Acceleration (1)

Meow meow!
Struggling!

Ma Hana and Yu Seha couldn’t move at all.

Surprised, Ju Na-young and Moon Bora tried to help them up, but the weight of the shell was beyond imagination.

“I-it’s heavy!”
“H-Hana is a problem too, but… Seha’s size, isn’t that abnormal?”

That’s right.
Ma Hana is big, of course,
But Yu Seha’s shell was so dark and huge that he was on another level.

The rabbit stared at this silently.
Barbados, the hierarchical lord of the <Tower of Oracles>.
The current manager and examiner approached them with a bewildered expression.

Hearing the footsteps, Yu Seha
Spoke toward her.

“H-hey! Isn’t it too cruel to do this just because it’s the final test?”
“No. I’m fair. I’m surprised too, you know?”

The rabbit crouched down and examined.
Soon, as if realizing something, she made an ‘Ah~’ expression.

“Meow~ Indeed, you two have tremendous desires for others.”

Not for self-preservation,
But the size of the heart caring for someone else.
The wishes and desires stemming from that.
That was the cause of the huge shell.

The rabbit chuckled as if incredulous.
In all the years living in the tower, she had never seen anyone with such a wish as strong as theirs.

She clearly saw the path these two had walked.
So she said gently with a bit of respect.

“I’ll exclude this. I didn’t expect such a self-sacrificing nature…”

When the rabbit withdrew her hand, the shell’s size shrank sharply.
Only then could the two stand up.

The rabbit looked as if saying, ‘Is it okay now?’
Without hesitation, she raised her hand.

“Then, let’s start again from now-”
“-Wait!”
“Hmm?”

Yu Seha shouted.
He, wearing a ridiculous turtle costume, exhaled deeply.

“…Give me some time.”
“Time?”
“Yeah, from the first, second, and now the final test. We’ve been running without rest, right? Give me a moment to catch my breath. You can do that much, can’t you?”
“…”

The rabbit crossed her arms and nodded.
It was indeed a reasonable request.

“Alright. That makes sense. Will 20 minutes be enough?”
“Enough. Ah, but give me back one of my belongings.”
“…Belongings?”

“Well done, Se-ha.”

Yu Seha turned his head at the voice.

Moon Bora, wearing a cute turtle costume, was looking at him gently.

Maybe because she was originally beautiful.
He thought it suited her quite well.
She seemed subtly cute too?

“If you had just run recklessly like this, you would have been caught by the opponent’s pace. Bringing that flow was excellent.”

Ju Na-young jumped excitedly at Moon Bora’s words.

“Yong-ah! What, Yu Seha! Did you calculate all that too? You’re really smart!”

The two praised him.
But Yu Seha blinked his eyes.
He looked at them as if wondering what they were talking about.

“No, I’m not.”
“Huh?”
“Yong-ah?”

Yu Seha replied and took something out from his pocket.
It was a cellphone.
The belonging he had asked to be returned.

Immediately switched to camera mode.
Without delay, he aimed at Ma Hana.

“…Meow?”
“Kuh! Meowi! Look this way.”
“…Meow?”
“Kuh-kuh!”

Our cute Meowi.
The turtle costume was also very adorable.

As the camera kept pointing, Ma Hana was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do.
She pulled down the turtle hat over her head and covered her face.
Her two wagging tails formed an X shape.

“M-meow. I’m embarrassed… d-don’t take pictures.”
“What are you saying! Not taking pictures of such cuteness is a national loss!”
“You’re overreacting…”

A ridiculous farce.
Moon Bora and Ju Na-young watching made a sigh of disbelief.
Their scornful looks were a bonus.

But that was only for a moment.
Both were girls thirsty for Yu Seha’s affection.
They looked at him with a resentful expression because he only paid attention to Ma Hana.

Their cheeks puffed up naturally like pufferfish.
Moon Bora started first.

Tap tap.
Whine whine.

“Huh?”
“Se, Seha. Take a picture of me too!”
“Y-yeah, Yu Seha! Aren’t we cute too?”

