Chapter 73: It's Not Only Riders Who Transform (10)
She had transformed.
I wasn’t sure if the gimmick of making her body sparkle with rainbows applied to only the E-rank Yumir or if it also applied to her EX-rank self. She had covered herself with a rainbow aura and immediately changed her form.
The tactical mask and visor were of a sci-fi style, but she wore a nobleman’s robe that ladies from a Korean folk village might wear on her head, and the ends of it came down to her thighs, leaving her legs below the thigh wholly exposed.
What should I call that?
An armored nobleman’s hat?
The mechanical young lady from a noble family?
Although the form was as such, the overall color of the costume was based on black, with red and yellow appropriately mixed in.
‘No matter how I look at it, it’s the epitome of imbalance, but it strangely fits.’
Could it be because of that intriguing chest armor that’s catching my eye?
Or because of the line of the stockings and legs that were exposed beneath the skirt?
It was like looking at some bizarre concept art, but for some reason, it’s enjoyable to look at since Yumir’s body pulls it off, so I find myself nodding along.
“You, that, what is that?”
I was focused on the outfit, but it seemed Ermina was focused on a different part.
“You, how do you have such magical power…!”
[Though I enrolled as an E-rank, in reality, I was a great talent. Can’t you tell?]
“You, you…!”
Ermina was extremely flustered.
The woman she had endlessly belittled was, in reality, a woman from an incredibly high place that she herself couldn’t dare to look upon.
“No, no way! That’s impossible! You, you’re a hallucination ability user! You’re deceiving me right now!”
[Misunderstanding is a common occurrence, really.]
“There’s no way! You, someone like you, someone like you…!”
It must feel like the time when she massively belittled and insulted a man in a humble black shirt and jeans at a hotel, only to find out he was actually among the top ten richest people in the world.
“I could never reach that, not even if I tried all my life. There’s no way you’re S-rank!!”
Ah.
She started to rage.
One of the easiest patterns for ability users to run amok had been activated.
A sense of inferiority.
Not just any sense of inferiority, but one where the hierarchy was reversed.
The various feelings experienced when someone who was worse than them suddenly started to do better than them.
And the lingering traces of the mana powder that she had briefly ingested added to that.
“Die!!”
As soon as these things mixed together, Ermina, clearly now in a state of mental disorder, attacked Yumir.
Aaaaaaaa!!
Should I call it the ultrasonic sound of a dolphin?
The voice from her mouth carried mana, and it soon became a sonic boom, heading towards Yumir.
[Tsk.]
I grabbed my bat.
While it appeared to be disoriented, the trajectory of the sonic boom was precisely aimed at Yumir’s neck.
It was an attack launched with the intention to kill.
She hadn’t completely lost her mind; she attacked with murderous intent.
I must step in immediately and dispose of her.
But…
[Too slow.]
Yumir, with a hand gloved in black, deflected the sonic boom with a light flick.
Whooosh!
The sonic boom, flying towards the sea, scattered as it cut through the seawater. Yumir, without a single wound on her hand, casually dusted off her hand and slowly walked towards Ermina.
[If that’s all you’ve got, then it’s my turn now.]
As Yumir flicked her hand to the side, something like a red rope emerged from thin air.
Should I call it a whip or a rope used to tie prisoners?
No.
That was a top string.
Unlike the ropes used in modern times, it was a mana representation of the red rope used during the Joseon Dynasty.
While it looked like just a rope, all of the material that made up that rope was ‘magic power.’
The ability to create material using mana.
Surely, this was a being with EX-grade talent.
[Let me show you the difference in power.]
Swish!
As Yumir whipped her aura, the rope flew towards Ermina, coiling like a whip.
Aaaaaah! Ah, aaaaaah!!
Ermina kept retreating, screaming from her mouth.
She repeatedly produced sonic booms, but Yumir’s red whip deflected them all.
Ba-ba-ba-bang!!
Sonic booms exploded to the left and right of Yumir, raising dust.
Unscathed, Yumir confidently walked through the dust while Ermina could only tremble and retreat.
Overwhelming power.
In the face of the overwhelming power of magic, something a mere A-grade could never handle, Ermina eventually lost strength in her legs and slumped to her knees.
“Ha, haha…! You, you must have hidden your identity! Yes! You must have some reason to hide! I will expose you! Your true form!”
