486

 [Chapter 135]

[A World That Doesn't Go As Planned]

It's just a waste of time and emotion.

She knows that nothing will change even if she follows them.

Nevertheless, Yoon I-byeol continued to trail the two people.

"Kek... Eunha, you're really something. Today is Ha..."

"This is the place I told you about. The cotton candy here is really delicious."

"I've heard about it too. I've been wanting to try the cotton candy here!"

No matter how far away she was.

Even though the two should have noticed.

No Eunha and Jeong Ha-yang.

The two seemed not to notice her presence, so focused were they on each other.

That was somewhat reassuring, but also saddening.

He never smiled at me like that.

Always... pushing me away like that.

Why is Ha-yang okay, but not me?

Suppressing her sadness.

Yoon I-byeol watched dejectedly as the two went to find a churros booth.

Many people pass by her.

Left alone, she trudged along following the two, going against the flow of people passing by.

...It's too much.

Resentment towards Eunha.

But she can't hate him endlessly.

Instead, she resents Jeong Ha-yang who monopolizes his time as much as she resents Eunha.

And—

"—That's right. It's pretty."

A tower in a location with few people passing by.

Yoon I-byeol didn't go outside, but watched the two through a gap from inside the door.

Eunha says something to Jeong Ha-yang with a face she's never seen before.

The sound drowned out by the fireworks illuminating the night didn't reach her ears.

But because her ears couldn't hear—

"..."

—The world was that much more visible.

Yoon I-byeol couldn't close her mouth at what he showed right after.

No Eunha.

He pressed his lips to Ha-yang's forehead so naturally.

Jeong Ha-yang flinches in surprise.

She also looks at No Eunha unable to close her mouth.

"...Ah..."

Yoon I-byeol let out a short groan.

If earlier Eunha had kissed Ha-yang's forehead without warning.

This time he gently brushed aside Jeong Ha-yang's hair standing still as if giving a warning.

Soon he lowers his head and steals her cheek.

This time Jeong Ha-yang closed her eyes, seeming to feel Eunha's touch as if savoring the moment.

"...Don't... do that..."

Jeong Ha-yang gently opens her eyes.

Now she's smiling shyly.

That smile is so beautiful even to another woman's eyes.

Yoon I-byeol watched the two looking at each other as if they were the only two in the world, unable to even blink.

Eventually—

—Don't... do it.

Now words won't come out.

Yoon I-byeol only moved her lips while shaking her head as if sobbing.

At first without warning.

Then as if giving a warning.

And then as if matching the timing.

When Eunha places his hand on Jeong Ha-yang's cheek, she gently raises her face.

Lips and lips get closer and closer.

"...Don't."

Then with a snap.

Something breaks inside her.

It collapses like a dam breaking.

Unable to even compose her internal mana, a single tear flows.

And right at that moment—

—————!!!!

As if it wasn't over yet.

Just as their lips were about to touch, the ground shook violently.

☆

When the entire tower shook.

Eunha could realize something was going wrong.

What on earth happened!?

Fireworks are bursting.

But he could no longer appreciate the fireworks.

Because just moments ago, when the tower shook, an explosive mana presence was felt from the epicenter.

"Eunha, this is..."

"Ha-yang, stay inside the protective magic. Don't try to leave my side."

"...Okay, I understand."

It's difficult to gauge the power.

It's not omnipresent. If it were omnipresent, there would have been some sign before the mana revealed its presence.

But the energy being felt now arose suddenly.

The energy that felt like a tiny dot suddenly swelled in size.

—It's coming.

Energy scattered sporadically around as if unable to contain its power.

The being that suddenly appeared below the tower soon seemed to compose that energy and immediately began to act.

The ground shook again.

About a quarter of the top floor area of the tower collapsed, unable to withstand the impact.

""""Kyaaaah—!!!""""

People fall towards the collapsed floor of the tower below.

They almost fell.

If something like threads hadn't tightly bound them.

"...Sob...sob...sob sob...!!"

As if trapped in cocoons.

People floating in the air with their entire bodies tightly wrapped in threads.

And a being slowly revealing itself from where the floor had collapsed.

"—What on earth is going on?"

Eunha frowned sharply.

The situation was so incomprehensible he wished someone would explain.

That's how much of an unpredictable event had occurred.

"—Oh my, Eunha. You were here? I wondered why I could smell you, so that's why."

"..."

"But it seems I was sleeping for a long time. Strangely I feel like I'm missing memories in the middle, but it feels like I had a good long sleep! Ah, it feels so good."

Fireworks are still exploding.

Yet her voice is clearly audible because she naturally infused her voice with mana.

But she's not aware of it.

That's why she was presenting an extremely incongruous and bizarre appearance.

"You..."

"Hm? What?"

"No... it's nothing."

