Spatial Displacement. Simply put, it's a technique that allows instantaneous repositioning. When using this ability, an afterimage remains at the original position, while the player appears at the new location before the opponent's gaze or awareness can catch up. Slower enemies often fail to realize the afterimage is an illusion and are deceived by it.
Of course, this varies by individual. If the opponent has sharp senses or superior abilities, they can detect the use of Spatial Displacement. And with enough skill, they can even counter it.
Still, the reason this ability is highly valued is that countering it is only theoretically possible. It's merely possible—very few players can actually execute a counter in practice. There are already scarce players capable of detecting Spatial Displacement, and those who can predict where the player will reappear and attack accordingly are even rarer, shifting from 'scarce' to 'almost nonexistent.'
Thus, most countermeasures for Spatial Displacement begin with defense. I used it as a life-saving trump card, but the player who taught it to me often reaped great benefits against stronger opponents.
And now, the technique I was about to use was none other than the Spatial Displacement ability.
Whenever I think of Kim Yu-Hyeon and Han So-Young, a pang of pain stabs my heart. They were my untouchable wounds, my reverse scales. My chest burned with raging fury, but the killing intent pouring through my mind and into my eyes turned ice-cold. Glaring at Horrence with frigid eyes, I surged the mana coursing through my body and took a step forward. And then…
Swish.
Not a single sound betrayed my movement—just the faint rustle of flowing air. The difference was that my eyes no longer saw Horrence's front, which had been facing me from a distance, but its back. Without hesitation, I swung my sword with full force, striking its backplate.
Boom!
A sound like an exploding ball rang out as Horrence's body pitched forward, the darkness on its back roiling violently. At the same time, the afterimage at my original position twisted like a glitchy TV screen before rapidly fading.
"Grrrowl!"
Horrence hurriedly turned, trying to regain its stance, but I had already shifted to its blind spot.
It swung its arm toward the lingering afterimage. But its dark blade only cleaved empty air, dealing me no harm. The afterimage was merely a lingering sensory illusion. Positioned behind it, I slashed down with all my strength at its vulnerable openings.
Thud. The Doom Knight's right arm fell. The cleanly severed cross-section was visible. Darkness rushed to the stump, but its regeneration was noticeably slower than before. It hadn't even fully restored its left arm, and splitting the darkness to heal the right arm slowed the process further. This was proof that the darkness it could absorb was nearing its limit.
Horrence had now lost both arms. It could still attack with darkness, but doing so would require dividing its already strained darkness into thirds. For piercing Yun-Jung, it had paid the price of being pushed to its limits by me, Go Yeon-Joo, and Vivienne.
"Grrrowl…"
Seeming to finally grasp the situation, Horrence began to retreat hesitantly. But it was far too late. In just two moves, I had seized an overwhelmingly advantageous position, and all that remained was to punish its provocation.
Horrence soon summoned a massive wave of darkness around itself. A glance at its arms showed regeneration had stalled to a questionable degree. It seemed to be cloaking itself in darkness in all directions, desperate to survive.
With a cruel smile, I maxed out the mana in my sword and left hand, then launched forward, kicking off the ground. A sharp spear of darkness—the kind that had pierced Yun-Jung—shot up, but I casually extended my hand, seized the darkness, and tore it apart with force. Like ripping paper, the darkness shredded, revealing two dark, hollow eyes within. As Horrence frantically tried to retreat, I surged the mana through my body, activating Spatial Displacement once more.
Swish, slash! Once. Swish, slash! Twice. Swish, slash! Three times. Swish, slash! Four times. Swish, slash! Five times. Swish, slash! Six times. Swish, slash! Seven times. Swish, slash! Eight times. Swish, slash! Nine times. Swish, slash! Ten times.
As I prepared to swing my sword for the eleventh time, I froze. I remembered slashing its head, torso, legs, and neck in sequence, but after that, there was no reaction, so I just kept swinging at whatever was in front of me. Before I knew it, Horrence's body had twisted into a grotesque shape. It barely maintained its form, but the darkness was melting off like wet paint on a rainy day, dripping away. I tilted my head briefly but calmly drove my sword into its right eye socket.
Slowly, signs of Horrence's collapse became evident. I reached out, grabbing its staggering head, and yanked it toward my thigh while raising my knee. A dull impact hit my knee, followed by the sensation of something caving in. As I prepared to slam it to the ground and stomp on it—
Tap!
"Player Kim Su-Hyeon, stop."
"Huh?"
"Stop. It's not reacting anymore."
Feeling someone grab my shoulder, I turned to see Go Yeon-Joo standing there, unnoticed until now. I scanned Horrence's state with my Third Eye. As she said, it had stopped reacting partway through. The darkness cloaking its body was melting away, fading into nothing, and its form was turning translucent.
The massive veil of darkness it had summoned earlier was likely its final reserve of strength. Tearing it apart must have dealt an irreparable blow, and it perished during my Spatial Displacement onslaught.
