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Chapter 75: The Cost of Choice (3)
Jieun hated rainy days.
She had always felt that way since she was young.
She hated the anxiety of wondering if the laundry hastily hung before school would get soaked. S
he hated the flurry of text ssages from her busy father whenever it rained.
「Why didn’t you pack an umbrella for Jiwoong? Bring him one.」
A father who never once asked if she had rembered her own umbrella but always fretted over her younger brother’s well-being.
But rather than sulking or complaining, Jieun simply carried two umbrellas.
“Jieun is so thoughtful. Your father raised a wonderful daughter."
Because she was the dutiful daughter and the caring older sister.
With their mother having passed away early, Jieun was the only one left to fill that role.
Perhaps that was why being a secretary felt like a calling.
Putting others before herself—
It was sothing Jieun had done as naturally as breathing her entire life.
Because if she sacrificed just a little, it made those around her happier, and that felt like the right thing for everyone.
“Hey, rookie! Why are you doing that yourself? Make Secretary Kim do it!"
“Huh? Oh, but the team leader told to—"
"If the secretary does it, it’s the sa as you having done it. Why are you so clueless?"
…Even if it ant erasing herself like a shadow nad Kim Jieun.
But then—
"Right now, I need you, Jieun."
Eunho was different.
From the very first mont they t until now, consistently so.
"No one else will do. In this entire world, only you can do this."
A man who saw not a pretty, curvy, and kind woman but Kim Jieun, the person.
A man who spoke as if he’d cut her glossy hair with office scissors or abandon her the mont she beca a burden—yet built a blazing pillar of fire to warm her when she shivered in the cold.
"Will you help ?”
Such a man said he needed her, that she was irreplaceable.
Not anyone else—her.
And so Jieun…
"…I’ll go."
Soared higher, ever higher.
To the ends of the sky or the depths of the sea, she didn’t care, as long as she could gaze in the sa direction as this man.
She wanted to do well.
To et his trust and prove that he wasn’t mistaken about her.
To show that she was strong enough to stand proudly beside him.
To say, Let’s walk this path together.
Thus, Jieun braved the downpour, her resolve shining through the torrent.
Bang!
She unleashed her golden resolve.
* * *
Swooooosh—!
The deluge pouring from above had long since muffled her ears.
Yet the gunshot-like sound Jieun made tore through the atmosphere and echoed, slicing through the torrential rain.
Bang!
Simultaneously, instead of gunpowder, a radiant light burst forth.
A golden orb soared above Jieun’s head and embedded itself in the sky.
The sky—or rather, the ceiling holding the pitch-black heavens and the largest screen in this world.
"!!"
"It’s okay! Keep shooting!"
At the first shot, the bullet ricocheted.
Bang!
At the second, the clouds trembled.
Bang!
At the third, the air quivered with a faint hum.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
By the ti counting the shots had beco futile,
A long-still sky crackled with a sharp spark.
And then—
Swoosh!
Eunho pushed the gasping Jieun behind him, searching for the invisible bullet’s impact marks.
Finally, gripping a slippery hilt with both hands, he raised it high, the weight doubled by the strain.
As he forced it into the faint crack—
Crunch!
He trusted the vibrating shattering sword, desperate for action from the start.
Whoooosh!
And like lightning, flas surged outward, followed by thunderous alarms.
Beep—!
"Eunho! Just now…!"
Clang!
Jieun’s panicked voice was cut off as he shielded her.
[Detecting malicious attack!]
[Deploying defense barrier!]
Before the warning ssages ended, she cried out.
"Petrif—!"
Whooosh—!
Before she could finish, blinding light engulfed them.
"—faction!"
Crash! Boom!
Crackle!
[Shock levels surpass defense capacity!]
[Rebound effect from penalty absorbs increased shock!]
[‘Scale Armour’ absorbs partial impact!]
A lightning strike bore down from above.
