Chapter 85


    A semi-transparent purple whip sliced through the surface of the city which was made of marble blocks. I rolled my foot and leaped backward with force. The whip cut through the air, passing beneath my feet as I retreated, retaliating by flicking my tail.


    Thorn-like spikes poured down like a rain of arrows. She manoeuvred the whip as if it had a mind of its own, sweeping away the spines effortlessly. Meanwhile,nding on the ground, I extracted the bloodsucking tentacle from my unharmed upper left arm.


    The tentacle shot out like a spear, embedding itself under her foot. Before she could sever it with her whip, I swiftly retracted the tentacle.


    ‘Strong.’


    Though we exchanged multiple attacks in a short time, she was no easy opponent.


    ‘She possesses more than just a couple of traits.’


    Presently disyed were only two traits, but I knew there was more.


    ‘I’ve seen the emergence of Yak horns before, it’s not a cult.’


    There’s no way to hide Yak horns except by artificially removing them. Therefore, the enemy was a gically modified human bearing Cult genes.


    I knew of a simr existence to her—someone who raided the research ship with Space Dogs and attempted terrorism in this space city.


    ‘Si-hyun Yujin.’


    Although she perished, bing part of my being, now the Yujin family was attacking me.


    ‘Given we’re in a council meeting, their presence isn’t unexpected here.’


    Certainly unexpected, however, to meet in a regr residential area, not within Monument.


    ‘They’re after me.’


    Perhaps they came to gather information about me from the anatomy team leader’s house.


    ‘I Should have concealed myself better.’


    I briefly regretted it but shook it off. It was time to focus on the battle.


    ‘What’s confirmed right now are her transformation ability, Psychic, and an additional ability unknown to me.’


    I nced at the cross-section of my severed arm. Thanks to regeneration, the section was healing, but it would take time for the arm to fully regrow.


    ‘Psychic, exceptionally powerful.’


    The ability utilised for my Ghost w materialisation usually functions as a medium-range deterrent. It’s not meant to cut off my arm metres away and turn it into a pavement.


    ‘There’s a supplementary ability to enhance traits and techniques.’


    And it’s immensely powerful, surpassing my sole ability.


    ‘This won’t do.’


    It seemed I needed to use


    ‘Insight.’


    Previously obtained from capturing William, ‘Insight’ randomly reveals some of the enemy’s equipment, techniques, and abilities, limited to five uses per day. But facing such a formidable foe, I activated it.


    Violet auras emanated from my eyes, and information from Code ck appeared in transparent text boxes before me.


    [Name: Code ck (real name ■■ ■■)]


    [Species: Human (gically modified)]


    [Status: Enhanced (Psychic Master, Dragonification, ■■ ■■)]


    [Equipped Gear: ■■ ■■■■ (Unique Grade)]


    [Skills: Psychic, Psychic Master, Physical Transformation, ■■■■, Dragon Heart, ■■ ■■■, among others…)]


    As the information materialized, a purple whip flew towards me from Code ck. Dodging byying t on the ground, I activated the igniter inside my throat, unleashing a massive ze.


    ‘Fire. This won’t harm me.’


    Through the mes and smoke, her voice reached me from the burning road.


    “I’m aware.”


    Fire and smoke were mere illusions. I shot spike bones from within the thick smoke and dashed forward without looking back.


    As she deflected the spike bones with her whip, I needed to act swiftly.


    ‘Code ck received Gagon’s genes just like Si-hyun Yujin.’


    Moreover, it was the gic code of ck Gagon, a higher existence than White Gagon. Among her skills, Dragon Heart was a unique ability exclusive to Gagons above ck Gagon. This skill, when possessed, allows for ‘Dragonification,’ a special state simr to my ‘Symbol of Hunt’.


    ‘The enhanced Psychic Power and Rapid Charge.’


    Though her enhanced Psychic Power seemed less than my ‘Symbol of Hunt’, what mattered was the Rapid Charge part. With Dragon Heart, she could unleash extensive mental power and energy-consuming techniques like Psychic Breath.


    ‘Psychic Master and Dragonification. No wonder it felt excessively potent.’


