Chapter 13

Infinite Skill Copying with EX-Grade Interpretation Chapter 13

I sprinted at full speed toward the source of the explosion. The moment we arrived, we were greeted by a massive inferno soaring as though it would swallow the sky.

“Holy shit... An entire building is burning?”

Yuri muttered blankly.

The entire five-story commercial building was screaming beneath blazing red flames.

The heat pouring out dozens of meters away painfully scorched my skin, while black smoke rose like a venomous serpent coiling around the sky.

“You can’t go in! This is a restricted area... All civilians, please evacuate!”

A hunter maintaining the perimeter hurriedly stepped in front of us.

Because of the chaos, he seemed to have mistaken us for ordinary civilians. Yuri’s brow furrowed.

“Hey, you don’t know me? Can’t you tell what’s going on?”

“M-Ms. Yuri!? S-sorry!”

The hunter jumped in surprise and snapped into a rigid salute before Yuri. Yuri sighed in disbelief and shook her head.

“Forget it. So what happened?”

I was also curious about what exactly had happened, so I stepped beside Yuri and waited for the hunter’s explanation.

“S-so far, we believe it was simply a g-gas explosion!”

“A gas explosion?”

“Yes! It looks like the flames spread to the mana-stone engine room immediately after the explosion and grew out of control.”

Yuri rested her chin on her hand and fell into thought for a moment.

But I couldn’t shake my doubts.

Just a gas explosion? Even so, was it possible for an entire building to be engulfed in flames this quickly?

The flames were far too fierce, as though someone had deliberately scattered accelerant everywhere.

Above all, the timing was too convenient. It hadn’t been long since the Scabbard Guild had been attacked inside the Tower by an unidentified force.

And before that confusion had even subsided, a major accident like this occurred inside territory managed by the guild?

‘This isn’t just an accident.’

It was a perfectly reasonable suspicion. I could sense someone deliberately trying to divert attention or conceal something else.

“Put out the fire first. Call in more people. Everyone with water-type skills, every ice-type hunter, get them all over here!”

Yuri hurriedly issued orders and moved off to command the scene.

I watched Yuri’s retreating back for a moment, then scanned the burning building once more.

Was it really a coincidence? Suspicion led to more suspicion, and as though drawn by something, I began checking the darker corners around the building.

─Tap-tap!

Burning debris and sparks rained down from above. I narrowly twisted away from them and slipped deeper into an alley.

A wind laden with heat brushed across my cheek, but I couldn’t stop searching.

And finally, I found the most unnatural place in this strange fire scene.

‘Why hasn’t the fire spread here?’

It was a narrow, dark alley directly beside the building.

Even though the inferno was devouring the building, that small alley alone had barely even been scorched, as though protected by an invisible barrier.

Suspicious. I focused my eyes and swept my gaze across every corner of the alley. The moment a powerful desire to pierce through the truth crossed my mind, my vision shimmered blue.

─Crackle!

My ability, Interpretation, began to react.

[Traces of mana have been discovered.]

[Activating Interpretation.]

[Interpreting the surrounding area.]

Traces of mana?

The moment the message appeared, a strange sight unfolded before my eyes.

Tiny particles of light like fireflies, invisible to ordinary people, floated like ghosts along the walls and ground.

It wasn’t naturally occurring mana. These were traces of a skill someone had deliberately used.

As Interpretation progressed, the lights gradually left clearer marks.

‘Footprints...?’

Traces buried beneath soot and piles of dust connected together like dots. There wasn’t just one set. Several people’s footprints stretched in a line.

As though by agreement, they had fled deeper into the alley.

There was no doubt. They were people who had escaped from the accident scene.

No, they might even have been the ones responsible for causing it.

‘Let’s follow them.’

Holding my breath, I followed the glowing trail indicated by Interpretation.

Like a fish drawn toward an anglerfish’s lure, slowly.

But surely, I stepped into the darkness.

______________

The trail led deeper and deeper. The farther I followed it, the dimmer the streetlights became, and the heavier and murkier the air grew.

‘I’m getting closer to lawless territory.’

This was the very edge of the territory managed by the Scabbard Guild. Administrative control barely reached this far, and even the security systems were outdated, making it one of the worst areas for public safety.

It bordered what people commonly called the back alleys.

─Crash!

“Hey, you fucking bastard, you still owe me money!!”

Somewhere nearby, a bottle shattered, followed by a rough shout. It was the familiar noise of a lawless district.

Amid that noise, the clues revealed by Interpretation became even clearer. It was the moment my suspicion turned into certainty.

The end of the alley looked like a dead end, but behind a worn temporary wall was a small hidden clearing. Instead of immediately revealing myself, I activated a skill.

