《Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy》 Chapter 1 Obtained the Cheat Rune

Chapter 1 Obtained the Cheat Rune

Hi everyone! I¡¯m excited to announce that I¡¯ve started tranting this novel, and I¡¯m using ChatGPT MTL which I¡¯m editing to provide the best possible experience for you. If you notice any error, drop a feedback, or you just want to say hi, drop ament. I¡¯m aiming to release new chapters regrly. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! I was transmigrated into a novel I enjoyed reading. It¡¯s a cliched setup, like bone broth. Unfortunately, it was the reality that hit me. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve written everything else well.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Just write down the rune information you possess in thisst box.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The rune. You have to write down the rune you possess to enter the Academy.¡± A female employee looked down at me arrogantly. This was the first scene I encountered when I transmigrated. At first, I thought I was being kidnapped or having a dream. Without notice, I gained consciousness in this random ce. But being kidnapped seemed too ordinary for me. I pped myself hard enough to hurt but everything remained the same, this wasn¡¯t a dream either. Only then did the words of the people around me and the female employee reach me. Rune. And the Academy. They were words that appeared in the novel I often read. So, in a world with runes and the Academy, I suddenly found myself in an unrted situation, right? Reflectively, I nodded my head. This is amon situation, and my future actions were already determined. ¡®Yes!¡¯ And so, I did what everyone does, ¡®Status Window!¡¯. ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (20) ¡òAbility: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 4] ¡ò [Mana: 2] ¡ò [Agility: 5] ¡ò [Divinity: 1] ¡ò [Stamina: 4] ¡ò [Willpower: 6] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Dagger Lv.1] ¡òPossessed Skills ¨C ¡òUltimate Skill ¨C Wow¡­ I¡¯ve only seen this in novels. But now I can see it directly like a hologram. I couldpletely feel it. The novel I frequently read in my original world. That¡­ I was transmigrated into . Personally, it was a novel I was very satisfied with, and I had noints about the plot I don¡¯t understand why this happened when I didn¡¯t even write a 5,700-characterint. But luckily, I can quickly adapt. It has already happened. Getting angry or frustrated wouldn¡¯t change anything. In situations like this, they don¡¯t send you back to reality, do they? Besides, my ¡®willpower¡¯ was at a considerably high level. A level higher than an average person¡¯s. It helped me stay calm even in unexpected situations. ¡®Next Rune Holder¡­.¡¯ is a typical leveling-up story. Set in a modern fantasy background, based on a game system. But unlike other game systems, The unique information called ¡®rune¡¯ determines most of the status window. Stats possessed skills and even ultimate skills. It controls all the values disyed in the holder information. That¡¯s what a rune is. ¡®It¡¯s all good until there¡­.¡¯ Everything¡¯s fine. is a novel that I enjoyed. It¡¯s a relief that the sudden transmigration was into this novel. But the name of the person I possess is Do Jae-hyun. A character I¡¯ve never seen in . Yes. Just like most transmigration novels. I, too, now possess an extra that no one notices. Damn it¡­ ¡°Excuse me, please write down the Rune information quickly. Don¡¯t you see someone waiting behind?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯m still a bit drowsy. I¡¯ll write it down quickly.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­I¡¯m so busy¡± Give me a break¡­ I just transmigrated, and I¡¯m still not in my right mind. I quickly opened the . All the information in the holder information can be examined in detail. For example, ¡òName: Dagger ¡òGrade: Normal ¡òLevel: 1 ¡òEngraved Area: Back of the left hand ¡òSpecial Effect: Agility +1 ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¡òDetails: Enables proficient use of a Dagger. Like this. This applies to skills and detailed attributes as well. It¡¯s concise, but it allows for an intuitive understanding of runes. I quickly started writing down the rune information on the application form. I wrote down just the name and level of the rune with no extras. There¡¯s no need to include other specific details. Since there will be a practical inspection during the entrance exam anyway. But more importantly, I wanted to get out of here quickly. Although I adapted with my high ¡®willpower, my current reality has not settled. I needed some time to myself and feel the environment. After applying, I turned to leave. Then I heard murmuring from the female employee behind me. ¡°¡­A dagger? Why are you hesitating with such a low-grade Rune¡­?¡± ¡®Wait, what?¡¯ ¡®Why does this woman keep picking a fight with me?¡¯ ¡®Does my current face look too like a pushover?¡¯ And I can¡¯t easily ept the evaluation of being a low-grade rune. Just because it¡¯s ssified as a normal grade doesn¡¯t mean its performance is low. They say that when you master [Dagger], you can even be an unstoppable assassin¡­ Of course, indeed, I waspletely lost right after the sudden transmigration. And I spent a lot of time reading and processing the information. Anyways, I¡¯m just about to enter the academy¡­ There¡¯s nothing to gain from causing trouble here. What¡¯s more important is understanding the reality and my surroundings. I entered the restroom in the building for a moment. And I called up the again. My name is Do Jae-hyun. 20 years old Has only one rune, [Dagger]. The average of all my stats is 4. ¡®Agility¡¯ and ¡®willpower¡¯ are slightly higher, while the rest is ordinary. ¡®Just an extra¡­.¡¯ No explosive abilities like the female lead Kang Juyeon. And there¡¯s no tremendous potential like the protagonist Park Jin-woo. Just an ordinary Rune Holder¡¯s information window. When admitted to the academy, youpete for rankings starting from the bottom. That was the extent of the information. ¡®But¡­.¡¯ The spirit imbued in Do Jae-hyun is extraordinary. A dedicated reader of ! The generous sponsor who owned the first volume! Deeply immersed to the point of purchasing the book set! I knew more about this world than anyone else. Major events and developments in the novel. All the information about Hidden Pieces was in my head. Of course, I haven¡¯t seen the conclusion. Before the conclusion, I suddenly possessed someone¡­ But even with this, an ordinary citizen can survive just fine. ¡®This is a world where runes are everything.¡¯ In , everything is determined by runes. Stats, skills, special effects. And even potential and growth possibilities. The potential of the runes is the potential of the Rune Holder. Even a street beggar can have a life-changing experience with good runes. Although the probability is close to zero. That¡¯s why I set short-term goals. To acquire all the runes I can get right now rather than focusing on growing the existing ones. Runes can be obtained artificially as long as individuals make an effort. This is a fact unknown to the public. I knew the methods of obtaining runes that people here didn¡¯t know, as I was a reader of the original novel. I n to acquire as many runes as possible before the entrance exam. Once I have a lot, they will surely be useful somewhere. ¡®Wasn¡¯t the entrance exam in a month?¡¯ Since I just wrote the application today, that should be about right. And by then, I could see Park Jin-woo and Kang Juyeon. Seeing the main characters I only read about in the novel with my own eyes? Oh, damn. I wanted to take the entrance exam as soon as possible. * * * Acquiring runes in is simple. Just get chosen. Whether the rune is rare or ordinary, all runes are naturally determined. Including Park Jin-woo¡¯s [Effort of the Seeker] and Kang Juyeon¡¯s [Unquenchable me]. At the moment when they be holders. Or they are suddenly obtained while growing the runes. They weren¡¯t runes that could be easily obtained just because I wanted them. But if they are not such special runes. Like [Sword] or [Bow],mon normal runes. There are methods that individuals can acquire through their efforts. It was a hidden piece that other holders didn¡¯t know. A method of rune acquisition unknown to the world. [You get used to the weight of the sword that cuts through the wind.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Acquires 1 strength with the rune¡¯s inclination.] ¡°Done!¡± The [Sword] rune was engraved on my body. This time, the condition was repeating the cutting stance 2,001 times. It was the result of mybored breath and blisters. For basic normal runes like [Sword], [Bow], and [Spear], such conditions determined by hidden pieces can be satisfied to artificially acquire runes. Considering that runes are assets to holders, knowing these methods of acquiring runes alone was a significant advantage. ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (20) ¡òStats: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 8] ¡ò [Magic: 2] ¡ò [Agility: 7] ¡ò [Divinity: 1] ¡ò [Stamina: 4] ¡ò [Willpower: 7] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Dagger Lv.1] ¡ò [Blunt Weapon Lv.1] ¡ò [Bow Lv.1] ¡ò [Axe Lv.1] ¡ò [Spear Lv.1] ¡ò [Cooking Lv.1] ¡ò [Sprint Lv.1] ¡ò [Sword Lv.1] ¡òPossessed Skills ¨C ¡òUltimate Skill ¨C A month ago. I had an average status window but now, apletely different status window from when I was ignored by the employees has been achieved. I have obtained seven additional runes, and as a result, various stats had evenly increased. There were various hidden pieces to artificially acquire runes. Like just now, repeating the cutting stance 2,001 times. Or shooting 1,880 arrows into the air. Or consistently running a certain distance at a certain speed for a month. ¡°¡­This is insane.¡± Methods that normal people could never imagine. But as a passionate reader of the novel, I remembered them. Thanks to that, I was able to acquire all the basic runes in about a month. ¡°I already have eight runes.¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t know if this will help with my growth. Naturally, the rune I was chosen for was [Dagger], which ultimately means I have a talent for assassination or throwing. But I couldn¡¯t ignore the stats obtained from the runes. A ¡®strength¡¯ of 4 from [Blunt Weapon], [Axe], [Spear], and [Sword]. ¡®Agility¡¯ of 2 from [Bow] and [Sprint]. And a ¡®willpower¡¯ of 1 from [Cooking]. With just these, my efforts of a month had already paid off. And as I initially thought, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have many runes in my possession. There are no specific limitations on acquiring runes as a holder. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± But at that moment. My new runes registered in . From [Blunt Weapon] to [Sword], they began to sparkle. A dazzling light that could fill the status window. Soon, it turned golden. New information windows appeared. Completely different from the ordinary information windows of previous stats, they were unique special information windows. Golden information windows. [Amazing Achievement! You have obtained ¡®Rune Hunter,¡¯ which is the exclusive possession of the chosen ones through your strength. As someone who has obtained seven Runes by fulfilling challenging conditions, you can be called a Rune Hunter without any shorings.] [You have obtained a new rune.] ¡òName: Rune Hunter ¡òRank: Epic ¡òLevel: Max ¡òEngraved Location: Heart ¡òSpecial Effect: After winning a duel, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. You can only replicate one rune from the same target, and the acquired rune is registered with decreased performance due to level reset. ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡òDetails: A rune that can be obtained by individuals through their efforts in artificially acquiring seven runes. Once someone obtains it, it bes a unique rune that cannot be obtained again. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± I stared nkly at the information window. My thoughts couldn¡¯t keep up with the sudden phenomenon. Something I had never seen before. An abnormal epic rune called [Rune Hunter]. I got the scam rune too easily. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 2 The First Rune Hunt (1)

Chapter 2 The First Rune Hunt (1)

In this world, runes are exclusive to holders. Therefore, obtaining a rune signifies the awakening as a holder. If chosen for the [Sword], one bes a holder who wields a sword. If chosen for [Fire], one bes a holder who uses fire magic. Once chosen, a rune represents the talent of the respective holder. Obtaining a rune by precisely executing 2,001 strikes with a sword¡­ Or shooting 1,880 arrows into the air to acquire [Bow]. This was a hidden piece of knowledge unknown to the world. ¡°Sung-hyun¡­ was it?¡± Sung-hyun, a character who was born as a member of a famous swordsmanship family but was not chosen as a holder. His overflowing desire for a sword led him to swing it thousands of times, and his seemingly meaningless gestures created the [Sword] rune, awakening him as a holder. He was also the first holder to use a hidden piece to create a rune with his own strength. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean that other ordinary people can be holders using this method. As it turns out, Sung-hyun had the talent to eventually be a holder. Only those who have the holder¡¯s talent and are familiar with the rune can obtain the rune with this hidden piece. At the starting point of the story, no one who knew about it. Even with passage of time, the method was barely reveled. But as an avid reader of the original work, I remembered it all. Including the other runes I obtained, such as [Bow] and [Spear]. The acquisition process was simr, with different characteristics. As an extra, I was able to obtain seven runes within just a month. ¡°¡­.¡± However, excluding these special cases, Runes given to holders are obtained during awakening. Or they can be obtained during growth or as dungeon rewards. That¡¯s the extent of the acquisition methods of this kind. Therefore, most holders strive to maximize the potential of the runes given to them. Even if it¡¯s an ordinary rune, they know it will be their livelihood in the end. The first rune given to me was [Dagger]. It¡¯s a basic rune that allows me to be an assassin. If I had stayed the same, I would have be an ordinary assassin. I obtained seven normal runes through hidden pieces, as a result, the cheat rune got acquired. Epic rune [Rune Hunter]. ¡°If you win in a duel, you can take the opponent¡¯s rune, right?¡± I rubbed my eyes and carefully read the information window. It still didn¡¯t feel real. Well, there are cheat runes like this, right? Although I¡¯m not sure about the criteria for duels, being able to take one of the opponent¡¯s runes is an incredible effect. No matter how strict the criteria may be, it wouldn¡¯t demand a life-or-death situation. In that case, the runes I could obtain with [Rune Hunter] are boundless. Various normal runes, including those with unique effects, and even top-tier Epic Runes like Park Jin-woo¡¯s [Effort of the Seeker] and Kang Juyeon¡¯s [Unquenchable me]. I could obtain all the key runes that lead to the climax. ¡°Oh, but I can¡¯t get Kang Juyeon¡¯s.¡± Unlike Park Jin-woo, a genius with growth potential, Kang Juyeon is an overwhelming genius who never loses the top spot. There was no way I, still at an ordinary level, could defeat her. To obtain her rune, I would have to wait for a long time. Regardless, it¡¯s certain that it¡¯s a cheat rune with impressive performance. Just having these delusional thoughts filled me with the excitement. Even if it¡¯s not a famous epic rune like rare runes or ordinary ones, it doesn¡¯t matter. The important thing was that there was a way to obtain them. The more runes, the better, as there is no downside to having more runes. ¡°I was so lucky¡­.¡± The reason why I, an utterly ordinary person, obtained such a cheat rune. There was only one reason for that. The luck of a transmigrator that rivals that of a beginner. The hidden piece of knowledge about the ¡®rune acquisition method¡¯ that others don¡¯t know. All of it was firmly ingrained in my memory. After finding the seven runes, I obtained this cheat rune. It was a unique coincidence that didn¡¯t even appear in the original novel. As a transmigrator, I could only attribute it to being extremely lucky. ¡°What are you so lucky about?¡± I heard a familiar voice. A style with hair casually tied to one side, giving off a hip vibe. Casual attire that subtly entuates her figure. A slightly cold impression radiating from the woman. Kim Chae-eun, my neighbor, was there. We became friends on the first day after we ended up in this ce. At the academy building where we were for the entrance application. Kim Chae-eun approached me first. -Uh? Is it next door? She was a character I had never seen before in . Just like Do Jae-hyun, she was an ordinary extra. Wait, does that make sense? Is it possible for someone this beautiful to be an extra? But after looking at myself in the mirror. After confirming Do Jae-hyun¡¯s probability, it made sense. Extra. They say only good-looking people be extras. The academy employee who gave me a straightforward evaluation on the first day. She was a person who didn¡¯t judge others based on appearance. She had the resonating values of a proper perspective¡­. -I¡¯m on my way home! Let¡¯s go together! Kim Chae-eun is livelier than her initial impression suggests. She seems to approach anyone, even those she just met, without hesitation. Even though we only knew each other by face since we lived next door¡­ We quickly struck up a conversation, became close while walking home on the first day, and met a few more times, eating meals together and forming a bond. If it weren¡¯t for her, it would have been difficult to find our house at that time. Come to think of it, after falling into a new world, I didn¡¯t even know where I lived. ¡°Just got chosen as an epic rune holder.¡± ¡°Tch. What luck. You¡¯re lucky to receive an epic rune from the start¡­ We ordinary holders struggle even in society.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± In an instant, I felt taken aback and agreed. Lucky to receive an epic rune from the start¡­ That was me. ¡°What time are you going tomorrow?¡± ¡°For the entrance exam?¡± ¡°Yeah, it starts at 2 p.m.¡± Tomorrow is the day of the holder academy entrance exam. Although it¡¯s called an entrance exam, admission is practically guaranteed. It¡¯s an exam to filter out those who falsely im to be holders. The most important aspect of the entrance exam is the ssification of students into sses. Categorizing them into upper-ss and lower-ss based on their rankings. From the academy¡¯s perspective, which focuses on nurturing advanced talents, it was a natural decision. ¡°But we still have to be there early¡­ Around 1 p.m.? Why?¡± ¡°What about lunch?¡± ¡°We have to eat before going.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat at your ce too!¡± ¡°Again?¡± ¡°Yes! I loved the pasta you madest time.¡± The drawback of the [Cooking] rune. After I made pasta at home once, Kim Chae-eun kepting and asking me to make it again. She seemed really impressed. Clearly, that¡¯s why she came today. ¡°¡­Are you prepared for the exam tomorrow?¡± ¡°What do you even prepare for in an exam? They assess you based on your usual abilities. It¡¯s an academy for learning, after all.¡± ¡°You say that, but I bet I can¡¯t beat you.¡± I gathered my training equipment while tidying up the surroundings. This ce was a private training ground where you paid to use it for a certain period of time. It was about time to return the equipment and head back. ¡°Thene in the morning. Around 11 a.m.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°And bring dessert.¡± ¡°Dessert? What kind?¡± ¡°Pudding. Grape vor.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Although Kim Chae-eun¡¯s gaze at me changed as if she were looking at a child. I couldn¡¯t help it. My taste buds hadn¡¯t changed even after entering this new world. *** Entrance exam day. After casually filming a pasta eating show at my residence. Kim Chae-eun and I were at the holder academy examination hall. ¡°Test number 311, applicant Do Jae-hyun, pleasee forward.¡± The entrance exam is divided into two main types. One is to verify if the holder actually possesses runes. The other is to assess the holder¡¯s rank. For the former, you can immediately confirm it by cing your hand on the measuring device in the examination hall, while for thetter, there are several tests to check it. As someone who submitted the [Dagger] rune, I had tests waiting for me, such as light dagger skills, throwing skills, and various stat measurements. Ding- ¡°It has been confirmed that the applicant is a holder with runes. Do Jae-hyun has been epted to the Seoul Holder Academy. Congrattions. Please proceed to the adjacent examination hall for ss assignment.¡± With a total of nine runes, including [Dagger], there was no chance of me failing the holder verification. After the holder verification, I went straight to the rank assessment examination hall to take the test. Ding- Ding- ¡°¡­.¡± Various measuring devices instantly disyed my scores. The supervisor sitting on one side of the examination hall muttered my scores with an expressionless face. ¡°Dagger skills: F, Throwing skills: F¡­ Overall holder ability: E¡­ Applicant Do Jae-hyun is temporarily assigned to the lower-ss. Congrattions.¡± The result was quite miserable. Even though I had arge number of runes, their growth hadn¡¯t urred at all, so it was perhaps expected. By the way, Kim Chae-eun was temporarily assigned to the middle ss. She was a holder of the magic-based [Freezing] rune. Surprisingly, her abilities and rune levels were decent. She was talking about us being ordinary holders and all¡­ In the end, she was a deceiver. ¡°Proceed to the adjacent examination hall. The final test, practicalbat, remains.¡± The reason for rune measurements and stat assessments being temporary ss assessments was that through the final test of ¡¯practicalbat¡¯, the final ss cement of the applicant is determined. Thisbat could only be conducted among applicants within the temporarily assigned ss. In other words, it meant that applicants from the upper ss couldn¡¯t engage with those from the lower ss. Considering the difference in skill levels from the start, it was a reasonable approach. And¡­ ¡¯Park Jin-woo will be assigned to the lower ss here.¡¯ The reason I was eagerly waiting for this practicalbat. The protagonist, Park Jin-woo. He owned the epic rune [Effort of the Seeker], and his temporary ss was the same as mine, the lower ss. It was my first opportunity to test the power of the [Rune Hunter]¡­ Surprisingly, it wasing sooner than expected. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 3 The First Rune Hunt (2)

Chapter 3 The First Rune Hunt (2)

is a growth-type hunter story. Naturally, the protagonist, Park Jin-woo, is weak in the beginning. His speed is decent, but his physical and magical strength is pathetic. Even his rune level is quite lowpared to other main characters. As a result, he was often ignored in the early stages. But there was one turning point that changed everything. ¡®Effort of the Seeker¡­.¡¯ [Effort of the Seeker]. An epic rune that maximizes the growth of a holder. It triples the rate of rune level growth and slightly increases attributes proportionate to training time. A straightforward rune that rewards effort with results. For Park Jin-woo, who was obsessed with training, it was a rune that suited him better than anyone else. If Kang Juyeon is a genius in the realm of talent, then Park Jin-woo can be considered a genius of effort. ¡°Jae-hyun, over here.¡± Kim Chae-eun was already there in the practice field. She smiled and waved her hand at me. I approached and sat next to her. ¡°Did you do well on the test?¡± ¡°No, I got ced in the lower ss.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a shame. I thought you would make it to the intermediate ss since you trained so hard.¡± ¡°Some areas can¡¯t be improved through training alone. It can¡¯t be helped.¡± As we chatted for a while, the practice field gradually filled up with applicants. In the center, the same stern supervisor from earlier took the microphone. ¡°Congrattions to all of you for being epted into Seoul Holder Academy. We will now proceed with the final test of the entrance exam, which is the practical duel. The practical duel will be conducted among the temporarily assigned sses, and it is an important test that affects your ss promotion and academic performance at the academy, so please approach it with caution.¡± The practical duel is a test to evaluate the entrance performance. Professors and supervisors from various fields observe the duel and makeprehensive assessments based on both existing abilities and practical skills. asionally, promotions are made based on the duel results. When practical skills far exceed measured abilities, promotions are based on the evaluated current abilities rather than potential. Moreover, it is an important test with various honors and benefits such as being ranked first or second, as well as academic schrships. ¡°But why do they specifically conduct duels? They could just capture monsters.¡± Kim Chae-eun asked quietly next to me. ¡­Did I pretend to know too much in front of her? I feel like she asks me questions even if there¡¯s a slight hint of something she doesn¡¯t know. I sighed lightly and answered. ¡°We used to have monster tests before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. But they were too risky to handle for entrance exams, and if the monsters were too weak, the distinction between upper-level sses disappeared. So, they were eventually abolished. Besides, the professors can roughly assess the level just by watching the movements during the duel.¡± Monsters, the main tasks, and goals of holders. With their various ranks, they are ambiguous as practice dummies. Monsters that appear in the city are quickly exterminated, and it isplicated to go through the process and procedures to enter dungeons. Artificially capturing monsters for entrance exams is even moreplicated. It is not cost-effective, and those monsters are usually of low level, resulting in a loss of distinction among the top ranks. For various reasons, there was a brief history of conducting ¡®monster tests¡¯ and quickly discontinuing them. ¡°First, we will proceed with the practical duel for the temporary upper-level ss. Kang Juyeon, the holder.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kang Juyeon replied briefly and stepped forward. ck hair with a slight hint of red. And the flickering aura of fire around her. Even from a distance, I could instantly recognize her. The owner of [Unquenchable me]. Kang Juyeon is a holder with genius-level talent. ¡®Wow, it¡¯s Kang Juyeon¡­.¡¯ I eximed inwardly multiple times. A character that I have known through the novel. The heroine I could only imagine through illustrations. That Kang Juyeon was actually in the same space as me. Whether it was when she debunked the absurdity among the academy students. Or when she caught a sudden monster with overwhelming skills. Or when she went on dungeon explorations with the protagonist, Park Jin-woo. I vividly reyed those scenes in my mind and had been watching every moment together. And now, I was within viewing distance of her. Although the practice field was so vast that I couldn¡¯t see clearly, Park Jin-woo was surely nearby. As someone who was the most enthusiastic reader of , I couldn¡¯t easily hide my amazement and overwhelming emotions. ¡°Please nominate your opponent for the duel. If there is no nomination, the opponent will be randomly selected.¡± The practical duel in the entrance exam is conducted in a nomination format. The names and measured abilities of each ss member are not confidential. Therefore, one can carefully observe the applicants and make nominations. It didn¡¯t always guarantee good results to choose weak applicants. Although there were bonus points for victories, but the process was more important. Overwhelmingly overpowering an applicant with a significant difference in skill could lead to low scores from the professors. Finding applicants of simr skill levels andpeting against them, bringing out the maximum that can be shown, and achieving the best performance. That was the evaluation criteria required for this practical duel. ¡°I have no one to nominate.¡± But Kang Juyeon firmly replied. An attitude that didn¡¯t care who her opponent was. How should I put it¡­ It was a very Kang Juyeon-like response. And with her unremarkable words, the surrounding applicants became even more enthusiastic. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s Kang Juyeon.¡± ¡°Yeah, is that it? I don¡¯t feel like I have any rivals in the upper ss¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much. The professors are probably only interested in Kang Juyeon.¡± ¡°She¡¯s enviable¡­ It must be hereditary, right? Her dad is S-ss.¡± Kang Juyeon was already a famous figure even before entering the academy. She was one of the five known S-ss holders in Korea. The illegitimate daughter of Kang Woo-hyun and the owner of an epic rune. Her trademark rune, [Eternal me], had already been featured in articles multiple times and was considered the top rune among holders. She was regarded as the prominent sessor of the massive n, , led by Kang Woo-hyun. That was Kang Juyeon. ¡°Well then, we will start the duel through random matching. The opponent for Holder Kang Juyeon is Holder Seo Jina.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± A woman who was in a corner responded to the supervisor¡¯s call. Judging by the long spear she held, she seemed to be a holder of a [Spear] rune. ¡®Poor thing.¡¯ To have a realbat with Kang Juyeon right from the start¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her misfortune. She sighed as her name was called, probably predicting her miserable future¡­ Through the supervisor¡¯s signal, the first real duel of the entrance exam began. ng- Swish- ¡°Duel over. Holder Kang Juyeon is the winner.¡± And it didn¡¯tst long. The duel ended in less than three minutes with Kang Juyeon¡¯s victory. I had expected it to some extent, but the overwhelming difference was far beyond being in the same upper ss. ¡°This is unbelievable¡­ It ended so quickly?¡± ¡°Are we holders in the same league as her?¡± ¡°How did she dodge the first attack? She¡¯s a magician, but her speed stat is that high¡­?¡± The surroundings became lively as Kang Juyeon¡¯s first duel drew attention. I, too, watched the scene with a nk expression. It stopped my thought process because it ended too quickly. ¡®Is it a magic barrier?¡¯ In a confrontation between a mage and a warrior, the mage is usually at a disadvantage. They allow attacks even before using magic. But Kang Juyeon easily overcame that disadvantage. She directly dodged and blocked the first strike from Seo Jina. It was a semi-transparent barrierposed of red magic. It undoubtedly looked like [Magic Barrier], one of the representative defensive skills of a mage. ¡®It¡¯s an unbelievable talent¡­¡¯ [Magic Barrier] was derived from the [Magic Control] rune. To derive a skill from a rune, you have to raise that rune to a considerable level. In other words, I could tell that Kang Juyeon not only possessed the [Magic Control] rune but also had a high level in that rune. It was truly an overwhelming talent. It was understandable why there was such amotion around her duel. ¡°Next duel.¡± After Kang Juyeon¡¯s turbulent duel was over. The duel for the upper ss proceeded in an orderly manner. At first, I watched with interest, but as I continued watching, there weren¡¯t many talented individuals who caught my attention. At best, they were Lee Taejoon and Moon Ga-eun, the main characters in the story. Even they were still iplete. Many holders hid their strength in the early stages, and there was ack of spectacle as many gave up easily when there was a slight skill gap. ¡°Jae-hyun, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Kim Chae-eun stood up and graced me with a bright voice. By this time, the duel in the middle ss had already been tested. Kim Chae-eun easily won her duel. Her opponent was a holder who used a [Water] rune. It was a perfect match for Kim Chae-eun, who possessed a [Freezing] rune. Although the match ended somewhat anticlimactic, it seemed that Kim Chae-eun didn¡¯t mind as long as she won. With an excited face, she approached me, and somehow, she resembled a puppy seeking praise. ¡°The duel in the middle ss has ended. Finally, we will proceed with the duel for the lower ss. Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Finally, it was my turn. After the duel in the upper and middle sses ended, it was time for the duel in the lower ss. It seemed that the selection was random. I wasn¡¯t the first choice in terms of my name or my abilities in the lower ss, yet I was ranked first. From my perspective as someone who had predetermined the opponent, it was a pleasant surprise. ¡°Please choose the opponent for thebat. If there is no designated target, it will be randomly selected.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± In response to the supervisor¡¯s words, I nced around. Holders from the lower ss were scattered, forming their groups in different ces. And¡­ In one corner, a man who had ced his sword against the wall was engrossed in image training. The protagonist of . It was Park Jin-woo. ¡°I choose Holder Park Jin-woo.¡± And he was the holder I needed the most at the moment. The owner of [Effort of the Seeker]. He was also the opponent for my first rune hunt. Chapter 4 The First Rune Hunt (3)

Chapter 4 The First Rune Hunt (3)

Park Jin-woo is theplete opposite of Kang Juyeon. While Kang Juyeon started with an overwhelming talent and explosive abilities, Park Jin-woo is the epitome of a growth-type protagonist who starts off weak and gradually bes stronger. In terms of potential, he doesn¡¯t fall behind any other holder. ¡®But that¡¯s not the case right now.¡¯ That meant that the current Park Jin-woo was weak. After entering the academy, Park Jin-woo steadily improved his abilities and met Professor Eun Sa Tak-won, who helped him unlock his hidden potential. He had unlimited growth potential that is befitting a protagonist¡­ But at the current point of the entrance exam, he is a weak holder who was ced in the same lower-ss as me. ¡®His speed¡­ seemed to be quite high.¡¯ In the early parts of the , if my memory as a devoted reader is correct, Park Jin-woo¡¯s holder information is also mentioned. If I recall correctly, he was an agile swordsman-type holder with rtively high speedpared to other attributes. I don¡¯t remember the exact numerical values of his abilities. But one thing was certain. His strength was lower than mine, but his speed was higher. With just that information, I could already n my strategy for the uing duel. ¡®Oh, right. He had that rune too.¡¯ As I rummaged through my memories, something came to mind. Another epic rune that the protagonist, Park Jin-woo, obtained early on was [Keen Mind]. True to its name, it is a mental defence-type rune that allows the holder to remain resolute and focused regardless of the surrounding circumstances, physical condition, or any curses. Park Jin-woo made good use of this rune from the early toter stages. In the beginning, he used it to ovee the fatigue and difficulties that arose during training, and in theter stages, he relied on it to defend against mental attacks during battles with monsters or other holders. In particr, [Keen Mind] is a growth rune that starts from level 1. Unlike [Effort of the Seeker] or [Rune Hunter]¡­ It is not a ¡®rune that starts at max level from the beginning¡¯. As a result, the higher the level, the more aspects it can be utilized in, and it has a considerable number of derived skills. Depending on the perspective, it can be even more fraudulent than [Effort of the Seeker]. It was a protagonist adjustment rune that helped support the initially weak Park Jin-woo. ¡®Which one is better between the two?¡¯ [Rune Hunter] can only replicate one rune per holder. So, I pondered over which rune to choose. Both runes were advanced runes with fraudulent performance. However, I soonughed at myself and dismissed such thoughts. ¡®There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch.¡¯ Obtaining fraudulent runes had made things tooplicated. Even though the duel hadn¡¯t even started yet, my imagination was already branching out as if I had won the battle. Park Jin-woo, who had lower strength but higher speed. The levels of our normal weapon runes were the same. We were at a simr level, so I had to be on full alert. Even if I knew Park Jin-woo better than anyone, the situation could still change depending on various factors. ¡°The practical duel between Do Jae-hyun Holder and Park Jin-woo Holder will begin shortly. Both holders, please prepare for one minute.¡± In response to the supervisor¡¯s words, I gripped two daggers in both hands. We are free to use any weapon in the practical duel. So, to ensure efficient duel, I had prepared five daggers. Two for closebat and three for throwing. Just a month ago, I was an ordinary modern person who had never held a weapon before, but now, thanks to the support of the [Dagger] rune, I could handle daggers fairly smoothly. Park Jin-woo, who was initially bewildered by my nomination, adjusted his gaze and gripped his sword as the duel approached. He was weak in the beginning. He became stronger, possessing multiple runes because he was a determined holder who always gave his best in duels. ¡°The duel begins.¡± Swoosh- nk, ck- How long had it been since we reacted? Two seconds? One second? After receiving the starting signal, we moved in about that much time. I immediately threw a throwing dagger and rushed forward with the melee daggers in both hands. There was no need for a probing battle. Initiative was the key to victory! Park Jin-woo had no chance against a surprise attack. *** ng- kagang- Park Jin-woo¡¯s sword shed with Do Jae-hyun¡¯s dagger once again. A two-handed sword and a dagger held in one hand. Despite an apparent difference in weight. There was no significant difference in strength between the two holders¡¯ sh. ¡°Ugh¡­ how is he this strong¡­¡± Instead, Park Jin-woo gradually gave way under the force. With each sh of their weapons. Park Jin-woo could feel himself being pushed back. ¡®Is his strength at 8? 9? Something like that¡­¡¯ When a holder¡¯s main attribute exceeds 10, they are generally treated as intermediate ss in the academy. The difference in abilities is an absolute realm that cannot be easily narrowed down, in addition to the importance of rune levels in a holder¡¯s growth. That¡¯s how important a holder¡¯s abilities were. From Park Jin-woo¡¯s perception, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s strength was almost close to 10. Considering that his own strength was only 5, it was natural for him to be outmatched in a contest of strength. Furthermore, Do Jae-hyun held a dagger in each hand. Daggers are lightweight and allowed for smooth movement connections. Compared to Park Jin-woo, who used one hand for a single sword, Do Jae-hyun, who used two hands for two daggers¡­ had much more freedom in his duel movements. ¡òName: Park Jin-woo ¡òGender: Male (20) ¡òStats: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 5] ¡ò [Magic: 4] ¡ò [Speed: 8] ¡ò [Divinity: 5] ¡ò [Stamina: 7] ¡ò [Willpower: 9] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Effort of the Seeker Lv.Max] ¡ò [Sword Lv.2] ¡ò [Agile Agility Lv.2] ¡ò [Keen Mind Lv.1] ¡òPossessed Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡òUltimate Skill: ¨C ¨C Park Jin-woo¡¯s strength is 5, and his speed is 8. Thanks to the rare rune [Agile Agility], which helps enhance speed and agility inbat, Park Jin-woo¡¯s speed was considerably higherpared to other lower-tier holders. Although he had to continue the fight utilizing his rtively high speed, finding advantageous angles using it wasn¡¯t easy. The difference in weapons was mentioned earlier. Park Jin-woo wielded a sword, while Do Jae-hyun used a dagger. Do Jae-hyun covered hisck of speed with lighter movements. ¡®This guy¡­ has greatbat sense.¡¯ Park Jin-woo admired Do Jae-hyun¡¯s instincts. To be honest, the rune level didn¡¯t seem that high. Neither of them disyed any special skills during their battle, and Do Jae-hyun¡¯s dagger technique felt more rudimentary than intricate. However, Do Jae-hyun acknowledged all those circumstances and strategically engaged inbat. The first thing Park Jin-woo felt was the surprise attack during their initial throw. Some might consider it cowardly, but considering the name of this duel session was ¡®Realistic Duel¡¯, it was a highly reasonable and effective ambush. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for the [Keen mind], I would have definitely been shaken.¡¯ The Epic rune [Keen mind] provided assistance in maintainingposure even in perplexing situations. Without this rune, Park Jin-woo would have been rattled and immediately defeated. That¡¯s how sharp Do Jae-hyun¡¯s initial attack was. ¡°Bring it on¡­!!¡± ¡°Haat!¡± Along with their energy, their weapons shed once again. Thebat pattern remained consistent since earlier. Do Jae-hyun continuously sought openings and attacked, while Park Jin-woopensated for the difference in strength with maximum speed for defence. As a result, small scratches appeared on Park Jin-woo¡¯s body from the attacks he couldn¡¯tpletely dodge. However, Park Jin-woo didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. Partly because his durability was quite high and he didn¡¯t sustain significant injuries, but there was another reason he didn¡¯t care. ¡®It¡¯s fun.¡¯ This duel session brought him excitement. Even though he was constantly being pushed back due to the difference in strength, there was joy in finding a way to counter and retaliate. Just one month had passed since he awakened as a holder. For someone who had always trained alone, engaging in practical duel with a holder of a simr level, provided an unparalleled sense of enjoyment. Rune holders, individuals who fought against monsters and viins with special abilities. Park Jin-woo could now truly feel that he had stepped into their world. ¡°Duel over. Holder Do Jae-hyun, wins.¡± Do Jae-hyun¡¯s dagger had already reached Park Jin-woo¡¯s neck. ng¡ª Park Jin-woo admitted his defeat as he dropped his sword. However, he didn¡¯t feel bad at all. ¡°Haha! Hahaha!¡± Park Jin-wooughed out loud as he looked at Do Jae-hyun. It felt like meeting a friend and a rival at the same time, something he hasn¡¯t experienced since entering Seoul Holder Academy. *** ¡®Wait, what the hell¡­ Why is he looking at me like that? So intimidating.¡¯ I deliberately ignored Park Jin-woo¡¯s determined gaze. If I met his gaze, I felt like I would turn into a weirdo myself. People around me even thought I was crazy, staring at Park Jin-woo whileughing uncontrobly. In return, I confirmed the sweet reward of victory I had just received. Winning the duel against my opponent. Fortunately, the conditions presented by the [Rune Hunter] seemed to apply to this practical duel. [You won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to duplicate: 1. Effort of the Seeker 2. Keen mind 3. Agile Agility 4. Sword.] My choice was undoubtedly [Effort of the Seeker]. I briefly hesitated because [Keen mind] had exceptional performance, but I couldn¡¯t give up [Effort of the Seeker], which influenced the overall growth of the holder. [You have chosen Effort of the Seeker. Since it is an Epic rune at Max level, it¡¯s level will not decrease when duplicated.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Stamina and Willpower are increased by 3] [Rune Information] ¡òName: Effort of the Seeker ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: Max ¡òEngraved Location: Wrist ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C ¡òThe growth rate of rune level is three times faster. ¡òRandom ability stats increase by 1 for every 100 hours of training. (0/100) ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed information: ¨C Those who explore the path will receive rewards equal to their efforts. The efforts put in by the Seeker will never betray them. ¡°¡­¡± This was insane. I gained apletely absurd scam rune that only the protagonist possessed. And now, I brought it in with another scam rune I had. Chapter 5 Rune Hunt 4

Chapter 5 Rune Hunt Chapter 4

¡°Wow¡­ They really fight well, don¡¯t they? It¡¯s not just a lower-level performance,¡± the woman stroking her ash blue tone hair said. Her name was Moon Ga-eun. She was the daughter of Moon Jung-hyuk, a key executive of the Royal n, and one of the highly anticipated neers at Seoul Holder Academy. Ga-eun was purely amazed by the just-ended lower-level match. It was a showdown between Park Jin-woo and Do Jae-hyun. Among all the duels held today, it was undoubtedly the most intense one. There were no special skills or remarkable utilization of runes that stood out. We can¡¯t deny the machine used to measure the abilities of the new students. As temporary lower-level students, they seemed tock any distinct characteristics rted to runes, and it was evident that their rune levels were not very high. However, based on their own superior ability stats, they fought their best topensate for any shorings. Their superior ability stats were already at an intermediate level, and their exceptionalbat sense was a rare skill even among intermediate-level students. ¡°They might even be promoted to the intermediate level.¡± The practical duel in the entrance exam is, in fact, the final stage designed for these hidden talents. Park Jin-woo and Do Jae-hyun had a high probability of being promoted to the intermediate level through this duel. ¡°Juyeon, what do you think?¡± Ga-eun asked Kang Juyeon, who was standing confidently next to her. Juyeon was an S-grade Holder and the daughter of a prominent n Master. She was the most promising Holder with overflowing talent. Even when she was admitted to the academy¡­ She was the subject of numerous rumors and articles. Moreover, this time, there were no worthy opponents, making her a top candidate for the valedictorian position. Ga-eun and Juyeon had been friends since they were young. Their fathers were both famous Holders in society, so their families even had meals together, maintaining a close rtionship. ¡°¡­Not really interested.¡± Juyeon responded briefly as if she wasn¡¯t interested at all. As someone recognized as one of Korea¡¯s top talents, she couldn¡¯t be bothered with the lower-level Holders¡¯ duel, which was only rough and unrefined. Although she should have gone home right after the duel ended, but¡­ Her father told her to observe the duels of other participants until the end because there might be some hidden gems for the n. Juyeon endured the boredom and watched the duels. Even though the lower-level duels were still worth watching, Ga-eun¡¯s enthusiasm for them was a unique case. ¡°Is that so? Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m an archer¡­ There¡¯s something exciting about watching them sh their weapons without any special skills. Other students give up as soon as there¡¯s a difference in ability or rune.¡± The practical duels between the upper-level and intermediate-level were too in. Even among the same grade, there was an unmistakable gap that couldn¡¯t be bridged due to differences in ability stats and runes. You could easily see that once you faced each other in a duel. That¡¯s why most of the Holders who participated in the duels today either withdrew or gave up more easily than expected. Although it might affect their admission scores, the ranking wasn¡¯t particrly important unless they were valedictorian or salutatorian. ¡°¡­Because they¡¯re lower-level students.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Juyeon abruptly cut off Ga-eun¡¯s chattering with a single sentence and looked at one corner of the arena while leaning against the railing. A man with dual daggers in his hands, fixed his gaze on empty space. It was Do Jae-hyun, the Holder who had just finished the duel. Despite having clearly won the duel, he sat there, emotionless, staring into space without any sign of joy. His appearance seemed like he was checking the Holder information. Juyeon, as if possessed, stared nkly at him. ¡®¡­He¡¯s a strange person.¡¯ Juyeon had seen all the duels as well. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t particrly interested or attached any significant meaning to the lower-level duels. But for the participants, it was an exciting duel they had been anticipating. After all, they had confronted each other for a long time and achieved victory based on their instincts. However, Do Jae-hyun seemedpletely disinterested in that series of events. He just sat quietly, maintaining his weapon. He asionally nced at empty space. ¡®¡­He must have strong mental fortitude.¡¯ His calmposure, maintaining a calm state of mind more than anyone else. Perhaps his mental fortitude was higherpared to his other abilities. Juyeon didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. But for some reason, her gaze kept being drawn to him. A Holder who remainedposed and calm in any situation. That was the first impression Juyeon had of Do Jae-hyun. *** ippotrantions *** ¡®Oh, fuck! Thank you, God. Jin-woo, thank you. I am so happy, and let¡¯s meet again with smiles in three years.¡¯ I was stuck in one corner of the arena. I desperately held back the urge to jump and shout for joy. If I suddenly made a loud noise, I might look like a crazy person like Jin-woo earlier. But inside, I couldn¡¯t hide this exhrating feeling and intense excitement. [Effort of the Seeker]. The scam rune that I had only considered as the protagonist¡¯s privilege. Now, it is in my hands. ¡®It has all the effects that are worth cherishing.¡¯ Unlike the simple description of the rune [Rune Hunter], which can replicate the opponent¡¯s rune, [Effort of the Seeker] had incredible epic-level effects. There were three visible effects right away. First, a triple increase in rune level growth speed. Considering that the power of runes is the power of the Holder¡­ This effect was tremendously valuable, something you couldn¡¯t buy with millions of won. This was the main reason why Jin-woo, who would obtain various runes in theter stages, could raise his rune level smoothly without any setbacks. In addition, a random stat increase per 100 hours of training. This was also an amazing effect. High stats were always important for any Holder, regardless of their category. Even if you trained for only five hours a day, you could raise one stat in 20 days. Lastly, it also increased durability and mental strength by three. The effects of a Max-level epic rune were astonishing. ¡®If I had let my guard down even a little, I might have lost.¡¯ Jin-woo grew even during battles, like a monster of effort. If I had briefly let my guard down, there was a possibility that I could have lost to Jin-woo, who grew during the duel. The story has just begun, and Jin-woo has just be a Holder. His abilities were still in an iplete state. Fortunately, I was able to secure the victory. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± Kim Chae-eun, who had gone to the restroom for a moment, returned. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yeah! You fought really well. It seems like training for a month had an effect.¡± ¡°Was it that impressive?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was really cool. Swish, swish. Should I learn the dagger too?¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have a [Dagger] rune.¡± Seeing Chae-eun¡¯s lively appearance is somewhat fascinating. Even though we lived next door, it was only after I became possessed by Do Jae-hyun that I became close to her. I had asked her about this before, and she said that my first impression was a bit cold, making it difficult to approach me. But then she saw me applying to Holder Academy, and she felt a sense of closeness, so she approached me. Thinking about it, I understood everything. Since Chae-eun also had a somewhat cold first impression¡­ It was difficult to approach her without knowing her personality. ¡°Does that mean the entrance exams are over now?¡± ¡°Yeah. The entrance ceremony and sses will start next week. I¡¯m looking forward to academy life.¡± ¡°Chae-eun, haven¡¯t you visited the academy a lot because your father is a professor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different! Watching from the outside and actually being a student is like night and day!¡± Chae-eun¡¯s father is a professor at the academy. A Holder who teaches swordsmanship at Seoul Holder Academy. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. When I first heard about him, I thought it was unusual. Her dad was a Holder deeply involved in swordsmanship, but his daughter was a Holder in the mage category with the rune [Freezing]. While the runes awakened by Holders are often random, they are also influenced by the surrounding environment they encountered as children. Just like Kang Juyeon gained the me-rted rune [Unquenchable me] following Kang Woo-hyun, and Lee Hyun-ho became a renowned cksmith after Lee Do-kwon thereby continuing the family trade, these two people were influenced by their parents in bing Holders. Therefore, if the parents are Holders who specialize in swords, they have many opportunities toe into contact with swords from a young age, so there is a high chance of awakening the [Sword] rune upon awakening. That¡¯s why it¡¯s fascinating that Chae-eun obtained apletely opposite type of rune from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Moreover, even though it was a normal rune, the [Freezing] rune was quite rare within the mage category. ¡®My dagger¡­ It must bepletely random.¡¯ Do Jae-hyun¡¯s parents are not Holders. That¡¯s why whenever I check my phone and try to contact them, they are always working on the farm in the countryside. And immediately he awakened as a Holder, he moved to Seoul to find a ce to live. That was the case. On top of that, he was an illegitimate child with no siblings. Naturally, my first rune, [Dagger], was a random rune. It¡¯s obvious from the fact that children of talented individuals continue to possess talent, the more random the rune, the less effective and slower it grows. If I didn¡¯t have the rune [Rune Hunter]. I could easily imagine how ordinary of a Holder I would have be without even looking. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I want to eat something.¡± On the way back home after finishing the entrance exams. Chae-eun said with a gloomy expression, as if there was an intention behind her words. I sighed at her somewhat suspicious remark. ¡°You can eat if you want.¡± ¡°I want to eat the food that Jae-hyun made!¡± ¡°Asking me to cook twice a day? Is that being considerate?¡± I had some expectations, now that I¡¯m confident in my cooking. Moreover, these days, she keeps bothering me to cook. When I made pasta for lunchter in the day, my [Cooking] rune reached level 2. The first rune to level-up out of all my runes. It was hard to believe, but it was true. Though I gained a boost of 1 in Willpower as a level-up effect. Chae-eun awkwardly chuckled and patted her head. ¡°Hehe. Then I¡¯ll cook for you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll pass on that. Just buy some pudding or something.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ trying to kill me?¡± I¡¯m sorry, but I seriously reject Chae-eun¡¯s cooking. I tried it once before, and I suffered such a major injury the next day that it affected my training. If it wasn¡¯t for my Stamina, I might have been assassinated. Chapter 6 OutHolder Subjugation

Chapter 6 OutHolder Subjugation

Divinity ss and stats changed to Recovery respectively. Stamina stat changed to Toughness. ¡°Haat!! Hryaat¡­!!¡± Park Jin-woo swung his sword and screamed in the front yard. His younger brother, Park Yoon-seo, looked at him as if he was annoyed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of this?¡± ¡°Haat! Don¡¯t talk to me!¡± He remained fully focused on his training without showing any signs of fatigue. Park Yoon-seo couldn¡¯t understand his brother. Although he was always someone who enjoyed training, something had changed in him after taking the entrance exam for the Seoul Holder Academy. He had be even more intense in his training. Always training during the day and at night, training before sleeping and after waking up. Training after breakfast and dinner. Training all day long, a constant repetition of physicalbor. Ever since he took the entrance exam, he had remained in that state. -Keeping still will only result in Do Jae-hyun pushing you back! It is only possible through training! I have an obligation to surpass Do Jae-hyun¡­!! He repeated such words as his determination, but honestly, it was pathetic. He thought of himself as the protagonist of a boy¡¯sic book. It was embarrassing to have such a foolish brother. On the other hand, he was curious. Who was this Do Jae-hyun person who had driven Park Jin-woo to such intense training? Who was the culprit who made him add fuel to his already practice-loving heart? He couldn¡¯t help but feel curious. Maybe one of his ssmates who entered the academy with him? ¡°Jin-woo, are you training again?¡± Suddenly, their mother appeared next to them and asked gently. In her arms, she held a basket full of peaches, freshly picked as if just moments ago. It was a rare sight in Seoul, more fitting for a countryside home, and the peaches were of excellent quality, like those found in an orchard. Park Jin-woo¡¯s home was unique; it was a modern farmer¡¯s family in Seoul, cultivating their own fields. ¡°Mom, stop him. He might copse if he continues like this.¡± ¡°Let him be. He used to do this every time aftering back from an exploration, even more so.¡± ¡°What about Dad?¡± ¡°Yes. In that regard, Jin-woo takes after his father a lot. Whenever he encounters a special situation, hispetitive spirit surges.¡± ¡°I guess I took after Mom then.¡± ¡°I think so too. Both you and Jin-woo have some peculiar traits, don¡¯t you think?¡± Park Yoon-seo nodded. Though he didn¡¯t quite understand, he figured it must be due to gics since his father was also like that. With a small smile, their mother continued to hold the basket of peaches. Then, suddenly, memories from the past flooded back. She squeezed the peaches in her hand. ¡°There was a time when he ran off to train, while we were still dating. He said he had to beat someone he considered a special rival¡­ I really wanted to strangle him at that time, hehe.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± They say snow falls in the midsummer when a woman holds a grudge. It seemed that a gradual series of anger umted in her as she recalled the past. Park Yoon-seo didn¡¯t say anything and quietly went inside the house. He felt like the aggression might be passed towards him if he stayed any longer. Though it was his own home too, it still felt like a strange ce. It felt like no one in the house had a normal way of thinking. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°What the hell is this guy?!¡± ¡°Argh! Hyung, please help¡­!!¡± ¡°Howe three of you can¡¯t catch one guy? Stop him, whatever it takes! Stop him!¡± Including a man known as the boss, four OutHolders emerged, engaging in a fierce duel. ¡®OutHolders¡¯ were a type of criminal group created by Holders at the bottom of the hierarchy, that are unable to withstand their low self-esteem and deep feelings of inferiority. They were widely distributed in various ces and had a rtively low level of strength, equivalent to that of lower-level sses in the academy. As a result, ordinary police officers were often assigned to deal with them instead of Holders. On the other hand, were a serious criminal organization of Holders that operated on a national scale. Theymitted major crimes and were designated as a wanted n within Korea. They had a significant number of high-level Holders, and many psychopaths who had no qualms aboutmitting crimes were among them. ¡®But this has nothing to do with me.¡¯ was a story far from my reality. I might encounter them someday, but not right now. For now, my opponents were the OutHolders right in front of me. They were a group of delinquents, causing trouble for ordinary people. They were no different from gangsters who handle weapons, even though they had been granted runes. The reason I associated with such low-level gangsters was simple: it was to make the best use of the power of the [Rune Hunter] without underestimating it. [You won the duel. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. As the opponent has only one rune, you will replicate that rune.] [You have gained a new rune] [You also gained 1 strength with the replicated rune] ¡°It¡¯s a bonanza, a bonanza!¡± Even I with low stats can win a duel easily against OutHolders due to replicated runes that give extra stats. The two were a perfectbination. Having a weak stat but legally defeating Holders with strong stats, and also gaining runes as a bonanza. This made me feel cool because it¡¯s like killing three birds with one stone. Also, it has been a week since the entrance exam, and thanks to that I have been able to visit Seoul every day for a duel with the OutHolders. I have been winning duels against the OutHolders, which has made me gain more runes and increased in stats. ¡°I caught the guy! He¡¯s a neer Holder who¡¯s been stirring up the neighborhoodtely¡­!!¡± ¡°Ugh. You talk too much. Come at me already. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡± Two OutHolders were already down, reduced to puddles of goo. The remaining ones were a guy called Hyung and oneckey. Initially, I couldn¡¯t handle several OutHolders like I do now. Even if they were weak OutHolders, they still possessed runes and were able to handle weapons like any Holder. It wasn¡¯t easy to deal with arge group of them at once since there were too many variables that are unpredictable. However, as I systematically defeated the OutHolders one by one, gaining new runes and increasing my stats through the [Effort of the Seeker], my rune growth had soared. Thanks to this, the level of my [Dagger] was now 3, and both [Sword] and [Sprint] had reached level 2. Oh, by the way, my [Cooking] skill has also risen to level 3. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s insistence on cooking had paid off. With my rapid rune level growth and the corresponding increase in stats, I had reached a level where I could stand my ground against multiple OutHolders without being overwhelmed. ¡°Eat this, you bastard¡­!!¡± And then it happened. The OutHolder leader, who had been hiding behind hisckeys, charged at me. He ran towards me with his bare hands, without any visible weapons. I thought for a moment that it might be a martial arts or boxing rune, but I quickly realized it wasn¡¯t the case. His hands were open as if he was trying to w me. ¡®It¡¯s a skill!¡¯ As an avid reader of , I could recognize this attack as a ¡®skill¡¯ in an instant. Until now, the only skill I had seen with my own eyes was Kang Juyeon¡¯s [Magic Barrier]. Therefore, I didn¡¯t know the exact appearance of other skills that were being used, the posture seemed quite different from a regr fight, making it highly likely to be a skill. ¡°Haap¡­!!¡± Feeling cautious, I quickly assumed an evasive posture. I didn¡¯t even prepare for a counterattack. With my speed stat now at 10 due to continuous growth, I could focus solely on evasion and easily dodge the slow-moving attack. ¡°You dodged?!¡± I swiftly turned my body almost 360 degrees and delivered a backspin blow to his face! It was a move supported by the recently acquired [Combat] rune. ¡°Argh!!¡± ¡°Hyung, help! Damn it! Save me!!¡± Save him? I hadn¡¯t even killed anyone to begin with¡­. That was the end of the duel. The OutHolder leader, who possessed a special rune that allowed him to use a skill, apparentlycked the rune rted to weapons. When his skill missed, he readily epted my attack and fell down. The remaining OutHolder fled down the alley. It was kind of a disappointing ending for an OutHolder who had a weak power and only bullied ordinary people. But what was more important now was the reward from the [Rune Hunter]. I cleaned the sweat on my hands and checked the information window. [You won the duel. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. As the opponent has only one rune, you will replicate that rune.] [You have gained a new rune.] [You gain Poison Resistance due to the rune¡¯s alignment.] [Resistance is activated in Holder information.] ¡°Resistance?¡± So, Resistance would be activated here? ¡®Resistance¡¯ was a type of rune that could be activated through specific situations or the assistance of runes. I wasn¡¯t expecting to gain it at all, considering that Park Jin-woo, the protagonist, only gained it around the middle of the story. However, a reward had unexpectedlye to me from an unexpected ce. I quickly checked both the [Holder Information] and the newly acquired [Rune Information]. [Holder Information] ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (Age 20) ¡òStats: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 12] ¡ò [Magic: 2] ¡ò [Speed: 10] ¡ò [Recovery: 1] ¡ò [Toughness: 7] ¡ò [Willpower: 11] ¡òResistance: ¨C ¡ò[Poison: 1] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Rune Hunter Lv.Max] ¡ò [Effort of the Seeker Lv.Max] ¡ò [Dagger Lv.3] ¡ò [Cooking Lv.3] ¡ò [Sword Lv.2] ¡ò [Sprint Lv.2] ¡ò [Blunt Weapon Lv.1] ¡ò [Bow Lv.1] ¡ò [Axe Lv.1] ¡ò [Spear Lv.1] ¡ò [Combat Lv.1] ¡ò [Shield Lv.0] ¡ò [Venom Lv.0] ¡òPossessed Skills ¡ò [Quarter Knives]: (Dagger) ¡ò [Poison w]: (Venom) ¡òUltimate Skill: ¨C ¨C [Rune Information] ¡òName: Venom ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 0 ¡òEngraved Location: Fingernail ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C ¡òPoison Resistance +1 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Poison w] ¡òDetailed Information: Enables handling of poison and improves understanding. In just a week, the information window had transformed into a brilliant disy. It was filled to the brim. [Effort of the Seeker] and [Rune Hunter]. Thebination of these two epic runes was like a fantastic coboration. Surprisingly, I hadn¡¯t acquired many runes while hunting the OutHolders. Their weapons and runes were pretty much the same. It turned out that their level was not considered low at all. On the other hand, the [Venom] I had just gained was an excellent ¡®Rare Rune¡¯ with a special attribute of activating poison resistance and starting off with a skill. It was a fantastic find, to say the least. ¡°Thank you, OutHolders¡­!!¡± OutHolders are considered the scourge of society due to their ambiguous nature and level. But, at least for now, to me, they were the trees that generously shared runes like no one else. PrevI TOC I Next Tl note: Sorry guys about the dy, will be uploading 3 chapters per day for now. Please rate this series here. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 7 Heading to Seoul Even in Moro (1)

Chapter 7 Heading to Seoul Even in Moro (1)

[Rune Hunter] is a fraudulent rune. In this world where the power of runes is everything, the ability to duplicate the opponent¡¯s rune is an extraordinary skill. With this rune, I have already gained four runes, and consequently gained significant stats. If we include the rune obtained from the Hidden Pieces, it¡¯s already more than ten runes. The once emptied information window is now filled, and the path to growth, which used to be obscure, has opened up, which is a tremendous merit. Of course, the [Rune Hunter] rune is not an all-powerful rune. There are prerequisites to winning in a duel, and even if I win, I can only take one rune from the same opponent. [Effort of the Seeker] and [Keen Mind]. These were the decisive reasons why I could only gain one of the two epic runes from Park Jin-woo, who possessed both. Moreover, there¡¯s a disadvantage that the level decreases even when copying the runes. ¡°And¡­ there are clear limitations.¡± I realized this while dominating the OutHolders earlier. There is a limit to improving my skills through repetitive [Rune Hunter] rune acquisitions. If my opponent already possesses ¡®the runes I have¡¯, then the effect of [Rune Hunter] bespletely meaningless. During this past week, I obtained a total of three runes by dominating the OutHolders. [Combat], [Shield], and [Venom]. As for the rest, they were existing normal runes like [Sword] or [Dagger], so I couldn¡¯t acquire new runes or gain corresponding stat increases. If I hadn¡¯t obtained the rare rune [Venom] at thest moment, it would have been a waste of time that should have been spent on training. ¡°To grow further, I need to raise the rune level.¡± In other words, no matter how many runes I obtain, the growth of a Holder ultimately depends on the growth of the runes. I didn¡¯t gain [Effort of the Seeker] for no reason. Instead of obtaining mediocre runes by shing with weak opponents, I needed to utilize the existing runes effectively and train to grow my Holder¡¯s information. If I do that and face stronger opponents, I will be able to use [Rune Hunter] in a much more diverse and effective way than now. ¡°Why do you keep saying the obvious to yourself?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked me, muttering. We are currently in the Academy¡¯s auditorium, where the long speech of the student council president is being held to wee the students. ¡°¡­It¡¯s boring. It¡¯s been an hour already. Even the listeners are starting to talk to themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Was the student council president a magician?¡± ¡°Yes. They retired from active duty, so they won¡¯t be giving lectures anymore, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ That¡¯s a relief.¡± Since Kim Chae-eun is a magician with the [Freezing] rune, she ended up attending the lecture of the student council president, who was from the same department. If the speech is this boring; I can imagine how the lecture would be. I don¡¯t need to attend to guess roughly. ¡°Jae-hyun, are you taking sses in the Warrior Department then?¡± Kim Chae-eun interrupted my thoughts and asked, poking into my inner monologue. It seems that she¡¯s also been bored for an hour. sses for the Warrior Department. I want to take them too. The Seoul Holder Academy has many famous professors in the Warrior Department. However, the departments for Holders are divided from the moment of admission. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m an Assassin and I use daggers.¡± ¡°Really? But during the practical duel, you fought almost like a warrior.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I have quite good strength. I¡¯m not focused on speed like other assassins, so it was easier for me to fight that way. Maybe if my speed improves, I¡¯ll fight like a proper assassin again.¡± Academy sses are divided into general and department-specific courses. The general courses are the ones that all students take. They mainly cover theoretical aspects that Holders need to know, such as the history of Holders and runes, the basic theory of rune growth, and the types and grades of monsters. Especially the contents rted to strength, willpower growth, and the use of magical power are important for Holders, and these are emphasized in the general courses. Department-specific courses, on the other hand, are only avable to students in that department. A Holder who owns a magician rune cannot attend a lecture on archery out of nowhere, for example. It¡¯s simr to the faculties distinguished in university. The Seoul Holder Academy has a total of six department ssifications: Warrior Department, Magician Department, Archer Department, Assassin Department, Recovery Department, and Special Department. These departments are standardized worldwide, and Seoul Academy follows suit. ¡°But still, the Warrior Department lectures must have many oveps?¡± ¡°Oveps?¡± ¡°Yes. Unlike magicians or archers, we have a lot inmon.¡± For example, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s lecture on can be attended by both the Warrior and Assassin Departments. Unlike other warrior weapon skills like bludgeoning or spear techniques, swordsmanship is simr to the Assassin Department¡¯s approach, and many Holders in the Assassin Department actually enter through the [Sword] rune. So, the two departments had many ovepping sses. In fact, there are ces in other academies where these two departments arebined into a single Warrior Department. ¡°Heh¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s great that we¡¯re in the intermediate ss.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big difference?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s different! We attend the general sses together¡­!¡± As expected, Park Jin-woo and I were promoted from the provisional ss to the intermediate ss after the practical duel during the entrance exam. Even the professors thought that the duel was quite a spectacle. When transitioning from temporary to official. The case was unprecedented, as there were only the two of us who had changed sses. Thanks to that, Kim Chae-eun and I ended up in the same intermediate ss. Although our departments differed, we could still attend the same general sses, just like she mentioned. General sses were offered from the Upper ss to the lower ss, depending on the students¡¯ levels, and this led to wider gaps as time went on. In the first year, the difference in ss quality wasn¡¯t significant, but by the third year, the lower sses were almost abandoned, and the professors ended up losing morale for teaching. ¡­The academy was strictly skill-based. ¡°¡­Therefore, the Seoul Holder Academy must surpass Korea and be the best in the world. It should be an academy that doesn¡¯t kneel to any country! That¡¯s the message I want to convey to all the students¡­.¡± With the student council president already speaking like that, it seems that the framework determining social status remains unchanged, whether it¡¯s the previous world or the new one ¡°Jae-hyun, Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Caught up in my thoughts for a moment, Kim Chae-eun grabbed my cor. Her face was filled with excitement, as if something had urred to her. Ah, I felt it. When Kim Chae-eun had that face, she had only one request. ¡°I want to eat Jajangmyeon.¡± ¡°What, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Jajangmyeon! I saw it while scrolling through SNS, and it looked so delicious. Hehe, can you make it for me?¡± ¡°No¡­ We don¡¯t even have a fryer at home, how can I make it for you, ma?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just put oil in a big pot and do something about it? I really want to eat your cooking.¡± Now, Kim Chae-eun was even suggesting how to make it. She had indeed grown his [Cooking] rune to level 3. I sighed deeply and reluctantly nodded. ¡­Honestly, I wanted to eat Jajangmyeon too. ¡°Bring ten puddings.¡± ¡°Okay¡­!!¡± *** ippotrantions *** The academy¡¯s opening marked the beginning of a new semester. With a slightly excited heart, I sat in one corner of the ssroom. I had always been researching and training with runes on my own, so the thought of having someone who would teach me directly made my heart flutter. Today, I signed up for a ss taught by Professor Kim Myeong-hyun: , a theory and practical duel ss about swordsmanship, which was Kim Chae-eun¡¯s father¡¯s area of expertise. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was a character who didn¡¯t appear in the original work. Naturally, Kim Chae-eun was an extra, so that made sense. However, surprisingly, he had received high praise as a professor at the academy. He disyed graceful and beautiful swordsmanship, gently teaching the students sword techniques at their level, and received frequent des as an educator. So, I applied for Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s swordsmanship ss as a department-specific course. Although my main rune was [Dagger], I also possessed the [Sword] rune, and the two runes had a simr essence. ¡®Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss¡­ It probably won¡¯t work out.¡¯ Of course, I was curious about Park Jin-woo¡¯s teacher¡¯s ss as well. Tak Won-ho taught students in a Spartan manner, pushing Holders to their limits and bringing out their full potential through intense physical training. In general, his swordsmanship had a strong and destructive feeling, igniting the desire in both observers and learners. But I couldn¡¯t take Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss. Unlike Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, only Warrior Department students could attend Tak Won-ho¡¯s sses, making it impossible for me to apply. Even if I could apply, it would be difficult to get in because of his poprity. Moreover, it was one of the main plotlines in the original work that the protagonist, Park Jin-woo, would listen to Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss and catch the professor¡¯s attention, making him to be Tak Won-ho¡¯s exclusive disciple. I didn¡¯t want to disrupt the flow by applying to that ce. ¡®Even if I stole the most important rune from the protagonist¡­¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be helped. I had to live my own life too. And since it was just copying, it wouldn¡¯t be harmful to Park Jin-woo either. I corrected my mindset. Anyways, I just had to avoid touching the major plotlines in the early stages, such as the ¡°Meeting of Tak Won-ho and Park Jin-woo¡± or ¡°Extermination of monsters in the academy.¡± Those were the key developments that would continue to be connected to theter part. As I sat alone in the ssroom, I was drawing a mind map. Thud- thump- I heard the sound of someone roughly opening the ssroom door, followed by a man entering the room. ¡°Hey, Do Jae-hyun! We have about 10 minutes until the ss starts. Let¡¯s y a duel before that!¡± During the entrance exam¡¯s practical duel, Park Jin-woo, who had smiled like a madman while looking at me, is now standing at the door. Wait. Why is that bastard here¡­? He was supposed to be in Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss. PrevI TOC I Next TL NOTE:- Jajangmyeon is a chinese style korean ck-bean sauced noodles. Please rate this series here. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 8 Heading to Seoul Even in Moro (2)

Chapter 8 Heading to Seoul Even in Moro (2)

Park Jin-woo is a first-year student at the Academy. He met Professor Tak Won-ho from the Warrior Department and experienced rapid growth. Professor Tak Won-ho is the owner of an aggressive swordsmanship style, using strong physical strength and well-trained toughness to relentlessly pressure his opponents. At first, Park Jin-woo, who focuses more on speed than strength, doesn¡¯t match well with Tak Won-ho¡¯s style. However, he seeds inplementing these weaknesses and turns him into a more powerful Holder. One of the representative skills Park Jin-woo learns from Professor Tak Won-ho is called [Wave Sword Technique]. This skill allows him to unleash a series of attacks like crashing waves, seamlessly incorporating magical attacks in between to focus on continuous attacks. This skill eventually bes Park Jin-woo¡¯s trademark attack. Leaving behind his perfect match, Professor Tak Won-ho, Park Jin-woo unexpectedly attends sses taught by Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, who doesn¡¯t appear in the original work. Confused, I shook my head and asked, ¡°Why are you even here?¡± Although I¡¯ve never really had a conversation with Park Jin-woo since that day, we felt strangely familiar, so the words flowed naturally. In fact, Park Jin-woo spoke to me first. He looked at my puzzled expression and chuckled. ¡°I asked around my ssmates and came here. They said the only warrior rted course you are taking is Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s ss.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t apply for Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss?¡± ¡°Professor Tak Won-ho? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°No..¡± He¡¯s such an idiot. Tak Won-ho is a renowned professor in the warrior department, and he¡¯spletely clueless about him? Tak Won-ho has higher recognition and skills than the instructors teaching the upper-level sses. He even ims to be an intermediate ss instructor despite being a self-proimed educator who prefers to refine unpolished gems rather thanpleted jewels. To put it in a simpler way, he is heir to one of Korea¡¯s two legendary swordsmanship families, the Tak family. Park Jin-woo is the exclusive disciple of Tak Won-ho, but he seems to disregard the golden future that awaits him and abruptly shows up to attend Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s ss. I knew he had a bit of a lunatic streak, but I never imagined he would be this reckless. ¡°Hey, Park Jin-woo, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to change your enrollment now? Professor Tak Won-ho is perfect for you.¡± ¡°So what if he is? I don¡¯t care about Tak Won-ho or Kim Myeong-hyun.¡± ¡°¡­Forget it. What kind of sword are you learning without even Tak Won-ho knowing?¡± In fact, I was trying to turn his thoughts around, but since Park Jin-woo didn¡¯t seem interested in changing, I gave up. Once he sets his mind on something, it¡¯s hard to change it, and I, who used to be his fan, know this better than anyone else. Moreover, even if his development is a little off, Park Jin-woo is Park Jin-woo. Also, Park Jin-woo has the ability to take advantage of new skills with his unique absorption power even if his instructor was changed, and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun is also a Holder with amazing skills. It¡¯s painful. I can¡¯t learn [Wave Sword Technique] myself, and here this idiot is squandering his opportunity? Moreover, even if he can¡¯t learn [Wave Sword Technique], Park Jin-woo has plenty of other runes and skills that represent him. I thought it was a pity, but it¡¯s his decision if he doesn¡¯t want to learn it. The two of us continued our lively conversation, drawing the attention of the nearby students who were getting ready for ss. Although they whispered quietly, it was obvious they wanted us to hear their words. ¡°Ugh, those two are so ungrateful ¡± ¡°Are they the students? Those that got lucky and advanced to the intermediate ss in the practical duels?¡± ¡°Advanced to the intermediate ss with sheer luck and now they¡¯re talking about Tak Won-ho and Kim Myeong-hyun¡­ Geez.¡± ¡°Why is Park Jin-woo in the intermediate ss when he lost in the duel?¡± Amid themotion, the surrounding Holder students preparing for ss murmured. Even though we spoke in hushed voices, it was evident that they wanted us to hear theirments. ¡®Ah. Is this it?¡¯ The main character debuffs. It has low Stats and low level runes from the start because it¡¯s a Growth-type rune. The reason protagonist Park Jin-woo was often ignored. I was unfortunate to get caught in between this conversation. It appeared like they were cursing at us together. Besides, ParkJin-woo wasn¡¯t paying attention to them, it¡¯s like he is used to it. ¡°I¡¯m off. Let¡¯s duelter.¡± ¡°There¡¯s one minute left until the lecture starts, idiot.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s duel after the lecture.¡± ¡°Where are we going to duel?¡± ¡°¡­On the rooftop?¡± ¡°Why is the rooftop always the ce for a duel¡­?¡± The defeat in the entrance exam¡¯s practical duel must have been quite impactful. Park Jin-woo seemed to consider me as his rival. That¡¯s why, instead of smoothly attending Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss, hees to listen to Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s lecture, which I attend. Honestly, I can¡¯t perfectly fulfill that need. Park Jin-woo is already a skilled Holder with outstanding rune growth, even without being the [Effort of the Seeker] Holder. As for me, except for [Rune Hunter], I still don¡¯t know much about my potential. Nevertheless, I n to run as far as I can reach. The world of Holders, which was my favorite in , is where I am growing as one of them. It¡¯s a world I must eventually confront. And if I have to choose between those fragments¡­ Running together with the characters I liked¡­ It excites me and fills me with anticipation. ¡°Nice to meet you all. I am Kim Myeong-hyun, in charge of the Sword¡¯s Momentum and Combat Breathing lecture.¡± True to his determination, my first mentor here was entering the ssroom. *** ippotrantions *** At the Academy, lectures are divided into theory and practical, but most of them focus on practical application, even when covering theoretical topics. Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s is one of the representative practical lectures in the Warrior Department. After spending about ten minutes on orientation in the ssroom. We went straight to the training ground, and the lecture began immediately. ¡°In this ss, I won¡¯t be teaching you about swordsmanship. Therefore, the way you grip and swing the sword is up to you.¡± Students stood side by side, swinging their swords. Walking through them, Kim Myeong-hyun spoke in a soft voice. ¡°However, when you swing the sword, do it with a steady posture and a firm mind. When you pierce through the air in front of you, remember the wind brushing against your skin. You must realize that everything you feel can be the momentum of a powerful sword imbued with strong magical power.¡± Kim Myeong-hyun finished his advice and looked around at the students. Over 80 students were all holding swords. This ss focused on the [Sword] rune, biased towards practical application. It primarily epted Holders who possessed this rune, and even if theycked it, they were required to use a sword in the ss. It was a ss for both Warrior and Assassin Holders, but the weapon they all had to handle was a sword. ¡®They are following along better than I thought.¡¯ Kim Myeong-hyun watched several students closely. First was Park Jin-woo, a Holder who seemed to be ignored in the chaotic atmosphere but disyed the fastest and highest understanding of the lecture among all the students. Though his abilities were still low and his posture a bit sloppy, he was the only one who clearly put Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s words into practice from the very first lecture. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Kim Myeong-hyun looked at the students in another group. They were students who chose the ss despite not possessing the [Sword] rune. Though they were in the same Warrior category, they seemed to have no understanding of the abstract concepts Kim Myeong-hyun spoke about. Despite his repeated warnings at the beginning of the lecture, they still ignored them and ended up getting injured. They do not have any control over the sword or maybe they came to the ss with an evil intention. You have no choice but to listen to the lecturer¡¯s instructions. Injuries were the price to pay for ignoring the warning at the beginning of the ss. ¡®Do Jae-hyun?¡¯ Kim Myeong-hyun recognized a student of a simr type. He was following the lecture well despite being from a different category. It was Do Jae-hyun, the only student who applied from another category, an Assassin Holder. He showed almost the same level of understanding and quick adaptability as Park Jin-woo, even without the [Sword] rune, which was quite impressive considering that Warrior Holders without the rune were struggling significantly. ¡®That student¡­ He possesses the [Sword] rune.¡¯ However, Kim Myeong-hyun quickly noticed. Do Jae-hyun was a Multi-Holder, possessing runes of various weapons. It wasn¡¯t his main rune, but he was doing his best to grow the runes he possessed. Kim Myeong-hyun was increasingly intrigued by Do Jae-hyun¡¯s passion. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Try to ease off a bit and cut smoothly. Remember that the momentum of the sword lies within the flexibility based on its firmness.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡± Do Jae-hyun quickly grasped the point Kim Myeong-hyun pointed out. Seeing him, Kim Myeong-hyun felt his passion for education reignite, albeit slightly. ¡®Should I take him as an exclusive disciple?¡¯ Rather than rmending Park Jin-woo, who was already doing well on his own, Kim Myeong-hyun felt more drawn to Do Jae-hyun, who seemed to achieve greater sess through education. However, Kim Myeong-hyun didn¡¯t know that Do Jae-hyun was his next-door neighbor and a close friend of his daughter, Kim Chae-eun. *** ippotrantions *** ¡®Wow, amazing. Praise be to the great Myeong-hyun.¡¯ Swinging my sword with enthusiasm, I silently chanted a hymn in praise of Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Until I entered the Academy, I had been training alone all this time. There was no special method or clear technique, just blind, relentless training. Thanks to [Effort of the Seeker], my rune level continued to rise even with such training. But today, after listening to Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s lecture and embodying it in my movements, I clearly realized that having a mentor makes an enormous difference in rune growth. [Power starts to infuse your sword, slicing through space.] [Your rune level has increased.] [You have acquired the derivative skill of the [Sword] rune, ¡®Combo¡¯.] Suddenly, I felt like a fool for mindlessly rmending only Professor Tak Won-ho to Park Jin-woo. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was as good as or even better than Professor Tak Won-ho among the intermediate-level instructors. Chapter 9 Academy Monster Hunt (1)

Chapter 9 Academy Monster Hunt (1)

In the world of Holders, grades are synonymous with power and authority. As the grade increases, the Holder gains more privileges and recognition from their affiliation group and the nation, attracting many ns that want to recruit them. Therefore, the highest grade boasts pre-eminent power: the S-grade Holder. In South Korea, there are only five S-grade Holders. Most of them own their own ns, and they can join any n they want. Everyone is eager to have them. Their influence extends beyond ns to their everyday lives. S-grade Holders can achieve almost anything they desire within Korea. Being one of the few S-grade Holders in the world meant their existence was equivalent to national strength. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± A man possessing the power of an S-grade Holder, Kang Woo-hyun, quietly read the newspaper. . A familiar face appeared in the newspaper. ¡°Heh.¡± Kang Woo-hyun nced around cautiously, then smiled widely while reading the article. ¡°As expected of my daughter.¡± As everyone had anticipated, Kang Juyeon had achieved the top spot without any unexpected variables. Her main rune was the [Unquenchable me], an epic rune from the magic category simr to Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s own rune, [Fiery Sword¡¯s Prelude], which had elevated him to S-grade Holder status. He was immensely proud that his daughter had obtained a rune rted to ¡®me¡¯ just like him and had risen to the position of Academy¡¯s top student. ¡­Kang Woo-hyun was a doting father to the core. ¡°You called for me?¡± Kang Juyeon asked as she entered the study. With distinct features and a hint of fiery energy in her ck hair, she possessed a beautiful appearance that would catch anyone¡¯s eye. She inherited her father Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s abilities but took after her mother in terms of appearance. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Juyeon.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°You got promoted to B-grade Holder, congrattions, my daughter. I knew you could do it. Haha.¡± The reason behind Kang Juyeon¡¯s overwhelming victory as the Academy¡¯s top student was due to her B-grade Holder status. She was exceptionally skilled, deserving of B-grade, which meant she could receive significant privileges from any domestic n she joined. In the Academy, the average grade for the upper ss was C, intermediate ss was D and E, and lower ss was F. Among the new 1st-year students, Kang Juyeon was the only B-grade Holder. ¡°¡­Of course, it was expected. I need to climb higher.¡± However, Kang Juyeon wasn¡¯t satisfied with just B-grade. To be the sessor of the n , led by her father Kang Woo-hyun and one of the top-level ns in the country, she needed to strive for even higher grades to gain everyone¡¯s recognition because there are Holders in the n with more higher grades like A-grade and B-grade. ¡°Is that so? As expected of my daughter! Haha!¡± Kang Woo-hyunughed awkwardly. Even though she was his daughter, Kang Juyeon had a slightly tough side to her personalitypared to his cheerful attitude. Perhaps she inherited it from her mother. ¡°Ah, by the way, do you remember what I told you? I asked you to keep an eye out for potential talent among the new students.¡± The words he spoke to his daughter on the day of the entrance exam. He wanted her to observe the ¡®real duel¡¯ test and look for potential candidates worthy of being recruited as n members. ¡­In truth, it didn¡¯t hold much significance. ns like operated specialized scouting teams and conducted extensive entry tests even if they received resources and recruits. They didn¡¯t need to scout for raw talents among new Academy students. That was the practice for smaller ns. ¡®But still, it¡¯s not entirely useless.¡¯ Ultimately, the final approval for recruitmenty in the hands of the n Master. Kang Woo-hyun wanted to nurture his daughter, who would one day lead the n, with an eye for talent. Watching the practical duel tests of her ssmates might help when the timees to confirm new recruits in her role as n Master. However, Kang Juyeon¡¯s expression was peculiar. ¡°¡­There is someone.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Tell me who it is. This year¡¯s ss seems to have many capable individuals. my daughter must have noticed someone special. Haha.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just, well¡­¡± A man came to mind in Kang Juyeon¡¯s thoughts. Someone who was ordinary in terms of skills, runes, and abilities that a Holder should possess. Yet, more than anyone else present at the test venue, he fought with a passionate determination and was not afraid to use bold surprise attacks for victory. But after the battle was over¡­ he nonchntly sat down and rested. Calmly andposedly, he carried out his tasks. Kang Juyeon found herself repeatedly drawn to this person¡¯s unique duel style and Holder attitude, which differed from everything she had learned and witnessed so far. ¡°¡­He¡¯s just a bit strange.¡± His meticulous choice ofmon ss lectures and deliberately applying for intermediate ss piqued her curiosity out of sheer interest. *** ippotrantion *** [urate throwing, smooth dagger technique, and stealthy movement. Your skill with the dagger bes sharper.] [The level of your rune has increased.] [You gain 1 point of speed from the rune¡¯s attributes.] [Your body is enveloped in a surge of abundant magical energy. You can now manipte magic power.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [You gain 1 point of magic power from the rune¡¯s attributes.] ¡°My growth won¡¯t stop¡± My rune that keeps growing without rest. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears when I heard this announcement. Receiving lessons from the professors at the Academy had a far greater impact than I had anticipated. It provided a tremendous boost to my abilities. It wasn¡¯t a crude, brute-force training but a systematic education. Moreover, the [Effort of the Seeker], which absorbed it like a sponge, elerated the growth of runes even further. The synergistic effect between the rune that promoted faster growth and the teachings of the Academy professors exceeded my imagination. In particr, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s lesson was awe-inspiring. The expression ¡®graceful¡¯ perfectly described his swordsmanship and teachings. He taught even me, who had just be a Holder and had recently encountered a sword, in a way that I could quickly absorb and understand the basics. My level of [Sword] had caught up with [Dagger], which I had learnedter. This alone showed the astonishing level of his educational prowess. I checked my Holder information after a long time: ¡òName: Do Jae-hyeon ¡òGender: Male (20) ¡òStats ¡ò [Strength: 14] ¡ò [Magic: 3] ¡ò [Speed: 13] ¡ò [Recovery: 1] ¡ò [Toughness: 8] ¡ò [Willpower: 12] ¡òResistance: ¨C ¡ò [Poison: 1] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Rune Hunter Lv.Max] ¡ò [Effort of the Seeker Lv.Max] ¡ò [Dagger Lv.4] ¡ò [Cooking Lv.3] ¡ò [Sword Lv.4] ¡ò [Sprint Lv.2] ¡ò [Blunt Weapon Lv.1] ¡ò [Bow Lv.1] ¡ò [Axe Lv.1] ¡ò [Spear Lv.1] ¡ò [Combat Lv.2] ¡ò [Shield Lv.0] ¡ò [Venom Lv.0] ¡ò [Magical Power Control Lv1] ¡òPossessed Skills: ¨C ¡ò [Quarter Knife]: (Dagger) ¡ò [Poison w]: (Venom) ¡ò [Combo]: (Sword) ¡òUltimate Skill: ¨C ¨C Just one week after entering the Academy, my information had be much more diverse. Both [Dagger] and [Sword] reached level 4, and consistent physical training had raised [Combat] to level 2. Additionally, I acquired the rune [Magic Control] through the ss I attended this semester. This rune was naturally acquired by Holders who became familiar with and manipted magic power, unlike runes obtained through intentional actions like the Hidden Pieces rune for [Sword] or [Spear]. Not only the runes but also my primary attribute scores for strength and speed had grown evenly, and my magic attribute had slightly increased as I learned to handle magic power. ¡°With this level of growth, I should have somepetitiveness even in the intermediate ss¡­?¡± Although I achieved growth through defeating OutHolders, it couldn¡¯t bepared to the growth I experienced after joining the Academy and receiving education. As a student, I felt like I was achieving faster and higher growth. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± I heard a voice calling me from the direction of the ssroom door. It was Kim Chae-eun, casually dressed as usual. ¡°Hey, you here?¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s prepare for the next ss quickly.¡± I had a total of six sses this semester. Four were specialized sses for my major, and two weremon sses that students from the same year could attend together. Among them was the ss , which Kim Chae-eun and I were taking together. It was only natural since it was mentioned at the entrance ceremony speech. What was peculiar was that Kang Juyeon from the upper ss and Moon Ga-eun were also attending the same ss. Normally,mon sses were limited to students of the same grade, but upper ss students had the option to apply for any lower ss courses they wanted. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun took advantage of this system to enroll in the ss. The reasons were unknown, so everyone could only specte. Rumors such as the professor being a hidden S-grade Holder or Moon Ga-eun being a distant rtive of the professor spread, but there was no concrete evidence. As Kim Chae-eun and I prepared for the next ss, we organized our belongings. But at that moment¡­ ¡°Kyaaaaah!!¡± ¡°W-What is this, damn it!!¡± ¡°Save me¡­!!¡± Screams of students seemed to tear through the air from the ssroom directly opposite to ours. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­¡± Kim Chae-eun looked at me with a bewildered expression, and I immediately realized. It was the first important event in the original story: the appearance of a monster within the Academy. And it seemed like it was happening right now. Chapter 10 Academy Monster Hunt (2)

Chapter 10 Academy Monster Hunt (2)

¡°Kyaaaaah!!¡± ¡°Professor, call the professors!¡± ¡°Kiiiaaah- Save us¡­!!¡± The atmosphere inside the Academy was chaotic. It happened to be during break time, and as a result, there were no prepared professors in the ssrooms. Only students were inside the ssrooms¡­ And to make the matter even worse, all of them were first-year freshmen. In this desperate situation, I quickly shouted to Kim Chae-eun, ¡°Chae-eun! Go through the back door of the ssroom right now and ask the professors for support. It¡¯s dangerous to stay here.¡± ¡°Jae-hyun, what about you?¡± ¡°Someone has to stop it. If we continue like this, all the students will be killed.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to! I want to fight too¡­!!¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s strong denial caught me off guard. In such a life-or-death situation, I never expected her to firmly assert that she would stay too. ¡­Does she have the qualities of a hero? She¡¯s quite different from other Holders, whose personalities I can usually read through. Kim Chae-eun is apletely new person I met in this world, and her words and actions have always been unpredictable. Given the urgency of the situation and theck of time, I didn¡¯t hesitate and epted the idea she presented. ¡°Alright. If you insist, then stay behind and never expose yourself to danger. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll provide support from behind with my magic!¡± ¡°Okay, follow me.¡± Kim Chae-eun was also an intermediate ss student. As a mage specializing in [Freezing], her ability was at the level of an E-grade Holder. While it might be challenging for her to hunt the monster, she could still help restrain it. To be honest, I didn¡¯t feel too worried about the threat of the monster. The one that appeared in the Academy was a B-grade monster named ¡®Sizzling Smander.¡¯ It was a lizard with fiery scales, infamous for hunting humans with its ming power. Although it was a formidable foe for the students around the ssroom, I wasn¡¯t too concerned. Kang Juyeon and Park Jin-woo should arrive soon and swiftly deal with the monster together. I knew that they would form an unexpected alliance and quickly subdue the creature. ¡®The Academy Monster Hunt¡¯ was a crucial storyline as it marked the first major event where Park Jin-woo and Kang Juyeon confronted each other. It was also an important plotline that would continue into the middle of the story. Hence, the key was to keep the ¡®Sizzling Smander¡¯ restrained without causing further harm to the students. ¡°Over here!¡± We rushed towards the source of the screams. -Kiiiaaaah!! It was the piercing shrieks of the Sizzling Smander. Following the sound, we quickly found the scene of the tragedy. It was the ssroom right next to the one we were in. That¡¯s where it was causing a mess¡­ There were students with their bodies burned to a crisp and others pierced or killed by the creature¡¯s tail¡­ Their bodies were scattered around, without any chance of rescue. The sight was spine-chilling¡­ Kim Chae-eun couldn¡¯t help but retch at the gruesome sight. ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look over there, Kim Chae-eun!¡± Staying careless could be dangerous. I did my best to help Kim Chae-eun regain herposure. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t easy for me either to witness such a scene. It was my first time witnessing a human massacre, and the fact that it could happen to me was quite frightening. However, Holders had their Willpower fortitude by their ability stats. My Willpower stat of 12 helped me remain stable even in such a nauseating situation. ¡®Chae-eun, can she use her magic now?.¡¯ Holders with the Wizard-type rune must possess a high level of magic and willpower. Although Kim Chae-eun is a magician-type Holder that deals with [Freezing] rune, her willpower is quite low. Assuming everything went well, she should have been promoted to the upper ss instead of the intermediate ss. Perhaps, such weakness is normal. ¡°Chae-eun. Can you use your magic now? ¡°Huff, huff¡­ Yes, I think I¡¯m okay now.¡± Perhaps my mental support has been somewhat helpful. Kim Chae-eun gradually calmed her breath and prepared to cast her spell. I, too, held the dagger I had on me with both hands, in a cautiousbat stance¡­ To be honest, it was a reckless move. A B-grade monster typically required a party of about five C-grade Holders to hunt it. Here I was, barely reaching D-grade level, and charging alone against a B-grade monster was close to madness. ¡®But Park Jin-woo did it.¡¯ At that time, Park Jin-woo, who was at the E-grade level, also engaged a monster. He took the lead while Kang Juyeon provided support from the rear. Adopting a simple two-person position. And even though Kang Juyeon was already a B-grade Holder, she easily defeated the monster with her magic. But before that, it was entirely thanks to Park Jin-woo¡¯s ability that the monster was restrained. And I¡¯m in a simr situation¡­ Or even at a higher level than Park Jin-woo. There was no reason I couldn¡¯t do it. -Kiiiaaaah!! The monster¡¯s roar resounded once again, and I bit my tongue. ¡°Such an annoying pig-like squealing.¡± The noise was unbearable. The monster had a vocal range that made you wonder if there could be creatures like that. After screaming and making its presence known for a while, the Sizzling Smander finally spotted us. It was the beginning of a full-fledged duel. -Kiiiaaaah!! The Sizzling Smander¡¯s tail swung at an incredibly fast speed. I raised both daggers in my hands and managed to block it. Kang- Kaga- ¡°Choking¡­?!¡± But it was too powerful to be stopped. It sent me flying, and I experienced excruciating pain as if my entire body was covered in bruises. ¡®Damn it. What¡¯s with that strength?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but curse. How did Park Jin-woo manage to engage such a monster? My Toughness stat was merely 8, which was way too low to withstand such a ferocious attack. I quickly changed my strategy. Engaging the creature with lightweight daggers was ineffective. I needed to generate some ideas using a slightly heavier sword. I threw away the daggers and drew the two-handed sword I always carried on my back for the ss . -Kyeee?! And at that moment, as the Sizzling Smander charged recklessly, it let out a scream of agony. Upon closer inspection, its tail and the surrounding air had frozen like ice. ¡°Jae-hyun, are you alright?¡± I heard Kim Chae-eun¡¯s voice next to me, snapping me out of my daze. Nice save! She had regained herposure and cast a spell that hit the Sizzling Smander¡¯s tail directly with the possessed skill of [Freezing] rune, called [Frozen Fog]. The elemental affinity between the Sizzling Smander and Kim Chae-eun¡¯s [Freezing] rune magic created a potent effect. Even considering its resistance, the impact was significant. ¡®Does Chae-eun have a high magical power?¡¯ Moreover, hunting down a monster with B-grade magical power requires five C-grade Holders, so my intention was to stall it till the other Holders arrive. Because I know that if I hold it for a while, Kang Juyeon alone can take care of the monster. But Kim Chae-eun¡¯s support, with her magic, was astonishing. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s magic seemed to have grown quite powerful, possibly reaching C-grade or even due to a highly-developed rune. Maybe her lower Willpower stat waspensated by her exceptionally high magic stat, creating an asymmetrical bnce. ¡®In any case, it¡¯s an opportunity.¡¯ With the Sizzling Smander temporarily restrained by [Frozen Fog], I rushed towards it with my sword. Even though my strength and speed were far from sufficient to strike the creature, I had the [Sword] rune, which had reached level 4. ¡°Haaap¡­!!¡± I instantly cut off the frozen tail and continued with two more shing motions in quick session. [Sword]¡¯s possessed skill, [Combo]¡­!! Despite my strength being insufficient against it, the three swift shes were powerful enough to cut through the sturdy lizard¡¯s tail. -Kyeeee¡­!! The Sizzling Smander screamed in rage, causing a ruckus. Insane. It was the result of my ability stat, which was just E-grade, giving a meaningful blow to a B-grade monster. It wouldn¡¯t have been possible without Kim Chae-eun¡¯s [Frozen Fog], and the help of [Combo], a possessed skill granted by [Sword] at level 3. I finally understood the importance of ¡®Possessed Skills¡¯. They appeared in the original story too, but experiencing it firsthand was on apletely different level. Possessed Skills granted by runes seemed to sometimes surpass the limits of ability stats. ¡®I should test out [Quarter Knives] and [Poison w]ter.¡¯ My other Possessed Skills are [Quarter Knives] and [Poison w]. [Quarter Knives] allowed me to throw four daggers and concentrate all my magic into one, trap-like skill, much like a game of Russian roulette. On the other hand, [Poison w] used the [Venom] rune to enhance my nails, turning them into venomous weapons for wing. Both were highly versatile skills, but they were unsuitable for facing a monstrous creature like the Sizzling Smander, which boasted tremendous strength. I would have to try them out next time I had a chance. -Kiiii, kyyyyy!! Is that all you can do, you bastard? I sighed inwardly, feigning tension as I held onto my sword. Though it has lost its tail¡­, It still possessed formidable strength, and the ability to manipte ¡®fire¡¯, an even angrier monster after consecutive attacks. Sizzling Smander. It was the start of the second round against the creature. Chapter 11 Academy Monster Hunt (3)

Chapter 11 Academy Monster Hunt (3)

Seoul Holder Academy East Hall. A B-grade monster appeared in one of the ssrooms. This fact quickly spread among the students who rushed out of their ssrooms in fear. Monsters sometimes emerge from the gaps in the present world rather than from dungeons. Well, this is not umon, it¡¯s rare to encounter such a high-grade one like this B-grade monster. Furthermore, it¡¯s extremely unusual for a monster to appear in an academy with a [Magic Barrier], especially in the East Hall, which is the main ssroom for intermediate-level students. B-grade monsters require thebined effort of five C-grade Holders to be hunted down. And to think that this is happening in an intermediate-level ssroom where the highest grade of students is D-grade¡­ It seemed impossible to handle such a powerful monster. Kang Juyeon hurriedly made her way to the East Hall ssroom. She was one of the first to hear about the incident, even before the academy faculty or other higher-grade Holders. The next ss she was supposed to attend was amon lecture for intermediate-level students about , so she was already on her way to the East Hall. -Eek!! The monster let out a chilling scream to announce its presence. In response, Kang Juyeon¡¯s friend, Moon Ga-eun, grabbed her by the cor and said, ¡°Juyeon, I think it¡¯s this way?¡± The sound came from the nearby ssroom, which was now in chaos. The ssroom was a mess, with desks and lecture tools scattered around, and the bodies of some students lying in various states of disarray. It was aplete battlefield. And within that chaos, a man caught Kang Juyeon¡¯s attention. ¡°Do Jae-hyun¡­ again?¡± During the practical duel for the Academy entrance exam, Jae-hyun was the one who stood out the most. He was unremarkable in many ways, but he somehow made a strong impression on her. Now, he was fighting against the B-grade monster. ¡®Is the intermediate ss a B-grate monster ss?¡¯ Incredibly, he was managing to hold himself against the difficult opponent, the Sizzling Smander. This lizard Holder possessed both high physical strength and the ability to control fire, making it a challenging B-grade monster to deal with. Most intermediate-level students were E to D-grade Holders and were no match for a B-grade monster, let alone one who had just recently been promoted from a lower ss like Jae-hyun. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Jae-hyun¡¯s battle with the Sizzling Smander seemed somewhat bnced. While he appeared to be outdueled in terms of physical strength, he skillfully evaded the attacks using his swordsmanship. The ice fragments stuck to the monster¡¯s body posed a significant inconvenience to the Sizzling Smander due to its extreme vulnerability to cold-based magic. -Eek!! ¡°Argh¡­!!¡± But suddenly, the Sizzling Smander managed to strike Jae-hyun with a swift and powerful blow, sending him crashing into the ssroom wall. It was clear that Jae-hyun was already in bad shape. His body was burned and covered in bruises from the monster¡¯s powerful attacks. He had pushed himself to the absolute limit. ¡°Jae-hyun¡­!!¡± At that moment, a girl on one side of the ssroom shouted his name. It was Kim Chae-eun, the girl who was always with him. Kang Juyeon finally realized that the two of them were fighting the B-grade monster alone, standing in for other students who were too scared to engage in the battle. Moreover, Kang Juyeon noticed that the [Freezing] rune magic that proved effective against the Sizzling Smander wasing from Chae-eun. Witnessing this, Kang Juyeon herself began preparing her primary battle magic, [me], a powerful skill capable of unleashing formidable mes. Her ssmates were able to buy her so much time but they can¡¯t hold still for forever. ¡°Ga-eun. Support me.¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± Moon Ga-eun also brought out her bow, she was surprised by how well they fought. Her own ability was the possessed skill [Wind Archer], a rare rune. Ready for [intense attack], Juyeon prepared to cast her magic too, [me], a derived skill of [Unquenchable me] rune. It was the highest level of battle magic she could use. While fire magic might not have much effect on a fire-controlling creature like the Sizzling Smander, sometimes a strong attack could override elemental advantages. Kang Juyeon poured all her magical power into the skill, determined to st the monster away. The two Holders who were graded high even among the intermediate-level students, one B-grade and one C-grade, were about to unleash their ultimate attacks¡­ and the Sizzling Smander was the target of theirbined force. *** ippotrantions *** -Kei, keeee¡­. A feeble and unexpected sound flowed from the monster that had been roaring until now. It was the result of being directly hit by Kang Juyeon¡¯s magic and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s arrows. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± Even in my beaten-up state, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the scene before me, close to being a masterpiece. Is this the power of high-grade Holders? The monster that I and Kim Chae-eun struggled against for so long was defeated in just two attacks¡­. Feeling a bit disappointed yet stunned, I watched as the two young women continued their conversation. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Moon Ga-eun suddenly approached me and asked about my condition. She was not present during the original story. Furthermore, Park Jin-woo, who was supposed to be here, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the choices of the lead characters for this semester¡¯s lectures had changed slightly, altering the flow of events in this situation. Nevertheless, Kang Juyeon had arrived in time to be a key member in the hunt for the Sizzling Smander. I was relieved about that. If she hadn¡¯te in time, I might have really died¡­. ¡°Yeah, thanks. You¡¯re Moon Ga-eun, right?¡± ¡°Huh? You know me?¡± ¡°Of course, I do. You¡¯re the top archer in this year¡¯s students, almost always ranking second or third overall.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ not quite the second, I go back and forth between third and fourth.¡± Moon Ga-eun had the same cheerful personality as I knew her to have. As the daughter of Moon Jung-hyuk, a key member of the n, and a first-year Holder grading third or fourth, she was an elitepared to me. Seeing her so casually conversing with me, it was evident that she had a very open-minded way of thinking. In the world of Holders, especially in the Academy, it wasmon to underestimate those of lower grades. ¡°More importantly, are you okay? You were hit pretty hard earlier.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, it hurts a lot¡­ but I¡¯ll be fine after receiving healing magic from the Recovery ss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really amazing. Sizzling Smander is a B-grade monster, and you managed to fight it with your intermediate-level skills¡­.¡± ¡°To be honest, I was a bit reckless.¡± I had overestimated my ability to defeat the Sizzling Smander. Since I cut off its tail the first time, I kept getting drawn into its attacks. I was burned and repeatedly beaten. In the end, I crashed into the ssroom wall. It was an unavoidable difference in grade and ability. At that moment, Kang Juyeon, who had been watching silently, turned around. It was a sign that she wanted to leave now that the monster was dealt with. A typical stern and direct action that suited her character. Seeing that, Moon Ga-eun quickly prepared to leave as well. Since she hade here following Kang Juyeon, it was natural. ¡°I¡¯ll go now. See youter, Jae-hyun!¡± ¡­ Did I ever tell her my name? I briefly wondered, but soon, my thoughts were interrupted by the crowd flooding into the ssroom. Countless students and faculty members poured in, including the Student Council President I saw during the entrance ceremony. ¡°Is everyone okay? Recovery ss, start healing!¡± ¡°Prioritize treating the injured students!¡± ¡°Hyun-woo! No, you can¡¯t die¡­ please¡­.¡± ¡°Gather the monster¡¯s remains for research!¡± They arrived so quickly, damn it¡­. The loudest people alwaysete. I understood, but I still felt annoyed by the dy. I turned my head to look at Kim Chae-eun. She had exhausted all her magical power using her skill and was now lying down, drained of strength. Her eyes were teary, and she was looking at me. ¡®¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Kim Chae-eun probably thought I might have gone too far and allowed myself to be attacked to such an extent. She might have even thought I could die in the process. Of course, I had anticipated Kang Juyeon¡¯s timely arrival and the powerful force she used to finish off the monster. But Kim Chae-eun was unaware of the situation before and after that. Without Kang Juyeon, she might have been in danger as well. So, I felt even more sorry for her. I had forced the situation a bit too much, I should have just run away. Somehow, the monster would have been dealt with¡­. I will apologize to herter when I get the chance. ¡®For now¡­ We should both be treated.¡¯ Honestly my whole body aches and I¡¯m even too weak to stand up. I just want to go home and rest. While I was thinking about how to properly apologizeter, suddenly several information windows appeared before me, btedly. It was an unexpected and familiar hologram. It was a rune-rted information window. [You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the fight has been acknowledged. As a Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to duplicate.] [1. Fiery me 2. Quadruped Combat 3. Lizard¡¯s Scales] For a moment, I felt like a fool. My head felt numb, and I couldn¡¯t fully grasp the situation. What is this¡­. Fighting against a monster turned out to be a ¡®duel¡¯? Chapter 12 Academy Monster Hunt (4)

Chapter 12 Academy Monster Hunt (4)

In this world, the measure of strength is determined by runes. And it is not only limited to corresponding Holders. But also monsters. From F-grade monsters, which regr people can defeat with guns, to E~A-grade monsters that Holders hunt the most. S-grade monsters, which only a few can hunt, or even monsters of higher grades are considered legendary. Powerful monsters all possess their own runes. For example, the B-grade monster Centaurus possesses the Epic Rune, [Ruthless Charge]. During a fight, it ignores all non-magical attacks and can strike the opponent with a force nearly twice their strength, making it a special rune. All Centauruses disy this effect when charging, and considering that they follow a certain pattern during its usage, it was a research result that confirmed, ¡®Monsters also possess runes¡¯. Likewise, the B-grade monster Sizzling Smander naturally had runes. It can handle fire and also has many other abilities that enhance its physical attributes. But I heard I could replicate its runes as a [Rune Hunter]. As our intense battle with it was recognized as a ¡®duel,¡¯ I was told this. ¡°This makes no sense¡­¡± I nkly stared at the information window. The golden information window still shimmered and emitted light, as if it was giving me choices. In other words, whenever I hunted monsters, I could obtain the runes they possessed. So, there was no need to choose opponents among the Holders and duel. Since I could just hunt monsters to acquire runes. ¡°These are real scam runes¡­¡± Of course, not all monsters possess runes. You have to reach a certain grade to encounter monsters with runes, and even then, useful runes can only be gained by hunting higher-grade monsters. Sizzling Smander was a strong B-grade monster, which was why it had three runes. It was an unexpected stroke of luck and a rare opportunity. ¡®What should I choose?¡¯ Three runes in total. [Fiery me], [Quadruped Combat] or [Lizard¡¯s Scales] Among them, [Quadruped Combat] can be excluded immediately. It was the reason why it fiercely charged at me with its immense strength. A rune that supports a monster¡¯s duel skills, by enabling them to use their legs better. But for a Holder like me, it was utterly useless. I am a bipedal human, so it has no meaning for me even if I have it. Besides, I already have the [Combat] rune. ¡®Then one of these two¡­¡¯ [Fiery me] and [Lizard¡¯s Scales] After much consideration, I finally decided on thetter. The reason was quite simple. [Fiery me] is a kind of magic rune that allows the maniption of fire. Such runes can be gained anytime in the future. You can get them by dueling with Holders who are magic users in the fire element or by hunting monsters that specialize in fire maniption. Fire is the mostmon element in the field of magic, so opportunities to gain it are plentiful. On the other hand, [Lizard¡¯s Scales] is a rune that can only be gained from lizard-type monsters. Moreover, this monster was a B-grade monster, so it had runes, but other lizard-type monsters might not have runes at all. That¡¯s why my choice ended up being thest rune. [You have chosen [Lizard Scales]. As it is a level 11 rare rune, it will be downgraded to level 6 upon registration.] [You have gained a new rune.] [You gain 6 Toughness from the rune¡¯s attribute.] ¡òName: Lizard Scales ¡òGrade: Rare (Level 6) ¡òEngraved Location: Back ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C :Once a month, you can lightly shed your skin, and when you do, all minor scars and blemishes disappear, leaving behind clean and clear skin. : Toughness +6 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Hardening] ¡òDetailed Information: A sharp and tough scale that only lizards possess. Unless the attack contains magic, it will be impossible to pierce through this scale. ¡òName: Hardening ¡òDerived Rune: Lizard Scales ¡òCooldown: 1 hour ¡òEffect: ¨C : Doubles toughness for 5 seconds, making you sturdier. Additionally, while Hardened, you gain 10 resistance to all elemental attacks. The effect of Hardening wears off after 5 seconds. ¡°This is for Hardening¡­¡± I was amazed at the remarkably clever skill name. It must have been created by the original author, right? Despite the trashy name, the effect was remarkable. You could strengthen your toughness for 5 seconds to prepare for a deadly strike and temporarily increase resistance to all elemental attacks, including magic. Though the cooldown was a bit long, the effect was considerable for such a short duration. ¡®The rune is quite decent too.¡¯ A rune derived from the previous skill. [Lizard¡¯s Scales]. After much consideration, I was quite satisfied with my choice. If there was one ability I needed most these days, it was ¡®Toughness¡¯. Compared to other duel attributes, my toughness was quite low, and I had been troubled by theck of ways to improve it even through training. Just when I needed it, a rune that increased my toughness appeared, and I couldn¡¯t be happier. Moreover, it was a high-level rune, so the increase in toughness was up to 6. Thanks to it, my toughness had reached 14, just like my highest attribute, strength. ¡®Rune level decreases¡­ Does it vary depending on the rune level?¡¯ I also learned new information. The level decrease indicated on [Rune Hunter] varied depending on the level of the rune in question. From level 11 to level 6. When I obtained other runes, they were all level 1 runes. That¡¯s why they were registered as level 0 and I didn¡¯t know. But when I gained a high-level rune, the decrease was quite significant. Even for a scam rune like [Rune Hunter], there seemed to be some conscience in this matter. ¡°Holder Do jae-hyun. Are you okay?¡± As I gained the new rune and let out a relieved smile, one of the professors approached me from the bustling crowd. At first nce, he seemed to be a professor who taught recovery magic. I replied with my body, which was scorched and bruised. ¡°No¡­ As you can see, I¡¯m aplete wreck. Could you please heal me?¡± ¡°It goes without saying. Just lie down right where you are. I¡¯ll start the treatment right away.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The internal monster incident at the academy was an important event in the early stages. Although the direction was slightly different¡­ Somehow, the incident hade to a close. *** ippotrantions *** A B-grade monster appeared at the academy. This became a huge topic not only within the academy but throughout South Korea. There had been instances of monsters appearing in urban areas or among people, but B-grade monsters were rarely seen as they were high-grade monsters. Especially within the academy, it was even more unusual. Regardless of the grade, it was almost impossible for any monster to prate the academy¡¯s magical barrier, which was designed to prevent monster appearances. ¡°Is it the first time a B-grade monster appeared at the academy?¡± ¡°Of course. The academy has a magical barrier to prevent monsters.¡± The Seoul Holder Academy had many high-grade Holders with expertise in magic among its professors and staff. As an institution responsible for nurturing future talents, it was natural for high-grade Holders to prioritize safety. Hence, magical devices were always prepared for the safety of student Holders. When the [Magic Control] rune reached its maximum level, Holders could finally obtain the derived skill, [Magic Barrier]. This skill could be modified for various purposes, and the [Magic Barrier] installed at the academy mainly served as a defensive barrier to prevent monster appearances. However, the sudden appearance of a monster at the academy could only be interpreted as the [Magic Barrier] being breached. ¡°I heard there¡¯s a rumor that a member of the n intentionally destroyed the barrier.¡± ¡°What? Is that true?¡± ¡°Shh. It¡¯s just a rumor, a rumor. It could be possible, though.¡± Because of this incident, all sorts of rumors circted. The destruction of the [Magic Barrier] by a member of the n¡­ The manager of the [Magic Barrier] was negligent¡­ The principal¡¯s ipetence led to the incident¡­. Endless rumors spread among people as they passed by, and Professor Tak Won-ho, a warrior in the academy, could not hide his anger. As soon as he returned to his office, he roughly threw a pile of documents. ¡°Damn it! What a disgrace¡­.¡± Tak Won-ho was a professor specializing in destructive and aggressive swordsmanship, renowned among the educators in the academy. Some even regarded him as the best among all the swordsmanship professors. However, his external position was tied to the fact that he was the son of the academy chairman, Tak Yun-jae, and the heir of the famous swordsmanship family, the Tak n. The Tak n was one of the two most distinguished swordsmanship families in Korea. As they had maintained an honorable reputation for a long time, they had umted considerable wealth and prestige, and their social status within Korea was not to be underestimated. Theprehensive operation of the Seoul Holder Academy was also part of the role of the foundation the Tak n belonged to, making Tak Won-ho a part of that social position as well. Thus, any disgrace to the academy was, in essence, a humiliation to Tak Won-ho and the Tak n. In this sense, the recent incident of the monster¡¯s appearance at the academy was an irreparable dishonor for Tak Won-ho. ¡°How on earth did a monster appear at the academy¡­.¡± The academy should have been protected by the [Magic Barrier], making the appearance of a monster imusible. It was an incident that couldn¡¯t be understood logically. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time a monster had appeared at the academy. A long time ago, when the theory about the [Magic Barrier] was not sufficient and its practical use wasn¡¯t widespread, monsters used to appear at the academy quite frequently. Even after the instation waspleted, the barrier wasn¡¯t 100% perfect, and monsters asionally broke through it. However, that was a thing of the past. With the consistent construction and management of the [Magic Barrier], it was practically impossible for a monster to appear by breaking through it now. Perhaps, it might have been true that the n was involved, just like people spected. ¡°Did you call me Professor Tak?¡± An academy staff member entered the office and bowed his head. Tak Won-ho raised his hand, gesturing for the staff member to wait. ¡°Please call that student who fought against the B-grade monster yesterday. I need to have a private meeting with him. It seems necessary to find some clues about the incident.¡± The student who had practically handled the Sizzling Smander from the beginning to the end was Kang Juyeon from the advanced ss, along with Moon Ga-eun. However, it was the Holder from the intermediate ss, Do Jae-hyun, who had encountered and fought against the monster for a long time. Tak Won-ho thought that meeting him might lead to some clues about the incident. Chapter 13 Two Masters (1)

Chapter 13 Two Masters (1)

The academy was abuzz with stories about monsters for days. After thepletion of the [Magic Barrier], a monster appeared at the academy for the first time in years. Its grade was high, resulting in many students getting injured or even killed. However, the atmosphere didn¡¯t turn gloomy or mourning, probably because everyone was prepared as Holders, and such incidents were considered part of their lives. Nheless, the sudden appearance of the monster and the story of its hunt, proved to be an exciting topic for those who were tired of the monotonous lectures. ¡°Did Kang Juyeon really defeat it in one shot?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ It has a firepatibility, but she managed to do it?¡± ¡°She¡¯s an Epic Rune Holder, with overwhelming stats. When ites to someone like Kang Juyeon, elemental advantages don¡¯t matter that much.¡± ¡°Rumors says it also caught Moon Ga-eun from the Upper ss.¡± ¡°Has anyone seen [me], one of Kang Juyeon¡¯s skills? They say it burns even through water-based magic.¡± Conversations like these could be heard in every ssroom, during every ss. Unfortunately, my own story was absent from these discussions. Well, I was only stalling for time until Kang Juyeon delivered the decisive blow. It was only natural that I wasn¡¯t the center of attention. However, there were people who acknowledged my efforts. ¡°Thank you very much, thanks to Holder Do Jae-hyun, Chae-eun was able toe out of it unscathed,¡± said Kim Chae-eun¡¯s father, and also a professor of martial arts. He had been expressing gratitude whenever we met before ss. Instead of receiving thanks, I felt like I deserved scolding¡­ ¡°I¡¯m alive thanks to Chae-eun. If it wasn¡¯t for her Freezing Magic, I might have died on the spot,¡± he continued. ¡°Mages are like that. After the warriors go through hell at the front lines, these kidse and take all the spotlight. Annoying brats. Sometimes, I feel like giving them a good whack¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ What?¡± ¡°Oh well. Anyway, thank you. Because Holder Do Jae-hyun worked hard at the front lines, Chae-eun was able to use her magicfortably.¡± I had only wanted to catch the Sizzling Smander out of greed. I had to keep stalling, waiting for Kang Juyeon. If I had done that, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten injured much, and I wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about Kim Chae-eun. But after cutting its tail, it turned out to be a disaster¡­ Looking at that, I realized how far away I was as a Holder. Remembering that moment, I pped my hands lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not really like that. Chae-eun just wanted me to run away, but I forced her to stay and helped me. I¡¯m sorry to Chae-eun and also to you, Professor.¡± ¡°Haha. In the end, it was Chae-eun¡¯s choice, so you don¡¯t need to feel guilty about that. Instead, we should praise you, Holder Do Jae-hyun, who tried to protect the students. Well done.¡± ¡°Um, Professor¡­ It¡¯s okay to speak informally.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m morefortable with casual speech.¡± Until this incident, it seemed that Professor Kim Myeong-hyun didn¡¯t know that I was friends with Kim Chae-eun. He looked particrly happy when he found out that we were neighbors. It seemed that raising a neighbor as a disciple was one of his bucket list items or something. ¡­Professor Kim Myeong-hyun also had a unique side, much like Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Ah, Holder Do Jae-hyun. If you don¡¯t mind, could you tell me about the situation when you faced the Sizzling Smander? It¡¯s fascinating that an Intermediate ss Holder like you confronted a B-grade monster.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± To be honest, it felt strange to say that I confronted it. When Kim Chae-eun used [Frozen Fog] for the first time, I did manage to cut off its tail with [Combo], but after that, I got beaten so badly that I couldn¡¯t even regain my senses. My abilities were just entering the D-grade, and the difference with the B-grade monster was much bigger than I thought. Still, I gave a vague answer. ¡°Professor¡¯s teaching about the momentum of the sword was helpful. I managed to deflect the monster¡¯s attacks smoothly and used [Combo] skill when countering. The gap narrowed down eventually, but¡­¡± ¡°Wait a moment. You used [Combo]?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, yes.¡± ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, what level is your [Sword] Rune?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Level 4? I gained [Combo] at level 3.¡± Hiding a Holder¡¯s Rune information wasmon practice, so I hesitated for a moment before answering. But since Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was my sword professor and could easily gauge my level just by observing, I decided to be straightforward. However, as soon as he heard my answer, a strange expression appeared on his face. ¡°Level 4¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Combo¡­ It¡¯s a skill that you gain when your Sword Rune is at least level 5¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t understand what he meant at first. I already felt that I was progressing a bit faster than usual. Unlike [Venom] and [Lizard¡¯s Scale], which are runes that possess skills from the beginning, normal runes like [Sword] or [Dagger] require quite a bit of leveling up before gaining skills. But both [Quarter Knives] and [Combo] were derived and gained when the simr Rune was at level 3. [Quarter Knives] was the only talent I thought I had. Anyway, [Dagger] was the first Rune I gained. On the other hand, [Combo] was a derivative skill that was supposed to be gained when you observed and internalized Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s elegant swordy. There was no information about this skill in the original story, so I just thought I learned it from him when I was taught [Sword] rune. However, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun denied it. He said that it was a skill that should be gained at level 5, and not 3. In other words, did I have a talent for [Sword] as well? ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, would you like to be my exclusive disciple? With your abilities, you could easily be an overflowing top talent even as an Intermediate ss Holder.¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun asked with a subtle glint in his eyes. It was the same expression Kim Chae-un had when she asked me to cook for her. Under normal circumstances, I would have immediately epted such an offer. It was too big of a reward to refuse. But for some reason, I felt hesitant. Oh¡­ It feels like I¡¯m negotiating for a position as a graduate student. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun must have sensed my hesitation from my eyes. Without pausing, he delivered the final blow. ¡°If you be my exclusive disciple, I¡¯ll help you learn my ultimate skill. I¡¯m also giving you this offer because you¡¯re my first exclusive disciple.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Without a doubt, I immediately epted the offer. The reward was too big to reject. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°Wow, Do Jae-hyun!¡± Right after epting Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s offer, the ss continued with . Park Jin-woo, who I hadn¡¯t seen for a day, pped my shoulder. I looked at him curiously and asked, ¡°Where were you yesterday, by the way?¡± Clearly, Park Jin-woo should have been there when we were dealing with the monster. The n was for him to engage the monster, while I buy time, then be called by Professor Tak Won-ho to continue the events of the next incident. In the process, he would catch Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s eye and be his exclusive disciple. Now, with all the twists in the plot, the possibility has be slim. ¡°Yesterday? I was practicing swordsmanship. It was a free period.¡± ¡°Seriously? You were practicing again?¡± ¡°Yeah. I always practice during my breaks.¡± Normally, he should have faced the monster while I was in ss. This time, however, the schedule had changed, and that time had be his free period. Still, the fact that he was training again during that time was just a relentless practice. ¡°You fought the monster yesterday.¡± ¡°Yeah. I thought I was a goner, for real.¡± ¡°I should have been there too.¡± ¡°Exactly! You really should have.¡± Park Jin-woo grinned at me. ¡°Let¡¯s have another duel instead. I¡¯m itching for it.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a day since I fought the monster, dude.¡± ¡°Just one day and you¡¯ll be fine. And we need to settle the score quickly. Right now, it¡¯s 2 wins and 2 losses.¡± ¡°What? Nonsense. It¡¯s 1 win and 0 losses. In our most recent duel, I won.¡± ¡°Well, well? What kind of rule is that?¡± ¡°You, can¡¯t you even count?¡± ¡°You crazy¡­¡± Drzzz- Park Jin-woo couldn¡¯t say anything more as Professor Kim Myeong-hyun entered the ssroom, and the lecture started immediately. Seeing his face red with embarrassment made meugh for no reason. ¡®It¡¯s fun to tease him.¡¯ I had already had four duels with Park Jin-woo, including a practical duel during the entrance exam. He had pestered me so much that I reluctantly agreed to the duels. Surprisingly, it has been helpful for me too. It was much more beneficial to learn through actual duels and internalize what I learned from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s teachings than simply learning from him or training alone. Perhaps, it¡¯s because of those duels, or maybe we just clicked, we had be quite close, exchanging jokes like today. ¡®But I can¡¯t gain Runes from him.¡¯ I had already copied [Effort of the Seeker] from Park Jin-woo, so I couldn¡¯t get any more significant Runes from him. [Keen Mind] was also a rare Rune scam, so it was a shame to use it on him. Still, dueling with someone of simr level had been helpful for my growth. And just as Park Jin-woo said, the record is 2 wins and 2 losses. I lost to him twice after the practical duel and I recently won against him once. Do main characters remain the main characters after they¡¯ve lost? Just dueling alone allowed me to understand that it was not easy when faced with weapons. Professor Tak Won-ho had not taught Park Jin-woo, but he was growing at an rming rate even on his own. ¡®Oh, right. Professor Tak Won-ho?¡¯ Come to think of it, after we captured the monster¡­, Professor Tak Won-ho had summoned Park Jin-woo. He was a professor, but he was also part of the academy¡¯s management. He questioned Park Jin-woo about the ¡®Sizzling Smander¡¯ to uncover the whole story. Afterward, they formed a party for dungeon exploration, and it led to the key development of Park Jiwoo bing his exclusive disciple. But it wasn¡¯t Park Jin-woo that fought the monster. What would happen then? ¡®¡­Am I going to be called?¡¯ This was an unexpected variable I hadn¡¯t considered. Chapter 14 Two Masters (2)

Chapter 14 Two Masters (2)

Kang Juyeon inspected her artifact. A sparkling emerald ring that fit perfectly on her index finger. It was a rare artifact that augmented magic power and greatly increased spellcasting speed. While direct battle specialists would usually wear armor, magic users like Kang Juyeon preferred using artifacts like this ring and robes. Among various battle artifacts for mages such as wands, spellbooks, and bracelets, her favorite was this ring adorned with a green gem. ¡ò Name: Wisdom Ring ¡ò Type: Ring ¡ò Grade: Rare ¡ò Maker: ¨C ¨C ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C : Magic Power +3 : Enables more efficient utilization of magic power, significantly reducing spellcasting time. ¡ò Detailed Information: An emerald ring containing the light of wisdom, exuding a clear, enduring radiance. A rare-grade ring known to be difficult to acquire. Kang Juyeon, a B-grade Holder, gained it easily due to her influential family, but it could fetch prices ranging from hundreds of millions to tens of billions of won. Ordinary Holders could only dream of possessing such an artifact. ¡®¡­It looks good,¡¯ she thought to herself. Thankfully, there were no signs of any damage or wear. Even though she had exerted all her power and channeled magic, she had only used it for one fire spell, so it remained intact. Kang Juyeon recalled yesterday¡¯s incident with the monster. A monster that appeared at the academy, breaking through the [Magic Barrier]. However, such issues were not her main concern. It only possessed abilities equivalent to an E-grade Holder, and a fellow student Holder recklessly charged at the B-grade monster. The sight of that student¡¯s back, as they fearlessly confronted the formidable opponent lingered in her mind. She had finally memorized the name ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯, a first-year student from the intermediate ss, an assassin-type Holder. He disyed an extraordinary talent in yesterday¡¯s battle, engaging the monster in a close duel with a sword. An unparalleled Holder, leaving a fresh impression on Kang Juyeon. She had never seen such uniqueness in any other Holder before. The hidden gem her father, Kang Woo-hyun, had mentioned. If such a thing truly existed¡­ she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he might be the one. ¡°Hey¡­ Thanks,¡± Kang Juyeon was lost in her thoughts when a woman¡¯s voice interrupted her. The woman had a strikingly beautiful appearance and trendy style, making her one of the three most eye-catching girls in the first-year ss¡­.It was Kim Chae-eun. They were preparing for the same lecture titled held in the intermediate ss. ¡°I couldn¡¯t greet you properly yesterday due to the chaotic situation¡­ I really wanted to say thanks for helping. Thanks to you, we survived,¡± Chae-eun said appreciatively. ¡°¡­.¡± As a result of the intervention of Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun, the bloody battle with the monster yesterday was easily ended. Also, a lot of students were injured and some died in the incident, and if it continued, Kim Chae-eun could also be at risk. Their unintentional actions saved lives. Kang Juyeon nodded slightly in response. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, as Holders were responsible for their own capabilities, and she didn¡¯t help expecting any gratitude. It was just something that had to be done. There was no reason for her fellow ssmate to lower her head in front of her. However, Chae-eun continued, taking it a step further. ¡°Our Jae-hyun was in a really dangerous situation before you arrived¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, he might have been in trouble. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°¡­..?¡± Our Jae-hyun? For some reason, the term felt unsettling to Kang Juyeon. Although she knew that Kim Chae-eun was frequently seen with Do Jae-hyun and had no particr reason to care, for some reason, it bothered her. ¡°¡­.¡± And a question emerged in her mind: What did this girl want to talk to her about? A faint trace of annoyance crept into Kang Juyeon¡¯s previously emotionless gaze. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was called to a professor¡¯s office. As I had expected, it was exactly as I thought. The monster that Park Jin-woo and Kang Juyeon were supposed to defeat¡­ the subject of the hunt had changed slightly. Kim Chae-eun and I had tried to dy the monster as much as possible, while Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun finished it off. Park Jin-woo was not present at the scene. I had taken his ce, and I had be a key figure in the unfolding events. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Professor Tak Won-ho, specializing in warrior-type Holders.¡± ¡°Hello. I am Do Jae-hyun, a first-year student in the intermediate ss.¡± I shook hands lightly with Professor Tak Won-ho. However, his gaze as he looked at me seemed subtly brighter. ¡°You yed a significant role in dealing with the monster.¡± ¡°No, not really. Thebined attack of Kang Juyeon, an upper ss Holder, and Moon Ga-eun was crucial. I merely bought them some time until those two arrived.¡± ¡°How many warrior-type Holders in the first-year upper ss do you think would have been able to buy that time?¡± ¡­Is heplimenting me? Professor Tak Won-ho always spoke in this manner. His pragmatic and cynical nature made hispliments feel somewhat sarcastic. He used honorifics diligently, but it always felt like he was looking down on the person he was praising. Kim Myeong-hyun, the professor who used honorifics consistently and respected everyone, was theplete opposite, both in personality and in swordsmanship. ¡°I have a few questions to ask you about the monster.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho scratched his chin once and continued. ¡°The B-grade monster, Sizzling Smander, appeared yesterday. Can you tell me anything unusual about it? You might have discovered some things while you faced it directly, beyond the general information about regr monsters.¡± ¡°Do you mean its appearance, or its abilities?¡± ¡°Its abilities.¡± ¡°Well..¡± The Sizzling Smander is a B-grade monster with rtively well-known information. As you can see from the [Fiery me] rune, it is a fire-type monster that can manipte fire, and considering the other two runes, it has all the characteristics typical of lizard-type monsters. It has the feeling of a typical Sizzling Smander that Holders are familiar with. But there was one thing different. It was something I knew from the original work, and it was also a fact that I experienced and felt. ¡°Its strength was abnormally high¡±. ¡°It¡¯s strength?¡± ¡°Yes. Usually, Sizzling Smanders and other lizard-type monsters are known for their agility. Creatures like the Poisonous Iguana have rted runes as well.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°However, the Sizzling Smander had significantly greater strength. Because of that, during the fight, I realized that the strength gap was toorge for the opponent to handle.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho stroked his chin again, deep in thought. It seemed like he was contemting something. He was probably thinking of the connection between the ¡®underground dungeon in the academy¡¯ and the ¡®Sizzling Smander¡¯ that appeared. The one I had found during my night patrol, which only Professor Tak Won-ho knew about. The entrance of the dungeon was filled with lizard-type C-grade monsters, consisting of Lizardmen. There seemed to be some connection between what I experienced and his thoughts. ¡°Other than that, were there any other notable characteristics?¡± ¡°No. From my experience, that¡¯s all I could tell.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± So, is the next step not to conquer the dungeon? One could suggest that, but it wasn¡¯t that simple. The Tak family, who ran the academy, had not only Professor Tak Won-ho but also¡­ Many other sessors and numerous disciples. They each had their own factions within the family and kept each other in check to secure a better position within the family. Dering the existence of the underground dungeon and announcing ns to conquer it could lead to other factions within the Taks attempting to seize the credit for themselves. Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s cautious approach was to prevent such a mud fight. Moreover, besides the underground dungeon, the copse of the [Magic Barrier] within the academy was the work of another faction¡­ It was aplex situation with many ovepping events. ¡°Oh, by the way, I heard that you used a sword instead of a dagger when facing the monster.¡± After organizing his thoughts a bit, Professor Tak Won-ho brought up the subject. ¡°Yes. Although I¡¯m an assassin-type Holder, I also have a sword rune. I used the sword because it felt morefortable when facing that creature.¡± A Multi-Holder that uses both [Sword] and a [Dagger] In the Holder world, it wasn¡¯t umon for Multi-Holders to handle two or more weapons. As I replied, Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s brow was slightly furrowed. ¡°You have a sword rune, but why didn¡¯t you sign up for my ss?¡± In swordsmanship, especially when it came to using a sword, Professor Tak Won-ho was considered the strongest, and everyone acknowledged his skill. It seemed he felt slightly offended that I, an assassin-type Holder, didn¡¯t sign up for his ss. But I felt unjustly used. ¡°Well¡­ You restricted your ss to only warrior-type Holders.¡± How could I sign up if I wasn¡¯t allowed to? I wanted to attend his ss, too. Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s destructive and aggressive swordsmanship. A shy yet overwhelming style. But as an assassin-type Holder, I was simply unable to apply. Then Professor Tak Won-ho shed a mischievous smile. ¡°Ha, haha. Is that so? I didn¡¯t think about Multi-Holders. My apologies. I¡¯ll tell my assistant to open up a spot for you through the adjustment request. Will that be alright?¡± I was quite surprised by his proposal, widening my eyes. Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s sses were always full. As a well-regarded and popr professor, there was not a single spot avable through adjustment requests. Even upper ss warriors couldn¡¯t get into the ss due tock of space. To allow an assassin-type Holder like me in was special treatment. Perhaps my fighting against the B-grade monster, despite my insufficient abilities, left quite an impression. It was somewhat simr to the way Kim Myeong-hyun, the professor who favored my swordsmanship, saw me. ¡®I want to.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t an opportunity that came easily. It was a chance to further develop my [Sword] and climb higher as a Holder. It was a shortcut to advance even further. I wanted to say yes right away. However, there was one dilemma. ¡®I already agreed to be Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple¡­¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been more than a few hours since I epted his proposal. Being Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple meant officially starting to learn his swordsmanship. Attending Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s ss, who was Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exact opposite, would be an insult to Kim Myeong-hyun. I hesitated for a moment, but I quickly made up my mind. Chapter 15 Two Masters (3)

Chapter 15 Two Masters (3)

