"Hmm. Now, where should I cut?"
Right now, I'm having a rather unfortunate experience.
Like a pig hung upside down in a butcher shop?
Yeah. That's pretty much what it feels like.
Kiril stood me upright and began circling around me, eyeing me up and down.
While holding a pitch-black blade (!), no less.
With a genuinely troubled look on her face, she murmured things like, "Should I stab here? Or just slice this part wide open?"
Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and opened my mouth.
"You said earlier that I'm not going to die."
"Yup. Why?"
"Just wondering if there was an unspoken condition... like 'until I kill you myself' or something."
"Whaaat? Pfft—Ahahaha!"
She laughed like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world, holding her stomach with one hand.
Seriously?
She's walking around me with a knife. Would you feel safe?
After she finished her laugh, Kiril lightly tapped my shoulder with the hand holding the blade.
"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to save you from that nasty black toad, would I? You should be able to trust me by now…"
"Of course I trust you. Just… maybe a little more if you'd put that dangerous thing away."
"Hehe, don't worry. I've just decided."
"Decided… what?"
With a sly smile, Kiril walked behind me.
Splat.
"Ugh…!!"
A burning pain flared up at the backs of both my ankles—my Achilles tendons.
My legs gave out and I dropped to my knees.
I should've known the moment she started inspecting me with that knife like some kind of specimen.
I can feel blood slowly trickling down my heels.
What was that about trust again?
"So? That wake you up?"
"I wasn't expecting to give you my Achilles tendons as payment, that's for sure."
"Hehe, no need to make that face. Because…"
Shhhk.
I could only stare in disbelief.
She took that same blade and stabbed herself—right in the thigh.
"Ow, that stings."
"What the hell are you doing…?"
Without answering, Kiril cupped the blood pouring from her leg into her palm.
Shhhrrr…
"?!"
Something magical began to happen.
The blood in her hand started to change color.
Sure, blood darkens when it clots, but this was different.
It didn't look like natural coagulation—more like it was alive.
The now jet-black, corrupted blood slithered toward my feet.
"Gah…!"
"Hold still."
I flinched instinctively when the stuff reached my wounds, but I couldn't move much with my injured legs anyway.
Ssssss…
A distinct energy settled in around my heels.
It felt similar to when she healed me before.
The difference was this—whatever power she'd injected didn't disappear. It lingered, pooling at my feet.
"How's it feel? Nauseous or anything?"
"No. Just… the pain's fading."
"Pheew~"
Kiril let out an impressed whistle.
"I figured you'd be foaming at the mouth for at least an hour or two, but hey… I guess you really are a born Poisoner."
"…So you knew it'd be that rough and did it anyway?"
"Haha. Puppy—nothing in this world's free. You don't even realize how insane what you just got is."
"Well, now that you mention it… did you just inject me with your blood?"
"Yup. More precisely, what I put into you is called Black Ether."
Black Ether.
I remembered that term.
She'd mentioned it right before she took down that massive monster.
She'd said it was dangerous to use Black Ether that way.
"You summoned a venom fang, so I guess your awakening is complete… Did you pass out at any point today?"
"Hmm… Just briefly, when the Gate first opened."
"Wow. Lucky you. Most people would've died after losing consciousness in a place like that. Or maybe… you only survived because you're a Poisoner."
She murmured a few more things to herself, then slowly nodded.
"A Poisoner's awakening is very different from the norm. The body can't neutralize the toxins that explode from within—and most die as a result. Your recent health problems? All tied to that. With other Hunter types, there's about a 1% chance of dying during awakening. For Poisoners? A third of them don't make it."
"Then how did I…?"
"That just means your regenerative ability is that strong. I told you earlier, didn't I? Opposites attract. You probably don't realize it yet, but you've already been using your healing power—without even knowing it."
Kiril's smile turned a little bittersweet.
"Before a Poisoner awakens, their body begins to overflow with toxic energy. Eventually, they can't contain it anymore and it starts leaking out. That's why families of Poisoners often die or suffer severe poisoning before the awakening is complete."
Haeseon's face hardened like stone.
"Then… is my sister like this because of me…?"
Kiril immediately shook her head firmly.
"No. Cheon Songhwa's condition is because of that toad. If it had been you, she would've been dead long ago. Do you even realize how dangerous your toxin is? Even A-rank Knights would be out cold from just one dose of it."
Knights are Hunter types who fight monsters head-on with brute force and durable bodies.
Especially those above B-rank—they're so resilient they're said to be "invincible" because conventional weapons can't even scratch them.
And yet, she's saying I could take them down in one hit?
So I've been carrying that kind of time bomb inside me?
"Because your power is so intense, even your healing ability had limits. You couldn't completely neutralize the toxin, and you weren't able to release it either, so your body began to suffer the side effects."
From head to toe—
Kiril's gaze scanned me up and down.
The grotesque blotches and spots covering my body.
She pointed to them.
I'd assumed it was some kind of complex skin disease, but no—it was a side effect of being unable to expel the poison.
"Hehe. Now you get it? That's why I said you're unusually kind. You needed to get rid of that poison one way or another—but your subconscious chose to keep it sealed inside your own body. You instinctively knew it was too dangerous to let it harm others."
Was I really that kind of person?
Honestly, it was hard to accept.
"I thought long and hard about what to prioritize—and decided your feet were the best place to start."
"My… feet?"
"Right now, mobility is the thing you need most. Quick legs—so you can run the hell away when you need to."
Mobility.
I didn't need to ask what she meant.
"Poison Step…"
"That's right. From now on, I'm going to teach you how to use Poison Step."