After a brief moment, the Doom Knight vanished without a trace. All that remained was a fist-sized orb of black light, lying alone. I bent down, picked it up, and slipped it into my pocket. A surge of emotions—hatred, resentment—flowed into my chest, strangely comforting. Go Yeon-Joo, watching me, tilted her head and spoke.
"You're surprisingly calm."
"What do you mean by 'surprisingly'?"
"You know, like in comics or novels. When a cherished comrade gets hurt, the protagonist's rage explodes! Or, what's it called, goes berserk?"
"I didn't go berserk. Did it look like I did?"
At my words, the Shadow Queen nodded promptly. When I tilted my head slightly, urging her to explain, she continued.
"It just seemed like you were pushing too hard. Until the kid got hurt, you were methodical and safe, even if it felt a bit frustrating. But then, how do I put it… it felt like you suddenly got impatient."
"I see."
Her words made me smile faintly as I turned away. They stung, and I didn't want to respond further. But Go Yeon-Joo followed, continuing to talk. Sensing my expression, she shifted to a slightly different topic.
"Anyway, the kid's fine. You used recovery quickly, and the little one was spamming Cure like crazy. She'll still feel some aftershocks, though."
"She'll have to overcome it. If she whines over a wound like that, it'll be trouble when she faces worse injuries later."
"Hmm? You say that, but I don't think that's your real feelings. Your face earlier was something else. 'You don't need to provide support anymore,' right?"
Go Yeon-Joo mimicked my words, giggling. She didn't seem particularly interested in the fact that we'd defeated Horrence. Honestly, if she and I had gone all out from the start, leaving no room for the others to intervene, Yun-Jung wouldn't have been hurt. When I opened the door, memories of the first life had made me quietly tense, but now I was certain: in this second life, I was strong.
When I didn't respond, Go Yeon-Joo leaned her head toward me.
"Still, part of you must hurt. Don't dwell on it too much. A leader caring for their caravan members isn't something to fault."
At her words, I turned my gaze to Go Yeon-Joo. Unlike her usual playful glint, her ashen eyes now looked at me with a quiet, probing intensity. Meeting her stare without flinching, she was the first to look away.
A brief silence passed as I sank into thought. She was right—I had been angry. But whether my anger stemmed from Yun-Jung being struck by Horrence or from seeing Han So-Young's image overlap with her was something to ponder. No, the answer was already clear. And just as those thoughts began to connect with Go Yeon-Joo's gaze—
"Hyung!"
"Oppa!"
"Kim Su-Hyeon!"
Voices from the group called out to me from ahead. For now, I set aside thoughts of Go Yeon-Joo's look, raising my hand lightly to acknowledge them.
"Yun-Jung, how's your body feeling?"
"Ugh… I'm okay now, Oppa. Ow!"
"Looks like there's still some pain."
"That's because you're pressing so hard… Can you move your hand…?"
Yun-Jung mumbled, her face flushed red, and I sighed, lifting my hand from her stomach. The visible wounds were fully healed. Judging by the scattered potion bottles, she'd been over-treated. But her internal mana was still in shock, so she'd need rest to stabilize.
"Hey, your belly button's surprisingly cute."
"Hyun, shut up. You know that's a harassing comment, right?"
"Fuck, Hyung was straight-up touching her and you say nothing, but you jump on me? You're discriminating or what?"
"Hmph. You think Oppa's a pervert like you? And don't talk like that—it's gross."
Unlike his usual self, Hyun was cracking bad jokes and chuckling. Yun-Jung, picking up that it was his way of comforting her, merely huffed and turned her head. At that moment, someone approached from behind and stood beside me, speaking.
"Su-Hyeon-ssi, I'm sorry. I retired midway through…"
It was Jung Ha-Yeong. Her face was deathly pale, but she was standing on her own, looking somewhat recovered. Unable to continue, she trailed off, and I shook my head in response.
"No, it's fine. No one's at fault here. In fact, I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone for holding their own so well against a boss monster."
At my words, the group's expressions brightened slightly. Go Yeon-Joo, however, stood to the side with her arms crossed, quietly watching me. Her gaze had been unsettling for a while. But with the Cave Of Wailing conquest complete, the time to decide her fate was approaching, so I chose to overlook the subtle shift in atmosphere. It was something to be settled in ten days anyway.
I didn't know what Go Yeon-Joo had been thinking while observing me and the group, but I pulled the orb from my pocket and showed it to everyone. The magic core that had powered the Doom Knight. There might still be undead wandering the cave, but with this, we'd extracted everything of value and could consider the Cave Of Wailing sufficiently conquered.
As everyone's attention fixed on the magic core, I spoke in a resolute voice.
"As of this moment, I declare the exploration of the Cave Of Wailing complete. You've all worked hard. But since it's not entirely over, please don't let your guard down. We'll take a short break to regroup and then begin our return."
At my declaration, most of the group let out clear cheers of agreement. And only then did I notice Go Yeon-Joo's eyes soften slightly, curving into a faint smile as she watched the celebrating group.
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