487

 [Chapter 135]

[A World That Doesn't Go As Planned (2)]

It was a flower, but in reality, it was a hungry ghost.

Its appearance of enchanting people with subtle beauty and endlessly craving their mana was no different from a hungry ghost.

And now that hungry ghost revealed its true nature in a life-or-death situation directly linked to its survival.

Whoosh

The thing that took root on Choi Ga-in's wrist extends long, thin stems.

The stems reminiscent of tentacles split into dozens of strands and cling to Jeong Ha-yang.

Even protective magic is useless.

The stems that absorbed the technique forming the barrier showed no sign of hesitation.

Where did this come from!

Eunha who successfully activated Ox Step clicked his tongue while embracing Jeong Ha-yang from behind.

She is trying to block Moon's Blessing's attachment while maximizing her mana resistance.

But the parasitic plant is changing its mana wavelength to match her, nullifying her resistance.

That's not the problem.

"...Kugh...!!!!"

"You have to endure even if it's hard! You absolutely can't accept its mana."

"I... know that too. But Eunha, my mana control is becoming less and less... under my will."

It's not simply a phenomenon of Moon's Blessing trying to belong to Jeong Ha-yang.

A phenomenon of Choi Ga-in, Moon's Blessing, and Jeong Ha-yang trying to become one being.

Currently, Moon's Blessing is thinking of the monster Choi Ga-in has become as part of itself and trying to belong to Jeong Ha-yang as is.

Then the situation that would unfold afterwards was obvious.

"...Eun...ha...ya..."

"Just a little... Hold on just a little longer."

She would become a monster too.

In her case with vast internal mana, the probability of not being able to control mana runaway was very high.

So Eunha was comforting Jeong Ha-yang while looking for a way to cleanly separate Moon's Blessing.

There's a limit to how long Ha-yang can endure. I have to remove it somehow before it finishes assimilation.

Lest she become anxious unnecessarily.

Eunha swallowed his true feelings.

There was no suitable method.

While Moon's Blessing's assimilation was taking place.

Jeong Ha-yang was desperately defending, and all he could do was examine the mana circuits digging deeper into her body.

But he couldn't rashly cut off Moon's Blessing either.

...If I handle it carelessly, I might lose it like this.

The last ingredient for the elixir.

An elixir whose exact whereabouts are unknown.

As a result, Eunha had no choice but to be careful in handling Moon's Blessing.

If he loses Moon's Blessing, he won't know when he'll be able to make the elixir.

He won't be able to save On Tae-yang's mother.

Of course, the opportunity to create a debt with On Tae-yang or make him a subordinate becomes distant.

"...Ugh..."

But he couldn't leave Jeong Ha-yang like this either.

She who had been desperately trying to block Moon's Blessing's invasion until just moments ago started to stagger.

If he took his eyes off for even a moment, she would completely lose consciousness and collapse.

"...I'm... okay..."

Though she's not okay at all.

She mutters while grasping Eunha's arm embracing her neck.

Eunha gritted his teeth.

...What should I do?

Eunha hesitated.

There was only one answer.

Nevertheless, he couldn't readily swing his sword.

Lingering attachment to Moon's Blessing.

If he loses Moon's Blessing like this, the future might change greatly.

He may have to walk an even harsher path than now.

Even if that's the case—

"—I'm sorry. You must have been in a lot of pain because of me?"

He can't lose her like this.

The path he must walk no longer has only Ha Baek-ryeon and Lee Yu-jeong.

There's family, and friends.

And there's Jeong Ha-yang.

Eunha shook off his worries.

He had been stupidly hesitating even though the answer was obviously decided.

Whatever, I'll just suffer more.

I don't want to obtain the future I want by doing such things anyway.

Eunha soon infused mana into Winter Blooming Coldly.

Choi Ga-in's wrist and Jeong Ha-yang's wrist are connected by Moon's Blessing's stem.

A situation where he can't tell how far is Jeong Ha-yang's arm.

He put strength in his eyes seeing circuits, and covered her eyes with the hand not holding the sword.

"—Close your eyes."

"...Huh?"

"It won't hurt anymore. You endured well."

He doesn't want to show her.

Eunha didn't answer Jeong Ha-yang's questioning voice and raised Winter Blooming Coldly high.

Mana Crusher

He swings Winter Blooming Coldly down.

Choi Ga-in's wrist falls off.

He cut out the entire area where it was parasitizing to neutralize Moon's Blessing.

"Keep your eyes closed."

"...Okay... Eunha, I'm... sleepy..."

"Rest well. You did well."

The stems wrapping around Ha-yang's wrist lose strength and droop.