At their whining, Yu Seha tilted his head.
He answered as if asking the obvious.

“Of course you’re cute. Both of you are cute and beautiful beauties from the start.”
“Hungunh!”
“Yong-ah!”
“I was about to take pictures anyway. Come on, look this way.”

The camera switched.

Moon Bora, shy, slightly raised her arms.
She naturally posed to emphasize her large magic pouch.

Ju Na-young gave her a sharp glare at her characteristic obscene pose.

“Hey, hey Moon Bora! What are you doing!”
“W-what~ I’m just highlighting my strengths~”
“You think only you have a big pouch!? I’ll do it too then!”
“Jealousy is ugly, Na-young.”
“Did you just say that!?”

Bickering.
Squabbling.
Heung.
Yong-ah.

Even amidst this, Yu Seha filmed the three without changing expression, chuckling.

Finally, the rabbit watching this laughed in disbelief.

Anyway, after 20 minutes as promised.
The rabbit snapped her fingers as if she had been lenient.
The four instantly moved to the line.

The rabbit jumped and stood at the starting line.
Using Choi Mari’s body, she stretched here and there, her eyes shining.

“Well then… shall we start?”

Kwak kwak kwak-!!!

Yu Seha ran out.
With all his might.
Diligently.

Then for a moment, he raised his head.
He saw the rabbit’s back far away turning into a dot.

‘Damn.’

Originally, he planned to grab her right beside him as soon as it started,

But such a clumsy plan didn’t work against overwhelming speed.

The rabbit disappeared instantly leaving afterimages at incredible speed.

Mauu~ Do you think I didn’t expect that much?
Where are you looking? That’s my afterimage.

Yu Seha clicked his tongue and looked back.

“Whine!”
“Yo, Yong!”

As expected, Moon Bora and Ju Na-young stumbled and fell shortly after running.
It couldn’t be helped.
Their shells were clearly not suitable for running.

Only he and Ma Hana beside him were barely chasing behind.

“Mua, mua, muaa!”

Ma Hana’s legs shimmered with the form of a wolf’s legs.

<Kallas Shield Technique> Form 2,
It was [Twilight Wolf’s Step].
At least two or more movement speed abilities supported this.

Yu Seha wasn’t running recklessly either.
Shushushuk! Electricity crackled and flashed.
It was the power of Hero-grade skills, [Quick Step] and [Lightning Flash].

Undoubtedly powerful movement speed abilities.
But the gap couldn’t be closed.
In a way, it was natural.

‘The first trait of hierarchical lord Barbados is speed.’

She was naturally fast.
A boss characterized by overwhelming mobility through this.

Even though she had fallen to a mere manager, her speed hadn’t diminished.

“Me-meow. Se-Seha! We’ll lose like this!”
“…”

A moment of silence.
A way to overcome this situation.
That skill naturally came to mind.
At the same time, he hesitated a little.

‘It’s my first time using it in actual combat…’

A bit of worry.
He quickly shook his head.
If not now, then when?

Yu Seha shouted toward Ma Hana.

“Meowi, shield!”
“…!”

Ma Hana knew well what that meant from long experience.
She raised the shield without hesitation.
She turned her body at the running speed.

Yu Seha jumped accordingly.

Thud-!

The moment he stepped on the shield as a foothold,
He powerfully launched himself.

“Muaa! Go! Seha!”
“Yeah!”

His body flew with a whoosh.
Yu Seha placed his hand over his heart.

Crackle, crackle-!
Just like the first time he activated it,
He grasped the newly gained power once again.

Geometric patterns appeared on his arms and legs.
A subtle alien feeling as if wrapped in bandages and wearing prosthetic limbs.

Electricity burst out, and three golden spikes sprouted over his right shoulder.

[The power of the acceleration device developed by an unparalleled genius spreads through your body.
[Using ‘Gear Limiter’. This is a Legendary skill.]
[All subordinate skills are locked. All speeds increase according to the level, rarity, and number of subordinate skills.]

Giiing-!!!

An unusual noise echoed.
At the same time, electricity sparked all around unintentionally.

