With my blurry vision from not wearing glasses, I quickly pulled up the stats my body rembered. Should I start with Yuhyun’s? The surrounding scenery soon beca clear. My little brother was smiling faintly. But then—
“...Grace?”
Grace was gone. Not on my wrist, not on my ankle, not around my neck—nowhere. I even checked my legs and waist just in case, but it was the sa.
“Hyung? What’s wrong?”
“It’s just... Grace is gone. What the heck.”
Did I ss up when casting the skill? Maybe I ended up blocking Grace too while trying to imitate Diarma’s skill like last ti. At my words, Yuhyun furrowed his brows slightly.
“Isn’t that dangerous? If Grace isn’t there, you’ll take my attacks directly. Even if this is ntal space, you’ll still feel pain, won’t you?”
“It’s not like I’ll actually get hurt, so it’s fine. Besides, using Grace would be too unfair. Damage nullification is totally broken. I’m just surprised she disappeared.”
That’s what I said, but I had planned to use Grace as a weapon substitute. Since she never breaks and can change form, I figured that alone made her useful, so I hadn’t packed many weapons. For now, I pulled out and put on the wildcat jacket and shoes.
‘This is going to be tough.’
Our stats were similar. But skills and equipnt were the issue. I had a wider variety of skills, but of course Yuhyun’s proficiency was way higher. And in terms of equipnt... not even close.
‘Fire resistance, electric resistance... he probably brought cold resistance and poison resistance gear too.’
Wait a sec—then Seong Hyunjae’s and Yuhyun’s skills are going to be mostly ineffective, aren’t they? Black Blood Fla could be weaponized and infused with poison, so it might work a bit. I do have fire resistance myself, but it wouldn’t be enough to handle Yuhyun’s current fire skills. Especially not if he buffs himself with Last Gate.
“What about stats? Should we go with when I’m buffed by your Cheer Up? Or just normal?”
“Normal is better.”
“Alright. But why’s the scenery like this? Feels so empty.”
Surely this wasn’t the state of my brother’s unconscious world?
“Want to change it? You can change it just by thinking about it, right?”
“Yeah. You’re still not used to it, so I’ll do it.”
Where should I pick...? After a brief thought, the scenery shifted. A city with a large lake—Drosia. I lightly tapped the paved road with my heel. The buildings in this town were nice and sturdy. I looked up at the round moon hanging in the night sky.
‘I’ve set things up to make it hard to access the opponent’s consciousness, so my mories shouldn’t be exposed.’
I’ve used this ntal-type skill a few tis now, but I still hadn’t fully mastered it. That made slightly anxious, but since Yuhyun didn’t seem particularly gifted with ntal skills, I probably had the advantage. He wouldn’t be able to dig through my mories easily.
So for now, there wasn’t much to worry about.
“The lake gives an edge, but the buildings work in your favor, so this seems balanced, right? I’ve experienced Last Gate, but I’m not confident enough to use it yet.”
It was just once, and for a short ti, and given the circumstances, I couldn’t even properly grasp how it felt. Plus, Yuhyun’s fla control was impossible for to replicate. It wasn’t just a skill—it was enhanced by Iryn, a spirit.
I pulled out a dagger and gripped it. Yuhyun also drew the Ruler’s Sword. Looks like he’s serious—my little brother.
“I ntioned I could use powers I experienced through Teacher’s skill, rember?”
“Yeah, hyung.”
“Basically, if it’s sothing I’ve experienced directly in that way, I can use most of it here. Whether it’s through my skills or soone else’s. There’ll still be a gap in proficiency, though.”
I added an explanation, doing my best to keep my tone even.
“I also know the you from five years in the future.”
The fla that now lives only in . I raised the dagger and cut my arm. As blood flowed out, Yuhyun winced for a mont but didn’t react beyond that. Good posture. We’re not really dying or getting hurt, so right now, there’s no need for either of us to hold back or worry.
The blood trailing down my arm darkened, igniting into fla. It beca a blazing spear in my hand.
“It’ll be a bit different from your fire.”
“It looks like Black Fla, but you’re using blood as a dium?”
“It’s Black Blood Fla.”
The droplet that rolled off my fingertip hit the ground. The fla that swallowed the blood instantly lted the pavent, leaving behind a sticky black scar.
Fwoosh—flas also rose up around Yuhyun. Unlike the opaque Black Blood Fla that swallowed light, his was a clear, blue-tinted Black Fla.
We didn’t need a signal.
I used a teleportation skill. At the sa ti, the Ruler’s Sword extended, swirling around Yuhyun. Likely to prevent from getting close. But instead of rushing at him, I used a stealth skill and planted my foot on the wall of a tall building. Above my brother’s head.
“Hyung?”
Yuhyun called out to , sounding puzzled. But that was a feint. Just like I knew him well, he knew just as well. I pulled out a bomb and shoved it into the building wall. Before the cracking sound even finished—
KWAANG!
