Chapter 128: 128 Failure that showed him another path.

Jin’s Jade skill scorched with its blinding light, prompting him to close his eyes briefly.

Six elemental powers, including the translucent aura, mixed to create a thin layer on top of her skin.

The atmosphere shook, and the ground erupted with tremendous force from her rage.

He opened his eyes to see the girl floating in midair, intending to flee from the place.

’Such stubbornness’. Jin tapped the swirling chaotic mana in his surrounding area, then infused it into his body.

Heat spread through all his veins, nourishing his flesh and strengthening his bones, but his face crumpled in a frown.

A searing agony pierced his brain, coming from his left shoulder that still didn’t heal even after a long period of rest.

’This won’t stop me’. But, the boy gritted his teeth and channeled the mana through all his body, enduring the pain that gnawed at his mind.

[Elemental Enhancement activated]

Lucya used wind magic to propel herself and soared to the dark sky, leaving the boy whose expression twisted in agony.

Jin tensed his feet, poured a lot of mana into them, and created a tiny magic circle on his toes.

“Airwalk”.

He leaped to the sky, leaving green afterimages. Jin could see Lucya’s back, who occasionally turned her face to peek behind.

The girl sped up, gaining more momentum with her control over magic.

“She’s fast”. Jin knitted his brows,

A realization dawned upon him; with him holding back, it would be a dream to chase after Lucya’s back, which kept getting smaller.

He inhaled deeply, devouring the mana in the atmosphere—more than his wounded body could tolerate.

His vision turned red, noticing blood had streamed down his cheeks. Jin could hear his flesh and bones rattle in protest.

But, the boy ignored his condition, and once he stomped the air. A boom reverberated across the atmosphere, turning him into a missile.

Lucya, distracted by the sound, turned her head to see that a green shadow had tailed behind her.

She instinctively gathered mana in her right hand and threw fire magic at him. “Don’t come!”.

The boy crossed both hands before his face, clashing head-on with the spell.

“Ah?”.

After she realized what she had done, Lucya abruptly stopped and, hovering in midair with her hand, tried to reach him.

“J-Jin”.

But it was her mistake to stop, as Jin emerged from the smoke without injury. He grasped the girl’s arm and dragged her toward the outside of town.

“No, let me go.” Lucya tried to break free, but Jin’s physical strength was too great.

He took the girl to an open plain with a green carpet that rustled as they landed.

Moonlight illuminated both figures standing on the vast field, stretching their shadows filled with conflict.

“Release me; how dare you do this to a princess in your own country”. Lucya’s let out a threatening growl while her finger tried to peel Jin’s hands away.

“I won’t let go, if you didn’t give me that fake item”. Jin tightened the grip, but not enough to hurt her wrist.

If anyone saw this sight, there was no mistaking that Jin would be blamed for all of this.

A girl with tears in her eyes, trying to get away from a boy who held her captive,

“How many times I told you that I didn’t have it?” Lucya glared at the boy, and her breath stopped as she watched his grievance expression.

“Then why did you run? Why are you so insistent on keeping it?”.

“That’s!?”. Lucya averted her gaze, biting her lips as if not wanting to discuss it further.

A vein twitched on his temple as Jin’s gaze narrowed. He billowed. “Why!”.

“…It is because of you!”.

Lucya’s scream shook the core of his heart. Jin unconsciously loosened his grip, letting the sobbing girl flop onto the ground, crying.

“…I did it because of you… and mother, uuu”.

Jin exhaled the tension in his body, looking down. He saw the girl weeping silently, her tears falling to the ground. His mind was twisted, unsure of what she meant because of him.

He crouched to match her eye level. The boy extended his hand to cupped her wet cheeks and raised her face.

“Can you tell me what happened?”.

Lucya’s eyes trembled. She yielded and began to open her trembling lips.

Her words were unclear and mixed with a few sobs, but Lucya slowly conveyed what had tormented her for the past days, as well as the news of her mother’s condition.

Jin inhaled, barely holding his complaints spilled from his mouth.

Finally, he could connect the dots as to why those two acted so overprotectively of him. ’So this is the cause’.

The boy reached to his left shoulder. Once he heard the reason, it started to throb, haunting him with the curse that sapped his life away.

“So, you’re giving that Elixir to your mother who was cursed”.

“Um”. Lucya nodded, her voice having lost its brightness.

Jin nodded and began to rack his brain, searching for a proper story of his abilities. ’…Well, might as well’.

He flicked his finger, creating a thin layer of barrier that trapped both of them and prevented sound from coming out.

“Listen to me, Lucya…”.

From here on, Jin began to spill his past.

His experience in that trial dungeon as he was trapped for centuries and gained transcendent abilities in swordsmanship and magic.

Lucya blinked, her brain still processing the story that was too great to fathom.

“I have an ability that can see through evil and goodness and the thing that you gave me was straight evil”.

Lucya gasped, her eyes widened in shock. However, her expression soon darkened when she recalled her mother’s condition.

“But, my mother”.

The boy lifted the girl’s gaze at such a close distance. He loosened his cramped lips after telling the girl his long story.

“I promise you this. I will find a cure for your mother”.

Noticing that the girl had her attention on him, Jin reached to his chest and said.

“I vow under the sky and the earth that if I broke my oath, I’m willing to be blasted by the Lightning God. So…”.

Slowly, Jin grasped the girl’s hand, leading her to stand up and say his last piece of mind.

“…will you listen to me and give me the fake thing?”.

Lucya meekly nodded her head and took out the crimson fluid that was contained inside a vial of glass.

Jin’s Jade Eyes skill flashed, and as he thought, miasma leaked from the item. It was much thicker than the earlier.

He tensed the muscle around his arm and shattered the vial, letting the crimson fluid spill to the ground, bathing it in red color.

“Let’s return”.

Without waiting for a reply, Jin scooped the girl in a princess carry and soared across the sky.

Once he was in the sky, his gaze swept over to the moon, which became a witness to their earlier antics.

Jin, who felt the warmth of her body transmitted to him, accidentally spilled his words.

“The moon is beautiful”.

After a few seconds passed, blood rushed to his face, aware that the one he said was already way too cringe in this situation.

“I’m sorry about that, Lucya, can you…”.

When he glanced at her face, the princess was breathing calmly while leaning her head on his shoulder.

“She was asleep”. Jin couldn’t help but chuckle and resumed his air, walking in silence.

While he was distracted by the scenery, Lucya, on his arm, gently curled her lips as she barely held the blush that manifested on her pale cheek.

However, the calming atmosphere didn’t last too long as a blue panel blocked his sight.

#####

[Character Quest appeared]

[Character Quest: A Sweet Temptation!]

Details: Failed

#####

[World Quest Completion rate: -25%]

[Your enemy has recognized your existence. They would be more wary around you]

[Due to failure in Character Quest. You cannot enter another Jin Midnight Character Quest]

[…]

’So, it became like this’. Jin lightly exhaled and shook the window from his sight, not noticing that the notification was still ongoing.

[Hidden Quest Achieved]

…

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