Then they fall off her.

Now the flower rolling on the floor was no longer an elixir, but just a mere flower.

No, just as there are no eternally blooming flowers.

That is now a withering flower.

Rustle

Eunha blankly watched the flower petals that lost their light scatter and fly away on the wind.

The petals change into particles and disappear.

It was so fleeting.

But Eunha decided not to regret it.

This is the path I must take.

To obtain the future I want.

Until now, he had to fiercely push forward as if out of breath.

But now he resolved to live with leisure even if he has to take a detour.

Eunha pledged while dreaming of a future that remains unchanged even now.

So, he—

"—Sleep well. Let's continue our conversation when you wake up next time."

Jeong Ha-yang sleeping soundly.

He gently stole her lips and listened to her breath.

So No Eunha, he decides to be honest with his feelings.

"Mmm... Haa..."

And thus he harbors hope.

A very small hope.

Like an ember that seems it would go out with just a single gust of wind.

☆

Chunks of flesh fall off.

The skin tissue rapidly swollen by Moon's Blessing is necrotizing.

Uu...uuugh...

But even so, a being that has once exceeded biological norms cannot return to its original state.

With one wrist fallen off.

The monster crawls along the floor somehow wriggling its grotesquely twisted legs.

The monster that completely lost its human ego is just struggling to survive.

Sizzle

The fallen chunks of flesh dissolve into mana in the air.

Omnipresence occurs.

Monsters are born.

Some monsters appeared in forms transformed from the chunks of flesh that had been wriggling on the floor.

"This is no small commotion..."

People scream.

The screams are erased by the incessantly bursting fireworks.

Even though monsters are appearing, the players are so distracted by the fireworks they can't even detect their presence.

The players who did grasp the monsters' existence were either those who happened to be nearby or those who could distinguish the magic setting off fireworks from the energy of omnipresence even from afar.

Ah... Aah..., Aaaah...

Meanwhile the monster struggles to get up and tries to escape.

It sounds just like sobbing.

People were terrified and avoided the thing with a human appearance but unclear if it was a spider or ant.

The monster led its heavy body and jumped into the crowd like that.

Players hurriedly chase after it.

I-byeol is still tied up over there too.

I should quickly follow too...

Eunha inwardly agonized while watching the monster move away.

He couldn't leave Ha-yang sleeping in his arms to people he didn't know.

Especially not to unknown men.

But he couldn't chase after it while holding Jeong Ha-yang either.

Just then.

"—Puha! I thought I was going to die!"

Suddenly Twenty-five popped out from where the tower had collapsed.

He who threw down a huge fragment on the ground was in terrible shape.

His hair that must have been tied up was disheveled, and tower fragments were stuck to him.

There were several scratches on his handsome-looking face too.

He seemed to have injuries on various parts of his body as well.

"Oh my? Master was here too. No, that's not it Master, big trouble. I was about to finish up when..."

"I'll listen to your excuses later. Though I don't intend to let it slide halfheartedly either."

Sound isn't transmitting well.

Eunha answered Twenty-five who approached him after shaking off the sand on his body.

Twenty-five skilled in lip reading nodded at his words.

Then he makes a face of disgust at the nuance that he'll punish him later.

"Master, this is really something I couldn't..."

"Forget it. I'll chase after Choi Ga-in, so take good care of Ha-yang."

"What?"

Twenty-five tries to make excuses.

Eunha cut off his words and suddenly held out Jeong Ha-yang.

He who received Jeong Ha-yang in bewilderment made an expression as if asking what this was about.

"Carefully examine if she's injured anywhere. Though I'm not saying to undress her."

"...Master. Just looking at her, she seems to just be sleeping?"

"That's why I said 'if'."

"Shouldn't you be worrying about me instead of worrying about the madam? Look at me. Do I look uninjured?"

"That much will heal if you apply saliva."

"Wow..."

Twenty-five who opened his mouth as if he lost his wits.

Eunha decided not to pay attention to him acting nonchalantly.

Rather, there was something he had to do.

"And you have to come out right away after taking her to the dormitory?"

"...In that case, why don't you do it Master?"

"I'm busy."

"Anyway, you know what happens if you touch her, right? Ha-yang is Alice Group's direct descendant, so if you did that, the group's retaliation..."

"Wow. If I do well, I could become Alice Group's direct descend—"

"—Should I just kill you with my own hands?"

"Aw, that was a lie, Master."

"Strange? It didn't seem like a lie..."

"Master... Didn't you say you were busy? Shouldn't you hurry and go?"

"Anyway, I'm counting on you."

