Chapter 67 – Day 67

Day 67

“Hmm.”

Cheon Seoa showed a peculiar expression at the strange figure that appeared from the darkness.

Something…

“This is quite different from what I had imagined.”

The strange figure in Cheon Seoa’s eyes was human yet not human.

While its outward appearance was undoubtedly close to that of a human, the soul dwelling within that body was far removed from that of a human.

Moreover, the Soul-Eating Great Technique wouldn’t damage a soul to this extent.

If that’s the case, then as expected.

“You haven’t learned the Heart-Devouring Soul-Extracting Great Force technique.”

…?

At Cheon Seoa’s muttering, the monster tilted its head.

Heart-Devouring Soul-Extracting Great Force technique?
What’s that? Is it edible?

The monster looked at Cheon Seoa with such eyes.

However, soon the monster began to drool thickly while staring at Cheon Seoa.

Drip! Drip!
Hisssss-!

As soon as the saliva dripping from the monster’s mouth touched the ground, it began to melt, releasing acrid smoke.

This indicated that the monster’s saliva itself was some kind of extremely acidic substance.

Just how…

“How many abilities have you crammed into that body of yours?”

Cheon Seoa said.

The monster hadn’t learned the Heart-Devouring Soul-Extracting Great Force technique.
However, despite that, it still increased its power by devouring the ‘hearts’ of its opponents.

At first glance, this seemed similar to the effects of the Heart-Devouring Soul-Extracting Great Force technique, but upon closer inspection, it showed a completely different mechanism.

The reason for devouring the opponent’s heart was simply a condition and act to steal the opponent’s abilities.
By eating the opponent’s heart, it made the opponent’s power its own.

In other words, this was a kind of ability predation.
It was what is often referred to as the ‘ultimate ability’ in web novels and comics.

At first glance, certainly, that predatory ability to consume the opponent’s heart and make their power one’s own seems worthy of being called the strongest.

However, that was too shallow a thought.

Humans have clear limitations from the start.

Unless one repeatedly trains like the Repairers to expand the framework of those limits.
Indiscriminately consuming the abilities of others in that way was no different from destroying oneself.

As evidence, hasn’t the soul of that monster before Cheon Seoa’s eyes already been damaged and distorted to the point where it can no longer be called human?

“Fooood-!”

As Cheon Seoa was looking at the monster with her mouth closed.
The monster let out a roar and lunged at Cheon Seoa.

With a horrifying ‘crack!’ sound, the monster’s two legs twisted bizarrely, and then it sprang off the ground with those two legs, instantly appearing before Cheon Seoa.

“Give me your heart!”

“You’ve already exceeded your limits, but somehow your mind hasn’t collapsed yet. Or should I say, this is in the process of mental collapse?”

Clang-!

The monster’s ten sharply honed claws swung towards Cheon Seoa’s body, but were then flung back with a powerful impact.

As the monster aimed for her heart, Cheon Seoa had severed the space between them.

But.

“Space? Space-type ability? Good! Good! So good!”
“I love space abilities!”
“Space abilities are delicious!”
“Give your heart to me!”

If once is not enough, then ten times.
If ten times are not enough, then a hundred strikes will break through.

The monster, instinctively making this judgment, swung its sharp claws indiscriminately.

However, it was useless.
No matter how many times it swung, the spatial disconnection created by Cheon Seoa deflected all of the monster’s attacks.
Nevertheless, rather than giving up, the monster only spewed out more ferocity and madness.

“Claws? Not working? Why?”
“Then something else. Let’s try something else.”
“What would be good?”
“Yes. That would be good.”
“Let’s melt it.”
“Let’s burn it.”
“Let’s freeze it.”

Haah-.

A deep sigh escaped from the lips of the monster who had been muttering like a madman.

And at the same time.

Hiss!
Whoosh!
Crackle-!

The place where its breath touched began to melt.
Flames burst forth where the breath touches.
Extreme cold settles where the breath touches.

The breath, mixed with three different attributes, stretched out towards Cheon Seoa without hesitation.

“Acidity, flames, and cold. Then I’ll do the same.”

As the stranger’s breath approached her at high speed, Cheon Seoa smiled and exhaled a breath of her own.

Whoosh-.

The breath Cheon Seoa lightly exhaled.
Her breath, like that of the stranger, melted everything, ignited flames, and made cold settle.

As the breaths containing the same attributes intertwined in mid-air.

Kwaaang-!

A powerful explosion engulfed Cheon Seoa and the stranger.

