Chapter 85: These days, even superpower can be modified(1)

In the corner seat of a certain café, two women with beautiful appearances were sitting by the window. This sight would surely draw some attention if the café weren’t empty.

One of the two beautiful women was Taylor Nine, and the other was a woman called ‘Joya Blestash’. Just like Taylor, Joya has beautiful silver hair and gold eyes, she was Taylor Nine’s older sister and the eldest daughter of the Blestash family.

Unlike the perfectly poised Zoya, Taylor sat with her legs stretched out. She chewed the straw of her coffee while her chin was resting on her hands. 

“Taylor. Isn’t it time for you to come back?”

“I don’t think so.”

The Russian Blestash family was an unusual family. From generation to generation the members of this family were able ‘inherit’ superpower. Thanks to this, all nine children of the Blestash family had superpower related to dealing with ‘light’.

It was a very unusual phenomenon. It has not been proven scientifically or unscientifically. Are superpowers actually inherited? If not, how did the Blestash family inherit superpower? 

However, this inheritance phenomenon didn’t happen in the Blestash family alone, there were few other families who had this kind phenomenon too, so it wasn’t that unusual these days.

Among nine children of the Blestash family, Taylor Blestash or Taylor nine was the youngest among them. She also possessed the weakest abilities among them.

Her abilities were very straightforward.

‘Making a mass energy-producing light float on her palm.’

From the beginning of her awakening, her abilities possessed quite a strong energy output, so she received great interest from the family. But unfortunately, that was all that her ability could do.

She could neither move the sphere of light nor give the energy to someone or something else. All she could do was float a lump of light with powerful energy.

Her superpowers, which could be dangerous if touched, were nothing more than just a flash.

“How long are you going to work under that funny pseudonym? You are really a disgrace for the family.”

“Hoo! Excuse me, Ahjumma. It was only one line but there’s already a contradiction in your word. How can I be a disgrace of the family when I’m working under this funny pseudonym?”

“…Taylor. Public knows that you are a Blestash. So let’s stop now.”

“Eh hey, this ahjumma started talking nonsense again. As a human, we need to have guts! I’ve been doing this for 16 years already, shouldn’t I reach that 20 years point?”

“Sigh…. Your shallow way of speaking is still the same. You got along with those vulgar things, that’s why you become like this.”

“Ohh.. Miss ‘Knight’ here is so noble and dazzling.”

Since the outbreak of war with monsters 31 years ago, most superpowers have been used to hunt monsters, but of course not all of them. 

One example of superhuman who didn’t use their power to hunt monsters was the Brestash family. They didn’t work in the hunter industry, but rather trained their superpowers for military purposes, for war against non-monsters.

However, it had been decades since the last war broke out. The Blestash family is now a special superhuman family dealing with light, who had dedicated their lives to Russia, and operated under the title of ‘Knight’.

An honorable family of knights of light dedicated to the nation! What a beautiful and pretty word. 

In fact, when the title of ‘knight’ was revived alongside with the rise of superpower, countless superhuman joined the movement, and all of them said one same thing,

‘Hunter is a vulgar job.’

Taylor couldn’t help but snort after hearing those words. Just who did they think was fighting against monsters? And why did they pretend to be a knight after awakening their superpower?

However, it was impossible to laugh openly at them because they already grew too strong. Unlike hunters who grew by rolling on the battlefield, knights were able to possess very powerful power through systematic training and constantly injecting high quality ether to their body in a safe place.

“Why did they ask me to come back now when they were the ones who kicked me out in the first place?”

“We didn’t kick you out. You left by yourself.”

It was a story from a long time ago.

When all of the eight brothers except her awakened the power of light and were being appointed as a knight, she ran away from the family because she couldn’t use her power well.

It wasn’t a very good memory, but when she thought about it now, she believed it was a good decision. Thanks to that, she was able to meet the most precious person in her own life.

“…Father wants you to come back. There’s an empty seat for you in the Royal National Knights of Russia. Your career as a hunter would be your fault, but father has also acknowledged your S rank ability. So come back. Now is the time to end that vulgar life and return to your original status.”

With that said, Joya took a picture out of his arms and put it on the table.

“Father wants you to marry him. He is the eldest son of the Romanov family. Unlike those friends you hang out with, he is noble from birth.”

The man in the picture was someone Taylor knew. He was a genius among geniuses. He was an SS rank hunter who possessed both psychic and body-strengthening ability.

“Wow. You want me to marry something like that? He looks like someone who only eats bean sprouts for every meal.”

“You can’t demean a person’s appearance, Taylor.”

Taylor struck the picture with his index finger and sent it back to Joya.

“I’m actually pregnant. It’s 4 months old.”

“…Really?”

“Fu-hat, of course not. Actually, my taste is a Korean man, so if you want me to marry someone, bring me a Korean man.”

“Taylor. You can’t go against what your father said.”

“Is that so?”

“Will you still come out with such a confident attitude if father called up the council and proposed a knight duel?”

Hearing Joya’s words, Taylor’s eyes, which had been calm all the time, trembled ever so slightly.

