Chapter 112

Chapter 112

A green poison breath spewed from Yong-sik’s mouth, landing precisely on Evan’s mask.

"Kuaghh!"

Along with Evan’s scream, there was a sizzling sound. The smell of burning flesh was acrid. If the Breath had been fired from a distance, it would have been blocked by his passive skill. However, it seemed to have hit him properly because it was shot at contact range.

"Yong-sik, that's enough! Come back!"

As a result, Yong-sik’s body was also taking damage from Evan’s passive skills. Hearing my call, Yong-sik quickly flew back up and wrapped his wings around my shoulders as if to shield me.

I had unintentionally been separated from Yong-sik a few times, but it seemed that as a summoned creature, he could vaguely sense my location, much like an animal’s homing instinct.

I could also sense Yong-sik’s presence when he was close enough. That’s why I kept Evan’s attention on me until Yong-sik arrived, and that plan worked flawlessly.

"Keuk, fuck!"

"That crazy...!"

Evan swore and discarded the mask that had melted from the Breath. It seemed that the mask was no ordinary item either. His face that had been hit by the Breath looked pretty fine.

“I’ll kill that damn dragon, cut off your limbs, and drag you away.”

"Ugh...!"

My whole body stiffened when our eyes met. I widened my eyes in surprise at the sudden turn of events. It felt as if someone was trying to control my mind. Evan’s smiling face grew increasingly blurry.

【Get out of that barrier.】

“Ugh...”

【Come out quickly, Han Yi-jin.】

As soon as he called my name, my body moved on its own. I couldn’t resist the command. I could hear a high-pitched ‘kyaaak’ from a distance. I took a step forward, and my other foot naturally followed. I walked forward as if in a trance.

"Uh...?”

But why am I walking like this? Feeling puzzled, I stood still and tilted my head. My mind began to clear up gradually.

【I told you to come out quickly!】

“...!”

A voice that sounded like a furious shout took over my mind. I couldn’t refuse those words; they were irresistible.

"This...”

“...?”

For some reason, I felt irritated. I frowned and pressed my throbbing head with my hand before glaring at the guy who was speaking so arrogantly and snarling at him.

“Who the fuck do you think you are to order me around?"

"...!"

At that moment, a clear ‘ding-dong!’ sounded in my head, followed by a strangely familiar blunt voice.

[You have overcome an S-grade skill with your high mental strength!]

[You have been awarded the title of ‘Master of Mental Strength (S)’ who is the embodiment of perseverance and mental strength.]

[The title’s additional effects are always activated.]

‘※There may be side effects.’

Suddenly, I recalled the warning from the skill window about possible side effects. With the skill’s duration ended and side effects starting, there was little I could do. But I couldn’t let it end like this.

I placed my hand on Kang Yoo-hyun’s cheek and felt its warmth.

My heart raced, either from what I was about to do or from my instinct to survive. Having made up my mind in that brief moment, I lowered my head without hesitation.

"Han Yi-jin... What are...?"

"Be quiet."

Kang Yoo-hyun’s black eyes quivered. The blue light had faded from his eyes, probably because he wasn’t using his skill at the moment. But his eyes might shine blue again soon.

‘※Special conditions are required for higher ranks.’

This strange auxiliary skill always compelled me to do something unpleasant. I clung to the hope that luck might be on my side this time. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, I closed my eyes and kissed Kang Yoo-hyun.

“...!”

Since my eyes were closed, I couldn’t see Kang Yoo-hyun’s expression, but he was probably very flustered. I recalled the time I kissed Kang Yoo-hyun to defeat the Draugr King, though this kiss was even more intense than that one.

“Haa...”

“...”

Did it work? I pulled back and looked at Kang Yoo-hyun's eyes with suspicion. There was a spark of excitement in his eyes that I had never seen before.

"You..."

"How is it? Is the skill...?"

I was about to ask him if the skill had activated, but a blue system notification window popped up in front of me with a ‘ding' sound.

「Some of the skill descriptions for ‘Shake the Catnip (S)’ will be updated.」

「※The duration of the skill will be extended if special conditions are met.」

「※The duration of the skill extension due to special conditions will be set randomly.」

“What is this...?”

There was so much text that I couldn’t read it easily. However, I understood that the ‘special conditions’ mentioned in the notification window refer to skinship, which is a requirement for the Catnip skill. So, from what I gather, Kang Yoo-hyun’s skill duration has been extended at random?

“Kyaaa!”

“...Yong-sik-a!”

Yong-sik fell to the ground with a piercing cry. Baek Si-hoo glared at Kang Yoo-hyun and me with a menacing look, while Evan stood beside him. As I watched with tension, someone suddenly blocked my path. I stared at his back in surprise.

“Kang Yoo-hyun, you...”

“I’m fine.”

Kang Yoo-hyun, who spoke calmly, added:

“I’m okay, so just wait here.”

“...”

At that moment, a tremendous surge of energy erupted from Kang Yoo-hyun. It was a raw and powerful force unlike anything I had ever seen before. I simply stared blankly at the high-purity black and blue flames.