Chapter 269


    <suicide. Readers, please be advised.>>


    Very quietly, Kim Hyukjin recited an incantation.


    He rattled off the words, having prepared them in his heart in advance. It was the same incantation as when he first created the Temporary ckfire Bow. The final incantation Ahn Seohye had uttered while crying tears of blood.<blockquote>


    [You who has killing intent.]


    [Imand thee. Return to thy eternal slumber.]</blockquote>


    The same notice as back then was triggered.<blockquote>


    [You have partially seeded in uttering the Will Incantation.]</blockquote>


    Hyukjins body began to shimmer with red mana. He was sure of it.


    Its the same as before.


    He had created a ckfire Bow with the Ink Bow as a base. This time, Hyukjin possessed the Divine Sword Physique, and he used Isabel as a base to draw forth a new ability.<blockquote>


    [Confirming the presence of a physique imprinted with the Tome of the Divine Sword Physique.]


    [Perceiving powerful me energy imprinted within the Divine Sword Physique.]</blockquote>


    And one more.<blockquote>


    [Confirming the presence of a Swords Pact.]</blockquote>


    When he made the ckfire Bow, the rted factor was the mana wavelength of the ckfire Bow engraved in his body. This time, it was the Swords Pact that came into effect. Hyukjin instinctively realized that the Swords Pact was far higher in grade than the ckfire Bows mana wavelength.<blockquote>


    [Oveying the Divine Sword Physiques mana on Isabel.]


    [Generating a temporary Heavenly Sword.]</blockquote>


    This is a more advanced ability.<blockquote>


    [The Heavenly Swords base item is Isabel.]</blockquote>


    zing with ck mes, Isabel plunged into the caspers back. Hyukjin felt all the energy instantly being siphoned from his body.


    Ngh.


    He nearly cked out. Hyukjin used Endless Sky Physique, his new trait, to desperately absorb surrounding mana. Three of the Yellow Mana Crystals in his Inventory instantly disappeared, and as a result, Hyukjin was able to maintain consciousness.


    His eyes could see nothing, like the world had been swallowed in darkness. And when he opened his eyes, the casper was gone.<blockquote>


    [The Intermediate Administrator Casper has beenpletely obliterated.]</blockquote>


    The next instant, the world turned gray. A Pause had taken effect. Hyukjin looked around.


    Senia?


    He couldnt see her.


    It wasnt triggered by Senia.


    And it wasnt a Guardian, either. That could only mean it was the System. The System itself had triggered a Pause, but since Senia was nowhere to be found, and no exnation was given


    Shes been urgently summoned to who knows where to exin the situation.


    In cases like this, you simply had to wait. After pacing for a while, Hyukjin sat down, immersing himself in thought.


    I killed the casper.


    Normally, the System would use the term hunt, but perhaps because a being on the scale of an Intermediate Administrator had been killed, the wording waspletely obliterated.


    One threat to Sunhwa has disappeared.


    He was relieved. He had been intending on building up his strength over many, many years to eradicate the casper, but to his surprise, that day was today. He was lucky.


    If not for Noonas charm


    Just thinking about it made him shudder. Either Sunhwa or Ahyoung might have been gravely injured or even killed. There was no knowing what the casper would have done to extract himself from Sunhwas body.


    What a relief.


    It was really, truly, a relief. Hyukjins eyes moved to Ban Kimyung, who had been greatly injured by Hyukjins arrows. He ced a 10-piece Healing Potion set next to the man.


    The Enforcer of Commandments, Ban Kimyung.


    He fell into thought. Ban Kimyung. One of the 8 Heroes of his previous life.


    Hm?


    Something was weird. If he wasnt just imagining it Ban Kimyungs body had just moved, ever so minutely.


    Even though the Systems Pause is in effect.


    He was resisting that Pause authority ever so slightly. The Enforcer of Commandments Ban Kimyung. A level 1 yer. Of course, he couldnt <em>really </em>move, but the fact that he was resisting it even a little was astonishing.


    It cant just be Ban Kimyung, but the power of a System setting.


    With every setting was another setting that opposed and bnced it. This battle between settings was something he had already experienced many times. It seemed Ban Kimyung had some kind of setting within him.


    * * *


    * * *


    At longst, Senia appeared.


    yer Kim Hyukjin.


    Were you urgently summoned somewhere?


    I must inform you that my channel is currently closed.


    That so?


    He didnt think there was much reason to close it, but he epted it. Recording the footage and having Shobidobi edit it wasnt too bad an idea, either.


    yer Kim Hyukjin has killed an Intermediate Administrator. Do you acknowledge that?


    Yeah.


    But what you did wasnt a normal killing, butplete annihtion.


    Are they different?


    They are.


    Senias expression was as serious as ever.


    How do they differ?


    A normal yer cannot obliterate an Intermediate Administrator.


    But I did.


    That is why I was summoned. Senias wings fluttered. It has been decided that yer Kim Hyukjin is not a normal yer.


    If Im not a normal yer, then what am I?


    An Irregr.


    Irregr?


    Didnt Irregr refer to people like CEO Song, who awakened his special powers long after his talent tes closed?


    Yes. I believe there is an upper-grade setting that I cannot confirm with my jurisdiction at y.


    Whats an upper-grade setting?