He should tell her.

Choi Ga-in has a bewildered expression under the sky lit by fireworks.

And behind her, several cocoons were floating tied with threads.

All of it was her doing.

But she doesn't know.

So he stopped speaking midway.

There was no point in telling her.

If he said the wrong thing, it might provoke her instead.

Because right now she is—

"Wow! The fireworks are so pretty! I'm so happy I can watch them with you this year!"

"...That's right. They're really... pretty..."

—Undergoing demonization.

A lower body disproportionately large compared to the upper body, reminiscent of a spider's abdomen.

And the eight giant legs supporting the lower body had an eerie appearance.

While the lower body has the shape of an arthropod, the legs are reminiscent of human hands and feet.

A bizarre combination.

But the joints of the legs, which can't be distinguished as hands or feet, are each misaligned.

Choi Ga-in was truly beyond biological norms.

...Is it because of Moon's Blessing?

Meanwhile, Moon's Blessing taking root in the ledge-like lower body.

The flower emitting a soft light seemed to be confessing that it was the culprit who caused this trouble.

It must be because of Moon's Blessing.

Something went wrong in the process of separating Choi Ga-in and Moon's Blessing.

Moon's Blessing copies the genetic information of the species it belongs to.

It has the potential to reconstruct the body.

So Moon's Blessing must have influenced Choi Ga-in's body to transform like that.

At the same time, her internal mana must have run wild and demonization progressed.

The demonization isn't over yet.

The skin tissue of the upper body in human form keeps expanding and contracting repeatedly.

Choi Ga-in's pupils are turning redder, and arthropod-like hairs are sprouting on her cheeks.

The demonization is still progressing.

So whether she transforms into a monster or becomes a demon, the situation had to be ended before that.

It was obvious that either way would be dangerous.

"But Eunha—"

"What?"

Eunha didn't avoid Choi Ga-in's gaze looking at him with an ecstatic expression.

He moved his hand to his sword as naturally as possible.

Then he answered nonchalantly.

To take her down while she was still unaware of her transformation—

"—But why were you watching the fireworks there with Jeong Ha-yang instead of with me? If my eyes aren't mistaken, that was definitely Jeong Ha-yang..."

"..."

"Why! Why is that Jeong Ha-yang bitch there!?"

Choi Ga-in's gaze turns vicious.

Beyond her eyes turning bright red, six eyes sprout on her face.

When she opens her mouth, her teeth structure changes to become like a beast's fangs.

"...Ah...Eu...Eu...n...ha...ya..."

"..."

"...I...want...you..."

"...In the end her ego was devoured."

Choi Ga-in no longer exists.

Even if she partially maintains human form, the being before his eyes was nothing more than a monster.

"...Sob...sob sob...!!"

"...This is crazy."

At least the mutation didn't seem to be complete yet.

He had to kill her even now.

But after she lost her ego, the people who became cocoons were floating around her indiscriminately.

So he couldn't even attack.

The creature intends to finish its mutation using the cocoons as shields.

Above all—

"—Eun...ha...ya..."

For some reason, Yoon I-byeol was among the people tightly bound in threads.

The situation had become that much more troublesome.

Eunha frowned.

☆

It seemed the creature was using the internal mana of the people captured in cocoons as nutrients.

It was trying to capture people around it in cocoons indiscriminately.

Meanwhile, the life or death of people completely captured in cocoons couldn't be confirmed.

Currently, most of Yoon I-byeol's face was tightly wrapped in threads except for her nose which allowed her to breathe.

"—Ha-yang, you focus only on rescuing the people trapped in cocoons. You don't need to back me up."

"Can you really do it alone?"

"Once those cocoons are gone, I can manage somehow on my own. Got it?"

"Okay, then I'll listen to you Eunha. Don't get hurt."

So there were three things to do.

One, rescue Yoon I-byeol and the people captured by Choi Ga-in.

One, obtain Moon's Blessing.

Last one, kill Choi Ga-in.

Eunha who set his goals immediately gave instructions to Ha-yang.

She decided to take on the role of receiving the people he rescues with magic.

Other familiar-faced students also decided to divide roles with her.

People are distracted by those fireworks right now.

In a situation where sound isn't transmitted properly, how many players would be running this way?

Eventually Eunha infused his internal mana into Winter Blooming Coldly.

Though he boasted to Ha-yang that he could save all the people alone, he knew well that it was an extremely difficult task.

Choi Ga-in, no, the creature was cunning.

It attached the cocoons floating in the night sky all over its lower body.

And some were deliberately being waved in front of him.

As if to say, can you attack me like this?

Eu...n...ha...ya...

I...want...you...

You...

Choi Ga-in making sounds like human speech but actually the cries of a monster.

Eunha aimed Winter Blooming Coldly at her who was looking at him with shining eyes.

