Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Resolve (3)

The intruders who'd appeared at Camila's village turned out to be far bigger fish than expected.

His face was unfamiliar—he probably wasn't a named NPC—but his entire body radiated mana like a boast that he was an S-rank Awakened.

At first, I regretted coming.

But once we actually fought, there wasn't much to him.

He must have spent his whole career in one-sided slaughter, because his patterns were monotonous and his technique was a mess.

"Grgh, damn it......"

The subdued mafia boss glared at me with a look of bitter frustration.

According to Camila, this guy was none other than PTT's boss.

He had talent, but was a fool who didn't know how to wield his power.

I was grateful he'd been easy to beat.

What to do with him.

Restraining an Awakened—especially a powerful one—was extremely difficult.

That was why Awakened criminals were killed rather than captured.

"I won't kill you."

"...What?"

However, around the middle of the story, as the SH plotline progressed, efficient methods for capturing Awakened alive were researched.

The primary method was to destroy all their Mana Circuits, rendering them unable to use mana.

I didn't know the circuit destruction technique, but I used the Teachings of Seshet to easily acquire the knowledge.

"Now, hold still."

"Wh-what? Wait— GAAAAAAH!"

Destroying the circuits reduced you to an ordinary person with notably strong physical abilities.

It involved excruciating pain, and a wrong move could be lethal, but that wasn't my problem to worry about.

"It'll sting a tiny bit, bear with it."

"GAAAAAAAAAH!"

The procedure was completed successfully while preserving the PTT boss's life.

Camila asked in a slightly frightened voice.

"That was a terrible scream... what exactly did you do?"

"Made it so he can never use mana again."

"Eeek!"

"Grgh... what... what do you mean... I can't use mana......"

"Exactly what I said. You're now just a regular person who's a little strong. Spend the rest of your life reflecting."

The PTT boss tried to draw mana, but nothing happened.

When he realized what had become of him, he began to sob.

"This... this can't be... you should've just killed me... how could you do this......"

A man who'd lived his whole life relying solely on the power of being an S-rank Awakened had lost everything.

No one in PTT would follow him anymore.

He'd spend the rest of his life paying for the atrocities he'd committed.

Camila shyly offered her thanks.

"Thank you for helping us. I don't know how to repay you......"

"You don't need to do anything for me. If you want to repay me, pay it forward to others."

"To others......"

Camila chewed deeply on my words.

What path Camila and the slum's residents should take from here would give her plenty to think about.

All that remained was waiting for my student to return with Clairvoyance.

***

After Cha Eunwoo and Camila left, An Seri—alone on the mountain—stared at the Video Stone with burning intensity.

Analysis was her forte.

By studying the clone—that is, her own movements—frame by frame, An Seri felt many things.

"So that's where mistakes come out in situations like this......"

It was her first time observing her own movements from a third-person perspective, broken down frame by frame.

From that, she discovered several habits she'd never known about.

Her left foot always maintained a ten-degree angle relative to the direction she fired her arrows.

At close range, she preferred swinging her bow to drive enemies back over taking a backstep.

She always finished with a headshot.

When changing direction mid-step, her right foot always moved first.

She identified many other minor habits as well.

An Seri slapped her forehead and scolded herself.

"Hah... was I really this predictable?"

But thanks to these predictable habits, she could fight the clone.

Rather than relying on instinct during combat, she could predict the clone's actions through its subtle movements.

Being able to move one step ahead of your opponent in battle was an enormous advantage.

"I can definitely use this."

In a fight between archers, the most important factor was the distance between them.

No matter how incredible an archer was, a target too far away couldn't be hit.

Conversely, even a mediocre archer could hit a target right in front of them.

That was why range was absolute in an archer's duel.

An archer with longer range could avoid the opponent's attacks, and as long as they maintained a distance where they could attack their opponent, they usually won.

"The clone's range is longer. On top of that, it's faster, so maintaining distance is......"

To beat the clone, she couldn't afford to concede a distance where she'd be attacked one-sidedly.