[Fool. Would I have transformed so blatantly if I was worried about being exposed?]
“What, what did you say?!”
Ermina furrowed her brows, but in a blink of an eye, Yumir rushed forward and grabbed Ermina by the collar.
“Ke, keheuk!”
[Do you think I would fear my identity being revealed? Nothing happened here, and nothing happened to you either.]
Yumir pointed her hand at Ermina’s heart.
[If you blab, you die on the spot. Do you know about geumjae? How about if I say spell? Curse? The moment you try to reveal my identity, you will die right away.]
Swish.
The top string began to coil around Ermina.
The top string, made of mana, quickly bound Ermina’s body…
‘Wait a minute.’
Wasn’t that a ceremonial rope tying…?
Wheeing.
For a moment, the rope that was binding Ermina seemed to glimmer and then disappeared instantly.
And then I saw it.
The red magic residue left by the binding was visible inside Ermina’s clothes, which had been concealed.
If she took off her clothes, the red marks of the binding would be revealed.
“What have you done to me?!”
[I left a magic tattoo that will not fade for a year. The rope imprinted on your skin will start to tighten around you when you decide to spill my secret. Try to say it. That Yumir hid her power.]
“Yu, Yumir is… Ahhh!!”
Ermina shrieked and ducked her head forward.
She was not trying to cause a sonic boom but was really screaming in agony.
[How about it? Someone like me can do such things. So, behave yourself from now on. Don’t underestimate people casually. I’m letting you go just because it’s me. Got it?]
“Guh, guh…!”
[Look at your glaring eyes. Don’t you understand the situation? I could kill you now, but I’m just too lazy to do it.]
“What…?”
At first glance, it might seem illogical.
But that was the correct answer.
[I don’t care about killing a woman like you. But after killing, it’s just annoying. An A-grade, the granddaughter of Stern, is dead. Then, naturally, they would make a fuss to get some information from me. Ugh, it’s annoying. I don’t need that.]
“You, you…!”
[Ermina’s death doesn’t matter to me, but the death of the great Sternfert will be annoying for me. Understand? So you-]
Just as Yumir was about to step back while patting Ermina’s head.
“Die!”
Ermina jabbed forward from below.
Mana was gleaming like a blade on her palm, and it accurately stabbed Yumir’s lower abdomen.
Kwang.
Normally, it should have made a sound of piercing flesh.
But there was no such sound, and Yumir stepped back calmly.
[This is a bulletproof hanbok. Or should I say, a sword-proof hanbok?]
“Your clothes…?”
[Your attacks don’t work on me. But it’s a pity… You tried to stab me when I was going to spare your life. If I were a weak person, I would have definitely fallen and died.]
Without changing her expression - although it couldn’t be seen because of the mask, I could feel it from her voice - Yumir tilted her head to the side.
[How should I deal with someone like you? Hmm? Is every ability user in this world only concerned about satisfying their anger and emotions?]
“Shut, shut up…! I will, you, uh…!!”
[Sigh. This is truly unbelievable.]
Yumir genuinely sighed.
Perhaps it was due to her deep disillusionment with Ermina.
I became a villain to avoid feeling things like this.
If it were me, I would justify retaliating the moment I was attacked-
[If I were the Goblin, your head would have flown off the moment you stabbed my stomach. Because it’s self-defense.]
…A story about the Goblin came out of Yumir’s mouth.
Hopefully, she hasn’t noticed my presence.
‘Should I step in?’
To kill Ermina instead of Yumir?
Or to give Ermina a proper lesson?
‘Let’s step in.’
Whether Yumir forgave her or not.
If Ermina wanted to genuinely repent, public flogging should be the obvious first step.
The one who attempted to stab someone.
The one who tried to behead someone.
If Yumir showed mercy, hitting her face 50 times with the Goblin’s Bat would be best.
‘Then-’
The moment I was about to step out, persuade Yumir, and then discipline Ermina.
Suddenly…
From the distance.
Someone was running from the sea.
Black hair.
Black mask.
And a black Hanbok.
“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!”
[Oh, crazy.]
A lunatic had appeared.
“You are so magnificent, Golden Priestess…! The beauty of reviving tradition and style to fit the contemporary aesthetic…! Ah, who are you…?”
[Who are you?]
“Oh, if I were to introduce myself.”
The lunatic bowed elegantly.
“I am Duoexini.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