Chapter 25: Mystic Land (part 4)

***

Traveling the desert is really hard but when they got heat resistance everything becomes a breeze, the only thing left is getting used to the terrain. It's been 2 hours since they left.

When the <quest> was given it also came with an indicator telling them if the <nemesis> is close or not.

"Myeong-Suk-ah are you tired I could carry you if you want."

Yoon Yong-Il looked to see Cho Myeong-Suk panting clearly out of breath, she then reached out to her and began carrying the latter on the back of my back.

"Sorry for being such a bother Unnie."

"No, it's fine, you're still a child that means that there's still so much room to grow."

Cho Myeong-Suk smiled and they proceeded on with their march while telling stories to each other.

20 minutes of walking has passed and they decided to take a break.

"Good thing there's still food left."

"Thank you for carrying me Unnie, but I could walk now."

"Ah, sorry."

Yoon Yong-Il put Cho Myeong-Suk down, and they both ate sandwiches, they drank from the canteen, which seemed like it refilled itself with water.

"Are you good to go Myeong-Suk-ah?"

Cho Myeong-Suk stood up and nodded, The older woman noticed some breadcrumbs on her face and wiped them away.

"Well, then let's go."

They walked for another 5 minutes until Yoon Yong-Il heard the sound of battle, they rushed over there only to see blades clashing, and blood spraying. The future that she saw wasn't true yet, 'I need to stop this' she thought.

"Myeong-Suk-ah, heal the people that were wounded and try to stay away from the main battle!"

"Yes, I'll do my best."

In a hurry, she rushed over there, pointing the [Abyssal Fang] at the bloodied man.

"Hey, jackass!!!!"

[The skill 'Intuition' lvl 5 is shaking]

The man whose hair was dyed in a crimson hue due to the blood of the people he wounded or much worse killed, looked back and a face that Yoon Yong-Il never expected to be here, was here.

"Ah, Yong-Il-ah have you come to greet your oppa." [Author's note: Oppa= Big brother only used by females in korea]

Her breathing became shallow and she suddenly stopped in her tracks, her eyes widened as tears fell.

[a <god> has revealed itself]

[The <god> 'Ancient Queen of Kur' is telling you to focus!]

She shook her head and readied the 'Abysmal Fang'.

[Target is right in front of you]

'A <god>? Never mind that there's still some business I need to do' She murmured silently as she looks at the man in front of her.

"Yong-Il-ah, what are doing over there? Come here and hug me."

"You're not my oppa! Give him back!"

[The skill 'Deathly Presence' lvl 1 is activated]

"Ooh, scary. hahaha!!! You think I'll let 'him' out again! And this place is so much fun you know!"

The two of them looked at each other, the other glaring while, the former gave a condescending look.

"I said give him back!!!"

She dashed towards him with full power.

[The skill 'intuition' lvl 5 has reactivated]

[The skill 'quick planning' lvl lvl 3 has activated]

He blocked Yoon Yong-Il's attack with his own dagger, causing a huge *clang!* reverberating in the air.

"Oho! Little Yong-Il is attacking her oppa now! I need to teach you some manners!"

Yoon Yong-Il quickly dodge and many plans were produced in her head, and her 'intuition' is sorting the best way to deal with him.

"Unnie!!"

She felt power welling up inside her, and Yoon Yong-Il charged him. Although the buff of Cho Myeong-Suk was active both are equally matched, in close quarters combat their bodies became riddled with wounds.

"You're still holding back because you know that when you kill me, you'll kill him as well."

"Shut up!!!"

Myeong-Suk: Unnie, wait!

Yoon Yong-Il immediately backed off, then a lot of the previous heroes who were injured, now fully healed started fighting him again.

"What is it Myeong-Suk-ah?!"

She approached Yoon Yong-Il and hugged her to comfort her, she then quickly regained her cool as she took a deep breath.

"Unnie, we don't have to 'kill' him."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember, the contents said to subdue him."

'Damn, I forgot about that, I was so infatuated that he appeared here that I became rash when we fought' She thought in her heart she doesn't want to kill her big brother, but this thing isn't him.

"So, do you have a way Myeong-Suk-ah!"

Cho-Myeong-Suk nodded and whispered something to Yoon Yong-Il, The older woman's eyes widened at the plan and she nodded, Cho Myeong-Suk then raised her staff.

"I can seal him just give me some time Unnie."

Yoon Yong-Il nodded and cleared her head, she will not hold back this time.

"Then, let's do it!"

She rushed back into battle and faced and faced the bloody man. Both of them ignored the other heroes who were fighting him.

"Get, away from here! You guys will just be unwanted casualties."

"But-."

[The skill 'Deathly Presence' lvl 1 has activated]

The man's face paled and ordered a retreat.

