Chương 9: Symbol
Whirl—
The hem of her dress drew a black and beautiful wave. And in between—
Swish!
—A ball of fire flew in. Its speed alone was astonishing.
'Your opponent isn't good.'
An ice shield taller than his height was erected in front of Siwoo. Facing that cold temperature, the ambitious fireball went out like a lamp.
Hiss!
At the same time, shards of ice in the form of wild beasts' teeth flew towards Eunha.
However, Eunha lightly avoided all of them and muttered with an expressionless face.
"Hiding behind a shield won't be able to kill me."
There was no nervousness in her calm tone.
However, it was the same with Siwoo, who was standing behind the shield. He stared at the floor calmly.
The ice shield that was hit by the fireball melted little by little, and water droplets dripped down. The moment the last drop of water fell into the puddle on the floor…
Shhhhh—
A stream of water gushed out as if it had been given a soul and stretched out to Eunha.
"…!"
Water? Not ice?
Eunha reflexively threw out fire, but it went out like a candle in front of a fire extinguisher. Unlike the flying fragments of ice, this had a tremendous amount of momentum.
Eunha, who clicked her tongue belatedly, quickly kicked the ground and tried to leap into the air.
Pang—
Eunha's body reeled from a momentary headache. The stream of water twisted its body like a snake, not missing the opportunity, and quickly wrapped around Eunha's neck.
'Damn it…!'
By the time she realized it, it was already too late. She couldn't believe she was having a headache at a time like this. Furthermore, Eunha didn't know that the person could control water.
She was complacent because she had gotten too used to the beast-type monsters in the gate. A very bad physical attitude in recent years had also played a part.
Clearly, the young man in front of her was strong. Probably stronger than all the enemies Eunha had ever faced.
Even so, it wasn't that she couldn't win. This just happened out of negligence.
The stream of water turned into a thick rope, strangling Eunha's neck without mercy. It began to block her mouth and nose one after the other, without leaving any time to remove it.
'I can't breathe…!?'
She squeezed her tightly closed lips, and air bubbles leaked out.
Am I going to die like this? That's what she thought.
Suffocation or drowning. Eunha had never thought that her death would be like this. And by human hands? There was no comedy in this.
Her mother's tombstone, which was cold, suddenly came to mind in her hazy mind.
Eunha.
Eunha.
Go to school.
Eunha…
Ding.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' looks at you with anxious eyes.]
[Unnie, —Don't.]
[Golden eyes glow with a deep look of concern.]
Gradually, Eunha's vision blurred.
[The fur of the divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' begins to shine brightly.]
[Congratulations! 'Ah—' from '—Heuk—' and Da!]
It was no longer possible to read the letters because of the water that covered her face.
'More… More than this, Eun.'
Eunha closed her eyes tightly.
It felt like something cold touched her forehead.
Paah!
Suddenly, her entire field of vision went black. The water that was blocking her eyes, nose, and mouth disappeared, and breathing was finally possible.
'… What happened?'
She closed and opened her eyes again. Her vision was still black.
However, the message window that appeared in front of her was clearly readable.
[You have achieved the hidden achievement 'Wear the Five Black Treasures'.]
[Achievement rewards will be given.]
[ – – – Loading – – – ]
'… Achievements? A reward?'
Confused, Eunha started groping her face and body. Before long, she noticed that she was wearing a cold metal object over her head.
The fifth item.
There was no doubt. Eunha was convinced that this was the fifth item she had been looking for for so long.
'Cat… so you were holding it?'
At the end of the doubts that filled her mind, a wave of disappointment hit her.
[Congratulations! You have acquired the title 'Princess of Dark Flare'. Do you want to use it right away? ▷ Yes/No]
Eunha had to sort out the current situation first. She didn't know what effect the title had, but in order to subdue the strong enemy in front of her, she had to grab at whatever she had.
Without hesitation, Eunha put her finger on the 'Yes' button.
Ding.
[The title 'Princess of Dark Flare' is used.]
Then, another message window overlapped the current one.
[Your unique abilities evolve.]
[Flame ▷ Dark Flame]
Afterwards, the darkness surrounding Eunha disappeared in an instant.
"… You."
Siwoo, whose face had changed, came into view.
"Where have you disappeared off to?"
