ushernet Chapter 224
Chapter 224
An EX-Class Gate was a terrifying challenge, known for its overwhelming difficulty.
Especially the boss fight mechanics—they were absurdly unfair, leaving the strategy to beat them seemingly impossible.
But as they say, even when the heavens collapse, there’s always a way out.
And sure enough, there was a solution.
The key to victory?
It was my... bodily fluids.
“Shia, couldn’t something else work instead? Oh, what about blood? That’s common in myths, isn’t it?”
—Swish—
“No effect.”
“Then what about saliva? Tears? Sweat? Ugh, urine maybe...”
“Gross. Even you’re not desperate enough for that, are you?”
“...”
Tears and sweat aren’t grosser than this, Shia... I promise.
I wanted to find a substitute, but after extensive experimentation, nothing else worked.
For non-transcendents like us to damage those monsters, only two methods existed:
They could either consume it, or I could apply it to their weapons.
Shia explained the differences: consuming it would grant an explosive surge of power in a short period.
Applying it to a weapon, on the other hand, provided a more sustained boost, though less potent.
If consumed, the effect was immediate but drained stamina just by breathing.
If applied to weapons, it would slowly degrade during combat but lasted longer overall.
“I ran tests on a few people earlier. It didn’t work on everyone—it seems to only affect those close to you.”
“...”
And there was one more restriction:
This enchantment only worked for those I could fully trust, the comrades I could rely on without hesitation.
So far, Shia confirmed three individuals it worked on:
The Chairwoman, Sibylla, and Alice.
“...Sibylla and Alice, fine. But doesn’t the Chairwoman fight barehanded?”
“Yup. She was just coming back from the hospital, so I dabbed a drop on the back of her hand and asked her to test it. She did well!”
“...What did she say?”
“She was thrilled when I told her you made it. Said something like, ‘When did this degenerate brat manage to do something praiseworthy for once?’”
“...”
Oh, hell.
Hearing about the experiments almost shattered my mental stability.
But the results, unfortunately, made sense.
Thanks to Shia, I’d come to faintly sense it too:
There was a warm, divine energy within my soul, though it was sluggish and faint.
And that divine energy infused trace amounts into... the white stuff.
Only those attuned to that minuscule divine force—those who frequently interacted with me—could benefit.
My guesses? My three wives, Sibylla, and...
Squelch.
Kkong and Seol Grandma.
My daughters, too.
The lineup was enough to make me sigh endlessly.
The three wives? Fine.
Sibylla? That’s manageable—she’s from a more liberal culture. With some explanation and a lot of apologies, she’d probably agree.
But the others?
A 60-year-old grandma, my only male best friend, and my beloved daughters?
Feed or smear that on them?
Explaining was out of the question. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about it.
It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to. I’d rather die than go through with it.
The problem is... not doing it really would mean death.
To counter the boss raid mechanics, the more participants, the better.
We had to unite our souls to withstand the freezing debuff.
That meant I couldn’t afford to lose even one potential ally.
Even bringing my precious daughters into the raid was becoming a grim consideration.
If we failed, the world would end anyway.
“So, what’s it going to be, Yujin?”
“...I’ll do it.”
Even if I have to abandon my humanity.@@@@
I finally made a cruel decision.
Above all, my wives mattered most.
To live happily with them, I’d temporarily set aside my humanity.
And for those sullied because of me,
I swore to live a life of repentance and atonement for them.
Looking up at the crimson EX-Class Gate glowing ominously in the sky,
I made my vow.
...Though, surrounded by the cloying scent of blooming night flowers in the Chairwoman’s office,
the atmosphere felt anything but solemn.
***
We took a few hours to rest.
It was the Chairwoman's decision to ensure we were in top condition before tackling the EX-Class Gate.
Well, it also gave us time to wait for reinforcements from the U.S.
“What’s this? Everyone’s already here?”
“Oh, Kkong.”
As I reflected on my complicated feelings, Kkong arrived.
With his arrival, the full raid team was assembled.
The Chairwoman had gathered a small elite force of nine to conquer the EX-Class Gate.
These were the warriors who now bore humanity’s fate on their shoulders.