"Ooo, scary, is that the best you got?

She looked back at the bloodied man. 'His overall stats were higher than mine but' She thought clearly infuriated.

"No, this isn't the best I got, this is."

"What the-."

[The skill 'Dark Flames' lvl 1 has activated]

Black flames emerged from the 'Abysmal Fang' and the enemy backed off, the heat that radiated was much hotter magma, the black flames became violent and enveloped her entire body, making her look like a demon who came straight out of hell.

"Here I come."

She dashed towards him and he readied his dagger, their daggers clashed and flames erupting from Yoon Yong-Il's body were reaching him.

He tried getting away but each time he steps back, Yoon Yong-Il takes advantage of the gap and attacks him as he keeps on leaving.

5 minutes have passed on like this, both of them are severely injured, but they still kept on going. From time to time the man hesitated on attacking her making him miss the attack completely.

"Why don't we stop this already?"

"..."

"You can't kill me and I can't kill you so this is clearly a draw, no?"

"You won't escape."

He frowned at the word that Yoon Yong-Il just said although her body was burnt from the flames as well she can't escape either.

[The skill 'Dark Flames' lvl 1 has deactivated]

"Hey, do you want to die?"

"Fuck you."

She answered him with a straight face then. He took this opening and charged at her, full throttle. Stabbing her in the chest or so he thought.

'Tung, tung'

With the sound of a barrier being hit, she looked back and saw Cho-Myeong-Suk, with half of her hair white and half black.

"Wait, what the fuck is this?!"

A giant rock appeared behind him and roots began binding him onto the rock.

"No!! This isn't over!!! When I get out of here I'll kill all of you!!!!"

"That is 'when' you'll get out of there."

He glared at her and began cursing at Yoon Yong-Il as his body began sinking into the rock and Yoon Yong-Il looked back so that she won't see the state he is in then he said.

"Thank you, Yong-Il-ah."

The moment she looked back to see he is gone but instead a name in hangul was engraved onto the stone.

[Yoon-Chun-Ja]

Pain assaulted her once more as her body was covered in wounds, and burns alike, then fatigue also rushed in as all her skills deactivated at the same time.

She collapsed onto the floor as Yoon Yong-Il saw Cho-Myeong-Suk rushing to her side.

***

I shot up from my seat and grabbed the screen checking if she actually died or not.

"Wait, she died?!"

The screen disappeared and I was left on a cliffhanger, I sighed in disappointment, I started looking around.

"I'll go crazy in this place, how do I get out?"

Just being in this place is kinda mind-numbing, I checked the giant corpse, even if its only bones left the magic power it emits is comparable to that of a <god>.

I turned back to the entrance and tried once again to run out of the forest, but to no avail as always.

"Damn, do I need to head deeper inside?"

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead, I gulped and started walking deeper inside, as I get deeper the magic power in the air is starting to get denser and denser, making it harder for me to breathe and making my body extremely sore, my skills aren't activating for some reason the ones that activate by itself.

I had an idea although it might not work, I pulled out the 'judge's scale' and it started to become easier for me to traverse this giant corpse. As I get closer to something I could hear a beat.

*Thump Thump* *Thump Thump*

A heartbeat? I started rushing over there, and what shocked me was a giant heart, still beating.

"It looks like, it is in the state of reviving."

A wide grin grew on my face as an idea popped in my head.

"I wonder how much exp will it give."

I tried slashing it with my sword but *Ting* it just bounced off of the surface of the heart.

"If that doesn't work then take this!"

[The skill 'Heavenly King's Martial Arts' lvl 2]

A golden aura enveloped me and my blade, I could feel my power multiplying, I swung my sword in full strength but *Clang* a horrible sound was produced as the tip of my sword broke, leaving no wound on the heart.

"Shit, Uriel will kill me!"

[The skill 'Hyper Decision Making' lvl 17 has activated]

An idea suddenly popped in my head, I looked at my scale and looked back at the heart.

"I'll come back to you later!"

I rushed back to the entrance and into the forest with the scale in my hand, I reached the forest and I raised the scale in front of me, space bent in front of me, I was excited then I rushed for the exit, I tripped on the root as I got out.

[Ah, Rai are you okay-!]

I fell over my supporter, I noticed that I was on top of Barachiel, but I stood up quickly so as not to make things more awkward.

[The skill 'Calm Mind' has leveled up 17 -> 18]

Barachiel's reaction was cute, as her face flushed making, she pouted and stood up. Behind her, I saw the old dwarf who was giggling to himself. I asked the 2 of them.

"How long was I in there?"

Barachiel and grandpa Gram were confused, I finally noticed that it was not day anymore but nighttime instead.