First, he needed to disrupt Choi Ga-in's vision.

—Winter Blooming Coldly

Flowers bloom from the snow-white blade.

Red petals scatter over the top floor of the tower, filling the area with red.

Choi Ga-in seemed unable to keep up with the sudden change in situation.

Eunha seized that moment and ran.

Mana Crusher

First one.

Eunha who hid his body among the petals and ran out cut off one cocoon that the creature was waving mockingly right in front of him.

Immediately Ha-yang who was waiting at the far end manifested magic and collected the fallen cocoon.

Thousand Steps

Revolver Shot

He rescues as many people as possible while the petals are still scattering.

Eunha cut through spider webs while avoiding the creature moving its grotesque legs upon hearing his footsteps.

The large-bodied creature couldn't easily respond to his movements.

It's not easy to deal with since I can't use Violent Venom.

Eventually the petals dissolved into mana particles in the air.

He clicked his tongue and considered using Winter Blooming Coldly's magic once more.

Soon he shook his head inwardly.

Judging by the creature's behavior, it seemed the same attack wouldn't work easily.

So Eunha gripped Winter Crawling Through Snowflakes in his hand.

Light Dance

Things resembling human limbs fall towards his head as if swinging pickaxes.

Eunha swung his sword quickly as his senses dictated.

The limbs are thick.

Bright blue blood bursts and the burst areas heal instantly.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to cut the limbs unless he infused a bit more mana into the sword.

Thousand Steps

The creature is looking down at the ground.

Eunha is looking up at the creature.

The battle brought about by the difference in eye level was disadvantageous for Eunha.

Eunha who had been jumping with irregular rhythm jumped high in place and climbed onto the creature's lower body.

The hair covering the lower body stands on end.

That hair surges forward like a wave.

And the hair that rose to the highest point became thorns and rushed at him.

Mana Cru...

Eunha clicked his tongue briefly.

When he tried to cut the rushing thorns, there was a cocoon in the range of his sword swing.

Eunha who hesitated for a moment took the attack and floated into the air.

The creature shoots spider webs from its mouth.

Invisible Tracker

Single Point Breakthrough

Mana Crusher

He set the movement direction to coordinates he marked on the lower body just before.

Eunha enveloped himself with the mana gathered at the tips of his two blades and disintegrated the spider web.

...Kee...eeee...eee...

The body of the creature struck in the lumbar region soon wobbles.

But it seemed to barely regain balance and catch its breath.

Eunha who landed on the creature's lower body again tried to cut off the remaining cocoons—

"—What!?"

The creature suddenly leaps forward.

Eunha who was on its back had no choice but to fall to the ground from the creature's sudden action.

He quickly performed a falling technique to reduce damage and got up towards the direction the creature jumped.

Are you running away because you have no chance of winning?

The height of about a 5-story building.

The creature is trying to fall below the tower to avoid a fight with no chance of winning.

I can't let that happen.

He put strength in his feet and manifested his internal mana.

Just then—

"—Huh?"

"Jeong Ha-yang—!!"

In the direction the creature was heading.

Of all people, Jeong Ha-yang was there.

No, that's not it.

Eunha gritted his teeth.

Moon's Blessing's position was moving from the lower body to Choi Ga-in's hand.

Eunha realized upon seeing that.

The creature, no, Moon's Blessing was clearly targeting Jeong Ha-yang from the start.

The reason was obvious.

Because Ha-yang has vast internal mana.

Eunha instinctively realized.

Moon's Blessing is not a simple elixir, but an elixir with a will.

That flower has now chosen Jeong Ha-yang with vast mana as the new person to belong to.

And the creature is trying to belong to her while leading its monstrous body.

Jeo...ng...Ha...ya...ng.

"...!"

Jeong Ha-yang tries to block the rushing creature with protective magic.

But

the creature that rushed as if burning its own body smashed into the barrier while collapsing the ground.

Rumble

The ground collapses.

As the ground beneath her feet sank, she was soon unable to maintain her protective magic and fell straight down the tower.

And without hesitation, the guy jumped down after her.

You… ㄷ… ㅗ… ㄴ… ㅐ… get… out… here… .

"…Ugh…!"

Choi Ga-in extends her hand.

Before she knew it, the moonlight blessing that had taken root on her wrist was stretching its branches toward the sky.

The flowers emit an intense light.

Although Hayang tried to stop it somehow, there was nothing she could do while falling.

Eventually, the stem touches Jeong Ha-yang's body and she is about to connect with the monster.

─Woobo

Eunha also jumped down without hesitation and activated her magic.

It doesn't necessarily have to be on the ground.

The place you are stepping on is the ground.

So, using the falling debris as a stepping stone, he ran a long distance in one breath.

"─Let go. If you want to die gracefully