Busan, Entertainment District.
It’s late at night, so the surroundings are dark.
I drew my sword quietly.
Thanks to my carefulness, no sound came out.
‘I hope Isiah and Laura can handle this well.’
Since the opponent has an S-rank individual, we’re planning to clash with all our power.
“Status window.”
I whispered small enough for only me to hear.
————<Status Window>————
◈ Name
n̶̡̡̛̟̠͈͎̟̍͜͝͡͠ų̢̰̭̲̋͒̓͊̀̒́͘͡l̴̳͙͓̞̻̝͇̥͆̋͂̉̕͡͠͠l̨̛̫̖̝͓̮̳͓͆̃̈̈́̈́͆̈̕
◈ Stats
[Strength 487 A] (+1700)
[Agility 145 A] (+1900)
[Intelligence 551 C] (+800)
[Luck 719 F] (+1000)
[Overall C]
◈ Skills
[Succession 071 S]
[Dragon Heart — A]
[Telekinesis 901 C]
[Magic Engraving — B]
[Polymorph — S]
[Grand Benefit 114 F]
[Lake of Longing 000 B]
[False Insight 234 D]
———————————–
The additive values of ‘Dragon Sword’ and ‘Leather of the Sage.’
The additive value from the ‘Polymorph’ skill.
The additive value from Laura’s buffs.
It all amounted to quite the boost.
The final stats were beyond imagination.
Strength SS
Agility SS
Intelligence B
Luck E
But the opponent has a pure S-rank overall grade, so if we account for the equipment, they are at my level or above in pure stats. I can only rely on my skills to win.
“Even if our stats are similar or slightly lower, I got a good skill. With these skills, I can have an advantage.”
I bought information about the Hwasan Group from a contact on the ‘Red Knight’ crew. Fortunately, it wasn’t expensive. The Korean members under Hwasan had no loyalty or strong discipline, so they’d sell information if you paid enough. Additionally, Hwasan’s key figures were already well-known in China, so the data wasn’t rare.
The most threatening individual was the Hwasan leader, Jubeom Han, while the others were insignificant. Being a first-generation Awakened One at S-rank, he had plenty of dungeon items, including S-rank armor, making him hard to harm. Plus, he had the ‘Heroic Sword’ and ‘Target Deceleration’ skills, making him a tough opponent.
“Still, he can’t win against me.”
Though he has a decent skill set, compared to mine, the value of these skills is in a different league. After all, I only learned top-tier OP skills.
<Preparation complete.>
<Here I go.>
The sound came from the earphone. It’s a short-range communication device specially made by Isiah that’s impossible to intercept.
“Then let’s get going.”
Excluding the Korean members, Hwasan’s main bases are three in total. If we attack one and they retreat, there’s a possibility they’ll just hide in the shadows, so we decided to wipe them all out at once. Of course, the side with S-rank will be my responsibility.
*
An old shopping district.
A 2nd-floor gang office.
Originally a Korean organization building, it was recently taken over by Hwasan.
“Big Brother, why is the Assassination Unit late?”
“Those bastards are probably fooling around somewhere with women again. They aren’t the type to struggle with just a high school kid.”
The goons chatted idly.
Creeeeak.
They perked their ears at the noise from the old entrance. Normally, the Assassination Unit would have already been making loud footsteps and chaotic noises.
“Who’s there?”
“Is it the Elder?”
What appeared was a female student in a school uniform. She had an unusual belt around her waist.
“What? Who called this girl?”
“Hey kid, what brings ya here? We’re not some third-rate delinquents you can summon.”
Thinking someone had called an odd cosplay call girl, the gang members snickered among themselves.
Isiah stood, legs straight, facing forward, and manipulated the belt at her waist.
“Nyaang!”
The intended word was “Transformation.”
Her belt lit up with a luminous glow.
[Transform]
A high-pitched mechanical sound came from the buckle. Tiny particles appeared and clung to the girl’s body. Hundreds, thousands of them eventually formed a sleek suit. Soon, the frail girl disappeared, leaving behind a solitary warrior.
[Gareas]
The interdimensional warrior ‘Gareas’ had returned. The suit was designed with an elegant flair, its sharp eye design giving an intimidating impression. Moreover, the armor covering the whole body looked formidable enough to withstand any attack.
The warrior took a peculiar stance with crossed arms and announced in a fixed line:
“My presence!”
A somewhat unnatural but strangely addictive synthetic female voice.
‘This is the power of S-rank…!’
Isiah trembled with excitement at the potent power coursing through her body. She drew her sword.
