Chapter 161

Chapter 161

161: Trick and Treat I met Emily at a cafe in Tritia’s bustling downtown. “How have you been?” My friend, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, had changed a bit. Her red hair was the same, but the smile on her face was both innocent and mature. If she used to resemble a girl, now she was more of a woman. Had I felt this way before? Looking back, Emily had changed every time I saw her. I just hadn’t realized it. She was constantly changing. I wasn’t sure if the change was desirable. Hiding my uncertain feelings, I smiled and answered her question. “Yeah, I’ve been okay… but I’m a little tired now.” “Hmm, you get tired too?” “I used qinggong on the way here. A lot.” Pointing to my dusty clothes, I replied, and Emily looked surprised. “…That’s pretty impressive. I guess you’re getting used to it?” The world’s natural energy was scarce. But it wasn’t like I couldn’t use any power. The magic core inside me was the key. A monster’s core was an organ that constantly emitted magic. The power that humans were thought to be unable to use could be used without restriction once I was no longer human. The amount wasn’t enough, but it was enough to use the martial arts in my head, even if weakly. “Yeah. Not completely yet… but I think I’ll be okay to some extent.” “I’m jealous… When will I be able to use qinggong?” Emily asked with a candid smile. I nodded at her smile and replied. “If you train hard, you’ll get there someday.” “That means, if I have a lot of sex, right?” Her playful smile exuded a mature charm. And in response to her smile, I nodded with a similar smile. “Obviously.” A monster’s magic acts as a poison to humans. The reason a mage can use magic is because they manipulate it from the outside, not by absorbing the power into their body. But martial arts are different. The technique of accumulating natural energy and refining internal energy accumulates and spreads the poison of magic directly into the body. Learning the Yin Demon Art is to resist that poison. It’s a martial art for using the most turbid internal energy without difficulty, rather than pure internal energy. The Yin Demon Art is more for adaptation than for power. Even if it’s turbid energy, it’s definitely a type of internal energy, and if you adapt to it, you can adapt to the magic of this world. “I’m trying, but I still have a long way to go to be like you.” “Does that mean I’m that much of a slut?” “Well… I don’t really want to say anything harsh, but if that’s what you think…” I gave a wry smile at Emily’s nonchalant answer. Her personality had changed a lot compared to the past. I didn’t know why. Maybe she didn’t even know herself. Was it because of the passage of time, the environment, or the influence of the Yin Demon Art? It could be one of the three, or all three.

-Slurp.

