The International Hunter Association references the rank information provided by the Gates and divides the subjugation difficulty of appearing monsters into six grades from Rank 1 to Rank 6.
At this time, the danger a monster poses to humanity is assessed separately.
Even among the same Rank 3, some monsters caused damage within a narrow scope, while others struck on a wide scale by spreading infectious diseases and the like.
Furthermore, threat levels could fluctuate depending on the regional environment, the number of individuals, and so on.
Therefore, rank was ultimately nothing more than an objective indicator for Hunters to gauge a monster's capability.
'Still, since subjugation difficulty and threat level aren't completely unrelated, they're sometimes used interchangeably.'
Ordinary people tended to equate subjugation difficulty with threat level upon hearing Hunters heading out to subjugate monsters shout about Rank 1, Rank 2, or whatever rank.
Anyway.
'In the game, she had only transformed up to Rank 5... Is it because she absorbed a soul stone? To think she'd transform using a Rank 6 monster, Empress Arachne, as her basis. Nothing ever goes as planned.'
According to the International Hunter Association's guidelines.
Rank 6 was a subjugation difficulty recommended only for Transcendents or those near that level.
In the game, at least one of your physical stats had to exceed 90 just to be worth fighting.
Therefore, it was best to judge that Lee Gahyeon, who had transformed into a Majin using a monster as her basis, possessed capabilities commensurate with that.
Perhaps she was even stronger.
[The target's grade is too high.]
[Information will be revealed while restricted.]
[Personal Information]
Name: Lee Gahyeon (Female · ?? years old)
Aliases: Six Demon - Puppet Ghost Girl, and ? others [+Details]
Affiliation: Majin Society
[Held Gifts]
—?Soul ?Seul
Her physical information was riddled with question marks; it didn't show up at all.
That meant the gap in strength between me and Lee Gahyeon was considerable.
Even so.
'It's fine. It's not like we have no chance of winning.'
My friends and I, along with the other students, were barely managing to fight her to a standstill even if we couldn't gain the advantage over Lee Gahyeon.
It was thanks to everyone desperately holding on and employing hit-and-run tactics using our numerical superiority.
Additionally, supporters including Lisa continuously cast buffs to oppose her pressure.
"Those whose White Magic effects have expired, hurry and gather beneath the cluster of lights!"
Lisa shouted from the rear.
Being Lee Gahyeon's primary target, I immediately ran toward the cluster of lights that had appeared in the night sky.
Lee Gahyeon shot out spider silk to catch me, but it didn't reach me in the slightest.
My Evasion Instinct had activated, and Cha Eunsol, who was maintaining the balance of our allies in the sky above, raised a gust of wind and cut it away.
And Kang Hanbyeol, Do Sieun, and Yong Haerang, who had just switched to new buffs, blocked her path as well.
[The effect of the Skill '3-Star White Magic – Hero Legion Lv 6' is applied.]
[For 18 minutes while the effect persists, maximum HP and MP gauges increase by 12%.]
[For 18 minutes while the effect persists, HP and MP recovery amount and recovery speed increase by 6%.]
[For 18 minutes while the effect persists, all stats increase by 6%.]
[For 18 minutes while the effect persists, resistance to status abnormalities increases by 3%.]
[For 18 minutes while the effect persists, allies' morale is...]
[...]
In the game, increases and decreases in physical stats caused by external effects were generally based on original stats.
Thanks to that, we were able to recover, to some extent, the physical stats that had been degraded by exposure to Lee Gahyeon's pressure through the effects of buffs.
In my case, I offset the 3% decrease, and not only broke free from the pressure, but my stats rose.
[Physical Abilities]
Health: 67.02(64.02+3) → 74.28(71.28+3)
Strength: 61.11 → 68.04
Endurance: 58.2 → 64.8
Agility: 73.84(69.84+4) → 81.76(77.76+4)
Mana: 63.29(55.29+8) → 69.56(61.56+8)
Luck: 38.86(36.86+2) → 43.03(41.04+2)
'So if I add everyone else's buffs, it's an 8% increase?'