    Psychic Master is a passive effect automatically granted to Cults with Yak horns. It enhances Psychic abilities in melee, ranged, buff, and crowd control categories.


    ‘She’s simultaneously using multiple abilities in Dragonification.’


    During the fight with Si-hyun Yujin Yujin, I took advantage of her inability to use multiple abilities simultaneously. But applying that strategy against ck was impossible.


    ‘Moreover, there was a unique-grade equipment in the enhanced state that wasn’t visible through Insight. I might not know what the enhanced state means, but I can guess the unique-grade equipment. In a ck upper garment, if it’s unique grade, there’s only one I know of. ‘ck Shroud.’


    It’s one of the relic-grade enhanced suits only Cults can obtain, allowing the wearer to evade death once every three days. Even against attacks turning the entire body to dust, they’ll survive as long as the cooldown isn’t active. In other words, to defeat ck, I need to kill her twice.’


    “Whether it’s the possessed skills or the equipment, she’s an opponent I can never face with this body. If only I had Psionium like when fighting Si-hyun Yujin, but here, that solution isn’t avable.’Symbol of Hunt’ Is necessary.’


    ‘Now’s not the time to worry about the aftermath. Breaking into any nearby house, I swiftly activated the ‘Symbol of Hunt’.


    ‘Although I couldn’t see it through Insight, there might be tracking abilities as well.’


    Even while my body transformed into abat-optimized form, I constantly surveilled the surroundings through auxiliary organs.’


    ‘She’sing.’


    I sensed ck getting closer beyond the wall. Her body emanated intense Psychic Power.


    ‘Oh no!’


    Her whip struck the wall, initiating the house’s copse. Not content with merely destroying the house, Psychic struck furniture, charging towards me.


    ‘Urgh!’


    The transformation was barelyplete when her whip struck my head. It was a shock simr to being hit by a smauncher. The difference was, back then, I wasn’t in the state of Symbolic Hunting. But not now.


    ‘Just endure.’


    The struck area’s exterior peeled away, but it wasn’t fatal. Such wounds would quickly heal due to enhanced regeneration.


    I put strength into my legs and forcefully mmed the ground. Flying out through the copsing house toward the enemy, I caught her off guard with my speed, causing a slight twitch in her eyebrows. Her right hand gracefully moved, aiming the whip at my side.


    I defended using the shield-shaped exterior formed on my wrist by the ‘Symbol of Hunt’. The sound of scraping metal and sparks emerged as her enhanced Psychic attacked. However, it couldn’t pierce through my reinforced exterior, strengthened by three effects: Type, Trait, and Symbolic Hunting.


    ‘…Impressive.’


    Just before my horn would prate her abdomen, her left hand extended widely. Simultaneously, my body seemed suspended in thin air, then forcefully thrown backward.


    Even while rebounding from an intangible force, I extended a tentacle towards her. Anticipating my counter, she swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding my tentacle. The collision ended in my disadvantage.


    I crashed into the ruins of a copsing building. Wooden debris and concrete from the ceiling rained down on me.


    “Tch.”


    I suspected she possessed Yak horns, but she also had a defensive superpower. The technique she just used was ‘Reflection.’ It’s a Psychic power that deflects attacksing from the direction one’s facing. Not all attacks are deflected, but Psychic attacks can’t be blocked.


    ‘The odds aren’t in my favor.’


    To bypass Reflection, I’d need to directly target with a Psychic attack or aim indirectly. Among my psychic abilities, I only have one attack attribute: Psychic Breath.


    ‘It won’t be easy, but…’


    It’s not impossible. I rose from the rubble. At that moment, ck aimed her whip precisely where I was and swung it. Confident in my tracking abilities, I evaded the whip and grabbed a broken wooden table from the debris, hurling it in her direction.


    “Tricks won’t work.”


    With a cold voice, the two shed.


    ‘Tricks, huh?’


    All part of the n. I fled the pile of ruins. From behind, she pursued with the summoned whip.


    Perhaps due to the ck Shroud’s enhancement effect or possessing a technique to enhance physical abilities, she effortlessly chased me. The long whip hissed like a serpent, striking my back. While running, I concentrated on my sensory organs, butpletely dodging was impossible.


