“Are you a hero as well?”
I knew full well that ‘Gareas’ was actually Isiah, but since I couldn’t let her identity be revealed, I played dumb and asked anyway.
“Exactly why have you come to such a dangerous place?”
Isiah was a valuable asset that I intended to use for a long time; it would be disastrous if she got hurt in this perilous location.
“I’m not a hero, but I’m a follower who sympathizes with Dark Knight’s righteous cause. Please call me Gareas.”
Her reply was filled with deep admiration.
I felt somewhat uneasy inside, but I made sure not to show it. Furthermore, the aura I felt from ‘Gareas’ was far from ordinary.
“This kid is a top-tier S-rank too. That transformation belt was really a god-tier item.”
Even though her power likely came with some form of limitation or penalty, her current stats appeared to be higher than mine.
The dungeon we were heading to was not originally meant for the protagonist but rather part of a side story, so the details of its treasures were not particularly well-known.
“I want to test if you can withstand the demon’s laser attack.”
Using the Dragon Sword, I lightly jabbed at ‘Gareas’ external armor.
Isiah couldn’t afford to look weak either, so it was a necessary precaution.
“Is this all right?”
“At this level, you could probably withstand a few direct hits, but still, stay vigilant and avoid unnecessary risks.”
The ‘Gareas’ suit was sturdy, matching, or possibly surpassing, the toughness of my scales.
My scale-made armor could withstand Shaks’s laser quite effectively, so Isiah would likely be fine too.
“Shaks uses lasers. As soon as you see any signs of attack, prepare to dodge. When it gets close, it uses its beak or claws to attack. He moves fast, so be careful…”
I explained Shaks’s attack patterns thoroughly to Gareas. Even with a god-tier suit, she was still new to actual combat, so I covered everything from one to ten.
“I understand.”
Tense but attentive, Isiah listened carefully without any sign of being offended by my lengthy explanation, and instead, showed excitement at the coming challenge.
“Before we follow the plan, I need you to buy me some time here. Do not attack recklessly—just attract the enemy’s attention.”
Shaks was clever enough to analyze and exploit my attack patterns, and there was a good chance he might use Isiah’s inexperience to deal a critical blow.
I dashed towards Laura, bowing slightly.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Huh…”
Before she could respond, our lips met.
Gently pressing my tongue against hers, I could feel her soft tongue and the sweet taste of saliva.
In this manner, a vast amount of mana was transferred from my body to Laura’s.
“You are getting better at this, aren’t you?”
“Thanks to you, Lady Laura.”
After completing the mana transfer, I pulled away. A thin web of saliva stretched between our tongues.
“Please ensure the next attack subdues the demon. Not more.”
“Because of Kang You-jin?”
“Indeed.”
I quickly composed myself after the slight moment of relaxation and headed back towards Shaks.
*
“More of them keep popping up.”
Shaks muttered, looking at ‘Gareas’. He was getting anxious with consecutive appearances of S-rank opponents. They were a real threat, and that was why he had tried so desperately to quickly eliminate ‘Invincible.’
Now drained of much of his mana, Shaks couldn’t recklessly fire his burning laser beams like before.
“I’ll handle this!”
Shaks extended his hand towards ‘Gareas,’ who seemed inexplicably excited for battle.
A red laser shot towards her.
‘Gareas’ rolled to dodge, but she hesitated after a message appeared on the HUD of her suit’s helmet.
“Energy attack detected.”
“Active barrier initiating.”
Just before the laser hit the suit, a translucent shield appeared in the attack’s path.
‘Active barrier’ was an advanced technology that did away with the traditional method of surrounding the user with a protective barrier, opting instead for deploying defenses only where needed.
“Energy reserve at 72%.”
‘Gareas’ suit shrugged off Shaks’s burning laser with remarkable ease, causing Shaks’s expression to visibly twist with frustration.
“What are you?”
The world where the transformation belts were created also had an abundance of energy-based weapons, and countermeasures for lasers were thoroughly prepared. Shaks, unaware of this fact, was astounded to see ‘Gareas’ effortlessly block his attacks.
“I’m fighting an S-rank monster…”
Isiah was nothing but amazed at the very thought of locking horns with an S-class monster.
While ‘Gareas’ drew Shaks’s attention, Shinnoda returned after recharging Laura’s mana.
“Hehe, did I hold up well, Dark Knight?”
“You did well, Isiah, but—ah, Gareas.”
“What did you say…?”
“Nothing at all.”
‘Dark Knight’ praised her and readied himself for the next phase of battle.
On the way back, he’d glimpsed ‘Gareas’ in action and was surprised by her insane tanking prowess, enduring even the blade-like lasers capable of slicing through S-rank entities.
‘Could this suit be growth-based? If it is, I might bring her along even for a final raid.’