    A setting that does not exist within the current System. For example, something like regression.


    Senias eyes narrowed. An rm bell went off in Hyukjins mind.


    A trap from the System.


    No matter what Senia said, she never showed a change in expression. You could say that was part of Senias identity. But right now, her eyes were narrowed. Senia was trying to hint at something.


    Im being interrogated through Senia.


    The System itself was observing him, Kim Hyukjin.


    Regression? Hyukjin burst out in uproariousughter. Wait, are you talking about returning to the past from the future?


    Yes. Is that funny to you?


    Such a thing being real hasnt even urred to me. No matter how powerful the System is, can it turn back time?


    The Systems limit in regards to time was Pause, and that was it.


    It cannot.


    So do you mean to say that I, a mere human, transcended time and space to return to the past and y here when even the System cannot do such a thing?


    There is no other eptable exnation for yer Kim Hyukjins actions.


    Just because you cant ept it doesnt make it evidence of regression.


    ying like this is possible because Kim Hyukjin regressed.<em></em>That was a valid hypothesis. What wasnt valid was Kim Hyukjin <em>must </em>have regressed to y like this.


    What I know for sure is that the System rejects regression.


    What would happen if he were to expose himself here and reveal that he was a regressor?


    I would be a bug that needed to disappear.


    So he could not acknowledge the truth, not even slightly. Even though he was up against the Systems scrutiny, he had to put up a perfect act and sculpt the situation he wanted.


    By the same logic, if I were a regressor, I wouldnt have gone up against the Fire Giants, nor would I have gone to the Endless Sky.


    That was naturalthey were incidents that hadnt happened in the past he knew, but secrets of the world triggered by Hyukjins actions.


    You saw how I almost died in the Endless Sky, didnt you?


    Yes, I certainly did.


    Hyukjin became even more sure. Senia was questioning him like this was an interrogation, but she was also defending him. With her agreement, she was taking Kim Hyukjins side. She was expressionless at the moment.


    Granted, I can see the future, to some extent.


    That was permissible by the System. In this world, precognitive dreams and seers were a thing.


    And Ive based my ying off of that knowledge. He broke down the situation very rationally. I recognized that Sunhwa and Ahyoung went out to have fun.


    ...


    But the charm that Ahyoung had been recing every day suddenly turned a chilling red color. I have an observation ability, and judged that the change in color was an ominous sign.


    That is indeed a reasonable judgment to make.


    As he thought, Senia was on his side. Hyukjin went on.


    Thats why I checked Ahyoungs search history and mobilized all the means avable to me to fly here.


    How did you notice that this ce was off?


    I sensed that this ce was strangely twisted through my Endless Sky Physique trait. The mana here is different.


    Everything up to this point is eptable. But then, how did you know about Ban Kimyung? How did you know that the casper was targeting Ban Kimyung?


    I saw someone intending to kill themselves on the second floor. Something like that catches the eye.


    Yes, it does.


    I determined that such a person is the perfect prey for a casper. Hyukjin took a moment to breathe. And I remembered how the whalekin couldnt do anything to the Steel Wyverns when they were ascending to the Endless Sky.


    Yes.


    Its the same as now. The caspers the whalekin, and Im the flock of Steel Wyverns. The casper was exhausted, and I wasnt.


    That is true.


    By expending the mana crystals I happened to have on me, Isabel was able to manifest greater power than usual, and thats how I was able to obliterate an Intermediate Administrator. It was sheer luck.


    In other words, you were able to uncover the caspers malicious scheme by your innate wit, but whatpletely obliterated the casper was Isabels ability. Is that what you are trying to say right now, yer Kim Hyukjin?


    Hyukjin smiled. After working hand in hand for so many months, he now felt that they made a great team. Senia was a truly full-fledged Intermediate Administrator now, one who actively protected her exclusively contracted yer.


    Exactly. I think it was probably Isabel.


    In that case, I will write the report like that.


    A report. That was likely a formality. The System was sure to have alreadye to a conclusion regarding this situation. Senias trembling wings were proof of that.


    A new title will be granted to yer Kim Hyukjin.


    What title?


    To be precise, [Pioneer of Victory] will be promoted to [Pioneer of Obliteration].


    Pioneer of Obliteration?


    Yes. The base of Pioneer of Victory is First Pioneer. It is through this title that you gained Pioneer of Victory.


    I know that, too.


    Hyukjin recalled the title effect of Pioneer of Victory.<blockquote>


    [Pioneer of Victory]


    A glorious title given to one who pioneered a new domain and seized the first victory in a new domain.<ol><li>


    All party members +20% EXP</li><li>


    Stacks with other titles.</li><li>


    Stacks with other effects (buffs/debuffs).</li><li>


    Amplifies all title effects when in a field pioneered by the Pioneer of Victory.</li></ol></blockquote>


    So the title was promoted because I was the first to kill an Intermediate Administrator?


    Senia nodded. Yes. Not kill, but obliterate. They are undeniably different. Pioneer of Obliteration is at least two levels higher than Pioneer of Victory.


    And why is it that youre giving me such a detailed exnation of all this?


    He could have simply learned this through the System, but an Intermediate Administrator was telling him instead. He wanted to know why.


    Because its the first [Obliteration-grade] title given by the System.