He barely managed to block it with his petrified right arm.
No… it might be more accurate to say he “took the hit.”
[Due to an unexpected strong attack, you have fallen into the abnormal state: Fear!]
Even while his body was frozen like a rock, the full force of the lightning struck through him.
Crackle!
It felt like his entire right arm was being scratched repeatedly by a sword, then seared with the heat of a giant burning cigarette.
Even the raindrops evaporated from the sheer heat before they could get close.
His flesh turned black, writhing grotesquely, then crumbled away like scorched at, charred to ash and breaking apart.
[You overco the abnormal state with your high Endurance stat!]
Then, instinctively, he moved his body that had been locked in place.
The sll of burning flesh lingered in the rain.
It felt like his internal organs were being scorched as if they were set on fire.
‘As expected… I’m no match yet.’
Cough.
Until now, no attack had broken through his petrification defense.
And now, with his scale armor on top of that—making him three tis sturdier than usual due to penalties—it had still left him coughing up blood.
To say it literally knocked the breath out of him wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“Eunho!”
“…I’m… fine… cough!”
As he exhaled along with his words, blood-tinged sputum sprayed out.
Sparks mixed with his breath and burst in his throat.
Jieun, witnessing this, gripped her clothes and scread uncharacteristically.
“Why… Why would you do this?!”
“…?”
“You could’ve dodged it easily if you were alone! You got hurt protecting … because of , Eunho…”
Tears welled up in Jieun’s eyes.
Oh dear.
“Well…”
Of course, I had to save her.
She’s the one keeping aloft 5 kiloters above the ground.
If I get hurt, I can heal.
But if Jieun gets hurt, we’ll both plumt to the ground and end up shattered.
Not to ntion, I needed to test the strength of the barrier for that plan.
“Because… it’s more important…”
“!!”
But for now, what’s even more critical is…
「98.57%」
…the glimr of hope that even this cursed sky can be damaged.
「62.04%」
And the despair that my strength is pitifully inadequate to sustain that hope.
Taking so much damage that I coughed up blood just to chip away a re 1% of the barrier.
Anyone would call this a hopeless fight.
But it’s still too early to give up.
Because—
“This is… only the beginning.”
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I still have plenty of cards up my sleeve.
For instance…
[You use 5 mission points to enhance your Stamina stat.]
[Stamina 15 → 20]
[You use 5 mission points to enhance your Strength stat.]
[Strength 15 → 20]
—like the rewards I just received from the mission.
[You use the 'Basic Healing Ointnt’!]
—or the ointnt from that blonde-haired friend.
[You partially recover from the abnormal state: Shock!]
[Your health has been slightly restored due to the ointnt's effect!]
「82.04%」
The ointnt restored 20% of total health.
A decent effect for an item labeled “basic,” but not enough to inspire optimism.
It’s proof that my total health isn’t that high to begin with, even after pouring all the rewards into it.
‘I have to chip away at its strength as much as possible.’
“Eunho! That’s—!”
I nodded at Jieun, who looked startled, then inspected my charred arm.
Slowly but surely, new flesh was beginning to regenerate.
“Don’t stop… keep attacking!”
“…Understood!”
Jieun, biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, responded resolutely.
Let’s not give this cursed “sky” a mont to rest.
* * *
Crunch!
The shatter blade lived up to its na as it pierced the ashen ceiling.
Just as it had torn into the dragon’s nape, this ti it crushed the sky above our heads.
Crackle, crack!
The sky, once pretending to be whole, had long revealed its true form.
Cracks and burn marks marred the screen above, fine particles falling and settling on our heads and shoulders.
It was hot.
No, it must’ve been hot.
I couldn’t feel much, whether because of the icy downpour disguised as rain numbing all my senses, or because the lightning that had scorched and lted my organs left feeling like my entire body was afla.
“Huff…”
Jieun seed to be in a similar state, gasping for breath, her flushed face drenched in sweat.
