Ch. 3 - Chapter 3

A woman with a slender build and tall height was standing in front of me.

She swung her coat, which didn't quite match the weather, and fluttered it in the wind.

Well, since I was also wearing a hoodie, I guess I wasn’t in a position to criticize.

What caught my attention next was her tanned skin and seductive appearance.

But more than that, the empty sleeve of the coat, which seemed hollow and vacant, missing an arm.

"Who...?"

Even though it was a life-or-death situation, I couldn’t help but ask.

Who are you?

Instead of answering, she slightly stuck out her tongue and licked her red lips.

As if she had discovered some incredibly delicious food.

To my surprise, she was using her remaining arm to hold off the weight of the giant toad.

Seeing her supporting the toad's bulky weight with her thin forearm, I felt incredulous, even though I was seeing it with my own eyes.

"What happens if you use a cow's butcher knife to kill a chicken? Black Aether isn’t meant to be used like that."

She said something incomprehensible, then with a ‘hiya’, she flicked her arm.

Boom!!

And then, something incredible happened.

The giant toad staggered backward a few steps, as if overwhelmed by the force.

Even if this was happening in a game, it was a scene that would make you want to shout, "What kind of physics defying magic is this?” in protest.

 “……!!”

What did she mean by a butchering knife, and what exactly is Black Aether?

I had so many questions, but for now, there was one thing I needed to say first.

"Thank you... for helping me."

Although I was living on basically a tight rope, she had just saved my life.

And someone with such power might be able to save my sister as well.

She looked me up and down with a strange expression, then curled the corners of her mouth into a smirk.

"Good manners ain’t my cup of tea but you seem like a good kid."

I couldn’t help but look at her with a bewildered expression.

I had never particularly thought of myself as a good person let alone good mannered one.

Cursing my weak body has been part of my daily life.

However, she was scanning me with a rather impressed look in her eyes.

Well.

It didn’t seem like it was because of my gratitude. Somehow, there seemed to be a deeper meaning behind it.

“Are you Haesun?”

“Yes.”

"I'm Kiril. I'm the same type as you, a Poisoner."

Poisoner?

I felt like I had heard that term somewhere before.

It was a profession which had been active in the past but had disappeared without a trace.

“Traitor…….”

Without realizing it, the words that slipped out of my mouth caused Kiril’s gaze to turn cold.

However, she flashed a provocative smile again, as if nothing had happened.

"Haha. I'll let it slide because Self hate is overrated. But if you call me that again, I'll be sure to show you a very lovely time with my snakes."

“…….”

"Let's put aside the misunderstanding between us for now, and focus on cleaning up those guys first, shall we?"

Whoosh!

With those words, Kiril disappeared from sight.

Did she use teleportation?

No, she had simply moved unbelievably fast.

"Listen carefully, puppy."

Not just me, but all the monsters' gazes turned toward the rooftop of a building.

The city, devoid of cars and people, was left in complete silence. 

Perhaps because of that, Kiril's voice echoed clearly.

“If you wish to be stronger, you could soon be like this too.”

Swish.

I flinched in surprise.

It wasn't because of what Kiril had said.

I couldn't quite understand how, but an unbelievably strong energy was surging from Kiril.

Despite her being the one who saved me, the overwhelming power sent chills through my entire body.

I stared at Kiril with a gaze mixed with fear and admiration.

Swish.

Kiril raised her arm, and the palm of her hand faced toward the sky.

Then, from her palm, a dark red vortex began to swirl violently.

“!!!!!!”

Swish, swish, swish.

The vortex stretched toward the sky, soon splitting into multiple streams that rained down in all directions.

A cruel, blood-red rain of ominous energy pouring from the sky!

The rain pierced through the bodies of each and every monster surrounding me.

Stab, stab, stab, stab!!

-Kiruuk!!

-Keeeeeek!!!

Even the large monsters nearby were no exception.

The giant toad, which had been glaring at her fiercely, leaped into the air after kicking the ground, but was immediately pierced by dozens of tendrils and let out a desperate scream.

