Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 57
Smack!
"M-Ms. Hunter!"
Jehwi, watching the battle from near the waterfall, shouted urgently.
Eunha, hit squarely by the monster's attack, was sent flying far away.
If it had been a normal person like Jehwi, it would have been an impact powerful enough to do more than just crack bones.
However, Eunha stood up again.
"O-Oppa, what do we do?"
Jerim, who had been watching the situation beside him, nervously clutched Jehwi's sleeve.
"Shouldn't we stop her now? You said she's F-Class, right? What if she dies like that!"
An F-Class hunter charging at an Unknown Gate boss monster?
And with just that frilly parasol?
Even to the non-Awakened Jerim, it looked like nothing short of a suicide attempt.
"Jerim."
Jehwi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
"That F-Class hunter holds our lives in her hands right now."
"Even if we can't help, we shouldn't at least get in her way."
"But..."
"If something happens to Ms. Hunter, you and I will all die here together anyway."
"..."
Struck speechless by her brother's firm tone, Jerim pressed her lips tightly together.
The two silently watched Eunha's battle.
Because that was all they could do.
Clang—! Whirr! Shwoop, Kang!
The battle unfolding before them was too fast for the eyes of non-Awakened individuals to even follow.
At this point, it was impossible to tell if Eunha was attacking or being attacked.
What was certain was that she hadn't fallen yet.
Jehwi suddenly remembered the first time he saw her.
'Pleased to meet you, Ms. Hunter. I am Mr. Shin's executive secretary and a member of Silver Moon Management, Park Jehwi. Please feel free to call me Manager Park.'
'...Ah, yes.'
Looking at Eunha, Jehwi had thought, Could this person be made of wax?
Her pale complexion contributed to this, but her expressionless face was also a factor.
Even after receiving an F-Class rating in front of everyone, her blank expression didn't crumble on the quiet ride back in the car.
He thought it was strange.
He thought she was a person without laughter or tears.
But he was wrong.
She smiled at rather trivial things, knew how to empathize with others' pain, and above all—
Whoosh!
'A fearless person.'
Spinning around, Eunha kicked off the ground in the blink of an eye and charged at the monster.
Not a hint of hesitation could be felt in her movements.
A confidence, or perhaps a sense of duty, like someone with a clear destination, following a signpost.
'She's someone even I'm not sure I can defeat.'
'Pardon...?'
At first, he had dismissed it as the President making an uncharacteristic joke.
But now—
"..."
Jehwi tightly gripped the conch shell Eunha had given him.
"...Ugh."
Eunha clutched her parasol and staggered to her feet.
Time and again, she charged at the Siren, and time and again, she failed to destroy its sphere.
In truth, based purely on combat power, the creature wasn't at a level that would give Eunha much trouble.
As proof, its attacks weren't causing significant physical damage.
...♬♪
So, to put it another way, if she could just do something about that song, victory was practically assured.
However, that wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Naturally, the closer she got, the louder the song became.
Meaning, the nearer she approached the creature, the harder it was to maintain her sanity.
Even Eunha, with her experience and resistance, was at a level where a slight lapse could lead to her mind being consumed by enchantment.
She had to stab herself in the back of her left hand, thighs, and arms to keep her wits about her, but—
'Not anymore.'
Eunha placed a hand on her throbbing thigh.
It wasn't a deep wound, but if she sustained more injuries, combat itself would eventually become impossible.
Daughter, my daughter Eeunha...
From afar, the creature began its taunts again.
Eunha ground her teeth.
"Shut up."
Sh-shut uuup...
This time, it mimicked Eunha's voice, and then—
Caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw!
Finding something amusing in that, it rolled around inside its sphere, letting out an eerie cackling sound.
Staring at the creature with a chillingly cold face, Eunha gripped her parasol tightly.
Ding.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' peeks its head out.]
[It looks a little disappointed in you, asking if you're really being swayed so much by a creature still in its growth stage.]
Growth stage? Do monsters have such things?
No, more importantly.
'Swayed?'
Eunha faintly raised the corners of her lips.
No, rather, the creature had touched something it shouldn't have.
As Eunha silently gripped her parasol anew, another yellow message window popped up.
[See, sister can't do without me. It subtly appeals its presence, saying it can lend its power anytime if needed.]
Indeed, if she borrowed the cat's power, she might be able to defeat the creature easily.
The cat could probably heal all her wounds completely right now.
It might even offer a groundbreaking item to neutralize the creature's song.
But.
'This one, at least.'
Without borrowing the cat's hand, without relying on anyone, she wanted to tear it apart herself with these two hands.
And she absolutely could.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' looks dejected.]
Eunha averted her gaze from the yellow message window.
Whoosh—!
Kicking hard off the ground, she used the momentum to fly swiftly somewhere.
It was in the opposite direction of the Siren.
Swaaaaah—
Towards the distant waterfall.
'Now.'
Schwrack!
Just before entering the waterfall, Eunha forcefully opened the parasol she was holding.