The chained blade whipped around like a steel whip. The black blade, charged with heat, slashed at the building as if to tear it apart—and at the sa mont, the bomb detonated. Chunks of rubble fell with a thud, and dust clouds rose. The explosion obscured the view in an instant, but I calmly raised a gun with one hand.
Velare’s thermal vision. Monster abilities were trickier to get used to, but after relying on it for a few days in place of my eyesight, I could now use it easily.
Bang! I fired a magic bullet at the heat signature and imdiately changed positions. A series of shots—bang, bang!—ignited sparks, and the dust grew even thicker. It felt like we were buried in a suffocating fog.
‘Can I use the point shop here too?’
Since I could use my inventory items, the point shop should work the sa. I opened it just in case—and sure enough, it appeared before my eyes. I felt a bit guilty toward my brother.
I didn’t hold back, planting another bomb in a building on the opposite side. With a deafening boom, the building tilted and collapsed. I threw in a smoke grenade for good asure. Dust blocking vision from falling debris, loud explosions disrupting hearing—and with stealth activated, even an elite S-Rank Hunter’s senses would inevitably be overwheld.
But I could track Yuhyun easily.
Rumble—! The top floor of the building slamd into the ground. I leapt over the wreckage, approaching my brother—
‘Huh?’
Several heat signatures with identical temperatures and shapes appeared. I chuckled. He figured out I was using Velare’s thermal vision! You can’t make fire replicate a person’s body temperature precisely—but you can wrap your own body in flas. Clever kid.
However—
Crackle!
Electricity sparked. I spread a weak current broadly, and while it tangled with the false heat signatures, one spot alone blocked the current entirely—as if it had been absorbed. Electrical resistance—an enchantnt. As soon as I identified it, I moved.
Still using stealth, I instantly closed in on Yuhyun. Whoosh—the black blade skimd past as I lowered my body. At the sa ti, I lunged with my spear.
Crash!
The tip, aid at his leg, clashed with the Ruler’s Sword, which bent and twisted like a serpent. Fla-forged spear and Dragon’s sword collided with a resounding blast. The spear burst, and both Yuhyun and I were pushed backward.
Impressively enough, he had already mastered the chained blade. If he could manipulate a weapon of that length so freely, even most skilled fighters would struggle to get close to him. The road beneath my straining foot cracked, and using that as his cue, Yuhyun charged at like lightning.
“Don’t just rely on your eyes.”
Clang! A newly ford Blood Fla Sword t the Ruler’s Sword. The skill’s high rank allowed it to hold out against an SS-grade weapon—barely.
“Try using different thods! My stealth skill’s boosted by the jacket buff, basically putting it at S-rank. If you can deal with this, stealth skills won’t be a problem for you anymore!”
At my words, blue willow leaves began scattering around Yuhyun. Then, the leaves ignited into fla. Just like how Seong Hyunjae spread currents to detect invisible foes, this was Yuhyun’s thod of sensing unseen enemies. Unless my stealth made totally intangible like a ghost, dodging countless burning leaves was impossible.
As expected, every ti a leaf brushed against —
Clatter—
The Ruler’s Sword surged forward from an unpredictable angle, its tough scales clashing. The fla-wrapped chained blade sliced through the air with intense heat. Clang, clang! Our blades collided over and over. When the Blood Fla Sword could no longer hold and exploded, I batted away the chained blade with my gun barrel and forged a new sword.
At first, his attacks missed wildly, but gradually, they began to ho in with precision. Just as it was getting tricky—
Crack-boom!
Scattering sparks, I jumped into the air. Then—
“Blue Willow Leaves.”
Invisible to him, my leaves began mixing with the fiery ones. Yuhyun’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He must have wondered what was going on. He couldn’t see them. I released my stealth skill. Yuhyun, seemingly waiting for that, reverted his blade to sword form and charged at , shrouded in deep blue flas. As I looked down at my brother leaping off his own willow leaves, I released the invisibility on mine.
“...!”
In an instant, the newly visible leaves danced and clouded his vision. Yuhyun flinched and froze up for a mont. Of anyone, he was surely the most startled. After all, it was his own skill. Without missing the opening, I teleported. Clang! I barely blocked the Ruler’s Sword with a dagger, bent my arm, and drove my elbow into Yuhyun’s chest. My powered blow sent him flying, his back slamming into the exterior wall of a building.
Boom!
A crack ford in the wall, and then it crumbled, the two of us tumbling inside. The interior seed empty—probably because the finer details hadn’t been imagined. I quickly pinned Yuhyun beneath , slamming my knee into him and whipping a wire around the Ruler’s Sword to yank it away. Even though it was an S-rank wire I pulled from the point shop, the blade began grinding through it—bit by bit, it frayed and wore down.
“Ugh, hyung! That just now—!”
