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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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How should I put this?
A corpse floating in the air while emitting light, becoming increasingly whole as if time was reversed; it was a scene that defied common sense, in both good and bad ways.
Wrapped in light while recovering from all of his wounds, he slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the onlookers from above. His gaze combined with his unique aura, creating a rather domineering and special atmosphere.
If it weren’t for the first words he uttered, everyone would have doubted that he was really Kang So-hyun.
“What, is this the first time you’ve seen someone come back to life?”
A scene that could be seen as divine or terrifying, depending on how you perceived it.
Therefore, the reactions of those watching the scene, which could be interpreted in any way, were quite dramatic.
First, Cathy was simply grateful for the miracle before her eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you so much…”
Although her mistake wouldn’t disappear, there was no reason to not rejoice when something she thought she could never get back had returned.
Normally, she might have been more suspicious, or at least not completely let her guard down, but her condition was too poor for that.
To her, who had exhausted a considerable amount of energy and mental strength resisting the relic, the phenomenon before her eyes was nothing but a miraculous wonder.
“This is unbelievable.”
Next, Cheon Yoo-hak seemed surprised yet strangely calm.
It wasn’t because he was more composed than the others, but because he had seen something similar before.
Yes, that day.
The day he first went berserk and caused a major incident.
Kang So-hyun, who stopped him, had exuded a similar atmosphere, although it was a bit different.
And Lilac was simply frustrated.
By the fact that he couldn’t protect his friend.
Of course, his friend survived in the end.
He didn’t know what method he used or what relic effect it was.
His secretive friend must have made some preparations.
But there was no way that kind of power came without a price.
Super regeneration that transcended death and healed all wounds… Logically, it must have required a tremendous price.
He wished he was a little stronger.
He was frustrated that his abilities were so insignificant that he let his friend get hurt again, and he was frustrated that he couldn’t even defeat the villain standing before him.
What if he was strong enough to subdue the villain in one blow and protect the professor?
Of course, he knew. That there was no such person, and that it was a meaningless assumption.
In reality, Lilac was already pushing back the villain, although not with an overwhelming difference.
Even so…
The genius began to crave power.
The boy, who had smoothly resolved everything with what he had so far, now constantly felt a sense of inadequacy and wanted to reach out.
Leaving aside the villain who hid his face with a mask and showed no reaction, the one who brainwashed Cathy was staring at Kang So-hyun with a terrified expression.
She, the head of the Twelve Zodiacs, knew of only one person who had done something similar.
The being who distributed relics to them and provided full support for their goals.
Also, the being who single-handedly defeated the organization’s executives while saying she would make them obey her one day.
The ‘helper.’
The atmosphere he exuded was very similar to hers.
That light, the proof of overflowing life force, was definitely not something an ordinary human could possess.
The pressure that only a being from a higher dimension, like her, could exude.
Although the aura was quickly withdrawn and couldn’t be seen now, she knew.
She was certain because the helper also usually looked like an ordinary person.
That he had hurriedly concealed the power that had burst out due to some mistake.
There was no chance of winning. She had to run away immediately.
Her instincts warned her, but the problem was what would happen after she ran away.
Even if she somehow managed to escape, she didn’t think the helper would just let her go.
The boy in front of her was scary, but not as scary as she was.
So she took a stance.
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“Good, good.”
I roughly understood.
Although I was a bit dizzy from the overlapping notifications and information, considering I had just died and come back to life, I was in good shape.
First, I glared at the person confronting Lilac. That person was probably the idiot woman who was the head of the Twelve Zodiacs.
The pervert elf was just the mastermind, not the representative of the Twelve Zodiacs.
Well, in the original story, she died before the pervert elf, but anyway, the original Twelve Zodiacs was this woman’s organization.
An arrogant and foolish woman, who was full of greed despite her innate talent.
This woman was one of the top five characters I disliked in the original story.
But as my gaze fell upon her, she started trembling like a child who had seen something terrifying.
…Why was she acting like that?
Originally, she was supposed to be smug and happy when a man looked at her.
Was she a different person?
“Ugh…!”
The moment she couldn’t withstand my gaze and took out a relic to use it, Professor Cathy clutched her head as if in pain.
Whether it was the right person or not didn’t seem to matter much right now.
Ah, whatever. You’re dead, you crazy bitch.
Lilac, surprised, rushed to take the relic away from her, but she blocked him by showing off the relic again.
“Don’t move! If you move, I’ll increase the relic’s output!”
She seemed to have judged that it was impossible to control the professor again since she had overcome the brainwashing, but she still seemed to think that the relic was the cause of her pain.
That wasn’t the case.
“Ugh…!”
But Lilac, who had no way of knowing that, stopped as if it were natural.
That was the kind of guy he was.
Thinking rationally, there was almost no chance that a villain would safely release a hostage, whether they escaped or continued fighting.
He knew that logically, but since he couldn’t even consider abandoning a hostage, he was seen as a frustrating character by the readers.
Well, dealing with those kinds of elements was my job.
“You there! Don’t resist either! Put down your spear!”
What was unexpected was that Cheon Yoo-hak looked at me for a moment and then calmly lowered his spear to the ground. I felt a strange sense of trust in his gaze.
“Ha, haha. Yes, good. You know your precious professor’s life is in my hands, right?”
Hmm, judging by her words and actions, she seemed to be the head of the Twelve Zodiacs, but why was she so scared?
There weren’t many incidents that would scare this immature woman at this point in time.
In the original story, she was so arrogant until she was betrayed by Lattice, so I was a bit curious about why she had changed, but that was something I could find out later.
“You! You there, disarm yourself!”
I ignored her and approached the professor.
