A rather tall woman stood before me, her coat fluttering in a way that seemed out of place for the weather. Well, I suppose with my own hood pulled up, I was in no position to judge. The next things I noticed were her tanned skin and alluring face.
And the empty sleeve of her coat, hanging void on one side.
"Who...?"
Even in a life-or-death situation, I had to ask. Who are you? Instead of answering, she darted her tongue out to wet her red lips, as if she had just found a delectable meal.
To my astonishment, with her one remaining arm, she was holding back the toad's full weight. Seeing her support the toad's arm with her slender one was something I couldn't believe even as I watched it with my own two eyes.
"What are you doing, using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken? That's not how you use Black Ether."
She spoke incomprehensibly, then with a little 'oomph', she flicked her arm.
THUD!!
Something incredible happened. The giant toad was pushed back by the force, staggering a few steps. It was a sight that, even if it had happened in a game, would have made me complain about the physics engine.
"......!!"
What was that about a knife, and what was Black Ether? I was full of questions, but there was something I had to say first.
"Thank you... for your help."
Though my life was on a timer, she had saved me from immediate death. And someone with her abilities might even be able to save my sister. She looked me up and down with a strange expression, then the corners of her lips curled up.
"You're just too kind for your own good, aren't you?"
I could only stare at her with a bewildered expression. I had never particularly thought of myself as a kind person. Cursing my frail body was a daily routine.
Yet, she was scanning me with a look of deep admiration. I don't know. It felt like it held a different meaning than just being thanked.
"You're Hae-seon, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm Kiril. A Poison-type, just like you."
Poison-type?
I felt like I'd heard that word somewhere before. They were active in the past but had since vanished...
"Traitors..."
The word slipped out before I knew it. Kiril's eyes turned cold. But then, as if it never happened, she flashed a provocative smile.
"Haha. I'll let it slide since you're a Poison-type too. Call me that again and I'll pinch you."
"..."
"Let's clear up the misunderstanding between us in a bit. First, we need to clean up these guys, right?"
Fwoosh!
With those words, Kiril vanished from my sight. Had she used Teleportation? No, she had simply moved with unimaginable speed.
"Listen up, puppy."
Not just my eyes, but those of all the monsters turned toward the rooftop of a nearby building. A city left desolate, with no cars or people. Perhaps that was why Kiril's voice echoed so clearly.
"You'll be able to do this soon, too."
Swoosh.
I flinched in surprise. Not because of what Kiril had said. I didn't know how I could feel it, but an absurdly powerful energy was surging from her.
A power so immense it sent shivers down my spine, even though she was my savior. I watched Kiril with a gaze mixed with fear and admiration.
Swoosh.
Kiril raised her arm, her palm facing the sky. And soon, a crimson vortex swirled out from her palm.
"!!!!!!"
Chwaaaaaak.
The vortex shot up toward the sky, then split into numerous tendrils that rained down in every direction. A vicious, crimson rain of malevolent energy from the heavens! That rain pierced through the body of every single monster that had surrounded me.
P-p-p-p-p-p-puk!!
"Kiruruk!!"
"Keeeeek!!!"
Even the large monsters nearby were no exception. The toad that had been glaring at her kicked off the ground and leaped, only to be impaled by dozens of tendrils before letting out a desperate cry.
"KRRRAAAK!!"
CRASH!!!
After the toad slammed into the ground, there were no living ones in sight. With a single gesture from Kiril, all the surrounding monsters had been annihilated. 'Does this mean... she killed all the monsters with a single gesture?'
Perhaps from witnessing such overwhelming power, my body began to tremble slightly.
"..."
When one is too shocked, words tend to fail. I couldn't say a thing until Kiril was standing before me again.
"Poison Rain. The one and only technique I've named."
"Tell me your address."
After retrieving something from the toad's corpse, she slung my sister over her one arm and leaped across rooftops, reaching my home in an instant. From a distance, she looked more like she was flying than running. I was full of questions about Kiril.
How did she find me in this chaotic mess? What was the source of her overwhelming power? Why did she help us?
When I arrived home a while later, Kiril spoke as if boasting.
"What do you think? Fast, right? This is called Poison Step. The one and only technique I've named."
If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that she was a braggart.
"But just before, you said Poison Rain was..."
"Hmm? What was that? I can't hear you?"
She cupped a hand to her ear, feigning ignorance. The gesture itself was innocent, but a strange allure flowed from her every move.
"Thank you for saving me. I'm alive thanks to you, Kiril-nim."
"Drop the 'nim'. What's with the formality between us?"
She spoke of 'us' as if we were close, though we had just met. She, who seemed to be around my youngest aunt's age, treated me like a nephew.
"It's too early for thanks. There's still some service left."
"Service?"
"That's right. Your sister is in a dangerous state right now."
I was startled and looked at my sister lying on the bed. I had thought her face was contorted in pain, but now I saw her complexion was terrible. Could she have been poisoned in the Gate zone?
