‘Designation.’
Move-.
I escaped the gray space and initiated a position swap at the same time.
Originally, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid Terias’ attack, but my mana had become so vast that it was boiling over, allowing me to use that skill.
After escaping from Terias’ attack range in an instant, I checked my body’s condition.
My body hadn’t healed or anything.
One.
Ku-u-u-u-.
A surging wave of darkness.
It gradually swelled in size like a wave, eventually transforming into something that filled the horizon.
I couldn’t help but be amazed by the immense power that I couldn’t even control at will.
20% of his original power.
With just that, I had gained strength that was incomparable to before.
: Race - [ Half Demon ]
: Tendency - [ Chaos ]
: Talent - [ Position Exchange ‘Ⅳ’’ ]
: Trait - [ Interest ] [ Absorption ] [ Killing Intent Ⅳ ] [ Pitch Black ] [ Mana Manipulation ] [ Eye of Arrogance ] [ Telekinesis ] [ Sword Lacquer ]
: Mana - [ 2072 ⇒ 4301 ]
Several new windows popped up before me, each displaying a different sub-quest.
The traits and talents that had clearly changed were displayed above the status window.
First, Position Exchange.
It had increased by two whole stages compared to before.
Not only that, but Killing Intent had also increased by two stages.
If there was something that had changed completely.
It was that the original [Darkness Ⅱ] had been replaced with another trait.
‘……Pitch Black.’
I couldn’t help but be impressed.
It was a trait that meant I had truly conquered darkness.
It meant that I could endlessly emit darkness unless I used up all my mana.
It wasn’t even normal darkness, but an ability that meant complete blackout that couldn’t be illuminated by light.
‘What a shame.’
My Telekinesis and Sword Lacquer traits hadn’t improved.
It seemed that 20% of my original power wasn’t enough to increase my Sword Lacquer.
Sword Lacquer was a technique that could only be used when one reached the realm of the sword.
Therefore, I had to gain an understanding that surpassed that level to move on to the next stage.
And Telekinesis,
‘It’s not originally Adel’s ability.’
There was nothing I could do about it.
It was said to be an ability left behind by Arsene’s ancestors, but it wasn’t a trait that Adel originally possessed, so I couldn’t increase its proficiency.
However.
‘It’s not bad.’
Aside from other traits, the significant improvement in the level of Position Exchange is a great asset.
It has drastically narrowed the gap between Terias and my abilities.
But.
What did Adel take from me in exchange for lending me her power?
Didn't he say he would take one of the most precious things from me?
However, no artifact has disappeared from me, nor have there been any significant changes in my body.
'......What is it?'
There's no way Adel would lend me his power without receiving anything in return.
I couldn't even guess what he had taken.
Rattle.
I shook my head to clear my mind.
It wouldn't be too late to find out what Adel had taken from me later.
For now, I need to focus on dealing with Terias.
I quickly reviewed the powers Adel had given me once more.
An overwhelming power that was incomparable to before.
But is it possible to overwhelm Terias with this…….
'That would be difficult.'
In fact, the word 'difficult' is a euphemism.
It's not difficult, it's impossible.
The current Terias is a monster with the power to rival even the main characters.
It seems that by gaining 20% of his power, he has gained the power to slightly surpass Baltan, a member of the Seven Deadly Sins.
But that's not enough.
That was my conclusion.
It's only natural since Baltan wasn't stronger than Terias.
But it seemed to be enough to provoke Terias.
"What are you?"
Terias asked with a hardened expression.
The bottomless darkness surging from my body and the killing intent that had been upgraded to Level Ⅳ were naturally emanating from me.
I infused a little mana and released 'Killing Intent Ⅳ'.
That moment.
"......!!"
Terias hurriedly raised his hammer to defend his neck.
It must have been because of the illusion created by my killing intent.
Judging from his reaction, it seemed that he had seen a vision of his own neck being cut.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted so sensitively.
Is it because I inherited Adel's original power?
Naturally, not my ego, but Adel's ego suddenly popped out.
"Who do you ask?"
My mouth opened towards Terias, who had begun to be wary of me.
My hand touched the clown mask on my face.
Fortunately, the mask is still on, so it should be okay to speak.
I continued to speak with Adel's ego slightly mixed in.
“Didn’t you call me a bug? That’s exactly what I am. A bug that you and the humans failed to crush and kill.”
“……I don’t know what you’re talking about all of a sudden.”
Terias narrowed his brow.
He seemed to think I was talking nonsense in response to his question about my identity.
But there wasn’t a shred of lie in my words.
Because until recently, I was nothing more than a bug.
I had lost all my kin and was left in a huge mansion as a child, waiting for the day I would die.
From the perspective of the Six Families, I must have seemed like a bug that they had failed to kill.
However, they failed to crush me to death.
And perhaps he had sensed the sincerity in my tone.
“……Yes, that’s right.”
Terias’s face twisted ferociously, and the chill emanating from his body grew even thicker.
“If you’re a bug, I’ll just crush you again.”
With those words.
Swish-.
In an instant, Terias’s figure disappeared from my sight.
“……!”
My eyes widened at this.
Terias’s movements were clearly different from before.
If I had gained Adel’s original power, Terias had begun to exert his true power.
At one point-.
Terias appeared before my eyes.
“Hello?”
Terias stared at me with a sinister smile.
Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo-.
A ferocious aura hung over the hammer in his hand.
Countless shards of ice swirled and swelled to an enormous size.