She was enduring pain as a price for resisting the relic… or rather, that black thing that was amplifying the relic.
How was she enduring it?
It wasn’t the kind of pain a resident of this world could endure.
Although I couldn’t recall it, I had a rough idea of what it was, so I could say this with certainty.
“Hey! Can’t you hear me? Put down your weapon!”
Now, even though I didn’t know what that thing was earlier, I already knew how to deal with it. The countermeasures were already in my head.
The only problem was how much I could trust this information of unknown origin in my head, but since I was already acting on it, it wasn’t something I could question anymore.
“S-stop! Stay away from her!”
I felt a sense of déjà vu again at the sight of her looking up at me with tears in her half-blackened eyes.
I couldn’t do this back then.
Because I thought it was the right thing to do.
It was ridiculous, feeling only the emotions without the memories.
When was “back then” that I felt this way?
“Can’t you hear me!?”
This time, Lilac stopped her as she was about to charge at me.
Fear and trust were simultaneously present in his gaze.
He must have been thinking that I would do something, while also considering the risk if I failed.
I carefully grabbed her head.
I could feel the black thing beyond her gaze recognizing me.
-Contact with OO. Confirming your authority. Confirming your eligibility to accept OO.-
It was moving.
She tried to suppress the energy that momentarily moved through her, but I patted her head, telling her it was okay.
There was no need to resist.
These things wouldn’t hurt you anymore.
As she relaxed and let go of the tension in her body, the black thing surged and moved towards me through my hand that was stroking her hair.
As if it had found a better host.
The moment it entered through my arm, I felt a brief moment of pain, but it wasn’t unbearable.
Everyone watching was surprised for different reasons.
“So-hyun…!”
That’s not it, idiot.
I wasn’t sacrificing myself.
Strictly speaking, I wasn’t completely a resident of this world, unlike the true residents of this world.
Above all, this thing wouldn’t try to harm me.
-…?
Black Shadow, which was coiled around my heart, momentarily showed displeasure, but as if realizing that the new resident had no intention of fighting it, it quickly closed its eyes.
The black thing rummaged through my body and then settled in a corner of my heart, seemingly satisfied.
As all the black things were extracted, her black-stained eyes returned to their original emerald color, and she stared at me for a while.
What kind of emotion was in those eyes?
“It’s okay now.”
I said the words I had wanted to use to comfort her someday and gently stroked her hair again. Professor Cathy stared at me for a long time, then slowly lost her balance and collapsed into my arms.
“Oh…”
And the foolish woman, who had been staring blankly at the scene after being stopped by Lilac, looked back and forth between Lilac and me with a terrified expression.
She was a woman who was being pushed back by Lilac without being completely overwhelmed.
She must be scared since she had lost her last resort.
Well, yes, she should be scared. You’re dead now.
[Phew.]
At that moment, the masked figure confronting Cheon Yoo-hak sighed and looked at her.
[After checking, he says she’s still useful, so I’m retrieving her. I’ll save her, so please don’t interfere and stay still.]
That voice clearly echoed through the room from beyond the mask.
Partly because it was the first time the person who had been silent all along spoke, and partly because the voice from beyond the mask was a clear, beautiful voice, but the biggest reason was her attitude, which could easily be perceived as arrogant.
How could this woman, whose companion had completely lost her fighting spirit, act so confidently in a 3-on-1 situation?
Well, even excluding me, who was just entering the realm of superhumans, there weren’t many characters in the original story who could face Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak simultaneously.
Well, if my guess about her identity was correct, she couldn’t even be considered a character from this novel.
The masked woman took a stance.
It meant she was serious.
Cheon Yoo-hak was the first to react.
His carefully aimed thrust, as if testing the opponent’s skill, was cleanly caught.
Cheon Yoo-hak widened his eyes and distanced himself as if trying to figure out the trick his opponent used.
The opponent let go of his spear without any regret and then shattered the holy sword light flying from behind her with a swing of her fist.
[Are you done?]
Although her tone sounded polite, there was only a terrible indifference and emptiness in it.
“Your concept is funny.”
Well, it was my turn, but…
Honestly, although I had gained a few things, I hadn’t gotten a huge power-up.
If I used this new thing in my heart, I could put on a surprise show, but I needed more time to get used to it, and if I considered my remaining options, there was Fusion with Sun Wukong, but that was truly a last resort.
[…Concept?]
She didn’t seem angry.
But she seemed to genuinely not understand what I was talking about.
Pretending not to know.
I was half certain who this masked person was.
[I think this is the first time we’ve met in person…?]
Yes, keep denying it.
I wasn’t planning on forgiving you with just a simple punishment.
I couldn’t overwhelm her without Fusion if I was alone.
But I didn’t have to do it myself. Returning to the basics was also a method in situations like this.
Enhancement.
“Hey, Lilac.”
“Huh…?”
Unlike when I first used it on him, I didn’t become weak from using innate qi.
A brilliant light, obtained in exchange for a tremendous amount of life force, flashed on my hand.
So, show us some cool moves once in a while.
Protagonist.
The most righteous holy sword, along with a brilliant light, was imbued with the supernatural power of Omnipotence.
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T/N – Sorry for the late post, guys. I got a high fever last night that put me out of commission. I’m alright now though and I should be able to post on schedule this week.
Aw yeah! Beatdown incoming! Throw an Enhancement to Cheon Yoo-hak too, while you’re at it.
Also, I’m glad that the MC is finally starting to understand his body’s situation. Still, I wonder what this black thing is and how is it connected to the original So-hyun? I feel like it’s connected to the death of So-hyun’s mother too. Interesting…
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Thanks for the chapter!