¡°I appreciate your offer, but¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t think I can attend your lectures, Professor.¡± This time, Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s expression became peculiar. He had even prepared a seat for me, even with his full ss. He didn¡¯t expect a refusal, and his face showed that he was taken aback. ¡­ Did I hurt his pride? It wasn¡¯t my intention. ¡°May I ask for the reason?¡± Thankfully, he didn¡¯t seem displeased. In response to his genuinely curious question, I carefully replied to avoid hurting his feelings. ¡°I was fortunate enough to receive an offer to be Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple¡­ I think it would be impolite to attend another professor¡¯s swordsmanship lectures while being Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple.¡± Upon hearing this, Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s face filled with even more surprise. ¡°Kim Myeong-hyun has taken you as his exclusive disciple?¡± ¡°Yes? Ah, yes. I think he saw my efforts and skills favorably.¡± ¡°Well, well¡­ What made him change his mind¡­¡± Was this really that surprising? An exclusive disciple rtionship was an unofficial bond formed between Holders, where they received personal instruction. Usually, it was formed between Holders, not academy students, since Holders wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to learn otherwise. However, within the academy, such rtionships could also be formed between professors and students, though not officially recognized, they were implicitly epted in the Holder world. After hearing about bing Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple, Professor Tak Won-ho muttered something to himself for a while, then seemed to have made up his mind and spoke to me. ¡°So. You said you were interested in learning my swordsmanship earlier, right?¡± ¡°Yes? Ah, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Then be my exclusive disciple as well.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± I was dumbfounded by his unexpected statement. I had already said I was bing Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple, so why was he asking me to be his as well? Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible. As mentioned earlier, an exclusive disciple rtionship was a flexible and unofficial bond, and therefore, one disciple could have multiple masters. However, it was an ethical issue. Having one master and then seeking another was well beyondmon sense, especially since they both taught swordsmanship¡­ Nevertheless, Professor Tak Won-ho smiled as if there were no problems. ¡°You seem worried about something, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll talk to Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.¡± ¡°¡­Do you two know each other well?¡± ¡°Haha. We¡¯re both professors in the same warrior department, so, of course, we know each other well.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I apologize.¡± ¡°Besides, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and I were academy ssmates. We have a friendlier rtionship than you might think, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± Hearing all this, I felt relieved. Since he said he would resolve any ethical issues¡­ I just had to make afortable choice. So, I could learn from both Professor Tak Won-ho, considered the best in swordsmanship education, and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, who had a smooth and flowing style of swordsmanship. Isn¡¯t it an incredible opportunity? ¡®Damn. This is awesome.¡¯ There couldn¡¯t be a better situation. The synergistic effect of runes that enhance growth efficiency and masters who elerate it would be beyond imagination. Professor Tak Won-ho smiled and asked, ¡°So, have you changed your mind a bit?¡± ¡°Yes, Professor! I really want to do it! ¡° This was the moment I gained two masters. *** ippotrantions *** Professors Kim Myeong-hyun and Tak Won-ho. Bing the exclusive disciple of both of them was an outstanding choice. Just as Professor Tak Won-ho had reassured me, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun readily agreed to it. Thanks to that, I could receive more luxurious training in [Sword] than anyone else. [Your sword that cuts through space bes even smoother and more flexible. Now you can engrave runes that contemte swordsmanship, not just runes that handle the sword.] [You gained a new rune]. [You gained 1 point in speed from the rune¡¯s attribute.] [Your sword that stabs without hesitation possesses the power to pierce through surging waves. Now you can engrave runes that contemte swordsmanship, not just runes that handle the sword.] [You gained a new rune.] [You gained 1 point in strength from the rune¡¯s attribute.] ¡òName: Water Sword Technique ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 1 ¡òEngraved on: Left Wrist ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : Speed +1 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: The smoothness of the sword that cuts through flowing water is contained within this swordsmanship. Through this swordsmanship, you can learn new techniques of the sword. ¡òName: Wave Sword Technique ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 1 ¡òEngraved on: Right Wrist ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : Strength +1 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: The destructive power of the sword that stabs into surging waves without hesitation is contained within this swordsmanship. Through this swordsmanship, you can learn new techniques of the sword. The information window constantly appeared in front of me. It contained information about the new runes I gained this time. The new runes rted to the two professors¡¯ unique swordsmanship, and through them, I gained insights into ¡®swordsmanship¡¯. These runes were derived from [Sword], rather than the Hidden Piece ¡®Artificial Rune Acquisition¡¯ that was a condition for bing a [Rune Hunter]. Unlike Hidden Pieces, which could be gained by any Holder as long as the requirements were met, runes like [Water Sword Technique] or [Wave Sword Technique], or the [Magic Control] that I learned during the ss, were more focused on the growth and enlightenment of rted runes. The conditions and timing of acquisition could vary depending on the Holder¡¯s talent and the professor¡¯s teaching methods. Therefore, I didn¡¯t see these runes as ¡®Derived Runes¡¯ or ¡®Artificial Runes¡¯. ¡°I finally learned them¡­.¡± In any case, I seeded in mastering both swordsmanship techniques. The [Sword] rune had reached level 5, and the swordsmanship runes created by the teachings and insights of the two professors were bound to be significant powers for me in the future. Moreover, even [Wave Destruction Technique], which was Park Jin-woo¡¯s main skill in the original story, was derived from [Wave Sword Technique]. ¡°Ugh¡­ You¡¯re just like my father, Do Jae-hyun.¡± As usual, Kim Chae-eun¡¯s voice interrupted my focus. She was Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s daughter. Apparently, she saw a resemnce between my disy of [Water Sword Technique] and her father¡¯s. ¡°Professor¡¯s swordsmanship is great. It¡¯s smooth and cool.¡± ¡°It¡¯s boring. I see it all the time.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t appreciate it because you¡¯ve gotten used to it. It¡¯s amazing to have the opportunity to learn the unique swordsmanship of an A-grade Holder.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nagging just like my father.¡± Kim Chae-eun made a sarcasticment and nced around the training ground. It was a bit quieter than usual since it was during break time. ¡°What about Park Jin-woo? Aren¡¯t you two always dueling at this time?¡± She had be aware of Park Jin-woo because we were always dueling during this time. We weren¡¯t particrly close, and I just knew him as a foolish Holder who kept challenging me. ¡°He said there¡¯s some kind of group project today, and he¡¯s the leader.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Why did he choose that ss?¡± ¡°You know him. He just picks sses without much thought.¡± After the academy monster Incident, our dueling sessions had surpassed ten times, resulting in 15 wins and 0 losses in my favor. He had never defeated me even once. Perhaps it was only natural. I brought the exclusive privilege of [Effort of the Seeker], and unlike Park Jin-woo, who was growing alone, I was receiving exclusive education from two top professors. In terms of ability stats, rune level, and rune diversity, we werepletely different. However, the growth potential of the main character was not entirely closed, so our dueling sessions were mutually beneficial. Especially the core abilities like strength and speed, which were both above 20. Even in the Intermediate ss, these were considered upper-tier stats. Both of us hade up frompletely D-grade Holders. ¡°Jae-hyun, Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why have you been training with the sword so muchtely? You¡¯re also good with daggers.¡± ¡°Well¡­.¡± [Dagger] was the first rune I gained when I became a Holder. Lately, I had been somewhat neglecting the growth of this rune. For [Sword], I was receiving top-notch education from two professors, but for [Dagger], I had been unavoidably receiving ordinary lectures from a regr professor. Just as each Holder had a different main rune, each country had different strong fields. In the Holder nation of South Korea, the main fields were warrior and magician sses. To seed in the assassin ss, it was more likely to learn from the Japanese side. It wasn¡¯t like South Koreacked S-grade assassins, but the Academycked instructors of that caliber. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun! Is there an Intermediate ss Holder named Do Jae-hyun here?¡± While I was having such an informal conversation with Kim Chae-eun, an academy staff member came to look for me at the training ground. The face was familiar. It was the staff member who visited me during the academy monster incident. ¡°Here you are. Professor Tak Won-ho is looking for you, Holder Do Jae-hyun. If you have time, you should go now.¡± Just likest time, Professor Tak Won-ho had ordered to see me on behalf of the current situation where he couldn¡¯t personally act. And I left for his office immediately. ¡®it¡¯s finally happening.¡¯ It seemed that he wanted to select students to conquer the dungeon. After the academy monster incident, the second key event was approaching. Chapter 16 Academy Underground Dungeon (1)

Chapter 16 Academy Underground Dungeon (1)

The familiar office that I¡¯ve visited many times before. Professor Tak Won-ho, with a sharp impression, was sitting there, fully concentrated. I gave a slight nod to get his attention. ¡°Professor, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Oh, you came.¡± ¡°You called me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I called you because I have a favor to ask. Do you have a moment?¡± ¡°I have a free period, so it¡¯s okay.¡± Unlike when I first met Professor Tak Won-ho, he now speaks morefortably to me. Though his cold demeanor and stern tone haven¡¯t changed, I feel like we¡¯ve be more familiar after nearly a month of education together. Especially when Professor Tak Won-ho teaches swordsmanship, he does it with a Spartan intensity. If you can¡¯t do it, he makes sure you can, and if you can, he pushes you further. It¡¯s almost like the mindset of a marine from my previous world. Even though it was awkward between us at first, after hearing Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s foulnguage a few times, I couldn¡¯t help but get used to it naturally. By the way, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun still addresses me formally. The only person Professor Kim Myeong-hyun uses casualnguage with is Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Well, then¡­ alright. Have you gotten a sense of the swordsmanship taught by me and Professor Kim?¡± Tak Won-ho and Kim Myeong-hyun. I¡¯ve grown like a monster under the joint tutge of these two professors. In a shorter period than the original Park Jin-woo, I raised [Sword] to level 5, and I gained immediate enlightenment and gained two rare runes rted to ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ from their teachings. The growth rate of my abilities was extremely steep. My strength and speed are already above 20, and my willpower and toughness stats are approaching 20. I had never even held a sword in my previous world, but now, I felt like a master of the sword. ¡°Starting today, I¡¯ve learned the Water Sword Style and the Wave Sword Style. They were registered with the runes during the training.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already learned them?¡± ¡°Yes, I got lucky.¡± ¡°No need for such modesty. I don¡¯t need you to be humble in front of me.¡± Unintentionally, I flinched at Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s reproach. Then I quickly mentioned something else. ¡°Your teachings were exceptional.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± I must have given the right answer. ¡°Anyway, then the task should be a bit easier.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho stood up for a moment and took out a stack of documents from inside the desk. He handed them to me. ¡°Take this, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± ¡°Before I exin, we have to make a solemn pledge. The story we¡¯re about to share is top-secret and should never leak outside. You must not tell anyone else about this, not even in writing. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I will never leak the information.¡± Seruk- Professor Tak Won-ho firmly broke the seal on the closed documents. It seemed to be an exploration report, consisting of about ten pages in total. As I expected, it was about the ¡®Academy Underground Dungeon¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s an undiscovered dungeon found in the Academy Minister¡¯s Underground Passage. Currently, nobody knows about this dungeon. Do Jae-hyun, I want you to be in charge of conquering this dungeon.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± ¡°Yes. I would have personally formed an exploration party, but due to my external position and the situation within the academy, it¡¯s difficult. I think you know roughly why.¡± It¡¯s a situation where various sessors of the Tak n are monitoring Professor Tak Won-ho. Also, with the B-grade monster that broke through the [Magic Barrier], the academy is under attack from all directions. If the news about an underground dungeon discovered within the academy spreads, the current confusion will only worsen. Professor Tak Won-ho has been constantly pondering over this and, as a result, asked me, who recently became his exclusive disciple and gained his trust. Originally, this offer should have gone to Park Jin-woo. Starting as an exclusive disciple, and now even the academy dungeon. It wasn¡¯t intentional, but somehow, I ended up receiving it. ¡®Sorry, Jin-woo.¡¯ I silently apologized to Park Jin-woo inside my heart. And with effort, I tried to hide my excitement and maintained aposed expression. Right now, I shouldn¡¯t be happy; I needed toy the groundwork for my solo exploration. ¡°But, Professor, although you say I¡¯ve been learning under both of you, I¡¯m still a Holder at the D-grade level. Even the initial monster shown in the report, Lizardman, is a C-grade¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be too difficult for me to handle alone?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You have a point.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho pondered with his hand on his chin. Then, as if he had made a decision, he nodded. ¡°Alright. Do Jae-hyun, you can take one student Holder as apanion. But you must make them take a strict oath of secrecy, and they must receive my final approval.¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you, Professor.¡± That¡¯s settled. Professor Tak Won-ho allowed me to have onepanion. The academy underground dungeon is a hidden dungeon with high-grade monsters and enormous rewards. It¡¯s practically a convenience dungeon designed for the protagonist alone, granting privileges to the main character. If I could get all the rewards, my growth would skyrocket. But at my current level as a D-grade Holder, this dungeon is not one I can conquer alone, just as Park Jin-woo said in the original story. I definitely needed apanion. And at that time, both Park Jin-woo back then and me now, there was only one person we could choose. ¡®Kang Juyeon.¡¯ She had to be there to conquer the dungeon safely. Even though she¡¯s only in her first year, she¡¯s already a B-grade Holder. She possesses an Epic rune, the highest level in the Fire attribute. Among all the students, she is the top in the wizard category. Kang Juyeon. I needed her. *** ippotrantions *** There¡¯s nothing to learn. Listening to the boring lectures at the academy, Kang Juyeon thought so. Kang Juyeon was born as the daughter of an S-grade Holder and grew up as an elite. The amount of early education and advanced study she received far surpassed what she was learning in the academy for only three years. She was just learning things she had already thoroughly learned. Naturally, it could only be dull. Moreover, Kang Juyeon was already a B-grade Holder. In a ce where most of the academy¡¯s professors and students were of A and B grades, it wasn¡¯t easy for any professor to educate someone at a simr level as hers. ¡®¡­Boring.¡¯ The only reason why Kang Juyeon was attending the ss was because of its title, The History and Information on Monsters . And she has to end the semesters with the best grade throughout the school year. As she has to be ountable for all of her actions, then she has to win all the prizes she could use to raise the honor of her family, the n. In particr, the academy is an institution that most Holders go through. It is a ce built to grow a lot of personal connections and to form a consensus among Holders. As an elite, she couldn¡¯t give up graduating from such an important institution just because the ss wasn¡¯t fun. ¡®¡­.¡¯ The ss was so dull that even the surrounding students were dozing off. Kang Juyeon pretended to listen to the ss, but her gaze wandered elsewhere. In the quiet lecture, there was a man diligently taking notes on his own. ¡®¡­Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ He had been the focus of Kang Juyeon¡¯s interest recently. At first, it was just human curiosity. Now, she became interested in him as a Holder. When he first entered the academy, Jae-hyun had just moved up to the intermediate ss after the practical dueling. As time passed, he showed astonishing growth. When he was still an E-grade Holder, he fearlessly fought against a B-grade monster that appeared in the academy. Astonishingly, he managed to cut off its tail with a valid attack. That alone was already a miracle, but afterwards, he continued to grow and has now be a D-grade Holder. Although she hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes, there were so many rumors that she could tell. From the level of a low-end E-grade Holder to the head of the D-grade. He was the one who earned the title of a growing Holder by his own efforts and challenges, even in the boring environment of the academy where the sses were useless, and the students tried to build connections with higher-grade students without any abilities. ¡± ¡­Therefore, no matter how powerful the monster with strong defense runes and toughness may be, the location of the magic stone can be its weakness. We can conclude this way. All right! Today¡¯s ss ends here. Thank you all for your hard work.¡± After a while, the lecture finally ended with the professor¡¯s final words. Students greeted each other lightly and left the ssroom one by one. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s finally over. Phew, it¡¯s so boring.¡± The girl sitting next to her, Moon Ga-eun, yawned and stretched. It seemed that everyone felt the same boredom. The professor of this ss was particrly uninteresting. Moon Ga-eun smiled and looked at Kang Juyeon. ¡°Let¡¯s go to a cafe, Juyeon.¡± ¡°A cafe?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to have a vanitte.¡± Kang Juyeon quietly nodded. She usually liked being alone, but whenever Moon Ga-eun suggested doing something, Kang Juyeon usually followed her. Moon Ga-eun was the only friend she had from a young age. With a tough and cold image and a personality to match, Kang Juyeon didn¡¯t make many friends. Even with her family, they were close and had a simr elite status, so they had a lot inmon. Though she didn¡¯t show it often, Kang Juyeon trusted and relied on her quite a bit. So, she had no intention of making other friends. Her rtionships at the academy and society were all viewed as business transactions. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± As they were about to leave the ssroom, a man blocked their way. He was tall and had a solid build, clearly looking like a warrior-type. Kang Juyeon raised her head to confirm the person. Then, her eyes slightly widened. A familiar face stood before her. ¡°Can you spare some time? I have something to talk about.¡± He was the Holder Kang Juyeon had been ncing at throughout the ss. It was Do Jae-hyun. Chapter 17 Academy Underground Dungeon (2)

Chapter 17 Academy Underground Dungeon (2)

¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Inside the academy¡¯s cafe, we sat in front of each other with coffee ced in front of us. In the suffocating silence, we remained seated. There were things we needed to say, but our mouths just wouldn¡¯t move. ¡­Actually, I didn¡¯t expect to have a conversation with her right away. But I wanted to recruit Kang Juyeon as a teammate to go to the academy¡¯s underground dungeon, So I came to talk to her. Even though I never thought that after the first attempt, we¡¯d end up sitting here, able to talk like this. Knowing her personality, which is even more aloof and pragmatic to lower-tier Holders, I thought it would be challenging to have a conversation with her so easily. However, for some reason, Kang Juyeon casually agreed to spare some time for me. In the original story, it took Park Jin-woo ten attempts before finally seeding in having a conversation with her, so it felt somewhat remarkable that I seeded on the first try. Anyway, that¡¯s the situation right now. It was a suffocating cafe time. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°¡­Oh, go ahead and speak.¡± Ah, here we go again. Finally managing to open our mouths, We hear each other¡¯s inner monologues. The second reason why we couldn¡¯t continue the conversation smoothly was the table next to us. Moon Ga-eun, wearing a crushed hat, was stealing nces at us. Moreover, with a face full of anticipation, she would start muttering to herself whenever I said something. ¡­Does she really think we can¡¯t see her doing that? I sighed inwardly and spoke. ¡°First, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun from the Intermediate ss. You may not know, but we had a ss together earlier, and also when we captured the monster before¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°I know, Do Jae-hyun.¡± Does she know me? Why? Come to think of it, it was strange. Park Jin-woo struggled through eleven attempts before finally seeding in having a conversation, but here I am, having a conversation with her in a cafe from the get-go. Maybe the encounter we had during the previous monster incident left a strong impression. ¡­Honestly, it seemed like I was just getting beaten up. If that was impressive in its own right, then I guess it was impressive. Anyway, if she knows me, it makes the conversation much smoother. I quickly brushed off my surprise and continued. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s cut to the chase.¡± It was finally time to talk about the main topic. ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell you is something that must be kept strictly confidential, even if something happens. Can I trust you to keep it a secret?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The content regarding the academy¡¯s underground dungeon must remain a secret. It¡¯s something that must not leak elsewhere. With that in mind, my request was strict and demanding. Kang Juyeon nodded slowly, her strong pride as an elite Holder surface. No matter the situation or who the other person is, she would never allow her pride to bepromised. I asked her from the start to keep the secret, and she probably wouldn¡¯t break it no matter the content. The situation resolved somewhat smoothly, and I took out the prepared reports. ¡°Would you like to take a look at this?¡± It was an exploration report on the academy¡¯s underground dungeon. It contained a brief description of the dungeon¡¯s structure, initial appearance of monsters, and a little bit of strategy information. Kang Juyeon¡¯s expression became subtle as she read the report. It seemed like she understood everything right away. Her eyes showed a glimmer of excitement. I lowered my voice and continued. ¡°To sum it up, it¡¯s a special dungeon located somewhere within the Academy. It¡¯s an undiscovered dungeon that has never been revealed before.¡± Kang Juyeon carefully examined the report. The report waspiled by Professor Tak Won-ho, who made a temporary inspection and wrote the document, so there was still a lot of missing information. However, it was a good guide for those who had to undertake apletely new exploration. I didn¡¯t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. ¡°Let me be direct. Kang Juyeon, I hope you¡¯ll join me in exploring that dungeon. By chance, I now have a reason to explore it, but honestly, my abilities arecking.¡± Undiscovered dungeons are a haven of abundant rewards for high-grade Holders, but if you can¡¯t handle them, you¡¯ll end up just miserable. I was stillcking the power to conquer the underground dungeon alone. For this expedition, Kang Juyeon was essential. ¡°Dungeon exploration?¡± ¡°Yeah. As you can see from the report, the monsters that appear in the early stages are mainly C-grade Lizardmen. They have high physical strength but are weak against magic attacks. So, I¡¯ll be in the front to withstand their attacks, and you¡¯ll provide magic support from behind¡­ I think we can conquer it more easily than expected.¡± To be honest, I was pleading with her. If she¡¯s a mage on par with B-grade Holders who can wipe out even B-grade monsters in one shot¡­ it was my first time seeing such magic. And she¡¯s also recognized as the strongest among the first-year students. So, if I assumed that someone would join me in exploring this dungeon, it was her, Kang Juyeon, who immediately came to mind. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°But¡­ Why me?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°There are many other Holders. Why do you specifically¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was she genuinely asking because she didn¡¯t know? She¡¯s the Holder with the highest skill among my peers, so with her elite background, she¡¯s prideful and rarely speaks. From the start, she¡¯d never reveal information about dungeons to others. A person who would silently explore the dungeon regardless of external factors. Among the people around me, there was no one else like that other than Kang Juyeon. ¡°During the previous monster incident, your magic was so impressive. Magic that can obliterate even B-grade monsters with a single blow¡­ I¡¯d never seen anything like that before. And you¡¯re acknowledged as the strongest first-year student by everyone. So, I thought if I had to explore this dungeon with someone, it¡¯d be you, Kang Juyeon.¡± But behind my stifling inner thoughts, A seemingly usible reason came out of my mouth. I was desperate, too. If Kang Juyeon wasn¡¯t with me, the dungeon exploration might be impossible. It was almost like giving a presentation with PowerPoint in a different world. Smooth and clean. And with a little ttery, I lifted her up a bit while exining. Thankfully, it seemed like my passion had gotten through to her. Kang Juyeon nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression. But suddenly, an unexpected name came out of her mouth. ¡°¡­What about Kim Chae-eun?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Why does Kim Chae-eune into y here? No. How does Kang Juyeon even know Kim Chae-eun? But she said it as if it were nothing. In an instant, Kang Juyeon¡¯s head swiveled around. ¡°Oh, no, never mind. About that¡­ the dungeon exploration, I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°Huh? Really?!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Her eptance was so nonchnt. But there was a clear reason behind it. Given how weary Kang Juyeon was of academy life and how she found sses dull, exploring a secret dungeon was like a breath of fresh air to her. ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ I clenched my fist and cheered inwardly. The first button for the underground dungeon exploration was properly fastened. Now, we just needed to set a date and get Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s approval. This was the beginning of the long-awaited first dungeon exploration. But things never go as nned. One unexpected variable appeared before us. ¡°I want to join too!¡± With a bright smile, Moon Ga-eun raised her hand from the side. She had been sneakily watching us from afar, but now she was here, sharing our conversation. ¡®She used a rune.¡¯ Knowing Moon Ga-eun¡¯s rune and skill to some extent, I had a hunch. She possessed a rare rune. The skill [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar] was imbued within it. It clearly enhanced her hearing. My carelessness in not fully distancing Moon Ga-eun from us was evident. ¡®But she¡¯s not bad, actually.¡¯ Although a sudden thought arose, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s joining wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. With a frontline warrior, a supporting mage, and an archer who asionally provided support attacks, thepletion of the three-person party was almost perfect. Actually, it was even more well-rounded than the party of just the two of us. ¡­If only I can persuade Professor Tak Won-ho. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°It¡¯s alright. Do as you like.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho kindly allowed Moon Ga-eun to join us. It was a bit unexpected, but once I heard the reason, I understood. His initial n was to give me practical experience in the dungeon and steadily help me grow. It was true that skills like [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] revealed their true worth when facing monsters rather than just practicing alone. But it wasn¡¯t just my growth that mattered. Exploring the dungeon that suddenly appeared in the academy and obtaining information about it was important too. So, we reset our direction, and the party with Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun, who both belonged to the high-grade Holders even in the upper ss, was confirmed. I wondered if they might feel burdened by the fact that it was a secret exploration, but it seemed that as long as it didn¡¯t involve political issues, they were fine with it. Before setting out for the exploration, I double-checked the holder information: ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (20) ¡òStats: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 24] ¡ò [Magic: 6] ¡ò [Speed: 22] ¡ò [Recovery: 2] ¡ò [Toughness: 17] ¡ò [Willpower: 14] ¡òResistance: ¨C : [Poison: 1] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C : Epic ¡ò [Rune Hunter Lv.Max] ¡ò [Effort of the Seeker Lv.Max] :Rare ¡ò [Lizard¡¯s Scales Lv.6] ¡ò [Venom Lv.0] ¡ò [Water Sword Technique Lv.1] ¡ò [Wave Sword Technique Lv.2] : Normal ¡ò [Sword Lv.6] ¡ò [Dagger Lv.4] ¡ò [Cooking Lv.3] ¡ò [Combat Lv.2] ¡ò [Sprint Lv.2] ¡ò [Magic Control Lv.2] ¡ò [Bow Lv.1] ¡ò [Axe Lv.1] ¡ò [Spear Lv.1] ¡ò [Blunt Lv.1] ¡ò [Shield Lv.1] ¡òPossessed Skills: ¨C ¡ò [Quarter Knives]: (Dagger) ¡ò [Poison w]: (Venom) ¡ò [Combo]: (Sword) ¡ò [Hardening]: (Lizard¡¯s Scales) ¡òUltimate Skill: ¨C ¨C The stats had clearly be solid after surpassing 20, and the growth of various rune levels caught my attention. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how my Recovery and Magic stats had increased, but the growth from the training effect of [Effort of the Seeker] rune was random, so it seemed like they would go up one by one. Especially among the runes, the ones rted to the sword that I had been diligently investing in recently had notably improved. [Sword] was already at level 6, and [Wave Sword Technique] had reached level 2. Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s Spartan-style training had proved quite effective. With these stats, I would have no problem handling the early-stage monsters, mainly C-grade Lizardmen, that usually appeared in the academy¡¯s underground dungeon. I was confident that I could act as the frontline bruiser. On the day we set out for the expedition, the three of us (me, Kang Juyeon, and Moon Ga-eun) stood in front of the secret entrance to the underground passage, as mentioned in the report. Moon Ga-eun looked around with fascination, seemingly excited about the secret dungeon. She turned to Kang Juyeon and said, ¡°Wow, a secret dungeon! I¡¯m so nervous, right, Juyeon?¡± ¡°¡­Not really.¡± Having met several times before for the strategy, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s nonchnt conversations had be familiar to me. Entering the dungeon was simple. In a specific ce known as the entrance, a particr medium was hidden. By infusing magic into that medium, one could enter the dungeon immediately. The medium for this dungeon was somewhere on the wall of the underground passage. I explored the wall bit by bit to find the exact location, and then turned back to look at the two. ¡°I¡¯m going to activate it.¡± Oops! I forgot to mention the magic part. But it seemed like they roughly understood, as both of them nodded. And at the same time, they ced their hands on my shoulders. With this, when I infused magic, all three of us would be able to enter the dungeon together. And¡­ [You have entered the dungeon.] [The eerie energy and heavy air in the dungeon slightly decrease the Holder¡¯s speed.] After falling into this world and bing a Holder, I entered a dungeon for the first time. Chapter 18 Academy Underground Dungeon (3)

Chapter 18 Academy Underground Dungeon (3)

The professor who was teaching the ss had said the following: ¡°There are various ways for Holders to make money in modern society.¡± The first is capturing monsters themselves. If they capture monsters outside the barrier or asionally those that appear within the barrier, they can earn money through the reward set by the government and the ¡®magic stones¡¯ embedded in the bodies of the monsters. This is the mostmon ie source for Holders, and it is a natural profit as it is the decisive factor that makes society in need of Holders. ¡°The second is¡­ taking onmissions from ordinary people. In other words, doing tasks that only Holders can do.¡± Tasks that require excessive physical strength or tasks that ordinary people find difficult. When Holders take on such tasks, they can handle them more easily. However, the demand for this is not very high, and only those who are around F-grade Holders or above tend to take on such tasks. Furthermore, unless they hold specialized positions like academy professors, the earnings are not substantial, so they are not preferred. ¡°Thest one is what you were probably thinking of. It can be considered dungeon conquering.¡± Dungeons, special spaces where countless monsters hide. As there are various rewards hidden in these ces, it often involves rewards that are difficult to achieve through training or general growth. Especially, if you conquer a dungeon for the first time, you can achieve special growth, which is why Holders always seek out ¡®undiscovered dungeons¡¯. ¡°But above all, the highlight of dungeon conquering is the ¡®boss room¡¯¡±. The boss room, thest and most significant part of dungeon conquering. Boss rooms have different difficulty levels and rewards for each dungeon, and if you¡¯re lucky, they can bring tremendous fortune upon sessful conquering. Yu Eun-seo, the only S-grade Holder among Korea¡¯s assassin-type Holders, is rumored to have grown through a boss room. It was widely spread in the Holdermunity that she achieved rapid growth and reached S-grade after breaking the boss room of , which is considered the highest-grade dungeon. Exact confirmation of the facts is difficult, but there¡¯s no smoke without fire. That¡¯s how valuable the boss room in a dungeon is. Dungeons. They are a sweetnd where Holders runes thrive, flowing with milk and honey. And among them, there are even more special undiscovered dungeons. The beginning part of the academy¡¯s underground dungeon. We had been walking for about 10 minutes from the entrance, and still, there was no sign of anything. ¡°So, Do Jae-hyun, is this your first time in a dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve only been a Holder for about two months.¡± ¡°Wow, really? You¡¯re quite talented, then?¡± The ones mainly engaging in conversation were me and Moon Ga-eun due to boredom. Kang Juyeon was a type who didn¡¯t speak much, so she remained quiet. Sometimes, she would nce at us as if she wanted to join the conversation¡­ but how can we know if she doesn¡¯t say anything? ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to hear such words in front of two really talented people.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Both you and Juyeon have been Holders for quite some time. About half a year? Plus, you have gic advantages. Right, Juyeon?¡± She nodded slightly in response to the sudden question. Just by observing her, I could tell how remarkable Moon Ga-eun was. Despite knowing that she would get stiff responses and brief answers, she continued to talk to Kang Juyeon so steadily. That¡¯s probably why they¡¯ve been close friends since they were young. ¡°And Do Jae-hyun, aren¡¯t you E-grade? I¡¯ve never heard of someone going from F-grade to D-grade in just two months as a Holder.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly F-grade. I was almost at the end of E-grade.¡± Holders¡¯ grades are officially determined by the Association. The ability measurement devices used when entering the academy. The Holder Association uses simr devices to measure the abilities of Holders and assess their level and practicality through duel tests. They also consider achievements in monster hunting and dungeon conquering. Since I¡¯ve never captured a monster or conquered a dungeon by myself, I wasn¡¯t considered a regr D-grade Holder. My strength was just at the D-grade level. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± While chatting, Moon Ga-eun suddenly raised her hand to stop us. Her ash blue hair fluttered slightly at the sudden stop. She quickly sat down and ced her hand on the ground. It seemed like she was using [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar], which maximizes her senses rted to sound and vibrations. As an archer, Moon Ga-eun often took on the role of a ranger during dungeon conquests and provided ranged support from the back during battles. The runes that archers typically use are [Keen Mind], but Moon Ga-eun, as an elite, possessed a special rare rune called [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar], which naturally had better performance than regr archer runes. ¡°They¡¯reing. About 100 meters away.¡± With Moon Ga-eun¡¯s words, the dungeon started to vibrate. Lizardmen appeared in the distance. They were lizard-like monsters covered in scales, holding tridents as weapons. They walked on two legs, resembling humans in form, but their faces and bodies were that of lizards. There were four Lizardmen in sight. They were C-grade Lizardmen monsters. -Kaahhh!! -Kaak, kaahh-!! It was ambitious of me, at D-grade level, to face four Lizardmen alone. No matter how fast my growth rate was, it was almost impossible to deal with four C-grade monsters at the same time. But I had Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun behind me. I just needed to buy some time until they made their move. ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡± With those words, I dashed straight ahead. I had to take the lead before the Lizardmen reached here. Before drawing the longsword from my back, I first pulled out four throwing knives from my hip to use my [Dagger] rune. When I fought the B-grade monster Sizzling Smander, which had high toughness and even had the rare rune [Lizard¡¯s Scales], throwing knives was meaningless. Even if I used a sword, it barely left a scratch. But C-grade Lizardmen were different. They were strong in physical strength and rtively weak in toughness, so I could inflict damage. I¡¯ve leveled up the [Dagger] to level 4, and it will definitely show its effectiveness. ¡°Haah¡­!!¡± I threw all four daggers at one of the Lizardmen. [Quarter Knives] is a trick-type skill where I throw all four knives and enhance the attack on one of them with magic. Sure enough, the Lizardman hit by my dagger reacted in surprise. It first parried the dagger with its trident. Then it parried the second dagger. However, there¡¯s a limit to simultaneous reactions. Just two knives. -Kaaahh!! The remaining two daggers hit the Lizardman¡¯s body. One in the ankle and one in the neck. And the [Quarter Knives]. Among the fours daggers, one dagger was imbued with magic. It was the dagger that lodged into its neck. ¡°Lucky seven, you bastard.¡± Damn, it was a bullseye. Well, it¡¯s not exactly a bullseye, but still. The Lizardman hit by the dagger filled with magic became incapacitated. Although I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯spletely dead. But this much was enough for an effective surprise attack. I drew the sword from my back. I didn¡¯t have time to celebrate the sessful ambush. -Kaaahh!! -Kaah, kaaah!! Did they get angry because of the way I ambushed it? Three Lizardmen charged at me at high speed. I held on to the sword tightly with both hands. As I dodge their stabbing tridents I activated [Water Sword Technique]. With it, even if multiple weapons came at you at the same time, if you could identify the central point of the attack, you would be able to break them. Chaeng- Chaejaeng- The Lizardmen¡¯s trident and my sword interlocked. As the weapons became unlocked, they tried to hit me several times but I dodged every attack. With each dodge, I became surrounded, in between enemies lines. I was constantly looking for a gap. ¡°Hap¡­ !!¡± I used [Combo] to counter while letting [Wave Sword Technique] piercing technique to create a gap. Because of the difference in grade, it did not show the level difference of [Quarter Knife], which was poured out with full force in the first attack, but it createdrge and small scratches as damages. ¡®Not good.¡¯ However, even in this battle, there is a limit. Little by little, I could feel it on my wrists and skin. It was a matter of my inexperienced use of runes and my abilities. I had just started learning the swordsmanship of the professors, and the rune level was only 1 or 2 levels. There is somethingcking to cover my low skills. The trident of the Lizardmen that rushes incessantly without relenting its attacks were not easily tackled. You must have an outstanding aspect of either stats or runes. However, with D-level abilities, this was the limit. ¡°Keugh¡­ .¡± A pained voice came out reflexively. The sword, which used to respond gently to attacks, gradually lost strength while the trident of the Lizardmen was starting to get heavy. -Kaaaaaaa!! As we were in the midst of the battle, another group of Lizardmen¡¯s sounds were heard in front of us. Ah, I messed up¡­ Come to think of it, this is a dungeon. The initial four were just the beginning, and there could be countless Lizardmen in the dungeon. And the ones in front were the Lizardmen following the first group. ¡®I might really die here.¡¯ Three Lizardmen were already overwhelming, but if I had to fight more here, I¡¯d be dead for sure. I had reached my limit. And around that time, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s voice came to my rescue. ¡°Jae-hyun, step back!¡± The signal that both supported magic and range shooting were ready. I quickly moved away from the Lizardmen. The speed that¡¯s hard to believe for someone who was just fighting a moment ago. The Lizardmen also seemed surprised. This is due to the high speed, but [Sprint] yed a big part as well. [Sprint] is a rune that not only increases speed but also enhances instantaneous movements and agility. Naturally, it also had an impact on escaping from dangerous situations. Bang! Ka-ga-kang! Shiiing- And as soon as I got out of the range of any AOE. A barrage of arrows came flying with a tremendous noise. [Light Meteor] and [Triple Powershot]. Their main area-of-effect skills. The three Lizardmen I was fighting and the five that came afterward had no time to respond. They were bombarded by Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun. -Ka, kaaah¡­ The battle was over just like that. ¡°¡­.¡± I stared nkly at the scene. After witnessing such overwhelming attacks. I felt a strange sense of reverence in my body and mind. Is this the¡­ Pack hunting or something¡­? Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 19 Academy Underground Dungeon (4)

Chapter 19 Academy Underground Dungeon (4)

[You won the duel! Thanks to your significant contribution during the duel, your victory is recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to duplicate.] [1. Underwater Breathing 2. Strengthen 3. Spear (Not selectable)] I seeded in hunting the Lizardmen, and the effect of the [Rune Hunter] was activated once again. Although the Lizardman that followed didn¡¯t manage tond a single hit, I had quite a share in the four Lizardmen I had hunted before. Thanks to that, I was acknowledged for my high contribution in the duel. The Lizardman had a total of three runes, which was quite a lot for a C-grade monster. [Spear] was already in my possession, so it was not selectable and excluded from the options. I pondered between [Underwater Breathing] and [Strengthen]. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Both are decent rare runes. However, I slightly valued [Underwater Breathing] more for a simple reason. The [Strengthen] rune might sound like it holds tremendous power, but in reality, it is just a useful rare rune that assists with physical strength. It does not grant any over-the-top,ic-like abilities such as splitting the ground with a single punch. Especially considering that [Strengthen] is named after the ¡®strength of monsters,¡¯ many monsters possessed this rune. ¡®I don¡¯t really need to choose it right now.¡¯ On the other hand, [Underwater Breathing] offered apletely new ability that allowed one to breathe freely underwater. This could be helpful in tackling dungeons like rivers or seas, and who knows what abilities I might gain from hunting other monsters in the future. It was simr to when I chose [Lizard¡¯s Scales] after defeating the Sizzling Smander. I chose [Underwater Breathing] for the potential it held. [You have chosen Underwater Breathing. As it is a level 6 rare rune, its level will decrease to 3 upon registration.] [You have gained a new rune.] [You gain 3 points of water resistance as the rune¡¯s attribute.] [A new resistance has been activated.] ¡òName: Underwater Breathing ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 3 ¡òEngraved Location: Nose ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : Enables breathing underwater like any other creature. : Water Resistance +3 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: Affinity and resistance to water are enhanced. I read the consecutive information windows that appeared before me slowly. It contained the expected contents, and there was an unexpected gain in the form of ¡®Water Resistance.¡¯ This was quite a pleasant bonus. Since I couldn¡¯t predict when and where resistance mighte in handy, there was no harm in having it. Water resistance was quite valuable, as increasing this stat would grant resistance to water-based magic as well. It was simr for both [Poison] and [Underwater Breathing]. It felt great to obtain elemental resistances quickly through luck. It was certain that defeating the Lizardmen in the hunt was quite rewarding. However, it didn¡¯t end there. [You won the duel! Thanks to your significant contribution during the duel, your victory is recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Since your opponent has only one rune, you will duplicate that rune.] [You have gained a new rune.] [You gain 1 point of Strength as the rune¡¯s attribute.] ¡°Uh¡­?¡± The [Rune Hunter] effect, which had already appeared once, showed up again. ¡­What¡¯s going on? I had been satisfied with gaining a useful rare rune like [Underwater Breathing], but suddenly, I gained another rune? As I stared nkly at the information window, I soon realized. ¡®They are different individuals!¡¯ Each of the Lizardmen I hunted had different characteristics. This influenced the effect of the [Rune Hunter]. The [Rune Hunter] was a rune with the power to duplicate the opponent¡¯s rune upon winning a duel. However, it had one drawback. Once you duplicate a specific rune from an opponent, you couldn¡¯t duplicate it again, even if you won a duel against the same opponent. That was the reason why, despite dueling with Park Jin-woo more than 20 times, I still couldn¡¯t gain his [Famed Sword Technique]. But, even if the opponent had the same rune¡­ If they were different individuals, the story changed. The Dungeon monsters might be numerous, but they were all separate beings with distinct intellects. So, they were not considered ¡®opponents I had duplicated a rune from¡¯. You may have gained [Underwater Breathing] by hunting Lizardmen, however, if you hunt another Lizardman, even the remaining runes can be duplicated. That¡¯s why I was presented with the information window to duplicate another rune. I quickly checked the newly gained rune information. ¡òName: Strengthen ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 0 ¡òEngraved Location: Right Forearm ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : When pushing or lifting certain objects, you can exert twice the strength of your strength stat. : Strength +1 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: Overwhelming strength possessed by high-strength monsters. A stronger strength will envelop your body. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Now I gained [Strengthen] as well. There was no need to ponder which one to choose between the two. I could get both anyway. I already acquired all the runes that the Lizardmen possessed, so it might be difficult to get more runes from them. But I already felt like I gained a significant advantage. [Strengthen] was an attractive rune that assisted physical strength and had good synergy with the [Combat] rune. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± While I was absentmindedly reading the rune information, Moon Ga-eun called me. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? Why are you so good at fighting? Are you really a D-grade Holder?¡± Although we finished the hunt together, I was the one who fought fiercely and led thebat. As someone still at the D-grade Holder level, subduing four C-grade monsters simultaneously was quite remarkable. Moon Ga-eun seemed quite amazed by it, and she wasn¡¯t the only one. Kang Juyeon, who was slowly walking over, also had surprise written all over her face. Her expression was visible. ¡°Uh¡­ I was just lucky.¡± ¡°Are you teasing me?¡± ¡°Haha, no. I really got lucky. If my Quarter Knives hadn¡¯t hit the first Lizardman, it would have been tough for me, even with three. Dealing with four was really challenging.¡± Honestly, even in my own opinion, I fought well. The surprise attack with the [Quarter Knives] was most effective, and I cleverly maneuvered the duels against the Lizardmen, considering the difference in strength with the [Water Sword Technique]. But as the only tank and damage dealer in this three-member party, it was somewhat expected of me. ¡°What should we do with the magic stones?¡± The most basic reward from hunting monsters, the magic stones. The Lizardmen had magic stones embedded in the center of their heads. Magic stones were the main source of ie for Holders. Even lower-grade magic stones could fetch a decent price, and C-grade monster magic stones were priced in the millions. There were Lizardman corpses scattered around us. This was all our money. ¡°While you were daydreaming, Juyeon took care of everything.¡± ¡°Kang Juyeon?¡± Suddenly, when I looked at Kang Juyeon, she nodded quietly. ¡°We¡¯ll split the loot after finishing the exploration.¡± It was true that there was a big difference between having dungeon experience and not. While I, a dungeon newbie, was simply happy about acquiring runes, these experienced girls had already collected all nine Lizardman magic stones. That was why they were chosen as experienced Holders. I brushed off my dirty hands a few times and collected the equipment. ¡°Let¡¯s go right away!¡± ¡°Already? Don¡¯t you need more rest?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m all energized now.¡± My voice was full of life. With the acquisition of [Underwater Breathing] and [Strength], the fatigue that weighed heavily on my shoulders disappeared in an instant. I felt like I could keep dueling for as long as I wanted. *** ippotrantions *** We continued to conquer the dungeon with great enthusiasm. The pattern was almost the same as the first duel. When I confronted multiple Lizardmen, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun would unleash their prepared magic and ranged attacks. The duel form that led to victory repeated itself until all the Lizardmen at the beginning of the dungeon were cleared. While Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun handled the decisive blows and finishes, I also didn¡¯t show anyck of growth dueling at the front. [Your throwing skills with the dagger be smoother and more flexible.] [The level of your rune has increased.] [You gain 1 point of Speed as the rune¡¯s attribute.] [The subtlety in your swordy that parries multiple weapons bes even deeper.] [The level of your rune has increased.] [You gain 1 point of Speed as the rune¡¯s attribute.] They say the biggest moment of growth for a Holder is during a real duel. While training helps in gaining abilities and leveling up runes, the growth from directly hunting monsters is much more significant. This dungeon, where I frequently used [Dagger] and [Water Sword Technique], allowed their levels to increase easily through hunting monsters. Various growth factors contributed to steadily increasing my attributes, and both Strength and Speed had surpassed 25. ¡°Haap¡­!!¡± I dodged the Lizardman¡¯s trident and immediately thrust my dagger into the neck of the Lizardman next to it. It was challenging to face three Lizardmen at first, but now I could handle five of them together without being overwhelmed. Shiiiiing- Bang!! In an instant, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s arrow flew and pierced the remaining Lizardman, finishing the nearlypleted battle. ¡°Is it over?¡± After collecting all the Lizardmen¡¯s magic stones, Moon Ga-eun examined her surroundings. Then, like before, she ced her hand on the ground and focused her mind. It was her detection using [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar] to sense nearby monsters and magic. ¡°None left?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems we got them all.¡± Moon Ga-eun slowly opened her eyes. When she dered there were none, there were genuinely none. It would be strange to doubt her detection abilities, especially since she was an upper ss archer in the first year. We hadpletely cleared all the Lizardmen at the entrance of the dungeon. ¡°Now then¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze naturally turned to the front. The Academy Underground Dungeon. At the end of the entrance, there was a critical point. There was a nuisance that hindered the progress of the original Park Jin-woo and Kang Juyeon. The reason their dungeon conquest was limited to the entrance. It was the path that led to the next level of the dungeon, blocked by a massive rock. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 20 Academy Underground Dungeon (5)

Chapter 20 Academy Underground Dungeon (5)

¡°Dad, why are you so busy these days?¡± Kim Chae-eun looked at Kim Myeong-hyun, who was sitting at his desk. Lately, he seemed restless all day long. During work hours, he educated students at the academy, and in his spare time, he taught his exclusive disciples¡­ and when he returned home, he was engrossed in writing something. Except for weekends, he worked all day on weekdays. As a result, Kim Chae-eun barely had time to eat with her dad. Kim Myeong-hyun smiled kindly at his daughter¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m working on creating teaching materials.¡± ¡°Teaching materials?¡± ¡°Yes. Do Jae-hyun is excellent in practical aspects of swordsmanship, but his theoretical knowledge is almost non-existent. Since there are limitations to conveying things verbally¡­ I¡¯m trying to put it in simple writing.¡± Do Jae-hyun had exceptional absorption ability as a Holder. Judging from his registration as an assassin-type, he probably had talent in the [Dagger] rune category, but in Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s eyes, he seemed more talented in the [Sword] rune. Just by looking at him learning swordsmanship from two masters. Both [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]. The ways of learning and the nature of these sword techniques were entirely different. Unlike ¡®Derived Skills¡¯ that one could learn somehow as long as their level was sufficient, ¡®Possessed Runes¡¯ required insights and a profound understanding of the specific rune to be registered. ¡°Ordinary warrior-type Holders don¡¯t acquire runes even if you teach them as exclusive disciples.¡± ¡°You mean the Water Sword Technique?¡± ¡°Yes. Unlike the normal runes like the sword, derived rare runes like the Water Sword Technique are in the realm of talent.¡± The same applied to the [Wave Sword Technique]. These two sword techniques weren¡¯t rare runes for no reason. They couldn¡¯t be learned just by following someone; they were runes that couldn¡¯t be acquired unless you truly understood them. However, Do Jae-hyun didn¡¯t stop at learning them separately. He often attempted various approaches tobine the two sword techniques. His efforts to learn and fill the gaps were driven by his passion. As a Holder educator at the academy, Kim Myeong-hyun couldn¡¯t help but like him. Kim Chae-eun watched her dad with a puzzled expression. ¡°Do you like Do Jae-hyun that much?¡± ¡°Hahaha. From a professor¡¯s standpoint, a diligent student is always appreciated.¡± ¡°Anyone would think he¡¯s your son.¡± She said it curtly, but a slight smile yed on Kim Chae-eun¡¯s lips. It was because even after work, her dad, who was working on extra tasks, didn¡¯t look tired; he looked cheerful. ¡®He seems to be in a good mood¡¯. Kim Myeong-hyun took great pride in his swordsmanship. His sword moved smoothly and flexibly, like an art, parrying gracefully. It took him many years toplete his unique sword, and he had walked most of his Holder life with such distinctive moves. That¡¯s how he developed [Water Sword Technique]. And that¡¯s how he earned his position as a professor. ¡®But¡­¡¯ However, he wasn¡¯t warmly weed by the other Holders. Most warrior-type Holders sought destructive and powerful forces. So Tak Won-ho, who wielded an exhrating sword technique, became popr, and due to Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯sck of special achievements and n, his interest was rtively low. Of course, not all of his [Sword] basic sses were unpopr. His teaching style was neat and informative, making it famous. It¡¯s just that there were few who actively wanted to learn [Water Sword Technique]. That¡¯s why Kim Myeong-hyun didn¡¯t take on any exclusive disciples. Because there was genuinely no one who wanted to learn from him. ¡®I¡¯m d Jae-hyun is here¡¯. Recently, her closest friend, Do Jae-hyun, became Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s exclusive disciple to learn his sword techniques. And it seemed he made a strong impression. Even Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s passion for education was reignited. Positive changes brought about by good people. Kim Chae-eun, who was close to both of them, couldn¡¯t help but be satisfied with this change. ¡°Anyway, when you¡¯re done with that,e to the dining table. I¡¯ve prepared dinner.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± She had prepared dinner. At that one word. Kim Myeong-hyun, who was rolling his pen, stopped moving. Then he looked at his daughter with a serious face. ¡°Do I really have to eat?¡± ¡°Are you trying to starve yourself?¡± ¡°I guess I was talking nonsense because I¡¯m too tired. I¡¯ll be there soon, Chae-eun.¡± Kim Myeong-hyun quickly nodded his head and changed his words. Now that Do Jae-hyun wasn¡¯t here due to a special promise, Kim Myeong-hyun was the only one left to share Kim Chae-eun¡¯s homemade dinner. *** ippotrantions *** Academy Underground Dungeon. Our party sessfully cleared the initial stage and took a step towards the next level. However, we encountered a particr obstacle. ¡°Why won¡¯t this budge?¡± Moon Ga-eun grumbled as she tried to push the rock. The rock remained unmoved, as expected. It had prevented us from advancing to the next stage of the dungeon. ¡°Step back a moment.¡± Kang Juyeon raised both her hands as if preparing to cast a rune spell. Moon Ga-eun and I quickly moved behind her. Kaga-Gaga ¨C whoosh! The [Light Meteor] that had been greatly effective in hunting lizardmen shone brightly once again. Originally, [Light Meteor] was an area-of-effect skill that could be used against multiple monsters, but it could also be focused on a single spot to create a concentrated explosion, as demonstrated on thisrge rock. Several rough fireballs poured down on the rock like bombs. But after the smoke from the mes disappeared, the dungeon fell into a slight silence. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Juyeon, not even a scratch?¡± Moon Ga-eun was truly remarkable. She could make such ament to Kang Juyeon without hesitation. Isn¡¯t she afraid of angering her? ¡°¡­ wait.¡± Kang Juyeon bit her lip. I took a magical preparation posture once again. Ah¡­. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that no matter what, because it was the same in the original, and it is still the same now. That rock at the entrance that leads into the dungeon. Though it was an effective shock tactic, Kang Juyeon¡¯s magic couldn¡¯t break the rock. First, the rock wasn¡¯t an ordinary one; it was a special rockposed entirely of ¡®Magic Stone¡¯. Magic Stones inherently contained magic power and had a high affinity for all thingsposed of magic. Thus, this rock,posed entirely of Magic Stone, wasn¡¯t easily shattered by powerful attacks imbued with magic. The second reason it was difficult to break was due to Kang Ju-yeon¡¯s magic being of the ¡®Fire¡¯ element. Fire-based magic wasn¡¯t very effective against objects like rocks. Even the powerful magic wasn¡¯t very effective; on top of that, it was magic that had an unfavorablepatibility with rocks. Thus, Kang Juyeon¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t be able to break the rock no matter what she did. Kaga gaga ¨C whoosh, whoosh! [Light Meteor] exploded again. This time, the attack seemed to have more power than before, but it was still ineffective. Once again, a breathless silence filled the dungeon. ¡°Ahaha. There¡¯s something Juyeon can¡¯t do. It¡¯s intriguing. Ahahaha.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Please, stop it, Moon Ga-eun¡­ The atmosphere instantly became as cold as ice. I took the lead to try and lighten the mood. ¡°Haha! Kang Juyeon¡¯s Fire magic is among the best, but seeing this rock, it must be a type of rock that¡¯s hard to break with magic. We¡¯ll have to use our strength too¡­¡± But as I stood in the front, my body suddenly froze. I felt something strange about what I had just said. To use our strength¡­? As I fiddled with the rock, a sudden thought came to mind. After entering the dungeon and hunting lizardmen, I had fortunately obtained a rare rune called [Strengthen]. Unlike normal runes, rare runes often had skills or special effects from the start. [Strengthen] was one such case that possessed both. The special effect of [Strengthen] was that it allowed the Holder to exert twice their physical strength when lifting or pushing specific objects. Therge rock blocking our path naturally fell under the category of ¡®specific objects.¡¯ In order to test my idea, I quickly positioned myself in front of the rock and called Moon Ga-eun to help me. ¡°Moon Ga-eun, can you help me push this for a moment?¡± ¡°Push it again? This thing didn¡¯t even budge before.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, just this once.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ alright.¡± Moon Ga-eun stood beside me, and I prepared myself by taking a deep breath. ¡°Ha- Hup!¡± With all my strength, I pushed against the rock. Though it still didn¡¯t move entirely, I could feel the rock slightly giving way under my palms. ¡°What¡­?¡± And I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt it. Moon Ga-eun, who was pushing with me, looked surprised. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why does it seem to be working?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try one more time.¡± ¡°Sure, yeah.¡± Gr-gr-gr-gr- I could hear the sound of the rock beginning to move. However, we still didn¡¯t have enough strength to push it awaypletely. The rock showed signs of giving way, but it hadn¡¯t moved visibly yet. Nevertheless, this was a significant improvementpared to before. Moon Ga-eun asked with a surprised expression, ¡°Wow, Jae-hyun, how much strength do you have? It¡¯s starting to move a bit.¡± ¡°I was surprised too. I never thought it would have such an effect.¡± The strength stat I had was 27. With [Strengthen], it doubled to 54, which should be enough to exert some force against this tough rock. ¡°But it still seems impossible to push it away with our current strength.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so¡­¡± Even with my [Strengthen] and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s reasonably high strength stat, we weren¡¯t able to push the rock awaypletely. If Kang Juyeon joined us, it would likely be the same. She was a magic-oriented Holder with a strength stat that was practically negligible. In that case, the key to pushing this rock and advancing beyond the initial stagey in one thing. ¡°Party members. Do we need more help?¡± Adding a new Holder to the party was the solution. Chapter 21 Talent (1)

Chapter 21 Talent (1)

It has been proven that magic stones, special rocks, can be moved with a high physical strength value. My physical strength, which doubles when pushing objects with [Strengthen]. And the physical strength of Moon Ga-eun, moderately equipped as an archer. When the two of usbined our efforts, the rock shook, making it seem like adding just one more person as a Holder here would be enough to push the rock aside. As entrusted in protecting the secret of the underground dungeon¡­ Getting a Holder who could lend some strength to push the rock, would be hard toe by. Reporting an ¡®Undiscovered Dungeon¡¯ to the country would result in a tremendous reward. But finding a Holder who perfectly fits the criteria, a talent like that, was shing in my mind. ¡®Park Jin-woo.¡¯ The protagonist of the original story and a passionate Holder dedicated to training and growth. If it were him, he would participate in dungeon conquests without being swayed by political situations or external factors. And he would quickly adapt to party hunting as well. Originally, he was supposed to form a party with Kang Juyeon to conquer this dungeon. The reason Park Jin-woo couldn¡¯t pass this rock was that Kang Juyeon¡¯s magic didn¡¯t affect it, and his physical strength at that time was not enough to push it. ¡®It was initially a device to assist Park Jin-woo¡¯s early growth.¡¯ C-grade monster, Lizardman. They have high physical strength but are weak against magical attacks. They became important opponents for Park Jin-woo to gain practical experience with his low initial stats. Park Jin-woo would tackle the early stages of the dungeon with Kang Juyeon, achieving significant growth in practical duel skills and rapidly increasing his proficiency in the [Wave Sword Technique]. In essence, this dungeon serves as a device to help the protagonist¡¯s early growth and align the main characters as a party. ¡­Now, I had taken on that role, and Park Jin-woo had not even learned the [Wave Sword Technique], which almost lost its meaning. ¡®Professor Tak Won-ho also ended it here.¡¯ The middle section of the dungeon beyond the rock. The two of them agreed that they couldn¡¯t enter it. Professor Tak Won-ho also gave up on the dungeon conquests easily since he couldn¡¯t participate in them and felt no need to force his students into the dungeon conquest when he couldn¡¯t be part of it. Perhaps in the future, when the restraint of the Tak family has been lifted, or when the two main characters have grown sufficiently. There might have been a separate dungeon conquest, but such a story did not appear in the original. The beginning of the academy¡¯s underground dungeon. A section that could be recognized as a device for growth. The next step of that device, I was about to venture into it with overflowing curiosity. ¡°Juyeon, Jae-hyun has better rock-pushing ability than you.¡± ¡°¡­Be quiet.¡± ¡°I mean, learn some gravity magic. With your skills, it¡¯s more than enough¡­ Ow! Why¡¯d you hit me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah, ugh¡­ Are you a magician? Why is your strength so strong?¡± Moon Ga-eunined endlessly but ended up being hit. Knowing Kang Juyeon¡¯s personality well, I found the current si-like scene quite fascinating. The original Kang Juyeon would have simply ignored such pointless jokes. But since it was Moon Ga-eun, she allowed some teasing. I pped my hands loudly. The chaotic atmosphere was restored, and everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards me. ¡°Then¡­ shall we finish distributing the magic stones for today?¡± ¡°Are we giving in now?¡± ¡°Yeah. Since we¡¯ve roughly found a solution, we need to add a new member ande back.¡± Moon Ga-eun asked with a curious expression, ¡°Who are you thinking of selecting as the new member?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing. If you both agree, can I choose on my own? I¡¯ll keep it a secret and choose someone who can be helpful to the party.¡± Bringing up this topic required caution. For good reason, both of them were exceptional talents in the upper ss. One was the daughter of an S-grade Holder, and the other was the daughter of a high-grade n¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for Kang Juyeon¡¯s approval and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s curiosity, there would have been almost no chance to give me the authority to choose a new member for the party. It¡¯s definitely not going to be that easy. However, Moon Ga-eun looked at me and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? It¡¯s your party. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking, but I agree. Are you not the leader?¡± Moon Ga-eun turned her head, and Kang Juyeon had a simr expression. ¡°Same thoughts.¡± Thanks to that, my expression instantly softened. Are you guys cool with it just like that? With picky Kang Juyeon¡­? Even though Moon Ga-eun¡¯s words are correct, entrusting me to select new members to the party is not easy. Because If I randomly brought in an F-grade Holder, it might cause a bacsh from them. ¡®¡¯Did I build a good rapport by fighting well this time?¡¯ There seemed to be no other reasons, no matter how much I think about it. Abruptly, Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyes and mine met. She seemed to have a cold gaze, but unfortunately I couldn¡¯t stare at them for so long. She is always on her guard at any moment. She is making eye contact with me¡­ I couldn¡¯t pass 3 seconds and I looked away. ¡°¡­.?¡± Oh fuck. This is what kang Juyeon looks like. As I live, I have seen all sorts of unusual sights. Even if I had no idea about how well I did fight, It was clear that I fought well. If not, her gaze was an act that¡¯s hard to even imagine. ¡­From now on, our party was looking bright. *** ippotrantions *** -If both of them are okay with it, can I choose on my own? Do Jae-hyun, the leader of the party, had asked this question. It was about selecting a new member, which was the core of moving the magic stone boulder and preparing for future conquests. Kang Juyeon found it quite strange. Both she and her friend, Moon Ga-eun, had a significant impact on the party¡¯s performance, but the fact remained that Do Jae-hyun was the one who formed the party. Without his proposal, the party wouldn¡¯t have been established in the first ce, and they wouldn¡¯t have known about this undiscovered dungeon that was so promising. Especially considering Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s situation and the need to keep the dungeon¡¯s information secret, revealing such matters to people who didn¡¯t know anything about it was not an easy decision but showed a sign of trust. Perhaps helping during the sizzling smander hunting had influenced their decision. When it came to choosing a new member for the party, it was only natural for Do Jae-hyun to have the final say. ¡®And¡­ he became incredibly strong.¡¯ Do Jae-hyun¡¯s constant growth was visible every moment. When Kang Juyeon first saw him in practical duel training, he was barely on the level of an E-grade Holder. Though he fought fiercely, his abilities were average, and he had nomon skills at the rune level. However, during the sizzling smander hunting, he showed results beyond his abilities, and rumors spread that he had reached the level of a D-grade Holder. And in this dungeon conquest, he disyed abilities and duel sense far surpassing D-grade level. ¡®That¡¯s what Dad meant by ¡®gemstone¡¯¡­.¡¯ Kang Juyeon finally understood what Kang Woo-hyun had said about ¡®gemstones¡¯. Gemstones were unprocessed treasures. If they were processed ording to their usage and performance, they would be gems with infinite potential. Do Jae-hyun was such a gemstone. He wasn¡¯t an elite from the beginning, but he knew his own worth and could spread his wings on his own. He could step into the realm of elites with just effort. Kang Juyeon couldn¡¯t help but smile subtly. The Holder Academy was not as dull as she had initially thought. ¡®You called for me, Miss.¡¯ While lost in her thoughts for a moment, a familiar voice came from nearby. A man dressed neatly in a suit with ck pomade. He appeared to be a young businessman. It was Choi Gyu-hyuk, the leader of the n¡¯s scouting team. Kang Juyeon slightly furrowed her brow. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Miss¡±. ¡°Haha. I¡¯ll still call you Miss. I can¡¯t treat the n Master¡¯s daughter like an ordinary n member.¡± Kang Juyeon sighed at Choi Gyu-hyuk¡¯s words. Despite Kang Juyeon pointing it out multiple times, it seemed that Choi Gyu-hyuk was enjoying himself and had no intention of changing. She took out a document from her pocket and handed it to him. ¡°This.¡± Choi Gyu-hyuk looked surprised as he received the document. It seemed that he had never received such a document from Kang Juyeon before. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Holder documents.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Choi Gyu-hyuk knew that much. The name ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯ was written on the report, along with brief information about him. However, Do Jae-hyun, the Holder, was a name he had never heard before. Kang Juyeon shifted her gaze out of the window as she spoke. ¡°He is the person closest to what Dad meant by gemstone. Among our ssmates, he¡¯s the only one who stands out besides me.¡± ¡°Ah! Then¡­¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯ll observe him. As for me¡­¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s stern face softened slightly. The nned dungeon reconquest was in three days, and without realizing it, she was looking forward to that time. ¡°That person, I want to recruit him into our n.¡± Chapter 22 Talent (2)

Chapter 22 Talent (2)

¡°I have no money, none at all.¡± She sighed deeply. Choi Yoo-min is a Holder affiliated with the Academy¡¯s Special Category. Among them was a unique type of Holder known as the Master Forger. To rune Holders, weekends were like precious gold. It was a time without sses, allowing them the freedom to use it for training and solidifying what they had learned. Thus, many student Holders spent their weekends at the training grounds to enhance their runes. This applied to the Master Forgers as well. On weekdays, they attended various theoretical and practical sses, and on weekends, they applied that knowledge to craft their unique armors and defensive gear. They could use the Academy¡¯s workshop or even rent a private one. Just like the saying goes, Craftsmen shine brighter with umted time, Master Forgers also need to umte experience in their spare time. This was a shared principle among all crafting Holder categories. However, Choi Yoo-min couldn¡¯t put this into practice. Why? Because of money. Shecked sufficient capital. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Being a Master Forger required a lot of money. Buying magic stones, purchasing minerals, it all costs money. Even the necessary tools and auxiliary items for refining and crafting required funds. Everything revolved around money. ¡°Lee Hyun-ho is so lucky¡­¡± Lee Hyun-ho, the son of Lee Do-kwon, the renowned Master Forger in the metropolitan area. He was Choi Yoo-min¡¯s ssmate who received tremendous support from the start, standing at the top of the advanced ss, a position rarely found in the Special Category. He was an elite from a different world, always free from the financial struggles Choi Yoo-min faced. There were even rumors that he had already crafted rare weapons. He was an opponent who made her feel bitter just thinking about him. ¡°Poor Arin as well.¡± And these harsh conditions didn¡¯t apply only to Choi Yoo-min. Her younger sister, Choi Arin, was a Holder of the Alchemist category, and she faced the same challenges. Regardless of the category, specializations rted to crafting always required a substantial amount of money. As children from a poor family, it wasn¡¯t a suitable field for them. However, for Holders, the given runes and categories were their talents. They had to persevere and survive with the talents they were chosen to have. That was the reality of this world. ¡°Sigh¡­ I must find a way to earn money¡­¡± After sighing for a long while, Choi Yoo-min got up with a heavy heart. Master Forgers, at least, had considerable strength. They often took part-time jobsmissioned by F-grade Holders and regr civilians. Even if it was just temporary work, they had to earn money somehow. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°I¡¯m rich!¡± Unintentionally, those words slipped out of my mouth afterpleting the underground dungeon conquest. After settling the magic stone distribution, such a thought came naturally to my mind. ¡®D*mn, I¡¯m rich now.¡¯ The C-grade monster¡¯s magic stones sold for much higher prices than I anticipated. In the typical magic stone trade, there were three ways to go about it: selling them to the government or the guild¡¯s local branch, or engaging in person-to-person transactions. Among these, guild trading was the mostmonly used method. Selling to the government required a n-scale bulk sale, and personal transactions, though cheaper in terms ofmissions, were quiteplicated. Guild trading, on the other hand, allowed for straightforward buying and selling at fluctuating prices. ¡°It¡¯s 7.15 million won per piece.¡± The C-grade magic stone assessed by the guild was worth 7.15 million won. We had defeated over 120 Lizardmen during the dungeon conquest, so I obtained around 40 magic stones. Simply calcting, it amounted to 286 million won. Unbelievable. After just one dungeon run, I had 300 million won in my hands. Now I understood why other Holders sang dungeon songs with such enthusiasm. That¡¯s how one bes rich after returning from a dungeon. ¡°But why am I grilling steak?¡± However, now that I was wealthy, I found myself diligently cooking in my single room apartment. I was handling a high-quality Korean beef steak. In my hands were a skillet and a grill press. It felt like I was umting more sophisticated kitchen equipment, and my kitchen was bing increasingly specialized. At this point, I wasn¡¯t even sure who I was anymore¡ªa Holder or a cook. ¡°Hey! Quiet down! You went to the dungeon without me!¡± Naturally, it was Kim Chae-eun whoined. After returning from the dungeon conquest, I invited her to join my party. We needed new party members to progress further into the dungeons. Initially, I only intended to recruit Park Jin-woo to deal with boulders, but I also wanted to add a reliable damage dealer to the party, not knowing what challenges awaited us ahead. Kim Chae-eun seemed the most suitable for that role. Moreover, I could trust her not to reveal any secrets, and she was a Holder specialized in the rare freezing attribute within the Mage category, which waspletely opposite to the fire attribute wielded by Kang Juyeon. Her versatile attributes would undoubtedly be a great help to the party. However, Kim Chae-eun seemed a little annoyed during the recruitment process. It wasn¡¯t because she refused to join the party; she agreed to any kind of request I made. It was because she was angry about going to the dungeon without telling her anything. The day before, I said I had a special appointment and went to the dungeon, and she found out about my lie. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like I went alone. We went together as a group.¡± ¡°That makes it worse! Why would you go to the dungeon with other girls?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not that¡­ Ugh! Why did you leave me out?¡± Thwack- Kim Chae-eun lightly hit my back with a cushion. Ouch! Where did she get this character cushion from? I positioned myself defensively and tried to calm her down. ¡°Time, time! The steak is burning, the steak!¡± ¡°Oops. That won¡¯t do.¡± I made an excuse about cooking, and that finally seemed to settle her down. Kim Chae-eun was genuinely fond of Korean beef steak. I finished ting the nearlypleted steak slowly. ¡°Sorry for worrying you. You know, when we hunted the sizzling Smanderst time, we were both in danger. I felt a bit sorry for that and didn¡¯t want to take you along.¡± ¡°But still, it bothered me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m sorry for going to the dungeon without telling you.¡± I finished the steak ting and brought out the sd I¡¯d prepared earlier. Kim Chae-eun, who was watching me quietly, asked. ¡°What are you going to do with the sd?¡± ¡°Sd?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°It tastes like kiwi, seriously.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you like grapes?¡± ¡°What kind of grape-vored dressing for sd.¡± Grapes are only good for pudding. This is an undeniable pudding philosophy. A variety of appetizers and side menus, including beef steaks and sds, were ced on the table. Luxurious meals that are hard to find anywhere else. All this makes Kim Chae-eun anxious, but it is also a meal prepared for me who had suffered in the dungeon. My first meal after earning 300 million won. It was a Do Jae-hyun style of home-restaurant, flexing. [He who worked hard, ate! Your cooking, which was a series of repetitions, begins to contain sincerity. Your cooking has a special touch.] [Your rune level has risen.] [You gained 1 willpower with the rune¡¯s attributes.] [You have gained the cooking rune derivative skill, ¡®Stamina Food¡¯.] As soon as we finished the meal, an information window popped up out of nowhere. What is this again, the rune level has risen¡­ ¡®A skill?¡¯ [Cooking] is a rune that turns Holder into a good cook. A rune that increases your mastery and skill in cooking, and helps you make high-quality foodparable to a high-ss chef when the level goes up. Kim Chae-eun finds my dish amazing every day. It wasn¡¯t for any particr reason, but because it was really delicious. However, do people have a skill for [cooking] like this? Because It was something I had never seen in the original world. ¡òName: Stamina Food ¡òDerived Rune: Cooking ¡òWaiting time: Once a day (Evening) ¡òSpecial Effect: You can make food to recover from fatigue that will soothe your tired body and mind. The dish made with this skill rapidly restores the Holder¡¯s physical strength and magical power. ¡°¡­.¡± I stared at the information window blindly. This¡­ It¡¯s a surprisingly good skill. Once a day. Although it has a limitation that it can only be used at night. But It has a great practical effect in letting all the fatigue of the day go away and increasing the recovery speed of physical strength and magical power. I checked the cooking level just in case. ¡®Wow. It¡¯s already level 5.¡¯ It was at the highest level among normal runes except for [Sword] and [Dagger]. Due tock of money, I cooked at home every day, which has raised my skill level. The rune value is worth it regardless of whether you level up or not, but it¡¯s a rune that even gives you a pretty useful skill¡­This is the first filial piety rune ever found. I hope it won¡¯t lead to creating something like a ¡°stat-boosting cooking¡± from other game novelster on. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kim Chae-eun, sitting in a chair, looked at me and asked. I replied, shaking my head slightly. ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s eat quickly.¡± ¡°huh! I¡¯ll eat well-¡° With an eager look on her face, Kim Chae-eun raised the knife. Cutting off a piece of the beef steak and eating it. It didn¡¯t take long for her expression to turn into emotion. ¡°Delicious!¡± It is Kim Chae-eun¡¯s kind of reaction. I also cut a piece of beef steak and put it in my mouth. And I immediately admired it. I made it¡­ It¡¯s really good. Is this the power of level 5 cooking? We were both moved by the sincerity of the cuisine. For a while, I focused on my meal without speaking. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her reactions. As we enjoyed our meal, Kim Chae-eun suddenly asked about the new party members for the uing academy underground dungeon conquest. ¡°Is it just Park Jin-woo, and me you¡¯re adding as the new party members?¡± At that moment, I thought about the talented Holders who could be a great help to the party, not only now but also in the future events. ¡°There are more.¡± ¡°New party members?¡± ¡°No, not party members¡­¡± I smiled slightly. It was time to find the Holders who would be helpful to the party in the future events. ¡°Holders that will help the party.¡± It was time to find those talents. Chapter 23 Talent (3)

Chapter 23 Talent (3)

The next day, I went to persuade Park Jin-woo at the training ground. I had some expectations, but what happened was beyond belief. I ended up being entangled in a duel with him. ¡°Haap¡­!!¡± ¡°Heup¡­!!¡± Chaeng- Chaejaeng- The training ground echoed with the sound of swords shing. The sound of our swords colliding in harmony was an added bonus. I parried Park Jin-woo¡¯s sharp attacks with the skill of [Wave Sword Technique] rune, which is a technique for handling swords. ¡°That sword technique! It¡¯s cheating¡­!!¡± ¡°You too Learn!, punk!¡± ¡°No need! I won¡¯t!¡± We exchanged words as we shed, one syble at a time. If someone saw us in the training ground, they would probably think we were both insane. The duel was intense, and neither of us had any intention of backing down. ¡®How on earth did he be this strong?¡¯ Even though I was facing his sword, I couldn¡¯t believe it. Park Jin-woo was truly an incredible guy. Despite not having professor Tak Won-ho as his teacher like in the original story and having no practical experience, he had grown at a monstrous rate to be on par with me. I personally learned the [Wave Sword Technique] and the [Water Sword Technique] from two warrior professors, and achieved growth in my abilities and rune levels through actual duel experience in the underground dungeon. On the other hand, Park Jin-woo did not learn the [Wave Sword Technique] like in the original work, and continued training alone without experience in duel. Nheless, he shows the same ability as me now. It made me doubt if he was the same person who had lost 15 times in a row just a few days ago. ¡°Heueok¡­ Heu-eok¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s so damn tough¡­ Heu-eok¡­¡± The fierce battle reached a temporary lull. I looked at Park Jin-woo, barely catching my breath. ¡®He¡¯s really strong¡­ .¡¯ I thought I had grown stronger without taking a break in my own way, but I have no idea how much training and practice this guy who grew up on his own without a special teacher. Skills are useless. [Combo] was already possessed by Park Jin-woo, and the other skills were not suitable for one-on-one dueling with him. I could beat him if I used variable creation runes like [Lizard¡¯s Scales] or [Venom], but I didn¡¯t want to fight that far, as it wasn¡¯t a matter of life or death. it is just a friendly duel with swords ¡°Heu-eok¡­ How strong¡­ Heu-eok¡­ are you?¡± ¡°You¡­ you damn¡­ Heu-eok¡­ tell me?¡± ¡°Heuk heuk. That¡¯s right.¡± Honestly, it seemed like my stats were slightly better. It might be a natural oue since I had acquired numerous runes as a [Rune Hunter] and boosted my abilities with their special effects. However, in terms of the [Sword] rune¡¯s growth, Park Jin-woo seemed to be on par or even higher. Judging by how he effortlessly wielded the [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique], I could tell. ¡°Let¡¯s go again, Do Jae hyun¡­!!¡± ¡°Are you crazy¡­?¡± After fighting for another 10 minutes, the duel finally came to an end. Neither of us gave in due to exhaustion. During the battle, my sword had broken. It had already felt shaky when I fought against the Lizardmen, but now, after dueling with Park Jin-woo in his insane state, it waspletely ruined. Continuing the duel became too difficult. We bothy down on the training ground. Although it was practically a draw, Park Jin-woo insisted that he had won. ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Dungeon conquest?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± ¡°Hey,e on! It¡¯s an undiscovered dungeon. A paradise for Holders, and flowing with milk and honey. Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°What the hell is that, you idiot?¡± ¡°Is this guy really a Holder?¡± He said that, but it was as good as agreeing to help. We had be quite close through our duels, so I knew he wouldn¡¯t easily refuse a request from me. It was just that he didn¡¯t want to appear too eager to help. Park Jin-woo was truly devoted to training and practice. Unlike many other protagonists in novels, he didn¡¯t have the motivation to be a rune Holder just to earn a lot of money. He came from a wealthy family, so he didn¡¯t have such worries. He genuinely loved being a Holder for the strength it granted him. That¡¯s why he earned the nickname ¡®Passionate Holder¡¯. ¡°Hey, but are we really going with just the five of us?¡± ¡°Quest party?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too few?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? A 5-member party is standard for a dungeon of this scale.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about that. We don¡¯t have any Recovery ss Holders.¡± While other people might be foolish in some situations, he was thorough in others. In the Academy¡¯s underground dungeon, a 5-member party was standard. Two melee fighters at the front, two ranged fighters for dealing with damage, and a support role with Recovery ss abilities to provide healing voluntarily and handle unexpected situations with healing magic. Though the partyposition might change slightly based on the dungeon¡¯s situation, the basic structure was as he described. ¡®The previous conquest was tough.¡¯ In thest conquest, I led a team of three on my own. That was, in fact, a bit of an overreach. Nevertheless, I wasn¡¯t considering adding a Recovery ss Holder to the current conquest. Some individuals came to mind, but I didn¡¯t have the confidence to convince them, and there was no guarantee that they would keep the secret. I spoke while looking at the sky. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We can rece them.¡± ¡°Rece? With what?¡± ¡°Potions.¡± ¡°Potions? The ones made by alchemists?¡± ¡°Yeah, and more.¡± ¡°You madman. Do you have a lot of money? They must be quite expensive.¡± ¡°There are ways to buy them cheap, you know.¡± Not just potions, but my shattered weapon as well. There were ways to get high-quality items at low prices. Choi Yoo-min and Choi Arin. Holders who fell behind the cksmith specialist Lee Hyun-ho, but steadily develop their talents andter grow into a special sspared to him. Moreover, the [Iron-Blooded Night Field], which Choi Yoo-min willter develop, is one of the three most epic runes among cksmith runes. However, due to their poor family situation, she is having a hard time now. I had thought of that yesterday and shouted Eureka, snapping my fingers. At the current stage of trying to conquer the middle part of the unknown dungeon, those girls were the ones I needed most. *** ippotrantions *** Being able to make money by just going halfway, a job that people consider a dream ¨C Rune Holders. However, this is a story that applies only to duel-type Holders. Specialized Holders that epass non-duel or production areas usually graduate from the academy and continue to live in poverty or lead ordinary lives. Specialized Holders require talent and a reasonable level of investment. If one doesn¡¯t fulfill either of these, seeding as a specialized Holder bes an obscure task. ¡°Especially when you¡¯re still students¡­.¡± To develop their talents, they needed materials, and to obtain materials, they needed money. Today, Choi Yoo-min was doing a part-time Holder request to earn money. The request was to moverge flower pots. Since it was a five-story building without an elevator, it was a strength-rted request that ordinary people found burdensome. Originally, two people were supposed to handle the request, but there were so few applicants that Choi Yoo-min had to do it alone. When they arrived at the building, a restless-looking requester was waiting for them. ¡°Oh! Holder Yoo-min, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry to ask you to start working as soon as youe. Thank goodness you came with another Holder today.¡± ¡°Another Holder¡­?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Oh! He¡¯sing over there.¡± The requester pointed with her finger. At the end of it, a man with a sturdy physique was walking towards them. With a nce, one could tell he was a Holder from his firm build and muscles. However, Choi Yoo-min felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with his face. ¡®Who is he¡­?¡¯ Although she felt like she had seen him somewhere, she couldn¡¯t recall who he was. The man walked towards them with long strides and immediately started working, picking up a flower pot without saying a word. ¡°Oops¡­¡± Choi Yoo-min also started working right away, following him. It didn¡¯t matter who he was. If they were to move all these pots today¡­ They wouldn¡¯t have enough time even if they spent the entire morning. ¡®This can¡¯t be true¡­.¡¯ In astonishment, Choi Yoo-min looked back and forth between the man and the flower pots. The man¡¯s strength was at an incredible level. He moved all those pots in less than an hour. It was almost twice as fast as her in terms of work efficiency. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder why someone with that level of strength would do such a job. Maybe he did it as a side job out of boredom or he was a student Holder with little practical experience. So, after finishing the job, Choi Yoo-min cautiously asked him. ¡°Um¡­ Are you a student?¡± But the answer that came back was unexpected. The man, breathing heavily, replied immediately. ¡°Huh? You didn¡¯t know? We¡¯re in the same ss.¡± ¡°Same ss?¡± Then, that would mean he¡¯s a student at the Seoul Holder Academy¡­ Before she could think any further, the man smiled and extended his hand. ¡°Basics of Magic Control. Can¡¯t you remember? Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun, from the intermediate ss.¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun¡­?¡± Once again, she felt like she had heard that name somewhere before. However, this time, she remembered it quite quickly. ¡°Ah! From that real battle duel¡­¡± Choi Yoo-min pped her hands in realization. She finally remembered. A sturdy physique and a handsome face. An appearance that was all too familiar. The protagonist of the highly talked-about real battle duel during the entrance exam. The main character of the real-life Duel, which was a hot topic. Her ssmate was Do Jae-hyun. ¡®But why is Do Jae-hyun here¡­ ¡® Choi Yoo-min has heard quite a few stories about him. The freshman at the academy who was promoted from the lower ss to the intermediate ss in just one real battle and fought against a monstrous Holder that appeared at the academy a month ago. Furthermore, his steady growth had already reached a level of ability that was beyond D-grade Holders, making him unbeatable even in the intermediate ss. He was expected to achieve the highest grades in the end-of-semester evaluation¡­ Someone whose promotion to the upper ss was almost certain. Just like Lee Hyun-ho. Once again, it was someone from apletely different world than hers. ¡°Intermediate ss Choi Yoo-min, right? A specialized Holder.¡± ¡°¡­Do you know me?¡± ¡°Of course. I came all the way here to see you.¡± Choi Yoo-min stared at him with a nk expression. Someone from a different world, someone who knew her, and even came to meet her. Taking on an unusual request, on top of that. It was a story that didn¡¯t make much sense logically. However, Do Jae-hyun just grinned and looked at her, as if it didn¡¯t matter whether she understood or not. Then, without hesitation, he took out a bankbook, documents, and magic stones from his pocket. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s work together on something.¡± It was as if¡­ An unscrupulous requester was trying to give a reckless task and take advantage of her. Chapter 24 Lizard Lair (1)

Chapter 24 Lizard Lair (1)

¡°2-200 million¡­?!¡± Choi Yoo-min¡¯s astonished voice struck my ears. I quickly put my index finger to my lips. ¡°Shh, someone might hear us.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. Shh, shh.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not giving; it¡¯s investing. What have you heard so far?¡± ¡°W-well¡­ that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Choi Yoo-min, filled with confusion, didn¡¯t know what to do. The investment conditions I presented this time were simple. In exchange for being hired as a frence cksmith, she would receive various magic materials, auxiliary equipment, and a monthly investment of 200 million won (Korean currency). I had set a maximum of five equipment requests per month, and the total contract period was one year. In other words, if Choi Yoo-min could produce around 60 pieces of equipment during that year, she would earn up to 2.4 billion won. ¡®It¡¯s a bit¡­ burdensome¡¯, I thought to myself. Even for me, this investment was quite substantial. Most of the money I earned this time would be invested, and considering the amount we could get from clearing a dungeon, it wasn¡¯t easy. However, it wasn¡¯t an insignificant amount either. It would be enough. Thanks to the fact that it was a secret dungeon, it was difficult for outsiders to find out about it, and Professor Tak Won-ho was not at all concerned about additional profits. Therefore, I was practically the owner of the underground dungeon. ¡®Well¡­ even just earning money from magic stones should be substantial.¡¯ My current Holder information was only at the D-grade. After clearing the dungeon and growing stronger, reaching the C-grade would not be a big deal. With that level of power, investing 200 million won per month wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°So, you only need to make five pieces of equipment in a month?¡± ¡°Yes. If you demand more than that, you¡¯ll have to pay for any additional requests.¡± ¡°Oh, no! I mean, I could make more if you want¡­¡± ¡°Haha. You might regret thatter.¡± With a monthly investment of 200 million won and five free productions, this was actually quite a profitable business. Right now, it seemed like a loss, as Choi Yoo-min¡¯s equipment, which she could barely sell for 1 million won, was of poor quality due to her family¡¯s financial situation. But after I continued to invest in her, things would change. If Choi Yoo-min achieved explosive growth, her equipment would be increasingly better, and she could even make rare or epic gear. Especially once she awakened the [Iron-Blooded Night Field] rune and started making rare equipment in earnest, 200 million won would be a piece of cake. She was the type to handle tens or hundreds of billions of won lightly. The reason I made a significant investment with a short one-year contract was also to establish a connection with her, as she would be a genius in the future. ¡°Anyway, what I need right now are a sword and a dagger. I¡¯ll subtract two from this month¡¯s count, so make them as soon as possible. If possible, within three days.¡± For the re-expedition of the Academy¡¯s underground dungeon, we needed equipment to use. While Choi Yoo-min¡¯s current production wouldn¡¯t have a significant effect, it would still be as efficient as equipment avable in the market. Choi Yoo-min nodded with a bright face. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do my best to make them!¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, do you know any alchemist-type Holders around here?¡± ¡°An alchemist¡­? Hmm, I think there¡¯s one. I¡¯m nning to buy some basic potions and antidotes in bulk.¡± Choi Yoo-min¡¯s younger sister, Choi Arin, would be a top-ss Holder in the alchemist category, along with her sister, bing the best cksmith. She would be admitted to the intermediate ss special category Holder in the next year. Naturally, even as a prospective Holder now, she would have some potions made with her limited funds. I handed over an advance payment of 50 million won. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, please buy some alchemist products you know of. I don¡¯t have many connections in the special category.¡± ¡°Is it really this much?¡± ¡°Well, there are much more expensive products out there. Since they are student-made goods, I want to buy them at a lower price. Please deliver them when the equipment isplete.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Choi Yoo-min would probably buy her sister Choi Arin¡¯s products. As she didn¡¯t have many connections either, she would want to give her sister an opportunity. Although it would be challenging to secure a long-term contract like me, there were likely enough potions for this dungeon expedition. ¡°Can I go now? Call me when the equipment is made.¡± ¡°Wait a minute! I don¡¯t know your number¡­ .¡± ¡°It¡¯s at the top right of the contract. Save it.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Can I go?¡± Choi Yoo-min nodded rapidly. She seemed distracted. I smiled and waved my hand. ¡°See youter, Choi Yoo-min.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­!! Thank you so much!¡± I turned my back to her, leaving her expression of gratitude behind. I had earned 300 million won from this initial expedition. Even though I spent 250 million won, I didn¡¯t feel the slightest regret. After all, I could make more money, and for duel-type Holders like me, earning money was not a difficult task. But more importantly, I had recruited a future talent. Although Lee Hyun-ho would probably make better equipment at the moment, Choi Yoo-min would grow to be a cksmith on par with him in the future. If I could secure a connection with her for 300 million won, it was a bargain. With a pleased smile, I began preparing for the uing middle section of the dungeon expedition. *** ippotrantions *** After about a week passed, our party finally began the re-exploration of the underground dungeon. The re-spawned Lizardmen, who were easy to hunt even when we were three, now became astonishingly easy with five party members. ¡°Chae-eun, Frozen Fog!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Kim Chae-eun and I had excellent coordination in battle. As I felt during the previous Sizzling Smander hunt, we knew each other well and shared bits of our Holder information, making party hunting much smoother. Knowing which magic to use as support in different situations¡ªshe caught onto it better than anyone else, and thanks to that, she always had the right magic ready whenever I shouted. ¡°Moon Ga-eun! Triple Powershot!¡± ¡°Shut up¡­!!¡± Seeing this, Park Jin-woo followed suit with my words. Moon Gae-un cursed him as if annoyed, but she was probably just ying along. If it were Kang Juyeon, she would have used fire magic on Park Jin-woo for real. Kaaack!! The enraged voice of the Lizardmen echoed through the dungeon. Two of us who were attempting to reach beyond D-grade Holders, and three overpowering dealers. The Lizardmen couldn¡¯t get its act together in front of such a perfectbination. While Park Jin-woo and I engaged him with magic and shooting, if he tried to dodge our attacks, Moon Gae-un and I would find openings in his defense. It was a one-sided battle so overwhelming that it was difficult for him to even use his hands. Thanks to this, we didn¡¯t need to use the potions we had prepared in advance during the early stage of the hunt. [The ripple effect deepens as your sword pierces the gap.] [The level of the rune has risen.] [You gained 1 strength with the rune¡¯s attributes.] [Your sword, imbued with the energy of the strong, can now cut and stab anything. The understanding of the sword further increases.] [The level of the rune has risen.] The continuous real battles allowed the runes to grow steadily. [Water Sword Technique] had reached level 3, and the slightly neglected [Sword] had reached level 7. As a result, my main stats¡ªstrength and agility¡ªwere close to 30. ¡®But it¡¯s not always rising.¡¯ As I thought, the growth of stats from runes was not guaranteed. When the stats were low, whether it was acquiring runes or leveling up, they would always increase. But as the stats reached a higher level, it became moremon for them not to increase. ¡®That¡¯s why the Effort of the Seeker is a scam rune.¡¯ Regardless of a Holder¡¯s level, the [Effort of the Seeker], which raised one stat point after 100 hours of training, was a rune that provided the driving force for steady growth even in the mid orte stages. Its effects were overwhelming even among Epic runes; it would have been judged as a ¡®Legendary Rune¡¯ or even a ¡®Mythical Rune¡¯ if it had been touched by ancient history or the breath of a god. ¡®It¡¯s not just for the protagonist.¡¯ Anyway, we conquered the Lizardmen with full force and at a much faster pace than the previous exploration. We reached the end of the early stage. ¡°We finally arrived!¡± Moon Gae-un raised her arms and cheered. It was nice to see that massive rock again after a long time. The rock was something that couldn¡¯t be budged with human strength alone. When Park Jin-woo approached it in amazement, he tried to push it with all his might. ¡°So, we have to push this away?¡± ¡°Yeah. Without further ado, let¡¯s get started.¡± I immediately holstered my weapons and ced my hands on the rock. Moon Gae-un and Park Jin-woo stood next to me. Even Kim Chae-eun, a mage, came up beside us. Kang Juyeon, at first, stayed still, but when Kim Chae-eun got closer, she pretended to approach and joined us. ¡°One, two!¡± I put my energy into pushing the rock. My current strength was 29. With [Strength], it reached 58. If we added the strength of the other four, we could exert a force of at least 100. The power of five Holders pushing together. Gruuuuugghhh!! With that power, the rock gradually moved. We sessfully pushed away the rock, which was as hard as a magic stone. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ It actually moved.¡± All the party members were in awe. Especially for those who had been together from the beginning of the exploration, their surprise was even greater. Even with Kang Juyeon¡¯s fire magic, we couldn¡¯t break the magic stone rock, but we managed to push it away with thebined pure strength of the Holders. This was the process ofpletely leaving the early stage of the Academy¡¯s underground dungeon. ¡°Everyone, get ready, and let¡¯s go in right away.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I grabbed my sword immediately and walked slowly towards the inside of the cave, which the rock had been blocking. The middle of the dungeon was much more cave-like than the beginning. There were things like stctites in it, and water was everywhere as if it was the point where thend and the river meet. Less than a minute after entering, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s sharp voice hit me. ¡°Do Jae-hyun! Look!¡± Before 10 minutes had passed, peculiar small-shaped monsters blocked our path. They seemed faster than the first set of lizardmen we fought, and they were moving closer and closer to us. I held on to my sword nervously and looked at them. Their appearance was strange, but as they approached us, I could figure out their true identity. ¡°Poisonous Iguana?¡± No way¡­ Damn it¡­ More lizards? Chapter 25 Lizard Lair (2)

Chapter 25 Lizard Lair (2)

Poisonous Iguanas are B-grade monsters. True to their name, they possess poison and are reptilian monsters known for their agility. Especially with the [Agile Agility] rare rune, they be dangerous creatures if one does not focus on attacking. ¡®Not good¡­¡¯ I muttered, slightly biting my lip as I drew my sword immediately. It was expected that B-grade monsters would appear in the middle section since C-grade ones appeared in the early stages, but I hadn¡¯t anticipated being swarmed like this. Despite both Park Jin-woo and I rapidly growing stronger, dealing with multiple B-grade monsters was still a challenge. The Poisonous Iguanas were five in number, and one of us had to handle three of them. ¡°Park Jin-woo!¡± I called out. ¡°I know what to do without you saying it!¡± he replied, rushing out without hesitation. I, too, held my breath for a moment, unsheathing the daggers at my waist. ¡°Hweup¡­!!¡± I used thebo I had been practicing consistently in previous battles ¨C throwing the [Quarter knives] with my throwing dagger, and then rushing in with my sword to tank the enemies. This strategy was effective when dealing with multiple monsters, as it allowed me to draw their attention and limit their movements. While I didn¡¯t expect to incapacitate them like the Lizardmen in the previous battle, even restricting their movements slightly would be a sess. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± However, this time, my ambush had no impact on them. The Poisonous Iguanas had high base speed and the assistance of the [Agile agility] rune, enabling them to evade my surprise attack with ease. -Kiiii¡­. The roar of the Poisonous Iguanas was rtively quiet, not as loud as the Sizzling Smander¡¯s but still dangerous. They were ready to attack us at any moment. -Kiiii¡­!! In an instant, they were on the move. Instead of me rushing at them, they charged at me first. Two Poisonous Iguanas engaged with Park Jin-woo, while the remaining three headed straight for me. ¡°Crazy.¡± I kept my bewildered emotions hidden as I brandished my sword. To be honest, I didn¡¯t have much confidence in my current toughness and strength. I could only try to hold them off for as long as possible, hoping the backline dealers would quickly take them down. ng- Choi Yoo-min¡¯s personally crafted longsword collided with the tough teeth of the Poisonous Iguana. As her Scale Rune was still in its early stage, the equipment did not disy any special effects or information. Nevertheless, her weapon was strong enough not to break against the creature¡¯s teeth. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I grunted as I parried their attacks. ng- Kkakang- Cold sweat trickled down my face. I managed to block their attacks somehow. If this continued, the backline dealers woulde to our aid soon. However, unlike Park Jin-woo, the problem for me was that I had to face a total of three Poisonous Iguanas. While I managed to fend off two with my sword and dagger, the third one waspletely free to attack me. In this dire situation, I quickly recalled a solution. ¡®Hardening!¡¯ [Hardening] was a derivative skill of [Lizard¡¯s Scales] that reached level 6. Though its name sounded ridiculous, it was a powerful skill that temporarily doubled the Holder¡¯s toughness, enhancing their defense. ng- It made a sound as if hitting steel. The sound of my body resisting their attack after activating [Hardening]. For a moment, it felt like the Poisonous Iguana was biting into steel, but it quickly regained its strength and attacked again. ¡°Huh?¡± Something felt odd. [Hardening] was supposed to increase my toughness for 5 seconds, which should be enough time for the backline dealers to finish them off. However, before the 5 seconds had passed, I felt the damage from the Poisonous Iguana¡¯s attack. In my desperate situation, I hurriedly checked what was going on. I noticed that the Poisonous Iguana was using sharp ¡®teeth¡¯. I quickly figured out its identity once, ¡®It¡¯s a rune!¡¯. Just like how I blocked their attacks with rune power, they were breaking through my [Hardening] with a specific rune power of their own. My shoulder, which was unprotected without any equipment, was a vulnerable spot. The Poisonous Iguana targeted it and rushed toward me. At least the situation around the waist with protective equipment is fine. It did it without the slightest hesitation. ¡®Fucked¡­ .¡¯ It bit my shoulder with its shiny teeth. ¡°Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah¡­ !!¡± In this extremely dangerous situation, I desperately tried toe up with a solution. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s urgent voice barely kept my consciousness from slipping away. D-damn¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but curse. It hurt like hell. Their teeth were as strong and sharp as any daggers. The pain from the bite on my shoulder felt like a piercing stab, and if it weren¡¯t for my willpower strength of 17, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure it. On top of that, I felt my strength leaving my body, most likely due to the Poisonous Iguanas specialty, ¡®Poison¡¯. ¡°Hey¡­ Die¡­!!¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s freezing magic engulfed the Poisonous Iguana. Her main skill, [Frozen Fog],quickly eliminated the others, but the one that bit my shoulder was frozen in ce. ¡­Wait, is it freezing me as well? Huuk- Huuurr- Shiiik, Shiiiiii-!! Her magic had turned into a signal re. Intense arrows and mes burst forth everywhere, just like the overwhelming firepower used against the Sizzling Smander during our hunt. This time, it was directed at the Poisonous Iguanas. ¡°Argh¡­.¡± I had no time to stare in awe. Taking advantage of the immobilized Poisonous Iguana due to [Frozen Fog]. I thrust my sword into its body. -Kii, Kiiii¡­. It seemed like I was challenging the creature to the extreme. The Poisonous Iguana groaned and copsed, having been pushed to its limits. The battle was over. The other monsters were not much different. Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon¡¯s magic struck the creatures around me, while Moon Ga-eun¡¯s support fire was directed at Park Jin-woo¡¯s Poisonous Iguanas. The monsters were burnt, frozen, and pierced like kebabs, leaving them in pitiful states. ¡°Jae-hyun! Are you okay?¡± Kim Chae-eun hurried over to me and asked. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun also had concerned expressions on their faces. ¡­It was quite a dangerous moment. If I had been bitten in a vital area instead of my shoulder, it could have been a real crisis. I reassured them by raising my hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Chae-eun, how about the antidote?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Here.¡± Kim Chae-eun handed me a health potion while blood continued to flow from my shoulder. It was clear that the pain I felt was due to the poison of the Poisonous Iguana. The creature was known for its potent poison even among poison-using monsters. As I was about to gulp down the antidote, the information windows that I had momentarily forgotten caught my attention. [You have directly experienced the poison of a monster! Your resistance to poison is increasing.] [The rune level has risen.] [Through the rune¡¯s affinity, you have gained 1 poison resistance.] [You have won the duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, the victory is acknowledged. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune you want to replicate.] ¡°1. Venom (Not selectable) 2. Agile Agility 3. Sturdy Fangs¡± Before entering the Academy, I acquired the [Venom] as an unexpected gain during the extermination of the OutHolders. It was a rare rune, which seemed excessive for a bunch of punks, but the Poisonous Iguanas had it as well. Considering that their name even had ¡®Poison¡¯ in it, it wasn¡¯t surprising. ¡®I wish I could have chosen Venom.¡¯ The runes acquired by the [Rune Hunter] are adjusted in level based on the opponent¡¯s level. Since the OutHolders at that time had a level 1 [Venom], the [Venom] I gained was downgraded to level 0 upon registration. However, Poisonous Iguanas had a deep understanding of poison, and their poison¡¯s potency was high. Naturally, their [Venom] should be of a considerable level¡ªprobably around 4 or 5. It was a chance to acquire a [Venom] with at least level 4, but it was confirmed that it was not selectable, which was disappointing. At least I experienced the poison firsthand, and I was relieved that I had increased the level of [Venom]. ¡®Now for the remaining ones¡­¡¯ [Agile Agility] and [Sturdy Fangs], both were pretty good rare runes. Especially [Agile Agility], which Park Jin-woo also had. It provided support to all actions rted to speed. I had always wanted this rune, and luckily, I obtained it through this hunt. As I was about to choose the rune¡­ ¡°Kang Juyeon, watch out!¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s urgent cry reached my ears. I quickly turned my head¡­ One of the Poisonous Iguanas that Park Jin-woo was dealing with had regained its stance and was about to attack. ¡®Oh, what¡¯s this again?¡¯ The creatures Park Jin-woo dealt with were notpletely finished off since Moon Ga-eun had been in charge of their attacks. The battle seemed over, and everyone rxed. However, if Kang Juyeon hadn¡¯t reacted, she would have been hit by the Poisonous Iguana¡¯s poison spit attack. I hurriedly chose the rune and activated my skill. [You have chosen Agile Agility. As a level 4 rare rune, it will be downgraded to level 2 upon registration.] [Through the rune¡¯s affinity, you gain a speed of 2.] With the rune acquired, I instantly gained an additional 2 points of speed, reaching a total of 30, which surpassed my strength for the first time. It was the moment when my speed exceeded my strength. With this and the bonus support from [Sprint], I could reach Kang Juyeon in an instant. The Poisonous Iguana¡¯s poison stinger was aimed at her, but if she couldn¡¯t react in time, she would have taken the attack. ¡°Sigh¡­ !!¡± My whole body loses strength, and a stinging pain gnaws at my shoulder. ¡­ It really hurt to turn around. ¡°ah¡­ !¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s surprised face is visible. Hey, you know how to make a face like this. ¡°Ah, Jae-hyun!¡± ¡°Hey, Do Jae hyun! Are you okay?¡± ¡°What are you doing, Park Jin-woo! Catch that iguana first!¡± ¡°Oh right. I should.¡± Amid the loud shouts of the party members. While I was pondering these thoughts, I noticed Kang Juyeon¡¯s hands. Her hands were gathered in the center, surrounded by powerful magic. When I saw that, a question arose amidst the severe pain in my shoulder. ¡®¡­Could she have blocked it?¡¯ It was clear that she had a strong grip on her [Magic Control], and in the previous real battle, she had used her derivative skill, [Magic Barrier], to great effect. It was entirely possible that she could have easily blocked the Poisonous Iguana¡¯s attack. If she had done so, it was such a waste of an opportunity¡­ [You sessfully blocked the Poison Spit head-on. The potent poison is coursing through your body.] [The level of the rune has risen.] [You gained poison resistance by 1 due to the rune affinity.] I had my doubts as the information windows continued to bombard my vision. Chapter 26 Lizard Lair (3)

Chapter 26 Lizard Lair (3)

As Holder¡¯s grade increases, the gap widens. Transitioning from an E-grade Holder to a D-grade Holder is rtively easy, but going from B-grade to A-grade is nearly impossible without achieving legendary runes or an extraordinary opportunity. Long hours of effort and achievements, along with talent ¨C when these three factors align, promotion to a higher grade bes possible. Therefore, from C-grade and above, even Holders of the same grade often experience disparities among themselves. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It had only been half a year since Kang Juyeon became a B-grade holder. Despite rising to B-grade with overflowing talent and outstanding skills, in terms of Holder experience, achievements, and practical duel experience, she knew she wasckingpared to other B-grade Holders. Kang Juyeon was well aware of this fact. The academy¡¯s underground dungeon expedition, and Do Jae-hyun¡¯s sudden proposal ¨C she epted it not just because she cared about him, but also because she realized she needed more experience. The early part of the dungeon, where C-grade monster Lizardmen mainly appeared, was a safe and suitable hunting ground for someone like Kang Juyeon. The solid teamwork of Do Jae-hyun and Kang Juyeon¡¯s friend, Moon Ga-eun, proved to be a great help even to Kang Juyeon, who had considerable experience in party expeditions. Realbat always provided valuablebat experience for Holders. ¡®But¡­ ¡® After increasing the party members, suddenly, a B-grade monster appeared during the middle part of the dungeon. Poisonous Iguana ¨C a venomous lizard-type monster with fast speed. To be honest, one or two B-grade monsters wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Recently, even the B-grade monster Sizzling Smander was easily taken down by Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun in one hit. However, within the dungeon, the monsters could gather in groups and move together. Powerful monsters moving in groups always created variables. And in battles, what is a variable? Variables are dangerous concepts, as they could instantly lead a Holder to death. ¡®¡­I was careless.¡¯ Kang Ju-yeon looked at the magic gathering at her fingertips. [Magic Control], derived skill [Magic Barrier], the main defense skill of high-level mage-type Holders. When the Poisonous Iguanaunched its venomous attack, Kang Juyeon tried to defend herself with [Magic Barrier]. However, the hastily created defense skill¡¯s performance plummeted rapidly. Perhaps the iplete [Magic Barrier] allowed the poison to reach Kang Juyeon, leaving her helpless. ¡­The man who protected me just now, if it wasn¡¯t for Do Jae-hyun. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kang Juyeon gazed at Do Jae-hyun in silence. He had taken a seat on one side of the dungeon, healing himself with health potions and antidotes. ¡°Hey, how did you manage that? How did you quickly jump forward in that situation?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s possible, dude.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t tell me that easily, will you?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t tell me how you got so strong in just a week.¡± ¡°What? I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± ¡°Same goes for me.¡± As usual, Do Jae-hyun was engaging in a meaningless conversation with Park Jin-woo. He seemed unaffected, as if the recent battle had been nothing out of the ordinary. That¡¯s how he had always been ¨C not excited by victory, not losing hisposure. He was always calm and unruffled by variables. That¡¯s why he left asting impression on Kang Juyeon. ¡®I should¡­ tell him something.¡¯ Something like¡­ an apology or a thank you. She should have said something, but the rapid flow of events prevented her from uttering a word. Kang Juyeon had been bothered by this. She briefly turned her gaze to the surroundings of Do Jae-hyun. Moon Ga-eun wasughing heartily at the two men¡¯s conversation, seemingly enjoying their banter. And Kim Chae-eun¡­ ¡­She acted like a caretaker or something. Sitting beside Do Jae-hyun, wiping his sweat and taking care of him. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Why is she doing that? Kang Juyeon couldn¡¯t quite understand. It¡­ annoyed her. To be more precise, it was difficult to exin, but something about Kim Chae-eun bothered her. It felt like there was something about her that was subtly unsettling. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Despite her quiet personality, it didn¡¯t stand out, but somehow, something else was adding to the sense of unease, as if another bothersome element was piling up. *** ippotrantion *** As time passed, our party¡¯s hunting efficiency improved. The Poisonous Iguana, which tormented us during our first hunt, also became easier to handle as we gained experience in dealing with them. ¡°Park Jin-woo!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Upon my signal, Park Jin-woo dashed forward. I quickly followed and engaged in a close duel to protect him. This was our hunting strategy. Poisonous Iguanas were small-sized monsters with great speed. So, if we split up like we did against Lizardmen, we risked getting overwhelmed and putting the dealers in danger. ¡®Then let¡¯s fight in a straight line.¡¯ So we came up with the straight-line formation. Park Jin-woo would tank and face the monsters on the frontline, and I would quickly follow up, engaging the Poisonous Iguanas. This hunting method demanded high speed and reaction time, but with my speed stat at 30 and [Agile Agility] skill, it was manageable. [You won the duel! Rune Hunter¡¯s arcane power allows you to duplicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. The opponent has only one rune, so duplicate that rune.] [You have gained a new rune.] [You gained 1 Toughness, due to the rune¡¯s affinity.] [The venom bes thicker as time passes. Your understanding of venom further increases.] [The level of your rune has risen.] [You gained poison resistance by 1 due to the rune¡¯s attributes.] Thanks to that, my growth knows no bounds. The [Venom] rune allowed me to grow rapidly as we encountered poison-rted monsters. It had already reached level 4, and my Poison Resistance stat was now at 7. At this point, I could hardly feel much pain even if I took a direct hit from a Poisonous Iguana¡¯s venom. But that¡¯s not all. I had gained the [Sturdy Fangs] rune as well. [Sturdy Fangs] was a rare rune that strengthened the teeth among the body parts and provided powerful assistance when biting the enemy. Its special effect was to pierce the opponent¡¯s toughness when I bit them. This was why my [Hardening] had finally pierced the first monster. ¡®Frankly, I don¡¯t need this much, but¡­¡¯ As a human, I rarely had the opportunity to use it. My primary weapons were the sword and dagger. Unless I focused on [Combat], it would be difficult to develop the [Sturdy Fangs] rune. However, regardless of whether I needed it or not, it was always good to have runes. They could immediately boost my stats and provide unexpected benefits in various situations, such as [Strengthen]. Furthermore, since my Toughness stat was the lowest among my main stats, runes that supported my toughness were valuable. Thanks to the level 3 [Sturdy Fangs], I had gained an additional 3 points in Toughness. Now, my Strength and Speed has exceeded 30, and my Toughness has surpassed 20. With these stats, I could easily be ssified as an upper-tier C-grade Holder in the academy. ¡°Is that all of them?¡± ¡°Take a good look at them this time. Don¡¯t miss one again likest time.¡± ¡°Oh, really. Is that not Moon Ga-eun¡¯s fault?¡± Park Jin-woo beat his chest as if it was unfair. I chuckled andughed as I looked at Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Do you think there are no more?¡± ¡°Let me check for a moment.¡± Once again, Moon Ga-eun used [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar]. With her eyes closed, she touched the ground. From her serene expression, I felt that there were no more formidable monsters nearby. ¡°Maybe two more Sizzling Smanders? But they are too far away from us. It¡¯s not worth going back just to catch two more.¡± As expected, the Sizzling Smander was a monster that appeared in the underground dungeon. One of the monsters that used to reside here had mysteriously broken through the [Magic Barrier] and appeared inside the academy through some sort of magical phenomenon. The Poisonous Iguana and Sizzling Smander, two of the most powerful B-grade monsters in the lizard family¡­ They were the main monsters in the middle section of this underground dungeon. We managed to handle these difficult monsters and finally reached the end of the middle section. Most likely, the next stage would lead to the boss room, which had a high probability of being the dwelling ce of the dungeon¡¯s master. ¡°Going back is not a good idea.¡± ¡°Right. It takes too much time. Besides, catching two more won¡¯t bring much benefit.¡± ¡°Kang Juyeon, what do you think?¡± I turned my head to look at Kang Juyeon. While I was the practical leader of the party, she was the strongest Holder among us. I wanted to hear her opinion before entering the final boss room. But Kang Juyeon slightly lowered her head and said in a small voice, ¡°¡­Do as you wish.¡± Why is she acting like this? It¡¯s creepy. Kang Juyeon is not the kind of person who simply follows orders and even gives ¡®answers¡¯¡­ I scratched my head and looked at my party members. As long as Kang Juyeon was okay with it, the rest seemed to follow my opinion. ¡°Then let¡¯s assume everyone is prepared, and we¡¯ll go in right away?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­!!¡± The final section of the underground dungeon in the academy. The boss room, known as the pinnacle of dungeon exploration. Finally, the moment hade to enter this unknown space that had never appeared in the original work. [You have entered the boss room.] [Grizzly Drake¡¯s devastating aura is circting. Your speed and strength as a Holder are decreased.] And in the boss room, we encountered the ultimate ruler of this annoying Lizard Lair. Chapter 27 Lizard Lair (4)

Chapter 27 Lizard Lair (4)

Seoul Holder Academy. Inside Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s office, who specializes in the Warrior field. Due to his busy schedule with lectures and administration, an unexpected visitor hade to see him. ¡°Has it been almost a month?¡± Tak Won-ho asked as he poured coffee into a cup. Kim Myeong-hyun, who was sitting on one side, smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been about two months since the beginning of the semester and the Warrior Professors¡¯ meeting¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re still using formal speech. When do you n to drop the honorifics with me?¡± ¡°I apologize. I¡¯m just used to using formal speech.¡± He never dropped the honorifics with anyone other than his daughter. Although known as a gentle and flexible professor, when it came to this aspect, Kim Myeong-hyun was more stringent about following rules than Tak Won-ho. Tak Won-ho set the coffee on the table with a slight frown. ¡°Drink it. You¡¯ve improved your skills after a long time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re treating your guests generously. Coffee made by you¡­ I¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± The steam and rich color, as if the coffee had just been brewed. An espresso that showed the marks of devoted effort. It feltpletely different from Tak Won-ho¡¯s rough and firm personality. Kim Myeong-hyun sipped the coffee cautiously and soon frowned. ¡°Your coffee still tastes bitter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the characteristic of the Liberica variety. It has a mild aroma but a strong bitterness. Haven¡¯t you gotten used to it yet?¡± ¡°It still feels unfamiliar to me.¡± Tak Won-ho slowly sipped his coffee. ¡°When I drink coffee, I try not to follow the aroma but to experience the coffee itself. If you keep roasting only pursuing good aromas, you will reach the limit of coffee varieties you can ept on your own.¡± After downing the bitter coffee in one gulp, Tak Won-ho opened his eyes. ¡°Swordsmanship is the same. If you only follow the fragrance emitted by sword techniques, you will eventually miss the true nature of the sword you are seeking. It¡¯s like Holder Hwang Seong-yeon, who was consumed by his sword.¡± ¡°¡­Indeed. I¡¯ve learned something new today.¡± ¡°You should learn. You probably have your own philosophy of swordsmanship too.¡± Tak Won-ho chuckled lightly and spoke. ¡°How¡¯s Do Jae-hyun doing these days?¡± Do Jae-hyun. The freshman Holder of the Assassin field¡­ He was the main focus of the two Warrior Professorstely. Among the students Tak Won-ho had taught recently, Do Jae-hyun showed the most talent in swordsmanship and had the passion to achieve more. He had the ability to grasp five things when taught one and the adaptability to immediately incorporate what he learned into his training. Despite beingbeled as a Multi-Holder with the [Sword] Rune, he was more devoted to swordsmanship than any other freshman in the Warrior field. If there were others with a simr talent, it would be Lee Tae-joon, the top student in the Warrior field, and Park Jin-woo from the intermediate ss. However, Lee Tae-jooncked the same passion Do Jae-hyun possessed, and Park Jin-woo seemed to be more interested in the swords he created himself. Kim Myeong-hyun answered with a slight smile. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to ask for. I feel really fortunate to teach such a student as my exclusive disciple.¡± ¡°I never thought you¡¯d take him as your exclusive disciple.¡± ¡°You believed in his potential. And you proved that you were right.¡± Do Jae-hyun was more than qualified to be the exclusive disciple of the two professors at the same time. He immediately grasped the intricacies of both [Water Sword Technique] and [Wave Sword Technique] and showed attempts to integrate the two sword techniques using the runes he registered afterward. Naturally, the two professors who taught him couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. ¡°Have you taught him the ultimate skill? I heard he¡¯s achieved quite a bit in Wave Swordsmen.¡± Ultimate skill. The most powerful skill that runes could derive. The skills that were so overwhelming¡­ They were also called the ¡®finishing moves¡¯ of Holders. Generally, these were skills that could be obtained only after mastering the rune level, but there were cases where they were learned in advance depending on special circumstances and situations. Kim Myeong-hyun widened his eyes at the sudden word. ¡°The ultimate skill? Haha. Professor Tak, you have quite a sense of humor. Do Jae-hyun, the Holder, is undoubtedly talented, but he¡¯s not at the level to learn the ultimate skill yet.¡± ¡°Is that so? Hm¡­¡± Tak Won-ho looked out of the window in his office for a moment. At this moment, his disciple would be exploring the underground dungeon. Do Jae-hyun¡¯s face appeared vividly in his mind. Then, he formed a meaningful smile. ¡°For some reason, this time, I feel like your judgment might be wrong.¡± *** ippotrantions *** [You have entered the boss room.] [The destructive aura of Grizzly Drake is applying pressure. Your Holder¡¯s speed and strength are reduced.] ¡°Grizzly Drake¡­?¡± As soon as we entered the boss room, our bodies felt as heavy as a thousand catties. Our physical reactions indicated that our strength and speed had significantly decreased. And the unfamiliar monster¡¯s name appeared in the information panel. Grizzly Drake. A giant drake covered in gray fur¡­ It was lyingfortably in the center of the boss room. ¡°D-Drake¡­ Isn¡¯t it an A-grade monster?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked in a trembling voice. A-grade monster. A monster that typically requires a party of five B-grade Holders to hunt it down. Even A-grade Holders find it difficult at times, depending on the monster¡¯s temperament and the surrounding environment. Grizzly Drake. The boss of this dungeon, a special monster with the additional term ¡®grizzly¡¯ in its name. It was a monster so powerful that it was impossible to gauge how strong it waspared to ordinary monsters. To put it bluntly, even ten B-grade Holders working together might not be able to defeat it. ¡®But our party¡­¡¯ Furthermore, our party primarily consisted of lower-level Holders. One B-grade Holder, one C-grade Holder, and three Holders close to C-grade. Although we could be considered a powerful party in the Academy, we were just an ordinary party found anywhere in Holder¡¯s world. A party like theirs facing an A-grade monster. Even without looking, the oue seemed obvious. ¡°Hey¡­ Hey.¡± Park Jin-woo called out in a trembling voice. Seeing the nervous look on him, my own voice trembled. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ what.¡± ¡°Are we really going to fight? We¡¯ll all get wiped out if we go up against that thing!¡± The Grizzly Drake remained still, lying there. If it were to open its eyes¡­ It would likely devour us immediately. I nced at the others while observing the creature carefully and then smiled at my party members. ¡°Right? It seems like we still have some way to go before we can handle it. Let¡¯s clear the other monsters quickly and retreat¡­¡± -Rumble¡­. And just like a lie. As soon as we decided to give up the strategy and retreat¡­ The Grizzly Drake opened its eyes. Damn it, really¡­ ¡°Haah¡­ Park Jin-woo, go with the scatteredrge formation.¡± ¡°Damn it. What a day to have bad luck.¡± Park Jin-woo cursed fiercely and moved back, creating some distance between himself and the monster. Scatteredrge formations. Unlike the straight formation that was deployed when catching the Poisonous iguana, this formation involved me and Park Jin-woo as tanks, splitting up and handling different monsters. We mainly used this formation when hunting Lizardman and Sizzling Smanders. ¡®Now we need to attract its attention.¡¯ There was only one monster. Since it was our first time encountering it, we couldn¡¯t check its stats, but considering it was an A-grade Drake and a boss, we probably wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against it in terms of stats. We needed to attract its attention as much as possible and divert its attacks. -Grrooaaarrr¡­!! While preparing for the battle. Perhaps because we were too noisy. The Grizzly Drake suddenly roared with a terrifying scream. And with that explosive roar. All our movements came to a halt due to the fear effect. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I knew this situation all too well. ¡®Crazy. Does it even have a fear effect?¡¯ The fear effect instantly immobilized the body. The Grizzly Drake seemed to possess runes that were somehow linked to its roar and fear. ¡°Why¡­ Why are you all standing still? Aren¡¯t we going to fight?¡± Of course, some party members were unaffected by the fear effect. Park Jin-woo. Thanks to his other epic rune, [Keen Mind], he was immune to such status effects and didn¡¯t lose hisposure. ¡­It¡¯s a real cheat rune. That¡¯s why I wanted it so badly. -Grrooaaarrr¡­!! Grrooaaarrr¡­!! The Grizzly Drake began to move at a furious speed. Its first target was thankfully Park Jin-woo, who hadn¡¯t been affected by the fear. He barely managed to block its charge with his sword. ¡°Crazy¡­!! What kind of strength¡­¡± At the same time, the fear effect was lifted from everyone. I quickly drew my sword and charged towards the creature that had just attacked Park Jin-woo. In a matter of seconds, Park Jin-woo could have died if I hadn¡¯t intervened. ¡°Haap¡­!!¡± Using [Agile Agility] and [Sprint] to elerate my speed. I used the intricacies of [Water Sword Technique] to perform the skill [Combo]. Originally, [Combo] was a skill specialized in shing, however, the [Combo] I inserted this time involved shing three times at once, followed by a finishing thrust. -Grrooaaarrr¡­!! But as I had anticipated. It didn¡¯t even leave a scratch. Whether its toughness was high or its [Lizard¡¯s Scales] rune level was high, my attack, which I put my all into, couldn¡¯t do any damage to the Grizzly Drake. ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯ As nned. This attack was merely meant to attract its aggro. It would have been better if it had dealt some damage, but it didn¡¯t matter much even if it didn¡¯t. The Grizzly Drake shifted its attention from Park Jin-woo to me. -Grrooaaarrr¡­!! ¡°Haah¡­!!¡± Maybe about 3 seconds? I put all my strength into blocking his attack. From blocking with a sword from the front¡­ Using [Hardening] to enhance my body and¡­ Dodging the attack with [Wave Sword Technique]. Finally, utilizing [Hardening] to directly withstand the attack. I did everything I could as a temporary tank. This was my limit. Perhaps Park Jin-woo wouldn¡¯t be in a condition to help me either. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, step back!!¡± And just like usual. The signal re from Moon Ga-eun, who would save us, exploded. I poured all my remaining strength¡­ And quickly retreated as far as possible from the Grizzly Drake. Kang, kagang-!! The attacks from the dealers rained down on the monster. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s freezing magic, Kang Juyeon¡¯s fire magic, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s supporting shots. All of their powerful attacks were aimed at one target, pouring down just to hunt it. In terms of the performance of individual skills, they could all be considered B-grade Holder skills, powerful attacks. It looked almost like a scene from a real hunt. I stared at the fog where the attacks werending. Park Jin-woo, who had been looking at it nkly, said quietly. ¡°¡­ Was that you?¡± Ah. I wanted to reply but now was not the time. All sorts of magic and shooting were pouring in, but the grizzly drake was nowhere to be found. Just to be sure. Moon Ga-eun in the back looked into the smoke with concentration. And soon, with her eyes widened, she spoke to me. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, it¡¯s inside¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Within the fog was the Grizzly Drake. Just like when it had first blocked my full-force attack. It was still standing there proudly, without any sign of damage. ¡°¡­Does this make any sense?¡± My party members were enveloped in silence. An A-grade monster they had never encountered before. Moreover, a boss monster. They hadn¡¯t expected it to be such an overwhelming barrier. We poured all our attacks into it. Yet, it seemed like we couldn¡¯t deal any damage at all¡­ And just like that, as if mocking us. The information panel that appeared when we entered the boss room reappeared. [The eerie energy within the dungeon gathers around Grizzly Drake, protecting it with an unknown force and overwhelming toughness.] [Grizzly Drake is in an immune state.] Is this a joke?¡­. Chapter 28 Lizard Lair (5)

Chapter 28 Lizard Lair (5)

Gimmick. It¡¯s a termmonly known as deception or trickery, but when ites to conquering dungeons or hunting bosses, it refers to a pattern or device wherein beforepletion of a specific condition set by the monster or dungeon, there is an invulnerability. Grizzly Drake was a gimmick boss. With overwhelmingly high toughness, it nullifies all physical attacks and effortlessly ignores magical attacks infused with power due to the dungeon¡¯s own buff effect. In other words, its monstrous inherent strength isn¡¯t the only factor. It receives additional power from the structure of the dungeon, surpassing the typical A-grade monsters. ¡®How can I do this?¡¯ To ovee a gimmick boss, you need to understand its patterns and strategies. If this creature had appeared in the original work, I would have already known the method to bypass it. I had almost memorized the patterns of dungeon bosses since they appeared frequently. However, the Academy¡¯s underground dungeon was different. It was designed to enhance the growth of the main characters and only appeared briefly. I barely managed to figure out how to enter the middle part, let alone know how to deal with the boss. So, how could I find a way to face the gimmick boss Grizzly Drake¡­? My mind had long be a nk te. -Grrr¡­!! After nullifying an attack, Grizzly Drake rose to its feet. Anyone could anticipate its next move ¨C it was like a death sentence. The party members¡¯ faces were filled with despair. Failure. Those two words pierced my heart like a nail. After falling into this world, everything had gone ording to n, and unexpected strokes of luck hade my way. I had been floating, thinking I knew this world better than anyone else and that I could solve the incidents more effectively with the main characters. There would be no crises, and my heart was filled with that arrogant certainty without me even realizing it. And at the end of that arrogance was the overwhelming regret that had be uncontroble. I put everyone in danger. That painful reality kept jabbing at me. -Grrr! Grrr¡­!! ¡°Huh¡­ !!¡± But I couldn¡¯t just stand there. If I made a mistake, I had to find the right path again. If I messed up, I had to correct it. This was no longer a world like a novel or a game; it was reality. I couldn¡¯t let them die because of my arrogance. I held onto my crumbling resolve, assuming mybat stance again. I squeezed every ounce of strength remaining deep within me and rushed towards Grizzly Drake. I couldn¡¯t use [Hardening] anymore; the one-hour cooldown hadn¡¯t passed. So, I had to mobilize all my toughness and strength. Though the oue was predictable, I had to do it. ¡°Guh, aaargh-!!¡± ¡°Jae-hyun!! No¡­!!¡± Together with Kim Chae-eun¡¯s desperate voice, I felt the flesh on my shoulder being ripped offpletely. It was because I had charged at Grizzly Drake head-on, and its sharp teeth had dug into my body. Using the sword was no longer possible; the left side of my body felt both pain and numbness, and I couldn¡¯t hold a sword with both hands anymore. I could still wield a sword with one hand, but if my bnce faltered, it would be even more dangerous for me. ¡°Do Jae-hyun! You damned-!!¡± I saw Park Jin-woo charging toward us in anger. Perhaps he had developed some affection for me during our battles. That¡¯s why he seemed so angry that I got hurt. ¡°Quickly, cast your spells¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± And not only him, but also Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, and Moon Ga-eun. They aimed their attacks at Grizzly Drake despite knowing it was pointless. The magical attacks vanished, nullified by the dungeon¡¯s buff. Only Park Jin-woo and I, along with Moon Ga-eun, could deal effective damage. ¡®I¡¯m a nobleman. Even when I charge, I do it with style¡­.¡¯ Even amidst the dizziness and pain from excessive bleeding, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Grizzly Drake, whose teeth had torn into my left shoulder, opened its mouth again. This time, it aimed at my head. If I didn¡¯t dodge, it would bite my head off. The moment felt like slow motion. But at that moment, a sudden thought shed in my mind. ¡®Its teeth?¡¯ Kwaaang-!! Grizzly Drake¡¯s teeth smashed against the dungeon¡¯s wall. I had used the [Sturdy Fangs] rune at the right moment, which temporarily granted me the support of [Agile Agility]. That allowed me to dodge the attack on my face. Although my body was still wounded by its ws, at least, I had saved my life. But more importantly, a new thought had crossed my mind. Its teeth, the sharp teeth that had bitten my shoulder, and the rune I possessed that could enhance it. ¡®Sturdy Fangs.¡¯ [Sturdy Fangs] wasn¡¯t merely a rune used to bite opponents like a beast. When I bite the opponent, it also has a special effect of depleting the opponent¡¯s toughness. A rune that supports my toughness while destroying the opponent¡¯s toughness. Immediately I realized this, I shouted. ¡°Park Jin-woo! If I bite it with my teeth, attack it at the same ce!¡± ¡°What? What bullshit is that¡­ ¡± ¡°No time to exin! Moon Ga-eun, you too!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Because it¡¯s a gimmick boss that received a dungeon buff anyway¡­The magicians¡¯ attacks had no meaning. All attacks with magic disappear as if nullifying them. Only Park Jin-woo, me, and Moon Ga-eun were the only ones who gave effective hits. I quickly bit into his shoulder with my sturdy fang. My [Sturdy Fangs] is currently level 3. At level 3, I could deplete a total of 20 toughness points. Grizzly Drake¡¯s toughness value was unknown, but if it was around 20, it was a sufficiently effective value. ¡°Dieee¡­!!¡± The bite on its shoulder inflicted by me, along with Park Jin-woo¡¯s sword and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s shots, hit Grizzly Drake urately. -Grrrraaahhh¡­!!! Grizzly Drake, taken aback by the unexpected pain, went on a rampage. However, the effect wasn¡¯t as significant as I had hoped. Compared to earlier, we managed to deal some damage, but it still fell short for a sessful attack. ¡°Opps¡­ !!¡± ¡°Fuck!! This bastard is way too fast, really.¡± The creature was not a monster with special abilities like the Sizzling Smander or Poisonous Iguana. However, it had significantly higher strength, speed, and toughnesspared to them. Extreme physical enhancement was its true ability, as if it had upgraded all the physical advantages of monsters in this dungeon. Consequently, failing tond an attack meant we had to endure an equal counterattack. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, is this right?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try one more time. If not, we¡¯re all dead anyway.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± I regained my bnce and rushed towards Grizzly Drake once more. This time, I received support from [Quadruped Combat] one of the runes I gained by hunting several Sizzling Smanders in the middle section of the dungeon. As a human, I had never imagined I would receive assistance from such a rune, but it quickly found a useful situation. ¡°Park Jin-woo, Moon Ga-eun! Now!¡± I rushed towards Grizzly Drake again, this time aiming for its legs. The subsequent attacks from my party members followed, but their effects were still minimal. Park Jin-woo and I were thrown to the dungeon floor once more due to the recoil. ¡®Crazy¡­ its toughness is too high.¡¯ I involuntarily cursed. Considering it was an A-grade monster, Grizzly Drake¡¯s toughness was excessively high. Maybe that was because it had excluded special abilities and instead received rune support in physical aspects. Finding a way to attack it was nearly impossible. Is there no way to defeat it? Is there no way? I kept questioning myself amidst the confusion in my mind. ¡®How to defeat it, how to defeat it.¡¯ There¡¯s a way to defeat it¡­ -¡­ Consequently, no matter how powerful a monster is with its defenses and toughness, the spot where the Magic Stone is located will always be its weakness. That¡¯s the conclusion we can reach. Alright, ss is dismissed for today. ¡­There it was. The day I went to propose a party to Kang Juyeon. The professor mentioned it during the ss on . The weakness of monsters is where the Magic Stone is located. In truth, this wasmon knowledge among the Holders, but it had little practical effect. Firstly, finding the exact position of the Magic Stone duringbat was a challenging task, and monsters with such high toughness to discover theirplicated weaknesses were rare. ¡®But Grizzly Drake is different.¡¯ It was a special boss monster, protected all over by overwhelmingly high toughness and specific runes. Finding its vulnerability would be significant, and if we could attack it, the effect would be substantial. Moreover, the toughness reduction effect of [Sturdy Fangs]. If I could use that on the spot where the Magic Stone was, subsequent attacks would show an exponentially increased efficiency. ¡°Park Jin-woo! Your sword¡­!!¡± I urgently called out to Park Jin-woo, who had fallen to the ground. My body was in tatters, and I didn¡¯t even have a weapon to hold. ¡°Son¡­ of a¡­ I¡¯m never going into a dungeon with you again.¡± Despite swearing, Park Jin-woo reluctantly threw his sword to me. I gathered all my remaining strength. I received potions from Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon, who had approached me, and partially recovered as I prepared for another attack. ¡°Die¡­!!¡± I rushed towards Grizzly Drake again. Adrenaline pumping to the extreme, I moved my body. Its mouth opened once more, but I quickly ducked and attacked the nned location. The spot where the Magic Stone was located was near its corbone. I bit down on it directly. Then, using my only moving right arm, I thrust the sword into it. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Thest weapon I had kept until now. A technique I hadn¡¯t dared to try yet because I had never seeded. For that technique to be realized, I poured the remaining bit of Magic into the sword. Ts, tsupaat-!! As magic flowed into the sword., the energy created a single strike. It exploded, erupting from the center of the monster¡¯s body. It prated its sturdy toughness and the dungeon¡¯s buff. Though it was a hasty situation with no time to activate the condition ¡®Whispers¡¯, luckily, the heavens favored me. -Gr, grrraaahhh¡­!! Aaahhh¡­!!! And it filled the dungeon. Grizzly Drake¡¯s roar, seeming like it was in agony. A sound unheard of since entering the boss room. A disturbing and chilling sound. ¡°Ha¡­ I love hearing that.¡± But for me, more than anything else, it couldn¡¯t be a more pleasant sound. It was a cry that contained the end of the ruthless lizard that had pushed us to the brink of death. [Sessfully conquered the unconquered dungeon! All Holder¡¯s attributes increase by 2.] [The resting room, locked firmly in the boss room, is revealed. The ominous aura of the dungeon disappears temporarily.] [The relentless wave of your sword, never missing a single strike, will continue to pierce the enemies¡¯ vital points. Your understanding of the Sword rune increases dramatically.] [Your rune¡¯s level has increased.] [You have gained the ultimate skill of the Sword rune, ¡®Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword.¡¯ Usage of the skill is restricted due to an abnormal acquisition beyond the limits.] And then, I copsed to the floor. I lostplete consciousness. Chapter 29 Forgotten Dragon (1)

