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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 53
Although he had discovered the ghost, there was no need to pay attention to it now.
Seonghyun simply ran towards the shadow that looked exactly like him, standing before him.
As he ran with a low stance...
He could run as fast as a shot.
Seeing Seonghyun rushing towards him, almost touching the ground, the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter flinched and shuddered.
Just like Seonghyun, it ran with a low stance.
However, it couldn't move as smoothly as Seonghyun.
It couldn't understand.
It had clearly copied everything about Seonghyun.
But why couldn't it reproduce the same movements?
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter felt a question arise, but discarded the thought.
For some reason, it just charged forward, looking at Seonghyun's eyes that glowed faintly with a teal light.
'As expected.'
Just as he anticipated.
Even though it had copied everything about Seonghyun, it couldn't copy his abilities.
Because of the existence of the memories and experiences of many ghosts...
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter couldn't imitate them.
As they got closer, as if they were about to collide, Seonghyun swung his sword in a low posture, sliding, and the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter hurriedly raised its sword to defend itself.
Clang——!
A sharp metallic sound spread through the surroundings with a piercing noise, and the wind created by the impact scattered.
Seonghyun and the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter clashed, and Seonghyun slid and then regained his posture.
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter, no, the shadow-like creature, couldn't regain its posture.
The impact was significant, and Seonghyun's turn was so quick that it couldn't react easily.
As Seonghyun swung his sword from behind the shadow...
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter, without looking, tried to dodge the sword strike by rolling forward.
However, before the sound of cutting through the air, it felt a teal spear being created, and upon discovering it, the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter's eyes widened.
To think that he would retract the sword mid-swing and use a skill...
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter, having already moved its body with a forward roll, felt that it couldn't dodge and prepared to endure it.
It knew well, having copied all the skills.
That this skill was impossible to defend against.
If it couldn't dodge, it had to brace itself.
The teal spear pierced through the shadow's shoulder.
Puck——!
As a violent shock swept through its body...
Darkness enveloped it.
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]
[Dark damage is applied.]
[Partially resists Dark damage.]
[『Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter』 loses all sight and senses for 1 second.]
It had some resistance, so it partially resisted, but still, for 1 second...
All of its senses felt like they were floating in space, unable to feel anything.
With its five senses blocked and unable to distinguish anything, the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter curled up its body and assumed a defensive posture as much as possible.
At the same time, it used Blood Curtain, a skill for defense.
It might only be 1 second, but for Seonghyun, it was quite a good amount of time.
Although the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter used Blood Curtain...
Seonghyun immediately charged, tearing the Blood Curtain apart with his sword, and then immediately summoned Bone Arrows to attack while swinging his sword.
As the Bone Arrows and sword strikes connected...
One or two dark arms sprouted from the body of the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter.
A total of four arms appeared.
Seeing that, Seonghyun swung his sword again.
Slice——!
The sound of cutting with the sword stretched out as if time was slowing down.
Then, a Grim Reaper holding a scythe appeared behind the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter, and 1 second passed.
As all senses returned to the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter...
It felt the aura of death behind it and tried to dodge, but it realized that it was an existence it could neither avoid nor block.
And it also realized that this attack was due to the Mark of Death.
The Grim Reaper that appeared behind it grabbed its five arms and pulled them with the scythe.
The scythe cleanly sliced through the neck of the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter.
"...!"
Slice——!
Terrible pain was transmitted from its neck throughout its body, but...
Its neck wasn't severed.
Although it was cut, its neck didn't fall off.
Only the pain and damage were applied.
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter also swung its sword at Seonghyun, but it didn't reach him.
As if it were too simple, Seonghyun raised his sword to block the attack and simultaneously landed attacks with Bone Arrows in between.
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter also created and shot Bone Arrows, but they were all blocked by Seonghyun's sword.
"...!"
Although it couldn't speak, the arms that were hanging from its body gradually increased.
When the number of arms reached three...
Its movements became noticeably sluggish.
One of the effects attached to the Mark of Death.
Even at full strength, the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter couldn't handle Seonghyun in the first place.
Then, in a state where its movement speed was slowed?
Swish!
Slice——!
Once, it was shallowly cut...
It became even slower, and finally, it was deeply cut.
It was damage enough to make its body tremble with shock, but...
Soon, it had five arms.
Shhh.
Shhhhh.
The two extra arms strangled its neck, and unavoidable death approached from behind.
As death grasped those arms, they transformed into scythes.
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter, feeling as if it had placed its head on a guillotine, had its eyes shaking violently.
The scythe that would judge its neck was falling.
No, it was strangling its neck.
It struggled in fear, but...
Death could not be avoided.
Nor could it be delayed.
Only fear would increase.
Thud——!
It was as if he could hear the sound of the rope of a guillotine being cut.
His neck was severed by the falling blade of judgment.
"...."
The Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter couldn't regain its senses from the Grim Reaper's second scythe.
Pain swept over it, and its body trembled from the heavy damage.
[Critical Hit!]
[Due to the critical hit, 『Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter』 is stunned for 1 second.]
Seonghyun wouldn't miss this opportunity and charged.
Unable to even react properly...
Overwhelmingly ravaged and defeated, the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter bowed its head towards Seonghyun.
As if pledging complete loyalty.
With that as the end, Seonghyun thrust his sword into its heart.
Puck!
Looking at the Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter, which resembled him so much, resolutely offering its heart, Seonghyun felt a strange feeling.
