The Sly Girl

“M-Meowi, what’s this?”
“Meow…”

Meowi, who was observing my reaction, fiddled with her fingers and explained in a soft voice.

After conquering the [Underground Waterway] dungeon and returning home.

While examining the grown stats and skills in the bathtub, suddenly, a golden light appeared, and everything changed.

She was so surprised that she fell with a splash, and said ‘Meow!’ as she fell into the water.

“Yes, Nekomata’s Luck also evolved to Benevolence… although I don’t really understand what the description means…”
“Oh…”
“I was so surprised, I just sat there in a daze. And then, I thought… this is something I need to discuss with you, Seha. It didn’t feel right to just take your abilities without permission, especially not yours…”

Meowi continued to speak in bits and pieces after that.

It seemed she was really shocked, as she was rambling.

In essence, she felt too guilty to press anything without talking to me first.

She even snuck over, walking on tiptoe like a cat, hoping no one would notice.

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
She was just too cute.
As I smiled at her, she tilted her head, confused.

“Seha?”
“Well, I have something to show you too.”
“Meow?”

I also conveyed about .

Meowi’s eyes widened.

She looked at me as if to ask, ‘Is this for real?’ and I nodded with a smile.

“Meow, Seha, does this mean… my ability will go to you?”
“That’s right.”
“Meow! Take it right now!”

Without any hesitation, Meowi held out her .
She squeezed her eyes shut and exclaimed, “Meow!”
I placed my hand on her crown and gently stroked it.

“Meow~”

Like a relaxed cat, she melted into my touch, a serene expression on her face.
But soon, she seemed to realize something.

“Wait… did you hesitate too, Seha?”
“Of course. How could I just take your abilities?”
“You didn’t need to worry about that…”
“Same goes for you.”
“Meow?”

Sure, the skills I had were valuable.

There were a lot of them, and if you considered their synergy, I could confidently say they were some of the best for someone my age.

But here’s the thing:

‘The reason I’m getting stronger…’

The reason I pursue opportunities like and , the reason I work hard to acquire different powers and grow stronger…

In the end, it’s all for the characters.

It’s all to protect the ones I care about, the ones by my side, especially my favorite, Meowi.

I need strength to face the dangers that lie ahead.

But I never had the intention of using that strength to show off.

The means and the goal must never be confused.

‘Even now, my initial resolve remains unchanged.’

I’m not afraid to actively engage in the main story.

Even if the characters suspect me or betray me in the process, it doesn’t matter.

As long as they reach the ending they desire in the end.

This has always been my only wish.

“……”
“……”

As we looked at each other, we both burst into laughter.

Because we were thinking the same thing.

Finally, I sighed softly in relief.

Thank goodness.

For meeting Meowi.
For being able to catch her before she gave up on all her dreams.

For her being my favorite character, I was truly grateful.

“Meow, Seha, then, I’ll press it?”
“Yes.”

The conclusion was simple.
We decided to press it at the same time and share.

A tense moment.
I placed my hand on the information window.
Then, a large information window blocked my view.

Beep!

“…Meow?”
“…Ah.”

The content of the emerging message.
The moment I saw it, I understood why this skill was called .

‘I see.’

[Eyes of Reversed Heaven].
The best intrinsic skill acknowledged by all of GAL’s Supervisors.

This power was, in essence, theft.

It allowed you to copy, mimic, and surpass others’ abilities.

It disregarded the hard work and pride of others. A power that should not exist.

And it didn’t require anyone’s permission.

‘But is different.’

[Vow of Oath] was a power of bonds that could be activated with mutual consent and permission.

It was essentially a form of sharing.

Literally, it was an ability that could be handed over because one trusted the other.

Thanks to that, I could understand why [Rank 1] didn’t know about this.

‘The Yu Seha that person raised… was literally on the path of an overlord.’

Without seeking cooperation from others, seizing everything with one’s own power.

It was said that Yu Seha was raised as an ideal figure in that manner.

In fact, the final growth of the Yu Seha he raised was jaw-dropping strength.

―…[Domination].
―[Rank 1 Ji Han-sung] has donated 100,000 won.
―Yes. The final evolution is [Domination]. It amplifies the stats and skill levels of the contracted character. At the same time, it can take or dominate abilities as desired.

Additionally…

It even allows you to control the character’s emotions, memories, and thoughts.

An absurdly fraudulent ability.
It was truly a power I had never heard of.

I understood why no one could defeat him in the rankings.

‘Even if he used others as mere shields…’

There wouldn’t have been any Supervisor who could defeat him.

At the same time, I realized something.

Someone raised with that mindset would never have unlocked this kind of power.

“Meeoow! Seha, you’re here!”

Soon, the list was updated.

“Oh…”

A small exclamation escaped.
Should I say it’s just what I needed?

The abilities I thought would be good to have were copied.

[Cat’s Intuition].
And even the symbol of Meowi, [Raise Shield]…

In an instant, I felt a peculiar sensation of her power flowing within me.

‘…Anyway, this isn’t important.’

What I received wasn’t important.
What really mattered was what Meowi had gotten from me.

“Meowi. Can you show me what you copied?”
“Meow…? Ah! Yes!”

Meowi seemed surprised by the unfamiliar power flowing through her body.

She nodded quickly at my words and gently showed me.

“Awesome!”

An exclamation burst out naturally.
It was really awesome.

‘She really picked all the good ones.’

I had hoped she’d take something like [Unprecedented Sense], an Epic ability.
But it seemed was limited to Rare skills. She had taken three Rare abilities instead.

All of these were abilities that would be a great help to our Meowi.

‘[Agile Strength] is self-explanatory…’

The ability to handle attributes was significant.