Shinnoda conveyed the plan to ‘Gareas’ as they’d discussed before.
“Yes!”
Isiah nodded enthusiastically, and he reciprocated with a gentle nod of his own.
The plan was simple: repeat what they’d done before. The only difference was that unlike ‘Invincible,’ ‘Gareas’ could withstand the burning laser.
As ‘Dark Knight’ transformed into Black Mist, he pursued Shaks while using his ‘Decapitation’ skill.
“I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”
Shaks guessed what they were planning. Deciding to eliminate the threatening wizard first, he acted.
“Die, little girl.”
The burning laser shot towards Laura, but there was no need for her to summon ‘Great Shield.’
“Allow me to protect you, my lady!”
“What lady?”
‘Gareas’ moved into the laser’s trajectory, blocking it on her behalf. Of course, the red laser was deflected by the ‘Active Barrier’ the ‘Gareas’ suit had deployed.
Soon enough, Laura completed the memorization of her high-tier spell. Memorization allows a spell to be cast ahead of time and stored for later use.
“Bind.”
With a hiss, chains appeared around Shaks and began wrapping around his body.
“Damn it. This is infuriating.”
Unlike before, with the sturdy ‘Gareas’ standing firm, there was little Shaks could do. His inability to quickly neutralize the enemy mage was a massive problem. To make matters worse, his attempts to suck life energy from the A-class hero were repeatedly disrupted by ‘Gareas’.
“Bind.”
By the time the chains had completely covered Shaks, his movements were completely sealed.
“It’s over.”
‘Dark Knight’s chilling words echoed.
Soon, Shaks’ limbs flew off into the sky. The dismembered demon fell to the ground, resembling a rag doll, his face twisted with frustration.
“Me… I, Shaks, to be defeated by the likes of you? This cannot be!”
Shaks was originally a formidable warrior who had reached the realm of semi-divinity. The thought of losing to a mere mortal—someone far from being a ‘Dragon’ or ‘Grand Sword Master’—was inconceivable.
“Absolute Zero”
A mass of icy energy emanated from Laura’s hand and spread throughout Shaks’s body. Frost began to cover his body.
“Damn… If Kang You-jin had properly fulfilled the contract, none of this…”
He never got to finish his sentence, as he was encased in ice.
“Don’t blame others.”
‘Dark Knight’ murmured quietly and glanced at Laura.
“Is there a way to save Kang You-jin?”
He asked with a troubled expression.
“Since we have completely subdued the demon, all we need to do is separate his soul. However, mortals often cannot endure this process and end up disintegrating.”
“Are there any other ways?”
“No.”
“In that case, please proceed. Kang You-jin would want this.”
Shinnoda genuinely believed that if he were Kang You-jin, he would rather attempt this than stay possessed and die.
With her hand on the frozen Shaks’s chest, Laura muttered in an unfamiliar tongue.
‘Hmph. Is a god even left in this world?’
Dragons, being so self-absorbed, often considered themselves at the level of gods, thus they detested seeking divine hands.
Laura was no exception.
The face of Shaks, encased in ice, contorted in pain. Both Shaks and Kang You-jin felt as if their bodies were being fried in boiling oil. This was direct pain inflicted upon their souls.
Shaks, being both a demon and a fragment of an old god, could endure, but Kang You-jin, being merely human, suffered damage to the very core of his soul. Still, he gritted his teeth.
“I must endure this. I owe ‘Dark Knight’ too much to fail here.”
Kang You-jin knew ‘Dark Knight’ was trying his best to save him.
Soon, from his chest emerged the extracted soul, resembling wisps of red mist. Simultaneously, the ‘Absolute Zero’ spell lifted, and the ice encasing Kang You-jin’s body melted.
“I’ve materialized and separated the demon’s soul, but this defies the natural order. Kuh…”
Laura stopped mid-sentence and spat out blood.
“Even this body cannot bear it. I need some time to recover.”
Realizing the ice had melted and the connection severed, Shaks took this opportunity. Knowing all eyes were on the injured Laura, he quickly fled in his spirit form.
“Live… I must live. I will definitely survive this!”
He could move as a spirit easily, having been born as such from the start.
‘Wait and see. I will find a better host and avenge this humiliation!’
When ‘Dark Knight’ finally noticed this movement and swung the Dragon Sword, it was too late. Physical attacks were ineffective against a spirit.
Laura tried to cast a spell quickly, but her internal injuries were too severe to channel magic.
“Haa…”
Shinnoda sighed deeply. They had missed catching Shaks by just a single step.
It felt like eating too much sweet potato in one sitting.
“Kuh… My body hurts…”
At that moment, Kang You-jin woke up.
Unfortunately, neither the beak nor the bird legs returned to human form.
‘Still, saving one person should be enough to feel satisfied, right?’