Kiril sat beside the bed and placed a hand on my sister's forehead.
Shhhhrrrr.
A golden light flowed from Kiril's hand, spreading throughout my sister's body. I had seen something like this in a YouTube video. It was exactly what it looked like when a Healer-type Hunter healed Knights.
But she had clearly called herself a Poison-type. For someone who wields poison to also possess healing abilities... did that even make sense?
"Extremes connect."
I thought she had eyes in the back of her head. As if reading my expression, Kiril began to explain.
"Poison-types live with all sorts of poisons in their bodies. Some people say we're just immune to it, but that's all bullshit."
"Bullshit...?"
"Yep. Complete bullshit. No matter how much of a Poison-type one is, you can't live on poison as sustenance. We are constantly healing the poison inside our bodies in real-time. While eating, while shitting, even while sleeping. That purified poison is what becomes Black Ether, the source of a Poison-type's power."
I had never heard such a story. No, in the first place, there was almost no information about Poison-types in the world. Besides the rumor that a type called Poison-type once existed, and that they had betrayed humanity.
Kiril turned her head to look at me and gave me a suggestive look.
"First, let's get your clothes off."
"Huh?"
At her sudden suggestion, I leaned my upper body back.
"Kyahaha. Why is your face so red? Did you think I was going to do something to you?"
"... Ah."
Kiril's gaze swept over me. When are you going to take off those poison-drenched clothes? That's what her gaze implied.
If my sister was truly poisoned, my presence alone could be a threat. I soon understood her intention and had to scratch the back of my head. By the time I had put my clothes in a trash bag, Kiril had removed her hand from my sister's forehead.
"This friend. What's her name?"
"Cheon Song-hwa... is her name."
"She's poisoned and has a few broken ribs. And... she's incredibly fatigued. This doesn't seem like something that built up in just a day or two."
Poison and fatigue. My heart sank at those two words.
"She's been working a lot of overtime at the factory. Because of my hospital bills..."
"Tsk, tsk... If you were any later, she might have been the one in the hospital bed. Anyway, I've put out the immediate fire. The bones will heal soon, and she can start resting from now on."
"... Thank you so much."
I bowed my head with all my heart. When the giant toad had approached my sister and me, I had tasted a despair I had never felt before in my life. But thanks to Kiril, my sister and I had survived the Gate, and not only that, she was even healing our injuries.
Considering Kiril was a complete stranger, it was nothing short of a miracle.
And so.
On the other hand. I had to ask.
"This might not be the right thing to say in this situation. But my sister always used to tell me something."
"Hmm? What's that?"
"If you keep receiving one-sided favors from someone, a time will surely come when you have to give something back."
"..."
Kiril pouted her lips and stared at me intently. I felt it every time, but her beauty was truly breathtaking.
"Song-hwa looks like she's in her early twenties at most, but she talks like an old woman who's seen and done it all."
Kiril giggled and placed her hand on my forehead.
Shhhhrrr.
Just like when she treated my sister, a golden light flowed from her hand into me. A warmth and coolness, feelings that shouldn't coexist, seeped into me. At the same time, my swollen arm gradually returned to its normal shape.
A pleasant drowsiness. I had experienced a feeling similar to this drowsiness before. When my symptoms were so severe that I was given a narcotic painkiller.
I had felt an indescribable languor then, too, but this was several times stronger. As I was fully immersed in that blissful feeling, I heard Kiril's voice.
"That's right. A day will surely come when you'll have to repay this kindness. But that's still a long way off."
"Later might be too late."
I smiled bitterly while receiving her treatment.
"Why?"
"Because I don't have much time left."
Kiril blinked her large eyes a couple of times. Wasn't I living on borrowed time, with a month left at most? If she wanted something from me, she had better hurry.
But suddenly, Kiril's eyes turned mischievous. She moved her hand from my forehead to my cheek and pulled.
"You're just a kid, stop acting like you've seen it all. You brat."
"Owh, ih hurs."
"Don't worry. You're not going to die."
"Heh?"
"I said you're not going to die. Your condition worsened so suddenly because of your Awakening."
Awakening.
A miracle-like talent bestowed by the heavens to hunt monsters. The rite of passage for those becoming Hunters was called an Awakening. But I had never heard of anyone in the world experiencing an Awakening as painful as mine.
Usually, people just suddenly became too strong to control, or gained the ability to use mana. Stories like that were all there was.
"Poison-types are special and unique beings. The Awakening process itself is different from the lower-class types. It's useless to ask the quacks at the hospital. Well, I guess it wouldn't be much different at the Guild research labs either."
Kiril was saying something, but honestly, it wasn't registering.
Thump, thump.
Her earlier words were making my heart pound.
"I... can live?"
It was embarrassing, but I couldn't help but ask in a choked voice. Kiril's eyes widened, then curved into half-moons.
"That's right, puppy. You're not going to die. And..."
Her eyes shining brilliantly, she said, "Soon, you will become the strongest being in this world."