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“…Ha…ha… I need to stabilize my Inner Power quickly…”

Stella, having smashed Lauf’s head, continued to emit Blue Energy.

Innate True Qi.

It’s the very essence of life that every human possesses from birth.

This power is distinct from the Mana, also known as Inner Power, in the Martial Arts World.

Even if one were to lose all their Inner Power (Mana), they wouldn’t die. They would simply suffer from a sense of helplessness since it is an artificially created power that can always be replenished and used again.

But Innate True Qi is different.

It is the very force that sustains life.

If one taps into that power, a price must be paid.

Of course, the power of life can be said to be truly tremendous.

In the martial world of the past life, martial artists often found themselves using Self-detonation Techniques right before death.

Typically, martial artists manage and store their Inner Power through their dantian.

However, Stella, who had no time to create a dantian, was exuding life force from her entire body.

‘At this rate, I’m really going to die.’

Even if I die, I’ll just come back, but repeating the same actions would be futile.

I had to seal away my Innate True Qi in my heart as quickly as possible.

Shuwwww…

“Ha… I think it’s done… huh?”

At that moment, just as I was about to separate and stabilize the Inner Power and Innate True Qi I had combined for battle, blood dripped from her nose.

“Kweh! Uweeeek!”

Suddenly, Stella doubled over, clutching her stomach.

With a force that made it impossible to swallow back, blood poured down her throat.

At the same time, a furious headache crashed into her mind.

“Huu…ugh…!”

Could it be…?

[You cannot use knowledge or skills accumulated until now that contradict the laws of the world you reincarnated in.

If you do, a strong penalty will be imposed.]

Glancing at my body,

I noticed a tattoo of an unfamiliar pattern glowing at some point.

Stella recalled what the god had said back then.

Is this that ‘penalty’?

“God, you bastard…”

Her lower abdomen throbbed with internal injuries, and her head throbbed intensely.

Unable to endure the onslaught of pain, her consciousness slowly faded away.

*

In a dilapidated abandoned building, an elderly man with a heavy atmosphere was trudging down the path.

“Was this where you were nesting?”

The old man’s name was Ozwell Rockpelikan, the tower master of the Golden Magic Tower and a man renowned as the strongest mage.

“Finally, I’ll get to see that face. Hmm?”

As he advanced, sensing a strange energy beneath him, Rockpelikan paused.

“Hmm… this energy is strange to just pass by.”

After dealing with the goons, he descended underground and was unable to hide his astonishment at the scene before him.

Two corpses, stained with blood, and a muscular man with half of his face smashed into the ground.

And between them stood a purple-haired girl, merely frozen like a puppet with its thread cut.

“..! Could it be?”

Rockpelikan scrutinized the girl’s face closely.

“… no, that can’t be… This isn’t the time…”

Just from glancing at her, it was clear the girl was not in good shape.

Blood gushed from her nose and mouth like a stream, and her eyes bore a dull blue hue, appearing vacant.

Thinking to rescue her first, he approached, only for the girl’s body to start swirling with Blue Energy.

“Mm?! What is this energy?!”

Rockpelikan immediately reached out, unfolding a magic circle.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Just as he cast the protective barrier, a deafening roar erupted, and within a blink, the girl rushed forward, delivering blows and angles.

“Is this a Mana surge? But this energy… I suspected it, and it turns out she used her ‘life force.'”

If left as is, the girl would bleed out and die.

As Rockpelikan pretended to grasp something intangible with his hands, the girl, who had been attacking fiercely, suddenly came to a halt.

As he made a pulling gesture, the girl was drawn into the air.

“The Mana gateway leading to her heart has been completely destroyed. Is that why her life force kept leaking out?”

As Rockpelikan placed his hand on the girl’s chest and chanted a spell, the blue light coalesced, and simultaneously, the leaking energy vanished.

“It’s a temporary fix, but she should be okay for now.”

The girl, drained of strength, collapsed into Rockpelikan’s arms.

*

“What do you mean by ‘Stellarani’?”

“Stop playing coy; I know everything.”

The boy glared at Gwen, who feigned ignorance, his red pupils shining as he spoke.

“I can tell just by looking at your eyes that you’re lying. It’s an ability of mine.”

“Hah. What is this nonsense?”

Gwen began to feel annoyed as the boy blurted out words he didn’t understand.

“Then what on earth are you talking about? I’m busy, so I should get going…”

POW!

“I’m not done talking yet.”

As he ignored Gwen and attempted to turn away, a heavy pain struck the back of his head.

“Ugh, did this brat just throw a rock at me?”

Gwen, his patience wearing thin, took out a dagger and yelled.

“I’m already in a foul mood, and this little punk thinks I look easy to deal with? Die!”

Gwen charged in, aiming to slice through the boy’s body with a single strike. However, the boy’s dagger precisely deflected Gwen’s blade as if he had anticipated it.

“What?!”

Though currently weakened by the drugs, Gwen had once been an adventurer, and the anger surged to his head as he realized his blade had been blocked by a boy who stood a head shorter than him.

“You little brat!!”

Fueled by rage, Gwen swung his sword.

Swish! Swish!

Yet, the boy evaded, almost as if he could predict the attacks, swiftly nimbly stepping back.

