Chapter 45: The Limits of a Skill

#45

The flickering flames vanished, and Han Dokyeom’s vision tilted precariously. He bit back a curse.

‘Damn it…’

The world before him was listing, dimming as if the day was ending, only to plunge into sudden darkness. It happened before he could even react. And then—

Thump.

The hand holding the cup went slack, and his upright posture swiftly collapsed. Yet, the cup, which should have shattered on the floor, remained intact. The liquid within it was perfectly still, undisturbed.

Clink.

Taeseongyeon set down his teacup, his gaze lifting. Across from him, the Hell General, wreathed in blue flames, held Han Dokyeom’s limp wrist, supporting the cup, while steadying his drooping shoulder.

Observing Dokyeom’s closed, reddened eyes, as if he were dead, Taeseongyeon spoke dispassionately.

“Bring him here.”

His languid words carried an undeniable authority. The Hell General exhaled a frosty breath, then scooped up Han Dokyeom’s slumped form, moving with a clanking stride. Dokyeom’s lifeless legs dragged limply across the floor.

Dokyeom’s utterly limp body, unable to even hold his head up, was effortlessly settled into Taeseongyeon’s embrace. Taeseongyeon, having taken the herbal medicine cup—which Dokyeom had barely sipped—and placed it before him, let his hand glide to Dokyeom’s slender nape, which had been catching his eye. The warmth melting into his palm made his throat ache.

“It’s quite troublesome if this keeps happening.”

Taeseongyeon gently cupped Dokyeom’s chin, lifting his head. His long, finely closed eyelashes remained perfectly still, almost serenely so. Taeseongyeon’s fingertip pressed against Dokyeom’s plump lower lip, parting it slightly.

While it was somewhat endearing how Dokyeom constantly sought opportunities to use his skill, it was hardly a way to ease the tension if it happened every time.

Taeseongyeon gazed down at the parted lips, then drew the cup before him and pressed it against Dokyeom’s lower lip. He slowly tilted it.

“It’s good for you, so you should drink it properly, shouldn’t you?”

And here he was, even nursing Dokyeom like this.

Taeseongyeon tenderly wiped away the liquid that trickled from the corner of Dokyeom’s mouth with his thumb, then gently pushed the rest between Dokyeom’s lips as his brows furrowed slightly.

The skin beneath Dokyeom’s closed eyes seemed so delicate it might burst and bleed if touched. Though Taeseongyeon could well imagine what Dokyeom had been doing to accumulate such profound exhaustion, he simply chose to ignore it.

After a long while, when the empty cup clinked onto the table, Taeseongyeon uttered a cryptic remark.

“What an annoying skill they gave him. They should have at least put some restrictions on it, or given a hint.”

Taeseongyeon’s gaze settled on an unknown point in the air. Staring at nothing, he spoke with cold indifference.

“Or, failing that, they should just take it back.”

A heavy silence settled. The inner chamber remained still for a long time. Then, an answer suddenly resounded.

[The demon Orias of ‘Lemegeton’ reveals their true name to the opponent.]

It was the appearance of a Saint. Yet, Taeseongyeon’s expression remained unchanged. The air grew taut, thick with surging demonic energy.

The Hell General’s eyes gleamed, exhaling a chill like a beast sensing its kin. A silent, palpable tension hung in the air, hinting at an impending event.

The tension was harmlessly broken by Han Dokyeom’s Saint, which appeared reeking of deep malice from beneath the earth.

[The demon Orias of ‘Lemegeton’ grumbles petulantly.]

It was as if Orias was grumbling, “Do you think I haven’t tried that? Speak only when you know what you’re talking about.” Its posture, sprawled on the ground, habitually licking its front paws while airing its grievances, further reinforced this impression.

Taeseongyeon chuckled. ‘Of course. They wouldn’t have just given it away, and if it was a mistake, they would have scrambled to cover it up. But our Han Dokyeom wouldn’t have missed such a prime opportunity.’

Taeseongyeon’s gaze returned to Dokyeom, nestled in his arms. Dokyeom’s eyelashes were quite long, stirring a sudden urge in Taeseongyeon to press his lips against them. It was a feeling sharp enough to prickle his nerves.

‘Is it because he keeps catching my eye? He’s quite appealing, making me want to tease him.’

[The demon Orias of ‘Lemegeton’ growls irritably, telling him to stop bothering Dokyeom.]

Taeseongyeon merely chuckled softly. His hand leisurely caressed the mark, savoring the pulse beating beneath the skin.

****

“Phew!”

