Chapter 96

# 96

User Manual for the Reincarnated 096

Yuliena (1)

An unpleasant voice echoed.

-Aaaah...

For some reason, my legs started trembling uncontrollably.

Actually, the dungeon boss of the rare-grade dungeon, the Garden of Terror, was not really a proper dungeon boss. The owner of the garden was merely large in size, and even its only advantage, its recovery ability, was insufficient to withstand the party members' attacks.

But the woman in front of me is different. Even I, who know nothing, can sense that something is off.

Instinctively, I feel overwhelmed.

I realize that she is the predator and I am the prey.

At that moment, I found myself longing for the warmth of Kim Hyun-sung's back.

'Hyun-sung... Are you okay?'

-Aaaah... Gedrick... My Gedrick! You finally came to see me...

'What the hell is this?'

-You finally came to find me. My beloved Gedrick!

After her neck twisted unnaturally, she stretched out her hand towards us.

For a moment, I considered pretending to be Gedrick, but it would be too risky to take the lead in such a place. The best strategy is to blend in quietly at the back and wait in the safety of the frontliners.

'Is she blind?'

Just as Kim Hyun-sung took another step forward,

-Aaaaaah.

'...'

-You are not him. You are not him.

She furrowed her brows and then opened her eyes wide.

I didn't expect her eyes to be normal, but what I saw under her eyelids was pitch-black darkness.

I couldn't tell if they were gouged out or just invisible to me, but it felt like I was being sucked in.

A shiver ran down my spine due to a physiological aversion.

'Damn...'

-You are not him. You are not him!

The ground shook, and the dungeon's interior trembled with a thud.

A strange energy, not exactly mana, spread in all directions, and the continuous voice made me instinctively cover my ears.

When blood threatened to spurt from my throat, a barrier enveloped the entire expedition.

Seon Hee-yeong was using holy magic to block the energy.

-You are not him!

"Prepare for battle. Mages, start casting spells. Priests, maintain your holy power. We've determined that this monster doesn't draw aggro, so we'll operate as defensively as possible. This will be a long fight."

"Yes."

Surprisingly calm, Yi Sang-hee held up a large shield to protect the backliners.

It felt reassuring.

As soon as he started chanting, mana began to rise from various directions.

The frontliners' job is to buy time until the casting is complete.

Of course, our side wasn't idle either.

Led by Kim Hyun-sung, a few of us started charging towards Yuliena.

'Hang in there, Kim Hyun-sung.'

Energies that are neither magic nor holy power burst out in all directions. It's probably hers.

'Yuliena.'

"Prepare defensive spells."

-You filthy creatures... You dare to... invade this place... this place!

Crack!

A black sphere scraped the ground and charged towards us, a terrifying sight.

The unknown energy approaching me, ready to engulf me, was not a pleasant scene.

Yi Sang-hee, who had suddenly blocked the path, raised his shield to block the heavy attack.

Though he managed to block it, it wasn't easy. I could see holy magic being cast on his distorted face.

'This is tough...'

The method of hunting this monster is different from the usual.

While the garden lord's aggro was focused on the frontliners, Yuliena doesn't seem to have a specific target.

She's acting like a madwoman.

To protect the relatively weaker backliners, the frontliners have to stick close to her, making it difficult to deal with her.

The casting time for spells is longer.

Since this is a long fight, the tanks need to be more cautious to prevent any damage to the priests.

The agile archers won't get much help.

As Jung Hae-yeon and Hwang Jung-yeon opened their mouths, massive spells filled with mana burst out.

They seemed to envelop the madwoman, but soon a black sphere began to wrap around her again.

I recited the spell I had been memorizing and released it at that moment.

"......!"

A giant arm appeared in the air and fell, ready to crush Yuliena, who was enveloped in the black sphere.

Crack!

The party members' expressions showed a moment of surprise.

As the dust settled, Yuliena looked at us.

-How dare you... How dare you!

My spell is classified as physical. I felt it dealt some damage, but the news wasn't entirely welcome.

'Oh no...'

For some reason, the black sphere seemed to be heading towards my area.

The unknown energy kept falling.

Kim Hyun-sung, fearing I might be hurt, couldn't approach and was blocking attacks with his sword.

If I weren't here, the hunt might have been easier.

'Is this what a hero-grade dungeon is like?'

I didn't expect it to be easy, but it's tougher than I thought.

