Chapter 280

Chapter 280

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Blink –

It was a split second of eyelids closing and opening in a flash.

Blink –

Yussi was absent-minded for a moment before snapping back to reality.

‘Did I doze off for a moment?’

It wasn’t far from the truth.

In fact, she had been feeling the effects of alcohol from earlier until it reached the tip of her head.

She shook her head once and then looked straight ahead.

‘...’

Emotions quickly found their place.

Sadness.

The mood sank.

Self-loathing turned into a desire for self-destruction, prompting her to raise her glass endlessly.

Yussi picked up the glass again with a terrible feeling.

...No, she tried to raise it again.

‘!’

Looking at her reflection in the glass, Yussi froze.

‘...What is this?’

Am I dreaming?

In the glass, she saw the face of a man she had never seen before.

Utterly ordinary, with no distinctive features.

If he passed by on the street, he would be forgettable in ten seconds.

The man in the glass, too, looked at her with a shocked expression.

‘Who is this?’

But that wasn’t the only strange thing.

What is this enormous, unidentifiable force accumulating in the body?

And what are these artifacts in her embrace?

Yussi instinctively groped her body.

Swoosh –

She felt the texture of a golden key and a pair of goggles.

Familiar artifacts.

‘These artifacts must belong to the Hero... Why are they with me?’

Yussi couldn’t shake off the shock.

[Hehehe, can’t seem to pull yourself together,] a strange voice echoed in her mind.

Step by step, footsteps approached her ear.

Someone was coming closer.

Yussi reflexively turned her head and...

‘What is this!?’

She was so shocked that she almost fell off her chair.

Her face felt momentarily pale.

She looked at the person who had approached with eyes twice the size.

‘It’s me?!’

Dark blue hair down to her waist.

Fair skin.

A gloomy expression.

A towering height over 170.

It was a familiar sight she faced every morning in the bathroom mirror.

As she looked with a shocked face, ‘she’ also looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Once again, an unidentifiable voice echoed in her mind.Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

[Sloooowly pull yourself together.]

‘I, I...’

[Impressive, isn’t it? The perfect polymorph.]

Tsk tsk tsk –

As if scattered puzzle pieces were coming together.

Her fragmented self and identity reattached.

Thoughts and memories shifted.

As the surface-level ‘Yussi’ receded, the confusion subsided, and peace finally returned.

‘I am... I’m not Yussi.’

The Hero let out a small sigh.

Numerous comments appeared in front of her again.

▼

User’s unique ability: ‘Evolution Polymorph’ has gained a new ability.

▲

▼

Understanding of Yussi Glendor deepens.

Understanding: 50/100 -> 72/100

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▼

Advanced alchemical formulas possessed by the replication target are added to the database.

▲

▼

Exploring the possibility of developing a new phase...

▲

The Hero gripped the table’s edge so hard that his knuckles turned white.

‘I was completely replaced for a moment. Is this even possible?’

After replicating Yussi’s memories and emotions and then suddenly experiencing what happened, it was a shock.

[You’re trying to ‘understand’ deeply, aren’t you? These things tend to happen when you do. I wasn’t swayed as easily as you, but you know.]

‘...’

[Can you start to understand what kind of torment I felt? How it feels to become someone you hate?]

But there was no time to ask about the details.

Yussi had approached too closely.

Why is this girl who was just drinking suddenly approaching me?

Judging by how much alcohol was left in the glass, she wasn’t leaving the bar just yet.

‘...Could she have noticed?’

No, probably not.

The Hero hardened his expression and fixed his gaze straight ahead.

Whatever it is, avoiding it for now is the best option.

If he meets her in this emotionally confused state, he might reveal something strange.

Step by step,

‘Hoo.’

Once Yussi’s gaze turned away, the Hero breathed a sigh of relief without anyone noticing.

‘Thank goodness.’

She passed by him and walked out of the bar.

Before something troublesome happened, she decided to quickly return to the mansion.

As she made up her mind, Yussi hurried towards the back door.

She abruptly stopped in her tracks.

“......”

Yussi quickly walked back to the counter.

“Um, what happened?”

“...That man just now. Where did he go?”

As it was the first time Yussi showed interest in someone else, the innkeeper seemed quite surprised.

“After paying the bill, he left right away...”

“Gone? Without leaving any contact information?”

