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Chapter 155

Before the regression, what kind of person was the Vanguard who carried the hunter’s banner?

Describing a person in an easily understandable way is indeed a difficult task, but our Vanguard and tragic hero, Kim Yoo-min, was a character who was both complicated and easy to grasp.

She stood at the forefront, smashing monsters and the Demon King’s sect. At a glance, she appeared to be the embodiment of confidence typical of the strong.

Even amidst the fierce battle, she knew how to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile and encourage her comrades. A truly remarkable leader.

However, having spent considerable time fighting alongside Kim Yoo-min, Yeon-woo reflected that the Kim Yoo-min of that era didn’t appear to be much different from her younger self now.

That doesn’t mean she hesitated to hit people back then.

It was a story of her stepping forward to save others. She voluntarily shouldered a burden she didn’t have to bear, and despite her sufficient abilities, she fought at the forefront of humanity without losing her humility.

Such actions could only be the product of true goodwill. It was a time when society was barely upheld by a few strong individuals.

A time when values like devotion and morality lay scattered on the ground, with no one willing to pick them up. In a world where the struggle was only to hold onto the little that remained, she stepped forward.

The courage to protect people. A foundation for new life. The flag she raised was woven not from desire, but from honor.

Perhaps the reason Yeon-woo didn’t put much effort into resolving matters was that Kim Yoo-min’s impression was still deeply engraved in her mind.

Among the few she believed could grow and find their own challenges even without her intervention was Kim Yoo-min.

However, that didn’t mean the Gloomy Monster had significantly deviated from its fate, as Yeon-woo hurried to witness a somewhat unexpected scene.

Light footfalls echoed in the dark space. Yet the soft, popping sounds that resembled tap dancing, or perhaps short raindrops, were not coming from her feet.

Red lines were drawn repeatedly. The moment she realized it was the trajectory of a bloodied fist, it was because she barely dodged the Gloomy Monster’s attacks, almost like playing tag.

Each time the Gloomy Monster’s body dashed towards her, a red line would be drawn, causing it to halt momentarily. It was clearly an abnormal phenomenon. There was no reason for that Gloomy Monster, which was among the strongest in terms of sheer durability, to stop from such a feeble punch.

Yeon-woo’s eyes glinted golden. The dragon’s eyes disassembled and interpreted all phenomena.

She could see that the blood soaking that fist belonged to Kim Yoo-min, and that Kim Yoo-min was hitting the same spot—the jaw—with identical force each time.

Those endowed with abilities like the Gloomy Monster, which enhances physical prowess through aura, were referred to as enhancement-type practitioners. Richard was one, and so was Kim Yoo-min. Although their enhancement directions differed, they were often grouped together.

It’s a common misconception when dealing with enhancement-type practitioners that if their body hardens, one could simply apply internal shock techniques to transfer the impact. However, this only holds true to an extent of ordinary body enhancement; once someone reaches the point of being called an enhancement-type practitioner, they can fortify their internals, thus making internal shock techniques ineffective.

Yet, even enhancement-type practitioners have areas they cannot enhance with aura. Those are the brain and heart—similar to the reason one cannot create a Mana Heart and a Mana Core simultaneously. Attempting to do so would cause a catastrophic mana explosion.

Of course, if one cannot enhance the brain, they could simply enhance the head housing the brain, making that weakness moot. At least, it used to be that way.

A thin fist cloaked in faint aura struck the Gloomy Monster’s jaw. It was too weak a blow to shatter the jawbone. As soon as contact was made, blood spattered from Kim Yoo-min’s fist. Every time she struck, it was not the man being hit but rather Kim Yoo-min who seemed to be the one getting hurt.

Nevertheless, the Gloomy Monster’s knee buckled. Its brain trembled. No matter how monstrous, even he had to halt when his brain shook. After all, even a being called a monster was ultimately a creature with a human body.

‘…Is she really doing that?’

Yeon-woo understood. The principle behind striking the jaw to rattle the brain was widely known as a technique.

However, the difference between what is theoretically possible and what is executed in practice is a whole different story. Only those who had stood before that monster would know that dodging its attacks while hitting the jaw accurately was practically impossible.

Yet more surprising than the application of such a technique was…

“Ugh, snif…”

Kim Yoo-min, with her wide-open eyes streaming tears, managed to fling her fists to deflect attacks and strike the jaw.

‘Looking at her like that… it’s a bit crazy, isn’t it…?’

Yeon-woo felt like her sanity might just slip away witnessing such a scene.

*

Christopher wasn’t always a weirdo from the moment he was born. Like everyone else, he had a period of leading a normal life. Just a few years ago, that’s how it was.