Explosions echoed, the ground cracked, and the entire dungeon shook.

'Park Deok-gu can't handle this.'

That's probably why Kim Hyun-sung isn't moving properly.

Yi Sang-hee is definitely doing his part, but Park Deok-gu, with his low mana and resistance, isn't much different from me.

He's doing his best, but he can only block small attacks.

The only thing keeping me going is that she hasn't unleashed any curses yet.

I thought such out-of-spec techniques, which can't be countered by holy or magical power, would have limitations or cooldowns, but it seems they can be used more frequently than I expected.

If I start hallucinating in this situation, it could get even more dangerous.

I need to make a decision.

I want to avoid any risky situations. The most rational thing to do is to speak up.

"Aaaaah. My Yuliena!"

To my surprise, she flinched.

-Ged, Gedrick?

The battle paused for a moment when my voice broke through.

The expedition members looked at me, but I didn't feel obligated to explain.

They'll all know soon enough.

"Yuliena! My Yuliena!"

-Gedrick! Ah, you came. Gedrick! You came.

"Yuliena! I've searched for you through the ages. This shrine!"

-Gedrick, finally you... finally...

"Yuliena!"

-No, you're not Gedrick.

'Damn.'

"Many ages have passed, Yuliena. While you've been bound to this shrine, I've undergone many changes. Countless years have passed. My manner of speaking, my existence, everything has changed."

-No, you're not Gedrick.

"Yuliena! My beloved Yuliena!"

-You're not Gedrick!

"Yuliena, I've changed, but I still remember that day. I've always kept our memories in my heart."

-Ah...

"Those precious memories..."

-Ged... rick?

I don't know what day it is, but something must be coming back to her.

Black tears flowed from her hollow eyes.

It's a grotesque sight.

I frowned at the grotesque feeling but didn't want to show it in my voice.

I thought it would be best to keep working on her.

If I need more details, I'll run out of ideas.

-If you mean that day...

I felt uneasy, thinking she might ask again.

"We were... Aaaaaah! Yuliena!"

-Gedrick!

"These people are suppressing me, Yuliena! Aaaaaah!"

Yi Sang-hee, Park Deok-gu, and Seon Hee-yeong stared at me with wide eyes, and Jung Hae-yeon sent a jealous look.

'Everyone is... clueless.'

I missed Lee Ji-hye, who would be working hard right now.

I kept gesturing to Hwang Jung-yeon, who seemed to understand and nodded.

But...

"Foolish Yuliena! Foolish Yuliena! You, you, the one you love, Gedrick, is in our hands!"

'What a crazy act.'

I was almost disappointed, having expected a bit more from her acting in a daily drama.

I was worried that Yuliena might change her mind after seeing Hwang Jung-yeon's performance.

Her face was red, probably embarrassed, but fortunately, Yuliena didn't doubt her act.

"Yuliena! Don't save me. Yuliena! Run... now... these people..."

-Gedrick!

"Run! Yuliena!"

-You dare! You dare! To Gedrick!

I don't care if it's Gedrick or just nonsense.

But it's surprisingly effective.

She might still be suspicious, but she can't keep thinking that way. Gedrick, whom she's waited for her whole life, is about to die.

It's natural for her to react this way.

'The problem is her rampant behavior...'

She won't attack the backliners.

Because her beloved Gedrick is being held there.

Unlike the others, who were dazed, Kim Hyun-sung immediately charged at Yuliena, swinging his sword.

Kim Hyun-sung isn't at the level to dominate a hero-grade dungeon yet.

In fact, he's still in the growth phase.

But the fight between Yuliena, who keeps charging at him, and Kim Hyun-sung, who tries to block her, is impressive even to me.

Kim Hyun-sung blocks the black energy extending from all directions with his sword.

Despite the limited attack range, Yuliena unleashes numerous attacks on Kim Hyun-sung, who stands in her way.

Crack! Crack!

The same sounds echoed, and they were exchanging blows that defied my understanding.

'Wow...'

Kim Hyun-sung extends his sword, but it's blocked by the black energy.

Yuliena's black energy, which looks like tentacles, strikes Kim Hyun-sung, but our beloved reincarnated one blocks it effortlessly.

The dazzling exchange of blows amazed not only our party members but also the remaining Blue Party members, who gaped in awe.

It was hard to find the right timing to intervene.

-You filthy scum... Can't you get out of the way?

"..."

-Gedrick! Gedrick!