Instead of answering him, Eunha patted her hair. The feeling of the cold tiara was clearly transmitted to the tip of her finger. As expected, what just happened doesn't seem to be a hallucination.
Fwoom!
Even without opening her palms, flames were summoned from her shoulders.
The flame with an ego flew towards the enemy in front of it according to its owner's will.
"…!"
It was a different speed than before. Siwoo, who managed to activate his ice shield, realized that her flames had turned black.
Even when the dark flames she shot out touched the ice, there were no signs of them extinguishing at all. It must have been no ordinary fire.
The moment Siwoo faced the black burning flame, a forgotten memory flashed through his mind.
'The princess of dark flare?'
It was a story told one day by a middle-aged hunter who he had happened to talk to.
'She spoke the human language and was said to be beautiful enough to charm hunters. When you meet that monster, run away without looking back. Her black flames are said to burn even the soul.'
Humans were a race with fear and curiosity for an unknown realm that they had never experienced. It was natural for rumours and speculation about gates and monsters to spread.
The Princess of Dark Flare. It was an embarrassingly childish name. Siwoo just heard that it might be the monster version of the Red Mask or the Hong Kong Grandma*…
tl/n: *common urban legends in korea
Siwoo looked up at the humanoid monster in front of him.
"… Princess of dark flare."
Then, her expression contorted strangely.
He couldn't read what she was thinking now. Siwoo clenched his fist.
A gate blocked on all sides. A formidable opponent and no confidence to win. The faint smell of blood. Fingertips that were getting cold.
All of this forced out bad memories buried under the ice caps.
The two of them resumed the attack, regardless of whoever came first.
Black and blue sparks flew everywhere. The interior of the gate, with the right mix of water and fire, created a dramatic environment.
Ding.
[The 12 divine beasts 'Dogs Guarding the Deep Night' bare their teeth.]
[I am very wary of that woman who smells like a cat.]
'… Cat?'
Siwoo looked at her with a glance. Looking at it again, it was a human-type monster that never appeared to be a beast-type monster.
There was no time to observe her leisurely. Correcting his softened eyes, Siwoo beckoned towards the floor.
The water around it started to come out drop by drop. The water droplets gathered next to Siwoo, and he immediately created a distant pool of water.
Thanks to the flames, the surrounding ice melted like ice cream. It was a good thing for him to be able to summon such a huge spray.
The spray savagely charged towards its immobile prey. It was more like a tidal wave than a spray.
He watched with his own eyes as she was swallowed by the tidal wave. However.
'She didn't avoid it.'
That is, there was no need to avoid it.
Siwoo did not lower his guard. As if to prove his expectations, the tidal wave that swallowed her began to writhe wildly.
Pwaaah!
Half of the water evaporated, and the other half began to scatter in all directions, spewing hot vapour.
The drops of water falling on the floor made loud hisses and spewed steam. It was obvious that the moment Siwoo touched it, he would receive severe burns.
When Siwoo took a step back,
"I wanted to talk to you."
A low voice was heard from behind. It was so close that the hair on his neck stood up.
Siwoo, who unconsciously swallowed his saliva, glanced behind his back.
There, a black and white woman was smiling.
The moment he saw that alluring smile, it felt like his breath had stopped.
'Is this the end?'
It was a feeling that 'death', which he had never even thought of or even imagined, was finally embodied in front of his eyes.
"Actually, I guess I missed humans."
The area around the left cheek heated up. From the left field of vision, he could see a distant black flame dancing.
And the next moment.
Thump—
"…"
It fell down.
"…?"
The humanoid monster, not himself.
Siwoo stiffened and stared at the black hair that ran down his shoulders.
She fell to the floor and didn't budge, like a broken clockwork doll.
'If… If she hadn't fallen.'
Cold sweat dripped down his back. Siwoo stood there for a while, like a sergeant, staring at the back of her fallen head.
'Is she dead?'
No, it looked like she was still breathing, even if it was very faint.
Fwoom.
The sound of the gate opening was heard in the distance.
Why was the exit open when the boss wasn't dead yet? The moment his curiosity struck, Siwoo reached out to her to confirm.
Glint.
A small light flashed from the corner of her neck. Something flat laid underneath a strange-looking pendant.
'… This.'
Siwoo's hand stopped mid-air.
— A golden dog tag.
It was the symbol of a hunter.
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