Still, because it looked exactly like him...
It felt a bit odd.
"Hmm."
Anyway, it was a test.
Let's finish it properly.
[You have defeated the 『Remnant of the Elder Shapeshifter』.]
[You have cleared the 2nd Class Advancement Trial with no hits taken.]
[You have acquired the title, 『Monster Rookie』.]
[Rewards are enhanced.]
[Rewards will be given after the event scene.]
The usual system messages appeared.
Before he could even finish reading the messages...
As if being transferred, Seonghyun felt a sense of floating...
And blended into the surrounding scenery.
Seonghyun's body became translucent and floated up.
Like a ghost.
He had seen many ghosts, but this was the first time he had become something similar.
Feeling a renewed sense of strangeness, he looked around.
But something was strange.
He thought the scenery had melted and become a different landscape, but...
It was still Helena's Garden.
The only difference was that instead of the dark clouds that had darkened the surroundings, there was a beautiful night sky filled with starlight.
'What is this?'
Could this be a scene from the past?
As Seonghyun had that thought...
The ghost that looked exactly like the Elder Shapeshifter he had seen earlier appeared, looking at the scenery with tears in its eyes.
-Ah, ah. Ah...
It was looking at the place, sobbing.
Could it be a place he knew?
As Seonghyun had that thought...
Someone approached.
It wasn't Helena.
It was a very young man.
Approaching the garden with a mournful look, wearing a black robe, he looked up at the beautiful night sky, but his blazing eyes were burning brightly.
Tear stains were dried and strangely stuck to his face, and his eyes were filled with hatred and vengeance.
However, unlike his eyes and the dried tear stains, his expression was calm and sorrowful.
"Fiora, I know you're there."
At the man's words, not a ghost, but a shadow that looked exactly like the ghost, jumped out from behind the pillar.
It was the Elder Shapeshifter.
However, unlike the remnant, it was full of life and rich emotions.
Seeing it sobbing along with the man with dried tear stains, the man nodded, as if it was only natural.
But the man looked at it and said firmly,
"I'm going to close this place. If I sever the space, even you, Fiora, the Elder Shapeshifter, won't be able to hold on for long. Will you come with me? I'm going to honor Lady Helena outside. And I'm going to build a palace for the new lord."
"...."
The Elder Shapeshifter, called Fiora, shook its head.
Did it mean it wanted to stay here?
The man looked at Fiora with an understanding face.
"Even you... if you stay here... you will die in this severed space. No, considering your nature, you will come back to life, but only your body will. Your existence will disappear, and only your body will remain, to be born as a new Elder Shapeshifter. Will you still stay?"
"...."
Fiora couldn't readily answer those words.
It just looked around the garden, at the beautifully blooming flowers and the starlight.
Even while looking at the beautiful scenery, Fiora's eyes were glistening, as if it was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Understanding Fiora's feelings, the man said,
"I know this place is full of memories of you and Lady Helena, so I'm going to seal it off from space. So that it can be perfectly preserved. If, in the distant future, a descendant, or a successor, appears, I will open it then. Will you still stay?"
"...I want to stay."
"...I understand. It's been fun."
The man didn't ask any more questions.
He knew very well...
How many precious memories Fiora had in this place.
And so, the man disappeared from the garden, and Fiora, left alone, looked up at the sky.
"...Master, will the day come when I see you again?"
With those words, it felt the space being severed.
It clearly felt the world splitting, the space crumpling, and this space being transferred to another place.
The sky, which had been showered with beautiful and brilliant starlight, was now filled with dark clouds, and the space was cut off.
Nevertheless, Fiora curled up and remained in the garden, looking up at the sky that had now disappeared.
Looking at the sky that it had once gazed at with its master...
It felt its body burning away.
At that moment, Fiora transformed its body.
It turned the burning flames completely into its fur, and became a brightly shining bird, accepting its burning body.
Fiora's body burned away and remained there as ashes.
That was Fiora's end.
Seonghyun watched the whole process and realized.
'This is after Helena's death.'
He didn't know who the man was, but...
For some reason, he wondered if it could be Heukseong, who had sent the letter from Over Palace?
That thought crossed his mind.
Feeling the loneliness of those left behind, Seonghyun turned around with an inexplicable sense of pity...
And there, Fiora's ghost, looking embarrassed, was fidgeting and saying,
-Ah, ah. I-I'm embarrassed...
"...."
Was it just his imagination that it looked like someone whose dark history had been exposed?
Wasn't it a very sad and tragic story?
But to be so shy and embarrassed like that...
Seonghyun couldn't say anything.
He just cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
-I-if I had known the descendant would come, I-I would have waited a little longer...
Fiora's ghost said, sounding a little regretful.
Seonghyun said it was okay.
"If you're okay with it, would you like to come with me?"
Seonghyun held out his hand.
Seeing that, Fiora's eyes widened.
The distant past.
That very distant and nostalgic day.
That day's touch came to mind.
-Oh my? What are you doing here? If you're okay with it, would you like to come with me?
And at that sight, Fiora, with teary eyes, answered.
No, it recalled the past.
-Would that be alright?
"Of course." -Of course.
The past and present overlapped.
The figures of Seonghyun and Helena overlapped.
And seeing both its past master and its present master extending their hands at the same time, Fiora finally burst into tears.
Taking the offered hand, it answered as it had in the past.
-P-please take care of me, Master.
['Unknown Power' has accomplished something impossible at the current level.]
[Intelligence +10, Wisdom +10 permanently increased.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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