-Krarak!!

Boom!!!

After the toad crashed into the ground. 

The toads that were still alive were nowhere to be seen.

With a single gesture from Kiril, all the monsters in the vicinity had been annihilated.

‘Did she just… eliminate all the monsters in just one go?’

Perhaps it was because I had witnessed such an incredible show of power.

My body began to tremble.

“…….”

When people are too stunned, they become speechless.

I couldn’t say anything until Kiril approached me again.

"Poison Rain. It's the technique used by me.” She looked at me, “Exclusively." she added with a smirk.

 * * *

"What’s your home address?"

After taking something from the toad's corpse, she tucked my sister under one arm and effortlessly leaped from rooftop to rooftop, reaching my house in no time.

From a distance, she appeared to be ‘flying’ rather than running.

There were so many things I was curious about Kiril.

How did she find me in the midst of all this chaos?

What was the source of that overwhelming power?

Why did she help us?

When I finally arrived home after a long while, Kiril spoke in a tone that almost seemed to boast.

"How was I? I’m pretty fast, aren’t I? This is called Poison Step. This is the technique that is used exclusively, might I add, by me. Am I repeating myself? Oh well it doesn't hurt anyone so I don’t mind. Do you?"

I didn’t know about anything else, but I was sure about one thing.

She loves to brag.

"I honestly couldn’t say either wa-…" I tried to answer her questions but forgot which one I was responding to.

"Huh? What did you say? I didn’t hear you."

She placed a hand near her ear, pretending not to hear me.

Her gesture was certainly innocent, but there was a strange allure in every movement.

"Thank you for saving me. I’m alive because of you, Miss Kiril."

"Drop the ‘Miss’. What's the formality between us? Do I even look that old in your eyes? You better get them checked darling.”

We had just met today, and yet she was talking as if we were close.

She seemed to be about the age of my youngest aunt, so I felt like she was treating me like a nephew.

"It's too early for thanks anyways. There's still some service if you wanna call it that left to be taken care of."

"Service?"

"Yeah. Your sister is in a dangerous state right now." she bopped her head towards my sister.

I was taken aback and turned to look at my sister, who was lying on the bed.

I thought she was grimacing from the pain, but now that I looked closer, her complexion was far from healthy.

Could it be that she was poisoned at the Gate area?

Kiril sat down next to the bed and placed her hand on my sister's forehead.

Shhhrriiiinnng.

A golden light emanated from Kiril's hand, spreading over my sister's entire body.

I had seen this kind of scene in a YouTube video before.

It was when a healer-type Hunter was healing a Knight (KNIGHT); it definitely looked like this.

But she had clearly referred to herself as a Poisoner, at least used a skill related to it.

To think that someone who handles poison could possess healing abilities as well.

Does this even make sense?

“Opposites attract.”

She said, almost as if she had eyes on the back of her head.

It seemed like Kiril had read my expression and began to explain.

"Poisoners live with all sorts of poisons in their bodies. Some people might say that they're just immune to poison and that's why they’re fine, but that's all bullshit."

“Bullshit……?”

"Yeah. Load of complete bullshit. No matter how much of a Poisoner you are, you can't live off poison as sustenance. What we do is heal the poison in our bodies in real time. We do it while eating, while pooping, and even while we’re sleeping. That purified poison becomes Black Aether, which is the source of a Poisoner's power."

I had never heard anything like that before.

In fact, there was almost no information about Poisoners in the world to begin with.

The only thing anyone knew was that there had once been a hunter type called Poisoners, but the rumors say that they betrayed humanity.

Kiril turned her head at me, then gave me a strange look.

"First, let's get your clothes off."

“Eh?”

I quickly pulled back in response to her sudden absurd suggestion.

"Hahaha. Why is your face turning red? Do you think I’m going to do something? Too young for my taste don't worry."

".....Um."

Kiril's gaze swept over me from top to bottom.

How long are you going to keep wearing those clothes soaked in poison?

Her gaze seemed to be asking that.

If my sister really was poisoned, my mere presence near her would pose a threat.

