Seo Dawon. This time, I think its better for me to step forward. Kim Olim, who had been quietly monitoring the situation, said suddenly. Seo Dawon didnt answer but didnt retreat either. Kim Olim came to my sideshe had more on her mind. Seo Dawon was summoned earlier today, there wont be much time left in his summoning time limit, she said to me.

She pinpointed something I hadnt thought much aboutthe summon time.

I raised my head, still covering my nose to block the agonizing scent. Seo Dawon frowned at the Paladin, but he didnt refute her words. It seemed like the summon time limit also weighed on his mind.

However, the Mage didnt back down easily and held onto my nape. I felt like I could finally breathe againthe odor felt weaker.

Did Seo Dawon do something?

Though it became much easier to breathe, the fishy scent of blood still lingered in the air. Whatever took over Koo Hui-seos body was still keeping an eye on me.

That had been staring at me all this while without blinking once; the fact that such a thing was less than two meters away was giving me considerable mental stress. Even though I was surrounded by all the servants, this was still a horror-like situation.

Seo Dawon shook his head, as if he had weighed his decision in this short moment. We can just suppress him quickly.

If we do it your way, Koo Hui-seo wont be able to walk anymore. Choi Lee-kyung probably doesnt want that?

Dont be anxious. This isnt like you. At Kim Olims cool-headed words, the Mage eventually nodded and stood back. Kim Olim spread her arms wide as soon as he retreated; black gloves soon formed over her white hands. While I awkwardly hesitated behind her, she said, Summon me, Necromancer.

[Kim Olim].

As soon as I called her name, her ebony black hair began to flutter.

Kim Olim slowly faded into existence, starting from her head to toe; she closed her eyes and recited some short chant throughout her summoning. Finally, she ended by drawing a holy sign across her chest with her gloved hands.

When she finished signing, its gaze moved from me for the first time. It seemed to have noticed Kim Olim just now; the heels of her combat boots made a clacking noise against the living room floor as soon as she manifested and dropped into reality. It opened its mouth, revealing a void full of black things, lacking tongue or teeth.

The rot inside you must be vibrating, she said.

When bundles of black tentacles began to pour down from its mouth, Kim Olims eyebrows twitched once before she jumped high from her standing position.

Eeek! On the other hand, I screamed and retreated a few steps; Seo Dawon pulled on my arms to drag me into his embrace. The tentacles that flowed out of its mouth quickly crawled across the living room walls and floor and approached Kim Olim, who was hanging from the second-floor railing. She somersaulted and landed on the sofa before stretching her arm out to the side.

[Night Pall], she shouted to activate her skill. A dazzling light poured down over her gloved hand, and soon she was holding a round silver shield.

The shields surface was inscribed with delicate details. 12 round decorative elements were littered along the rim of the shield; each decoration had illegible symbols engraved inside. The side-profile of a goddess that had become the tree of life was drawn onto the center of the shield.

She had summoned her most powerful weapon, the divine vessel [Rho-Aias]. 1 With shield in hand, Kim Olim charged straight to the cluster of tentacles. Her attack was so reckless, she had destroyed the back of the sofa that she had used as a stepping stone.

Bang!

[Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-.] Koo Hui-seoor, rather, the unidentified monster with Koo Hui-seos appearancewas thrown onto the island table in the kitchen, smashing it, after it was hit by the Paladins shield. Even though thick tentacles were used as a defensive shell, they did not seem to fully absorb the impact of the hit. For dozens of seconds, the monster stopped moving, as if it were too injured to move straight away.

I stared intently at the debris of smashed furniture as I hastily asked the Mage, By the way, will Koo Hui-seo be okay? Hes not broken somewhere?

Id prefer if that were the case.

What?

As soon as we finished speaking, Kim Olim quickly bent backwards; she had avoided something that zipped by, making soundwaves as it passed by. It was far too fast for my eyes to identify it.

Crash!

Because she avoided the attack, the large TV in the living room behind her had shattered. Soon afterwards, Kim Olim furrowed her brows and quickly tilted her head to the side; simultaneously, something black narrowly grazed past her hair. As that happened, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling crashed on top of the Paladin.

Get out of the way! I shouted inadvertently. However, Kim Olim didnt avoid the chandelier. To be exact, she couldnt really avoid it because Koo Hui-seos crazy tentacles held her ankles to the floor. When I saw that, I automatically tried to jump towards her.

Calm down.

At least I would have jumped towards her if Seo Dawon hadnt dissuaded me. Contrary to my agitation, Seo Dawon and Kim Olim didnt appear to be concerned. It was as if they had expected all of this.

The Paladin quickly lifted [Rho-Aias] over her head and smacked the falling chandelier, which shattered in pieces around her as crystal met metal.

Following that, the Paladin cleaved the tentacle holding her ankle to the ground with the edge of her shield. Her face was calm, as if she had not just been attacked.

[Kya-ah-ah-ah!]

A scream from within the kitchen, where Koo Hui-seo was stuck, erupted through the house. The tentacle was cleanly cut off; the portion that had been holding Olims ankle was now wriggling around like a hose with a strong water current running through it. The Paladin simply wiped the blood that splattered onto her eyes away and immediately raised her shield again.

Plop!

Then, she cut off another tentacle which attacked her from behind. After seeing that, I realized that the shield could be as sharp as any weapon depending on its wielder.

Tentacles were usually blunt rather than pointy, so they usually specialized in choking and crushing their opponents. However, no matter how fast they moved, they couldnt hold onto Kim Olim; luckily, they were powerless in the face of her [Rho-Aias].

Eventually, the three surviving tentacles writhed back and retreated from the Paladin. She slowly walked out of the blood-soaked living room, her heels clacking against the floor. Is that it?

[] The sound of the strange, panting breaths that filled the living room was ominously cut off by Kim Olims words. I couldnt take my eyes of the wreckage that had once been a kitchen. Somehow I felt that, as soon as I looked away, something would pop out from there.

However, that didnt moveit seemed like it was holding its breath as well. Kim Olim placed her shield, that had been dripping black blood, on the ground next to her.

Thump!

The resulting heavy sound made me wonder how heavy that thing was; the marble floor under the shield had been smashed and ruined. Kim Olim observed the place where it was located before turning back to me. Go back a few more steps.

O-Okay

Dont step on any shadows.

Alright Gah!

Seo Dawon, perhaps following Kim Olims request for my protection, lifted me up into the air. I was forced to cling to his neck as my legs suddenly dangled midair.

! Just then, the lights on the porch blew out. I flinched in surprise at the broken lights; neither the Mage nor the Paladin moved at all. However, the dim lights in the front hallway, leading from the door to the living room, also darkened.

Huh?

Why? I mumbled

Then, even the light stands built at the entrance of the living room were extinguished.

I felt chills and looked out at the darkened, almost invisible front hallway. Usually, even if the light went out, thered be light on the other side; vague shapes would be dimly revealed despite the darkness. But, because all the lights had been turned off, one by one, nothing was visible no matter how wide I opened my eyes.

I turned back to the Mage in order to relay that information. Did you see that? All the lights from there to here extinguished

However, I couldnt finish speaking due to shock. Seo Dawon, who had been holding me, now sported a face that was blackened, as if it were painted with darkness.

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TL: I said it before, Ill say it again. Im down bad for Kim Olim.