Two options?
Leinas's body trembled slightly, her eyes flickering with hope and disbelief.
She had hoped that the alchemist before her could find a solution to her curse—
But even so, she never imagined it could be resolved in just one night.
"As long as you can lift the curse on my face, I'm willing to pay any price."
Leinas stepped forward, her gaze serious and unwavering.
"Hmph."
A low scoff came from the couch.
Imina leaned back, arms still crossed, her amber eyes filled with skepticism.
"Don't celebrate too soon."
Sakeer cast Leinas a glance, completely uninterested in whatever "price" she was offering.
Then, he stated calmly:
"Learn to control the power of your own curse. Once you become proficient in wielding it, the curse on your face will naturally fade."
The room fell silent.
Leinas blinked in confusion.
Sakeer, on the other hand, was already certain.
After a night of careful analysis, he had concluded that the decay on Leinas's face wasn't solely due to the monster that cursed her—
It was also because she had no control over the cursed energy within her.
If she could simply master that power, the curse itself would no longer erode her flesh.
By Sakeer's estimation—
If Leinas raised her [Cursed Knight] class to Level 3, she would likely purge the curse herself.
Ultimately—
The problem wasn't external.
It was a manifestation of her own uncontrolled power.
This also explained the disadvantage of people in this world skipping lower-tier professions and jumping straight to high-level classes.
In a game, a class change was just a mechanical upgrade.
But in this world—
A high-level profession wasn't just a title—
It was great power—power that had to be earned and mastered.
Even Sakeer, a player, had only been able to obtain this profession by using his "Genius" talent and spending six skill points.
Leinas, however, had received it through sheer luck—without understanding how to wield it properly.
Leinas stood frozen, her mind clouded.
"Control the power in my body?"
Of course, she wanted to master it.
But ever since she had gained this cursed power, she had no clue how to wield it—
Let alone control it.
Sakeer could already guess what she was thinking.
In this world, people couldn't just level up instantly like in a game.
To advance in a class, one had to train, learn, and refine their skills—
Just like how someone couldn't magically master advanced mathematics without first understanding basic algebra.
It wasn't a matter of effort.
It was a matter of foundation.
"The second way."
Sakeer's calm voice cut through Leinas's confusion.
She snapped out of her daze, quickly focusing back on him.
Then, he said it.
"Die once."
The words hung in the air.
For a moment—
The entire hall was silent.
"..."
Whoosh!
Imina hesitated for only a fraction of a second before she sprang into action.
Her slender waist twisted as she flipped off the couch, her hand flashing toward the dagger at her waist.
In one fluid motion—
She planted one foot on the living room table, her twin purple ponytails swirling in the air as she hurled her dagger at Leinas.
Boom!
The blade whistled through the air, splitting the silence with a sharp crack.
Leinas's expression shifted instantly.
Her face turned cold, her battle instincts kicking in.
With one hand, she snatched her gray robe and twisted it like a whip—
SNAP!
A sharp explosion of air—
The flying dagger was sent spinning off-course.
Imina didn't stop.
With two quick jumps, she landed at the base of the stairs, bow already drawn.
"Target Lock!"
Her amber pupils flashed, a faint brown glow radiating from her arrow.
Whoosh!
The arrow fired, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.
Leinas didn't hesitate.
She reached for the small pouch at her waist—
A pouch that looked like a hydration bag, but wasn't.
In one swift motion—
She pulled out a black spear, nearly as tall as a man.
"Flowing Water Acceleration!"
With a low growl, Leinas's body exploded with killing intent.
Her form split in two—
Two blurred afterimages darting forward from opposite directions—
Only to merge back into one a second later.
But at that moment—
BZZZZT!
The air shook violently.
A blinding white lightburst between Imina and Leinas.
The glow solidified—
Taking the shape of a radiant figure.
An angel.
No—
An Archangel Flame.
BANG! BANG!
The Archangel Flame swung its flaming sword—
Clashing against Leinas's black spear with a heavy impact.
Imina's arrow, aimed straight at Leinas—
Instead slammed into the Archangel Flame's silver armor, leaving a deep dent.
The three forces collided—
Sending a shockwave through the room—
CRASH!