I took a sip of the drink on the table and asked her a subtle question. “So, how are the men here?” My fingertips pointed to the red scarf around her neck. Emily seemed to notice it, and she answered with a smile as if she had been waiting for it. “Not bad. Personally, I wish they were a little rougher… but I guess this is okay.” “Hmm…” “But, now that I think about it, I think I handled things wrong at first. When I first came, I didn’t know and knocked out a few guys? After that, not many men hit on me.” In that regard, I could say for sure. “That was your mistake.” “I think so too.” “You should have pretended to hate it with your mouth, but subtly gave in with your body. If you pretend to be so submissive, men will really like it, and then they’ll bring their friends? Then you can start absorbing their internal energy.” “…That’s a little weird? They bring their friends?” Looking at Emily, who was questioning me, I also questioned her. “Huh? Isn’t that normal?” “….No, I don’t know. I haven’t done that yet.” Even this kind of conversation is natural now. I don’t know what kind of environment Tritia is. But I know that where money gathers, people gather, and where people gather, desires accumulate. Emily and I live in that accumulated desire. It’s inevitable that we, who are stained with dark desires, will become darker. “Coming here, I feel like you were a little too much.” “….It hurts when you hit me with facts like that.” “Hehe. Sorry if it hurt.” Looking at Emily, who was now laughing like a complete woman, I smiled back. No matter how Emily changes, it’s irreversible now. I could only stay by her side and hold her so she wouldn’t fall completely. “….” I won’t tell her to give up. I didn’t want to. I realized something after becoming like this. In order for us to stand firm in this world, we must somehow build the strength not to fall. That’s why, deep down, I want Emily to become like me. Even if it’s slow, I hope she can reach me someday. It’s a little lonely alone, but not if there are two of us. And, three. Or more… ‘…That’s a long way off.’ I smiled faintly and cleared my thoughts. As I thought, it was still a long way off. / After meeting Emily, I had a place to go, so we moved separately. Tritia is a commercial city, the center of trade. Where money and people gather, many things naturally arise. For example, Tritia had one of the best post offices in the Kilkerd Kingdom. The system, where news of the kingdom gathered and spread to all parts of the kingdom, was quite advanced, even if it was not as good as modern communication systems. ‘…When I think about it, our world was too amazing.’ I know three worlds. The world of my past life, the world in the memories of martial arts, and the world I live in now. But even if I combine the other two worlds, I don’t think I can beat Earth’s civilization. ‘…It’s a useless comparison, right?’ Will I ever be able to go back? With a slightly self-deprecating thought, I checked the letters that had come to me. ‘None…?’ Surprisingly, there were no letters for me. Maybe I arrived too early, but I’m not sure. Mien or Rutricia might not have had anything to say. But it wasn’t a shocking thing. Both of them didn’t have anything important to do anyway, so it didn’t matter. To be more precise, Rutricia had something important to do, but there was still time left for my appointment with her. ‘Let’s see, it took about two days to get here…’ Then, my appointment with her was about ten days away. Was it a waste to use qinggong? However, I soon shook my head and denied the thought that came to mind. If I have a lot of time, that’s a good thing in its own way. I can stay for a while and relax. After leaving the post office, I headed back to Emily’s shop. Entering the shop was a little different than before. It’s not common for a woman who isn’t a prostitute to enter a brothel like ‘Night Fairy’, especially in broad daylight. Emily used to seem to care about that, but not anymore. “….” And not only Emily, but also some of her fellow prostitutes seemed to maintain an attitude of not caring about me, a woman. The lack of subtle friction between the women was evidence that Emily played a fairly large role in this brothel. In many ways, Emily was different from me. “….You’re pretty famous, aren’t you?” “Well… I don’t know. I’m popular, though.” “Are you getting along with the others?” “Yeah, everyone’s so kind, it’s nice.” We chatted lightly and headed to her room. And after entering Emily’s room, I could feel a familiar wave. “Squeak, King!” “Kali!” Kali. The child of the monster I gave birth to. Kali, in the form of a pure white kitten, ran to me with a lively step and hugged me. “It’s been a long time.” “Meeing. King.” I don’t know why Kali, who was originally a tentacle, is in the form of a cat, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. Since I gave birth to it, it’s not strange that Kali has the ability to shapeshift. Maybe she awakened her mimicry ability in the meantime. “She’s gotten a lot cuter, right?” “Yeah, but I liked her old look too.” “…Ah, that’s a bit…” In response to Emily’s question, I stroked the purring cat’s chin. The feel of the fluffy fur on my fingertips felt almost real, even though it was a mimicry. Could I create this kind of fur texture too? I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know, but I probably could. “Grrr…” Was it because she was in my arms after a long time? Kali closed her eyes, making a pleasant sound. Emily, who was watching her with a faint smile, asked as if she had been waiting for Kali to fall asleep. “So, did you find what you wanted?” “…No, it was a complete waste.” There were several reasons for going to the Mesheen Great Forest. To find rare monsters. To find Etheric Herbs as a bonus. Finally, to explore any remnants of the demons that might be there. I achieved the second goal to some extent, but failed the first and third. Since that was the most important thing, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. When I first set foot in Yurkin, I had a vague hope that I could find at least one, but it didn’t take long to realize that it was a mirage. “That’s a shame. Still, you worked hard.” “Thanks. Haa, really. I need to get their cores for you to become a demon… no, to be reborn.” A monster’s core constantly emits magic. Humans can’t use that power with their bodies, but they can if they’re not human. Rebirth is a secret art that evolves a human into a stronger form that is suitable for the martial arts they have learned. By properly using the monster’s core and cells, it is possible to shed half of the human frame. The reason for specifically looking for those who were called demons was because of Quirjev’s advice that their cores would be the most compatible with humans. “That demonization… if I do that, will I become like you?” “Maybe, maybe not.” In response to her question, I waved my hand. In the shaking movement, my hand turned purple for a moment. Looking at the hand that created the mysterious and beautiful light, Emily giggled. “If I could, I’d like to be like you.” “…Really?” “Yeah, transforming. It’s cool, isn’t it?” In fact, it wasn’t an impossible story. There are alternatives even if I can’t find a demon’s core. The Doppelganger’s core no longer exists, but I, an existence comparable to a Doppelganger, exist. If I can’t find a core, I can just create one. If I put in a little effort… it might be possible to create one. “…..” While I was thinking about it for a moment, “Ah, that’s right.” Suddenly, Emily clapped her hands together and said as if she had remembered something. “Huh?” “I found one more.” There was no need to mention what she had found. I was surprised by her words and asked back. “….Already?” “Yeah, I was lucky.” “Then… that’s seven now.” “Seven…? Ah. That’s right. It was.” Emily tilted her head at my words. But only for a moment, soon Emily nodded her head straight as if she understood. It’s not unreasonable to forget.

Unlike the other friends, whom we’d at least seen from time to time, we’d never met the last one. Meeting her was something for the near future, but not yet. “…So, a guy or a girl?” “A guy. And… used to be a guy.” “Name?” “Cho Hee-won. Ring a bell?” It was an unfamiliar name. Maybe, it seemed to faintly surface in my memory. I retraced the faces that came to mind a few times, then shook my head. “…No, I don’t know.” “Well, it’s okay. He’s supposed to come tonight. And…” Emily seemed to pause for a moment, drawing out her words. I stroked the peacefully sleeping Callie, waiting for her next words. “…He says he has business with the Lakers.”