[Using the skill ‘Spirit Arts (B).’]

─!!

Faint particles of light gathered in one place, and a small spirit appeared.

I shared my vision with it and had it scout beyond the alley.

As the spirit carefully rounded the corner, a group of people entered its field of vision.

─Everyone made it here, right?

A voice sounded. It was the complete opposite of the rough shouting normally heard in the back alleys.

It was low and quiet, as though being suppressed as much as possible.

My instincts sounded an alarm.

It’s them.

‘What the hell are they plotting?’

Six or seven men stood with their heads lowered in a narrow clearing barely large enough for a few people.

They looked like criminals awaiting judgment.

Or herbivores thrown before a massive predator.

And in front of them sat a man arrogantly on an old plastic chair.

The long-haired man had roughly swept his hair back and held a cigarette between his lips.

‘Wait... that bastard.’

He looked familiar.

A white suit and sunglasses.

I remembered that bizarre outfit, the sunglasses still on despite it being nighttime.

There was no way I could forget that appearance.

A man from the organization hunting me was sitting right there.

Why were those bastards...

“Haha, seriously. This isn’t what we agreed on... So what are you planning to do about it?”

“We’re... sorry.”

“No, forget sorry or whatever. This isn’t what we agreed on, so what exactly are you planning to do?”

The man in the white suit exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke as he pressured the others.

Borrowing the spirit’s vision, I examined the backs of the men with their heads lowered. Then I spotted something tucked into their back pockets and drew in a breath.

[Using Interpretation.]

[Mana Stone Radio]

─Radios containing the same mana can communicate with one another.

─Current battery: 54%.

‘It’s the same model those bastards used in the Tower.’

At that moment, the scattered puzzle pieces in my head snapped together all at once.

Why the Scabbard Guild, known for its solid intelligence network, had been attacked without any warning.

The incident where their promising members were wiped out and Yuri had nearly been taken.

And now, this fire.

“You failed to kidnap the guild master’s daughter, and you couldn’t even eliminate the witnesses? You bragged that you could finish everything if we just supplied the manpower, then you even borrowed our men and this is the result?”

“Everything proceeded according to plan! But there was an unexpected variable...”

“A variable? You couldn’t control one variable and ruined the whole operation, yet you’ve got plenty to say?”

The cold tone of the man in the suit froze the clearing in an instant.

He was right.

Originally, their plan would have been perfect. The promising members would have died, the guild master’s daughter would have been kidnapped, and the Scabbard Guild should have been driven to the brink of collapse.

But.

‘They would’ve succeeded if it weren’t for me.’

I was looking directly at the result created by the variable that was me.

“So what are you planning to do now? Go on, tell me.”

“...For now. Until the Scabbard Guild settles down.”

“Settles down, my ass. The guild master’s daughter almost died. Sure, they’re really going to sit quietly. They’ll probably make the rounds of the other guilds and finish gathering information within the week.”

“Then we...”

“Your White Bone Guild is fucked.”

After speaking, the man in the suit rose from his seat. He threw his cigarette butt onto the ground and looked down at the guild members in front of him.

“Tell your guild master. The deal is off. And we’ll be coming to collect our payment... so wash your neck and wait.”

Despair filled the eyes of the White Bone Guild members.

The instigator was the White Bone Guild, while the organization in white suits was behind them. If I passed this information along, they could wipe them all out in one sweep.

I had obtained decisive evidence that could sound the victory bell.

But.

“And.”

That was when it happened. The man in the suit suddenly snapped his head toward the direction where I was hiding.

A chilling killing intent flowed out from behind his sunglasses.

“You little rat hiding over there. Do I look like a fucking idiot to you?”

My heart dropped. His senses were beyond anything I had imagined.

“Come back!”

I immediately recalled the spirit and turned around.

Damn it, I never expected him to detect a spirit while it was hidden!

─Tap!

[Using the skill ‘Acceleration (B+).’]

There was no time to waste. I explosively kicked off the ground and ran.

One step. The instant I poured strength into my foot, the surrounding scenery rushed backward, and a sensation as though space-time itself were warping wrapped around my entire body.

─BANG!!

The sound of tearing wind brushed my ears.

My body raced forward.

The alley ahead flew behind me in an instant, and the clearing grew farther away.

There was only one thought in my mind.

Get out of here and join up with the Scabbard Guild.

‘But something’s strange.’

I couldn’t hear any footsteps chasing me from behind.

Did he let me go? Or could he not keep up with my speed?

That careless thought had barely crossed my mind when.

─Whoosh!

─THWACK!!

A strange scraping sound came from above my head. It wasn’t footsteps.

It was the sound of something cutting through the air and embedding itself into a solid wall.

─Whoosh! Thwack!

