“…”
Clack!
Clara’s pale fingers twirl the balisong, making it dance wildly.
After shaking off the blood on the blade with a spin, the girl clenches her palm, forming a sharp shape.
Then, she swiftly thrusts it forward.
No mercy in her hands.
Without a hint of hesitation, Clara drives the blade into the opponent’s weak spot.
She pulls the trigger mercilessly, not even sparing a glance at those trying to enter the tunnel.
“Gurgle…!”
The opponent foams at the mouth, desperately trying to cover the hole in their throat.
Even though they dropped their weapon, they’re too panicked to care.
Clara finishes them off by smashing the pistol in her hand like a club—*whack!*
After that, she hops back.
“You damn rat!”
*Boom!!!* The spot where Clara stood is shattered by the giant’s fist.
The giants, each with a sturdy prosthetic arm, are clearly the beast brothers Rohan mentioned.
‘Hmm, only these two left…’
Clara doesn’t care about the curses or pressure from the criminals.
No need to show social skills here—she’s all ears and no mouth.
She only takes in the information she needs.
Click!
The girl, landing on the tunnel, notices the beast brothers’ prosthetics transforming into guns.
No reason to be surprised.
Clara takes off like a butterfly, soaring upward.
Whirrr!!! Ratatatata——!!!
Dodging the bullets pouring from the two machine guns like a squirrel.
She checks her remaining mana and assesses the situation.
‘Should I use Arachne one more time? But then my mana…’
The cleanup is taking longer than expected.
She knows she shouldn’t rush in battle, but the girl is still pondering.
After all, Rohan is fighting the boss inside the tunnel.
Of course, Rohan will win. But Clara wants to lend a hand for a flawless victory.
The reason it’s taking time is simple.
Each enemy isn’t half bad. They’re on a different level from the humans she and Rohan faced during their first job together.
They’re all rotten to the core, but each one clearly has experience living in the shadows, wielding real power.
Even though she could kill them in one hit, with over ten of them charging like mad, it’s not so easy.
Hiss…!
The machine guns on the brothers’ prosthetics overheat and stop.
Out of bullets, the arms just clatter uselessly.
*Thud!*
Clara seizes the opportunity, closing the distance in an instant.
The girl, having cleared out the minions, now has a clear path.
“F*ck! This b*tch is too fast!”
“Just hold out till we reload!”
The brothers, startled, use their sturdy prosthetics as shields.
Clara pours mana into her blade, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
Just as she’s about to end it—
Whoosh!
An arrow tears through the air and lands on the ground with a *thud*.
“…?”
A random short arrow flying out of the tunnel.
The brothers guarding Doverman…
The weapon was familiar to them, but there was an odd sense of discomfort, as if not even a speck of magical power had been imbued into it.
“Could it be the boss…?”
The brothers stared warily at the figure walking out of the tunnel.
Clara, too, paused her aggressive thrust and turned to look in that direction.
“Not even a toy. What are you going to do with this crossbow?”
The voice of the figure walking out. Clara’s expression brightened.
In contrast, the brothers were shocked.
Rohan, with the sword he had just used slung over his back, held a captured crossbow in one hand.
In his other hand, he was dragging the corpse of Doverman.
…
“Clara, you did well.”
“Oh, brother, you did well too…! Are your injuries okay?”
With Rohan joining in, the Bulldog brothers were quickly dealt with.
They were destined to be taken down by Clara anyway, but with Rohan’s help, it became even easier.
“Just a few scratches.”
Clara bit her lip as she saw parts of Rohan’s shirt stained red.
Fortunately, he hadn’t been hit directly by any arrows. All the wounds were from grazing hits.
“And Clara?”
“Mm, I’m fine…”
The girl, showing off her borrowed clothes, which were still intact, received a relieved smile from Rohan.
Not even a second had passed.
A notification window popped up in front of them.
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards acquired.]
The shimmering void seemed to grab their attention, as if urging them to take the random point pouch, the quest reward.
But Rohan was more curious about another reward.
‘Transcendence? How is it granted?’
With curiosity, he rolled his eyes, wondering if there was another shimmering void.
“!”
As if telling him not to be impatient.
The notification window appeared at just the right time.
[The first transcendence shines.]
—Whoosh!!! A flash of light burst before his eyes.
And then, Rohan found himself in a place he had never seen before, yet it felt familiar.
It wasn’t near the tunnel where the corpses had piled up.
‘This is…’
A place where flames and blades scattered in pieces.
They acted as mirrors of karma, reflecting Rohan’s image all at once.
“!”
His own image reflected from all directions. Rohan, standing there, felt it.
A sense of satisfaction, as if he had found what he had been desperately searching for his entire life.
Was it right to describe this resonance purely as emotion?
The tangible feeling of his soul being enriched.
The fullness filling his heart was impossible to describe accurately with words.
Crack!
It shattered. Following providence.
The brief observation ended, and the space flowed away.
Rohan’s eyes returned to the original world.
[When attacking a target afflicted with Weakness Affliction, there is a low chance to inflict a debuff. The debuff shares the level of Weakness Affliction.]
[Shop skill cooldown time is accelerated.]