Twenty-five should act appropriately.

Eunha looked back once at Jeong Ha-yang in his arms and ran in the direction the monster had disappeared.

The Invisible Tracker he had used while battling it was still effective.

When he deployed his detection net, he could grasp its location.

—Ox Step

Eunha immediately took a step.

Countless flows enter his eyes, but he instinctively understood which flow to ride.

Thanks to the teachings he received from his teacher Baek Seo-jin.

Eunha entrusted his body to the closest flow among the coordinates linked to Invisible Tracker.

Thanks to using it in conjunction with Invisible Tracker, he could narrow the distance he had to chase with Ox Step to just two or three steps.

Mana Crusher

It seemed the creature had captured people around it to maintain its wavering presence while fleeing.

Eunha who landed on the monster's back judged from seeing cocoons floating in the sky tied with spider webs.

The players who had been chasing it seemed flustered seeing Eunha suddenly appear, but.

Eunha decided to rescue the captured people first for now.

Cutting off the cocoons dangling in the air wasn't very difficult.

Where is I-byeol?

Players reflexively catch the falling cocoons.

Now he decided to clear the cocoons stuck all over its back.

But the monster wasn't just taking it either.

One of the legs that had been desperately running on the ground flew at him.

Light Dance

He draws Winter Crawling Through Snowflakes.

As if it had been waiting for this moment, the blade blocks the rebar-like leg.

Soon Winter Blooming Coldly releases the sharpness it held and cuts off the leg.

The monster screams.

Screams spread as the severed leg flies into the crowd.

"As expected of Choi Ga-in, really troubling people."

A new leg sprouts.

And other monsters appear and pounce on Eunha.

They seem determined to knock him off its back.

But Eunha instead used their strength to push them away.

One monster that fell to the ground was crushed by grotesquely twisted legs and died on the spot.

The other monsters rolled on the ground and met their deaths at the hands of the pursuing players.

"I-byeol is..."

He wasn't very worried about the people enjoying the festival.

Because players were sticking close to the monster and using methods to prevent it from touching other people anymore.

So Eunha focused solely on the thought of removing cocoons.

She must be somewhere here?

He traces his memory.

Eunha split the surface of a cocoon stuck on its back with his sword.

The inside of the cocoon seemed to be filled with some kind of liquid.

Sticky liquid flows out through the split gap.

Eunha widened the gap more and looked inside carefully.

A person is curled up like a fetus with eyes closed.

After confirming that person wasn't Yoon I-byeol, he drops the cocoon to the players.

And finally—

"—How did you end up there again? You didn't secretly follow me, did you?"

He found Yoon I-byeol.

Eunha who looked inside the cocoon soon smiled with satisfaction.

He inserts Winter Blooming Coldly through the gap and splits the cocoon.

Sticky liquid overflows.

An unpleasant sensation.

Nevertheless, Eunha stretched out his arm and embraced Yoon I-byeol.

She was tightly bound with spider webs even inside the cocoon.

Eunha who cut off as much spider web as he could with his sword sheathed Maenggo-shu.

"...She's not breathing, but her heart is still beating."

Eunha who soon supported the soaking wet Yoon I-byeol with one hand.

Eunha checked her condition and furrowed his brow.

Her face was pale as if quite a bit of internal mana had been taken.

She seemed to have lost strength too.

Above all, she wasn't breathing so he might have to perform artificial respiration.

Revolver Shot

He needs to take measures quickly.

Eunha slung Yoon I-byeol over his shoulder and quickly dropped the remaining cocoons.

Now there was no reason for players to hesitate in attacking.

Ox Step

Eunha jumps off the spider's body.

He throws his body into the flow.

At the same time, he didn't give up on cutting off its breath.

Invisible Tracker

Mana Crusher

He lands at a safe point.

There was no need to grasp the direction the creature was in.

The effect of Invisible Tracker remained anyway.

No matter where he attacked from, the slash would definitely fly to the designated coordinates.

Thud

The sound of something collapsing echoed from the ground far away.

Eunha decided to prioritize giving first aid to Yoon I-byeol without bothering to look back.

"First secure the airway..."

Making her breathe is the priority.

After that, take her to a supporter to receive healing.

Eunha who laid her on the ground soon lifted her chin to perform artificial respiration.

Just then—

"—Cough, cough...!"

Just in time, Yoon I-byeol coughed up.

The liquid that had been blocking her prayer spurted out.

It seemed like he had come to his senses.

"...Eun...Ha-ya...?"

"That's good. Are you feeling any pain anywhere?"

She opens her eyes in a daze.

Eunha snickered as she straightened her bangs.