“…So this is what you’re doing?”
-AAAAAAAAAH!
-A bit more! Just a little more…!
-Almost there…!
It’s been three hours since the competition to acquire the Bracelet of Sealing began.
Yena, having rushed over to the island upon hearing the news, glanced around her surroundings as she approached me.
Yena, who would immediately come running whenever incidents like this happened due to her obsession with Hidden, was slightly delayed this time due to managing the lands she’d recently acquired.
“Can I try to get it too?”
“Of course. If you’re qualified, anyone can.”
Anyone who grabs the bracelet and jumps down is eligible, regardless of how they achieve it.
Even though I’m in the middle of a bet, I have not stopped other challengers from participating.
Yena flashes a sly grin and lets out a concentrated burst of energy she had been holding back.
Saahhhaak…! Her black ears snap up sharply, and her crimson eyes gleam with sharp intensity.
“Good. But….”
-WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
“…What is that person?”
“He’s someone involved in the bet, but you don’t need to worry about him.”
“Hm?”
[Over the top!]
[hahahahahahahahahaha]
[Just from the noise, I thought he was a Ranker!]
[Let’s just kill him.]
[That’s funny.]
[Why can’t he even take a few steps?]
The man managed to ascend a total of three steps.
While impressive considering his abilities, it’s still an extremely bleak journey when considering there are dozens more steps ahead.
Kiik…!
“Nya.”
Yena steps back slightly, preparing to leap. This is a basic technique taught to all Cat Beastmen, enhanced by the Mysterious God.
‘Mysterious Cat Step (妙神步).’
Huuuukkk!
The observers exclaim in surprise as Yena’s body instantly darts and penetrates the lower portion of the Altar.
In an instant, Yena surpasses the lower section of the Altar that other users had spent hours trying to scale, even overtaking the lead Ranker.
Though immense pressures tried to hold her back, they proved insufficient against Yena, wielding the Mysterious God’s technique.
Finally, Yena arrives in front of the bracelet.
[Whoa]
[Holy]
[Great Yena]
[Is that the end already?]
[Yena instantly finishes it, haha!]
[Mosquito is crying.]
[Yena, what were we doing before?]
The Altar flickers, and Yena looks at me, asking with her gaze if it’s truly alright to take it.
I nod, and Yena reaches out to grab the bracelet.
[The Master of the Altar observes the challenger with interest.]
“Nyah?!”
Though Yena’s physical capabilities skyrocketed after becoming a Beastman and very few users could surpass her in strength, the bracelet remains unmoved.
Only a select few, such as Uriel, the Sword Saint, and Leo, who excel in physical prowess, could potentially match Yena’s physical abilities.
Even Yena struggles mightily, straining to lift the bracelet.
“Gaaarrrhh…!”
Gurrrrrrghh…!
The summit of the Altar shakes.
Though Yena exerts an enormous amount of power, the bracelet isn’t something to be lifted by brute force.
After a prolonged attempt, Yena releases the bracelet, beads of sweat trickling down her face.
“Even the mighty Yena can’t do anything against it.”
“It’s not something achieved by strength alone.”
Ultimately, the seal needs to be broken in order to acquire the bracelet.
No matter how powerful and skilled Yena may be, without breaking the seal, her efforts are ultimately fruitless.
“Still, since you’ve learned the transference and manifestation of mana, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“Yena is exceptionally skilled, so it’s not completely out of the question.”
“By the way, now that I think about it, you’ve known this all along, haven’t you?”
“That’s right.”
Back in the day, Yena once ranked 3rd overall, one of her greatest achievements.
In the early stages, Yena was an unparalleled assassin, securing the 3rd position right behind the top-ranked Sword Saint and Michael, showcasing her overwhelming strength.
Of course, with time passing and the emergence of Leo and other Rankers, her standing has somewhat slipped, but Yena has only grown stronger since then.
‘And this user, the Heavenly Horse, was active during Yena’s prime.’
“Yena was at 3rd place back then and was recognized as one of the strongest by the Ruler. Now, she’s become immeasurably stronger.”
“Much has happened since then.”
[Back then, Yena was like a god.]
[Great Yena!]
[hahahahahahah]
[Miss Yena at 3rd place … I miss that time.]
[Even now, couldn’t Yena rank 3rd?]
[Maybe she still could?]
[If Yena had the Hidden race, she might still secure 3rd.]
[Could Yena surpass Lily, Leo, and the Sword Saint?]
[Yena is a god! Yena is a god! Yena is a god!]
Yena has grown stronger than ever before, mastering skills that ordinary humans could never learn.
It’s as if she’s returned to her days of former glory.
Nyaaaahh!
Yena grips the bracelet again, exerting her strength.
Thud-Thud-Thud…!
[The Master of the Altar looks surprised.]
‘Mana Transference.’
The letters glowing in blue gradually shift to black, and some of the power surrounding the bracelet dissipates.
Dab!
It’s still insufficient.
While Yena has managed to reduce the bracelet’s influence to some extent, it’s more of an interference than an actual seal-breaking.
Currently, she doesn’t possess enough power to break the seal, let alone remove the bracelet.
[Whoa]
[What’s going on?]
[It’s glowing.]
[It’s what?]
“…”
Eight pink spheres float around Yena.