It was a shame that some buffs didn't apply as overlaps.
But piling on a ton of buffs wasn't necessarily a good thing.
If you couldn't fully display the increased stats, they were ultimately no different from useless.
Rather, if you couldn't control them properly, they could become a poison that caused mana rampage in the worst case.
That was the difference between the game and this world.
'...20%. For now, that should be about the level I can somehow control.'
At any rate, thanks to these various factors.
We could face Lee Gahyeon.
Above all...
'Lee Gahyeon is tired right now.'
There was no way Lee Gahyeon, who had been fighting the instructors to the death right before battling us, would be unharmed.
At first, I hadn't realized because I was overwhelmed by her pressure, but she was in a considerably depleted state.
Under these circumstances, it wouldn't be wrong to perceive her as a Rank 4 or 5 boss monster.
She was on par with or slightly stronger than when she had fought the final battle against Kang Hanbyeol's group with her last life remaining in the game.
If so, we weren't without a chance of victory.
Even though we were fighting the final battle earlier than the story had been scheduled in the game, that was all.
The gap between us and the enemy could be sufficiently closed depending on our efforts.
'Besides, we have numbers.'
In the game, the maximum number of characters who could participate in the final battle against Lee Gahyeon was five, including Kang Hanbyeol.
In contrast, even counting just me and my friends, there were currently as many as thirteen people fighting her.
If you added No Hyowon and the students she commanded, and Do Sieun and the student council members, the number grew even larger.
Therefore, even if Lee Gahyeon caused rifts to summon her subordinate monsters or pulled out the dolls she kept as a collection in a subspace, we could respond.
'How did she pull out those dolls?'
That was a question, come to think of it.
Even in the game, dolls she had made by killing people had appeared during the final battle against Lee Gahyeon.
As stage common monsters, as stage boss monsters, and also as Lee Gahyeon's subordinate monsters appearing as bosses in the final stage.
Since the stage where the episode took place was her hideout, there had been nothing strange about it.
However, I hadn't known she could pull out dolls regardless of the stage.
'Did she also have spatial abilities? It hadn't been mentioned in the game...'
There was no time to be puzzled.
Dolls carrying a subspace connected by strings on their backs were charging in.
They were already dead, felt no pain, and followed Lee Gahyeon's commands, each brandishing their weapons.
I had been about to fill the spot of Nam Yuri, who was falling back from the front line, but changed direction to respond to the ambush.
Crack!
Evasion Instinct activates.
Entrusting my body to the Gift's urging, I dodged or parried the blades striking from every direction.
At the same time, whenever an opportunity showed itself, I cut the strings attached to the dolls' backs.
Those whose strings were severed could no longer move their bodies and collapsed limply.
"I'll handle the rest, so go."
"I'm counting on you."
It was then that Yong Haerang stepped in.
He drove a straight punch into one doll's abdomen, forcibly stuffing it back into the subspace, and spoke in a low tone.
Our eyes met, and I expressed my gratitude as I kicked off the ground toward Lee Gahyeon.
Fwoosh!
Nearly invisible silver threads were arrayed in the air around Lee Gahyeon unless one focused.
If I blindly rushed into her domain, there was a high risk of my body being sliced apart by the silver threads.
To counter this, Min Arin supporting from the rear and Cha Eunsol flying in the sky above had set the silver threads alight, alerting us to their presence.
They were the lines of flame burning in the air since moments ago.
Thanks to that, we could approach Lee Gahyeon while avoiding the burning lines.
Crack!
Of course, there were also silver threads hidden without touching the flames.
Therefore, extraordinary caution was needed, but I had Evasion Instinct.
Having dodged the invisible silver threads, I watched for an opportunity to attack.
Right on cue, Yeon Haneul and her clones were bringing iron mallets down on Lee Gahyeon and bombarding her.
'Don't overdo it.'
