episode_0017

[Blurry Cloak]

▶Rating – 3 stars

▶Description – You are holding a cloak of unknown form in your hand. If you put it on and go to the corner of the room, no one will be able to find you.

▶Effect – When the trait is activated, it makes your presence faint and blends in with the surrounding environment.

[Flipped Shadow]

▶Rating – 3 stars

▶Description – Your shadow is a giant bowl filled with pitch-black liquid. You can now perceive it and turn it over.

▶Effect – When the trait is activated, draw out the shadows under your feet and paint them on yourself, then manipulate them according to your imagination.

‘And this time, I passed Darcy’s test and received a trait called [Successful applicants hide their identity (3★)]. I’m not sure about the effect yet, but 3 stars isn’t bad.’

Do Yu-jin rolled her eyes for a moment and confirmed that [the successful candidate hid his identity (3★)].

It’s a bit complicated, but to put it simply, [Successful Applicants Hide Their Identity (3★)] is a stealth series trait like [Blurry Cloak (3★)].

‘Huh? Wait a minute, what happens if I activate both of these at the same time?’

Do Yu-jin, who naturally developed such curiosity, decided to try it out and naturally inserted [The successful candidate hides his identity (3★)] into the position of [The inverted shadow (3★)].

Then

Iron Crack-

An image of a giant gear being newly inserted flashed through Do Yu-jin’s mind.

At the same time, a strange sense of discomfort, as if half of his heart had been switched, enveloped Do Yu-jin’s entire body along with a thrilling sensation as if a small lightning bolt had struck his spine.

‘Ah, so that’s what it feels like.’

Until now, Do Yu-jin thought that the two characteristics meshed well together.

But now, the two characteristics have gone beyond organic interlocking and linking to the point where they feel like they have merged into one.

‘If we say that when [Blurry Cloak (3★)] and [Inverted Shadow (3★)] were combined, it would be roughly equivalent to having a 3.5-star trait, then now that [Blurry Cloak (3★)] and [Successful Applicant Hides Identity (3★)] are equipped, it would be fair to say that it has a 4-star trait, right?’

I can’t say for sure because there aren’t any 4-star traits yet, but I felt it.

The two characteristics combined to open a door and enter a realm beyond.

‘Is it true that combining similar traits increases the power much more than combining two different traits?’

Do Yu-jin made a decision and shivered slightly.

‘If what I’m wearing now wasn’t a 3-star trait, but a 10-star trait, which is the highest grade… … ‘

Shhh-

‘I really need to do my best to collect all the traits.’

Do Yu-jin, who had come to know for sure about the potential that existed within her by chance, took a deep breath and made a plan.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I plan on continuing to have the same type of traits as I do now.

Even if the synergy increase rate is weak, there is a clear benefit to the diversity that comes from using two different characteristics at the same time.

The evidence was the image Do Yu-jin showed at the entrance ceremony, where her entire body was covered by a shadow and her presence was erased.

‘By the way, what should I do from now on? Should I just walk around like this in the circle? But in Erio’s case, it’s not like I should just walk around quietly… ‘

While Do Yu-jin was seriously contemplating the fact that the feeling in his right arm was gradually becoming numb and disappearing,

[The trait [Blurry Cloak (3★)] and the trait [Successful Applicants Hide Their Identity (3★)] resonate.]

[Would you like to use the trait [Successful Applicant Hides His Identity (3★)] as a material to strengthen the trait [Blurry Cloak (3★)]?]

‘… … What is this again?’

Following the entrance ceremony, an unexpected gift once again fell in front of Do Yu-jin.

◎ ◎ ◎

A small breeze blows through the slightly open window.

“Um… … ”

Erio slowly opened his eyes, his cheeks tickling from the wind-blown hair.

And then he waved his hand lightly.

Chin- chin-

No matter how much she moved her hands, she couldn’t find the warmth she wanted.

I had no choice but to open my eyes and sit up.

‘Where is this…?’

Erio scratched his cheek and looked puzzled.

As I slowly looked around in that state, I felt like my memories were slowly coming back to me from the thick haze.

‘Obviously I… … ‘

Erio rubbed his half-closed eyes with his fingers and rolled his head as much as possible.

But I was so deep in sleep that I couldn’t even think properly because I woke up feeling sleepy.

‘and……’

At that, Erio felt a little admiration and wonder.

‘It’s the first time since I was a child and my abilities were weak that I’ve slept this deeply and comfortably.’

Normally, Erio couldn’t sleep as much as someone with insomnia.

Even if I managed to fall asleep there, I would often wake up again soon because the sounds and movements of people within a certain area would continue to stimulate my mind and senses.

That’s why, for Erio, sleep was close to losing consciousness, like fainting, when he couldn’t hold back his drowsiness.

Because of that, no matter how long I slept, I would still be tired when I woke up, but now it was different.

