Vol 7. Chapter 73: Today I Finally Know I Am Myself

“M-Muse?!”

Hefei’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to go find the teachers with Luka?”

Muse kept walking deeper inside, while the steel-shelled scorpions immediately surrounded her.

“This place is too far from the main road. If we wait for the teachers to be found and then come back, it’ll be too late. So I came to help you hold them off.”

“But it’s too dangerous here!”

Hefei completely panicked.

A moment ago, even when she was facing the swarm’s assault with death looming over her, she hadn’t been as frantic as she was now.

She shouted at Muse:

“Quick! Hurry and get out of here! If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”

Muse stopped where she stood, less than ten meters away from Hefei and Zorn.

And within those mere ten meters, steel-shelled scorpions howled and screeched between them.

Looking at Hefei across the swarm, Muse shook her head.

“If I turn and run, you’ll be finished for sure. Luka has already gone to bring back the teachers. Until they arrive, I’ll buy as much time as I can.”

“Muse, you...”

Hefei didn’t know what else she could say. Facing such circumstances, all she could do was believe that Muse could hold out until help came.

“Then please be careful, Muse. These scorpions can pinpoint your position precisely in the dark,” Hefei reminded her.

Zorn also shouted:

“And they’re immune to dragon flame!”

His heart raced, then he realized and muttered:

“Oh, right, you can’t use dragon flame anyway...”

Hefei shot him a vicious glare, then called to Muse again.

“In any case, these scorpions have extremely high defense and attack power. You must be careful. Zorn and I are completely out of magic and stamina—we can’t help you.”

“Alright, I understand.”

After that brief exchange, the steel-shelled scorpions swarmed in around Muse.

A few of them darted forward to probe her.

In the dim light of her faint flame against the absolute darkness, Muse couldn’t make out their movements clearly.

Only when two of them lunged straight at her did she barely manage to see.

Muse sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the probing strike, but her shoulder was slashed by one of them, leaving a bloody gash. She widened her stance, bent slightly, and watched her surroundings warily.

Crack—

A pebble bounced behind her with a crisp sound.

“There!”

Muse spun and fired a magic needle—but it hit nothing.

Her pupils tightened sharply.

“A trick...”

The instant she realized she’d fallen for their scheme, a powerful impact slammed into her back.

The swarm piled onto her from behind, knocking her to the ground.

Thankfully, Muse reacted quickly. The moment she fell, she rolled into a gap and forced herself up again.

“Hefei was right... this swarm really is far smarter than what’s written in the textbooks.”

Muse’s brow furrowed, her breath caught, not daring to miss the slightest sound.

But the screeches and the constant beating of wings rattled her head into chaos.

The scorpions circled above, not rushing to attack, as though toying with a pitiful prey before bedtime.

Suddenly, one shot down toward Muse.

This time, she sensed its approach.

But it was so fast—at this distance she had no time to conjure another magic needle. She could only meet it with her fist.

Her punch landed squarely, sending the creature flying several meters, slamming into the cave wall.

But after only a brief pause, the scorpion flapped its wings and flew back into the air.

By all logic, a B-rank small-class beast like the steel-winged scorpion, even with strong defenses, shouldn’t have been able to withstand Muse’s punch.

Even if she lacked an elemental attribute, her physical strength was at least that of a normal dragon. How could one punch not kill a scorpion?

“Great, it’s over...”

Zorn sighed against the wall in despair.

“If even our attacks can’t kill them, Muse has no chance either.”

Hefei clenched her fists tightly. She ignored Zorn’s defeatist words and kept her eyes fixed on Muse, who was fighting the swarm, silently cheering for her friend.

Then, from the corner of her eye, Hefei noticed two scorpions at her feet, barely alive.

Her brow furrowed. She reached out and picked one up.

“Strange...”

Zorn looked over. “What’s strange?”

“This one has no burn marks, no wounds at all—so how is it already dying...”

“Starved to death, maybe.”

Hefei gave him a blank stare, exasperated. She raised her gaze back toward Muse.

“Muse... could it be...”

Meanwhile, Muse avoided several more attacks and began counterattacking.

She focused her magic into her golden-red gauntlets so she could strike instantly at close range, without relying on conjuring from a distance.

Through repeated exchanges, this method worked—she began striking the scorpions down.

One after another, they fell from the air.

Hefei and Zorn watched in astonishment, finding it hard to believe.

“We just used up everything and barely killed any, yet she’s taking them down one after another?”

Zorn was baffled.

“And it doesn’t even look like she’s using elemental magic. Just pure magic power?”

Hefei slowly shook her head.

“I don’t know how. But one thing’s certain—”

She looked at the scorpion in her hand.

“Muse’s attacks can hurt these monsters.”

This was exactly what Muse had just discovered herself.

Pure physical strikes couldn’t harm them. But once her magic needles landed, they inflicted real damage.

It was like... Like slamming something against a wall from inside.

Her magic carried the property of “sound impact,” striking internal structures without breaking the surface.

The scorpions’ powerful defense depended entirely on their steel wings—and those wings happened to be the perfect medium for “sound impact.”

Realizing they couldn’t withstand this new enemy’s strikes, the scorpions pulled back.

Muse stepped back as well, breathing in short, shallow pants.

“Amazing, Muse! Just like that—wipe out these damn bugs!”

Zorn was fired up now. His face changed faster than a page turning. Who would’ve thought only moments ago he was cowering in fear?

