Chapter 118

Was this a good thing right now? Or...

‘No, stop thinking.’

That kind of judgment could only be made once I got out alive. Whether this bastard had eaten half my body or all of it, that got shoved way down the priority list.

“Haa...”

Even though I’d just burned through mana in real time like this, I barely felt it leaving my body. No, if anything, it felt like the opposite.

‘Because of the Preservation Patch?’

But it wasn’t just a sense of conserving mana... it felt like it was flowing in the other way around.

I pressed my palm flat against the ground. The scorching floor rapidly cooled as ice spread out from my hand.

—Shaaaak.

A bizarre sight—ice rushing along the canyon floor, covering over molten heat in an instant.

Well, guess you live long enough, you see shit like this.

“Haha!”

Laughter spilled out uncontrollably. The ice spread over the floor, and unbelievably, it began cooling the lava itself. Something utterly impossible with the pathetic E-rank stats I’d originally had.

No—hell, even with the B-rank boost I’d squeezed out against the Cave Giant’s clone, it shouldn’t have been possible.

‘A-rank... maybe higher?’

Couldn’t say for sure.

The ice spread out, growing several times its mass as it met lava, as if refusing to yield any further.

And the strange pulsing that began from my palm had already covered half my body. Keeping my head clear was harder than chaining ice out of my hand. A rare thrill I hadn’t felt in ages squirmed inside me.

The danger of losing my body to that thing, lava bearing down right in front of me, mana endlessly filling and draining out inside—

‘And this is possible?’

A wild exhilaration, sharp enough to tug at the back of my skull, gnawed at my mind. A twisted pleasure born from fear.

The lava gradually cooled under the creeping ice until its surface hardened and froze in place. Once I confirmed it had stopped, the mana burning through my body naturally went out too.

I shut my eyes slowly, then opened them again. My mind was sharp, but my body alone sagged into the ground like it had been drained dry of mana.

“Hyungnim.”

“Yeah.”

“...How did you do that?”

Turning my head, I saw Do Yehyun staring at me, not even bothering to pretend calm.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t say bullshit.”

“......”

His tone had turned prickly. I didn’t bother replying, just sat down right there. With all my mana gone, even talking was too much work.

Do Yehyun sat across from me and reached out a trembling hand. When I let him take my cheek, he tilted my face upward to get a better look.

“The mark on your cheek... it’s gone.”

“......”

“What the hell is going on?”

Instead of explaining, I let my face lean into the hand holding my cheek. Do Yehyun flinched, but instead of pulling away he held tighter.

“So being F-rank was all a lie?”

“......”

“You expect me to believe an F-rank can do that? What the....”

“......”

“Was it a lie from the start? Why? Because it’s easier that way?”

Every word was off base, but I didn’t have the strength to argue.

After venting, Do Yehyun finally seemed to remember my condition and asked in a low voice,

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“Are you injured?”

“Mm... no.”

Just felt like my mana had been completely sucked out.

And actually, there was one more shocking thing. I thought I could roughly tell how that furball in my palm was feeling.

‘It’s excited.’

As soon as I cut the skill, the mana drained away, and the solid ice wall vanished quickly.

That was when—

“Hunter Seo!”

From above, Hunter Choi swooped down using a flight item, calling out loudly.

‘Wow, you’re fucking late!’

Still, better they didn’t show up while I was making ice.

Either way, Do Yehyun and I got pulled out of the canyon dungeon by Hunter Choi.

Outside, after a quick check and downing potions, we got into the car side by side.

Nobody spoke during the ride.

Whether because they were exhausted or out of words, I didn’t know. For me it was definitely the first.

I was already replaying what had just happened inside the dungeon.

‘I need to go to Sung Eunha.’

I had to dig into this thing and get it researched properly. The ability I’d used in the dungeon had been completely different from usual.

Up until now, it was just imitating that bastard’s ability, separate from mine. But this time, it felt like it had always been mine, a natural ease in using the skill. And the time limit that always came with boosting a skill’s rank—gone.

On top of that—

‘It was way stronger than B-rank.’

I thought back to the first time I’d seen the furball.