‘I feel like I’ve been born again.’

I was surprised at how clear my mind was and how refreshed my whole body was.

Erio was curious about his condition and left the room.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

At that moment, Erio heard someone calling him.

“I succeeded in getting out without waking him up, but it seems that the effect of the trait is weaker because the distance is far.”

Hearing that voice, Erio realized the cold and emptiness that had woken him up, and he stopped running with his arms outstretched.

“Huh?”

That would be the case, since no one was seen from the direction the sound came from.

“Huh? What are you doing?”

Erio rubbed his eyes for a moment and then looked forward again.

Then, Do Yu-jin was seen standing in a place that was clearly empty, holding what appeared to be delivery food.

He was in a natural pose, as if he had always been there, while playfully twirling a dagger in one hand that he had come from somewhere.

‘what?’

The sight of him handling the dagger as if he was turning a pencil was enough to capture attention.

But now, none of those things entered Erio’s eyes.

No, to be exact, Do Yu-jin’s appearance itself was too blurry for her right now.

It was difficult to grasp the shape, as if it were a mirage that would disappear as soon as I closed my eyes and opened them again.

There was another part that surprised Erio now.

‘Even my senses can’t pinpoint the exact location?’

Erio hated this ability of his, which was like a curse to him, but he trusted the power it held.

But now, Do Yu-jin was directly denying her abilities right in front of her eyes.

‘It confused my senses when I first saw it, but it wasn’t to this extent then?’

What could have happened while I was sleeping?

Erio looked at Doyujin in confusion.

“What, come quickly. The food is going to get cold.”

Do Yu-jin thought that Erio was confused and not fully awake, so he lightly waved at him.

At Do Yu-jin’s call, Erio walked blankly to the table and sat down.

But I couldn’t eat because I was worried about Do Yu-jin’s condition.

While he was blankly staring like that, Erio realized something strange.

“Wait a minute, when you say the delivery food has arrived, that means the delivery person has come to your house.”

“That’s right. Because they delivered it to your doorstep.”

“How could that be? If the delivery man had come to my front door, I would have felt it and woken up right away?”

“Oh, that?”

Do Yu-jin thought for a moment and then said.

“Hmm, it’s hard to explain… … Just think of it as an extension of the power I showed you. Thanks to the enlightenment you gained while you were sleeping, I was able to grow my power a little.”

“Wow.”

It’s rude to ask too many questions about other people’s abilities.

So, Erio puffed out his cheeks and made a face of obvious curiosity, but he didn’t ask any more questions.

Do Yu-jin looked at Erio like that, smiled, and got up from her seat.

“Huh?”

Erio stared blankly at Doyujin without saying anything in response.

Is it because I’m standing with my back to the window where the light comes in?

Do Yu-jin’s face was hidden by shadows and could not be seen.

The mirage-like haziness that Do Yu-jin had been showing a little while ago was mixed in there.

Swish-

For a moment, Erio couldn’t even be sure if it was Doyujin standing in front of him, or if there was anyone standing in front of him in the first place.

Creepy-!

An eerie chill enveloped Erio’s skin like fog.

We hadn’t even been dating for a day, and the process of becoming friends was extremely unusual.

However, Erio thought of Doyujin as the first precious friend he had ever made.

But now, it felt like that first friend was disappearing somewhere far away, leaving me here.

That fact made Erio move his hand reflexively.

“Huh? What, all of a sudden?”

Do Yu-jin held Erio’s hand and asked calmly.

At some point, the shadow that had been covering Do Yu-jin’s face had disappeared.

“Are you asking me to carry you again?”

“… … Yeah.”

Erio spoke quietly and held Doyujin’s hand tightly while carrying her on his back.

However, even if I continued to hang on like that, the emotional turmoil caused by Do Yu-jin’s extreme growth and the strange sense of loss I felt a little while ago did not go away.

She didn’t know whether this commotion was due to the fact that her first friend had almost disappeared from her sight, or the fact that she had almost lost someone useful, or something else altogether.

Kook-

But one thing was certain: it wasn’t a good feeling.

‘This time, I was able to reach it thanks to Eugene holding my hand.’

But will he reach out to you the same way next time?

If not, would he have no choice but to wave his hands in the air like this?

‘I don’t know……’

As soon as his thoughts reached that point, Erio unconsciously clenched his fists.

‘But if that happens, I think I’ll feel terribly, terribly, terribly worse than I do now.’

This shattered Erio’s idea that the circle was simply a place to get away from home and relax.

And in that empty space, a new idea entered.

‘Even if Eugene doesn’t hold my hand, I’ll make it so that I can reach it.’

Even if it is by force.

Glance-

“Are you going to keep hanging around? What are you going to do about the food?”

“I won’t eat it.”

This was the moment when Erio, who had achieved everything with just the talent he had since birth, first began to desire strength.