Ever since the rise of superpower, families with unusual abilities  began to protect the secrets of their power more and more closely. They firmly believe that superpowers are contained in their genes. Likewise for Brestash, if one wants to go outside and leave the family, they have to ask for a duel.

However, Taylor in the past skipped the process. At that time, she couldn’t use her ability at all.

“I don’t know how you’re so useless, but now you have a corner to roll them in, so you can pull them up as an excuse. I won’t allow that. …I need to know with what honor that my father wants you, who is still weak, and who cannot properly express your ability unless you rely on the ether dispenser.”

With that said, Joya got up from her seat.

“So, come back on your own two feet, Taylor.”

When she disappeared, Taylor, who had been sitting there for a while, scratched her head.

“Ah, what a shitty day…”

Then she suddenly turned her head and saw some high school girls looking at her way with exciting eyes.

“Hey, why are you looking at me like that? It’s the first time you’ve seen a political fight?”

“Unnie! looked at this way!”

“Unnie! Please curse one more time!”

Taylor immediately covered her arms and got goosebumps.

“What in the world is that? Are they crazy bitches?”

* * *

The Geumgang Gymnasium has always been my go-to place whenever I want to train my physical strength. Of course, in the past, I did it desperately just to survive, but nowadays I used this facility to test my Mystical ability.

One talent i obtained by hunting Leskapi this time was,

[You absorbed Leskapi’s talent ‘Insight (B)’.]

[Your level does not rise because you hunted a low level protagonist.]

[780 days of lifeforce has been paid.]

I was finally able to absorb Lee Dong-joon’s skill that has been delayed too.

[You absorbed Lee Dong-joon’s skill ‘Dharma Pungcheonbo達摩風天步(SS)’.]

[This skill resonates with the ‘How to run like the wind (S)’ and merges.]

[Acquired the skill ‘Dharma Heavenly wind god technique(SS+)’.]

A whopping SS rank skill was absorbed. At first glance it looks good, but… 

In fact, I wasn’t very lucky. Dharma was a level 500 expert. He had more than hundreds of skills. Most of them were martial arts related skills, most were SS ranks and the lowest were S rank, and some of Dharma’s original skills were all SSS ranks.

It is true that I wanted the skill of SSS rank in my heart, but I was quite satisfied by the fact that the skill was combined with the existing skill and became a SS+ rank skill.

And lastly.

[5000 days of lifeforce has been paid.]

[Your current Lifespan: 10386 days 14 hours 28 minutes.]

As soon as the lifeforce was paid, my whole body underwent another change. Unlike the skeletal changes I experienced in the Himalayas due to a sudden multiple level up, this time it was a simple change, such as clearing the skin and improved vision.

“What…..”

As I slowly approached the mirror in the corner of the gym and looked at my face, I felt something had changed. Somehow, I looked like how I was in my early twenty, and my skin was much cleaner.

“Is that so? If it increases by about 10 times, will i turn into a baby?”

“Hum…….”

At first, I traded my lifespan to live. However, I grew stronger and I hunt protagonists to achieve my goal now. Does that lifespan really mean anything? Will I be able to live my entire life and die?

“How?”

“hm…”

You can use your life for other purposes too huh. It might be pretty useful if I ever find myself in a critical situation.

“Then, let’s use what we got.”

As I rolled my feet lightly and bounced my body, I felt something become much more lighter. Before the upgrade, I felt like I was riding on the flow of the wind, but now I felt like I was running through the path of wind I created myself.

If I have to make a comparison, it should be said that before the upgrade, it felt like driving on unpaved gravel in a wagon. But now I feel like driving on a paved road.

There was considerable difference in the smoothness of movement and speed.

Everything was better than before.

However, no matter how many skills you absorbed, one can’t simply use it after getting it. The Dharma Heavenly Wind God technique can’t be activated easily. It was similar to the Library of the White Witch.

The Dharma Heavenly Wind God technique will only be activated if I calculated my movement properly and was on a certain angle and a certain position.

I fell a lot. I couldn’t even count how many timesI fell. I ran and fell to the point where I bruised my knee. But I didn’t stop. In order to use it in live combat, no matter how tired, difficult, and distressed I am, I have to train repeatedly so that it would become a muscle memory.

After awhile,

[Skill ‘Dharma Heavenly wind god technique 達摩風天身法 (SS+)’ is activated.]

My step was a little better than before.

“Pheww……”

As I fell on the floor and was huffed in satisfaction, someone came up and gave me a drink. When I accepted it and lifted my head, it was Taylor Nine.

“Uh? What are you doing here?”

“I got a text message, didn’t you say you want to hunt? But it looks like you are already tired. Is there anything interesting going on?”

“Oh sorry. I forgot.”

Come to think of it, I sent a text message to Taylor before I went to another world. Now, the difference between reality and another world is not very large because I can adjust the time difference by 3 to 5 times myself. In other words, I’ve been in another world for less than half a day.

“I’ll go hunting soon. I was just testing the power I had recently gained.”

“Is that so? Hmm.”

Taylor knows that I am gaining power in another world. So, when I told her, she never had any reaction to it. But for some reason, Taylor scratched her own cheek and carefully spoke.

“Well, out of all the powers you gained from the other world… Is there any power to deal with light?”