Someone broke through the calm surface, revealing a pale, drawn face. Their lips, gasping for air, were blue from hours of cold. Their eyes, heavy with exhaustion, showed the toll of days of struggle.

It was Dokyeom. Following him, Agon surfaced, catching Dokyeom’s flailing form and supporting him.

“Hah, agh… No good… Let’s… agh… stop for today.”

Releasing the breath he had held to his limit, Dokyeom pressed his palms firmly against his tired eyes. Agon’s strong arm, wrapped around his waist, guided Dokyeom out of the pool.

[The demon Orias of ‘Lemegeton’ recoils from the water with a look of disgust.]

“Aren’t you busy? You’ve been running around like crazy lately, but today you’re not going out again?”

[The demon Orias of ‘Lemegeton’ grumbles defensively, claiming it’s not like that.]

It had been days of arduous training. Or rather, it was closer to repeated attempts than actual training.

Including today, it had been a full week. For almost a week, all Dokyeom had done was relentlessly use the and skills that flickered in his skill window.

The results were a dismal string of failures. In his weary vision, the familiar message always appeared.

[Skill failed.]

[ was rejected by ‘Target Monster’.]

Nothing else mattered. From the first day until now, the skill had failed due to Agon’s ‘rejection’. Why? Judging by Agon’s actions, their rapport and favorability seemed considerable, yet Agon consistently rejected the skill, offering no cooperation.

As Dokyeom understood it, was a fusion skill that allowed him to become one with a monster. It meant they would merge, and Dokyeom would absorb the monster’s power and attributes, enhancing his own abilities to match its rank.

Normally, this was only possible when the caster and the target were of the same rank.

‘Does Agon dislike it? Is it because Agon’s nature makes them reluctant to interact with anyone outside their own kind? Or is sharing body heat unpleasant?’

Whatever the reason, there had been virtually no progress with the skill. Thinking that perhaps a specific environment was required, Dokyeom had been attempting it underwater, but even this yielded no results. None at all.

Splash.

Agon lifted Dokyeom out of the pool, then floated on the water, silently observing Dokyeom’s pale, exhausted form.

“I feed you regularly, come to the pool every day, do everything you like, so why won’t you let me ? Not enough food? Should I just let you suck me dry until I pass out?”

As if understanding his words, Agon immediately scowled. Whatever the grievance, Agon had been constantly frowning whenever possible lately.

“Just give me a break. Compromise a little and please accept me.”

Wiping the water from beneath his chin, Dokyeom sighed and propped himself up with his arms behind him. As if even his feet, idly splashing in the water, were annoying, Agon pushed both of Dokyeom’s legs out.

Consequently, Dokyeom was forced to sit cross-legged. Even so, Agon’s attitude towards Dokyeom was quite lenient. Other people were met with such fierce territoriality that they couldn’t even approach the water. It was enough to make Dokyeom wonder if Agon considered this pool his own domain.

Of course, since they couldn’t communicate verbally, he couldn’t be sure.

“Hey, because you keep chasing people away, word’s spread that this is your territory. I can’t even show my face anymore.”

Lately, due to Agon, the hunters who used to come to the guild pool had been almost entirely driven away. Newcomers, unaware of the situation, would panic and flee as soon as they entered.

Once, someone confidently declared, “He’s only C-rank, right?” and entered, only to immediately flee after seeing Agon bare his teeth as if to devour them underwater. Since then, the pool had become a place hunters avoided.

From that hunter’s perspective, it must have felt like encountering a monstrous creature from the deep sea. Even with his handsome appearance, if Agon scowled, he became ferociously savage, like a veritable yaksha.

“I… I suppose I still need to save Taeseongyeon…”

Four days had passed since his tense confrontation with Taeseongyeon. It meant it had been that long since he’d used a skill that yielded no results.

Dokyeom’s expression quickly turned somber. Just thinking about how he’d lost consciousness again after using that wretched skill made his blood boil. What had they said?

That day, when he next opened his eyes, he was on the same sofa where he had collapsed. Outside, the sun was setting, and Taeseongyeon sat propped on his chin, gazing out the window as if deep in thought.

Taeseongyeon’s outer garment, draped over Dokyeom’s body, was deeply stained by the sunset’s hues. Upon waking with a start, he was met with Taeseongyeon’s inscrutable smile, and a flood of thoughts consumed him.

Bursting out and summoning Orias for an explanation, Dokyeom learned about the mana restrictions based on rank. It was a kind of limitation.

The ‘Third Party’ skill’s mana consumption varied based on the target’s rank. In essence, it meant that Dokyeom’s mana could only affect targets up to A-rank.