LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Somehow, I Will Become Strong
Clunk.
Bayan’s movements suddenly halted as if someone had pulled his body. His expression was one of sheer shock, as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Lin Xue… No, Nameless?!”
Bayan hesitated, almost saying his real name before blurting out his code name. His gaze fell on a woman wearing a cat mask.
She was dressed in a mini skirt and high heels, completely mismatched for the Gate.
The hunters stood there, dazed by this unexpected twist of fate.
The fight had almost come to a standstill in this crisis, but the situation ahead was completely unpredictable.
Still, as the Black Tiger Guild Leader, a hunter with plenty of experience, quickly issued rational commands.
“Healers, treat the wounded quickly, and the rest, take care of the Hellhounds first!”
It was a calculation to dispose of the pesky Hellhounds while they had the chance.
“Don’t move, it’s dangerous.”
The woman in the cat mask, known as Nameless, warned in a low voice while flicking her left hand.
Kwaaaang!
Suddenly, the ground split open with an earth-shattering boom, and a pillar of fire shot high into the sky.
“Kiing!”
The Hellhound engulfed in flames was turned to ashes without a trace, its dying screams echoing in the air.
“Ugrgh!”
One hunter nearby yelled in shock, his face pale. He had almost met the same gruesome fate.
The other hunters stood there, wide-eyed and speechless, their mouths agape in stunned silence.
Anulow, a creature known for its extreme fire resistance, turned to cinders without a remnant from fire magic?
It was something even a passing dog would laugh at.
Si-hyun couldn’t hide his surprise either.
He was astonished not just by the power of the magic but by another realization as well.
‘…Didn’t she just cast something?’
She was using words other than an incantation, yet the magic was activated.
“Uh, how did you get here?”
Bayan asked incredulously.
“Why are you so surprised? I tracked you down after finding the corpse of Lee Gang-jin that you killed.”
“That’s impossible… I buried the body after dismembering it and took all the belongings…”
“Aha, really? You thought you could deceive my eyes with that? Feeling like a complete idiot right now? But you know, there’s also magic that reads the memories of corpses, right?”
Nameless seemed to smile coldly behind her mask.
“What…? Is that really a thing…? No, even if it is, the Gate’s door was closed until a moment ago, that’s nonsense…”
“It was closed, sure. But so what? You think closed means you can’t come in?”
Her words shattered all common sense about Gates as she continued casually.
“You seem to think you know a lot, but it’s a foolish thought considering your position. You have zero qualifications.”
As she spoke, she waved her right hand lightly, causing countless ice arrows to form in the air.
“Ugh…!”
“Oh my…”
The hunters gaped in horror.
…What is that?
The shape resembled the 1st-class magic Ice Arrow.
At first glance, it looked like a mage with overlapping skills was executing the Ice Arrow multiple times.
But the sheer number was on a different dimension.
…60 overlaps? No, 70?
There were ice arrows in a quantity so massive they were hard to even count.
“I warned you, didn’t I? Don’t come to someone else’s territory and mess around, you crazy fool.”
With just a snap of her fingers, the ice arrows turned into a torrential downpour, fiercely raining down toward Bayan.
“Stop! W-wait! Nameless!”
Bayan yelled desperately, but the icy rain did not cease.
He tried to dodge, throwing himself as hard as he could, but it was all in vain against the barrage of ice filling the air.
“Kurgh!”
Bayan’s body was thrown back, slamming hard against the wall.
His arms and legs were ensnared by countless sharp ice shards, piercing his body and leaving him bloodied.
“Gah… If my father finds out about this…”
“Hmph, I’m just sparing you this once because I saw your father’s face.”
The hunters watched with mixed emotions as the one they feared was subdued in an instant.
It was obvious that the abilities of the woman in the cat mask surpassed anything they could resist.
If she turned her blade toward them, they’d be waiting for death without a chance.
Si-hyun swallowed hard and observed the situation closely.
If she were to try and eliminate them, he thought he might have to unleash Hellfire in desperation.
Just then, a notification window popped up.
In this completely unexpected situation, confusion filled Si-hyun’s face.
[Po-ahim recognized the opponent’s magic.]
What’s this now?
So, Po-ahim can identify the opponent’s identity and is now conveying that through the system?
[She is the Silent Great Sorceress Hyris.]
Silent?
At the moment he saw that word, a thought flashed briefly in Si-hyun’s mind.
…So she can use magic without casting spells? So that’s why earlier…
He recalled Nameless’s display of magic without any proper casting.
If that’s true, then she is far beyond the level of an ordinary sorcerer. She’s a completely atypical, insane-level sorcerer.