'You too. I'll pull back now.'
I exchanged intentions with the Yeon Haneuls through our gazes.
I nodded, took my stance, and aimed for the moment when they finished their attack and pulled back.
Lion's Ferocious Charge
Azure lightning surges up.
Cloaked in wall-lightning that swelled in momentum from friction with the atmosphere, I charged straight at Lee Gahyeon.
When I unleashed a gathered strike, the coiling wall-lightning flew toward her.
───!!
Smoke billowed with the explosion.
The smoke was quickly blown away by the wind Cha Eunsol raised and vanished.
Then, the smoke violently billowed.
Swish!
Lee Gahyeon leaped into the night sky.
Despite her massive frame, she soared high and landed on the spider web stretched across the sky.
Immediately after, she bombarded the ground.
Boom! Boom! Crash!
Masses of light imbued with physical force rained down from overhead.
I hurriedly unfolded a barrier and then ran following my instincts.
In that time, Lisa, Min Arin, Yeon Haneul, and others protected the people with magic.
Nam Yuri helped by raising pillars from the ground.
Meanwhile, Cha Eunsol, unaffected by the bombardment, engaged in an aerial battle to divert Lee Gahyeon's attention.
'She's really tenacious.'
I didn't have a suitable way to deal with Lee Gahyeon in the air.
I decided to leave the aerial battle to Min Arin, Yeon Haneul, and the others who had flown up to the night sky to assist Cha Eunsol.
At the same time, I was able to observe Lee Gahyeon's condition.
'Still, the end is near.'
The wounds on Lee Gahyeon's body had stopped healing since a short while ago.
Her stamina had reached its limit.
The momentum was shifting toward us.
I decided to press this advantage.
Just then, a fortunate turn of events occurred.
"Good job. I'll praise you."
"Kids! We're here now, so don't overdo it! We'll join in from here on!"
"Sorry. We seem to have been a bit late."
The instructors who had been buried in the ruins of collapsed buildings—Hong Yena, Yu Noeul, Su Hoguk, and others—joined the battle.
I smirked when I saw them.
"What, you guys weren't dead?"
* * *
Mother, who had been nothing more than one among Father's many concubines, had always craved Father's love.
Looking back, perhaps she had coveted Father's power.
Or perhaps it was both.
Whichever it was, she had meticulously managed and groomed herself to appear as the most charming woman of all.
And she had forced the same upon Lee Gahyeon, the fruit of her union with Father.
"You must be beautiful. Only then will your father show interest. Don't you want your father to adore you? Then listen to Mama."
If you aren't beautiful, you have no worth.
The mother who repeated such things had dressed herself up beautifully to capture Father's attention.
She adorned her hair, wore pretty clothes, and at times applied makeup elegantly...
"What do you think, Mother? Am I beautiful?"
"Yes. I suppose you take after me; you have good features. It's a relief you weren't born ugly. You won't have to live a miserable life anywhere. You may not understand it now, but someday you'll be grateful to me for giving birth to you like this."
Having changed clothes several times a day, Lee Gahyeon had felt as if she had become her mother's doll.
But she hadn't hated it.
She didn't know since when, but she too had been fascinated with becoming beautiful.
Moreover, Mother's efforts to catch Father's eye had been effective.
The frequency of Father's footsteps coming to see Mother and her increased.
"You wore that outfit last time, so shall we try this one today? It will suit you."
Each time, Mother grew greedier and dressed both herself and Lee Gahyeon more beautifully.
But there was no such thing as eternal beauty.
Even beauty had an expiration date.
As time passed and she grew older, signs of aging appeared on Mother's face.
Her skin lost its elasticity and grew rough.
"No, if this keeps up... I have to become beautiful. Otherwise, I'll be abandoned."
"..."
Mother, who spent longer sitting before her dressing table, gradually suffered from obsessions.
Watching her, Lee Gahyeon thought,
'Is it impossible to be beautiful forever?'
Lee Gahyeon pitied her mother, who grew uglier day by day.
