability was [Blood Absorption].
Thus, within Illusion, he was known as Count Dracula.
He widened his slitted pupils and asked,
“Surely, you’re not planning…?”
[Indeed. Order the regional commanders to open the ‘Cages.’]
“But we haven’t achieved full control yet…!”
[Gallidum.]
“M-my apologies.”
Just one word.
His own name, but it was enough to send a chill down Gallidum’s spine, forcing him to lower his head.
[Control is irrelevant. Only despair matters. Remind those lowly insects of their place.]
“…As you command.”
Gallidum bowed deeply.
His master desired revenge.
Although his voice held no overt anger, it was an instinctive reaction to the loss of Lexa.
Gallidum knew this, but he could only obey.
A true sailor didn’t question the captain’s orders, even if it meant sailing towards disaster.
He followed, regardless of the destination, whether it be a safe harbor or a watery grave.
[The loss of a few executives will not shake the foundations of Illusion. And as for that insect, Han Tae-jin, who dared to kill Lexa and defy me, I will personally inflict pain beyond his wildest nightmares.]
“Understood. What shall we do with the Mad Dog once the tracking is complete?”
[A mad dog is just a mad dog. It can bark and snarl all it wants, but it will never become a wolf. Let him run wild.]
“Understood. Then…”
Whoosh!
A portal opened behind Gallidum.
He bowed once more, then backed into the swirling mana.
Whoosh!
The portal vanished, and darkness returned to the vast hall.
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“Um, Su-ah…? Or should I call you Ercia…?”
“Ah, Sister.”
Renia sat beside Su-ah, who was staring blankly into the crackling bonfire.
“You can call me whatever you like. I’m in Yoo Su-ah’s form right now.”
“Oh… Then I’ll call you Su-ah!”
“Of course.”
Su-ah smiled.
It had been two days since they had left the cave.
No, it was now the third day.
The clock had ticked past midnight; it was now 1:22 AM.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I am, but… I feel a bit… unsettled.”
“You need someone to talk to?”
Renia smiled at Su-ah, with a hint of melancholy in her eyes.
Su-ah sensed the sadness and waited for Renia to speak.
A moment later,
“You… you were amazing back there in the cave.”
Renia finally broke the silence.
“It was quite a battle, wasn’t it?”
“No, no.”
“Huh?”
“You were amazing.”
“Oh…”
Su-ah closed her lips and stared into the flickering flames.
After 51 failures, praise like “amazing” felt heavy.
But then,
“It was incredibly brave of you. Revealing your true form… that’s not an easy thing to do.”
“…Huh?”
Su-ah turned to Renia in surprise.
She had praised a different kind of “amazing” than what Su-ah had expected.
A stray ember popped from the fire and danced between them.
“It’s not easy. Hiding one’s true self usually means there are reasons, restrictions… It takes courage to break free from those.”
“Exactly. That’s why it was so cool. Truly.”
Renia tossed another branch into the fire, her face still clouded with melancholy.
When Su-ah had transformed into Ercia, Renia had been awestruck.
She was beautiful.
A holy, transcendent beauty, truly breathtaking.
Naturally, like the others, Renia had initially felt intimidated.
But now, everyone longed to see Ercia’s true form, showering her with praise.
She was objectively and subjectively beautiful.
Renia felt the same.
Those holy white wings were enviable, and Ercia’s ethereal beauty seemed to represent the pinnacle of feminine beauty.
So,
‘…I’m jealous.’
So incredibly jealous.
It wasn’t just about her beauty.
It was the courage to reveal her true self to the world.
That’s what Renia envied the most.
Moreover,
—It’s going to be a brilliant choice. I’m sure of it.
Tae-jin had also praised Su-ah’s decision, his eyes filled with admiration.
Renia craved that look, but it also filled her with a strange pressure.
A pressure to reveal her own true self.
She wanted to make Tae-jin happy.
But,
‘I don’t have beautiful wings or a noble mission. All I have are these ugly goat horns and a beastly tail…’
After encountering(?) Ercia, Renia’s self-esteem had plummeted.
Especially since,
‘What would his mother and sister think if they saw me like this…?’
The arrival of Tae-jin’s family had only deepened her hesitation.
She was caught in a dilemma—she knew she should reveal herself, but she couldn’t.
This inner turmoil had led her to seek out Su-ah.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Oh… It’s nothing, really. Just… envy.”
“Envy? It seems you also have a true form you haven’t revealed, Sister Renia.”
“Huh? N-no, it’s not like that…”
Renia denied it, but Su-ah, already suspicious of Renia’s true identity, simply smiled.
“You were the one who gave me courage. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”
“Huh? W-what…?”
Su-ah looked up at the sky, as if gazing at Eternity among the countless stars.
“‘Overthinking leads to indecision. And indecision leads to stagnation.’ You told me that a few days ago.”
“Oh.”
At the time, Renia had simply been trying to comfort Su-ah, to encourage her when she was doubting her usefulness.
“Did you forget?”
“No, not really.”
Renia hadn’t expected her own words to come back to her like this.
[Indecision leads to stagnation]
The words of comfort she had offered Su-ah a few days ago.
Perhaps, they had been meant for herself all along.
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