She needed to either stay where neither could attack the other, or close in to a range where both could attack simultaneously.

Since the opponent was a clone that copied An Seri exactly, it would know what An Seri was aiming for.

Naturally, it would also know exactly how An Seri would attack.

Creating an opening through ordinary means was impossible.

She had to actively exploit weaknesses of An Seri that the clone didn't know about to create openings.

A rough simulation began taking shape in An Seri's mind.

This isn't some unknown enemy. I can win.

I'm good at strategizing, aren't I?

"Alright."

Preparations went extremely smoothly.

An Seri left no gaps, building an airtight plan.

At last, her anti-clone strategy guide was complete.

"This is the endgame."

【A wasted effort. You cannot do it.】

But Artus denied her.

He said An Seri couldn't win. That she couldn't pass the trial.

"What?"

【If you wish to deceive yourself, start with those trembling hands.】

Trembling hands?

Only then did An Seri notice her hands were shaking.

The reason needed no asking.

An Seri was trembling with fear.

"Why am I......"

【Fearing pain is a primal human instinct. There is no way you could be fine after enduring the agony of death twice. You cannot enter the Gate.】

"That's just your opinion."

An Seri stood tall before the Gate to the Spirit Realm.

She shook her head violently, banishing Artus's words from her mind.

Afraid?

Fine. I hate pain.

But I can win this time.

If I can end it without suffering, why fear the pain?

She moved to step into the Spirit Realm.

Or rather, tried to.

"Huh?"

But her legs wouldn't move.

She needed to go fight the clone, needed to pass the trial and obtain Clairvoyance—but her legs simply refused to obey.

"Why... why won't they......"

【Stop deceiving yourself!】

She'd forced herself to deny it. Pretended not to notice.

But the truth was she'd known all along.

An Seri knew she couldn't walk through that Gate.

"No......"

【You are a coward. Your spirit broke the very first time you died.】

Raised in privilege, An Seri had never once experienced agony like that.

Just as Artus said, the pain she'd experienced for the first time in her life had been seared deep into her brain, turning her into a coward.

She'd built her strategy guide, but could she honestly call it perfect?

If she failed, she'd have to endure that pain all over again.

An Seri let out a scream-like cry of denial.

"If I were scared of pain, I would've run after the first failure! Why do you think I challenged it a second time? Your argument contradicts itself!"

【Because betraying your teacher's expectations was more frightening. You simply did not want to see your teacher disappointed in you.】

Was it reading her mind?

She was completely exposed.

Every emotion An Seri wanted to hide—Artus knew them all.

An Seri hung her head.

She was ashamed and pathetic—someone who wanted to become a Hero, yet had surrendered to pain.

"No......"

【Your teacher is a foolish human as well. For all his clever posturing, he could not even see the truth within his own student.】

She could tolerate insults aimed at herself, but insults aimed at him were intolerable.

An Seri screamed as if in desperation.

"Don't insult my professor!"

【Am I wrong? Your teacher believed you were strong. But he was mistaken. Your heart is as fragile as glass.】

An Seri had always put on a strong front before Cha Eunwoo, acting mature.

She'd wanted to be a student her professor could be proud of.

She'd wanted him to see her as a strong child.

But it was all pretense and lies.

An Seri was a weak little girl who'd surrendered far too easily before the first pain she'd ever faced.

Unable to respond, with only her fists trembling, Artus made a proposal.

【I shall give you one option.】

"An option?"

【Abandon the trial. If you do, I will leave this place. You can tell your teacher that this Artus fled, and that you could not obtain Clairvoyance. That way, you avoid the pain and keep your teacher's trust. Does that not suit you?】

An Seri's eyes flashed at the sweet-as-honey temptation.

If it was Artus being fickle rather than An Seri being weak, then even without Clairvoyance, her professor wouldn't be disappointed.

【Seizing an opportunity is a skill in itself. Think carefully.】

An Seri's heart began tilting toward the sweet fantasy.

She wanted nothing more than to quit this agonizing trial right this moment.

It hurts. It's agonizing.

I don't want to do this anymore.