Furniture toppled over, the living room shaking under the sheer force of the battle.
Angel?
No, an Archangel Flame?!
Imina and Leinas froze mid-action, their gazes snapping toward—
Sakeer.
Who stood calmly on the stairs—
His face a picture of mild confusion.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Sakeer's eye twitched as he took in the scene before him.
In the blink of an eye, the two women had erupted into battle, their weapons clashing with lethal intent.
"Are you not the one who said to kill her?"
Imina remained in position, bow still drawn, her gaze flickering toward the towering Archangel Flame.
Tch. As expected.
Last night, when they were attacked by those three intruders, this guy barely seemed fazed.
He definitely had something up his sleeve.
But summoning an angel?
And not just any angel—
A third-tier Archangel Flame?!
That put it at least at Platinum-tier among adventurers.
The thought steadied Imina's grip on her bow.
Now that she understood the situation, her confidence solidified.
The blonde woman before her was strong—no doubt about that—
But with the Archangel Flame pinning her down in close combat, and herself providing ranged support—
Victory wouldn't be too difficult!
Leinas didn't speak.
Her grip on the black spear remained firm, pushing back against the archangel's flaming sword.
A sharp creaking sound echoed where the two weapons met, neither side yielding.
Her long golden hair fell over her right cheek, obscuring most of her face—
Making it impossible to read her expression.
"...My bad. I phrased that poorly."
Sakeer finally spoke, sighing as he waved his hand.
In an instant, the Archangel Flame dissolved into a scattering of white light, fading from existence.
His gesture made it clear—
He hadn't intended any real hostility.
"Hey."
Imina exhaled sharply, lowering her bow with an unimpressed look.
"Don't joke about something like that. Telling someone to die once isn't exactly funny."
Sakeer felt a headache coming on.
Sure, maybe his wording had been a bit off—
But Imina attacking without hesitation? Acting with deadly intent the moment she misunderstood?
That was way more of a problem.
Then again...
She was a mercenary.
That was just how she operated.
"I don't find jokes amusing, either."
Leinas flicked her spear behind her with a swift motion, standing tall once more.
Her expression was icy, her white cheeks devoid of emotion.
Sakeer met her gaze, still calm.
"No, I wasn't joking," he said, his tone unwavering.
"I meant exactly what I said—at the cost of dying once, then having someone cast 'Resurrection of the Dead' on you, the curse would be lifted."
Silence followed his words.
This wasn't some random idea.
It was a known method—
A way to purge abnormal conditions through forced level degradation.
'Resurrection of the Dead' was a fifth-tier spell—
A magic that only those in the Hero Realm could wield in this world.
While it was considered advanced magic, among resurrection spells, it was actually the lowest tier.
Anyone revived by it would suffer a four-level drop in strength.
But in Leinas's case—
She only needed to drop one level to rid herself of the curse.
However—
Other resurrection spells didn't work the same way.
The seventh-tier spell, "Resurgence", only caused a three-level drop.
The ninth-tier spell, "True Resurrection", reduced it by only two levels.
And the problem was...
There was no evidence that anyone in this world could even cast those higher-level spells.
Aside from those three, Faith-based resurrection spells existed, but none of them were suited for suicide-induced level degradation.
Leinas's dark blue eyes flickered as she processed Sakeer's words.
She could tell—
He wasn't trying to mock her.
He was genuinely trying to find a way to lift her curse.
But still—
This method...
It wasn't something a normal person could easily accept.
'Resurrection of the Dead?'
There were maybe a handful of magic chanters in the entire Baharuth Empire who could even cast it.
And the cost of hiring one of them?
Not to mention—
The biggest issue wasn't even the magic itself.
It was the dying part.
No matter how much Leinas was willing to sacrifice to lift her curse—
Dying, even once, was a terrifying gamble.
There was no guarantee she'd actually come back.
If something went wrong, she'd be gone for good.
"Tch."
A voice of mock amusement broke the tension.
Imina smirked, glancing at Leinas from the corner of her eye.
"Letting a beautiful woman die... How ruthless," she mused, her tone half-mocking, half-genuine.
After listening to their conversation, she had pieced together the situation.
And she had a pretty good guess about who this woman really was.
(End of Chapter)