Chapter 29 Forgotten Dragon (1)

A room covered in deep darkness. Various kinds of wine are disyed in the room like a collection. From rare wines that ordinary people cannot buy¡­ To cheap wines that can be found at convenience stores. Even someone who doesn¡¯t know anything about wines could tell at first nce that the owner of this room is a wine collector. The owner of this dark room. Cha Soo-yeon slowly savored the wine while looking out of the window. Her life had be bleak and filled with loss¡­ But whenever she drank wine and looked at the people in the outside world¡­ She felt like she was alive. ¡°Director, it seems there¡¯s a problem.¡± A voice interrupted her tranquility. A man was kneeling with one knee and bowing his head. He was a new student who had entered the Seoul Holder Academy as an assassin n member, and a member of the n Academy branch, Ji Yoon-jae. Annoyance surged through her upon his unexpected visit. However, Cha Soo-yeon forced a smile and asked, ¡°Hmm, what seems to be the problem?¡± The ns that the n had for the Seoul Holder Academy had not even begun yet. If one had to pick one thing¡­ They used a special item called [Odd Bait] to summon B-grade monsters inside the academy. But even that was not a full-scale attack. It was just to demonstrate that the [Magic Barrier] could be broken. At this stage of preparation¡­ There shouldn¡¯t be any problems. However, Yoon-jae¡¯s words conveyed something that could be a real problem. ¡°The underground dungeon of the academy seems to have been attacked.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s pupils slightly widened, indicating that she heard something unusual. After taking a sip of wine, she raised Yoon-jae¡¯s head with her slender hand. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The artifact we had linked to the entrance of the underground dungeon reacted. It seems to have been discovered and cleared by someone else. Considering the artifact¡¯s performance, they must have been quite¡­¡± ¡°Yoon-jae.¡± ¡°Yes, Director.¡± Magical power started to gather around Cha Soo-yeon. Although she was smiling, her eyes were icy cold. ¡°That means?¡± ¡°Guh¡­ Director¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s trademark rune, [Unbearable Gravity], poured down on him. An overwhelming force of gravity, threatening and suffocating. [Unbearable Gravity] was a highly dangerous rune. Cha Soo-yeon put down her wine ss and sat down, bending her knee in front of where Yoon-jae had fallen. ¡°Umm¡­ Yoon-jae, are you in pain?¡± ¡°Cough¡­ no¡­ I¡¯m¡­ not.¡± ¡°Liar. You are in pain.¡± Cha Soo-yeon lightly flicked her finger. The pressure on him eased slightly. Yoon-jae gasped for breath, struggling. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Yoon-jae.¡± ¡°Yes, Director.¡± ¡°Do you know the value of an undiscovered dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± An undiscovered dungeon, or an unexplored dungeon. When it¡¯s first cleared, Holders receive rewards rted to the dungeon and their information is registered in the system. Additionally, the rewards in thest room, the Boss Room, can be enjoyed exclusively by the one who clears it. Any Holder would want to find it, and if they do, they would attempt to clear it. The n Academy branch was currently preparing for such an exploration. Cha Soo-yeon smiled and asked again, ¡°You know that the n requested support, and that it could have been cleared in a week, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I am well aware.¡± ¡°Yoon-jae, I trusted you to be the first to find it¡­ What on earth happened? No one was supposed to find it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It seems that I overlooked something¡­¡± ¡°Ugh- It can¡¯t be helped, after all.¡± She received an unwanted answer. Cha Soo-yeon cast another spell with that logic. ¡°Yoon-jae needs to lose his mind a bit.¡± ¡°Kugh- Please¡­ save me¡­¡± Once again, [Unbearable Gravity] surged through Yoon-jae¡¯s body. ¡­Was there even an answer she wanted in the first ce? Such questions were meaningless. After all, the n was not a ce ofmon sense. It was a gathering of bizarre and cold-blooded psychos. *** ippotrantions *** When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling. The ceiling of the dungeon I had been raiding for the past few days. It was a dungeon built with a cave-like structure. I tried to get up immediately, but I felt intense pain all over my body. The injury on my left shoulder was excruciatingly painful. I had no choice but to bend my body again involuntarily. ¡°Ah! Ahh¡­.¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun, are you okay? It¡¯s still hard for you to get up.¡± Was she taking care of me while I was lying down? Moon Ga-eun hurriedly supported me from the side. It was sudden, but her hand felt quite warm. Her yful personality and something that didn¡¯t quite match¡­ Moon Ga-eun seemed to have many sides that were different from her appearance. I looked around while holding my left shoulder. ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in the boss room, organizing the magic stones and rewards. They¡¯ll distribute them when you get up.¡± ¡°When I get up?¡± Come to think of it, how long was I lying here? I remember catching that dreadful nasty lizard. Moon Ga-eun nodded and said, ¡°Yes, your role was crucial in finishing the raid. It¡¯s only right that you have the choice.¡± ¡°Oh, that was only during the boss fight. The other party members did all the damage against the regr monsters.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We all survived because of you.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± The boss room was the most dangerous part of this dungeon raid. We all felt the danger of death here. Did everyone share the same thoughts? Moon Ga-eun¡¯s words of gratitude felt sincere. For a moment, she looked at my physical condition and asked, ¡°How¡¯s your body? The shoulder seems serious.¡± ¡°I poured all the potions I had on it, so I should be okay. As for the shoulder¡­ I can get treatment from the Recovery Holders outside.¡± Buying potions in bulk from Choi Arin was a godsend. I used most of them, but they saved my life. I should thank Choi Yoo-min and Choi Arinter. As for the serious shoulder injury, I could get treatment from the Recovery Holders. This world was where Holders turned their abilities into professions. Here, visiting the ¡®Recovery Clinic¡¯ run by Recovery Holders was more effective than going to regr hospitals. If you paid a reasonable amount of money, they would treat any trauma. ¡°But I still don¡¯t have the strength to get up.¡± ¡°Shall I help you?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be thankful.¡± With Moon Ga-eun¡¯s support, I slowly got up. She put one of my arms over her shoulder and held my waist with her other hand. A proper support position. But perhaps because our bodies were too close¡­ Unexpectedly, some parts of our bodies were touching each other. I immediately became flustered and averted my gaze. ¡®¡­This is embarrassing.¡¯ Moon Ga-eun¡­ she really had many sides to her. As I received her support and walked out of the rest room towards the boss room, information windows suddenly appeared and confused me. [You won the duel! Your significant contributions in the battle lead to the victory. With the miraculous power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.] [1. Oppression 2. Lizard¡¯s Scales (not selectable) 3. Agile Agility (not selectable) 4. Strength (not selectable) 5. Quadrupedbat (not selectable)] [You chose Oppression. Since it¡¯s an Epic level 3 rune, the level will be reduced to 1.] [You gained a new rune.] [You gain 1 point of Willpower based on the rune¡¯s attributes.] ¡òName: Oppression ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 1 ¡òEngraved Location: Cheek ¡òSpecial Effect: : When inbat against opponents with lower stats than oneself, receive a 5% (Lv.1) boost of the respective stat. : Willpower +1 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Deration of Domination] ¡òDetailed Information: The stronger one bes, the more intimidating they appear. They demonstrate even more power against weaker opponents. Information about the rune I gained from hunting Grizzly Drake appeared. As expected¡­ Grizzly Drake was a boss monster that sometimes appeared in reptile infested dungeon, and it held all the runes of those monsters. [Lizard¡¯s Scales], [Agile Agility], [Strength], and [Quadruped Combat] were ¡®body-rted runes¡¯ possessed by the monsters we encountered in the early and middle stages. Grizzly Drake had maximized the growth of these runes, which was why it demonstrated such overwhelming duel power. Especially considering the incredible power of its defense. I thought that [Lizard¡¯s Scales] might have reached nearly the maximum level. Since I already possessed all those runes, Oppression was automatically selected and registered as a rune. After bing a [Rune Hunter] and achieving [Effort of the Seeker], this was the first Epic-level rune I gained. ¡®It has an amazing performance¡­.¡¯ I clicked my tongue as I read the information about [Oppression]. Every detail shown on the information window had a charming effect. First of all, it was a rune rted to Willpower. Willpower was a significant stat for holders, but my spirit attribute was rtively lowpared to other stats. Gaining a rune that bolstered Willpower was valuable to me. Then, there was the special effect. When in duel against opponents with lower stats than oneself, this rune provides a 5% boost to the respective stat. If my strength was higher than the opponent¡¯s strength, I could duel with the boosted strength by 5%. I thought the percentage might vary depending on the level. It was a special effect that truly lived up to the name [Oppression]. ¡®So that¡¯s why Grizzly Drake was so powerful.¡¯ Even though it was the boss of the dungeon and an A-grade monster, our party was by no means weak. Kang Juyeon was a B-grade Holder, and the rest of the party members were all C-grade Holders, with some of them showing superior skills even within the same grade. Though Park Jin-woo and I were just reaching C-grade, we had various special abilities that made uspetitive. We were a party of B-grade holders following the standard strategy to hunt an A-grade monster, so we were not weak by any means. However, the dungeon gimmickpletely nullified magic attacks, and thebination of [Oppression] and other enhanced runes made Grizzly Drake even more formidable. Because of all these factors¡­ Grizzly Drake had no choice but to be even stronger. ¡®Deration of Domination is also quite useful.¡¯ When Grizzly Drake first encountered us, it used a skill called [Deration of Domination], which inflicted the ¡®Fear¡¯ status ailment. Being able to inflict temporary status ailments in duels was quite attractive. Especially since status ailment skills were difficult to acquire, and rted runes were also considered rare. The only drawback was the long 1-hour cooldown, but there were still plenty of ways to use it. ¡°Jae-hyun! Are you okay?¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re up.¡± When I left the rest room and returned to the boss room, Kim Chae-eun and Park Jin-woo greeted me. Kang Juyeon was also looking at me with a relieved expression. ¡­It felt like a warm wee with some pressure. Undoubtedly, surviving a raid that risked our lives creates camaraderie. There was hardly any awkwardness when we first entered the dungeon. Instead, there seemed to be an inexplicable bond within the party. I awkwardly smiled and raised my hand. ¡°Sorry for keeping you waiting. I was checking the rewards.¡± ¡°Yep! Everything¡¯s organized. Come and take a look.¡± With Kim Chae-eun¡¯s guidance, I walked over to the center of the boss room. There, various magic stones and items were neatly disyed. The true flower of unexplored dungeons and dungeons yet to be discovered. It was time to check the rewards gained from clearing the rest room. Chapter 30 Forgotten Dragon (2)

Chapter 30 Forgotten Dragon (2)

The worldview of this world is unique. It is a kind of game system based on ¡®runes¡¯ that permeates throughout Holder society, and Holders grow their runes and increase their Holder grades to prove their inherent abilities. It has be like a form of ¡®ying¡¯ where they hunt monsters to earn money and grow. However, no Holder finds this strange. It is a system that has been around for a very long time, and most people have adapted to it. Although there is ongoing research by numerous schrs about the Holder system, much remains unknown. ¡®Moreover, no one thinks of it as a real game,¡¯ because it resembles a game in form. They do not consider it a game. The threat of monsters was a clear reality, and anyone could die at the hands of a monster at any time. ¡®Dungeons are no different¡¯. Dungeons with monster regens and bosses are simr. Depending on the grade, they could be dangerous with ruthless monsters roaming, but the system itself resembled that of a game. ¡°Wow, so if we clear this dungeon again, we won¡¯t get these rewards?¡± Park Jin-woo asked, surprised. After all, would Professor Tak won-ho know that this is a dungeon? Park Jin-woo was someone who only knew how to duel. I replied with a chuckle, ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll get rewarded for our efforts too.¡± ¡°What about the boss?¡± ¡°The boss will respawn, but even if we sessfully hunt it, the Rest Room won¡¯t open again. Maybe the gimmick will disappear, making it easier to catch.¡± The Rest Room opens only for the party that first clears the dungeon and hunts the boss. Therefore, the rewards in the Rest Room are privileges given only to those who have sessfully conquered the dungeon for the first time. Not many Holders went through the trouble of conquering undiscovered dungeons and then rapidly growing. ¡°But can I really choose first?¡± One of the rewards disyed side by side. My party gave me the right to choose first. Then, after checking all the items, they would distribute the rewards again. In other words, they gave me the privilege of selecting additional rewards in advance. It was a rather radical distribution method. ¡®Seems a bit odd.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but think that. Is this okay? That thought couldn¡¯t be avoided. Of course, I had significantly contributed during this raid. When we hunted the boss, I poured everything I had, and if it hadn¡¯t been for that, everyone would have been in danger. But still, the human heart is not so logical. Even if it¡¯s a very good item, it can be a headache. If there happens to be an Epic item among the Rest Room rewards, it could be a real dilemma. ¡°¡­We would have all died if you weren¡¯t here.¡± As Kim Chae-eun was about to reply to my words, Kang Juyeon interjected abruptly. She seemed a bit embarrassed as she averted her gaze. ¡°You have every right. So, choose first.¡± ¡°Yeah, you did almost everything during the boss raid, Jae-hyun. Don¡¯t hesitate and pick first.¡± Perhaps it was because of the unexpected words that came from an unlikely source. Kim Chae-eun also added, sounding as if she had been interrupted while trying to say something. Park Jin-woo and Moon Ga-eun also conveyed their meaning by nodding their heads. It¡¯s not polite to leave it out like this. I nodded and began to move. Then I carefully examined the items disyed side by side. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The rewards in the Rest Room are diverse, especially in a dungeon with an average monster grade of B. There were various items, including weapons, armor, special items, and magic stones. ¡°Huh?¡± Among them, one item caught my eye. Although there were traces of age here and there, it had a rough appearance, but it was a stone with a majestic aura. Even though it had a simple appearance, it was clear that it was not an ordinary item. One such stone stood out among the many items, and I had a vague idea of what it was. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the stone that Ji Yoon-jae had?¡¯ Ji Yoon-jae, the dragon rider and a spy from the n. He was a future adversary who would grow into a powerful Holder in theter part of the story. The stone that caught my eye was precisely the same as the special item hepleted. I quickly approached and picked up the stone. ¡ò Name: Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone ¡ò Type: Special ¡ò Grade: Legendary ¡ò Maker: ¨C ¨C ¡ò Special Effects: : A special power that once ruled the world is sealed within. When all the magic stones of the Forgotten Dragons are filled in the empty slots of the stone, a great seal will be released. (0/5) : If you infuse magic power into the stone steadily for three hours, you can gain the power of 3 Willpower. It is an effect that can only be gained once and cannot be used again. ¡ò Detailed Informations: For those who have forgotten their name and honor, it is difficult to regain the power they once wielded. As you fill the traces of the ancient dragons, you may be able to unlock the secret of the stone. Eureka! I shouted in my mind as if rejoicing. As expected, it was the special item that Ji Yoon-jaepleted. Afterpleting this item, he gained the legendary rune rted to dragons and earned the nickname ¡®Dragon Rider.¡¯ ¡®It was a special item that would allow the Holder to obtain a legendary rune.¡¯ A legendary item indeed¡­ A rune that can use the power of ancient history or traces. Just by hearing the name, it sounds like a rune that ispatible with Epic runes, but in fact, the performance itself is simr to or slightly better than Epic runes. The same goes for the Mythic rune, which is said to be touched by the breath of God. All three types of runes are runes that a race or individual can have uniquely, and their performance is overwhelmingly superior to normal runes or rare runes. ¡®It¡¯s just a slightly different temperament.¡¯ Legendary runes and mythic runes had a slightly wider range of effects because of their unique nature and acquisition methods. For example, [Effort of the Seeker] also had a tremendous effect that would not be outdone by any Legendary or Mythical Rune. In general, Legendary Runes or Mythical Runes have better performance, and the [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone was a special item that helped the Holder acquire these legendary runes. While holding the stone, I looked around at the party members and said. ¡°I¡¯ll choose this!¡± Then their expressions became strange. They looked like they didn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°Jae-hyun. Are you really going to choose that¡­ ?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a legendary item, but¡­ .¡± It was understandable that they had doubts. Even if it was a legendary item, this one had almost no immediate effect. The effect of raising one¡¯s willpower by three levels and unlocking the seal by filling the magic stones of the forgotten dragons were vague and uncertain. There was no reason to choose this unique-looking stone over the other good items and equipment. ¡°Instead, give me this and the magic stone from Grizzly Drake. That¡¯s all I need. I don¡¯t need anything else.¡± Grizzly Drake¡¯s magic stone was undoubtedly one of the magic stones of the forgotten dragons required by [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone]. It was also the reward from the Rest Room that I just cleared, and Grizzly Drake was undoubtedly one of the five dragons. So if the dungeon regenerated as it was, the boss room monster would likely be an ordinary Drake. ¡°Do Jae-hyun. Think again. There seem to be a lot of good weapons and armor, you really don¡¯t want to use them¡­ ?¡± Moon Ga-eun asked with a confused expression. She spoke in a brighter voice than anyone else. ¡°It¡¯s okay! With this and the magic stone, I¡¯m good!¡± Besides, when it came to equipment and armor, it could be made by Choi Yoo-min. If she focused on developing her armor-rted runes, she could produce much better custom-made items than most items here. ¡°Fine, well¡­ If that¡¯s what you want¡­¡± My party members looked at me with awkward expressions. They seemed to be questioning my decision. Although it was a legendary item¡­ it had almost no immediate effect. ¡°Well, if you say so¡­¡± Finally, I gained [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone] with my party¡¯s hesitant approval. *** ippotrantions *** Inside the Academy¡¯s caf¨¦, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun were sipping their coffee, which had been pushed to the side. It was their caf¨¦ appointment before going for a dungeon raid as per Do Jae-hyun¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s too sweet. I love how they make the vanitte here. The milky taste is barely noticeable,¡± said Moon Ga-eun, shaking her shoulders. ¡°¡­.¡± Kang Juyeon, on the other hand, quietly stirred her straw in the vanitte, lost in thought. Her pupils were deeply immersed in something. Seeing her like that, Moon Ga-eun tilted her head and asked, ¡°Juyeon, what are you thinking?¡± When Kang Juyeon seemed to be lost in thought, it was either because she was thinking about something or because she was thinking about nothing ¨C simple but urate. And Moon Ga-eun, who had been observing her for a long time, knew that this time it was the former. ¡°¡­Thinking about Do Jae-hyun,¡± Kang Juyeon finally replied. ¡°What? Seriously? You¡¯ve developed an interest in Do Jae-hyun?¡± Moon Ga-eun reacted with surprise. With an unexpected response, Moon Ga-eun started to get suspicious. She had felt that way since the time they applied for the intermediate ss together. When did she be so interested in him? In an instant, Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°¡­ do you have a death wish?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± As she started to spin out a fanciful scenario in her head, Kang Juyeon continued, sipping her coffee through the straw. She finished her thoughts that she had started earlier. The Holder, whom she had simply thought of as a strange person, Do Jae-hyun. Following her father¡¯s advice to find the gemstone, she had been stepping on his traces little by little. And before she knew it, they were raiding undiscovered dungeons together. He continued to grow as they progressed through the dungeons, the party gradually synchronizing like a well-oiled machine. In some aspects, he disyed leadership even better than herself. ¡®And¡­ the boss attack.¡¯ Moon Ga-eun and the other party members didn¡¯t question the method he employed during the boss raid. The runes he possessed, which could bite into the enemy¡¯s defense, were unique and not something ordinary Holders had. But it was an unspoken rule not to inquire about each other¡¯s runes since they were weapons and trade secrets. Even though the process was somewhat beastly, Kang Juyeon felt that Do Jae-hyun, who utilized everything at his disposal to hunt the boss, was remarkable. He found a way to conquer the boss, even with a deadly gimmick that rendered magic attacks useless. ¡®¡­¡¯ However, during this dungeon raid, she unexpectedly realized that she had much to learn. There were moments when she almost fell victim to a monster and couldn¡¯t contribute much during the boss raid. Although she was promoted to B-grade Holder, she stillcked experience. ¡®He¡¯s an intriguing person,¡¯ she thought. Before she knew it, Do Jae-hyun had gone from being just a strange person to a fascinating one, someone who constantly showed her new paths and possibilities. ¡°Let¡¯s recruit him for the Judgment of Fire,¡± Kang Juyeon said decisively, voicing her thoughts without hesitation to prevent Moon Ga-eun from indulging in unfounded fantasies. ¡°Huh?¡± However, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s expression changed, as if she heard an unexpected story. Kang Juyeon looked at her and continued talking. ¡°He¡¯s a Holder full of potential. When I look at the boss attack, his judgment and sense ofbat are excellent. I need to recruit him before graduation.¡± It¡¯s a remarkably long sentence for Kang Juyeon. He is a worthy Holder to actively participate in . And Moon Ga-eun, who heard that¡­As if embarrassed, scratched her head and said. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m going to recruit him for¡­.. too?¡± ¡°¡­ what?¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s face was unusually flushed with surprise. Unexpectedpetition had appeared. Chapter 31 End-of-Semester Evaluation (1)

Chapter 31 End-of-Semester Evaluation (1)

¡°I am rich¡­.¡± Is this d¨¦j¨¤ vu? However, I could confidently say it this time. I am rich. This time, I am truly wealthy. I could bathe in 50,000-won bills without any worries. The academy¡¯s underground dungeon, which I risked my life to conquer. The rewards from that conquest were astonishing. It cannot bepared to the first time I attempted to raid the dungeon. ¡°It¡¯s a total of 1.68 billion won.¡± ¡°What? How much is that?¡± ¡°1.68 billion won. Since the condition of the magic stones is quite good, we valued each one at 42 million won.¡± Around 200 monsters hunted in the middle section. B-grade magic stones gained from them. I got about 40 of them in my share. When I settled it all, it amounted to 1.68 billion won. This result excluded the settlement for the C-grade magic stones at the beginning, by the way. The reason why the profits increased exponentially was simple. As the grade of the magic stones goes up, the price increases significantly. ¡°What¡¯s the current market price for A-grade magic stones?¡± ¡°Good quality ones go for about 300 million won.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± On the contrary, as the grade goes down, the price drops significantly. D-grade magic stones go for around 2 million won, and E-grade magic stones for around 300,000 won. And F-grade monsters don¡¯t produce any magic stones at all, so one can imagine how difficult life must be for F-grade Holders. It¡¯s not without reason that ¡®OutHolders¡¯ like unfit individuals appear. ¡°Jae-hyun, are you done with the calctions?¡± Kim Chae-eun approached and asked. Unlike the previous time when I went to settle it alone, today, I came to the association with her. She also had to deal with her allocated share of magic stones and the reward for the rest room. ¡°Roughly? Since the quality was good, they processed it quickly for me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s real. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve touched such arge sum of money.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the dungeon with your dad?¡± This was unexpected. Kim Chae-eun is the daughter of a reasonably sessful professor in the warrior field, so I thought she would have had a lot of dungeon experience. In fact, she adapted well during this conquest. But Kim Chae-eun blinked her eyes and said, ¡°My dad never took me to such ces. He only reluctantly agreed to this time.¡± So, this dungeon conquest is almost her first time¡­ To have such adaptability and achievement in her first dungeon conquest. It was clear that she was quite talented as well. It was surprising that Kim Chae-eun, who was talented, did not even have her name mentioned in the original work, but now such cases are not rare. Just looking at the S-grade Holders in Korea, one out of five came to know their names after arriving in this world. There are many strong people and runes that do not reveal themselves directly. That¡¯s why I no longer relied solely on the original content. ¡°What did you say to your dad? I doubt he would have allowed it, given his personality as a professor.¡± ¡°My dad allowed it because I said I was going with you. Um¡­ I must trust Holder Jae-hyun . Just mumbling to himself like this.¡± ¡°Well, well.¡± Her impression imitation is of high quality for no reason. Kim Chae-eun pped her hands as if she remembered something. ¡°Oh! Did you also sell the A-grade magic stones? The staff members said A-grade magic stones are very expensive.¡± ¡°No. I have a specific use for those.¡± Selling them would bring in money, but I couldn¡¯t use them where I needed to. The magic stones of Grizzly Drake. As I expected¡­ They were keys to unsealing [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone]. When I equipped the magic stones to the item and checked the information again, the slot that had been (0/5) quickly changed to (1/5). I still had to fill it four more times, but luckily, I knew roughly where to find these magic stones. Especially after this semester ends. Soon, the S-grade monster that would appear before Dong-hae, Swirl Leviathan. The probability that it was one of the five dragons was quite high. ¡®I can¡¯t capture it right away¡­.¡¯ Capturing Grizzly Drake, who was an A-grade monster, was really lucky. Several situations ovepped, and at the moment of focusing on weaknesses, the momentary surge in power, and the strength of [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword] that surpassed its limits all yed a part. Now, I couldn¡¯t use [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword], which had be restricted. So even if I were asked to capture it again, it would be impossible. And that¡¯s an S-grade monster we¡¯re talking about. Even with my current C-grade abilities, it would be impossible to capture it. ¡®Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no way.¡¯ Hunting an S-grade monster. That would be difficult for me right now¡­ But someone else could do it on my behalf. In any case, the important thing was the magic stones. If I couldn¡¯t hunt them directly, all I had to do was get the magic stones indirectly. This indirect method can be exemplified by the phrase: No matter what others say, it is important. ¡°Chae-eun.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°How about going to the underground dungeon once a week together? We can improve our skills and make money at the same time.¡± ¡°T-Two of us?¡± ¡°Yes. Now we have enough experience, and the two of us should be enough.¡± A great means to umte that capital and apanion were both right nearby. Fortunately, they were right here. *** ippotrantions *** Every Wednesday is the day I receive exclusive lectures from Professor Tak Won-ho. After everyone finishes their sses and leaves for their respective homes in the evening, Professor Tak Won-ho and I stay back at the training ground, continuing endless training. ¡°Hayab¡­!!¡± ¡°Reduce the force, make your movements faster. Wave is different from Flowing water. It¡¯s not flowing waves but surging tides. You have to feel it not with your head, but with your whole body. You need to internalize it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!!¡± Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s teachings are always harsh. He pushes my body to its limits and, unknowingly, helps me gain insights. It¡¯s a kind of Spartan-style education. But thanks to it, I could develop [Wave Sword Technique] faster than anyone else and use [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword] in life-threatening situations, albeit with limitations. His rigorous teaching method has proved itself right. ¡°When you stab, do it with more force. Make it a habit to infuse the sword with magic power.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Endless personal training and corrections on [Wave Sword Technique]. And a direct duel with Professor Tak Won-ho. When the unstructured training finally ends, it¡¯s time for a break. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± ¡°Pant¡­ Pant¡­ Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Still, your toughness is a bitcking.¡± ¡°Pant¡­ I don¡¯t have any runes rted to that¡­ Pant¡­¡± Holder¡¯s toughness is not really a useful attribute stats. You need to cultivate it yourself or possess runes rted to it to receive support in that area. In fact, in duels where victory or defeat is determined by the difference in runes and attribute stats, toughness isn¡¯t crucial. But for extended training periods, they matter. Even Professor Tak Won-ho mentioned it, so I realized that I needed to obtain the relevant runes soon. ¡°I read all the expedition reports yesterday. You did an incredible job.¡± ¡°The help from my team members was significant. Our partyposition allowed us to adapt quickly to various situations.¡± ¡°Despite that, you downyed your role in the boss attack.¡± ¡°¡­It would have been challenging without [Wave Sword Technique].¡± ¡°You¡¯ve be more modest.¡± A faint smile appeared at the corner of Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s mouth as he said that. ¡­It seems this answer was right as well. ¡°Anyway, congrattions. You used the Ultimate Skill while raiding the boss, right?¡± ¡°Yes. You taught me that, and I finally seeded in using it during a boss attack. However, the Holder information says its usage is restricted.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho stroked his chin and continued, ¡°I guess you¡¯re still not skilled enough to handle [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. To use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], the level of [Wave Sword Technique] should be at least 10, and the magic stat should be at least 30 to activate the ultimate skill.¡± ¡°D-Do I need that much magic?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s one of the few magic power-rted skills in Wave Sword Technique.¡± My current magic stat is 9. To reach the minimum requirement of 30, I have a long way to go. Now I understand why I fell unconscious in a depleted state after capturing Grizzly Drake. At that time, to fill my inadequate magic, I poured all the remaining magic in my body to use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. Using a technique that exceeded my limit inevitably left mepletely exhausted. ¡®The range of runes I need to obtain has expanded.¡¯ In addition to toughness, I also need runes rted to magic. Now is the time to raise my magic stat. Unlike the past when I relied solely on physical strength and weapons, I am now advancing as a mid-tier Holder who utilizes magic power in battles. ¡°Anyway, congrattions. I informed you just in case, but I didn¡¯t expect you to achieve that. Kim Myeong-hyun, the professor, will be surprised when he hears about this. Haha.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I was surprised inwardly. Professor Tak Won-ho is known for his reserved praise, so I never expected such a hearty congrattion. Clearly, using [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] with my current abilities was a remarkable feat. While Professor Tak Won-ho was organizing the training equipment, he asked, ¡°Are you preparing well for the end-of-semester evaluation?¡± ¡°End-of-semester¡­ Oh.¡± Come to think of it, the end-of-semester evaluation was approaching. The end-of-semester evaluation was different from regr assessments based on lecture grades; it was more like a ¡®real duel¡¯ practice that measured the Holder¡¯sbat power. It determined promotion and demotion for the upper and lower sses and the overall grading of the Holders. It was simr in format to the practical duel exam we had during the academy entrance exam. The difference this time was that the duels were made through ¡®matching¡¯ instead of direct selection, and some Holder with production-rted specializations was excluded from the evaluation. Since the ss grade itself was a significant indicator for duel-oriented Holders, it was a natural decision. ¡®It¡¯s quite an important evaluation.¡¯ In the original work, this event was quite significant. It was the first time that passionate Holder Park Jin-woo revealed his potential to his peers and professors in a duel practice. It was also the moment when Lee Tae-joon, the top-graded swordsman and the student council vice president, was defeated by Kang Juyeon as usual. Overall, it showed the growth of the main characters in the early stages. But there was one more crucial event. ¡®Ha Do-kwon.¡¯ Ha Do-kwon. In reality, he was a spy for the n who infiltrated the academy as a freshman. He was a colleague of the assassin who rode a dragon, Ji Yoon-jae. Ha Do-kwon was given an order by the n to assassinate one magic-based freshman Holder during the end-of-semester evaluation. He would pretend to duel but wouldmit the murder in the blink of an eye. This was the beginning of n¡¯s full-scale shake-up of the academy. Ha Do-kwon was a disposable pawn for them. In any case, as someone quite notable even in the upper ss, his sudden murder during the evaluation would throw the academy into chaos once again, following the invading of monsters. Thinking of those series of events, I nodded slowly. ¡°Whoeveres, I¡¯m confident I can win.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to have unwavering confidence.¡± I had confidence that I could win against anyone in a duel. With my current abilities, I was already at the level of a C-grade Holder in the advanced ss. On top of that, I had reached my limits during dungeon conquests, enhancing my duel instincts. Regardless of whether it¡¯s the intermediate or upper ss, whoever my opponent is, it¡¯s just daily training for [Rune Hunter]. ¡®I might prefer someone with runes rted to toughness or magic.¡¯ The end-of-semester evaluation. This was a legal opportunity to obtain runes by tearing them off from others. Chapter 32 End-of-semester Evaluation (2)

Chapter 32 End-of-semester Evaluation (2)

¡°Unni, is this really mine¡­?¡± Choi Arin stared nkly at the bankbook her sister had handed her. Arge sum purchase. As a condition, her sister had brought a whopping 50 million won. Even back then, she was amazed at the amount, which she had never encountered before. But this time, it was an astonishing 200 million won. A 200 million won investment. It was a sum that was hard to believe even when seen with her own eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the same asst time. The price was drastically raised, so the quantity only needed to be doubled. Arin, you don¡¯t have anything to do when youe home after school anyway, so just make as much as the request form and earn some pocket money.¡± ¡°Wait, Unni. This can¡¯t be considered pocket money.¡± Choi Arin felt a sense of unreality about the situation. She was just 19 years old and had recently be a Holder. She would have to wait until next year to enter the Academy. For typical prospective Holders, it is customary to enhance their runes and prepare in advance before admission. However, cksmiths and alchemists belong to an expensive profession. If the household is poor, it is difficult to make use of the Holder¡¯s abilities. Even if she wanted to create something using runes, she had no money. That¡¯s why Choi Arin had nothing special to make¡ªmaybe just some simple potions made from herbs found in the mountains. ¡®But¡­ suddenly¡¯ There¡¯s someone willing to invest in her, and she doesn¡¯t even know who it is. A fellow Academy 1st-year Holder who entered the Academy with her sister. However, unlike her sister, this Holder made an extraordinary contract worth 200 million won per month. He had also signed a massive sales contract with Choi Arin, surpassing even the deals with Choi Yoo-min¡¯s equipment as an alchemist, to purchase potions and medicinal products. It was a contract based on a product-by-product basis, unlike the fixed-term contract with Choi Yoo-min. But the amount was beyond imagination. ¡°Now you have to get used to it. Once you enter the Academy, Arin, and step into the world of Holders, you¡¯ll find out¡­ It¡¯s not that difficult for cksmiths and alchemists to earn that much money. As long as the product performs well, you¡¯ll be swimming in money because Holders in specialized fields get paid a lot. This is just the beginning.¡± ¡°What are you saying? Even you were nervous right after signing the contract a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Choi Yoo-min, who had been acting so proud, fell silent. Even though specialized Holders make a lot of money, for them, who had lived in poverty all their lives, such arge sum of money was beyond their imagination, even if they could touch it. ¡®Who is this person anyway?¡¯ It was amazing that someone in just their first year could earn such an amount of money, and it was also surprising that they entrusted such arge sum to Choi Yoo-min and herself, based only on their potential. An eye that believes only in oneself, and not following others. Choi Arin is a Holder with such confidence. She was curious about the person named Do Jae-hyun. ¡°Unni, have you met this senior who invested in me?¡± ¡°Huh? Of course. I made the contract with them directly.¡± Choi Arin sighed deeply and continued, ¡°I¡­ I also want to enter the academy soon¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I really want to meet this senior who invested in me. I received such arge sum of money, and I don¡¯t even know what they look like. I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°That, you don¡¯t have to!¡± ¡°What?¡± Choi Arin looked at Choi Yoo-min with a puzzled expression as she suddenly shouted. I¡¯m curious about the face of an investor who has entrusted such arge amount of money to us, but I don¡¯t have to know that. What does that mean? Her sister seemed embarrassed about something. Her face was slightly flushed, and she was bowing her head. Choi Arin couldn¡¯t help but scratch her head. What¡¯s up with her sister today? The number of Holders had grown immensely, but there were fewer dungeons than the demand for them. The regeneration of monsters urred only once a week. In such an imbnce, monopolizing a dungeon was a significantly advantageous move from a profit perspective. While one could still hunt monsters outside the boundaries to obtain magic stones, it wasn¡¯t an efficient or easy choice. -Kieee¡­!! The roar of the Sizzling Smander resounded once again. I blocked an iing attack head-on with a [Combo] and then immobilized another creature approaching from the side using my hands and feet. Thanks to my versatile use of [Sword] and [Quadrupedbat], I was able to handle various runes effectively. ¡°Jae-hyun, behind you!¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s voice prompted me to ce my hand on my waist without needing to turn around. Surely, another Sizzling Smander was charging from behind. I threw the four daggers I had just drawn in the same way as before. [Quarter Knives]. It was one of my main skills I had been focusing ontely, along with the growth of magic power. The three Sizzling Smanders continued their pursuit. The magic that froze the creatures that fell to the ground, [Field Freezing], unexpectedly caught them off guard. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s skills had improved, and she was continually developing her abilities as a Holder. [Field Freezing] was a derivative skill and magic of the [Freezing] rune that Kim Chae-eun had newly learned from this attack. ¡°Are you getting used to it now?¡± ¡°Yeah. The magic array is simr to Frozen Fog, so it doesn¡¯t seem too difficult.¡± ¡°Magic array, what?¡± ¡°Magic array. When using magic, you need to sense and arrange the magic power before casting it. The new skill I learned, Field Freezing, has a structure simr to Frozen Fog.¡± ¡°Ah, I still don¡¯t get it.¡± Understanding magic made sense, but arranging it was like a whole new world. When I heard about it, it sometimes felt like those magic-based Holders lived in a different realm. Unlike Holders who fought based solely on their mastery of runes and skills, they were people with advanced knowledge in controlling and understanding magic. Of course, I had runes that allowed me to use magic, I¡¯m also like the wizard-type Holders ¡òName: Fiery me ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 4 ¡òEngraved Location: Left Shoulder ¡òSpecial Effects: : Fire Resistance +4 : The Holder can freely produce mes on their body or weapons. These mes contain the Holder¡¯s magic power and are treated as magical attacks. ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: Enables the maniption of fire and improves understanding of magic. It was one of the runes I gained after hunting the Sizzling Smander, [Fiery me]. The description was quite straightforward. With this rune, I could produce mes. It was as if I had gained another magical means of attack. However, that didn¡¯t mean I was proficient in using magic. While I gained runes that enabled me to use magic, I had no knowledge or preparation to cast spells. Thus, I had no skills in the derivative of [Fiery me]. Perhaps Holders with the normal rune like [me] could use more fire-based magic than I could. ¡®But if I study hard enough, I should be able to use it too¡­¡¯ Honestly, it felt like a waste of time. Even with all the runes and skills I was currently learning, there was not enough training time. ¡®Fire Resistance was the only benefit I should be satisfied with¡¯. Just like when I gained [Poison] or [Water]. This time, I gained a new resistance called ¡®Fire Resistance¡¯. Combined with my Sizzling Smander hunt, it was now recorded as 6. I checked the Holder information for the first time in a long time. ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (20) ¡òStats: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 32] ¡ò [Magic: 9] ¡ò [Speed: 35] ¡ò [Recovery: 5] ¡ò [Toughness: 26] ¡ò [Willpower: 21] ¡òResistance: ¨C : [Poison: 1] : [Water: 3] : [Fire: 6] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C : Epic ¡ò [Rune Hunter Lv.Max] ¡ò [Effort of the Seeker Lv.Max] ¡ò [Oppression Lv.1] : Rare ¡ò [Lizard¡¯s Scales Lv.7] ¡ò [Underwater Breathing Lv.3] ¡ò [Venom Lv.4] ¡ò [Water Sword Technique Lv.4] ¡ò [Wave Sword Technique Lv.6] ¡ò [Strengthen Lv.0] ¡ò [Agile Agility Lv.4] ¡ò [Sturdy Fang Lv.4] ¡ò [Fiery me Lv.4] : Normal ¡ò [Sword Lv.8] ¡ò [Dagger Lv.6] ¡ò [Cooking Lv.5] ¡ò [Combat Lv.3] ¡ò [Sprint Lv.3] ¡ò [Magic Control Lv.3] ¡ò [Bow Lv.1] ¡ò [Axe Lv.1] ¡ò [Spear Lv.1] ¡ò [Blunt Lv.1] ¡ò [Shield Lv.1] ¡ò [Quadruped Combat Lv.2] ¡òPossessed Skills: ¨C ¡ò [Quarter Knives]: (Dagger) ¡ò [Poison w]: (Venom) ¡ò [Combo]: (Sword) ¡ò [Hardening]: (Lizard¡¯s Scales) ¡ò [Stamina Food]: (Cooking) ¡ò [Deration of Domination]: (Oppression) ¡òUltimate Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]: (Wave Sword Technique/Restriction) It had been only four months since my Holder information disyed just one [Dagger], right? It was hard to believe the growth I achieved. Thanks to [Effort of the Seeker], various runes had grown rapidly, and my abilities had improved significantly. The only downside was that the growth of the runes I learned in the early stages was rtively slow. But I couldn¡¯t evenly develop all the runes. To achieve faster and more efficient growth, I needed to make choices and focus. ¡®Still, this is tremendous growth¡­¡¯ The information that rose like a banquet. Just looking at them made me feel better for no apparent reason. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m tired.¡± After catching all the nearby Sizzling Smanders, Kim Chae-eun yawned while wrinkling her face. Iughed and said, ¡°Should we head back now?¡± ¡°Yeah! Hunting with just the two of us is twice as tiring¡­¡± It was said that it usually took five C-grade Holders to hunt a B-grade monster. Yet, we managed with just two C-grade Holders. We were in the process of conquering this B-grade dungeon, where B-grade monsters roamed. My runes and abilities were far superior to an average C-grade Holder, and Kim Chae-eun demonstrated significant power with her [Freezing] rune magic, making it possible. ¡°We also have the end-of-semester evaluation tomorrow!¡± Kim Chae-eun pped her hands and said, ¡°Is it already tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yep! If we want to do well on the exam, we need to go back and manage our condition.¡± ¡°Right, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°And in that regard, please prepare dinner for us.¡± I expected that. It was such a predictable repertoire that it made me chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re still going with that story?¡± ¡°Yep! After eating your food, Jae-hyun, I feel like I¡¯ve fully recovered from exhaustion. It¡¯s like my energy ispletely restored.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a feeling; it was real. Once a day, during dinner, I used my [Stamina Food] skill, a high-level skill gained after raising [Cooking] to level 5, to relieve all the Holder¡¯s fatigue. After experiencing the effects several times, Kim Chae-eun seemed almost addicted to my cooking. She liked it from the beginning, but after discovering the skill, her fondness had intensified. ¡°Pudding?¡± ¡°Grape vor!¡± And there were conditions to taste my cooking like that. Kim Chae-eun knew them all too well now. Chapter 33 End-of-semester Evaluation (3)

Chapter 33 End-of-semester Evaluation (3)

The day of the end-of-semester evaluation dawned. The academy has been bustling with nervous first-year students since the beginning of the day. The training grounds were already set, and many were engaged in mock duels, predicting their opponents at various spots. ¡°Do Jae-hyun! Over here,e here!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± When Kim Chae-eun and I arrived at the examination hall, Moon Ga-eun had already secured a prime spot. It was the best position where you could watch other duels and immediately step in when your name was called. No one could rival Moon Ga-eun in situations like this. Even the speed at which she defeated opponents was different. Next to her was her close friend Kang Juyeon, of course, and in the corner, Park Jin-woo had taken his ce. ¡°Oh, you finally made it.¡± Why is he here again? ¡°How did you find this ce again, Park Jin-woo?¡± ¡°Well, seriously, give it a rest. I can see Do Jae-hyun if I¡¯m where we are, so I¡¯ve been hanging around here alone since a while ago.¡± Moon Ga-eun exined as if she were annoyed. As expected from Park Jin-woo, he didn¡¯t even flinch at the scornful looks from Moon Ga-eun and Kang Juyeon. One had to admit he had strong determination. ¡°Hahaha, anyway, since I don¡¯t have any friends, watching with Do Jae-hyun is the best I can do.¡± ¡°Proud of it. Ugh. And on top of that, my dad was going on about making introductions, which is driving me crazy.¡± ¡°Introductions? What introductions?¡± Out of nowhere, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s words made me ask without realizing. The first-year students at the current academy were almost all twenty years old, just bing adults. What kind of introductions could you have with a twenty-year-old? But perhaps due to the stress piling up, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s forehead creased even more. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know either. My dad is really weird. He wanted me to meet the sessor of the Sunset Flower or something, but I¡¯m so annoyed.¡± The was a mid-sized n that was currently rising in poprity. It wasn¡¯t asrge as the three major ns, but it was a promising uping n that was growing its influence in the country while capitalizing on its unique characteristics. If it¡¯s the sessor of that n, it would be Jung Hyun-seok, who is currently studying in the academy¡¯s second grade, just one year older than us. Something felt strange. I asked unconsciously. ¡°Isn¡¯t he just suggesting a blind date?¡± ¡°Blind date arranged by my dad? What era does he think we are in, and he calls it an introduction.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Even though we are in the Joseon era? Even though I clearly said I didn¡¯t want to, he keeps insisting¡­ Ugh. Juyeon, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m pitiful?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kang Juyeon seemed quite familiar with the situation. She casually ignored Moon Ga-eun¡¯s words and slowly waved at me. ¡°¡­Hello.¡± Huh? Did she just greet me? I instinctively waved back. ¡°Uh, uh. Hello.¡± A greeting exchange with Kang Juyeon? If this were someone other than Moon Ga-eun, it would be quite an honor. I somehow felt that Kim Chae-eun was staring daggers at me, but¡­ it must be a misunderstanding. We moved to an empty spot and took our seats. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we all gathered like this. Hasn¡¯t it been almost a month?¡± Park Jin-woo stretched and said. Come to think of it, we used to team up for dungeon raids. The five of us were sitting together in one ce. After that, I went on a few dungeon raids with Kim Chae-eun, but¡­ anyway, it was the first time that all the original members had gathered. Maybe it was because we had shared life and death experiences, but when I was with them, I felt much closer than with other students. ¡°Did everyone prepare well for the evaluation?¡± Today was the end-of-semester evaluation. It was an important exam where students would either get promoted to the next grade or demoted, and there would be changes in their gradings within the ranks. When I brought up the topic, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s expression turned unusually sour. ¡°Not at all. Since the dueling opponents are random, it¡¯s so unfair for archers. And on top of that, my dad keeps insisting on making introductions, which doubles the stress.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not introductions, it¡¯s blind dates, right?¡± ¡°Whatever¡­!!¡± Moon Ga-eun was right. She would be at a disadvantage in this type of duel. Archers shined more in team duels where they could use their party skills rather than one-on-one duels. Even if she met a warrior who was fast¡­ It would be a sure win for the warrior. Of course, losing in the duel wouldn¡¯t be a big problem. The end-of-semester evaluation involved not only the duel evaluation but also subject evaluations based on one¡¯s ss. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kang Juyeon, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, nodded her head slightly with a calm expression. The only B-grade Holder in the first year. Just that title alone made her look intimidating. There weren¡¯t many opponents she couldn¡¯t handle among the students in the academy. The end-of-semester evaluation should be a piece of cake for her, even if she hadn¡¯t prepared much. Park Jin-woo was the same. He showed his typical confidence with a carefree expression. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whoes! But there is someone I want to face.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Why do you ask? It¡¯s you, Do Jae-hyun. Hahaha.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Aren¡¯t you tired of this?¡± ¡°Not at all! It¡¯s fun every moment! It feels different every time.¡± What, is he Park Ji-sung or something? After the practical duel during the entrance exam, it seems that I have fought with this guy over twenty times, but Park Jin-woo still looks hungry. In the original story, there wasn¡¯t apetitor who could ignite Park Jin-woo like this. It feels like his growth has widened even further since I intervened. As evidence, he is demonstrating skills beyond what was present in the original timeline without even learning the [Wave Sword Technique]. It¡¯s not just the protagonist¡¯s talent. Of course, if we were to fight now, I would win. I¡¯m also growing at a speedparable to him. -Now, the end-of-semester evaluation for the 1st semester of Seoul Holder Academy¡¯s 1st grade, including the final duel, will begin. Students who fail to show up when called will be disqualified, so please be attentive. The supervisor in the center of the examination hall held the microphone. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s starting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so nervous.¡± ¡°Please, not against a magician type¡­!!¡± The students on the waiting bench started to murmur. In fact, when opponents are matched based on their specialties, the professors take that into ount while grading. If it¡¯s unfavorable, they¡¯ll award lower scores, and if it¡¯s advantageous, they¡¯ll award higher scores. ¡®Please Magician ss¡­¡¯ Like the student next to me who was praying, there was no need to actively seek a favorable match. But still, the desire to win against a strong opponent would be strong. -This is the first match. Holder Moon Ga-eun from the Archer upper ss and Holder Eom Cha-sik from the Magician upper ss, pleasee to the examination hall. Eom Cha-sik? I was momentarily taken aback, but¡­ Anyway, the first match was Moon Ga-eun¡¯s duel. A duel between the upper sses right from the beginning of the evaluation. However, the match was more one-sided than I thought. Unlike when she pretended to cry in front of us, she showed her true skills without any tension during the duel. Utilizing her [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar], she quickly deciphered the opponent¡¯s magic and countered with superior speed. And her finishing move was her trademark skill, [Extreme Shot], utilizing the [Wind Archer] rune. Moon Ga-eun showed the level of a high-grade archer. ¡°As expected, Moon Ga-eun is different.¡± ¡°She must be the top archer for a reason.¡± ¡°Once Moon Ga-eun graduates, she¡¯s bound for the n, right?¡± The surrounding ssmates all admired her performance. Although she might be overshadowed by Kang Juyeon¡¯s powerful performance, Moon Ga-eun was also an elite in the upper ss. ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°¡­Exactly.¡± Even Kang Juyeon was in agreement as she praised her. So, the evaluation duel continued after the first match. Upper ss against Upper ss, Upper ss against intermediate ss. Intermediate ss against intermediate ss, intermediate ss against Lower ss, and so on¡­ The matching was random between specialties and ss levels. However, the gap between the upper and lower sses was too significant, so they were excluded from the matching. -This is the eleventh match. Holder Do Jae-hyun from the Assassin Intermediate ss and Holder Kim Hyo-won from the Warrior Upper ss, pleasee to the examination hall. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s too bad.¡± When my name was called, Park Jin-woo sighed. He still hadn¡¯t been matched for a duel. He seemed disappointed that his opponent wasn¡¯t me. I felt a bit disappointed too. I didn¡¯t know much about Kim Hyo-won, but I knew he was at least at the level of the upper ss¡¯s tail. From my perspective, I wanted to face a stronger opponent. It would be better than facing an intermediate ss Holder, but honestly, I wanted to face someone stronger to check my skills properly. Considering [Rune Hunter], it would be better to get better runes. ¡®For example, someone like Ji Yoon-jae¡­¡¯ In my heart, I hoped I could face Ji Yoon-jae or Ha Do-kwon. I wanted to gauge Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s skill, and even though Ha Do-kwon was a bit dangerous, it would be better for me to face him rather than having one of my fellow students die unnecessarily. But since the opponent was already decided, I had to do my best. ¡°Both Holders greet each other and prepare for the duel.¡± Following the supervisor¡¯s instructions, Kim Hyo-won and I exchanged a brief handshake. But this Holder Kim Hyo-won seemed more outgoing than I expected. After the handshake, he got closer to me¡­ Lightly patted my shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s y fair, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Uh, uh.¡± He was as friendly as Park Jin-woo. It was strange to be this friendly with the person I should be dueling. I replied absentmindedly and immediately prepared for the duel. The dagger at my waist and the longsword on my back. My main weapons were all ready. It was already well known that I was a Multi-Holder. Even if I used both weapons simultaneously, no one would find it strange. After confirming that we were ready, the supervisor signaled the start. ¡°Duel, begin.¡± ng! Swish-! As expected of someone with such a lively personality, his fighting style was unrestrained. The moment the starting signal rang out, Kim Hyo-won charged at me with his sword in hand. It was a situation that posed no threat to me. If he gave me the first move without any scouting, I would wee it. I swiftly drew the longsword on my back without hesitation. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± However, something felt strange. The longsword, made of the firm material created by Choi Yoo-min, suddenly lost its form as soon as I drew it. It was as if it were melting away. Like a rusted iron sword. The de was corroded and oxidized. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ I looked at the sword in a daze. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. But not long after, I quickly realized the reason. ¡®When we shook hands!¡¯ Kim Hyo-won had patted my shoulder. Out of nowhere, he patted my shoulder and did something. He must have used a special item to corrode the sword on my back. Even though I¡¯m an assassin type, it¡¯s widely known that I use the [Sword] as my primary rune and weapon thanks to the lectures I¡¯ve attended and the performance I¡¯ve shown. Kim Hyo-won caught on to that and corroded my sword. It would be quite effective against someone like me, who is closer to a warrior than an assassin¡­ It seems that he had nned his tactics quite well. ¡°It¡¯s over, Do Jae-hyun¡­!!¡± Kim Hyo-won shouted, releasing his aura anding closer. ¡­ y fair, my ass. Chapter 34 End-of-semester Evaluation (4)

Chapter 34 End-of-semester Evaluation (4)

Kim Hyo-won had a hunch about his victory. Though he had worried about facing a magic-based or archer-based opponent, fortunately, his opponent was an assassin-type Holder. Among them was Do Jae-hyun, an intermediate-level student who leaned towards the warrior ss. Using the special item, [Corrosion Powder], his sword became corroded, making it difficult for him to prepare for the battle instantly. While as an assassin-type, he could also use [Daggers]¡­ Kim Hyo-won¡¯s attacks wereing in too fast. ¡®I just need to win.¡¯ As a lower-graded student within the warrior ss, this end-of-semester evaluation was more crucial for Kim Hyo-won than anyone else. With everything being ambiguous in terms of stats and runes, this evaluation could potentially lead to his demotion to the intermediate level. Therefore, before the duel even began, Kim Hyo-won decisively used his special item. ¡®It¡¯s not even breaking the rules, right?¡¯ To be honest, there was nothing to worry about. Dueling was akin to realbat. As a result, no matter what variables might interfere, the supervisors would not intervene, and if someone questioned the move as unfair, they could simply attribute it to the effects of possessed runes. In modern rune measurement devices, while they could confirm whether a Holder possessed runes, they could not identify which specific runes were held. So, if Kim Hyo-won imed, ¡®This is my special rune!¡¯, no one could argue against it. Of course, Holders who knew about [Corrosion Powder] might recognize it instantly, but anyway, as long as things proceeded this way, it would be Kim Hyo-won¡¯s victory, fairly earned through his gamey. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± However, just as Kim Hyo-won¡¯s sword was about to pierce his opponent¡¯s shoulder, it sliced through the air with a fierce gust of wind. Do Jae-hyun dodged his attack with an instantaneous movement. Kim Hyo-won was astonished by his quick reflexes. ¡®His speed is incredible¡­¡¯ An extraordinary speed with astounding stats,bined with the support of rted runes. But that was not all. What happened next was even more surprising. ¡°Oof¡­!!¡± Suddenly, Kim Hyo-won groaned in pain from a sharp sensation on his side. A fist had struck his side. Following Do Jae-hyun¡¯s swift footwork, a powerful body blownded on Kim Hyo-won¡¯s right torso, followed by a flicker jab! In an instant, Kim Hyo-won received multiple hits to his side and face and endured the pain, trying to distance himself from Do Jae-hyun as much as possible. ¡°Un¡­believable¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t believe it even though he experienced it firsthand. It wasn¡¯t just an ordinary attack relying on strength; it prated his toughness stats and [Physical Defense] rune, dealing a clear and painful blow. Without the support of runes rted to [Quadruped Combat], such a thing should have been impossible. ¡®Does he have [Combat] runes¡­?¡¯ Is that even possible? Even though he was a Multi-Holder, there had to be some limits. [Sword] and [Dagger] were within the shared area, and many Holders possessed both runes. Assassins used [Sword] runes, and warriors used [Dagger] runes. That was the reason why the Academy of different countries did not distinguish between the warrior and assassin sses. However, it was a different story with [Combat] runes. Although ssified as part of the warrior ss, it was essentially a rune close to the special ss. A dueling style relying purely on unarmed duel, distant from [Sword] and [Dagger]¡­ Apletely different type of main rune. To think that his fellow student possessed such a rune was hard to fathom. ¡®Why not just say there are [bow] and [spear] runes too?¡¯ Such a Multi-Holder with so many runes felt unfair to Kim Hyo-won. He had gone through the trouble of corroding Do Jae-hyun¡¯s sword, and it all turned out to be in vain. ¡°Has the confidence he had right after the duel started, disappeared?¡± At a slight distance. Do Jae-hyun, who took a guard stance, said with a smile. Kim Hyo-won bit his lip and replied. ¡°They said you¡¯re a Multi-Holder, but you also possess everything.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it if I wanted to y fair.¡± ¡°Is that fair y?¡± ¡°Then your cheating is fair y?¡± He was lost for words. It¡¯s true that he used a trick to corrode his sword to win the game somehow. Do Jae-hyun said with a smile on his lips. ¡°You picked the wrong opponent. Prepare to get beaten badly today.¡± With those words, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s full force was directed at Kim Hyo-won in a straight punch. The break time was over, and the second round had begun. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°It¡¯s an interesting Holder duel.¡± A Holder who lost their weapon was using their bare hands to defeat a warrior-ss Holder wielding a sword in the duel. A man watching this peculiar scene made ament. It was Ko Yo-han, the scout team leader of the n, one of the three giant ns in South Korea. ¡°asionally, youe across Multi-Holders like that. They handle multiple main runes with almost different orientations.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Seong Na-yeon from the Royal n also one of those? She simultaneously wields wind magic and a sword.¡± Simrly, Choi Gyu-hyuk, the scout team leader of the , one of the three giant ns, replied. The two of them hade out of the academy for a light exploration to see if there were any talents they could recruit for their ns in this end-of-semester evaluation. ¡­ In truth, they were urged by Ah-gassi¡¯s (Miss) from their ns, but the reason was different for each. It was because of the persistent Miss Kang Juyeon, and for him, it was Miss Moon Ga-eun. ¡°No way. Seong Na-yeon ispletely different from this Holder. She is a strong Holder who became an A-grade Holder as a Multi-Holder, and isn¡¯t this guy just a rookie who just entered the academy?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. And what¡­ It¡¯s so unlike you to use strange examples like that.¡± ¡°Your weird examples haven¡¯t changed either.¡± Yo-han and Gyu-hyuk had been in a senior-junior rtionship since their academy days. Both had long been interested in Holder administrative duties and eventually became scout team leaders for their respective ns. ¡°What do you think about it, from your point of view?¡± Yo-han gestured toward the arena. The Holder they seemed to be more interested in today: Do Jae-hyun. Despite losing his main weapon, the sword, he was using another rune, [Combat], to overwhelm his opponent, Kim Hyo-won. Without using [Dagger] rune, he dominated his opponent easily with only physical abilities. I can¡¯t believe he is a C-grade Holder¡­. It was a one-sided duel. ¡°Well. It¡¯s normal so far.¡± ¡°That one?¡± ¡°Hard to say for now. The abilities of this Holder, Do Jae-hyun, are somewhat ahead. Also, Kim Hyo-won probably used the corrosion powder against him, thinking that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a newly enrolled kid from the academy.¡± ¡°Ah? Did you alsoe because Kang Juyeon asked you? I¡¯m here because of Moon Ga-eun nagging me non-stop.¡± ¡°Those kids are a handful, indeed. Really bothersome.¡± While chatting, Do Jae-hyun¡¯sbo erupted once again in the match. Jab, straight, backstep, and then straight, a three-punchbo. It was difficult to tell if it was a Holder duel or a martial artspetition. ¡°But [Combat] is unique, isn¡¯t it? Both swords and daggersbined with Quadrupedbat. It¡¯s a Multi-Holder with various talents, a rare breed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not only that, Look¡­ There seems to be a rune rted to speed. Might be worth watching.¡± Kim Hyo-won was not just being beaten. Somehow, he tried to use his abilities and [Sword] to continue the counterattack, but Do Jae-hyun, using [Agile Agility] and high speed, lightly evaded the attacks. Even if he was allowed to attack once, the [lizard¡¯s scales] covered him. Not only in terms of abilities, but also in the use of runes¡­ Also, Do Jae-hyun knows him urately and applied it to the battle. Choi Gyu-hyuk appreciated that. It was definitely an extraordinary dueling sense for a promising Holder. ¡°But this¡­ Kim Hyo-won will win?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ .¡± Even the spectators, including the two of them, noticed it. On the other hand, Kim Hyo-won continued to allow attacks while relying on high toughness stats, [Physical Defense], and managing his toughness through [Endurance]. [Endurance] was a rune that helped him withstand prolonged duels, ensuring he wouldn¡¯t tire easily. It was amon rune acquired by most A-grade Holders in the warrior ss, who mainly focused on tanking. However, Multi-Holder Do Jae-hyun didn¡¯t have [Endurance]. It showed, as he appeared to be getting more fatiguedpared to Kim Hyo-won. So, Gyu-hyuk predicted Kim Hyo-won¡¯s victory. The difference in their abilities was still not much over time, merely slightly in Do Jae-hyun¡¯s favor. ¡°Huh?¡± However, something strange happened. Kim Hyo-won, who had been enduring countless hits, suddenly started trembling. At first, it was just a slight shake, but over time, his posturepletely copsed. It was hard to believe that the Holder who had been holding his ground so well could suddenly copse so helplessly. Seeing this, Yo-han was taken aback and asked in surprise, ¡°What, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Gyu-hyuk also couldn¡¯t find an answer. As if trying to see it up close, he grabbed his head. Finally, upon seeing Kim Hyo-won¡¯s body copsepletely, they could confirm what had happened. His body was covered in a strange, blotchy pattern ¨C it was clearly a state of poisoning. It seemed like another special rune possessed by Do Jae-hyun¡­ An attack rted to poison. Kim Hyo-won, who had been focusing solely on physical attacks, had no way to defend against such a sudden poison attack. -Duel over. Assassin-type intermediate ss Holder, Do Jae-hyun, wins. The Recovery Medical Team, please quickly check Kim Hyo-won¡¯s condition. Thus, the match ended with Do Jae-hyun¡¯s victory. If someone unfamiliar had witnessed this, they might have thought that Do Jae-hyun had cunningly outwitted Kim Hyo-won. After nearly 15 minutes of dominating his opponent and then finishing the duel with a sudden poison attack, it would seem suspicious. His rune utilization was so sophisticated that even the audience was in awe. Along with his almost wlessbat skills, Gyu-hyuk stared at him in disbelief. Who on earth is this guy? Chapter 35 End of Semester Evaluation (5)

Chapter 35 End of Semester Evaluation (5)

-The duel is over. Assassin-type intermediate ss Holder Do Jae-hyun wins. The Recovery Medical Team, please quickly check Kim Hyo-won¡¯s condition. With the supervisor¡¯s words. The tiresome duel with Kim Hyo-won has finallye to an end. A tenacious brat. He definitely possesses the [Endurance] Rune. If you¡¯re originally from the warrior branch, it¡¯s natural to receive the normal Raked Rune during awakening. Thanks to that, even after battling him for about 15 minutes with [Combat], the duel didn¡¯t end, so I used [Venom] and its derivative skill, [Poison w], to gain the upper hand. ¡®I¡¯m using it for the first time, but it¡¯s quite useful.¡¯ I didn¡¯t have a chance to utilize [Poison w] before since I didn¡¯t need it, but whenbined with [Combat], it bes quite powerful. The [Venom] Rune is already level 4. As the level increases, the destructive power of the skill also bes stronger. Therefore, [Poison w] was nothing but deadly for Kim Hyo-won, who had no resistance to poison. ¡°Justice Implementationpleted¡­.¡± Honestly, at first, I was angry and thought about using all my runes at once. Kim Hyo-won annoyed me by showing off fair y and even using special items. But it seemed too attention-seeking, so I held back. Just using [Combat] and [Venom] was enough to draw interest. If I also demonstrated [Fiery mes] and [Sturdy Fangs], along with [Quadruped Combat], I might have been treated as a true monster. Dueling while igniting mes and using hands like feet. Even biting like a beast with fangs? It¡¯s like I¡¯m aplete lizard-type monster. [Relentless Strikes, Anticipating the Next Move! Yourbat skills are bing stronger and more agile.] [The level of the Rune has increased.] [Derived skill of thebat Rune, ¡®Combo¡¯ gained.] [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.] [1. Sturdy Endurance 2. Sword (unselectable) 3. Magic Control (unselectable) 4. Ground Defense 5. Triple Sword Technique 6. Shield (unselectable)] The information window appeared a bitte. It contained the rewards for the duel we just ended. As I poured my willpower into [Combat] andpleted the duel, my level increased significantly. With the umted duel skills and practical experience, [Combat] reached level 5. Additionally, I gained the new derived skill, [Combo], Like [Sword]¡¯s [Combo], it seemed to be the main derivative skill of [Combat]. ¡®And¡­¡¯ There was the reward of the [Rune Hunter] for winning against Kim Hyo-won. The runes he possessed were quite surprising. ¡®It wasn¡¯t just Endurance?¡¯ [Endurance] is amon rune among warrior-type Holders. Since they often take on the role of tanking in parties, they need their toughness to sustain battles for a long time, so they usually receive the [Endurance] rune during awakening. Even Holders who didn¡¯t gain it initially often awaken it through academy sses. I still don¡¯t have [Endurance], [Ground Defense]¡­ These aremon runes the Assassin ss could acquire. There was a possibility that Park Jin-woo wouldn¡¯t have gotten it by now. Yet, Kim Hyo-won didn¡¯t Possess mere [Endurance]. He had the Rare Rune, [Sturdy Endurance]. ¡®No wonder hested so long.¡¯ Kim Hyo-won is a typical warrior-type Holder. Among them, he possessed runes more suited for a tank. Including the rare rune, [Sturdy Endurance], the most basic swordsmanship rune for sword-wielding warriors, [Triple Sword Technique], and even the ones that improve efficiency in party hunting, like [Shield] and [Ground Defense]. Perhaps he didn¡¯t use the shield because it was a one-on-one duel. ¡®Just use the shield anyway.¡¯ Even though his stats were inferior to mine, the runes he utilizedpletely outssed mine, so there was no way he could win against me. Even his high toughness and [Ground Defense] runes were pierced by [Venom]. I chose the rune from him to replicate. There was only one rune I could replicate from him. [You have chosen Sturdy Endurance. As it is a level 7 rare rune, its level will be lowered to 4 upon registration.] [You have gained a new rune.] [As a result of the rune¡¯s attribute, you gain +2 Endurance.] < Rune Information > ¡ò Name: Sturdy Endurance ¡ò Grade: Rare ¡ò Level: 4 ¡ò Engraved Location: Lungs ¡ò Special Effects: : Gains the toughness and endurance to engage in duels and training for a long time. This power is not reflected in the numerical values of stats and grows stronger as the rune level increases. : +2 Toughness ¡ò Derived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡ò Detailed Information: Being able to endure directly trantes to toughness. Strengthened endurance enables the Holder to continue fighting and endure for a long time. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Closing the rune information that showed satisfactory effects befitting a rare rune, I returned to where the others were waiting. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re like a martial artist!¡± Moon Ga-eun pointed at me with a teasing expression. Now I was used to her expressions, and it was somewhat cute, so I couldn¡¯t help but smile. The other party members also looked surprised. ¡°Jae-hyun, when did you get the Combat Rune?¡± ¡°As expected of Do Jae-hyun! He¡¯s my acknowledged rival.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± They must have been quite surprised since I hadn¡¯t shown [Combat] and [Venom] during the dungeon raid. I just smiled and dyed my response. After all, runes are like trade secrets for Holders¡­ Everyone would understand. ¡°Now, only three are left, right?¡± The remaining ones are Park Jin-woo, Kim Chae-eun, and Kang Juyeon. I was looking forward to Park Jin-woo and Kim Chae-eun¡¯s duels. Park Jin-woo, as the protagonist of the original story, would undoubtedly show significant growth on his own, and I wanted to see how much stronger Kim Chae-eun had be after repeatedly going through dungeons and growing. As for Kang Juyeon¡­ She was so talented that there should be no problem with her duel. -Twelfth duel. Warrior-type intermediate ss Holder, Park Jin-woo, and Assassin-type upper ss Holder, Lee Dong-jin. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s me!¡± As expected, the tiger came out when called. Park Jin-woo¡¯s duel was immediately after mine. I wondered if Ji Yoon-jae would appear as his opponent, but this duel followed the flow of the original story. At that time, he fought against a regr assassin, and I can recall it clearly. ¡®How much will he show this time?¡¯ Park Jin-woo will make his name known in the end-of-semester evaluation. In the original story, he showcased [Wave Sword Technique], which he had mastered to a high degree, and overwhelmed his upper ss opponent. His overwhelming strength became the turning point thatpletely changed the perception of those around him. However, this time, Park Jin-woo doesn¡¯t have [Wave Sword Technique]. Instead, hepensated for it with even more passionate effort. The boy who continued his growth alone¡­ I was curious to see what kind of duel power he would show this time. -The two Holders shook hands and prepared for the match. The director¡¯s announcement remained unchanged. Park Jin-woo and his opponent exchanged a light handshake and prepared for the duel. Then, the starting signal followed. The twelfth duel began. ¡°Urrrgh¡­!!¡± Park Jin-woo let out a strange cry and took the initiative. ¡­Did he make such sounds originally? It seems like his duel cries are bing more distinctive with time. Nevertheless, despite the mighty duel cry¡­ His movements were as fast as the wind. ¡°Wow. Park Jin-woo is much faster than he looks. Does he have a high agility?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. He probably received rune assistance.¡± I briefly answered Moon Ga-eun¡¯s question. She was referring to the [Agile Agility] rune that I gained while hunting the Poisonous iguana. Park Jin-woo had a speed-boosting support rune from the beginning of his awakening. Park Jin-woo continued to run at full speed¡­ And approached the assassin Holder¡¯s front. ¡°What the¡­!!¡± I could feel Lee Dong-jin, the opponent Holder, being taken aback. That was natural, as duels where one¡¯s advantage is based on speed are typically reserved for assassin-type Holders. [Stealth], is the assassin-type Holder¡¯s possess runes rted to runes enchantments, allowing them to use derived skills freely and quickly overpower opponents. ¡®¡­Though I don¡¯t exist in that category.¡¯ When I first awakened, I had only [Dagger] as my weapon, and there were very fewmon runes avable to me. Despite being categorized as an assassin-type, I am actually more like a half-hearted assassin with tendencies toward the warrior-type. Of course, since Icked warrior-typemon runes, I was finally able to get one. However, Dong-jin still falls into the category of an assassin-type. Though temporarily, he was surpassed by the speed of the warrior-type due to his agility. Lee Dong-jin couldn`t believe it; it defiesmon sense. ¡°Oh, what a pity.¡± Kim Chae-eun sighed with regret suddenly. Park Jin-woo¡¯s attack, infused with the utmost speed of his counterstrike, was unfortunately blocked by Dong-jin¡¯s dagger. But Park Jin-woo didn¡¯t stop there; he continued to rotate his sword, relentlessly pushing Dong-jin. ¡®He¡¯s incredibly fast, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ I watched in awe as I observed his duel. It was unexpected. His speed and the support from the rted runes were overwhelming. Even considering his abilities, it was excessively fast. However, upon further thought, it made sense. Park Jin-woo had superior speed from the beginning. Whether during the entrance exam or before learning [Wave Sword Technique] from Professor Tak Won-ho, he focused primarily on speed-based swordy. It was only after learning [Wave Sword Technique] that he began to bnce strength and speed. But the current situation forced him to develop speed-basedbats without Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s guidance. It was only natural that his speed-basedbat would advance further. ¡°Dong-jin can¡¯t even use his strength.¡± ¡°Was he always this strong?¡± ¡°Park Jin-woo seems much faster than an assassin-type.¡± ¡°Is this an intermediate-ss versus upper-ss duel?¡± ¡°Both Park Jin-woo and Do Jae-hyun are not really intermediate-ss. Jae-hyun¡¯s victory in the previous match proved that, he overwhelmed his opponent.¡± The surrounding students were amazed and began buzzing with excitement. Considering the negative attention directed at Park Jin-woo and me at the beginning of the semester, this change in public opinion was quite a turnaround. Indeed, proving oneself through duels seemed necessary. ¡®But he¡¯s genuinely overwhelming.¡¯ Dong-jin struggled against Park Jin-woo¡­ And he couldn¡¯t showcase any proper performance. The battle began too quickly, before Dong-jin could bring out his individual skills through [Stealth] runes, and the use of magic-type runes like Kim Chae-eun wasn¡¯t effective against Park Jin-woo¡¯s [Agile Agility], which covered him thoroughly. The advantage the assassin-type Holders had against the warrior-type was nullified as Park Jin-woo countered everything. ¡°Crazy!¡± During this time, suddenly, I was taken aback and stood up from my seat. Park Jin-woo, who was relentlessly attacking, had executed a move by turning his entire body like a windmill andnding a sword strike on Dong-jin. The speed was so fast that it couldn¡¯t be easily seen with the naked eye. It was too quick. ¡®It can¡¯t be true. A rotatingbo attack¡­.¡¯ [Rotating Combo Attack], an upgraded version of [Combo Attack], was a skill that rotated the entire body and sword at an incredible speed, striking the opponent with sword strikes. This skill wasn¡¯t derived from the [Sword] rune. It required an Epic Rune called [Unstoppable Swift Sword Technique]. Speed and swordsmanship, the two elements werebined at the highest level to create the Epic Rune [Unstoppable Swift Sword Technique]. In other words, Park Jin-woo had realized and acquired the Epic Rune solely through his own power. From the beginning of the duel until the end, it was a moment when I could understand the full extent of his incredible speed. -Duel over. Warrior-type intermediate-ss, Holder Park Jin-woo. Wins.¡± The duel was over just like that. Dong-jin, whose dagger was already heavy to handle, couldn¡¯t withstand the [Rotating Combo Attack]. I looked at Park Jin-woo in a daze. ¡®This talent is beyond belief¡­.¡¯ How can you even call him a growth-type protagonist? His growth rate is simply astounding. ¡°Haha, how was it, Do Jae-hyun? Are we on the same level?¡± Park Jin-woo returned triumphantly, filled with high spirit. I stared at him with eyes that said I was tired of him. ¡°You¡¯re a monster¡­. I won¡¯t fight you anymore.¡± ¡°Wow! Who¡¯s calling who a monster?¡± This guy¡¯s way of speaking has changed. Nevertheless, Park Jin-woo¡¯s duel ended, and the duels continued. Kang Juyeon¡¯s duel was also there; she easily won against Lee Tae-joon. Her nearly perfected [Unquenchable me] and diverse real-world experience made her forget about her defeat. She proved why she was the top-graded student and a B-grade Holder. After a few more significant and minor duels passed, the name we had been waiting for was finally called by the director. -Herees the 26th duel. Warrior-type upper-ss, Holder Ha Do-kwon¡­.¡± ¡®He¡¯s finally out.¡¯ Ha Do-kwon, the most crucial figure in this end-of-semester evaluation. A spy for the n, the decisive Holder who carries out the order to assassinate his ssmates and throws the academy into chaos. His duel was finally announced. A duel where someone must die. The director¡¯s call for the duel to begin, filled with tension, made me wait anxiously for the next call. However¡­ -¡­and Magician-type intermediate-ss, Holder Kim Chae-eun. Both students, pleasee to the exam room. ¡°What?¡± I questioned my ears for a moment. Kim Chae-eun¡­? Why is her name called here? The name of the Magician-type Holder who is supposed to be killed by Ha Do-kwon in this end-of-semester evaluation¡­ Her name¡­ ¡®¡­didn¡¯te out.¡¯ I murmured in a daze. It felt like a huge hammer had struck my head. In the original story, the name of the Holder killed wasn¡¯t mentioned. This means that it could be anyone. But this is absurd. Kim Chae-eun¡­ is it her? The ssmate Holder who will be killed by the plot of the n? ¡°Is that¡­ possible?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get him! I¡¯ll be back!¡± As if denying everything, Kim Chae-eun smiled brightly at me and walked into the exam room. I could only watch her with a nk expression. The strong cognitive dissonance overwhelmed me. The scattered puzzle pieces, each ced throughout, found each other as if seeking to fit together. My brain throbbed with a strong sensation. A Holder who is cruelly assassinated by Ha Do-kwon. That was really¡­ Kim Chae-eun, my first friend in this world. Chapter 36 Awakening (1)

Chapter 36 Awakening (1)

The scattered puzzle pieces awkwardly start fitting together little by little. The reason why Kim Chae-eun, a talented and charming yer, wasn¡¯t in the original work was because she became a victim of indiscriminate murder orchestrated by n and Ha Do-kwon in the end-of-term evaluation. ¡®So, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s involvement wasn¡¯t also revealed.¡¯ If Kim Chae-eun dies in this incident, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun would have retired from the Academy and disappeared. Then, after discovering the entire truth, he would have sharpened his vengeance sword against n. The n is a criminal organization thatmits countless heinous and chilling crimes, and naturally, there are many Holders who live their lives seeking revenge against them. If the story followed the original, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun might have been one of those avengers. This development might have been overlooked or appearedter in the original work, which is likely high,since I couldn¡¯t see it and ended up in this situation. So, I didn¡¯t anticipate that Kim Chae-eun¡¯s opponent would be Ha Do-kwon. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but swear at my own carelessness. I should have predicted this. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Park Jin-woo, taken aback by my sudden profanity, asked. While looking at him, I noticed the sword hanging at his waist. ¡°Park Jin-woo, lend me your sword.¡± ¡°What? Again? Ah, no way. You¡¯re going to break it likest time.¡± He was referring to the sword I borrowed when capturing Grizzly Drake. Back then, I infused the sword with all my magic power and pushed it beyond its limits, using [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. However, it couldn¡¯t withstand the massive magic power and advanced skills of the opponent, and the sword shattered into pieces. Although I did ask him afterwards, he seemed unhappy that the sword had been broken even for a moment. I immediately made a deal. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you an even more expensive one. No, I¡¯ll give you double the price.¡± ¡°Again, using money to solve things. You¡¯re like a third-generation chaebol. Forget it. I have plenty of money too.¡± It seemed like he was still mad about it. Park Jin-woo¡¯s attitude was quite stubborn. I sighed softly and then made him an offer he couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give you ten re-duels. Whenever you want.¡± ¡°Oh, damn. Why are you asking? I¡¯ll give it to you right away. Should I sharpen it for you?¡± ¡°Just shut up and hand it over, quickly.¡± After receiving the sword from Park Jin-woo, I surveyed the tension-filled exam room. -Both Holders, greet each other, and prepare for the duel. The duel was already entering its initial phase. I needed to n quickly. ¡®I can¡¯t just stop the duel without a n.¡¯ Honestly, I wanted to shout at Kim Chae-eun to escape quickly and take care of that Ha Do-kwon bastard myself. But that could have backfired. Right now, Ha Do-kwon was just an ordinary examinee who hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Trying to stop him like a crazy person would only harm Kim Chae-eun. It was a time to act rationally rather than emotionally. ¡®A few injuries here and there won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯ In all practical duels within the Academy, causing harm to the opponent in any way was allowed. There were several reasons for this. It matched the concept of ¡®real-lifebats¡¯, and because Holders had the stat of ¡®Toughness¡¯, they could withstand some rough dueling. Even so, the crucial reason was the existence of the supervisors and the Recovery Medical Team. The supervisor overseeing the test was a high-grade Holder who could intervene in emergencies, and simrly, the Recovery Medical Team could treat any trauma the Holder suffered. Basic safety measures were in ce. ¡®But it¡¯s a different story if you attack the vitals.¡¯ In practical duels where everything was permitted, there was only one thing prohibited: attacking the vitals, such as the head or heart, or continuously attacking the same area. Such fatal attacks would cause the Holder to die instantly, without any opportunity for the supervisor or medical team to intervene. That¡¯s why the Academy strictly prohibited such attacks in practical duels. Even so, Ha Do-kwon disregarded the rules and killed the opponent. In other words, I had to take advantage of the moment when Ha Do-kwon aimed at Kim Chae-eun¡¯s vitals. I had to turn that moment around. To do that, Kim Chae-eun needed to endure a little longer, and I had to find a clean opportunity to strike. ¡®I can do this.¡¯ I tightly gripped the sword Park Jin-woo had handed me. I could do it, and I had to do it. I couldn¡¯t let my first friend be a sacrificialmb to n¡¯s cruel and indiscriminate murder n. The duel began, filled with tension as the stern signal from the supervisor echoed. -Duel, begin. ¡®Such a perfect prey to feast on.¡¯ Ha Do-kwon¡¯s desire to quickly chop off the attractive-looking Holder in front of him with his axe boiled up. He was already a criminal with a history of killing civilians, and the number reached five. Even before bing a Holder, he used his axe to chop people, and after awakening, he became even more ruthless andmitted murders without hesitation. After joining the n, he had to suppress his desires while operating in the Academy branch. But after a very long time, he finally received an order from the higher-ups that pleased him. They adjusted the matchups to put him against a mage-type Holder, and the order was to kill the opponent no matter who it was. This was arge-scale operation nned by the n to cause chaos in the Seoul Holder Academy and involved multiple spies infiltrating the Academy. ¡°Hehehe¡­ Tastes like it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve enjoyed some blood.¡± Ha Do-kwon¡¯s entire body was excited at the thought. He volunteered as a yer for this operation. Even if he was caught immediately after the operation and became the n¡¯s sacrifice, he didn¡¯t care about such bothersome futures. He just wanted to kill someone, to experience the sweet sensation of murder once again. ¡°Duel, begin.¡± ¡°Hehehe-!!¡± As soon as the signal from the supervisor was given, Ha Do-kwon rushed towards Kim Chae-eun with his axe. His [Axe] rune was already at level 11, and his abilities were almost close to Grade B. Kim Chae-eun, a mid-tier mage-type Holder, was barely at Grade C even if she was close to the high-tier. She had no chance of blocking this attack. She needed to use her high speed to directly evade the attack or utilize [Magic Barrier] to block it. However, to skillfully use [Magic Barrier], which was a derivative skill of [Magic Control], she needed to have rtively good grades even in the high-tier. Even assuming they had simr abilities, it wasn¡¯t easy for mage-type Holders to defeat warrior-type Holders. This was the moment Ha Do-kwon aimed to end it all. If he managed to chop off her head, blood would stter everywhere, and the arena would fall into chaos. Ha Do-kwon delighted in the thought as he swung his axe with all his might. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± But suddenly, Ha Do-kwon¡¯s movements stopped. The air around his rushing feet became chillingly cold, and everything began freezing in an instant. It was Kim Chae-eun¡¯s main rune, [Freezing], and specifically, the derivative skill [Field Freezing], which froze everything on the ground and above it. ¡°Hehe.¡± Before him, Kim Chae-eun prepared for her next magic with a bright smile. ¡®That son of a¡­!¡¯ Ha Do-kwon cursed inwardly, feeling the chills spreading. She was a Holder who might be promoted to the high-tier, and it seemed that she was not weak enough to die from a single axe strike. He nodded slightly and lit up his eyes. He had to be more cruel and inflict more pain to kill her. ¡°Huaaah-!!¡± Ha Do-kwon poured magic into his axe and brought it down heavily on the ground. It was the derivative skill of the [Axe] rune, [Axe Charging], a destructive skill that could easily shatter even walls made of magic stones. Breaking the ice that Kim Chae-eun created was no trouble at all. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Kim Chae-eun, who was preparing to follow up with her attack, looked surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected the ice from [Field Freezing] to shatter so easily. Since she hadn¡¯tpleted [Field Freezing] yet, the light magic attack she sent at Ha Do-kwon through [Magic Control] was weaker than rune magic, but it was still an effective attack if continued. ¡°Useless tricks!¡± Ha Do-kwon defended against all her attacks with his body. He was a typical warrior-type Holder with high strength and toughness. While his speed was slightlycking, his superior abilities allowed him to maximize the use of [Axe]. He sessfully defended against all her attacks and swung the axe towards Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Woosh- The axe swung by Ha Do-kwon came dangerously close to her head, but she managed to avoid it at thest moment. Her evasion seemed like a miracle, considering her speed. Kim Chae-eun was quick to respond due to her extensive practical experience, and Ha Do-kwon¡¯sck of high speed allowed her to perform such a feat. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ However, Ha Do-kwon was confident that her life would be gone with his next attack. The key to victory for close-range fighters against long-range fighters was to quickly close the distance andnd effective strikes before any magic or projectiles could hit. By doing so, they could overpower the long-range fighters and suppress their attacks. Ha Do-kwon had sessfully closed the distance after blocking her two previous attacks and sacrificing one of his own. Now, he was in a situation where the distance was entirely closed. ¡®Axe Charging.¡¯ This time, he infused his axe with all the magic and strength he had. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s legs were tangled, causing her to stumble. She lost her bnce while trying to evade the previous attack, leaving her in a vulnerable position. Moreover, she didn¡¯t even see Ha Do-kwon¡¯s next attacking. If this attack hit her, Kim Chae-eun¡¯s head would be crushed as it is. ¡®Huh. finally, finally¡­. How long has it been since I¡¯ve seen the taste of blood!!¡¯ Excitement runs through his body at the thought of tasting blood. His throat as he swallows his saliva trembles, and his hands holding the axe are sweaty. Since they hadn¡¯t aimed at the crucial areas yet, even the supervisor could not have predicted that anything special would happen. If he cut Kim Chae-eun¡¯s head with an axe like this, everyone will find out about his murder. ¡°For real, die¡­ !!¡± His axe was approaching her head, and it seemed like he didn¡¯t n to change his target. The next moment, however, someone shouted his name loudly. Ha Do-kwonnn-!! Ha Do-kw-on, Ha Do-kwo-nnn, Ha Do-kwon-!! His name echoed. Simultaneously, his axe, which was about to reach Kim Chae-eun¡¯s head¡­. Stopped right in front of her. ¡®What¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Ha Do-kwon¡¯s face showed surprise. He had put all his strength into the axe, but suddenly, after the shout, his body came to a halt. Frozen. His body literally stopped moving. Ha Do-kwon was somewhat familiar with this state. It was probably the ¡®Fear¡¯ status effect. It was already astonishing that someone had a status effect like this in an actual duel match where nobody would normally interfere. Moreover, to use it at the perfect timing, it was impossible to predict without thoroughly understanding ¡¯s n. Prev I TOC I Next I am using a schedule instead of uploading when I am avable. Basically the next button link will not bring out a result depending on if it is thetest chapter. Schedule: 5 ch/wk [wed-sun] @ UTC+ 12:00 pm TL NOTE:- Chaebol refers to someone with arge family-owned business. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi. Illustrations are here atKo-fi. [script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ ''extra'', { x_wordads_outbrain: ''widget_render_ar_1'', }, ] ); [/script] Chapter 37 Awakening (2)

Chapter 37 Awakening (2)

Ha Do-kwon¡¯s axe, which was swung relentlessly towards Kim Chae-eun, came to an abrupt halt. Thank goodness. With this, there¡¯s enough time for the safe zone. If the timing had been slightly off, Kim Chae-eun could have been seriously hurt. [Deration of Domination] is affected by the willpower attribute. It seems Ha Do-kwon¡¯s willpower attribute is much lowerpared to mine. Even with [Oppression] at level 1, it took effect immediately. Using [Deration of Domination] of [Oppression], I immediately threw the daggers, giving him a taste of [Quarter Knives]. ¡°Groan¡­!!¡± Four daggers pierced through his wrists holding the axe. One of them contained a deep power. Ha Do-kwon let out a pained groan. But that wasn¡¯t enough topletely drive him away. About three seconds have passed, and the fear should start to wear off. I needed to inflict more damage during that time. Without realizing it, I had moved closer to him and Kim Chae-eun. Utilizing [Sprint] and [Agile Agility]¡­ I had prepared to be in this position. ¡°Who are you trying to kill?¡± ¡°K-Kuh, Kuaaaah-!!¡± After pushing away the axe with my sword, I then shed at his wrists. This time, Ha Do-kwon screamed in agony. Although his wrists didn¡¯t get deep cut due to his strong endurance, I still dealt a significant blow. Three consecutive shes, [Combo]. Energy overflowed from Park Jin-woo¡¯s sword. This should maximize the short duration of fear. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I turned my head and looked at the supervisor. Many professors had already gathered at the scene. Including the supervisor, there were four reserve professors in the exam room. They all pointed their weapons at Ha Do-kwon. It was evident to everyone that he had attempted to murder a fellow student. No professor present failed to notice that intention. ¡°Holder Ha Do-kwon. You are being taken into custody on suspicion of viting the Academy¡¯s practical duel rules and attempted murder. Kneel down.¡± The supervisor in the center spoke in a stern voice. I suddenly felt relieved that Professor Kim Myeong-hyun wasn¡¯t present. If he had witnessed this scene, he might have simply killed Ha Do-kwon without considering any investigation or interrogation. I hadn¡¯t known him for long, but even I could tell he cherished Kim Chae-eun more than anyone, being a father to her. ¡°Chae-eun, are you okay?¡± ¡°Jae-hyun¡­¡± I reached out my hand to Kim Chae-eun, who was on the ground. Her eyes were slightly moist with tears. Though she didn¡¯t witness how I dealt with Ha Do-kwon¡¯s attack, she seemed to have grasped the situation from my subsequent actions and themotion in the exam room. The feeling of being in danger, even if only for a moment, must have been quite terrifying. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for your help. If it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about strange things. Hold my hand.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Kim Chae-eun held my hand and stood up. Her hands were still trembling, showing that the uneasiness hadn¡¯tpletely faded. However, the real duel experience gained in the dungeon, which wasn¡¯t present in the original story, seemed to have made her stronger. Blocking the first attack with [Field Freezing] and evading Ha Do-kwon¡¯s axe attack. Given the multitude of variables in the duel, even with my knowledge of the situation, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find many opportunities to intervene effectively. Various situations, experiences, and skills,bined with the crucial fear effect of [Deration of Domination], allowed me to save Kim Chae-eun from the crisis. ¡°Holder Ha Do-kwon. Kneel down and put your hands above your head. If you refuse, we¡¯ll respond with force.¡± The supervisor¡¯s voice was rigid and it made me feel somewhat frustrated. Why couldn¡¯t we just use force from the beginning? Everyone witnessed that guy was trying to kill Kim Chae-eun, so I don¡¯t understand why we¡¯re adhering to the rules in this situation. Ha Do-kwon held onto his bleeding wrist. He was breathing like a maniac. ¡°Heh, heh¡­ .¡± ¡°Heh heh. It¡¯s a really funny situation. uh¡­ .¡± ¡°The hall¡­¡± ¡°Oh, fuck. It¡¯s terribly noisy.¡± ¡°What, what?¡± ¡°Noisy. Mr. Overseer.¡± Ha Do-kwon slowly stood up. As he did, the movements of the professors around him changed. ng- ng- Apanied by the sounds of swords being drawn¡­ The supervisor and the professors held their weapons up. One professor, seemingly from the mage ss, was gathering magic. The situation was nowpletely surrounded by multiple professors. Just a single step and they would be ready to respond immediately. However, Ha Do-kwon didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by such a threat. He continued tough maniacally¡­ With his red eyes fixed on me. ¡°It¡¯s amusing¡­ I never expected my n to go so awry¡­ Huh¡­¡± Something about this seemed slightly dangerous¡­ In his young, spirited eyes¡­ I could feel Kim Chae-eun grabbing the tip of my clothes from behind. I also felt a sense of tension. Despite the distance between us and the presence of the professors ahead, an unknown sense of danger crept up on me. ¡®Was he always like this?¡¯ I had never encountered him before. In the original story, Ha Do-kwon killed a mage-ss Holder, which was revealed to be a part of the n¡¯s n. He was merely a connecting link for the events to unfold. I had absolutely no knowledge of what kind of person Ha Do-kwon was or how he killed the Holder, not even the name of the one he killed¡­ From the beginning, I didn¡¯t know anything about him. That¡¯s why when I interfered with his n, I had no idea how he would react. ¡°Ugh- Ugh¡­!!¡± And then, at that moment. His body started turning bright red. A sudden and unexpected change in his body. This surprised all the Holders, including the professors surrounding him. The reason was immediately apparent. As if an alchemical vial had burst open, an item in his hand shattered. His body was covered in liquid, and the director eximed, ¡°It¡¯s the Berserker Potion! Stop him, everyone!¡± The supervisor was startled and shouted loudly. The Berserker Potion momentarily makes the Holder lose their sanity but enhances their abilities and grants them powerful strength for a certain period. However, the side effects are severe, leading to its ssification as a prohibited substance among current Holders. In its frenzy state, the Holder acts solely ording to their initial intentions, and after the frenzy ends, the Holder¡¯s abilities are irreparably damaged, making it more dangerous than drugs in Korea. Currently, the only n distributing this potion is the criminal organization . The fact that student Holder Ha Do-kwon used this Berserker Potion left everyone stunned. ¡°This is unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°He was affiliated with Viin?¡± ¡°Professor Lee Cheol-ho, do something right now¡­¡± The panicked professors couldn¡¯t continue their words. Ha Do-kwon, who had finished his preparation, rushed toward me while impaling one of the professors who was preparing magic. ¡°Kraaah-!!¡± Ha Do-kwon charged at me while under the effect of [Ruthless Charge], a special ability granted by capturing B-grade monster Centaurus¡¯s bodily fluids in the potion. This was the first sessful case of researching a monster¡¯s rune, and they could only control it once, apart from the single potion use. In other words, Ha Do-kwon was now charging at me, ignoring all physical attacks using the special ability [Ruthless Charge]. Since the only professor who handled magic had retired, there was no one to stop Ha Do-kwon, who could now ignore physical attacks due to his increased abilities. ¡°Crazy¡­ He has entered Berserker mode.¡± Thump, thump. I looked at Ha Do-kwon, who was approaching with intense footsteps. Ha Do-kwon,pletely red due to the Berserker Potion, looked more like a monster than a human. In that short time, I searched for ways to stop him. ¡®Hardening? No, it won¡¯t work.¡¯ The skill [Hardening] instantly doubled my toughness stat. However, Ha Do-kwon¡¯s strength was now more than twice mine. Considering his [Ruthless Charge] ability, blocking him with my body would be suicidal. ¡®Dodge? I¡¯m not fast enough.¡¯ Ha Do-kwon¡¯s increased abilities surpassed ours by far. Even if I managed to avoid one attack luckily, what about the next and the one after that? His speed was now more than double ours. To stop him, I needed a powerful control tool infused with magic. I realized this and shouted in a loud voice, ¡°Kim Chae-eun! Field Freezing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already prepared¡­!!¡± Kim Chae-eun, who had partied with me multiple times before, had alreadypleted her magic preparations. Her powerful [Field Freezing] enveloped the arena. Although Ha Do-kwon avoided the frozen ground with incredible speed, he stumbled slightly in the ice¡¯s hindrance. ¡°Kuh, aaah¡­!!¡± I didn¡¯t miss that moment. I rushed towards him, raising my sword. Among the skills I could currently use was one that allowed me to infuse magic into my sword for a direct attack. The professors, who had momentarily lost track of Ha Do-kwon, seemed to realize this as well and charged at him with their respective weapons. ¡®He¡¯s too fast, damn it.¡¯ Waiting for the professors would likely result in us being defeated first. Although Ha Do-kwon¡¯s consumption of the Berserker Potion was an unexpected development, the professors here seemed slightly inferior in skill. If Professor Tak Won-ho or Professor Kim Myeong-hyun were present, they wouldn¡¯t have been so slow to react. I quickly approached Ha Do-kwon and stabbed his trapped foot with my sword. For it to be effective, I had to continuously attack where he was hit. Utilizing the mastery of [Wave Sword Technique], I delivered a powerful sword strike to his trapped foot. Although I couldn¡¯t use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] yet, I could imitate it to some extent. ¡°Kraaaah¨C!!¡± But it was not enough. My magic stat was too low to fully subdue him. Ha Do-kwon forcefully broke free from both [Field Freezing] and my sword strike and swiped me away. ¡°Ku¡­ugh!!¡± Damn it. The pain was beyond words. It was even more excruciating than getting hit by Sizzling Smander or Grizzly Drake. When the difference in abilities exceeded two-fold, even with the [Combat] rune, I still suffered such a blow. Against a physical attack that surpassed my toughness by far, I fell down, unable to move or respond. ¡°Keuahhhh!!¡± There is no more mercy. Ha Do-kwon, who had been shouting in cheers, raised his fist in a posture of trying to knock me down. It¡¯s likely that all the organs in my body will rupture in one blow. A hopeless situation with an end in sight. ¡­ And then. ¡°Burn up.¡± With a short word, an intense me that is hard to see with the naked eye explodes. A fire that seems to devour everything, surrounds the eyes. The ultimate skill activator ¡®Orations¡¯. Since I was so immature when I first cast [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], I could not even express the wonder. ¡°Kraa, Kraaah¨C!!¡± Ha Do-kwon is vulnerable to fire-type magic because he has no fire resistance,pared to his excessively high toughness value. Ha Do-kwon roared in agony under the intense mes surrounding him. The searing mes filled the arena with thick smoke. Unable to endure it, Ha Do-kwon let out a scream mixed with pain. The seemingly unbeatable ¡®Berserker Mode¡¯ was copsing too easily. I slightly lifted my head to look at the woman before me. Her voice was familiar, and so was the silhouette. The top first-year Holder and the strongest mage here. It was Kang Juyeon. Chapter 38 Awakening (3)

Chapter 38 Awakening (3)

Orations. The words spoken by a Rune Holder when using their ultimate skill. It is one of the conditions to use the ultimate skill, and for my skill, [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword], it requires themand ¡®Explode¡¯. However, when I first used it with limited proficiency, the skill was cast without uttering themand. Nevertheless, in most cases, the Holder speaks themand when using their ultimate skill. Burn up. That was undoubtedly themand for the ultimate skill of Kang Juyeon¡¯s [Unquenchable me]¡­ themand for [Inferno]. This ultimate skill can only be acquired around the middle of the extreme, but Kang Juyeon was already proficient enough to use the skill along with themand. ¡°That, that aaargh¡­!!¡± The crazed Ha Do-kwon waspletely incinerated by [Inferno]. Even in a country with considerable fire resistance, such high-level magic would have been hard to withstand easily. If he did something stupid, he could die right there. ¡°Professor Lee Cheol-ho! Water magic!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already prepared!¡± As if representing such thoughts, the magic professor who had retreated earlier regainedposure and cast water magic on Ha Do-kwon. After all, Ha Do-kwon was an important figure who needed to be interrogated. I looked at the professors holding their weapons in a haphazard manner. Including the supervisor, there were a total of five professors. The professors in charge of overseeing the safety of the practical duel evaluation at the end of this semester were notably careless andcking in skill. Despite Ha Do-kwon¡¯s abilities being amplified by two-fold due to the potion, they couldn¡¯t even stop a single Ha Do-kwon collectively, which didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡®Did viins intervene in this too?¡¯ Such thoughts couldn¡¯t help bute to mind naturally. Originally, in the original story, the incident of the motivation for Holder¡¯s murder during the end-of-semester evaluation was only mentioned briefly. As a result, it wasn¡¯t clear what actions the supervisors and professors in the room took or how they dealt with the aftermath of the incident. It was just revealed that Ha Do-kwon belonged to n and that it was a plot to shake the academy. That¡¯s why I started to suspect the professors¡¯ responses little by little. Since ns had infiltrated the academy, there would be more than one spy. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± Kang Juyeon asked in a low voice. Both I and Kim Chae-eun were in a bad state due to the incident. If it weren¡¯t for her help, we would have been seriously injured by the unexpected variable. I nodded slightly and replied, ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks to you, I survived.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s ultimate skill was seen for the first time today. Considering the considerable preparation time required for [Inferno], it seemed like she had prepared since I used [Deration of Domination] and descended. Otherwise, the timing would have been difficult to match precisely. Moreover, she had never shown the skill anywhere after acquiring it. It was amazing and also heartwarming that Kang Juyeon revealed such a skill to save me. Perhaps this is the camaraderie that builds up while adventuring together in dungeons. Soon, Park Jin-woo and Moon Ga-eun came down as well¡­ They were looking at us with worried expressions. ¡°Hey, Do Jae-hyun! What the hell is that guy? What¡¯s going on¡­¡± ¡°Keep it down. It¡¯s hurting my ears.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry.¡± ¡°Good job with the sword. Take it.¡± I handed the sword back to Park Jin-woo and then turned my gaze to Ha Do-kwon and the professors. Ha Do-kwon, who hadpletely lost consciousness, was now being subdued and escorted away¡­ the professors were still handling things in a confused manner. ¡®There¡¯s definitely something strange.¡¯ The average grade of the professors, including Holder grades, was between B and A. Even if Ha Do-kwon was a spy for n and became incredibly strong by the potion, there was no reason five professors couldn¡¯t stop him. I had some suspicions about the professors¡¯ excessively frustrated demeanor. ¡®I should talk to Professor Tak Won-ho about this.¡¯ If there¡¯s a professor I trust in this academy, it¡¯s Professor Tak Won-ho and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Moreover, Professor Tak Won-ho is one of the administrators of the academy, so he would be able to give a clear answer about this. And¡­ [You have won the duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, your victory is acknowledged. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.] The judgment on victory contribution was generous again this time. What on earth is the criteria? -Another student almost died. What has the academy been doing¡­ -The ipetence of the academy¡¯s professors. How much longer do we have to endure it? -After the appearance of the monster, now a rampaging Holder. Is it the work of n? -A-grade Holder Jang Yu-hwan says, ¡°The academy is just a ce for getting graduation certificates.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± An elderly man dressed in a suit roughly threw his phone. His name was Tak Yun-jae. He was the head of the prestigious Tak family, a renowned swordsmanship n, and also the chairman of the foundation that fully operated the Seoul Holder Academy. Yun-jae was not in a good mood yesterday or today. Newspapers, TV, the inte. All the mass media outlets were filled with stories about the academy. And, of course, the direction was¡­ overwhelmingly negative. In front of several people gathered around a table. Yun-jae gave off a sharp gaze and spoke. ¡°Do I have to see these damn articles?¡± ¡°No, Father.¡± His eldest son, Tak Won-hyuk, quickly lowered his head and replied. He had frequently seen his father in such a state before. Won-hyuk was the person who knew best how to calm his father¡¯s anger in such urgent moments. Anyway, no matter what was said. If he roughly agreed with his intention and lowered his head, it would be over. ¡°You said it well. Then tell me what is not.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± But this time, the situation was different. Yun-jae was angry to the core. ¡°How the hell does the academy operate so poorly that I can even hear that the professors are ipetent?!¡± Whether a monster appeared in the academy or an attempted murder incident happened, or intervened¡­ Such gossip didn¡¯t matter to Yun-jae. His focus was solely on his honor. Any mismanagement or mistakes in the academy that would tarnish his reputation. That was the only thing that Yun-jae was intensely concerned about. Won-hyuk lowered his head again. This time, hepletely misjudged the timing. ¡°¡­I apologize.¡± ¡°Damn apologies! All you know is how to say sorry like a pathetic loser.¡± It seemed like his anger wouldn¡¯t be easily subside. Watching him, Yun-jae¡¯s second son stepped forward. Tak Won-sang stepped forward with one foot. ¡°Father, may I say something?¡± ¡°Oh, sure. Won-sang. Go ahead and speak. What should I do to stop seeing these damn articles?¡± Won-sang spoke politely, holding his hands together. ¡°Yes. As you know, unlike the golden age the Seoul Holder Academy had in the past, we don¡¯t have many professors with high skills now. We only have ten A-grade Holder professors, and even they pale inparison to the A-grade Holders of sessful ns.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°The reason is simple. It¡¯s more profitable for the professors to go into dungeons or fields as members of ns and earn money directly, rather than receiving sries as professors at the academy.¡± Yun-jae asked with a somewhat puzzled expression, ¡°But hasn¡¯t the academy been running well until now?¡± ¡°That was possible because there haven¡¯t been any significant incidents at the academy. Some small issues came up, but they were at a noise level. However, with the recent incident of the monster¡¯s appearance and the attempted murder incident, or if the n was involved, we need to investigate¡­ Anyway, through a series of events, the issue of theck of manpower has surfaced.¡± Won-sang¡¯s words were reasonable. In the current Holdermunity where you can easily make money with abilities, being a professor at the academy is not a preferred upation. The pay is low, and teaching Holder is far from easy. So those who take on the professor role are mostly educators with strong convictions and exceptional enthusiasm or Holders who are not skilled enough to join a mid-grade or higher n. Yun-jae shook his head and stroked his chin. ¡°So what should we do then?¡± ¡°In the end, it¡¯s about support. We need to drastically increase the sries of the professors to recruit high-quality talent. If you entrust me with additional funds, I and the academy personnel will take responsibility and raise the level of the professors.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The person overseeing the academy, and in charge of personnel, was Won-sang. He was offering an alternative to Yun-jae, asking him to entrust the budget to him. Yun-jae hesitated for a moment, then turned his head slightly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even though he was the youngest, Won-ho had exceptional swordsmanship skillspared to his brothers and was a promising candidate for the sessor of the family. As the operator of the academy and a Holder who also took on the role of a professor, Won-ho had been silent all along. ¡°Won-ho, what do you think?¡± In response to the question suddenly directed at him. After hesitating for a moment, Won-ho replied. ¡°I also agree with what Won-sang said.¡± ¡°Are you saying to drastically increase the budget for personnel?¡± ¡°Yes. However, the direction is a bit different.¡± ¡°Direction?¡± Won-ho nodded. ¡°Yes. We need to recruit definite experts, not just mediocre Holders. We need to bring in strong and famous Holders.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Strong and famous Holders? Yun-jae¡¯s expression was mixed with curiosity at the unusual words. With a confident look, Won-ho continued. ¡°I believe we should pour all the additional funds into recruiting S-grade Holders who currently have no n. And among them, we should focus on recruiting someone like the Holder Yu Eun-seol, who belongs to the assassin lineage and has the least manpower.¡± One of the five S-grade Holders. A famous person in the Holdermunity, someone who can fill the void in the assassin lineage, which the personnel currentlyck. Holder Yu Eun-seol. Won-ho was advocating for her recruitment. Chapter 39 Proposal (1)

Chapter 39 Proposal (1)

To Kim Chae-eun, Do Jae-hyun is a special person. The first time she saw him was after he moved into the next-door apartment. A new person suddenly appeared in the always quiet neighboring apartment, and despite coincidentally running into each other, he never said hello with his cold demeanor. A silent and reserved next-door neighbor. Even to Kim Chae-eun, who had a lively personality, he was a difficult person to approach. ¡®He was too handsome¡­¡¯ she embarrassedly thought. She had never seen someone so good-looking in her life. Even though she herself had no reason to be swayed by her own appearance, thebination of the cold impression he gave off and his handsome face made it unnecessarily hard to say the first word. So when she saw him again at the academy application briefing, with a sense of camaraderie as fellow Rune Holder and the same age as the next-door neighbor, she used that as an excuse to finally exchange friendly words. ¡®At first, he seemed like a fool¡¯, she still remembers that day. Do Jae-hyun standing at the entrance with a vacant expression, and after she spoke, he followed her like a lost puppy. Somehow, when they both arrived home, he continuously thanked her. Despite looking like a fool, it was quite adorable. His first impression was cold, so it was hard to approach¡­ ¡®He is good at cooking too.¡¯ This was what made the perceptions she had about him change at once. Do Jae-hyun had a lot of reversal elements unlike what he looked like. After awakening as a Holder, he was always going to the training ground every day without a break, and the weapon he handled was different each time, probably because he had the characteristics of a Multi-Holder. Even when training is over, sometimes they would go home to y and he would show off a surprisingly decent level of cooking to her. His cooking has be more sophisticated and luxurious as time goes by, and now it has be an essential meal that Kim Chae-eun cannot miss on a day. The first friend she made after bing a Holder, a friend who seemedzy but was passionate in everything, and a friend who was more affectionate than anyone despite his cold appearance, became special and precious to Kim Chae-eun. -Don¡¯t think strange thoughts. Hold my hand. And those feelings became even stronger after going through this incident. With that simple suggestion to hold hands, her heart raced for some reason. Do Jae-hyun saved her from the brink of death, and because of her, he was also in a life-threatening situation. This incident made Kim Chae-eun think a lot. It wasn¡¯t just because she almost died, but it wasn¡¯t this kind of feeling either: ¡®If I had been a little stronger¡­¡¯ Regret over hercking abilities, and the desire to be strong enough to protect Do Jae-hyun. Such emotions kept knocking at her heart. As if¡­ With a skill, he interrupted Ha Do-kwo, same with Kang Juyeon from the same grade. ¡°Are you awake? I brought sliced peaches, let¡¯s eat.¡± At that moment, her father, Kim Myeong-hyun, entered the room carrying fruits. It had be her unique way of nursing her physical and mental well-being after the incident. Kim Chae-eun seemed determined as she closed her lips and spoke to him, ¡°Dad, teach me swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Her father replied, surprised. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to teach me how to use a sword.¡± ¡°Chae-eun, you don¡¯t have any runes rted to swords, and your specialty is in magic, so learning swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t be very efficient¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s just a foundation for my own training. I need to improve my physical abilities. I¡¯m too weak.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± her father fell into silence. His daughter had a very determined expression. He knew that once she set her mind on something, no one could stop her. She was just like her mother, particrly stubborn. Kim Myeong-hyun put a piece of peach in his mouth, looking resigned, and sighed once again. ¡­The peach was incredibly sweet, without him realizing. Academy was bustling with the attempted murder incident of Ha Do-kwon. In the original story, it garnered significant attention due to the murder of a fellow student, but the focus was solely on the incident and the ns behind Ha Do-kwon. However, this time the situation was different. The attempted murder was thwarted, but suddenly Ha Do-kwon became more dangerous because of the uncontroble ¡®Berserker Potion,¡¯ shifting the focus of attention. She was the one who first stopped the attempted murder of Ha Do-kwon. Kang Juyeon sted him away with her ultimate skill. And during that time, the professors couldn¡¯t provide any special response even when they drew their weapons. The discontent and mistrust that had been umting against the professors¡¯ inadequate level at the academy were now erupting like a volcano, pouring out criticism. ¡°The golden era¡¯s heroes, where are they now? The academy¡¯s education level has fallen into an endless abyss¡­ Wow, the headline is too strong. Is there a need to express it this way?¡± Reading the news article on my phone in an awkward voice, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but given the situation, there were only negative articles. The atmosphere of silence seemed to have be more awkward for no reason. ¡°¡­¡± Inside the popr academy cafe where students often gather, I was sitting face to face with Kang Juyeon. Kang Juyeon, who saved me during the evaluation incident with Ha Do-kwon, her actions were so appreciated that I had said I would treat her to a meal someday. ¡°Okay. Treat me tomorrow,¡± Kang Juyeon responded nonchntly when I brought up the topic. Since the time we teamed up to conquer dungeons, I had been continuously amazed by her. However, inviting her to a meal was a whole different level of novelty. Kang Juyeon had an image as an elite, cold, and difficult to approach, and it felt strange that I, in this realm, had entered her domain. Anyway, because I wanted to properly express my gratitude¡­ I took her to a decent restaurant and treated her. ¡®My cooking is tastier, but¡­ Honestly, it¡¯s better than most dining out options. My [Cooking] rune skill level is higher, after all. At level 5, my cooking skill can rival that of most chefs¡¯. I thought to myself. However, I had to be satisfied with dining out, as I couldn¡¯t bring Kang Juyeon to my house. Now, it was cafe time after the meal. ¡°¡­ The academy has many enemies. There are various forces trying to attack the foundation monopolizing education,¡± I said. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t an uninteresting topic, and Kang Juyeon responded in a low voice, analyzing the situation quite coldly. The monopoly of the Tak family, operating the Holder Academy, had been a long-standing issue. Many ns and Holders who had grievances with the foundation, which was operated by a single family and foundation for the education of early Holders for the public good, had not cared about the background of the Tak family¡¯s ability to absorb and integrate numerous academies in the Holder realm. What mattered to them was the immediate benefit. Kang Juyeon was connecting these past circumstances to the current incident, analyzing the situation quite sharply. She was undoubtedly a sessor of one of the three major Korean ns, the . ¡°Still, it¡¯s all reasonable criticism. The professors¡¯ handling of the situation at that time was disappointing. You almost single-handedly captured the Berserker Ha Do-kwon,¡± I said. Thinking back, her [Inferno] was splendid. The best fire magic that [Unquenchable mes] could create. A never-ending me that could burn until the target was incinerated. Although it was a skill she had just gained, it was impressive to see such a majestic ultimate skill with my own eyes. But Kang Juyeon shook her head slightly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t single-handed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°About that. Do Jae-hyun, I was able to do it because of you.¡± What is she saying like this? Kang Juyeon looked away and took a sip of coffee. ¡°The ultimate skill I used¡­ There are conditions when using Inferno. The mes of Inferno should burn at a specific point where magic is concentrated.¡± ¡°Uh, huh? Hey, you don¡¯t have to say that.¡± The conditions of [Inferno] are well known to me. Compared to other parts of the body, only the magical power point of the object to be used can cause the me to rise. It was a fairly difficult condition for an ultimate skill, but considering the fact that [Inferno] was mainly used as a finishing skill for hunting and its legendary power, it wasn¡¯t such a difficult condition. But telling me that, is a different matter. Even though we were colleagues who raided dungeons together, there was no need to tell me the conditions for our skills. Kang Juyeon shook her head as if she was okay. ¡°To put it in the correct way. That thing back then. If you hadn¡¯t cut that man¡¯s wrist¡­ finding the starting point for [Inferno] might have been difficult.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Finally, I understood why she brought this up. At the time I first used [Deration of Domination] and leaped to Ha Do-kwon, I had deflected the axe the man was wielding, and as a result, I left a deep cut on his wrist. Although I didn¡¯t have enough power to cut itpletely, it was enough to create a viable condition for Kang Juyeon¡¯s [Inferno]. ¡°So¡­ I didn¡¯t do it alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Well, let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡± Honestly, from my perspective, it seemed like Kang Juyeon¡¯s use of [Inferno] had taken care of everything¡­ but I couldn¡¯t stop her from feeling that my help was significant. Kang Juyeon was an intriguing woman, the sessor of an elite family, yet without any sense of privilege. When we conquered dungeons or fought together, she became a reliablepanion like no other. And even though some time had passed since we got to know each other, I was learning new aspects of her. It was the first time I realized that she talked a lot like this. It is obvious that even to people who aren¡¯t Moon Ga-eun, she opened her heart a little bit. It¡¯spletely different from being Park Jin-woo¡¯s colleague in the original work¡­It was somethingpletely new to me. Kang Juyeon drank a little coffee and opened her mouth. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It seems like she¡¯s about to say something important. She paused and then took another sip of coffee¡­ she spoke carefully. ¡°By the way¡­ what are you doing during the vacation?¡± ¡°..Uh?¡± What¡¯s this all about? Are you asking me out on a date? When Kang Juyeon saw the look of misunderstanding on my face, she waved her hand. ¡°It was just that I wondered if you had any ns of joining a n or something. If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to propose you for a position within our n, as an intern¡±. ¡°Intern?¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re thinking of hiring some interns during this vacation.¡± An intern for a n. Just like regrpanies often employ contract workers as interns to gain experience, Holder ns also frequently hired intern members for training or to umte experience. Usually, these intern positions were taken by Holders, students who were about to graduate from the academy to gain experience or build their resume. Sometimes, regr Holders who couldn¡¯t find a n for themselves also became intern members to secure employment. However, it was unheard of to hire a first-year student like me as an intern in a massive n like . Kang Juyeon, the official sessor of the n, made this proposal. It was quite a bold offer to me. Chapter 40 Proposal (2)

Chapter 40 Proposal (2)

One of the three major ns of South Korea. . As befits a massive n, bing an official member here is by no means easy. One must possess sufficient abilities as a n member and meet various requirements such as good academic records, dungeon experience, and more. This also applies to intern n members who are at the preliminary stage. Even passing the intern application inrge ns was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Now, such an intern contract proposal hase to me, who is still just a first-year student. It was a significant opportunity. However, the matter at hand was not an easy decision to make. ¡°What would be the duration?¡± I asked Kang Juyeon after taking a sip of kiwi smoothie. The intern n member¡¯s contract period can vary. It could be as short as three months or as long as six months or a year. There were even ns that set it for two years. One might think that with such a period, they might as well be considered full-fledged n members. However, there were quite a few corrupt ns that took advantage of this system, employing members only as interns and never officially epting them. ¡°It¡¯s probably going to be three months. Since the summer break is around that long.¡± Three months as an intern n member. From the end of the current semester until the start of the next semester. If I n the schedule tightly, it would roughly match up. However, the fact that I¡¯d be spending my first holiday as a Holder entirely engaged in intern activities was a bit burdensome in terms of time. ¡°Is it possible to do it for two months?¡± I asked. ¡°Two months?¡± Kang Juyeon repeated. ¡°Yeah, even though it¡¯s the vacation, three months seem too tight for me. I have a few things I need to take care of before and after the break.¡± Is it right to refuse this deal? But there was no other choice. These were not empty words; there were indeed things I needed to handle. Particrly, after this semester ended, the S-grade monster, Swirl Leviathan, would appear in front of the East Sea. I needed to go to Pohang to acquire its magical stone. Participating in the hunt, then going to Daegu, where the auction house would open, and taking some time off in between ¨C that alone would take about a week. I couldn¡¯t just engage in personal activities like that as soon as I entered the n. So, I needed to shorten the contract period and postpone my admission. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like such a demanding proposal. Kang Juyeon nodded slowly. ¡°I think it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, since recruiting a first-year student as an intern is already an exceptional case¡­ I think this request is reasonable.¡± Even with her approval, I still felt uneasy. It¡¯s because the n I would be dealing with is massive. So, I asked just in case. ¡°Um¡­ Can you decide on your own like this?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m the n Master¡¯s daughter,¡± she said in one sentence, and I immediately understood. Kang Juyeon knew how to handle situations like this. Besides, she was the one who initially suggested hiring me as an intern. Apparently, my performance in the dungeon left a reasonably good impression on her. ¡®It¡¯s such a great opportunity.¡¯ As long as I meet these conditions, there¡¯s no downside to this proposal. It¡¯s a chance to experience a n before graduating from the academy, spending two months living and training with members, and improving my skills. The monthly sry I¡¯d receive as a n member was a bonus. ¡°Then¡­ You¡¯re in, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do well for the next two months, Kang Juyeon.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I smiled and lightly shook hands with Kang Juyeon. And so, from early July, for two months, I signed an intern contract with . Although it was temporary, it marked my first n contract. [You can now feel the energy of a water sword more deeply. The subtlety of your smooth swordy bes even denser.] [The level of the rune has increased.] [Magic exists everywhere and nowhere. The colors of magic felt from nature and weapons be even more vivid.] [The level of the rune has increased.] [You gain 1 magic point through the nature of the rune.] The levels of [Water Sword Technique] and [Magic Control] have increased. After the speed stat passes 30, it¡¯s not easy to acquire additional points. Even the rted rune, [Water Sword Technique], reached level 5, and there were no further speed stat gains. However, magic was at the stage of taking its first steps. With the increase in [Magic Control] level, I was able to gain magic points more easily. It had been a while since I saw such satisfying results from my training. ¡®The level-ups are more bnced now.¡¯ When I dueled with Kim Hyo-won and reached level 5 in [Combat], the levels of the runes I¡¯ve been using had increased quite evenly. Those runes I acquired randomly just to raise my stats were showing steady growth. Furthermore, I gained new runes during this evaluation. After fighting Kim Hyo-won, I gained [Surdy Endurance]. And after fighting Ha Do-kwon, I gained¡­[Ruthless Charge]. ¡òName: Ruthless Charge ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 1 ¡òEngraved Location: Head ¡òSpecial Effect: ¨C : When charging, all physically-based attacks without magic are ignored, and you can strike the opponent with a force close to double your strength stat. This effect is activated only when receiving assistance from movement-rted runes and ends when the charge isplete. : Speed +1 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetails: When the speed of the charger elerates, their temperament bes closer to rage. There will be no mercy in the charge of the one who rushes forward fearlessly. This rune, [Ruthless Charge], was not his own but something he gained temporarily through ¡®Berserker¡¯. It was a rune that i could gain even though it was not initially his.. Perhaps it was because of the moment he used it just before the duel ended, making the most of its effect. For whatever reason, it was fortunate for me. I have acquired my fourth ¡®Epic Rune¡¯. Moreover, [Ruthless Charge] required a supplementary rune for charging. It was only natural since the special effect applied during the charge itself. Thanks to my [Sprint] rune, I easily met the requirements. As expected, once you have runes, there will inevitablye a time when you can put them to use. Maybe there are talents even in magic. Anyhow, after confirming satisfactory training results.I took a break and rested for a while. pping- At the same moment, I heard apuse from somewhere. It was Professor Kim Myeong-hyun who was watching my training from one side. ¡°The movement is a little different. Did your rune level rise?¡± He immediately recognized the change in my sword. Apart from today, it¡¯s been a long time since I received an exclusive lecture from him. For a while now, he has been handling a lot of work, such as the Ha Do-kwon case, so it was a precious time that he managed to split his busy schedule. ¡°Yes. I just reached level 5 in my sword training.¡± ¡°Surely fast. Holder Do Jae-hyun, seems to have one of the best sword talents I¡¯ve seen recently.¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± Hearing Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s remarks makes me feel embarrassed. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m super talented, Professor. [Effort of the Seeker] is a scam rune¡­ But still, I don¡¯t think it¡¯spletely wrong to say that I have a talent for swords. I followed the sses taught by the two professors without any problems, and gained the [Combo] skill at level 3, which is said to be gained at level 5. In fact, the time to learn the high-grade sword techniques [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] was quite fastpared to others. And I was able to realize one peculiar fact. ¡®Awakening runes aren¡¯t everything.¡¯ It is true that the rune that the Holder gains upon awakening is the Holder¡¯s talent, but the rune not gained upon awakening does not mean that he or shecks talent in that field. My first rune was [Dagger]¡­In fact, I also had the [Sword] talent. It was just that I couldn¡¯t bloom because I wasn¡¯t given the [Sword] rune. Now that I have acquired various runes as a Multi-Holder, I was able to personally experience and verify those rune talents. I haven¡¯t tried some because their training process is tooplicated¡­Maybe I also have a talent for magic too. ¡°I heard all about it before. You saved Chae-eun again this time,¡± Kim Myeong-hyun said, suddenly bringing up the previous incident. When he first heard about the incident, his eyes were filled with an icy rage, much like a tiger. When I identally overheard the conversation between the two professors in Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s office, I saw a side of Kim Myeong-hyun that I had never seen before, a side filled with anger and frustration. Motivated by the desire to destroy the formidable n, due to them attempting to sacrifice Kim Chae-eun, he must have felt an uncontroble rage as not only a professor but also a father. Although I couldn¡¯t hear the rest of their conversation, Kim Myeong-hyun seemed likely to actively participate in investigating this incident. ¡°Of course, I had to save her. Chae-eun is my friend, and I first got to know her here,¡± I replied. His expression became intriguing. ¡°¡­Does Holder Do Jae-hyun not have any friends?¡± ¡°What? Oh, no, no. It¡¯s just¡­ I came to Seoul, you know.¡± It felt like he had justbeled me as a nerd. He was indeed a formidable professor, despite his appearance. ¡°Anyway, thank you very much. It seems like I should just be saying thank you to you, Holder Do Jae-hyun, every time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also d that Chae-eun is safe, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay to say otherwise, but if you have anything to ask of me, feel free to tell me anytime. I¡¯ll listen to anything I can do. This is a promise I made as a father, not as a teacher.¡± This is a pretty tempting promise. The ransom of an A-grade Holder is high. No matter what you ask for, being able to get the help of that level of high-grade personnel at any time was a card you could use in an emergency. I slightly bowed my head and replied. ¡°All right. Thank you professor.¡± ¡°Compared to what Holder Do Jae-hyun did for me, it¡¯s just a small thing. Well, should we train again?¡± He asked. ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± I thought the break time was too long. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s training is generally not very difficult, but these days, there has been a tendency to increase the intensity of training, perhaps under the influence of Professor Tak Won-ho. Professor Kim Myeong-hyunughed at my weak voice. ¡°Please don¡¯t look so depressed. I¡¯ll teach you something fun today.¡± ¡°Fun?¡± Could there be anything fun about the same training every day? Kim Myeong-hyun nodded. ¡°Yes. I heard from Professor Tak that you gained the ultimate skill, [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword].¡± I seeded in gaining [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] during the dungeon conquest, but the immense power wasn¡¯t suited to my level, so it was immediately restricted. ording to Professor Tak, to use it again, I needed to reach level 10 in [Wave Sword Technique] and have a magic stat over 30. I scratched my head and replied, ¡°Oh, yes. I did use it, but¡­ it was restricted right away because the conditions weren¡¯t met. I¡¯ll have to raise the level of the rune and my magic stat a bit more, I think.¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve used it before,¡± Kim Myeong-hyun said as he slowly drew the sword at his waist. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll teach you the ultimate skill of [Water Sword Technique]. The conditions for using it might be simr to [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]¡­ but once you learn it, Holder Do Jae-hyun will be able to use it someday.¡± What a surprise. It was finally time for me to learn the ultimate skill of [Water Sword Technique], [Water Sword Dance]. It was my turn to learn professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s secret techniques. Chapter 41: Proposal (3)

Chapter 41: Proposal (3)