As two of them vanish, an immense power begins radiating from her.
“I’ve used life essence.”
“Life essence?”
“Miss Yena has many lives.”
The Cat Beastman Yena has nine lives, a power granted only to the kin of the Mysterious God. Typically, Beastmen lose their ability to revive once all nine lives are consumed.
But Yena is different.
She is an immortal who can resurrect without using up her life reservoirs. Her nine lives serve as a backup system with a long cooldown period.
‘It will take at least a few months to fully restore all nine if needed.’
“Whoa!”
Shivering, Yena fits the bracelet onto her wrist.
In an instant, Yena’s arm sinks due to the weight, but she grits her teeth and promptly uses the Mysterious Cat Step.
The distance between the Altar and the ground is at most 10 meters—a mere step for the highly mobile Cat Beastman assassin.
[The Master of the Altar takes interest in the Beastman’s agility.]
Huuuukkk…
“Nyaaang?!”
KU-DANG-TANG!
At just 5 meters above the ground, Yena tumbles forward.
Attempting to rise again, Yena finds the Altar’s light reverting to its original blue hue.
Spectators take notice of Yena’s bracelet while hesitating to approach, knowing it’s impossible to snatch from her under the present conditions.
Even moving is difficult for her.
The Heavenly Horse frowns.
“…Did the Master of the Altar intervene?”
[The Master of the Altar claims to have not interfered.]
[The Master of the Altar dislikes shortcuts.]
“But earlier…”
“It didn’t look like interference to me.”
The Master of the Altar hadn’t used any force.
Simply put, Yena’s interference with the seal was too weak.
“Breaking the seal seems more like a mana transfer. She can reduce its power, but cannot sustain it for long.”
The seal embedded in the Altar is incredibly complex, even for a top-tier Mage.
Yena managed to tamper with it using limited knowledge and compensated for the physical shortcomings by using her life essence, but it was far from enough.
[What is this?]
[Yena, keep going!]
[What an intense moment…]
[She’s going to make it…]
[No, this can’t be real…]
[Yena, just log out!]
[Wow…]
[She’s stopped here?]
[Can’t she use more lives?]
[Just sacrifice all six remaining lives, go go go!]
“Nyahhhhhhh…”
Pwasssaak…!
Three more pink spheres are consumed.
Black fur sprouts from Yena’s fingertips, wrapping her in formidable power and ferocity.
‘Bestial Transformation.’
An ability allowing Beastmen to revert to their primal forms, granting them immense power and wild instincts but degrading their intellect.
The system normally protects user sanity, making full Bestial Transformation impossible, but Yena pushes the Mysterious God’s power to its limit, enabling the transformation.
“NYAHHHHH!!!”
Gruk!
Yena’s arm snaps under the pressure.
Despite her body screaming in agony from the Altar’s oppressive force, the transformed Yena ignores her pain and pushes forward.
Even as her body breaks apart, her focus on her goal never wavers.
[Whoa]
[Whoa whoa whoa whoa]
[Yena is awakening!]
[What kind of awakening is this, ha?]
[Is Yena going berserk?]
[???]
[What’s that noise?]
3 meters.
2 meters.
-UUuaahh!!!
KU-DANG-TANG!
“?!”
1 meter…
[The Master of the Altar is suppressing a smile.]
“Nyaaaaaaaahh!!…?!”
Suddenly, someone rolls into Yena’s path.
Under normal circumstances, Yena could evade without even looking, but the Bestial Transformation and her fractured bones leave her unable to react in time.
PUFF!
Yena collides and tumbles to the side.
“…”
“…You really do everything, don’t you?”
“She’s about to become famous.”
[…]
[What is this nonsense?]
[No way, did this guy actually…]
[He’s crazy.]
[Seriously, crazy…]
[Just kill this guy.]
[Why would Yena protect this guy, haha!]
A brilliant white light surrounds and heals the two.
“Nyauuuu…”
One lies unconscious with every bone in their body broken—Yena. Despite the excellent regenerative properties of Bestial Transformation, her spirit energy is depleted, leaving her unable to get up.
And the other is…
[hahahahahahahahaha]
[What…]
[No, is he insane?]
[Insane…]
[Just destroy this idiot.]
[Yena was blocked for no reason, ha ha ha.]
“Truly impressive.”
“It wasn’t intentional, I swear! Something pulled me…”
PUFF!
The Heavenly Horse punches the man squarely in the chest, causing him to kneel.
“Grrrr…!”
“Arrogance is exceeding its limits. Act appropriately. Act appropriately.”
“Ggr…gr… Seriously, that… That…”
“This is still…”
The Heavenly Horse glares down at the man, but he remains on his knees, clutching his chest in apparent frustration.
Ironically, this was true.
[The Master of the Altar chuckles.]
The Master deliberately positioned the man near Yena.
Specifically, the Master subtly redirected the man’s fall to align with Yena’s path.
Though no one noticed, I picked up on the manipulation of the energies while focusing on the Altar seal.
“Does this mean the Master dislikes Yena? Or just finds humor in this situation?”
But that seems inconsistent with the apparent favor being shown toward me.
Surely, the Master wouldn’t resort to absurd underhanded tactics here.
‘Perhaps it’s tied to something else…’
[The Master of the Altar dislikes shortcuts.]
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