My Skill Book My Way: Chapter 50
Chapter 50
"First, the thing I was most curious about."
I looked at O Seyeon, who was sitting in front of me, and spoke.
"What the hell is a Listener?"
At that, O Seyeon made a puzzled face.
"You didn't hear that you get registered as a Listener when you come back to life?"
"So the fact that you know that means you've died and come back to life too?"
O Seyeon nodded.
"Yeah. I died once."
Murderous intent could be felt from O Seyeon's face as she said that.
'Could it be that this woman was murdered by someone too?'
"Is what you wanted to talk about regarding Listeners?"
O Seyeon asked. I could see O Seyeon's pupils directed toward her inventory, which I held.
"There's a lot besides that, but that was what I was most curious about. I only heard at first that I'd been registered as a Listener, but nobody told me what it actually was."
"I see."
She seemed to fall into thought for a moment, then opened her mouth.
"What I know about Listeners is three things. That you died and came back to life. That your unique skill changed after resurrection. And that someone tries to give you orders."
'Orders.......'
What came to mind upon hearing that was 'Goal Setting.'
Sometimes, along with the words [A new goal has been assigned], commands telling me to do something would appear in the book.
"There doesn't seem to be a penalty for not acting according to orders. But if you follow the orders, experience accumulates and your main skill's level rises."
"The identity of that someone......?"
"I don't know. I'm guessing it might be the being that resurrected us."
That certainly would be the most natural conclusion.
"Come to think of it, I know one more thing."
O Seyeon said while looking straight at my face.
"That Listeners can recognize each other."
"The strange feeling I had when I met you was because you were a Listener?"
"Probably."
"Got it. Here's my second question: why were you rampaging around with that kind of sword?"
"......It wasn't because I wanted to."
O Seyeon said with a fierce scowl.
"I was hunting a field boss in the dungeon world when that bound item came out. And it took over my body on its own."
'Well, bound items equip to your body before you can even check what they are.'
I realized that there was a trap in bound items that I had never imagined.
"But there was nothing saying that sword turned you into a demon. Ah, was the effect amplified because of a skill called [Divine Sword Unity]?"
At my words, O Seyeon made a surprised face.
"How do you know my skill!?"
"I saw your Status."
I could see the wariness in O Seyeon's eyes growing even stronger.
"But I had to prepare on my end too, didn't I? My opponent was none other than a terrifying Hunter who pointed a sword at me even though I hadn't done anything, threatening to take my life if it wasn't a bound item. And strong enough to slash a Fire Dragon to pieces in a single blow."
When I said this, O Seyeon closed her mouth as if she had nothing to say.
"Why do you want to collect bound items so badly? You already have five of them."
Perhaps because her wariness had shot up at my mention of having seen her Status, O Seyeon didn't answer my question.
"You don't need this?"
I shook O Seyeon's inventory.
"......."
O Seyeon glared at me with a furrowed brow. However, perhaps because she couldn't give up on the inventory, she let out a sigh and opened her mouth.
"There's someone I have to kill."
Murderous intent stronger than what she had exuded earlier could be felt.
'That's quite a brutal reason.'
"I need more power to kill him. That's why I'm collecting bound items."
"More power......."
I was astonished.
'Who on earth is she trying to kill that she needs to become even stronger on top of that?'
"Fine, say the Listener stuff is settled—but why are you so curious about me?"
O Seyeon said, as if arguing.
"There's a reason. If I had to say, it's to know whether you're my enemy or not."
I shook the inventory once again.
"It'd be dangerous if you charged at me again threatening to kill me unless I handed over my bound items."
"......."
When I looked straight at her, O Seyeon averted her gaze.
"And if you seemed dangerous at all, I was going to knock you out and take you with me."
"What?"
"Do you know you're being chased by the government right now?"
"......Ah."
At my words, O Seyeon opened her mouth.
"It's natural since you attacked a village, killed civilians, and even killed the Hunters who were tracking you."
"That... I couldn't help it either. My body wouldn't listen to me....... I locked myself in an abandoned apartment to somehow stop myself, but there was nothing I could do about people who came all the way there."
'Oh?'
Seeing O Seyeon make a pained expression, I was slightly surprised.
'This woman actually has enough humanity to feel things like guilt.'
Come to think of it, when I met O Seyeon at the apartment, she told me to attack her. She must have wanted to stop her rampage.
'It's true that she pissed me off when she threatened me during the Fire Dragon battle, but.......'
I tossed the inventory I was holding to O Seyeon.
"Huh?"
O Seyeon looked at me with wide eyes.
"The quest I received was to eliminate the demon that attacked the village, and now that demon is gone, there's no need to take you with me by force."
"......."
"Instead, I'll take that cursed sword as proof that I eliminated the demon. You wouldn't be greedy for that bound item, right?"
O Seyeon was still looking at me silently.
"What, now that you got your inventory back, are you after my bound item?"
"......No."
O Seyeon stood up from her seat and strapped the inventory to her waist.
"Weird bastard."
"Hey, I cured your curse, healed you, and even let you go when I was supposed to capture you—and you insult me on top of that?"
"Pfft."
When I snapped irritably, O Seyeon laughed out loud for the first time.
'Huh. This.......'
Perhaps because I had only seen her scowling or expressionless face until now, O Seyeon's smiling face was shockingly beautiful.
"Ah!"