Professor Kim Myeong-hyun drew his sword and swung it through the air several times. His movements were exceptionally light. Despite it being just a brief swing of the sword¡­ An indescribable sense of dignity emanated from him. ¡°The Water sword technique is the lightest among the Sword Technique, which are known for their flowing, water-like movements.¡± ¡°The lightest sword?¡± ¡°Yes, precisely. Do Jae-hyun, do you know that both the Wave and Water sword techniques emte the movements of water?¡± I nodded in response to his question. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard about it from Professor Tak Won-ho. The Wave style represents the turbulent flow of the sea, while the Water style imitates the gentle flow of a river, right?¡± Wave ¨C the surging waves. Water ¨C the flowing river. The two sword techniques had distinct characteristics, as their names implied. ¡°Correct. To be more specific, waves are like the rough waves of the sea, whereas Water can be seen as the smooth flow of a river.¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun demonstrated the Water technique, wielding his sword with swift and fluid movements. ¡°Therefore, the Water Sword Technique aims to execute sword strikes with greater smoothness and lightness, emphasizing on cutting rather than thrusting.¡± As he continued to swing his sword, his speed increased rapidly. ¡­It¡¯s bing hard to follow with the naked eye. ¡°The ultimate skill, Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword, also follows the same principle. It takes on the form of the smoothest sword while moving even faster. By harnessing the power of magic, it adds even greater force to its speed.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword requires the support of Rune spells from the auxiliary Rune category. Merely relying on speed alone cannot cover all aspects. Do you, by any chance, possess Rune spells of the auxiliary category, Holder Do Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I do.¡± The auxiliary Rune spells weremon among assassin-type Holders. As a member of the Holder n, I didn¡¯t have thesemon Runes, but fortunately, I possessed a superior rare Rune. [Agile Agility]. Together with my charging skill [Sprint], it was the core Rune for enhancing my speed. Suddenly, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s sword pointed toward my waist. ¡°Then, Holder Do Jae-hyun, would you like to use quarter knives on me?¡± ¡°¡­.What?¡± I was momentarily taken aback. He was asking me to throw a dagger at my master. Not just any dagger, but a derived skill of the high-level [Dagger]¡­ Now, with plenty of magic infused in it, it could be a rather formidable attack. A single mistake could lead to injury. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You won¡¯t hurt me. Go ahead and give it a try.¡± Yet, seeing his smiling face, I immediately acquiesced. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was an A-grade Holder. In in words, even if I fought with all my strength, I wouldn¡¯t defeat him. Moreover, being an A-grade meant he had a significant amount of toughness. My [Quarter Knives] can¡¯t break through that toughness. It was likely that it wouldn¡¯t leave any significant wounds. I drew the four daggers from my waist and held them up. ¡°Hyup¡­!!¡± Now, in a familiar throwing stance, I put my energy into it¡­ And promptly threw the [Quarter Knives] at Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Aim for the arms, legs, chest, or stomach. I tried to avoid hitting critical areas. The daggers shot forward with menacing force. They seemed about to hit Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and draw blood. ¡°Flow.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± However, something strange happened. With a smallmand ¡®Flow¡¯, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, who was calmly swinging his sword, suddenly disyed an incredible speed and deflected all four daggers of the [Quarter Knives]. His feet, which had seemed to move step by step, were now barely visible. ¡®Too fast¡­!!¡¯ Watching that, I realized that Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was demonstrating the prowess of the [Water Sword Dance] skill himself. [Water Sword Dance]. It was a skill that utilized extreme speed to evade and counterattack against any thrown projectiles. Before the overwhelming speed, none of my daggers managed to touch Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. When he finished using the skill¡­ The daggers were already stuck into the ground, and he had sheathed his sword. ¡°This is how it¡¯s done. Quite easy, isn¡¯t it?¡± After the situation settled, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun smiled. It was unfair. I hadn¡¯t even seen how to use it properly. The first semester at the Academy hase to an end. This semester meant a lot to me. I was fortunate enough to be the exclusive disciple of two professors, defeated a monstrous creature that appeared at the Academy, and sessfully conquered the underground dungeon. Later, I even prevented a murder case that was about to be carried out by Ha Do-kwon. There were various incidents, and I gained diverse experiences as a Holder. Above all else¡­ What is truly remarkable is that I, who was initially in the temporary lower ss as an F-grade Holder during admission, have now elevated my abilities to the level of a C-grade Holder in the upper ss. ¡®Even though I may have cheated a little¡­¡¯ Thanks to the fraudulent performance of the [Rune Hunter] rune and the additional fraudulent rune [Effort of the Seeker], I achieved rapid growth. Of course, I put in a lot of effort as well. However, for an ordinary Holder to ascend from the temporary lower ss to the upper ss in just one semester through rune advancement is an impossible feat. ¡°Anyone interested in using the Busan Warp Gate together?!¡± ¡°Looking for a temporary party member, a D-grade Holder with a warrior background! Right now!¡± ¡°Yeah, the magic stone prices keep falling~ If I go bankrupt, that¡¯s it~ ¡°Take a picture, please! I want to capture the moment for memory sake!¡± The bustling central avenue of the Academy signified the end of the semester. Students were either preparing to go home or making ns for their vacation, using the training grounds or library. Passing through the lively central avenue of the Academy, I found myself in a specialized building for the Special Department. Before the end of the semester, I came here to receive the equipment I had purchased from Choi Yoo-min. ¡°Here¡­!!¡± Inside the building was a study lounge where Choi Yoo-min was seated, and she raised her hand. She seemed to have brought the prototypes in advance, as a considerable number of heavy equipment was stacked next to her. I smiled and shook her hand, then sat down in front of her. ¡°Hello. It feels like it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Yeah. You didn¡¯te to purchase equipment for a while.¡± Our agreement allowed me to request equipment five times a month. After losing one during the previous dungeon conquest and receiving a new one, I hadn¡¯t visited her even once, so I had to get more than ten pieces of equipment from her. I understood why there was so much equipment piled up next to Choi Yoo-min. ¡°Have you been working hard all this time?¡± ¡°Yes! I even gained a new rune this time.¡± ¡°Really? You don¡¯t have to tell me about that kind of thing.¡± Information about possessed runes, skills, and stats was an implicit rule among Holders. While it was possible to estimate rough power levels using machines and some tests, the specific runes a Holder possessed were known only to the Holder themselves. Since runes represented the Holder¡¯s strength, even though I could grasp the runes of the main characters, it was different from them telling me directly. The same applied to Kang Juyeon and now Choi Yoo-min. Why did everyone keep doing this to me? ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s alright. Thanks to you, my workshop runes have grown, and I gained a lot from it. Thank you. Your investment was a huge help.¡± Choi Yoo-min chuckled and brushed her brown hair. Apparently, the new rune she gained was [Iron-Blooded Night Field], which would be her trademark in the future. ¡®That¡¯s fast.¡¯ She had acquired it faster than I expected. I thought she would gain it after her first year, but gaining a rune in just one semester was a considerably rapid progress. ¡®As expected of cksmiths, somethinges out when they go through the process, huh?¡¯ [Iron-Blooded Night Field] was an epic rune that is highly regarded even among cksmith-type Holders. To think she gained it so quickly just with a few supports¡­ Choi Yoo-min seemed to be a talented individualparable to Park Jin-woo or Kang Juyeon. With her continuous growth, she would likely show even greater achievements as a cksmith in the future. ¡°With your skills, you¡¯ll have more than enough even after getting that rune. Now that you start making advanced equipment, the investment fund will seem insignificant. I was lucky to sign a contract with you cheaply.¡± ¡°Hehe. Thanks for saying that.¡± ¡°Enough of the pleasantries. Should we take a look at the equipment now?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Choi Yoo-min took out a sword from the stacked equipment and handed it to me. Did she carry all that herself? The magic bag couldn¡¯t be that expensive. I should get her one as a gift when the opportunity arises. ¡°Seems like as my rune level went up, I can now see item information.¡± As soon as I received the sword from her, the information window appeared before my eyes. ¡òName: Well-Forged Longsword ¡òType: Sword ¡òGrade: Normal ¡òToughness: Normal ¡òCraftsman: Choi Yoo-min ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetails: A reasonably crafted longsword made by a beginner cksmith. It is solid and sharp. Finally, the item information for Choi Yoo-min¡¯s creation appeared. Previously, none of the items she made had any information, just like ordinary weapons created by regr people. As a cksmith-type Holder reaches a certain level, their creations are recognized as actual items, and Choi Yoo-min, who had shown steady growthtely, finally stood on the same level as them. Moreover, even though it didn¡¯t have significant meaning, it had a modifier of ¡®well-forged¡¯. It meant that the longsword was slightly better than an ordinary one. Although it was still at the initial stage with no special effects and a normal grade, the fact that her equipment was now recognized as an ¡®item¡¯ was essential. ¡°Congrattions! You¡¯re now a respectable cksmith-type Holder.¡± ¡°Thank you. And that sword, even though I made it, it¡¯s really good! I used a B-grade magic stone for the core magic stone.¡± ¡°What? Why would you use something so expensive?¡± ¡°Hehe. I just gained a new rune, and it was the first thing I made after that, so I wanted to do it properly.¡± I could understand why a modifier was added to a regr longsword, after listening to what she said. With a B-grade magic stone, the market price was 42 million won. Better materials naturally improved the quality of the equipment. ¡®But still, using half of the support fund for that¡­¡¯ Choi Yoo-min had her quirks in some areas, which was probably why she would be a famous cksmith in the future. With that, I nodded and admired the hilt of the sword. ¡°I guess I should use thister.¡± Upon hearing that, Choi Yoo-min looked puzzled. ¡°Huh? Why? Isn¡¯t it better to use it right away?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I have to use ordinary weapons first.¡± Currently, my stats are at the level of a C-grade Holder. However, in official terms, I was still an unregistered Holder. After bing a Holder and registering, I didn¡¯t have any opportunity to renew my grade by entering the Academy immediately. ¡®But that¡¯s different now.¡¯ The reason was simple. I needed an official C-grade Holder grade. My participation in hunting for the S-grade monster, Swirl Leviathan, has been dyed for a while now. Because a minimum of C-grade is required for Holders who want to participate in raids that huntrge monsters appearing as field monsters. And since I had all my primary stats scores around 30, there was no chance of my ability being anything lower than a C-grade. All that was left was achievements. I needed to show achievements in dungeon conquests or field hunts. ¡®I have three days, right?¡¯ If I dy it any further, the Swirl Leviathan might appear first. I needed to aplish all my achievements and update my Holder grade before that happened. For the next three days, I nned to go hunting relentlessly with all the equipment Choi Yoo-min had provided me¡­ without any rest. Chapter 42: C-grade Holder Promotion (1)

Chapter 42: C-grade Holder Promotion (1)

¡°Did you fail again?¡± A voice as cold as ice enveloped the room. There was no particr change in Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s expression. Her emotions were inscrutable from her expression. It made the atmosphere in the room even heavier. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Yoon-jae.¡± ¡°Yes, Director.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of answer I want to hear.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yoon-jae¡¯s body tensed up as he knelt down. Once again, it felt like Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s runic magic was about to strike him. But this time, there was only a quiet silence. Just like the n that moved ording to their moods. Today is Yoon-jae¡­ Luckily, he wouldn¡¯t receive any punishment. ¡°After all the effort I put into reshuffling the professor lineup through the personnel department, what will happen if you can¡¯t kill even one of them?¡± ¡°I apologize. There were unexpected variables.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that kid, Do Jae-hyun, right?¡± Do Jae-hyun. The variable that was most annoying during this operation. If it weren¡¯t for him, the Holder named Kim Chae-eun would have faced death, and news of the professor¡¯s daughter¡¯s death would have thrown the Academy into tremendous chaos. But now, there was only me and spection about the ipetent professors and ¡¯s involvement. Although they managed to create confusion in the Academy somehow¡­ It was only a half-sessful operation. Yoon-jae nodded his head and replied, ¡°Yes. He was initially assigned to the temporary lower ss when he entered the school, but he¡¯s a promising Holder likely to be promoted to the upper ss next semester. He¡¯s also shown significant growth, and when it seemed like Ha Do-kwon was about to make a move, he quickly handled the situation as if he had been waiting for it. There are many suspicious points.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Cha Soo-yeon tapped the table a few times with her long finger. Finally, a smile crept onto her expressionless face. ¡°He¡¯s an interesting kid.¡± Shiver- Cha Soo-yeon slowly poured wine into her ss. Naviole, aged for at least 7 years. Its beautiful color and subtle fragrance filled the surroundings. At this hour, she always enjoyed red wine. ¡°How about you go up against him?¡± ¡°I will undoubtedly win.¡± ¡°Pfft-¡° Cha Soo-yeon burst intoughter that seemed harder to control this time. ¡°If you think you might lose, are you going to use the berserker Potion like Ha Do-kwon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The berserker Potion was an illegal potion circted within the that instantly amplifies a Holder¡¯s abilities twice over. However, contrary to what ismonly known, it¡¯s not an all-purpose solution. The buff is limited only to physical abilities, and using it makes it nearly impossible to maintain rationality, so it can only be perceived conceptually at the moment of usage. Moreover, there¡¯s a strong possibility of losing the Holder¡¯s power altogether. The stronger the Holder, the more the ¡®Berserker Potion¡¯ should be avoided. But Ha Do-kwon was the type who couldn¡¯t control his anger, so he acted without thinking. ¡°I hope Yoon-jae doesn¡¯t use that~ It¡¯s too wasteful at your promising age to use something like that.¡± ¡°If our n isn¡¯t in a dire situation, I have no intention of using it.¡± ¡°Heh. To think you have that much loyalty to this n. Just move selfishly. Do what you want. But listen to me, okay?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The n, Is where all sorts of psychos are gathered. But ironically enough, there was still a hierarchy inside. ¡°Yoon-jae, you will also take my Director position soon, right?¡± Saying that, Cha Soo-yeonughed again. Once again, she tapped the table a few times with her finger. ¡°Anyway, keep an eye on the variables you mentioned. If you find out something about our n, report it immediately.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, it seems like you¡¯re going to join a circle. It would be nice if you do¡± ¡°A circle¡­ you mean?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re joining a club in your second semester, right? Before the next operation orderse in, Do Jae-hyun, make some connections with that kid.¡± After taking a sip of wine, Cha Soo-yeon continued speaking. ¡°So that we can kill him anytime if necessary.¡± The highest mountain in Seoul, Bukhansan. Bukhansan is one of the few ¡®fields outside the boundary¡¯ areas that remain in Seoul. It¡¯s an area where the Holders¡¯ [Magic Barriers] serve as the most basic defense against monsters, and it has been a considerable amount of time since monsters were pushed out beyond this boundary. Large-scale mountains like Bukhansan are typically designated as ¡®fields¡¯ where magic barriers are not applied. It is quite well-known in Korea as one such field. There are numerous monsters roaming from the beginning . And there are many publicly essible dungeons within the Bukhansan area. The ownership of the dungeons inside Bukhansan is divided among various ns, but the field ownership itself is under the jurisdiction of the Holders Association. ¡®It¡¯s only used for work purposes anyway.¡¯ A member of the Korean Holders Association, Holder Lee Ji-hye, was present in Bukhansan for a specific task. Her current assignment was a promotion test. It was a promotion request test for a fledgling Holder who had never renewed his grade since registering as an F-grade Holder, aiming for a three-grade promotion, all the way from F-grade to C-grade. ¡®Sigh. I should have just rejected this¡­¡¯ The applicant had already passed the ability test. The evaluation from the measuring instrument showed that the person had the appropriate abilities for a C-grade, and during the subsequent rune test, he demonstrated quite decent skills. Especially as a ¡®Multi-Holder¡¯, which was quite trendy these days, he showed adeptness in wielding both a sword and a dagger. ¡®But that¡¯s one thing, and this is another.¡¯ The ability test and the performance test were conceptually different. Even if someone had good abilities and high rune utilization, there were many Holders who crumbled in the face of real-life variables, and many who couldn¡¯t findposure when facing grotesque monsters. One couldn¡¯t truly gauge a person until they experienced fighting against a monster firsthand. If the applicant had gradually built up his career in the Association, it might be understandable, but if he is a Holder who rashly requested a three-grade promotion, the sense of incongruity would be even more pronounced. ¡®That¡¯s why Academy students don¡¯t want to ept them.¡¯ Typically, Academy students whocked practical experience made such unreasonable demands. Ji-hye had seen far too many applicants of this kind during her time in the Association. These student Holders would apply for promotion with unbridled optimism despite having no experience whatsoever. Naturally, the results were all failures. C-grade Holder was not an easily attainable grade. ¡°Excuse me, wouldn¡¯t it be better to draw your sword in advance? We don¡¯t know when monsters will appear.¡± Unable to hold back any longer, Ji-hye offered a word of advice to the applicant as he trudged up the mountain without any preparation. Watching his exasperating figure¡­ she couldn¡¯t help but intervene. Originally, she didn¡¯t care about the applicant at all, but he seemed to have a lot of careless traits. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can draw it when they appear; it won¡¯t be toote.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll bete if you wait for that¡­ sigh, never mind. Do as you please. I won¡¯t help you even if you get hurt.¡± ¡°Haha, sure. And, at the entrance of Bukhansan, only E-grade and D-grade monsterse out, so it¡¯s not that dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Did he know that? Despite being a fledgling who had only dealt with runes in the Academy, he surprisingly knew a lot about the field. It was true that only E-grade and D-grade monsters appeared at the entrance of Bukhansan. The creatures that frequented the area were the E-grade goblins and D-grade imps, creatures that liked mountains and forests. For an Holder with a reasonable level of ability, dealing with these creatures alone would be rtively easy; they were monsters that could be easily dealt with. However, this applicant who seemed to have no countermeasures¡­ knew this fact unexpectedly well. Ji-hye was slightly surprised and blinked her eyes. ¡°¡­Have you been to Bukhansan Field before?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°But you know so much about it?¡± ¡°I studied a lot.¡± -Ki-rik, Ki-rik. -Ki-ri-rik! And then, as if the conversation was cut off, monsters appeared. Goblins were crawling around in various ces among the trees, and Imps were flying above. Two types of monsters weed them at the entrance of Bukhansan Field. Goblins, perched on trees throughout the mountain, and Imps flying in the air. Imps, like airborne monsters, had the freedom to attack from any direction. Ji-hye was momentarily taken aback by the sight. The applicant, who was requesting a promotion, didn¡¯t assume anybat posture even after seeing the flying Imps. No, shouldn¡¯t he draw his weapon by now? He seemed like he¡¯s about to allow the attack and get hurt. ¡°Be careful¡­!!¡± She wanted to warn him, but she didn¡¯t need to finish her sentence. Along with a thud, three flying Imps were all knocked out with a single punch. It was as if they were simultaneously struck. It was a swift series of three consecutive fist attacks, a derived skill of the [Combat] rune called [Combo]. Ji-hye, who had no way of recognizing them, needed to doubt her eyes. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ They had said this person was a Multi-Holder, skilled in both the sword and the dagger, but he defeated a D-grade monster, the Imp, with a punch. It was not just a light attack that relied solely on physical strength. It appeared to be a skilled and dimensional attack, seemingly utilizing runes and skills. ¡°What¡­?¡± But it didn¡¯t end there. The applicant drew a dagger from his waist and threw it at the remaining Imps in the air. His throwing uracy was like that of a skilled professional. The flying daggers hit all the Imps, causing them to fall to the ground, the ones that were in the midst of preparing aerial attacks. His [Dagger] skill, which had been confirmed during the measurement phase, was put to use again. ¡®But how did he do it so cleanly?¡¯ During training and practice, everyone showed their best side. For Holders, their abilities and runes were their strength. However, when facing variables in the field or dungeons, it was not easy to demonstrate their true strength. Especially when it was their first hunt. If this applicant had been gradually building up his career in the Association, Ji-hye might not find it surprising. However, he didn¡¯t show any sign of that. Instead, he demonstrated aposure and calmness that even Ji-hye herselfcked. He had disyed abat sense reminiscent of high-grade Holders, using the necessary amount of power in the right ces. It was like a higher-grade Holder¡¯s fighting sense. ¡°¡­ Judge?¡± ¡°yes, yes?¡± The applicant Do Jae-hyun had already taken care of the goblins and finished organizing the surroundings when Ji-hye regained her senses. He held a rugged sword in his hand. With the [Sword], he caught the goblin without even looking at it. He doesn¡¯t seem to be struggling very much with it. ¡°¡­E-grade and D-grade monsters don¡¯t count as promotion achievements, right?¡± ¡°Oh, no. E-grade monsters aren¡¯t counted as achievements, but D-grade monsters are. It counts as one achievement for each set of ten D-grade monsters to achieve one C-grade monster.¡± ¡°Okay. So, we can ignore the E-grade ones. I¡¯ll go ahead; follow me!¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± As soon as Do Jae-hyun finished speaking, he suddenly started running. He moved at such a fast speed that he was already far away from her sight. Even considering his C-grade level of speed, it was too fast. ¡°What¡¯s that¡­? Does he have a Charge-type rune?¡± While watching his disappearing figure, Ji-hye muttered to herself. Because the speed itself is fast, it seems like he has a charge-type rune, and not a foot rune. Charge-type Rune is a rune possessed by ¡®cavalry ss¡¯, which is ssified as apletely special ss among the warrior ss. It is also strange to use both [Sword] and [Dagger] skillfully, but from battle runes [Combat] to charge-type runes? What the hell are you doing? She was almost bewitched by all the hearsay-like stories that kepting up. Moreover, he didn¡¯t even bother to take the monster magic stones. Even D-grade magic stones were worth about 2 million won¡­ Was he a wealthy unknown person? ¡°He must be in a hurry to finish the test.¡± Even so, it would take quite some time. For a Holder who had never shown any field or dungeon conquest achievements, this test would be a long-term evaluation, taking at least more than a week. Of course, Ji-hye would only measure his performance today, and the rest would be evaluated through reports and aplishments, but even if he aplished it alone, it would still take a considerable amount of time. Lost in thought, Ji-hye quickly regained herposure. She didn¡¯t have time to continue such frivolous thoughts. At this rate, she might really miss the applicant¡¯s presence. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go together!¡± Though she regretted leaving behind the magic stones, she had to hold back her tears and follow Do Jae-hyun. Unfortunately, she was currently on official duty. Chapter 43: C-grade Holder Promotion (2)

Chapter 43: C-grade Holder Promotion (2)

[You gain strength from your endless speed. You be able to run even faster.] [The level of your runes has increased.] [Faster, more agile. Your body movements are bing harder to grasp with the naked eye.] [The level of your runes has increased.] [You gain 1 speed from the rune¡¯s affinity.] Achievement test for C-grade Holder promotion. Although it was the Bukhansan field where you hunted with a specific purpose, surprisingly, you were able to steadily grow your runes. The main skills that improved were [Sprint] and [Agile Agility]. Constantly running to reach the middle section of Bukhansan caused the level of the dash rune, [Sprint], to increase. While swiftly defeating monsters, the proficiency of the support rune, [Agile Agility], also rose. Moreover, only two runes were growing. Other runes also increased their levels little by little. ¡®Indeed, realbat is the best for growth.¡¯ The monsters hunted in the Bukhansan field were mostly goblins and imps, E-grade and D-grade monsters. Now, in the middle section, C-grade goblins frequently appeared. ¡®Academy Underground Dungeon¡¯ was filled with stronger monsterspared to these, but hunting them still greatly contributed to my growth and practical experience. There could be several reasons¡­ ¡®It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m fighting alone.¡¯ In the underground dungeon, there were various party members. During the first strategy, three dealers and an additional tank, Park Jin-woo, were present. Afterward, Kim Chae-eun, a [Freezing] magician, joined for steady hunting and strategy. However, now the monsters¡¯ strength has decreased significantly, and I¡¯m solely engaging in battles. There are more variables, and my role has changed. Unlike the time when I solely acted as a tank, now I have to handle the roles of both a dealer and a tank. It puts a lot more strain on my toughness, but fortunately, [Sturdy Endurance] gained during the end-of-semester evaluation helps reduce the burden significantly. ¡®That¡¯s why my growth has elerated.¡¯ Thanks to this, various types of rune growth became possible. I consistently raised the levels of not only [Sword] and [Dagger] but also [Combat] and many other support runes. If there is one regret, it¡¯s the fact that¡­ There weren¡¯t many opportunities to test my toughness or the growth of rted runes. -Keruk¡­ I swung my sword and sliced through the chest of the goblin that had managed to survive until the end. The sword¡¯s durability had diminished. An unpleasant sensation runs through my hand. ¡­Should I discard this sword now? ¡°Please¡­Haak¡­ take it slowly¡­!!¡± Suddenly, I heard a resentful voice from somewhere. I turned my head and saw Lee Ji-hye. She was the Association¡¯s examiner responsible for this promotion test. Initially, she watched over me with interest, but now¡­ Struggling to keep up with my insane hunting speed, she was following me. Her expression showed a momentary confusion. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Haak¡­ Haak¡­ Why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°W-well¡­ I have some reasons.¡± ¡°Reasons¡­ Haak¡­ You could take your time.¡± Her tone sounded somewhat strange. I scratched my head and said, ¡°If it¡¯s tough for you, you can leave first.¡± ¡°Haak¡­ No, it¡¯s okay¡­ I still have three hours left.¡± The examination is set tost a total of three hours. However, that¡¯s just the standard time; if the examiner believes that the Holder has shown satisfactory results, the examination can be concluded earlier. Anyway, the important thing is submitting the Association¡¯s regtion performance. With the performance I¡¯ve shown, I still have time left even after the examination ends. But still, she insisted on sticking around for the full three hours. Lee Ji-hye was also a Holder who could be quite stubborn. ¡°Why did you leave the magic stone behind? Those expensive things.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s because it will be counted as my result while you¡¯re watching. Like I said, I have an urgent matter, so it would be great if I could save some time.¡± Swirl Leviathan will appear soon in the East Sea, and presently, it is an S-grade monster that I can¡¯t fight no matter what, except I be an eligible C-grade Holder. If I be a C-grade Holder, I can participate in resource raids recruited by the state. Meanwhile, anyone who participates in the raid will be eligible to participate in the auction in Daegu. So, my n was to purchase Swirl Leviathan¡¯s magic stone from the auction house. And to do so, I must be eligible to participate in the raid. Therefore, the C-grade Holder promotion must bepleted quickly. And in fact, if Lee Ji-hye disappears¡­ I will know how to take care of the magic stone. ¡°It seems like Holder Do Jae-hyun is doing well financially. Just tossing away million-worth magic stones without a care.¡± ¡°What? Well, what about the examiner¡¯s ne that is worth three billion¡­¡± ¡°Shush¡­!!¡± The Holders¡¯ economic sense is different from that of ordinary people. The market value of magic stones is very high, and the byproducts left by monsters are sold at high prices. On the other hand, the prices of equipment and items they use require a significant investment. Even normal-grade items can cost hundreds or thousands¡­ And if it¡¯s a rare-grade item, the price easily goes beyond billions, which is the type of item Holders use. The D-grade magic stone I just discarded was worth around two million won. ¡®Of course, once Lee Ji-hye leaves, I¡¯ll pick them all up.¡¯ Right now, I¡¯m merely exchanging time for money. For a lower-grade Holder like me, two million won is still a considerable sum. ¡°Anyway, it seems like I¡¯mpletely in the middle section now. I only see C-grade monsters from now on.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± The Bukhansan field is where it all begins. But the middle section is where C-grade monsters start to appear more frequently. As you climb higher, the level and variety of monsters increase. By the time you reach the summit, you¡¯ll encounter B-grade monsters, and asionally even A-grade monsters. Due to this, my hunting speed has decreased significantly. In the underground dungeon, I could handle many B-grade monsters because my role was solely focused on tanking. But now, as I¡¯m handling all party roles by myself¡­ Facing numerous C-grade monsters wasn¡¯t easy. However, I had a variety of runes and higher statspared to an average C-grade Holder, so hunting was still manageable. I looked at the top of the mountain and then spoke to Lee Ji-hye. ¡°Examiner?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You should go down now. It seems like you¡¯ll finish your evaluation.¡± While increasing my achievements in front of Lee Ji-hye was beneficial, it was time for me to act independently. Moreover, the C-grade monster¡¯s magic stones were worth around 7 million won, and I couldn¡¯t afford to miss them. ¡°Are you going down too, Holder Do Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Haha, no. As I mentioned before, I have some urgent matters to attend to.¡± ¡°Then I¡­¡± ¡°It will get dark in the evening. When it¡¯s dark, it¡¯s hard to see the monsters¡¯ attacks. My risk is my own, but I can¡¯t make you, the examiner, take risks too.¡± To be honest, it was an excuse. There was still plenty of time before it got dark, and Lee Ji-hye, being a C-grade Holder, could easily handle herself. In other words, I wanted to say that I preferred to be alone. She seemed to have understood it to some extent and didn¡¯t argue further. ¡°Fine, I get it. Then I¡¯ll see you during the final evaluation. You muste to the Association and find me!¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll definitelye to you, examiner.¡± ¡°¡­Be careful during your hunt.¡± After the farewell, Lee Ji-hye left. Once she was out of sight, I immediately began to move. It wasn¡¯t for hunting again. I was searching for ¡®something hidden¡¯. ¡°It must have been around here¡­¡± With my weapons put away, I moved at a fast pace. The targets of my search were the nearby trees, or more specifically, the small holes that resembled hollows in the trees in the mountains. ¡°Huh?¡± I searched for the trees for about ten minutes. In the meantime, I also defeated some goblins and collected a few magic stones. Finally, I spotted a peculiar tree. ¡°Here¡­!¡± Several trees with deep holes. Among them, one small hole emitted a particrly strong magical aura. Just like when I discovered the ¡®Academy Underground Dungeon¡¯, I had found the entrance to another ¡®dungeon¡¯ in this ce. And I already knew what kind of dungeon it was. ¡°Goblin Lair¡­¡± Bukhansan field was filled with numerous dungeons, but some still remained undiscovered. This is one of such dungeon, called Hidden Piece in the original work. An undiscovered dungeon. It was the entrance to the ¡®Goblin Lair¡¯. Without hesitation, I approached the entrance and slowly infused magic into it. [You have entered the dungeon.] [The murky energy of the dungeon slightly reduces the Holder¡¯s strength.] After being transferred to a specific space, my second dungeon conquest began. *** Ippotrantion *** Goblin Lair. Unlike many cave-like dungeons, this one was an open-type dungeon formed like a vige. It consisted of various goblins, such as C-grade goblin Warriors, Archers, and Shamans. The goblins of different forms were the main residents, and once you reached the ¡®Boss Room¡¯, the ¡®Chieftain¡¯s House¡¯, you could face the boss, a B-grade Goblin Chieftain. However, to reach that point, I had to conquer all the annoying goblin mobs surrounding the area. -Keuk, keuk! -Keruk¡­!! ¡°Damn¡­ They¡¯re so noisy, seriously.¡± After hearing goblin screams repeatedly, I felt like my ears turned into goblin ears. I hunted countless goblins, umting achievements and collecting magic stones. Certainly, unlike the ¡®field¡¯ where monsters appeared intermittently, the dungeon was a gathering ce for monsters. No matter how many goblins I hunted¡­. More goblins awaited after that. If I didn¡¯t have [Sturdy Endurance] I probably would have given up hunting due to toughness issues a long time ago. However, it was true that the achievements didn¡¯t lie. Having hunted so many goblins¡­ I was sure that I could easily surpass a 1/3 of the promotion achievements. ¡°Flow.¡± asionally, I tried to show off with a form and attempted [Water Sword Dance], but it naturally didn¡¯t work due to the conditions not being met. I looked around and cut the goblin again. ¡°Still, there was a sense of aplishment.¡± Even though it felt a bit too much for me to deal with a lot of goblins alone, the rewards that came backter were better than I thought. ¡®Goblin Warrior¡¯ and ¡®Goblin Archer¡¯ have only [Sword], [Shield], and [Bow] runes, so unfortunately [Rune Hunter] is not effective, but¡­ [You won the duel! Rune Hunter¡¯s arcane power allows you to duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You chose simple curse. Since it is a level 4 rare rune, the level will drop and be registered as level 2.] [You have gained a new rune.] [You gain 1 recovery and 1 magic each with the rune¡¯s inclination.] There was quite a bit to gain from the ¡®Goblin Shaman¡¯. There is a slight difference between sorcery and magic. Regardless of the arrangement or structure, it consists of faith in the being that is the subject of magic. Additionally, magical power can only be borrowed to the extent of expression. So after acquiring the [Simple Curse] rune, I was able to raise both recovery and magic at the same time. ¡°Hehe. Haha, haha.¡± As I wiped away my sweat, Iughed widely. Out of the many undiscovered dungeons, I chose this one for a reason. I needed stats that I was currentlycking, and this dungeon offered a rtively easy way to acquire them. Chapter 44: C-grade Holder Promotion (3)

Chapter 44: C-grade Holder Promotion (3)

-Kerk! -Kerr, kerrrk¡­!! Once again, the wailing of goblins resounded. These annoying creatures. No matter how many I kill, there seems to be no end to them. Even if I throw daggers or thrust swords at them. Even using my fists and feet to beat them¡­ I was tired, but their numbers didn¡¯t decrease. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t stick to monotonous attacks. I had to develop various attack routes to hunt more easily and quickly. [Arrows hitting right in the middle! Your uracy with the bow greatly increases.] [Rune level has increased.] The first one is [Bow]. I reused the rune which was in a level 1 state. Though I became a Multi-Holder acquiring various runes, the mainbat runes I used so far were limited to [Sword], [Dagger], and [Combat]. They are the most efficient runes against these enemies and the versatilebat tools in the Holder world. But when facing arge number of enemies, especially C-grade monsters, using [Bow] bes essential. ¡°Take them down from a distance.¡± Long-range monsters that are a pain to deal with up close. It¡¯s better to eliminate them first before engaging in closebat. I had asked Choi Yoo-min in advance about this situation. I requested her to create not only swords and daggers but also various weapons. My archery skills, which were initially amateurish, gradually improved as I hunted the relentless goblins. [Withstanding attacks like a fortress. Your shield skills in blocking enemy attacks are bing more proficient.] [Rune level has increased.] The second one is [Shield]. [Lizard¡¯s Scales] or the derivative skill [Hardening] are good, but they have certain limitations in continuous usage with specific runes and skills. No matter how sturdy the toughness is. If you keep getting stabbed and shed, you¡¯ll eventually take a hit. ¡°The potion I received from Choi Arin is almost running out¡­¡± So I developed another rune. [Shield]. The coremon rune for warrior-type Holders acting as tanks. For me, [Shield] was a rune I gained from Hidden Piece in the early days as a Holder. It allowed me to withstand the relentless attacks of the goblins to some extent. Although it was slightly inconvenient to switch from wielding a two-handed sword to a one-handed sword due to the shield, I got used to it as dungeons and battles got longer. [Fast and Ruthless Charge! Your merciless charge will make enemies fall without strength.] [Rune level has increased.] [You gain +1 Speed as a rune attribute.] [Burning fire, fiery mes. Your ability to handle fire bes even better.] [Rune level has increased.] [You gain +1 Magic as a rune attribute.] Lastly, [Ruthless Charge] and [Fiery mes]. The growth of runes that I hadn¡¯t used for a while. As I hunted dungeons alone, without anyone else¡¯s eyes watching, I could freely utilize these runes as well. The value of the two runes¡¯ usage was beyond my expectations. ¡°Udududu-!!¡± -Kerk? -Kerrrk!! [Ruthless Charge] allowed me to ignore physical attacks during the charge, so I could rush into the enemy¡¯s territory without hesitation on the first attack and crush their formation. Using [Sprint] to charge, and [Ruthless Charge] to rush into the enemy line like a bulldozer. In battles against multiple opponents. Prating the center and copsing their formation¡­. It proved to be an advantageousbat strategy. Roar-! -Kek, kerrrk¡­!! In addition, the use of [Fiery mes]. Fire attached to my body and various weapons. Using different weapons in the middle of the enemy¡¯s formation, along with the added power of mes¡­ The goblins werepletely disoriented. ¡°It should have been impossible originally¡­¡± As a C-grade Holder. I was diving into the midst of a group of C-grade monsters? Normally, this would be a risky action that could result in serious injuries. However, I could do it. Because I could perform both the roles of a tank and a damage dealer, and my abilities and runes were far superior to regr C-grade Holders. Moreover, the appropriate use of the mentioned runes was also crucial. Above all, the power of the Epic Rune [Oppression] was enormous, when facing ¡®enemies with lower abilities than me.¡¯ It is a special effect that strengthens the power of a rune Holder. All the goblins were C-grade monsters with lower abilities than me, so the special effect of [Oppression] was constantly applied. Therefore, even without exerting much effort, I could hunt easily. ¡°My arms are getting numb.¡± I loosened the muscles that had tightened on my left and right arms. I fought without giving myself a break. In addition, the utilization of the runes I hadn¡¯t used in a long time. It felt like it had been a long time since I experienced muscle soreness. ¡°Now it seems like it¡¯s all over¡­¡± The annoying sound of ¡®kerrrk,¡¯ which I used to hear all the time. I haven¡¯t heard it in a while. The countless goblins that were difficult to count are now all taken care of. What¡¯s left is the boss room, the ¡®Chieftain¡¯s House.¡¯ And the boss, the Goblin Chieftain. If I find him and seed in the hunt. The conquest of this dungeon would beplete. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± After searching for a while. A wooden house came into view within my sight. I quickly hid my body from the monsters¡¯ view and concealed myself. Fortunately, there were plenty of bushes around to provide hiding spots. ¡®The Chieftain¡¯s House¡­ It seems to be the right ce.¡¯ The wooden house didn¡¯t look ordinary at all. And a few goblins were guarding the front. The Chieftain¡¯s house seemed certain since earlier. ¡®It¡¯s a boss room with guardian monsters.¡¯ The shape of the boss room varies from dungeon to dungeon. In the previous underground dungeon of the academy, Grizzly Drake guarded the boss room alone, but there were cases where regr monsters were in charge of guarding the boss room, like now. Both have their pros and cons, but this time, the disadvantage was that I had to deal with these creatures and the boss at the same time. I approached slowly, trying to narrow the distance. Then, to gather some information¡­ I eavesdropped on the goblins¡¯ conversation by listening carefully. -Kerk! Kek-ruk? -Kerr, kerrrk¡­ Damn. That¡¯s right. That damn kerk, kerk. In other novels, goblins can use humannguage well, but I can¡¯t understand why these monsters can only make wailing sounds. I scolded myself for paying attention to such useless things. ¡®Forget about information gathering.¡¯ Let¡¯s fight. I cautiously took out equipment from my magic bag. Thebat style I had been using so far. It was a preemptive strike using [Bow]. ¡®Does the bow need to be level 5 for a skill to be avable?¡¯ Just like the [Extreme Shot] or [Triple Powershot] from Moon Ga-eun. I didn¡¯t even want shy skills like those. If only [Sharpshooter] were avable, it would greatly enhance the usability of [Bow]. The growth of runes and skills is usually rted to the Holder¡¯s talent, so I couldn¡¯t be sure when a skill would be avable. Even [Combo], which I gained at level 3 with [Sword], could be gained by an ordinary Holder at level 5, and if someone had little talent, it could be level 7 or even 10¡­ There were Holders who never acquired a lifelong skill. From that perspective, I, who had already gained seven derivative skills, might be a more talented Holder than I thought, as Professor Kim Myeong-hyun said. Of course,like [Deration of Domination] or [Poison w], there were special cases where runes and skills were avable from the acquisition of runes. Kikigik- Feeling a bit tense, I slowly nock an arrow on the bowstring. The arrow and the string made a unique sound, but the goblins didn¡¯t seem to notice my attack due to the distance. There were two goblin warriors guarding the front of the house. Among them, the target of this attack was the one on the left. I aimed at the head. If I could hit it urately¡­ The battle would start by taking down one of them. ¡®Now¡­!!¡¯ With a taak sound, I drew the bowstring. At that moment, I realized. This aim was¡­The most perfect [Bow] attack in my battles today. [Bulls-Eye! Your archery with the bow, gains uracy when drawing the bowstring.] [Rune level has increased.] -Kerk, kerrrk!! Along with the sound of the [Bow], rune level increases. The goblin on the right jumped around and screamed. It looked like it was furious because itspanion was killed by an arrow. Without hesitation, I used [Sprint] to rush forward. [Ruthless Charge]. During the charge, all physical attacks are ignored, and a special effect allows me to push the enemy back twice as strongly as my strength. The remaining goblin warrior tried to block with its shield, but it couldn¡¯t stop my push, as my strength had reached 70. -Kerk?! The goblin warrior was lifted into the air by my push. I didn¡¯t wait for it to fall to the ground. While it was still in the air¡­ I rotated my body, and with my arm outstretched, I delivered a hook punch. Kwaang-!! If I could use a volley shot with my elbow, would it feel like this? My elbow hook, supported by [Combat], turned the goblin¡¯s head and mmed its entire body into the tree. But it wasn¡¯t over. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± A chilling sensation of a de behind my back. I could feel the sharpness and the aura of the enemy. I instantly drew the sword on my back. I rotated my body to face the sensation. Kakang- Chaeaeang!! My sword shed with arge axe. Though there was a considerable difference in strength, it didn¡¯t push me backpletely¡­ I grinned. ¡°It¡¯s too slow for a surprise attack.¡± Thest enemy standing in front of me. A monster that stared at me with a fierce expression. The boss of this dungeon. The Goblin Chieftain. Chapter 45: C-tier Holder Promotion (4)

Chapter 45: C-tier Holder Promotion (4)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi. Undiscovered dungeon, Goblin Lair. I don¡¯t know much about this ce. The dungeon was briefly mentioned as Hidden Piece, and there was little information in the guidebook. I came here only because I saw that most of the monsters in the dungeon were C-grade. I thought this would be the most suitable dungeon for my current level. Plus, if the boss is B-grade, it could be worth a try. I looked at the opponent in front of me, the fierce-eyed Goblin Chieftain, trying to swing his axe at me. He is the only B-grade monster in this dungeon. Usually, you need five C-grade Holders to hunt a B-grade monster properly, but that¡¯s in a general sense. If the B-grade monster is a solitary individual and the Holder facing it is from the warrior ss, the situation and variables can allow a C-grade Holder to take down a B-grade monster alone. And I was a C-grade Holder with more ¡®variables¡¯ than anyone else. -Kerr, ugh¡­!! ¡± His voice sounds the same as the rest of the brats.¡± The Goblin Chieftain looked simr to the goblin warriors, holding a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other. The only difference was that the warriors carried swords, while the chieftain had an axe bigger than his forearm. So, I shed my sword directly against his. I immediately activated [Fiery me]. After hunting for a few hours, I knew that goblin warriors were extremely weak against magic attacks. -Kerrugh!! It worked quite well. The Goblin Chieftain, hit by the fiery magic attack, screamed and took a step back. If it were a warrior-type B-grade monster, it would probably have higher physical attributes than me. It might be slow in terms of speed, but its strength and endurance would be high. In that case, I would use my physical resistance only as a tank and rely on magical attacks for dealing damage. I was now a dealer who could use both physical and magical attacks effectively. -Kek, kekeruh¡­!! The Goblin Chieftain shouted again and charged at me. I didn¡¯t need to engage in a direct confrontation if my physical strength was inferior to his. I could block his attack for a moment and counter with a magic attack. Using the finesse of [Water Sword Technique], I tried to smoothly parry his axe. But something was wrong. ¡°Huh?¡± It backfired instantly. My sword, which was supposed to parry his axe diagonally and flow away, suddenly started rusting and corroding like an old de. It was a familiar sight, a situation I had experienced before. It was like the final exams back in the academy when Kim Hyo-won used [Corrosion Powder]¡­ ¡°Crazy!¡± There was no time to dodge or raise my shield. I immediately used [Hardening] on myself. The corroded sword pierced through, and the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s axe struck my body. ¡°Keeup¡­!!¡± Even though I hardened myself, it still hurt. I managed to block one of his axe attacks, but I couldn¡¯t prevent the blood from spurting out. I gritted my teeth and stepped back, enduring the pain. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like he used an item.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something like [Corrosion Powder] that Kim Hyo-won used. The Goblin Chieftain had an axe and shield in both hands, and goblins weren¡¯t intelligent enough to use items to such an extent. It was probably a [Simple Curse] used by goblin shamans. There was a high chance of a specific curse being imbued within it. Considering the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s name and the fact that he was a boss, it was natural to assume that he could use curses, and his level was probably quite high. ¡®But corrosion debuffs aren¡¯t all-powerful¡­¡¯ [Corrosion Powder] or rted runes couldn¡¯t corrode all equipment. Otherwise, Holders would have used it as a necessary item regardless of the cost. With slightly higher-grade items, they wouldn¡¯t be easily corroded, and there were more ways to counter it than one would think, depending on the Holder¡¯s individual abilities. But most of my equipment was normal grade, and there was no special method to prevent corrosion. I was in a situation where I had to endure the shaman¡¯s curse without any means to resist. ¡°However, there¡¯s still a way.¡± I poured a potion into my mouth and looked ahead. I had experienced battles in such desperate situations many times. Every time I faced a critical situation, a solution woulde to mind like a conditioned reflex. ¡°Hup!¡± I threw four short knives at the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s shield. At the same time, he raised his shield. My [Quarter Knives] were effortlessly blocked by his shield. It seems like his [Shield] rune level is also considerable. But it was a kind of fake attack, meant to draw attention. I took advantage of the opening. Swiftly using [Agile Agility], I charged towards the Goblin Chieftain. ¡®Combat won¡¯t work.¡¯ My physical strength was alreadycking, and with my low level in [Combat] I couldn¡¯t deal any damage to the Goblin Chieftain. I had to use my sword and magic somehow; that was the only way to deliver effective hits to him. I sidestepped the Goblin Chieftain, who was holding a shield, and thrust my left-handed sword at him. -Kerk!! The Goblin Chieftain widened his eyes as he noticed my approach. He used another curse rted to corrosion. The curse was fast and strong enough to instantly corrode my sword. It turned to dust in no time. ¡®Caught me¡¯. However, I had already sensed sess. In my right hand was another sword, ready to be used. -Kerk? ¡°I knew this would happen, so I prepared more than ten of them.¡± I immediately activated [Fiery me] pulling off the finesse of [Wave Sword Technique] when I thrust the sword. My attack, skillfully blended with both physical and magical power, pierced through the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s high toughness, dealing a significant blow. -Kerkwack¡­!! Momentarily stunned by the powerful strike, the Goblin Chieftain seemed to hesitate. I didn¡¯t miss this chance and immediately used the derived skill from [Oppression] called [Deration of Domination]. It was the debuff I had saved until now. The Goblin Cheftain was hit with a debilitating curse for three seconds. Although my corroded sword was once again dissolving inside him, I remained calm. ¡°It¡¯s a mass-produced sword, you son of a bitch.¡± In my magic bag, I still had plenty more swords left, at least ten of them. *** Ippotrantion *** [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to duplicate.] [1. Simple Curse (not selectable) 2. Axe (not selectable) 3. Shield (not selectable) 4. Strength (not selectable) 5. Armor of Fortitude] [You have chosen Armor of Fortitude. Since it is a level 5 normal rune, its level will decrease and be registered as level 3.] [You have gained a new rune.] [Due to the rune¡¯s attributes, you gain +1 toughness.] The Goblin Chieftain was defeated by my effective strikes. After the first sessful hit, he kept trying to corrode my weapons, but my numerous weapons, crafted by Choi Yoo-min, were enough to end his life. As expected, the rune he used was the [Simple Curse]. However, there was one shoring in his approach. He focused solely on corrosion, neglecting to utilize other spells such as ¡®Frailty¡¯ or ¡®Slowness¡¯, which were often used by previous goblin shamans. If he had incorporated those spells inbat, the oue might have been different. ¡°¡­Was it the same as before?¡± Actually, there probably wasn¡¯t much difference. Nevertheless, considering the high degree of corrosion, the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s rune level was quite high. It was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t select [Simple Curse] as it was already gained. ¡°But I got Armor of Fortitude, at least.¡± Though it was a pity, it didn¡¯t mean I gained no rune at all. A representativemon rune among warrior-type Holders, [Armor of Fortitude] boosted toughness. It wouldplement [Lizard¡¯s Scales], another rune I had. Moreover, with this acquisition, my toughness reached 30. Now, all my primary physical attributes¡ªstrength, speed, and toughness¡ªwere above 30. ¡°Now let¡¯s see¡­ The rest room is¡­¡± I explored the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s house after collecting all the by-products from the goblin warriors. In every dungeon¡¯s boss room, there was a rest room¡ªa ce to rest and gain rewards. Since this was still an undiscovered dungeon, I could monopolize the rewards from the rest room. ¡°¡­.¡± But something felt strange. I searched the Goblin Chieftain¡¯s house for several minutes, but I couldn¡¯t find the rest room, even after rubbing my eyes and searching again. ¡°A-Are you kidding me, really?¡± Trying topose my trembling voice, I calmly searched the house again, starting from what looked like the master bedroom and living room. I went through the kitchen, bathroom, and even the room with an unidentified purpose. But still, nothing. There was no rest room. ¡°No way. Is this not an undiscovered dungeon?¡± Was it a dungeon that had already been cleared before I arrived? If my memory serves me right, it should have been an undiscovered dungeon¡­ In a moment of mixed feelings of frustration and confusion¡­ -Kerk? ¡°¡­.?¡± In the boss room, where all the battles had already been fought, a single goblin appeared. This goblin lookedpletely different from the typical ones. It didn¡¯t carry any weapon like the warriors or look like a shaman. It seemed unprepared for battle. ¡°What is that?¡± Most notably, its entire body was covered in a golden hue. It wore what looked like a treasure bag on its back. Its appearance was toovish to be considered a regr goblin, and it idiotic eyes, blinked. ¡°¡­.¡± It was a Golden goblin. Prev I TOC I Next TL NOTE: Sorry aboutte post, made a mistake with time. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi. Illustrations are here atKo-fi. Schedule: 5 ch/wk [wed-sun] @ UTC+ 12:00 pm [script] __ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: ''atatags-2214461551-64f86da5384af'', location: 120, formFactor: ''001'',bel: { text: ''Advertisements'', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: ''Report this ad'', }, privacySettings: { text: ''Privacy'', } } }); }); [/script] Chapter 46: C-grade Holder Promotion (5)

Chapter 46: C-grade Holder Promotion (5)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi. ¡°Capture that little brat!¡± Oh no. I¡¯m the only one here right now. As soon as I saw the Golden goblin carrying a treasure pouch, I unintentionally blurted out. -Kerek¡­!! I wonder if it was surprised by my scream. The Golden goblin hastily took a defensive posture to escape. But I wasn¡¯t going to let it get away. ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± If my spection was correct, This Golden goblin is the rest room of this dungeon. A walking rest room. Although it was a story I hadn¡¯t heard before, there was no other way to exin the absence of a rest room in this undiscovered dungeon. I quickly reached the Golden goblin. And I grabbed its tail, preventing it from fleeing. Its speed was noticeably slow. Not just slower than the Goblin Chieftain, but even slower than a C-grade goblin warrior. It was much slowerpared to archers or magicians as well. This fact indicated that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary monster but a special-purpose monster in the dungeon. ¡°Huh?¡± However, while I was holding it and trying to snatch the treasure pouch, I felt something strange. A force seemed to leave my tightly gripped hand. The Golden goblin, held by its tail, thrashed around¡­ Then suddenly slumped, as if¡­ dead. No, damn it. Did It just die because of this? ¡°¡­A monster true to its purpose.¡± A walking rest room. A monster rewarded to dungeon conquerors for their efforts. It faithfully fulfilled its purpose¡­ The Golden goblinpleted its task and died. To think it would die just from being held by its tail. It was probably an F-grade monster if we go by grades. The [Rune Hunter] message for acquiring runes didn¡¯t appear either. ¡°Let¡¯s check the rewards.¡± After briefly expressing my condolences to the fallen goblin, I rummaged through the treasure pouch to check my rewards. Rewards poured out into the room. Various items, including magic stones, equipment, potions, and elixirs, were hidden in the treasure pouch. Among them, I noticed the most eye-catching piece of equipment. A Bronze-colored shield. I picked it up. ¡ò Name: Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield ¡ò Type: Shield ¡ò Grade: Rare ¡ò Toughness: Normal ¡ò Maker: ¨C ¨C ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C : Toughness +2 : When the user infuses magic, it can block not only physical attacks but also magic attacks. This effect will activate even if the user doesn¡¯t have resistance to the specific element, and the level of defense will vary depending on the opponent¡¯s attack level. ¡ò Detailed Information: A shield mainly used by goblins. Considering its luxurious decorations and sturdy craftsmanship, it was probably used by the chieftain of the goblin tribe. ¡°Not bad.¡± Starting with the first item, it¡¯s a jackpot. A Rare item that seems to have been used by the ¡®Goblin Chieftain¡¯. It increases toughness by 2 and can block both physical and magic attacks with a shield. I could have been in trouble if I mindlessly applied a magic attack to the shield. ¡°Lucky me.¡± Not only the conquest itself but also the luck with the items. Unlike the Academy Underground Dungeon, where B-grade monsters roamed and the boss was A-grade, the Goblin Lair was a lower to mid-tier dungeon with an average grade of C-grade monsters. Naturally, the rewards for conquering it would be lowerpared to the underground dungeon. Yet, I broke through all of that, and an Epic item was hidden among the rewards. The effect was amazing as well. What the Golden goblin left behind¡­. It was literally a treasure bag. ¡°Should I start using a one-handed sword from now on?¡± When I saw a rare-grade shield, I suddenly felt that way. Meanwhile, when I used [Sword], it was a two-handed sword. When using a two-handed sword, It had the advantage of being able to exert more power than normal tanks in terms of strength and speed, and being able to fight more smoothly in battles using [Sword]. On the other hand, if you use a one-handed sword while holding a shield, you can show your strength in defense much more than before. ¡°¡­ It is better to change when necessary.¡± Still, I¡¯ve only used two-handed swords so far, but I couldn¡¯t easily change my fighting style just because I had a good shield. In addition, if I recklessly use a shield, my freedom inbat will also be restricted. [Dagger] is difficult to use, and [Combat] is almost impossible to use too, only when you really need it, like now. For example, only in the case of a party where the role of the tank is more important¡­ It seemed better to take out the shield and use it. ¡°Elixir, potion, axe, armor¡­ ¡± The rest of the items were mediocre. Most of the equipment are normal grade items. In addition, there were various potions that could be purchased on the market. Among them, there was one elixir that increased magic power, and I took it right away to raise my abilities. It only increased by 1, but¡­. Even that is precious to me, who needs magic right away. ¡°Is it over?¡± After clearing all the items, the only thing left is the magic stone. But between the stacked magic stones, a book was cleverly hidden. A book full of dark energy. I pondered over it, and then took it out immediately to check the information. ¡òName: Cursed Spellbook ¡òType: Special ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òMaker: ¨C ¨C ¡òSpecial effects: ¨C : If you spend three hours a day for ten days studying it, you will gain 2 points in magic, recovery, and willpower, each. It¡¯s a one-time use effect, and once you use it, you can¡¯t use it again.. ¡òDetailed Information: A book containing various spells and casting methods rted to curses. If you have curse runes, this is a book that can be of great help. ¡°¡­ I see.¡± I thought it was over with one rare item, but what? An Epic item was hidden. Its effect was amazing. An effect that raises each of the three stats by 2 when certain conditions are met. Furthermore, it contained the magic stat that I needed the most right now. ¡°So, I can learn magic with this.¡± While hunting goblin shamans in this dungeon, I gained the [Simple Curse], but I couldn¡¯t use it because I didn¡¯t know how to. Even though it wasn¡¯t asplicated as regr magic, there must be a method to use curses. And that method was written in this spellbook. Curses like corrosion, frailty, debilitation, distortion, and more¡­ Various types of curses were recorded in the book. As a special item, it had considerable utility. I put the [Cursed Spellbook] into my bag with a satisfied smile. ¡°Golden goblins¡­ So good.¡± Certainly, no matter where you go. Golden goblins never betray us. *** ippotrantions *** Ji-hye couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°So, this is¡­?¡± The pile of magic stones and monster by-products drops in front of her. They were the items I got from the dungeon raids and could also be used for promotion. It wasn¡¯t something that had umted in just a month or two. Two days. The promotion evaluation had begun, and the results were gathered in just two days. Do Jae-hyun, the applicant who urgently needed to get things done, showed off his expertise in handling things quickly and brought all these results. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Examiner. No, it¡¯s too soon to say a while, right?¡± ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun¡­.. What in the world¡­¡± Ji-hye still seemed to be trying to grasp the situation. Do Jae-hyun smiled as he looked at her. ¡°I got lucky. I found an undiscovered dungeon during a hunt.¡± ¡°An undiscovered dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes. Here¡¯s the rted report.¡± He handed her a stack of papers. When she unfolded the documents, they indeed contained information about the undiscovered dungeon in the middle of Bukhansan Field, it is a small dungeon essible through a small hole amidst the thick trees. Bukhansan Field was already explored by numerous ns and Holders, so Ji-hye found it both fascinating and surprising that an undiscovered dungeon still existed there. However, there was one strange point in the report. It stated not only the discovery but also an additional phrase, ¡®Application for the ownership evaluation of the dungeon¡¯. Reading it, Ji-hye cautiously asked, ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, does this dungeon¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Ipleted everything from discovery to conquest. Most of the monsters were C-grade, so I got lucky.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± An undiscovered dungeon. The first discoverer or n with the priority to conquer it. Regardless of whether the discoverer¡¯s level matched that of the dungeon or whether they had the ability to conquer it. It was an absolute regtion andw. Once theypleted the first conquest of the dungeon with the priority they acquired¡­ An evaluation of the ownership of the dungeon would follow. In other words, Do Jae-hyun is now¡­ He had not onlypleted everything from discovery to conquest all by himself but also submitted a report requesting the evaluation of the ownership of the dungeon. Do Jae-hyun smiled at Ji-hye. ¡°I assume examiners will be in charge of evaluating the ownership of the dungeon as well. I¡¯ll be counting on you this time as well.¡± Lee Ji-hye couldn¡¯t pull herself together. Too much information wasing in. Her head felt overloaded. So¡­ The Holder who, for the first time since being registered as a Holder, was attempting a three-step promotion to C-grade¡­ And in just two days, he brought all the designated achievements specified by the Association, satisfying all the necessary evaluation conditions¡­ And on top of that, he discovered an undiscovered dungeon,pleted its conquest in two days, and even applied for the evaluation of its ownership? ¡°This is unbelievable¡­¡± It was a series of stories that didn¡¯t make sense logically. However, the report and the items in front of her proved it. And the protagonist was there, smiling with a puzzled expression on his face. ¡°Haha. I¡¯m sorry. I unintentionally piled a lot of work on you, Examiner.¡± ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s not like that. This is an achievement for me as well¡­¡± One of the highest achievements during an evaluation was the exploration of an undiscovered dungeon. Especially the results achieved in this level were impossible to intentionally create. Frankly, this situation was not bad for Lee Ji-hye at all. But still¡­ ¡°I¡¯m just amazed. Holder Do Jae-hyun¡­ You¡¯re much more amazing than I thought.¡± She had thought of him as a reckless Holder when they first met. She had even thought of him as a fledgling Holder fresh out of the Academy. But he shattered all those preconceptions, he was the protagonist of results that went beyond expectations. During the promotion evaluation season six months ago, since Kang Juyeon became a B-grade Holder¡­ He was the extraordinary neer Holder to appear after a long time. ¡°I got lucky.¡± ¡°If that luck continues, it¡¯ll be seen as your skill.¡± ¡°If you think that way, thank you.¡± Finding the undiscovered dungeon might have been luck, but bringing all these achievements after conquering it in two days was by no means a matter of luck. His insane hunting speed on the first day. Without that, these results would have been impossible. ¡°The evaluation results will be out by today. With these achievements¡­ It¡¯s almost certain. I¡¯ll try to process the evaluation of the dungeon ownership as quickly as possible too.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± ¡°I told you. It¡¯s an achievement for me too. Thank you. Thanks to Holder Do Jae-hyun, I might get a promotion this time as well.¡± With a bright smile, Lee Ji-hye stood up from her seat. Preparing for the massive amount of work to organize all these reports required some time. ¡°Anyway! It was nice to meet you. If youe to the Association again next time, let¡¯s meet then.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need help with, feel free to contact me. I¡¯ll do my best if it¡¯s something I can handle.¡± A Holder who took care of even the evaluation of the examiner during the promotion evaluation. She wanted to help him if he asked for something within reason. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your hard work, Examiner.¡± With a bright smile, Do Jae-hyun bid farewell. Looking at him, Lee Ji-hye turned her head for a moment. ¡­There was absolutely no ulterior motive behind it. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi. Illustrations are here atKo-fi. Schedule: 5 ch/wk [wed-sun] @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 47: Swirl Leviathan (1)

Chapter 47: Swirl Leviathan (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi. ¡°Did you get promoted to a C-grade Holder then?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked me while eating grape-vored pudding with both hands. After showcasing my cooking skills, we were enjoying a rxing dessert time. ¡°Yeah. I went on a one-day hunting spree, and it happened.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s fast. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone achieving results that quickly.¡± ¡°I stumbled upon an undiscovered dungeon on the way. That significantly shortened the evaluation period.¡± The dungeon called ¡®Goblin Lair¡¯ was a haven for monsters. It was teeming with C-grade monsters, Goblins, scattered all around, seemingly endless to hunt. Once I sessfully cleared the Goblin Lair, I managed to aplish all the goals set by the Association within two days. It was the result of beingpletely devoted to hunting day and night. Lee Ji-hye, who was the examiner, looked at me as if I were a monster myself. Even I find it hard to believe how fast I was hunting. Anyway, Ipleted my promotion. I am now a true C-grade Holder. ¡°That dungeon¡­ the Goblin Lair, right? Is it really yours now?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked, her eyes shining with curiosity. Usually, ns own most dungeons. Exploration, conquest, and management require the collective strength of a group. However, this undiscovered dungeon, the Goblin Lair, was solely mine. Since I managed all the processes usually carried out by a n by myself, I had no problem passing the ownership assessment. ¡°Yes. I made a contract with the Association at a 7:3 profit-sharing ratio.¡± ¡°30%? Why did they take such a big cut?¡± ¡°Because the Association handles the management. They handle the entrance fees and check the dungeon¡¯s yields. From my perspective, I get to sit back and earn money, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Do dungeons really make that much money?¡± ¡°Yes. Holders prefer dungeons over fields because they are filled with monsters.¡± Unlike the scarce appearances of monsters outside the boundary in fields, dungeons are overflowing with monsters and regenerate on a weekly basis. So, naturally, Holders prefer dungeons over fields. As a result, owning a dungeon brings significant revenue. First, Holders have to pay an entrance fee to enter a dungeon, and they also have to pay a fee based on the results of their hunting inside. The ie from magic stones incurs a 50% fee, while other products incur a 20% fee. The Association then splits this revenue with Holders at a 7:3 ratio. The ie from entrance fees alone is substantial, but the revenue from magic stones and other products is beyond imagination. Literally sitting and making money, it¡¯s no wonder why ns vie to own dungeons. ¡°Heh¡­ fascinating.¡± ¡°If you ever want to hunt alone, you can go there. Except for the boss, all the monsters are C-grade, so it¡¯s easier to hunt.¡± ¡°For free?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Kim Chae-eun, and even other friends if they wish to enter, will be able to do so for free. The Academy¡¯s Underground Dungeon that we tried with a five-member party would have been much harder if not for them. I probably wouldn¡¯t have made this much progress in such a short time, and I might not have been able to save Kim Chae-eun during the evaluationst semester. Being a [Rune Hunter] or [Effort of the Seeker] is great, but having a party orpanions was the real key to a Holder¡¯s growth. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. It seems too challenging for me.¡± However, Kim Chae-eun didn¡¯t hesitate much. She immediately declined. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ How can a mage-type handle solo y? I¡¯ll get hurt for sure since I can¡¯t tank.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve been learning swordsmanshiptely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for self-defense.¡± Why does a Holder learn self-defense martial arts? It¡¯s pointless from the start. ¡°But still, aren¡¯t there people who do it asionally? Like¡­ Kang Juyeon?¡± After thinking for a moment, I tilted my head and said. ¡°¡­ Kang Juyeon?¡± ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Oops, I touched a sensitive spot again. For some reason, Kim Chae-eun seems to feel a sense of rivalry with Kang Juyeon. They are of the same age and ss, but Kang Juyeon is a higher-grade B-grade Holder and the sessor of one of Korea¡¯s three major ns. Moreover, she had witnessed Kang Juyeon¡¯s powerful performance firsthand during a party, making it quite natural for her to aspire to catch up to her. Hmm, the desire for improvement is always the driving force behind growth. It must be due to that, right? ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s go togetherter.¡± ¡°¡­Together?¡± ¡°Yes. Honestly, it was a bit tough with just the two of us in the underground dungeon. We pushed ourselves too much. The Goblin Lair will be much easier to hunt.¡± While I can manage to conquer the dungeon alone, there¡¯s no harm in teaming up with Kim Chae-eun. A reliable dealer is always helpful. Hunting speed will increase, efficiency will improve with role distribution, and I can also develop my tanking skills, which Ick. Going on a dungeon conquest together is quite exciting. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s face also blushed inexplicably. ¡°Ah, except for this summer vacation. During the vacation, I¡¯ll be an intern n member.¡± His words instantly cooled down the warm atmosphere. Ah, why did I bring it up? Kim Chae-eun looked at me with a casual eye roll. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to get in there after all? The Judgment of Fire?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a good opportunity as a Holder. It would be a shame to miss it.¡± ¡°Tsk. Then it¡¯ll be hard to see each other during the vacation.¡± Then it¡¯ll be hard to have meals together during the vacation. This feeling must be a mistake. I must be imagining it. Beep! Beep! By the time I finished organizing my nned actions, an abrupt disaster alert rang loudly on our phones. Kim Chae-eun and I exchanged nces simultaneously. We put down the pudding we were eating and checked the message. [Korean Holder Association] Emergency Disaster Message -At 19:08 on June 27th, an S-grade presumed field monster appeared in an area 4 km northeast of Dongbuk-dong, Pohang. All nearby residents are advised to evacuate to the shelter ording to the Association¡¯s instructions. [Korean Holder Association] Temporary Attack Force Notice -Currently, an S-grade presumed monster has emerged in front of the East Sea. We are forming a temporary attack force for the hunting of this field monster. The force will consist of 5 A-grade Holders, 20 B-grade Holders, and 50 C-grade Holders. For details and the breakdown by type, please refer to the Korean Holder Association¡¯s official website. Holders who wish to participate in the attack force should apply to the Association immediately. If an S-grade Holder expresses interest, the number of B-grade and C-grade Holders may be reduced to zero. Finally, it hase. The hunt for the S-grade monster, Swirl Leviathan. *** ippotrantions *** My application to join the attack force went smoothly. Although I was just promoted to C-grade and still a rookie Holder, I had shown promising abilities and achievements in evaluations, so fortunately, I was selected for the attack force based on my specialization. Moreover, Lee Ji-hye, who had overseen my promotion assessment, was a great help. -If there¡¯s anything you need help with, feel free to contact me. I¡¯ll do my best to assist you if it¡¯s something I can do. Her words encouraged me. I never missed this opportunity and immediately sent her a message after submitting my attack force application. Luckily, there was a senior Holder of hers who was in charge of the disaster monster hunting attack force. With no issues in my application, I easily got in. Truly,working pays off. ¡°Whoa, an S-grade monster, it¡¯s nerve-wracking.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you here?¡± I asked Kim Chae-eun, who was sticking closely to my side. After receiving the official notice and the confirmation of the temporary attack force formation, she followed me all the way to Pohang. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s holder grade is F, just like my previous self, having never updated it since registration. As an F-grade Holder, she couldn¡¯t participate in the attack force, even though I exined it thoroughly, her persistence couldn¡¯t be stopped. ¡°You left me out when you went to Bukhansan, and now you¡¯reing alone again? I feel wronged.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to feel wronged about¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I feel wronged!¡± ¡°Stay here, even if you came for the hunt, you can¡¯t participate. I told you, only C-grade and above can participate.¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll wait at the safe line.¡± Was she here for the hunt or for a trip? Anyway, we arrived in Pohang as we stepped off the warp gate. Facing the East Sea where Swirl Leviathan appeared, many Holders had already gathered near Guryongpo, Pohang. I came as quickly as possible, but it seemed I was slightlyte. I quickly approached the Holder Association staff at the safe line and said, ¡°I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun, a C-grade Holder assigned to the temporary disaster monster hunting attack force. Can I receive instructions?¡± After quickly checking the list, the staff nodded. ¡°Nice to meet you. Holder Do Jae-hyun, you can head to the southeast direction where this magic stone points. Join the Warrior Team 5. The situation is urgent, so hurry.¡± ¡°Yes, understood. Thank you.¡± ¡°What about the person next to you?¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s apanion. Not a member of the attack force.¡± ¡°Companions can wait over here. Under no circumstances should they cross into the safe line.¡± After hearing the staff¡¯s instructions, I turned to look at Kim Chae-eun. She nodded as if to reassure me, saying, ¡°Be careful ande back safely. Don¡¯t push yourself likest time and get injured!¡± ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll eat pudding if I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°Tsk. You ate too much and felt bloated.¡± Making a silly joke, I turned and faced forward. ¡°Huuup¡­!!¡± Thankfully, I had the [Sprint] rune, which allowed me to move at a much faster speed than others. Even though I was slightlyte, I managed to reach my assigned squad without any problem. However, as soon as I arrived at the scene¡­ ¡°Freaking¡­!¡± I felt expletives involuntarily. The coast of Pohang was devastated. There was no sign of the beauty it once had. Everything was in chaos. Houses that looked like residential areas were all destroyed, and nearby ships, cars, and roads were all in ruins. The only fortunate thing might be that there were no casualties? But even that could be obscured, as there might have been evacuations already. Nothing was properly intact¡­ The term widespread destruction perfectly described the scene. It was the aftermath of an S-grade monster¡¯s appearance. Surrounding the area, numerous Holders had gathered to hunt the monster. ¡°Oh, it¡¯sing! Be careful!¡± ¡°Damn it! Everyone, get out of the way!¡± And as soon as I arrived¡­ An immense vibration shook the ground. Instantly, all the 18 Holders in front of me hurriedly fled. Have they never experienced this before? Their movements were swift and precise. The perpetrator of the vibration quickly revealed itself. Goo Goo Goo- With a thunderous sound¡­ A colossal sea monster emerged from the water. -Kaaarrr¡­!! Aaaaah-!! The monster stood between thend and the sea, at a certain height. It took less than a second to narrow that space. Countless breakwaters turned to dust, and the concrete on the ground melted like ice cream. The creature that single-handedly destroyed everything around it. Insane¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a wyrm, a dragon¡­!¡± A monster with overwhelming destructive power and an imposing presence just by its appearance. An S-grade monster that I had only read about in text, but was now facing with my own eyes. It was the appearance of Swirl Leviathan. Chapter 48: Swirl Leviathan (2)

Chapter 48: Swirl Leviathan (2)

Generally, the grade of a monster is proportional to the grade of the Holder. If you are a D-grade Holder, you can easily hunt D-grade monsters, and if you are a C-grade Holder, you can handle C-grade monsters without much difficulty. However, this is only true in ¡®ordinary¡¯ situations. ¡°The scale changes from B-grade monsters onwards,¡± as professor exined. Just like there is a significant difference between C-grade and B-grade Holders, the strength of monsters also changes from B-grade and onwards. The inherent destructive power and toughness of monsters increase rapidly, and situations arise where it bes challenging to inflict damage through physical attacks alone, even for B-grade Holders, if they are not experienced dealers. ¡°So, the concept of Party y was introduced.¡± Two tanks, two dealers, and one support¡ªa group of five individualsmonly known as the orthodox partyposition within the Holder grades. If they join forces and fight together, they can hunt monsters stronger than themselves. For example, a C-grade Holder of the warrior ss can tank attacks from a B-grade monster, and simrly, a C-grade Holder of the magic ss can break through the toughness of a B-grade monster and deal damage. This is quite a revolutionary idea, as it changes the previous approach. Since Party y became the norm for Holder hunting, most Holders focused on honing their individual roles. Tanks improved their tanking abilities, and dealers concentrated on their damage output. As a result, there were cases where C-grade Holders, who were solely focused on tanking, managed to withstand attacks from A-grade monsters. ¡°Professor, then where does an A-grade Holder fit in a party?¡± ¡°A-grade Holders can also join B-grade Holder parties. These parties consist of B-grade Holders hunting A-grade monsters. Since there are many cases where B-grade Holders cannot handle certain special situations or boss-level monsters, A-grade Holders take on a leadership role within the party.¡± In other words, when ites to hunting monsters, there¡¯s no strict need to divide Holders into parties based on their grades. A-grade Holders can freely participate in B-grade Holder parties, and B-grade Holders can also serve as leaders in C-grade Holder parties. It¡¯s all about efficiency. From the beginning, A-grade Holder parties tend to be small, usually not limited to just five members. Most of them arerge-scale parties that exceed eight or ten members, revolving around ns. As monsters from B-grade onwards be stronger and require more Holders in greater numbers for hunting, this trend emerges. Nevertheless, professor stated that everything changespletely from S-grade and onwards. S-grade monsters are not simple beasts that can be captured by a group of five A-grade Holders. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°Unbelievable! It¡¯s not only in the sea?¡± ¡°A single hit from that monster would be instant death¡­.¡± Vibrating as if causing a massive earthquake, The Swirl Leviathan revealed itself from the sea to thend. The Holders trembled in fear at the overwhelming shock caused by the S-grade monster. It was undoubtedly an imposing presence. However, most of the Holders had something inmon. ¡®I¡¯m not the only rookie here.¡¯ They all felt like neers who had just reached C-grade, just like me. As if confirming their spection, Holders in heavy gear appeared from behind, bursting intoughter. ¡°Hahaha! Looks like there¡¯s an abundance of rookies again.¡± ¡°Warriors, step forward if you don¡¯t want tog behind!¡± ¡°Ugh. Why are we participating in this makeshift attack squad that pays so little?¡± The Holders boasted as if showing off their experience. Apparently, they were the B-grade Holders of this attack squad, most of them belonging to the warrior ss. -Kaaaah!! There wasn¡¯t much time for chitchat with an S-grade monster in front of them. The Swirl Leviathan roared with a scream that could tear the sky apart, shaking its tail. Its size was so massive that even just swinging its tail created tremendous pressure. ¡°Warriors, shield up and move forward!¡± This time, Holders equipped with high-quality gear that radiated light appeared. Just five of them. And they exuded overwhelming magical power. They were the A-grade Holders in charge of leading the attack squad. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s those braggarts again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they ever get tired of showing up every time a disaster monster appears?¡± ¡°Ugh, I envy the mage ss. If only I had someone like Jeong Seon-young as ourmander.¡± The B-grade warrior Holders grumbled. Since Holder grade did not necessarily represent experience, they didn¡¯t seem too fond of the A-grade Holdermanders. I wasn¡¯t sure who this person named Seon-young was¡­ Perhaps an A-grade Holder of the magic ss. But contrary to their talk, their execution in the battle was wless. Swift and precise movements. Kwaaah-!! The Swirl Leviathan¡¯s tail mmed onto the ground. About ten B-grade Holders sessfully blocked the attack. They instantly counterattacked, striking the Leviathan¡¯s tail with the swords they held in their hands. Despite the beast¡¯s tough skin that couldn¡¯t be scratched, the B-grade Holders seems unbothered as they focused on their tasks. Fierce defense and counterattacks, utilizing their individual runes and skills. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, raise your shields!¡± ¡°C-grade Holders, don¡¯t bother with your swords, just hold your shields! Unless you want to end up dead with one hit.¡± ¡°All B-grade warriors, gather here!¡± The yful atmosphere from earlier was gone. The B-grade Holders followed themands of the A-grade Holders and took control of the rookie C-grade Holders who were causing a ruckus. Now, I understood why the B-grade Holders showed off with confidence. Even though they bragged, they were experienced. They moved faster and more urately than the C-grade Holders, faithfully fulfilling their roles within the attack squad. If they hadn¡¯t defended against the previous attack, the Leviathan¡¯s tail would have hit the dealers in the attack squad directly. ¡®Role division¡­ is indeed well-defined.¡¯ Given therge scale and number of participants, the role division in the attack squad was as sharp as a knife. Five A-grade Holders were responsible for leading and conductingrge-scale attacks. Twenty B-grade Holders formed the core force of the attack squad, executing attacks and defense from all directions. Finally, fifty C-grade Holders yed a supporting role. With significantly lower abilities and runes, there wasn¡¯t much the C-grade Holders could do. At best, they provided assistance to the dealers when they attacked. Therefore, the majority of the C-grade Holders were of the magic or archer sses. There were only ten B-grade warrior Holders, including me. ¡°What are you doing? Raise your shields!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± As I stood still, a B-grade Holder scolded me. I quickly took out the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield] from my magic bag. This was not the time to use [Dagger] or [Sword]. I had to withstand the attack with this low-level [Shield]. -Kaaaah¡­!! The Swirl Leviathan attacked again, this time with its hands, not its tail. Since it didn¡¯t have feet, it moved to thend using its fins and hands. ¡°Squad 1 and 2 stop everyone!¡± ¡°Shit. When is the dealer support?¡± Archer-type arrow attacks are flying steadily. However, the most important deal in suchrge-scale hunting is, of course, magic attacks of magicians. They needed powerful magic skills to unfold. I, too, followed the instructions of the higher level Holders who led me, and blocked Swirl Leviathan¡¯s attack with the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield]. To block an S-grade monster¡¯s physical bullet attack. This was never an easy task, but blocking it with numerous Holders allowed the power to be dispersed. [Sessful defense beyond the limit! A rock-like hardness begins to be engraved on your shield.] [The level of the rune has risen.] [Toughness is acquired by 1 with the inclination of the rune.] [You gained the derived skill of the shield rune, ¡®Iron Wall Defense¡¯.] In addition, the rune grows rapidly just by blocking it. Extremely difficult real battles and appropriate use of runes. It was only a matter of time for the [Shield] to grow. The rune level is already level 5. Following +1 in Toughness, I even got a derivative skill called [Ironl Wall Defense]. 1 hour cooldown. It is a skill that can block twice the power that can be blocked with [Shield]. Considering the long cooldown. It seemed to be used only in very desperate situations in this battle. ¡°Everyone, take cover! Magic attacks areing!¡± ¡°Fold your shields and crouch!¡± The preparation of the magicians wasplete after sessfully blocking the two previous attacks. An enormous amount of magical power and intense currents were felt in the surroundings. Lightning-type magic. It was the most effective magic against sea monsters like the Swirl Leviathan. ¡®Considering all this in advance¡­ You nned this out, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ The holders who were about to cast the magic looked like they were thinking about something. The majority of them prepared lightning-type magic. The matchup between monsters and Holders. It seemed like the association had taken these factors into consideration while forming the attack squad. Zap- Kwaaang- Kwaagaa-!! Intense lightning magic struck the Swirl Leviathan. Not only lightning-type magicians but also [Freezing] and [Wind]-type magic attacked it simultaneously. The sheer power of the attack could be felt just by witnessing it. It was arge-scale magic attack. -Ka, kaaa¡­ Not many people can survive such an attack. Even the guy who was making a fuss seemed to shrink momentarily. Did they do it? A blow so strong that it makes you think. The magical power of the match made even the gigantic S-grade monster falter. -Kaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­ !! However, their triumphant moment was short-lived. The Leviathan either absorbed all the attacks or managed to withstand them. In an instant, it rose from its crouched position, bellowing loudly¡­ Its head echoed with a tremendous roar. ¡°It¡¯s useless. It truly is an S-grade monster.¡± ¡°Unbelievably tough.¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that?¡± It didn¡¯t end there. Something resembling a whirlpool emerged from the Swirl Leviathan¡¯s wide-open mouth. Upon recognizing it immediately, themanding Holders shouted. ¡°Everybody, get out of the way! It¡¯s water-type magic!¡± ¡°Run for your life! If that hits you, you¡¯re done for!¡± The B-grade warrior Holders in the forefront quickly fled. While I hastily concealed myself using nearby structures, I couldn¡¯t avoid the attack entirely. Shoooooo-!! Woong- Woong-!! An enormous whirlpool. And water pouring out like a tsunami. Both the Holders who managed to evade and those who couldn¡¯t were all caught up in the tremendous water magic. ¡°This can¡¯t be real¡­¡± I could only stare at the scene in disbelief. Even though I saw it with my own eyes, it was hard to believe. It wasn¡¯t seawater being manipted. The Leviathan was producing such a massive amount of water from its own body. ¡°To perform water magic of this level with no water around¡­?¡± Doubt crept into my mind. Damn it¡­. Is it even possible to defeat that thing? Chapter 49: Swirl Leviathan (3) PT1

Chapter 49: Swirl Leviathan (3) PT1

. Swirl Leviathan¡¯s water magic engulfed the docks. The immense water magic brimmed with cmity. It flooded the surroundings like a tsunami, and the massive whirlpool made of water swallowed some of the Holders as if they were prey. At first nce, it seemed like around six Holders were caught up in it. They were probably all C-grade Holders¡­ and they must have all died. This was a special disaster monster temporary hunt squad. It wasn¡¯t a hunt that could be easily undertaken like an ordinary dungeon raid. The reason for itsck of poprity became clear. The majority of C-grade Holders were novices. ¡°Reform the formation!¡± ¡°The opponent monster¡¯s magical attack is too powerful! Change the strategy!¡± B-grade Holders were blocking Swirl Leviathan¡¯s attack at the front. The supporting C-grade Holders gathered together. And in front of them, at the forefront, one Holder ran at lightning speed. The same A-grade Holder from before, one of the five. Among them was their leader, Holder Lim Hyun, in charge of the warrior ss. ¡°Warrior squads 1 and 2, follow me to the front! Squads 3 and 4, go with Lee Seong-hwi to the back! Squad 5, protect the recovery teams!¡± He rushed forward at an incredible speed and mounted the Swirl Leviathan. Brandishing a skill-like magical sword, he thrust it into Swirl Leviathan¡¯s body. -Ka, Aaaah¡­!!- Swirl Leviathan let out a scream of agony. It was the most effective blow among all the attacks from the hunt squad thus far. Usually, the warrior ss focused on tanking due to their inherent roles in parties. But that didn¡¯t mean all warrior ss Holders couldn¡¯t act as damage dealers. Park Jin-woo, for instance, leaned more towards dealing damage than tanking, and I, with a diverse range of runes, also leaned a bit more towards the dealer side. ¡®That person too¡­¡¯ Lim Hyun, an A-grade Holder and the leader, was also of that type. Unlike other B-grade Holders holding shields, he only used dual swords to confront monsters. Hepensated for the tanking role with his natural toughness and evasion ability, all confirmed with his own two eyes. I was purely amazed. ¡®¡­Impressive.¡¯ That¡¯s the level of strength an A-grade Holder possessed. He couldn¡¯tpletely defeat the S-grade monster, but he was inflicting sure and effective damage on Swirl Leviathan. ¡°Squad 5, this way!¡± One of the B-grade Holders leading the warrior ss shouted to Squad 5. Among the temporary hunt squad members, there were two A-grade Holders in the warrior ss. Both of them went to deal exclusively with Swirl Leviathan, which led to a B-grade Holder bing the temporary squad leader. I raised my shield and followed him. My role in Squad 5 was to protect the recovery teams. ¡°Treat the most critical Holders first! Use all the remaining recovery power you have!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have enough recovery-ss members!¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t have enough, just do what you can! You won¡¯t be going to fight that monster, will you?¡± Even the rear was now a battlefield. Holders had been hit by Swirl Leviathan¡¯s water magic and projectile attacks. There were Holders who had died, but even more were injured. It wasn¡¯t good news to have this many casualties already since the battle began. ¡®Recovery-ss Holders are enduring a lot as well¡­¡¯ Moreover, the atmosphere was quite tense. Perhaps it was a natural urrence. Jokes were only made right before the battle. In actualbat, regardless of ss, every Holder became sharp. Even the smallest mistake could lead to the party¡¯s destruction, especially in a battle against monsters. That¡¯s precisely what a battle with monsters was like. ¡°Don¡¯t panic and focus on what¡¯s ahead.¡± Then, a voice came from somewhere. It was a female Holder preparing magic beside me. She seemed to be in herte 30s, roughly¡­ maybe. Even in such a chaotic situation, she appeared veryposed. I could tell she was an experienced high-grade Holder. ¡°Ah! Holder Jeong Seon-young, I¡¯ll apany you¡­!!¡± My instincts didn¡¯t fail. The B-grade Holder, who was leading Squad 5, saw her and shouted upon realizing her presence. Holder Jeong Seon-young. If my spection from earlier was correct, she was likely the leader of the magician ss. Among the five A-grade Holders, she was the one responsible for the magician ss. She shook her head at the B-grade Holder¡¯s words. ¡°This Holder is enough for me. Please protect the recovery line or other dealers.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± The B-grade Holderplied with her words and immediately changed positions. ¡­Damn it. So, I¡¯ve be the exclusive guard for an A-grade Holder? -Kaaa¡­!! And once again. The Swirl Leviathan thrashed about. Its first appearance was a physical attack with its tentacles. Then came the water magic. This time, it was another physical attack. Kwaaang-!! ¡°Ugh! Its strength is too much¡­!!¡± ¡°Everyone, run! We can¡¯t tank this!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ it¡¯s a real monster.¡± The Holders in the front were thrown back like autumn leaves by Swirl Leviathan¡¯s attacks, utilizing various parts of its body such as the tail, hands, and fins. The strength and speed of an S-grade monster were not something easily dealt with, even for warrior-type Holders. And taking advantage of that opening¡­ The dealers¡¯ secondrge-scale attack was ready. Our counterattack after its retaliation. The Holder next to me, Holder Jeong Seon-young ,pleted her preparations and cast a spell. ¡°Swallow the cold.¡± A shortmand came from her mouth. I knew its meaning. ¡®It¡¯s an oration!¡¯ Before the start of the spell, she used an oration. Using an oration meant that Jeong Seon-young ¡®s magic was an ultimate skill. Furthermore, the type of magic was unique. It wasn¡¯t the lightning-type magic that was bothering Swirl Leviathan earlier. It was freezing-type magic. The aura of magical power that chilled the surroundings and the content of the oration undoubtedly indicated that Jeong Seon-young ¡®s magic was rted to [Freezing] rune magic. Creeping- Kwaang- Kwaaang!! The onught from the attack force was instantaneous. Jeong Seon-young ¡®s ultimate freezing-type magic, various lightning-type magic, and the blessings of the archer-type Holders¡¯ arrows. In addition, the physical attacks from the warrior-type Holders in the front. The attacks of nearly 50 pure dealers werebined. This seeded in stripping off Swirl Leviathan¡¯s hide. ¡°It¡¯s working! We¡¯re dealing damage!¡± ¡°S-grade monsters aren¡¯t so tough! Just like this¡­¡± Is that dialogue a standard line? Swirl Leviathan, who had crouched down after the attack, stood up again. Its appearance was much shaggier than before, indicating that the attack had a significant effect. However¡­ TL NOTE: Ill be dividing a chapter by two henceforth as donations are needed to run site and ads revenue is negligible, It will not affect the schedule. Sorry about any inconvenience you may face. Chapter 50: Swirl Leviathan (4) part1

Chapter 50: Swirl Leviathan (4) part1

. Jeong Seon-young raised her tense face and gathered her magic. It was an S-grade monster, a rare disaster monster. Every time a disaster monster appeared, she had applied as the leader for A-grade Holder, but she thought this monster would be especially challenging. Even though there were five A-grade Holders participating, it was still an S-grade monster, a giant creature that emerged from the sea. The terrain was unfavorable, and the monster¡¯s abilities were formidable. ¡®These Holders don¡¯t seem¡­ that impressive.¡¯ She looked around at the groaning injured people filling the scene. Most of them were C-grade Holders experiencing such arge-scale hunt for the first time. Despite its grandiose name, the Disaster Monster Hunting Squad wasn¡¯t very popr among the Holders¡­¡¯Because the rewards are small¡¯. While the risk and difficulty of hunting monsters in disasters were high, and the rewards were disappointing. There were no dungeons to conquer or rest rooms to gain for the first time, and if they were going to hunt field monsters, there was no need to go after disaster monsters. Especially for n leaders and their affiliated Holders, they rarely participated in disaster monster hunts. It was much more profitable for them to operate their own dungeons or continue their training curriculum. S-grade monsters were rtively better inparison. They provided more loot, and the rewards were more luxuriouspared to other monsters. But everythinges with a price. S-grade monsterse with immense risks. ¡®We need to be more careful.¡¯ If the n went awry or unexpected variables urred, the risks would materialize ande back at them. Their main targets were C-grade Holders. Unlike A and B-grade Holders who frequently participated in disaster monster hunts, C-grade Holders were mostly inexperienced neers. Therefore, they were more exposed to danger and there were rtively more injured or dead Holders among them. ¡°Dealers areing from that side!¡± ¡°Darn it! All members of the Warrior Group, raise your shields and move forward!¡± And, as if to prove himself, a C-grade Holder and the supporting personnel headed towards the rear. The water magic of Swirl Leviathan flew at them without hesitation. Water bullets shot out relentlessly. Jeong Seon-young quickly used her skill [Ice Wall] to minimize the damage to the warrior-ss Holders she was guarding. ¡°What the heck is this¡­¡± While she activated her defensive magic, she gritted her teeth at the tenacious counterattack of the S-grade monster. She was a mage, and among them, she specialized in ice magic. Her possessed rune was [Frozen Battlefield], an epic rune highly evaluated in the [Freezing] category, and it was used up to the ultimate skill [Blizzard], but the monster didn¡¯t go down. Although she managed tond definite effective hits, witnessing the creature shedding its skin and blood pouring out. It still had the power to counterattack, which was extraordinary. Indeed, hunting S-grade monsters was not an easy task. ¡®That child¡­ is holding up well.¡¯ Jeong Seon-young¡¯s gaze fell on the other side. The C-grade Holder who was unexpectedly assigned to her protection. He had a good-looking face and looked quite young, like a student who had just graduated or was still studying at the academy. Although she had put him under her protection with the derivative skill [Ice Wall] because she could manage her own defense, unexpectedly, he was holding up well. He had a shield item that seemed to belong to a fairly decent grade. He skillfully used the [Shield] rune to fend off the water bullets, and his posture was that of a typical tank-role warrior. Despite the sudden counterattack of the S-grade monster, he calmly defended her, showing his pride and reliability. Most likely among the C-grade Holders present. Wouldn¡¯t that kid¡¯s fighting sense and judgment be the best? ¡°Again, again¡­ !!¡± And the variable happened again. Swirl Leviathan¡¯s water magic, which had been thought to end with a single counterattack, was poured out again as if it were continuous hits. The direction was also backwards. Despite trying to stop the monster, the warriors at the front were powerless to stop the wind-blown water magic. ¡®I need to be careful.¡¯ Jeong Seon-young bit her lips and used [Ice Wall] even more to block as many water bullets as possible. Many of the warrior-ss Holders who had taken on her protection had already been injured or killed. If she allowed more attacks, the support personnel in the rear would suffer significant damage. ¡®Oh! That child!¡¯ As she used [Ice Wall] to block as many water bullets as possible, Jeong Seon-young suddenly thought of the C-grade Holder she was protecting. He had definitely wielded his [Shield] and protected her well, but when thest water bullet was about to hit him, his shield was almost worn out, so he discarded it and took out his sword. In other words, he was currently defenseless. If not for Jeong Seon-young¡¯s [Ice Wall], he might have been hit and killed by the water bullet. ¡°No¡­!!¡± It was a clear mistake. To save him as quickly as possible, Jeong Seon-young tried to change the direction of her [Ice Wall]. However¡­ ¡°Flow.¡± Chapter 50: Swirl Leviathan (4) part2

Chapter 50: Swirl Leviathan (4) part2

. He was clearly a C-grade Holder. His face was unfamiliar, and he looked quite young. He had recently been transferred to the warrior ss as a squad member. His proficiency with [Shield] was not high, and his shield had worn away in no time. He was one of the 50 C-grade Holders recruited for this expedition. But the words that came from his mouth were of a higher grade. Usually, only A-grade Holders or, at best, B-grade Holders could say it¡­ It was the manifestation of an ¡®Ultimate Skill¡¯. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Jeong Seon-young looked straight at him. He was performing a certain dance. He nonchntly moved his feet as if dancing, easily deflecting all the water bullets that were so fast, they were almost invisible. Both physical and magical attacks. He managed to repel them all with a single sword. There were no more water bulletsing towards Jeong Seon-young and the approaching Holder. They had all been blocked by his sword. It looked like he was performing a dance representing the flow of water. ¡®He¡¯s definitely using an Ultimate Skill.¡¯ From his words and his current state, it was clear. He had used an Ultimate Skill. It was incredible for a mere C-grade Holder to use an Ultimate Skill, but the fact that he possessed a rune of a grade higher than Rare was also noteworthy. Normally, with the ¡®Normal Runes¡¯ Holders usually possess, it¡¯s almost impossible to derive an Ultimate Skill. In other words, the C-grade Holder before her not only had a rune of Rare grade or higher, but he also possessed the abilities and senses to fully utilize it. ¡®What an amazing talent he has.¡¯ Jeong Seon-young looked at him nkly, realizing this. The young C-grade Holder, whose name was unknown. It was indeed exceptional to keep him by her side as her protection. In the end, despite the coincidence, she had made an excellent choice. *** ippotrantions *** ¡®Damn it. I did it.¡¯ Even if mynguage is foul, I can¡¯t help it. The [Water Sword Dance], which I had never seeded with before. I seeded in implementing it perfectly. Although the level of [Water Sword Technique] is not yet 10, and my magical power is insufficient, the ¡®usage restriction¡¯ was applied once again. Anyway, what mattered was that I seeded in the implementation. If I meet the conditions, I can use [Water Sword Dance] again. ¡®Ah, I feel so good.¡¯ The feeling was different from when I gained [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. Back then, I was in an extreme situation, and luck yed a significant role as I wasn¡¯t in my optimal physical condition. I couldn¡¯t even use orations. But this time, my body was in its best state. Using only the shield didn¡¯t pose a problem for wielding the sword and using magic power, and I had faith that Jeong Seon-young, the Holder of the Ice Wall, would protect me even if I failed. Moreover, I had been practicing [Water Sword Dance] diligently while exploring dungeons and fields. I had never seeded before, but I never missed an opportunity to practice the technique. Such an ultimate skill, at the most critical moment. It felt amazing to be implemented at the most needed moment. The understanding of [Water Sword Dance] also improved rapidly, and it reached level 7, just like [Water Sword Technique]. ¡°The monster has fallen into a weakened state!¡± ¡°All members of the raid, focus on defeating the monster!¡± After using [Water Sword Dance] to repel all the water bullets. The temporary raid partyunched a counterattack once again. The raid¡¯s charge, Swirl Leviathan¡¯s counter, and then the raid party¡¯s charge again. It was a pattern simr to before. The previous water magic attack was fierce, but it was beyond its limits. The monster had already endured numerous attacks from the front-line warriors, relentless bombardments from the rear dealers, and some ultimate skills from A-grade Holders. It had allowed too many attacks. Its toughness started to give in. And its never-ending toughness was depleted. It was bound to be fatigued. -Ka, kaaah¡­. Victory hadpletely turned toward the raid party. The dealers were confused due to the water magic attack. As they regained theirposure, they initiated a third bombardment, which resulted in pouring attacks on the already beaten-up monster. Surviving the onught¡­ Even for an S-grade monster, it wasn¡¯t easy. Kuung-!! After enduring all the attacks, Swirll Leviathan finally fell. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°W-we won¡­!!¡± ¡°You damn monster! How dare you kill my friend¡­!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m alive¡­.¡± Not only those nearby but also the Holders in the front lines. They all threw their weapons and shouted loudly. The tiresome battle had finallye to an end. An S-grade monster hunt that seeded through the efforts and sacrifices of many. Finally, victory was achieved. ¡®A bit disappointing though¡­¡¯ I clenched my fist and celebrated together with them, but deep down, there was a slight sense of disappointment. Through this battle, I gained new skills like [Water Sword Dance] and [Iron Wall Defense], and experienced valuable growth, but there was one regretful thing. That was how difficult it seemed to activate [Rune Hunter]. [Rune Hunter] was a rune that allowed me to copy the rune from the opponent after winning a duel. The criteria for the duel and victory were quite generous. Even in multi-versus-one battles, if the contribution was high, it was considered a victory, and I could acquire the opponent¡¯s rune. ¡®But my contribution was low in this battle.¡¯ In this battle, I was unsure whether I was tanking or dealing damage. While I managed to hold the shield, I couldn¡¯tpletely block the monster¡¯s attacks, and I didn¡¯t deal any damage on the offensive side. I did manage to block the monster¡¯s water magic attack with [Water Sword Dance] towards the end, but¡­ even then, it was hardly worth considering it a significant contribution. ¡®Sigh. Let¡¯s be satisfied with gaining two new skills.¡¯ I sighed and quickly gave up on the idea. After all, the main goal was the monster¡¯s magical stone. If I be too greedy, I might end up getting hurt for no reason. Gaining an S-grade monster¡¯s rune would probably have to be postponed for a long time. But¡­ [You won the duel! Since your contribution was ambiguous, only half of the victory is acknowledged. Thanks to the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. As a result of the half victory, the replicated rune will be randomly selected.] [The Swirling Tidal Wave has been selected. As it¡¯s an Epic Rune of level 7, its level will be reduced to 4.] [You have gained a new rune.] [Due to the attributes of the rune, You gained 4 water resistance and 3 magic.] Wait, what? Are you kidding me? Ambiguous contribution? Can that really happen? Chapter 51: Companion (1) (1)

Chapter 51: Companion (1) (1)

. I had been studying [Rune Hunter] extensively during this time. What the criteria for a duel were, and what defined victory. Also, to what extent the stages of Rune downgrading were. [Rune Hunter] was the most essential Rune in my possession, so I needed to grasp more information. As a result, I discovered a few things. ¡®The criteria for a duel are generous yet strict¡¯. The system¡¯s standards are generous in acknowledging battles beyond simple one-on-one duels, even up to battles involving multiple opponents. However, it does not acknowledge the concept of a duel as it is. Only bat¡¯ is recognized as a duel. For instance, deciding victories and losses through rock-paper-scissors or coin flips is not considered a duel¡­ Obviously, nonbat duel wouldn¡¯t work either. Onlybat. Specifically,bat against monsters or Holders utilizing Runes is eligible. The second aspect is the criteria for victory. As long as deliberate maniption of wins and losses is absent, the standard for victory is quite lenient, ¡®because there¡¯s a contribution¡¯. Even in situations of battles against multiple opponents, if my contribution is high enough, victory is adequately acknowledged. I have gained many Runes through such contribution systems, and I have proven this through party raids in the Academy¡¯s underground dungeon. However, this doesn¡¯t mean that it is recognized with just a contribution. That¡¯s not the case either. Even during party raids, I didn¡¯t obtain Runes from monsters that I merely passed by. If the Holder system deems the contribution insufficient, [Rune Hunter] won¡¯t activate. That¡¯s why the phrases that appeared so far have always been about ¡®high contribution¡¯. ¡®But why is this¡­?¡¯ I gazed nkly at the information window. Even though there wasn¡¯t much, [Rune Hunter] had been triggered. It was packaged with the words ¡®ambiguous contribution¡¯. Half of a victory was acknowledged, and a Rune was randomly acquired. ¡®Did blocking the water bullets twice y a significant role?¡¯ It was the only possibility. The chance of a malfunction in the Holder system was absolutely zero, and probably blocking the monster¡¯s water bullets twice with the use of [Iron Wall Defense] and [Water Sword Dance] had a significant impact. Especially for Jeong Seon-young, the core attacker of the raid. Since my main goal of defense was to protect her, these points seemed to be acknowledged as contributions. Regardless, from my perspective, I had gained a Rune for free. ¡®What¡¯s this all about¡­¡¯ [Swirling Tidal Wave]. An S-grade monster¡¯s Rune, and an Epic Rune at that. The highest-grade Rune that cane from a monster. To think that such a thing came out through random acquisition¡­ I hadn¡¯t even had luck like this. I cautiously examined the Rune information. ¡òName: Swirling Tidal Wave ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 4 ¡òEngraved Location: Mouth ¡òSpecial Effects: : Can manipte water freely. When using water magic or skills rted to ¡®Wave¡¯ or ¡®Whirlpool¡¯ in the sea, it can exert significantly stronger power. : Receives adjustments in growth and effect amplification for all Runes rted to water. : Water resistance +4, : Magic +3 ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [New Wave] ¡òDetailed Information: The fierce whirlpool is contained within the waves of a seemingly all-epassing tide. One who can master the fierce waves of the Swirling Tidal Wave will soon be able to control water and the sea as naturally as breathing. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I found myself marveling without realizing it. Can you really get a Rune this good even through random acquisition? The effects were so good that it stabbed at my conscience to some extent. When dissected one by one, there was no effect that could be discarded. First and foremost, the fact that I could manipte water. Like [Fiery me], [ Swirling Tidal Wave ] was a Rune rted to magic, allowing maniption of water and use of water-rted magic. Though I hadn¡¯t learned about magical manifestation yet, I could use water as an offensive tool using magic power. Additionally, I could freely move water wherever there was a river, sea, or any body of water. This meant that I could handle both fire and water, two opposing elements. ¡®And growth increase and effect amplification for all water-rted Runes? Insane.¡¯ The second special effect. This was truly amazing. At first nce, it seemed useless without any water-rted Runes, but this was a total cheat. If I¡¯m not mistaken, it¡¯s Kakashi from the Holder n who possesses such a rune. Currently and in the future, I would have plenty of opportunities to acquire water-rted Runes, and it was clear that the effects would multiply as I acquired rted Runes. Moreover, the Runes I currently possess also have water-rted aspects. [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]. While both Runes are rted to sword techniques, as the names imply, they also contain the essence of water. If the judgment is made that both sword techniques are rted to water, it would be a definite opportunity to enhance my core Runes. ¡®I need to experiment with thister.¡¯ When I find some time, I¡¯ll have to experiment. I would be able to understand those effects properly. Lastly, there¡¯s a derivative skill called [New Wave]. Seeing that I, who can¡¯t perform magic, gained this skill, it¡¯s likely more of a magic skill rather than a magical form. Even for someone like me who can¡¯t use magic, this skill seems to be about manipting massive waves anywhere there¡¯s even a little water¡­. Unfortunately, it has a one-day cooldown. A skill that can only be used once a day. It seemed challenging to utilize during dungeon raids or field hunting where you need to continuously defeat monsters. Anyway, since it¡¯s a derivative skill of an Epic Rune, there might be a use for it somewhere. Moreover, it increases water resistance and magic. There truly wasn¡¯t a single effect to discard. ¡®This should be top-tier even among Epic Runes.¡¯ Being in the same grade doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re of the same level. Just like how the [Rune Hunter], which can replicate opponent¡¯s Runes, and [Oppression], which is effective against opponents with lower abilities, can¡¯t be ced on the same level, even among Epic Runes, there are slight differences in performance and effects. Chapter 52: Companion (2) (1)

Chapter 52: Companion (2) (1)

. Kim Chae-eun didn¡¯t know what to do when she first saw Jeong Seon-young. She didn¡¯t know much about her, but Jeong Seon-young was said to be incredibly famous in the ice magic magician field. Well, she was known even more among the ice-rted runic spells that seemed almost epic, so it was even more remarkable within the rted field. Meeting the senior she had respected for so long and now traveling with her brought an overwhelming joy. Thanks to this, throughout the journey to Daegu, Jeong Seon-young was able to witness Kim Chae-eun¡¯s new side. ¡°Senior, would you like some water?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay. I already have some.¡± Even when she was drinking water while eating. ¡°Senior, how¡¯s the water temperature at the amodation? Is it too cold by any chance? Should I talk to the counter?¡± ¡°¡­This ce is run by an acquaintance of mine.¡± Even when unpacking at the lodging. ¡°Senior, I brought three different coffees ¨C Americano,tte, and mocha. Please enjoy whatever isfortable for you, hehe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even when drinking coffee at the caf¨¦, Kim Chae-eun¡¯s enthusiasm was evident. Although she was already sociable, this side of her was unfamiliar. ¡°If you have any difort, please tell me!¡± ¡°Well, uh¡­ ¡° Jeong Seon-young sent me a look that she felt burdened. She had spokenfortably to both me and Kim Chae-eun. By the way, it was all because of Kim Chae-eun¡¯s persistent request to put her at ease. ¡®Try to handle her.¡¯ Her eyes were saying that. I closed my eyes and lowered my head. I couldn¡¯t handle this. The runaway Kim Chae-eun couldn¡¯t even be stopped by her father, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. ¡°Oh, by the way. Is there anything you want to buy at the auction?¡± After taking a sip of coffee, Jeong Seon-young changed the subject. We were in a caf¨¦ in Dongseong-ro. It was the most famous caf¨¦ in Jung-gu, and its interior was colorful and pretty. The auction would be held nearby tomorrow. In addition to the regr auction items, there would also be an S-ss disaster monster¡¯s byproduct auction. Both Jeong Seon-young and I participated in this disaster monster hunt, so naturally, we had the right to purchase items from thetter. ¡°Um¡­ well.¡± But can I really say this? What if the items I want to buy ovep? As if understanding those concerns, Jeong Seon-young smiled and spoke. ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s okay. What I¡¯m nning to buy won¡¯t ovep with what you guys want. You¡¯re not interested in leather anyway, right?¡± ¡°Leather?¡± ¡°Yeah. The leather from S-ss monsters is quite popr.¡± Unlike dungeons, field monsters didn¡¯t offer rewards in the rest room. They didn¡¯t yield special items like equipment, essories, and various potions that Holders mainly used. Of course, there were rare instances when certain body parts of monsters could be turned into items, but in most cases, field monsters only dropped magic stones and byproducts. And excluding magic stones, the most popr byproduct was ¡®monster leather¡¯. ¡°Why is leather so popr?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked with a curious expression. I was sure this had been covered in the ss about . I answered in ce of Jeong Seon-young. ¡°Leather is a key material when cksmiths make armor. It¡¯s also used for essories and research materials.¡± The byproducts obtained from monsters were quite diverse. Among them, the most well-known was magic stones. Magic stones were the main source of ie for Holders and had a wide range of uses. They were used as materials for maintaining magical phenomena like [Magic Barrier] and [Warp Gate], and were often used in making high-grade equipment, armor, and crafting special items like potions. Stones that contained magic. True to their name, magic stones were used wherever magic was required. This high demand and supply within the Holdermunity made them highly valuable. ¡°The next popr byproduct is leather. The higher the monster¡¯s grade, the better the quality of the leather. A-grade monster leather can sell for hundreds of millions.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ They sell for that much?¡± ¡°Yeah. High-quality leather has a high chance of producing high-grade items.¡± Expensive leather results in good items. Honestly, if I had the luxury, I would buy leather in addition to magic stones. Especially if it¡¯s the leather of the S-ss monster, Swirl Leviathan¡­ It¡¯s certain that at least rare or higher items would be made. Plus, I know a cksmith who can make items of that level. But the top priority right now is magic stones. The chance to obtain Legendary Runes and the rarity of rare armor didn¡¯t evenpare. Kim Chae-eun, who had been listening quietly, suddenly tilted her head and smiled. ¡°But why haven¡¯t I ever gained leather before?¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t have the butchering rune. You need to know how to do it to get leather.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a butchering rune?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s ssified as a specialized rune.¡± Unlike magic stones that anyone can easily gain, various byproducts from monsters such as leather, hearts, and bodily fluids can only be urately collected by professional butchers. Regr Holders can also perform butchering, but the byproducts are often damaged or significantly lower in quality. For ordinary Holders, obtaining byproducts from monsters isn¡¯t easy. For this reason, domestic ns would often employ specialized butchers among their n members to maximize the value of their owned dungeons. Chapter 53: Companion (3) (1)

Chapter 53: Companion (3) (1)

. The next evening. We had finished a light dinner and were at the auction house. Here, an entire building was dedicated to the auction house. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s huge.¡± Kim Chae-eun muttered under her breath as she looked at the massive building size. It was a towering building, as if it could pierce the sky. She absentmindedly looked up and slowly admired the splendid architectural style of the building. ¡­I feel like she might bump into someone passing by. And indeed, it happened. Another group trying to enter the auction house passed by her side. I lightly grabbed Kim Chae-eun¡¯s shoulder and pulled her towards us. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Look ahead.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Thanks¡­.¡± Jeong Seon-young looked at us with a smile, as if finding us cute. ¡°It¡¯s possible. When I first came here, I was surprised by how big the auction house waspared to what I expected.¡± ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve been to the auction house often, senior.¡± ¡°True. Especially disaster monster hunters like mee here frequently. If you observe the situation well, you can get good items at unexpectedly low prices in the auction house.¡± It shouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal to have equipment support just by joining a n. And on top of that, Jeong Seon-young was also an A-grade Holder. I scratched my head and asked her, ¡°Senior, you¡¯re not part of a n?¡± ¡°ns are tedious. It¡¯s tiring to see Holder ying politics, even those who should be focused on runes.¡± ¡°But you consistently participate in disaster monster hunts.¡± ¡°Someone has to do that kind of thing.¡± Jeong Seon-young had a firm philosophy as a Holder. I will step forward and protect the citizens! It¡¯s not exactly a sense of justice like that, but¡­ She seemed to have no regrets about the path and actions she had chosen. As a fellow Holder, there was a lot to learn from her. ¡°Please present your Holder registration and admission tickets.¡± After we entered the building. Upon reaching the simply adorned entrance. A staff member in a suit politely spoke. We handed over three admission tickets. Both Jeong Seon-young and I, who had hunted S-grade disaster monsters together, had ¡®Confirmation of Participation in Raid¡¯ endorsed by the Association added to our admission tickets. ¡°One regr admission and two special admissions. Confirmed. Wee to the Korean Holder Auction House, Daegu Branch.¡± With the staff member¡¯s permission, we entered the interior. Even after entering, Kim Chae-eun looked around here and there. ¡°But it¡¯s really fascinating¡­¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I thought since it¡¯s an auction house, it would be like a stadium or something.¡± ¡°Pfft ¨C like that Colosseum?¡± ¡°Yeah! But the interior is just ordinary¡­ like other buildings.¡± Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun cutely as she said that. ¡°Don¡¯t be too disappointed. Probably the 4th and 5th floors, where the auction takes ce, are decorated as Chae-eun mentioned. The auction itself is sorge that they use two whole floors as the auction venue.¡± Kim Chae-eun, her ardent follower, sped her hands together. ¡°So, can we auction together with you, senior?!¡± ¡°Well, yes¡­ a group of people can participate together, up to four.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s a relief. I thought we had to split up without any choice.¡± Asrge as the Daegu auction house is, it¡¯s also segmented by floors. The 1st floor is the entrance and reception. The 2nd and 3rd floors are direct item sale spaces. Holders can directly purchase various equipment and special items they need, and the variety is as extensive as the space itself. And as Jeong Seon-young mentioned, the 4th and 5th floors. These two floors arebined into one auction space. So, the auction house is designed with stepped seating, much like an auditorium or arge art hall, for the auction participants. As you go higher up, there are also plenty of spaces for Holders¡¯ convenience, such as reception areas, lounge areas, and restaurants. A 13-story building in total. Truly a massive auction house. I heard that it¡¯s the secondrgest in size after the Seoul main branch. ¡°I think our seats are over there.¡± Upon entering the 4th floor, I saw rows of chairs that seemed to go on endlessly. I pointed to the seat at the very top among them. It was a space where about four people could sit. ¡°Seems like it. Let¡¯s go over there and sit.¡± ¡°Yes, senior.¡± Surprisingly, the seats inside the auction house were neat. Chairs and tables forfortable sitting. On top of the table were a green buzzer and a microphone. And there was a digital screen that would disy information about the items. Since it was my first time experiencing an auction, just like Kim Chae-eun, I found all these things fascinating. ¡°Fortunately, they won¡¯t be using number tes for the auction.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for the old-style auctions.¡± The three of us sat down and engaged in casual conversation. About 30 minutes had passed like that. Holders in various outfits started to take their seats one by one, and soon, most of the seats were filled, and all the auction participants had gathered. Then, a person who seemed to be the auctioneer and a few staff members came out to the stage and greeted everyone. -To all the Holders shining in Korea, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Hyun-woo, the host of the 117th Holder Auction hosted by the Korean Holder Auction House. Before we proceed with the actual auction, let me briefly exin the format of this auction. The host greeted everyone and projected a slide onto the screen behind him as he spoke. -This auction will be conducted through an openpetitive bidding process. You, the Holders, can participate in the auction using the buzzer and microphone at your seat. You must ce bids higher than the current price being offered for the item you wish to purchase. If the final price remains unchanged until I call three bids, the item will be awarded at that final price. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Chapter 54: God of the Auction (1) (1)

Chapter 54: God of the Auction (1) (1)

. ¡òName: Sword of Repentance ¡òType: Sword ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òMaker: ¨C ¨C ¡òSpecial Effects: : Strength +3, Recovery +5 : Can exhibit an additional 50% performance when fighting undead opponents. : The higher the possessor¡¯s recovery value, the more the sword¡¯s power increases dramatically. ¡òInherent Skill : [Divine sh] ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : A sword imbued with the repentant heart of a human who once engaged in wrongdoing. The strike of the repentant one can bring annihtion even to those who had forgotten death and lived. ¨C The first auction item. The minimum bidding price is 100 million won, and bidding will start from 100 million won. As soon as the item information was disyed on the digital screen, the auctioneer¡¯s voice rang out. ¡®Starting with the first auction item.¡¯ It¡¯s an epic item from the beginning. With remarkable special effects alone, not to mention the ¡®inherent skill¡¯, it¡¯s a fraudulent item. Even I, who prioritizes magic stones, found myself tempted. Especially the special effect that increases power as the recovery value rises. This was an appealing effect that would catch the eye of ¡®Pdins¡¯, who belong to the special warrior ss. ¡®It¡¯s slightly betterpared to mine¡­¡¯ I also possess an epic item. [Cursed Spellbook]. An item gained in the Rest Room while conquering the ¡®Goblin Lair.¡¯ [Cursed Spellbook] has quite a decent effect even among epic-grade items. By studying the spellbook for three hours a day for ten days, it provides a corrective effect on attributes, granting +2 to magic, recovery, and willpower attributes each. ¡®Among special items, it¡¯s almost top-tier.¡¯ Its effect was quite substantialpared to special items that directly help inbat. In contrast, [Sword of Repentance] had a limited attribute correction that could only be used with equipment and was geared towards Pdin use. However, it had a significant advantage in having a unique ¡®inherent skill¡¯ that other equipmentcked, and the fact that it¡¯s a non-armor equipment with a high price range. Considering the price of epic-grade non-armor items, this kind of item might not go for less than 100 million. With my current financial situation, there¡¯s no way I can afford it. ¡°Ahem.¡± But there was now against participating in the early stages of the auction. ¨C 100 million. I pressed the buzzer first and ced a bid. 100 million won. The minimum bidding price for this auction item. Naturally, this price wouldn¡¯t secure the winning bid. Competition bids would drive it higher. And my bid began rather ominously. Other Holders participated in the auction with a chuckle. ¨C 1 billion. ¨C 1.5 billion. ¨C 2.5 billion. Competition ignited immediately. Although the minimum bidding price was 100 million won, bids quickly reached nearly 30 billion as prices soared to substantial levels. ¡°You¡¯re not going to participate more?¡± Jeong Seon-young, who was beside me, asked with a smile. Even though I tried to stop¡­ she¡¯s urging me on to buy it¡­ . Honestly, seeing an epic item in front of me makes me want to shout too. In auctions, people tend to want to buy anything. But I shook my head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s meant for me.¡± The excuse sounded usible, but in truth¡­ Even if I wanted to buy it, I don¡¯t have the money. -29 billion is the current bid. Any further bids? The auctioneer¡¯s voice resounded. The price of [Sword of Repentance] had reached a staggering 29 billion won. Indeed, the financial power of the Holders was beyond imagination. Looking at the participants, they seemed like ordinary warrior-type individuals. Even if they weren¡¯t Pdins, it¡¯s probably suitable as a main weapon for them. The auctioneer nced around for a moment and then continued. -We will close the bidding after three more bids. 29 billion¡­ 29 billion¡­ Congrattions. The first auction item has been sold for 29 billion won.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Kim Chae-eun eximed at the price that exceeded imagination. Then she spoke in a low voice. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really expensive. I¡¯ve never seen such an expensive item.¡± Jeong Seon-young answered with a smile. ¡°The people who buy these things are mostly A-grade Holders. They earn a lot of money.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that price overwhelming?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s overwhelming. That¡¯s why they¡¯re willing to spend a lot. It¡¯s a high-performance epic item.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Jeong Seon-young added a few words to Kim Chae-eun, who was shaking her head. ¡°Real expensive epic items can go up to 100 billion.¡± ¡°Ah, a hundred billion?¡± ¡°Yeah. This is essentially a Holder auction. It¡¯s practically at the level of art auctions or even higher.¡± Fortunately, it was a relief that the items we wanted didn¡¯t ovep with theirs. Well, in the first ce, if you don¡¯t participate in the raid, you won¡¯t even have a chance to purchase monster materials. The auction proceeded smoothly after that. From armor and weapons to ornate Holder essories, various potions and elixirs, and special items with unique effects. Items of various grades poured into the auction. And I bid on each one as they appeared. ¨C 50 million. ¨C 100 million. ¨C 1 million. ¨C 30 million. The minimum bidding price for the auction item. And after hearing him say that. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 55: God of Auctions (2) (1)

Chapter 55: God of Auctions (2) (1)

. Han Hyun-min concealed a smile at the corner of his mouth. In a low voice, he ced his bid. -400 million. -500 million. Another twist urred once again. This time, Do Jae-hyun ced apeting bid without hesitation. When he bid 300 million, his face wrinkled in annoyance, but when he bid 500 million, his expression remained nk. It was the same face he had when he first bid. While it might seem unchanged to others, Han Hyun-min understood the significance. ¡®He¡¯s determined to take it.¡¯ Whenpetition arises for the desired item, he engages inpetitive bidding without hesitation. His attitude indicates a strong determination to acquire this item. And such a demeanor¡­ ¡®That¡¯s your mistake, Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ For him, a hunter of auctions, it was nothing but a prey full of ws. -1 billion. With confidence, Han Hyun-min swiftly raised the bidding unit. As thepetition ensued with increments of 100 million, the price suddenly jumped to 5 billion. While such price fluctuations aremon in auctions, intense pricepetition for unappraised items is rare. Of course, there are times whenpetition for unappraised items goes beyond several tens of billions of won. For instance, domestically ssified artifacts deemed as ¡®items¡¯. Items steeped in history could be legendary or, even if not legendary, possess significant performance. Auction prices are determined considering these aspects. In fact, even the [Sword of Repentance], an unappraised item at the time, achieved an auction price of 90 billion based on excavation circumstances, conditions, and the item¡¯s appearance. However, this auction item had no relevant basis¡­ Apletely unappraised live item. Even if it were sold for just 100 million, it would sell well. And around that time¡­ The surrounding Holders started to stir. ¡°What¡¯s this? 1 billion?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so special that you¡¯d bid 1 billion? Isn¡¯t it an unappraised item?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, that person is him. He¡¯s a dedicated Holder from the Sunset¡¯s Flower. His auction sess rate is incredible, so shouldn¡¯t we follow his lead?¡± ¡°Man, you followed, thinking something good woulde out of the unappraised item. What in God¡¯s name are you bidding 1 billion for?¡± Unappraised items are, quite literally, spective items. No matter how much money holders make, spending over 1 billion on such items is foolish. Only A-grade Holders can afford such sumsfortably. And they aren¡¯t interested in unappraised items. With their financial resources, they can purchase verified items and still have plenty left over. ¡®Now, how will it turn out, Do Jae-hyun?¡¯ Han Hyun-min gazed at him with keen interest. Although not clearly visible from a distance, his expression was caught¡ªtwisting and turning. A look that seemed unsolved. His second change in expression since Han Hyun-min¡¯s initial bid. -1 billion. Is there no one else bidding? If not, I will conclude the bidding after the third bid. 1 billion, 1 billion¡­ And just before the auctioneer¡¯s deration of the winner¡­ Do Jae-hyun ced a new bid. -2 billion. ¡°2 billion?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? How¡¯s this flowing?¡± ¡°Could there really be something special about that item? Shouldn¡¯t we buy it right now?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. If you want it, you buy it. How much did I lose by following the previous unappraised item?!¡± A bid of 2 billion. The price doubled in an instant. Themotion among the onlookers intensified, and Han Hyun-min was also surprised, staring at him. ¡®He¡¯s bidding so aggressively.¡¯ Something is up. There¡¯s definitely something. The situation isn¡¯t easily understandable. Suspicious behavior. Han Hyun-min felt his hypothesis gaining strength. ¡®There must be runes or items involved.¡¯ Skills or items that can roughly assess unappraised items. He hadn¡¯t experienced them firsthand, but he¡¯d heard about them from other Holders he¡¯d encountered at auctions. They seemed to know something and participated in auctions with such conditions. And those unappraised items were almost always big hits. Special auction conditions he¡¯d only heard about. Do Jae-hyun was certainly participating with such conditions. Even if he had a feeling, would he just bid 2 billion right away? Unless he could use rted runes to check unappraised items. It was an amount that wouldn¡¯te easily. ¡®Perhaps he thought I¡¯d drop out.¡¯ It¡¯s only natural. This amount is not something you¡¯d bid on just out ofpetition. If you followed here, you¡¯d actually be the fool. But Han Hyun-min smiled inwardly. ¡®It¡¯s still early, Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ At least in terms of Holder auctions. He was a veteran who yed above Do Jae-hyun¡¯s head. ¡°Eun-chul, is the Holder with the appraisal skill waiting outside?¡± Han Hyun-min asked his junior n member next to him. Before this auction, he received support from the n, totaling 40 billion won and a Holder with an ¡®appraisal¡¯ skill affiliated with the n. The n demanded that he win items they required and, at his discretion, acquire items that would benefit the n. This was possible due to Han Hyun-min¡¯s numerous auction sesses as a member of . Thanks to this, he obtained many valuable items using approximately 33 billion won. Leaving around 7 billion. It was still more than enough to deal with a rookie Holder. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s waiting outside.¡± ¡°He will go to the 6th floor reception desk after this item¡¯s auction ends. Get this item and prepare for appraisal immediately.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Unlike regr items, ¡­ Unappraised items can be received by proxy. Due to the lengthy auction duration, many Holders want to appraise the items immediately and check the information. That¡¯s why junior n members are assigned to handle proxy receiving. This unappraised item, it¡¯s certain that he will be the one to receive it. -3 billion. -4 billion. Han Hyun-min ced a bid of 3 billion. And Do Jae-hyun immediately followed with a bid of 4 billion. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 56: Return and Inspection (1) (1)

Chapter 56: Return and Inspection (1) (1)

. Han Hyun-min had copsed. Seeing him suddenly spend 7 billion won, far more than thepetitive price he had been battling at 1 billion won increments, it was clear that he had used up all the support funds from his n¡¯s remaining subsidies. It seemed much easier to deplete his fortune than I had anticipated, but that was possible because I understood his disposition so well. ¡®Han Hyun-min belongs to the ¡®Sunset¡¯s Flower¡¯. He was dealt with once in the original work.¡¯ Han Hyun-min is a gambler. He approached auctions more calmly than anyone else, and even if he thought it was crucial, he wasn¡¯t afraid to bid fearlessly. Furthermore, he never underestimated hispetitors. He didn¡¯t dismiss them just because he saw them for the first time; he would resort to any means necessary to win, regardless of who the opponent was. He truly was a master of auctions. He shone more brightly in the auction house than on the battlefield. ¡®You built up well from the start¡¯. I thought to myself, aiming to catch his attention. From the beginning of the auction, I introduced a unique auction method. I handled the opening bid for every item in the auction and then abstained from participating further. Thanks to this, I brought five items without appraisals. It wasn¡¯t a groundbreaking achievement, but it was definitely an unconventional winning method. And this had left a special impression on Han Hyun-min. A rookie Holder like me, appearing experienced in auctions? That was the impression I aimed for. He probably had been watching my auctions for a long time and had anticipated the moment when I would join the pricepetition. He must have been certain that I had some sort of rune or item that allowed me to appraise items in advance. ¡®It¡¯s not like I would be in this situation if I had something like that¡­¡¯ In reality, I was just bluffing with nothing. Han Hyun-min had gotten too immersed in the auction, and as a result, he had missed out on many basics. Nevertheless, I was a rookie Holder, and my financial resources were limited. There was no rune or item that could enable me to appraise items remotely. He must have believed that there was such a thing. Actually, it was just an empty show. He was so confident in his skills in auctions that he believed all his decisions were correct. He had fallen into a form of self-assuredness. Thanks to that, I was able to eliminate the biggestpetitor in the Magic Stone auction. Han Hyun-min had even participated in the hunt for the Swirl Leviathan, that persistent fellow. He was the type of guy who was willing to risk his life to obtain a special auction ticket and even participate in hunting disaster monsters. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Amidst all this, Kim Chae-eun sitting beside me called me in a quiet voice. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bid more? You had more money.¡± 7 billion won. It was a staggering amount, but in fact, I could afford to spend that much money. Before participating in this auction, I had signed a contract to borrow about 4 billion won from Kim Chae-eun. Although she had said she could just give it to me if I wanted, I had still written up the contract because I thought even 4 billion might not be enough to buy what I wanted. In any case, thanks to that, I had 8 billion won in my funds. Even after purchasing five items without appraisals, I still had money left over. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wasn¡¯t nning to buy it anyway. I told you, I¡¯m going to buy a Magic Stone.¡± I said in a hushed voice, just in case anyone might overhear. Either way, the likelihood of purchasing a Magic Stone increased due to our recent operation. The A-grade Holders who participated in the hunt were more interested in regr auctions¡¯ items than monster parts. The B-grade Holders were hesitant to spend more than 8 billion won on a Magic Stone. As for the C-grade Holders, they were less likely to participate in the auction in the first ce. Although S-grade Magic Stones were rare, they were valuable mainly to researchers or creators, notbat Holders like me. -I will make the final bid three times. 5.7 billion, 5.7 billion, 5.7 billion¡­ Congrattions. The thirty-fourth auction item has been sold for 5.7 billion won. ¡®Yes! Sess!¡¯ The auction proceeded smoothly after that. The S-grade Magic Stone of the Swirl Leviathan was mine for a whopping 5.7 billion won. Additionally, various other items, such as the gills and leather of the Swirl Leviathan, were auctioned off. Jeong Seon-young managed to acquire the gills she had wanted. With the remaining money, I purchased one more auction item. [Frosted Staff]. A rare-grade staff highly effective for ice-type magic users. It was a gift for Kim Chae-eun, who had willingly lent me an enormous sum of money. She had said she would just give it to me if I wanted, but due to my stubbornness, I ended up borrowing from her. I wondered if I might be taken advantage of in the future. ¡°S-grade Magic Stone, Frosted Staff, and five types of unappraised items. The recipients have been confirmed.¡± After the auction concluded, we went to the sixth floor¡¯s collection desk to receive our auction items. I took a brief moment to check whether the Magic Stone I had acquired was indeed the Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone. [The Magic Stone of the Forgotten Dragon is being filled. The stone is enveloped in an aura of strange power.] ¡®All right!¡¯ Simr to the incident with Grizzly Drake¡¯s Magic Stone, an information window popped up, confirming that this Magic Stone was the correct answer. Although I was pleased with my urate prediction, I also felt a sense of unease. After nearly facing death and putting in so much effort, spending an enormous sum of 5.7 billion won to finally fill one of the Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stones¡­ I wondered how I would fill the remaining three. Moreover, unlike the Swirl Leviathan, there isn¡¯t any special information about the remaining creatures. I don¡¯t know their monster rankings or their runes and characteristics, so honestly, it¡¯s a bit daunting. ¡®Still, well, somehow I¡¯ll manage.¡¯ I didn¡¯t think obtaining legendary runes would be that easy. Furthermore, even Ji Yoon-jae, who belongs to the , seeded. My situation was even better. There was no reason for me to fail. ¡°Are you heading home now?¡± Returning to the desk area, Jeong Seon-young asked me. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 57: Return and Inspection (2) (1)

Chapter 57: Return and Inspection (2) (1)

. -Kaaak¡­!! After a long time, the cries of the lizards spread through the dungeon. The lizardmen were all over in all directions. Even though they were C-grade monsters, they were dangerous when they gathered in numbers. However, having be ustomed to one-on-one battles while attacking the ¡®Goblin Lair¡¯, I now found it easier to deal with these creatures inbat. Moreover, these creatures didn¡¯t have shields. They were monsters who relied solely on tridents and strength to fight. -Kaaak!! -Kaak, kaaah¡­!! ¡°I prefer kaak over kekruk.¡± The cries of the lizardmen seemed more appealing than those of the goblins. Thebat formation was simr to the strategy used for the goblinir. I would draw their attention with [Bow] or [Dagger], then use my mainbat runes to take them down one by one. The main rune I used was [Sword]. Among them, Ibined [Water Sword Techniques] and [Wave Sword Techniques]. For defensive runes, I utilized [Agile Agility]. I was both a tank and a damage dealer. The rune¡¯s capabilities allowed me to fulfill both roles. Various distributed runes made this possible, and well-rounded growth in abilities supported me. [Rune level increased.] [Rune level increased.] Around the time I had defeated about 70 lizardmen. The information screen for the awaited rune level increase appeared. ¡°So, it really works.¡± What I wanted to test during this inspection was the versatility of [Swirling Tidal Wave], which I obtained while defeating the Swirl Leviathan. I wanted to determine the range of the term ¡®rted to water¡¯ within the special effect of the rune, which was ¡®increased growth and amplification of effects for all runes rted to water¡¯. Both [Wave Sword Techniques] and [Water Sword Techniques] were sword techniques resembling the form of water. The former visualized rushing waves, while thetter visualized calm flowing waves. Thus, I spected that both sword techniques would fall under runes rted to water. The term ¡®rted¡¯ can have a wide range depending on the perspective. And as expected, my spection was urate. ¡°The growth rate is faster, and the power has increased.¡± When hunting lizardmen using a sword. I felt much morefortable than before. While my stats and rune levels had increasedpared to before, the effect adjustment provided by [Swirling Tidal Wave] couldn¡¯t be ignored. Furthermore, the levels of both sword techniques had just reached level 8. The rapid growth of the previous water-rted rune and the growth increase of [Effort of the Seeker]bined to achieve an unbelievable growth rate. Now, only 2 levels remain to reach level 10¡­ Perhaps before I advanced to B-grade, the usage restriction on ultimate skills might be lifted. -Keyeee¡­!! Familiar cries were heard even in the middle part. Poisonous Iguana. Although small in stature, it was a formidable monster threatening opponents with swift and fast attacks and [venom]. Instead of focusing on hitting it, I researched how to endure its attacks. Dealing with it was trickier than dealing with lizardmen due to them only having strength and not agility, so I needed to inspect tank-oriented runes as well. [Learning to take hits! Your defense, blocking attacks with shield tactics, gains finesse.] [Rune level increased.] [Gained 1 toughness with the rune¡¯s affinity.] [The vicious venom courses through your body. Your understanding of handling poison increases further.] [Rune level increased.] [Gained 1 poison resistance with the rune¡¯s affinity .] Low-level runes were steadily growing. [Iron Wall Defense] obtained from the goblin chieftain reached level 5, and after enduring the toxin of the Poisonous Iguana with my body, [Venom] also reached level 5. ¡°Now most of the main runes are at least level 5.¡± Excluding runes that can be grown in special situations like [Oppression], [Sturdy Fangs], and [Quadruped Combat] all the main runes forbat had surpassed level 5. If it was about tanking, it was tanking. If it was about dealing damage, it was dealing damage. Support meant support. I could handle all the roles in a raid by myself. Extras, there were no extras like me. ¡°¡­Although there are downsides.¡± As the number of runes increased, the time required to nurture them also increased. This was one of the factors slowing down rune growth, even with the [Effort of the Seeker]. This part would likely remain a problem I needed to keep thinking about. With elerated growth in main rune abilities, some runes might need to be abandoned. For instance, [Simple Curse], which I couldn¡¯t even raise to level 1 after obtaining it. -Keyeee!! -Key, keyeee¡­!! Looking around, I noticed that the Poisonous Iguana was continuously swarming. I had taken a brief moment to pause, and now a group of them had formed. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going.¡± My choice was [Sprint]. Without looking back, I fled. No matter how strong I had be, honestly, it was difficult to face B-grade monsters of this number all at once. To be precise, I could somehow manage to face them. [Fiery me] and [Swirling Tidal Wave]. Now that the two runes utilizing magic power had be dedicated damage-dealing runes. They still were not effective against these monsters. Using water and fire against reptilian monsters had little effect. Kang Juyeon¡¯s magical attack was effective because her fire magic was powerful enough to ignore elemental weaknesses. Perhaps if my two magic-rted runes grew significantly, I could deal some damage to them. ¡°¡­Should I just acquire lightning-rted runes?¡± Maybe that would be quicker. *** ippotrantions *** Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 58: Is this really an internship? (1) (1)

Chapter 58: Is this really an internship? (1) (1)