“Ha! A little brat darting around like that!”

“Once more, where is Stella?”

“If I kidnapped her, what can you possibly do about it?”

“What can I do? You get beaten up, and I find out about her location.”

“… Kids these days fail to understand the fear of adults.”

“You disgusting piece of trash, boasting about being an adult is sickening. Just shut up and come at me.”

Swoosh!

With that, without needing any more words, Gwen took his stance and charged forward.

The speed of his blade increased dramatically, as if he had regained his earlier prowess.

However, the boy’s red pupils remained calm, analyzing the situation.

“Too slow.”

As Gwen executed a wide diagonal slash, the boy timed his jump perfectly, evading and simultaneously getting closer by drawing near in the air.

“What?!”

After merely defending himself, the boy suddenly closed the distance, which surprised Gwen so much he halted with a deflated sound.

The boy seized that moment without hesitation.

He thought he would be cut by the dagger, but instead, a fist hurtled toward him.

Seeing it, Gwen sighed with relief within.

‘What a foolish brat.’

The punch of a boy not even ten years old wouldn’t hurt him.

THWACK!

“Ugh!!”

However, the incoming fist proved more powerful than expected, sending Gwen flying back at least two meters.

Dazed by the unexpected force of the punch, he lay on the ground, only to see the red-eyed boy holding a dagger poised at his throat above him.

*

Could this really be happening?

In this situation where a blade was aimed at the enemy’s neck, I found myself quite surprised and checked my status window.

Name: Nova (Target for Copy: Gwen) Unique Trait: Copy (Lv.1)

Power: F (-> D)

Speed: E (-> C-)

Durability: E (-> D)

Intelligence: A

[Passive Skills]

Ability Copy (Rank: S)

Copies the opponent’s abilities.

(* The copied abilities are one rank lower)

Insight Eye (Rank: A)

Analyzes the opponent’s movements.

Honestly, I was bewildered. To awaken my ability and instantly face a real battle felt surreal.

I was anxious since I hadn’t even undergone proper training yet, but it seemed I managed to debut in combat safely enough.

“Wh… what the hell is this?”

The little bastard must have been shocked too, finding himself pinned down by someone so much younger than him.

‘Could it be; my ability to copy the opponent’s capabilities?’

I expected copying to mean replicating their skills or spells!

Though it’s not perfect, being able to copy the opponent’s power is an extraordinary cheat.

Depending on who I face, the capabilities vary tremendously; the potential is limitless.

The downside is that the sudden surge of power caused me slight muscle strain.

Additionally, my abilities are diminished compared to the original, so I can’t guarantee a sure win.

This was aided by another ability, ‘Insight Eye.’

It allowed me to perceive my opponent’s movements better.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like much, but with enhanced reaction speed, I could predict their attack trajectories.

The synergy of these two abilities was immense.

Theoretically, I was almost invincible.

Of course, it wasn’t without risks.

If I maintained the ability copy status for too long, my eyes would suffer significant fatigue.

Before I exhaust all my stamina, I must quickly extract the information from this punk.

“Tell me where Stella is, quickly.”

“You… little brat!”

“Does my statement not sound reasonable?”

Crack!

“Ughhhh!!!”

Without hesitation, I severed one of his fingers.

He originally had three left; did someone cut it off?

“If you don’t want the rest of your fingers to go too, spill it, punk.”

“Okay… okay! I’ll tell you!!”

After extracting the location from him, I fell into contemplation. Should I kill this guy?

Honestly, I wanted to kill him outright.

Stella was kidnapped because of this jerk.

However, I hesitated slightly since I had never killed anyone before.

This world does maintain some moral standards, but those are significantly lower than before.

Of course, when it comes to fights against demons and monsters in the future, it will also be a life-and-death struggle then. I shouldn’t hesitate then.

But the moral standards from my original world weigh on me when it comes to killing another human being.

“Alright, I’ve told you, so please spare me…!”

He sobbed grotesquely.

… Yeah, just letting him go doesn’t feel right.

As I withdrew the blade poised at his neck, I stood up and—

“Ugh…!! Aah!!”

Still, for the one who kidnapped Stella, I couldn’t just let him walk free.

I swiftly severed another one of his fingers.

“If I see you again, I’ll kill you. Get out of this town.”

“Ughhh…”

He nodded frantically, as if he were mad.

*

As I made my way through the ruins northeast of Haren Village, he pointed out, a sizable abandoned building loomed ahead.

“Is Stella here…?”

Upon entering the structure, I found it in utter disarray.

It looked as if someone had invaded, a veritable battlefield.

Men, likely gangsters, lay unconscious around me.

‘Has someone already taken care of everything?’

While pondering this, I ventured further into the abandoned building when—

“Hey kid, what are you doing here?”

“Wah!!”

Startled by a chilling voice from behind, I rolled forward.

Springing up, I glanced at the spot I left behind.

A man with slanted eyes and a peculiar aura was standing there, grinning.

“You react quite realistically~ You’re an interesting kid.”

An enemy!

No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem like a good guy.

As I prepared to activate my abilities—

A red warning box popped up right before my eyes.

[Warning!! The opponent’s LV is too high; you cannot copy.]

“So, what brings you here? This is no place for a child.”

…

This is bad.

 

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