Cave Giant’s Clone (B)

Another clone made from the Cave Giant’s core.

Its potential for growth is limitless.

The status window wasn’t visible now, but I clearly remembered.

One line in particular stuck out.

‘Potential for growth is limitless?’

That better not mean the thing grows into some giant hairball. Whoever wrote the status wouldn’t have phrased it that stupidly if it had real intelligence.

‘So it means it can grow beyond B-rank?’

That was the most plausible guess right now.

The sense of it covering half my body was still vivid even after it went quiet. And more than that—

‘I think I can roughly tell what it’s feeling.’

Like a so-called “beast-fusion hunter” in actual communion.

But no, there were problems with that comparison. Even now, the moment the ability ended, it had gone dormant on its own.

And when it showed willpower in my palm, that had felt strange too. Maybe not certain, but... didn’t it only move because it thought I was about to die?

‘Thinking coldly, it must’ve feared the host’s death.’

So now I was this bastard’s “host”?

Couldn’t say for sure either.

I leaned back in the seat and turned to the window.

The world was absurdly quiet and peaceful compared to the brush with death I’d just had.

“It’s snowing.”

At Hunter Choi’s words, the others glanced outside. Sure enough, it was snowing—not the snow I’d made inside the dungeon, but real snow from the sky.

Do Yehyun, sitting beside me, looked out the window too, then turned his head toward me. I felt his stare but deliberately didn’t meet it, only tilting my head slightly to look back.

“......”

I saw his grip tighten on the seat, but this time he didn’t look away. The odd staring match dragged on until it ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) naturally ended when we arrived at the SH building.

***

After a brief report, I ignored Do Yehyun’s attempts to hold me back and headed straight for Sung Eunha’s lab.

Even though I only called her after I’d already set out, Sung Eunha readily agreed to meet.

“Been a while, Jehyun.”

“Yes, Professor.”

After the greetings, I handed over the sample.

“...Another strange chunk of flesh this time?”

“It’s the same thing.”

“From that person we saw before?”

I nodded and went straight to the point.

“Last time you said it wasn’t sharing mana, right?”

“That’s what I saw then. Why? Something change?”

“Yes.”

Up until recently there’d been no mutual mana exchange. That was why using Mimic always drained me dry.

Whether using a Preservation Patch or lowering the flow to mimic weaker skills, it was all the same principle.

But in the canyon dungeon, I’d felt unmistakable mana sharing. Even if I was left exhausted after, I couldn’t deny what I’d sensed.

I added,

“It seemed like a form of sharing mana.”

Her eyes grew curious at that answer.

Once was strange enough, but twice meant Sung Eunha’s suspicions would spike. Even if I insisted it wasn’t my flesh, she’d still assume it came from an SH hunter.

‘Who cares? What matters is figuring this out.’

If some SH hunter got misunderstood, not my problem. As long as Eunha didn’t tell Neo Core, it was fine.

She nodded and took the sample from my hand.

The results came fast.

After carefully checking the data in her hand, she finally spoke.

“...They’re still separated.”

“Ah... really?”

So not fused. Then what the hell was that sensation I felt?

I frowned, but she continued.

“The really strange part isn’t the separation....”

“Yes.”

“The beast’s mana has increased.”

“......”

Was I supposed to take that as good news?

She went on,

“The difference in mana is wider now. That means the chance of the beast swallowing the human is higher.”

“......”

“It’s not a full fusion yet, so you’re fine for now....”

Trailing off, Sung Eunha lifted her gaze from the data and met mine. I smiled thinly.

“Problems down the line?”

“Could be.”

‘Ah... fuck.’

This was why I’d set my sights on Aquarion’s Heart. But the auction was still a week away.

‘Wait.’

Looked at positively, having more to leech with Mimic was a good thing. As long as I kept it in check.

And if I was sure I could get Aquarion’s Heart—

‘I only have one plan. I have to make it succeed.’

What had been urgent was now desperately urgent. I rose from my seat and bowed my head.

“Thank you as always, Professor.”

Sung Eunha stared at me for a moment, then shrugged. A signal she’d decided to play dumb.