I had been pushing it for days, but I think it’s about ti.
Using my ta-knowledge.
Because of Sylvia I had skipped yesterday’s classes, but it wasn’t so bad — at least I got so wholeso monts.
Now that both she and Quincy’s issue were over, it was ti to concentrate on other things.
In front of right now was a massive steel door with a small section for inputting passwords.
Around were jagged, clean rocks and nothing else.
In the novel this was a vital part of Jake Kim’s abilities. It was a knight art that let him use his body to the max.
I wasn’t a knight, so there was no way I could use it; however, what I needed wasn’t the technique itself but the drawings — illustrations of the human body.
I planned to build for myself a system backup.
If I had that, then I wouldn’t need to worry about dying as long as I had enough mana.
Not only , but I would be able to form backups for anything whose structure I knew and recreate it.
Severed limbs, torn flesh — as long as I knew how the person was and the person wasn’t dead, then it would be possible.
[Speaking through the coms... is this Detective Allen? Over.]
My gaze went blank as Sylvia’s voice through the coms rang in my ear. "Please, can you speak properly?"
[What are you saying, Sergeant? This is how I speak normally. Over.]
I stared at the high-tech door. "Co on, Jin-ah — just tell the passcode."
Unlike , who had forgotten the password for the door, Sylvia could rember it.
It seed if I had waited an extra week it would have been stolen.
Honestly, I had downplayed the fact that Jake Kim still existed in the demon realm.
It was actually a good thing that Sylvia had found out about ; at least now I could prevent the midterms event she talked about.
Yeah, I didn’t an to be fighting them — why would I have teachers if I had to fight?
I chuckled at the thought.
[Al, are you okay? Why are you laughing to yourself?]
’Oh right — she can hear .’
I exhaled. "Nothing."
I moved toward the keypad. "Okay, hit ."
[I think it’s U sothing.]
"Huh? What do you an by ’U-sothing’?"
[Uhmm... Well... I’m just as confused as you are.]
I stared into nothing blankly, then sighed. "Okay, let’s try this."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Bzzzzz....
"A bust."
I typed again.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Bzzzzz....
I groaned. "For fuck’s sake, just work."
The keypad buzzed with rejection again, and I sighed. "At this rate I’ll end up writing every swear word I know until it gives up."
[You’re hopeless, detective.] Sylvia’s voice dripped with amusent through the coms.
"Got a better idea?"
[Obviously. The password is Ursus-17.]
"Then why did you make write shit for the past five minutes?"
[Hehehe. Because hearing you annoyed puts a smile on my face.]
I didn’t respond and punched in the code.
Fzzzzz....
The steel door rumbled, gears turning like a throat clearing after centuries.
From the dark chamber ahead, sothing heavy stirred.
Whoosh...
Cold air blew everywhere, kicking dust into my eyes, but I didn’t avert my gaze.
The mont the door fully opened, blue torches along the walls lit up, casting eerie shadows on the stone pavent.
My breath caught as I looked at the creature in front of ...
A bear — no, not flesh and blood, but a hulking construct of steel bones and enchanted fur — lumbered out, eyes glowing pale blue.
"Intruder detected," it growled, voice like two rocks grinding. "Prepare yourself."
The fight began in an instant.
Its paw swiped through the air as wind pressure rushed toward .
This creature, whatever it was, wasn’t in the Hunter Association database, that’s for sure.
However...
『 User has activated... 』
Blink.
When I said I was the slippiest man, I didn’t just an in my old world — but in this one too.
With a crimson flicker, I reappeared a short distance to the side.
The passage was narrow, so there weren’t many places to dodge.
Boom!
A gust of wind blew from behind as the earlier attack smashed into the jagged rocks beyond the door.
I imdiately moved as my body beca a streak of light.
『 User has activated Tier 9 spell: Red Chains 』
Summoning only two chains, I embedded the sharp end into the wall and streaked past the bear’s open legs with Flashstep.
The beast turned its head to face , but I leaped up and used Blink to vanish back to where I had been, from above its head.
The chains already under the bear tightened once the other ends caught its shoulders, and like straps it collapsed with a loud boom onto the ground.
The bear panted, growled, and finally, with a thunderous huff, stopped struggling.
"Why are you just dodging and teleporting? It’s annoying! Just stay in one place and let crush you!"
I crouched in front of it, catching my breath. "Why don’t you sit still and let rob this place instead?"
The bear froze, head tilting, then shook its head. "My master said... he would give a na if I guarded here."
I pushed my bag up onto my shoulder. "And how long ago was that?"
"Uhmm..." the beast hesitated, looking away. "Five hundred years."
I scratched the back of my neck. "Pretty sure your boss was human. Which ans he’s probably six feet under."
Silence.
Was I too harsh?
The bear’s ears drooped, its giant shoulders slumping. "Then... what should I do now?"
I stepped closer, looking up at the lonely guardian. "Simple. I’ll give you my na. How does that sound?"
Its eyes widened, glowing faintly warr, as though hope itself was a kind of light.
"Really?"
"If you let rob you, that is."
"Hmm... How much are you planning to take?"
I rubbed my fingers as if counting money. "As much as I can carry."
The bear stared at with the look that said, "this guy is small; he can’t take much."
This was why it was a silly beast.
Of course I ca here prepared.
I did say that I knew the art, but I also said I couldn’t use it.
So, I had to get so I could use, and so Sylvia could use, so for Quincy too, so for Beatrice and Valentina once they are back, maybe one for that simp guy, then so for the market naturally.
I smiled softly. "So we have a deal."
The creature hesitated.
I knew it wasn’t because of what was inside, but because of the na itself.
Na.
It was sothing spirit-art users like Quincy used for contracts.
The stronger the creature, the harder it was to na, leading to failed contracting.
But even strong spirits weren’t as hard as unnad beasts, since those spirits naturally have other titles.
It was like renaming a file on a desktop and making a new file and naming it.
Yeah, the difference in skill was huge.
But I was Allen Vanderbilt Park — this much was nothing.
I raised my hand as mana flared in the air.
"Are you ready?"
The beast lowered its head.
If I gave him a na, he wouldn’t be able to disobey until soone gave him another na that was more powerful than mine.
The entire passage began shining the sa hue as my mana.
I let the mana hum in my throat.
The na had to be perfect — sothing no one else could ever have.
A na that carried the weight of greatness across universes.
My lips parted slowly as I whispered.
"Your na is..."
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