Muse’s sudden advantage lit a spark of hope in Hefei too.

She smiled softly and whispered:

“So you were this strong all along...”

...

It seemed she had underestimated her friend.

The standoff lasted only briefly. Then part of the swarm shot upward.

Muse followed their movement with her eyes—then her heart sank.

Hefei and Zorn also realized their goal, and their smiles froze.

“No! They’re going to block the hole in the ceiling!”

“If they seal it, no light will come in at all!”

If that happened, the cave would become entirely their domain. Muse would stand no chance.

Right now, visibility depended on the last faint bit of light.

If that was gone, Muse would be blind—while the scorpions could still use echolocation.

Understanding this, Muse tried to target the ones heading for the hole.

But it was already too late.

The last ray of light disappeared. Shadows swallowed her. The cave filled with the chilling shrieks of the scorpions.

They whirled around her in the dark, crying out, as if taunting her—or celebrating.

Fear crept into Muse’s chest.

She had thought her sound-aspected magic needles could counter them. But if she ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ couldn’t see her targets—what then?

With her sight stripped away, the battle turned against her instantly.

Hefei shouted into the pitch-black void, reaching out with her hand.

“Run, Muse! Run!”

Again, Hefei was telling her to escape.

And this time, Muse truly felt the urge to flee.

Fear pressed down on her like the thick darkness and icy air. She took half a step back.

The way out was behind her. If she just turned and ran blindly, she might still escape the cursed nest.

But then... Hefei would be lost.

Could she really keep fighting with only her strength?

Her mind flashed with words from her father, from Aunt Rebecca, from Mr. Berang:

[A melody’s perfection depends only on you.]

[Whether you can wield fire magic or not, you are still you—even if you were born with flaws.]

[Then it has nothing to do with me anymore, right? And through all the failures, haven’t you already found your own path, little one?]

[Everyone defines perfection differently. You must have your own conviction, Muse. You must find the perfect melody that belongs to you.]

...

All this time, Muse had known the answer about herself.

She just hadn’t dared face it. She was afraid that once she looked, she would find her true self was nothing but weak and timid.

But now, with fear gnawing at her, Muse Melkvey finally accepted her imperfect self.

She raised her trembling arm, brought her hand to her mouth...

And bit down on her own wrist.

Sharp pain shot through her. Blood trickled down.

The pain cleared her mind. It steadied her.

“I can’t run... I absolutely can’t run... I can’t... run away anymore...”

She had always chosen to escape because she lacked confidence. Her parents and sisters had always been there to catch her.

But now—if she chose to stay a coward, she would lose her best friend.

She would never allow that.

Even if fear shook her body, she would force courage to rise in her heart... Even if it was only... a little.

“Calm down, Muse. There has to be a way. Dad said every living being has a weakness. If I observe carefully, I’ll find it. The steel-shelled scorpions find prey in the dark by emitting ultrasonic waves from their throats and analyzing the echoes. If I can disrupt those waves, I can ruin their targeting. And my magic has the ‘sound’ property—it should work... Yes!”

After this quick analysis, Muse relaxed her body, drew a deep breath.

She whispered softly, and let her magic flow outward, expanding from her body in all directions.

Not far away, Hefei and Zorn also felt the pulse of magic.

“Trying to drive them off with a magic burst? That won’t work,” Zorn muttered doubtfully.

But Hefei raised her hand, her fingertips sensing the faint tremors in the air. After a moment, she said:

“No—that’s not an ordinary surge of magic. There’s clearly something else in it... a new element. Listen, Zorn! They’re losing control! Muse’s magic has thrown off their echolocation!”

Zorn perked up his ears. It was true.

“She... she disrupted the scorpions’ sonar! How the hell did she do that?!”

Hefei shook her head lightly. “Who knows? But my father always said—the Melkvey family brings surprises.”

The swarm faltered, attacking wildly in confusion.

Muse realized disrupting them alone wasn’t enough. In chaotic melee, they could still kill.

She had to break them completely.

But how could she strike true in utter darkness?

She focused on the waves of her magic flowing outward. It was the first time she’d released so much at once.

It spread out like a sphere, expanding around her.

With its sound property, every reflection came back to her.

She lowered her gaze, flexed her hands. The waves returned, painting a picture in her mind.

She could see—without sight.

“Echolocation...”

Muse murmured:

“This ability... isn’t just yours, you filthy bugs.”

She raised her head, closed her eyes, and concentrated fully on the feedback.

From then on, Muse fought with her eyes closed.

Magic needles laced with sound burst from her fingertips like threads of golden light from her gauntlets.

Each one found its mark. Each one brought down a scorpion.

The air filled with crashing thuds and sharp clangs as the needles pierced steel wings.

That small figure darted and spun in the dark, eyes shut, her movements flowing like a dance.

Her golden-red gauntlets flashed, her fingers weaving like they played across piano keys.

She had found her rhythm—the rhythm of turning despair into triumph.

One by one, the scorpions fell.

Even the ones blocking the ceiling hole were shot down.

Light seeped back into the cave.

Muse stepped forward into the beam of light.

She reached out her hand toward her friend.

“Let’s go back, Hefei.”

In her future, Muse would encounter more radiant symphonies.

But here and now...

The long-lost confidence, the rekindled courage, the acceptance of herself, and the unshakable will to protect her dearest friend...

This was her perfect melody.