    Despite the ruptured exterior and bleeding, I gritted through it.


    ‘…Gotta endure.’


    Appearing weaker is the most effective lure. As long as it’s not a fatal blow or disadvantageous inbat, it’s fine. Of course, enduring excruciating pain with a clear mind was challenging.


    ‘Thankfully, there’s pain reduction.’


    If I hadn’t had that ability, I would have screamed in agony.


    “Is this not enough?”


    Code ck said that, now wielding psychokinesis from her left hand as well. The snake with two heads hissed threateningly.


    ‘This is unexpected.’


    I hadn’t anticipated this. Originally, I was nning to head to the subway station underground. But if I keep taking these attacks, before I initiate the lure, my body will bepletely battered.


    ‘Let’s go to the basement.’


    I changed direction and dashed towards a nearby house. Breaking through the wall and entering, cultists inside gaped at me. Ignoring them, I descended into the basement. Behind me, the cultist who had been screaming in terror was torn to shreds by ck’s unleashed psychokic powers. Blood gushed up the stairs, followed by the sound of her footsteps.


    “So even beasts act like beasts? Choosing a dead-end to flee.”


    Her voice echoed from the stairs. I readied myself in a corner of the dimly lit basement. I unleashed a psychokic breath that I had prepared in advance.


    “?!”


    A purple sun, made from the essence of pure psychokic power, shed. The concentrated heat of the psychokic power, enough to destroy everything in its path.


    ‘Krk!’


    She dispelled her psychokic ability and hastily aimed her hands at the heat wave. From her hands emerged ck orbs, transforming into heat waves simr to the psychokic breath I had unleashed. The sh between the purple and ck psychokic forces echoed throughout the entire administrative district, shaking the foundations of the underground basement.


    Just the shockwaves were peeling away my externalyers, and the acidic blood, flowing out, evaporated due to the effects of the psychokic power. The tip of my monstrous tentacle, split by the collision, turned into dust and scattered.


    ‘Kkkuh!’


    Not just me, but she seemed to be in extreme pain. Her ck Shroud protected her body, but her hands, used for the breath, were covered in blood. The psychokic breath I unleashed and the one she fired annihted each other.


    However, to anyone witnessing us standing atop the ruins, she would clearly seem victorious. My entire outeryer was nearly torn away, except for my palms, while she remained unscathed. To any observer, she appeared far superior.


    “It was unexpected, but it seems I’ve won.”


    She said that calmly. I spat out mes toward her. Using fire and smoke as a smokescreen, I escaped the basement through the broken ceiling.


    The phenomenon that had just urred with ck was due to the ‘Physical Adjustment’ ability. Physical Adjustment is an advanced support psychokic power that a psychic can bestow upon another psychic.


    It allows the psychic to instantly teleport the recipient, making their body temporarily intangible due to the powerful abilities, nullifying the effects of any poison.


    However, the range of teleportation is short, and while the adjustment is active, the psychic bestowing it bespletely immobilized.


    ‘There are two enemies!’ I spected that there might be a hidden psychic acting as her aplice. The range of Physical Adjustment is a maximum radius of 1km.


    While the recipient is under its effects, the psychic bestowing it is renderedpletely powerless.


    ‘They won’t just let me be.’


    They’d likely not leave me alone even if I continued to run.


    ‘When the ‘Symbol of the Hunt’ status ends, it’ll be over.’


    Their objective is to capture me, not to kill.


    If they wanted to kill, they could have showered me with psychokic breaths.


    ‘They are also wary of me.’


    Since I already received a blow, for a while, they will probably fight passively. Of course, that time won’t be long. Once all my strengths are revealed, it will truly be over.


    ‘How do I break through?’


    As I pondered that, the part of the monstrous tentacle behind my head twitched.


    “■■giya.”


    ‘How do I strategize?’


    ?Big baby!?


    At the familiar vibration, I swiftly looked up.


    The ground I stood on trembled. Concreteid on the road cracked open, and from within, dozens of long, thick tentacles emerged.


    ?We’ve arrived.?


    From the exploding concrete hole emerged a giant pink jellyfish, well over 5 metres tall.


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