But the next moment, O Seyeon's eyes sharpened and her hand went to her inventory.
The chill running down my spine and O Seyeon's disappearance happened simultaneously.
Clang!
"Tch!"
When I turned around, I saw O Seyeon blocking a long sword with two intersecting daggers.
"You!?"
I was startled to see the assailant's appearance.
"Kim Ujin!"
He was a Hunter who had participated in the match against the Paewang Guild.
"Haht!"
O Seyeon let out a shout and swung her two daggers.
I hurriedly pulled out my axe-spear from my inventory.
Shwick!
Along with pain, something like a long leather strap coiled around my leg.
When I looked to the side, sure enough, Yu Songhwa from the last match was standing there holding a whip handle.
Yu Songhwa pulled the whip, and I lost my balance and fell, my leg bound.
"Now! Shoot!"
As Yu Songhwa shouted, Jeong Cheonyeol holding a staff revealed himself from behind her.
"Magic Bullet!"
At the same time as his shout, a bullet made of mana was fired at me.
'Lightning Spear!'
I quickly cast the skill on my axe-spear and swung it.
Boom!
Sparks extending from the spear collided with the magic bullets, causing an explosion.
I cut the whip binding my leg with my spear and stood up.
'Damn it.......'
Regaining my composure and looking around, I bit my lip.
Besides Jeong Cheonyeol, Yu Songhwa, and Kim Ujin, four more Hunters were forming an encirclement.
They were all Hunters from the Paewang Guild who had appeared in the previous match.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I said, glaring at them.
"Did you have a grudge left over from the last match? Or did you come chasing the demon that attacked the village too?"
"Everyone, move according to plan."
The Hunter who had led the Paewang side last time, Im Jiyeon, spoke while pointing her staff at me.
At those words, the Hunters split into two groups. Jeong Cheonyeol, Yu Songhwa, and Im Jiyeon marked me, while the tanker Sin Chusim holding a new shield and the healer An Donghyeon headed toward O Seyeon.
The close-range dealer Gang Ibong also leaped toward O Seyeon holding his weapon, a staff.
I swallowed.
'I don't know their objective, but this is definitely a crisis.'
O Seyeon, holding daggers, had to deal with Kim Ujin as well as Gang Ibong, who had jumped into the fight.
"Hey! Why did you get so weak!"
I shouted at O Seyeon.
Against two close-range dealers, O Seyeon wasn't being pushed back at all. However, her movements weren't what they had been when she'd slashed the Fire Dragon to pieces. If they were, Kim Ujin would have become the victim of a frenzied murder after the first exchange.
"Shut up! I lost the sword I originally used because of that cursed sword!"
"That sword-crazy woman!"
I glared at the three Hunters on my side while holding my axe-spear.
'Yu Songhwa is a close-range dealer, Jeong Cheonyeol is a ranged dealer. I don't know Im Jiyeon's position yet, but seeing as she's holding a staff, she's probably a ranged dealer or support class.'
It was fortunate that they had split into two groups. No matter how well I understood their abilities, I couldn't take on seven SS-rank Hunters alone.
'First, the annoying ranged dealers!'
I used Charge and dashed toward Jeong Cheonyeol.
"Where do you think you're going!"
A sound like tearing air came from behind.
"Hup!"
I swung my spear backward to parry the whip.
Clang!
A metallic sound rang out.
'She infused it with mana!'
Yu Songhwa had a skill that strengthened her weapon by infusing it with mana.
'Flame Spear!'
I added [Flame Spear] to the spear already under the effect of [Lightning Spear]. And I swung it toward Jeong Cheonyeol. Fire and lightning shot forth.
Boom!
'Damn.'
Im Jiyeon was standing in front of Jeong Cheonyeol holding her staff. A blue barrier was spread out in front of Im Jiyeon.
'A defensive skill....... So she's not just a simple ranged dealer or support.'
Then once again a sound of cutting air came. I swung my spear.
Clang!
Swish.
Another sound of a whip flying toward me was heard.
'Huh!?'
It was from a completely different direction than where the whip had just come from.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
"Kuk!?"
Groaning, I had whips coiled around both arms, one leg, and my neck.
There were as many as four Yu Songhwas holding whips. All four whips binding me were real.
'What, there wasn't a skill like clones in the Status I saw before?'
I thought for a moment and the answer came out.
'Bound item!'
With a bookmark, I could only see the Status, not what items they possessed.
They were definitely using bound items they hadn't used that day.
"Take him down. Don't kill him."
As Im Jiyeon stepped aside, Jeong Cheonyeol aimed his staff at me.
I tried to dodge.
"Stay still!"
Because the Yu Songhwas pulled the whips, I couldn't move as I pleased.
'Then.......'
I looked at the sky.
'Shrink Earth!'
In an instant, my body became incredibly heavy.
"Kyah!"
"What!?"
"I-I'm flying!"
"Uwaaah!"
The four Yu Songhwas screamed in the air.
Because I used Shrink Earth, a one-person skill, while carrying four people, my body was in such agony that my mind began to fade.
But I couldn't lose consciousness like this.
Now was the chance, while the Yu Songhwas' feet were off the ground and the whips had gone slack.
"Haaap!"
I twisted my waist with all my might and swung the spear engulfed in fire and lightning as widely as possible.
Kwa-boom!
Black smoke rose from the bodies of the three Yu Songhwas struck by lightning and flames.