I hardened my expression as I realized the nature of the ability Terias was manifesting.
Ice Storm.
One of Terias’s Vision abilities.
He had noticed that my aura had changed and was now unleashing his full power.
I quickly swung the Fang of Darkness.
Woosh-.
And the pitch-black Darkness manifested in an instant.
Even darker darkness colored my dagger.
Unfortunately, the Fang of Darkness’s grade had not increased, but I had succeeded in raising its proficiency to the extreme.
Not only that.
Cuckoo, cuckoo…….
I used Telekinesis to slow down the rotation speed of Terias’s Ice Storm.
The Ice Storm was still raging, but it was noticeably slower than before.
I didn’t stop there and summoned dozens of black blades.
‘Black Blade Rain.’
I cast it twice in a row.
Adel's power allowed my mana to reach '4301', which enabled me to perform that feat.
Thirty black blades, along with the fangs of darkness, clashed against Terias's ice storm.
Clang-!
Crackle, crackle, crackle-.
The pure white ice chunks and black blades intermingled, creating a magnificent spectacle.
My dagger and Terias's hammer met, their strength clashing.
Splash-.
Ice shards flew off, grazing my mask.
'I have to be careful.'
It would be bad if Terias discovered Adel's appearance.
I caressed my mask and pulled my body back.
Terias followed my every move without fail.
If I couldn't dodge, I would be defeated just like before.
This time, it would be difficult to receive Adel's help.
But this time, it was different.
The ability of [Position Swap Ⅳ].
With [Position Swap Ⅱ], I couldn't escape while fighting Terias.
It was natural since I didn't even have time to draw an arrow.
However...
‘Designate.’
As I calmly recited the incantation in my mind, countless arrows were released.
Not drawn, but released.
Position Swap no longer required me to draw an arrow. Instead, it connected the arrow to the object closest to the optimal position.
That's why.
'Move.'
Just by uttering the incantation, I was able to ascend to the pile of rubble on the ground that had crumbled during my battle with Terias.
And Terias's hammer struck the spot where I had been standing.
The boulder that had swapped places with me shattered into dust.
Bam-.
Terias's hammer smashed the ground, creating spiderweb-like cracks.
And the cracks were quickly filled with cold air, freezing them over.
It meant that if I were to be hit by his attack, I would not only suffer physical damage but also be inflicted with a status ailment that would freeze my body.
Although my position had been reversed, Terias, who had noticed that his strength was superior, curled his lips spitefully.
"Aren't you a bug? You really are like a cockroach."
"Don't blame your lack of skill on me. There's no reason for me to take that sluggish attack of yours, is there?"
I responded to Terias's words with a sharp smile.
In contrast, my insides were burning up as time went on.
'......If only my right wrist was intact.'
Despite receiving Adel's power, I couldn't fully utilize everything.
It was because I couldn't use one of my arms.
Just before Adel called me into the gray room, the bone in my right wrist popped out.
'Just once….'
I opened my eyes with difficulty and looked at Terias.
If I could just find an opening, I had a way to at least injure Terias, even if I couldn't defeat him.
But that small opening was nowhere to be found.
Terias moved his body leisurely, but he wasn't letting his guard down.
Could I really…
Defeat Terias?
Even with Adel's power, the sense of powerlessness that I couldn't defeat Terias weighed heavily on my shoulders.
As I was swallowing my dry saliva.
"Adel."
Samuel shouted from behind, gnashing his teeth in anger.
"Adel, don't lose to human trash!"
When I turned my gaze, Samuel's bloodshot eyes came into view.
Samuel was glaring at Terias with eyes full of anger, hatred, and contempt.
It wasn't me or Terias who reacted to this.
It was Sylvia, who had been anxiously watching the fight from behind Terias.
As soon as Samuel finished speaking, she opened her mouth, her anger flaring.
"What, trash?"
"Sylvia."
Terias turned his head and looked at Sylvia.
Even then, Terias was emitting a strong chill, so I couldn't attack him.
And then came Sylvia's growling voice.
"Are you, a demon, calling us trash? Do you have the right to say such a thing?! You who are trying to kill us for no reason, just like you did during the war?"
Sylvia's words hit the nail on the head.
I couldn't answer her words and was caught in a complicated mood.
In my novel, humans played the role of good.
On the other hand.
'...Demons are nothing more than villains.'
It is true that during the Great War between Humans and Demons, the human soldiers invaded the Demon Realm first.
However, the demons had already set foot in the human dimension through the gates that had been created before that.
The demons who had infiltrated the human realm in this way slaughtered the humans.
Unable to bear this, the humans waged a war to conquer the Demon Realm.
But.
"Nonsense."
The words that came out of Samuel's mouth were completely different from the setting I had written.
"You were the ones who started the war and slaughtered our demons!"
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Enjoy novel, but this chapter is cutoff. Can only view half of this chapter
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter!
ReplyDeleteEven with unfair powerups that cost memory MC is super lame, what a letdown.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't lose his memory. It was already foreshadowed that the world is different, especially the part about who is evil and who is not. But since I haven't read the full story idk, maybe you're right.
DeleteHaaaaa! Can't believe I already caught up 😠awesome reading
ReplyDeleteNo wonder why the original Adel lost. 20% of the original power of the most powerful villain can't overpower these bugs
ReplyDeleteWhat if a third party is pinning them against each other? Just a theory. A GAME theory
ReplyDelete