. After walking through Yeouido Park for quite a while, we finally arrived at the location of the n Tower. ¡°This is our n tower,¡± Kang Ju-yeon pointed at the building with her finger. Following her gesture, my gaze also turned towards the building. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± This is a building, no, a tower¡­. It was a building near Yeouido Post Tower, boasting a grand presence, the n Tower. Even at a nce, it seemed to be more than 30 stories tall, with a simple exterior, and the n name and emblem indicating it was the building were hung near the top of the building. Compared to the auction house I had seen in Daegu, this building was muchrger in scale. It was truly fitting for the title of one of the top three ns in the country. ¡°Come this way.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± At Kang Juyeon¡¯s gentle pull on my sleeve, I snapped out of my daze and followed her lead. I couldn¡¯t just keep staring at the exterior forever. I had to understand the interior structure of the n tower, and there was a lot to do on my first day as a member. ¡°Here is the 1st-floor front desk. This is where we handle external visitors, n customer consultations, and n tower check-ins for amodations.¡± ¡°They offer amodations in the n tower?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s asionally provided for guests visiting the n or for n members on special missions. The interior structure is like an officetel¡­¡± ¡°A true officetel, indeed.¡± Korean officetels are another form of ¡®home¡¯ created by avoiding building regtions. Usually, they¡¯re called officetels in name only and are mostly used as residential spaces¡­ The amodation system provided by the n Tower was truly like a genuine officetel, where work and stay werebined, a literal officetel. We walked towards the entrance of the building. The system required showing an ess card to check the entry pass and then entering. On either side stood men dressed like bodyguards. Judging by the ssic weapons they carried, they were holders. However, they seemed to be going through an awkward situation. It was because a man was trying to enter the entrance in a rather impudent manner. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that. Entry without a pass is not allowed.¡± ¡°Ugh, seriously! Hey, you guys. I¡¯m the leader of Hunting Team 5. I¡¯m your senior. What kind of regret are you trying to haveter? You¡¯re making an irreversible mistake, seriously? So, please let me in. Huh?¡± ¡°¡­Entry is not allowed without a pass.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so frustrating. Who¡¯s the genius who put two rookies in charge of the entrance?¡± Kang Juyeon was about to enter after showing her ess card, but she paused briefly and approached them when she saw the struggling man. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We, we greet you Holder Kang Juyeon!¡± The guards quickly saluted as soon as they saw Kang Juyeon. ¡­This is not like meeting a major general. Why are their greetings and attitudes so rigid? However, Kang Juyeon returned the greeting with a nod as if she were used to it. Then, the man who had been struggling in front of them. When he saw her, his expression changed as if he had met a savior. He quickly approached and grabbed Kang Juyeon¡¯s wrist. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here! Miss has arrived. I¡¯m saved. I can finally go in. Miss, wee. Could you please confirm my identity to these inflexible rookies?¡± ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t call me ¡®miss¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah! Kang Juyeon, Kang Juyeon. Holder Kang Juyeon. Please, I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯ve been like this for 30 minutes.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s gaze shifted from the man to the guards. The rookie guards hesitated with hesitant faces. ¡°Uh¡­ He kept wanting to enter even though I¡¯ve never seen him before¡­ So, we were following the manual.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said you¡¯ve been on an external mission and came back multiple times.¡± Seeing Kang Juyeon¡¯s head tilted slightly, I quickly realized. Kang Juyeon looked at the guards and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s Kwon Oh-jun, a member of the n. He¡¯s the leader of Hunting Team 5 and a person with a confirmed identity¡­ So, it¡¯s okay to let him in.¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry. Holder Kwon Oh-jun!¡± Finally understanding the situation, the tense guards saluted again. Kwon Oh-jun heaved a sigh of relief and waved at Kang Juyeon, and entered the entrance. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s over. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong by following the manual. Make sure to guard the entrance properly.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­!!¡± With that, the situation was resolved, and both Kang Juyeon and I entered the entrance. And at that moment, Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s gaze turned towards me. ¡°But who is this person?¡± Before Kang Juyeon could answer, I quickly bowed my head and greeted. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun, a C-grade Holder who will be working as an intern in the Judgment of Fire n from today. I¡¯m currently a 1st-year student at the Academy, specializing in both assassin and warrior disciplines.¡± ¡°Oh, a new recruit¡¯s new recruit.¡± As lively as his personality seemed, Kwon Oh-jun extended his hand towards me with a bright smile. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m A-grade Holder Kwon Oh-jun. I¡¯ve been a senior for quite a while, so you can call me by name, right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Hehe, forget about what you saw earlier. I¡¯m not used to being treated like that, but of all days, it had to happen on a day when I forgot my ess card.¡± He smoothly brushed it off. Then, he looked at Kang Juyeon. ¡°Is this the friend you rmended?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± This person is really something. Even after escaping a crisis, he immediately changed his address to miss. Kang Juyeon didn¡¯t like being addressed as miss within the n. She wanted to be treated as a Holder and a n member. But for the n members who had been seeing her from a young age, it was only natural that the title didn¡¯t change easily. The Holder named Kwon Oh-jun in front of me, despite his appearance, seemed to have been a Holder in the n for quite some time. ¡°Oh, wait! I¡¯mte. Anyway, I¡¯ll go in first. Please show this friend around, miss.¡± Immediately he felt her tone growing colder, Kwon Oh-jun waved lightly and headed towards the emergency exit stairs. He truly was like the wind. ¡°¡­He¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± She quickly agreed with my words. Her anger gauge felt like it had reached her throat¡­ Anyway, we took the elevator and headed to the upper floors. Our destination was the 33rd floor. It was four floors below the top floor, 37th floor. ¡°Going really high up, huh?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I was nning to introduce things floor by floor as we go down.¡± ¡°But why the 33rd floor? Why not the upper floors?¡± ¡°From the 37th to the 34th floors, those are the n leadership offices.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± If it was the n leadership, it was likely the n Master, who was also an S-grade Holder. Furthermore, he was Kang Juyeon¡¯s father, Kang Woo-hyun. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 59: Is it really an internship? (2) (1)

Chapter 59: Is it really an internship? (2) (1)

. Ding- We arrived at the underground training ground. I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s a massive training ground in the direction of Ilsan where n members undergo training, and it seems there¡¯s a training ground even in the n Tower, true to its enormous nature. ¡®I haven¡¯t even had a chance to explore the whole building¡­¡¯ A few buildings on the first floor and in the 30s. And a tour of the 25th floor. Just as I was about to start exploring the departments that interest me, I got caught by someone like Park Jin-woo, a team leader. It must have been difficult for Kang Juyeon to decline the duel. She looked at me with a hint of apology in her expression. I gave a slight nod. And conveyed my intentions with a gesture of my mouth. -It¡¯s okay. Honestly, I understand. Even if it were me, suddenlying in through special recruitment and nning to experience it for only two months as an academy student, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d look dignified. It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to send a 5700-characterint email to the n Master. Besides, even though Kang Juyeon is the heir to the n¡­. Regardless, Kwon Oh-jun is also an important asset to the n. You can¡¯tpletely disregard the opinion of a team leader-level figure. Moreover, the proposal for the duel was reasonable, so I needed to respect it. ¡®The training ground is really huge.¡¯ There¡¯s practically no small ce here. The underground training ground on one floor is filled with various items needed for dueling. From weapons to armor and other defensive gear, as well as some special items. Various potions for emergencies are also prepared on one side of the training ground. Without even considering divine spells, it was possible to provide immediate treatment even if a duel got intense. ¡°Dueling is something you¡¯ve done since entering the academy, so you should be familiar with it. The rules will follow the academy¡¯s rules. Only attacks targeting vital spots are prohibited, but all other physical and magical attacks are allowed. If the duel participant surrenders, if the situation is objectively one-sided, or if the supervising official deems it¡¯s over, the duel will end.¡± After Kwon Oh-jun exined the lengthy rules, He lightly looked at me and then at the opposing Holder. ¡°Any objections?¡± ¡°None!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any either.¡± Kwon Oh-jun turned his gaze around after we all shook our heads. ¡°Items represent the strength of a Holder. You can use any items you possess. However, using special items that significantly change the course of battle is prohibited. Items like Corrosion Powder or Magic Control Gas are not allowed. Unlike in the academy, such things won¡¯t be tolerated, so keep that in mind¡­ If you need to, you can use the weapons and armor in the training ground. Even if they¡¯re mostly at the normal level, they should be usable.¡± I hesitated a bit at his words. I already have a [Well-forged Longsword] and a normal-grade dagger in my inventory, so there¡¯s no problem with weapons. However, I don¡¯t have suitable armor. At this moment, I couldn¡¯t find armor that would be useful. Additionally, there¡¯s a reason I kept my body light to maximize my speed during battles. Anyway, among my attributes, my speed is the highest in the melee category. ¡®Seeing that you don¡¯t have a weapon, you must be a mage-type¡­¡¯ But there¡¯s no weapon on the opposing Holder¡¯s body. Considering the duel is about to begin, if the opponent is a Holder who doesn¡¯t use weapons, it¡¯s highly likely they¡¯re a mage-type Holder. When facing mage-type Holders, using armor is definitely a good idea. Especially if it light armor to minimize speed loss. ¡®¡­I¡¯ll just use a shield.¡¯ I took out the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield] from my magic bag. Using a one-handed sword is still a bit awkward for me, but duringbat, I can discard the shield and switch to a two-handed sword at any time, so it should be fine. Using a shield is also more efficient for blocking magic. ¡°Now let¡¯s begin the duel between Team 5 of the Judgment of Fire n¡¯s members. Shin Yuna and Do Jae-hyun, after shaking hands, get ready for the duel.¡± So, her full name is Shin Yuna. It¡¯s a pretty name. It doesn¡¯t seem to quite match her appearance, though. I shook hands with her and exchanged a few words lightly. ¡°Let¡¯s do our best.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± However, her attitude was quite cold. ¡­Is it because of her hair? It seems that not only the team leader but also the other Holders don¡¯t like me. It¡¯s clear that the n life ahead won¡¯t be easy. Just like it was during the academy and is now¡­ It¡¯s been a continuous series of trials. I focused my energy and prepared to raise my magic again. She¡¯s a current Holder who graduated from the academy. There¡¯s no room for leisure, as with facing rookie students. ¡°Duel, start.¡± And Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s starting signal echoed. The duel began. ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± I didn¡¯t wait even for a moment. I immediately used [Sprint], then followed up with [Ruthless Charge]. I maximized the charge speed and used the synergy of runes that activate special effects when used in conjunction with a charge rune. Thisbo is what I usually use when seizing the initiative. ¡®Magical attacks won¡¯t work, but¡­¡¯ [Ruthless Charge] only ignores physical attacks during the charge. This means that magical attacks won¡¯t be blocked. For a mage-type like Shin Yuna, it won¡¯t be a significant defense effect. ¡®What matters is catching the opponent off guard.¡¯ Especially when facing a mage-type, seizing the initiative is crucial. Casting magic itself takes time, and dealing with sudden melee attacks from a closebatant like me distracts and disrupts their concentration. In that sense, thisbo of charging and attacking simultaneously was important. Especially the additional effect that states ¡®deals damage equal to twice the strength stat,¡¯ which means I can deal damage without a weapon to a surprised opponent. ¡®It¡¯s a hit!¡¯ As expected, Shin Yuna seemed greatly surprised. She wasn¡¯t prepared to defend against a warrior-type Holder with such a rapid charge, even though she¡¯s not from the cavalry ss. I closed the distance rapidly and got close to her in an instant. If I can deal damage now, the duel will be easier afterwards. Once a mage-type suffers damage, they lose a significant amount of power in battles. It feels somewhat bittersweet. As expected, is a normal C-grade Holder not my opponent? Feeling a slight regret at Shin Yuna¡¯s inability to even handle such a simple attack, I continued to attack her¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± ¡­but couldn¡¯t engage her. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 60: Is it really an internship? (3) (1)

Chapter 60: Is it really an internship? (3) (1)

. Using the Law Rune, Shin Yuna managed to narrowly avoid three daggers, but she couldn¡¯t dodge thest dagger aimed at her thigh. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Regrettably, that dagger was the winner¡¯s roulette. It was an attack imbued with magic. I didn¡¯t miss that opening and rushed towards her with my sword in hand. A swift thrust with the [Wave Sword Technique]. Shing-ga-!! Even in her bewildered state, Shin Yuna didn¡¯t lose focus and blocked my sword with her knuckles. After blocking my thrust with her knuckled fist. She attempted to move her body again. A fighting technique utilizing swift movements. Simr to before. ¡®Will I be defeated again?¡¯ This time, I wasn¡¯tcent. Using the [Wave Sword Technique], I thrust my sword while preparing to draw in magic power. ¡®I also need to use magic runes.¡¯ Until now, I had only used magic attacks when exploring dungeons alone, but now I couldn¡¯t afford to hold back. The opponent was skilled in closebat, and the weakest point for closebatants was always magic attacks. I had decided not to conceal my abilities in this duel. If I couldn¡¯t gain recognition here, there wasn¡¯t much to gain from the internship. Winning this duel was my top priority for now. Whoosh- Whoosh-!! mes flickered at the tip of my sword. [Fiery mes]. While not a skill-enhanced magic, it was an obvious magic attack. The rough mes leapt from the sword and knuckles, reaching Shin Yuna¡¯s wrist, causing damage. Even though I didn¡¯t know how resistant Shin Yuna was to fire, my [Fiery mes], now at Level 5, wasn¡¯t something to be easily ignored. ¡°What¡­?!¡± Surprised, Shin Yuna quickly tried to move away from me. ¡°Not yet!¡± No way. I only needed to not give her an opportunity to draw her knuckles out like before. I maintained my stance, revealing the intricacies of the [Water Sword Technique]. Fluid sword strikes, flowing like water. And the derivative skill of [Sword], [Combo]. Transitioning from thrusts to shes, my movements were light, and [Combo] cleanly followed up with three sessive shes. ¡®Oh. What a shame.¡¯ Unfortunately, none of them became effective hits. Shin Yuna¡¯s high agility and her use of Law Runes bought her time to escape my sword strikes. However, she managed to deflect the two shes beneath the thigh where the dagger had struck earlier. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Shin Yuna, who had distanced herself for a while, breathed heavily. Then she looked at me with eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°You, what on earth¡­¡± ¡°I told you, you talk too much.¡± I preemptively blocked Shin Yuna¡¯s attempt to initiate conversation. Three daggers extended from my hand. The throwing technique, hurling the daggers she had avoided earlier, was executed immediately. Due to cooldown and limited quantity, I couldn¡¯t use [Quarter Knives] again, but this throwing technique alone was enough to trouble her. A relentless barrage of attacks. If she doesn¡¯t get angry at this, she¡¯s a saint. ¡®It hit.¡¯ As I expected. Shin Yuna, annoyed, avoided and deflected the daggers. Honestly, I wanted to make it more bothersome for her by using [Bow] as well, but using an unskilled weapon would only put me at a disadvantage. After the barrage of attacks came to an end. Shin Yuna removed her knuckles for a moment and spoke to me. ¡°You¡¯re quite full of tricks.¡± ¡°Removing knuckles? Should I consider that a concession?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re noisy.¡± Shin Yuna retorted with a growl and deeply pressed her right hand against her pierced thigh. And something strange happened. A faint green light flowed from her hand, and it started to heal the ces pierced by my sword and dagger. The bleeding stopped, and the wounds began to heal. A familiar sight for me, someone ustomed to battles in thebat category. It was the application of the Recovery Rune [Heal]. ¡°¡­Pdin?¡± ¡°Call me a Duel-Priest?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite full of tricks.¡± ¡°Why do you keep imitating me¡­¡± Shin Yuna, who was exuding a powerful aura, couldn¡¯t continue her sentence. From the moment she removed her knuckles. I had been preparing [Ruthless Charge] using [Sprint]. It seems that Shin Yuna is a Multi-Holderbining the Recovery and Warrior categories. But¡­ ¡®If I strike before you heal, it¡¯s over, right?¡¯ I wasn¡¯t as careless as before. I rushed in with full speed, colliding with Shin Yuna. She hadn¡¯t even finished healing. ¡°Why¡­ You¡¯ve been talking since earlier¡­!!¡± A sardonicugh escaped me at her bewildered words. Why would you need to talk during a duel? The person who talks while fighting is a fool. Consider donating for site maintenance fees at Buymeacoffee. I am currently running on fumes¡­ Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 61: New Effect (1) (1)

Chapter 61: New Effect (1) (1)

. Bonus chapter thanks to @ Someone subscribing to Legendary Tier on Buymeacoffee. Busan, a lodging in Nampo-dong. Inside a spacious room. Kim Chae-eun was dripping with sweat as she manipted her magic. Jeong Seon-young watched her grueling training with sharp eyes. Already on the third day. It had been about that much time since Jeong Seon-young had been exclusively coaching Kim Chae-eun¡¯s training, but there were still no significant results. The growth of a magician was slow and abstract, just as much as the other mage sses. Jeong Seon-young, who had been quietly observing, opened her mouth. ¡°More precision. Don¡¯t use your magic casually, thinking you just need to freeze things. Just because ice magic is easier to control than other magic doesn¡¯t mean controlling its intensity is easy. Whether you use it only enough to suppress your opponent, or to deliver a powerful blow. Those settings are for you, Chae-eun, to decide.¡± ¡°Yes¡­!!¡± Even in her highly concentrated state, Kim Chae-eun didn¡¯t miss Jeong Seon-young¡¯s words and responded. Jeong Seon-young secretly regarded her with admiration. ¡®She certainly has talent.¡¯ From Jeong Seon-young¡¯s perspective, Kim Chae-eun was a talented Holder. Taking her in as a temporary disciple and spending three days in Busan. Although visible results were not apparent from an outsider¡¯s perspective, there were subtle changes that were undoubtedly evident to Jeong Seon-young, an A-grade Holder. Compared to other C-grade Holders, her magic power was higher, and her control over ice magic was exceptional for an ice mage. She also quickly absorbed the lessons taught by Jeong Seon-young and sometimes attempted to apply them autonomously. At first, when Jeong Seon-young started teaching her, it had seemed fun without much thought, but upon closer inspection, Kim Chae-eun was a disciple whocked nothing. ¡®It¡¯s intriguing since her main rune is normal.¡¯ While [Freezing] was a rtively rare rune among magic runes, it was still categorized as ¡®normal¡¯ in terms of its grade. For Kim Chae-eun, a Holder with considerable talent, to have a normal rune as her main rune was quite unusual. Even Jeong Seon-young¡¯s [Frozen Battlefield] was considered epic. However, it wasn¡¯t a significant issue. While awakening runes were the most crucial, there were many cases of obtaining runes during training or growth, and sometimes they could be acquired during dungeon exploration if luck was on their side. In fact, handling normal runes as the main focus wasn¡¯t a big problem. What was more important was that she showed remarkable talent. ¡°Enough. Take a short break.¡± Jeong Seon-young raised her hand to signal. Upon hearing that, Kim Chae-eun halted her magical maniption and took a deep breath to recover her umted breath. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. You¡¯re improving gradually.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Thank you. Haah¡­ You¡¯ve worked hard too¡­¡± Since bing a temporary mentor and student, Kim Chae-eun addressed Jeong Seon-young as teacher. She couldn¡¯t call her professor, since she wasn¡¯t a professor, and they didn¡¯t have an exclusive disciple rtionship, master wasn¡¯t suitable either. So, what was left was ¡®teacher¡¯! ¡­ That¡¯s how the title was decided based on that logic. While Jeong Seon-young suggested that she could just call her senior like before, she couldn¡¯t discourage Kim Chae-eun¡¯s insistence. In this aspect, Kim Chae-eun was quite tenacious. ¡°Have you been practicing magical breathing consistently?¡± ¡°Yes. Sinceing to Busan, I¡¯ve been doing it every day without fail.¡± ¡°Good. Just a small reminder, but it¡¯s not only warrior-ss Holders who use breathing techniques. Holders from magic-using sses should also make magical breathing a habit. Sometimes, when the concentration of natural magic essence is high and of good quality during breathing, your magic power might increase.¡± Themon rune among Holders who use magic, [Magic Control]. Its primary applications include sensing, maniption, arrangement, and manifestation. Unlike skills like [Magic Barrier] or [Magic Barrier Activation] these were unique rune abilities that weren¡¯t recognized as skills. Sensing and maniption applied to most Holders, while arrangement and manifestation were primarily used by mage-ss Holders. There were also special applications like ¡®breathing¡¯, which were essentially warrior-ss ways of enhancing affinity with magic and weren¡¯t known to have much effect. ¡®But it¡¯s important for mage-ss Holders too.¡¯ Jeong Seon-young thought differently. She believed that magical breathing was essential for mage-ss Holders as well. Mage-ss Holders had limitations in bing stronger through repetitive training, and thus, they tended to rely more on enlightenment and talent rather than training. Magical breathing had the effect of curbing suchziness. Although it didn¡¯t provide much help to mage-ss Holders with already high magic affinity, it was quite significant for Holders like Kim Chae-eun who aimed to improve by focusing on their training patterns. ¡°Sigh. I want to get stronger quickly.¡± Kim Chae-eun wiped her sweat with a towel as she spoke. Jeong Seon-young smiled contentedly while looking at her disciple. She had a purpose, but her friend had an exceptional drive to improve at a young age. There was no reason not to find her cute. ¡°Don¡¯t be too impatient. Your current abilities are already superior to most of your peers.¡± ¡°But¡­ I still want to reach B-grade quickly.¡± ¡°Tsk. Is that because of that fellow, the Academy¡¯s top student, Kang Juyeon? Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Despite being ssmates, she had already reached B-grade, a student Holder. Kang Juyeon. Kim Chae-eun was working tirelessly to catch up to her, driven by the desire to surpass her. And that¡­ It was also one of the reasons why Jeong Seon-young, who had a free-spirited nature, had taken on a disciple for the first time. A day before the opening of the auction house in Daegu. Kim Chae-eun had visited, saying ¡®I wanted to be a Holder who could assist Jae-hyun¡¯. Her earnestness was so touching that Jeong Seon-young had granted her request to be her disciple. Jeong Seon-young¡¯s face was full of yful expression as she asked again. ¡°So? Is Jae-hyun currently interning at the Judgement of Fire?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh my. What if he¡¯s snatched away by Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s daughter? Like a sneaky cat.¡± ¡°¡­That won¡¯t happen. No, no! It¡¯s not about snatching or being snatched in the first ce¡­¡± ¡°Hehe. My disciple is cute.¡± Although Jeong Seon-young had expended quite a bit of energy watching over Kim Chae-eun for a long time¡­ For some reason, she didn¡¯t feel tired at all. The fresh love stories of twenty-year-old student Holders. She, who was worn out by her life as a Holder, found a refreshing source of energy that allowed her to endure the day. *** ippotrantions *** Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 62: New Effects (2) (1)

Chapter 62: New Effects (2) (1)

. Bonus chapter thanks to @ Someone subscribing to Legendary Tier on Buymeacoffee. Limit on the number of runes obtainable. Such content wasn¡¯t present in the settings of the that I know. Perhaps it¡¯s an obvious story. Even if a Holder possesses amon rune of a specific lineage and sets up derived runes¡­ The basic Holder typically has around 10 runes. Even Shin Yoo-ni¡¯s rune setup had only 7. Park Jin-woo, who had consumed various Hidden Pieces and special rewards as the protagonist of the story, had around 15 to 20 runes. In short, there is no Holder that can possess 30 runes in itself. ¡°But my case is different¡­.¡± [Rune Hunter] can copy the opponent¡¯s rune as many times as they win in duels. I had copied 21 runes this way, and 7 from Hidden Pieces. Including the original [Dagger] and [Rune Hunter]¡­ A total of 30 runes. Acquiring a number of runes that would be difficult for an ordinary Holder to even witness, I was once again breaking limits. ¡°Sigh¡­.¡± I took a deep breath and called up the rune information. It was the updated information window for [Rune Hunter]. ¡òName: Rune Hunter ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: Max ¡òEngraved Location: Heart ¡òSpecial Effects: : Upon victory in duels, one of the opponent¡¯s runes can be duplicated. Only one rune can be duplicated for the same target, and the acquired rune is registered with decreased performance due to a level decrease. : The area where runes can be engraved is expanded, increasing the acquisition limit to 50. : If certain conditions are met, thebination of ¡®higher-tier runes¡¯ bes possible. Once a higher-tier rune isbined, the level of the lower-tier rune does not increase, but proficiency continues to umte, and all derived skills of the lower-tier rune can be acquired. ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: : A rune that can be acquired artificially by obtaining 7 runes through the Holder¡¯s effort. It is a unique rune that can¡¯t be obtained again once acquired by someone. There were two new special effects added to [Rune Hunter]. First, rxation of the rune acquisition limit. The storage area for runes, which was a total of 30, has expanded to 50. The area where the rune is engraved varies for each Holder. Just because I have a rune on my leg doesn¡¯t mean other Holders also have runes on their legs. For instance, even though the [Dagger] rune is engraved on the back of my left hand, there is no rune engraved on the back of my right hand. So even if a part of the body is lost, the rune would move to a different area and get engraved there. The total filling limit was 30 runes. The first special effect is probably that, in addition to the 30 areas given to me, there is a provision to create 20 additional areas. ¡°And the second effect is¡­.¡± This is a truly fresh effect and rather perplexing. Higher-tier runebination. An effect where you canbine the runes you possess under special conditions. The exact conditions aren¡¯t known. Though I can¡¯t tell what runes will appear whenbined, but¡­ Considering it¡¯s called a ¡®higher-tier rune,¡¯ it¡¯s clear it¡¯s a more special rune than the existing ones. ¡°It¡¯s a bit ambiguous that lower-tier rune levels can¡¯t be raised¡­.¡± The downside is that the levels of the runes that have be lower-tier cannot be increased. However, several mechanisms are in ce to offset this. The phrase ¡®Proficiency umtes even if the level doesn¡¯t increase¡¯ and ¡®Acquiring derived skills is still possible¡¯. I would only miss out on the stat boosts from rune level increases. The other effects remained the same. ¡°These days, it¡¯s tough to increase stats.¡± Lately, raising my core stats like strength, speed, and stamina over 30 has made it hard to gain stat boosts from rune level increases. At least the random acquisition due to the effect of [Effort of the Seeker] hase in handy. Furthermore, when you acquire a higher-tier rune throughbination, you also gain stats when raising that higher-tier rune, so the effects were simr. In essence, it was almost a risk-free chance. It was a way to organize the randomly acquired runes and an opportunity to obtain new runes. And it seemed like I met the conditions just in time. Several runes on my body were shining. [There are currentlybinable runes. Using the Rune Hunter¡¯s mysterious power, you can acquire higher-tier runes.] [Higher-Tier Rune: Master of Martial Arts / Lower-Tier Runes: Sword, Dagger, Combat, Bow, Axe, Spear, Blunt, Shield] ¡°Master of Martial Arts¡­.¡± 6 weapon runes including [Sword] and [Dagger]. And [Shield] and [Combat]. The [Master of Martial Arts] appeared to be a higher-tier rune judged as martial arts,bining a total of 8 runes. What the effect of the higher-tier rune was and what new rune woulde out. I knew nothing. Combining them might be a form of gambling. However, the naming of ¡®higher-tier rune¡¯ as proof of being a high-level rune. And if notbined, runes like [Axe] and [Blunt] would upy the 50-rune acquisition limit without any use. Considering all these points. Combining higher-tier runes was not a choice but close to a necessity. This function was another opportunity to upgrade my Holder information. Without much hesitation, I chose tobine. [You havebined the higher-tier rune ¡®Master of Martial Arts.¡¯ A total of 8 runes including Sword, Dagger, ¡­, Shield have been chosen as lower-tier runes. The judged level of thebined higher-tier rune with the lower-tier rune is 4.] [You have gained a new rune.] [As per the rune¡¯s affinity, you gain 2 strength and 3 speed.] One after another, information about the new rune appeared. ¡òName: Master of Martial Arts ¡òGrade: Epic / Superior ¡òPossessed Lower-Tier Runes: ¡ò [Sword] ¡ò [Dagger] ¡ò [Combat] ¡ò [Bow] ¡ò [Axe] ¡ò [Blunt] ¡ò [Spear] ¡ò [Shield] ¡òLevel: 4 ¡òEngraved Location: Right Arm ¡òSpecial Effects: : With the special power of the higher-tier rune, proficiency adjustments can be applied to lower-tier runes. Each lower-tier rune can be raised in proficiency as a single rune and can also be raised in proficiency through the adjustments of the higher-tier rune. : The rune Holder can freely rece the ¡®weapon¡¯ in the storage within their body. As the rune¡¯s level increases, the time it takes to rece decreases. ¡òDerived Skills: ¡ò [War Deration of a Hundred Soldiers] *Sub-Skills: ¡ò [Combo] ¡ò [Combo Strike] ¡ò [Quarter Knives] ¡ò [Iron Wall Defense] ¡òDetailed Informations: : A higher-tier rune created bybining numerous lower-tier runes. It allows easy maniption of all weapons, including bare fists. Furthermore, whenever a rune suitable for the higher-tier rune is acquired, it can be incorporated as a lower-tier rune of this rune. ¡°Is this for real?¡± Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 63: New Effects (3) (1)

Chapter 63: New Effects (3) (1)

A private training ground in Daebang-dong. It was thergest training ground near Sangdo, where my home is located. As soon as I sent a message, Park Jin-woo came running, and before I knew it, he had taken his ce in the training area, wielding his sword. Seeing his consistent enthusiasm, I waved and greeted him. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Park Jin-woo loosened his concentration and shook hands with me. We dueled whenever we found the time. When I had won over ten consecutive matches, it wasn¡¯t fun anymore, but since Park Jin-woo had mastered [Unstoppable Swift Swordy] one day, our dueling became more evenly matched. As a result, our overall record was 41 matches, 30 wins, and 11 losses. I was still ahead, but looking at recent results, it was quite close. ¡°Why did youe again if I¡¯m the one starting this time?¡± I scratched my head and approached him. Back when we were at the academy, we could have met at the internal training grounds, but ever since the vacation began, we had been dueling at the private training ground. My ce was in Sangdo, the training ground is in Daebang-dong. Park Jin-woo¡¯s ce was near Bangbae-dong. This was our second match after the vacation started, and Park Jin-woo hade over again. Although it was nearby, I felt a bit guilty for no reason. However, Park Jin-woo¡¯s responses always caught me off guard. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Coming all the way here is part of my training.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± What nonsense was this? He came all the way from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong on foot? I couldn¡¯tprehend it and had to ask again. ¡°What are you talking about? You walked all the way here?¡± ¡°Hahaha. Yep, I did.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Was he really crazy? Walking from Bangbae-dong to Daebang-dong, a distance of almost 7 kilometers, would take over two hours¡­ I stopped thinking about it right there. As expected, trying to understand this guy with logic was pointless. ¡°Did you get promoted to C-grade?¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s skill level had already surpassed C-grade Holders. Like me back in the day, his promotion was certain with his achievements alone. That¡¯s why I had told him to get promoted quickly when west met. Because there were quite a few undiscovered dungeons I wanted to explore with him. But as usual¡­ Park Jin-woo shook his head with a serious expression. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t have the time.¡± ¡°Ah,e on! Instead of running all the way here, spend some time on that. Don¡¯t you find it bothersome to not have that achievement match your skills?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have enough time for training!¡± ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re insane¡­¡± Him maintaining such a serious expression was even more annoying. Well, he¡¯ll figure it out eventually. He¡¯s the type who naturally improves everything over time. I slowly drew the sword on my back. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. I was itching for a fight.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s what I was hoping for.¡± We moved to the dueling area on one side of the training ground. This ce was convenient for dueling with only a fee required. Being an indoor training ground, I didn¡¯t have to worry about others watching, which made it even better. Especially because I was a Multi-Holder, revealing my full power to someone else felt awkward. Park Jin-woo stood in position with a serious gaze, gripping his sword. I hadn¡¯t noticed before, but his sword looked quite impressive. It seemed like a decent normal or even rare-grade sword at a nce. Typical of a well-off family¡¯s son, he didn¡¯t hold back on spending for equipment. ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the same rules we used in the Academy¡¯s dueling matches. No critical strikes, but all other attacks are allowed.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll judge with our own eyes, right?¡± ¡°Phew, yes, that¡¯s right. And forfeiting is allowed.¡± Of course, saying this never led to an actual forfeit. During those 41 matches, we had shed like maniacs until one of us gave out. Or until a sword was almost at our necks. It was our own unique way of dueling with no forfeits. ¡°Would you like to start?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Park Jin-woo replied briefly and slowly gathered his magic. I, too, held my sword with both hands and prepared to infuse magic. When dueling with this guy, I had to stay focused and concentrated. It was on a different level from facing Shin Yuna. Even if we were both C-grade, the difference in abilities and rune utilization was worlds apart. That applied to me as well as Park Jin-woo. We confronted each other at a slight distance, tension building between us. In the midst of the silence, it was suddenly broken. ¡°Begin.¡± Park Jin-woo gave the signal. And in an instant, he charged at me like an arrow. Did he activate Charging Runes? Considering his high speed, it was an incredible velocity. I immediately prepared [Water Sword Technique]. Perhaps Park Jin-woo would utilize [Unstoppable Swift Swordy] as he charged. Though [Water Sword Technique] was slightly inferior to [Unstoppable Swift Swordy], it was simr in its foundation of speed-based swordsmanship, making it the most suitable counter. ¡°Huup¡­!!¡± ¡°Haaap¡­!!¡± Holding my breath, I awaited his sword, and Park Jin-woo¡¯s de suddenly vanished. Then, he rotated his entire body swiftly. He instantly moved away from me and turned toward my back. ¡®It¡¯s obvious, so obvious.¡¯ It was the [Rotating Combo Attack]. A derived skill from [Unstoppable Swift Swordy]. It involved integrating the body and the sword into a whirlwind-like rotation, continuously delivering simultaneous strikes simr to [Combo]. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 64: New Effect (4) (1)

Chapter 64: New Effect (4) (1)

A massive wave engulfs the indoor training ground. It began with a small amount of water from a water bottle¡­ But now, the quantity has grown to the extent that it can be described as immense. At this point, is this not the arrival of a young Swirl Leviathan? However, the uracy of the wave wasn¡¯t particrly high. ¡°¡­Difficult.¡± [Swirling Tidal Wave] is an Epic Rune of level 4, but it¡¯s not a rune I can handle skillfully. Though the level is quite high, it¡¯s a rune I¡¯ve never used before. That¡¯s why utilizing the rune to control water and even maneuvering the derivative skill [New Wave] were both not as easy as I had thought. Moreover, Park Jin-woo is a warrior focused on speed. Rather than being heavily armored, he emphasizes agility and excels in evasion. True to his nickname of Quick Frog that he¡¯d earned, he adeptly avoids even unfamiliar magical skills without panic. And intermittently, he shouts in anger. ¡°You cowardly brat! Using magical attacks in a warriors¡¯ battle!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m an assassin-type?¡± ¡°Damn it! What¡¯s an assassin doing conjuring waves? This lineage is just damn ridiculous.¡± His outburst seems to carry a significant sense of injustice. Even as Park Jin-woo delivers these lines, he evades my attacks. Without a doubt, if the attack were to hit, considering hisck of water resistance, it would deal substantial damage. However, since he possesses exceptional speed and wields many agile runes, capturing him wasn¡¯t an easy task. ¡®I¡¯ll save this forter.¡¯ I made up my mind to stop using [Swirling Tidal Wave]. Currently, using this rune was not yielding significant efficiency, despite my efforts. In terms of magical attack runes, [Fiery me] is still more familiar to me. It seemed more practical to improve proficiency with water element runes in dungeons and utilize them in duels. Adjusting my mindset, I draw the dagger from my waist. Then, I swiftly threw four daggers directly at Park Jin-woo. [Quarter Knives]. Even amidst his seemingly casual demeanor, Park Jin-woo manages to evade all the daggers. ¡°You¡¯re sending daggers again from over there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you dodged them.¡± Thanks to the Art of Weapon Exchange, I now hold a dual-handed sword in my hands once again. I dive into Park Jin-woo¡¯s guard and utilize the intricacies of [Wave Sword Technique] to pierce his body with the sword. ng! ng! Another sh. Our swords collide once more. At this point, I sense it. Practically, it¡¯s the end. Though Park Jin-woo used [Rotating Combo Attack] as his final strike from the start, it was blocked by my [Iron Wall Defense], leaving him unable tond an effective blow. Even though [Unstoppable Swift Swordy] boasts an astonishing speed, without [Rotating Combo Attack], he can¡¯t deal any significant damage to me in my current state. With solid defenses and skills in ce, and numerous counterattacks to unleash. Furthermore, since Park Jin-woo, who pursues speed, blocked my sword with his sword, the disadvantageous situation I¡¯m in bes all the more apparent. ¡®A burning me¡¯. In order to conclude the duel, I gather my magical energy. mes rise along the sword. This is the manifestation of [Fiery me]. In this close proximity, a fire-element magical attack is truly a trump card against a warrior-type. Even Shin Yuna, who was quite self-assured, couldn¡¯t withstand it. mes traverse both swords. Just as the fiery me is about to engulf Park Jin-woo. Unbelievable words escape his lips. ¡°Chase it.¡± ¡°What?¡± No way, seriously? Oration? Curses almost involuntarilye to mind. I know about this oration. ¡®Chase it¡¯ is the oration of [Rainbow sh], the ultimate skill of [Moonlit Thrust]. And that realization makes me feel like a fool. Seriously, is this for real? How long has it been since he acquired [Rotating Combo Attack]? And he¡¯s already using an ultimate skill? I couldn¡¯t even find a moment to be surprised. Park Jin-woo¡¯s sword instantly vanishes from my field of vision and, in the blink of an eye, it¡¯s right in front of my thigh. ¡®Crazy¡­ Hardening!¡¯ Beyond the limit of speed. I had no answer in my mind for how to handle this situation. I could only resort to [Lizard¡¯s Scale], a derivative skill of [Hardening], to increase my toughness and rely on [Physical Barrier] to withstand as much as I could. But is the ultimate skill really the ultimate skill for no reason? [Moonlit Thrust] utilizes extreme speed to sh the target a total of 17 times. The highly concentrated speed surpasses even my toughness, piercing through my skin. ¡°Ouch¡­!!¡± Damn it¡­ It hurts like hell. Fortunately, thanks to [Hardening] being used as quickly as possible, I managed to prevent a catastrophic amount of damage. However, I couldn¡¯t avoid a deep cut on my thigh. At this rate, further dueling is impossible. Understanding this, Park Jin-woo utters words with a bewildered expression. ¡°Hey¡­ are you okay¡­? I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ Quickly, let¡¯s get you to the healing station¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, kid.¡± I reassured Park Jin-woo with words that sounded harsher than I intended. Although Park Jin-woo ended upunching an attack beyond the level of a duel due to his momentary immersion, my abilities were sufficient topensate for that kind of mistake. Swoosh- A touch imbued with emerald green energy reaches my thigh. Chapter 65: Judgment of Fire (1) (1)

Chapter 65: Judgment of Fire (1) (1)

The next day. My first daying in as an intern for . I could see a familiar face as I entered the n Tower¡¯s elevator. ¡°Oh? Hey there? I¡¯m seeing you again right away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Once again, the distinctive short red hair. Shin Yuna seemed somewhat embarrassed as she turned her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even going to greet me? I¡¯m feeling uneasy here.¡± ¡°Hello¡­¡± Where did the Shin Yuna who had so much to say during our duel go? Seems people change when ites to provocation. Feeling augh bubble up, I pressed the elevator button for the floor. ¡°The 25th floor, right? Hunting Team 5 Division.¡± Shin Yuna watched my actions silently, then spoke up. ¡°Hey, how old are you? I heard you¡¯re an Academy student.¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m twenty years old, why?¡± ¡°¡­But why do you keep using informal speech? I¡¯m your senior, having graduated from the Academy at 23.¡± Gosh, she¡¯s acting like an old person? I responded with a wry smile to her words. ¡°We¡¯re practically the same age with just a three-year gap. Besides, you started with informal speech first.¡± ¡°¡­¡± If it bothered her, she should¡¯ve used formal speech first. It¡¯s not like she questioned me from the moment we met, like Kwon Oh-Jun. Now, even if she asked me to use formal speech, it wouldn¡¯te out because informal speech had already be our nature. Shin Yuna turned her head again, seeming lost for words. Then, after a few seconds, she spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using informal speech first. I think it just stuck because of my attempt at provocation during the duel. If it¡¯s okay with you¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just use informal speech between us. It¡¯s morefortable for you too¡ª¡± Shin Yuna nodded as she interrupted my sentence. ¡°Still, we have to use formal speech with the other n members. Most of them are seniorspared to us, and they also use formal speech with us.¡± ¡°But Team Leader Kwon Oh-Jun uses informal speech, right?¡± ¡°Well, about that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a joke, isn¡¯t it? You already know that. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that uptight.¡± I could easily ept this kind of conversation. Honestly, if I had established a good rapport with Shin Yuna from the beginning. If I had used formal speech consistently and treated her as a senior¡­ Starting with a rivalry that involved provocation and shes from the very first meeting, it had be awkward to use formal speech now. Shin Yuna added some more exnation. ¡°Just use Holder as the title for everyone. There¡¯s a distinction between regr n members and senior n members, but you can call almost everyone Holder regardless of their rank.¡± ¡°What about Team Leader? I saw you call Team Leader thatst time.¡± I remembered Shin Yuna addressing Kwon Oh-Jun as Team Leader before, so I asked. She nodded and answered my question. ¡°People in special positions like Team Leaders or Headquarters Leaders can be called by their titles. Team Leader has an official rank as a senior n member¡­ The specific title doesn¡¯t matter too much. However, you must always use the titles Master or Grandmaster.¡± ¡°Should I add ¡®sir¡¯ after titles?¡± ¡°Yes. Master, Grandmaster. Everyone is addressed this way.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what was what, but¡­ Somehow, we were having a conversation about the n. So naturally. From fighting and provoking each other until yesterday, and the awkwardness just now, I wondered if this connection was genuine. Shin Yuna¡¯s expression had brightened considerablypared to earlier. Maybe the way I was exining things or the questions I was asking made it clear that I was a neer. She used to be the youngest until I came along¡­ It would be interesting with a new junior around. Shin Yuna, who seemed a bit excited, asked me. ¡°Hey, is there anything else you¡¯re curious about?¡± ¡°Curious? Hmm¡­¡± After a brief pause, I asked her. ¡°Do I have any separate tasks for today? It¡¯s my first day, so¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll be doing, and I don¡¯t even know where my seat is.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll probably have an Orientation Training (OT) today. Split into Operational OT and Task OT.¡± ¡°Orientation Training?¡± ¡°Yeah. Usually, you¡¯re assigned a mentor to learn from. n work is quite simr topany work in terms of what you¡¯ll learn. But I¡¯m not sure how mentors are assigned to interns¡­¡± Ding- And these worries were resolved once we got off the elevator. 25th floor. Hunting Team 5 office. Team Leader¡¯s office located in the center. Kwon Oh-Jun, who I met there, spoke with a nonchnt expression. ¡°That? Yuna, you¡¯ll be the mentor.¡± ¡°Mentor? Me?¡± Shin Yuna, who was next to me, seemed surprised, as if hearing this for the first time. ¡°Well, since Jae-hyun¡¯s an intern, an extended mentorship with a short-term one like yours is a bit tricky, so you¡¯ll do it for now. And Miss also agreed to this.¡± ¡®Because I¡¯m an intern¡¯, I was momentarily taken aback by the word, but it seemed fair that Kang Juyeon agreed. Then again, assuming to absorb all the advantages of the n during two months of activity would be arrogant. My task was just to learn everything I could in a short period and understand the process of running arge n. ¡°But I¡¯m also a new n member¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I get it. So that¡¯s why I assigned you, right? Neers are usually the ones who understand neers the best. Especially Jae-hyun, who¡¯s a special recruit. He won¡¯t know anything. Help him out. All you need to do is the Operational OT, don¡¯t stress too much.¡± Shin Yuna asked with a perplexed expression due to Kwon Oh-Jun¡¯s cynical words. ¡°Oh, so I¡¯m not in charge of the Task OT?¡± ¡°Of course not. That involves going out for hunts or missions, do you think we¡¯d entrust that to an intern? Probably one of the more experienced n members handling the missions will take on the role of a mentor then.¡± In other words, not a formal mentorship. Shin Yuna¡¯s face seemed to rx a little at that exnation. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Make sure to teach him well so he doesn¡¯t freak out during the operation meeting tomorrow. Oh, but don¡¯t be too strict. Yuna, you¡¯re not like Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m-!¡± Kwon Oh-Junughed teasingly, and Shin Yuna¡¯s face turned red. Even though I probably couldn¡¯t argue back¡­ I felt a little sorry for Shin Yuna. ¡°I¡¯m busy~ Get out of here now.¡± With Kwon Oh-Jun¡¯s dismissal without even giving us a chance to counter, we left the Team Leader¡¯s office and headed to another office. Still, Shin Yuna¡¯s expression of embarrassment doesn¡¯t seem to loosen. She spoke while walking quickly down the hallway. ¡°S-Sometimes, junior n members who join asionally manage to catch up with senior n members. There are often differences in runes and talents between Holders. So, it means the junior who caught up did well, it¡¯s not that the seniorcks abilities. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Chapter 66: Judgment of Fire (2) (1)

Chapter 66: Judgment of Fire (2) (1)

¡°Ah, greetings, Holder Kang Juyeon.¡± In response to the sudden appearance of Kang Juyeon, Shin Yuna lowered her head. Kang Juyeon looked at her with an expression that wasn¡¯t particrly friendly and replied, ¡°¡­ Yes, nice to meet you, Holder Shin Yuna.¡± ¡°Where have you been? Haven¡¯t seen you all day,¡± Shin Yuna asked. I heard that Kang Juyeon had been assigned to Hunting Team 5 with me. So, I had nned to go to work with her today, partly to receive the n Tower introduction that I missed yesterday, but she hadn¡¯t even shown up this morning. Kang Juyeon turned her head in response to my question. ¡°I have something to discuss with the Master about the uing operation for Hunting Team 5.¡± ¡°Operation? I heard that¡¯s going to be discussed in tomorrow¡¯s meeting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an internal nning review meeting. The selection for the deployment is already done.¡± Hunting Team 5 operation. And an operation significant enough to warrant personnel selection. Given the scale of , the possibility of dungeon conquest seemed likely. With a slightly expectant expression, I asked her, ¡°Could it be¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a long story rted to your issue. Directly deploying an intern n member for an operation is quite unusual.¡± ¡®Yes!¡¯ I silently rejoiced and tried my best not to show it. If it hade to this point in the conversation, there was a high chance that I had been included in the deployment lineup for the conquest. Even one day of work in the n had been a headache, but now I had a chance to escape for a mission before even a single day had passed. ¡¯This is why people say Kang Juyeon, Kang Juyeon¡­¡¯ Kang Juyeon had a stern and cold personality, but she was generous to those she saw eye to eye with. Once she became interested in someone, things progressed swiftly. This applied to n interns and those immediately ced into operations as well. It seemed like seizing opportunities was important. ¡°¡­So, have you been with Holder Shin Yuna all this time?¡± Suddenly, Kang Juyeon alternated her gaze between me and Shin Yuna. For some reason, I sensed a chill in her voice. Was I mistaken? I asked again to make sure, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she replied, but it wasn¡¯t really nothing. She had definitely said something¡­ I felt quite uneasy about it, but I didn¡¯t dig deeper. Leaving behind the odd cold atmosphere, Kang Juyeon adjusted her bag and said, ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll continue with the n Tower introduction.¡± ¡°Is today¡¯s first stop the n cafeteria?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chatting about various things, quite some time had passed since the Hunting Team 5 members had left their locations. By now, when we reached the cafeteria, they would likely be eating without waiting. Kang Juyeon, myself, and Shin Yuna, who was awkwardly standing in the middle, walked toward the cafeteria. *** ippotrantions *** n Tower, 11th floor. The n¡¯s internal cafeteria. We found a quiet spot in one corner of the restaurant. Looking at the splendid dishes in front of us, I was surprised and my voice filled with astonishment. ¡°Wow¡­ Buffet?¡± On arge te was beautifully arranged red beef. Beside it were various vegetables, including bean sprouts. There were numerous sauces and borate side dishes around them. In the center of the table was a small stove. A pile of charcoaly inside the stove. A clean iron te upied the top. The setting was perfect for cooking top-grade Wagyu beef. ¡°It oftenes out like this,¡± Kang Juyeon said nonchntly. Her words made my face fill with surprise. Seriously, what¡¯s this? Wagyu beef is served for lunch in the n cafeteria? Is this because it¡¯s a wealthyrge n? Or is it in line with the name that they¡¯re presenting me-cooked dishes¡­? But Shin Yuna seemed ustomed to such sights. She naturally picked up her tongs and began grilling the meat. With an expression that seemed to understand my thoughts, she said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so surprised. I was amazed at first too, but considering the earnings of the Holders, it¡¯s only natural.¡± ¡°Earnings?¡± ¡°Yeah. Even the basic sry alone is quite substantial, and those who go on missions, like the Hunting Team, earn substantial extra ie. Since the ie is quite significant, the n cafeteria menu is as luxurious as this.¡± Chapter 67: The Forest Covered by Snakes (1) (1)

Chapter 67: The Forest Covered by Snakes (1) (1)

The next day, n Tower, 33rd floor. I arrived early at the conference room and organized the tasks for the new recruits with Shin Yuna. To call it work would be an overstatement ¨C it was just about cing the strategy n report on the table. Actually, this wasn¡¯t an essential part of the horizontal n culture; it was just something Shin Yuna had grabbed me and said, ¡®If you¡¯re a new recruit, you should take care of things like this!¡¯. There were a total of 8 members attending this mission briefing. All the participants in the raid party were present. Before 9 AM, n members started arriving at the conference room one by one. Among them was Kang Juyeon, and we exchanged nods as a form of greeting. Kwon Oh-jun, the leader of hunting team 5 and also the party leader, was thest to arrive. As he entered the conference room, the operation briefing officially began. Tap- Kwon Oh-jun put documents loudly on the table as he came in. ¡°First, I¡¯ll deliver the announcements. The deployment date for this mission has been moved up. We¡¯re leaving this afternoon, not tomorrow. This is a confirmed directive from higher-ups, so there¡¯s no room for discussion. Make sure everyone finishes their preparations for deployment by this afternoon.¡± This was followed by changes in the schedule announcement. The scheduled date had been moved up by a day¡­ to today, actually. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be that surprising, as everyone nodded in agreement with the changes. Of course, there were n members who had doubts. ¡°Team leader, may I ask the reason for the date change?¡± Holder, sitting diagonally to my left. ording to the booklet given to me by Shin Yuna, the Holder was Min Chae-hwan, a B-grade archer in hunting team 5. Min Chae-hwan¡­ The name sounded familiar, but I couldn¡¯t recall where I had heard it before. When reading the booklet, I had a strange feeling. Perhaps it was a faint memory in my mind. He was probably one of the extras that had passed by in the original. Anyway, Kwon Oh-jun responded to Min Chae-hwan¡¯s raised hand abruptly. ¡°What did you just hear? I said there¡¯s no room for discussion. It¡¯s a directive from higher-ups. Don¡¯t waste time and get ready for the deployment right away.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± I was actually surprised by Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s sharp response. ¡®Isn¡¯t he speaking too harshly?¡¯ Despite Kwon Oh-jun being a team leader who used casual speech without reservation, his reaction seemed excessive. Min Chae-hwan might have felt something in Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s response. Nevertheless, Min Chae-hwan epted it without any change in his expression. It seemed like a familiar situation for him. With that, Kwon Oh-jun resumed his mission briefing exnation. ¡°The location of the dungeon we¡¯re targeting this time is in the middle of Jongno Inwangsan Field. Some of you might remember, but it¡¯s a simr location to the tiger¡¯s den dungeon that hunting team 4 tackled before.¡± The n members gathered in the conference room nodded as if they remembered. While passing the strategy n report to others, I focused on his words. Inwangsan Field. A field outside the boundary where S-grade monster ¡®Divine Snake Woo Baek-ho¡¯ appeared at the mountaintop. Of course, there were no Holders who imed to have discovered Woo Baek-ho yet. As a field known for its frequent appearances of tiger-like monsters, there were quite a few dungeons rted to tigers. Among them, the ¡®Tiger¡¯s Lair¡¯ dungeon was one of the dungeons that hunting team 4 had tackled a few months ago in and was now generating profits as one of the main dungeons. Tap- Beep beep- Kwon Oh-jun briefly put down the n and turned on the beam projector. A detailed PowerPoint presentation about the destination for this deployment. Inside were¡­ pictures of the unique-looking ¡®snakes¡¯. ¡°The location might be simr, but the appearing monsters and the dungeon¡¯s characteristics arepletely different. The main appearing monster, as you can see, is snakes. The dungeon is tentatively named ¡®The Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯.¡± Beep- Kwon Oh-jun used the pointer to advance the slides. The first monster appeared. A long body and tail. In contrast, a snake with a broad face. It was the B-grade monster, Rapid Cobra. ¡°Rapid Cobra is a snake-type monster that focuses on speed, as its name suggests. While young snakes are already known for their speed, these are exceptionally fast. They probably possess rted runes as well. Shin Yuna and Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We responded promptly to the sudden call. Kwon Oh-jun alternated his gaze between me and Shin Yuna before speaking calmly. ¡°Both of you are the only warrior-type members for this operation. You need to firmly hold the center and engage in tanking. If you get flustered by their speed and lose sight of the monsters, remember that their attacks will head toward the rear of our party.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll remember that!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± While Kwon Oh-jun was trying to instill fear, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for either Shin Yuna or me to be flustered. After all, we both possessed the [Agile Agility] rune, which was agile in dealing with fast attacks. Through runes, we could easily deal with attacks of high speed, and if necessary, we could also use shields. Especially for Shin Yuna, who specialized in speed statistics, she could easily entice the monsters as an ¡®evasion tank¡¯. ¡®Well, it¡¯s me¡­ I can use magic attacks if necessary.¡¯ Considering the diversity of my runes, as Kwon Oh-jun had seen, there was no need to distance myself as a Multi-Holder. As a matter of fact, my [Fiery me] was manifested faster than the magician-type Holders in our party. Since I only manifested magic power without casting spells. Whether it was me or Shin Yuna, we were both Holders of a higher level than ordinary C-grade Holders. After a brief warning, the exnation continued. It had been about two hours. Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s exnations and the PowerPoint slides were well-organized. They depicted various snake-type monsters and their characteristics. The special characteristics of the dungeon were neatly summarized in the PPT. Chapter 68: The Forest Covered by Snake (2) (1)

Chapter 68: The Forest Covered by Snake (2) (1)

Bonus chapter thanks to @ fayth_fugu subscribing to Legendary Tier on Buymeacoffee. ¡°Keep pushing forward! We have to hunt to the end!¡± The voice of Kwon Oh-jun echoed through the mountains. 2:00 PM. Our party, gathered at the entrance of Inwangsan Field, had allpleted their preparations and entered the field without dy. Inwangsan Field was a higher-level field than Bukhansan Field, where I had previously gone for a C-grade promotion. The grades of the monsters appearing from the beginning to the middle were mostly C-grade or higher, and B-grade monsters appeared frequently in the middle. Our party¡¯s dungeon assignment this time wasn¡¯t difficult for no reason. Roar-!! Growl- The expression ¡®main residence of tigers¡¯ was spot on. Most of the monsters appearing from the beginning to the middle were tiger-type monsters. Not only Shovel Tigers and ck Tigers, but also B-grade monsters of the Sabretooth Tiger lineage like ¡®Smilodon¡¯ often appeared. These creatures were monsters that didn¡¯t unleash any special magical attacks, but due to their highly developed physical abilities such as strength and speed, they weren¡¯t easy opponents. ¡°We¡¯ll finish this battle without rear support. Do Jae-hyun, utilize magical attacks, and Shin Yuna, focus on striking! Jae-hyun, don¡¯t forget to use your shield for tanking!¡± ¡°Understood¡­!!¡± ¡°Move when it¡¯s time to answer!¡± Since entering the battle. The atmosphere of Kwon Oh-jun, the party leader, had changed drastically. He, who was usually yful, was apletely different person in battle. He seriously formedbat strategies, assigned necessary personnel in appropriate positions. In situations that required concentration, he guided his team members decisively. Especially in this assignment, Do Jae-hyun and Shin Yuna, who was a C-grade Holders assigned for growth purposes, were pushed harder. Thanks to that, sparks flew relentlessly from my shield and sword, as well as from Shin Yuna¡¯s knuckles. [Go deeper, go faster! The concentration of the fiery me within you burning fiercely increases. Your proficiency in handling fire increases significantly.] [The level of the ¡®Fiery mes¡¯ rune has increased.] [You gain 1 magic power and 1 fire resistance through the rune¡¯s nature.] [The depth of handling magic power shines brighter in urgent situations. Your magic control is already at an advanced level.] [The level of the ¡®Magic Control¡¯ rune has increased.] [You gain 1 magic power through the rune¡¯s attributes.] Realbat is the best training. This saying, which has been used to the point of exhaustion throughout history. It was no different in the Holder world. The bestrades, the best party members. And the bestbat instructor who had umted years of hunting experience. Continuing the battle with them, the growth speed of the runes was explosive. The rune levels of my [Fiery me] and [Magic Control] had each risen by 2 levels, bing level 7 and level 6, respectively, by the time we reached the outskirts of the middle part of Inwangsan Field. While I mainly used a one-handed sword and a shield for tanking, and frequently utilized the offensive aspects of the two runes, my growth was evident. ¡®The rise in magic power is somewhat stic.¡¯ If there¡¯s one focus of my training now. It would probably be the growth of the ¡®Magic Power¡¯ stat and the rune levels of [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]. The ultimate skills of these two runes, [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance]. To utilize them, the prerequisite conditions must be satisfied. While the rune levels of sword techniques will naturally rise with consistent training, the growth of the magic power stat can¡¯t be achieved through training alone, so the growth through runes was wee. My magic power had already reached 22. Considering that I was hovering around 10 not too long ago¡­ The growth was remarkably rapid. ¡®The new runes¡­ While they might not provide significant advantages, they¡¯re quite substantial.¡¯ Tiger-type monsters. Because I had acquired so many runes from animal-type monsters, most of the runes I possessed were already familiar, to say the least. But there were still some runes that I didn¡¯t have. [You¡¯ve won in a duel! Your high contribution in the duel has been recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.] [You have selected Sharp ws. Since it¡¯s an 11th-level rare rune, its level will decrease and be registered as level 6.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [You gain 2 agility through the rune¡¯s attributes.] [Sharp ws]. A rune obtained by hunting the B-grade monster ¡®Smilodon¡¯ in the middle part of the field. The runes it possessed were mostly things like [Agile Agility], [Sturdy Fangs], [Quadruped Combat]. In short, runes I had already acquired. I had hoped that there might be a rune like the tiger¡¯s hide among them, but it seemed not all animal-type monsters had defense-type runes. ¡®¡­I wonder if there¡¯s a use for this.¡¯ [Sharp ws] was a rare rune in the physical enhancement category based on agility. Its special effect was that when attacking an opponent using the ws, their toughness would be reduced by half. A familiar effect, much like [Sturdy Fangs]. ¡®They sure have a lot of beast-type runes.¡¯ Scales, fangs, ws, quadrupedbat¡­ At this rate, I might be the true king of beasts or something. ¡°Okay. You both did well.¡± ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°Great job.¡± While lost in thought for a moment. Kwon Oh-jun signaled the end of the battle. Looking around, we had hunted down all the monsters nearby. Mostly C-grade monsters, with about two B-grade monsters like Smilodon¡­ With the addition of Shin Yuna¡¯s strikes and my magical attacks, we managed to hunt them down somehow. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 69: Forest Covered by Snakes (3) (1)

Chapter 69: Forest Covered by Snakes (3) (1)

Bonus chapter thanks to @ fayth_fugu subscribing to Legendary Tier on Buymeacoffee. What are the ways for warrior-type Holders to deal with magical attacks? The most basic and straightforward method is to increase the special attribute called ¡®resistance.¡¯ I possess three types of resistance: poison, water, and fire. Among these, poison is not a result of magical manifestation, so it¡¯s not relevant. However, water resistance and fire resistance are indeed effective against magical attacks or spells of the corresponding elements. ¡®My fire resistance stat is currently at 8¡­¡¯ Unlike base stats, 8 is quite high for a special attribute. Most D-grade Holder¡¯s magic attacks from fire-based creatures won¡¯t even cause a scratch. But to raise resistance stats, special methods are needed. Obtaining runes rted to the specific element, having innate talent, or¡­ Using special items. Acquiring such special attributes is not an easy task for ordinary warrior-type individuals. Furthermore, even I, with high resistance stats, don¡¯t have ¡®lightning resistance¡¯. ¡®The second method is using a shield.¡¯ If the level of the [Shield] is high and the equipment is decent, Holders can fend off magical attacks solely with defensive techniques. Warrior-type Holders who consider themselves tanks mostly utilize shields, and they prefer sword-and-shieldbat. However, neither Kwon Oh-jun nor Shin Yuna use shields. Kwon Oh-jun is an offensive warrior specializing in using a spear as his main weapon, while Shin Yuna is an evasion-based warrior who employs agility. Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s extensive experience and A-grade status make this inconsequential, but for Shin Yuna, who is weak against magical attacks, this battle could be risky. ¡°Snap out of it, Shin Yuna! Since Do Jae-hyun and I will charge ahead, you lure the enemies by focusing on evasion!¡± ¡°Yes, understood!¡± Fortunately, Kwon Oh-jun immediately sensed Shin Yuna¡¯s unease. He gave orders, signaling the start of the battle. Holding my shield firmly, I quickly charged forward as well. Shoot ah- Bang- Bang- Bang-!! A total of 6 Electrophoruses. They rushed towards us with remarkable speed, leaving ripples in the water. Their speed was considerable, but within a range we could manage. My shield, now prepared, deflected a charging attack from one of them. As a precaution, I even employed the [Iron Wall Defense] skill without hesitation. Crash-!! Sparks flew, crackling! ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± Since it wasn¡¯t a highly powerful monster, the impact was weak. However, this creature used lightning-based magical attacks. Upon impact, a surge of electricity coursed through my shield. ¡®Ouch, that tingles.¡¯ My mind jolted awake. Even with [Iron Wall Defense], the result was still like this. Thankfully, due to the stored magical energy in the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield], I managed to avoid getting shocked unconscious. If it were any other shield that couldn¡¯t block magical attacks, I might have been electrocuted and stunned. Bang- Bang- Bang-!! There was no time to rest. I blocked one Electrophorus¡¯s attack with my shield, but another was aiming for my unprotected side. Dividing the 6 monsters between us warriors, 2 per warrior. I had to deal with at least two of them. ¡®I can¡¯t block with a sword.¡¯ Blocking the first monster¡¯s attack was possible because of the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield], which was a rare shield capable of blocking magical attacks. It was only possible due to this shield. It was toote to maneuver the shield for another block. However, using a sword would increase the chance of being shocked by a lightning-based magical attack. Now I was left vulnerable to another monster¡¯s attack. In this precarious situation, there was only one thing I could do. ¡°Halt!¡± Ah, how embarrassing. In my haste, these words slipped out unintentionally. But it had an effect, that was for sure. The Electrophorus that was about to swoop down from the right suddenly halted as if it had been electrocuted. ¡­It wasn¡¯t because I told it to stop. It was the effect of the derived skill from the [Oppression] rune, [Deration of Domination]. ¡®It¡¯s not working on the majority yet.¡¯ My [Oppression] rune was only at level 2. Perhaps that¡¯s why the range of [Deration of Domination] wasn¡¯t very wide. It didn¡¯t affect the monsters headed toward Shin Yuna and Kwon Oh-jun, only the two monsters I was dealing with were momentarily frozen in ¡®terror¡¯. And I wasn¡¯t about to let it go. ¡®Art of Weapon Exhange!¡¯ Using the Art of Weapon Exchange, I stowed my shield in my bag and switched my weapon to a two-handed sword. I immediately lunged at the Electroplorus on the right. Swish-! Bang- Bang-!! Using the [Water Sword Technique] and its [Combo], followed by the thrusting motion unique to the [Wave Sword Technique]. Adding [Fiery me] that is up to level 7 was a bonus. Monsters that focused on offense generally had weak defenses. This was a sort of equation that applied to hunting monsters, a kind of form. The Electrophorus with rtively low toughness sumbed to abination of my varied rune-enhanced sword strikes too easily. It writhed in intense pain from the wounds. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Of course, I wasn¡¯t unscathed either. This creature had a tremendous amount of bioelectricity. Even without utilizing lightning-based magical attacks, it emitted a massive amount of natural electric discharge. As a result, the electricity transferred to me through the sword I¡¯d thrust into it. ¡®It might be slightly dangerous.¡¯ I nearly had a close call with the Electrophorus on the right. In contrast, the left creature had shaken off the fear and could attack once again. I lowered myself to the ground for a moment. Swiftly using the Art of Weapon Exchange, I lifted my shield. Just in case I needed to defend immediately. While I couldn¡¯t use [Iron Wall Defense] anymore, my shield wasn¡¯t broken, so I could still engage in basic tanking. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± But the danger I expected never came. To be precise, the danger was entirely nullified. Swoosh- Tss-tss-tss- Bang- Bang-!! A man appeared in front of me at lightning speed. It was as if he¡¯d teleported. His speed exceeded any recorded velocity for human movement, bordering on the limits of physical capabilities and mastery of runic arts. It was the assassin of the Party, Choi Dong-wook. Prev I TOC I Next Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 70: The Forest Covered by Snakes (4) (1)

Chapter 70: The Forest Covered by Snakes (4) (1)

Outside the barrier of Inwangsan Field. A hunting ground frequently visited by mid-grade and above Holders due to the high level of monsters inhabiting it. In the middle of the field. A group of people wearing masks had gathered. Each of them wore a mask and carried their own specialized equipment, making them look different from ordinary hunters in the field. Among them, the front-runner in the masks. He briefly lowered his mask and put a cigarette in his mouth. It was already his fifth cigarette. Also, it seemed they were all his subordinates. The remaining members stood with bowed heads, waiting. The masked person scattered cigarette smoke in all directions and asked another masked person behind him. ¡°Are we sure about this vicinity?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Just before the crow entered the dungeon, they spread magical powder to signal. ording to the signal, it¡¯s within about 100 meters.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The masked person looked around. Traces of a hunt that seemed to have been swept by a party. Apart from the magical stones, they hadn¡¯t even started butchering, indicating that this was clearly a purpose-driven hunting party. The words of his subordinates and the situation in the field¡­ They were indicating that this was the ce they were looking for. ¡°Anyway, we can¡¯t control these little fire judges. Suddenly changing the dispatch date. We came here in a hurry, not even having time for a smoke.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something that happens asionally. Doesn¡¯t the master of that n have some peculiar aspects?¡± ¡°Why do the S-grade folks all look like that?¡± The masked person, who had stepped on thest cigarette butt and discarded it, cleared his throat and began to speak. Then he took out a sword and looked at the assembled masked individuals. ¡°Because of the recent antics of the Academy brats, we absolutely have to seed this time. I¡¯ve said it multiple times, everyone remembers, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The masked person, who had put on his mask again due to the cigarette, looked forward. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s kill the fire starters.¡± Though his mouth was covered, his eyes were smiling. *** ippotrantions *** The levels of [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] had both reached level 9. [Effort of the Seeker], and [Swirling Tidal Wave]. Thebined result of the increased growth speed of the two runes. Now, it was only one level away from unlocking the ultimate skill. My wave sword technique was around level 8. If I¡¯m lucky, the restriction might be lifted after this dungeon raid. ¡®And¡­ I need to get the battle rewards.¡¯ The golden information window adorned before my eyes. The reward from [Rune Hunter], who had defeated Electrophorus. [Victory in a battle! Due to your high contribution in the battle, you are recognized as the winner. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to replicate.] [1. Stealth, 2. Infiltrating Mind, 3. Underwater Breathing (not selectable), 4. Underwater Sprint, 5. Magic Control (not selectable).] The runes possessed by Electrophorus were somewhat predictable. Given it¡¯s ability to control lightning, [Infiltrating Mind] was a given, and [Magic Control] was also necessary to assist him. For a creature that operated underwater, [Underwater Breathing] and a rune that allowed rapid movement within it, [Underwater Sprint], seemed usible. But there was one peculiar rune. The first choice in the selection, [Stealth]. ¡®Why does it even have Stealth?¡¯ [Stealth] was one of themon runes mainly possessed by the assassin-type. Unlike what appears in other novels or games, it doesn¡¯t grant the ability to be pletely invisible¡¯. It assists in not revealing one¡¯s presence when hiding at a specific point or object, changing the atmosphere so that one¡¯s presence isn¡¯t felt even when right next to the person. In short, you only disappear from the opponent¡¯s line of sight, it assists inpletely erasing one¡¯s presence. ¡®As the level rises, it bes more effective.¡¯ When it gets to a high level, it would not even reveal itself to detection runes like magic sensing or archer-type runes. It lives up to its name, Stealth. It was a capability I, a semi-assassin, didn¡¯t possess yet. Electric eels, however, had it. ¡®Oh! So, that was why Min Chae-hwan didn¡¯t detect them.¡¯ After entering the dungeon for the first time. Min Chae-hwan had used reconnaissance runes to prepare the party for battle. Nothing had been detected by his B-grade rune. He had even confirmed that there would be no monsters for about 10 minutes. The reason they weren¡¯t detected. They possessed [Stealth] rted to eels, and its level was unexpectedly high. When the advance team came before, they hadn¡¯t revealed their appearance at all. ¡®Then what should I choose¡­ Infiltrating Mind and Stealth.¡¯ The choices were predetermined. Both runes were what I needed right now. The former was needed for resistance to lightning magic in order to handle lightning-rted magic, and thetter would enhance my assassin abilities a bit more. Luckily, both of the Electrophoruses I was in charge of had their contributions recognized, allowing me to hunt the runes from both entities. Chapter 71: The Forest Covered by Snake (5) (1)

Chapter 71: The Forest Covered by Snake (5) (1)

In the n, the hunting team consisted of 5 squads. Lee Soo-mi, who was in charge of the B-grade Holders of the Sacred lineage, watched the party¡¯s battle with keen interest. One person, in particr, caught her attention, undoubtedly. The intern n member who had joined the party for the first time today ¨C it was Do Jae-hyun. ¡®Hmm, this intern is truly an interesting person.¡¯ The more she looked at Do Jae-hyun, the more intriguing he became. He had joined the n on the rmendation of Kang Juyeon, the n¡¯s sessor, with an unprecedented internship period of two months. Naturally, the n members of , who took pride in being the best n in the country, couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to such news. Moreover, he had suddenly been thrust into the raid to conquer the ¡®Forest Covered by Snake¡¯ which had been announced well in advance. Among the hunting teams, it was Do Jae-hyun who had been hearing the super parachute sound within Squad 5. ¡®I¡¯m sure that¡¯s how it was¡­¡¯ But could he prove himself as a Rune Holder with his innate abilities? Aftering to the raid, it was clear. He possessed an incredible talent that surpassed his peers. He effortlessly wielded three types of weapons: dual swords, a one-handed sword and shield, and a dagger. In addition, he made use of magic attacks. He handled fire-type magic attacks as if they were his second nature and had impressive physicalbat skills to match. His defensive capabilities were also not to be underestimated, making him a reliable tank on the frontlines. ¡®I have a feeling he¡¯s constantly growing.¡¯ From the entrance of the Inwangsan Field to the middle of the Forest Covered by Snake, they encountered new monsters and faced numerous challenges throughout the raid. However, each time, Do Jae-hyun showed gradual growth, strengthening the party. Especially when they encountered the Electrophorus for the fourth time¡­ He practically handled two of them on his own, so to speak. If someone didn¡¯t know better, they would think, ¡®Is he actually a B-grade Holder from Squad 5?¡¯ ¡®It seems like he has an interesting rtionship with Juyeon.¡¯ Do Jae-hyun was Kang Juyeon¡¯s parachute. That wasn¡¯t an inurate statement. Ever since Do Jae-hyun joined as an intern, it was easy for anyone to see that Kang Juyeon frequently took care of him. This sight itself was fascinating to Lee Soo-mi. Kang Juyeon taking care of someone? For a member of , it was something that no one would easily imagine. ¡®Hmm, they¡¯re young.¡¯ Fire support directed at Do Jae-hyun during hunting, fleeting nces exchanged while walking, and especially after battles, the warm nces directed at him under the pretense of healing ¨C even though Lee Soo-mi knew all this about him, she bullied him more only to tease Kang Juyeon. For Lee Soo-mi, who was already in her sixth year of membership in the n, Kang Juyeon was still the cute n girl. Papa papa- Kwoong! Once again, a giant snake-like monster fell. Monsters like Mega Snake, a B-grade monster, appeared around the middle of the dungeon. Nearby, the Green Anaconda, also B-grade monsters, had been taken down. At a nce, there were about eight of thembined. It was a sign that they were encountering more and more monsters as they neared the end of the dungeon. ¡°Hmm-¡° With keen interest, Lee Soo-mi approached the monsters to collect magic stones. In this raid, there was no dedicated butchering Holder, so collecting the spoils from the monsters was challenging. However, they could still obtain magic stones from the monsters, even if handling the materials was difficult. ¡°Huh?¡± While trying to extract magic stones, Lee Soo-mi noticed something unusual from the corpse of Mega Snake, a B-grade monster. It was the monster Do Jae-hyun had hunted, the one with which he had sessfully soloed as his deal-tanking bnce had grown beyond a certain level. ¡°This is¡­¡± The head of Mega Snake, where the magic stone was embedded, had undergone rapid aging, tainted by a strange aura. ¡®It seems like some sort of curse or enchantment.¡¯ A mischievous smile yed on Lee Soo-mi¡¯s lips. While others might not easily notice these symptoms, as a Sacred lineage Holder, she was much more sensitive and responsive to curses or enchantments. It was clear that the Mega Snake had been affected by a curse-based skill called ¡®Weakening¡¯. And the one who hunted it was, coincidentally, the intern. Lee Soo-mi¡¯s gaze turned back to Do Jae-hyun. He was cheerfully digging for magic stones. ¡®This intern¡­ He¡¯s truly an interesting person.¡¯ Multi-Holders with various talents in the Holder profession were not umon, but it was rare for someone to skillfully wield all those talents and rise to the ranks of high-level Holders. When discussing sessful Multi-Holders, it wasn¡¯t just ¡¯s Seong Na-yeon who was mentioned. As one advanced higher, the growth curve of a Multi-Holder became steeper. However, right now, a person who aims to rewrite the history of such Multi-Holders has appeared once again. They can wield at least three different martial arts techniques, use fire-type magic attacks, and even seem to utilize runes like those in the shamanic lineage. They are a promising talent with a keen sense, knowing how to use various runes judiciously. This is not just something Lee Soo-mi feels; other party members are likely sensing it too, even if they keep their thoughts to themselves. ¡®Juyeon seemed to want to have this interesting person all to herself.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just a youth romance, as it seemed to be at first. Lee Soo-mi smiled deeply, continuing to gather magic stones. Lately, her daily life had been monotonous and boring. However, with the arrival of such an intriguing person, n life seemed to have be more interesting. *** ippotrantions *** [¡®Underwater Sprint¡¯ rune selected. Since it is a level 9 Rare Rune, it will be registered as level 5.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Due to the rune¡¯s nature, you gain 3 water resistance and 1 speed.] [Your skill in handling various weapons bes more spectacr. Proficiency in swords and shields increases rapidly.] [¡®Master of Martial Arts¡¯ rune level has increased.] [Due to the rune¡¯s nature, you gain 2 strength.] ¡®The Forest Covered by Snake¡¯ is truly a dungeon thatys golden eggs. Because the average rank of the monsters B, which is so high, we¡¯re acquiring so much loot. Steadily, the main rune¡¯s level increased, and new runes were obtained through [Rune Hunter]. ¡®My Lightning resistance is up to 8 now.¡¯ Sometimes, the Electrophorus that appeared in the river provided supplements to increase Lightning resistance. He steadily raised his Lightning resistance by enduring their electric attacks and finally obtained the [Underwater Sprint] rune he had been aiming for. Chapter 72: The Forest Covered by Snakes (6) (1)

Chapter 72: The Forest Covered by Snakes (6) (1)

-There are more dungeons than stars in the sky. This famous sayinges from the explorer Holder, who was once renowned as a dungeon excavator. The conflict between monsters and Holder had been ongoing until now. Numerous dungeons had been discovered and conquered, but¡­ There were still many undiscovered ones, and at this very moment, someone was registering a new dungeon with the association. This was why adventurers like Holder, who were determined to find undiscovered dungeons, were thriving. ¡®As there are many, there are also many different types.¡¯ Dungeonse in all sorts of forms. Just like the underground academy dungeon I first conquered, they can take the shape of caves, but also forests, mountains, oceans, deserts, and even vige-like forms¡­ As Holder said, there are truly diverse types of dungeons in the world. Furthermore, in thetter part of the original work, there were cases of different racesmunicating with humans within dungeons. ¡­Whether to consider them monsters was a secondary issue. ¡°Anyway, the Forest Covered by Snake should be rtively quick to conquer.¡± Choi Dong-wook, leaning against a tree, said as he checked his equipment. At my request for casual conversation, he was chatting with me easily. ¡°Even though it¡¯s a forest-type dungeon?¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get lost, you¡¯ll reach the boss room quickly. Forest-type dungeons have shorter paths than you might think. Well, even considering that, we conquered it too quickly.¡± A B-grade expedition party within the hunting team 5. Except for Shin Yuna and me, it was a party made up of elite members. Wepleted the hunt at an astonishing ¡®ultra-fast speed¡¯. The Inwangsan Field took about 1 hour. The Forest Covered by Snake took about 3 hours. A total of 4 hours. We started the mission in the afternoon at 2 o¡¯clock, so we reached the boss room around 6 o¡¯clock in the evening. Even if it¡¯s a dungeon with a short conquest time, considering that the average conquest time is 8 hours, it was undoubtedly an impressive conquest speed. Therefore, party leader Kwon Oh-jun dered a rest. Before entering the boss room, it was a brief maintenance period. ¡°Last time, where was it? Was it Royal? There was a desert-type dungeon we conquered there, and it took more than a week.¡± ¡°It took that long?¡± ¡°The dungeon was too vast, and finding the boss room was difficult. When you go to a ce like that, you have to prepare for a camp. Conquer it by dividing the time like a regr job.¡± In fact, I knew all of this. I probably knew more about the types and forms of dungeons than Choi Dong-wook did. However, I was just making small talk to see if I could learn even a little about assassination rune usage, which I couldn¡¯t utilize effectively outside of throwing skills. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to use a shortsword than a dagger?¡± ¡°A shortsword?¡± ¡°Yeah. The biggest drawback of dagger skills is that they have a short reach, but if you use a shortsword, that¡¯s somewhatpensated. It¡¯s about maintaining the advantage of the fast speed unique to dagger skills while reducing the disadvantage.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°So, some people call this short swordsmanship. Of course, in terms of the system, it¡¯s still a weapon skill rted to daggers.¡± In the academy, they taught dagger usage. And, just like Choi Dong-wook said, the short reach was a drawback that became evident, so I had shifted my focus towards two-handed or one-handed swordsmanship. ¡®But the professor back then didn¡¯t mention shortswords¡­¡¯ Even though they were both B-grade Holders, there was a significant difference in skill level. The professor at the time and Choi Dong-wook were exactly like that. The reality of Korean assassination skills, which were evaluated as particrly weak, was evident. Even if Choi Dong-wook were toe as an instructor to the academy, it would be just right. ¡°Are there rune skills for short swordsmanship too?¡± ¡°Of course not. There may not be standard normal runes like the Three Strikes Swordsmanship, but there are decent derivative runes if you look at the rare runes. I have one as well.¡± His words made my eyes light up. In other words, defeating Choi Dong-wook in a duel means you can acquire that rune. The details of the rune information are kept secret among the Holders, so I didn¡¯t know the specifics, but if I imagined his performance in battle, it was undoubtedly a useful rune. ¡®To be honest, I¡¯m not confident I can win¡­¡¯ An assassin-ss B-grade Holder, and among them, Choi Dong-wook seemed quite formidable. He was much stronger than other C-grade Holders, but I couldn¡¯t be sure of victory against him. Nevertheless, once the ultimate skill restriction was lifted, I thought I might be able to win somehow. This was the first time since joining that I had a clear goal in mind. ¡°I think everyone has had enough rest. Let¡¯s get going. We should stop looking at those annoying snake bastards.¡± Kwon Oh-jun said as he got up from his seat. The other party members finished their preparations and got up as well. It was time to enter the boss room. *** ippotrantions *** ¡°¡­Trees?¡± The first thing I noticed as we entered the cave was that the boss room had absolutely no resemnce to a cave. The firm earth that we had been walking on steadily in the dungeon covered the ground, and inside, various types of trees stretched up to the ceiling. It felt like an underground forest. Moreover, the shapes of the trees were somewhat unusual. The trunks were much thicker than ordinary trees, and there were hardly any branches. Especially, there were no leaves at all where there should have been at the tips, and even if I looked closely, I couldn¡¯t see any green. They were eerie-looking trees. ¡°Yeah, it feels like a brown forest.¡± Lee Soo-mi¡¯sment was fitting. Despite having a simr appearance to the Inwangsan Field or the Forest Covered by Snake, it gave off a feeling simr to a ¡®brown forest¡¯ because of the leafless, bare trees. We examined this unusual sight and continued further inward toward the center of the boss room. ¡°There seems to be¡­ one more pit.¡± Min Chae-hwan, who had been searching from the entrance, said. Therge pit that we had descended when entering the boss room. There was another simr pit inside the boss room. Even without Min Chae-hwan mentioning it, I could faintly see it between therge trees. Sssss- And then, at that moment. The sound we had heard countless times before rang out once again. It was the movement of snake-type monsters within the dungeon, a sound often heard when they moved slowly. Sssllluuurrrp- Fwosh- In response, the party members firmly assumed theirbat stances. The support members at the rear were already preparing their magic for their respective attacks, and I held a one-handed sword and shield in my hands. Chapter 73: The Forest Covered by Snakes (7) (1)

Chapter 73: The Forest Covered by Snakes (7) (1)

Transition. The movement of a particr concept or substance to another subject. It usually refers to something that urs after its manifestation, but the current transition seems to refer only to ¡®the phenomenon of discarding the existing body and obtaining a new one¡¯. The body that the Mountain Serpent had initially appeared with had turned into a rotten tree and reappeared as a new body behind us. ¡®It¡¯s not a rune.¡¯ I had no memory of a rune with such a special ability. Moreover, when Ipiled the dungeon information disyed on the information screen, I realized that it was an ability rted to the dungeon¡¯s special ¡®gimmick¡¯. The ability to change one¡¯s body at will duringbat¡­ It was undoubtedly a menace to us, especially in a situation where even measuring the opponent¡¯sbat abilities was impossible. Kaoooo-!! There was no time to ponder. The Mountain Serpent charged towards us without hesitation. Perhaps it was because he could freely change its body. It seemed fearless of physical assault. I quickly raised my shield and positioned myself at the front line. Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook were already quite far away. Shin Yuna¡¯s [Bullet Defense] wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the boss¡¯s strength. I had to block. ¡®I must block no matter what.¡¯ The [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield] in my left hand was enveloped in magic. It was a defensive skill that exceeded my limits. The manifestation of [Iron Wall Defense]. Kang ¨C Kang -!! Kwaaaah!! ¡°Kuh, ugh¡­!!¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun!¡± But the opponent was at least an A-grade or higher boss monster. Blocking just physical attacks was not enough, as I soon found out. I managed to block the guy¡¯s headbutt, but I couldn¡¯t defend against its magical attack. ¡®Earth!¡¯ He used a ground-type magical attack using the earth. Suddenly, my defensive stance waspromised by the cracks in the ground, and his tail struck my waist with a tremendous force. As a result, I fell like a ragdoll to those behind me. Kang Juyeon, who was preparing magic, clenched her lips and looked ahead. It seemed as if she was about to obliterate the Mountain Serpent. ¡®Crazy. It hurts like hell.¡¯ Of course, I wasn¡¯t just lying there. As soon as the rift urred, I detected an abnormality and used [Strengthen]. Thanks to that, I could avoid fatal injuries, although I still felt intense pain. It¡¯s like this, but it¡¯s not to the point of dying anyway. ¡®It wasn¡¯t good¡­¡¯ The situation was far from good, though. I had already used two of my held skills, and thinking about blocking this kind of attack several more times made my head spin. Especially the gimmick possessed by the Mountain Serpent. The ability to change one¡¯s body at will, even if we defeated it, meant we would have to fight it again. ¡°Juyeon¡­!!¡± ¡°No!¡± Afterpleting the preparations for her magic, an impatient Kang Juyeon attempted to use her skill. I urgently stopped her. Burn up. It was clear that she intended to use her ultimate skill, [Inferno]. But now was not the time for that. ¡°Not now, Kang Ju-yeon.¡± ¡°¡­But.¡± ¡°Think rationally. You¡¯re smart, aren¡¯t you?¡± The Mountain Serpent had already demonstrated its gimmick once. The ability to change his body at will, surprising everyone. Most of the party members, including Kang Juyeon, Kwon Oh-jun, and Choi Dong-wook, would have noticed. That defeating the boss in front of us wouldn¡¯t be the end. So, it was necessary to save the most powerful skill we could use. Jjeojeojeoje- The Mountain Serpent. Its body split apart again, making eerie sounds like a tree being torn apart. It was the result of thebined attack of Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook, followed by Min Chae-hwan¡¯s support fire. Of course, this time, the split body was also a fake corpse. ¡°Do Jae-hyun. Can you get up?¡± A boss monster that could turn into another tree at any moment. Because of that, after sharply scanning the surroundings, Kwon Oh-jun asked me. I quickly got up after organizing my thoughts. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°The Mountain Serpenti. What do you think its grade is?¡± His unexpected question surprised me. For the first time since the dispatch began today, Kwon Oh-jun was asking me for my ¡®opinion¡¯. ¡°Can I answer that?¡± ¡°Only you have managed to directly block his attacks. We don¡¯t have time. Quickly.¡± Kaoooo-!! Did he hear our conversation like that? The Mountain Serpent appeared from the side once again. There was no time to lose. After organizing my thoughts as much as possible, I answered quickly. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a monster that surpasses A-grade. But I think calling it S-grade is a bit ambiguous.¡± ¡°Ambiguous?¡± ¡°Yes. Its gimmick is too absurd, making it feel almost imprable, but I don¡¯t think his innate abilities are at that level. After all, I managed to hold my ground against him. It¡¯s somewhere between A-grade and S-grade, just about that level.¡± It was difficult to make an urate judgment at first nce. If we had to ssify it, perhaps it should be called A+ grade. That answer was the limit. The Mountain Serpent approached closely and shook us once again with earth-based magic. Ku-gwung- Ku-gu-gu-gu-!! Instantly, cracks appeared on the ground, and the concentration of those who were preparing magic was shattered. This time, even Min Chae-hwan¡¯s arrow attacks went off target. Hunting down the guy¡¯s duplicates ultimately fell to Kwon Oh-jun, Choi Dong-wook, and me. Chapter 74: The Forest Covered by Snakes (8) (1)

Chapter 74: The Forest Covered by Snakes (8) (1)

Sweat drops flowed down her hair. Kang Juyeon sensed the desperate situation. The operation to burn all the trees inside the boss room. It was undoubtedly sessful. It was a strategy that everyone agreed upon, and it effectively cornered the boss monster. If they could all gather andunch a final attack after unraveling all the gimmicks, they could defeat the boss monster. The sessful assault was right within their grasp. ¡®¡­There was more than one gimmick.¡¯ However, the gimmick that the Mountain Serpent received assistance with in the dungeon was not just a mere ¡®transition¡¯. Countless trees within the boss room. They could be freely utilized in any form. That was the true nature of the dungeon gimmick this time. So, when the boss monster was cornered, it stopped transitioning and utilized the trees differently. Only a few trees remained. They were all shaped into ¡®wooden snakes¡¯ and sent toward the party as a form of magical attack. It was a deadly blow to the party members who were focused on the operation. ¡®¡­Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ Kang Juyeon suddenly looked at the man in front of her. Do Jae-hyun. He had rushed to the rear as soon as the wooden snakes appeared while facing the boss earlier. There was no room for defense in the rear¡­ That¡¯s probably why he came running. In the party, they had been together for a while. This man always made the right judgments. Do Jae-hyun¡­ had always been a rational person. ¡®¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ So, in this urgent and dangerous moment. Kang Juyeon felt even more sorry for him. Because she was the one who had brought him into this dangerous situation, jeopardizing the bright future thaty ahead. He was here in this unreasonable situation¡­ Without running away, he came to protect them. ¡­Even though there were no means of defense left for sure. ¡°Miss! You have to get out of the way!¡± Kim Seong-cheol, a magician who was participating in the ¡®Forest Fire Operation¡¯, urgently canceled his magic and spoke. And it wasn¡¯t just him. Lee Soo-mi of the sacred lineage and the new n member Shin Yuna were also by Kang Juyeon¡¯s side. The n¡¯s sessor had to be protected. Perhaps that¡¯s why they came. However, Kang Juyeon slowly shook her head. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll block it.¡± ¡°Miss!!¡± There was no turning back. The man she had personally suggested and brought here was standing before her. A man who had thanked her with a smile despite the forced dispatch. A man who had run to protect them in this unreasonable situation when there was no strength left to defend¡­ He had awakened as a Holder more than a year ago. During that not-so-long time, among all the people she had met¡­ The most brilliant Holder, who had never shown his ultimate skill before, was standing right in front of her. ¡®I¡¯ll end it all¡¯ She just couldn¡¯t help it. She has used a lot of magic to operate the Forest Fire Operation, and it took a lot of time and effort to cast it since her concentration was broken. She hasn¡¯t even utilized her ultimate skill [Inferno] yet. It was not a skill suitable for defending against such massive attacks. Nevertheless, Kang Juyeon will end it all. Because Do Jae-hyun is in the same worst situation as her. After making such a decision, the n members who had been trying to stop her quickly gave up and prepared to stop it somehow. The moment when dozens of wooden snakes came close to her. ¡­She heard a man¡¯s voice. ¡°Flow¡± A voice full of determination. It rang clearly in Kang Juyeon¡¯s ears. ¡®Flow?¡¯ After clearing the underground dungeon of the academy, until the event of evaluation at the end of the semester. Do Jae-hyun has never shown an ultimate skill Naturally, Kang Juyeon also thought he didn¡¯t have an ultimate skill. It was a natural assumption. ¡®¡­He¡¯s C-ss.¡¯ His Holder grade was C-ss, and there had never been a case in Holder history where a C-ss Holder had used an ultimate skill. Ultimate skills were by no meansmon. They weren¡¯t skills that you could obtain just because you wanted them. Even B-ss Holders, who had reached the pinnacle, couldn¡¯t easily acquire ultimate skills. It required an absolutebination of stats, rune level, talent¡­ That¡¯s what made ultimate skills possible. Chapter 75: The Forest Covered by Snake (9) (1)

Chapter 75: The Forest Covered by Snake (9) (1)

¡®I survived, damn it¡­¡¯ It¡¯s impossible not to curse when you¡¯re in such a situation. The boss who had been switching his body with gimmicks suddenly stopped transforming and started using multiple magic attacks with another gimmick? From the perspective of the one dealing with it, it was a difficult situation that made curse words flow freely. Still, thanks to the timely activation of the runes of the swordsmen and the lifting of the restrictions on ultimate skills, I narrowly avoided a miserable death if I had faced this without a n. ¡®I¡¯m lucky that the professors are my mentors.¡¯ It was indeed a sudden release of usage restrictions, but¡­ I calmly unfolded [Water Sword Dance] to block the wooden snakes. This was the result of long hours of training, honing the ultimate skills. Both [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance] were the main ultimate skills of Professors Tak Won-ho and Kim Myeong-hyun, and as their exclusive disciple, I could research everything rted to the skills, from their manifestation to their use, movements, and applications. I received a lot of advice from both professors and trained extensively on my own. Thanks to that, even though it was only my second time using the ultimate skill, I was able to use it skillfully without any awkwardness. ¡®Now I have to help out in the front.¡¯ The party members were in disarray due to the split. It was the perfect condition for the Mountain Serpent to rampage. That¡¯s why I quickly made a decision, gave orders to the rear members, and approached the creature with Kang Juyeon. ¡°Juyeon, you haven¡¯t used Inferno yet, right?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I asked her about her current situation as I ran towards her, matching her pace. But Kang Juyeon¡¯s reaction was strange. Rather than answering, she looked at me with slightly widened eyes. Considering her usual expressionless demeanor, it was a quite surprised face. ¡­What¡¯s going on? I raised an eyebrow and asked again, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you already use Inferno by any chance?¡± ¡°No. I haven¡¯t used it.¡± Of course, she hadn¡¯t used it. She didn¡¯t have the luxury to use ultimate skills while on a Forest Fire Operation. I had just asked to confirm, but her reaction was unexpected. ¡®Maybe Kang Juyeon is also nervous because the situation isn¡¯t good.¡¯ That was entirely possible. No matter how much of a well-rounded genius she was, this dungeon conquest in such dire circumstances was her first time since the ¡®Academy Underground Dungeon¡¯. I cleared my mind of any further thoughts and nodded. ¡°Okay. Then, when I give the signal, use Inferno. We need your magic attack to break through that tough serpent. I¡¯ll create an opening for you likest time.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± With that answer, we finally arrived at the front. The situation was not as good as expected. Choi Dong-wook was in a state of copse, having defended against the wooden snake¡¯s attacks with all his might, and Kwon Oh-jun was alone, blocking the boss¡¯s attacks within. I quickly pulled out the sword from my bag using the Arts of Weapon Exchange. I don¡¯t need a shield now. Even though my body was on the brink of copse, it was time to pour my attacks into it. The dungeon gimmick was cleared, and It couldn¡¯t switch bodies anymore. Now that I caught this creature, the dungeon conquest would be over. It was a golden opportunity to destroy the Mountain Serpent. ¡°Team leader! Please step back for a moment!¡± After shouting to Kwon Oh-jun, I immediately rushed towards the Mountain Serpent. My body had been restored with Lee Soo-mi¡¯s [Cure] and [Rest], and I even used [Emergency Treatment] with [Combat Healing] on the way. My current physical condition was not much different from when I first fought. ¡°It¡¯s body has be stronger after changing it into the main body! Be careful, Do Jae-hyun!¡± Kwon Oh-jun was indeed an experienced Holder. Despite my sudden appearance and attack, as well as my unexpected orders, he didn¡¯t question it at all. He realized that he had reached his limit in the battle and, realizing this, he stepped back without any hesitation. Hepletely entrusted the direction of the operation to me. Considering my external position as a C-grade intern n member, it was an unbelievable level of trust. As if to repay that trust, I leaped towards the monster. ¡®My target is behind the creature!¡¯ As soon as I arrived on the battlefield, I immediately used [Sprint] to get behind the Mountain Serpent. Anytime the creature turned its head, it could see me, but at that moment, it was too focused on dealing with Kwon Oh-jun to turn its head. In other words, I was out of the creature¡¯s line of sight. ¡®Hiding¡­!!¡± I used [Stealth] which I had obtained while defeating Electrophorus. [Stealth] was a rune that erased one¡¯s presence when hiding in a specific location or object. But even if you were right next to it, you could only disappear from the target¡¯s line of sight, so it was still possible to use [Stealth]. As soon as I got behind the creature, I used [Stealth] and instantly erased my presence. In other words, I could use the derived skill of [Stealth], [Hide Attack] Kyaooooh-!! The Mountain Serpent screamed. [Hide Attack] ignored a certain portion of the target¡¯s durability and increased my attack power further. There, I added a generous amount of magic to my sword and stabbed the creature. It was a sudden surprise attack, and the effective strike seemed to tear through its scales. The creature¡¯s panic was palpable in its scream. But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. ¡°Explode.¡± Chapter 76: The Forest Covered by Snakes (10) (1)

Chapter 76: The Forest Covered by Snakes (10) (1)

In the middle of Inwangsan Field. A conduit to enter the undiscovered dungeon ¡®The Forest Covered by Snakes.¡¯ Near arge rock. The masked individuals realized that something had gone terribly wrong. ¡°Ch-Chief¡­ this¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The one referred to as the Chief among the masked individuals also silently observed the current situation. The n itself was wless. After obtaining information from the spy known as ¡®Crow.¡¯ A n was prepared to seize all the rewards from this dungeon. ¡®Crow¡¯ would conquer the dungeon with 5 hunting teams from , and they would enter the dungeon one stepter. They would exhaust the 5 hunting teams with their strategy and monopolize various rewards from the dungeon. In where they didn¡¯t know about the spy¡¯s existence¡­ A cunning operation that could only befall them. It was a n devised by the n¡¯s Gangnam Branch. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, it was all based on the assumption that they didn¡¯t know about the spy¡¯s existence. ¡°We knew that the Viins were all organized in a point organization, but who would have thought they were this close?¡± Right in front of the masked individuals. A middle-aged man who was driving arge sword into the ground said. Among the numerous Holders holding different weapons, the middle-aged man alone had an overwhelming presence that made the air around him heavy. ¡°No matter how cruel the Viins may bepared to their sloppiness, I never thought they would blindly trust one spy. I didn¡¯t expect you all to swarm like this.¡± The n they thought was perfect had crumbled. The n members from the Gangnam Branch, who had nned to enter the dungeon one stepter to monopolize the rewards, had to confirm from the very beginning that the n had gone awry. . Elite n members from three of Korea¡¯s top ns had gathered here at the entrance to the Forest Covered by Snakes. But that¡¯s not all. Among those elite n members, there was one middle-aged man shining brightly. A Holder of S-grade abilities, which there were only five of in South Korea¡­ The Master of . Kang Woo-hyun was there. Even though he was not easily seen in official settings, he revealed himself in the middle of Inwangsan Field. ¡°I originally didn¡¯t n toe because of that, you know¡­¡± Kang Woo-hyun looked at the masked individuals slowly. There was no sense of danger at all. His face was too rxed. ¡°It seems my daughter decided to participate in the conquest without warning. Even though my daughter might be in danger, as a father, how could I note? Haha.¡± S-grade Holder Kang Woo-hyun and the elite n members of . In terms of numbers and abilities. In every aspect, the Holders were ahead. The ¡¯s n had beenpletely exposed, a truly thorough encirclement. *** Ippotrantion *** Kwon Oh-jun looked at him with a calm expression and spoke. ¡°Min Chae-hwan. I don¡¯t want to waste any more words on you, so listen carefully. The fact that you¡¯re a spy from the Viin n¡­ has been known since before this operation even began. The reason the deployment date was moved up a day and the fact that your ridiculous ideas were not epted are the same.¡± A shocking revtion had just urred. The faces of the party members standing together with him were also filled with astonishment. Wait, the archer who fought alongside us was a spy? And he was even a high-ranking Holder with exceptional abilities? ¡°We¡¯ve been watching your every move. You¡¯ve done a lot of cute things. The n leadership and the security team have been monitoring and preparing for all your actions. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying? About 80% of the information you provided was nonsense.¡± Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s words were harsh. You could tell from his choice of words how angry he was. He may be a team leader full of yful pranks in normal circumstances, but his trust in hisrades was unquestionable. To him, infiltrating as a spy and betraying his team¡­ That was one unforgivable action. ¡°Perhaps the branch members you belong to are nearby, right? Wicked fellows. n reinforcements have already arrived, and if you go out now, yourrades will all be captured.¡± Chapter 77: Reward (1) (1)

Chapter 77: Reward (1) (1)

After the Min Chae-hwan incident had finally concluded. We could finally confirm our dungeon rewards in peace. Just as the dungeon boasted of its high difficulty. The rewards in the Rest Room were also nothing to scoff at. There were various magic stones, equipment, and special items in abundance, and the rewards were splendid to the point where rare items, and even epic items, were often seen. These rewards were initially attributed to the n, but since our hunting team 5 were the ones who sessfully cleared the dungeon themselves, we could request appropriate reward distribution and specify the rewards we desired. ¡°Intern, intern. Tell me just this. How on earth did you manage that earlier? How did you stick all those arrows into the ground?¡± Even amidst the confirmation of the Rest Room rewards, there was a team member bothering me. A senior named Lee Soo-mi, belonging to the Recovery lineage. Her skills were great, but she had too much mischief in her. ¡°That¡¯s an industry secret. You¡¯d get hurt if you knew.¡± ¡°Hmm ¨C Are we doing this between us?¡± ¡°What kind of rtionship do we even have¡­¡± Sometimes, or maybe quite often. Conversations with Lee Soo-mi were challenging to follow. Looking at overly exposed body parts was also quite embarrassing. Nevertheless, there were team members who helped in such awkward situations. ¡°¡­Holder Lee Soo-mi.¡± Just one word from Kang Juyeon was enough. No matter how much of a character Lee Soo-mi was, she couldn¡¯t be disrespectful in front of the n¡¯s sessor. So, after we had imed all the Rest Room rewards. We cleanlypleted the dungeon clear. Upon leaving the dungeon¡­ The scene unfolded just as Kwon Oh-jun had described. Seemed to be affiliated with . Holders kneeling with their bodies restrained. n members from monitoring and subduing them. And among all these people¡­ ¡°¡­n Master?¡± ¡°Master, we greet you!¡± ¡°Master, we greet you!¡± There was also Kang Woo-hyun, the n master of . I kept him in my eyes and silently marveled. ¡®Wow. What a sight¡­¡¯ Seeing Kang Woo-hyun in person for the first time was astounding. It might sound clich¨¦, but he wasn¡¯t an S-grade Holder for no reason. Despite not doing anything other than holding a greatsword stuck in the ground, magic overflowed around him¡­ just looking at him made you feel overwhelmed. Was the charisma Kang Juyeon possessed inherited from her father? Indeed, she was a top-tier female Holder in the country. ¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard in clearing the dungeon. Today, there are many matters to deal with regarding viins and spies, and the day is already drawing to a close, so let¡¯s return quickly. We can discuss reports and rewards at the n tower tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, understood!¡± Kwon Oh-jun responded so loudly that it echoed in the mountains. It was the first time I heard such a big voice from him since we met. Is this the level of social life for a team leader¡­? Anyway, we received the disbandment order and each went back to our homes. A particrly tiring and exhausting day it had been. Thepletion of a troublesome dungeon conquest. *** Ippotrantion *** After the duel victory against Shin Yuna a while back, I developed a certain habit. That is, whenever I win a duel based on the criteria of a [Rune Hunter], I tend to dy iming the rune acquisition reward until I¡¯m alone, if possible. There isn¡¯t any grand reason for it. It¡¯s just that when there are people around or when I have matters to attend to, it can be challenging to properly assess the information, and there¡¯s also the possibility of an awkward situation urring if, like during the previous ¡®higher runebination,¡¯ my entire body starts to shine and bes visible to others. It was a habit to prevent embarrassing situations. ¡°¡­But that doesn¡¯t mean you should check it in the bathroom.¡± Instead, the ce I always go to for rune acquisition rewards is the bathroom. For some reason, it seems like good things happen when I acquire runes in the bathroom¡­ It¡¯s a superstition of my own. ¡­Even I find it a bit strange. Anyways, after the conquest of the Forest Covered by Snakes dungeon, I was in my own bathroom, checking the information window. ¡°First¡­ Min Chae-hwan¡¯s rune.¡± By defending against the arrow baptism with [War Deration of a Hundred Soldiers] and then immediately attacking Min Chae-hwan, I had employed a trick to satisfy the ¡®duel condition¡¯ of the [Rune Hunter]. This trick had worked perfectly. As soon as the chaotic situation from back then had ended, the information window that appeared right after confirmed it. [You have won the duel! Your significant contributions in the duel have been recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.¡¯ [1. Bow (unselectable) 2. Ice-Cold Focus 3. Starry Spells 4. Celestial Void Magic 5. Precise Arrow Tip 6. Magic Control (unselectable) 7. Agility 8. Exploration] Min Chae-hwan¡¯s rune setup was orthodox. If any archer-type Holder saw his rune setup, it would catch anyone¡¯s eye¡­ They were clean and charming runes. Chapter 78: Reward (2) (1)

Chapter 78: Reward (2) (1)

The [Fragmented Earth Garden] is an epic rune capable of handling earth-element magic attacks. It¡¯s the earth magic that was used to deal with us by the Mountain Serpent. They all seemed to possess magic derived from this rune. With the acquisition of this rune, I now have my seventh epic rune. Especially among the four elements, it¡¯s the earth element, following fire and water, including lightning, making it my fourth elemental magic rune when considering expanded attributes. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m bing more of a magician¡­¡± I thought to myself. With runes of this grade, I must have a talent greater than most magician-type Holders. Perhaps, when I properly learn the arrangement and manifestation of magic, and even acquire the core runes of magician types like [Magic Amplification] and [Spell Enhancement]¡­ I could really rece the role of a magician in the party. But I shook my head with a bitter smile. ¡°Still, my main focus is using weapons.¡± As a [Rune Hunter], I acquire a tremendous number of runes, but my main rune is still [Master of Martial Arts], which utilizes various weapons. Its proficiency and level is high, also, rted derivative runes like swordsmanship, mostly influence directbat in the physical domain. If I had to choose and focus, it seemed more efficient to develop physical runes. Moreover, magic-element runes offer many ways to be useful even without learning magic. For example, using mes on a sword or manipting water to create variables on the battlefield. With my current abilities, these runes were more than enough. ¡°Power Break is¡­ a decent skill too.¡± [Power Break] is the most fitting derivative skill for the rune ¡®Fragmented Earth Garden¡¯. It delivers a massive shock to the ground in contact with the user, shaking all the earth within a certain distance from that area. At first, the skill information seemed a bit vague, but as I read it, it appeared to have endless applications. It could be used for escape when surrounded by multiple monsters during a solo y, employed as an opening move in one-on-one situations, or even to create variables. It was a skill capable of both offense and defense, capable of changing the course of battle by demolishing formations. However, its range wasn¡¯t as wide as expected, and its cooldown was as long as a day, simr to [New Wave]. It seemed like I needed to use it judiciously. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to bed now.¡± I headed straight for the bed. The ultimate skills of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance], which had their usage restrictions lifted this time, and the stats that had grown while conquering dungeons, I wanted to check them all casually, but honestly, I didn¡¯t feel like doing anything. It had only been three days since I joined , but I had alreadypleted various tasks, from conquering undiscovered dungeons to facing at least A-grade or higher boss monsters. There had been too many events in just three days. Maybe that¡¯s why. Even though I only organized the information of the newly acquired runes, my head still hurt. ¡°Let¡¯s do it tomorrow. Tomorrow.¡± I entrusted the piled-up tasks to my future self and immediately fell asleep. It was the sweetest sleep I had had in a while. *** Ippotrantion *** The next day, I went to the n with a fresher mind than anyone else. The air in Yeouido weing me on my way to work was surprisingly refreshing. ¡¯s mornings were always lively. The front desk on the first floor was busy with phone calls every time I saw them, and the rookie guards responsible for security were firmly guarding the entrance today as well. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do this. You can¡¯t enter without an ess card.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ guys? I already told you, I¡¯m Scout Team Leader Cho Kyu-hyuk. Right now, the front desk is busy, and there¡¯s no one to vouch for me. Do you know how experienced I am? Can¡¯t you let me in?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t enter without an ess card.¡± ¡°No, I went on a mission and came back, and you guys still don¡¯t recognize me¡­¡± ¡­Is this d¨¦j¨¤ vu? It feels like I¡¯m seeing a familiar scene. Why do these team leader-level people never carry ess cards? They are reliable teammates when we go on missions or fight, but on ordinary days, they are unruly troublemakers among n members. I arrived at the n tower¡¯s 25th floor via the elevator. It was the 5th Hunting Team¡¯s office. Overflowing with documents and various items, the office appeared quite weing, even though it had only been empty for a day. As I opened the office door and greeted my colleagues lightly, their attention converged on me. ¡°Good morning, seniors.¡± Everyone who had been engrossed in their work turned their eyes toward me. Many team members had already arrived early in the morning. I was also among the early arrivals, but it seemed like there were quite a few punctual team members. ¡°Oh, intern, good morning. You¡¯re here early, huh?¡± ¡°Has Do Jae-hyun arrive?¡± ¡°Hello, Do Jae-hyun¡­!!¡± Lee Soo-mi, Choi Dong-wook, and Shin Yuna greeted me one by one. When I first joined this n and entered the 5th Hunting Team, they had seemed awkward and distant as teammates. But now, we had be colleagues who exchange morning greetings. Someone had mentioned that parties during monster hunting were the fastest way to be close with other n members, and it seemed to be true in my case. After participating in a mission to conquer the Forest Covered by Snake dungeon as a member of the 5th Hunting Team, I quickly bonded with my team members, and I easily grasped how the team operated. That¡¯s why operational team outings seemed more important than orientation. ¡°Hasn¡¯t the team leader arrived yet?¡± I heard that the C-grade members in our team had been sent on a mission to Iukhansan Field. So, today, only the B-grade members, along with me and Shin Yuna, were in the office. These were the team members I had joined for the dungeon raid just yesterday. Among them, Kim Seong-cheol, Kang Juyeon, and the team leader, Kwon Oh-jun, had not yet arrived. ¡°Um¡­ the team leader is on the 10th floor.¡± ¡°The 10th floor?¡± I inadvertently asked again in response to Lee Soo-mi¡¯s answer. Chapter 79: Reward (3) (1)

Chapter 79: Reward (3) (1)

Ding- I got off the elevator and entered the lobby. The 37th floor of n Tower was more splendid than any office within the building. With its elegantly designed interior and various decorations hanging on the walls, it exuded simplicity yet sophistication. Moreover, there was a fiery pattern, unmistakably the , that could be recognized at a nce. From the entrance to the secretary¡¯s office and the master¡¯s office, there wasn¡¯t a single interior that didn¡¯t exude luxury. ¡®They must have spent a fortune here¡¯, I thought. I had felt this way when touring the offices within n Tower before, but it seemed even more extravagant here on the 37th floor. Kang Juyeon, the heiress of this n, appeared different to me. ¡®I¡¯ll do my best, Kang Juyeon.¡¯ I always tried my best, but for some reason, I felt more reverent now. Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t seen Kang Juyeon since this morning. She wasn¡¯t in the Hunting Team 5 office, and I hadn¡¯t seen her on my way up. Since she¡¯s the n¡¯s heiress, she probably wasn¡¯t discussingpensation with her father. Maybe she was busy with work rted to yesterday¡¯s incident, simr to Kwon Oh-jun. She seemed more elusive in the n than she had been at the academy. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I informed them as I entered slowly, knocking on the door of the secretary¡¯s office. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun from Hunting Team 5. I¡¯m here because you called me earlier.¡± ¡°Oh, just a moment.¡± The secretary who had notified me of the meeting picked up the internal phone again. From what I gathered, it seemed like she was confirming my arrival with Kang Woo-hyun. She hung up shortly and told me, ¡°Yes, you can go in after knocking.¡± The door to therge room that upied most of the 37th floor¡¯s interior space. It felt like entering the office of a CEO in a bigpany. I felt a strange sense of pressure as I slowly knocked on the door. Knock-knock- ¡°Come in.¡± In response to my knock, a voice that seemed to say, I¡¯ve been waiting, came through. I opened the door slowly and stepped inside. As soon as I entered, I had to stop in my tracks. ¡°Wow¡­¡± The master¡¯s office, consisting of several sections of wide space, left me in awe. The first section, with its expansive view of Yeouido, was impressive. The clean and well-organized interior allowed one to enjoy the beautiful view. Several paintings, of which the worth was immeasurable, hung on the walls, and elegant sofas with a ssic design were ced in the center. Finally, high-end fireces with flickering mes were positioned throughout the office, giving it a sense of the . ¡°Haha, you seem quite overwhelmed.¡± As I momentarily lost myself in admiration, a voice came from somewhere. It was Kang Woo-hyun, the owner of the office and the n master. In response, I quickly bowed and greeted him. ¡°Master, it¡¯s an honor to meet you. I¡¯m Do¡­¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s enough. Even though you¡¯ve joined as an intern, aren¡¯t you friends with our leadingdy from the academy? Don¡¯t be too formal. If you act so rigidly, I¡¯ll feel awkward.¡± Kang Woo-hyunughed and gestured for me to sit. It was a bit awkward for me as well, as I rarely put on such a polished appearance. However, fortunately, Kang Woo-hyun wasn¡¯t as stern as I had imagined, and he didn¡¯t seem like an FM personality who emphasized strict rules excessively. Thanks to that, I could interact with himfortably. He had apletely different personalitypared to Kang Juyeon. I wondered how his daughter, who was so different, hade from such an easygoing father. Did she take after her mother? ¡°Let¡¯s sit down for now.¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± I quickly took a seat on one of the sofas at Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s gesture. He sat in his chair, and I sat beside him, establishing afortable seating arrangement. A secretary entered, knocking and bringing us tea. It was a tea with a warm, golden color. On top of it, there were finely broken pieces of nuts. ¡°It¡¯s ginger tea. I often enjoy it.¡± ¡°Oh, yes¡­¡± I stared nkly at the ginger tea. Usually, they would ask, ¡°What kind of tea would you like?¡± Unfortunately, there were no such options for my meeting with Kang Woo-hyun. ¡°Do you happen to dislike it?¡± ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯ll eat anything that¡¯s good for my health.¡± My response waspletely opposite to what I usually would have said. ¡­I couldn¡¯t really ask for a different tea now. Sip- After taking a sip of ginger tea with a pleased expression, Kang Woo-hyun began to speak. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Juyeon. I did grant permission for you to join as an intern, but who would have thought it¡¯d be just a two-month internship. Haha. You must be quite talented.¡± Kang Woo-hyun started the conversation with praise, and it flowed naturally like water. I nodded lightly. ¡°You tter me. We¡¯ve been on dungeon raids together before, and it seems Holder Kang Juyeon thinks highly of me.¡± ¡°It might not be as simple as that.¡± Kang Woo-hyun chuckled slightly. ¡°Once, I asked my daughter if there were any good Holders in her year. I was looking for potential talents to recruit into the n as sessors. To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect much after I told her that, but since then, Juyeon has consistently rmended you. I wonder how exceptional your skills are that she kept talking about you so often. I¡¯m curious enough to want to have a sparring match myself.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± I was momentarily startled. A sparring match¡­ with him? Chapter 80: Reward (4) (1)

Chapter 80: Reward (4) (1)

¡°We¡¯re just friends.¡± Though I felt quite flustered inside, I didn¡¯t hesitate and answered promptly. Normally, such questions required a careful response. Hesitation could make it seem insincere. In reality, ¡®just friends¡¯ was the most urate answer. But Kang Woo-hyun, upon hearing my response, clicked his tongue. ¡°Huh- You answered without a second thought. Is my daughter really that unattractive?¡± He went there! The ultimate move of the overprotective dad. I knew this conversation was heading in this direction, and I could sense that I was in trouble, but the dice had already been cast. From the moment I finished my response, I had been preparing my follow-up exnation. I calmly delivered my prepared response. ¡°Absolutely not. Holder Kang Juyeon is an attractive and beautiful person by anyone¡¯s standards. Both in appearance and in her innate strength, she¡¯s an outstanding Holder with no equal. She¡¯s a popr student admired by many in the Academy. I only gave that answer to ensure there were no misunderstandings when you asked about the exact nature of the rtionship between us.¡± Phew, phew. I silently let out a sigh of relief. The response I had prepared in advance came out smoothly. It was almost like a rap battle. Kang Woo-hyun, on the other hand, didn¡¯t expect such a lightning-fast response, so he awkwardly cleared his throat. ¡°Hmm, I see. So, my daughter is at that level?¡± ¡°Yes, why would I say anything else?¡± With a triumphant grin, Kang Woo-hyun said, ¡°That¡¯s my daughter for you. If she¡¯s to be the sessor of the Judgment of Fire, she has to be at that level. Haha.¡± ¡­Social life is tough. I almost had an existential crisis, but it wasn¡¯t entirely untrue. My assessment of Kang Juyeon matched the external consensus, and she was undeniably beautiful, even by Academy standards. It was just difficult to approach her due to her aloof and cold demeanor. Plus, she was the sessor of one of the top three ns in Korea, the . Rather than rising, it was more like trying to approach an imprable fortress. That was Kang Juyeon. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m relieved. My daughter talks about you so much that I started to get the wrong idea.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If by any chance, it was the kind of rtionship I was thinking of, I would have kicked you out of the n, rewards or no rewards.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Hahaha. I can¡¯t leave thieves who want to take my daughter in the n.¡± Unbelievable¡­ Are there really people like this? People who would just kick someone out of the n, regardless of their position, just because they show interest in their daughter? The dignity of n Master Kang Woo-hyun, which had been nestled in a corner of my heart, continued to plummet. He had seemed like an S-grade Holder whom I couldn¡¯t even approach or speak to when I first met him, but now he appeared to be nothing more than a doting father. And whoever he might be in the future, I wished him luck when he took Kang Juyeon as his wife, given the status of bing the son-inw of the . It was definitely not an easy task. ¡°In any case, I understand now. Our meeting today ends here. I hope we have another opportunity to talk in the future.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I just wanted this conversation to end, Master¡­ I didn¡¯t want to hear Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s unbearable way of speaking any longer. ¡®Still¡­ it went smoother than I expected.¡¯ My meeting with Kang Woo-hyun turned out to be much better than I had feared. I didn¡¯t make any major mistakes during the meeting, and Kang Woo-hyun, in a surprisingly un-Master-like manner, led the conversation with afortable attitude, making it easy to talk freely. Acknowledged for my achievements and even acquiring the [Penitent¡¯s Sword] as a bonus. It was a conversation that turned out to be advantageous in many ways. ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to be pushing for an official recruitment offer.¡¯ While sipping on kimchi stew was an option, I honestly pondered what I would do if n Master Kang Woo-hyun extended an official recruitment offer. My performance in this campaign felt decent to me. As a member of the party, I had silently fulfilled my role and greatly contributed to hunting the boss in the boss room while protecting other team members. I could even consider my performance as that of a B-grade Holder, not just a C-grade. ¡®He only gave rewards, no offers.¡¯ However, Kang Woo-hyun only acknowledged my efforts as a reward; there was no official recruitment offer or anything of the sort. It might have been awkward for him to bring up such personnel matters, or maybe I was just overthinking, and I was nothing more than a mere participant. Regardless, for someone like me who had no intention of officially joining a specific n, my current status was not a bad rtionship. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going, Master.¡± ¡°Sure, see you again.¡± I gave a casual farewell to Kang Woo-hyun and left his office. Fortunately, the meeting with the Master had ended without any issues. *** Ippotrantion *** Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm Chapter 81 (1)

Chapter 81 (1)

Taking Down A-grade With C-grade (1) The weekend has arrived, and the eventful week hase to an end. My first week as an intern at . Honestly, it was too eventful to call it just the first week. Right after joining, I got into a fight with Shin Yuna to earn the trust of the team leader. With the runes I obtained there, the new effect of [Rune Hunter] blossomed. Moreover, just three days after joining, I participated in a dungeon raid that had never been discovered before, narrowly escaping death. All usage restrictions on ¡®Ultimate Skills¡¯ were lifted, allowing us to finally defeat the boss. As a bonus, we discovered that one of our team members was a spy. ¡°This could make a whole book.¡± Thanks to this, I achieved significant growth, but if someone were to ask me to do it all over again, I might hesitate, given how intense and speedy n activities were. ¡°¡­It won¡¯t always be like this.¡± I muttered to myself, and Kang Juyeon, who was sitting across from me, replied. A Korean restaurant in Sinsa Dong. Kang Juyeon and I were having dinner on a Saturday evening. It was a celebration for the sessful dungeon raid, something we could only do on the weekends because weekdays were too hectic. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be called apany dinner since most of the team members, including the team leader Kwon Oh-jun, Shin Yuna, and Lee Soo-mi, were absent¡­ But with Kang Juyeon and me as the main actors, it became a dinner party. ¡°Weren¡¯t you normally this busy?¡± ¡°Yeah. This raid had been nned for a long time¡­¡± The ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ raid had been a massive project that and the Hunting Team 5 had nned for a long time. Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s promotion to A-grade and the growth of Shin Yuna, a promising member within the n, formed the basis for this officially nned raid by the Hunting Team 5, which had been in the works for six months. Such spectacr opportunities for undiscovered dungeon raids didn¡¯te by easily, and I was fortunate to be a part of it. ¡­To think they included an intern like me in this project. Kang Juyeon¡¯s influence within the n was bing more apparent to me. ¡°Thank you for including me in something like this. I¡¯ve just been receiving since I joined.¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± Kang Juyeon shook her head as she looked at me. ¡°If you weren¡¯t there, the dungeon raid would have been much harder.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll admit to that.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± My unexpected response made Kang Juyeon blink. Normally, this would have been the point where I would humbly respond, but something about it felt strange. I couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter at her reaction. ¡°Haha, just kidding. It¡¯s not like I did it all by myself. Before that, the team members helped a lot, and especially at the end, you wrapped it up. Without Inferno, that boss would never have gone down.¡± While my contributions were certainly significant, they were just one piece of the puzzle when it came to boss raids. It was a collective effort that led to our sess. ¡°We came to eat on the weekend, and we¡¯re talking about work again. Let¡¯s eat quickly.¡± We had been talking about work for a while now, and we both seemed addicted to it. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Kang Juyeon replied with a subtle smile. It was a smile that suited her well now. I turned my gaze to the table where an abundance of Korean dishes of various kinds wereid out. At a nce, there were more than ten types of side dishes and five kinds of kimchi. There was acorn jelly and sweet pumpkin stir-fry, rolled omelet and mixed vegetables. There was tofu stew and grilled croaker, shiitake mushrooms and small octopus sd. In the center, there was bulgogi and soybean paste soup. This Korean restaurant in Gangnam was indeed famous, and the variety of dishes was overwhelming. They were mouth-watering dishes merely Looking at them. ¡®I¡¯ll try making them myself someday.¡¯ Once again, my culinary aspirations were ignited. I¡¯m not a big fan of eating out, but dining at ces like this with distinctive cuisine added to the diversity of my [Cooking] skills. As I looked at the sumptuous dishes, I picked up my chopsticks. ¡°Did you receive all the rewards for the raid?¡± Kang Juyeon, who had just taken a bite of shiitake mushrooms, asked. The rewards for the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ raid were, without a doubt, perfect. During the raid, they distributed the magic stones or rewards obtained from hunting the monsters, and based on our contributions, I received additional rewards and an Epic item called the [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. Additionally, I obtained a separate reward for requesting it, which was a magic stone from the boss monster. Fortunately, none of our team members had applied for it, so I received the magic stone from the supply team yesterday, which was a Friday. [The magic stone of the forgotten sub-dragon is filled. The stone b is surrounded by an aura of strange power.] TL/n: Support has basically dried up for this novel and the new site renovation which was necessary required extra funds, consider donating through Buymeacoffee. Your support is needed Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters Chapter 81 (2)

Chapter 81 (2)

The result was a bingo. The magic stone I inserted into the tablet took up a spot in the slot just as it was. Naturally, I felt like I was flying. I had some expectations, but I never thought it would turn out to be one of Sub-dragon¡¯s magic stones. Honestly, this single magic stone was a significant reason why I became an intern at . Now, there are only two magic stones left until the seal on the tablet ispletely unlocked. It was progressing much faster than I had anticipated. ¡°Yeah. I had a brief meeting with the n Master the day before yesterday, and I received all the rewards as of yesterday. I got such great rewards that I wondered if it was okay for an intern to receive them.¡± The auction price for the [Penitent¡¯s Sword] was a whopping 29 billion won at the time. It was almost equivalent to receiving 30 billion in additional rewards alone. Add to that, the raid rewards, additional rewards based on our contributions, and the magic stone. Even though I had performed well and worked hard, I still had doubts about whether I should be receiving all of this. But when I said this, Kang Juyeon furrowed her eyebrows slightly. ¡°Did you¡­ meet with my father?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, I did. All the team members did.¡± ¡°¡­Did my father say anything?¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyes looked somewhat uneasy for some reason. Her expression reminded me of the meeting from the day before yesterday. -What exactly is your rtionship with my daughter? -Is my daughter not attractive enough? -I was about to kick you out of the n right away. I stopped thinking about it. Conversations with the doting n Master were always painful memories. Then I awkwardly smiled and replied to Kang Juyeon. ¡°Just that he was impressed by my performance, you know. Master values both work and personal character.¡± Valuing both work and personal character? Even though I said it, it still pricked at my conscience. But there was nothing I could do. It was a well-intentioned lie for the sake of Kang Juyeon and me. ¡°¡­¡± Kang Juyeon didn¡¯t seem to agree with my response. I deliberately ignored her and reached for the bulgogi with my chopsticks. Hmm. This ce¡¯s food is really good. *** Ippotrantion *** I had already showcased my multiple abilities to many people and n members, but there were still some abilities I needed to keep to myself. For example, runes rted to enhancing the bodies of monsters, like [Sturdy Fangs], [Sharp ws], and [Quadruped Combat], or entirely new runes acquired from this dungeon raid, such as [Prating Brain Strike] and [Gaze of Stiffness]. If I were to disy monster runes or new runes one after another, even the trusted Hunting Team 5 would find it strange, no matter how much they trusted me. So, it was essential to practice these runes alone. Thanks to that, I spent my golden weekends in the dungeon once again. This time, the location was the underground dungeon of the Academy, like a training ground for realbat. [When dignity is established, presence remains unshaken. Your charisma bes even more pronounced when confronting weaker opponents.] [The level of the ¡®Oppression¡¯ rune has increased.] [Acquired 1 point of Willpower through the rune¡¯s affinity.¡± After sweeping away the lizardmen in the early stages, the level of [Oppresssion] increased. [Oppression] was one of my runes that grew particrly slowly. It was only natural. [Oppression] was a rune that primarily exerted its power when facing opponents weaker than me, but most of the opponents I fought were higher-tier monsters with significantly higher stats. I had to cover the difference in stats with the versatile use of various runes and high proficiency. Therefore, the growth of [Oppression] was naturally slow. But even so, it wasn¡¯t just [Oppression] that was effective in this situation. When facing lower-tier C-grade lizardmen, I had no trouble at all. Moreover¡­ ¡°Doesn¡¯t this have an incredible taste?¡± After wiping out all the lizardmen in the early stages, I looked at the sword in my hand with admiration. The [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. The epic item I received as a reward from the raid, in . It felt like it was trying to downy itself. From the moment I held it in my hand at the start of battle, I could sense that it was different, and after cutting down the lizardmen, the feeling was incredible. Whether I used the [Water Sword Technique] to deflect the enemy¡¯s attacks or the [Wave Sword Technique] to exploit their weaknesses, I could cleanly fend off opponents without any resistance, no matter the situation. The sensation was more pronounced in shing rather than thrusting, providing a clean feeling akin to cutting food with a sharp kitchen knife. I couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by the true value of this high-quality item that I was experiencing for the first time. ¡°So, this is why people use expensive items.¡± Moreover, the [Penitent¡¯s Sword] increased its power based on the recovery value. Currently, my recovery value is 15. While it was significantly lower than my main attributes, in terms of the increase rate, it was not to be ignored. Combining the special effects of [Oppression] with the performance of the [Penitent¡¯s Sword] and my existingbat capabilities, I could deal with lizardmen easily using just the sword. Kya-!! Kya, kya-!! Just as the saying goes, when you mention a tiger, ites running; the same seemed to apply to lizards. Once I passed the early stages and reached the middle portion of the dungeon, I encountered lizard monsters that were challenging to deal with using ¡®only the sword¡¯. Sizzling Smander and Poisonous Iguana, a total of ten surrounded me. ¡°Crap. Why are there so many?¡± Perhaps theposition had changed abnormally, or maybe I had left the dungeon vacant for too long. The monsters that hade now had a differentposition from what I had initially seen. I was sure there were only about six Poisonous Iguanas at first¡­ ¡°Still, well. More is better.¡± The rewards I obtained from conquering the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯. The more monsters there were, the better I could test the effects. After all, that was why I came here today. It was to check their exact performance. I smiled and looked at the lizards. ¡°Let¡¯s start by splitting the ground.¡± I began with [Power Break], a derivative skill of the newly acquired [Fragmented Earth Garden]. TL/n: Support has basically dried up for this novel and the new site renovation which was necessary required extra funds, consider donating through Buymeacoffee. Your support is needed Please rate this series here. . Illustrations are here atBuymeacoffee Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters Chapter 82 (1)

