Failed Possession Chapter-25

## Chapter 25.

—

The first time Lee Su-hyeok and Chuk Shin-do met was during the early days of the community.

A game that could run smoothly even on low-spec computers, had no subscription fees or cash-shop elements, and yet wasn’t widely known.

At the time, Su-hyeok was overflowing with hipster tendencies, so he wandered around looking for a game that fit those conditions and eventually discovered **Seronis**.

Chuk Shin-do and Cat Panties had taken a different path from Su-hyeok. The two of them came from a domestic indie game community and started Seronis because they wanted to try out the “trash game” that had been gradually gaining word of mouth there.

Back then, Su-hyeok had adopted the concept of the solitary gaming expert.

To maintain that persona, he never wrote pointless posts on the boards and only participated in in-depth discussions about the game.

For example, if someone posted recommending a certain skill as good, he would painstakingly rebut it by pointing out its fatal flaws.

If someone bragged about their character build, he would meticulously point out everything wrong with it.

If someone posted a so-called guide, he would personally follow it himself and then leave a long review with impressions and feedback.

The moment he enjoyed most was when someone said, “So how good are you, then?”

Whenever that happened, Su-hyeok would respond with dozens of lengthy posts showing just how serious and deeply he had analyzed the game.

[Seronis Physical Damage Skill Rankings]
[Seronis Monster Level Rankings]
[Best DPS Metrics from the Strategy Board]
[Why THOR123’s Lightning Magic Tree Is Trash]
[Why You Should Raise Physical DPS Instead of Magic DPS]
.
.
.

[Is that Korean guy faking his character stats?]
[He photoshopped the numbers, didn’t he?]

When refuting slander like that, he didn’t even need a translator.

[SHUT UP.]
[FUCK YOU.]
[YOUR MOTHER.]

That was how the three Koreans met on Seronis’s foreign community, and eventually FUCKINGSEXY and USAUSAMI₍ᐢ.ˬ.ᐢ₎—whose nationalities were unknown—joined in too.

The solitary gaming expert Su-hyeok found it extremely unfair and unpleasant to be lumped together with those four pests, but he’d grown oddly attached to them, so they still chatted.

—

—

A few years ago.

An event injected life into the stagnant community. A veteran player named REDCOW discovered the first hidden boss.

Though REDCOW failed to clear it, he revealed the hidden route’s entry method in order to revive the dying community.

All the long-time veterans still clinging to Seronis entered the hidden route and challenged the hidden boss known as the “God of Chaos.”

News of the newly discovered hidden boss spread beyond the community.

Even the old veterans who had quit before things went stale returned to challenge it. Many newbies joined as well. Then a user named ZEROMAN became the first to clear it, unlocking the Hall of Fame.

Su-hyeok and the four pests, who had been challenging the hidden boss too, began seriously aiming for the Hall of Fame.

[How about we line ourselves up from 1st to 5th among us? ㅇㅅㅇ]

Cat Panties, who had come from the domestic indie game community with Chuk Shin-do, was already famous back home as a netkama.

Whether Cat Panties was actually a girl or a guy was unknown—but at the time, perhaps inspired by USAUSAMI’s concept, they aggressively copied it and used disgusting emoticons.

[I’ll take 1st place.]

While the community buzzed with strategies for the hidden boss and the newly unlocked Hall of Fame, FUCKINGSEXY—who stubbornly kept posting three daily masturbation diaries along with pretty-boy photos and illustrations—showed strong enthusiasm and accepted Cat Panties’ proposal.

There wasn’t really any reason to refuse, so USAUSAMI, Su-hyeok, and Chuk Shin-do also joined.

Since none of the five wanted to give up first place, they aimed to clear it at the exact same time and share first place together.

But things in life don’t always go according to plan.

[My bro’s coming to Korea lmaoooooo]

The first to drop out of their shared first-place goal was Chuk Shin-do. A friendly match had been arranged between the overseas football club of his beloved world-class star and the Korean league’s all-star team.

[Booking success lmaooooooo]

An exhibition match with a foreign team. A world-star player visiting Korea. There were countless selling points, so huge numbers of people tried to book tickets.

Chuk Shin-do managed to secure the most expensive premium-zone seat and went berserk on the community for hours.

[Going to see my brooooo lmaoooo]

At that point, promises were far from his mind.

Not long after, Chuk Shin-do said he couldn’t stand playing this shitty game anymore—and then achieved first place in the Hall of Fame.