Even without specialized magical talent like Moon Bora, this alone would be a great help.

Especially the derived skill of [Crack of Rough Stone], [Stone Hardening], would greatly aid her endurance.

The explosive growth in abilities was great, too.

As expected of Meowi…
A symbol of luck indeed.

“Meowi, congratulations! You’re practically a full-fledged C-grade Hunter now.”
“…M-Meeeoooow…”

Meowi looked around her body, seemingly in disbelief.

She exclaimed in joy, “Meeeooow…!”
Soon, she flinched and drooped her cat ears dejectedly.

“Why the sudden change?”
“…No matter how I see it, it feels like I’m just leeching off Seha–”

-Smack!

“Meow!”
“Hey, don’t say such things. Thanks to you, I gained three things.”
“…B-But still…”

Anyway, she’s too kind-hearted.

I lifted the sitting Meowi up.

Just like a cheese stick, she stretched out like a long cat.

“Meow?”
“Hehe…”

Then I sat her on my lap and gently stroked her head.

“Meow. Seha.”
“Yeah?”
“…I’ll work hard.”
“Okay.”

A radiant power symbolizing the bond between us, .

The results were more than satisfactory, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Huh? Wait a moment.

Suddenly, I had a thought.

‘…[Burning Flames] originally belonged to Ju Na-young, right?’

Oh, then…

I copied it from her.

And then Meowi copied it from me again?

“…Even a family tree wouldn’t be this messed up…”
“Meow?”
“No, it’s nothing.”

So, that night, I had a pleasant time chatting warmly with Meowi.

Bang!
A loud thud echoed as a hand slammed down on a desk.

The source of the sound was a striking beauty with beige hair, Peng Jin-ah.

“No way.”
“…H-hey. Peng Jin-ah~? I-I’m the one giving permission…”
“Chairman, please stay out of this!”
“H-heeek…”

Hmm, I expected this…
The opposition was stronger than I thought.

The next day, after embodying the essence of [Benevolence].

I went early in the morning to Yu Neung-hae and Peng Jin-ah to report the situation to both of them.

The two, who were pleased to hear that we had cleared the [Underground Waterway] dungeon safely, showed contrasting expressions at the word [Trial].

Yu Neung-hae, the chairman, was pleased, her eyes gleaming.

In contrast, Peng Jin-ah’s complexion darkened.

Yu Neung-hae had offered us the first right to clear the and the rewards, which was a relief.

I had been worried.

We were the ones who discovered it…
I was worried they might leave it to others.

To my embarrassment, Yu Neung-hae gave a positive response to my thoughts.

“Hmm, putting aside why a appeared in such a place, we, as ordinary people, can’t arbitrarily judge natural disasters. Anyway, Yu Seha? According to Professor Sarang-mi’s search magic… this seems to be a B+ grade Trial.”

B+ grade.

Theoretically, the same grade as the .

However, the was like a nutritious baby food formula meant for toddlers.

Naturally, this place would be several times harder.
But that’s okay.

Compared to back then, both Meowi and I had made significant progress.

With reliable party members here, what was there to fear?

“It seems doable.”

“I think so too. I also believe that the discoverer should be the one to handle it. Let’s set a date next week and clear it once–”

-Bang!

And then back to the present.

The one who opposed was none other than Peng Jin-ah.

“Professor?”
“…Call me Master now.”
“…Uh, yes… Master.”
“Wh-What? M-Master?! Wh-When did you two become so–”
“Chairman, please stay out of this!”
“Huuh…”

Peng Jin-ah sighed.

She slowly approached and grabbed my shoulders with both hands.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

“Cadet Yu Seha, I know that you have conquered the [Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoises]. You have every right to be confident. But you are also aware, aren’t you? The [Trial] is a great opportunity, but it’s also a dangerous place…”

Peng Jin-ah’s eyes wavered.
The emotion in her eyes was undoubtedly [concern].

“B+ grade is inherently abstract. The ‘+’ implies that it could even reach the difficulty of A grade. Moreover, due to the short investigation period, the information might be incorrect. If unlucky… you could be annihilated.”

“Uh, are you… worried about us?”

In response to my dumbfounded answer, Peng Jin-ah looked at me as if wondering why I was saying such things.

Since I was questioning something so obvious, she had a slightly irritated expression.

“Of course! Although you have undeniable talent that could lead to arrogance, in the end, it’s still a burgeoning power. What if you get seriously injured?!”

“Uh, well, that’s true… but the more reason to take risks–”

“Don’t argue! You are still in need of more protection! If you lack something like a miracle elixir, I will get it for you.”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary…”

“Hey!”

Peng Jin-ah continued to press Yu Seha.

Meanwhile, Yu Neung-hae, the chairman seated in the chair, watched this scene curiously.

‘…Hmm?’

Hmm?
Hmph.
Hmmm…?
Interesting.

The Peng Jin-ah that Yu Neung-hae knew was full of worries, but not to this extent.

She was also an A-grade hunter known by the alias .

Just as there were as many stars in the sky, there were countless .

Certainly, a noticeable number of them were subdued by her hand.

Therefore, Peng Jin-ah was the type to yell at someone to quit being a hunter if they feared adventure.

In reality, that was the norm…

‘…Such a Peng Jin-ah…’

…was showing an exceptionally weak side to Yu Seha.

The anxious look and posture, fearing even the slightest injury.

She seemed like a person deeply worried about losing something precious from her grasp.

‘…Huh?!’

Yu Neung-hae, who had thought up to that point, opened her eyes wide like lanterns.

‘What?!’ She exclaimed, covering her mouth with both hands.

She looked at Peng Jin-ah as if she couldn’t believe it.

No way…
‘That Peng Jin-ah?!’