Chapter 82 (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Taking Down A-grade with C-grade (2) Koouung! Quaaa-!! The dungeon reverberated with a deafening roar. [Power Break] was a skill that delivered a massive shock to the ground upon contact, shaking everything within a certain radius. The underground academy dungeon, constructed within a cave, couldn¡¯t withstand this impact. Various stctites from the ceiling fell like rain, and the lower part of the cave vibrated and shook as if an earthquake had struck. Keyeeee-!! Even the airborne lizards lost their bnce and screamed in terror. The vibrations were so strong that even I, who had cast the skill, felt queasy. There was no way those flying creatures could maintain theirposure. ¡®Wow¡­ this is like an Epic Rune-derived skill.¡¯ Wasn¡¯t this almost like an ultimate skill? The effect was incredibly potent. Sizzling Smanders and Toxic Iguanas. The creatures attacking me both from the ground and the air couldn¡¯t properly withstand the immense tremors caused by [Power Break]. Moreover, other monsters that seemed to be approaching from a distance were gradually getting caught up in [Power Break]. This was the destructive power possessed by a 6th-level Epic Rune-derived skill. Instead of a long cooldown like a daily skill, it had unmatched power. Furthermore¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not just about using the skill.¡± It¡¯s cooldown was just the skill¡¯s waiting time. The ability of the [Fragmented Earth Garden] could still be utilized. While it couldn¡¯t create waves on the ground as [Power Break] did, using the Rune¡¯s ability allowed me to freely reshape the terrain. Considering that most of what I was stepping on was the ground, this Rune was a great asset that could significantly help me in battles and be used in various ways. Keyeee!! Key, keyyyy¡­. The lizards fell like autumn leaves in the wind. Monsters losing their bnce and wits due to [Power Break]. I rushed toward them like a charging bull. With [Penitent¡¯s Sword], I gave each one a thorough sword strike. Because my stats were insufficient for effective physical attacks, lifting [Fiery mes] at the tip of my sword was a bonus. ¡°Wow¡­ what is this, really?¡± I couldn¡¯t stop marveling as I continued to knock down the lizards. The battle was easy. Too easy. These were not mediocre monsters. They were B-grade monsters with no [Oppression] applied by default¡­ Their stats were still higher than mine for the most part. No matter how strong I had be, hunting over ten B-grade monsters alone should have been nearly impossible. ¡°It¡¯s almost like I¡¯ve be a one-man party.¡± However, it has be surprisingly easy. The increasing diversity of my Runes was the key. Magical Runes that changed the battle dynamics and showcased powerful destructive capabilities. Weapon Runes that improved my tanking abilities and physical attack efficiency. Assassination and Recovery Runes¡­ And various support Runes that contributed to the battle in different ways. I was utilizing all the abilities and roles that a party should have, all on my own, without any reduction in effectiveness. It was the core reason behind my extraordinary solo hunting. Keyeeee-!! Suddenly, among the lizards swept up by [Power Break], a struggling Sizzling Smander managed to regain its bnce and shot a fierce ze in my direction. Now, it was a magical Rune that I frequently used as well¡­ Sizzling Smander¡¯s main Rune, [Fiery mes]. I smiled as I looked at him. It was a delight to face the creature¡¯s fire attack after such a long time. ¡°But now, fire feels ticklish.¡± My fire resistance stats had steadily grown and had reached 8 by now. Furthermore, there were [Lizard¡¯s Scales] at level 7 and [Iron Wall Defense] at level 5, which, even without using a shield, provided me with suitable defensive support. ¡°¡­And there¡¯s one more thing.¡± The Runes weren¡¯t everything. I recalled the item information I had checked just before entering the dungeon. ¡ò Name: Scorched Lizard Leather Armor ¡ò Type: Armor ¡ò Grade: Rare ¡ò Toughness: Excellent ¡ò Craftsman: Choi Yoo-min ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C ¨C Toughness +2 ¨C When hit by fire-type magical attacks, the durability is not reduced. The leather only scorches from continuous mes and the armor remains undamaged. ¡ò Detailed Information: ¨C ¨C Boots made from Sizzling Smander leather. Crafted with deep alchemy, incorporating the ming nature of the Sizzling Smander to create a slightly scorched appearance. Despite its unassuming appearance, it boasts sturdy durability and a lightweight design. TL/n: Support has basically dried up for this novel and the new site renovation which was necessary required extra funds, consider donating through Buymeacoffee. Your support is needed Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 82 (2) After dinner with Kang Juyeon yesterday, Choi Yoo-min met me and handed me this armor. Naturally, I was pleasantly surprised. She had already crafted a ¡®Rare-grade¡¯ item? How much had she grown her Runes while I was away? [Iron-Blooded Night Field] was an Epic Rune that was considered one of the best in the alchemy category. The fact that this Rune was growing so quickly meant that Choi Yoo-min¡¯s path to bing a high-level cksmith was not far off. Choi Yoo-min had handed me thismemorative item, calling it a ¡®contract equipment,¡¯ despite my intention to pay for it. I insisted, but she politely declined. -It¡¯s thanks to you that I was able to make this item! So, consider it my gift. I really hope you ept it. It¡¯s also a chance for me to repay your help. Choi Yoo-min was not only skilled but also had excellent character. She had a way of saying the same thing so beautifully. Honestly, considering her future reputation, the money was almost insignificant¡­ Having the investment she needed at the right time was much appreciated. At that point, I couldn¡¯t refuse her kindness any longer. So today, I wore the armor she had given me. [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor], along with [Penitent¡¯s Sword] and [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield]. This was the moment when the third Rare-grade or higher item was added to my inventory. Keyeee-!! Key, keyiit¡­!! After easily blocking the fire attacks with fire resistance and the armor¡¯s power, the battle continued relentlessly in the middle section. Once again, there were more than ten B-grade monsters. I didn¡¯t stop and continued my relentless hunting of them. Susu, sususe¡­ Wooong-! Shoaaa-!! This time, I utilized [Swirling Tidal Wave]. Since it was a cave, there were puddles of water scattered around on the ground. I made the water spout up and transformed it into a giant wave that covered everything. It was the manifestation of the derived skill from the Rune, [New Wave]. ¡®I¡¯ve definitely be more proficient.¡¯ I had used [New Wave] during my spar with Park Jin-woo. It was a skill I had acquired not long ago and had used immediately. At the time, my control over the wave was unskilled, and I could only barely avoid it thanks to Park Jin-woo¡¯s quick reflexes. But now, I have be significantly more skilled at it. When I was alone, I asionally attempted Rune utilization, and my proficiency had improved to a point where it was quite usable now. Buzz, buzz- Grrrrr- The quantity of waves inside the cave was enough to turn it upside down. However, this alone wouldn¡¯t deal much damage to the lizards. Lizard-type monsters were almost impervious to water-type magical attacks because of their [Underwater Breathing] ability. This ability, possessed by C-grade Lizardmen and B-grade lizard-type monsters, meant theirbat abilities weren¡¯t significantly diminished even in water. In fact, swift creatures like the Poisonous Iguanas might fight even better in water. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can handle this, guys.¡± So, I immediately nned an additional strike. [Prating Brain Strike]. It was a lightning attribute magical Rune I had acquired while hunting Electrophoresis. I used it to charge my sword with electricity in both hands. [New Wave], filling the cave with waves, and the intense lightning that followed. Pa, parts-parts- Tss-tss-tss-tz!! An enormous amount of excessive current surged over the lizards. They couldn¡¯t withstand the intensified lightning as they rode the water and were instantly electrocuted. It was only natural that after the casting time of [New Wave], all the surrounding monsters turned into crispy corpses. I watched the spectacle and scratched my head. ¡°What is this¡­ these performance levels are too good.¡± This dungeon exploration was a hunt aimed at confirming the rewards I had obtained from the Forest Covered by Snakes, thest ce I had conquered. As for items, I had [Penitent¡¯s Sword] and [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor], and for Runes, I had a total of seven additional Runes, including [Fragmented Earth Garden], [Prating Brain Strike], and [Stealth]. I wanted to check their performance and my own skills that had grown. However, the battles had be so easy that it wasn¡¯t an easy assessment. Of course, this was due to the fact that I had faced lizard monsters countless times and had a good understanding of the structure and mechanics of this underground dungeon. This was already an attempt on the verge of reaching two digits. ¡°Maybe I should have conducted this experiment in a different dungeon.¡± I had such a frustrating thought. Anyway, I continued to defeat the B-grade lizards systematically and eventually reached the front of the boss room. ¡°It¡¯s really possible to do this alone.¡± I muttered in awe while looking at the boss room¡¯s entrance. Excluding the initial party hunt with five members in the Academy Underground Dungeon, I had never reached this far on my own. Even when hunting with Kim Chae-eun, we hadn¡¯t reached this point. I keenly felt how much I had grown. ¡°Then¡­¡± I used [Combat Healing] to heal the wounds I had umted from hunting up to now. After a short maintenance break, I cautiously opened the door to the boss room. It had been a long time since I encountered the final boss in the lizard¡¯sir. [You have entered the boss room.] [The fierce aura of the Red Drake is present. Holder¡¯s speed is reduced.] An information window appeared before my eyes. And in the center of the boss room stood a¡­ Red-scaled Drake. ¡­Red? What, red? ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this the Grizzly Drake?¡± I looked at the boss monster with a puzzled expression. It was the first time in a long while that I had encountered a different individual of the boss monster species in the boss room. Chapter 83 (1)

Chapter 83 (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Taking Down A-grade with C-grade (3) The boss monster had changed. It wasn¡¯t Grizzly Drake anymore; it was Red Drake. Instead of gray fur, it had crimson scales. The creature was growling at me, an uninvited guest in the boss room. ¡®Why did it change?¡¯ The monsters inside the dungeon, once cleared, would respawn a weekter. While there wasn¡¯t much known about this system where monsters were reborn like a game, there were somemon rules regarding respawning. For instance, after the initial clear, the ¡®rest room¡¯ would no longer open, and if the dungeon¡¯s boss had a gimmick, that gimmick would disappear. These were rules that had been discovered through the efforts of dungeon explorers over time. Even if the gimmick of ¡®magic immunity¡¯ disappeared, the boss had to remain the same. However, nowhere in these rules did it say that the boss monster could change. ¡®Could it be because of the dragon¡¯s magic stone?¡¯ A reasonable inference crossed my mind. The magic stones that filled the [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon] were all Sub-dragon monster magic stones. And the monsters corresponding to Sub-dragon had never been disclosed to the Holdermunity. Grizzly Drake, Swirl Leviathan, The Mountain Serpent. They were all monsters for which no information had ever been found. So, if Grizzly Drake was uniquely upying the position of the first dungeon as an Sub-drake, and Red Drake was originally the boss monster of this dungeon, the current situation was actually normal. ¡®Then could the Forest Covered by Snakes¡­¡¯ There was a possibility that the boss monster there had changed as well. Unfortunately, that dungeon belonged to , not me, so I would have to request a separate dispatch to the n to find outter. -Grrr!! While I was organizing my thoughts for a moment, Red Drake¡¯s body moved. It confirmed my presence in the boss room. Soon after, itunched a charge. I looked at [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield] with the intention of using my weapon change technique, but I stopped it as I realized something was amiss. ¡®Too fast?¡¯ Red Drake¡¯s speed was so excessive that it seemed impossible with just agility stats. It couldn¡¯t be categorized as a Rune Movement either. I was more familiar with that type of rune than anyone else. ¡°It¡¯s a dash.¡± It was only described as a charging rune. Regardless of its level, its speed was too fast, even considering the use of the rune. Perhaps it was a higher-level charging rune than [Sprint]. ¡®For now, the dagger¡­¡¯ I threw the dagger at my waist, just in case, to see if the opponent only had a charging rune or if it also had [Ruthless Charge]. ng! ng! ¡®As expected.¡¯ As I expected, it also had [Ruthless Charge]. My thrown daggers were deflected without dealing any damage. Physical attacks were being ignored. Afterward, Red Drake continued to elerate, running faster as if using me as a medium, and before I knew it, it was right in front of me. -Grrr!! ¡°Phew¡­!¡± I used [Agile Agility] at the right moment. I had no intention of blocking its charge with the shield. Even though the creature had changed, Red Drake was still an A-grade monster with high strength and speed, and with the assistance of the charging rune, its destructive power would be beyond imagination. Trying to block it with my shield, even with my defensive runes and skills, would be a very careless idea. Kwaaang!! -Gruuhhh¡­ ¡®Crazy. I almost got obliterated.¡¯ Just a second ago, the spot where I had been standing waspletely demolished. I narrowly avoided Red Drake¡¯s charge. Despite most of my primary attributes being over 40 and approaching an average B-grade attribute level of 50, there was still a significant gap between me and the A-grade Red Drake. Therefore, the rune responsible for its incredible speed in charging was not easy to evade. ¡®I need a solution quickly¡­¡¯ While dodging the charge, I quickly devised a n. The best strategy was to feed it my core skillbo, just like when I defeated The Mountain Serpent. This involved using [Hide Attack] from [Stealth] to deplete its stamina and deliver effective damage and then follow up with the ultimate skill, [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], for a decisive additional strike. As I experienced before, when executed correctly, thisbo had tremendous power. However, there was a problem; I couldn¡¯t use [Stealth]. The boss room was cramped, providing no hiding spots, and Red Drake was relentlessly charging, making it difficult to disappear from its sight. I also didn¡¯t have anyrades to assist me like before, so it was challenging to execute thebo effortlessly. ¡®I used [Deration of Domination] already, damn it.¡±¡¯ Using [Oppression]¡¯s [Deration of Domination] was another option, but unfortunately, it was still on cooldown. After consecutive hunts against B-grade monsters, not all of my skills were ready, even though I was in peak condition. ¡®I have to use Earth-type magic runes.¡¯ There was ultimately one remaining option: utilizing [Fragmented Earth Garden] to transform the ground. If I could split or move the ground along its charging path, it would inevitably halt its charge, opening up the path for my strategy. What Icked at the moment is evasion or tanking ability; not damage. -Grrruuhh!! Red Drake prepared to charge again. Its body turned a deep red. ¡®It wasn¡¯t red because of fire, but because it was charging like a madman¡­¡¯ It was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. From the term ¡®Red¡¯, I had naturally assumed it was a creature that used fire, like a Sizzling Smander. However, it turned out that Red Drake, of all things, was a creature that utilized charging, much like the B-grade Centaur. Fortunately, there was no ¡®Magic Immunity¡¯ gimmick like with Grizzly Drake¡­ However, the power of its charge and the difficulty of stopping it made it unexpectedly more challenging than Grizzly Drake. -Grrrrr¡­!! It charged once more. With its high speed and the use of a charging rune, it was a rapid dash. If I hesitated for even a moment, it would reach me just like before. ¡®Protrusion..!!¡¯ TL/n: Support has basically dried up for this novel and the new site renovation which was necessary required extra funds, consider donating through Buymeacoffee. Your support is needed Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 83 (2) I swiftly used [Fragmented Earth Garden]. My target was the protrusion of the ground along its charging path. It was like creating rocks or boulders, making a section of the ground rise. Graggggg- Although my proficiency was stillcking, I managed to create a raised section of the ground along the path where it was expected to charge. If the charge continued as nned, Red Drake would certainly collide with the raised ground ande to a stop. I needed to take advantage of this. I concentrated my magic to prepare for the follow-up attack. -Grrruuuhh¡­!! ¡°Huh?¡± It turned. Not mentally or anything like that¡­ It physically turned during the charge. Red Drake moved as if it was rotating half of the protruding ground along its charging path, then continued charging toward me. No, seriously, what is this? ¡®Can it change its path during the charge?¡¯ This confirmed it. The rune it possessed wasn¡¯t [Sprint]. My [Sprint] rune couldn¡¯t change the charging path. If I tried, it would immediately cancel the charging assist from [Sprint]. It could only charge in one direction, and if it was canceled, I had to adopt a charging stance and then move again. However, Red Drake changed its path during the charge and didn¡¯t significantly slow down. It was undoubtedly a higher-level charging rune than [Sprint]. ¡®I should at least raise my shield.¡¯ I had already missed the timing for evasion, and considering the previous situation, there was a good chance I could get caught in its charge during an evasion attempt. Right now, I had to face that charge, whether it meant life or death. I summoned [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield] using weapon change technique and immediately followed with the skill [Iron Wall Defense]. But that wasn¡¯t the end. ¡®Attack is the best defense¡­!¡¯ Simply repeating evasion and defense wouldn¡¯t give me a chance to turn the tide. While I held the shield, I also drew magic power into it. [Fiery me] and [Prating Brain Strike]. Two elemental magic attacks flowed through the shield to the sides. Fire on the left, lightning on the right. I prepared these double magic attacks just in case. If the shield could withstand this collision¡­ Red Drake¡¯s body might not endure it either. -Grrr, Grruuhh¡­!! Crashing sounds¡ª Kwaang! ¡°Kuh, ugh¡­!!¡± The shield crumpled, and the tremendous destructive power struck my body. Excruciating pain, beyond imagination. Experiencing that pain firsthand, I could realize something. ¡®Ah¡­ The Ruthless Charge effect¡­¡¯ [Ruthless Charge] wasn¡¯t just about ignoring physical attacks during a charge. If a charge was sessful, it had the additional effect of inflicting double the power of the user¡¯s strength on the target. While it wasn¡¯t overly powerful due to various constraints, if it seeded, it had a devastating effect. With an A-grade monster¡¯s tremendous stats, the impact was doubled. It had pierced through even [Iron Wall Defense] and struck me. My body was being battered. -Grr, Grrruuuhh¡­!! Of course, Red Drake wasn¡¯t unscathed either. The two magic attacks I had prepared had an effect. Its scales were burning from the mes, and its body twitched as if it had been electrocuted. Clearly, without a magic immunity gimmick and being a creature focused on charging and attack power, it was vulnerable to magic attacks. -Grruuuh¡­!! Red Drake charged at me again. I closely observed its movements, despite the [Lizard¡¯s Scales] and [Hardening] remaining from the previous encounter. Blocking it directly with my body seemed like a challenge. I¡¯d felt the bone-chilling pain when I tried to block it with the shield just now. I had to avoid it somehow. I would evade at thest moment with [Agile Agility], then use magic attacks and the ultimate skill to finish it off. If my predictions were correct, just one more sessful attack like the one before¡­ I might be able to defeat it. ¡°Come on, you little lizard.¡± I stared straight at it, not missing a moment of its charge. For the veryst evasion, to ensure that I avoided itpletely. -Grr, Grrruuuhh¡­!! And just like that, as Red Drake charged towards me as if it were insane¡­ It stopped. ¡°What¡± Due to the abrupt halt, dust and debris covered Red Drake¡¯s surroundings. It stopped so suddenly. Literally. Its ferocious charge came to an immediate standstill. And it stared directly into my eyes. Trembling all over. As if¡­ It was in a ¡®rigid¡¯ state. ¡°What the hell is going on with this guy?¡± The sight was so bizarre that, for a moment, I forgot about counterattacking. Why on earth was this happening? Chapter 84 (1)

Chapter 84 (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Request (1) It didn¡¯t take long for the mystery to be solved. In the situation where the cooldown for [Deration of Domination] was in progress, there was only one rune or skill that could inflict an abnormal state on me. ¡®Gaze of Stiffness!¡¯ Another rune reward obtained while conquering the Forest Covered by Snakes. [Gaze of Stiffness]. It was a rare rune that Basilisk, an A-grade monster, possessed, and its performance was lower than the legendary rune [Evil Eye of Petrification]. It didn¡¯t have any derived skills, but it had a special effect that, with a very low probability, would put the opponent in a ¡®stiff¡¯ state when their eyes met during battle. In other words, Red Drake had been immobilized by this effect. Seeing that it turned a creature that couldn¡¯t be stopped even with considerable physical force into a single abnormal state, I could confirm how effective [Gaze of Stiffness] was. ¡®I thought it was a useless rune because of its very low probability¡­¡¯ In truth, I didn¡¯t have high expectations for [Gaze of Stiffness]. Honestly, it was a rune that had already fulfilled its value by increasing my magical power by 5. Because of that increase in magical power, my magical power reached 30, unlocking the ultimate skill. However, the rune¡¯s effect came into y at the right moment during a crisis. It had never appeared in all the hunting I had done before. It could be attributed to just having ¡®good luck¡¯, but¡­ ¡®In other words, the guy has a low willpower attribute.¡¯ The probability of [Gaze of Stiffness] special effect depended on the rune level and the opponent¡¯s willpower attribute. I couldn¡¯t just dismiss it as luck; I had to consider the possibility that Red Drake¡¯s willpower attribute was excessively low. I quickly kept these points in mind and¡­ I raised my magical power with both hands on the sword. In a situation where the target unexpectedly fell into an abnormal state. I couldn¡¯t afford to waste this golden opportunity. ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± Sss- Pop- Phew-!! High-level magical power gathered in [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. The magical power that had been umting in a blue light. Soon it changed its color to white. The color was so pure that it gave a sense of nobility to the gathered magical power. Then, the magical power formed a shape. Its appearance was like a musical note, taking on a form of resolute determination. Red Drake¡¯s paralysis was lifted, and as soon as the shape waspleted. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve had a good run, it¡¯s time to settle this.¡± Thepleted resolute determination was poured onto the creature at the speed of light. An inherent skill in [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. It was the manifestation of [Divine sh]. Kwah, Kwaah-!! -Grrk! Grrrk¡­!! The intense magical blow struck Red Drake. The guy who had fallen into a paralysis state without taking any defensive posture had to endure the full force of [Divine sh]. [Divine sh] covered the magical power with sanctity. It was a skill that shot magical power in the form of a determination towards the opponent. It was effective against undead or opponents dealing with curses, but it was highly versatile as a magical attack, just like now. Especially for monsters like Red Drake, who were focused solely on offense and had weak resistance to magical attacks. -Grruuh¡­!! After enduring one blow of magical attack. Red Drake once again tried to assume a charging posture. However, perhaps the impact of [Divine sh] was quite significant. It didn¡¯t feel as destructive and threatening as before. I calmly gripped the sword and stared at the creature. ¡®Clearly, the willpower attribute must have been low¡­¡¯ Being affected by the [Gaze of Stiffness] effect. This meant that there was a high probability that the creature¡¯s willpower attribute was low. And runes that had different effects depending on the willpower attribute. It wasn¡¯t the only one I had. -Grrue¡­? The speed of Red Drake¡¯s charge, which had been significant, suddenly slowed down. [Simple Curse]. A rune I had acquired while defeating the Goblin Shaman. It corresponded to the effect of ¡®slowing¡¯ in the shaman¡¯s curse. It was one of the few spells I had learned through the [Cursed Spellbook], and I had found a use for it somehow. ¡°This seems to work.¡± With a low willpower attribute, even a Level 2 curse took effect. Well, if a recovery-type Holder had put a debuff on it, the strategy would have been much easier. -Grrurrr¡­!! Avoiding the significantly slowed charge was easy. Using [Agile Agility], I dodged the charge and then quickly advanced towards the creature. ¡®My magical power¡­ just enough to use the ultimate skill.¡¯ I want to use lightning or fire-type elemental magic just like before, but I don¡¯t have enough magical power. Since entering the boss room, I¡¯ve used too much magical power. I left enough magical power to use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and faced the creature with physical attacks only. ng- ng-!! -Grrruuh¡­!! A head-to-head battle with an A-grade monster was not easy. Despite having a low willpower attribute, the creature¡¯s physical abilities were formidable even among A-grades. Its robust endurance couldn¡¯t be easily prated by [Penitent¡¯s Sword], and its strength and speed overwhelmed me, making the battle challenging. ¡®Still, it¡¯s easier than Grizzly Drake.¡¯ It was much easier than the previous boss, Grizzly Drake. That creature was focused on enhancing both its physical abilities and runes, and it even had [Oppression], which made it stronger when facing weaker opponents. In contrast, Red Drake was a creature focused on charging. I managed to somehow block its charges, so I held my own. There didn¡¯t seem to be any runes rted to physical enhancement, and it felt like I was fighting against someone with high stats alone. Moreover, I had [Sturdy Stamina]. In the same conditions, I wouldn¡¯t tire out in terms of stamina. Red Drake, who had been nning to finish the battle quickly with a charge, began to show several openings as the battle turned into a prolonged one, just as expected. TL/n: Support has basically dried up for this novel and the new site renovation which was necessary required extra funds, consider donating through Buymeacoffee. Your support is needed Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 84 (2)

Chapter 84 (2)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For me, who had saved magical power to deliver one final blow¡­ Those openings were a definite chance to end the fight. ¡°Explode.¡± Kwah- Kwaah-!! I thrust the sword into Red Drake¡¯s throat in an instant. A tremendous amount of magical power exploded from within it. It was the activation of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] that I had saved until the very end. Red Drake, which had already endured numerous magical and physical attacks, couldn¡¯t withstand the devastating power of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. It couldn¡¯t withstand it even in terms of durability, not to mention that it couldn¡¯t even reach the level of Grizzly Drake¡­ The creature, which had exhausted all its magical power, met its end with the ultimate skill. Thud- After approaching its corpse and confirming the kill¡­ I realized that the longsting battle had finallye to an end. ¡°Ha¡­ I barely got it.¡± I copsed in the boss room just like that. And I acknowledged it cleanly. Hunting all the way up to the boss monster was just greed. Honestly, when I first entered the dungeon, I only intended to check the rewards from the previous strategy, but the performance of the runes and items was so good that I got carried away without realizing it. I managed to defeat it somehow, but¡­ Hunting an A-grade monster alone was still challenging. [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.] [1. Rage Rush 2. Ruthless charge (unselectable) 3. Concentration 4. Agility 5. Lizard scales (unselectable)] The information window of [Rune Hunter] appeared as if to congratte the victory. I noticed that there was no ¡®contribution¡¯ in the first information window. The result of a one-on-one duel victory that had just appeared after a long time. It was information confirming that I had defeated Red Drake alone. It might not be much, but it gave me a sense of pride. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no choice in this.¡± I chose [Rage Rush] without looking further. Most of the choices were runes I already possessed or were of a higher grade than I needed. After looking at this rune setup¡­ It showed how much of a charging-focused monster it was. All the runes were concentrated on assisting the charge, and there were hardly any runes that enhanced the body. It didn¡¯t even have themon [Quadruped Combat] rune. I could understand why the battle became easier after stopping its charges. [You have chosen Rage Rush. Since it¡¯s an 11-level rare rune, its level will decrease to 6.] [You gain 1 Speed from the rune¡¯s nature.] ¡òName: Rage Rush ¡òRank: Rare ¡òLevel: 6 ¡òCarved Location: Knee ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : Speed +1 : Can change direction during a charge. Even if you suddenly swerve or reverse, the rune¡¯s support doesn¡¯t end. ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : You can run faster and more recklessly. The charge filled with rage continues without end. [Rage Rush], a rune superior to [Sprint]. My estimate that it was at least a rare rune turned out to be correct. Although it didn¡¯t have any derived skills or special effects, the ability to change direction or reverse during a charge seemed to have more merits than expected. I had been quite flustered during the recent battle myself, so I thought I could gain an advantage in specific situations if I used it wisely. ¡°Let¡¯s go home now,¡± I said, taking a deep breath and getting up from my seat. Although I had seeded in defeating the A-grade boss monster solo, but¡­ I honestly thought it was quite a hassle for a weekend. I wanted to go home quickly, take a shower, and rest. ¡°But I still need to mine magic stones.¡± Now that the initial exploration of the dungeon wasplete and the rest area had disappeared, there was nothing else worth obtaining as material rewards except for magic stones. Items like leather might also fetch a decent amount of money, but without any runes rted to butchery, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to acquire them properly. Should I try to defeat opponents in duels forcibly to obtain runes rted to butchery? Bzzzzzzz- As I was mining the magic stone from the Red Drake, my phone vibrated. [From: Moon Ga-eun] I quickly checked the message, and it was from Moon Ga-eun. Seeing the familiar name made me feel happy. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Moon Ga-eun.¡± It seemed like I hadn¡¯t seen her much since the academy went on vacation. We had been in regr contact, but it had been over two weeks since Ist met her in person. Unlike Kim Chae-eun, who had gone to Pohang and Daegu together, or Kang Juyeon, who was active in the n with me. Also Park Jin-woo stays nearby, so we duel often¡­ Moon Ga-eun was the least visible among my underground dungeon party members. I unlocked my phone while thinking about this. Bzzz- Bzzz- Bzzzz- ¡°Oh, I see. Why is she suddenly like this?¡± Unable to wait any longer, I checked the messages three more times. I read the texts one by one, and my head started to spin. ¡°¡­.¡± She sent me a barrage of messages, and it seemed like a real emergency. How urgent could it be for her to act like this? TL/n: Support has basically dried up for this novel and the new site renovation which was necessary required extra funds, consider donating through Buymeacoffee. Your support is needed Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 85: Request (2) (1)

Chapter 85: Request (2) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Bonus Chapter thanks to ¡®Myamya¡¯ Donation via Buymeacoffee Gangwon Province, Seoraksan Field. Due to the wide range of grades of the distributed monsters and the abundance of excavated dungeons, this field outside the boundary was frequented by Holders regardless of their grade. Although it was quite a distance from Seoul, it was not a significant inconvenience for Holders thanks to the warp gate eliminating long-distance travel difort. As a result, despite it being a weekend, Seoraksan Field was bustling with Holders who came for hunting. And there, at its summit. A partyposed of unaffiliated Holders was fiercely battling in their own ways. Aaargh-! ¡°Darn it! Apply the Recovery-type debuffs!¡± ¡°I spent too much time on healing earlier! We¡¯re running out of time!¡± ¡°When will magic support be ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯m using it, but¡­ it seems almost ineffective against Fenrir¡¯s resistance!¡± ¡°Holder Yoo Eun-seol! This is impossible! We¡¯recking frontline warriors!¡± Abe Kyu-hwan¡¯s voices echoed at the mountaintop. Party members were shouting with their bodies covered in wounds. Most of their gazes were concentrated in two ces. One was the S-grade monster they could only face when they reached the summit. Fenrir. Although they had encountered wolf-type monsters during the ascent, they had never thought they would encounter such a monstrous S-grade creature at the end. The other was the one leading this party. Yoo Eun-seol, the only S-grade assassin-type Holder in the country. She was dressed in a pure white martial arts uniform and armed, and even amidst the chaos, she appeared to shine brightly, standing alone. Yoo Eun-seol calmly gazed at the battlefield and Fenrir. In her eyes¡­ There seemed to be a sense of disappointment for some reason. She withdrew two short swords from her waist. And without dy, she spoke to her party members. ¡°Step back.¡± The impact of an S-grade Holder was tremendous. Even though Yoo Eun-seol was not affiliated with a n, her orders and strategies were almost absolutemands for ordinary Holders. Both frontline warriors and Holders preparing magic withdrew from the battlefield. Aaargh-!! Sss¡­ sss¡­ ¡°Ah¡­!!¡± One Holder, who had been observing the battlefield from behind, couldn¡¯t help but exim. Fenrir¡¯s agonizing cries echoed once again, and the Holders who were fleeing to the rear seemed as if they were about to be torn apart by his teeth, but¡­ Yoo Eun-seol had already reached Fenrir¡¯s front. Perhaps a rune characteristic of the assassin ss. However, the level of this was so high that the movements and speed were imperceptible to the eyes of the other Holders. It was like watching teleportation. Or it was as if they were seeing the [Instantaneous Movement] skill. Aaargh-!! Sss- sss-! ¡°How¡­ how can she deal with an S-grade monster so easily¡­!¡± A Holder who had been watching her battle in a daze murmured. Fenrir, who had the momentum to tear apart all the Holders within the party, was helplessly copsing under just two short swords. It was truly an unbelievably one-sided battle. When an S-grade Holder stepped in, hunting S-grade monsters became much easier. This was consideredmon sense among Holders, but there were hardly any Holders who actually experienced it. After all, there were only five S-grade Holders in the country from the start, and it was rare for ordinary Holders to witness their battles firsthand. The party members who were fortunate enough to witness this battle couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 85: Request (2) (2) A battle where an S-grade Holder used their full power. The power she personally witnessed¡­ It was much more incredible than they had imagined. ¡°Bloom like a cluster of flowers.¡± And after this one-sided battle. Finally, Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s verdict was pronounced. The ultimate skill of [Snow Midsummer Flower], which had only been rumored. It was [Snowfield Oil Fiber Falling]. Beautiful snow-white flowers embroidered everywhere between the sky and the earth. The flower petals, from Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s scabbard, hilt, and the tip of her swords. After dazzlingly blooming everywhere they existed. They fell like scattered petals onto Fenrir¡¯s body. Blossoming and fading away like a cluster of flowers¡­ The movements of the swordsman wielding her swords. It was a gentle farewell to the snowy field. *** Ippotrantion *** After a hunt thatsted for a while. Somewhere near the entrance of Seoraksan Field. ¡°¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol let out a small sigh with a slight frown on her elegant face. It was another failure. Seoraksan Field was no different this time. She couldn¡¯t even remember how many times it had happened. Despite having formed numerous parties for dungeons and fields so far, she still hadn¡¯t found the Holder she was looking for. Although she had luckily encountered and defeated the S-grade monster Fenrir and obtained magic stones and loot, these rewards were not particrly appealing to Yoo Eun-seol, an S-grade Holder herself. ¡®The answer is predetermined, but¡­¡¯ A special Holder with the power of a dragon. There was already a verified, reliable card for that. Song Do-hyuk, the master of the n. He would undoubtedly be suitable as the partner Yoo Eun-seol was looking for. ¡®But Song Do-hyuk is not an option.¡¯ However, Yoo Eun-seol shook her head. There were many reasons to hesitate to tackle dungeons with him. One reason was that Song Do-hyuk, as the master of one of the three major ns in the country, was not easy to coordinate schedules with. Moreover, as an unaffiliated Holder, there could be unforeseen disadvantages if she coborated with a major n. But above all, it was the most ufortable reason of all: having to bow down to another S-grade Holder. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± With no solution in sight, she sighed softly. Even after contemting it on her own for so long, she couldn¡¯te up with a clear answer. In the end, she had no choice but to give up and head back home. As she was about to leave the entrance, during that moment¡­ ¡°Hello, Holder Yoo Eun-seol.¡± The face she had seen recently, again appeared before her eyes. With a negative connotation. Naturally, Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t favorable. ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t I ask you not toe anymore?¡± A middle-aged man, who blocked her path while holding a sword at his waist. Sharp features and a stern face. Contrary to his appearance, his greeting was friendly. He was Professor Tak Won-ho, an A-grade Holder affiliated with the Seoul Holder Academy. Tak Won-ho, unfazed by Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s cold reception, calmly attempted to start a conversation. ¡°I¡¯vee to make the same offer again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in an academy professorship.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a professorship; it¡¯s a teaching position. It¡¯s short-term.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same story.¡± It was a story that she had rejected several times, yet Tak Won-ho was persistent. Knowing that he would be rejected, he still came all the way to the entrance of Seoraksan. Yoo Eun-seol would have preferred to help him since he was a Holder with a good reputation in the Holdermunity, but she had other important matters to attend to. Both personally and externally, it was a critical task. Whether it was a professorship or an instructor position, she didn¡¯t have time to be bound to the academy. ¡°Now, if you don¡¯te anymore, it will be better. We¡¯re wasting each other¡¯s time.¡± With those words, Yoo Eun-seol turned away. She spoke a bit firmly, but she still maintained a certain level of courtesy, considering that it was Tak Won-ho. If other Holders had continued to approach her like this, Yoo Eun-seol wouldn¡¯t have tolerated it to this extent. However¡­ ¡°Are you searching for a special Holder?¡± Thud. Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s steps came to a halt at Tak Won-ho¡¯s single sentence. As she turned around, Tak Won-ho slowly continued speaking. ¡°I understand that you¡¯ve been forming temporary parties in major high-level fields in Gangwon Province, such as Seoraksan Field, Daegwallyeong Field, and Hangyeryeong Field. All of them have beenposed of B-grade or higher, and they were different Holders each time.¡± Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s recent actions were already known. An S-grade Holder suddenly forming temporary parties and going hunting in the major field areas of Gangwon Province naturally piqued the interest of the Holdermunity. However, since she only formed parties for simple hunts without any specific goal and disbanded them afterward, there wasn¡¯t much attention afterward. Besides, Yoo Eun-seol was an unaffiliated Holder, and forming temporary parties had been amon urrence for her. There was no reason for it to seem strange. But Tak Won-ho had a different perspective in mind. ¡°I thought it was unusual for an S-grade Holder capable of soloing most field hunts to form temporary parties for hunting. Especially when I was preparing to recruit you.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s your point? How does that rte to recruiting me?¡± Even with Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s still cold tone, Tak Won-ho nodded. ¡°Perhaps there is a Holder you¡¯ve been searching for within the Academy. Haven¡¯t you shown any interest in student Holders until now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol contemted his proposal in silence. The first option didn¡¯t sit well with her, but the second one made sense. She had never shown any interest in student Holders until now. The reason was simple. Even if there was someone among them who had the qualifications, she believed they wouldn¡¯t have the skills to apany her. At best, they could be C-grade Holders struggling to keep up, and that was the limit of what Yoo Eun-seol was willing to ept. Tak Won-ho continued his speech after seeing Yoo Eun-seol lost in thought for a moment. ¡°Just give it a try. I¡¯m sure you will find the Holder you are looking for. It won¡¯t be toote to decide after that. If you refuse even after confirmation, I will not bother you again. Please.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Tak Won-ho¡¯s polite manner had her hesitating bit by bit. *** Ippotrantion *** Inside a cafe in Gangnam. I had just finished hunting in an underground dungeon, packed up my things, and walked outside casually. ¡­ Four missed calls and dozens of text messages. All to meet one of my friends. Sitting face to face with Moon Ga-eun, we engaged in conversation. She got straight to the point with her story, making me question my hearing for a moment. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Did I hear it wrong? It didn¡¯t make sense otherwise. But with Moon Ga-eun¡¯s earnest expression and her being on the verge of tears, there was no denying the sincerity behind her request. She carefully sipped her vanitte and spoke cautiously. ¡°My¡­ boyfriend¡­¡± I heard that part correctly. Wait, did I even hear that part correctly? Lately, I had been hunting monsters too much, and my head was starting to feel fuzzy. But her embarrassed demeanor, so unlike Moon Ga-eun, conveyed that this request was real. It was a bizarre request¡­ I scratched my head and made a blunt remark. ¡°Are you feeling lonely these days?¡± Oh, that was a bit harsh. But there was no helping it. A request from a friend I hadn¡¯t seen in two weeks¡­ Acting as a substitute boyfriend, really? It sounded strange no matter how you looked at it. Chapter 86: Request (3) (1)

Chapter 86: Request (3) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Within the n, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s position is somewhat ambiguous. Unlike Kang Juyeon, whose father is the n master and even has a B-grade Holder rank, Moon Ga-eun is neither the n¡¯s sessor nor does she have a high rank; she holds a C-grade. She is not exceptionally talentedpared to other n members. Of course, her father, Moon Jong-hyuk, is a founding hero of and a high-ranking officer, as well as the n master Hwang Geon-wook¡¯s inw, so her power within the n is overwhelming. However, it is her father¡¯s authority, not her own. She is not a senior n member but a regr one. This is the position Moon Ga-eun holds within . ¡®Well, everyone treats me well,¡¯ she thinks. However, being the daughter of a core officer doesn¡¯t change her status. Although Moon Ga-eun, as a regr n member, doesn¡¯t perform any significant duties, she can enjoy decent treatment within thanks to her father¡¯s influence. This is also because doesn¡¯t have a special sessor. Since n Master Hwang Geon-wook did not have children, the Moon Jong-hyuk family shared some of that power. The ability to attempt to ¡®recruit Do Jae-hyun¡¯ after Kang Juyeon was also due to the privileges and recognition that came from this power. ¡°Hello, Holder Moon Ga-eun.¡± ¡°Yes, good morning. You must be the new member, Holder Kim Dong-hyun, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. How¡­¡± ¡°The hunting team knows most things.¡± So, during the vacation, Moon Ga-eun consistently went to the n and did her best in her duties, not settling for the abundant treatment she received and striving to uphold her father¡¯s honor. Rights alwayse from responsibilities. That was Moon Ga-eun¡¯s principle regarding authority. ¡°We have ns again for the weekend. This time, you muste. I can¡¯t face the Sunset Flower Master because of our little chatterbox daughter.¡± ¡­ But her father, Moon Jong-hyuk, didn¡¯t seem to care much about such principles. In the n, her father¡¯s private office. She rushed over due to a sudden call, and this was what she returned to. Moon Ga-eun expressed her annoyance at the tedious blind date proposal. ¡°Oh,e on! How many times do I have to say I¡¯m not leaving my seat?¡± She couldn¡¯t even remember how many times it had been, from the middle of the semester to now, during the vacation. Her father continued to arrange blind dates without a break, even changing members steadily. He was truly a passionate father in many ways. ¡°It¡¯s not about leaving your seat for just meeting one peer. It¡¯s about building new connections.¡± Moon Ga-eun immediately countered her father¡¯s words. ¡°Why should I build new connections over dinner with someone? Besides, you know that I¡¯ve seen Holder Jeong Hyun-seok from work before. Why build connections I already have?¡± ¡¯s sessor, Jeong Hyun-seok. A second-year academy student and a promising Holder who had already been promoted to B-grade this year. He was handsome, came from a good family, and was popr, but Moon Ga-eun had no interest. It wasn¡¯t her style, and she never had any intention of making a lover like that in the first ce. But her father seemed to like Jeong Hyun-seok, as he was already proposing a second meeting with him. ¡°That¡¯s why. Last time, Holder Jeong Hyun-seok was really taken with you. It was love at first sight. He¡¯s a young man.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet him!¡± Her voice grew even louder. Moon Ga-eun knew that when her voice got this loud, her father would respond in kind. They had fought like this more than once. But, as usual, her father raised his voice, leaving aside the documents he had been handling. ¡°My daughter, who hasn¡¯t dated by the age of twenty, is frustrated. Why don¡¯t you understand your father¡¯s desire to help you find a boyfriend? What¡¯s the harm in meeting someone?¡± It was this conversation again. Why was her father worried about her dating? She was only twenty years old. It was like an annoying excuse, repeatedly frustrating her during their conversation. Frustrated by these various factors, Moon Ga-eun blurted out words that were far from her true feelings. ¡°I already have a boyfriend!¡± ¡°¡­¡± With those words, the office that had been filled with raised voices fell into silence. It was an unexpectedly sudden calmness, almost startling. It felt like someone had cast an ice-type spell, suffocatingly cold and quiet. It hung over the room like frost, a bewildering, icy silence. Moon Ga-eun had inadvertently uttered a ridiculous lie. As she realized the situation, everything seemed to fade away before her eyes. ¡®This is bad¡¯, she thought. She had been overwhelmed by a momentary emotion. Normally, she could have said it was a mistake and picked up the pieces, but it was impossible to convince her father, who had driven the conversation in this direction. Terrifying thoughts started creeping in. Her father¡¯s expression had changed a long time ago, and it was filled with a strange look. ¡°You had¡­ a boyfriend?¡± Why did that one sentence feel so terrifying? Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 86: Request (3) (2) Moon Ga-eun was flustered, trying to continue speaking. ¡°Dad, well, you see, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha. I see. There is no way my daughter hasn¡¯t dated by this age? Especially during the most passionate years of her twenties. Haha. So, who¡¯s the lucky guy you¡¯re dating? Is he someone Dad knows?¡± She never got the chance to continue her sentence. Her father pressed on without pause, not allowing her a moment to think. Her father¡¯s face disyed a sense of joy. ¡®Why?¡¯ That suddenly made her angry again. Her father arranged her blind dates¡ªit wasn¡¯t for any political reason, but it seemed to genuinelye from his desire for his daughter to experience love. Or was it because he thought she couldn¡¯t find a boyfriend on her own? Even if she couldn¡¯t, did it show so clearly? Those questions rushed into Moon Ga-eun¡¯s mind. The misunderstanding was umting in a strange direction. ¡°Ah! Could it be the guy you¡¯ve been pursuing sincest time? That¡­ Do Jae-hyun, right?¡± It was a misunderstanding. A really big one. If she made a wrong move, the situation could escte uncontrobly. Moon Ga-eun quickly shook her hands to deny it. ¡°Dad, no, he¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha. Did you see this sly daughter of mine? She wanted to recruit a student Holder, Do Jae-hyun, for herself, right? Haha. It¡¯s youth, youth.¡± It was over. Once her father confirmed her dating status, there was no stopping him. Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. ¡°Bring him in front of me sometime. Dad wants to treat him to a meal. Just having a meal, so don¡¯t worry about any strange concerns.¡± Silence followed. Moon Ga-eun had tried to resolve the problem, but she had ended up with an even bigger issue. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°¡­That¡¯s how it happened.¡± Moon Ga-eun, who had exined everything, bowed her head deeply once more. In response, my face wore an expression of utter bewilderment. I couldn¡¯t believe such an absurd situation had unfolded. I asked Moon Ga-eun, ¡°Did you try to exin it properly?¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t believe me. I really spoke from the heart, I think.¡± ¡°Well, your appearance certainly fits the bill.¡± Especially for a father who genuinely wanted his daughter to date. It made sense. As I listened to the story, I found it fascinating. Moon Jong-hyuk was quite the opposite of Kang Juyeon¡¯s father, Kang Woo-hyun. Kang Woo-hyun had been so protective of his daughter that he would have kicked me out of the n if he had suspected I was Kang Juyeon¡¯s boyfriend. But Moon Jong-hyuk was encouraging his daughter¡¯s dating life. Anxious about not taking his daughter away but rather arranging a date for her himself¡ªthis was a type of father I had never seen anywhere else. There was no clear answer as to what was right, but the fact remained that both Moon Ga-eun and I were in a difficult situation due to it. ¡°But why did you say they were trying to recruit me?¡± Suddenly, a question arose. The only recruitment offer I had received was from Kang Juyeon¡¯s . I had never heard of an offer from . In response, Moon Ga-eun lifted her head. ¡°Oh, that¡­ originally, wanted to recruit you too.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°From the very beginning! But Juyeon was faster, like a cat burr. Ugh¡­ we could have brought you in first.¡± Moon Ga-eun¡¯s eyes showed frustration. Clenching her fists in anger, she seemed to have forgotten about her original request and was focused solely on losing out in the recruitment race. ¡°Phew-¡° I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her reaction. It was only now that I was seeing the real Moon Ga-eun. She always acted on her emotions, regardless of the context. Maybe that¡¯s why she frequently fought with her father. And in the midst of all this, she had told a lie about having a boyfriend. ¡°Don¡¯tugh, I¡¯m serious.¡± Moon Ga-eun pouted while tightly holding her vanitte. I wondered why vanitte was so appealing to her. Perhaps coffee helped even in difficult situations. ¡°I¡¯m serious too. From now on, I have to be Moon Ga-eun¡¯s boyfriend, and I can¡¯t take it lightly.¡± As I said this with a smile¡­ Moon Ga-eun blinked at me. ¡°A-are you¡­ helping me?¡± ¡°Well, would you rather I didn¡¯t? After all, your father already knows about me.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much, Do Jae-hyun¡­!!¡± Her gratitude was intense, and it made meugh again. I seemed to be witnessing a new side of Moon Ga-eun today. She wasn¡¯t just about ying pranks as I had always thought. Kang Juyeon should have been here to see this. ¡°Going to dinner with your father, is it just a one-time thing?¡± ¡°Yeah! Other than that, I don¡¯t need any more favors.¡± ¡°Is the date not decided yet?¡± ¡°No. You can pick a day that works for you.¡± ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s prepare properly and go without any ws.¡± To be honest, I could help with a dinner situation at least once. ying the role of a boyfriend that she never had wouldn¡¯t be easy, but well, it wouldn¡¯t be an indefinitemitment. Besides, unlike Kang Woo-hyun, a father whoid traps with convolutednguage, Moon Jong-hyuk seemed like someone I could easilymunicate with once I found the right words. As long as I matched the conversation appropriately, things would likely go smoothly. Chapter 87 Request (4) (1)

Chapter 87 Request (4) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Pod- Pababat- A vast chill extends in all directions. The cold, which had been scouring the surroundings like a beast hunting its prey, soon reached its destination, a massive rock, and began to concentrate there. A rock muchrger than a person. The rock was devoured by the cold, transforming into a single lump of ice. As time passed, it became difficult to tell if it was a rock or ice¡­ It seemed like a kind of ice sculpture was being created. Crackling sounds- After a while, the rock waspletely engulfed by ice. A woman who had been watching her jumping up and shouting. ¡°Teacher! I did it! Yay¡­!!¡± A neatly braided hair on one side and a small hairpin. In her hand was a staff with arge blue gem embedded in it. Despite her disheveled appearance due to long training, her beauty still shone through. Two weeks ago, she came down to Busan. Kim Chae-eun, who was undergoing special training consistently. And beside her. Jeong Seon-young, who was teaching her one-on-one¡­ Looked at the ice-covered rock in front of her with an incredulous expression. ¡®She actually did it in just two weeks¡­¡¯ It was an astonishing feat. The skill Kim Chae-eun had just disyed was the [Ultimate Frost]. It was considered one of the top-tier skills among single-target skills that could be unleashed with [Freeze]. To utilize it, one had to be at least a B-grade Holder. Compared to Jeong Seon-young¡¯s ultimate skill [Blizzard] from [Frozen Battlefield], it had less power, butparing a normal rune¡¯s regr skill to an epic rune¡¯s ultimate skill was absurd in itself. Considering Kim Chae-eun¡¯s Holder grade, what she had just achieved was an unbelievable casting. ¡®It¡¯s not just an average talent¡­¡¯ As a result of her focused training for the past two weeks, Jeong Seon-young reached one conclusion. Kim Chae-eun had an extraordinary talent not only in ice magic but also among all magician types. She had reached a considerable level with themon runes [Spell Enhancement] and [Magic Amplification], and she even asionally attempted the notoriously difficult [Adrian Spell], although she was still inexperienced. With this level of rune setup and proficiency, she had already surpassed the level of an ordinary student. Among the Holders affiliated with most ns, she was almost at the level of a B-grade Holder. ¡°Teacher? Why are you acting like that?¡± Kim Chae-eun, who had been happily jumping around on her own, asked while looking at Jeong Seon-young lost in thought. Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun with a nk expression and said, ¡°Chae-eun, is Ice your primary rune?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, yes. Freeze is my primary rune.¡± While the runes held by Holders were often a closely guarded secret, there was usually no need to hide them among fellow adepts for the sake of training. And Kim Chae-eun¡¯s straightforward answer confirmed that [Freeze] was her primary magic rune. So, it was even more puzzling. A Holder¡¯s talent was directly rted to their runes. If a Holder had exceptional talent, it wasmon for them to have rare runes or epic runes from the beginning. However, what was hard to believe was that Kim Chae-eun implemented [Ultimate Frost], despite her young age and grade, only had normal runes. So, Jeong Seon-young thought for a moment and then said, ¡°In my opinion¡­ Chae-eun, you might havetent talent.¡± ¡°Latent talent?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Just because you obtained normal runes at the time of awakening didn¡¯t mean that the Holder would only operate with normal runes for the rest of their life. There were cases where runes were acquired through special items or dungeon rewards, and there were also cases where new runes were obtained through enlightenment during a Holder¡¯s training or growth. And in Jeong Seon-young¡¯s opinion, Kim Chae-eun was thetter case. ¡°To crudely implement [Ultimate Frost] at your age and grade¡­ It¡¯s almost impossible. Even if you manage to arrange magic power, everyone usually hits a wall in application and manifestation.¡± Holders withtent talents usually obtained normal runes when they awakened. However, because of their exceptional talent and deep understanding, they could elevate those runes to their limits. That¡¯s why, through advanced rune usage, they often acquired additional primary runes or even rare and higher-grade runes in the future. And based on what she had observed so far¡­ Kim Chae-eun¡¯stent talent seemed evident. Without it, the current results couldn¡¯t be exined. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Jeong Seon-young briefly entertained the thought. Perhaps, if she continued to grow steadily, even her primary rune, [Frozen Battlefield], which she always kept to herself, might be something Kim Chae-eun would acquire. Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun, envisioning such a future. ¡°From now on, you can call me Teacher.¡± ¡°Huh? Teacher?! Then¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Chae-eun. You¡¯re my exclusive disciple now.¡± ¡°Wow, wow¡­!!¡± An exclusive disciple. With just that word, Kim Chae-eun was overjoyed, as if she could leap with happiness. Her face showed more excitement than when she sessfully cast [Ultimate Frost]. Watching her, Jeong Seon-young also smiled warmly. She was also receiving her first exclusive disciple, but she was determined to teach her with no regrets. Kim Chae-eun was a disciple with great potential and a passionate and cute one at that. ¡°And now, let¡¯s head to Seoul. It seems there¡¯s no need to stay in Busan anymore.¡± ¡°Huh? Really?¡± Kim Chae-eun, who had been running around with her staff, stopped in her tracks. She seemed hesitant about the idea of going to Seoul. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 87 Request (4) (2) Jeong Seon-young looked at her teasingly this time, as she knew the reason very well. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re excited?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°When we get back, prepare to dress up nicely. There might be someone special waiting for you. There won¡¯t be any sses until August, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Being an exclusive Teacher-Disciple rtionship wasn¡¯t just about teaching the disciple. There was much Jeong Seon-young had to prepare for as the teacher. Unlike the temporary teaching she had done so far, this was a formal and official rtionship. A deration of two weeks¡¯ rest for that purpose. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s expression was filled with delight. ¡°Okay. I understand, Teacher!¡± She was happy not only about receiving a new education from her teacher but also because she had someone waiting for her in Seoul. *** Ippotrantion *** The meal with Moon Jong-hyuk was scheduled for the following weekend. We decided not to dy it any further. Fortunately, my internship at wasn¡¯t too busy. Since the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ strategy had been such a major project, once Ipleted it, my tasks within the hunting team became quite manageable. Thanks to that, Moon Ga-eun and I were able to meet early and n our strategy. ¡°What was the first meeting ce we decided on?¡± On our way to the agreed-upon restaurant, I asked Moon Ga-eun, momentarily forgetting an important detail. Moon Ga-eun gave me a sharp look and yfully hit me on the back of my head. ¡°Are you kidding? What if you forget already? It was the temporary training ground where we had the showdown.¡± ¡°Oh, right, right. And we started to like each other from that time?¡± ¡°Yeah. We officially started dating a monthter, on March 27th.¡± So, if we officially started dating a month after that time¡­ Considering it¡¯s summer vacation now, have we been dating for four months? I tried to calcte the exact number of days in my head. ¡°It¡¯s been 112 days since we started dating. We¡¯re a couple who passed the 100-day mark.¡± Whether she sensed my situation or not, Moon Ga-eun exined her curiosity. Wow¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but admire her for calcting and already memorizing it. ¡°Moon Ga-eun, you have a meticulous style in your rtionship, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ You were the one who said we should do it without any ws!¡± Smack- Once again, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s smacknded on my back. I did tease her about it. I can remember everything else perfectly, but why can¡¯t I remember details like dates or ces? I continued to mutter the date to myself, making sure it stuck. Then, a sudden question came to mind, and I asked Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Oh, right. How are we going to exin my internship at ?¡± ording to the setting, I¡¯m your boyfriend, and you tried to recruit me to the . Now, I¡¯m working as an intern at . Although it¡¯s separate work, Moon Jong-hyuk might still find it suspicious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I scouted you because you¡¯re a truly talented Holder, not because you¡¯re my boyfriend. That¡¯s what I told him, and it¡¯s true.¡± It was a straightforward answer. Although it might feel a bit strange for me, if that was the reason, it should be convincing enough to justify my recruitment by . We also discussed how we would address each other (we decided to use our first names), why we kept our rtionship a secret.. And other potentially suspicious details. As we talked, we reached the restaurant where we had made our reservation. ¡°Wow¡­ They¡¯ve decorated it beautifully.¡± An Italian restaurant located in Yeoksam-dong. Like many popr restaurants in Gangnam, it had an elegant design and a clean exterior. The modern building design blended harmoniously with medieval European architectural elements. They must have spent quite a bit on the exterior design alone. Moreover, the food wasn¡¯tcking either. I heard it was a Michelin 3-star restaurant, and with my [Cooking] rune enhancing my taste, I was quite excited. However, before entering the restaurant, something unusual caught our attention. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no one inside?¡± There wasn¡¯t a single person visible in the restaurant. It was supposed to be a popr and fully booked restaurant, but the interior looked strangely empty. Seeing this bizarre sight, Moon Ga-eun let out a sigh and rubbed her temple. ¡°My dad must have rented the entire ce for the day.¡± I instantly understood. Renting a restaurant like this for the whole day was probably a pocket change for the high-ranking members of the top three ns. Now, it finally hit me that I was about to meet my friend¡¯s dad, who was undoubtedly wealthy and influential, and I had to do so as her boyfriend. I realized it was time to steel myself for the asion. ¡°Shall we go in now?¡± ¡°Yes! Uh¡­ What?¡± As we were about to enter the restaurant, Moon Ga-eun suddenly looked surprised and stared at me. Her expression had gone from determined to bewildered, and her face had turned quite red. ¡°W-what, why are we holding hands?¡± Ah, she must have been surprised by this. I had naturally tried to hold Moon Ga-eun¡¯s hand¡­ Was this not part of her n, or was she trying to avoid physical contact? I chuckled and said, ¡°Why are you so startled? We¡¯re a couple, remember? To properly deceive your father, we should at least hold hands when we go in.¡± I had never acted as a stand-in boyfriend before, but was she not nning for any physical contact? Nevertheless, Moon Ga-eun still appeared flustered and responded with a trembling voice. ¡°I-is that so? B-but it hasn¡¯t even been 100 days since we started dating.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I felt a slight headacheing on. ¡­This might get even more challenging from now on. Chapter 88 Request (5) (1)

Chapter 88 Request (5) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee Moon Ga-eun barely held onto her bursting heart. The reason was not elsewhere. Right next to her. The man who is walking holding her hand affectionately. No, not a man, but a friend¡­ It was because of Do Jae-hyun. ¡®Hey, get a grip, Moon Ga-eun.¡¯ He¡¯s not a real boyfriend. He¡¯s just ying the role of a boyfriend to make up for her mistake. There was no need to be surprised or to attribute meaning to his actions. Her face turned red like this, and her heart was pounding¡­ That was not the case at all. ¡®But he suddenly held my hand¡­.¡¯ Just because Do Jae-hyun had unexpectedly shown physical affection. Because he cast a ¡®hand-holding walk¡¯ that she had never thought of¡­ Her body and mind were just surprised. A couple who has been dating for over 100 days holds hands. This was not in Moon Ga-eun¡¯s dating knowledge. No, she hardly had any proper knowledge in the first ce. She didn¡¯t even know when to start showing physical affection. She had never dated in her life, and all her rted knowledge had been built up only through dramas. It was natural that shecked a sense of dating in reality. When Kang Juyeon cast ¡®You¡¯ve never dated either¡¯, the reason she couldn¡¯t say anything was because of that. ¡®But was all that real¡­?¡¯ It was a shocking fact. Falling in love at first sight and asking for a number and confessing, or developing from friends to lovers, or matching hearts like fate and dating¡­ Moon Ga-eun thought those things were just fantasies. They would have been possible because they were all dramas. For that reason, she had ignored people who asked for her number so far. She thought they were imitating what they saw in dramas. But that could be a story of reality. It¡¯s unbelievable, but Do Jae-hyun¡¯s behavior of naturally holding hands proved him right. And as Moon Ga-eun thought up to there, she had one thing. She could reach an even more shocking fact. ¡®That, then kiss too¡­¡¯ A couple who has been dating for over 100 days. The setting was nned by Moon Ga-eun herself for thorough sess. ording to it, she and Do Jae-hyun are¡­ It means they are a couple who can even ¡®kiss¡¯. Something like a hug or a peck on the cheek. It¡¯s an imagination that skipped several stages of physical affection¡­ Moon Ga-eun¡¯s mind, which had already unraveled to the end of the sky, was filled with delusions everywhere. ¡°That can¡¯t be real!¡± Moon Ga-eun entered the entrance and suddenly shouted out loud. Do Jae-hyun, who was startled by her voice, asked back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you doing this? Is something wrong?¡± Did she forget what she did for a moment? Moon Ga-eun shouted out without knowing herself too. ¡°Uh¡­ uh?¡± ¡°You said it really can¡¯t be. What can¡¯t you do?¡± Apparently, the things she was saying inside came out of her mouth. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay. Just¡­¡± Moon Ga-eun tried to cover it up as if it was nothing¡­ Suddenly without knowing herself too, She felt Do Jae-hyun¡¯s lipse into her sight. The lips of a man she had never looked at closely before, Surprisingly, it had a deep color and clear shape. It was a rugged lip like his sharp impression, So those lips and her lips¡­ ¡®Are you crazy! What are you thinking about, Moon Ga-eun! Get your act together, get your act together!!¡¯ Moon Ga-eun hit her head hard again, Unnecessary thoughts keep infiltrating everywhere, It was just a n prepared to deceive her father¡­ Before entering, there were many gates to cross already. *** Ippotrantion * * * ¡®I¡¯m doing this again.¡¯ Is she really okay? Looking at Moon Ga-eun hitting her head hard by herself, I sighed without knowing it, She was more thorough and meticulous than me when preparing, but as soon as she entered the field, she seemed very nervous Is there a problem? I can only hope that I won¡¯t be too nervous in front of Moon Jong-hyuk. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± As I led the half-dazed Moon Ga-eun inside, the restaurant staff greeted us. I greeted him back and spoke. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m here for the reservation under Holder Moon Jong-hyuk.¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s waiting in the inner room. This way.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Passing through therge hall, there was a room inside. The room was quiterge, enough for two families to enter. After introducing us to the room, the staff member, greeted us lightly and stepped back. I took a moment to catch my breath. Now I had to be nervous. Because the formal conversation was about to start. ¡®Moon Ga-eun¡­ hasn¡¯te back yet.¡¯ She¡¯s still out of it, wondering what she¡¯s thinking. Well, when she goes into the room and sees her father¡¯s face, it¡¯ll change. I lightly knocked on the door of the room. Knock knock- ¡°Come in.¡± A heavy voice echoed outside. As I felt when I met Kang Woo-hyunst time, all the high-ranking Holders with names seem to have good voices. A powerful voice that conveys dignity just by listening. Charisma was formed so naturally. As I entered the room, I saw Moon Jong-hyuk drinking water calmly. A neatly dressed suit and watch. And his youthful appearance for a middle-aged man stood out. ¡®But that¡­.¡¯ Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 88 Request (5) (2) However, as soon as I entered, something else caught my eye first. Behind the seat where Moon Jong-hyuk sat, There was a huge bow on the wall like a medal. It was his famous epic equipment, [Storm Bow]. ¡®The force is no joke¡­.¡¯ As expected of a Holder called the top among archers in Korea, even his equipment felt grandeur and vigor. While I was admiring for a moment, Moon Ga-eun first greeted Moon Jong-hyuk. ¡°Dad. We¡¯re here.¡± Her voice regained its unique bright energy, It seemed that she had escaped from her panicked state earlier. I also bowed to Moon Jong-hyuk following Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Hello, Holder Moon Jong-hyuk. It¡¯s an honor to meet you. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun, a C-grade Holder currently studying at Seoul Holder Academy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. The meal is almost ready, so sit down first. Ga-eun, you sit down too.¡± Moon Jong-hyuk¡¯s voice, which I met for the first time, was quite friendly, Especially after his gaze touched our hands holding each other, It turned into an extremely satisfied look. ¡­Did we score points? He actively encouraged his daughter¡¯s dating, and indeed the atmosphere was softer. ¡°Meals are left to our head chef here. It will be Italian course food, so if you can¡¯t eat or feel ufortable, let me know.¡± ¡°No. I also enjoy Italian food.¡± ¡°Dad. It¡¯s ufortable justing here. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re having a meeting or anything. Why would you want to see my boyfriend?¡± Moon Ga-eun sat down and ticked off. By the way, this is also nned. After talking a lot using her father¡¯s friendship. Pulling the conversation partner as much as possible to herself. To reduce conversation with me so that my mistakes don¡¯te out, our special strategy. Moon Ga-eun definitely seemed less nervous than before and led the conversation more leisurely. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m just curious because he¡¯s a fellow Holder and an academy student. Your dad might be able to help you.¡± ¡°Liar. You just didn¡¯t believe me. When I said before that I would recruit Jae-hyun to , you didn¡¯t even listen.¡± ¡°Hmm hmm. The appetizer ising out. Let¡¯s eat first.¡± Moon Jeong-hyuk coughed and turned around. Quite a sessful start for the first opening of the conversation. I nced at Moon Ga-eun and sent a ¡®nice!¡¯ look in my eyes, but Moon Ga-eun, who met my eyes, was somewhat surprised and avoided my gaze. ¡­ Why are you like this? ¡°Let me help exin the cooking for a moment. Antipasti, the first step in this course. Antipasti is an appetizer that customers are familiar with¡­ ¡± The employee I had encountered earlier brought an appetizer dish and started exining. The appetizer for this course is a decent crostini. Lightly toasted bread was topped with cheese, vegetables, and small chicken. Crostini, with the right ingredients harmoniously ced, boasted a fresh look like a decent sd. Normally, restaurants serve pre-dinner bread first, but this ce served crostini as an appetizer and seemed to skip the pre-dinner bread step. ¡®I¡¯ll have to try this too.¡¯ These days, whenever I go to a restaurant, I think of this. Is this some kind of job gue? Maybe it was because of Kim Chae-eun, who asked for more and more diverse menus after tasting my [cooking]. While I was distracted by the look of the Crostini for a moment, the staff member left after exining. And Moon Jeong-hyeok started talking again. ¡°So. Do Jae-hyun, like I said.¡± ¡°Yes Sir.¡± ¡°Ever since Ga-eun said she was dating you, I personally had a lot of questions. After all, he¡¯s my daughter¡¯s first boyfriend, haha.¡± ¡°Dad¡­ !!¡± Moon Ga-eun shouted at the sudden confession of fatherhood. It¡¯s a face that seems to be saying why it¡¯s useless. I was a little taken aback, but shook my head. ¡®¡­ That¡¯s why it was like that.¡¯ Only then did Moon Ga-eun¡¯s ¡®100 Day Physical Affection Theory¡¯e to my understanding. It could have been enough without dating experience and knowledge. Aside from that, it is surprising that Moon Ga-eun is a grown woman. With that face and body, she has never experienced dating¡­ In particr, since she has a calm personality and gets along well with people, the fact that she is now in a rtionship for the first time came to me all the more fresh. ¡®¡­ No It¡¯s a fake rtionship right now.¡¯ It seems that she is too immersed in her role. I shook my head for a moment and came to my senses. Moon Jong-hyuk did not care about Moon Ga-eun¡¯s reaction and continued. ¡°I¡¯m impatient, so I¡¯m trying to ask the most curious thing¡­ Will that be ok by you?¡± What the hell is he going to ask? I was a little nervous, but nodded. ¡°Feel free to ask. It is also an infinite honor for me to have a conversation with Holder Moon Jong-hyuk, Ga-eun¡¯s father and the founder of .¡± ¡°Haha. This boy, you tter me.¡± It may sound ttering, but it¡¯s not wrong. Moon Jong-hyuk is one of the high-ranking Holders who are known for their excellent skills among A-grade Holders. If I had to give it a new grade, it would be an A+ grade. There were countless dungeons and monsters that had been conquered so far, and there were many achievements that engraved their names in the long history of the Holder world. To be precise, among the five S-grade Holders in Korea, there is not a single archer type. In other words, the best archer in Korea is Moon Jong-hyuk. These were the facts that told us that he was able to take his ce as an official of ¡¯s founding merit, not just because he was Hwang Kun-wook¡¯s brother-inw. Moon Jong-hyuk smiled happily and spoke again. ¡°Hmmmm. What else¡­ ¡± He halted the knife he was cutting crostini with, and looked at me in a strange way. ¡°Tell me. If you were to get married, at what age would you like to do that?¡± ¡°Phew, Phew-¡± ¡°Dad¡­ !!¡± I can hear a tick in the water I was drinking. Moon Ga-eun, who was next to me, shouted again. ¡­ Did I hear him wrong? I guess I¡¯ll have to correct my assessment. Before, I thought he would definitely be able tomunicate better than Kang Woo-hyun¡­ Moon Jong-hyuk was a formidable opponent in many ways, never falling behind. Chapter 89: Stained Rock Pile (1) (1)

Chapter 89: Stained Rock Pile (1) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The meal at the restaurant was over. Although I received a ridiculous question from the start, the conversations after oveing him were ordinary. Moon Jong-hyuk was less interested in our dating process than expected. The main topics were ordinary Holder stories, such as stories about the n, recent trends in the Holder system, and how academy life is. Whether we¡¯ve been dating for a few days or where we met¡­ There was no need to memorize such detailed elements. Instead, he suggested a light drink after dinner. ¡­Just the two of us. ¡°Dad! Stop bothering Jae-hyun. What are you trying to do with a 20-year-old?¡± Of course, Moon Ga-eun rebelled. The dining table was already ufortable, and without her, anxiety could only double. By the way, it feels strange that Moon Ga-eun doesn¡¯t say ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯, but keeps saying ¡®Jae-hyun¡¯. Is this why the first name is important? ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t be like that. Dad likes Jae-hyun, so that¡¯s why. We¡¯re just going to have a normal conversation like at dinner.¡± ¡°Yes, Moon¡­ No, Ga-eun. It¡¯s okay, so go ahead.¡± I met eyes with Moon Ga-eun who was anxious. And I sent a look that it was really okay. Honestly, if a question like ¡®When are you going to get married?¡¯es out like before, it¡¯s a bit difficult, but it was once then and even if ites out, I can somehow mumble it. First of all, unlike Kang Woo-hyun, Moon Jong-hyuk was friendly to his daughter¡¯s boyfriend, so the conversation itself was not ufortable. Moon Ga-eun looked at Moon Jong-hyuk and me alternately¡­ Soon she sighed and nodded her head. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± So after Moon Ga-eun left. Moon Jong-hyuk and I moved to a high-end wine bar nearby. The inside was surprisingly ordinary. Not shy lighting and simple atmosphere. Simple decorations filled the store for a wine bar. But that seemed to give off a more luxurious feel. ¡°Is this ce also¡­¡± ¡°Haha. I don¡¯t like noisy things.¡± There were no people around, so I thought maybe it was again. It seems that he rented out the entire restaurant, following the restaurant. Moon Jong-hyuk seemed toe to the store quite often. He sat down and ordered wine skillfully. I don¡¯t have any particr alcohol preference either, so I left it to his order. ¡°Do you usually drink often?¡± Moon Jong-hyuk asked as he poured alcohol into his ss. ¡°I drink on special days like today.¡± ¡°Haha. I felt earlier, but you seem to have a knack for making people feel good.¡± He clinked sses as if toasting. ¡°It seems to go well with her temperament. It¡¯s nice to see.¡± ¡®¡­I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡¯ This is actually a fake love affair. Words swallowed in my throat prick my conscience. I felt more sorry because he seemed to really like it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for asking you a difficult question earlier.¡± ¡°No. I think you can be curious enough.¡± The question of when do you want to get married? Fortunately, I haven¡¯t thought about it yet because I¡¯m still twenty years old, and I don¡¯t consider such things when dating, so the correct answer worked. Moon Jong-hyuk wasn¡¯t an overbearing father who said ¡®Get married with my Ga-eun right away!¡¯ But he asked such questions too. And drinking separately like this¡­ There must have been a reason for everything. ¡°My wife passed away when Ga-eun was three years old. Due to an unexined heart attack.¡± When the atmosphere loosened up as alcohol went in appropriately, Moon Jong-hyuk cautiously started talking. It was a story I knew roughly too. Moon Ga-eun was one of the main characters of the original work in her own way, so naturally her family rtionship came out at least roughly. However, this is the first time I heard about theplex family situation intertwined in between. ¡°I tried to forget my sorrow by working. There was no room for me to take care of myself or my family. For 15 years, work and work again. While working frantically, I finally grew up my n¡­ But it was terrible for my daughter as a father.¡± Fortunately, Moon Ga-eun grew up properly. She filled in the gap by spreading love inside herself without receiving love¡­ She didn¡¯t have anyoneing close to her, but she took courage first and got to know new people. Her bright and energetic personality more than anyone else¡¯s It proved miracles over time. ¡°So you kept introducing her¡­¡± ¡°Haha. That¡¯s right. The father who has no qualifications wanted to find his daughter¡¯s partnerte. Even though Ga-eun grew up brightly, I thought she didn¡¯t date because of such a past.¡± He seemed to think that the reason Moon Ga-eun kept refusing the introduction was because of her past. Of course, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s thoughts may be different. ¡®¡­I think it¡¯s just because I hate the real thing in the first ce.¡¯ He might be misunderstanding something quite a bit. But I understood the heart of a father who wanted to take care of his daughter. He must have wanted to find someone who loves and cherishes her as much as he couldn¡¯t do for her. That¡¯s probably why he asked about the hasty marriage. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s really fortunate that she is dating a good friend like you. It seems that I was worried about nothing. Ga-eun is already washing away her wounds and living well. Haha.¡± ¡°¡­Ga-eun will also know Holder Moon Jong-hyuk¡¯s heart well.¡± For some reason, I felt the back of a bitter father, and awkwardly offeredfort. He smiled silently and drank his ss of alcohol. Surprisingly, really surprisingly¡­ The conversation with Moon Jong-hyuk was not boring. ¡°By the way. Are you working under Kang Woo-hyun in the now?¡± Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 pm All Chapters /ippostrantions Chapter 89: Stained Rock Pile (1) (2) When the heavy story ended for a while, Moon Jong-hyuk asked. Ah. I finally remembered when I saw him calling Kang Woo-hyun familiarly. Moon Jong-hyuk and Kang Woo-hyun. Looking back, the two Holders were old friends. Because the two fathers were close friends, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun became friends from a young age. ¡®I think I took good care of it¡­.¡¯ He said he only worked without taking care of his daughter, but when he met his friend, he seemed to have taken her with him. I nodded my head and answered him. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m currently working as an intern.¡± ¡°Haha. My daughter¡¯s boyfriend is working under my friend¡­ It¡¯s a funny thing. Did you get scouted by Juyeon?¡± ¡°Yes. Ga-eun and Holder Kang Juyeon¡­ They all seem to think well of me.¡± Moon Jong-hyukughed heartily and continued. ¡°You¡¯re too humble. I¡¯ve heard about your skills. You¡¯re a rare multi-talented Holder, much more capable than your peers. The head of our n¡¯s scout team even checked your end-of-semester evaluation at Ga-eun¡¯s request. I read that report too.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± I heard it from Kang Juyeon before. She asked the head of the n¡¯s scout team to check my skills for my recruitment. It seems that he also came to explore with at that time. ¡°Come to if you have a chance. I don¡¯t want to burden you with recruitment¡­ But it hurts my pride a bit to just lose you to Kang Woo-hyun. Haha. I¡¯ll let you feel how good is.¡± Moon Jong-hyuk said with a pleasant smile. Even if I don¡¯t have eyes to judge people¡¯s sincerity. At least the heart that I see from Moon Jong-hyuk now, it was the sincerity of a warm senior Holder. The seat with Moon Jong-hyuk at Moon Ga-eun¡¯s request. Although my role was fake¡­ All the stories we shared were sincere. A father of one person. And a Holder with pride in his position. That was my honest impression of Moon Jong-hyuk today. Iughed along and clinked sses. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an honor.¡± For some reason, it was a good day. * * * Ippotrantion *** Kwagagaga- Lightning struck along with the rain that had been falling for a long time. It was a very gloomy weather to go outside. Thanks to that, I was spending a golden Sunday at home. Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t alone. My boarding house in Sangdo. The house, which is spacious for living alone, sometimes feels empty. There was a familiar face here. ¡°Seoul, return¡­!!¡± Kim Chae-eun has returned. After the auction in Daegu, she went straight to Busan¡­ She¡¯s back almost 2 weekster. Kim Chae-eun showed off her return with clothes and lenses I hadn¡¯t seen before, and even held the [Frost Staff] I gave her in her hand. But I asked while scratching my head. ¡°Do you have to dere that in my house?¡± Kim Chae-eun, who is in ¡®Yahoo!¡¯ posture as if she hade from hiking¡­ Isn¡¯t this usually done in your room? Then Kim Chae-eun put her hand on her waist and rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s up with that attitude? Aren¡¯t you d to see me?¡± ¡°No, of course I¡¯m d. But¡­¡± My gaze went to Kim Chae-eun¡¯s hand. To be precise, it was directed towards the spat in her hand. ¡°It¡¯s because what you are holding in your hand is quite scary.¡± ¡°What¡¯s scary about it? I¡¯m making pancakes. On a rainy day, it¡¯s definitely pancakes and makgeolli! Look forward to it. This time I will definitely win you over with my cooking.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Look forward to it? ¡­That¡¯s what scares me. Kim Chae-eun came over to y at my house as soon as she returned to Seoul, and when it started raining suddenly, she prepared ingredients to make pancakes. Under the pretext of ¡®Return Celebration Party¡¯! No, since it¡¯s a return celebration party, shouldn¡¯t I be the one who should congratte and cook? I tried to argue like that, but there was no way to stop Kim Chae-eun who had already entered cooking mode. Chiiii- Slowly pouring batter into the frying pan and starting to cook. Seeing the visual of pancakes after a long time somehow made me think they might be delicious. I watched her nkly for a while and then asked. ¡°So when do you start training again?¡± I haven¡¯t seen her face for a while but we¡¯ve been in touch constantly. So I knew about Kim Chae-eun¡¯s rough situation. The training she had with Jeong Seon-young was very effective. And Jeong Seon-young highly valued that point and took her as an exclusive disciple. Considering Jeong Seon-young¡¯s skill and position without anyone following [Freeze], this was a very well-resolved issue for Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Probably around August? There are no more sses in July.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re resting for two weeks?¡± ¡°Yeah! Rest is as important as training, so take a good rest.¡± Hearing that story reminded me of the dungeon strategy n that had been postponed for a while. ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯. A medium-high level dungeon where B-grade-Cgrade monsters mainly appear. A dungeon located near Seoraksan, which is still an undiscovered dungeon that has not yet been exploited. In the original work, Park Jin-woo finds and exploits this dungeon alone in thetter part. So I turned the direction to exploit this with Kim Chae-eun. Of course, I can¡¯t say it outright, and I thought I should do it as if I found it by chance while exploiting the Seoraksan field. ¡°¡­Just the two of us?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, of course. We¡¯re not going to go up to a high ce where high-level monsters are anyway. Don¡¯t worry.¡± I relieved her worries about theck of party members. Since I already have experience exploiting dungeons solo, I could exploit ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ with Kim Chae-eun. Kim Chae-eun, who nodded her head, turned her gaze back to the pancake. I quietly watched her and turned my back to go to the bathroom for a moment. But¡­ ¡°¡­Just two of us, hiking date¡­ opportunity¡­.¡± From Kim Chae-eun, who is making pancakes. I think I heard some strange muttering. Is it a misunderstanding? Chapter 90: Stained Rock Pile (2) (1)

Chapter 90: Stained Rock Pile (2) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. A month has passed since I joined the . At first, I didn¡¯t even know what kind of office was in the n tower, but now I was firmly established as a n member. ¡°Good morning, senior.¡± ¡°Ah, good morning. You¡¯re an intern, right? The one who just joined Hunting Team 5.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± The number of people I greeted every morning gradually increased. I began to memorize the faces of not only Hunting Team 5 but also all the n members in the hunting department, and I never forgot to greet them whenever I met them. Image within the n is self-made. Thanks to this, the n members who received my greetings also remembered me roughly. After about a month, my face seemed to be somewhat imprinted. ¡°Hmm- Intern?¡± ¡°Yes, Holder Lee Soo-mi.¡± ¡°Could you write up the content I just organized into a report ording to the format? Like the one you submittedst time.¡± ¡°Understood. Should I send an email directly to the administration team after writing it?¡± ¡°Huh- You know everything without me saying it now?¡± There were also paperwork tasks that had to be handled internally among the hunting team tasks. At first, I thought it was difficult because I wondered why Holder was writing a report on aputer¡­ Now it seems like this task is also getting used to my hand. Theplicated tasks within the n were slowly bing familiar. ¡®It definitely helps.¡¯ Intern n member. This is ultimately a preparation process to be a full-fledged n member. Even though it was a short period of time, I was still a member of . As a n member, I was able to understand the world of Holders and ns more deeply by doing my best to handle what I was responsible for. Not a student at the academy, but a rune Holder. It felt like stepping into that full-fledged world. ¡®Well, there are many things to gain in reality.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just mental growth. If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t have thought about joining the n in the first ce. [You have won in battle! With the mysterious power of Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune you want to duplicate.] [You have selected Magic Amplification. Since it is a normal rune at level 11, its level will decrease and be registered at level 6.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [You gain 3 magic due to the nature of the rune.] ¡°I lost, I lost. It¡¯s hard to beat a warrior Holder.¡± Hunting Team 5¡¯s mage-type B-grade Holder. Kim Seong-cheol raised his surrender g. It was the result of a duel that was realized after countless requests. Thanks to this, I was able to get a new rune. One of the coremon runes of the mage ss, [Magic Amplification]. And it¡¯s quite a decent rune level at level 6. [Magic Amplification] is a rune that can generally amplify its power when a Holder uses a technique using magic. For example, when creating [Fiery me], if [Magic Amplification] is added, its destructive power bes much more intense than using runes alone. Although it consumes more of my magic, it is expanding the container itself that can contain it. Moreover, this includes not only when using magic runes but also when putting magic into weapons. In other words, it is efficient even when using warrior-type magic-rted skills such as [Wave Sword Technique] or [Water Sword Technique]. Although there were many other runes for Kim Seong-cheol, who is a standard B-grade Holder, I chose a rune that can be used universally. The reward for obtaining it was not over yet. [You have satisfied the special effect of ¡®Effort of the Seeker¡¯ Rune. All 100 hours of training time are filled and new time is counted.] [You gained 1 recovery through special effects.] Fierce duels are also counted as training time. [Effort of the Seeker] has an effect that allows you to gain random stats when youplete a total of 100 hours of training. The stat gained through steady training is 1 point. This was umting and umting and bing an undeniable level. ¡®It¡¯s not bad to get recovery.¡¯ The stat gained from this effect is random. In the early days, I only prayed for strength and speed, but now that my stats are growing evenly, there was nothing bad about any stating out. Especially since recently acquiring [Combat Healing] Rune and Epic Item [Penitent¡¯s Sword], the influence of recovery on my battle itself has increased. Now I couldn¡¯t ignore the performance of recovery stats either. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, senior.¡± I wiped off my dripping sweat and greeted Kim Seong-cheol across from me. The battle between warrior-type and mage-type Holders. He epted a duel with a disadvantageous disposition. I felt both gratitude and respect. Kim Seong-cheol shrugged his shoulders and asked. ¡°Jae-hyun, are you really a C-grade? It feels almost like a B-grade when I face you.¡± A month is both short and long. During this time, I became quite close to the team members, and Kim Seong-cheol was speakingfortably to me. Now, the only team member who speaks honorifics to me is Lee Soo-mi. ¡°I think my stats have gone up a lot. But B-grade is not a grade that can go up just because the stats are there.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± The promotion of the Holder is supervised by the Korean Holder Association. Up to C-grade, the criteria are clearly defined. Achievement of 30 main stats and association ability evaluation. And evaluation of hunting achievements as a rune Holder. If you meet these points, you canplete the promotion to C-grade Holder. I also became a C-grade in this way. ¡®From B-grade, the evaluation criteria are a bit different.¡¯ There is a criterion of achieving 50 main stats, but from B-grade, more focus is ced on rune level and achievements than stats. As the level goes up, it bes harder to raise stats, and in battleposition, there are many cases where it diverges depending on the utilization of runes rather than stats. So even if the main stat is close to 50, it doesn¡¯t mean that you can be promoted to B-grade Holder. ¡°You¡¯re going around breaking seniors¡¯ seals these days.¡± Kim Seong-cheol asked while wiping his sweat. After the dispatch to ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ ended and there was some room in the team, I politely requested a duel from n members whenever I had time. Mainly targeting Hunting Team 5 members, especially B-grade personnel. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 90: Stained Rock Pile (2) (2) It wasn¡¯t just that I wanted to win in a duel and get runes¡­ My mindset wasn¡¯t like that, but I wanted to grow my senses bypeting with senior Holders who graduated from the academy. Battle with monsters as well as battle with Holders. I had to prepare for this slowly and build up battle senses. ¡®I might have to fight a viin soon.¡¯ Even though I wanted to keep my distance from that psycho group as much as possible, now I can¡¯t avoid a collision. Since I got involved with Kang Juyeon, Park Jin-woo, and others and entered the mainstream, might have noticed me. After all, I was the one who stopped Ha Do-kwon at the forefront. Even to prepare for that collision, I needed to duel more often with the Holders. ¡°Ah, not so much as breaking the seal¡­¡± ¡°Haha. It¡¯s a joke, a joke. The desire to improve is always good. Have you ever fought with the team leader?¡± ¡°Yes. I waspletely crushed.¡± Actually, I won for the first time in a duel today. I couldn¡¯t beat Choi Dong-wook, a B-grade Holder, let alone Kwon Oh-joon, an A-grade Holder, in the duels I¡¯ve had so far. Both of them were veteran Holders who had built up quite a bit of experience in the n, and there was no part where they didn¡¯t overwhelm me in terms of stats and rune levels. I¡¯ve bumped into them several times, but I¡¯ve never won. Kim Seong-cheol was also a case where I barely won through variables I created such as series disposition and rune diversity, battleposition¡­ Originally, there was an insurmountable gap of experience between him and me. ¡®Other n members¡­ won¡¯t fight.¡¯ Lee Soo-mi is a Recovery-type, so it was difficult to establish a duel in the first ce, and Kang Juyeon refused to duel for some reason. -I can¡¯t do it. When I try to duel, I can¡¯t shoot magic at you. ¡­Maybe because she¡¯s afraid I¡¯ll get hurt? No matter how many times I said it was okay, it didn¡¯t work. I¡¯ve been getting closetely and forgot for a moment, but originally Kang Juyeon¡¯s stubbornness can¡¯t be stopped by Moon Ga-eun. So I had to postpone her duel untilter. ¡°Haha. Everyone bes like that after fighting with the team leader once.¡± ¡°Holder Kim Seong-cheol, have you ever fought with the team leader?¡± ¡°Of course. Now the team leader is A-grade, but just a year ago he was B-grade like me. I¡¯m a bit ambitious for a mage-type.¡± ¡°You look different from what you say.¡± ¡°I hear that a lot.¡± We exchanged silly stories while tidying up our luggage. It¡¯s already past time to leave work. I had to leave before the n tower closed. In the meantime, Kim Seong-cheol turned his head and asked. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re free tomorrow, would you like to have a drink? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever bought our intern one.¡± At that remark, I responded with an awkward expression. ¡°Ah¡­ Tomorrow might be a bit difficult.¡± ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s kind of an important promise¡­¡± Tomorrow is thest Saturday of July. The day to go hunting in Seoraksan field, promised to Kim Chae-eun two weeks ago. Of course, that¡¯s just an official excuse, and in the process we¡¯re nning to find the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ dungeon by chance and capture it together. *** Ippotrantion *** And the next day. I looked at Kim Chae-eun with my head propped up. ¡°¡­What kind of luggage did you pack like that?¡± After taking the warp gate to Gangwon-do. Kim Chae-eun came groaning with a big backpack all the way to the entrance of Seoraksan Field. ¡®Why do you carry that bag when you have a magic bag?¡¯ That scene was absurd. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s backpack had everything in it. From various cooking utensils such as burners, pots, frying pans¡­ To vegetables that are hard to count one by one, meat brought without distinguishing betweennd and sea¡­ All kinds of ingredients were upying the bag. ¡­This isn¡¯t hunting preparation but cooking preparation? But Kim Chae-eun smiled brightly and said, ¡°There¡¯s a safety zone in Seoraksan Field. It would be really delicious if we boil ramen there.¡± Safety Zone. One of the rest areas is often found inrge fields like Seoraksan Mountain. Normally, fields are habitats for monsters pushed out of barriers, but within those fields new magic barriers are created which are safety zones. Of course monsters don¡¯te inside it and it serves as a resting ce for hunters who are tired from hunting, often visit this ce. It was a device to reduce risk as much as possible in fields where there are too many monsters and their grades are high ¡®You eat ramen there?¡¯ It¡¯s really like going hiking rather than hunting And there¡¯s another absurd thing These ingredients aren¡¯t for ramen but for barbecue? ¡°Miss. This isn¡¯t ramen ingredients but barbecue ingredients?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to eat meat ramen! Anyway, since I¡¯m making it, Jae-hyun just needs to eat.¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll make it. Actually, I wanted to eat meat ramen too. Haha.¡± I hurriedly stopped Kim Chae-eun. I almost got into trouble for picking a fight. I learned a lot from the ¡®Wee back party¡¯ incidentst time. Whatever Kim Chae-eun wants to eat, I have to make it all. ¡­That¡¯s the only way my stomach can be safe. ¡°Um¡­ Okay! Jae-hyun¡¯s cooking is much more delicious.¡± After saying that, Kim Chae-eun put her big backpack into a small magic bag. I can¡¯t help butugh at that sight. ¡®¡­Was it a show-off bag?¡¯ Anyway, after oveing one crisis like that. We were finally able to enter the entrance of Seoraksan Field. Following Bukhansan and Inwangsan, it was the third field outside the barrier. Chapter 91: Stained Rock Pile (3) (1)

Chapter 91: Stained Rock Pile (3) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter thanks to ¡®Someone¡¯ Sub to Legendary Rank via Buymeacoffee -Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Having set the schedule, Tak Won-ho, who she had met after a long time, retreated with those words. The Holder you¡¯ve been looking for might be in the academy! Although she was slightly tempted by the possibility suggested by Tak Won-ho, but Yoo Eun-seol did not have high expectations. It¡¯s a student Holder after all. At best, most are C-grade Holders, and even B-grade Holders who are evaluated as excellent students are not enough to catch Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s eye. Of course, there was no expectation. ¡®It would be okay if it¡¯s the sessor of the ¡­¡¯ Of course, it¡¯s notpletely absent. There is one person. Kang Juyeon. A student Holder who achieved a B-grade at the age of twenty and is already preparing to take over the n. She has been a hot topic since she entered the academy, and she is currently considered the most promising among young Holders. ¡®¡­It will be difficult.¡¯ Kang Juyeon is the sessor of . The daughter of Kang Woo-hyun, a famous S-grade Holder and n master. Going on a raid with her is no different from taking Song Do-hyuk of as a party member. In the end, it bes entangled with the interests ofrge ns. This was a refusal from Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s side. Besides, even though Kang Juyeon is an excellent prospect, it was questionable whether she was a Holder that met Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s criteria. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol looked at the dense trees of Seoraksan. The field that she led a temporary party to and climbed every day for almost a month. I didn¡¯t form a party today for tomorrow¡¯s promise. Thanks to that, she was alone at the entrance to Seoraksan field. ¡°Shall I¡­ take a walk.¡± For her, who has already reached the highest level of solo y, field hunting was close to a walk. ¡­Even if it¡¯s Seoraksan field where high-ranking monsters are swarming. Yoo Eun-seol slowly climbed the mountain. Maybe today too, she might meet an S-grade monster at the top of the mountain by luck. *** Ippotrantion *** Awooooo-!! The sound of wolves echoes throughout the mountain. A howl that makes you feel like you¡¯vee up to Seoraksan field. Like Inwangsan field famous for tiger-type monsters, Seoraksan field was famous for having many wolf-type monsters. ¡°That is¡­.¡± Monsters appeared in front of us climbing the mountain too. Wolves that often appear at the beginning of Seoraksan field. C-grade monster, Dire Wolf. As is typical of these creatures to move in packs, about ten were upying the bushes. ¡®Why are there so many?¡¯ I¡¯ve seen monsters moving in groups before, but in ten, is my first time seeing them too. Even though hunting has be easier with C-grade monsters, this is not a number that can be ignored. It was necessary to deal with it carefully. Just before the wolves rushed in. A tense standoff in the bushy bushes. Suddenly, I heard a voice from Kim Chae-eun behind me. ¡°Jae-hyun, I¡¯m ready!¡± Already ready? I was surprised and almost asked like a fool, but I barely held back. Did you learn [High Speed Casting]? Even though she was tense and pulling up magic in advance, it was quite fast. I nodded while continuing to watch forward. ¡°Okay, now!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Our breath that has been matched countless times. Kim Chae-eun unfolded magic without hesitation. [Frozen Fog], derived from [Freeze], spread throughout the bushes. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s skill that binds monster movements. Afterwards I rush and pour close attacks. In this way we reduce the number of monster groups to some extent, Then Kim Chae-eun and my roles switched again. I tank from the front and then Kim Chae-eun pours magic and skills, focused on attack. This was aplexbo we often used when we were hunting with two people in an academy underground dungeon. ¡®Surely¡­ The ice fog has gotten thicker.¡¯ Looking at the fog spreading to the Dire Wolves made me think. Kim Chae-eun who received short-term training from Jeong Seon-young a month ago. Although it¡¯s too short a time to change something, she definitely grew one step. The concentration of ice crystals has also increased significantly, and even the speed of casting magic itself is faster. Especially around Kim Chae-eun, which is swirling with considerable magic power. Now I can tell that [Magic Amplification] at high level is being used. With this level of magic support, I thought I could hunt monsters faster than I thought. I started ¡®charging¡¯ with a sense of admiration. This charge is not [Sprint]. It was a newly learned rune [Rage Rush]. Awooooo-!! As soon as [Frozen Fog] touched their bodies, the wolves barked more fiercely. Control magic that slowly binds the body. It seemed that they felt the stuffiness in their bodies. ¡®Not all of them were tied up.¡¯ Unfortunately, not all ten were tied up in the ice fog. Seven Dire Wolvespletely frozen and their movements bound. The remaining three wolves. They were growling and rushing at me. ¡®Stupid guys.¡¯ Even if I go first, it¡¯s not enough, they¡¯re rushing at a Holder who¡¯s charging. That wasn¡¯t a good thing. ¡°Heup¡­!!¡± Using the propulsion of the charge, I bumped into the wolves with all my might. Awoooo-?! Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 91: Stained Rock Pile (3) (2) Dire Wolves who were flying at me with a momentum to tear my body, were all swept away by one collision. Is this really the effect of a simple charge? It was such a violent collision that I thought so. ¡®¡­Almost swept away like fallen leaves.¡¯ Thebination of various runes was hidden for that reason. First, [Rage Rush] acquired through the Red Drake raid. With the help of this rune, which is a fairly high-ranking rune among the charge runes, I maximized the charge speed. The assistance of [Sprint] was good, but the rare rune is definitely different. It was faster and more urate. Then, I used [Ruthless Charge] to inflict damage equal to twice my strength during the charge. Here, since Dire Wolves have lower stats than me, the stat boost special effect of [Oppression] is activated. The fact that they fell powerless at once with my collision. It was a somewhat anticipated result. Awooooo-!! Sak- Sak- Saksak- The howling of Dire Wolves was heard, and my sword moved as if dancing to that rhythm. Control of strength using [Water Sword Technique] and [Wave Sword Technique]. Dire Wolves were hit with quick and smooth sword strikes. ¡®The seasoning is done¡­¡¯ 7 Dire Wolves slightly frozen by [Frozen Fog]. In order to give them a bigger blow, I caused [Prating Brain Strikes] on my sword. Parts- Parts- The lightning flowing down the sword became more intense. It¡¯s not just because the level of [Prating Brain Strikes] is high. It¡¯s the effect of [Magic Amplification] that I acquired from Kim Seong-cheol just yesterday. Now I can use themon rune of magician-type Holders too. After preparing all magic attacks, I plunged all that lightning into the wolf in front of me. Ah, Awoooo-!! Partsutsu-!! The lightning was connected through [Frozen Fog]. It produced an explosive amount of electricity with a loud noise, and it all poured onto 7 Dire Wolves, electrocuting them. There¡¯s no way a C-grade monster like a wolf has lightning resistance. Of course, the effect was considerable. But that¡¯s not the end. Even though a magic attack containing lightning is intense, it can¡¯t kill all seven at once. A finishing step was needed. ¡®The magic¡­ is all gathered.¡¯ After gathering strong magic in [Penitent¡¯s Sword], Immediately convert it into holy power. The blue gathered magic was oveid with white and turned into a huge light. Strong magic that changed into a curved de shape. It was ready for an inherent skill, [Divine sh]. Kwa, Kwaah-!! Awook¡­. When the magic attack split the air and covered the 7 Dire Wolves, The Dire Wolves who had already fallen into a state of exhaustion, [Divine sh] was too powerful a magic attack for them. Even the Red Drake, an A-grade boss monster, charged at me again after taking this¡­ Dire Wolves, C-grade monsters, had neither the ability to block this nor the leisure to avoid it. In an instant, the 7 wolves were hunted down. Awooooo-!! ¡°Are you still alive?¡± I finished hunting 7 wolves, but Dire Wolves who had fallen once from my ¡®charge¡¯ earlier raised their bodies. Dire Wolf is a monster focused on attack so its durability is not very high, but probably because the collision effect of [Ruthless Charge] does not have enough power to kill instantly, it seemed to have regained consciousness. I looked at them leisurely andughed. It¡¯s much easier with 7 wolves than with 10 wolves. ¡®One is Quarter Knives.¡¯ Four daggers on my waist. Throw them at one Dire Wolf. Now it has be a derivative skill of [Master of Martial Arts], [Quarter Knives]. Always useful when hunting individually orunching a preemptive attack, it¡¯s like a reliable national meal for me. Four daggers that quickly cut through the wind pierced from the head to the waist of the Dire Wolf in four parts. ¡®The remaining two are consecutive attacks¡­!!¡¯ Using [Agile Agility] and [Water Sword Technique], I swung my sword at the remaining two wolves. Three times in a row with [Combo]. Once on the body of the wolf on the left. Another time on the body of the wolf on the right. Thest cut simultaneously cuts off both legs and finishes. Sleung- When I put my blood-stained [Penitent¡¯s Sword] into its sheath, all ten Dire Wolves were already dead. I looked at that scene andughed satisfactorily. ¡®It was clean.¡¯ It was a reward to grow without neglecting n activities and training during this time. My skills have definitely improved significantly since before vacation. Evenpared to when hunting ¡®Goblin Lairs¡¯. At that time, I hid in a tree and attacked from a distance with a [Bow], blocked monsters¡¯ attacks with a [Shield], and barely managed to hunt in groups¡­ Now I¡¯ve finished my opponent with just charging and swordsmanship and magic. Hunting multiple C-grade monsters wasn¡¯t difficult at all. ¡®I didn¡¯t¡­ use many skills either.¡¯ [Quarter Knive], [Combo], and [Divine sh], an inherent skill of the weapon. I only used three skills in total. Now, even with the use of runes and inherent power, group hunting is possible. Hunting at the beginning of Seoraksan field was an extremely satisfying battle for me. But there was something I didn¡¯t expect. ¡°Jae¡­ Jae-hyun. What¡¯s all this¡­?¡± Kim Chae-eun looked around with a confused face. And then she stared nkly at me. With that full expression of confusion. Then I realized the situation. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Ten monsters cleaned up in an instant. A battle that ended without a magician dealing damage. What do you say about this¡­. Chapter 92: Stained Rock Pile (4) (1)

Chapter 92: Stained Rock Pile (4) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The roles within the Holder¡¯s battle party are clear. Warrior types are tanks, mage types are dealers. The rest take on support roles or sometimes be dealers. The important thing is that the warrior type takes on the tank role. Within this, the role is divided into pure tanks who use shields and bruisers who handle both damage and tanking, but both definitely take on the party¡¯s tank role. ¡®I was also a bruiser type of tank.¡¯ All the roles I¡¯ve taken on in battle so far have been as a tank. Whether it was forming a 5-person party in the academy¡¯s underground dungeon, hunting Swirl Leviathan, or attacking the Forest Covered by Snakes¡­ Even when I was in a 2-person party with Kim Chae-eun, it was the same. There were times when we switched roles and the dealer position changed, but the role of the leading tank was always mine. ¡®¡­I was too excited.¡¯ But in thest battle, I showed too much. I showed the feel of a special type of cavalry through a chargebo, the power of a lightning mage through [Prating Brain Strikes], and the image of aplex warrior type through various weapon uses¡­ I even showed the image of a pdin by using [Divine sh]. ¡®¡­Chae-eun just stood still and it ended.¡¯ On the other hand, Kim Chae-eun only used one skill, [Frozen Fog]. Its power has be stronger than before, but it is merely a support skill that controls the movements of monsters. She didn¡¯t use any of her core attack skills like [Icicle Shot] or [Cold Crush], and the battle ended quickly. Right now, in Kim Chae-eun¡¯s eyes, her friend who was a C-grade Holder and a tanker has suddenly swept away 10 C-grade monsters all by himself. ¡­Of course, that¡¯s exactly right. ¡°What was that lightning just now? And what about that divine power?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked again with a surprised face. I hesitated to answer. ¡°Ah, that is¡­¡± ¡°Do you know how to use magic too, Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Um¡­ not magic per se¡­¡± Various excuses came to mind. I used a special item, I identally got a rune as a dungeon conquest reward, I did it with skills inherent in advanced equipment¡­ etc. There were many things I could say, but for some reason, my mouth wouldn¡¯t open. ¡®Do I really need to hide everything?¡¯ I didn¡¯t feel like making excuses. Some of my friends like Park Jin-woo and Kang Juyeon already roughly know about it, and I felt awkward hiding it from my closest friend Kim Chae-eun. Of course, I can¡¯t tell her everything about [Rune Hunter]. A little white lie is necessary. However, at least for the runes I have or will have in the future¡­ I didn¡¯t want to hide them. Fwoosh- I raised a me from my fingertips. It¡¯s an application of [Fiery me]. Showing it to Kim Chae-eun, I said, ¡°I can¡¯t use magic skills. I haven¡¯t learned anything about arrays or manifestations in magic control. But I can use simple attribute magic attacks like this. Because I have rted runes.¡± Kim Chae-eun looked at it with wide eyes. ¡°Wow- That¡¯s amazing. What is it? A fire rune?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Pats- Pats- This time I showed her [Prating Brain Strikes]. The small me disappeared and electricity buzzed around my finger. ¡°This is what I used to hunt wolves earlier. A lightning attribute magic rune.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s my first time seeing an attribute Multi-Holder.¡± Kim Chae-eun looked at my hand with an amazed expression over and over again. Mage type Holders usually get one attribute as their main rune when they awaken. Holders who get [me] specialize in fire attribute and those who get [Thunderbolt] specialize in lightning attribute. Sometimes there are mage type Multi-Holders who handle two or more attributes called ¡®attribute Multi-Holders¡¯¡­ A representative Holder of this is Jeong Yoon-chan, n master of . Water magic and lightning magic. He is famous as an A-grade Holder who handles both at the same time. ¡®There¡¯s also Seong Na-yeon in .¡¯ Seong Na-yeon who handles both sword (weapon) and wind (magic). Jeong Yoon-chan who handles both water (magic) and lightning (magic). These people are representative figures who boast exceptional skills among Multi-Holders and upy high Holder positions. But in my case, since I handle various weapons and multiple attribute magic¡­ This can be considered a hybrid among hybrids. ¡°Hehe. It¡¯ll be crazy when this gets out. A Multi-Holder whobines both Seong Na-yeon and Jeong Yoon-chan, Do Jae-hyun! Something like that.¡± ¡°Ugh. Please. I can¡¯t bepared to them.¡± ¡°Why- You¡¯ve grown really fast too, Jae-hyun.¡± Kim Chae-eun yfully joked with a bright smile. Seeing her bright look made me smile too. I felt stupid for worrying earlier. ¡°Chae-eun.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious how I have so many runes? It¡¯s a case that hasn¡¯t been revealed in the Holdermunity, as you said.¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m not curious.¡± Kim Chae-eun answered without hesitation. ¡°If Jae-hyun didn¡¯t say it, there must have been a reason. You¡¯re not supposed to teach your runes to your master anyway. Of course, the masters probably know everything, hehe.¡± It¡¯s almost a correct statement. But human hearts don¡¯t work that way. When you see something you¡¯ve never seen before, you naturally be curious, and if you have a rtionship with that person, you want to ask about it even more. But Kim Chae-eun was holding back that feeling. ¡®Do you have to protect more because you¡¯re closer?¡¯ Well, what can I say¡­ It was a consideration typical of Kim Chae-eun. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡®He¡¯s amazing¡­.¡¯ Kim Chae-eun stared nkly. Her friend, Do Jae-hyun. There was no roughness in Do Jae-hyun¡¯s battle showing his strength. He continued the battle in his own way, freely using various runes and weapons. The various weapons he possessed were tools that gave irregrity to the attack, and the various magic runes were explosives that added power to the attack. ¡®He can¡¯t use magic¡­ but he handles magic attacks well.¡¯ Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 92: Stained Rock Pile (4) (2) In Kim Chae-eun¡¯s opinion, Do Jae-hyun had a talent for magic runes. He knew exactly when to use which rune. When he used [Fragmented Earth Garden], he changed the battle structure to his advantage, and when he used [Fiery me], he set fire to the trees to hunt monsters. Especially when he used various body enhancement support runes and [Stealth], the hunt ended too easily with a surprise attack. Kim Chae-eun didn¡¯t know much about those runes. But even without her deep involvement in the battle¡­ She could tell that Do Jae-hyun¡¯s talent was outstanding and strong. ¡®It¡¯s good to have a lot of runes¡­!¡¯ Actually, about Do Jae-hyun¡¯s various runes, she didn¡¯t have much doubt. In the first ce, it¡¯s a world where Holders and monsters don¡¯t make sense. In this world where their existence itself is unbelievable¡­ There was nothing strange about having a more special rune or a more peculiar rune Holder. Rather, she was happy that Do Jae-hyun became stronger through it and that she could be a little safer thanks to him. ¡®I don¡¯t want to get hurt¡­.¡¯ She still remembers it. The day Do Jae-hyun protected her from Ha Do-kwon. -Don¡¯t think strange thoughts. Hold my hand. I was very grateful, and he was very reliable that day¡­ But the moment he was about to be hit by berserk Ha Do-kwon. Kim Chae-eun thought her heart would stop. She was worried that Do Jae-hyun might get hurt because of her. She was worried that he might get hurt trying to protect her. The reason she tried to learn from Jeong Seon-young in any way possible was because she wanted to help him a little. Awoo¡­ Awoo, awoo- The many wolves were once again lying dead on the ground. This time he added an earth attribute magic rune, but it was still an overwhelming battle that ended with only attacks without a single defense. Do Jae-hyun, who seemed to have used quite a bit of strength, was breathing heavily. ¡°You worked hard, Jae-hyun!¡± Kim Chae-eun tried to approach him with a bright smile. But for some reason, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good. His eyes narrowed slightly, then widened. His gaze was directed behind Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Chae-eun, behind¡­!!¡± Do Jae-hyun shouted as if his throat would burst. Roar¡­!! She thought the battle was over, but there was a monster hiding in the bushes. B-grade monster, Hide Wolf. It is a peculiar type of wolf monster that does not attack first and possesses [Stealth], amon rune of assassin types. It doesn¡¯t show itself well even during the battle between the Holder and the monster. It waits quietly and waits for the optimal attack timing. Because of its characteristic that lives up to its name, it was a monster that was hard to find without a search type rune of archer type. ¡®Magic barrier¡­!!¡¯ Kim Chae-eun quickly pulled up her magic. Considering the speed and strength of the Hide Wolf¡¯s attack, even if she creates a [Magic Barrier] right now, it doesn¡¯t seem to have much effect¡­ In this situation, she had to do something anyway. Roar, roar-!! The howling and momentum approaching nearby. And the unfinished [Magic Barrier]. The moment just before being scratched by its fierce ws. ¡°Huh?¡± Kim Chae-eun felt a hand around her shoulder. ng- ng, ng-!! Do Jae-hyun who had a shield in his hand before she knew it¡­ After arriving first using a movement rune. He hugged her and used [Iron Wall Defense]. Timing matched at thest minute. Fortunately, the Hide Wolf¡¯s attack didn¡¯t reach them. It was another save by Do Jae-hyun. ¡®Ah, he hugged me¡­!!¡¯ But Kim Chae-eun didn¡¯t have time to think about such a process. Do Jae-hyun hugged her! Only that one sentence shed in her head. She couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Only that fact was stuck in her head. There were times when their shoulders bumped into each other while cooking together, their hands briefly touched when picking up ingredients, or if they were really lucky and sauce got on their lips while eating food, they would wipe it off¡­ But skinship where he hugs her shoulder to protect her, even in Kim Chae-eun¡¯s imagination, it didn¡¯t exist! She forgot to pull up her magic. She barely managed to hold back her pounding heart. ¡°Explode!¡± As if to soothe her feelings, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s angry shout came out. He spat out an oration and stabbed his sword into the body of the Hide Wolf who had already been beaten up badly, Soon after, condensed magic exploded out. [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. It was Do Jae-hyun¡¯s ultimate skill that Kim Chae-eun saw for the first time, ¡°Explode you damn wolf. Explode.¡± Do Jae-hyun seemed quite angry at the fact that Kim Chae-eun might have been in danger. He kept stabbing his sword into the body of the Hide Wolf who had already be a corpse. Even including swearing which he usually doesn¡¯t do much. But for Kim Chae Eun who had already lost her senses. That wasn¡¯t very important, No, rather it was good, ¡®Hehe. Even swearing is cool¡­.¡¯ Kim Chae-eun confirmed. This Seoraksan Mountain field hunting is definitely as she thought, a hiking date. Chapter 93: Stained Rock Pile (5) (1)

Chapter 93: Stained Rock Pile (5) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The hunting style of a party and a solo yer are different from the start. Party hunting mainly involves exploring and hunting monsters in a traditional way through a bnce of damage and tanking, but solo yers value efficiency. They hunt the monsters they need to hunt and avoid unnecessary ones. That was the battle style of solo Holders. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol was no exception. She is an assassin, optimized for solo y. Among them, she is a high-ranking Holder who is considered to be at the top. Her nearly max level [Stealth] and top-level martial arts runes allowed her to reach the top of the Seoraksan field without much effort. She killed only 10 monsters on her way up to the top of the mountain. All were A-grade monsters. ¡°Fenrir is¡­ not here today.¡± Yoo Eun-seol muttered as if she was disappointed. The S-grade monster, also known as the boss of the field, does not always appear. Because the number of individuals is so small, the regeneration probability is too low. This is a lucky event for ordinary Holders hunting in the field, but for Yoo Eun-seol, who considers S-grade monsters as a decent source of ie, it was somewhat unfortunate. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there were any useful Holders either.¡± Even though it was a walk, it wasn¡¯t just a hike. On the way up to the top¡­ She often observed Holders hunting in parties. The result was, as expected, nothing. Not even a Holder with useful skills that could qualify for what she was looking for was visible. Maybe it¡¯s because Seoraksan Field is so far from the mainstream. Lately, she had a feeling that high-ranking Holders were not visible. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to go today¡­¡¯ After briefly watching the Holders hunting in the middle¡­ Yoo Eun-seol, who was about to descend as it was, suddenly stopped for a moment. While using [Stealth] to roam around the middle of Seoraksan Field¡­ She spotted a slightly peculiar sight. ¡°Explode!¡± At the edge of the middle part. A two-person party was battling a wolf-like monster in a certain area of the field where bushes were thick¡­ A man with a shield and sword hugged a woman and hunted down a fiercely charging wolf. There were countless corpses of wolves around them, as if they had already finished one round of battle. ¡®Hide Wolf¡­.¡¯ Yoo Eun-seol recognized the identity of the opposing monster at once. B-grade monster Hide Wolf. One of the monsters possessing [Stealth] rune, it¡¯s a vicious monster that hides in various terrains and waits for an opportunity to attack. It seems that as soon as the battle ended, it targeted a female Holder who seemed to be a magician. And fortunately, they seemed to have blocked even that ambush well. ¡°This damn wolf. Explode, explode.¡± ¡­Although the man¡¯snguage seemed a bit rough¡­ ¡®¡­They fight well.¡¯ Yoo Eun-seol, who was going to help if it was dangerous, turned her steps again. A two-person party with only warrior and magician sses. Considering the level of Seoraksan Field, it¡¯s quite an ambitiousposition, but it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to catch Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s eye. At most B-grade 2-person party. That was all. ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯ But Yoo Eun-seol had to stop again. Something felt strange. Strange yet familiar. Tiresome yet long-awaited. That peculiar and mysterious energy¡­ It wasing from that man ahead. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ It was hard to believe easily. Without releasing [Stealth], Yoo Eun-seol cautiously moved closer to them. And as she got closer¡­ The energy became clearer and deeper. It was certain. What she had been looking for all this time. The one she had been tempted by Tak Won-ho¡¯s words and even tried to go to the academy¡­ A special Holder. Someone who qualifies was in those bushes. At this sudden discovery¡­ Yoo Eun-seol couldn¡¯t hide her bewildered emotions. ¡®Suddenly in such a ce¡­.¡¯ She did look at Holders while climbing and descending¡­ Honestly, she didn¡¯t have high expectations. Even though she had formed temporary parties herself before and couldn¡¯t find them, she didn¡¯t think she would find them in such an ordinary hunting situation. But it¡¯s certain. The energy resonating with her body told her that that Holder had enough qualifications. ¡°Chae-eun. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± The young Holder looked at his colleague with a worried face¡­ He was the first ¡®Dragon Energy¡¯ Holder she encountered after Song Do-hyuk of . *** Ippotrantion *** The hunt in Seoraksan Field went smoothly. From entering the middle part, the level of the monsters was quite high, and Kim Chae-eun was in danger during the battle, so I used [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] without hesitation¡­ Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 93: Stained Rock Pile (5) (2) Anyway, there was no obstacle on the way to the dungeon. ¡®I should start entering the dungeon soon.¡¯ The Stained Rock Pile is a dungeon that Park Jin-woo cleared in the middle andter part of the original work. The level of the monsters in the dungeon is mostly B-grade, and the A-grade monster ¡®Barg¡¯ is the boss of this medium-high level dungeon. There are no special gimmicks, and the way to the boss room is not difficult, so it¡¯s not an impregnable level of dungeon. Plus¡­ ¡®I know this dungeon well.¡¯ So far, I¡¯ve cleared three dungeons: Academy Underground Dungeon, Goblin Lair, and Forest Covered by Snakes. Among them, there was no dungeon that I knew how to clear. I only saw the initial clearing of the Academy Underground Dungeon, and I only knew about the entrance medium and general monster level of Goblin Lair. Even Forest Covered by Snakes was a dungeon that was barely mentioned in the work, so there was no information at all. Almost all were simr to experiencing unknown dungeons for the first time. It was a miracle that I cleared all three dungeons with a boss. On the other hand, the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ was an undiscovered dungeon that was detailed in the original work, from Park Jin-woo¡¯s strategy to the results. Since it took up an entire episode, I also knew how to clear it well. Therefore, even though the party members were Kim Chae-eun and me, just the two of us, it was possible to clear it. ¡®Today¡­ it might be difficult.¡¯ The damage seemed a bitcking. Because I used [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] too emotionally earlier, I might not have the firepower to defeat the boss monster ¡®Barg¡¯. It seemed best to get a taste of the dungeon today and postpone clearing the boss room until tomorrow. ¡°Chae-eun, wait a minute.¡± While moving at the edge of the middle part¡­ As soon as I confirmed the two trees in my sight, I immediately raised my hand. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Two trees in front of her eyes. They were stuck together as if they were a pair. And a small space set up like a shelter inside them. At first nce, they are just two trees located on an ordinary mountain, but these are the entrance to enter the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ dungeon. If you step into the space between the two trees¡­ You can enter the dungeon right away. I slowly raised my hand between the trees. And then I gently touched the tree and said. ¡°The flow of the magical array is a bit peculiar. We can just pass by, but in my opinion¡­¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s an undiscovered dungeon.¡± A small space between trees. I injected a very small amount of magic into it. The condition for entering a dungeon is to inject magic into the medium. When I injected a slightly less than adequate amount of magic, the flow of energy in the medium began to change rapidly. ¡°Huh? Jae-hyun, the flow of magic has gotten stronger!¡± ¡°Right?¡± I smiled slightly and looked back at Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Shall we go in?¡± And from such a proposal to do something together¡­ She never backed out. Kim Chae-eun smiled brightly and nodded her head. ¡°Yes!¡± [You have entered the dungeon.] [The barbaric energy of the dungeon slightly slows down the Holder¡¯s speed.] *** Ippotrantion *** Undiscovered Dungeon, Stained Rock Pile. This ce is a mountain-shaped dungeon made up of rocks. Although the terrain of rocks is a bit tricky, it¡¯s actually an easy dungeon to advance because it¡¯s open and there are noplicated structures. Theposition is a standard arrangement of entrance part, middle part, and boss room. The appearing monsters are wolf-like monsters just like Seoraksan Field. ¡®The monster that appeared at the entrance was¡­¡¯ From what I remember, probably B-grade Gray Wolf. It¡¯s a physical monster with no special magic attacks but with rune support focused on physical enhancement. Its abilities are also strong in speed, so its movements are sharp and fierce. In particr, it has [Sturdy Fangs] rune like Poisonous Iguana¡­ but its proficiency is much better than Poisonous Iguana¡¯s, so we need to be careful about their ¡®attack after defense reduction¡¯. Awoooo-!! Awooo- Awoooo-!! As soon as we entered this dungeon, the monsters weed us. I quickly put the sword in my hand using the Art of Weapon Exchange and said. ¡°Chae-eun¡± ¡°Yes..!!¡± Kim Chae-eun and my breathing are no longer pushed by any skilled attributes. Hearing the signal, Kim Chae-eun quickly raised her willpower. Our key point inbo fight was to control the monsters with the ice system and to create aposition for me to attack. I also started preparing to use [Rage Rush]. Afterall, the most efficient thing to do when attacking first is to charge. Grrrr, Grrrr-!! Awoooooo, Awooooo-!! ¡°But¡­?¡± But something strange happened. The number of wolves appearing as soon as we entered¡­ Wasrge. Toorge. Five, seven, ten, fifteen, twenty¡­ Twenty? Thirty? The number was growing so much that it was hard to count with naked eyes. And that¡¯s not all. Among those countless Gray Wolves¡­ A huge wolf was guarding its ce heavily. Itsrge body and dark gray mane. And its intimidating presence and demeanor that seemed to tear everything apart. It was a wolf we had never seen before and looked like at least an A-grade monster. ¡°Jae-, Jae-hyun¡­ That¡­¡± Kim Chae-eun called me with a trembling voice. I felt just as bewildered as she did. ¡®It¡¯s different from¡­the original.¡¯ Different. It was content that wasn¡¯t in the original work. The Stained Rock Pile is a fairly high-level dungeon, but because there is an appropriate number of monsters appearing and no gimmicks, it¡¯s not a difficult dungeon to clear. Naturally, only four or five Gray Wolves appear at the entrance. But that form was twisted. The number of monsters close to dozens and a special monster in the center. The fact that they greeted us for hunting as soon as we entered¡­ Was something I¡¯d never imagined. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ An unexpected situation. In this bewildering sight¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure out what to do. Awoooo-!! Grrr- Grrr- But there was no time to think. The pack of wolves that had already gathered¡­ They were rushing towards Kim Chae-eun and me like crazy. Chapter 94: Stained Rock Pile (6) (1)

Chapter 94: Stained Rock Pile (6) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The first thing that came to mind was [Water Sword Dance]. It¡¯s the ultimate skill of [Water Sword Technique], which has the most outstanding effect among the evasion or defense skills I have. Eighty percent of the time, it was [Water Sword Dance] that pulled me out of extreme crisis situations. However, I shook my head. ¡®That¡¯s not a projectile.¡¯ Just as all ultimate skills are not invincible, there is a clear limit to [Water Sword Dance]. Targets that can be deflected or defended. It is generally limited to long-range attacks. No, to be precise, it can block close-range attacks. However, it doesn¡¯t work efficiently against multiple opponents. If I block the wolves with [Water Sword Dance] right now, Kim Chae-eun will be harmed first, and I will also have difficulty blocking attacks from all directions. [Water Sword Dance] was a skill specialized in defending against attacks pouring from a distance, or attacks pouring in one-on-one. Awoooo-!! The wolves didn¡¯t give me a moment to think. Those who ran at their unique fast speed were already close and ready to rush at us. To buy a little time, I first inflicted a status abnormality on them. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Awo? Awooo¡­. [Deration of Domination] of [Oppression]. One of my skills that can almost certainly inflict status abnormalities. Fortunately, the Gray Wolves, whose willpower stats are lowpared to their physical abilities, easily fell into ¡®fear¡¯ and stopped moving. But this time is not long. It¡¯s just to buy time for a counterattack. I quickly called Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Chae-eun, field¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s [Field Freezing] spreads around. [Field Freezing] is one of her two wide-area skills. It¡¯s weaker than [Frozen Fog] in controlling opponents, but it has a little more killing power and covers a much wider range. The ground that started to freeze quickly with magic soon covered almost all the surrounding wolves. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean the hunt is over. Even though they were tied up, the Gray Wolf is a B-grade monster. It wasn¡¯t a monster that could be killed with one wide-area skill. ¡®But I¡¯ve bought a lot more time.¡¯ With [Deration of Domination], Kim Chae-eun had time to cast magic. With [Field Freezing], I had time to hunt wolves. The chain-linked skills were all for buying time. Parts- Parts- I quickly picked up the [Penitent¡¯s Sword] and started hunting the wolves closest to me first. Combat using [Agile Agility] and the smoothness of [Water Sword Technique]. Lightning from [Prating Brain Strikes] is already contained in the sword. Awoooo-!! But around the time I cut down about four Gray Wolves, The effects of [Deration of Domination] and [Field Freezing] were almost over. Their status abnormalities began to loosen slowly. It¡¯s the recurrence of the crisis situation I had put off. That¡¯s not all. The four Gray Wolves cut by the sword did not die either. The lightning attack of [Prating Brain Strikes] was effective, but it didn¡¯t do much physical damage. I knew why that was happening. ¡®Damn. They even have defense runes.¡¯ I had forgotten for a moment. Gray Wolves are not only fast and strong physically, but they also have a rare defense rune called [Tough Wolf Skin], which makes them highly durable monsters. Unless you have a high physical strength, it¡¯s not easy to prate their skin. [Sturdy Fangs] rune special effect or [Hide Attack] skill. The effect of reducing their durability is desperately needed in this situation. But now I¡¯m not in a position to use them. ¡°Chae-eun,e this way!!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Following [Field Freezing], Kim Chae-eun, who had been using attack skills in session, quickly clung behind me. In case of physical attack from wolves at once, Kim Chae-eun who is a dealer is most dangerous. In such a bad situation, it was safer for her toe towards me, who is definitely ahead. ¡®I¡¯ve gathered¡­ all my magic.¡¯ Surrounded by dozens of wolves. All prepared attacks were canceled. It¡¯s quite desperate, but there¡¯s no room forcency yet. Because what I prepared wasn¡¯t just this. I used myst saved magic skill. ¡®Power Break!¡¯ [Fragmented Earth Garden] derivative skill, [Power Break]. A skill that shakes everything around by giving shock to the connected ground. From the beginning, I intended to use this skill. However, to maximize the efficiency of [Power Break], there must be many monsters around, and it was not suitable for the situation where wolves were running in sequence as before. So I bought time with Kim Chae-eun¡¯s magic and [Deration of Domination], and created a space where they could gather. [Power Break]! The [Power Break], havingpleted sufficient preparation, made the seemingly impossible situation possible. With a loud crash, the surroundings copsed entirely. The [Power Break] caused a tremendous vibration, shattering the ground. Rocks rolled down from all around. The ¡®stained rock pile¡¯ was literally a rocky mountain overflowing with rocks. Large rocks and boulders split one by one, plunging the wolves standing on them into chaos. ¡°Wow, wow¡­.¡± Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 94: Stained Rock Pile (6) (2) The [Power Break] does not affect the spot where I stand. Thanks to that, Kim Chae-eun, who was stuck right behind me, stared at me in awe. The sight of a huge rock mountain copsing and the terrain changing was not something you could easily see. After a few seconds of shaking, the ground stopped. The result was dramatic. The rock mountain that had been maintaining a certain distance was cracked here and there without bnce, and thendslide caused by a huge earthquake was crushing some Gray Wolves. It was a much bigger blow than before. Looking at that, I made a decision. ¡°Chae-eun.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Kim Chae-eun turned her head at my words. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Huh? Now?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve broken the formation, but I¡¯ve almost used up all my magic power. If I eat a potion and fight again, it might be dangerous.¡± I had dealt a tremendous blow to the Gray Wolves, but I hadn¡¯t hunted all of them. There were wolves who had somehow escaped from [Power Break] to minimize damage, and there were many wolves who were still alive even though they were injured. ¡°Besides¡­¡± I turned my gaze and looked up at the rock mountain. The giant wolf that had been standing tall among the Gray Wolves from before. A special monster that shows an overwhelming momentum that can be seen as a ¡®boss monster¡¯ at a nce. A monster that definitely did not appear in the original work. He also couldn¡¯tpletely escape from the influence of [Power Break], but he quickly regained his bnce and took his ce because he was quite far away. The only damage he took was¡­ A bruise on his body caused by rock fragments brushing past? ¡®I can¡¯t win if I fight now.¡¯ A monster that looks at least A-grade. Such a guy is almost unhurt, full condition. On the other hand, I¡¯m exhausted from fighting from Seoraksan field, and my magic power is almost gone. Especially, I don¡¯t have [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], which is my main attack skill and core ultimate skill. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to hunt him in such bad conditions. ¡°But can we run away?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked me anxiously. The way to leave without clearing the dungeon is the same as when you enter. Thend where you came through the intermediary ce. If you touch this ce and inject magic power like when you enter, you can leave as it is. However, this process takes some time. It takes quite some time to respond to magic power and to inject it to cause transition phenomena, which are simr to using some kind of warp gate. About 15 seconds. It¡¯s enough time for monsters to rush in. ¡°Let¡¯s try it because it¡¯s quite far from that guy. There¡¯s no other way.¡± The giant wolf was staring at us with fierce eyes from afar. I ignored his gaze and quickly headed towards the entrance where we first came in with Kim Chae-eun¡¯s hand. ¡°Chae-eun, you inject magic power.¡± ¡°Huh? Huh.¡± I entrusted Kim Chae-eun with magic power injection and looked ahead. I said it would be okay, but in fact, there was a high probability that it would not be. Monsters who took the first attack would not let us go quietly. I had to assume the worst situation and prepare for it. Aah-!! Awoooo-!! As expected. The giant wolf standing tall let out a roar. Gray wolves slowly getting up in response. A few Gray Wolves with full bodies and a giant wolf in the center¡­ They started running towards us at an incredible speed. ¡®It¡¯s a charge rune.¡¯ I felt it before, but it was clear that there were charge runes on the Gray Wolves and that giant wolf. Probably not [Rage Rush] level, but normal rune [Sprint]. The [Ruthless Charge], I¡¯m not sure if they have it, but the fact that they have a rune that can narrow such a long distance in one breath is not very good news for us. ¡®Damn¡­.¡¯ I bit my lip and took out the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield]. Now it¡¯s impossible to attack. I had to focus on defense as much as possible. Even if I only send Kim Chae-eun out of here, I couldn¡¯t cut off the magic power of the dungeon exit. Grrrrr- Awoooo-!! After 5 seconds, 4 seconds. When the magic power injection of the dungeon exit was over and the transition was about to end, the wolves finally reached us. It was much faster than expected. In a desperate situation, I prepared [Iron Wall Defense] with my shield. I had to block it somehow. After blocking it, I could find a way afterwards. And finally. After the giant wolf and the Gray Wolves arrived at us and opened their mouths to chew us up. In an instant. It was really a momentary thing. Countless daggers flew in and stuck in the wolves, and a woman who suddenly appeared cut off the giant wolf with two short swords. Overwhelming speed and destructive power. Shocking movements and skilled dagger skills. A battle like watching a dance of swords. The female Holder suppressed all the Gray Wolves at an incredible speed, and even hunted down the giant wolf, which felt like a powerful opponent, in an instant. ¡°This, this is¡­.¡± Kim Chae-eun also stopped injecting magic power and watched the situation in surprise. No, actually there was nothing to watch. It¡¯s already over. Battle ends. After the female Holder arrived. It was something that happened in less than 10 seconds. [You have won in a duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, your victory is recognized. With the mysterious power of Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to duplicate.] [1.Tough Wolf Skin 2.Agility 3.Sprint (not selectable) 4.Quadruped Combat (not selectable) ¡­ ] ¡­ ¡­ [You have won in a duel! Due to your ambiguous contribution in the duel, only half of your victory is recognized. With the mysterious power of Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. With half victory, the rune to be duplicated will be selected randomly.] [Prey Search has been selected. As it is a level 11 rare rune, its level will be reduced and registered at level 6.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [You gain 1 each of magic and recovery due to the nature of the rune.] And many information windows appear. I stared nkly at thin air and women alternately. ¡®No way, this kind of¡­.¡¯ I won the battle by receiving an unexpected bus. But the bus is not just a bus. It was the appearance of a super high-speed bus running at 200km per hour. Chapter 95: Stained Rock Pile (7) (1)