She wanted to somehow help her continue to be beautiful.
It was then that the doll she held in her arms caught her eye.
—Ah, that’s what I should do.
If human fate inevitably concludes with growing old and dying as time flows.
How about stopping time at their most beautiful moment to preserve that beauty?
The method was simple.
Kill them and make them into a doll.
—It’s okay, Mom. You don’t have to grow old anymore.
She had felt no aversion to killing people from the very beginning.
One day, Yi Gahyeon had stabbed her mother to death while she slept.
It was the starting point from which she came to be called the Doll Ghost Maiden.
*I was clumsy back then. It was my first time, so I was clumsy at preventing the corpse from decaying. In the end, Mother’s doll quickly rotted and crumbled, and I had to incinerate it….*
It was something she felt sorry to her mother for.
Yi Gahyeon, who had been fighting without a moment’s rest, let out a bitter smile at the memory that suddenly surfaced.
It was a memory she had forgotten since becoming a Demon.
It wasn’t like her.
And so, she had a premonition.
*Is it time for me to die too? Seeing as old memories are suddenly coming back.*
Back when she had fought the instructors at Dongsik Hall, power had seemed to overflow, but now it did not respond at all.
It felt as if a pass had been abruptly cut off.
What kind of pass, you ask? …She did not know.
*Was it the Academy City’s unique mana environment that gave me strength?*
Yi Gahyeon thought of it only vaguely and did not try to delve deeper.
No, she was not in a position to delve deeper.
Gradually feeling the limits of her stamina, she was desperate just to block people’s attacks.
Even so, she could do nothing about the situation where defeat was growing inevitable.
*And there’s no hole to escape through either….*
It seemed this was as far as she would go.
She was going to die.
Yi Gahyeon resigned herself internally.
That said, she had no intention of dying quietly.
Even if she was going, she intended to take as many people with her as possible until the very moment her life expired.
Especially.
*I’m definitely taking you with me. Let’s become one in death, Gyeonu.*
Do Gyeonu of the Divine Sword Do family—she would kill him without fail.
Having reached that conclusion, Yi Gahyeon focused on attacking him relentlessly.
She cared nothing for the interference of those who realized her intent and tried to stop her.
It was then that darkness fell over her field of vision.
It was because Do Gyeonu had activated the magic embedded in the red Hongjo Sua hanging from his sword.
It seemed to be magic that obscured vision and suppressed presence in this manner.
Yi Gahyeon giggled as if mocking him.
“Useless. Did you think petty tricks like this would work on me?”
If she could not see, she need only feel.
She read the trembling of the air.
Through the silver threads she sent into the empty air, Yi Gahyeon could read the space’s information.
*There.*
Finding and facing Do Gyeonu in the darkness was not difficult.
Rather, thanks to people keeping their distance, she could focus solely on him.
It was an opportunity for Yi Gahyeon.
But when the darkness lifted, she realized she had instead fallen into a trap.
“Ah….”
Streams of water had gathered, surrounding her and Do Gyeonu in a hemisphere.
Not only that, but they were not unified—they seemed to be rotating in multiple directions.
The people who had not been participating in the battle had pulled some trick.
Right then.
*Crack!*
Azure Lightning flashed from Do Gyeonu’s sword.
In an instant, the streams shattered and disintegrated into particles of light.
“Ah….”
It was like looking up at the universe.
Then, drawn by the blue light, Yi Gahyeon laid eyes on Do Gyeonu.
The Azure Lightning swelled even more in momentum.
The blue lightning surged with a fierce sound, igniting the particles floating throughout the area.
And.
Divine Lion.
Do Gyeonu swung his sword.
The Azure Lightning propagated along the particles in an instant, dyeing the space in blue flames.
*….*
Countless tiny starlights exploded as if devouring the world.
Blue lightning and flames colored her vision.
Just like that.
*Beautiful.*
It devoured Yi Gahyeon.
I became the childhood friend of the mid-boss