The sound hadn’t come from behind me.

It came from above.

A horrifying premonition made me look down at the ground, and at some point a massive shadow had spread beneath my feet.

I instinctively snapped my head upward.

“Got you, you bastard.”

The man in the white suit was there.

He was flying between the walls of the buildings as though ignoring gravity.

Like a gigantic spider, he cut through the air while staring down at me, then dropped straight toward me.

─BOOOOM!!

“Guh, fuck...”

A heavy impact exploded into my side.

My body slammed straight into a collapsing wall, and my vision flashed white.

I forced myself to breathe and staggered back to my feet. Pain spread through my side like fire, but I gritted my teeth and glared ahead.

The man in the white suit leisurely walked out from the cloud of dust.

‘Is that... wire?’

─Whirrrrr!

I saw a thin silver wire retracting into the inside of his sleeve.

He had anchored that wire to the buildings, then used it to fly around.

“Wow... Look at this bastard. You’re fucking fast. What grade are you? You’re definitely above third-grade. Maybe somewhere around second-grade if you’re lucky?”

“Bullshit...”

“Pfft, yeah. What does it matter? You’re going to die here anyway. But you... you’re carrying something pretty interesting, aren’t you?”

His gaze settled on my waist.

The sword with the plum blossom emblem.

“So it really was you. The bastard who interfered with our guys in the Tower.”

There was no hiding it anymore, and no running away.

If I was afraid of information leaking out, I had to end this here.

I slowly gripped the sword hilt.

─Shing.

The cold metallic sound filled the alley.

Retreating now would only delay my death.

If I couldn’t kill him, I would die.

[Using the ability ‘Interpretation.’]

─Crackle.

Shimmering letters began to appear faintly in my vision.

[There is a difference in level.]

[Due to the effects of proficiency, Interpretation can succeed if given enough time.]

So I just need to hold out a little?

In that case.

[Using the skill ‘Acceleration (B+).’]

Once again, I kicked off the ground as the world seemed to slow around me.

The place I was aiming for was obvious...

His neck!

─CLANG!

The roar of metal colliding with metal shook the alley.

My sword stopped directly in front of his neck. A bundle of wires shot out from his wrist and spread like a shield, blocking the blade.

But I had gained something.

‘His reaction speed can’t keep up with my Acceleration.’

His reflexes were clearly one beat slower than mine.

He was barely managing to block, and the confusion at my speed was obvious on his face.

I had a chance.

─Clang! Clang! Clang!

I swung my sword without pause.

Again and again, he hastily wove the wires together like chains to defend himself.

Without allowing him even a single counterattack, I seized the initiative and pressed him relentlessly.

But something was strange.

Even though my attacks were clearly overwhelming him, his expression remained relaxed.

It was a peculiar look, as though he could already see every path my sword would take.

Just as I tried to create distance, I felt something cold around my ankle.

My body wouldn’t move.

No, I was tied up.

‘Wire?!’

At some point, wires spread across the ground had coiled around my legs like snakes.

─Grin.

The corner of his mouth curled upward.

The wires tightened in an instant, dragging my body directly in front of him.

At the same time, his enormous fist flew toward my face.

If that hits me, I die instantly.

[Using the skill ‘Weakening (B).’]

[Using the skill ‘Acceleration (B+).’]

─BOOOOM!!

His fist shattered the wall beside my head.

I twisted my body and avoided the punch by a hair’s breadth. Cold sweat poured down my back like rain.

‘No way.’

I hit him directly with Weakening.

His physical abilities should have dropped by at least thirty percent.

Yet his punch was still devastating.

He casually shook out his wrist and sneered at me.

“Ha, you bastard... You’re quick.”

I could feel my back growing drenched in cold sweat in real time.

He was slow, but strong.

And he compensated for his slowness with wires.

How do I fight him?

My stamina was draining rapidly. If this dragged into a prolonged fight, I would collapse first.

Should I stack more Weakening? Or wait for an opening and strike once?

Just as my thoughts grew tangled, a clear system sound struck through my mind.

─Ding.

[Interpretation complete.]

I narrowed my eyes and replayed what had just happened.

And the moment I checked the sentence that followed, a triumphant smile appeared on my face.

[Interpretation of the actions of the target ‘Eugene’ has been completed.]

[Interpreting the target’s experience and engraving it into your body.]

[You have acquired the skill ‘Wire Web (E).’]

My body now knew how the wire cut through the air and how to use its recoil to lift itself.

I adjusted my grip on my sword and stared directly at him.

Now he was the one who looked confused.

“You... What’s with that look in your eyes?”

“Who knows.”

Just as he had done, I snatched up one of the wires spread across the ground.

And I knew for certain.

You’re dead now.