But—

'Seri, you can do this. You're the most dependable kid I know.'

Her professor had placed his trust in her.

He'd said she could succeed. That she was dependable.

She couldn't possibly betray that trust.

She wanted to smash this goddamn trial to pieces and repay him.

"No. I'm doing it."

【Ha, are you not afraid of the pain? If you fail again, the horrific memories will return. You might even have your mind destroyed and never become a Hero.】

"I'm scared. But as long as I don't fail, that's all that matters."

An Seri answered proudly.

Her voice trembled slightly, but beneath it, unwavering confidence shone through.

【You are confident in your abilities?】

"Obviously. Everything I know I learned from my professor. Every bit of experience, every piece of knowledge—all from him. I believe in my professor, so I'm confident."

【Ridiculous. The source of your confidence is faith in that man... well, fine. That answer is not a bad one.】

The trembling stopped.

She wasn't afraid anymore.

An Seri stepped through the Gate.

Her stride was filled with the confidence that she could do this.

The Spirit Realm, seen for the third time.

Still a strange place, still unfamiliar.

An Seri's clone, seen for the third time.

Clairvoyance, radiating ominous wind mana, was intimidating enough through sheer presence alone to make An Seri shrink.

"Phew......"

No more running.

She was going to win and walk out of here.

FWEE—!

The instant the clone revealed itself, An Seri fired a single arrow.

At this distance, there was virtually no chance it'd connect as an effective attack.

The clone dodged An Seri's shot with ease.

Its purpose was served.

An Seri knew the clone's capabilities inside and out, but the clone didn't know An Seri.

So the mere act of being attacked put it on guard, and the clone retreated significantly.

'Being overly cautious against an unknown enemy—that's just like me.'

Using the opening, An Seri set traps all over the surroundings.

Establishing a favorable environment was the most basic of basics.

"......"

Belatedly catching on to An Seri's intent, the clone scrunched its nose.

The habit An Seri had when something wasn't going her way—the clone mimicked it exactly.

It was proof that the situation favored An Seri.

"Let's have a little more fun."

An Seri loaded a volley of arrows onto her bowstring and launched them skyward.

The arrows traced steep parabolic arcs before plummeting back to the ground.

KA-BOOM—!

The barrage of arrows split the earth, and the resulting dust clouds blocked visibility.

The sudden terrain change caught the clone off guard.

"Now what are you going to do?"

Even without a response, An Seri already knew the answer.

What would An Seri do if she were in the clone's position?

The clone would do exactly the same.

The clone did precisely what An Seri had predicted.

FWEE—!

An arrow fired skyward.

From it, a vortex formed and blew away every last particle of dust.

'As expected, it used the wind spirit.'

The painstakingly prepared dust was blown away in an instant, but it had served its purpose by buying those few precious seconds.

Thanks to them, An Seri had closed to within attack range of the clone.

"......!"

The clone noticed An Seri's intent to close the gap and tried to use its footwork.

But the traps set in advance caught its feet.

Having come this far, the clone had only one option.

A head-on battle within range where both An Seri and the clone could attack each other.

"Die!"

Both drew their bows at the same time.

The clone's shot was slightly faster.

FWEE—!

Not because the clone's specs were superior.

An Seri had intentionally fired more slowly.

FWISH—!

The clone's arrow grazed An Seri's side precisely.

In the same instant she released her arrow, An Seri had watched the clone's foot direction and twisted her body to dodge.

FWOOOOSH—!

"Ngh!"

The power of the wind spirit.

A vortex born from the arrow battered An Seri mercilessly.

Pain, as if her entire body was being shredded, swept through her.

But at least she'd survived.

"The clone...?"

Wringing every last drop of strength from her body, An Seri turned her head toward where the clone had been.

There lay another An Seri—skull pierced by an arrow.

"Ah......!"

Particles of golden light appeared before An Seri.

The particles gently coalesced into the shape of a bow.

The same artifact the clone had wielded—Clairvoyance.

"I won, Professor."

An Seri's victory. Trial passed.