The explosion filled the alley.
Cheon Seoa, free from the explosion’s effects by isolating the space, looked at where the stranger had been standing and said.

“You’re quite sturdy.”

Puhwak-!

As soon as Cheon Seoa finished speaking, the stranger burst through the explosion.
However, the stranger’s appearance had changed to something that could no longer be called human.

A thick tail sprouted from its buttocks.
Black scales, like those of a dragon from fantasy novels, covered its entire body.
Its face took on the form of a lion.
A pair of fluttering wings sprouted on its back.
Its lion-like face had three horns of varying sizes, from which dark blue lightning constantly crackled.

It had transformed into what it considered to be its ultimate form, utilizing all the abilities it had consumed so far.

“Grrrr-.”

No longer able to utter human language, what came out of its slightly opened mouth was something similar to the roar of an enraged beast.

Cheon Seoa looked at the monster – for it could no longer be called anything else – and said.

“Looking at you, I feel like creating something. So.”

‘Would you like to cooperate with me?’

Roaaar-!

As soon as Cheon Seoa finished speaking, the monster let out an angry roar and charged.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With each step the monster took as it ran, a heavy reverberation spread in all directions.

While its speed might have decreased compared to before, its destructive power had increased incomparably.

Graaah-!

In an instant, the monster arrived in front of Cheon Seoa and thrust its fist forward with another roar.

Whoosh-.

With a heavy sound, the monster’s fist tore through the surrounding air as it extended.
That fist was enveloped by the dark blue lightning that had been swirling around its three horns.

However.

Clang-!

She couldn’t penetrate the spatial isolation that Cheon Seoa had created.

When the monster’s fist collided with the spatial isolation, intense shockwaves spread in all directions.

Furthermore, that shock reversed and instead shattered the monster’s extended fist and arm from the inside.

“Keuruk-.”

Bewilderment burst from the monster’s mouth as it stepped back with its shattered arm.
It had thought that with its current power, it could instantly shatter such trivial spatial isolation.

Was it still lacking in power?

The monster looked at Cheon Seoa with such thoughts.

Cheon Seoa smiled at the monster’s gaze and said.

“Indeed, it was quite useful power for an Earth human. However.”

‘If we expand the standard to cultivators, your strength is….’

Cheon Seoa trailed off.

As if understanding what Cheon Seoa’s trailing words meant, flames of fury hwareuk! blazed in the monster’s eyes as it looked at her.

“Kuaaaaaang-!”

The monster let out a rough roar and leaped back greatly.

Simultaneously, the monster’s mouth opened wide! and soon lightning and flames, acid and cold energy, wind and earth, and more.

Various powers began to condense.

It looked similar to the preparation stage before a dragon in a fantasy novel breathes out its breath.

“This looks fun.”

Cheon Seoa, who found something interesting in the monster’s appearance, also lightly opened her mouth and began condensing demon energy.

Like that, dense darkness gathered in Cheon Seoa’s mouth.
In the monster’s mouth, a brilliant light of five colors began to condense.

That powerful force was so unstable that it seemed it would explode at the slightest touch, yet despite this, neither Cheon Seoa nor the monster.

Neither of them seemed to care about such things.

So, after condensing their power for a while, as if a dragon was about to breathe fire.

Kwaaaa-!

A step ahead of Cheon Seoa, the monster released the power it had condensed to its very limit.

A brilliant beam of five-colored light cut through the air, stretching towards Cheon Seoa.
This beam vaporized everything in its path as it advanced, and as it gradually approached, Cheon Seoa also released her condensed magical energy.

Hoo-.

As if exhaling a shallow breath, Cheon Seoa breathed out.
At the same time, the magical energy condensed in Cheon Seoa’s mouth was expelled in the form of a mist, colliding with the beam released by the monster.

No, it wasn’t a collision.
It was a kind of predation.

The mist of magical energy released by Cheon Seoa swallowed up the beam released by the monster with surprising ease.

If someone else had seen this scene, they might have felt it was rather anticlimactic.

The monster, too, was greatly bewildered to see its beam, containing all of its power, so easily blocked.

Simultaneously.

“Keuheung-!”

With a cry, the monster turned its back and began to flee.

Cheon Seoa was no longer prey to the monster.
Rather, Cheon Seoa, who had taken root in the monster’s mind, was closer to a predator.

Cheon Seoa smiled at the monster turning its back to flee and said.

“It seems you still haven’t realized.”

With those muttered words, Cheon Seoa’s figure disappeared without a trace.