Before the exhibition match even took place.

—

—

 

“May I follow you as well?”

At the cautious question, Orca turned her head. While fastening the buttons of her vest, she thought for a moment, then nodded readily.

“Seems you’re curious about the Martial Zenith’s power. **Full-Moon Play** is a tremendous madman, but it’s rare to get the chance to witness a master of that level.”

“That too, but… I’m worried about Bakered-nim.”

“Ah, that’s true as well. The reason Wolf Fist came to Lutran was also to spar with **Full-Moon Play**.”

At that answer, Orca looked at Yuri with approval.

“So you trained with him almost every day for a month. Do you see Wolf Fist like a teacher now?”

“A little, yes.”

“Understandable to worry. The gap between the 6th Rank and the 7th Rank is different.”

Orca closed the space she had opened and strode forward.

Click.

The phonograph on the desk moved on its own, its brass horn rotating toward Orca.

[Tower Master?]

Lacy’s voice flowed out.

[Did you call? Seems the conversation is over. Should I come up now?]

“No, you don’t need to. I’m taking Yuri out now.”

[Huh…?]

“Tell Elena this. **Full-Moon Play** has arrived at Lutran’s eastern gate, and I’m taking Yuri to see him. Nothing worth worrying about will happen, but if she’s concerned, she can come to the eastern gate.”

[Full-Moon Play…? That crazy possessed guy’s here? But why are you taking Yuri?]

“Sightseeing.”

With that, Orca snapped her fingers. Static crackled, and the phonograph stopped.

“Is the difference of one rank really that big?”

At the late question, Orca laughed as she walked toward the window.

“The higher the rank, the more drastic the gap. Same for martial artists and mages. Especially from the 6th Rank onward, the difference with the next rank becomes enormous.”

Creak.

The huge window opened on its own. Wind from the top floor blew the curtains.

Tying her loose black hair back, Orca turned to Yuri.

“No matter how well Wolf Fist fights, he can never beat a 7th Rank like **Full-Moon Play**. The only fortunate thing is that while he’s crazy, he’s not crazy about killing. So even if he loses the spar, he won’t die.”

During the month of training, Yuri had heard about Bakered’s duels several times. Bakered had become known for dueling long before reaching the 6th Rank and had suffered many defeats.

But this was his first time sparring a 7th Rank Martial Zenith. Just as Orca was certain, Bakered himself was certain of his defeat.

‘What matters is what you gain from defeat.’

He had said that calmly just days ago.

Yuri remembered that expression and unconsciously clenched his fist.

“Come closer to me.”

Standing on the open window frame, Orca beckoned.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“That’s exactly it. From now on, you’re going to experience the unique magic of Dercia’s Tower Master, Heavenly Thunder Orca—‘Thunder God form.’ Never thought I’d let someone who isn’t even a mage or prospective disciple experience it.”

“Can’t we just walk?”

“Take it as an honor and get closer.”

He had only asked to follow, but never imagined it would be like this.

Swallowing, Yuri stepped closer.

A month ago, when Elena and Orca had descended into the garden as lightning, Elena had been tucked under Orca’s arm like baggage.

‘Do I have to be like that too?’

No.

Instead, Orca wrapped an arm around Yuri’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

With her low voice, immense mana surged.

Yuri immediately focused, sensing the flow of mana—trying to grasp even a fragment of Orca’s Thunder God form.

‘Ah.’

It was absurd.

No matter how high a possessor’s understanding of mana might be, comprehending this was impossible. An overwhelming volume of information—something that couldn’t even be expressed as a spell formula—dizzied Yuri’s mind.

‘This mana isn’t entirely nature’s.’

A mage uses the mana that exists in the world to cast spells.

But a great mage’s unique magic was different.

After refining magic for countless years and accumulating mana within their very soul, they used the mana of their soul—the mana that could be called the life and history of themselves as a “mage.”

‘So this is soul power…’

A force that stood opposed to a high-rank martial artist’s will.

The unique mana a great mage accumulated over a lifetime.

Orca’s soul power resonated with surrounding mana and manifested the Thunder God form.

‘Even if I analyze and understand the spell structure… to actually manifest this as magic… I’d first need a way to replace the soul power required to activate it.’

Unique magic wasn’t something you could simply use just because you knew the formula.

Just as a martial artist must interpret the incantations and train their body to learn a new martial art, a mage needed long study to make another’s unique magic their own.