‘And Hyris?’
A memory of that name resurfaced somewhere in his mind.
As he retraced his memories, one thing came to mind.
‘Ah.’
He remembered from the description of Acureruts.
– A masterpiece crafted by the legendary master Yoahim with Amantium. One of the five renowned swords of the Reiter continent. Not only is it commendable in strength and sharpness, but the blade also bears the beautiful inscription of the Hellfire magic directly etched by the Great Sorceress Hyris. Po-ahim possesses this as a keepsake of his friend who was executed by Po-ahim.
The Great Sorceress bearing the same name as the magic inscriber. There was no way a sorcerer of this caliber could be a coincidental namesake; she had to be the real deal.
Even amid his astonishment, Si-hyun felt a certain wonder as if a legendary being had popped right into his sight.
[Po-ahim harbors strong resentment toward her.]
…It seemed there were complicated adult matters between them that were hard to comprehend.
[Po-ahim would like to give you some sort of quest, but relinquishes it for your safety. She is one of the top ten strongest on the Reiter continent, and opposing her would mean you could not handle the aftermath with your current abilities.]
Si-hyun’s expression turned utterly confounded.
A quest? What kind of absurd quest is that?
In the Reiter continent’s top ten?
That means she’s S-Class among S-Class.
Who’d want to die at such a young age?
[Po-ahim strongly recommends hiding your identity. Never bring out Po-ahim’s Guard Baton or Acureruts in front of her.]
That definitely seemed like the right thing to do.
While he didn’t know the details, he could surmise from the system’s wording that Po-ahim and Hyris had a rather poor relationship.
Thinking back to the moment he almost revealed Acureruts made a chill run down his spine.
“…”
No one dared speak out of turn.
They just kept their eyes on the actions of Hyris’s Awakened Being, Lin Xue.
She suddenly spoke up.
“Two people are dead, huh?”
“Eh? Ah… yes.”
Though one had died in the battle, the Black Tiger Guild Leader responded, realizing that a rookie had horrifically died first.
“One is injured… Want to take revenge?”
“…”
He could sense the hunters straining to maintain their expressions.
What is she saying? Is this a joke?
“You seem to understand well from your reaction. Revenge requires strength, too. Then how about wrapping things up by at least getting some money?”
“…Understood.”
The Black Tiger Guild Leader bit his lip and replied.
Following her words, he felt that getting money might be the only way to express condolences to the bereaved families.
“Your guild’s name is Black Tiger Guild, right?”
He thought about how she knew that, but he remembered her saying she had read the memories of the corpse.
“Right.”
“You can expect money within a week, one way or another. You’ll get a generous amount.”
“Yes.”
There was nothing else to say at that moment.
After wrapping things up, Lin Xue and Nameless vanished in an instant, as if teleporting alongside Bayan.
Only then did the hunters exhale deeply, as if the tension had lifted, and collapsed.
“Haah, haah… That’s infuriating…”
“I’m dead… Seriously… Is that an S-Class? That woman said it was someone else’s territory? Which country does that brat come from, anyway?”
“Those two speak Korean fluently, so it has to be a translation magic item, right?”
“Don’t ask, you foolish idiots. We’re alive because we couldn’t see their faces.”
The Black Tiger Guild Leader spat bitterly.
Two innocent citizens had died. Depending on the country, it could cause diplomatic friction.
But since they hadn’t seen their true faces, the possibility of that was minimized.
If anything, it was a fortunate turn of events.
At least they had managed to save the remaining personnel.
“Oppa, are you okay?”
Eun-hye asked with an exhausted expression.
She seemed to feel this day was inevitable.
“I’m fine, what about you?”
“I’m okay too.”
“Good.”
Si-hyun collapsed carelessly on the floor.
Though he replied that he was okay, his body felt stiff from constantly being on edge and exerting immense force.
Now that the crisis had passed, he finally felt the weight of what had happened.
In a life-threatening situation, he realized he had no strength to withstand it.
Weak.
He felt that deeply.
Being a correctional officer didn’t require much strength.
He had never thought he lacked ability when doing E-rank Gates.
But the moment he met someone surpassing his capabilities in this B-rank world, he felt his limits sharply.
Today, he had barely survived by what was essentially a miracle and someone else’s help, but that was just lucky chance.
If such a situation arose again, he would die next time.
He needed to grow stronger.
Money is good, fame is good.
But ultimately, is there anything more important than life?
This is a world where you might die if you’re not strong enough.
“…I’m going to become strong, no matter what.”
Si-hyun muttered with resolve.