I soon realized her intention and scratched the back of my head.

By the time I had thrown the clothes into a trash bag, Kiril removed her hand from my sister’s forehead.

"This girl. What's her name?"

"Chun Songhwa... is her name."

"She's in a poisoned state, and a few of her ribs are broken. And... she's incredibly fatigued. This isn't something that's accumulated over just a day or two."

Poison and exhaustion.

Just hearing those two words made my heart sink.

"She has been doing a lot of overtime at the factory. My hospital bills are piling up….."

"Tsk, tsk..... If I had been any later, this girl might have ended up in the hospital. Anyway, the urgent issue is resolved. Her bones will heal soon, and now she can finally get some rest."

"….Thank you very much."

I bowed my head deeply, feeling truly grateful.

When the giant toad approached my sister and I, I experienced a sense of despair like never before in my life.

But thanks to Kiril, my sister and I were able to survive in the Gate, and she even healed My sister’s injuries.

Considering that she was a complete stranger.

It felt like a miracle.

However.

On the other hand...

I couldn’t help but say.

"It's not the best time to bring this up, but... my sister always used to tell me something."

"Hmm? What’s that?"

"If you continue to receive one-sided favors from someone, there will definitely come a time when you have to give something in return. She called it the ‘golden rule of life’ or something"

“…….”

Kiril pursed her lips and stared at me intently.

As always, I couldn’t help but admire her striking beauty.

"Songhwa looks to be in her early twenties at most and considering the extent of her exhaustion and fatigue, she sounds very mature for her age. But the things she said to you makes you sound like an old man who's been through a lot."

Kiril chuckled softly and placed her hand on my forehead.

Shhhrriiiinng.

Just like when she healed my sister, a golden light flowed from her hand.

A warm yet refreshing energy, something that felt impossible to coexist, seeped into me.

At the same time, my swollen arm gradually returned to its normal state.

A pleasant relaxation.

I had experienced a feeling similar to this before.

It felt similar to the time I had received a strong narcotic painkiller due to how severe my symptoms were.

Back then, I felt an indescribable drowsiness, but now it seemed to be at least several times stronger.

As I was deeply intoxicated by that blissful feeling, Kiril's voice suddenly cut through.

"That's right. One day, the time will come when you have to repay this favor. But that's still a long way off."

"It'll be too late by then."

I forced a smile as I received the treatment.

"Why?"

"Because I don't have much time left."

Kiril blinked her large eyes twice, as if processing my words.

Isn't it a life with just a month at most, a ticking clock on my days?

If Kiril intends to have something from me in return, she should hurry.

But suddenly, Kiril's expression shifted to a playful one.

She moved her hand, which had been on my forehead, toward my face, and then gave it a quick flick.

"Acting all wise with such a young face. You little brat. And you don't have to worry, I always get back my favors."

"Ahahahaha. (Damn, it hurts.)"

"Don't worry. You're not going to die."

"Huh?"

"You won’t die. The reason your condition worsened so suddenly is because of your Awakening."

Awakening.

A miraculous gift bestowed by the heavens to hunt monsters.

The process that hunters go through is called an ‘Awakening’.

However, I had never heard of anyone experiencing an Awakening as painful as mine anywhere in the world.

Usually, people either suddenly become stronger and can't control it then die. Or they gain the ability to use magic.

It was always stories like that.

"Poisoners are a special and unique existence. Our Awakening process is completely different from that of lower-tier type hunters. Asking those quacks in the hospital won’t help. Though, I guess even the guild research lab wouldn’t offer much more insight."

Kiril was explaining, but honestly, but the stuff she was saying went over my head.

Thump, thump.

The words I had heard before were still stirring my heart.

"Do you mean... I can live?"

It was surprising, but I couldn’t help but ask in a trembling voice.

Kiril's eyes widened, then quickly turned into crescent-shaped slits as she smiled.

"Yes. Puppy. You're not going to die. And..."

She spoke with her eyes shining brightly.

"Soon, you might even become the strongest being this world has ever seen in centuries."

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