[The caster is unaffected by the flames of the Heavenly Sun Judgment Sword.]
‘Amazing.’
Rohan clenched and unclenched his fist, savoring the overflowing energy.
He read the notification window.
Transcendence came with the basic enhancement of physical abilities and magical power. On top of that, it temporarily boosted unique skills.
Having three unique skills, the scope of growth was truly remarkable.
‘…’
Transcendence is proof that until now, I was just a business card and a can character.
The maximum number of transcendences is six.
Now, one has been achieved. The means and direction to become stronger have expanded.
“Oppa.”
“Ah, yeah?”
Clara’s voice pierces through the ears.
As Rohan regains his composure and shifts his gaze, the girl asks.
“Oppa. What do we do now?”
“I’ve got something in mind.”
Rohan approaches the corpse of Doverman that he had thrown aside. He rummages through the belongings and finds an antique leather pouch.
What he pulls out are two pitch-black coins.
There’s no time to farm each corpse lying around, but for the future, this had to be found.
‘One more was needed, right?’
To take the first step towards Doverman’s grand dream and goal, at least three of these coins are necessary.
Some call this ‘baptism,’ while others call this lump of metal ‘grace.’
Those who collect these coins use various names.
But the accurate name of the item is Judas’ silver coin. It’s black, but that’s its name.
‘Good.’
It’s a pity there’s no time to pick each wallet clean.
Rohan checks the time on his smartphone and heads towards the tunnel filled with vehicles.
Clara follows closely behind.
Rohan approaches the black sedan that has turned into an open-top car due to Clara’s trap.
He starts the engine with the stolen key and quickly checks the weapons piled in the trunk.
“Only the front is a bit crumpled, no problem. Get in.”
“Oppa. Can you even drive…?”
“Of course. We’ll just take this to the entrance. Let’s go for a drive.”
“Dr, drive…!”
As Rohan sits in the driver’s seat and taps the passenger seat, the girl quickly sits down.
Rohan turns on the seat heater and exits the tunnel.
“It might be a bit cold without the roof and windows.”
“I’m warm, it’s okay! Let’s go quickly!”
Clara proudly shows off Rohan’s coat she’s wearing.
Rohan smiles contentedly at her cuteness and checks the time.
‘She’ll be here soon.’
I want to save Sion quickly too. That part is urgent as well.
But apart from that.
In Abyss City, if Doverman isn’t killed within the time limit, a natural disaster occurs.
If history follows its course, a small dimensional rift will soon appear nearby. Dozens of monsters will pour out.
Monsters are always hungry, so they’ll smell blood and greedily come. The cleanup of the corpses and the mess will be left to them.
‘If caught… well, it can’t be helped.’
It would be quite bothersome to make a convincing statement after being discovered, but it’s not a big deal.
**Vroom!!!**
Finishing his thoughts, Rohan steps on the accelerator.
…
…
**Screech──!!!**
As Rohan hides the car near the ruins and is about to get out, a message arrives.
This time, it also has a red exclamation mark.
[Elysium Security Bureau: Today 01:55/ Small-scale dimensional…]
Crack detected/ Avoid going out/ Report to the Security Bureau if you spot a monster···]
‘Nice.’
The memories I had weren’t wrong. Plus, it’s been a while since it was detected.
Seeing the ideal and satisfying result, Rohan and Clara started walking.
“The location on the message here. It’s near where we just were.”
“Really!?”
“Lucky us. Things always work out when I’m with Clara.”
“Uh, really···?”
While chatting with Clara, who was startled by the message, they ventured inside.
This area is probably where Sion regularly cleans up.
Traces of battle and unusable monster remains are commonly seen.
As they delved deeper.
Clara seemed to sense something and quickly glanced to one side.
Rohan, impressed by the girl’s intuition, stopped walking.
“Oppa. Up there, I just felt some magic power···.”
“Yeah. I know. Sion must be there.”
The building where Sion and the Elf elders are.
There are eyes watching us from there. Some kind of observation skill.
‘Shall we give it a try?’
The Elf elders are from the old Tigroba, where bloodline was prioritized over strength.
It’s not about ability. They’re the type who sat in the political arena by birthright.
They’re practically inexperienced in combat, but being cowards, their security against intruders is solid.
So, if we can just get inside, it’s half a success.
That’s why Rohan had been pondering.
How to get inside that building, whether it’s just about breaking through like in Abyss City.
He pondered. He contemplated. He agonized.
After spending time piling up thoughts, his worries bore fruit.
Rohan’s answer came in a direction that’s impossible in the game.
“Clara.”
“Yeah!”
“From now on, just follow the vibe. If it feels iffy, just stay behind me.”
“···?”
Rohan, who asked the puzzled girl to keep a straight face, strode confidently toward the building.
The surrounding magic power was surging, as if something was about to burst.
Rohan didn’t care and spoke boldly.
A dismissive attitude and a high-handed demeanor were essential.
“Grand Elder Levin Maxwell!”
His resonant voice echoed through the ruins.
“Come out at once and obey the orders of the Reverse Praise Assembly!”
Rohan showed the black coin he had taken from Doverman.
The path he chose as the breakthrough for this quest.
It’s impersonation.
