Chapter 15: Yes, you are awesome.

The King of Shadow Nightmares being absorbed through her hand.

She infuses his energy into the sword.

The boss, attempting to seize her body, was an entity possessing some degree of intelligence.

Naturally, he grasped the meaning of Edelin’s actions.

[ Kraaaaaaahk. You won’t have it your way!! ]

Of course, the boss’s resistance was fierce.

As soon as Edelin extracted the boss’s energy, his energy surged in even more intensely.

‘Just do as planned.’

The boss could not kill Edelin.

Because he needed her body.

All the boss could do was penetrate her body as quickly as possible and seize control.

‘I must finish this as quickly as possible.’

Energy began to boil within her body.

The energy, occupying the pathways through which mana flowed, attempted to spread throughout her body.

Trying to take root here and there.

She suppressed the energy with her remaining mana, guiding it towards the hand on the opposite side.

‘Mana is insufficient. At this rate…’

The barrier of light maintained to avoid being consumed by darkness.

The large amount of mana consumed in the process of reaching this place.

It was ridiculously insufficient to block all of the boss’s rampaging energy within her body.

Due to the lack of mana…

Some of the boss’s energy began to leak into various parts of her body little by little.

The excruciating pain caused by the rampaging energy.

“Cough.”

The result manifested as internal injuries.

It was gradually chipping away at her mental fortitude.

[ Kuhahaha. Of course. This isn’t a level an inferior human can withstand. ]

The boss rampaged even more, elated.

Amidst the dizzying pain, she made a bold decision.

‘If the path is the same as mana, and the properties are similar to mana.’

It was worth trying.

The race known as mages were humans who judged and grew that way.

Unlike the purely refined mana of the body…

The murky, chill-filled energy of the boss…

She seized it and made it her own.

The suppressed energy headed towards the sword.

The leaking energy was naturally guided towards the direction of her Circle.

Drip.

As the rampaging energy approached her Circle…

Her pain doubled…

And reached the pain threshold limit the machine could register.

“This… level of pain is nothing….”

Compared to the past, this level of pain was mild.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed the energy into the Circle.

The energy began to co-rotate with the Circle.

As if handling mana.

To be naturally absorbed into the body.

Sometimes taming it slowly, sometimes violently.

She gradually converted the boss’s energy from something foreign into her own.

[ What are you doing! ]

Perhaps sensing a part of his being dissipating…

The boss was horrified.

“Your… mana… is amazing….”

Letting the strong energy flow out.

Absorbing the weak energy.

Enduring the terrible pain.

She performed two tasks simultaneously.

A boss-conquering strategy only she could execute!

In contrast to her desperate struggle…

The viewers, on the other hand…

[ – Did the stream end…? ]

[ – Looks like a bug no matter how I see it.]

[ – Can anyone see anything?]

[ – She got eaten by the boss, how could anything be visible?]

[ – Wait, if she died, shouldn’t the broadcast normally turn off?]

Only a pitch-black screen, showing nothing, filled the camera view.

The boss’s voice, heard intermittently, proved she was still alive.

But the viewers’ eyes saw nothing.

[ – I know what this is. This is that ASMR thing, right?]

[ – Boss mukbang ASMR? lololol]

[ – What, is the boss doing tentacle play with High School Girl-chan?]

[ – Dude, your phrasing lolololol This isn’t an adult broadcast.]

[ – Uh oh. You’re gonna get caught again.]

Exchanging silly jokes.

The chat window was exceedingly peaceful.

At that moment, an anomaly occurred.

[ Krrrghk. Fine, let’s see who wins. ]

The boss, who had been writhing and trying to win by seizing her body…

Realized it was useless against this crazy human.

Therefore, he decided to use another method.

[ It’s inconvenient if there are too many wounds, but it can’t be helped. ]

Towards her, whose mind was elsewhere concentrating on the energy…

He mercilessly launched another shadow awl.

If she endured even more pain than this…

Could she maintain concentration even if one leg was blown off?

It was the boss’s attack, containing a hopeful finishing blow, but…

“The energy… thank you.”

Just before the awl struck her other thigh…

The boss’s shadow awl, expected to pierce through, was instead sucked directly into Edelin’s body.

[ Wh-what! ]

Edelin, having finished adapting to the boss’s energy, had completed her calculations.

“Now it’s my turn.”

The boss, who had been trying to forcefully invade and seize her body, felt something was wrong.

How.

How is my attack not working?

The boss hastily decided to retrieve his body.

Even the part of his being already taken…

It was regrettable, but…

With just a little time, he could probably recover it.

However.

[ Why isn’t it returning! ]

It was different from when he tried to invade.

This wasn’t infiltration.

Being devoured would be a more accurate description.

“You may enter as you please, but leaving is another matter.”

The boss resisted desperately.

But it was useless, having already stepped in too deep.