“Yujin, what’s this...?”
“Alright, everyone, take one of these.”
Plop, plop.
“...Mana fuel rods?”
I handed out items to the gathered team—mana fuel rods, the ultimate legal cheat code.
Each rod was worth hundreds of billions.
“We’ve got 20 rods donated by President Morrison of the U.S., two from the Association, and three from Jushin Church, making 25 in total.”
“The U.S. gave us 20? That’s... how much is all this worth?!”
“Well, we agreed to hand over the loot from the Gate in exchange, so...”
“Oh, that’s all? Never mind, then.”
Kkong, ever sensitive to money, had a brief panic but quickly calmed down.
With this “show me the mana” cheat equipped, and everyone armed, we were ready.
The only thing left was to get moving...
“Hey, Yujin. What about that enchantment thing?”
“Hmm?”
“I didn’t get mine.”
“......”
Just as I was about to get up, Kkong raised his hand, saying he hadn’t received the enchantment yet.
I smiled at him—a smile of resignation.
“I’m sorry, Kkong...”
“Forgot, huh? Well, no big deal. You must’ve been busy.”
“It’s not that... Sigh. Just spray this on your weapon.”
“Alright.”
Kkong took the lotion bottle from me and began generously applying it to his rapier.
But then...
Kkong tilted his head.
“Huh? This is...”
“......!!!!!!”
Wait. I didn’t hypnotize Kkong yet...!!!
At that moment, I realized I hadn’t put Kkong under hypnosis and panicked...
Tilt.
“What a strange enchantment.”
“...Whew.”
Must’ve done it earlier.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Kkong was simply marveling at the enchantment, no suspicion in his voice.
Clearly, the hypnosis was already in effect.
Otherwise, no man could react so casually to what he was holding.
“Alright, Chairwoman, what about interviews?”
“In a national crisis like this? I’ve dismissed all the reporters, so don’t worry.”
“Then we’re good to go, right?”
“Yes. Everyone, stand up.”
Thud.
We all rose, our earlier joking and laughter replaced with solemn determination.
Now, we were warriors marching into the jaws of death.
"Hey, sister. When this stuff dries, it feels all crispy~!"
“Haru, sticky rice cake, hush. It’s a serious moment right now...”
“......”
From a third party’s perspective, the scene might not have looked all that solemn, but still.
We made our way to the rooftop together.
“Sibylla, you’re still inexperienced, so fight cautiously.”
“I’ve done plenty of Special Training! I’ll be fine!”
“Training and real combat are entirely different. Follow Kkong’s orders and prioritize your safety...”
The unofficial S-Class from the U.S., Sibylla.
S-Class Rank 4, Seol Hayeon.
“Haru, stay close to me. And don’t use that ability of yours unless absolutely necessary.”
“Okay, sister.”
The former villainess of Korea, now a lieutenant in the Awakened Special Forces, Winterer.
And the unofficial top of the A-Class, our beloved Haru.
“Shia, why do you keep sniffing the lotion?”
“Hmm, who knows~?”
Second-ranked in the Academy's freshman class, Yushia.
And third-ranked, Alice Littonwood.
“Where have I seen this liquid before...?”
S-Class Rank 8 and Gate Specialist, Boji Kkong.
“Hehe, once this is over, it’ll be my turn with big brother~♡ I’ll be first~♡.”
S-Class Rank 1, transcendent, Aika Ninomiya.
And then there was me.
Gulp.
Never thought this moment would come so soon after just half a year.
S-Class Rank 7, soon to rise to Rank 1.
One of only two EX-Traited Awakened in existence, along with my mentor.
The regressor who traveled back 15 years to stop the apocalypse.
A transcendent carrying the divine energy of the Saintess herself.
Me. Seo Yujin.
And finally...
Ding!
[Master, let’s go~!! Don’t get too nervous, okay? If you do well, I might let you have this immature body of mine. Work hard, alright?]
“......”
In front of my blinking status window,
Hypnosis-chan floated in hologram form, cheering me on.
Next to her, the Saintess perched with a mischievous ω-shaped smile.
And with that, our 11-member raid team ascended into the sky,
Swallowed by the crimson-black Gate.