‘As expected, this skill is basically an electric attribute skill.’

Yu Seha added [Thunderclap Strike] as if trying it out.
[Gear Limiter] absorbed the lightning generated as if waiting for it as an energy source.
The golden spikes on his shoulder and the gear size doubled.

Bang-!

Yu Seha ran.
No, he almost flew.

He felt speed coursing through his body as if shedding the limits of his flesh.
He ran as if he had become a bolt of lightning himself.

‘Fast.’

He was worried because all subordinate skills were locked…
But with this, there was no doubt.
[Gear Limiter] alone was faster than combining all four movement speed abilities.

As proof, the distance to the leisurely running rabbit far ahead began to close slowly.

By the way, Yu Seha wasn’t the only one surprised by the speed.
The rabbit, eyes wide in disbelief, smiled amusedly.

“Mauu! Incredible speed. So you really had a hidden method, huh?”
“…”
“But even so, among the divine beasts, I am the fastest pure runner! You can’t catch me!”

Yu Seha barely succeeded in chasing the rabbit’s back.
Ignoring whatever she said,
He reached out to snatch the headband.

Shashak-!

“…?!”

The rabbit lightly dodged the hand.
Without even looking…
For a moment, he wondered if she had a detection ability like [Unprecedented Sense].

Then came to mind Barbados’s second ability and her true value.

‘…No way?’

Even in this state, she can use that ability?

Yu Seha gritted his teeth and reached out again.
This time, he tried to snatch quickly, moving and changing direction.

But the rabbit responded too easily.
Even this movement.

Was unique.
She reacted one or two steps faster as if foreseeing and avoiding.

Yu Seha narrowed his eyes and asked with certainty.

“…Is it precognition?”
“Mauu! You knew after all?”

Divine Beast, <Barbados>.
A rabbit-type divine beast specializing in speed.

Actually, the reason this one is tricky isn’t just because she’s fast.

It’s the precognition ability.

She constantly activates precognition during battle.
She reads and counters the opponent’s moves in advance,
Making it hard to catch her.

Therefore, in GAL, the strategy to defeat Barbados is to prepare a nullification ability that blocks precognition itself,
Or to overwhelm her so she can’t block even if she knows.

“…No way, she still has precognition even in a fallen state.”
“It’s only short-term. She can’t see the distant future periodically like before. And I’ll tell you one more good thing.”
“…?”
“I haven’t even used my full speed yet.”

As she finished speaking, the rabbit ran even faster.
How amazing that speed was,
The distance widened even with [Gear Limiter].

‘Damn it.’

Yu Seha sensed it.
He would lose like this.
The final match was also near.

‘No choice.’

He looked at the spikes on his shoulder.
Alright, I’ll try it once.

‘The gear!’

[Activating the essence of ‘Gear Limiter’.]
[<Gear> is consumed. Remaining count 2/3.]
[Your body accelerates against the flow of time.]

One of the three spikes rustled.
It crumbled into powder.
For a moment, Yu Seha felt a subtle sensation.

‘…What is this?’

He looked around.
Everything was slow.
It felt like watching a slow-motion video.

Each speck of dust fluttering in the air moved slowly and sluggishly.
Only then did he realize.

‘This is the <Acceleration> buff.’

Literally an absurd ability that folds time itself to run.

Yu Seha embodied the sensation of running on a completely different timeline and looked ahead.

He saw the rabbit teasingly saying ‘Meow~’.
The distance was considerable.
At least 10 meters apart.

He would catch up.
He engraved that determination in his heart.
And…
Giiing-!

“…!?”

Yu Seha’s body vanished in an instant.
The rabbit was shocked.
She soon sensed something cold and looked right beside her.

“Got you!”
“…Me-meow!?!?”

Surely, Yu Seha who was far away had come right in front.
The delayed precognition showed this, but since he was already there, it was too late and meaningless.
His hand reached for the headband without hesitation.

‘Ma-mauuu!!!’

The rabbit broke into a cold sweat, imprinting the word ‘defeat’ in her mind.