From this brief experience, Yuri realized something clearly.

This wasn’t something shallow enough for a possessor to understand instantly.

—

—

—Bzzzt!

His body was no longer a body.

Everything that composed it became lightning qi.

Only the soul remained, blending with the lightning.

It felt as though he had become lightning with a will.

In truth, Yuri had now mixed with Orca and become a single bolt of lightning.

A purple streak split the sky.

The scenery of the Dercia Magic Tower and Lutran city receded in an instant.

[Isn’t it a fascinating sensation?]

It wasn’t sound.

Orca’s will seeped directly into Yuri.

[Still far slower than real lightning. That can’t be helped. Even if the body becomes lightning qi, the soul can’t keep up with lightning’s speed.]

Lightning traveled at nearly 100,000 kilometers per second.

An absurd unit of speed.

It made sense that a human soul and mind couldn’t follow it.

[If you’re careless, your soul shatters or separates from your body. You either die—or end up wishing you had.]

A chuckling laugh.

Right now, Orca was greatly slowing down the speed so Yuri wouldn’t end up like that.

Which meant—if Orca used Thunder God form alone, she would be far faster than this.

It was hard to believe that even someone like her had nearly died to someone’s trap fifteen years ago.

[We’re here.]

—Bzzzt!

The lightning scattered.

As his body reassembled and his soul settled back inside, a dizzying vertigo struck him. His legs nearly gave out, and only after barely steadying himself did he understand why Orca had carried Elena like baggage that time.

“Well? Fun, isn’t it?”

He heard her chuckling question, but nausea churned his stomach like motion sickness, and he couldn’t answer immediately.

Soon, his spinning vision recovered.

They were already atop the city wall.

Yuri steadied his breathing and looked up.

Beyond the railing, Chuk Shin-do stood in the air.

He was still bouncing the **Demon-Guiding Orb** with his feet—thud, thud—but unlike before, he wasn’t approaching.

“Still making a noisy entrance, I see.”

Chuk Shin-do spoke.

Despite being a Martial Zenith martial artist, he didn’t wear Namgung Jin–style Chinese robes.

A plain white T-shirt, a black jacket, short hair styled upward…

Regardless of clothes or features, it was painfully obvious who he modeled himself after.

‘You showed up like that and you’re calling someone else flashy?’

Descending as a bolt of lightning was flashy too, but not as much as Chuk Shin-do.

Still bouncing the **Demon-Guiding Orb**, he stared straight at Orca.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“Not enough response.”

“What?”

“I could enter whenever I want. But if I just walk in like that, it feels disappointing.”

The **Demon-Guiding Orb** stopped midair.

He caught it with one hand and tucked it at his side, grinning.

“Look. Just because I came here, someone as important as you rushed out. But it’s still not enough. I need more reaction.”

So the lunatic was standing here just to get more attention.

“You don’t think Alfreon Ascad himself will come out here, do you?”

“The great head of the Ascad family wouldn’t personally come here.”

Chuk Shin-do kept his sparkling smile, staring at Orca.

“Since you mentioned that name, sounds like you already heard why I came to Lutran.”

“I didn’t expect you to become an errand boy for the Ascad family.”

“If the payment’s elixirs, I’m happy to do some chores. But ‘errand boy’ sounds unpleasant. Let’s call it business.”

He laughed heartily and turned his gaze.

“By the way, who’s that kid?”

Black eyes landed on Yuri.

‘This feels like torture…’

He had first heard about Chuk Shin-do, then seen him in Orca’s room, and now stood face-to-face with him.

Through all of it, what tormented Yuri most was the laughter.

He desperately suppressed it and held his expression still.

He couldn’t laugh at the name “Chuk Shin-do.”

Laughing at that name alone would be no different from revealing himself as a possessor.

Hangul? Yuri himself naturally used a language he’d never learned—did the language of someone’s name even matter in this world?

Besides, that lunatic had been infamous as a villain since their overseas community days.

Even though his username “Chuk Shin-do” was written in Korean, the community knew exactly what those three syllables meant.

He always used soccer player images as memes and live-commentated every match.

And just look at him.

Any possessor would recognize him instantly and burst out laughing.

How many possessors had laughed at that appearance and name before?

And what had happened to them?

Maybe that iron ball called the **Demon-Guiding Orb** hadn’t only smashed the heads of demonic cultists—but countless possessors’ heads too.

Yuri didn’t want his skull crushed by that ridiculous metal sphere.