Disaster struck the happy life of Christopher, and since that day, he deemed everything to be meaningless. The pain that rang intermittently in his head twisted his personality in a strange direction, and before he knew it, he became a traitor who turned his back on humanity.

But he didn’t care. There was no reason for him to refrain from having blood on his hands, nor any reason to wish for the survival of humanity.

Whether the Demon King ruled the world or humanity defeated the monsters and regained its golden age—it was all irrelevant to Christopher.

The dulled sensations and emotions that had numbed with the pain in his brain were now beyond recall. He no longer even revisited his gray memories.

…However, for some strange reason, he realized that every time his body jolted from a hit to the jaw, past memories streamed through his fingers, now vibrant and tingling in his mind.

Christopher panicked. It was strange. When was the last time he felt the exhilaration of having a full heart, the sensation of pain? The unfamiliarity of it caused his eyelids to tremble.

The last time he felt such emotions was…

‘Emily.’

Only during the time he spent with her.

*

Neither side was in good condition. The Gloomy Monster whose expression was twisting with each passing moment and Kim Yoo-min whose hands were nearly reduced to rags were both struggling. Yeon-woo needed to prepare to intervene.

Whether to say it was fortunate or not, Yeon-woo could afford to sacrifice a certain body part this time. So, even if she were to suffer a compound fracture of one arm again, it wouldn’t matter much.

Under normal circumstances, Yeon-woo wouldn’t think like this before a fight, but this time was an exception. Against an opponent who could shatter her body with mere contact, she had to consider how much she could stand to sacrifice in case of emergencies.

Kim Yoo-min’s delicate breaths persisted. How she fare depended solely on Yeon-woo’s focus. If she failed to penetrate accurately and quickly, it could disrupt Kim Yoo-min’s concentration and spell disaster.

And it was only a moment that afforded such a chance. The thin gap where Kim Yoo-min dodged and aimed for the jaw. Since the monster might adapt to that sensation at any moment, Yeon-woo made a quick decision and sprang forth.

Swinging her left hand, the shadow enveloping her vision writhed. Coincidentally, the pitch-black darkness, where no sunlight shone, was almost like a home advantage for Yeon-woo. Shadows with varying intervals slinked outwards.

Following Yeon-woo’s will, the ground rippled like waves. Kim Yoo-min’s body slid as though she was on a moving walkway.

“Wah!? When did you arrive, Choi Yeon-woo…!”

“You did great, Yoo-min! Take a little break; Master will be here soon!”

“…Huh?”

Upon Yeon-woo’s words, Kim Yoo-min plopped down atop the shadow. Though she had executed the withdrawal herself, from here on, Shar and Tae-oh would control things. The Gloomy Monster, realizing a beat too late, glared with ferocity. Pretty scary.

Since Yeon-woo had already known that monster was fearsome ever since her previous life, she wasn’t phased and shouted.

“Shar, I’ll leave the healing to you! Tae-oh, go fetch Master!”

“Leave it to me!!”

“Got it…!”

The division of roles was complete. Now, it was merely a matter of Yeon-woo holding off the Gloomy Monster until Master arrived. It sounds simple, but honestly, she doubted whether she could fulfill that role as effectively as Kim Yoo-min.

“Emily… give me Emily!!”

“What the hell is this?”

Yeon-woo couldn’t help but be startled by the sudden roar from the Gloomy Monster. Wasn’t he known for not showing emotions? Why on earth would he have a reason to scream like that?

Moreover, who in the world was this Emily? Though she couldn’t be certain, she could clearly recognize he was confusing Kim Yoo-min with Emily due to the shaking in his brain. The heated gaze fixed on Kim Yoo-min was unmistakable.

It felt as if the monster that once tried to kill Yeon-woo through Kim Yoo-min was now intent on killing Yeon-woo for Kim Yoo-min’s sake… That impression came across vividly through the aura reflected in Yeon-woo’s dragon eyes.

“This is kind of funny. They say Demon Cultists don’t have circumstances, but you’re cut from the same cloth, huh? But still, just because there’s a circumstance doesn’t mean we have to spare each other, right?”

“Emily…!!”

The hand of death spread with a scream. The speed was much faster than before. It was impossible to drop or deflect with a sword. Dodging would prove just as difficult; changing the direction of power with finesse, as Kim Yoo-min had done, was a challenge in itself.

However, just as there were things Kim Yoo-min could do, there were skills unique to Yeon-woo as well. And the space Yeon-woo occupied was too conducive to maximizing that.

“I take it you’ve never fought against an aura user who can use magic?”

Yeon-woo swung her hand. The emerging shadows, an abstract essence devoid of mass, blocked every threat headed toward her. Despite the numbing feedback pulsing through her body, it was infinitely better than taking the hits directly.

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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