Chapter 95: Stained Rock Pile (7) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. I put the information windows aside for a moment. There was a lot I wanted to check, but the first thing I had to do was talk to the Holder who had fought on my behalf. After hunting the giant wolf. A woman standing still with a short sword in her hand. I cautiously spoke to her. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Before I could say anything, she cut me off with a short reply. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± With that polite remark¡­ She ran forward. And then I understood why she had asked me to ¡®wait a moment¡¯. Awooo-?! Awooo, awooo-!! The Gray Wolves, still caught in the [Power Break], unable to escape. They were almost dead, but if left alone, they could pose a threat at any time. She thoroughly eliminated all potential threats. It was easy for a Holder as skilled as her, who could assassinate a giant wolf in 10 seconds, to deal with injured monsters. She began hunting methodically, climbing up the rocky mountain¡­ Only after she had killed all the monsters did she return. Now it was safe enough even if we didn¡¯t exit the dungeon. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± And then she stood in front of us and spoke. White uniform and white hair down to her waist. A cold atmosphere as if covered in snow. Beautiful looks blooming like a flower within it. When I saw her appearance directly. Only then could I understand the whole situation. ¡°Holder Yoo Eun-seol¡­.¡± ¡°You know me.¡± Of course. Who wouldn¡¯t know? The only S-grade assassin Holder in Korea, Yoo Eun-seol. She was a character who was quite prominently featured in the original work, and aftering to this world, she was so famous that I had seen her face several times in articles and newspapers. A woman who has reached the pinnacle of assassins. A Holder who has reached the top alone without a n. If a Holder active in Korea didn¡¯t know her, they would be no different from a spy. ¡°Wow, wow¡­ It¡¯s Holder Yoo Eun-seol¡­.¡± Kim Chae-eun, admiring from behind me. Just looking at her reaction, you can tell. Yoo Eun-seol responded to our admiration without any change in expression. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any external injuries¡­ Do you have any internal injuries from the wolves¡¯ attack? Feel free to tell me if you need potions.¡± I don¡¯t know why she appeared here. I don¡¯t know how she saved us¡­ What¡¯s important is that the battle is over and there are things that need to be done afterwards. I bowed my head and replied, ¡°Fortunately, the battle ended before we were injured. Thank you for your help, Holder Yoo Eun-seol.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! I¡¯m not hurt either-¡° As I bowed my head in thanks, Kim Chae-eun also bowed and replied. Yoo Eun-seol epted it with a wave of her hand. ¡°First of all, I¡¯m sorry for following you into this dungeon without the consent of the original discoverers. It looked dangerous seeing a 2-person party trying to conquer the dungeon so I came in.¡± Yoo Eun-seol lightly apologized. In fact, dungeon discovery and conquest are rted to ownership issues, so it can be awkward if a third party who did not participate in discovery enters. This is even regted within the association, but that¡¯s only under normal circumstances, rescue in crisis situations like just now is an exception. ¡°It was a dangerous situation. If it wasn¡¯t for Holder Yoo Eun-seol, it would have been difficult to escape. Thank you again.¡± I thanked her as politely as possible. Then Kim Chae-eun¡¯s eyes widened behind me. Is this your first time seeing such formal manners? It was awkward at first but now I¡¯m used to it. After living as an intern n member for almost a month, I¡¯ve be quite ustomed to the etiquette of being a Holder, Yoo Eun-eeol also received my polite greeting and said, ¡°As you both know, I am Yoo Eun-seol, an independent S-grade Holder. May I ask where you two are from?¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s eyes sparkled as she answered first, ¡°Hello, Holder Yoo Eun-seol! I am Kim Chae-eun, a C-grade Holder and student at Seoul Holder Academy-!¡± Kim Chae-eun had been promoted to C-grade after passing an association review over two weeks before this dungeon conquest, Thanks to that, she was able to enter Seoraksan Field without being restricted by its grade. I followed suit, ¡°I am also a student at the academy and C-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun. It¡¯s truly an honor to meet you, Holder Yoo Eun-seol.¡± Except for a few polite words, it was a neat introduction without any ws, ¡°Academy¡­ you say?¡± But Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s expression was strange, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. ¡°Is there a problem¡­¡± Was there some trouble with the academy? I couldn¡¯t think of anything when I tried to remember. Rather, she had little to do with the academy, and if there was a problem, it was with the n. ¡°No, not at all.¡± Yoo Eun-seol, who shook her head as if it was nothing, soon asked us again. ¡°Would it be okay to conquer the dungeon together? There are some things I want to ask you while we¡¯re together. I will give up all rights rted to dungeon ownership, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± It¡¯s a radical proposal. An S-grade Holder, and the only assassin in Korea. The opportunity to conquer a dungeon with Yoo Eun-seol, who has such a title. This is not an opportunity thates easily. Normally, we would have given up on conquering today ande back tomorrow with renewed strength¡­ but with an S-grade Holder, we could conquer within an hour. Moreover, unlike in the original work, a sudden pack of wolves and a giant wolf appeared, causing a hitch in our full-scale conquest. In such a situation, an S-grade Holder joining the party is a strong ally in itself. ¡®She even gives up ownership¡­.¡¯ We don¡¯t have the power to conquer this dungeon right now. If we exit the dungeon as we are and Yoo Eun-seol conquers the dungeon alone, the ownership will probably go straight to Yoo Eun-seol. But she¡¯s giving all that up. There was no reason to refuse. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 95: Stained Rock Pile (7) (2) The only thing that bothered me was¡­ She said she had something she wanted to ask us¡­ Well, whatever it is, I¡¯ll answer it. It¡¯s Yoo Eun-seol who¡¯s asking after all. I cautiously asked her, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Yes. If you two agree, I¡¯d like to conquer it together.¡± Tap-tap. I felt fingers tapping on my back. When I turned around, Kim Chae-eun was nodding vigorously. She meant she was all for it. Seeing her made me chuckle. Whether it was Jeong Seon-young or this time Yoo Eun-seol, Kim Chae-eun seemed to really like high-ranking Holders. I nodded once and spoke to Yoo Eun-seol, ¡°Then we won¡¯t refuse and will apany you. We look forward to your guidance, senior.¡± That¡¯s how our journey together began. It was my first party hunt with an S-grade Holder since bing a Holder myself. *** Ippotrantion *** When I first met Kim Chae-eun, And when I saw my face in the mirror¡­ There seem to be quite a few cases where the first impression is different from the actual image. Kim Chae-eun had a colder image at first nce but had a warmer and brighter personality than anyone else. I also have a dull personality contrary to my sharp appearance. It¡¯s the opposite of what you¡¯d expect from someone who seems hard to approach. And that was also true for Yoo Eun-seol. She didn¡¯t show her emotions well and her tone of voice was stiff, but surprisingly she answered well about things we were curious about, ¡°Athena¡­ you say?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an A-grade monster that often appears in dungeons within Seoraksan Field. It has a habit of forming packs of wolf-like monsters and asionally goes hunting leading them. In academia, they call it a mid-boss monster.¡± The A-grade monster Athena. It was the identity of the giant wolf we encountered at the entrance of the dungeon. ¡®So that was the mid-boss¡­.¡¯ Of course, I also knew about mid-bosses. Monsters stronger than normal ones that you encounter before reaching the boss room. They can be hidden in terrain features within the dungeon or appear when certain conditions are met. But I had never heard of a lord-type monster like this one that leads many normal monsters around. ¡°Many Holders have been attacked by Athena while normally conquering dungeons. So when conquering dungeons within Seoraksan Field, you must always have an A-grade or higher Holder as your leader. You never know when Athena will appear leading a pack of wolves.¡± It seemed that it usually led around thirty wolf monsters and rarely appeared in several ces within the dungeon. We were attacked by such ¡®rare¡¯ attacks right from entering the dungeon. It was an incredibly unlucky case. Awooo-!! ¡°I¡¯ll prepare for battle.¡± In the midst of exchanging stories, the wolf-type monsters appeared once again. This time it¡¯s a different species from the Gray Wolf. It¡¯s a B-grade monster, the ck Wolf. Without the mid-boss Athena, the number of this pack was average, five. ¡°Huff¡­!!¡± I raised my shield and blocked the wolves¡¯ attack first. The battle formation of our party, which Yoo Eun-seol joined, was ordinary. I took the lead as a tank, Kim Chae-eun used light control magic. And Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s attack finished it off. It was a well-mixed partyposition of damage, tank, and support. ¡®The power is unbelievable though¡­.¡¯ Hunting Gray Wolves or ck Wolves is not difficult. Unless Athena leads dozens of them like before¡­ Kim Chae-eun and I alone are enough to hunt them. But Yoo Eun-seol, the top-level dealer, her participation in the battle made a huge difference in hunting speed. Swoosh- Swoosh- ng! Awooo?! Awooo-!! Watching her movements that shoot out like light. How many seconds was it this time? 2 seconds? 3 seconds? Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s use of her martial arts rune and dagger rune was beyond imagination. Her body moving like the wind was hard to see with the naked eye, and when I confirmed that her dagger had stabbed several wolves, her short sword was already spewing fire and ughtering another wolf. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to see [Snow Plum Blossom], her main rune. By the time I blocked an attack with my shield, the battle was over. It was an overwhelmingly high level of hunting speed that was embarrassing topare with us in terms of efficiency and speed. [You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the duel is recognized. With the mysterious power of Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You have selected Sharp Fang. As it is a level 9 rare rune, its level will be reduced and registered at level 5.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain 1 strength and 1 toughness each.] After hunting, several information windows popped up again in a row. There were only [Sharp Fangs] avable for selection from ck Wolf, so the rune was registered without any choice. ¡®Come to think of it¡­.¡¯ I looked at the information windows that I had put off for a while. The countless information windows that popped up when I first met Yoo Eun-seol. All the runes they had were registered by [Rune Hunter] as she swept away all the Gray Wolves and Athena, an A-grade monster. Just remembering things like [Tough Wolf Skin], [Agility], [Prey Search] etc¡­ including [Sharp Fangs] I got this time, there were quite a lot of runes. I wanted to check these runes slowly. ¡°Holder Yoo Eun-seol. Can we take a break for a moment?¡± Yoo Eun-seol, who was checking her equipment for a moment, nodded slightly at my words. ¡°Yes, please do.¡± In fact, we¡¯ve been running at too fast a pacepared to normal party hunting. We needed to rest for a while too, and Yoo Eun-seol seemed to feel that too as she readily agreed. Since all structures within the dungeon are made of rocks and stones and there is no suitable ce to rest, Yoo Eun-seol and Kim Chae-eun found suitable rocks and sat down to rest. I also sat on a rock. Pretending to check my equipment, I checked the information windows. The information windows that I had put off from entering the dungeon until now. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ first off, what I got from Gray Wolf¡­ huh?¡¯ But something was strange. Gray Wolf and ck Wolf. And the rune I got from Athena. These were definitely information windows that I called up to check them¡­ ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ There was one strange information window. It was something I had experienced once before, a dazzling golden information window. [There are currentlybinable runes avable. You can obtain higher-level runes using Rune Hunter¡¯s mysterious power.] Chapter 96: Stained Rock Pile (8) (1)

Chapter 96: Stained Rock Pile (8) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. As soon as I saw that peculiar information window. I told my party members that I would go to the bathroom for a moment. Of course, there is no bathroom in the dungeon, but it means that I will quickly take care of my business ande back. And when the distance was a bit far. I was able tofortably check the information window again. ¡°Suddenly a superior rune¡­?¡± I rub my eyes and look into the air. I was just checking the information about the newly acquired runes, and a golden information window about ¡®Higher Rune Combination¡¯, which I had forgotten for a while, appeared. The superior rune I currently have is [Master of Martial Arts]. A rune that I acquired when the function of superior runes first appeared. If thisbination is sessful, it will be the second time to acquire a superior rune. I checked the information window that I had read earlier again. [There are currentlybinable runes. You can acquire superior runes using the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter.] [Superior Rune: Descendant of the Barbarian King / Lower Rune: Lizard Scale, Tough Wolf Skin, Herculean Strength, Sturdy Fangs, Sharp ws, Sharp Fangs, Prey Search, Quadruped Combat] ¡°Crazy. There are so many.¡± There were quite a few runes selected as lower runes. No, actually it¡¯s not that many. Even in [Master of Martial Arts]st time, 8 runes were selected. However, the reason why thisbination¡¯s lower runes look particrly many. And what stands out more than before¡­ ¡°Almost all are rare runes.¡± The reason was that all the runes selected as lower runes were rare runes, except for [Quadruped Combat]. Considering that all lower runes were normal runes during [Master of Martial Arts], this time it¡¯s quite a consumingbination. Moreover, from [Lizard Scale] and [Sturdy Fangs], which have been active as filial piety runes from before, to [Prey Search] and [Sharp Fangs] recently acquired¡­ Most of the runes were auxiliary runes in the body strengthening series. From this, it could be predicted that the higher rune to bebined would also naturally be in the body strengthening series. ¡°Hoo¡­ First of all, beforebining, let¡¯s start with the newly acquired rune.¡± In a situation where you don¡¯t even know the ability of the lower rune to bebined immediately. There was a need to check new rune information. I called each rune information. A total of 4 runes were acquired after entering the dungeon. [Agility], [Tough Wolf Skin], [Sharp Fangs], [Prey Search]. The first two are from Gray Wolf, the next is from ck Wolf, and thest is from A-grade mid-boss monster Athena. ¡°They all seem ordinary¡­.¡± Looking at the rune information, there was nothing special about the first three. [Agility] is a normal rune in thew method series that is inferior to [Agile Agility], and [Tough Wolf Skin] and [Sharp Fangs] are rare runes in the body strengthening series that have been steadily obtained so far. But [Prey Search]. This is definitely different. As you can see from its name, it¡¯s a ¡®searching type rune¡¯mon to archer sses¡­ And because it¡¯s a rare grade, it has much better performance than normal rune [Search]. ¡òName: Prey Search ¡òGrade: Rare ¡òLevel: 6 ¡òEngraved Location: Nose ¡òSpecial Effect : You can detect all signs around you within a certain distance. The performance increases proportionally to the level of the rune and mental stats, and you can detect even if your opponent is hiding depending on the gap. : If you want to detect an animal as your target, your rune performance doubles. ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : The search for prey by predators. The prey caught on radar will not be able to escape easily. ¡°It¡¯s decent.¡± It was a standard search type rune. I¡¯ve often been wandering around because I didn¡¯t have a search type rune when I was soloing dungeon exploration or field hunting so far, but now I don¡¯t have to experience such inconvenience anymore. Moreover, because it has ¡®prey¡¯ in its name, its search performance for animals doubles. This was an additional effect that could be helpful depending on the situation. ¡°So now¡­.¡± I called up the golden information window again. All new rune information has been checked too. Now it was really time tobine ¡®the second superior rune¡¯. After calming down my heart pounding for some reason, I proceeded with thebination slowly. [You havebined Superior Rune ¡®Descendant of the Barbarian King¡¯. Lizard Scale, Tough Wolf Skin,¡­ Quadruped Combat etc., a total of 8 runes are selected as lower runes. The judgment level of the superior runebined with the lower runes is 3.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [You gain 4 strength and toughness each due to the nature of the rune.] The rune information appeared immediately. ¡òName: Descendant of the Barbarian King ¡òGrade: Legendary / Superior ¡òPossessed Lower Runes: ¡ò [Lizard Scale] ¡ò [Tough Wolf Skin] ¡ò [Herculean Strength] ¡ò [Sturdy Fangs] ¡ò [Sharp ws] ¡ò [Sharp Fangs] ¡ò [Prey Search] ¡ò [Quadruped Combat] ¡òLevel: 3 ¡òEngraved Location: Adam¡¯s Apple ¡òSpecial Effect: ¨C : With the special power of the superior rune, you can give proficiency correction to the lower runes. Each lower rune can increase proficiency as a single rune, and can also increase proficiency through the correction of the superior rune. : You receive proficiency correction for specific weapons (axe, hammer, mace, knuckle-bare hands), and your power increases when using those weapons. : Thew of the beast that wants to conquer the herd is always applied. When fighting alone with at least three or more enemies, certain stats (strength, speed, toughness) increase by 15% (Lv.3). When the battle is over or the conditions are not met, the stats return immediately. *Sub Special Effect : (Detail) ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Rage] *Sub Skill ¡ò [Hardening] ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : The power to inherit the Barbarian King, Magnus Barbarian, who is said to have be a ¡®beastman¡¯ using all the abilities possessed by beasts. You can use physical or magical abilities possessed by beasts like limbs, and you can freely handle the new powers you will gain. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 97: Stained Rock Pile (9) (1)

Chapter 97: Stained Rock Pile (9) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter thanks to ¡®Someone¡¯ Sub to Legendary Rank via Buymeacoffee After checking all the information anding back, only Kim Chae-eun was there, not Yoo Eun-seol. Kim Chae-eun looked at me and asked with a tilt of her head. ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°Sorry. I was just checking the Holder information for a moment. Where is Holder Yoo Eun-seol?¡± ¡°She said she would go on a brief reconnaissance. She woke up when you left, Jae-hyun.¡± As she said, Yoo Eun-seol came back in no time. She was standing on the path over the hill. We moved quickly towards her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I did a little reconnaissance and¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol pointed to the rocky mountain on the right. ¡°It looks like the boss room is over there.¡± Wow. I couldn¡¯t help but admire her. Is an S-grade Holder who mainly solos really different? The direction Yoo Eun-seol pointed out was exactly towards the boss room. The highest hill in the middle and the rocky mountain on the right. That was the direction of the Stained Rock Pile¡¯s boss room. She¡¯s an assassin, so she wouldn¡¯t have any exploration runes, but it was amazing how she found out in such a short time. She didn¡¯t actually go there herself, did she? I nodded my head and asked, ¡°Shall we get going then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The journey to the boss room wasfortable. The same battle structure continued as before. A new B-grade monster called ¡®Silver Wolf¡¯ appeared after the Gray Wolf and ck Wolf¡­ but for our party, with Yoo Eun-seol as the main dealer, there wasn¡¯t a hint of danger. Of course, my body was itching as I took on tanking at the front. ¡®I want to check out my new rune.¡¯ [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. I wanted to quickly understand the power of my newly acquired legendary rune. I was curious about how much ¡®Law of Beasts¡¯ effect, which increases ability when fighting multiple enemies, would be and how powerful [Rage] skill would be without almost any penalty. But now it¡¯s not solo hunting but party hunting. There are eyes watching, like Yoo Eun-seol, and it¡¯s hard to fully utilize the power of runes. It seemed like I had to postpone checking out my new rune for a while. ¡°It¡¯s the boss room.¡± Standing on top of the hill of the rocky mountain again, Yoo Eun-seol spoke softly. Right below the hill of the rocky mountain. A certain area was dug out like a crater to form a space. And in the center of it. Grrrr-!! Awoooo-!! There was ¡®Barg¡¯, the boss of Stained Rock Pile. Like ¡®Asthena¡¯ we saw at the entrance, he had arger body than a normal wolf and had dazzling golden fur. He also had all the characteristics of wolf monsters we¡¯ve encountered so far. From fangs sticking out of his mouth to tough wolf skin and ws ready to tear prey apart. Just by looking at his appearance¡­ He looked as wild as a lion monster could be. That¡¯s not all there is to it. As Barg¡¯s huge roar spread enough to shake the entire rocky mountain, I felt my body stiffen slightly. ¡®It¡¯s a status abnormality!¡¯ It¡¯s simr to [Oppression]¡¯s [Deration of Domination] that Grizzly Drake used before. My body hesitated at just one roar he let out. It was a status abnormality that could be predicted as ¡®fear¡¯ or ¡®stiffness¡¯. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Is her willpower stat high? Or does she have a special rune? Whether she waspletely out of range of status abnormalities or not, Yoo Eun-seol moved lightly and took care of us. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have any major problems either. This was thanks to [Ice-Cold Focus]¡¯s special effect. [Ice-Cold Focus] is a rare rune that I acquired from Min Chae-hwan, who used to be a spy in Hunting Team 5 before. It not only assists in hitting long-range attacks more urately but also helps to recover quickly from status abnormalities. It¡¯s a mental type rune. Although it wasn¡¯t immune to everything, so I did stiffen up for a moment, but I quickly recovered from the status abnormality and could move my body. ¡°Eh¡­.¡± But it seemed like Kim Chae-eun had a bit of trouble with status abnormality. Even though Barg and other wolf monsters around him started rushing towards us, she couldn¡¯t move her body or use magic power. Yoo Eun-seol looked at her and turned her gaze towards me. ¡°Can Holder Do Jae-hyun take care of escorting her? I¡¯ll deal with this quickly.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Got it.¡± Awoooo-!! The battle began. Barg, an A-grade monster, and a few wolf monsters protecting him rushed towards us. Yoo Eun-seol showed off her martial arts skills once again and reached Barg in no time. It was a move to take out the boss, who was considered the most difficult, first. Seeing her, I also drew [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. My task is to escort Kim Chae-eun and tank. It would be more efficient to hold a shield for escorting, but there are six wolves rushing towards us. It might be a better defense to wield a sword and attack them as it¡¯s hard to block attacks from all directions. Awoooo-!! Three Silver Wolves rushed towards us first. Out of the six, three were Silver Wolves. Two were ck Wolves, and one was a Gray Wolf. The three types of wolf monsters each had clear characteristics. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 97: Stained Rock Pile (9) (2) All three had high physical stats, but Gray Wolf was more focused on toughness, ck Wolf on strength, and Silver Wolf on speed. So the ones that came at us first were¡­ The Silver Wolves with the highest speed. ¡®There¡¯s no time to use magic attacks¡­.¡¯ My innate skill [Divine sh]. Or other magic attacks didn¡¯t have enough time to utilize. The best thing right now is physical attack. Although I couldn¡¯t deal a big blow, I had to control their movements with physical attacks. I cut down the wolves using the techniques of [Water Sword Technique]. Pabat- Pat- Ssak- Ssak-! Awoooo¡­?! But something strange happened. The initial purpose of wielding the sword was rather for defense. Since I couldn¡¯t block the wolves rushing in from all directions with a shield, I nned to strike first with a sword and calmly wait for Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s support. I never thought I could hunt them all with physical attacks. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ But it works well. It works too well. I need ¡®magic attacks¡¯ to inflict damage on B-grade monsters. My physical stats, which are still at the top of C-grade, were insufficient to inflict damage through ¡®physical attacks¡¯, so when hunting B-grade monsters so far, physical attacks were merely for defense or counter-attacking. Physical attacks that normally take several hits to inflict damage. Suddenly, it worked too well. The three Silver Wolves fell to the ground with a miserable howl after being hit by my [Water Sword Technique]. ¡®This time with Wave Sword Technique¡­.¡¯ I didn¡¯t miss that opportunity. I used the technique of [Wave Sword Technique] to deliver an additional hit of ¡®stabbing¡¯ to the fallen Silver Wolves. The same was true this time. The effect of physical attack was definite. The Silver Wolves couldn¡¯t withstand my sword attack and died on the spot. What¡¯s left are three wolves of different species. I moved towards them like a machine. ¡®My body feels so light.¡¯ It¡¯s a strange feeling. The speed of moving my body and swinging my sword. The force when stabbing into the wolves. Everything felt light and overflowing. My attack relentlessly pushed the remaining wolves. I cut down two ck Wolves at once with [Combo], and I mixed in some magic power to deliver a strong blow to one Gray Wolf. Awoooo? ¡®Lucky.¡¯ Heaven is helping me. [Gaze of Stiffness], which had made Red Drake ¡®rigid¡¯ before, was activated again. The Gray Wolf, frozen in ce, had to take all my attacks as they were. I stabbed hard into its abdomen. ¡°Hoo¡­.¡± After defeating the most durable monster, the rest was easier. And now I have time to use magic attacks. I slightly raised [Prating Brain Strikes] on my sword and cooked the two ck Wolves that I had cut down earlier. Just like that, the battle ended. ¡®How many seconds did it take to do that?¡¯ Even if I roughly calcted the time, it was around 10 seconds. I went out tanking to escort Kim Chae-eun who was affected by status abnormality, but instead, I killed them all. After the short battle ended, As my body returned to normal¡­ Only then could I realize it. ¡®It¡¯s a rune special effect!¡¯ [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. One of its special effects is ¡®Law of Beasts¡¯. When facing three or more enemies alone, you receive additional stats in strength, speed, and toughness. I didn¡¯t know because I only tanked in front during previous battles and Yoo Eun-seol took care of dealing damage, but when I held a weapon myself and fought mainly with physical attacks, I could feel its effect. ¡®But that¡¯s not all.¡¯ The stats corrected by [Descendant of the Barbarian King]¡¯s special effect is 15%. My strength, speed, and toughness are 45, 44, 40 respectively¡­ Approximately 6 stats increase. All three main stats are close to 50. And in that case¡­ The stat correction of [Oppression] is applied again. ¡òName: Oppression ¡­ ¡­ ¡òSpecial Effect: ¨C : When fighting an opponent with lower stats than you, you receive an additional 15%(Lv.3) of that stat as support. ¡­ ¡­ [Oppression] supports your stats when fighting opponents with lower stats than you. Since the rune level is 3, the correction is 15%. My stats pumped up by [Descendant of the Barbarian King] seem to have surpassed those of wolf monsters temporarily. Thanks to that, [Oppression]¡¯s correction was activated and another nearly 7 stats increased. ¡®¡­It¡¯s like a bug.¡¯ Almost 13~15 higher than before in three main stats. Of course my body feels light and physical attacks work well. ¡®The synergy effect is amazing.¡¯ I predicted that the special effect ¡®Law of Beasts¡¯ would be good. Because my main hunting is soloing and the stats being corrected are physical stats that I mainly use. But I never thought about synergy with [Oppression]. Once you get stat support through [Descendant of the Barbarian King], your stats take one step ahead and you get support from [Oppression] again. It was an amazing synergy effect for me and a terrifyingly unfair effect for opposing monsters from their perspective. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun? What happened¡­.¡± Yoo Eun-seol, who quickly defeated ¡®Barg¡¯ as much as possible and came to support us, also looked at me with a surprised face. She must have tried to defeat the most dangerous boss monster first ande to support, but all the hunting was already over. The sight of a warrior who introduced himself as a C-grade Holder hunting six B-grade monsters alone without any support. Even if she saw it herself, it must have been hard to believe. ¡°Ah, haha¡­.¡± I scratched my head and looked at her. It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t touch Barg. Should I have just driven the bus¡­? Chapter 98: Stained Rock Pile (10) (1)

Chapter 98: Stained Rock Pile (10) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The boss monster Barg is at minimum an A-grade monster. While I could leisurely defeat it if I took my time, Yoo Eun-seol did not dy. The six wolves that were guarding were Barg¡¯s guardian monsters. They were targeting the party members in the back. I had to swiftly take down the boss and go assist them. ¡°Bloom a single flower.¡± The ultimate skill unfolds without hesitation. [Snow Plum Blossom]¡¯s [Snowy Drifting Plum Blossom]. [Snowy Drifting Plum Blossom] is a skill used together with rune magic. Moving the two short swords at an extremely fast speed, it continuously shes and cuts the opponent. The path of the cuts is from the opponent¡¯s knees to the calves behind them. It viciously cuts both the front and back, leaving massive scars. The blood that blooms like flowers within. The falling petals were not my plum blossoms, but the opponent¡¯s blood. Barg, an A-grade monster, could not withstand that lethal move for even 10 seconds. Gruhh¡­ Thud! The huge body fell onto the rocky mountain, making a loud noise. I, who had instantly taken down the boss monster, immediately moved my body. Since the mage Kim Chae-eun was afflicted by an abnormal status, Do Jae-hyun was solo tanking. As a fellow party member, and as a senior Holder¡­ I had to go help them¡­ ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Having dashed to the entrance of the boss room in one breath, I was bewildered. The wolf-type B-grade monsters that were clearly six in number¡­ Were all lying defeated as corpses. And the wounds engraved all over their bodies. Were clearly traces left by a sword. Wolves defeated by physical attacks, not magic. It meant the warrior Do Jae-hyun alone had taken down all six wolves. *** ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun? How did this¡­¡± ¡°Ah, haha¡­¡± Do Jae-hyun smiles awkwardly as he scratches his head. Seeing that, Yoo Eun-seol realized she had misunderstood something. ¡®He wasn¡¯t an ordinary C-grade.¡¯ When they first entered the dungeon, honestly, she was disappointed. She finally found a Holder with the ¡®aura of a dragon¡¯, and his skills also seemed decent. She even went so far as to save him from a crisis¡­ But he introduced himself as a C-grade Holder. An ordinary student Holder attending the academy. And this fell short of the criteria for the party member Yoo Eun-seol was looking for. Minimum B-grade. And that was the minimum, he had to surpass A-grade. Even if Yoo Eun-seol wanted to raid¡­ To raid the dungeon , considered the highest difficulty in history. She couldn¡¯t bring a mere C-grade Holder. ¡®Was he hiding his strength?¡¯ But as they challenged the dungeon together. His exceptionally outstanding skills began to stand out. Do Jae-hyun perfectly fulfilled his role as the tanker in a 3 person party split into damage dealer, tanker, and support. He blocked the monsters¡¯ attacks sturdily at the front without any particr injury, and sometimes defeated the monsters himself when Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t reach. And now, the battle inside the boss room. By ¡®almost solely physical attacks¡¯, he alone defeated six B-grade monsters. Introducing himself as a C-grade Holder¡­ He proved without a doubt that he was by no means at an average C-grade level. ¡°The rest room¡­ seems to have appeared where the boss was sitting.¡± Yoo Eun-seol didn¡¯t bother asking. Why was Jae-hyun so much stronger than ordinary C-grades, or what was the trace of electrocution left on the wolves¡¯ corpses¡­ That process was merely in the realm of curiosity. What was important was the result. The result that Do Jae-hyun was the ¡®special Holder¡¯ she was looking for. ¡°I¡¯ll give up the rewards from the rest room. I hope you two can split it.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± At the sudden deration, the two were bewildered. Do Jae-hyun waved his hands busily and spoke urgently. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. When Holder Yoo Eun-seol took care of most of the hunting¡­¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t I see Holder Do Jae-hyun handle it alone just now?¡± As Do Jae-hyun made an embarrassed expression, Yoo Eun-seol smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯m joking. If you had enough time, the two of you could have cleared the dungeon together. Since I directly experienced that, giving up the rewards should be no burden. Rather, I have something to discuss alone with Holder Do Jae-hyun¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol turned to look at Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Could you give us some space? You can go check out the rest room.¡± ¡°The t-two of you?¡± Embarrassment colored Kim Chae-eun¡¯s face. More than talk of giving up the rest room rewards, she seemed much more surprised that Yoo Eun-seol had something to discuss alone with Do Jae-hyun. ¡°Yes. It¡¯ll be quick.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Kim Chae-eun lowered her head and let out a groan. Then after alternately ncing between Do Jae-hyun and Yoo Eun-seol, seemingly agonizing over it¡­ She finally nodded reluctantly. ¡°I understand¡­ senior.¡± In an extremely deted voice. Kim Chae-eun entered the rest room alone. Not knowing the reason, Yoo Eun-seol simply nodded. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Dungeon raid?¡± After Kim Chae-eun left for the rest room. A conversation on the rocky mountain hillside. At Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s sudden words, I asked back in bewilderment. What could an S-grade Holder like Yoo Eun-seol have to discuss alone with me¡­ The proposal I got from her was, surprisingly. Forming a ¡®2 person party¡¯ for raiding a specific dungeon. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 98: Stained Rock Pile (10) (2) Yoo Eun-seol nodded. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a somewhat special dungeon, so there are conditions to enter it. I¡¯ve been looking for party members. Coincidentally, Holder Do Jae-hyun meets those conditions. So I was hoping if you¡¯d be willing, to clear the dungeon together¡­¡± It was a bold proposal. Dungeon raiding with just Yoo Eun-seol and me. It was likely an experience no active Holder had gone through. Moreover, this was information I hadn¡¯t seen in the original work either, so it made me even more bewildered. Yoo Eun-seol was an S-grade Holder who asionally appeared in thetter half¡¯s confrontation with the n. But such detailed content about dungeon raids wasn¡¯t mentioned. It waspletely new information to me. I carefully asked her, ¡°May I know roughly what dungeon it is? I¡¯m still anxious to just ept the proposal¡­¡± I know Yoo Eun-seol isn¡¯t a viinous character. On the contrary, she has such inner qualities, confronting and fighting the representative viins, , in thetter half. Knowing that, I joined the Stained Rock Pile Dungeon raid without hesitation. But this case was different. A dungeon raid with just an S-grade Holder and me¡­ Anyone could see it was strange. If I readily epted and got beaten to death, I¡¯d have no one toin to. Fortunately, Yoo Eun-seol seemed to understand. Nodding, she replied, ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun has probably heard of it too. The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon.¡± ¡°Dragon¡¯s Breath¡­?¡± The moment I heard the dungeon¡¯s name. A familiar feeling hit me, just as she said. . That was definitely¡­ Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s solo conquest that allowed her to rise to an S-grade Holder, and the dungeon was rumored to be the stage for it. Once I connected those dots, I tilted my head and asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a dungeon whose raid has ended?¡± A dungeon Yoo Eun-seol alreadypleted the raid alone. The dungeon¡¯s first discovery, first clearing¡­ Solely by Yoo Eun-seol alone. Its contents were so famous that was a well-known dungeon to the public. Saying let¡¯s raid it together didn¡¯t make sense. Yoo Eun-seol nodded briefly before asking again. ¡°Has Holder Do Jae-hyun heard of double dungeons?¡± Double dungeons. A special medium existing inside a dungeon. Connecting to another dungeon through it, a dungeon within a dungeon. Other than the peculiar method of entry, the structure itself was the same as a normal dungeon. There was no way I wouldn¡¯t know about it. ¡°Yes, I know about it. There are more overseas than domestic¡­ Oh!¡± I calmly answered then flinched midway. Double dungeon. And , whose raid was alreadypleted. Connecting those dots, a faint answer emerged. ¡°Could the dungeon you¡¯re trying to raid be¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m trying to raid the double dungeon inside The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon. It¡¯s in the boss room, a location only I know. That double dungeon requires two Holders with special conditions to enter¡­ Holder Do Jae-hyun meets those conditions.¡± Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s eyes turned to me. Her hair, clothes, everything is pure white. That atmosphere of a white snowke seemed to reach her gaze. ¡°So while clearing the dungeons together, I¡¯ve been looking for a chance to tell you.¡± You don¡¯t have to answer now¡­¡± If it¡¯s alright, we can have a more detailed talkter¡­¡± Additional words like that rang out, but. Honestly, they didn¡¯t go in my ears well. She is an S-grade Holder. Even though I got stronger recently, the fact that I, who just reached B-grade, will be doing a dungeon raid with an S-grade Holder¡­ was quite worrisome, That I wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish much, and that it would be too dangerous. So I honestly told her this part. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful for the offer but¡­ it will be difficult.¡± ¡°May I ask why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m better than ordinary C-grade Holders, but still, I just barely made it to B-grade¡­ and with my skills, raiding a dungeon with Holder Yoo Eun-seol seemscking and dangerous. I appreciate you thinking highly of me but I still think I¡¯m insufficient in many aspects to raid such high dungeons.¡± Dungeon raiding with Yoo Eun-seol! It sounds like something I¡¯d happily ept but thinking about difficulty, those words don¡¯t evene out. From the dungeon¡¯s entrance, A-grade monsters appear slithering about, the boss room has an S-grade monster¡­ moreover there are rumors it has power surpassing normal S-grade. The double dungeon within such a dungeon. Its difficulty absolutely wouldn¡¯t be easy. I really want to ept the offer too but with my current level, it is near impossible. But despite my polite refusal¡­ Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much. Instead, in an extremely tranquil attitude she replied to me. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. Holder Do Jae-hyun already has sufficient skills, and if there¡¯scking parts, I can teach you.¡± ¡°Huh? What is that¡­¡± Leaving aside the talk of having sufficient skills¡­ Teach me? What kind of nonsense is this? But before I could fully understand those words. Yoo Eun-seol smiled slightly and held her hand out to me. ¡°Let me properly introduce myself. I¡¯m Yoo Eun-seol, who will be a specialized instructor at the academy starting next semester. If it¡¯s alright with you¡­ I¡¯d like for Holder Do Jae-hyun to take my sses as well.¡± Bang- Like being hit on the head with a huge bell. What is this, again. Yoo Eun-seol is an academy instructor? Just how and what is going on here? Chapter 99: Preparing for the New Semester (1) (1)

Chapter 99: Preparing for the New Semester (1) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¨C Seoul Holder Academy officially announces the recruitment of instructor Yoo Eun-seol ¨C The first S-grade instructor in the country¡­ Will Holder education undergo major changes? ¨C Yoo Eun-seol, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to train the domestic assassin clique.¡± ¨C A-grade Holder Jeong Seon-young decides to work as a short-term instructor following Yoo Eun-seol! ¨C Foundation Chairman Tak Yun-jae, ¡°The academy will keep changing.¡± A room full of all kinds of wine. On the small tablet on the table, headlines from countless articles were popping up like letters. Next to it was a ss with a simple design. Below was a finger rhythmically tapping the table. Soft jazz was ying in the room. ¡°Hmm-¡° Cha Soo-yeon smiled broadly as she skimmed through the articles. The finger tapping the table rhythmically. From that cheerful rhythm, you could feel her excitement. ¡°Branch manager. You called?¡± A man with a sharp expression knelt down on one knee. Ji Yoon-jae, a core member of the Viin n¡¯s Academy branch. Cha Soo-yeon turned her gaze from the tablet to him. She still had a smile on her face. ¡°Yoon-jae, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yes, branch manager.¡± ¡°Hmm ¨C Something fun happened.¡± Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s face looked quite happy. And her gaze seemed fixed on the tablet. Looking at her like that, Ji Yoon-jae cautiously asked. ¡°Is it a new order?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s quite fun.¡± As Cha Soo-yeon quickly flipped through the articles on the tablet, she said. ¡°Did you hear that Yoo Eun-seol ising to the academy as an instructor?¡± ¡°Yes, I read about it in the news.¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fun. An S-grade Holder hase to teach the kids.¡± Ah. As if she just remembered something, Cha Soo-yeon raised her head. ¡°Yoon-jae, you¡¯re in the same discipline, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yoo Eun-seol is an S-grade assassin Holder. Naturally, the ss she will teach will also be the assassin ss. And Ji Yoon-jae is a 1st year academy student, ranked second in the assassin ss. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m curious what it¡¯ll be like to attend an S-grade Holder¡¯s lecture.¡± ¡°¡­Is that the order this time?¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not it.¡± Putting away the tablet she was reading, Cha Soo-yeon took a sip of the wine from the ss. ¡°This time, the Gangnam guys screwed up so badly that all the major ns are joining forces toe after us, and our leadership is also pretty stressed about it.¡± Ji Yoon-jae listened closely with great tension. Cha Soo-yeon usually doesn¡¯t exin n affairs and operation details like this in detail. She just gives orders about what he has to do. The fact that she¡¯s saying this much means she¡¯s in a particrly good mood right now. He couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity and had to focus. If he didn¡¯t listen properly and messed up the operation, he¡¯d be the one punished again. ¡°Hmm ¨C So we¡¯ve gotten another chance. Just in time, a big shot like Yoo Eun-seol has entered the academy, there¡¯s a lot of attention, so there are many things we can stir up.¡± The Gangnam branch¡¯s massive failure in targeting . And with heightened vignce between the ns and rekindled determination to annihte , the n wanted to turn their eyes in a different direction. The first direction was the Academy branch. Just in time, an S-grade Holder like Yoo Eun-seol wasing in, and the attention on the ¡®Ha Do-kwon incident¡¯ that had caused turmoil at the academy had also subsided. There would never be a more suitable time. Cha Soo-yeon looked at Ji Yoon-jae with a deep smile. ¡°This time, I¡¯m going to the scene myself.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ji Yoon-jae asked again, thinking he had misheard. But from Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s following words, he realized he had heard correctly. ¡°Hmm ¨C I was included in the list of instructors recruited along with Yoo Eun-seol. It¡¯s a shame the disciplines are different, though. I also wanted to teach that Do Jae-hyun you mentioned before in person.¡± Cha Soo-yeon wasing to the academy as a short-term instructor. This was clearly a bold move. There was a clear difference between recruiting people and stepping up herself. Regardless of what direction the n¡¯s operations would take going forward, having a branch manager-level figure on site meant the n members could act much more freely. As Cha Soo-yeon drank another sip of wine, she said, ¡°Oh, there¡¯s also that Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s daughter in the mage discipline, right? Hehe, good thing. I¡¯ve always wanted to ruin her once.¡± Cha Soo-yeon talking about wanting to casually ruin the sessor of , one of the top 3 ns, so nonchntly. Seeing the branch manager¡¯s creepy madness¡­ Ji Yoon-jae quietly bowed his head. Even though he was also not normal as a member of the n, this woman was truly a psychopath. If she wasn¡¯t his superior, he would never want to deal with her kind of person. ¡°Hmm ¨C This will be fun.¡± And so, another upheaval was taking ce. *** Ippotrantion *** After clearing the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ dungeon. A few dayster, the news officially announced ¡®Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s appointment as an academy instructor¡¯. Honestly, my eyes popped out in surprise. Meeting S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol by chance in a dungeon was already amazing¡­ And after clearing that dungeon together, receiving an offer to party up for a special double dungeon, and even bing an academy instructor. The fact that I was a decisive factor in that decision. It was even harder to believe. ¨C She had kept refusing before. Whether positive or negative, she seemed to have no interest in the academy at all. But after seeing you once, Do Jae-hyun, she immediately epted. It was what Professor Tak Won-ho, who led her recruitment, said. The original n was to introduce me to herst Sunday, but since we happened to meet by chance in the dungeon, there was no need for that. Thanks to that, Yoo Eun-seol promptly epted the position of academy instructor, and that fact was announced prominently in all kinds of newspapers that day. An S-grade Holder bing an academy instructor. It was shocking news that became a huge issue in the Holder world. ¡°The course registration will be brutal.¡± Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 99: Preparing for the New Semester (1) (2) At the academy¡¯s assassin department. Let alone S-grade, there weren¡¯t even any A-grade instructors in the assassin department. The quality of education was inevitablycking. That¡¯s why during my 1st semester, I only took one ss. Just a throwing skill-rted ss called < Understanding of Throwing> . And now a lecture by Yoo Eun-seol, a super rare level of instructor, will open in that barrennd¡­ Along with the passionate cheers of assassin students, there will surely be unprecedentedpetition for course registration. ¡°What is it?¡± Hearing my mutter, Kang Juyeon in front of me asked. I quickly snapped out of my daze and apologized. ¡°Ah, sorry. I was suddenly thinking about the academy.¡± ¡°¡­The academy?¡± ¡°Yeah. This time, S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol wille as a short-term instructor.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a really rare level of instructor for the assassin ss, and this semester might be herst one, so¡­ thepetition for course registration will be intense.¡± Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s instructor contract was only a short-term one. She would work as an instructor this semester, but it was uncertain what would happen next semester. A top-notch learning opportunity that you don¡¯t know when it wille again. It was natural for students to be interested. The server might crash on the day of course registration. Bubble bubble- Tss tss- The prepared dishes were cooking nicely. I tasted them bit by bit and adjusted the seasoning. ¡°It¡¯s almost done.¡± We were at a self-cooking concept restaurant. Since I received so much help from Kang Juyeon after joining as an intern, I had been thinking for a while that I should treat her to a meal someday¡­ But it was ufortable in many ways to invite her over to my studio apartment. Considering her social status, and who knows what trouble could happen if Kang Woo-hyun finds out about this. So I found this self-cooking restaurant concept. It was a unique concept restaurant located in Yeongdeungpo. Not only vegetables, greens, and other side ingredients, but also various cooking utensils and seasonings needed for cooking were equipped. ¡°¡­What are you making now?¡± ¡°This is galbi-jjim (braised short ribs). Here¡¯s japchae (stir-fried ss noodles). Ah, this is shiitake mushroom¡­ Do you remember the Korean restaurant we went to togetherst time?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I tried making it with reference to the shiitake mushrooms we ate there. Try it andpare the taste.¡± Although I had eaten with Kang Juyeon many times after joining , I rarely cooked for her myself. At best, I grilled some meat for her in thepany cafeteria? So this time, I properly treated her to a meal. The menu was Korean food. My own course meal was inspired by the Korean restaurant we went tost time. Nom- Kang Juyeon picked up her chopsticks and tried the shiitake mushrooms first. With her trademark curt expression, she chewed the mushrooms. Even though I knew my [Cooking] skill was now good enough to surpass most chefs, I still tensely asked. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°¡­Delicious.¡± Fortunately, the result was the best. Getting a ¡®delicious¡¯ verbal reaction instead of just a nod from Kang Juyeon means it really tasted good. I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°Compared to the restaurantst time?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s softer.¡± Getting such high praise with additional exnation, I was finally able tofortably continue cooking. Soon, most of the dishes werepleted and¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s eat well.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s eat well.¡± We started eating together. The ensuing casual conversation about this and that. The conversation pattern was always simr. I would ask questions and Kang Juyeon would answer. Since Kang Juyeon had a quiet personality to begin with, and I preferred leading conversations anyway. Of course, when the topic of ns came up, Kang Juyeon would sometimes take over the conversation. ¡°There are only 2 weeks left until the semester starts.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re right.¡± The topic of this conversation was ¡®the start of a new semester¡¯, an extension of the previous talk about Yoo Eun-seol. The long vacation is ending, and the semester starts in 2 weeks. The meaningful internship was also nearing its end. While talking about the beginning of the semester and preparations, I suddenly asked Kang Juyeon. ¡°Which club will you join?¡± Clubs. Simr to ¡®circles¡¯ in high school or college, a variety of gatherings within the academy with no restrictions onmon hobbies, runes, disciplines, etc. 1st years can join starting 2nd semester, and can participate until the graduation semester of 3rd year. It was a gathering you could experience in most schools, amon trope that appeared ordinarily in novels. But for Kang Juyeon, clubs were quite important. The club she would join in 2nd semester, . More precisely, the 3rd year club president Yoon Ji-ah. After meeting her, who demonstrated the ability of a mature me, B-grade Holder, Kang Juyeon gradually grew into an A-grade Holder. It was the fertilizer and wall for her growth. held that kind of meaning for Kang Juyeon. It was a huge opportunity for Kang Juyeon¡¯s growth in the midte part of the story. So even though I knew she would obviously join , I still asked just in case¡­ With all the recent deviations from the original, I asked to be sure. And¡­ ¡°¡­What about you?¡± As expected, the developments strayed again. Damn. Again, a-gain. Why the hell is she curious about which club I¡¯m joining? Chapter 100: Preparing for the New Semester (2) (1)

Chapter 100: Preparing for the New Semester (2) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°We¡¯re rich!¡± This time, it wasn¡¯t something I said. It was what Kim Chae-eun said while calcting our earnings at my house. After we finished conquering the stained Rock Pile dungeon. The most shocking thing was still Yoo Eun-seol bing an academy instructor, but we still had something important left to do. Dividing the dungeon conquest rewards. We had to calcte the various items, magic stones, and monster byproducts. As always, counting money was never tiring. ¡°Hehe. Pretty.¡± Chae-eun neatly organized the items on the table in the living room. With the expensive equipmentid out, the table looked like a store disy. That table sure is unnecessarily long. When did I get something like that in the house? I asked Chae-eun with a broad grin. ¡°Chae-eun, Ms. Yoo Eun-seol didn¡¯t really take any rewards?¡± Yoo Eun-seol, who was crucial in conquering the stained Rock Pile. She said she didn¡¯t want any of the dungeon ownership rights or conquest rewards from us. She even gave us all of the magic stones and byproducts from the monsters we hunted. Why? I wondered, but¡­ ¡°Yep! She said she already aplished her goal. The conquest rewards are just a gift.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± Hearing that, I understood everything. The reason Yoo Eun-seol joined us in the first ce was because of me. It was because I met the ¡®special condition¡¯ to enter the double dungeon in . Yoo Eun-seol suggested we conquer that dungeon together, and at that time I said I would do it if I became strong enough. It looks like she resigned herself and gave up all the rewards. In the first ce, rewards at that level have no impact on an S-grade Holder like her anyway. Thanks to that, we were able to monopolize all those rewards without making much effort to conquer the dungeon. ¡°¡­I feel a little guilty about it.¡± ¡°Hehe. But making lots of money feels nice!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I readily agreed with Chae-eun¡¯s rationalization. After all, money is what remains in the end. I checked the rewards with a broad grin. ¡°Did you tally up all the magic stones and byproducts?¡± ¡°Yep. Jae-hyun, divide it and deposit it into our ounts, 7:3 ratio.¡± ¡°Huh? Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything in the dungeon.¡± ¡°Hey now, if you put it that way, I also¡­¡± Other than killing six wolves in the boss room, I barely did anything¡­. I felt bad getting more money when we both got the same bus. But there was no going back after Chae-eun already decided this. Her stubbornness in things like this can¡¯t even be bent by Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. I looked over the other rewardsid out on the table. ¡°There are a lot of them.¡± The rewards for conquering the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ were considerable. It felt too easy since Yoo Eun-seol participated in the conquest, but after all, it was a high-level dungeon where all the monsters that appeared were B-grade or higher. At minimum, it was an Academy Underground Dungeon. At max, it could bepared to the Forest Covered with Snakes. Thanks to that, the magic stones and monster byproducts, along with the rest room rewards, were pretty decent. But among them, I was looking for something specific. ¡®Journal, journal¡­ Aha! Found it.¡¯ I discovered what I wanted while rummaging through the rewards. A bundle of journals that looked quite old. It was covered in dark blood and fur-like substances, and the extensive tears and damage made it look like it had been through a lot. ¡ò Name: Madman¡¯s Howling Journal ¡ò Type: Special ¡ò Rank: Epic ¡ò Maker: ¨C ¡ò Special Effect: ¨C : When not inbat, possessing the journal at night under moonlight will quickly recover magic. ¡ò Detailed Informations: ¨C : A journal of a human who howls madly whenever the moon shines at night. Most of the journal is torn and damaged, making it difficult to discern the contents. ¡®Okay. This is it.¡¯ As expected, this was what I was looking for. [Madman¡¯s Howling Journal]. It¡¯s a pretty decent epic special item with good effects, but the real value of this item lies elsewhere. ¡®City of Fallen Wolves¡¯. An ultra high-level dungeon that Park Jin-woo sets foot inter. A special dungeon where werewolves or lycanthropes have taken over the interior. Unlike normal dungeons, simply infusing magic into the medium is not enough to enter this dungeon. Like the ¡®double dungeon entry condition¡¯ Yoo Eun-seol suggested, you had to use a special item as the medium to enter. [Madman¡¯s Howling Journal] was that special entry item. Lately, so many developments have diverged from the original that I was worried, but fortunately, this reward followed the original flow. ¡®It¡¯ll be difficult for now¡­.¡¯ I obtained the key to the dungeon, but conquering it right away will be hard. The City of Fallen Wolves is the pinnacle dungeon where A-grade monsters prowl, not to mention the countless mysterious S-grade monsters. In the first ce, it¡¯s a special dungeon entered using an item obtained by conquering the already high-level ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯. There¡¯s no way conquering it would be easy. ¡®But getting it is what¡¯s important.¡¯ The ¡®City of Fallen Wolves¡¯ is an extremely important dungeon. Not simply because it has many high-level monsters and requires a special entry item. As the name implies, the dungeon is literally a ¡®city¡¯. A dungeon in the form of a city where werewolves have gathered and created their own civilization. Although crude and lowly, it clearly possessed all the basic elements of a city. And this means¡­ Werewolves cannot simply be treated as monsters. The ¡®different species capable ofmunication¡¯ that appearter in the original. One of them was the werewolf. ¡°What¡¯s that, Jae-hyun?¡± As I kept holding the journal for a while. Chae-eun, who was organizing the items, asked. ¡°It looks like a special item¡­ Chae-eun, is it okay if I take this?¡± I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in the other equipment. For now, none of the rewards included my main weapons like swords or daggers. The armor and essories didn¡¯t seem good for me either. On the other hand, there were many magic-rted items suitable for Chae-eun. The only thing I needed from these rewards was [Madman¡¯s Howling Journal]. And Chae-eun brightly nodded at my question. ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re giving it to me so easily?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just by looking, that item doesn¡¯t really suit me. And since it¡¯s a dungeon Jae-hyun found and conquered, you should decide how to split the rewards!¡± ¡°But¡­ I also got the bus¡­.¡± Tl/n: Finally, we are at chapter 100! I could not have done it without your supports and that is why I will be dropping 7 Bonus chapters sometime this month. Arigato gozaimasu. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 100: Preparing for the New Semester (2) (2) Get a grip, please. *** Ippotrantion *** The new semester was right around the corner. Whether as a student in the past or now¡­ If I had to pick the most important thing while preparing for a new semester. It was, of course, course registration. The academy was focused on educating Rune Holders, but the system itself was simr to a university. Naturally, if there were lectures I wanted to take, I had to register online and get a seat. ¡°Ugghh- sleepy¡­.¡± 8 AM in the morning. Like any other student, I went to a PC cafe to get ready for course registration. And next to me was a man with messy hair. Park Jin-woo sat there with a drained expression from exhaustion. ¡°So you¡¯re here to register for courses too.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ so sleepy. This is normally my sleeping time¡­.¡± ¡°What about morning training?¡± ¡°Usually¡­ 9 AM¡­ uhmm¡­¡± Course registration this time was pushed back about a weekpared to normal. The reason was, of course, Yoo Eun-seol. Due to the ultra-special lecturer being recruitedte, some time was needed to open lectures. That¡¯s why course registration was only starting now, 2 weeks before the semester began. ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡± ¡°What are you nervous about?¡± ¡°What if I can¡¯t get a seat? Thepetition ratio for Ms. Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture will be insane.¡± The lectures I nned to register for this semester were 6. General courses and . Warrior-type major courses , , . And finally, the assassin-type major course which was¡­ The only lecture by Yoo Eun-seol opened this semester, . I chose those six courses because I needed them all, but Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture was especially important. It was a chance to improve my dagger skills which had stagnated to the point of regression, and a lecture taught by an S-grade Holder. Even if I failed the others, I absolutely had to seed in getting this one. But Jin-woo, who was listening to me, tilted his head. ¡°Why are you taking Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture? You¡¯re in the warrior ss.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I entered as an assassin.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the assassin I know¡­!!¡± Ignoring Jin-woo who suddenly fell into despair alone. I focused on the course registration page on the screen. The lectures were already reserved. All I had to do was click the registration buttons 6 times when it was time. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± I don¡¯t know why course registration is so nerve-wracking every time. I took a deep breath and stared at the screen. Before I realized, the time raced towards 9 AM. 8:57, 58, 59¡­ As the minutes ended and it flipped to seconds, [09:00] The rm for the hour rang, and hellish course registration began. And¡­ [Dagger Usage and Sword Techniques (Yoo Eun-seol) : (0/0/0)] ¡°What the fuck, no way?¡± As expected, I failed spectacrly. Refreshing right at 9 AM allowed me to avoid the hellish waitlist, but¡­ The moment I clicked ¡°registration¡±, the seats were gone in less than a second. Damn it. Is everyone using a supeputer? How is it so freaking fast? Fortunately, I didn¡¯t panic and finished registering for the remaining courses, but I felt frustrated after missing the most important lecture. ¡°Sigh¡­.¡± ¡°Give up. It feels nice to give up.¡± Park Jin-woo, who gave that constion-like advice, was finally starting to look for lectures to register one by one, opening his sleepy eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What do you mean ? Looking for lectures.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t reserve them in advance?¡± ¡°When did I ever?¡± Wow. He came to register without reserving lectures in advance. This bastard. If I didn¡¯t tell him yesterday, he probably wouldn¡¯t have even known today was registration day. ¡°Ah¡­ I need to find another lecture.¡± There was still the method of waiting for someone else to cancel and open up a seat. Whenever someone vacated a spot, a seat would open up. But there was no way that stroke of luck would happen for Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture. What crazy dude would cancel registration for the S-grade Holder¡¯s lecture that might be thest? The possibility was zero. ¡°Tch.¡± Just as I was about to give up and look for another lecture, Buzz- I got a text from an unknown number. [010-¡­ ] This is Yoo Eun-seol. If you tried to register for my lecture but failed, give me a call. I¡¯ll open up a seat at the right time. Only then did I remember the obvious fact I had forgotten. That¡¯s right. She came to the academy because of me. Chapter 101: Preparing for the New Semester (3) (1)

Chapter 101: Preparing for the New Semester (3) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. (Do Jae-hyun / Advanced ss / 1-2) [Utilization and Techniques of Short Swords] (Yoo Eun-seol) [Understanding of Two-handed Swords] (Tak Won-ho) [Utilization of One-handed Sword and Shield] (Lim Hyun) [How to Get Hit] (George Malphite/Foreign Language 100%) [Applications of Magic Control] (Jeong Seon-young) [Harvesting Byproducts] (Kim Kwang-bu) Course registration has beenpleted sessfully. I was able to get all the sses I had nned at the times I wanted. Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to take Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s ss this semester. Professor Kim seems to teach 1st year sses in the first semester and 2nd year sses in the second semester. Still, I managed to get one ss with Professor Tak Won-ho, and since I¡¯m Professor Kim Myeong-hyun exclusive disciple, I¡¯ll have plenty of chances to learn from him. Especially since the two professors only used to teach intermediate sses but moved up to advanced ss this semester. Thanks to that, I could register regardless of ss level. ¡®The sses of the newly appointed professors are also¡­¡¯ Many instructors and professors who worked with Yoo Eun-seol also moved to the academy when she joined. Some of them were even familiar faces. Lim Hyun from the warrior department and Jeong Seon-young from the mage department. A-grade Holders who were the leader and main dealer when hunting the Swirl Leviathan. Since they had made a name for themselves as independent Holders, their first sses were quite popr. Especially Jeong Seon-young, who opened themon course in addition to the ice magic major course. And Lim Hyun opened even though two-handed sword is my main weapon style. I seeded in registering for both of their attractive sses. ¡®And the most important ss was a sess too.¡¯ , which had been a headache. I got an empty seat thanks to one call from Yoo Eun-seol. With the assistant opening a seat and me timing it right, I could immediatelyplete registration. I guess Korea is still a society of connections, even in a different worldview. With a reliable S-grade Holder backing me, I had nothing to worry about. ¡°Ugh, there¡¯s not a single seat anywhere¡­¡± Next to me, Park Jin-woo was clutching his head. The exact opposite situation from earlier. Park Jin-woo, who hadn¡¯t made reservations, was unable to find any worthwhile sses to take. I smiled widely in victory and told him, ¡°Give up. It¡¯ll be easier if you give up.¡± ¡°¡­Shut up.¡± ¡°Tee-hee.¡± He wasughing at my misery earlier, so this is karma. As I kept giggling, I nced at his screen. ¡°What ss are you looking for?¡± ¡°Amon magic control ss. Oh, the major sses have plenty of seats but why are themon sses so hard to get into?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯remon, like the name suggests. Upper ss students don¡¯t care much about major sses but are more selective withmon sses. I heardmon sses are taught better in upper sses.¡± Park Jin-woo moved up to upper ss this semester. It was one semester earlier than in the original, but after personally experiencing the butterfly effect, this level of distortion wasn¡¯t surprising. It wasn¡¯t just Park Jin-woo. I alsopleted my promotion to upper ss, and Kim Chae-eun, whose decision had been postponed due to the Ha Do-kwon incident, also got promoted to upper ss after a re-test. Considering the lowest upper ss Holders have C-grade level skills, our promotions were probably natural developments. As I kept chiming in next to him, Park Jin-woo¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°Looking at us, people would think we were upper ss from the start.¡± ¡°I was just telling you what I heard. Why are you being so prickly? That¡¯s why people who fail course registration turn out like this.¡± ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡± ¡°Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun. Especially Moon Ga-eun, she knows the upper ss stuff well.¡± ¡°What, are you dating those girls now?¡± ¡°This guy acts like I¡¯m dating everyone.¡± Looking at it, Park Jin-woo is the real yboy here. I took the mouse from him and said, ¡°Here, let me look. I probably know better than you.¡± ¡°Do whatever you want. I¡¯m screwed anyway.¡± The ss Park Jin-woo was looking for was . An advanced course following that we took in the first semester. It was a poprmon course, and the sses taught by famous professors were all full. Click-ck, click-click. Scrolling down slowly, I couldn¡¯t find a ss by a decent professor. They were all either low-quality lectures, or notorious professors known for difficult assignments and exams. Even considering the generally low standards of the academy professors, taking these sses would be worse than not taking any. As I kept scrolling through the sses. ¡°Huh?¡± I noticed something strange. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 101: Preparing for the New Semester (3) (2) The professor in charge of themon course lecture. It was a name that had no business being listed as a lecturer. [Applications of Magic Control] (Cha Soo-yeon) The head of my academy branch. The psychopath who ruthlessly murdered student Holders during the ¡®Academy Raid¡¯ in the midte storyline¡­ Cha Soo-yeon, the ruler of gravity, was listed as the professor. ¡®Why is this woman here now?¡¯ Cha Soo-yeon shouldn¡¯t appear at this point in the story. She¡¯s a character who only reveals herself once the main leads enter 2nd year and the story enters the mid-section¡­ Yet she¡¯s appearing now as an academy lecturer. It was absolutely absurd. I don¡¯t know what ns has by sending Cha Soo-yeon, but we need to avoid contact with her as much as possible before figuring out their exact intentions. She was that dangerous of a woman. *** Ippotrantion *** Time passed faster than I expected. The 2 weeks left until the start of the semester flew by in an instant, and the long vacation of over 2 months finally came to an end. ppppppppp- p-p-. At the same time, my internship also ended. On thest day of work. The Hunting Team 5 members lightly prepared a cake to encourage me on myst day. ¡°You worked hard, Do Jae-hyun. Although the time we spent together was short, I¡¯m sure it was a meaningful time.¡± ¡°Jae-hyun! You¡¯ll join Judgment of Fire after graduating, right?¡± ¡°Hmm- You¡¯re not intern Jae-hyun anymore, are you?¡± Two months since I entered as an intern. I participated in therge dungeon conquest project known as Forest Covered by snakes from day one and took my first steps in n activities, quickly growing close with the team members. And the various n duties that followed. I gained a lot theoretically and learned many things from my seniors in actualbat. I roughly learned the ropes and also became much more familiar with team tasks¡­ Now that I was quitting like this, I did feel some reluctance deep down. But partings should be clean. I lowered my head and expressed my gratitude to the team members. ¡°Thank you. I learned so much thanks to you seniors. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll join Judgment of Fire againter, but if I do return, I¡¯ll be sure to apply for Hunting Team 5.¡± In fact, I did receive a formal recruitment offer from Kang Juyeon. On the weekend, 1 week before leaving . While we were eating together, Kang Juyeon subtly brought it up. -If you want, would you consider properly joining Judgment of Fire? It was an offer that cameter than I expected. She must have wanted to propose it so many times, yet she only brought up this enormously important matter in thest week of my internship¡­ I could feel how much Kang Juyeon respected and valued me. I thought hard about it, but in the end, my answer was a refusal. is a really great n. It¡¯s one of the top 3rge domestic ns, with Kang Juyeon who I¡¯ve gotten quite close to now, and the fellow hunters who I went on raids with. It¡¯s a n that any Holder other than me would want to join. If I had to pick a n to join right now. Without a doubt, it would be . ¡®But there¡¯s still plenty of time.¡¯ However, I didn¡¯t have any intention of joining a n just yet. I still had over 2 years left until graduation, and there were a considerable number of original story events to unfold within that time. I didn¡¯t have the leisure to rashly decide on joining a n and cementing my future in this situation. Even if I wanted to join a n now, I didn¡¯t know if my thoughts would change again 2 yearster. So I politely declined Kang Juyeon¡¯s offer, while leaving open the possibility that I could always change my mind. Upon hearing my farewell, Lee Soo-mi¡¯s eyes dampened. ¡°Hmm- Intern really does know how to use empty words to the end, huh?¡± ¡°¡­They¡¯re not empty words.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s service with your lips.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same thing¡­¡± Does this woman want to torment me to the very end? She really was a senior full of mischief. In any case, after finishing myst duties at . I could now properly prepare for the start of the semester. With the weekend over, it really was the start of the semester now. The beginning of a new semester with an unexpected professor lineup and developments. Chapter 102: Im Also Taking That Class (1) (1)

Chapter 102: Im Also Taking That ss (1) (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After thest weekend of the final vacation week. The second semester has finally begun. I grabbed the theory books for the sses I¡¯d be taking today, and headed to the academy in high spirits. Monday, the first day of school. The academy was bustling with students since early morning. ¡°Appraising ungraded items! Ask for pricing!¡± ¡°Hello, this is the tea ceremony circle ¡®Malt Tea Leaf.¡¯ If anyone is interested¡­¡± ¡°Take this survey and get a gift certificate¡­!!¡± ¡°Anyone selling their spot in Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s ss! I¡¯ll report jokes!¡± The central avenue of the academy always seems busy. With students upying the square as if they were merchants, it was noisy whenever I passed by like this. Plus, today some were trying to buy open spots in Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s ss. Not even ticket scalping, but buying and selling open ss spots. It¡¯s a type of deal I¡¯ve never even heard of before. With an S-grade Holder bing an instructor at the academy, we seem to be experiencing all kinds of new things. Among the students, Yoo Eun-seol was a hot topic. I passed through the noisy central avenue and headed towards the Specialized Division building. My first ss this morning will be held there. ss was in the Specialized Division building. ¡°Oh right, it¡¯s time to get new equipment again.¡± Seeing the Specialized Division building reminded me of Choi Yoo-min. Our monthly contract where she provides me with equipment. I had received the July equipment, but hadn¡¯t gotten the August equipment yet. I was extremely satisfied with the July provision. [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor]. The first Rare-grade equipment Choi Yoo-min put her heart into making served its value as my only defensive gear. Of course, I didn¡¯t expect to receive an item of that level for August, since she had given me Rare-grade initially just to show her gratitude. I was simply curious how high of a level she could craft now, having produced Rare-grade items and raised [Iron-Blooded Night Field] to Superior-grade. ¡°She can¡¯t possibly know how to make Epic-grade yet¡­¡± I briefly entertained the thought, but soon shook my head with augh. cksmiths who can make Epic-grade gear aremonly called ¡®Artisans¡¯ or ¡®Masters¡¯. They are pro-level Holders, beyond student standards. No matter how talented Choi Yoo-min is, making Epic-grade items already would be absurd. Lee Hyun-ho, the prominent cksmith character in the original story, was still just a promising student able to make Rare-grade. It showed just how difficult the Epic-grade crafting level is. ¡°Hey.¡± As I was thinking this and that, climbing the Specialized Division building stairs. I heard someone call me from behind. At first I didn¡¯t know they were calling me, so I ignored it, but they patted my shoulder so I had no choice but to turn around. Behind me was¡­ A handsome man looking at me. What the, this dude looks like a yboy. I want to look past stereotypes, but his appearance alone would likely cause resentment from other guys. ¡°Is this the Specialized Division B building?¡± ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± Why¡¯s he speaking so casually? The yboy made an oh crap face and spoke. ¡°Ah, sorry. You¡¯re Do Jae-hyun, right? From the Assassin Division.¡± ¡°You know me?¡± ¡°Of course. You¡¯re one of the famous freshmen these days. The super fast promoted student who went from Lower ss to upper ss! The hero who stopped the safe zone during the end of semester evaluations! There¡¯s no one who doesn¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­.¡± So that¡¯s how I¡¯m seen among the students nowadays. I may not have gotten much major attention in the Holder world, but I had made quite a lot of noise at the academy. Starting with how I earned a ss promotion with Park Jin-woo during the entrance exams, when we were ¡®the only two to get promoted¡¯. Not long after, I fought against the monster that appeared inside the academy. After that, I steadily showed good grades in Intermediate ss and proved I had what it took to jump up to upper ss again, doing so at the end of semester evaluations. I also stopped Ha Do-kwon¡¯s rampage during those end of semester evaluations. ¡®Definitely an exclusive disciple.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t officially announced, but the fact I was the exclusive disciple of Professor Tak Won-ho and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun likely spread among students as a rumor. The two professors, known as experts among the few at the academy. Just the fact of being their exclusive disciple. Already made me one of the promising students receiving attention. ¡°So who are you?¡± When I narrowed my eyes and asked, the yboy smiled again. ¡°Ah, sorry sorry. I have noposure. I¡¯m Kim Do-yoon, a freshman from the Warrior Division.¡± ¡°Kim¡­Do-yoon?¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh,e to think of it, we might have some sses together. I¡¯m in the upper ss like you.¡± The rest of his words didn¡¯t register in my ears. My thoughts went ¡®he¡¯s my ssmate¡¯ before naturally trying to respond, but¡­ Because I froze the moment I heard the name ¡®Kim Do-yoon¡¯. Warrior Division freshman, Kim Do-yoon. And the yboy has a look that has likely attracted a good number of girls. That familiar name and traits carved into my brain. And pulled out memories hidden inside. ¡®¡­He¡¯s a viin.¡¯ Kim Do-yoon, a member of the academy branch. He was a spy who had infiltrated as a Warrior ss freshman. I looked at the guy smiling with a nice face. ¡®Running into this punk already.¡¯ Unlike Ji Yoon-jae and Ha Do-kwon, who are notable neers and are second in their ranks, Kim Do-yoon is a spy who is out of the rank and works normally. So, in the beginning, he goes to the academy quietly, but from the middle, he shows off his presence. His biggest feature is, as I said before, a handsome face. Because of his good-looking appearance, he tends to attract a lot of attention from women, and Kim Do-yoon is well aware of that fact. ¡­ So it¡¯s an advantage. It is used as an inducement factor for one¡¯s crime. Please rate this series here. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 10 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 102: Im Also Taking That Class (1) (2) Kim Do-yoon was a psychopath who would suit up with women who had a crush on him, then kill them when he lost interest. His victims are only women. It does not discriminate between ordinary people and Holders. All the women who fell for his tricks suffered crimes such as kidnapping, confinement, and assault, and eventually died brutally when they reached the end. With such a worst criminal hiding his other side. He was looking at me with a kind smile. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s going on?¡± Kim Do-yoon asked, seeing me suddenly stop talking. I shook my head and replied. ¡°This is the Special Division B building.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s my first timeing to the Special Division building, so I¡¯m confused. haha.¡± ¡°F*ck. It¡¯s clearly written on the building sign, but you can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°¡­ what?¡± Kim Do-yoon asked as if he had heard it wrong. His face was taken aback by my sudden swear words. I said to him, holding the cell phone in my pocket. ¡°Oh sorry. I got a text message from a friend. He is a fool who always needs to be trained. He always gets confused about the building, so he asks me. He¡¯s not even a monster who can¡¯t read Korean, so why is he confused? haha.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kim Do-yoon suddenly had a worried expression on his face. Ignoring him, I calmly thought. The branch members at my academy don¡¯t just move carelessly. They¡¯re a group of psychos who enjoy killing people foolishly, but they have a clear hierarchy, especially the academy branch members who move precisely ording tomands. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t just a coincidence that Kim Do-yoon was speaking to me. There had to be a clear reason. In the first ce, there was no reason for a crazy guy who only targeted and killed women to act friendly towards another guy. ¡®Are they being wary of me after the Ha Do-kwon incident?¡¯ The spies are being cautious of me. The most immediate reason I could think of was the Ha Do-kwon incident. At the time, I had stopped Ha Do-kwon frommitting murder using my [Deration of Domination] skill, andter charged in during his duel, blocking his attack. If not for the ¡®Berserk Potion¡¯, Ha Do-kwon would have been subdued by me then and there. A sudden, unnoticed obstruction thatpletely disrupted their ns. My abrupt appearance and interference with the ¡¯s schemes was likely cause for wariness from the spies. ¡°I¡¯m going to ssroom 302. Where are you headed?¡± Looking like he regained hisposure, Kim Do-yoon spoke to me again. ssroom 302. Where the ss I¡¯m going is being held. In other words, my ss and Kim Do-yoon¡¯s ss ovepped. It was an unexpected situation. ¡®How annoying.¡¯ Did Kim Do-yoon originally take in 2nd semester? There was no way to know. Since Kim Do-yoon was a character who only emerged in the mid-tote parts of the story. ¡°I¡¯m going to 302 as well. I¡¯m taking too.¡± ¡°Oh! That works out. I¡¯m taking that ss too. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°F*ck, this sucks.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Kim Do-yoon¡¯s expression rapidly darkened. He didn¡¯t even have the leisure to ask me to repeat myself, realizing I had just cursed at him. Of course, I shamelessly held up my phone. ¡°Ah, really sorry. My friend is bothering me nonstop. I wasining how there¡¯s this punk starting conversations with me for no reason on the first day back.¡± No response from Kim Do-yoon. I felt his gaze boring holes into me. ¡­Is this punk really pissed now? His eyes are rather murderous. Despite trying to hide it, I could feel subtle killing intent thanks to [Ice-Cold Focus]. I lightly fueled that fire. ¡°Guys who look like yboys really do talk too much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Do-yoon. It¡¯s good we¡¯re in the same ss. Follow me since I know the Specialized Division building well.¡± I patted Kim Do-yoon¡¯s shoulder a couple times and started walking. Was I going too far? I thought, and that¡¯s spot on. I did spit out whatever came to mind as an excuse, but¡­ Since he had clearly received orders rted to me, he couldn¡¯t casually treat me rudely anyway. He was just a n member moving ording tomands, after all. And it wasn¡¯t like I was the one spying, so there was no need to be overly polite and amodating. If he got pissed off at this trivial behavior and charged at me. I¡¯d be thankful. ¡°What, you¡¯re noting?¡± After walking several steps without hearing anything, I looked back. Kim Do-yoon hurriedly hid his temper. Putting on a forced smile. ¡°¡­Ha, ha. Let¡¯s go.¡± Looks like he was ring daggers at me just now. I nced back and told him. ¡°Hurry up. We¡¯ll bete.¡± The moment I turned my back, I felt his gaze piercing me again. ring at me murderously again, huh. Stare all day if you want. See what happens. Chapter 103: Im Taking That Class Too (2)

Chapter 103: Im Taking That ss Too (2)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter thanks to ¡®Someone¡¯ sub to Legendary Rune tier via Buymeacoffee ssroom 302. The ce where Professor Kim Kwang-bu¡¯s lecture is being held. There was an unexpectedly familiar face here. ¡°Moon Ga-eun?¡± As soon as I entered the lecture room, I saw her blue hair. Distinctive facial features that immediately draw attention. Moon Ga-eun was sitting in a corner of the ssroom, preparing for ss. ¡°Oh, Do Jae-hyun¡­ Hi.¡± Moon Ga-eun awkwardly waved her hand as she flipped through her book. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other, right? It¡¯s been almost a month since myst request. Even though I was already in a bad mood after running into Kim Do-yoon, seeing a familiar face instantly lifted my spirits. I happily went over and sat down next to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were taking too. I had no idea.¡± Moon Ga-eun pouted her lips and said. ¡°Tsk, why wouldn¡¯t you ask? I know your major, but how could you not even tell me about a general education ss you¡¯re taking?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m always kind of like that when taking sses.¡± While I do prefer taking sses with friends, when registering, I don¡¯t really consider that. The reason is, I get too busy during the semester. On top of taking 6 sses a week, I also have exclusive sses with Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and Professor Tak Won-ho¡­ After learning all that, I need personal training time to embody it. Just doing that takes up most of the week, plus I have dungeons to manage. Underground dungeons, goblin viges, stained rock piles. I don¡¯t own all of them, but I¡¯m managing most of them solo. To generate revenue, I have to consistently invest time. ¡®I wish I could clone myself.¡¯ So when registering, I mainly focus on my own schedule. Required sses, time slots, and professors ¨C everything revolves around me, so I almost never match schedules with friends. Not just Moon Ga-eun, but Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Park Jin-woo ¨C I haven¡¯t taken any ovepping sses with them. ¡°You must be so busy you don¡¯t even tell me what you¡¯re taking, right?¡± My promotion from lower ss to upper ss in one semester said it all. Moon Ga-eun knew that, yet still jokingly nagged me. ¡°Hey. You should know everything you need to know about someone like me. And I thought we didn¡¯t need to say stuff like that between us anyway.¡± ¡°What do you mean between us?¡± I suddenly turned my head and scanned the lecture room. ¡°Publicly, we¡¯re dat¡­¡± ¡°Shh¡­!! Quiet¡­!¡± Even before I could finish my response¡­ Moon Ga-eun seemed to have heard something she shouldn¡¯t have. Blushing, she hurriedly covered my mouth. Then she whispered angrily into my ear. ¡°Are you crazy? That¡¯s absolutely top secret at the academy, top secret¡­!!¡± ¡°Puhaha. That just shows how close we are. You know how busy I am.¡± ¡°Ugh, fine, I get it.¡± I held in myughter. Somehow, teasing Moon Ga-eun after we got close was so much fun. Whenever I poke at her, she reacts with surprise. Especially after asking me to pretend to be her boyfriend. ¡°¡­You two seem quite close.¡± Just as I was joking with Moon Ga-eun. An unwee voice came from the side. My mood instantly dropped when I turned my head. Ah, right. He was here too. ¡°Who?¡± Kim Do-yoon¡¯s sudden intrusion. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s face scrunched up slightly at that. Kim Do-yoon smiled his trademark smile and reached out his hand. ¡°Hi there. I¡¯m Kim Do-yoon, a 1st year Warrior. You¡¯re Moon Ga-eun from the Royal n, right? I¡¯m in the upper ss with you but this is my first time seeing you. Nice to meet you. You¡¯re much prettier than the rumors say. I¡¯m pleasantly surprised.¡± This bastard, listen to his spiel. Saying this kind of thing to someone he¡¯s meeting for the first time in real life. Is his skin thick as steel, or does he not understand embarrassment? But Moon Ga-eun didn¡¯t seem keen on shaking Kim Do-yoon¡¯s hand. Instead of taking it, she stared nkly at his outstretched hand, then suddenly turned to me. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but exim in admiration. Ignored. It was a perfect ignore. She didn¡¯t seem interested in Kim Do-yoon¡¯s words at all. Her gaze was fixed solely on me. Implying her question was for me from the start. Most girls show some affection or interest when Kim Do-yoon approaches, but Moon Ga-eun was theplete opposite. She put up a stone wall, unusually coldpared to her usual self. She¡¯s not normally like this with strangers¡­ Looks like she really didn¡¯t like Kim Do-yoon butting in. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Meanwhile, Kim Do-yoon, who held out his hand to empty air¡­ Froze up as if he had be invisible. After what happened to him in the hallway with me¡­ This was another massive humiliation. ¡°Puh¡­¡± In the strange silence, I desperately held in myughter. *** Ippotrantion *** Despite the brief happening, ss proceeded normally. Time flew by and it was already 9 o¡¯clock. The professor entered, signaling the start of the first lecture on the first day of the semester. Professor Kim Kwang-bu, from the Specialization department, was a middle-aged professor with slightly thinning hair on top. He seemed to have taught this ss for a long time, holding a worn theory book full of creases. ¡­Somehow, his name and appearance match perfectly. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Kim Kwang-bu.¡± Professor Kim briefly greeted us, then calmly looked over the lecture room. Then he immediately opened his book and started lecturing. ¡®Jumping right into the lesson?¡¯ My ominous premonition might not be that off after all. Professor Kim went straight into the lecture without any small talk or orientation, and didn¡¯t even do roll call. He instructed students to open their theory books to the first page as he picked up the mic. Professor Kim Kwang-bu filled lecture time fully with lessons, from the first day of the semester to thest. ¡°Did we choose the wrong ss?¡± Moon Ga-eun next to me quietly asked. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s wait and see. I heard his evaluations were good.¡± There were two professors teaching in the Specialization department. Professor Kim Kwang-bu had by far the best evaluations. That was why I chose him despite the disadvantage of a Monday 8am lecture. And¡­ Professor Kim soon proved me right. ¡± ¡­To summarize, the current mainstream argument is that all Holders have talent for ughter. Like magic control runes obtained through enlightenment, ughter runes can also be acquired postnatally as a derivative rune.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡± ¡­As I said before, ughter requires perseverance, patience, repetition and practice. Mostbat Holders looked down on and neglected this, which is why there have been so few Holders who have gained ughter runes¡­ This is the conclusion reached. Of course, Holders specialized in ughter who have ughter runes from awakening are a separate issue.¡± ¡­ The students who sighed wearily when the lecture started had bright, shining eyes just 10 minutes in. Interesting. Professor Kim¡¯s lecture was interesting. His solidly established theories were well worth taking notes on, and his low, sonorous voice was surprisingly dynamic, keeping the somewhat dry contents from getting boring at all. ¡®A middle-aged professor using a wireless presenter¡­¡¯ His lecturing method waspletely next-gen too. Professor Kim provided PPT slides to students using a huge beam projector, and gave presentations rivaling office workers using a wireless clicker. Yes, presentations. It felt like watching presentations rather than a lecture. That¡¯s how absorbing it was. ¡± ¡­In that regard, this lecture will focus on practical training in coboration with the academy, unlike the theory sses. Also, excluding theory lectures, practical training sses will have students in groups of three.¡± Before I realized, the lecture time approached 50 minutes as it wrapped up. And as he concluded the ss¡­ Professor Kim announced the start of group assignments. Nothing too surprising. It was described in the sybus, and a lecture was bound to have a high ratio of practicalponents anyway. But the group assignment method was unexpected. ¡°Groups were assigned at the professor¡¯s discretion considering majors. If vacancies arise due to drops, etc I will make a separate announcement.¡± I assumed random or application-based assignment, but discretionary? While normal groupings would be preferable¡­ I had a bad feeling about this. ¡°I will now announce groups while dismissing students. Feel free to leave after confirming your group. First, Group 1. 2nd year Warrior Han Dong-hee, 1st year Archer Jeong Suk-won¡­¡± Druek- Drueuruk- Professor Kim continued calling out new groups, and students who confirmed theirs began standing up and exiting the ssroom. With most of the students around us gone¡­ When the people near us disappeared, Professor Kim called out thest group. The one I was in. ¡°Finally, Group 32. 1st year Warrior Kim Do-yoon, 1st year Assassin Do Jae-hyun, 1st year Archer Moon Ga-eun. That concludes the group announcements and today¡¯s lecture. Thank you for your hard work.¡± With that, Professor Kim left the lecture room. Should I consider this good fortune? Or was it just as I felt, and I got a bad draw? It was nice being grouped with Moon Ga-eun, who I was closest with among the students, but I was also grouped with a ticking time bomb. spy, Kim Do-yoon. While docile for now, he was a potential criminal who could cause issues anytime. ¡°We¡¯re all in the same group. Let¡¯s all try our best.¡± After the lecture ended, we stood up from our seats¡­ Kim Do-yoon smiled with his mask back on and spoke. But Moon Ga-eun didn¡¯t respond, briefly looking at her phone instead, and I chewed on his words absentmindedly, lost in thought. ¡®A head-on sh with ¡­ coulde faster than I thought.¡¯ Kim Do-yoon taking implied many things. While it may have simply been an ovepping lecture, the fact that we were in the same assigned group made it hard to write off as mere coincidence. It was most likely influence was involved. Up until now, I had only vaguely thought we might sh¡­ But with them making this move to monitor me closely. I should start preparing countermeasures of my own. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 104: Im Taking That Class Too (3)

Chapter 104: Im Taking That ss Too (3)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter Moon Ga-eun felt refreshed today. It was the first day of sses for the new semester at the Academy. Despite being annoyed that she had to get to the ssroom early for her first period ss, she somehow felt good after finishing the ss. ¡®Is it because we¡¯re taking it together?¡¯ was amon subject. As someone who would lead a n, she thought it was necessary to know the basics of handling monsters, so she signed up for the ss. To her surprise, there was a familiar face there. Do Jae-hyun. A student Holder who had rapidly risen to the upper ss with his tremendous growth, and the hottest multi-talented Holder among the first years these days. They became friends after adventuring in the underground dungeon, and he was the closest friend Ga-eun had made since entering the Academy. And he was taking . She thought it was a ss she would have to take alone, but¡­ Not only were they taking it together, their names were listed together for the permanent teamposition for practical lessons during the semester. ¡®I¡¯m lucky.¡¯ She was d and felt fortunate. Although Moon Ga-eun easily became friendly with anyone, she still preferred being with close friends. Just because her personality was sociable didn¡¯t mean new encounters weren¡¯t sometimes tiring. Besides, that sparrow-like guy in today¡¯s ss¡­ When meeting someone like him, it went beyond tiring to irritating. The kind of person who interrupts others¡¯ conversations, makes tactlessments, and only talks about himself. Ga-eun hated people like that the most. So she ignored him from the start without even greeting him. It was a justified action. While being in the same team as that guy was a bit stressful, the important thing was that she was with her close friend Jae-hyun. -Hey, can I say we¡¯re dating in public¡­? ¡®He¡¯s crazy, Do Jae-hyun. Really, how can he say that ¡­¡¯ Suddenly remembering Jae-hyun¡¯s words from earlier, her face flushed again. Although she knew he was joking, she instinctively covered his mouth in surprise at the thought that he might really say it. Moon Ga-eun recalled a memory from a month ago. During the break, she had asked him to¡­ Pretend to be her boyfriend to trick her dad. Jae-hyun readily agreed to the request she thought was absolutely unreasonable, so Moon Ga-eun was able to smoothly get past the lie she had recklessly told her dad. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for Do Jae-hyun¡­¡¯ She probably would still be getting set up on annoying blind dates. Moreover, Do Jae-hyun epted her dad¡¯s ridiculous suggestion to go out drinking together, and perfectly carried out the request he was given. The next day, her dad praised him, saying, ¡°He really is a thoughtful and warm young man. My daughter has good judgment.¡± Just what kind of conversation did they have that day? No matter how many times she asked, Do Jae-hyun wouldn¡¯t tell her. ¡®I have to repay him properly.¡¯ It had already been a month since it happened, and she hadn¡¯t even properly thanked him. The favor he readily agreed to. His efforts to perfectly execute the n. Although her hand shook a lot when he suddenly held it¡­ Anyway, it was nearly perfect help. She wanted to reciprocate as much as she had received. So. She had to give satisfactory thanks before this month ended. Moon Ga-eun nodded to herself and made that resolve inwardly. ¡°¡­Why are you smiling like that?¡± While she was lost in thought. A familiar voice suddenly spoke up from the seat beside her. It was her best friend, Kang Juyeon, in their next ss, . Caught off guard, Moon Ga-eun stammered ¡°Huh? Wha, what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been smiling this whole time.¡± ¡°Ah, really? Ah, haha. I¡¯m excited to take ss with you, Juyeon. This is the only subject we have together this semester, right? Haha.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so.¡± Kang Juyeon tilted her head as if something was off, but¡­ Moon Ga-eun dispelled the crisis byughing it off. ¡®Juyeon can¡¯t know.¡¯ Moon Ga-eun resolved inwardly. In her eyes, Kang Juyeon liked Do Jae-hyun. Although Kang Juyeon herself strongly denied it and couldn¡¯t be honest with her feelings, having seen her for over 10 years, Moon Ga-eun was certain. At some point, whenever they met and talked, the topic of Do Jae-hyun came up frequently. When eating, drinking coffee, Kang Juyeon always mentioned Do Jae-hyun, and it got worse after he became an intern at . A man Kang Juyeon paid so much attention to. A man Kang Juyeonvished with overflowing favor. In the long years she had been friends with her, frankly, Moon Ga-eun had never seen this before. ¡®It was not a simple issue that could be brushed off as giving proper treatment to a capable Holder¡­¡¯ Kang Juyeon definitely liked Do Jae-hyun. Moon Ga-eun was convinced of it. In that situation. Do Jae-hyun acted as her fake boyfriend? And Kang Juyeon finds out about this¡­? She couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen. She didn¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°Oh? You guys are taking this ss too?¡± 5 minutes before ss started. Another familiar face approached. With her hair swept to one side and beautiful looks. A ssmate she had be acquainted with during the underground dungeon raid. 1st year Mage, Kim Chae-eun. Seeing her, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Whoa, Chae-eun, you¡¯re taking this ss too?¡± With Moon Ga-eun¡¯s sociable bright personality. And Kim Chae-eun, who readily opened her heart once she became friendly. The two unexpectedly clicked after meeting in the underground dungeon, and had be quite close. So their greeting and conversation were natural. ¡°Yeah. Professor Jeong Seon-young is my master.¡± ¡°Ah, right. I forgot about that.¡± The professor in charge of themon subject was Jeong Seon-young. An A-grade Holder Mage who joined the faculty this semester, and Kim Chae-eun¡¯s exclusive master. Although she was a rare Mage of the ice element, her understanding and application of magic was so outstanding and orthodox that her academic reputation was quite high. Naturally she was also popr among students. Thanks to that, the three ¡®underground dungeon party members¡¯ Moon Ga-eun, Kang Juyeon, and Kim Chae-eun were able toe together like this. Do Jae-hyun also signed up for this subject but had a different time slot. ¡°Juyeon¡­ Hello.¡± Sitting down next to Moon Ga-eun, Kim Chae-eun greeted Kang Juyeon beside her. ¡°¡­..¡± Kang Juyeon simply nodded in response. Unlike the sociable Moon Ga-eun, Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon weren¡¯t that close with each other. Due to Kim Chae-eun¡¯s personality she addressed her familiarly, but¡­ In other words, the rest was awkward. A chilly atmosphere flowed around them. The space suddenly felt quiet. In that opening, Kim Chae-eun opened her book and broke the silence. ¡°I feel like I totally struck it rich.¡± ¡°Rich? Why rich all of a sudden?¡± Surprised by her sudden words, Moon Ga-eun asked back. Why talk about being rich in front of two people from top ns? Kim Chae-eun naturally answered with a smile. ¡°I raided a dungeon with Jae-hyun during break and we coincidentally discovered an uncharted dungeon. If you add up the rewards we earned clearing it and the dungeon ownership rights¡­ it¡¯ll easily be over 10 billion won, right? So I feel super rich right now. Hehe.¡± Thud- The moment she finished speaking. A frighteningly loud, harsh sound of a book being mmed down was heard from beside her. ¡­It was the sound made by Kang Juyeon. The rewards, getting rich talk was unimportant. What was important were the first words. Just the two of them, field hunting. Those words that she absolutely could not let slide echoed in the air. Heavy anger burned from Kang Juyeon¡¯s seat. Moon Ga-eun broke into a cold sweat, but listened to the voice that followed. ¡°¡­Farewell party.¡± ¡°Huh? Wha, what did you say, Juyeon?¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun gave me a rare ne item as a gift at the farewell party.¡± ¡°N, ne?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ As thanks for helping out during his internship.¡± Hmm. I¡¯m a little envious about that too¡­? Surprised by her own thoughts, Moon Ga-eun shook her head to snap out of it. ¡®What am I thinking.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the time for other thoughts. Kang Juyeon¡¯s unexpected counterattack made the mood tense again. In the seat to Moon Ga-eun¡¯s right. Where Kim Chae-eun was sitting. Anger equal to what Kang Juyeon had shown earlier quietly seethed. Moreover, her being an ice element user made the atmosphere even colder. The desk and chair felt frozen. Moon Ga-eun carefully spoke up. ¡°¡­Guys, ss is starting soon¡­.¡± So could you calm down a bit¡­. Words chosen carefully to calm the two down as much as possible. But the two who were already locked in an invisible battle of nerves seemed unwilling to ease the mood. Just the two of them, field hunting. Giving a ne as a gift. The topics each had brought up kept swirling in their heads. Perhaps their emotions had already reached a boiling point. Fire and ice. Even their nerve battle was exceptionally fierce, with opposing elements. And caught between them was Moon Ga-eun. She thought carefully. ¡®This absolutely can¡¯t be found out.¡¯ That Do Jae-hyun, the core topic of the two. Had acted as her fake boyfriend. And maybe lies would be needed again if¡­ This was still ongoing. Above all, these two must absolutely. Absolutely never find out about this. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 105: Change and Contrast (1)

Chapter 105: Change and Contrast (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter Most of the subjects I¡¯m taking this new semester have been satisfactory. From starting with a thorough theoretical ss that was unexpected, to the sses of new lecturers Jeong Seon-young and Lim Hyun, and the legendary lectures of Professor Tak Won-ho that are still brilliant, even the foreignnguage sses that were more worthwhile than I thought. There wasn¡¯t a single ss I wanted to drop, and they all had a quality beyond what I had hoped for. This is enough that I don¡¯t need to make any enrollment adjustments at all. Just untilst semester, apart from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and Professor Tak¡¯s sses, there were almost no worthwhile lectures¡­ The improved quality of the Academy¡¯s lectures was truly astonishing. ¡°¡­So inverse grip dagger techniques can¡¯t always be said to be the most efficient. In the case of a short sword, a normal grip thrust can actually be more effective. Because the battles of the Assassin ss don¡¯t always just take ce with ambushes or back attacks, you need to consider various variables and situations when engaging inbat¡­¡± The most interesting of them all was, of course, Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s ss. She, who is recognized as the best in realbat, also turned out to be excellent at lecturing. With easy-to-understand exnations and proper word choices, she helped the students understand easily, and aroused anticipation for the practical lessons by showing simple examples here and there. Above all, her lectures are fun. Like when I was listening to in the 1st period, Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture was never boring and was entertaining. ¡®And it¡¯s natural.¡¯ The lecture of the first S-grade Holder in the Academy. I thought the tremendous title could have been burdensome, but¡­ Yoo Eun-seol calmly continued her lecture from beginning to end, demonstrating the dignity of the pinnacle that does not falter. She didn¡¯t seem nervous at all about the public¡¯s attention¡­ It was an amazinglyposed attitude. It was just like watching a seasoned professor¡¯s skilled lecture. ¡°¡­Remember, because the Assassin ss focuses on attacking, you must always keep in mind how you will get out of it if that attack fails. I want the students to think about it for yourselves before the next ss. Well then, that¡¯s the end of today¡¯s lecture.¡± Matching the level of the lecture, the students¡¯ concentration was also tremendous. There were no students who came just to get attendance credit for Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s ss, which they barely managed to register for. So for the entire 50 minutes of the lecture, the students didn¡¯t lose their focus and listened to the lecture. To the extent that when Yoo Eun-seol signaled the end, no one seemed ready to stand up. Yoo Eun-seol quietly looked around the ssroom, then nodded and closed her book. ¡°The next ss will be practical training, so bring your weapons. Good work everyone.¡± -Wow¡­ -Good work! -p p p p p As the lecture ended, therge ssroom was filled with apuse and greetings. Wow¡­ Are these really the Academy students I knew? When other professors end their lectures, they¡¯re the first to leave the ssroom, but in Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture they¡¯re giving her a round of apuse, which is unusual. But I understood how they felt. They had the exciting experience of an S-grade Holder¡¯s lecture, and it was a good lecture that lived up to its reputation. There was no reason to hold back on the apuse. p p p- So I also stopped my steps to leave and apuded. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°S-she¡¯sing this way.¡± But something strange happened. Tap tap tap- Yoo Eun-seol, who was exchanging greetings receiving the students¡¯ enthusiastic cheers on her way out, suddenly turned and headed in one direction. ¡­Precisely the window seat on the right diagonal. Where I was sitting. Her fluttering white dobok stopped in front of me. Yoo Eun-seol nced at me once, then said briefly, ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun,e see me in the professor¡¯s office after sses end today. There will be personal counseling scheduled.¡± With that, she turned around and left the ssroom again. A professor telling a student to meet for a brief consultation. It would¡¯ve been a very ordinary remark in any other case, but¡­ In this atmosphere, in this situation, it feltpletely different. It was amazing that she knew one student¡¯s name, and the situation where she was calling me in for a personal consultation. This was practically a bomb deration. ¡­And of course, it was my job to deal with the aftermath. ¡°What the. Who is he to get personal counseling?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Is it like one-on-one training or something? What¡¯s so special?¡± ¡°Could it be that she wants to take him as an exclusive disciple?¡± ¡°That guy, you know, the hottest 1st year these days, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Who the hell is that, nerd.¡± ¡°The remaining teacher and student alone? This is so¡­¡± Students buzzing all around me. Endless rumors branching out. Listening to them, I quietly grasped my head. No, Professor¡­ You could have just texted me¡­ *** Ippotrantion *** After sses ended, I went to Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s professor¡¯s office. The personal consultation with her didn¡¯t take as long as I thought. After having tea in her office, Yoo Eun-seol immediately took me to a personal training hall. Thanks to that, although sses were over for today, I was standing in full gear in a training hall. Yoo Eun-seol leaned lightly against the wall and looked at me. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, do you remember the promise we made back in the dungeon?¡± At those words, I looked around for a moment. Fortunately, since this was a personal training hall provided to professors and instructors, only Yoo Eun-seol and I were here. ¡°Are you referring to the dual dungeon raid?¡± ¡°Yes. At the time, Holder Do Jae-hyun asked me to wait until you had the skills to raid together.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± The dual dungeon located inside . I didn¡¯t know exactly how high the dungeon¡¯s level was, but I could predict that my current level was woefully inadequate. Even with the help of an S-grade Holder, raiding the dungeon¡­ In a high-level dungeon where any variables could ur, I needed to build up at least enough skills to protect myself. On top of that, just sitting there and getting bussed through a dungeon without doing anything wasn¡¯t that good for me, who needed bat contribution¡¯. Yoo Eun-seol nodded and continued. ¡°epting the Academy instructor position proposed by Professor Tak Won-ho was the biggest reason for that. To bring that wait forward. To help Holder Do Jae-hyun¡¯s growth even a little.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± This was information I had heard in advance from Professor Tak Won-ho. Yoo Eun-seol came to the Academy because of me? I still have a hard time believing it, but her joining as an instructor proved it. Whether she knew it or not, the dual dungeon in seemed quite important to Yoo Eun-seol. On top of that, a Holder with that ¡®prerequisite¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to be easily found either. Thanks to various strokes of good luck, I was able to take Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture directly. But from there, Yoo Eun-seol made a new proposal. ¡°But just giving mass lectures has its limitations. To achieve our nned goal¡­I felt that more concrete education was necessary. As I said before, I hope it doesn¡¯t exceed one semester.¡± Yoo Eun-seol took out a dagger from her clothes. Then she turned it towards me and looked into my eyes. ¡°So I want to give Holder Do Jae-hyun additional guidance.¡± ¡°Additional guidance¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I know Holder Do Jae-hyun is already an exceptional prospect with remarkable growth potential and speed¡­but we need to elerate that a bit more. So I want us to coordinate our time and engage in consistent one-on-one training every day.¡± It was a bold offer. Just listening to Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture filled me with anticipation, and now I could get personal training from her every day¡­? An opportunity that may nevere again. And it was a chance to raise the Assassin ss that I had practically abandoned. ¡°Then¡­are you taking me as your exclusive disciple?¡± When I tensely asked, Yoo Eun-seol shook her head. ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to be exclusive. Anyway, the period Holder Do Jae-hyun and I are nning for is after one semester has passed, until next winter break. It would be better to think of it as a temporary contractual rtionship until we raid the dungeon.¡± Ah¡­ I let out a light sigh, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s offer was reasonable. An S-grade Holder wasn¡¯t someone you could find hanging around the backyard, and suddenly taking on a partnered Holder as an exclusive disciple was stranger. On top of that, even a short-term contract had no downsides for me. It was personal training from Yoo Eun-seol, after all. Even if it wasn¡¯t exclusive, being able to take her dedicated lessons for one semester was an enormous blessing as an Assassin-type. ¡®Ah.¡¯ But there was one thing I couldn¡¯t give up. Suddenly remembering something, I slightly raised my hand and asked. ¡°Then¡­ would it be okay if I called you Master during the dedicated lessons?¡± Even if it¡¯s a four month half-discipleship¡­ I can¡¯t easily abandon the title of Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s first disciple. At my sudden question, Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s eyes widened slightly, then she smiled gently and nodded. ¡°Yes, do that.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± And so. The temporary master-disciple rtionship between Yoo Eun-seol and I was established. *** Ippotrantion *** And the one-on-one guidance from my master that followed was¡­ [The freely wielded dagger, as if handling a limb! Now even you cannot distinguish whether the small de in your hand is a weapon. The Martial art greatly grows due to the rapid proficiency increase in dagger techniques.] [The ¡®Master of Martial Arts¡¯ rune has leveled up.] [You gained 1 point of Speed from the rune¡¯s nature.] [You obtained the derived skill ¡®Staircase sh¡¯ from the ¡®Master of Martial Arts¡¯ rune.] The effect was tremendous. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 106: Change and Contrast (2)

Chapter 106: Change and Contrast (2)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter ¡°I read all the evaluation reports on Holder Do Jae-hyun in advance before.¡± Yoo Eun-seol slightly opened her mouth. ¡°He entered as an assassin-type but shows more talent as a warrior-type and has grown towards the warrior side. And he is the student Holder who shows the fastest growth among 1st grade Holders. That¡¯s what it said.¡± Hearing it directly is a bit embarrassing, but it¡¯s true. It¡¯s also true that my abilities are focused mainly on the warrior side now, and there was probably no student in 1st grade growing faster than me. [Rune Hunter] and [Effort of the Seeker]. And [Swirling Tidal Wave] to some extent. Because there were so many runes rted to gaining new abilities and growing existing abilities, my growth rate was hard topare with others. Yoo Eun-seol opened her eyes slightly and continued. ¡°And from what I saw when we conquered the dungeon together¡­ You Look like a versatile Multi-Holder with the abilities of the mage-type as well, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± There was no need to hide it. It was already known to many groups and individuals like that I can use attribute magic runes like fire and lightning. Although I can¡¯t use skills freely like a regr mage by learning arrays and manifestations in [Magic Control], I could use the attributes to some extent and the root was the mage ss after all. ¡®The abilities are divided into three.¡¯ When tanking is needed, sword and shield, when physical attack is needed, two-handed sword, when magic attack is needed, attribute magic runes. Mybat style was divided like this for maximum efficiency when solo hunting. ¡°But when I read the report, and when I saw Holder Do Jae-hyun directly inbat. The use of assassin-type abilities assigned at the time of admission was hardly visible. At best, it would be throwing techniques, right?¡± Her words were right on point. The four daggers in my waist, like my trademark. One of my regr weapons along with the two-handed sword, but when I use them, it¡¯s only when I use throwing techniques, specifically the derived skill [Quarter Knife]. [Quarter Knife], effective for ambushes and preemptive strikes. But since it has a cooldown, I can¡¯t use it for a while after using it once. Even ¡®throwing techniques¡¯ that I use often is just one of the options in my variousbat styles. ¡°While weapons are not very important for assassin-types if they have decent attack power¡­ We still need weapons of at leastmon level. And in most cases, that¡¯s a dagger or short sword.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± In summary, what Yoo Eun-seol was pointing out to me was: You¡¯re an assassin-type, why do you use throwing techniques only? But I feel wronged. I have a lot to say about this. ¡®How can I use it withoutmon runes¡­.¡¯ Although I¡¯m called an assassin-type, honestly I was a half-assed assassin with only [Dagger]. Typicalmon runes for the assassin-type are [Stealth], [Agility], [Weakness Detection], etc. Coremon runes that assist the ambush and strike of the assassin-type. Just like how [Magic Amplification] rune greatly increases the power of the mage, the assassin also needed these support runes to exert their full power. Without that, using daggers or short swords is a waste of time. Rather, it was more effective to build up my warrior-type abilities by learning [Water Sword Technique] and [Wave Sword Technique]. But the situation has changed a bit. Unlike before when I had no foundation, I¡¯m somewhat prepared now. [Stealth] obtained while hunting Electrophorus has reached level 7, and I have [Agility] as well as [Agile Agility], which is an advanced version of it, in dodging runes. Although there are othermon runes I haven¡¯t acquired yet, just this support was enough to handle the assassin-type abilities fairly well. Yoo Eun-seol took out two short swords from her arms and said. ¡°I think it¡¯s because you haven¡¯t learned martial arts runes.¡± ¡°Martial arts runes¡­.¡± ¡°Yes. Simply possessing dagger runes and possessing sword technique runes rted to wielding daggers makes a huge difference in application.¡± Tap- Yoo Eun-seol threw the two short swords she took out at me. I carefully grabbed their hilts. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, have you heard of Plum Blossom Sword Technique?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a martial arts rune that is often used in China, right?¡± Because China has a long history and legends rted to martial arts, martial arts like that are also often registered as runes. [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] is the same. ¡®Volcanic Wave¡¯. It was one of their representative martial arts, often appearing in martial arts novels. ¡°That¡¯s right. The exact name is Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique. But aftering to Korea, and assassin-types started using this sword technique with short swords, a downgraded version was derived. That¡¯s the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.¡± I didn¡¯t know that much about history. But at least I could understand why Yoo Eun-seol brought up this story. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I will teach Holder Do Jae-hyun this Plum Blossom Sword Technique during this semester.¡± The dagger or short sword sword technique rune I was going to learn. It turned out to be [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. It would be best to learn [Snow Plum Blossom], the epic rune, but¡­ That¡¯s not something you can just learn because you want to, and Yoo Eun-seol wouldn¡¯t easily teach her core main rune either. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started. Pick up the short swords.¡± Yoo Eun-seol said so with a slight smile. I realized after 10 minutes. That the faint smile was the devil¡¯s smile. *** Ippotrantion *** I walked around the academy, hitting my waist and shoulders. ¡°Ouch, I¡¯m sore¡­.¡± My whole body was screaming for the first time in a long time. It¡¯s the result of taking sses pushed to the extreme. Honestly, there¡¯s no actual muscle pain thanks to my endurance stat and [Tough Endurance], but hitting non-stop makes me feel like that mentally. Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s lecture was that vicious. ¡°Hoo¡­.¡± To conclude first. I didn¡¯t acquire the [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] rune today. It¡¯s obvious. No matter how much it¡¯s a downgraded derived rune, martial arts runes can¡¯t be easily learned in a day or two. It took quite a while to learn the two-handed sword martial arts runes [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] as well. ¡°But it wasn¡¯tpletely fruitless.¡± The effect of exclusive lessons from an S-grade Holder was tremendous. Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s relentless one-on-one guidance without a break. After receiving all that hard lesson, my understanding of dagger techniques rose rapidly. One-on-one education itself is much more efficient, but guidance on posture and pointed areas shine even more. Her feedbackes in immediately on parts I don¡¯t know or get stuck on¡­ And ording to that, parts to fix are corrected right away without having to stubbornly run into it. So the effect was iparable to sitting in a ssroom and receiving many-to-one lectures. ¡°The rune level went up too.¡± It feels like it¡¯s been a while since rune level went up just from training or education. Today¡¯s lesson greatly increased my dagger proficiency, and as a result, the rune level of [Master of Martial Arts] went up. On top of that, I obtained a derived skill called [Staircase sh]¡­ ¡ò Name: Staircase sh ¡ò Derived Rune: Master of Martial Arts ¡ò Cooldown Time: 30 minutes ¡ò Condition of Use: Must be holding daggers in reverse grip ¡ò Effect of Use: ¨C : sh rapidly upwards with two daggers held in reverse grip, like climbing stairs. Strong magic can be concentrated in the first sh of climbing the stairs and the final sh upon reaching the top. Reading the description gave me a very familiar feeling. The short sword skills were shown by the assassin-type n member Choi Dong-wook, when he was hunting Electrophorus as part of the Hunting Team 5 party of . As soon as I read the skill description, Choi Dong-wook¡¯s movements at the time came to mind. It seems the skill Choi Dong-wook used at that time was [Staircase sh]. A practical skill like [Combo] that assists movement when using weapons, and aposite skill like [Quarter Knife] that concentrates physical attack with magic. It looked like a pretty decent directbat skill. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m here already.¡± While organizing what I learned today and walking¡­ I had arrived before I realized it. ¨C Warrior ss A Building 301 [Private Office ¨C Kim Myeong-hyun] Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s office. I came here countless times after bing his exclusive disciple, but today I came for a different purpose. It wasn¡¯t a day for exclusive lessons either, and since he doesn¡¯t have any sses this semester, it wasn¡¯t rted to that either. I slowly knocked on the office door. ¨C Knock knock ¡°Yes, pleasee in.¡± I could hear Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s soft voice. As I opened the door and entered, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was sitting preparing tea. He suggested I sit on the sofa and asked. ¡°Is cafe mocha alright? I bought it ording to my taste.¡± ¡°I like sweet things too.¡± I don¡¯t just like it, I go crazy over sweet stuff. I¡¯m the kind of person who loves sugary things. Having to drink Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s bitter espresso every time we drink tea together is such a pain, so it was fortunate that Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and I had simr tastes for sweet drinks. Sip- I calmly took a sip of cafe mocha after sitting down. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun smiled peculiarly and asked me. ¡°Is this our first time seeing each other since the semester started?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met since the ultimate skill issue duringst vacation.¡± ¡°Haha. That¡¯s right. I was so surprised when you said you had learned Water Sword Dance then¡­.¡± No matter how I think about it, the speed was too fast. Around when the semester evaluations ended and vacation started. That was when I first received education on [Water Sword Dance] from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡­ And I learned it before the vacation even fully ended. So Professor Kim Myeong-hyun also couldn¡¯t easily believe it, which is why I remember demonstrating [Water Sword Dance] in front of him at some point. His face, which had been calm, dyed in shock¡­ Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s expression at that time still wasn¡¯t easily forgotten. ¡°Although I have a lot I want to say since it¡¯s been a while¡­ Professor Kim Myeong-hyun left his words trailing off vaguely. Then he nced at the calendar briefly. And looked back at me again. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll have plenty of time the day after tomorrow. So let¡¯s get right to the point, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Every Thursday is the day I receive exclusive lessons from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Today is Tuesday. Just two days left until I have time to unwind. Today I came for an issue unrted to lessons¡­ We needed to focus on discussing that. After drinking coffee one more time, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s expression became very serious as he asked me. ¡°You want to¡­ make a new circle?¡± The real reason why I came to see Professor Kim Myeong-hyun today, not for exclusive lessons. Regarding that content¡­ Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was asking me first. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 107: Contrast and Change (3)

Chapter 107: Contrast and Change (3)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun looked over the documents carefully with a prudent expression. They were documents I had submitted to him beforehand. . ¡°It¡¯s¡­ quite detailed.¡± While circles at the academy are intended to have a lighthearted atmosphere like clubs at colleges or high schools, establishing one is not as free as the mood. Circles are ¡®officially recognized organizations¡¯ within the academy. There are quite a lot of circle-rted events held internally, and prominent circles must attend major events like the end-of-year academy festival or ¡®Battle Tournament¡¯. ¡®Because they receive funding.¡¯ It goes without saying, but¡­ Circles like this require a supervising professor. The supervising professor has the status of a superior managing the circle externally, and many projects or ns carried out within the circle require the professor¡¯s authorization to proceed. The reason I came to see Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was the same. Establishing a new circle. Without a supervising professor, it¡¯s impossible to even discuss it. I came to ask Professor Kim Myeong-hyun to be the advisor for the new circle I wanted to create. And among the many professors, the reason I specifically chose Professor Kim Myeong-hyun for this new circle was¡­ ¡°A circle dedicated to students directly tracking down and catching viins¡­ it¡¯s certainly an interesting idea.¡± The reason was that. The new circle I¡¯m trying to establish, . I thought Professor Kim Myeong-hyun would be the only professor willing to ept such a dangerous circle. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, whose resentment towards grew after the Ha Do-kwon incident. He would surely be positive about establishing this circle. ¡°On the other hand, it¡¯s also a very dangerous undertaking.¡± But things don¡¯t always go as expected. Professor Kim shook his head and brought up a principled issue first. In fact, his words were reasonable. Looking around the Holder world, is difficult for anyone alone to catch and defeat. Students facing off against such a vicious and powerful n? Honestly, almost no one would agree to the proposal. Without being discouraged, I took a sip of coffee and started persuading him calmly. ¡°As you know, professor, many spies have already infiltrated the academy. Not only students, but staff, security guards¡­ they may even have influence over professors and the administration.¡± Spies from are in the academy! For the administration and professors, it was a sensitive topic. But as long as it wasn¡¯t publicized, many would agree. Just in the first semester, there were already two incidents suspected of being, or conclusively, ¡¯s doing. The academy leadership probably also acknowledged this implicitly. Besides, it was information I had to bring up to establish . ¡°In particr, their actions have been growing bolder recently. The fact that during the final evaluations with professors observing, a spy brazenly tried to kill a ssmate, even using a berserk potion. This absolutely cannot be overlooked or allowed to happen again.¡± Professor Kim flinched at the topic I brought up. The incident at the end ofst semester when Kim Chae-eun almost died. Fortunately, Kim Chae-eun wasn¡¯t seriously injured and the incident was resolved, so we tried not to bring it up¡­ But it could have ended terribly for her. It would still be a trigger for Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. ¡°Thankfully there were no victims that time, but we can¡¯t predict what incident could ur afterwards and produce a victim.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Besides, many students already died from the emergence of monstersst semester.¡± ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, do you think the emergence of monsters was ¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°I believe there was a clear reason for the sudden rupture of the barrier.¡± My firm response made Professor Kim Myeong-hyun sigh deeply. After the ¡®Ha Do-kwon incident¡¯, I didn¡¯t know what ns he had made. In any case, it was a shocking incident where he almost lost his daughter, so he must have been nning definite revenge to match his hatred. ¡®¡­It¡¯s not easy alone.¡¯ But he had his own limitations. As an academy professor, it was difficult for him to move and act directly, and was far too huge a criminal organization for one person to oppose alone. In the end, a group could only be matched by another group. A small association active within the academy? While seemingly less reliable, it could be a decent means when viewed differently. ¡®At least they have the academy¡¯s protection.¡¯ No matter how much vilification they received, the academy was still the academy. The Tak n, a prestigious family of swordsmasters, operated it, and cooperated closely with various ns and groups internally and externally. While could harm individuals within the academy or orchestrate certain incidents, they couldn¡¯t recklessly attack a circle officially approved and established in the academy. If they could have, after the Ha Do-kwon incident, wouldn¡¯t have had to hide like rats. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun made a contemtive expression again. My persuasion seemed to be working. Persuading Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, who already had tremendous hostility towards , would have been difficult to fail. I drove in the wedge. ¡°Admittedly, some aspects of the circle¡¯s work may be dangerous. But I think it¡¯s necessary precisely because it¡¯s dangerous. At least internal precautions should exist to prevent ¡¯s actions urring in the academy.¡± I looked Professor Kim Myeong-hyun in the eye as I continued. ¡°And¡­ I think you¡¯re the only professor willing to authorize such a dangerous-natured circle.¡± With thatst line¡­ Professor Kim Myeong-hyun finally nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll authorize the establishment of this new circle. I¡¯ll be the supervising professor.¡± Yes¡­! The deliberation was long, but the answer was decisive. It seemed he had already been leaning towards approval. I lowered my head brightly. ¡°Thank you, Professor!¡± Fortunately. No matter how I thought about it, there was no one except Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Professor Tak was already advising a circle, so it would have been difficult, and recent acquaintances like Yoo Eun-seol and Jeong Seon-young weren¡¯t official professors so they couldn¡¯t advise a circle. Other professors, well, they wouldn¡¯t have epted such a circle in the first ce. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, does Professor Tak Won-ho also know about this?¡± ¡°Yes. I mentioned it to him before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯ll make things easier if there are noints from the administration.¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun suddenly stood up from his seat. He went over to his desk, took out some documents, then¡­ Came over and handed them to me. ¡°You may already know this, but at least 15 members are required to establish a new circle.¡± ¡°Yes. I know it¡¯s 15.¡± ¡°Correct. A total of 15 members. In other words, our circle needs 15 members. The circle admission period starts the week after next, so you need to recruit all new members by next week and get approved within the academy.¡± A whopping 15 new members. It was quite a burden for someone trying to newly establish a circle, but I wasn¡¯t too worried. ¡®There are many who harbor resentment towards .¡¯ There were quite a lot of student Holders in the academy who held ill will towards . Not just dislike towards a criminal organization, but¡­ Those whopletely loathed and hated them. Just off the top of my head, there were four or five people I could think of. When we posted a recruitment notice, they would surely rush to join, believing it right. Because until now, no one in the academy had tried to create a circle of this sort. ¡®¡­I was only trying to avoid it at first.¡¯ A bitter smile escaped at the sudden thought. When I first arrived in this world. I tried to avoid contact with as much as possible. Their power was so great for an individual to oppose, and as a group of psychopaths who casuallymitted serious crimes, getting involved with them seemed far too dangerous. But that n went awry after I got caught up in the ¡®Academy Monster Emergence¡¯ incident by chance. Park Jin-woo, who should have drawn ¡¯s attention a bit, waspletely absent from the scene, so I ended up taking his ce. ¡®¡­And the final evaluations.¡¯ Amplifying ¡¯s n to throw the academy into chaos. The ¡®murder victim of Ha Do-kwon¡¯ who yed that role was Kim Chae-eun, so¡­ The situationpletely changed. I stepped forward as if I knew the n, stopping Ha Do-kwon, and through this incident, earned ¡¯s full wariness. It wasn¡¯t just the changes around me. My perception of also changed. ¡®¡­Trying to kill Kim Chae-eun?¡¯ Scum who tried to kill precious people. If I hid from them out of fear, I¡¯d just be an idiot. I had to build up my strength to fight them somehow, and devise measures to stand against them. Establishing the circle. It was the first step towards that, and the first ¡®direct change I¡¯d attempted¡¯ since being possessed here. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while. Let¡¯s continue the unfinished discussion after Thursday¡¯s dedicated ss ends.¡± ¡°Understood, Professor. Thank you.¡± At Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s words, I stood up from my seat again. While doing so, I pictured the new members I would recruit. Whether the opponent was or whatever. Since it was about ¡®fighting¡¯ anyway¡­ Park Jin-woo would definitely be okay, right? Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 108: Change and Contrast (4)

Chapter 108: Change and Contrast (4)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus chapter The second semester of Academy Year 3 is busy without a moment to spare. It¡¯s thest semester of thest year. If it were high school, it would be the graduating ss; if it were college, it would be the job-hunting ss. Most of the lectures have already ended, and now is the time to knock on n doors to prepare for recruitment. Yoon Ji-a, a 3rd year Mage student and B-grade fire element Holder. She is also the president of , arge circle at the Academy that studies fire magic. ¡°¡­But I still need to wrap up the circle work.¡± Yoon Ji-a has been incredibly busytely, but she tries not to neglect the circle work. is a precious circle that¡¯s been with her for 3 years at the Academy. A circle where fire-oriented students gather to purely research fire and study rted magic. It also has a long-standing history as an orthodox research circle. Like any other student, Yoon Ji-a joined in her 1st year 2nd semester, and was appointed president in her 2nd year, surprisingly early, after being recognized for her abilities and leadership. Having led the circle from such an early stage, it holds a special ce for her. So even in this incredibly busy semester, if had work, Yoon Ji-a woulde to the Academy. ¡°Senior, you came?¡± ¡°Yeah. I came early, huh?¡± ¡°Yes, because I have to put up posters today.¡± Yoon Ji-a greeted the 2nd year junior who was waiting for her. Starting today is the period when circles vigorously promote themselves within the Academy. , an extremely popr circle, is also active during the promotion period. The bigger the organization, the more they need to focus on the basics. This is one of the universal rules that applies in any society. ¡°The promotion posters turned out well?¡± ¡°Yes, here.¡± Swish- Yoon Ji-a unfolded therge promotional poster handed to her by the junior. A drawing of a zing fire and a neat logo. An exnation representing the pride of a major circle and eye-catching advantages at a nce. It was a promotional poster thatcked nothing as a promotional poster, and more than anything, perfectly captured the character of . A smile spread across Yoon Ji-a¡¯s lips. ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°Right? Ju-hee drew it herself.¡± ¡°Ju-hee did? She has a talent for drawing?¡± While exchanging trivial chatter about the poster, before she knew it, they had arrived at the student council building where they had to put up the promotional materials. At the center of the student council building is arge promotional bulletin board. As consistently scored high in the ¡®circle points¡¯ officially calcted by the Academy, they were allowed to promote on the main bulletin board ording to regtions. ¡°Senior, how¡¯s this location?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can post it anywhere better than this.¡± ¡°Hehe, right?¡± ¡°Since we have a lot of promotional stuff to put up, let¡¯s post some here and get moving.¡± ¡°Yes, senior.¡± Marketing doesn¡¯t make much difference by forcing it anyway. Short and impactful. Through experience so far, Yoon Ji-a knew that was the basis of promotion. While moving to other bulletin boards within the student council building. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why, senior?¡± Suddenly, something caught Yoon Ji-a¡¯s eye. Passing the main promotional board¡­ On the small promotional board located near the edge of the student council building. It was usually used by small circles or new circles to post promotional materials. It was a ce she would normally nce by, but for some reason, there was a promotional poster that grabbed her attention. ¨C Circle name: Anti-Viin (new) ¨C Circle head: Do Jae-hyun (1st year / Assassin) ¨C A circle that studies the viin n, a criminal organization. It aims for various activities against viins, such as foiling premeditated crimes or exposing spies who have infiltrated the Academy. ¡°A new circle made by a 1st year student? Studying viins? Hahaha. No one¡¯s gonna apply. And the promotional poster is so half-assed.¡± The junior reading it with her ridiculed the promotional material. What the junior said was true. While it was short and impactful, it had a pdash feel without any particr drawings or logos¡­ And the content was also one of those ¡®new circle by 1st year student¡¯ promotions thate out every year. At a nce, it was clearly a clich¨¦ promotional material. ¡®How¡­¡¯ But to Yoon Ji-a, it meant somethingpletely different. Seeing that poster, she felt like she had been hit on the head with a hammer. A very long time ago, even before she awakened as a Holder¡­ Yoon Ji-a lost her best friend to a n member. Her friend was ruthlessly murdered by a n member in a ¡®random killing¡¯ without any connection or reason. It made news several times and caused a social stir¡­ But in the end, the criminal was never caught. ¡®¡­¡­.¡¯ But Yoon Ji-a could only swallow her resentment inwardly. There was nothing else she could do. After bing a rune Holder, she vowed revenge many times¡­ But was not a n to be taken lightly. They were too massive of an organization for her to take on alone, and even gathering a group wouldn¡¯t produce much results. Even the Holder Association can¡¯t wipe out , that¡¯s the reality. Whenever she tried to do something against , she was always discouraged by the thought that it would be meaningless anyway. ¡®But¡­¡¯ But here. A student created a circle. A circle to study and oppose them. . As the name suggests, a circle that boycotts everything about . That dangerous and difficult path¡­ A 1st year student Holder was walking it by forming it as a new circle. Seeing that, an indescribable emotion¡­ A corner of Yoon Ji-a¡¯s heart that she had once given up on¡­ Began to stir slightly and fluctuate. It was really unbelievable, even to Yoon Ji-a herself. It was a rough wave of emotion. ¡°¡­Senior, senior? Why are you like that?¡± 5 minutes, no 10 minutes. Yoon Ji-a, who had been staring nkly only at the notice¡­ Finally turned to look at her junior. ¡°So Yoon-ah.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The junior, who had been chattering about the notice, was surprised by the sudden call. Yoon Ji-a made a shocking proposal to her. ¡°Do you want to be president?¡± ¡°Ye¡­yes?!?!¡± 2nd semester of 3rd year. With only one semester left in the graduating ss. A small me was kindled in Yoon Ji-a¡¯s heart. *** Ippotrantion *** [Falling plum blossoms, a sword finding its path. Your stance with daggers in both hands grows closer to the plum blossom¡¯s movements. Proficiency in Plum Blossom Sword Technique has increased.] [The level of the ¡®Plum Blossom Sword Technique¡¯ rune has increased.] [1 Speed acquired from the rune¡¯s nature.] As expected, the private lessons with Yoo Eun-seol were extremely satisfying, no, even more satisfying than expected. The ¡®dagger as a throwing weapon¡¯ was different from the ¡®dagger (short sword) as a main weapon¡¯, which was the essence of the assassin discipline. Through Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s concentrated coaching, my vague understanding of dagger techniques gained more depth, and thanks to that, I was able to achieve my first goal of acquiring the rare rune [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] just a week after starting private lessons. ¡°The rune level went up? The movements have gotten sharper.¡± Yoo Eun-seol, who was watching my training, spoke up. As expected from the master who taught me swordsmanship. She noticed my change right away. ¡°Yes, master. It just reached level 2.¡± ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun is really amazing. It¡¯s barely been a few hours since you obtained the rune, how did you raise the rune level in less than a day¡­¡± The reason was obviously thanks to [Effort of the Seeker]. With the special effect of 3 times faster rune level growth and Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s one-on-one lessonsbined, the growth rate was absurdly fast. I didn¡¯t know I could raise rune levels this quickly either. ¡®Looks like I¡¯m notpletely talentless after all¡­.¡¯ At first when learning [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], I was worried I might not be able to master it at all. Like how I didn¡¯t get anymon runes during awakening, I thought I might not obtain other derivative runes due tock of talent. But fortunately I was able to acquire the rune without any issues. Once I obtained the rune, the subsequent growth went smoothly. ¡°Next lesson, I¡¯ll teach you how to apply Plum Blossom Sword Technique together with vision type runes. Holder Do Jae-hyun, you have vision runes, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I have them.¡± ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s stop here today and see them next lesson.¡± ¡°Understood. Thank you, master¡­!!¡± After the private lesson with Yoo Eun-seol, which wentte into the night¡­ I hurriedly moved my steps. Although it was veryte, I had things to do today. ¨C Hello, I contacted you after seeing the notice. I have the application form and wanted toe meet you¡­what time and where should Ie until? Yesterday I had posted a notice about , and today I got a contact from someone wanting to join right away. Even if it¡¯s an essential new circle recruiting members, I can¡¯t just add members with only a text message without meeting them or getting an application form. The location was an empty lecture room inside the warrior discipline building. Fortunately, it looked like I could barely make it in time. When I hurriedly arrived at the lecture room, the student who contacted me was already sitting at one end of the lecture room. ¡°Hello- You came early, huh? I had some things to do so I just made it on time, sorry about¡­¡± As I was casually conveying an apologetic greeting, Suddenly, the student sitting there lifted their head. And¡­ ¡°Oh. Nice to meet you, Do Jae-hyun. I¡¯m Ji Yoon-jae, 1st year assassin student. This is our first time talking right? Even though we¡¯re same-year ssmates in the same discipline.¡± The man with the sharp features sitting at the desk. Was someone I never could have expected. I silently looked at Ji Yoon-jae, who was smiling and holding out his hand. This ispletely¡­ A huge fish right from the start. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 110: Change and Contrast (6)

Chapter 110: Change and Contrast (6)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡®Yoon Ji-a? Did you say Yoon Ji-a?¡¯ I blinked in disbelief and read the text again. [010-xxx¡­] Hello. I¡¯m Yoon Ji-a, a 3rd year wizard. I saw the notice and contacted you ¨C I was wondering if you¡¯re epting applications from 3rd year students? I know I¡¯d only be able to participate for one semester, but I really want to join the circle. ¡®Wow, it really is Yoon Ji-a.¡¯ There was no reason for her to lie in an application, so it must be the real Yoon Ji-a. The president of the circle, and the possessor of exceptional skill. Due to her near-perfect mastery of fire magic, she was a Holder that made even Kang Juyeon feel like she had hit a wall. And she was contacting the circle to ask about joining. ¡®Is she quitting me Dance?¡¯ If someone like her, a circle president, wanted to join our circle, it meant she was quitting . Was our circle so attractive that she¡¯d do that? Absolutely not. We were just a new circle with a grandiose slogan but nothing substantial yet. So there could only be one conclusion. ¡®Yoon Ji-a must have a grudge against the too¡­!!¡¯ Most of the Holders inquiring about joining our circle had this sort of reason. Either they or someone close to them had been victimized by . Otherwise, there was no reason to join a circle whose dangers were still unknown. That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t too worried about recruiting essential members ¨C I figured there would naturally be enough people interested in the circle for this reason. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing.¡¯ Yoon Ji-ah was not among the recruits I had envisioned, but if I could bring her, there was no doubt that she would be the best member. The reason is, of course, because of Kang Juyeon. If only Yoon Ji-ah woulde to our circle, there would be no reason for Kang Juyeon to be in . After all, the only stimulus she needs is Yoon Ji-ah. And if I didn¡¯t stop Kang Juyeon¡¯s growth, I also had no reason to stop Kang Juyeon from joining . ¡°What¡¯s with that text that you¡¯re making that face at¡­?¡± Seeing me stare at my phone for a while, Kang Juyeon asked. I looked at her with a bright smile. ¡°Juyeon.¡± ¡°¡­What, what is it?¡± Maybe because I suddenly called out to her, Kang Juyeon answered with a visibly flustered face. I spoke to her in an excited voice. ¡°Let¡¯s do it together, the circle.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** Awooo-!! Swish- whoosh, whoosh-!! ¡°Hey! Why aren¡¯t you doing it when you said you wouldn¡¯t!?¡± I shouted at Park Jin-woo fighting beside me, using the newly learned [Staircase sh] on the attacking wolves. Awoo, awooo-!! Snap! Thwack- m-!! Park Jin-woo was also busy dealing with the wolves with his sword, unable to spare any attention. ¡°It has! Nothing! To do! With me!¡± I had to earnestly persuade him to join the circle, as I had assumed he would readily ept the offer. Unexpectedly, he declined to join, saying he wasn¡¯t very interested in fighting viins. ¡®Is it because the opportunity hasn¡¯t risen yet?¡¯ The point when Park Jin-woo would directly sh with was during the ¡®Academy Annihtion Operation¡¯ towards the end of the story. When infiltrated the academy he was quietly training as a student and they ughtered many students. Park Jin-woo, as a student, naturally had no reason not to fight the group destroying his educational institution. And that wasn¡¯t all. As Park Jin-woo rose as one of the core powers on the academy¡¯s side, targeted his younger sister, Park Yoon-seo. At the time, Park Jin-woo was in 2nd year and his sister Park Yoon-seo was a 1st year new student. Fortunately, he seeded in rescuing Park Yoon-seo, but vicious attempt to go after his family sparked Park Jin-woo¡¯s fury to the extreme. ¡®That¡¯s when the all-out war began.¡¯ Park Jin-woo, representing the academy¡¯s core fighting force, the major n and Holder associations¡­ , facing all-out war against every Holder-rted organization in Korea. I had thought of recruiting him with that picture in mind, but¡­ Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t seem particrly interested in before this ¡®opportunity¡¯ arose. Thanks to that, I was here earnestly trying to rope him into joining by bringing him to the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯ Dungeon. [As the falling plum blossoms have the shadow of a sharp de etched upon them, it¡¯s hard to discern whether your dagger is the plum blossom or the plum blossom is your dagger. Your proficiency in the Plum Blossom Sword Technique has increased.] [The level of the ¡®Plum Blossom Sword Technique¡¯ rune has risen.] Meanwhile, my rune levels steadily rose. Recently I had been learning dagger techniques (short sword techniques) from Yoo Eun-seol, frequently utilizing these Assassin-type runes. With high utilization came steady growth. [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] was already at level 4. ¡®I wonder if Plum Blossom Sword Technique has an ultimate skill too?¡¯ I know Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s [Snowy Plum Blossoms] has an ultimate skill. [Plum Blossoms Settling on a Snowy Field]. The ultimate skill like her trademark. But I was unsure whether its derivative form [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] had an ultimate skill. Since it was a rather rare martial arts rune, I figured I could build some decent skills just by raising the level steadily, even if there was no ultimate skill. Awooo¡­. Grrr- Thud! Around the time I was finishing up the hunt, lost in thought. Park Jin-woo alsoboriously stabbed his sword into the wolf¡¯s neck, ending his battle. The entrance of the Stained Rock Pile Dungeon. Grade B monsters that traveled in packs, the Gray Wolves. Park Jin-woo had soloed one while I handled the rest of the wolves alone. [Descendants of the Barbarian King], and [Oppression]. Thanks to the stat-pumpingbo I had utilized before, luckily it wasn¡¯t too hard to face multiple B-grade monsters. ¡°Are you even human? How did you take them all on alone¡­¡± Once the fight ended, Park Jin-woo looked at me like I was some kind of monster. I have to admit it now. That I am a monster. What C-grade Holder could solo five B-grade monsters? But since that wasn¡¯t originally my own strength, I honestly told him. ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly my original power. My stats go up a lot when I¡¯m fighting multiple enemies.¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s eyes grew wide at my words. ¡°What? There¡¯s an effect like that? What rune is that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I can¡¯t tell you, bro.¡± I probably could tell him and he might believe me, but¡­. I clunked over and rummaged through the Gray Wolf corpses. It was to apply the theory I had been learning recently. Thunk- schluck- ¡°Ugh, this is annoying. Why isn¡¯t this working?¡± As expected, theory without practical experience wasn¡¯t perfect. Despite thinking I was butchering them decently, without the proper runes and skills the hides wouldn¡¯te off cleanly. After a rough attempt at butchering, I soon moved my hands to the magic stones that were easier to harvest. Then I spoke to Park Jin-woo again. ¡°Hey, you really won¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°I told you I won¡¯t do it- It¡¯s not a training circle or a sparring circle, so what¡¯s the point of joining.¡± ¡°We might be able to fight viins too, you know?¡± ¡°Maybe we can, but we aren¡¯t fighting them right now, are we? If we were really fighting, that would be a n, not a circle.¡± Uncharacteristically logical words from Park Jin-woo. While we were a circle researching and preparing countermeasures against , it was far removed from the training or sparring Park Jin-woo wanted. Since we weren¡¯t directly shing with in an all-out battle. And if we did end up in outright battle, that would be a problem in itself. It would make the biggest weakness of our circle, that ¡®it¡¯s dangerous¡¯, a reality. Lost for words, I sighed and asked. ¡°So what circle are you gonna join then?¡± In the original story, the circle Park Jin-woo joined was . A sweaty circle gathering all kinds of warrior-type sses who loved to fight. ¡°Me? I¡¯m thinking of somewhere like a Warrior.¡± And exactly as I had guessed. I wonder why butterfly effects don¡¯t ur in parts like this and it remains the same. I calmly made a deal. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll duel with you at least twice a week. Let¡¯s do the circle together.¡± ¡°Oh, twice? That¡¯s a lot, but¡­¡± Park Jin-woo scratched his head and looked at me. ¡°I¡¯ve dueled with you so much already that now it¡¯s a bit¡­.¡± This punk¡­ I barely held back the sigh that was about to burst out. Even with all this back and forth, we needed Park Jin-woo in our circle. Among the student Holders, Park Jin-woo was the most trustworthy warrior-type. He was rapidly improving his skills and getting stronger, nearly top of his 1st year ss as a tanky bruiser-type. ¡®He just soloed a B-grade monster on his own.¡¯ With someone like Park Jin-woo in the circle, we¡¯d have a solid fighting force. No matter how protected a circle we were as part of the academy, with being a gathering of psychos, who knew when some physical altercation might ur. It was necessary to recruit him in preparation for any situation. I made a new offer to him. ¡°Once a week. I¡¯lle hunt at the Stained Rock Pile Dungeon with you. But instead of me being main, you¡¯ll be main. Hunt however you want, taking the front, and I¡¯ll properly support from the assassin position. Deal?¡± It sounded like I was generously proposing it, but this was actually beneficial for me as well. The dagger techniques (short sword techniques) I was learning from Yoo Eun-seol, and [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. To maximize the efficiency of her instruction, I needed to raise the level of these runes and abilities, and to do that, ying the damage dealer role in a party was more effective than soloing. But it was clearly an attractive proposal to Park Jin-woo as well. ¡°Deal.¡± I could tell from the instant agreement. The circle we had started to create change. Its members were gradually taking shape. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 111