Now, it was Edelin who was pulling the boss towards her.

[ This can’t be… This cannot be happening!! ]

The overwhelming power cultivated over years of devouring humans…

Being stolen by a single, weak human?

[ Don’t make me laugh! I am the master of Gate 1. The King of Shadows!! ]

Denial. Moving past strong denial into rage, the boss…

Chose to ram himself in.

“Cough… Damn it.”

As a large amount of energy rushed in all at once, Edelin gripped the sword with both hands.

Creating more outlets, she pushed it into the sword.

This wasn’t a matter of slowly absorbing.

At this rate, her overloaded body might fail to endure and explode.

“Cough… Cough…”

Even while spitting blood, her concentration didn’t waver, her hands not letting go of the sword.

The darkness that had filled the room passed through Edelin’s body…

Their battle continued until it vanished.

Clang.

The sound of the sword falling to the floor signaled the end of this fight.

[ – ????]

[ – What just happened?]

[ – Did she get eaten by the boss?]

[ – The boss’s lines didn’t sound good.]

Appearing before the clueless viewers…

Was the quest reward message.

==============================
[Q. Hide-and-Seek with the Child (Completed)]
[You have rescued the child of the parent consumed by shadow.]
[The child and parent feel gratitude towards you.]

==============================
[Q. True-Liberation Quest will proceed.]

[ – True-Liberation Quest?????]

[ – Wait, there was another liberation besides the Liberation Quest?]

[ – How many hidden quests are there lolololol]

[ – Our High School Girl-chan, never taking the path others tread!]

[ – Mom, when I grow up, I want to be High School Girl-chan.]

The chat window instantly burst into flames.

15-2

“Disgustingly tasteless.”

Edelin, having successfully forced the boss into the sword.

The nauseating feeling from the terrible energy within her subsided momentarily.

Surveying her surroundings, she picked up the clattering sword.

Then, a voice was heard.

[ Kraaaaaaahk. You! You! Inferior human scum!! Do you think you can trap me in here!! ]

A voice filled with rage pierced her frontal lobe.

Edelin looked at the sword and clicked her tongue.

“Come out if you can. If you can, that is.”

[ Fine. You think I can’t get out of this ridiculous toy… wait… what? ]

“The moment I realized magic worked on you, that was the cause of your defeat. All I needed to do was enchant the sword itself, surrounding it with mana.”

[ …. ]

The boss instantly became speechless, like a mute who’d swallowed honey.

Using the boss’s hand that had been frozen solid and immobile…

She had trapped him in the sword using the exact same principle.

“So now… hmm…?”

Perhaps because she finally had some breathing room after defeating the boss…

Among the various new things catching her eye…

She activated the minimized message.

==============================
[Q. True-Liberation Quest will proceed.]

“True-Liberation Quest?”

==============================
[Q. True-Liberation Quest]
[You have defeated the Gate Guardian who ruled Gate 1.]
[Destroy the Source of Power to liberate the gate.]

[<<Select an action>>]
[1. Destroy the Source of Power. (Liberation Complete)]
[2. Leave the Source of Power. (A new Gate Guardian will be born)]

The Source of Power was a suspicious purple orb placed in the room.

Without hesitation, Edelin shattered the orb with her sword.

Then, a system window popped up.

==============================
[<System> The continent’s first True-Liberation Quest has been completed.]

[As a mage liberates Gate 1,]
[the contamination between Gate 1 and Gate 2 is purified,]
[and the two passages are permanently opened.]

[ [Raid] Nightmare of the Shadow King has been opened. ]

==============================

[ – W!O!R!L!D! F!I!R!S!T!]
[ – Insane insane insane. Our streamer is insane.]
[ – This is the power of Korea.]
[ – Starting a mage character today.]
[ – Wow, so what happens to Gate 1 now?]
[ – I don’t know either.]

Dragging her fatigue-ridden body, she looked out the broken window.

As a ray of sunlight appeared over the mountains, the darkness vanished.

Shadow nightmares melted away as the light shone down upon the gate.

The first thing she did after restoring the contaminated Muzen to its original state was…

[ The broadcast has ended ]

Right when things were getting good…

To cut off the broadcast.

[ – Where did High School Girl-chan go Where did High School Girl-chan go Where did High School Girl-chan go!!!]
[ – Where’s my stream Give me back my stream]
[ – Kraaaaaaaak Please at least say something before turning it off]
[ – What happens to our points then?]
[ – Oh hey guys, points came in. Betting against her paid off big time lololol ah lol]
[ – 99% underdog bet is so sweet lololololol]
[ – Ah f*ck my points. Does clearing the gate like this even make sense? It’s hacks, definitely hacks!! REEEEEE!]

Amidst the chaotic situation of the True-Liberation Quest appearing to the world…

And the underdog points exploding…

The corners of Yeeun’s mouth wouldn’t come down.