“...Yes.”

Yussi felt an inexplicable strong intuition.

It was as if something deep inside her was rising and enveloping her consciousness.

A feeling that couldn’t be understood rationally, but couldn’t be ignored either.

Clang!

She pushed open the back door and headed out onto the street.

Since it was late, the alley was quiet.

Silent snowflakes were falling.

Yussi walked a few steps forward in a daze but suddenly stopped.

Her cold rationality halted her footsteps.

‘...This is not the time.’

The man who hadn’t shown his face in three years had appeared.

‘Surely, he’ll go to others as well.’

If that’s the case, she’ll wait first.

She believed she could recognize him now.

‘This time...’

Yussi’s eyes, which had been lifeless, were now burning brightly.

She didn’t know what she wanted to do when she met him.

But first, she had to meet him to find out.

‘I won’t miss it this time!’

Yussi sprinted towards the mansion.

...It was an unexpected variable, even for the Hero.

* * *

“There is one condition.”

When explaining the details about sealing protection to Arpheus, his reaction was notable.

Arpheus promised to devote himself to the protection of the seal with all the forces he had gathered, as long as one condition was met.

Upon hearing this, Luke looked at him intently.

“If you say ‘condition’...”

He was ready to accept almost anything.

Although Arpheus hadn’t reached the peak, he possessed an immeasurable amount of mana.

‘In other words, he can show unmatched strength to lower beings.’

In a quantity battle, he might even have an advantage over them.

He was lacking nothing as a pillar of seal protection.

...Because of this, Luke listened with a positive attitude.

At least until he mentioned an unexpected condition.

“Leciel Hiyashin. Please introduce me to Gumsung. If she is affiliated with the same seal, it will be even more perfect.”

Luke couldn’t hide his momentary confusion.

“May I ask for the reason?”

Arpheus’ gaze softened.

“As you just saw, my power is incomplete. It’s unbalanced.”

“...”

“My mana is close to infinite, but my skills are mediocre.”

The four knights of the Lotus Knights all looked at him with interest.

“...You’re honest.”

“If you don’t quickly admit your shortcomings, it’s difficult to survive in this era, isn’t it?”

Some might see him as bold.

But to Luke, it felt more like preemptively blocking criticism by revealing weaknesses first.

It was an attitude that someone who had lived a life with many enemies around might have.

Arpheus continued speaking.

“That’s why I want to request a swordsmanship exchange with her.”

In other words, he wanted to receive teachings.

In fact, this was quite a bold statement... Because Leciel was perceived as a ‘fake’ disciple by the public.

Of course, she had entered the Dawn Knights instead of the Lotus Knights, and her origin as a Hiyashin made her less subject to sharp scrutiny, but still.

From Arpheus’ perspective as the newly appointed Hero, it was normal to be cautious.

But Arpheus was stubborn.

Luke responded awkwardly.

“She is a genius beyond comparison. I’m not sure if a swordsmanship exchange would be suitable for her. Perhaps it would be better to introduce our commander or another swordsmanship genius.”

This was also true.

It was clear that being a genius didn’t necessarily translate to being a good teacher.

Leciel’s talent was so outstanding that ordinary people couldn’t keep up with her teachings.

But Arpheus was persistent.

“I aim for the highest. Therefore, I want to learn from the best. That’s what I mean by asking for swordsmanship from her, who is praised as the best swordsmaster beyond the prestige of the Sword Saint and the achievements of the knights.”

“...”

“I am aware that you are the only friend of Leciel Hiyashin. Please.”

Luke’s forehead creased deeply.

If Arpheus had made this request a few days ago, unfortunately, he would have had to decline.

It had been a long time since even they had lost contact with Leciel.

But just yesterday.

He managed to get in touch with her.

That’s why she couldn’t come today.

Because of this, Luke could leave a positive answer to Arpheus.

“...I will contact you shortly after reviewing it.”

Arpheus smiled brightly and nodded.

“Thank you.”

...Leaving an impression of being an unknowable figure, the Lotus Knights left the reception room.

.

.

.

At the same time.

Ban was wiping the sweat from his hands while waiting for someone.

“It’s been a while.”

...He hadn’t forgotten to practice natural greetings and laughter from time to time.

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Join our Discord for release /invite/dbdMDhzWa2

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