“What, what is this?”
“An enemy?!”
The thugs in the office stood up, swords drawn, confronting ‘Gareas.’ Most of these individuals were C-rank Awakened Ones, with only a few section leaders at B-rank.
“Attack!”
“How dare anyone come here!”
Anyway, Hwasan was fully composed of Chinese members, and since Isiah is Korean, communication was useless. Any sort of dialogue was meaningless. The martial gang’s weapons flew toward her.
“Haaa!”
‘Gareas’ just took the blows and charged forward. An augmented reality HUD appeared in Isiah’s vision.
「Metal Weapon Detection」
「Electromagnetic Field Deployment」
The metal weapons of the Hwasan gang couldn’t pass through the electromagnetic field generated slightly above ‘Gareas” suit. This was a futuristic defense technology that maximized the electromagnetic forces between electrons.
「Energy Reserve: 89%」
‘Gareas’ calmly walked forward, aiming her sword at the wrists of the Hwasan gang members. The wrists flew into the air, spraying blood. They were deeply shaken by the situation where none of their attacks were effective, so they used skills.
“Guhhhhh!”
One of the gang members suddenly turned into a werewolf and lunged at ‘Gareas.’ It was purely a brute force attack.
They wrestled on the ground, each trying to get leverage in a fierce ground fight. Naturally, Isiah came out victorious. Being a fan who wanted to be an O-face Rider, she had trained various fighting techniques. She won through modern martial arts ground combat.
The werewolf died after his neck was crushed by Isiah’s thighs and reverted back to a human corpse.
“Hmph.”
This was Isiah’s first time killing someone. She felt somewhat troubled. As a hero, and as the Dark Knight’s sidekick, she had anticipated having to face such moments, but actually going through it was difficult.
「Body Spasm Detected」
「Correction System Activated」
The suit corrected any anomalies to make her a perfect warrior.
‘Shinnoda must have done this kind of thing countless times. What kind of burden is he carrying?’
‘Gareas’ shook off dust as she got up. Isiah had no grand ideologies. She simply wanted to be a hero like an O-face Rider and follow the Dark Knight as his knight. That was a rather shallow motivation.
“Dark Knight, you walk this path alone, all for Earth and humanity.”
As ‘Gareas’ muttered, a massive wall of fire engulfed the office. It was one of the Hwasan members spewing fire from his mouth.
‘Gareas’ got covered in flames.
Inside the fire, Isiah thought.
“Just because I don’t have a grand cause like the Dark Knight, does that mean I shouldn’t be a hero? I’ll just follow the Dark Knight who does the right thing. That’s all. What’s so special about being a hero anyway?”
“Did we kill her?!”
“So this guy calling himself a knight, huh? Incredible.”
“Even if you’re some kind of expert, you’re still nothing.”
The gang members snickered and mocked. They were notorious for human trafficking, drug smuggling, hit jobs, and robberies. That’s why there were countless so-called vigilantes opposing the Hwasan group in China, though none had succeeded.
Dzzt. Beep.
Then, from inside the fire, a low buzzing sound was heard. ‘Gareas,’ wrapped in flames, took one step, then another, emerging from the fierce blaze. Her regal presence struck fear into everyone.
“Wh-who the hell are you?!”
One of the gang members, overwhelmed by despair, collapsed to the ground, asking in broken Korean.
“I am…”
‘Gareas,’ emerging from the flames, read the chaotic messages on her HUD.
「Fire Attack Detected」
「No Suitable Defense Modules Available」
「User Cumulative Damage: 81%」
Unfortunately, the suit couldn’t defend against fire, and the body inside the suit was getting roasted. But Isiah’s mind remained clear, sharp, and alive.
「Warning」
「Combat Incapacitation」
「Three Proposals:」
「Self-Detonation」 「Limit Unleash」 「Escape」
Her body was healing in real-time thanks to the skill ‘One Covered in Dragon’s Blood.’ Isiah chose ‘Limit Unleash.’
「Warning」
「Extraction at Potentially Fatal Levels to Be Initiated」
She was grateful to Shinnoda, who procured a skill perfectly suited for the ‘Gareas’ suit.
“I am an immortal.”
[Limitless]
Isiah shouted a line she often saw in tokusatsu shows. Just as she declared herself an immortal, her voice intertwined with the mechanical sound from the belt.
On one side of her vision, Isiah’s life gauge showed numbers increasing: ‘11% … 14% … 23%’. Her Limitless State effectively granted her an inexhaustible spring of life.
“Swear on my honor… I am the eternal being.”