“How much… how much has it gone down?!”
“66.4%! It’s dropping faster now!”
“Concentrating fire on one spot seems to increase the damage!”
The barrier was down to 66%.
The decline had indeed accelerated.
Thanks to Jieun’s incredible adaptability, she had already mastered precision targeting for maximum impact.
But the problem is, as the barrier's durability decreases...
BOOM!
"28.20%"
No, it's faster than that—my health is dropping even quicker.
And then.
[All available uses have been depleted!]
['Basic Healing Ointnt' has been consud!]
"...It's all used up."
There's nothing left to replenish now.
One more lightning strike, and my health will hit rock bottom.
It’s a situation akin to teetering on the edge of a thousand-foot cliff.
"I'll take the hit now! Get behind !"
This is it.
The mont when Jieun, pale as a sheet, forces her barely open eyes wide and steps forward.
"No. You get behind ."
"Eunho, please... This ti, I want to protect you...!"
When soone as kind as Jieun cries out like that, it's clear we're truly at the edge of the cliff.
"Do you really... want to save everyone and die in their place?!"
"...Of course not."
I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh at such a naïve thought, even at the brink of despair.
Saving everyone and dying instead?
They say Buddha sees only other Buddhas...
She’s completely misunderstood.
How selfish am I, really?
I was selfish enough to keep a massive trump card hidden, not even ntioning it after gaining it thanks to her sacrifice.
[Resisting even the flow of life and death, overturning the table rather than bowing to authority, and unlocking an innate revolutionary trait, your unique characteristic has been revealed!]
[The characteristic ‘Rebel’ has been bestowed upon the subject, Lee Eunho.]
The characteristic I received for reviving Jieun, who sacrificed herself for .
Finally, I could feel the mont had arrived.
The reason I endured every lightning strike until now, letting my flesh burn and my insides turn to ash.
The reason I focused solely on defense, scraping together every last bit of health to hold out.
It was all for this.
"Counterattack!"
[Please input the amount of 'Resistance' stat to consu!]
Counter = (% of Resistance Consud)
To trigger the Counterattack skill, which reflects 10% of the damage received for every 10 Resistance points consud.
"...All of it."
I’ve saved up a lot until now.
Little by little.
[Rebel-exclusive skill, 'Counter,' activated!]
[1,549 points of 'Resistance' consud!]
To return every attack launched at up to this point.
With interest, multiplied by fifteen.
[Releasing 1,549% of the received damage!]
[Brace for impact!]
"Eu-...!"
Jieun started to speak.
But all I heard was silence.
[─────!]
No sound of rain.
No words.
Not even the insane buzzing of the sword in my hand.
And then, in an instant.
KABOOM!
A massive explosion of light that blanketed the entire sky.
The heavens went berserk.
Beep—!
[Warning!]
[Rapid... deterioration detected!]
[System managent... required imdiately!]
"23.95%"
The sky was falling.
And as it did, I leaned against the sword embedded in the collapsing heavens, clutching Jieun’s hand.
"11.44%"
The blinding light and deafening sound ford a storm that swirled violently.
"5.83%"
Caught in the crumbling shards of the sky, we shook together, uncertain of what to do.
And finally.
"0.01%"
As the storm began to subside little by little.
Screech!
With the sky now a thin, fragile mbrane, I drew the sword.
Crunch!
And drove it back in.
[... Uncontainable... detected!]
[Barrier... has been nullified!]
Crackle—!
The sky tore apart.
What remained of its form fractured, crumbled, and ca crashing down.
[Congratulations!]
[New achievent unlocked: 'Skybreaker'!]
[You have earned the title, 'One Who Shatters the Heavens!']
As blessings poured forth from the foe that tore itself apart.
[Warning!]
[The body of the subject, Lee Eunho, is insufficient to contain the grandeur of the title!]
[Searching for an alternate vessel!]
[The new vessel will be...]
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