“When a skill’s rank goes up, it can beco invisible. No need to explain how useful that is, right?”
Yuhyun’s eyes widened, then he imdiately broke into a bright smile. Only for a mont though—just as the wire snapped completely, the black blade curved and stabbed toward my back. I threw myself backward, spinning in midair to avoid the strike and landed. In that ti, Yuhyun kicked off the ground and charged again.
There was no ti to forge a new Black Blood Sword. And no other weapon could properly block the Ruler’s Sword. To slow his charge, I scattered cold mist and shards of pure white ice at my feet, then detonated a bomb.
KWA-BOOM!
The floor collapsed beneath as the building crumbled. Simultaneously, I used stealth and teleported behind Yuhyun. From his perspective, it would’ve looked like I fell straight down. I didn’t miss that brief opening—pulling out a new wire, I looped it around his neck. As I yanked it tight and swung a dagger, Yuhyun twisted his body just in ti to narrowly avoid it.
A thin line of blood ran down his pale cheek, and it made my chest clench for a second—but I didn’t hesitate to kick him. The blow landed with a dull thud against his waist, but since I was still holding the wire, Yuhyun didn’t get knocked back. Which ant he absorbed the full brunt of the impact. I saw his clenched jaw, and then he slashed the wire and leapt back to put distance between us.
“Mixing stealth and teleportation—seriously annoying, hyung.”
“Plus I’ve got fire resistance, so you can’t stop with flas either.”
“The willow leaves are a pain too. I never know when they’ll block my view.”
“You’ll be able to use them yourself soon enough.”
And other skills, too. ...I wanted him to experience more. But at that ti, I’d only used a few of Yuhyun’s skills. I should’ve tried everything. So, like the shield, were obtained through special rewards or consumable items, so the current Yuhyun probably didn’t have access to them. I should’ve at least tested and practiced them myself.
I ford another Black Blood Sword and took my stance.
“You and I both still have plenty of unused skills.”
Especially Last Gate, that absurdly broken skill. Yuhyun’s lips curled into a smile. His eyes glowed brighter than usual, brimming with excitent. Anyone could see how much fun he was having. And I was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) too.
It wasn’t by the lakeside, but I activated Shadowless Day. At the sa ti, Yuhyun moved his magic. Shadowless Day clashed with that mana.
“Urk!”
Shadowless Day shattered and vanished like it had been destroyed! Wait—he learned to counter it already? No, hold on—
“Yuhyun, you used Last Gate!”
A wave of heat-infused mana burst outward. Both skills hadn’t been destroyed—his skill had absorbed mine and survived!
“Even narrowing it down so only my AoE support skills remain...”
FWOOOSH! Flas spread and began to lt the surrounding buildings.
“It’s doable. Not easy though.”
“You practiced a lot with Yerim, huh.”
But it’s only been a few days! You were busy the whole ti—how did you even manage this? I tried to escape the area as his attacks ca in, but before I could, a wire ca flying toward . Even with stealth active, it wrapped perfectly around my leg.
Everything was engulfed in flas. The effect of Last Gate lted—buffing fire attribute skill power, weakening other attribute skills, increasing cumulative stats, and lowering defense against tal and minerals.
CRACK!
My weakened S-rank dagger snapped in an instant. The black blade skimd past my shoulder. I quickly used the blood that spilled to forge a new Black Blood Sword—only then could I properly et Yuhyun’s attacks. The force of our clashes had clearly gotten stronger. The buildings kept lting, and Yuhyun’s stats were still rising.
This really is broken!
Yuhyun didn’t give a second to cut the wire around my ankle, swinging his sword again and again. Thankfully, the fire skill boost applied to too. Every other elent was a disaster, though.
‘I need to get out of here sohow.’
But he wasn’t leaving any openings. If I used poison, it’d burn before it even touched him. Elental skills were useless, and Combat Insight couldn’t help either. His attacks were coming in too fast and too close—it didn’t matter if I saw them coming, I couldn’t create an opening.
Left with no choice, I gritted my teeth and—
“Guh!”
—I caught the Ruler’s Sword not with the Black Blood Sword, but with my arm. Blood splattered, and the pain made my vision spin. Sorry, Yuhyun. I reflected the pain back to him at double intensity.
“...Ugh!”
He staggered briefly, caught off guard by the unexpected agony. I kicked him away and simultaneously used a healing skill on my arm, cutting the wire binding my leg. Yuhyun flew back, slamming into a half-lted wall. He quickly got to his feet and locked eyes with .
“The pain can be reduced with anesthetics, but I wouldn’t recomnd it. Dulls your senses too.”
It worked for Seong Hyunjae because he had Combat Insight—even with dulled senses, he could still fight. I spread my wings and soared out of the Last Gate zone. Willow leaves fluttered as Yuhyun chased after .
This ti, let’s head toward the lake—where things work in my favor.
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