She said this and demonstrated it a couple times.
Fwoosh!
Even after seeing it with my own eyes, Kiril's use of Poison Step was breathtaking.
She moved with a speed that barely seemed human.
Could I really pull that off, when just yesterday I was practically an invalid?
Thump, thump.
My heart began to pound.
Just the thought of learning a special ability stirred something in me.
Maybe… just maybe, I did have a Hunter's instinct buried deep down.
"Now take that swirling energy beneath your feet and let it explode. Aim over there."
Kiril tilted her chin toward the rooftop of a factory on the other side of the clearing.
She wanted me to leap there in a single bound?
That's when the sheer absurdity of it all finally hit me.
But…
Normally I would've thought she was insane.
Yet strangely enough… I felt like I could do it.
It was that Black Ether she had infused me with, still tingling under my feet.
"Come on, don't just stand there."
I gave a slight nod and licked my lips.
This wasn't a rational decision.
But after everything I'd seen Kiril do, I knew it wasn't impossible.
And that unfamiliar yet powerful energy under my soles was practically begging me to unleash it.
I nearly died multiple times today—this is nothing.
With that thought, I let the energy beneath me erupt.
FWOOSH!
"Waaah!!"
A startled shout escaped me before I could stop it.
I'd jumped so far, so fast, I almost lost my balance in midair.
Swoooosh.
I barely managed to land.
My body wobbled wildly, but I didn't fall.
On my very first attempt—I'd succeeded in using the technique.
"Unbelievable…"
I glanced back at the spot where I'd launched myself.
Even at a glance, the distance had to be over 10 meters.
At this speed, not even most Knights could lay a finger on me.
"Nicely done."
Across from me, Kiril stood with her arms crossed, flashing a toothy smile.
After giving me a few more tips, she turned and looked toward the Gate.
"Puppy. It's time to say goodbye."
"…Huh?"
Right in the middle of explaining everything, she suddenly announces she's leaving?
Our meeting had been abrupt—but this farewell was even more sudden.
"I think someone's been tracking me. Honestly, this is the first time in a while I've even stepped outside."
"Are you… being hunted?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
She didn't exactly look like someone on the run—too cheerful for that.
Just as I was thinking this, she suddenly reached out and wrapped one arm around my neck.
"We won't be seeing each other for a while, so I should give you a proper parting gift, right?"
"Wait—what are you…?"
Before I could finish, her face was right there—practically nose-to-nose with mine.
What the hell is she trying to do?!
My face flushed red in an instant.
What, has she only been hiding out in very liberal countries or something?
Up close, her striking features were even more intense.
Smooth, sun-kissed skin.
Lips redder than blood.
A sharply defined nose.
Those round, swirling pupils.
Wait—
"…What?"
"Her pupils were rotating."
Was that a trait of Poisoners too?
Shlk.
No—it wasn't.
What I thought were her pupils turned out to be some kind of transparent lens or cornea. It detached from her eye and attached itself to my right one.
I flinched instinctively, but there was no pain or discomfort.
"Phew... I've lost count of how many times I've been shocked today."
"Hehe. Cool, right?"
"I don't know what it is, but I've accepted it—so how about letting go of me now?"
"Why? Isn't the mood kinda nice?"
Kiril smiled seductively and tightened her arm around me.
Sure, she was undeniably beautiful—but this kind of teasing wasn't my thing.
"Your breath smells."
"Ack…!"
Total lie—but it worked like a charm.
She looked like she didn't quite believe me, but still let go and stepped back.
Blink.
Weird.
That lens had just attached to my eye moments ago, but I didn't feel even the slightest sense of discomfort.
It was almost like… it had always been there.
And that wasn't the only strange thing.
Suddenly, letters began to appear in the upper right of my vision.
"Whoa…"
Another gasp escaped me.
All of this… from a single little lens?
I'd heard how quickly technology advanced after the monsters appeared, but this felt more like cultural whiplash.
"What do you think? Pretty amazing, right? Even the almighty Glory Guild hasn't laid hands on this thing. It's a top-tier device, the greatest masterpiece made by none other than Dr. Jin."
"Dr. Jin? Who's that?"
"Go find out for yourself. You'll be meeting him soon enough anyway."
"I'm curious, yeah… but now's not really the time."
This gear could literally make your eyes roll with excitement.
Whoever created it had my full attention—but for now, I needed to stay by my sister's side.
"I'm the only one who can look after my sister right now."
"Exactly. That's why I'm telling you this."
"Huh?"
"Cheon Songhwa's wounds have mostly healed. But the poison inside her body can't be dealt with just yet. You need a calm mind and body to fully cure monster venom. You'll have to get the antidote from Dr. Jin."
I hadn't fully learned how to use my healing abilities.
And since Kiril was being pursued, she had to leave.
That meant meeting Dr. Jin wasn't an option—it was a necessity.
That was the message Kiril was trying to get across.
"As long as you think of something in your head, the device should display the info you need. Who knows? Maybe he'll give you some other insane piece of gear too."
Shaaa.
That familiar aura surged around Kiril again.
Every time she used Poison Step, it felt like this.
She was really going.
I could feel it—she was about to disappear.
"I've never received so much from someone before."
"Yeah?"
"So… I don't really know how to say thank you properly."
"Haha. Then learn how. I'll wait until you do."
Her tone was light and breezy, completely opposite from the emotion building in my chest.
She'd helped me so much, even in such a short time.
My nose started to sting, but I kept my voice as steady as I could.
"Will we… see each other again?"
Kiril flashed a wide smile, teeth and all.
"Without a doubt."
And with those final words, Kiril vanished from sight.