NOVEL NEXT Chapter 188: Entrance Test [IV]
The dust and wind faded as Rain shifted to the defensive, her blue eyes narrowing in focus.
"Cleanse," she muttered under her breath.
A soft wave of holy light burst outward, dispersing the sand and dust like shadows before the sun.
The air cleared in an instant, revealing the scene ahead.
A young woman stood in the middle of the clearing, clutching her wrist that bent at an unnatural angle.
She had long strands of emerald-green hair spilling over her shoulders, her chest flat beneath her light battle garments.
Her face twisted in pain as she groaned and glanced at Azel.
"Fucking hell!" she cried out, voice sharp and almost childish. "What's your body made out of?!"
Azel lowered his head, lips tugging into a smile as he glanced down at himself.
The ground beneath him bore the mark of the heavy impact, a faint crater forming around his boots.
His robes were torn and scuffed at the edges, fluttering from the earlier burst of wind.
But beyond that? Not even a bruise.
His skin, his bones, his very frame had endured the strike as though it were nothing more than a stiff breeze.
'I won't ever admit it to that man's face,' Azel thought with amusement, 'but Bone Strengthening is busted.'
Right before she struck him, he had poured mana into his skeletal frame, hardening the bone at the exact point of impact.
The result: all that force, all that speed, all that effort… reduced to a dull sting.
For him, it was barely a scratch.
His silver hair shifted slightly as he tilted his head at her.
'I remember her being this jumpy in the game… but seriously, was she trying to kill me?'
The girl's wrist bent back into place with an audible pop.
She winced, muttered a curse, then relaxed as the bone and muscle knitted themselves together before his eyes.
Flesh smoothed, veins reconnected, and within moments, her wrist was perfectly whole.
Rain raised her eyebrows.
Even she was impressed.
'Of course,' Azel thought as he studied the emerald-haired girl carefully, 'every heroine in this damned game came with some absurd ability.'
Rain, for instance, had three.
Three special traits that made her one of the highest-ranked heroines in the game's storyline.
Flare, on the other hand had only one, and it had never been enough to save her from being the first one to die, literally a Fraud Heroine.
And this girl? Sybil.
'She's got two,' Azel remembered with a click of his tongue.
The first was already on display: Passive Healing.
Not the simple kind either.
Sybil's body could naturally regenerate physical wounds and — most importantly soul damage.
Later in the game, when soul attacks became terrifyingly common, this single trait made her invaluable.
Her second ability was even more absurd.
Wings of Freedom.
Locked until she reached a near-death state, it granted her the ability to move at the speed of sound.
At that point, she became nearly untouchable.
'…These overpowered heroines, man,' Azel groaned inwardly, dragging a hand through his silver hair. 'Rain is already ridiculous, and she's a regressor who knows how to use hers from the start. And now here's Sybil, with broken abilities that make her practically immortal and untouchable. Sometimes I almost wish I was a heroine too.'
He'd make a fine one at least.
Sybil finally lifted her head, emerald hair shimmering under the floating island's light.
Despite her earlier grimace, her eyes were soft and watery, almost sparkling with admiration as she looked at him.
"So this is the famed Sword Saint's son?" she asked breathlessly.
Her lips curved into a faint smile as though she'd just met a long-lost idol. "You're… so strong."
Azel blinked. His jaw nearly went slack before he remembered…
'…Oh, right. I forgot this part.'
Sybil wasn't just overpowered; she was also obsessive.
Specifically, she had an obsession with the Sword Saint and his descendants.
In the game, when Emilia — the real daughter of the Sword Saint was introduced, Sybil had practically abandoned all interest in men, trying instead to pursue Emilia like a lovestruck fangirl.
Now, standing in front of him, her eyes practically burned with stars.
"How did you even recognize me?" Azel asked, extending a hand almost reluctantly.
He pulled her up to her feet, and to his mild annoyance, she visibly shivered at his touch.
"You're the only one with silver hair, Mr. Azel," Sybil said, her voice quiet but reverent.
Her fingers lingered in his palm before sliding down to press against his abdomen.
She gasped softly. "And your muscles are so… good."
Her fingers traced across the firm outline of his abs, pressing lightly as if to confirm he was real.
Azel froze.
Then, slowly, his eyes drifted sideways.
Rain.
The silver-haired youth nearly sighed out loud.
Rain's fists were trembling at her side, her jaw tightening as her glare sharpened.
Her blue eyes were practically daggers stabbing into his skull.
He gently took a step back, peeling Sybil's hand off his stomach with a strained smile.
Sybil didn't notice.
Or perhaps she didn't care.
Her emerald eyes were fixed on him with an almost feverish intensity.
"Well," she said lightly, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "Since I want to learn more about you… do you think we can go out later?"
Her lips curved into a daring smile. "Just the two of us. Like a date?"
Azel blinked again.
A date?
Now?
In the middle of the exams?
Before he could answer, the air whistled.
Fwip!
An arrow cut through the clearing, aimed directly at his chest.
Azel's hand moved in a blur.
His fingers snapped shut around the shaft of the arrow just before it hit.
With an effortless flex, he crushed it in half, the wooden shards falling at his feet.
He exhaled sharply through his nose.
"Seriously?" Azel asked, tossing the splintered halves aside. "You're asking me out now? In the middle of this test?"
Sybil only leaned closer, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.
The wind around her shifted.
She was gathering power again, her hair whipping behind her as currents lifted her off the ground.
"My name is Sybil," she said, her voice carrying with the rising gusts. "Do well to remember it."
Then, with a flash, the emerald-haired heroine launched herself into the sky like a bullet.
The gale left behind made Azel's robes flutter violently, dust spiraling back into the air.
As she ascended, her voice echoed faintly—
"You can touch my boobs…"
Azel pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the twitch at his mouth.
'You don't have boobs,' he thought bitterly, though he resisted the urge to shout it after her.