Thick streams of water poured down relentlessly from the dizzyingly high waterfall.
A child might have been crushed by the water pressure alone, but the parasol, harder than most metal, held firm.
The problem was Eunha.
'Can't hold on for long.'
The hand and arm holding the parasol trembled violently.
Glancing upwards, she saw the waterfall streams mercilessly battering the parasol's surface.
Swaaaaaaah—
The sound of the water, so loud it felt like it would tear rather than refresh, pounded her eardrums.
Ten seconds... twenty seconds... she endured for longer.
Under the powerful streams of water, strong enough to easily crush an adult.
And just when her arm could no longer hold—
'Done.'
Fwoosh!
Eunha leaped out of the waterfall as if bouncing.
[Lv.??? 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' spots you.]
[Lv.??? 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' uses a skill.]
[▶ Song of Temptation]
Beep—
Instead of the creature's song, a ringing sound filled her muffled ears.
There was no telling how long the ringing would last.
She had to hurry.
Without hesitation, Eunha kicked off the ground and shot forward in a straight line like a bullet.
Whoosh!
As if waiting, water streams rushed at her.
Numerous streams lunged as if to pierce Eunha's body, but Eunha lightly dodged them all.
There was no need to evaporate them.
After numerous learning experiences, she had already deciphered its attack patterns.
Any streams she couldn't dodge were deflected with the parasol.
[Lv.??? 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' uses a skill.]
[▶ Song of Temptation]
Simultaneously with the system window popping up, the creature began to move its lips, gasping.
However.
Beeeeeep—
Thanks to the ringing left in her muffled ears, the creature's song wasn't transmitted clearly.
[Lv.??? 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' uses a skill.]
[▶ Song of Temptation]
[Lv.??? 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' uses a skill.]
[▶ Song of Temptation]
[Lv.??? 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' uses a skill.]
[▶ Song of Temptation]
"It's useless."
As Eunha muttered lowly, she tightened her grip on the wet parasol in her hand.
And—
BOOM!
With the sharp tip of the parasol, she burst the sphere surrounding the creature in a single motion.
The 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence' hidden inside collapsed limply onto the ground.
Its wing-shaped arms flapped, looking like a fish out of water.
Splash—
Eunha took a step towards the creature.
The creature trembled violently, then slowly lifted its head to look up at Eunha.
Blood was gushing from near its ribs.
She had stabbed it so deeply that the tip of the parasol, passing through the sphere, seemed to have reached the creature's main body hidden inside.
Splash—
Eunha took another step towards it.
The distance was slowly closing, but the Siren didn't flee.
There was nowhere to flee in this place from the start.
That was true for Eunha as well as for the creature.
Splash—
Taking the final step, Eunha looked down at the creature blankly.
Its face alone was undeniably that of a human woman.
But nothing else about it resembled a human form.
Eunha gripped her parasol anew.
The moment she aimed its awl-sharp tip at the Siren, the creature parted its lips once more.
Did you hear? Her mom died, crushed by the crack.
A low voice reached her ears, now clear of the ringing.
A voice she felt she had heard somewhere before, yet had long forgotten.
"..."
Eunha narrowed her eyes slightly.
Was her reaction amusing to it?
The Siren, despite bleeding, stubbornly moved its lips.
Ah, somehow.
It's obvious just by looking.
Kekekeke...
Laughter was heard.
What would a kid who lost her parents early know?
Thump—
Pale pink coral slowly sprouted on the hand gripping the parasol.
Eunha, glancing down at the back of her hand, caught sight of the wish bracelet—now too worn, yet still precious.
"...I."
Her grip on the parasol tightened.
"Told you to shut up."
The pale pink coral sprouting on the back of her hand crumbled away.
Whoooooooosh...
A lukewarm wind blows.
Insufficient to calm her heated breath, but enough to fill the emptiness in her chest.
She tightened her grip on the parasol with both hands.
She knew now.
At least to her mom, she was—
'You went through a lot, my pretty daughter.'
—a daughter more precious than anything in the world.
Ugh, Eeunha...
Stab!
The parasol tip, sharper than an awl, plunged unhesitatingly into the creature's abdomen.
...
...
A strange silence flows.
The moment thick, dark purple blood dripped down its jawline—
Ta-ta-dan—!
An incongruously cheerful BGM resounded throughout the island.
[You have defeated the boss monster!]
[Congratulations! You have obtained 'Ocean's Tear'!]
[Obtained Item Details ▶ 'Ocean's Tear' Accessory (Pendant) / Rarity: Relic / Pendant worn around the neck of the 'Alluring Deceiver of Benevolence'. Gazing at the blue gem evokes a dreamlike feeling.]
[Passive Effect: Wearer's Water Resistance +50% / Luck +20% / 100% Immunity to Lv.99 and below Mental Domination skills]
[Active Effect: Dispels all Mental Domination skills. However, cannot be used on the dead.]
[Current Uses (0/10) - If usage count is exceeded, 'Ocean's Tear' turns to dust and returns to the sea.]