Chapter 111

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. [Professor Cha Soo-yeon] Ji Yoon-jae, there is an individual counseling session, soe to the professor¡¯s office by 7pm. After checking the time again through the text message on his phone, Ji Yoon-jae hurried his footsteps. Cha Soo-yeon used her real name when she entered the academy. As a branch director level figure of , she is a wanted criminal designated by the association, but her name changes every time she is active, so the name at the time she was wanted was different as well. Simply changing her appearance was sufficient. ¡®Professor Cha Soo-yeon, Professor Cha Soo-yeon¡­¡¯ He walked while confirming the names of the professor¡¯s offices with his eyes. Since Cha Soo-yeon was fully deployed in the academy, the contact point changed to her professor¡¯s office. It was risky to go to her original residence, and using other external locationscked trust. Once infiltrating a dangerous ce, it was better to utilize the interior. Ironically, the safest ce for contact within the academy was Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s professor¡¯s office. Knock knock- ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing the familiar voice after finding the professor¡¯s office and knocking, Ji Yoon-jae opened the door while scratching his head. He had seen Cha Soo-yeon once or twice at the academy since the semester started, but he still wasn¡¯t used to her bright and cheerful voice. ¡°Hmm ¨C you came?¡± Sitting in the chair, Cha Soo-yeon asked with a very happy face. After closing the door, Ji Yoon-jae quickly scanned the room. It was to check for any eavesdropping devices or cameras. Watching him, Cha Soo-yeon burst outughing. ¡°Yoon-jae, you still have a long way to go, don¡¯t you? There¡¯s no way that kind of thing would be here.¡± ¡°¡­Have you already checked it?¡± ¡°The executives wouldn¡¯t be crazy enough to install eavesdropping devices in a professor¡¯s office in the first ce. If they got caught, it would damage their image and they would only suffer losses.¡± Even with increased vignce against , the academy side could not take such excessive measures. Only then did Ji Yoon-jae kneel down on one knee. ¡°I greet the branch manager.¡± ¡°Still, call me professor inside. Just in case.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± What is she trying to say? Dazed for a moment by Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s carefree attitude, he had no choice but to y along. Ji Yoon-jae quietly changed his words. ¡°¡­Yes, Professor.¡± ¡°Hmm ¨C so, something interesting happened, right?¡± The first contact after Cha Soo-yeon entered the academy. Even though it had not even been a full month since the semester started, there should be no major incidents¡­ Not everything flowed ording to ¡¯s n. Holder Do Jae-hyun, who blocked Ha Do-kwon head-onst semester and disrupted one of ¡¯s ns. He caused trouble once again. He established a circle called that didn¡¯t make any logical sense, creating an opposing organization to within the academy. Although vignce against him had been strengthened as he had shown suspicious signs sincest time, he still caused an incident. ¡°It looks like the founding will be approved.¡± Ji Yoon-jae concluded first with his head lowered. The approval of the new founding of the circle. It was practically already decided. Although she roughly knew the situation, even Cha Soo-yeon raised her eyebrows at those words. ¡°Did they get 15 people already?¡± ¡°¡­Over twenty people have gathered.¡± ¡°What?¡± To be precise, 22 people had gathered as new members. The minimum number of members required to establish a new circle was already met, and there was no telling how many more members would join going forward. When the initial public notice about was posted, people wondered who would join such a circle¡­ Before they knew it, had finished preparations with outstandingtent power andpetitiveness among the newly established circles this year. Especially the fact that Yoon Ji-ah, the president of the major circle , joined despite everything was quite sensational news among the students. Even if it was only for one semester of activity, her presence would greatly help gain a foothold and grow. Cha Soo-yeon, who had been listening quietly, let out a hollowugh. ¡°Really¡­ there are so many fickle children, aren¡¯t there?¡± Koong- In an instant, the atmosphere in the professor¡¯s office changed. Cha Soo-yeon, the ruler of gravity. It was because she smiled coldly and used her ability. ¡®Cough, cough¡­¡¯ Sadly, it was Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s lot to endure that quiet anger. From years of experience, Ji Yoon-jae knew. At times like this, he just had to shut up and wait for her mood to improve. ¡°Yoon-jae.¡± ¡°Cough¡­ Yes, yes¡­ Professor.¡± Even in the midst of that, Ji Yoon-jae did not forget her instruction. Calling her branch manager here would have been even more painful. Cha Soo-yeon smiled slightly and continued. ¡°That guy is so annoying¡­ What do you think we should do?¡± That guy. She was referring to Do Jae-hyun, the cause of all these incidents. The moment Cha Soo-yeon asked, the atmosphere returned. ¡°Cough, cough¡­.¡± Ji Yoon-jae breathed raggedly, escaping the suffocating pressure. Then he immediately straightened his posture and said. ¡°There are two methods.¡± ¡°Two methods?¡± Seemingly curious about his response, at Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s question, Ji Yoon-jae immediately answered. ¡°Yes. The first is for me to actively participate as a member of the circle. asionally spread false information and disrupt the direction of the circle to cause confusion.¡± Even though they were just students gathering, it was still ufortable to just watch the circle operate. Anyway, since they formed an opposing organization, it meant they would engage in rted activities. So even without Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s instructions, Ji Yoon-jae immediately joined . It was an action led by his instincts cultivated from operating as a spy for a long time. Thanks to that, orthodox intelligence activities became possible. If things continued as they were, would clearly have difficulty properly operating. But that method did not seem to fully satisfy Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s mind. ¡°The second?¡± ¡°The second is¡­ to use Kim Do-yoon.¡± Hearing that, Chasu Yeon smiled. ¡°To use Do-yoon, you mean?¡± Kim Do-yoon, another n member spying at the academy. Although no particr instructions had been given to him recently, he was ced in the same lecture as Do Jae-hyun to strengthen vignce against him. . They were even ced together in the practical training teams within the lecture. It was a measure for times like this. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Kang Juyeonst time with Ha Do-kwon, that guy would have died. n member Kim Do-yoon is at a simr level to Ha Do-kwon¡¯s n members. I will assign him the task during the external practical training for the Harvesting By-product lecture, and I will trail that practical training. Then after n member Kim Do-yoon carries out the task¡­ I will quietly remove him and silence him.¡± ¡°Hmm-¡° Kim Do-yoon, who is hiding his power while pretending to be an ordinary student in the upper warrior ss, has the ability of a B-grade Holder. With his strength, it would be more than enough to kill Do Jae-hyun. A clean operation without anyplications. Hearing the proposal, Cha Soo-yeon nodded in satisfaction. ¡°As expected, Yoon-jae is good at this.¡± It was the moment the branch manager¡¯s permission dropped. *** Ippotrantion *** Every Monday was the day for ss. Moreover, today was the day for the first practical training. Since the freshest time to harvest the by-products of monsters is right after the hunt, we were preparing for practical training in a nearby dungeon provided by the academy. A dungeon where most of the appearing monsters are E-grade. For the upper ss students who are the subject of the 1st period ss, a dungeon like this had absolutely no dangerous elements. ¡°Too easy.¡± Right next to me, Moon Ga-eun grumbled. We were in the same team for the lecture. Of course, we would also move together for this practical training. She seemed dissatisfied that the dungeon we were visiting after a long time was not proper dungeon hunting. I smiled lightly and spoke to Moon Ga-eun. ¡°We didn¡¯te here to hunt anyway.¡± ¡°Still! E-grade is too weak. It doesn¡¯t even feel like ughtering them.¡± The moment I heard those words, I realized it. This kid didn¡¯t properly take the ss. ¡°The higher the monster grade, the harder it is to ughter them. That¡¯s why we start practicing from the lower grades.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s how it is?¡± ¡°¡­Moon Ga Eun, you read the sybus and take the sses properly, right?¡± ¡°Yah, don¡¯t tease me.¡± Whack- A back smack I haven¡¯t felt in a while. Now my toughness was so high that Moon Ga-eun¡¯s strength didn¡¯t hurt at all. Well, she wasn¡¯t trying to hit me hard anyway. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Behind us, Kim Do-yoon from our team was silently following. Kid, your words have withered a lot, huh? At first, he tried to make small talk, but since Moon Ga-eun and I didn¡¯t respond much and just kept to ourselves, his words rapidly decreased. To be precise, he was unusually quiet today. ¡°Each team takes a room to do the practical training, right?¡± While walking, Moon Ga-eun suddenly asked about the practical training. The dungeon where this practical training takes ce has multiple rooms, and each team enters the assigned room to practice ughtering the monsters. Then after an appropriate amount of time passes, the professor will enter each room one by one and grade us. ¡°Yeah. The monsters are probably all captured already.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± ¡°The assistants already came and captured them beforehand.¡± ¡°I knew it would not be hard to hunt them anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± While chatting about this and that, before we knew it, we had arrived at the room assigned to us. Inside the room were two corpses of E-grade monsters called Gremlins. One corpse was for us to do preemptive ughtering, and the other was for starting the ughter when the professor came in. I took out the knife prepared for the ughtering. ¡°Shall we start? I¡¯ll take the head part¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, uwaaah!!¡± That was when it happened. Right when we were about to start the ughtering. From the back where I waspletely ignoring Kim Do-yoon while talking to Moon Ga Eun¡­ An abrupt scream burst out. It was an intense cry as if it would tear apart the room. ¡°What the¡­¡± I hurriedly turned my head. There was already Kim Do-yoon drenched in blood red. I¡¯m very familiar with that state. Berserk potion. The obvious outward appearance from using that vicious item. I had already experienced it through Ha Do-kwon. ¡®Suddenly revealing his identity?¡¯ It was bewildering. Not only did Kim Do-yoon suddenly reveal his identity, but also used the berserk potion without any hesitation. This was clearly done without any thought for the consequences. Why so suddenly? I couldn¡¯t help but think. But there was no time to think further. Because Kim Do-yoon, now armed, immediately followed with action. The target of his attack, now that he had lost all reason¡­ ¡°Ah¡­.¡± ¡°Kuuaaaah-!!¡± Was thepletely undefended Moon Ga-eun. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 112

ch 112

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Kim Do-yoon had the skills of a B-grade Holder. I don¡¯t know how much his skills in the original work differ from now, but in the story, he had skillsparable to any warrior-type upper ss Holder. If I had topare, his skills were simr to Ha Do-kwon¡¯s when he caused trouble at the end-of-semester evaluations. That Kim Do-yoon, empowered by a [Berserk Potion], was charging at Moon Ga-eun with all his might. Judging by his momentum and appearance¡­ There was no doubt it was a [Ruthless Charge] utilizing assault runes. ¡®That bastard¡­¡¯ Anger rose up slightly. His intentions were obvious. While we let our guard down, he nned to take out the long-range fighters first then attack me. Or perhaps, driven by his psychopathic nature that takes pleasure in murdering women, his body moved on its own instinctively. Either way¡­ My goal of protecting Moon Ga-eun from that bastard remained unchanged. ¡®Can¡¯t use magic power.¡¯ It was already toote to use magic power once Kim Do-yoon started moving. Magic power takes a lot of time not only for arranging and invoking, but even for sensing it. It¡¯s not without reason that mage-type Holders take so long to prepare their attacks. Skills like [Fragmented Earth Garden] or [Prating Brain Strike] were not fast enough to stop him at this golden timing. ¡®There are three ways.¡¯ One is [Deration of Domination] of [Oppression]. It¡¯s one of the few abnormal status skills I have, and it was a skill that paid for itself even during the Ha DO-kwon incident. However, there is one downside to this. If the opponent¡¯s Stat is high, there is a possibility that ¡®fear¡¯ will not be applied. It was the only way to stop him during Ha Do-kwon¡¯s time, and I used it because time was running out¡­ Expecting the opponent to have a low Stat again was a way to rely too much on luck. ¡®Can¡¯t use a shield either.¡¯ Blocking his charge head-on with a shield was also dangerous. I learned this the hard way when hunting the ¡®Red Drake¡¯. Back then, although I blocked its attack, my whole body was battered and I nearly died. Here too, I could probably block and counterattack somehow, but that would likely endanger Moon Ga-eun. Blocking a [Ruthless Charge] head-on, even with good defensive abilities, was reckless. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± That left me with one method. An eye for an eye. Fight charge with charge. Although I was greatly inferior to Kim Do-yoon who started charging first in terms of eleration, the rare rune [Sprint of Fury] could cover for this to some degree. I utilized both [Rage Rush] and [Ruthless Charge] simultaneously. ¡°Uwaaah¡ª!!¡± Crash-!! Kim Do-yoon, screaming as he closed in. I too rushed toward him and we collided. What happens when [Ruthless Charge] shes with [Ruthless Charge]? The answer is ¡®the charges end¡¯. Whether blocking with a shield or countering with an opposing charge¡­ Assault runes stop providing assistance once an obstacle or target is reached. However, this does not negate the effects of [Ruthless Charge]. The special effect of striking the target with twice one¡¯s strength. These effects collide, and the one with lower strength stat takes damage equal to the difference. This was why I couldn¡¯t use this method against the A-grade monster Red Drake. ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± I promptly utilized [Harden] to brace myself. Kim Do-yoon¡¯s strength stat doubled by the ¡®Berserk Potion¡¯. Although greatly amplified, my strength stat was no pushover either, enough to withstand the impact. ¡°Die¡­ Do Jae-hyun¡­ I¡¯ll kill you¡­.¡± Whoosh¡ª! The sound of a de cutting through air. Victorious from the collision, Kim Do-yoon swung his sword at me quickly. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Even in that frenzy, I nimbly switched weapons to [Goblin Bronze Shield] and blocked his attack. There were two reasons I didn¡¯t block with my sword. First, in my current destabilized stance, blocking with a shield was more efficient than parrying with a sword. And secondly¡­ ¡®Iron Wall Defense!¡¯ Boom¡ª!! An enormous impact hit the shield in my hand. The second reason I held up the shield. It was due to Kim Do-yoon¡¯s special epic-grade rune. [Bursting de Aura]. A powerful epic rune that can freely create explosions on struck targets. A rune withposite damagebining physical attacks and magic power, it was the number one contributor that made Kim Do-yoon a strong Holder. Blocking such attacks recklessly with a sword was too dangerous. ¡°Do Jae-hyun!¡± A sudden explosion followed. Moon Ga-eun behind me cried out in surprise. Fortunately, proper skill usage in the nick of time allowed me to block his attack again. Thanks to [Iron Wall Defense] activated at the right timing, I blocked the lethality of the explosion. But I couldn¡¯t fully withstand the pressure, getting pushed back with my shield still raised. Moon Ga-eun, who was preparing a counterattack, caught me. ¡°Do, Do Jae-hyun. You okay?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Her unintentional back hug flustered me a bit, but this was no time to worry about that. Without taking my eyes off the front, I answered. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You were getting ready to provide cover fire?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. But what the heck happened here¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s block him first then think. I¡¯ll create an opening, so hit him when the timing¡¯s right. Use your Extreme Shot if you can.¡± ¡°Got it. Be careful¡­.¡± I nodded slightly. No idea if some order suddenly came down from the for Kim Do-yoon to attack us, but¡­ Kim Do-yoon¡¯s n was certainly sessful. From the start, he chugged a [Berserk Potion] to create an overwhelming difference in abilities I couldn¡¯t catch up to, then rushed to take out Moon Ga-eun the archer first to shut down long-range attacks. And even if that was blocked, he would overwhelm me with his unique rune abilities and amplified stats. It was a blitz giving me no room to properly defend, even if the n seemed simple and crude. ¡®That¡¯s why they only sent Kim Do-yoon.¡¯ An order to eliminate me. Why did only send Kim Do-yoon for that n? They probably determined that a berserk Kim Do-yoon alone would be enough to take me out. No matter how fast my growth rate, considering the ¡®Ha Do-kwon incident¡¯ where I was helpless¡­ Sending just Kim Do-yoon hopped up on Berserk Potion seemed sufficient to suppress me. ¡®¡­That¡¯s based on normal calctions.¡¯ But that was a miscalction. There was too big a difference between me at that time and now. [Rune Hunter], and [Effort of the Seeker]. My growth rate, boosted by the two legendary runes, was beyond normal calctions. Just looking at my ability to block Kim Do-yoon¡¯s attacks showed that. The assault runes [Rage Rush]. Plus the added [Ruthless Charge]. Blocking the second attack with [Goblin Bronze Shield] and the skill [Iron Wall Defense]. Most of the runes, skills, and items I used to defend¡­ Were gained after the ¡®Ha Do-kwon incident¡¯. Even I was surprised by this speed of growth, let alone the anticipating it. ¡°Do Jae-hyun¡­ I¡¯ll kill you¡­ hehe¡­ the girl too¡­ I¡¯ll kill her too¡­.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard.¡± Foulnguage naturally spilled out at his murmuring as he emerged from the smoke. After drinking a [Berserk Potion], most Holders lose reason and are driven only by the purpose they drank the potion for and their innate nature. Kim Do-yoon¡¯s original goal was to kill me. And his instinct was to murder women. The mental pleasure gained from that was now driving him. In short, if I fell here, Moon Ga-eun would die too. I couldn¡¯t help but curse at that disgusting sight. ¡°Uuu, uwaaah¡ª!!¡± The deranged Kim Do-yoon lost his mind again as he prepared to fight. All the unexpected defenses were over. Now I too had to prepare a counterattack. ¡®First¡­ bnce our stats.¡¯ Kim Do-yoon¡¯s amplified stats right now were enormous. If average main stats for ordinary B-grade Holders are around 50, his [Berserk Potion] boosted 1.5x stats would be 70~80. With my current stats, I was no match for him. In my position of having to face him head-on, I needed to even the stats to get a fight going. Runes that boost stats are [Descendant of the Barbarian King] and [Oppression]. But right now, I didn¡¯t satisfy the conditions for both runes. I needed a way to raise my stats without any conditions or penalties. And I had just one method left for that. ¡®Berserk.¡¯ Rumble¡ª An indescribable aura surrounded me. My body grew hot, blood rushed to my head. Overflowing power filled my hands gripping my weapons. Indeed. So this is [Berserk]. [Berserk], the derived skill of [Descendant of the Barbarian King], increases stats by 50% for 10 minutes. The same exact effect as the [Berserk Potions] Ha Do-kwon and now Kim Do-yoon were using. Yet it was a broken skill with practically no penalties. Brimming with the surging power¡­ I looked at Kim Do-yoon, ready to charge. And grinned as I spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s fight fair and square, you bastard.¡± The murderous bastard who had pushed me back abusing buffs. I too now had stats on par with him. We were back to square one. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 113

Chapter 113

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Moon Ga-eun barely calmed her startled heart. It was a sudden attack. Kim Do-yoon, a ssmate who had been unpleasant from the first impression, attacked them for no reason in the dungeon they came out to for practice. The first target of the attack was Moon Ga-eun, herself. Kim Do-yoon amplified his abilities with a [Berserk Potion] and then rushed in relentlessly using Assault runes and [Ruthless Charge]. If it wasn¡¯t for Do Jae-hyun who quickly noticed the situation. If it wasn¡¯t for his body shield defense as he threw himself in. Kim Do-yoon¡¯s exploding sword would have definitely reached her body. ¡®To protect me¡­¡¯ The reason why Do Jae-hyun, whose specialty was evasion, collided with Kim Do-yoon using body shield instead of utilizing evasion. It was to protect Moon Ga-eun. She looked at Do Jae-hyun standing in front of her. His body was full of wounds from enduring the collision and explosion. However, he was standing firmly like a wall protecting the front. Knowing that if he was prated, it would be dangerous for those behind. While drawing her bow, Moon Ga-eun nkly looked at Do Jae-hyun. ¡®What should I do¡­¡¯ It was a strange feeling. She knew this wasn¡¯t the time or situation for it, but¡­ She kept seeing Do Jae-hyun¡¯s back. She ended up staring endlessly at his back. That wasn¡¯t all. The first one to quickly notice the surprise attack and move to block it. After that, calmly defending against the explosion and capturing the opportunity for a counterattack. And when he was pushed back, the¡­ ¡®¡­.Back hug.¡¯ Because she had noposure earlier, she only recalled it now when she had room to think with the opportunity for a counterattack. That she hugged Do Jae-hyun with a back hug when he was pushed towards her by the explosion. That rough texture and soft warmth still remained in her hands. Normally she would have been surprised and jumped up, but maybe because of the situation, it wasn¡¯t as flustering. Also¡­ ¡®Well, we¡¯re a couple after all.¡¯ Do Jae-hyun and her have been dating for 100 days. ¡­Outwardly. And now Moon Ga-eun knows too. For couples who have dated for over 100 days, this level of skinship is just yful affection. So she needed to be more nonchnt about things like back hugs. For when she needs to pretend to be a couple again sometime. Then¡­ It might happen again. ¡®Hmm, hmm.¡¯ If her best friends like Kang Juyeon or Kim Chae-eun found out about this, she would be grilled to the bone, but¡­ It¡¯s fine as long as it stays hidden. ¡­Moon Ga-eun thought so as she pulled on her bowstring. Now wasn¡¯t the time for idle thoughts. It was time to support Do Jae-hyun with cover fire. *** Ippotrantion *** From now on, it¡¯s a battle against time. The duration of [Berserk] is 10 minutes. The duration of [Berserk Potion] is about an hour. The reason why the time is longer in proportion to the penalty, and also because my own skill [Descendant of the Barbarian King] is affected by the level. So I needed to defeat Kim Do-yoon within 10 minutes. I utilized [Agile Agility] with my lightened body. My original speed stat is 46, amplified to 69. With stats far surpassing usual, the rune utilization was even more effective. Shhh- shh- ng, bang!! My merciless stabs with the sword were barely blocked by Kim Do-yoon¡¯s sword. Stabbing strikes going in bybining [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]. If he was an ordinary Holder, he wouldn¡¯t have even been able to react, but somehow he blocked it. ¡®He must have viewable runes too.¡¯ Damn bastard. He looks like the weakest, but has everything needed. On top of that, my sword was blocked by Kim Do-yoon¡¯s. This didn¡¯t just end with a failed attack. Boom, boom-!! The loud explosive sound rang in the room once more. Kim Do-yoon¡¯s [Explosive Sword¡¯s Aura] spewed fire once again. I barely evaded the explosion, but I couldn¡¯t avoid a grazing wound on my shoulder area. At least because I have high fire resistance, it¡¯s just this much. If I was wearing [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor], I could have blocked it perfectly, but unfortunately the ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange¡¯ didn¡¯t have the ability to change armor. And from the explosion just now, it was certain. ¡®This bastard, he used soundproofing items too.¡¯ Two huge explosions happened that should have echoed through the room. Yet no professors or students havee to our room. This was surely because before attacking us, Kim Do-yoon drank the [Berserk Potion] and also used magic items to create powerful soundproofing in the room. Otherwise, people would havee immediately. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I just need to take him down.¡¯ It didn¡¯t change anything. I nned to take down this trash from the beginning anyway. I used [Emergency Treatment] on my shoulder area. As a derivative skill of the rare rune [Combat Healing], it¡¯s the ability to heal injuries even duringbat. Thanks to it, the wounds from the explosion started healing rapidly as if they just appeared. That wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Ugh¡­ Do, Jae-hyun¡­.¡± Kim Do-yoon, who hadnded a blow on me with [Explosive Sword¡¯s Aura], looked around with dazed eyes. Moron. He¡¯ll never find me. Because I used [Stealth]. [Stealth] is a rune that hides you in specific terrain and erases traces, but if I leave the target¡¯s field of vision or just get in the right position, I can erase my presence right in front of them. The smoke filled the vicinity from Kim Do-yoon¡¯s explosive ability. I utilized that opening and obscured vision to use [Stealth]. ¡®He fell for itpletely.¡¯ That¡¯s right. From the beginning, this was nned and I charged at him. It would have been fine if the sword strikended, but after he was blocked and caused an explosion¡­ Utilizing [Stealth] in that smoke. This was the strategy I came up with in that short time. And in this kind of situation. There was only one choice the berserk Kim Do-yoon would take. To charge at Moon Ga-eun right in front of him. ¡°Ugh, ugh¡­!!¡± ¡°Moon Ga-eun, now!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The timing hade. The moment I released [Stealth] and signaled Moon Ga-eun. I aimed for the bastard¡¯s back using [Wave Sword Technique]. ¡®Hide Attack.¡¯ An attack after releasing [Stealth] isn¡¯t a simple attack. [Hide Attack]. A skill that lowers the target¡¯s endurance by a set amount and increases my attack power at the same time, containing both defense pration and amplification. A powerful derivative skill I could utilize because I wasn¡¯t detected before attacking. ¡°Ugh, ugh¡­ Uwaaaa!!¡± Because he allowed the sudden blow, Kim Do-yoon started thrashing around crazily. Despite the agony from being shed in a vital area full of organs, he somehow tried to move his body to attack me behind him. Whoosh- Thwack!! ¡°Gah, geh¡­!!¡± ¡°No way, you bastard.¡± A powerful magic arrow flew in and pierced through his shoulder. It was cover fire from Moon Ga-eun, who had already drawn her bow ording to my signal. She fired [Extreme Shot], a derivative skill of her main rune [Wind Archer], optimized for one-on-one. Of course, with her current abilities, she couldn¡¯t deal big damage to Kim Do-yoon. No matter how much magic power she imbued it with, Kim Do-yoon¡¯s endurance stats were too high right now. But at the very least, at important moments like this, appropriate attacks could control Kim Do-yoon¡¯s movements a little. And this level of control was¡­ Sufficient support for me. ¡°Explode.¡± I shoved the [Sword of Penitent] into Kim Do-yoon¡¯s back. I poured magic power into it to utilize my ultimate skill. After maximizing magic power using the support rune [Magic Amplification] as well. [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], condensing the extremes to the extreme that I could currently use. It was the strongestbo I had right now. Boom, boom-!! ¡°Gah, geh¡­!!¡± The enormous magic blow exploded inside his body. Kim Do-yoon, who was writhing in agony with a twisted expression, soon copsed limply. His whole body was covered in blood¡­ It had a corpse-like appearance. ¡°Haa, haa¡­.¡± It¡¯s over, damn it. Really freaking tiring¡­ As I breathed roughly, Moon Ga-eun quickly approached from behind. ¡°Do Jae-hyun! Are you okay?!¡± With a worried expression, she examined my face. She checked everywhere in case I was hurt, and even stroked my shoulder that was severely injured earlier. ¡­Not like Moon Ga-eun¡¯s usual excessive care. But seeming to be convinced of my unharmed condition, after examining me for a while, Moon Ga-eun let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Gosh¡­ I really thought things were going wrong.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know after going hunting with me so many times? I don¡¯t get hurt easily.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I saw you chugging potions every time.¡± ¡°Did I¡­?¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re really okay right? Your shoulder doesn¡¯t hurt?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just out of magic. I¡¯m fine.¡± I poked her frowning face to smooth it out. Then I looked up at Kim Do-yoon copsed on the floor. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± Although it was a sudden surprise attack, we eventually defended against it and won. Now it was time to use this as an opportunity to track once more and pressure them. ¡­My newly created will get busy. [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] And a duel victory reward I haven¡¯t seen in a long time popped up. Well, this was a bonus. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 114

Chapter 114

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. [You have emerged victorious from the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune you want to copy.] [1. Explosive Sword Aura 2. Sword (Not Selectable) 3. Agility (Not Selectable) 4. Endurance 5. Iron Wall Defense (Not Selectable) 6. Three Sword Style 7. Magic Control (Not Selectable) 8. Sprint (Not Selectable) 9. Ruthless Charge (Temporary) (Not Selectable)] The rune I could get from Kim Do-yoon was practically set. [Explosive Sword Aura]. It was his trademark, one of the few epic runes he possessed. The moment this appeared, there was no need to look at the other options. Besides, even if they weren¡¯t unavable runes, runes like [Endurance] or [Three Sword Style] were unnecessary for me. I already had superior runes like [Sturdy Endurance], [Water Sword Technique], [Wave Sword Technique] that had much better effects. Given the restrictions on acquiring runes, I could no longer blindly obtain any rune like before. [You have acquired Explosive Sword Aura. As it is a level 7 epic rune, its level will be lowered to 4 upon registration.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [You gain +1 Strength, +3 Magic due to the nature of the rune] ¡ò Name: Explosive Sword Aura ¡ò Grade: Epic ¡ò Level: 4 ¡ò Engraved Location: Left Forearm ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C : When striking an opponent with a sword or colliding with a specific object, you can freely cause explosions. (The intensity and quantity of explosions is proportional to the rune¡¯s level.) The source energy of the explosions is substituted with magic power, whose nature is of the fire element. If you do not possess runes to control magic power, it will be deactivated. Also, if your magic power is depleted, you cannot utilize this rune. : If you possess fire-element magic power runes, the might of this rune will slightly increase. : By utilizing runes rted to magic power amplification and condensation over time, even more powerful explosions be possible. ¡ò Derived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡ò Detailed Information: ¨C : Condensed magic power just before the explosion is gathered in the sword. As long as you can wield a sword, you can cause explosions anywhere and demolish anything. The dense rune information flooded my view. This was practically at the level of a brick wall. Perhaps because it was such a powerful directbat epic rune, the exnation was quite lengthy and the conditions were also quiteplex. ¡®Well, I meet all the conditions anyway.¡¯ The source energy of the explosions is substituted with magic power. Therefore, I need to possess magic-rted runes to use this rune. Fortunately, I meet all those criteria. I have the [Magic Control] rune, and also possess the auxiliary runes [Magic Amplification] and [Fiery mes] to strengthen this rune. Since I¡¯ve obtained so many runes up till now, I was fully prepared to perfectly utilize this unfamiliar new rune. ¡®But what¡¯s the criteria for a sword?¡¯ While reading the information, I suddenly had that question. This was quite an important matter for me. No matter what anyone said, my main weapon was a sword, but recently I had been learning from Yoo Eun-seol and was utilizing daggers and short swords just as much. The wider application was an advantage, even if the explosions would be noisy. ¡®Can¡¯t tell from the rune info.¡¯ It did say sword, but the exact range was not clearly described. I would probably have to test it out myself to find out. But then, random information windows popped up again out of nowhere. [Due to the newly acquired rune, associated existing skills have been influenced and updated.] [Information for derived skill ¡®Quarter Knife¡¯ has been updated.] [Information for derived skill ¡®Staircase sh¡¯ has been updated.] ¡®What the, so suddenly.¡¯ Skill associations. I had thought they would derive someday, but didn¡¯t expect them to appear from such unexpected ces. I hurriedly checked the skill info for [Quarter Knife]. ¡ò Name: Quarter Knife ¡ò Derived From Rune: Master of Martial Arts (Dagger) ¡ò Cooldown: 30 minutes ¡ò Conditions: 4 daggers used ¡ò Effects: : Throw 4 daggers at the opponent. It is simply a throwing technique, but condensed magic power is imbued in one random dagger, allowing it to deal a powerful strike. Not even the user knows which of the 4 daggers will have the magic power. * Dynamite Bomb (Explosive Sword Aura) : Due to association with a specific rune, a new effect has been added. When using the skill, the user can now imbue the skill with explosive properties if desired. This property is only applied to the one dagger with the imbued magic power. ¡®Wow, so this is possible.¡¯ [Quarter Knife] had the association [Explosive Sword Aura] added, granting it a new effect. [Quarter Knife] is a throwing skill where magic power is focused into one of the four thrown daggers like a game of Russian roulette. The additional effect allowed imbuing the magic-imbued dagger with explosive properties. My rare ranged attack was strengthened with greater power through this enhancement and improvement. Since the effect could also be unused if undesired, the convenience was also superb. ¡®So instantaneous runes can cause this.¡¯ I quickly realized why the skill was strengthened through rune association. I had obtained magic-rted runes like [Fiery mes], [Swirling Tidal Waves], [Fragmented Earth Garden] and more several times already. Yet those didn¡¯t associate with other skills before, because those magic runes took a lot of time to invoke and convert magic power into their respective elements. On the other hand, [Explosive Sword Aura] could instantly cause explosions the moment magic power was invoked. Compared to other magic runes, the intermediate process was omitted, and it was much faster Thanks to that, it seemed that the information was updated like this while affecting the skills. The skill information for [Staircase sh] also had a simr effect. ¡®It seems that the other skills are not good because they are physical.¡¯ In addition to these skills, there are two more sword skills. [Combo] and [Hide Attack]. However, unlike the previous skills, these two skills were only the skills with a ¡®physical attack propensity¡¯, so it seemed that no effect was added. Kung, koo-u- Malevolent malevolent- ¡°No, how did this¡­ .¡± ¡°Group 32 members, is everyone okay?!¡± ¡°Assistant, contact Shin Seong¡¯s professor right away!¡± By the time I sorted out my newly acquired abilities. The door to the room we were in opened, and the surroundings became very noisy. Professor Kim Kwang-bu and students of . They flocked in together. The result of the fierce battle, and suspicious traces such as soundproofing items and [Berserk Potion]. A sufficient exnation was needed. ¡°My name is Do Jae-hyun, the leader of Group 32, Professor.¡± After I led my tired body out. Calmly, I began to exin to Professor Kim Kwang-bu. *** Ippotrantion *** ¨C Kim Do-yoon, a freshman in the warrior ss, was a spy for ! -The spy appeared again after Ha Do-kwon¡­ -Rampant Viin, is the academy continuously being yed? -First-year Do Jae-hyun who was ambushed establishes the circle. -A first-year establishing a circle for the first time in 6 years, approval confirmed. ¡°¡­.¡± Chae Soo-yeon had quietly closed the newspaper. After Kim Do-yoon¡¯s failed assault on Do Jae-hyun, the academy and all forms of media focused on the incident, publishing articles about it daily. Most of the article contents were about . That spies were overflowing in the academy¡­ This incident should spur efforts to weed them out¡­ The ambushed Do Jae-hyun must be protected¡­ etc. For a while, the infiltration of into the academy, which had been quiet, was continuously brought up, and negative public opinion regarding it poured out ceaselessly. That couldn¡¯t be in the academy. The criminal organization¡¯s roots must be eliminated. The newspaper contents were filled with such opinions. Quietly looking at him¡­ Chae Soo-yeon heavily opened her mouth. ¡°Yoon-jae.¡± ¡°Yes, professor.¡± Without a single moment of hesitation, the answer shot out from Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s mouth as he knelt on one knee. Despite clearly being angry, Chae Soo-yeon did not apply any pressure. She was most dangerous at times like these. At times like these, he had to answer without any dy. Ji Yoon-jae, who had received the most praise and punishment from her, now understood her tendencies better than anyone. ¡°The ripple effects of the failure¡­ are quite big.¡± This operation was a failure. Not just a failure, but aplete failure. They didn¡¯t even remove the target Do Jae-hyun, and didn¡¯t conceal that this incident was ¡¯s doing. They didn¡¯t seed in a single thing, only incurring enormous bacsh from the aftermath. It was an operation thatpletely whipped up a storm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have carried out the operation as well¡­¡± Ji Yoon-jae had also participated in this operation. His role was to dispose of Kim Do-yoon after everything ended. But the n where the frenzied Kim Do-yoon would be defeated was not in his head, so he was unable to make an appearance in any of the rted situations. The only thing he could do was quietly slip away from the scene when everyone¡¯s gazes were gathered after it all ended. ¡°It would have been dangerous for both you and me if you did. You judged well.¡± A rare word of praise came from Chae Soo-yeon¡¯s mouth. And as she said, this was rational judgment. While Kim Do-yoon¡¯s capture would only strengthen the academy¡¯s vignce at most and not cause major issues, it was a different story if Ji Yoon-jae was caught. ¡°Because you¡¯re a senior n member.¡± That was because Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s position was different from ordinary n members. The academy branch of operated like an outpost organization. Ordinary n members moved ording to orders handed down, but the delivery method of those orders was all done secretly through intermediaries. Due to that, the intermediaries delivering the orders also didn¡¯t know it was ¡¯s mission, and the ordinary n members receiving the orders also couldn¡¯t know who was above them at all. So even if they were exposed during operations, only the fact they were members would be revealed. No other facts could be uncovered through interrogation. But in Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s case, where he directlymunicated with the branch manager Chae Soo-yeon and carried out missions, if his identity was exposed, it could be a risk to the entire n. As a senior n member upying a position in the n, he had to be prudent in his actions and mission execution. ¡°Anyway¡­ Given how things have turned out, we¡¯ll have to lie low for a while.¡± Fatigue seeped from Chae Soo-yeon¡¯s voice. It was an expression unfitting for her, showing distress. At that, Ji Yoon-jae bowed his head and answered. ¡°We¡¯ll go with the original n A.¡± The original n A. To infiltrate Do Jae-hyun¡¯s circle as a member, then spread misinformation and twist the direction to cause confusion in the circle¡¯s activities. Considering the evenrger size would now gain following this incident, it was a n that had be much more important than before. Chae Soo-yeon quietly nodded at Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s words. And¡­ She added one more thing. ¡°n Do Jae-hyun¡¯s assassination again. While maintaining n A.¡± ¡°Again¡­ you say?¡± ¡°Mm-hm ¨C Due to this incident, I clearly realized it. That kid Do Jae-hyun is too huge of an obstacle to our activities.¡± He easily subdued the berserk Kim Do-yoon, even if it was said to be with the archer department¡¯s help. Compared to the ¡®Ha Do-kwon Incident¡¯ previously used as a benchmark, Do Jae-hyun had be iparably stronger. It was a growth speed nearing astonishment. Something Chae Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae hadpletely missed¡­ It was why this operation had ended in failure. ¡°If left alone, someday he¡¯ll stab us in the back.¡± Chae Soo-yeon was wary of Do Jae-hyun. He was already growing at far too quick of a pace for a promising student of unprecedented caliber, and such a student Holder was even establishing a circle called ? He was an individual far too dangerous to them, an obstacle to the organization¡¯s policies and a threat to their activities there. A cold light glinted in Chae Soo-yeon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Before that¡­¡± So an even more important matter. ¡°He must be killed.¡± Do Jae-hyun. The fact that he had now be a target for elimination rather than vignce. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 115

Chapter 115

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bonus Chapter thanks to ¡®TyrannicalWall¡¯ sub to Godly tier via Buymeacoffee Friday evening 7 o¡¯clock. On any other weekend eve, this would be the time to go out and have fun, but I was in the circle room on the 3rd floor of the student hall. Smaller than other major circles, but not overshadowed by average small circles, it was a spacious room. And the external design and interior design of the room were simply luxurious. ¡­This is the circle room of which I just established. After going through various troubles, today is finally the first meeting where I can see the faces of the members. I came to the circle room today for that meeting. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so shy!¡± Park Jin-woo, who came with me, looked around the circle room in surprise. I chuckled and replied. ¡°Of course. Look how much support we received.¡± There¡¯s a reason why ¡¯s circle room is designed so gorgeously. During the new circle establishment approval process, we received the academy¡¯s full support. Not just some support. Full support. The level of support that only major circles like could receive¡­ we got it. My mentor Professor Tak Won-ho is in the academy¡¯s management, and Kim Myeong-hyun, ¡¯s supervisor professor, has a high reputation within the academy. And also¡­ ¡°It¡¯s because our circle leader Do Jae-hyun did something huge.¡± Park Jin-woo exaggeratedly answered for me. Kim Do-yoon¡¯s ¡®Practical Attack Incident¡¯. This became a huge issue not only in the academy but the entire Holder world. Just a few months ago at the end of semester evaluations, a student Holder tried to deliberately kill another student, and as soon as the new semester started, another Holder trying to kill a ssmate appeared. ¡®There were a lot of suspicious points too.¡¯ He used [Berserk Potion], which is a prohibited item. Also, I was coincidentally trying to create a circle called . With those elementsbined, it was practically confirmed that Kim Do-yoon was a n member of . sent spies and unfolded various operations, trying to murder student Holders but failed¡­ It was something the academy could not overlook. As a result, the new circle that I was trying to create unintentionally benefited from it. The management¡¯s will to root out within the academy coincided with the circle establishment, allowing us to get such overwhelming support. ¡°Stop exaggerating.¡± Whenever he catches something, this guy Park Jin-woo tries to make fun of me. There wasn¡¯t even anything to make fun of, but listening to his mocking tone made me slightly irritated. Park Jin-wooughed loudly and said. ¡°Why, it¡¯s true. A student Holder who single-handedly took down a berserk B-grade Holder? Of course everyone would be interested. I heard ns are even giving recruitment offers through hijacking these days?¡± Boo-woong- ¡°¡­.¡± ¡­Is my phone not gentlemanly enough? Right after Park Jin-woo finished talking, my phone vibrated to indicate an iing call. After briefly checking the number, it was from an unknown caller. As Park Jin-woo said, it must be a n¡¯s call. Ever since the news widely reported how I, a student Holder, took down the berserk Kim Do-yoon, my phone has been getting calls like this every day. I wonder how they even got my number. ¡°Hahaha! See, I¡¯m right. Everyone recognizes it, why don¡¯t you ept it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not recognized by everyone.¡± I snapped at Park Jin-wooughing like an idiot. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°First of all, the premise is wrong. Alone took down a berserk B-grade Holder? I don¡¯t get it. Weren¡¯t Moon Ga-eun and I clearly there? Why do the articles say that?¡± Kim Do-yoon wasn¡¯t taken down by just me. Moon Ga-eun and I worked together to take him down. While I could have somehow taken him down alone, I can¡¯t deny that her support fire was perfectly timed. The reason we were able to take down Kim Do-yoon rtively easily was because she and I fought in perfect harmony. But in the articles, only my feats were focused on. ¨C The world is amazed! Japan is shocked and America is envious! Seoul Holder Academy¡¯s student holder takes down a berserk B-grade Holder alone? ¡®¡­.¡¯ This was an actual headline. There are no titles like this. It was an article so embarrassing I couldn¡¯t lift my face. Even when Kang Juyeon first appeared, it wasn¡¯t like this. Anyway, the media goes crazy whenever a promising new Holder emerges. ¡°And they aren¡¯t even formal recruitment offers. The ns who contact me don¡¯t actually make recruitment offers, they just talk in circles and spout nonsense.¡± When I actually answer the calls, the ns say something else. Whether I have the secret to gaining multi-talent runes¡­ If I have any Holder friends to rmend¡­ They were questions with no important value and not even worth answering. After listening to him quietly, Park Jin-woo asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you already have a n as a patron?¡± ¡°A patron? Puh- why suddenly bring up a patron?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Kang Juyeon¡¯s.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ah, this slow-witted bastard. Here he goes again. Before I could say anything, Park Jin-woo quickly answered. ¡°Oh, just kidding. You were an intern at Judgment of Fire, right? And an exceptionally short 2-month internship. Isn¡¯t that why other ns are hesitating? Since you already have a patron, Judgment of Fire.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± It was an unexpectedly rational inference. At Park Jin-woo¡¯s unusually sharp insight, I unconsciously nodded. There was certainly that possibility. Among countless small ns, no n would be confident about winning over someone who interned at Judgment of Fire, one of the top 3 domestic ns. That¡¯s why they keep asking about Holder friends to rmend and the secret behind how I became so strong. Well, I hadn¡¯t deeply considered joining a n yet so they were just grasping at straws, but still. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s annoying. I want the attention to die down quickly so I can focus on circle work.¡± ¡°I heard your circle is getting explosive attention too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all fake. We don¡¯t have any applicants, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I figured.¡± I chuckled and opened the door to the circle room. The interior was morous, befitting a circle room that received a lot of support. On one side there was arge bookcase and storage furniture, and on the other side there were amenities like a sofa, TV, andputer. And another room upying half the circle room. It was a room configured like a study room, equipped with everything needed to prepare presentations like a long table and chairs, making it a perfect space for circle meetings. We were calling it the conference room. ¡°Professor, you¡¯re early.¡± The conference room already had a lot of people, including ¡¯s supervisor professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun weed us with a happy face. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, you¡¯re here. And next to you is¡­ Holder Park Jin-woo, right?¡± Park Jin-woo nodded slightly, looking a bit surprised. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. You remember me.¡± ¡°Haha, of course I remember a student who took my ss. I remember you had outstanding practical skills, but theory was a bitcking.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Practical skills are more important than theory.¡± ¡­Professor Kim also subtly feeds it to him nicely. Park Jin-woo¡¯s theory was probably not just somewhatcking, but hard to even look at. Since his style is to charge in with his body first, and Park Jin-woo doesn¡¯t have a good studying head. Leaving the dejected Park Jin-woo behind after the professor¡¯s jab. I spoke to Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. ¡°Professor, I think all the members will be gathered in about 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Yes, a lot have already arrived.¡± ¡°Um, before that¡­¡± There were about 10 minutes until the first meeting of members. Before that, I had something to discuss with Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. ¡®Jae-hyun, heyyy!¡¯ From the corner of the conference room, a female student gestured a greeting to me with her mouth shape. Among many people, my friend Kim Chae-eun quickly entered my sight. It was about recruiting her into the circle. I lightly waved back at her greeting, then stepped out of the circle room with Professor Kim for a moment. ¡°Sorry, Professor.¡± As soon as the students disappeared from the vicinity, I apologized first. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s expression is filled with puzzlement. ¡°What does Holder Do Jae-hyun have to apologize to me for?¡± ¡°About recruiting Cha-eun¡­¡± As I hesitated with my words, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun seemed to understand and raised his finger. ¡°Ah, are you apologizing because Chae-eun joined the circle as a member?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Haha, why are you apologizing for that? She definitely begged you persistently to join.¡± As expected of a dad. Too urate. Despite thinking of Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s worries, I tried to not let Kim Chae-eun join the circle, but I couldn¡¯t convince her stubbornness, famous for being headstrong. Not joining the circle I directly created, especially one deeply rted to her¡­ didn¡¯t make sense, she said. She even negotiated directly with her dad, aka the supervisor professor. The next day she confirmed the joining and notified me. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun must have been persuaded enough to allow the joining, but still, it felt apologetic that the risk level of seemed a bit higher around the time of the ¡®Kim Do-yoon Attack Incident¡¯. ¡°And you don¡¯t need to worry too much. Our circle is quite safe, contrary to what Holder Do Jae-hyun thinks.¡± ¡°Safe¡­¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun looked back at the circle room for a moment. ¡°For starters, Holder Kang Juyeon and Holder Moon Ga-eun joined as members.¡± ¡°Huh? What does that¡­¡± Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun? While it¡¯s true they joined as members, why did he suddenly mention them? To my confusion, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s eyes widened a bit. ¡°Ah, Holder Do Jae-hyun must not have seen it.¡± Then he fiddled with his phone for a bit before handing it to me. ¨C Judgment of Fire n promises extensive support in money, equipment, and technology to academy circle ¡­ ¨C Domestic top 3 n forms ¡®Internal Security TF Team¡¯ after agreement with academy, dispatches A-grade Holder Seong Na-yeon¡­ ¡°These articles just came out.¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s words rang nkly in my ears. I also read those articles like an idiot. No, what is this¡­ Why is this bing such a big deal. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 116

Chapter 116

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The sudden intervention of the n and . It was a bit bewildering, but I could understand. Of course, the forbidden Holders of each n had all joined . If you had to name the big shots among the first year students, two names would be mentioned without fail. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun. One was the only daughter of a n master, and the other was the daughter of someone who was practically the n¡¯s power broker, even if not the master. The fact that they had joined a circle with the slogan of ¡®opposing viins¡¯ was bound to worry each of their ns. Thanks to that, it seemed they had publicly announced their support for our n. ¡°And I think their interests happen to align to some extent.¡± ¡°Their interests?¡± When I asked about Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s words, he nodded. ¡°Hasn¡¯t the Viin n been quite activetely? Not just individual crimes, but a lot of n-level movements. Like the recent attempted assault on the n.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± I understood right away. A forest covered by snakes. The n had attempted to raid the discovered dungeon that the n had prepared meticulously. It was arge-scale raid with spy Min Chae-hwan and n members from the n¡¯s Gangnam branch. It was an incident I had directly experienced with Hunting Team 5. Thanks to ¡¯s wise and proper response, the attempt was thwarted, but it had been quite the topic in society. Even for the notoriously reckless n, outright trying to infringe on another major n¡¯s interests like this was extremely rare. ¡®The ns have also be more wary.¡¯ So after that, the vignce of major and mid-sized domestic ns towards the n had strengthened. The fact that and were supporting the academy circle this time was also likely part of that wary stance. In Moon Ga-eun¡¯s case it was even more so. Having directly endured Kim Do-yoon¡¯s assault in the same ce as me, it would be strange for the not to be pissed. In a way, this incident was also the n making the first move against the . ¡­Even if unintended. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s great fortune for our circle.¡± Two of the top three domestic ns supporting an academy circle? Looking back at the history of the Holder Society and the academy, cases like this were practically unheard of. It was the most ideal situation for running a circle. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun also nodded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. So Holder Do Jae-hyun, don¡¯t worry about external factors and just focus on running the circle. My intuition is¡­ our circle will be able to aplish great things.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor.¡± After that brief conversation with Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. We returned to the circle room. Taking a moment to chat and thening back, at some point all the recruited members had gathered. Faces I hadn¡¯t seen earlier like Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun were also there on one side. I lightly nodded to them in greeting and went to the middle of the conference room to take the mic. ¡°To the members gathered for the newly established Anti-Viin circle¡­ Nice to meet you all. I¡¯m a first year student, Do Jae-hyun, who established and became president of Anti-Viin.¡± p, p, p, p- As I broke the ice, thunderous apuse sounded. Never having stood in a position like this or taken on a big title before, my heart somehow fluttered. Now that I had resolved to make changes, I had to take responsibility for my actions. Bearing that heaviness and slight trembling, I continued speaking. ¡°First, before introducing the members and outlining the circle¡¯s blueprint, I¡¯ll introduce the professor overseeing our circle. He¡¯s a former Combat professor, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.¡± p, p, p, p- Once again, apuse filled the conference room as Professor Kim Myeong-hyun smiled and took the mic handed to him. ¡°Yes, nice to meet you all. I¡¯m Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun calmly looked over each of the members gathered in the conference room. ¡°As you know, I have sses to teach and personal matters that keep me busy, so I don¡¯t have a lot of time. But since this was our circle¡¯s first meeting, I felt I had toe. Since there might be members who don¡¯t know my face as the advisor.¡± Professor Kim Myeong-hyun smiled warmly. His conversation skill really seemed unfair. The professor¡¯s unique benevolent impression and way of speaking politely even to students. Listening to that, I found myself absentmindedly nodding along to his words. That¡¯s why nice-looking people with kind faces were so persuasive no matter what they said. ¡°I¡¯ve already briefly received information about the member students, so I know most of you. So if you have any questions rted to the circle or suggestions, please let me know through Holder Do Jae-hyun. As the advisor professor, I¡¯ll consider any reasonable opinions positively.¡± He then briefly concluded his words. ¡°I, and the academy as well¡­ we have a lot of interest in our circle, externally and internally. Even though it¡¯s a circle made by students, I think that¡¯s exactly why you can produce more meaningful results. So I hope the fellow students also take pride and work hard on circle activities. Well then, I¡¯ll leave the remaining proceedings to Holder Do Jae-hyun and take my leave.¡± p, p, p, p- Brief and concise introduction and exnation. Unlike most veteran professors, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun neatly finished speaking and left the conference room. He probably wanted to stay until the end of the first circle meeting, but it was a miracle that such a busy professor at the start of the semester hade this far. He must¡¯ve barely made time. After giving him thanks, I took back the mic. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s now start the first meeting and conference of the Anti-Viin circle. First, since we don¡¯t know each other well, I want to introduce the members.¡± I first looked at the female student sitting right next to me. She was Yoon Ji-ah, the only 3rd year among our circle¡¯s members. Yoon Ji-ah nodded at my gaze and stood up from her seat. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m a 3rd year Mage, Yoon Ji-ah.¡± Ah¡­!! Wow, wow¡­. It really is senior Yoon Ji-ah¡­. With her brief introduction, admiration filled the conference room. Yoon Ji-ah was a quite famous student at the academy. A president who had led therge circle since 2nd year, a Mage evaluated as the most mature among the current student Holders, noticeably beautiful looks, etc¡­ Even 1st years entering 2nd semester knew her, so the reputation she had built at the academy over 3 years was considerable. And that Yoon Ji-ah had left and joined the newly established circle. Naturally, the other members couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°As some of you know, Senior Yoon Ji-ah was the president of me Dance, an upper year Holder, until just a few days ago. Thankfully after leaving me Dance, she has joined our circle. The experience and know-how she has umted leading arge circle will y a big role as our new Anti-Viin circle moves forward, I believe.¡± p, p, p, p- As I introduced her and Yoon Ji-ah slightly bowed her head, thunderous apuse sounded in the conference room. ¡­It was louder than for Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. The member introductions continued after her. The number of members recruited for the establishment of was 22 total. Among them, Yoon Ji-ah was the only 3rd year, and the remaining 21 were made up of 2nd and 1st years. There were a lot of names I was hearing for the first time among the 2nd year members. Many who had joined boldly for their own reasons, or personal grudges, and some who had entered after only seeing Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s name confirmed for the circle. That¡¯s how the 8 2nd year members had gathered. The remaining 13 members were all 1st years. ¡®And among the 1st years¡­ so many big shots gathered.¡¯ As I started introducing the 1st years, I was amazed internally. Students who were a hot topic in the year, students ranked at the top with outstanding grades, students drawing external interest as well¡­ Truly various and highly-skilled students had gathered. ¡°Ahem. I¡¯m Park Jin-woo.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kim Chae-eun-¡° First was Park Jin-woo, who had joined the circle per our agreement, and Kim Chae-eun, who had directly suffered harm from the n at the academy. Both were talents who had been promoted to upper sses after just one semester. Including me, we were the 1st years rumored to have the fastest growth. ¡°1st year Mage, Kang Juyeon.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Moon Ga-eun.¡± And the ones whose involvement had led the and ns to intervene. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun. From academy enrollment until now, they were the most popr and attention-grabbing students. If there were 2nd years who had entered the circle after seeing Yoon Ji-ah, there were 1st years who had entered after seeing these two. That wasn¡¯t all. ¡°¡­Ji Yoon-jae.¡± There was also Ji Yoon-jae, a Holder whose expression management seemed especiallycking today. He ranked second among the 1st year Assassins. With this, you could say we had gathered all the major directbat head students. ¡®And¡­¡¯ After introducing the five key members, I quietly looked at one side of the conference room. A student with a sharp face and hair down to his eyes, giving off a gloomy aura. To the other members, he was likely the most unexpected member. ¡°I¡¯m Lee Hyun-ho.¡± He was the son of the top domestic cksmith, and the top cksmith at the academy. Lee Hyun-ho of the Specialist ss 1st years. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 117

Chapter 117

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Lee Hyun-ho is probably the student here who hates the most. While others were merely harmed by or saw people close to them get hurt¡­ Lee Hyun-ho lost his mother to a . ¡®The owner of the demon sword, Hwang Seong-yeon.¡¯ Hwang Seong-yeon, a famous leader of the , known as the Holder who wields the legendary demon sword [Dain Scythe]. He was a warrior-type Holder who had killed countless ordinary people and Holders, the worst murderer. Lee Hyun-ho¡¯s mother was one of the unfortunate victims murdered by Hwang Seong-yeon. The ¡®Gwanghwamun za Massacre¡¯ 10 years ago. The worst crime in history,mitted by Hwang Seong-yeon after unleashing the true power of the demon sword. Countless people died in that indiscriminate killing, including Hyun-ho¡¯s mother. The hatred from that day must have left a strong trauma on Hyun-ho. Since then, Hyun-ho and his father Lee Do-kwon had been tracking Hwang Seong-yeon relentlessly, but¡­ Hwang Seong-yeon, who evaded the nationwide wanted order, could never be caught by the tracking of just two Holders. ¡®He was the second to apply after Yoon Ji-ah.¡¯ That¡¯s why. Whenever there¡¯s something rted to , Lee Hyun-ho participates recklessly, not thinking about his ss and power. He was the second to inquire about joining the group after Yoon Ji-ah. ¡®It was the same in the original work.¡¯ In the original work, the mid-tote part¡­ The ¡®Academy Raid Incident¡¯ caused by the ¡®Viin Academy branch¡¯ led by Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae. As his younger brother Park Yoon-seo got involved, Park Jin-woo, who actively responded to , was the first to reach out to Hyun-ho. A Holder with the deepest hatred towards . Lee Hyun-ho joining the group was a predetermined sequence. ¡°Holder Lee Hyun-ho is a 1st year student of the special ss, evaluated as the most outstanding in the subss of cksmiths.¡± While Choi Yoo-min stood outter, Lee Hyun-ho was a promising talent from the start as a cksmith. He had already seeded in making rare-grade items in his first semester, and there were rumors he was preparing to make epic-grade items. The son of the best cksmith in the country. His reputation and talent were unmatched. ¡°I think it¡¯s good to have more diverse ways for our circle to oppose viins. Holder Lee Hyun-ho will not only prepare equipment to confront viin-side Holders, but also invent groundbreaking items or make special items¡­ or identify viin items directly and find spies, expanding the scope of activities for our circle overall.¡± The more talent in the circle, the better. After exining it well so that members could fully understand his joining the circle as a cksmith, which may seem irrelevant, I finished introducing all 22 members. Just the major names alone ¨C Yoon Ji-ah, Kang Ju-yeon, Moon Ga-eun, Park Jin-woo, etc¡­ The members were of such a high caliber that I couldn¡¯t count them on my hands. It was a morous lineup for a new circle. I turned my gaze back to Yoon Ji-ah and added. ¡°Also, Senior Yoon Ji-ah will serve as the vice president of the Anti-Viin Circle. She refused once, but considering her experience and year, I decided there was no one more suitable than her to lead the circle. Do you have any other opinions about this?¡±¡± I looked left and right, but there were no objections. Of course. Yoon Ji-ah herself was the president of the circle. There would be no objections to making her the vice president when she gave up arge circle to join ours. ¡°Then, since there are no objections¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡­But there was an objecting member? A male member from the 2nd year line who abruptly raised his hand to stop me. A senior I was hearing the name of for the first time. His name was probably¡­ Koo Myeong-hoon. I didn¡¯t remember his exact ss and specialty. Sitting in his chair with his arms crossed, Koo Myeong-hoon tackled me. ¡°I¡¯m just not getting this.¡± Ah, wrong move. Other than Kwon Oh-jun, I hadn¡¯t seen anyone sane who was so casual from the start¡­ From his hesitant posture and casual speech from the beginning. He was clearly someone with no manners. I barely held in my anger and replied. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I recognize your contribution in proposing the Anti-Viin circle and bringing Professor Kim Myeong-hyun as the advisor. But that¡¯s separate from leading the circle. A 1st year student as the president? I¡¯ve never heard of that in history.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± I involuntarily made a puzzled expression. What is this guy saying? So. He wasn¡¯t dissatisfied with Vice President Yoon Ji-ah¡­ He was dissatisfied about me bing the president? Iughed in disbelief and said. ¡°It¡¯s already been decided that I¡¯ll be the circle¡¯s president. Professor Kim Myeong-hyunknows that too.¡± ¡°Hmm. Isn¡¯t the official circle registration next Monday?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± This was true, what Koo Myeong-hoon said. While the authorization for establishing a new circle was finalized by satisfying the minimum member requirements, the official registration was not yetplete. Next Monday. The day when new members of other circles get registered, new circles confirm registration as well. Pointing that out, he was suggesting changing the president of the circle. A circle I created, and he dislikes me being the president? What nonsense. In disbelief, I asked. ¡°Then who do you want as president? Surely not yourself.¡± ¡°Of course not me. I¡¯m just noting that someone with more experience, who seems better suited to lead, should take the position. For example¡­ someone like senior Yoon Ji-ah.¡± At those words, Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s gaze turned to Yoon Ji-ah. And that gaze¡­ Was far from ordinary. Somehow, it seemed to harbor a strange, desirous look. Seeing that clingy gaze, I finally realized. ¡®Ah. This guy is a Yoon Ji-ah fanboy.¡¯ Not all the recruited members have ill will towards . As I said before, some joined for other reasons. And among them were students who joined just because Yoon Ji-ah did. Koo Myeong-hoon was a prime example of such Holders. He joined the circle after seeing Yoon Ji-ah. When he inquired about joining, there was no mention of this. I didn¡¯t know until now seeing the situation. He probably has no interest in the ideals or activities of the group. The likelihood is high that his previous circle was also , which Yoon Ji-ah belonged to. And in that passionate gaze¡­ Yoon Ji-ah shook her head. ¡°I have no intention of bing president. I think Holder Do Jae-hyun, who proposed establishing the circle and made ns, is much more suitable to lead the circle.¡± However, Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s defiant attitude remained firm. ¡°No, Senior. While that may be for amon circle, our circle has the attention of the entire academy and external ns. The more such a circle, the president leading it must be a student with solid, strong credentials. But far from solid credentials, a 1st year president? The members of other circles will allugh.¡± A Holder with credentials should lead the circle. It wasn¡¯t apletely false im. Our activities themselves are dangerous, so it¡¯s not a circle you can just casually participate in. But it¡¯s important that I was the one who established this circle and recruited members from the start. The moment the authorization to establish the circle was finalized, my leadership was proven to an extent. His logic was sophistry with a forced nature. Moreover, even that logic was merely an excuse. As a Yoon Ji-ah fanboy, Koo Myeong-hoon simply wanted her to be president. ¡°Even underssmen can sufficiently serve as president. I was me Dance president in my 2nd year.¡± ¡°Haha. That was only possible because of senior Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s excellence. And there is certainly a clear difference in experience between 2nd and 1st years.¡± Crazy fanboy bastard. What big difference could 1 year make? Despite Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s embarrassment at Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s firm attitude, I internally sighed. A circle made to oppose was murky from the start because an irrelevant person joined as a member. ¡®But I have to resolve this.¡¯ I wanted to just kick out Koo Myeong-hoon, who had little interest in the circle¡¯s activities, but that wouldn¡¯t resolve anything. Simply taking such an extreme measure could instill negative perceptions in other members as well. Resolving the conflict in a convincing direction like this. That was operating a good circle. With that thought, I slowly opened my mouth. ¡°Koo Myeong-hoon¡­¡± ¡°Yes, senior.¡± But then an abrupt voice was heard from the side. ¡­It was Park Jin-woo, who had been silently listening. At Park Jin-woo¡¯s low call, Koo Myeong-hoon furrowed his brow as if he misheard. ¡°What, what? Huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, huh. If experience is so important, wanna fight? 1st year and 2nd year. Let¡¯s see if the experience gap makes for a skill difference too.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s face flushed a bit. He had been giving me respectful senior treatment, but now Park Jin-woo was clearly looking down on him despite the superficial senior treatment. Seeing his rather flustered reaction, Park Jin-woo smiled slyly and continued. ¡°Anyway, you seem to be the only dissatisfied student here. Let¡¯s fight and prove it. Is a 1 year difference that big of an experience gap?¡± I grasped my head. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ When I tried to persuade the sophist¡­ Now a member appeared wanting to resolve everything physically. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 118

Chapter 118

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°Oh, how crude¡­¡± Koo Myeong-hoon looked at Park Jin-woo with an incredulous expression. He couldn¡¯t understand why Park Jin-woo had suddenly proposed a sparring match. ¡°What exactly is crude about it?¡± Then another voice chimed in from the side. It was Moon Ga-eun, who had been quietly observing the situation. Moon Ga-eun spoke up¡­? I was a bit surprised too, and Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s expression also wrinkled at the confirmation. ¡°¡­Holder Moon Ga-eun?¡± ¡± How amusing.¡± At her words, Iughed inwardly. As expected, Moon Ga-eun is refreshing. Since Moon Ga-eun is likely an important figure in , Koo Myeong-hoon probably couldn¡¯t casually speak informally to her either. A prime example of knowing when to be strong and when to yield. While it¡¯s true that neither I nor Park Jin-woo are weak, Koo Myeong-hoon clearly had the intention of only honoring Moon Ga-eun with formality. Moon Ga-eun calmly continued speaking. ¡°There are too many ws in the senior¡¯s argument. You¡¯re fixated on career and experience, but among the people gathered here, no one has more experience with viins than Do Jae-hyun. At the academy, he¡¯s fought spies twice, and externally he participated in the Viin Gangnam Branch Subjugation Operation during his internship with the Judgement of Fire.¡± ¡°¡­The, the Judgement of Fire?¡± Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s mouth dropped open for a moment. He didn¡¯t seem to know that I had experience interning with the Judgement of Fire. Well, although I¡¯ve gained some fame recently, it¡¯s only happenedtely, and there are probably many more influential figures and events in the Holder world, so it¡¯s understandable he wouldn¡¯t care. ¡®Even so, how could he not¡­¡¯ At the very least, as the president of the circle he¡¯s joining, he should know the career backgrounds¡­ Since he only thought of Yoon Ji-ah as the president from the beginning, I guess he has no foresight. ¡°Most importantly, Do Jae-hyun first nned the Anti-Viin circle and even personally convinced Professor Kim Myeong-hyun to be the advisor. He essentially established the foundation of the circle, so¡­ Who else could be president if not this student?¡± Moon Ga-eun relentlessly pushed Koo Myeong-hoon without pause. ¡®It¡¯s a bit embarrassing.¡¯ Since it wasn¡¯t anyone else but Moon Ga-eun speaking so seriously, I felt thankful but also embarrassed. Of course, everything she said was reasonable. They were words I would have found difficult to say directly, but they thoroughly refuted Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s logic. As his arguments were gradually pushed into a corner, Koo Myeong-hoon bit his lip slightly. But he still didn¡¯t back down. ¡°Still, a first-year is¡­¡± ¡°Thest remaining first-year is immature argument. To break that notion is why Park Jin-woo proposed a sparring match. Looking at it this way, it¡¯s not a crude act at all, is it?¡± With that conclusion, Moon Ga-eun smiled brightly. At that sight, Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s face flushed red. There were no ws in Moon Ga-eun¡¯s step-by-step rebuttal. I also chimed in around then. ¡°Alright. Then ording to member Park Jin-woo¡¯s proposal, let¡¯s reconcile the matter through a sparring match with member Koo Myeong-hoon. Since our circle has the potential forbat activities, I feel both sides make reasonable points.¡± I looked between Park Jin-woo and Koo Myeong-hoon as I continued. ¡°If member Park Jin-woo wins, then member Koo Myeong-hoon will gracefully acknowledge it, and if member Koo Myeong-hoon wins, we¡¯ll rediscuss the election of the Anti-Viin president. Senior, do you agree?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Koo Myeong-hoon silently nodded. The atmosphere in the conference room was already overheated, so he couldn¡¯t refuse, and he probably thought there was no way he could lose to a no-name first year. ¡°Do the other members agree as well?¡± As I looked around and asked, the other members also nodded. ¡°Well, it makes sense¡­¡± ¡°Neither side was wrong¡­¡± The second year members probably also felt some difort with a first year bing president, even if they didn¡¯t vocalize it. Having to follow the words of an underssman, regardless of the circle¡¯s direction. So it seemed everyone thought this sh of opinions was natural. It wasn¡¯t bad for me either. To be honest, I was perplexed at first by Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s objection and Park Jin-woo¡¯s proposal, but I thought if utilized well, it could be an opportunity to re-establish the chaotic atmosphere of the circle. ¡°Then let¡¯s head to the training ground.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** Koo Myeong-hoon stared ahead with an angry expression. The man casually stroking his sword while sporting an indifferent look, Park Jin-woo. He was extremely displeased that this guy¡¯s sudden proposal led them to the training ground for a sparring match. ¡®A first-year upstart¡­¡¯ It¡¯s not that hecked confidence in his skills for a sparring match. Among the second-year warrior line, Koo Myeong-hoon was one of the top three experts. He even possessed the [me] rune and showed potential as a multi-holder. Unfortunately due tocking understanding, he couldn¡¯t delve as deeply into [me] like other mage-type Holders, but instead used his versatility as a springboard to join the Circle . There was no way someone like him would fear the provocation of a mere first-year upstart. ¡®To be humiliated in front of Ji-ah¡­¡¯ The only reason Koo Myeong-hoon was angry. The fact he had lost face in front of his idol, Yoon Ji-ah. To Koo Myeong-hoon, Yoon Ji-ah was an object of admiration. From the first moment he met her after joining the Circle, he was immediately smitten. Then he fell for her again because of her gentle personality, warm heart, and firm leadership in guiding the circle. Yoon Ji-ah was Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s ideal Holder that he aspired towards. ¡®It¡¯s absurd for Ji-ah to be under anyone.¡¯ In Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s view, Yoon Ji-ah should always shine in the top position. With this creed, he couldn¡¯t even imagine Yoon Ji-ah being beneath another. That¡¯s why he forcibly pushed for her appointment as president despite knowing that I was the one who first nned the circle. The primary reason Koo Myeong-hoon joined the Circle was to follow Yoon Ji-ah, so this kind of blind devotion was natural. ¡®I have to defeat this first-year upstart and make Ji-ah president.¡¯ While things hadn¡¯t gone ording to n, if he could just win this sparring match, they could rediscuss the president appointment. It was something all the members had agreed to, so it couldn¡¯t be easily denied. With that oue in mind, Koo Myeong-hoon smiled and looked at Park Jin-woo. ¡°Why do you smile so grimly?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± But at Park Jin-woo¡¯s response, Koo Myeong-hoon wrinkled his brow again. ¡®This brazen punk¡­¡¯ As expected, his way of speaking every word was irritating. Park Jin-woo chuckled and lifted his sword, saying, ¡°If you¡¯re ready, let¡¯s begin.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± No special signal was needed for a sparring match between two of the warrior-type. Once the first attacker moved, the battle wouldmence immediately. Pad, pababat-! Park Jin-woo began rushing in fast. Seeing him approach, Koo Myeong-hoonughed inwardly. ¡®So he has movement runes¡­¡¯ A Holder¡¯s swift speed. Sometimes this couldn¡¯t be understood simply by looking at speed stats. Park Jin-woo¡¯s current motion was like that. At minimum [Agility], or the rare-grade [Agile Agility] rune. He needed these to demonstrate such movement. Just from that, Koo Myeong-hoon immediately realized. ¡®This guy definitely wasn¡¯t an average C-grade.¡¯ There¡¯s a tremendous difference in stats between C-grade and B-grade. Normally when an average C-grade Holder¡¯s weapon shes, it would feel light. The opponent should have faltered against his strength. But he felt powerful strength behind the shing de. While Koo Myeong-hoon was certainly superior in abilities, he instantly knew this was no ordinary foe. Kang- kang- kagang- Kakagakgang-!! Their swords collided repeatedly, emitting intense metallic sounds. Within that, Park Jin-woo¡¯s speed was tremendous. Clearly Koo Myeong-hoon had the higher speed stat, but the opponent received considerable assistance regarding speed itself, as if he had speed-rted runes. ¡®As expected. He didn¡¯t step up for no reason.¡¯ When a no-name first year had stepped up initially, Koo Myeong-hoon thought it was presumptuous, but¡­ He had to acknowledge what deserved acknowledging. Park Jin-woo was definitely one of the top contenders among the first years. ¡®But that¡¯s not enough to beat me.¡¯ However, that was it. He has decent skills, that¡¯s true, but stillcking. Even if he¡¯s close to B-grade, in the end he¡¯s a C-grade Holder. The difference in experience between a first and second year student. The oue of this sparring match couldn¡¯t escape the logic Koo Myeong-hoon had asserted. Koo Myeong-hoon thought it was about time to wrap this up and gathered his magic power. ¡®The weakness is obvious.¡¯ If there was one ring weakness for damage-focused warrior-type Holders, it was their particr vulnerability to magic attacks. Unlike tankers who utilize shields, these Holders focus solely on attacking, so while they can defend against physical blows with physical strikes, they are quite susceptible to unexpected magic attacks from the side. This was something Koo Myeong-hoon understood better than anyone as a damage-focused warrior-type Holder himself. And¡­ ¡®I¡¯m a holder who can use those magic attacks.¡¯ Koo Myeong-hoon was a damage-focused warrior-type Holder who could also utilize [me] runes as a versatile multi-holder. Amidst the intense focus brought by exchanging blows¡­ A sudden fire-attribute magic attack would surely drive Park Jin-woo into defeat. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± Sensing an opening, Koo Myeong-hoon activated [me]. The mes that suddenly shot out from Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s sword swiftly stretched out to engulf Park Jin-woo¡¯s shoulder. The mes proceeded to cover Park Jin-woo¡¯s entire body and¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± The mes that should have covered his whole body¡­ Disappeared? Seeing the unbelievable situation, Koo Myeong-hoon made a stupid expression and blurted out. Meanwhile, Park Jin-woo¡­ Lightly brushed off the lingering embers with his sword. Then grinned smugly at Koo Myeong-hoon. ¡°Oh my. Senior, your mes are a bit weak, no? Taste bad?¡± That was definitely obvious. Magic defense that couldn¡¯t be disyed without the special stat known as ¡®Fire Resistance¡¯, not possessed by ordinary Holders. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 119

Chapter 119

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Park Jin-woo lightly brushed off the mes clinging to his shoulder. ¡®Ow, this really itches.¡¯ One of the biggest weaknesses of damage dealer warrior-type Holders. Being weak against attribute magic attacks. This also applied to Park Jin-woo. As a damage dealer warrior-type Holder focused on speed, he was vulnerable on the defensive side despite possessing exceptional agility and powerful attack skills. The reason he could easily defeat Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s [me] was¡­ ¡®His fire resistance must be quite high.¡¯ Park Jin-woo¡¯s special ability stat. Because his fire resistance reached 6. Unlike normal ability stats, fire resistance is a special stat that can only be increased through specific situations. Since the conditions for acquiring it are unspecified¡­ If you can raise the stat, the effect is significant. Thanks to this, despite Park Jin-woo¡¯s fire resistance being only 6, he could easily defeat Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s unskilled [me]. Park Jin-woo obtained this fire resistance stat about a month ago. ¡®That bastard Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ Thinking about his only friend Do Jae-hyun, Park Jin-woo gritted his teeth. Although Do Jae-hyun is a Holder focused on physical attacks, he can freely utilize magic attacks and is a skilled multi-holder. Among his attribute magic runes, the most difficult is¡­ [Fiery mes]. His high-level fire attribute magic attacks flew indiscriminately regardless of direction or situation, and their intensity was by no means negligible. So whenever Park Jin-woo sparred with Do Jae-hyun, he was always helpless against these [Fiery mes]. Even if he managed to dodge them out of luck, having to constantly watch out for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s magic attacks was still annoying. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t know it would even create a rune.¡¯ But from taking Do Jae-hyun¡¯s high-level fire attacks and still charging at him everyday¡­ At some point, he became ustomed to fire attribute attacks that had been unfamiliar. And in the midst of intense sparring¡­ Park Jin-woo finally seeded in acquiring a rune based on this special situation. [Your body is endlessly heating up! Your flesh is bing so hot that you can¡¯t tell whether it¡¯s skin or metal anymore. mes are crackling all over your body.] [Acquired new rune ¡®Burning Skin¡¯.] [Due to the rune¡¯s nature, you gain +1 to fire resistance.] [Fire resistance activated in Holder information.] Runes are usually acquired upon ¡®Holder Awakening¡¯, but they can also be obtained after awakening through special insights and various experiences. A prime example is [Magic Control] learned by many at the academy. Warrior-type sses alsomonly acquire runes like [Three-Stage Sword Technique] and [Physical Defense]. [Burning Skin] was another example of such a post-awakening rune acquisition. From taking Do Jae-hyun¡¯s high-level fire attacks so often, he developed resistance and naturally acquired a rted rune. Park Jin-woo originally had the talent to gain [Burning Skin], and Do Jae-hyun simply sped up the process. Anyway, by acquiring fire resistance-rted runes/stats and raising them while sparring with Do Jae-hyun¡­ Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s [me] had now be just irritating. Park Jin-woo smiled slyly at Koo Myeong-hoon. ¡°Senior, time to clench your teeth.¡± The senior whose nonsensical logic ruined the circle¡¯s atmosphere. It was time to discipline that poor head of his. ¡°Run.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± Koo Myeong-hoon shouted in surprise. But there was no time to respond. Fierce energy gathered in Park Jin-woo¡¯s sword. The ultimate skill of his main epic-grade rune [Peerless Pleasure Sword]. [Meteor Beheading] As the rune¡¯s name suggests, an extreme physical attack skill that shes the opponent 17 times at a speed that cannot be chased. Although it uses some magic, its core is the ultimate sword skill. Swish- sh-!! Just as Koo Myeong-hoon tried to do something¡­ Park Jin-woo¡¯s sword had already reached his shoulder. The following 17 beheading strikes. The ¡®shes¡¯ at a speed invisible to the eye pierced through Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s high endurance, causing intensecerations and blood sprays. ¡°Guah¡­!!¡± [Physical Defense] was useless. The ultimate skill [Meteor Beheading] had the effect of ignoring a portion of the target¡¯s endurance. The moment the situation allowed Park Jin-woo to use [Meteor Beheading] after dismantling all of Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s desperate attacks¡­ Victory already belonged to Park Jin-woo. Bang-! ¡°Spar over. Park Jin-woo wins. Senior Yoo Ah-ram, please heal senior Koo Myeong-hoon.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± A signal re rang from the 2nd floor. Do Jae-hyun and Yoon Ji-ah in the center, who had been refereeing. The two signaled the end of the spar in agreement. And Yoo Ah-ram, the only recovery-type ss of the 2nd year, came down into the arena to heal Koo Myeong-hoon. It was a truly instant spar. Koo Myeong-hoon, whose whole body was battered from the intense high-speed attacks. He looked at Park Jin-woo in disbelief. ¡°No way. How could a C-grade Holder¡­¡± His face was aplex mix of emotions. That he lost, that the spar ended so quickly. And¡­ that Park Jin-woo had used an ¡®ultimate skill¡¯. His expression was of total disbelief. Park Jin-woo snickered and replied. ¡°I told you, senior. A 1 year difference in experience isn¡¯t that big of a deal. asionally there are talented newbies who defy seniors¡¯ expectations, right?¡± Koo Myeong-hoon did have higher stats. He was a quite skilled 2nd year warrior-type Holder, and had recently be a B-grade Holder after going through threshold. But Park Jin-woo was also a C-grade Holder right at the B-grade threshold. Their stat difference was at most 5, 7 at best. And that extent of difference¡­ Could be fully covered by Park Jin-woo¡¯s various epic and rare grade rune setups, the rune levels he raised much faster than others thanks to [Effort of the Seeker], and the battle sense built up from diverse experiences. Koo Myeong-hoon, who started out careless from the beginning. It was a fight he could never win. Park Jin-woo sheathed his sword and spoke to Koo Myeong-hoon. ¡°I¡¯ll say this in advance, but our club president is at least twice as strong as me. Get what I mean?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± At those words, Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s expression instantly soured, like he just ate something nasty. The face of someone whose pride was greatly hurt. He understood better than anyone that Park Jin-woo was throwing his own words back at him. *** Ippotrantion *** The bustling arena quieted down. Park Jin-woo¡¯s disy of power just now. His overwhelming suppression of Koo Myeong-hoon was so shocking that even the members who had been watching with interest froze. ¡®He didn¡¯t hold back his strength at all¡­.¡¯ I knew Park Jin-woo would win. As someone who has sparred with Park Jin-woo countless times, I know his skills better than anyone. Although he didn¡¯t learn [Wave Sword Technique] from Professor Tak Won-ho like in the original work, bringing forward the acquisition timing of [Peerless Pleasure Sword] greatly upgraded his standards¡­ and hepletely focused hisbat concept on speed. That depth couldn¡¯t be measured simply by Holder rank. By now he¡¯s probably much stronger than the original work at this point. No matter how skilled a 2nd year Koo Myeong-hoon was, there¡¯s no way he could beat the exponentially buffed protagonist. ¡®I didn¡¯t know he had fire resistance too¡­.¡¯ When he flicked away Koo Myeong-hoon¡¯s [me] like it was specks of dust, even I was surprised. When did he awaken that special rune? It seems [Burning Skin] developed much earlier than expected from taking so many of my [Fiery mes]. Damn protagonist buffs. Just when I think I¡¯ve pulled ahead, Park Jin-woo races to catch up again. ¡°The 1st years this time are¡­ really amazing.¡± Yoon Ji-ah, who had been refereeing the spar with me, murmured. Her gaze was fixed on the sword stuck in the center of the mist arena. The oue of this spar must have been quite shocking to her. I scratched my head with a bitter feeling. ¡°He¡¯s a bit strong. It wasn¡¯t a careless challenge.¡± Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s gaze turned to me again. ¡°But didn¡¯t Holder Do Jae-hyun also defeat a berserk B-grade Holder?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because Moon Ga-eun helped¡ª¡± As I was about to recite the excuse I¡¯d repeated for days¡­ I just chuckled sheepishly and nodded my head. ¡°Yes. I gathered some capable members, in case we have to fight viins. It¡¯d be dangerous with weak ones, right?¡± ¡°So true.¡± As if agreeing, Yoon Ji-ah also smiled. Then she continued apologetically. ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility for Koo Myeong-hoon. As a friend who¡¯s blindly trusted me since me Dance¡­ I think I failed to make rational judgements about this issue because of that.¡± ¡°No, it was a spar all the members agreed on, and Senior Yoon Ji-ah has much more experience, so you were right.¡± I waved my hand signaling it was fine. ¡®Koo Myeong-hoon is just your fanboy¡­.¡¯ Yoon Ji-ah was also a victim in a way. Despite not even wanting the vice president position, let alone president, she ended up indirectly damaging her image because of one fanboy. But she was still important to our circle. She¡¯s a key figure in Kang Juyeon¡¯s growth, and her experience as a former president will be a great asset in operating our circle going forward. ¡°Also¡­ I wonder if he¡¯ll stay in the circle.¡± I nced toward the center of the training ground for a moment. Koo Myeong-hoon getting his severely wounded shoulder treated. He was still ring at Park Jin-woo resentfully. A stance absolutely unwilling to ept his loss. ¡®¡­It¡¯d be good if he quietly withdraws from the circle.¡¯ He was the main culprit in causing turmoil, and had thoroughly embarrassed himself this time, so normal circle activities would be difficult. Normally he¡¯d leave on his own. But because he¡¯s Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s fanboy, who knows how he¡¯ll act. He might cling onto the circle with all his might¡­. Thinking that far, I also steeled my resolve. As circle president, I should also consider directly dismissing Koo Myeong-hoon. Please rate this series here. Schedule: Pending @ UTC+ 12:00 /ippostrantions Chapter 120

Chapter 120

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After a breathless Friday and weekend¡­ Monday has returned again. Having finished all my sses, I was on my way to the library for a bit. When a text came in from a familiar name. [Lee Ji-hye] Hello, Holder Do Jae-hyun! It¡¯s been a while since I texted you. Are you avable for a call now by any chance? Lee Ji-hye. A staff member of the Korean Holders Association who oversaw my C-grade Holder promotion exam and got acquainted with me. My memory of her is¡­ Apetent association staff member. Despite going through a lot of trouble with me while hunting in Bukhansan Mountain field to get my rank up quickly, she handled work professionally without any personal feelings. That left an impression on me. Thanks to that image of hers, I was able to maintain a good rtionship with her. Exchanging pleasantries every now and then, and always looking for her when I had business with the Holders Association. Of course, even that got neglected for a while after the semester started with so many things on my mind. ¡°I wonder what this is about?¡± Getting a text out of the blue from her like this. Asking if I¡¯m avable for a call. Without hesitation, I promptly tapped the button and called her. Seems she was waiting for my call, the ringtone didn¡¯tst long before it stopped. ¡°Hello?¡± ¨C Hello, Holder Do Jae-hyun? ¡°Yes, Examiner Lee. It¡¯s been a while.¡± A pleasant voice came through the phone. ¨C Nice to hear from you! How have you been? ¡°Oh, you know. Same old.¡± ¨C Are you still hunting all day nowadays? ¡°Huh? Ah, that¡­ Haha. Back then I was in a rush to get my rank up¡­ These days I¡¯m swamped after the semester started. No time to hunt at all.¡± The C-grade Holder requirement for the S-grade disaster beast Swirl Leviathan hunt. I¡¯d pushed myself a bit to meet that standard in time. ¡­As a result, Examiner Lee got dragged along too. Feeling apologetic, I awkwardly answered. Then Lee Ji-hye responded with an ¡°Ah!¡± as if in agreement. ¨C That¡¯s right! I heard you got into a fight with a berserk B-grade Holder and won single-handedly. Are you alright? ¡°Yes. Perfectly fine.¡± ¨C What a relief. I don¡¯t know how Viin n members infiltrated the academy. Such sly bastards. One of them was even ackey¡­ I almost blurted that out but barely held it in and replied. ¡°Right.¡± ¨C Oh, that¡¯s why I contacted you today too. It¡¯s rted to that incident. ¡°You mean¡­ My fight with the Viin spy?¡± ¨C Yes, yes. I heard paper shuffling sounds through the phone. Seems Lee Ji-hye was looking for something. Soon her voice came back on. ¨C This is just unbelievable but¡­ your registered achievements with the Association are now close to B-grade. At those words, my voice naturally grew louder too. ¡°What? B-grade?¡± ¨C Yes. Let me briefly summarize¡­ The solo raid andplete im registration of the undiscovered dungeon Goblin Lair, the joint hunt credit for S-grade disaster beast Swirl Leviathan, the joint raid credit for the undiscovered dungeon Forest Covered by Snakes, the joint raid and joint im registration for the undiscovered dungeon Stained Rock Pile, and other various field and dungeon hunts¡­ Damn¡­ It really is unbelievably much. Lee Ji-hye, who was reciting my breathlessly huge achievements, continued. ¨C I don¡¯t know how you aplished all this in barely 3 months, but in any case, your credits are enough for B-grade promotion. I believe satisfying the joint raid credit for a low-rank dungeon should meet all the requirements. ¡°I see.¡± ¨C But even if you meet the achievement conditions, you can¡¯t get promoted if your ability iscking. ¡°Right. Of course.¡± ¨C While I was looking into that, I heard about you, Holder Do Jae-hyun. How you fought and defeated a berserk B-grade Holder alone. ¡°I didn¡¯t fight alone¡­.¡± Damn exaggerated news article. I fought together with Moon Ga-eun. ¨C Anyway, I felt you¡¯d be able to pass the B-grade exam in terms of ability too¡­ So I contacted you like this. I was hoping you coulde in for the B-grade promotion exam if you have time¡­! At Lee Ji-hye¡¯s words, I nodded my head. Usually student Holders umte achievements by hunting bit by bit on weekends. The raid credits required for B-grade promotion is quite substantial, so consistent hunting whenever one has time is necessary to get promoted. But I spent a lot of time on training and was busy with personal matters, so I didn¡¯t go hunting all that often. Instead, whenever I did go hunting, the yields were huge. Numerous undiscovered dungeon raids and hunts in high level fields¡­ I even participated in the disaster beast subjugation organized by the Association. Having stacked up tremendously major achievements unknowingly, it seems I nearly met the conditions for B-grade promotion. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll drop by the Association when I have time.¡± ¨C Yes! You still need the joint raid credit for a dungeon, so don¡¯t forget that! ¡°Will do. Thank you for looking out for me, Examiner.¡± And that concluded my brief call with Lee Ji-hye. I resumed my halted footsteps, fiddling with my phone. ¡°B-grade Holder, huh¡­.¡± It¡¯s barely been 3 months since I got promoted to C-grade. Although I knew I was growing at a rapid pace far exceeding my peers, I didn¡¯t expect to rise to B-grade this quickly. More than just the rank. My surroundings were also bing more solidly established. ¡°¡­.¡± It¡¯s been about 3 weeks since the semester started. This semester has be a major turning point for me. If the first semester as a new student was about adapting to the new world and establishing my ce as a Holder¡­ The second semester was the process of coping with that change and finding my own path. Learning the [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] from Yoo Eun-seol and building up my abilities as an assassin. Forming the circle myself and responding to ¡¯s movements. It was the busy semester that had raced by since the start, as I ceaselessly sought ways to not be swept away by the quick power and sudden fame but instead to undermine them. The result was this second semester after the start of the term. ¡°But it¡¯s stillcking.¡± Yet it was stillcking. Although I may be showing a much sharper and ruthless growth rate than my peers, more sophisticated and powerful strength was necessary to confront . Take Cha Soo-yeon for example. With her as the academy branch manager, moreover infiltrating as a field spy¡­ A future confrontation with her was inevitable. Cha Soo-yeon, possessing at least A-grade up to S-grade threshold ability. To stand against someone like her, I needed to be far stronger than now. ¡°And¡­.¡± And the method to be stronger. While there may be various means, the choice I could definitely make right now¡­ Was practically already decided. ¡ò Name: Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone ¡ò Type: Special ¡ò Rank: Legendary ¡ò Creator: ¨C ¡ò Special Effects: : Contains sealed special powers. When all slots of the forgotten dragons¡¯ magic stones are filled, the seal will be released. (3/5) ¡­ ¡­ The item obtained from raiding the ¡®Academy Underground Dungeon¡¯. The item that allowed senior n member Ji Yoon-jae to be a ¡®Dragon Riding Assassin¡¯. If I fill this [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone] and gain a legendary rune, I could surely be even stronger. ¡°¡­The problem is theck of information about the dragons¡­¡± In the original work, there were only scenes of Ji Yoon-jae having the [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Stone], andter having already gained power from the legendary rune. The process of filling it up and getting stronger, or what dragons he hunted were never shown. In other words, to fill this dragon magic stone slot, I had to run around myself and uncover the rted information. And the ce with the most information on beasts gathered in the academy was the Academy Library at the center. That was why I had walked all the way here to the library right after sses ended earlier. ¡®Phew¡­ When will I get through all this?¡¯ I looked over the ¡®Books on Dragons¡¯ I¡¯d haphazardly picked out, sitting in a corner of the library. Just eyeballing it, there seemed to be over ten books¡­ I wondered if I could read through them all today. Moreover, even reading them, I wondered if I could obtain the information I wanted. With the massive number of books in the library, there were just as many useless ones filled with nonsense. ¡®¡­But I have to read them.¡¯ There was no other way without urate information on the dragons. I had to look through everything myself. I slowly turned the pages of the first book, and began a seemingly endless reading session. How much time passed? The time approached close to 3 hours, and after flipping through more than five useless books¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± I was finally able to find a clue. ¨C ¡­ Meanwhile, the debate about the A-grade monster Wyvern still remains ongoing. Despite other monsters of the same rank like Griffin and Manticore asionally appearing in some fields, reported Wyvern sightings are especially rare for some reason. It is also a monster with very little registered information, and the credibility of Holders who im to have encountered Wyverns is¡­ ¡®Right, Wyvern.¡¯ The A-grade monster, Wyvern. A flying monster with very scarce registered information about it, whose existence is often debated. Based on these bits of information and the dragon legends I¡¯d looked up so far, Wyvern had a very high chance of being a dragon. In the original work as well, Wyvern never directly appeared even once, but there was one undiscovered dungeon it was guessed to inhabit. Sobaek Mountains Field in Chungcheongbuk-do. Somewhere inside it was a hidden dungeon called ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯. A dungeon with the peculiar trait of being filled with flying monsters. If Wyvern really existed, the chances of it appearing were highest in this dungeon. Of course, being only briefly mentioned then moved past in the original work, almost nothing was known about its location, raid conditions, monsters appearing, etc. But just the possibility of it being a dragon was enough to make it worth challenging. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 121

Chapter 121

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡®The Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯ is an undiscovered dungeon that was briefly mentioned in the story. It was said that aerial monsters appear there, but exactly what kind of monsterse out is unknown. Moreover, even the discovery location is not revealed, so finding the dungeon itself was a problem in the first ce. ¡°¡­I should still try to find it.¡± I couldn¡¯t just give up because it¡¯s difficult. The [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon] is an item that will definitely make me stronger if I can just unseal it. Not even trying one of the powerful guys that seems to be a clue is too much of a loss. ¡°First, let¡¯s gather party members.¡± I left the library and sat down on a bench in the main corridor. Then I flipped through my phone¡¯s contacts. To be honest, the party members were already decided. Park Jin-woo, Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun. We¡¯ve partied together before, and they know my abilities best and are deeply involved. Apart from not having a recovery-type, they were the best party members in terms of party bnce. But the world doesn¡¯t always flow as you want. ¡°You can¡¯t do it? Why?¡± ¨C I have a family trip this weekend. We have a long weekend on the following week. It¡¯s the first trip we¡¯ve had in months, so I can¡¯t skip it. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Park Jin-woo declined the hunt because he had a family trip. There¡¯s nothing I can do to change his mind about this. At a nce he looks like a crazy guy obsessed with training and fighting, but for Park Jin-woo, family is the greatest value. He cherishes his family more than anyone else, and time spent with them is most important to him. The reason why Park Jin-woo awakened during the ¡®Academy Annihtion Operation¡¯ was because the touched his younger brother Park Yoon-seo¡­ That¡¯s the end of that. I scratched my head and hung up, saying I understood. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s okay. I can solo tank everything.¡± It would have been better if there was one more warrior-type, but I alone was no big deal. But Park Jin-woo wasn¡¯t the only one getting tangled up. ¡°n project?¡± -¡­Yeah. For now I¡¯m a senior n member. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Kang Juyeon, who had already taken on an important role in , happened to have a n project conflict. Since it was arge project going on after a long time since the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯, it seemed difficult for her to take time off. ¡°Chae-eun, you can¡¯t do it either?¡± -Huh¡­ My master has a business trip to Busan next week. So I think I¡¯ll be short on exclusive lecture times on the weekend¡­ She scheduled special lectures¡­ ¡°Ah¡­.¡± ¨C I want to go hunting with you too¡­ Should I talk to my master and cancel ss? ¡°No, no, you don¡¯t have to go that far.¡± Even trusted Kim Chae-eun declined¡­ She was regretful and tried to follow me on the hunt, but I firmly stopped her. Jeong Seon-young is the only real shortcut for Kim Chae-eun¡¯s growth. I couldn¡¯t get in the way of her growth for my personal business. ¡°Let¡¯s just go next time?¡± With three friends declining me, I wondered if I should postpone the dungeon attack. Since most of the monsters I¡¯m trying to hunt now are aerial monsters, I needed a solid dealer to support the backline. I felt like I could somehow manage solo, but there would be limits on the hunting speed. ¡°No. Next week is too busy.¡± But I shook my head. Starting next week, the operation of the circle would begin in earnest. I also had to gather information about , and prepare for their ns that could happen at any time. I also had to watch out for Ji Yoon-jae, who joined the circle as a member. Also, since it was an undiscovered dungeon that could be explored at any time, I wanted to try attacking it this week while I still had time. I tapped the call button on thest remaining contact. And I spoke more desperately than anyone else. ¡°Ga-eun, you can do it, right? Tell me you can. Please.¡± -What the, so suddenly. Moon Ga-eun was confused because I started with the conclusion, but she showed curiosity at my slow exnation. -Sobaeksan field hunt? ¡°Yeah. Sobaeksan field is famous for having lots of aerial monsters. I¡¯ve never faced aerial ones before so I want to gain experience and get some loot while I¡¯m at it.¡± -I don¡¯t have anything scheduled in particr so I can do it. ¡°Nice! So we¡¯re going this week?¡± At that question, Moon Ga-eun carefully replied. -But it might not just be us two. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± -This is a bitplicated¡­ You know after the Kim Do-yoon incident, our n made an agreement with the academy, right? Of course I knew. The article Professor Kim Myeong-hyun showed me. Not only but also said they would support the circle. I recalled it and nodded. ¡°Yeah, forming the internal security TF team?¡± -Yeah, that¡¯s right. The official name is internal security, but¡­ For people like you and me chosen by the n, they also guard a certain distance outside. Especially when going somewhere to hunt like now. ¡°I see¡­.¡± -I¡¯ll have to talk to my dad to know for sure, but they¡¯ll probably send guards with us when hunting too. This much was inevitable. Not just for me, but Moon Ga-eun is an important figure in . She¡¯s the daughter of Moon Jung-hyuk, a core executive of the n, and the niece of n master Hwang Geon-wook. Especially since master Hwang Geon-wook has no children, Moon Ga-eun is treated almost like a princess in . After experiencing Kim Do-yoon¡¯s attack before, it was natural for the n to strengthen protection and security. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± -It shouldn¡¯t interfere too much, so don¡¯t worry about it too much. ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about. It¡¯s the n guarding us.¡± -That¡¯s right! Anyway¡­ it¡¯s set for Saturday then! ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s meet up again in a couple days and talk in detail.¡± -Yup! *** Ippotrantion *** Time passed quickly and the weekend arrived. A warp gate located in Yongsan, Seoul. Since it was the first day of the long weekend, the Seoul warp gate was bustling with people trying to move to other warp gates around the country. Among that crowd, I could easily spot Moon Ga-eun. Ash blue hair and decent body proportions. A bow and armor that looked high-end at a nce. Above all, a striking appearance that stood out in therge crowd. At this point, it would be harder not to spot her. Moon Ga-eun also quickly found me and waved. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°Not long, maybe 10 minutes? But there are so many people.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s a long weekend so I guess everyone¡¯s going on trips or hunting.¡± ¡°Since they¡¯re equipped, it looks like more are Holders. Could be students like us too.¡± It was obvious, but warp gates were expensive. A massive amount of high-grade magic stones were used every time you moved, so the fees were astronomical. Even very wealthy ordinary people hesitated, and unless the Holders were high-rank with ample capital, they tended to prefer other means of transport. Yet it was packed with people like this¡­. It seemed many people were spending big to move, or Holders going out to party hunts. I looked at the crowd with a tired face. Then I suddenly recalled the previous call and asked. ¡°How did that go? The guard team joining us?¡± ¡°Oh right. I talked it over well with my dad¡­ Having the whole team follow us would lower efficiency and burden us too, so they decided to just send the team leader.¡± ¡°Team leader?¡± ¡°Yeah. You probably know them too. Ah, there he is.¡± Moon Ga-eun pointed in one direction. When I turned my head, a female Holder was walking toward us. Long, straight purple hair in a loose style and lightly equipped gear. Tall with slender limbs. She had the appearance of a model. And the closer she slowly approached, the wider my eyes grew. As Moon Ga-eun said, I also knew this person. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Seong Na-yeon, a senior n member of Royal n and team leader of the ¡®Anti-Viin Protection¡¯ task force.¡± She was one of the Holders representing . A-grade multi-holder wielding wind and sword, Seong Na-yeon. I nervously shook her hand. ¡°I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun. It¡¯s an honor to meet the renowned Senior Seong Na-yeon.¡± Seong Na-yeon smiled at the greeting and replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. It might be a burden to have someone following you, but please think of it asfortably as possible. My role is protection in case of potential risks. So don¡¯t mind me too much and just do what you were going to do. And if I happen to participate in the hunt, I¡¯ll be excluded from all spoils and conquest results.¡± She probably won¡¯t participate in the hunt much to begin with¡­ But even if she did, she was giving up all rights. It was quite a bold statement. It seemed Moon Ga-eun had made it clear when reporting to the n. This could have led to taking the undiscovered dungeon results, but this was Moon Ga-eun handling it very well. ¡°Oh! And I heard it from the Director too.¡± ¡°Huh? What¡­¡± I made a puzzled expression at her sudden words. Director. It probably referred to the director of n¡¯s Operations Headquarters, a position higher than vice-master. And this director was¡­ Moon Jung-hyuk, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s father. She heard something from Moon Jung-hyuk? An unknown anxiety began to wash over me. And that anxiety soon became reality. ¡°It¡¯s a secret externally, but that you two are dating¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I let out a foolish gasp. And so did Moon Ga-eun. She also didn¡¯t expect this. ¡°As I said earlier, my role is solely protection. Please think of me as if I don¡¯t exist. I mean¡­ feel free to show skinship and such. Act freely. I will move so as to never interfere with your date.¡± With an expression as if resolute about something¡­ She passed over her words decisively. No matter how you look at it, she was prepared. ¡°¡­.¡± Seeing that, I stopped thinking any further. Consider donating, your support is needed! via Buymeacoffee Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 122

Chapter 122

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Chungcheongbuk-do Buan-gun. Outside the barrier, at the entrance to Sobaeksan Mountain Field. Lush trees decorated the surroundings on both sides as Moon Ga-eun and I walked side by side. ¡­With Seong Na-yeon quietly following behind us. ncing back at Seong Na-yeon, I moved a little closer to Moon Ga-eun and said. ¡°¡­.I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± At those words, Moon Ga-eun was startled and replied. ¡°Wh, wh, what? What responsibility?¡± What the. Why is she so surprised? I looked at her with a nk expression. ¡°She is a n guard assigned by the Royals. I need to take responsibility and convince Holder Seong Na-yeon naturally.¡± ¡°Ah, that responsibility¡­ Phew¡­ I thought¡­.¡± What is she thinking? Moon Ga-eun, who had just heaved a sigh of relief, suddenly looked at me sullenly. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t worried at all because it¡¯s n security.¡± ¡°What? Hey, that¡¯s different from this. That was a promise¡­!!¡± I suddenly stopped talking. It seemed my voice had gotten too loud. So I discreetly looked back. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Sure enough. Seong Na-yeon was watching us from afar with a delighted face. ¡­Damn it. She probably sees this as a lover¡¯s quarrel too. We¡¯ve been firmly stamped as a couple. I whispered to Moon Ga-eun again. ¡°This is a broken promise. You clearly said we just had to greet your father.¡± Moon Ga-eun¡¯s fake boyfriend role. It was clearly supposed to end after just one meal with Moon Jung-hyuk, and the roley was sessful at the time. I had yed the boyfriend role more perfectly than Moon Ga-eun had asked, and was able to leave a positive impression at the subsequent drinking session with Moon Jung-hyuk. I had stubbornly transformed her lies into truth. But the roley I thought had ended was still ongoing. ¡­And against one of the core members of the , Seong Na-yeon, no less. Moon Ga-eun also seemed not to have expected this, with an embarrassed look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that¡­ I clearly told Dad it was a secret¡­.¡± She mumbled on. ¡°He was probably worried because of Viin, so he must¡¯ve said things he shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± An invincible shield deployed. A father¡¯s worry for his daughter¡­ It wasn¡¯t hard to understand. The side¡¯s raid had only been 2 weeks ago, and the circle had just been establishedst week. And after that, she was going hunting in the field with the circle president, so of course he¡¯d be worried. Especially since Moon Jung-hyuk was a father who cared deeply for his daughter. ¡®¡­¡­.¡¯ Of course, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a reason enough to say we¡¯re in a rtionship. I lightly sighed and said, ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Anyway, once we start hunting, she probably won¡¯t pay much attention. I already told her we came here to hunt, so she¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°Hey, if you sincerely apologize, what happens to me? I was just saying it. I¡¯m not mad.¡± Seeing Moon Ga-eun so crestfallen, I panicked. Since I was the one who suggested the hunt and Moon Ga-eun just came along, I felt bad ming her. ¡­I hope she¡¯s not upset? Scratching my head, I asked. ¡°Should we hold hands likest time?¡± At that, Moon Ga-eun quickly raised her head and replied. ¡°No! I think it¡¯ll be okay! I¡¯ll convince Holder Seong Na-yeon well!¡± Such a stubborn refusal. Yup, she¡¯s definitely sulking. *** Ippotrantion *** The field outside the barrier, where monsters gather. Each field has different terrain and monster tendencies, but Sobaeksan Mountain Field in particr doesn¡¯t have monsters appearing in the early stages. Past the hiking trail, in the open hills. Monsters don¡¯t start appearing until you reach the mid-stages of the field. Thanks to that, we hadn¡¯t encountered any monsters after hiking up the early stages. ¡°I think they¡¯ll start appearing soon.¡± I tensed up a bit and scanned the surroundings. The [Sword of Penitent] was already in my hand. I was fully prepared to fight whenever monsters appeared. Moon Ga-eun ced her hand on the ground for a moment, then said. ¡°Nothing on scan yet. We¡¯ll have to go further in.¡± This is why archer-type Holders are essential in a party. They can detect monsters that can appear at any time using scouting runes. Of course, I also had [Prey Search], but it is now a subsidiary rune of [Descendant of the Barbarian King] . So I could scan as well. Moon Ga-eun, who had gotten up from her spot, picked up her bow again. Looking around, she said. ¡°There aren¡¯t many Holders here hunting though. Did everyone stay back because of the vacation?¡± As she said, the area was too quiet. Not a single person, let alone monsters, was in sight. From the entrance to our current position, we hadn¡¯t run into a single Holder. The only signs of life were me, Moon Ga-eun, and Seong Na-yeon quietly following behind us. But theck of people wasn¡¯t just because today was a holiday. ¡°Sobaeksan Mountain Field was always a less popr hunting ground.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The monsters¡¯ attack patterns here are difficult. Since most are aerial-type, hunting is tough and most people have little experience fighting them.¡± Aerial monsters are extremely tricky for the hunting Holders. Warrior-types have to closely mark the attacks from monsters flying in from who knows where, and dealers also have to hunt carefully, as they can be attacked at any time. Unlike normal monsters that attack in straight lines, aerial monsters could strike from any angle. ¡°And they¡¯re not low-grade either.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Sobaeksan Mountain Field was quite a high-level hunting ground. It doesn¡¯t have any clumsy D-grade or C-grade monsters. There are barely any monsters in the early stages, but B-grade monsters start wandering around the mid-stages. Go further up and A-grade monsters frequently appear as well. It was on the level of ¡®Seoraksan Mountain Field¡¯, which I had visited before to clear the Stained Rock Pile dungeon. It¡¯s such a high-level field, but even the monsters that appear are floating in the sky? It was normal for everyone to not like it. ¡°But it¡¯s not all disadvantages.Unlike beast-types that move in packs, they move alone here, so it¡¯s easier to take them out one-by-one. And since they can fly, they tend tock other tricky abilities¡­ So it can be surprisingly easy to hunt if you get used to it.¡± If you adapt, Sobaeksan Mountain Field is actually not a bad hunting ground. ¡­Of course, people don¡¯te because adapting is a hassle. Moon Ga-eun looked at me like I was being pretentious. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, you know surprisingly a lot about field hunting. I didn¡¯t know much of this.¡± At that, I hesitated for a moment. Truthfully, it¡¯s all just theory for me, theory only. Since I¡¯ve read so much about it in articles. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t attend themon sses on dungeons and fields. I know too much, to the point that it¡¯s be boring. ¡°Ahem, well, you know I¡¯m very interested in hunting. You¡¯ve never been with the n?¡± ¡°Nope. When I¡¯ve been dispatched, it¡¯s almost always to Inwangsan Mountain Field or Seoraksan Mountain Field.¡± I nodded at that as well. Two of the most popr domestic hunting grounds. If you need to hunt or gain experience, there¡¯s no need to specifically go to Sobaeksan Mountain Field when you have those two spots. If not for the ¡®clue about Wyvern¡¯, I probably wouldn¡¯t havee to such a tricky hunting ground either¡­ Kkyuuuu- Kkyuuk-! And then. A creepy cry echoed from high up ahead. Now in the mid-stages, after walking for so long from the entrance. The monsters of Sobaeksan Mountain Field had finally appeared. Moon Ga-eun quickly started drawing her bow, and I tensely looked up at the sky as well. Soon, the monster with the grotesque face appeared. As soon as I saw it, I could identify it. ¡°Harpy.¡± B-grade monster, harpy. With the head of a human-like face and the body of a bird, it had a peculiar form. Though they were known to generally have the faces of women, they were so badly distorted and crude due to being monsters that they were simply creepy. ¡°Ga-eun, prepare a strong blow.¡± ¡°How are you going to do it?¡± ¡°Harpies are fast. You likely won¡¯t be able to hit it immediately even using focusing runes. I¡¯ll first shock it with a dagger and stop its movements. Then hit the thing with your strongest support fire. That¡¯ll make hunting much easier.¡± The harpy is basically a monster-type focused on physical enhancement. It has some magic runes to manipte water, but the abilities are very weak. Its main attack routes were undoubtedly its fast speed and aerial domination for sudden raids. The counter to these attacks is taking the lead and attacking first. I had to restrict its movements and drag it down to the ground before it could fly freely in the sky. ¡®Throwing daggers are optimized for that kind of attack.¡¯ Though I¡¯ve mainly been learning Short Sword Swordsmanship from Yoo Eun-seol recently, my primary dagger use before that was still throwing daggers. The four daggers at my waist. I temporarily stored the [Sword of Penitent] in my magic bag and took out the daggers. Kkyuuuu-!! Kkyuk-! The harpy kept making its bizarre cries as it approached nearby. Its¡¯ body was finally within range. Without hesitation, I threw all four daggers at it. ¡®Quarter Knife!¡¯ [Quarter Knife], attacking with one dagger imbued with magic. I wouldn¡¯t be able to take down the harpy with this, but I could make an opening for Moon Ga-eun to attack for sure. The subsidiary rune [Ice-Cold Focus] steadied my shaking focus. ¡°Lucky.¡± Two missed, but the other two stabbed into the harpy¡¯s torso and leg. And the dagger in its leg seemed to be imbued with magic. Kkyuk-? Kkyuuuu-!! The instant I saw the harpy¡¯s movements restricted, I shouted, ¡°Moon Ga-eun, now¡­?¡± But I suddenly trailed off at the end. Because of course¡­ Kwaa, kwaaaang!! Kkyuuuk-?! All of a sudden, a tremendous roar. The harpy¡¯s leg exploded. Having directly received the massive impact, the harpy pped its wings clumsily, its leg blown apart. Seeing that. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s focused expression as she drew her bow went nk. ¡°This is¡­¡± Only then did I realize it too. The dagger bomb with [Explosive Sword Aura] triggered. I added that explosive property because I was worried the power would be insufficient¡­ But damn, this is way more powerful than I thought. Consider donating, your support is needed! via Buymeacoffee Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 123

Chapter 123

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. It was strange. It was a bizarre situation. I clearly came to this field for party hunting, but I couldn¡¯t calm my fluttering heart as we climbed Sobaeksan Mountain Field side by side. ¡®¡­¡­.¡¯ To be honest, I had felt this way since I first got the call from Do Jae-hyun. Although I actedposed and told him I¡¯d check when I was free, I swiftly checked all my schedules at that time. A party hunt with just the two of us, even with a bodyguard. I really wanted to go for that reason. ¡®Why am I like this¡­.¡¯ To be frank, I don¡¯t really know why. Ever since that day when I was suddenly attacked by Kim Do-yoon. When I was protected by him and unexpectedly got a back hug. Since then, every time I saw Do Jae-hyun, I felt strange. My heart kept thumping rapidly, and I wanted to readily ept anything he suggested. That was also why I dly joined the circle. ¡®Holder Seong Na-yeon¡­.¡¯ And then. The words of Seong Na-yeon, who was assigned as my bodyguard, acted as a catalyst. She told us to actfortably since she wouldn¡¯t interfere with our date. We were both flustered by her unexpected remark, and although we properly reached an agreement after apologizing for it, my heart hasn¡¯t calmed down since then. Just like what Seong Na-yeon said. Today¡¯s hunt really felt like a date. That¡¯s why even climbing Sobaeksan Mountain Field together¡­ And the fact that there were no monsters near the entrance¡­ Everything felt like it was set up for a date. The only regretful thing was that I rejected Do Jae-hyun¡¯s suggestion to hold hands. I also wanted to readily nod my head, but I subconsciously rejected him because I was too embarrassed. ¡®Juyeon, Chae-eun¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ In my head, I apologized to my friends. Although I couldn¡¯t urately define these emotions, for some reason, I only felt apologetic towards Kang Juyeon and Kim Chae-eun. I felt even more so whenever we used couple skinship as an excuse. And I realized once more. This must not be found out. The fake couple act, and the intimate hunt with just the two of us. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen if the two of them found out. Kwa, kwaahh!! Ugh-?! As we continued climbing the Sobaeksan Mountain Field. In the middle of it, we finally encountered a B-grade monster. A harpy. The creature that was freely flying in the sky¡­ Was greatly shaken after being hit by Do Jae-hyun¡¯s dagger baptism, followed by an inexplicable explosion. ¡°This is¡­¡± Even I who was drawing my bow was flustered by the sight. The original n was to just restrict its movements with a dagger. But the result was quite different from that. Also, even though Do Jae-hyun ims to be a multi-holder¡­ He used a peculiar type of ¡®magic rune¡¯ that I¡¯ve never seen before. Moreover, its attribute was simr to Kim Do-yoon¡¯s ¡®explosion¡¯ ability. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®What is that?¡¯ ¡­But even in that bewildering situation. I couldn¡¯t stop the thought that popped into my head. ¡®So cool¡­¡¯ Do Jae-hyun¡¯s ability that I saw for the first time. Separate from my questions about it¡­ His dazzling battle was cool. *** Ippotrantion *** The rune I acquired after defeating Kim Do-yoon, [Explosive Sword Aura]. Obviously, this is a magic rune. When using a de-type weapon, I can naturally imbue magic power to cause an explosion, and the attribute of that magic power is reced with fire. The additional effect of [Quarter Knife], ¡®Rainbow Bomb¡¯, is the same. Just like how magic attacks can deal great damage to monsters with high durability stats, my rainbow bomb that flew out as a [Quarter Knife] imbued with intense explosive power couldn¡¯t help but be effective against the harpy. ¡®There are a lot of ways to empower it, too¡­.¡¯ [Explosive Sword Aura] increases in power if you have fire attribute magic runes, and utilizing runes rted to magic amplification also strengthens the explosion. Of the runes I have¡­ [Fiery mes] and [Magic Amplification]. These two runes naturally acted as auxiliary runes, making the [Quarter Knife] that flew out as a rainbow bomb exhibit unbelievable power beyond expectations. Pew- Pak! Ugh, uhhh-. While I was lost in thought. The harpy that was floundering in the air was hit by another strike and crashed to the ground. Moon Ga-eun, who was nkly watching this scene together with me, had regained her senses and finished her prepared attack. Thepletely battle-incapacitated harpy. It was an all too miserable fight for a B-grade monster. I awkwardly pped my hands and said. ¡°Nice, nice shot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± An awkward silence flowed. Wasn¡¯t this awkward after all? Moon Ga-eun, who was adjusting her posture after finishing the fight¡­ Soon looked straight at me and asked. ¡°That explosion, it¡¯s a newly awakened ability?¡± ¡°Huh, what?¡± ¡°I heard it from Juyeon. Do Jae-hyun, you have fire attribute magic runes. After directly fighting Kim Do-yoon, it looks like you¡¯ve also awakened the power to explode.¡± ¡­Does it really work like that? Although I was flustered that Moon Ga-eun found out about my explosive ability, unexpectedly, she readily epted it on her own. Like Kim Chae-eun previously, she seemed to think that I originally had the talent and gained enlightenment. ¡®Well, I guess I don¡¯t have to exin being a rune hunter.¡¯ From their perspective, it was probably a natural conclusion. Even when we hunted together in the underground dungeon of the academy, I took on the tanker role in the front with just physical attacks. And now, I was suddenly learning to utilize magic attacks, exhibiting the appearance of a multi-holder who evolved from a pure tanker to a damage dealer. Gaining new abilities after that wasn¡¯t odd. Of course, I didn¡¯t expect her to understand it as me gaining enlightenment from the fight against Kim Do-yoon and blossoming a new power from [Explosive Sword Aura]¡­ but still. ¡°It¡¯s probably your first time using it, but use it with caution. If you can¡¯t control your power, you who use it might get hurt.¡± Moon Ga-eun, whose career as a Holder was a year ahead of mine. Her advice was reasonable. I nodded and replied. ¡°Thanks. As expected of my senior, I¡¯m learning a lot.¡± ¡°What are you saying. We¡¯re in the same grade. And you know more about monsters than I do.¡± After saying that, Moon Ga-eun suddenly headed towards the fallen harpy. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To harvest harpy by-product. Don¡¯t follow me. I¡¯ll do it alone.¡± She went tottering away, covering her face. I wonder why she¡¯s so embarrassed. Could she be thinking that she gave presumptuous advice to me? When it was sufficiently helpful¡­ Even Moon Ga-eun with her frank personality seemed to be quite shy at times. ¡®Then I should also¡­¡¯ Due to the harpy¡¯s nature of not moving in groups in the Sobaeksan Mountain Field, we now had some time since defeating one. I also summoned my info window for a moment to take care of my business. The info window thates to me after hunts end sessfully. It was the [Rune Hunter] reward. [You were victorious in the duel! Your high contribution in the duel is recognized as a victory. With the Rune Hunter¡¯s mystical power, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] [1. High-Speed Flight 2. Water Breathing 3. Agility (Not Selectable) 4. Endurance 5. Physical Defence (Not Selectable)] The harpy is fundamentally a monster focused on physical enhancement. As an aerial monster that unleashes powerful physical attacks based on high strength and speed, its rune setup was also rted. [Agility] which generally assists the user¡¯s movements, [Endurance] which guarantees high health, and [Physical Defence], one of the representative defense runes. They were all rune setups focused on physical enhancement, and I also either possessed them already or had higher tier runes, so I didn¡¯t particrly need them. The remaining choices were [High-Speed Flight] and [Water Breathing]. ¡®Well, what is this High-Speed Flight.¡¯ The decision time wasn¡¯t long. I¡¯d end up getting both eventually through hunting, but since I already had [Swirling Tidal Wave, I wanted to acquire a rune with a different form first. [You have selected High-Speed Flight. As it is a level 7 rare rune, the level will be lowered and registered at level 4.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [Due to the rune¡¯s nature, you gain 1 Speed.] ¡®They really give it stingily.¡¯ As most of my Holder stats started surpassing 40, the stat gains I got from acquiring runes also greatly decreased. Despite acquiring a level 4 rare rune, my Speed only went up by 1¡­ No wonder the Holders who receive high stats from the beginning and awaken are specially treated. Seeing things like this made me even more grateful for the special effect of [Sweat of the Seeker]. Stat increase proportional to training time. ¡®Then for the rune info¡­¡¯ Just as I was about to check the info of the newly acquired rune. ¡°Huh?¡± I narrowed my eyes slightly. One golden info window took over my vision again as it appeared. By now, I also know the identity of this info window. It¡¯s already the third time. Experiencing the same phenomenon three times, just seeing the color was enough to know what it signified. ¡®A Superior rune appeared again?¡¯ Superior rune. A system to acquire new runes bybining my current runes, a special effect of [Rune Hunter]. The first was [Master of Martial Arts], and the second was [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. And just two months after acquiring those¡­ Another superior rune has revealed itself. [Currently,binable runes exist. With the Rune Hunter¡¯s mystical power, you can acquire a higher tier rune.] [Higher Tier Rune: The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven / Lower Tier Runes: Sprint, Underwater Sprint, Rage Rush, High-Speed Flight] ¡°¡­¡­.¡± But after checking it, I silently stared at the info window. What the. This shabby rune name is¡­. Consider donating, your support is needed! via Buymeacoffee Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 124

Chapter 124

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡®How is the rune¡¯s name¡­.¡¯ [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]? There¡¯s no way a rune like this would be possessed by amon Holder like me¡­. More shocking than the appearance of a new superior rune is the name of this rune. I was a bit stunned at first, but soon gathered my thoughts and organized the situation. ¡®The third superior rune.¡¯ The third superior rune has already appeared. Based on my experiences so far. The superior runes created so far seemed to follow a certain form. One was that theybined various runes within a certain category. [The Master of Martial Arts] was a superior runebining various physical runes rted to weapons, and [The Descendant of the Barbarian King] was a superior runebining auxiliary runes rted to beasts and physical enhancement. The categories were the same, but the contents of the subsidiary runes were all different. ¡®This one¡¯s all the same.¡¯ However, this rune has the same category, and the properties of the subsidiary runes are all the same as well. All runes rted to charging and dashing. Thanks to that, the runes that could bebined into a superior rune¡­ Seemed optimized for charging just from the name alone. ¡®And there¡¯s only four subsidiary runes.¡¯ The second form for superior runes was that they had a considerablyrge number of subsidiary runes. There were 8 when [The Master of Martial Arts] wasbined. [The Descendant of the Barbarian King] also had 8. So I thought the standard number was at least 8, or thatbinations were only possible starting from at least 7. But this [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] became a superior rune with only 4. The forms for superior runes that I had organized in my own way. They were all shattered at that moment. It seemed that ¡®superior runes¡¯ didn¡¯t have any specialbination forms, and could freely appear if the situation and conditions were right. ¡®First, High-speed Fight¡­.¡¯ I briefly checked the information on the newly acquired [High-speed Fight] rune. Rare rune, Level 4. No derived skills. Special effects include disying greater power when possessing wind-attribute magic power runes, and being more adept at charging in a dive rather than a straight line. Considering the various special effects, it was quite a decent charging rune. ¡®But I can¡¯t fly in the sky.¡¯ [High-speed Fight] had a fatal w. A charging rune that could allow you to run in the sky was certainly attractive, but without abilities or runes that could levitate, the rune itself would be unusable. I would have to be able to fly first in order to charge in the air, but the prerequisite wasn¡¯t fulfilled. It seemed I would have to hunt other aerial monsters and acquire rted runes to make this possible. ¡®Then¡­.¡¯ After checking all the information, I summoned the information window again. Combining into a superior rune was now not a choice but a necessity. I had never failed afterbining so far, so it was practically already decided. [You havebined the superior rune ¡®The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven¡¯. The charging runes High-speed Fight, Underwater Sprint, Rage Rush, and Sprint for a total of 4 runes have been selected as subsidiary runes. The appraisal level of the superior runebining the subsidiary runes is Level 5.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [The nature of the rune grants +4 Agility.] ¡°Whoa¡­.¡± Unintentionally, I let out an exmation. Increasing agility by 4? While the number itself was simr to when I got [The Master of Martial Arts], considering my current ability scores were much higher than then, it was an astounding increase. Since it was a rune extremely focused on agility, the increase in ability scores was also focused in one area, it seemed. ¡®Finally went over 50.¡¯ Thanks to it, my agility became 51, bing the first of my ability scores to pass 50. Next, I immediately checked the . ¡ò Name: The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven ¡ò Rank: Epic / Superior ¡ò Subsidiary Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Sprint] ¡ò [Underwater Sprint] ¡ò [Rage Rush] ¡ò [High-speed Fight] ¡ò Level: 5 ¡ò Engraved Location: Legs ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C : Through the special power of the superior rune, proficiency corrections can be given to the subsidiary runes. Each subsidiary rune can raise its proficiency as an individual rune, and proficiency can also be raised through the superior rune¡¯s corrections. : The user can recklessly charge and attack wherever their feet touch. This effect amplifies proportionately to the user¡¯s Agility stat. (However, certain areas like the sky/sea require abilities to freely move within those areas.) : The ¡®Rapid Riding¡¯ effect is constantly applied. The fastest runner in any situation, riding any mount, bes the greatest racehorse under heaven. When charging mounted, 70% of the original charging speed can be achieved. *Sub Effect Details: (Omitted) ¡ò Derived Skills: ¨C ¡ò [el Piercing] ¡ò [Quadrupedal Charge] ¡ò Detailed Informations: ¨C : With superhuman lower body strength and overwhelming eleration! As you recklessly traverse all areas, you willck nothing needed to be called the greatest racehorse under heaven. Faster, stronger! Let us stay one step ahead of all living creatures that run with us. ¡ò Name: el Piercing ¡ò Derived from Rune: The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven ¡ò Cooldown Time: 3 hours ¡ò Conditions for Use: Possess spear-rted runes. ¡ò Effects: ¨C : Concentrate magic power in the spear thrusted in a straight line, and pierce using that eleration when the charge finishes. Inflicts powerful magical and physical strikes inbination, and applies a ¡®Bleeding¡¯ effect on the attacked target. *When using this skill, certain effects of [Ruthless Charge] (striking with 2x Strength at the end of the charge) are temporarily not applied. ¡°Whoa¡­.¡± Once more. I eximed once again. It wasn¡¯t a legendary-ss rune like [The Descendant of the Barbarian King], but an epic-ss rune with plenty of spectacr and tremendous effects was created. First, the basic effects. As expected of a superior runebining all charging runes onnd, sea, and air, the effects were alsoprehensive. Being able to receive the rune¡¯s support and charge in any ce meant the scope of my abilities could branch out considerably. But like I mentioned earlier, I would need rted runes to be able to charge in certain areas like the ¡®sky¡¯ or ¡®sea¡¯. Fortunately, I had the [Underwater Breathing] rune, so charging underwater was possible, and I just needed to acquire aerial-rted runes. ¡®Rapid Riding also seems pretty useful.¡¯ It was probably an effect that applied when riding something like a horse¡­. From the description ¡®mount¡¯, I wondered if it also applied to things like bicycles and cars? Thebination of modern inventions and rune utilization seemed worth looking into more. ¡®And skills.¡¯ [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] rune had as many as two derived skills. Two skills. Were there ever runes that had two skills from the beginning? Nothing came to mind immediately, so this was probably the first time. On top of that, the skills themselves were also extremely good. [el Piercing] was too attractive in terms of power and versatility. The ¡®Bleeding¡¯ effect that limited the recovery of the target was good as well, and it was also one of the few direct attack skills among my derived skills. I had a premonition it would be one of my main skills. ¡®Quadrupedal Charge is¡­.¡¯ I sighed and shook my head. Frankly, I didn¡¯t even want to check the information for [Quadrupedal Charge]. It was obvious what it would be. Running faster with four legs¡­. Well, it would probably have decent efficiency when alone, but it was a skill I would never want to use even if it killed me during party hunts. ¡®Another sess.¡¯ As expected, superior runes never disappoint me. The results ofbining them seemed to at least be decent hits. ¡°Do Jae-hyun!¡± Just as I was organizing the information on the newly acquired runes, Moon Ga-eun, who had gone to harvest harpy¡¯s by-products, called me from afar. Ah, right. I was so absorbed in the new information that I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the sounds around me. Hearing her slightly annoyed tone, I hurriedly ran over. ¡°You called?¡± ¡°Geez¡­ why aren¡¯t you responding. I think I called you like four times.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was checking my equipment and Holder info for a bit.¡± Moon Ga-eun, with her hands on her hips and a sullen face, looked at me and then softened her expression, pointing at harpy. ¡°Check this out for a sec.¡± ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s something weird, so.¡± Specifically, it was the magic stone embedded in harpy¡¯s nape. An area concealed by the countless feathers and difficult to see. Following her instructions, I examined the harpy¡¯s corpse with my gloves on. The red magic stone embedded deep in the nape. Its color was shining quite brightly. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Only after seeing that did I understand why Moon Ga-eun called me. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it in too good of a condition?¡± ¡°Yeah. What is this?¡± Harpy¡¯s magic stone. The condition of the magic stone that should have been an average B-grade was too good. The purity of the contained magic power was quite high, and the cohesion was also excessively high. Was it an A-grade magic stone? It had a quality that would make an unaware person think that. ¡°The magic stone doesn¡¯t match the harpy¡¯s condition. So I got curious and used Magic Tracking on it.¡± At those words, I eximed in surprise. ¡°You used Magic Tracking?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. It¡¯s a derived skill that connects when detection-type runes and Magic Control reach a certain level¡­.¡± I know. Of course I know. [Magic Tracking], a skill derived when considerably raising the Detection-type runesmonly used by the Archer ss and the universal skill [Magic Control] to high levels. An advanced skill that could identify the source of magic power or skill-rted phenomena. ¡®To already have¡­¡¯ The fact that Moon Ga-eun had already mastered such an advanced skill was impressive itself, but the fact she thought to use it in an ordinary situation like this was also surprising. It was a phenomenon that could just be passed off with ¡®Ah, the magic stone condition is good¡¯ in normal circumstances. As expected of a key member of the n. From how she handled magic power to how she approached hunting, her very sense was different from ordinary Holders. ¡°So when I tracked it¡­.¡± This time, Moon Ga-eun pointed at a tree far away. One of the ordinary trees we passed by while climbing up Sobaeksan Mountain¡­. ¡°Can you see it?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°That tree over there, it has a nest on top of it.¡± A nest? At those words, I frowned and stared at the tree. Of course, I couldn¡¯t see anything. Unlike Moon Ga-eun who received aid for vision as an Archer, I didn¡¯t have any rted runes. Seeing my reaction, she smiled slightly and continued slowly. ¡°And in that nest¡­ magic power simr to what¡¯s contained in this harpy¡¯s magic stone is concentrated.¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Only after hearing that did I raise my head. ¡°I think it¡¯s probably¡­ a topographical feature or structure where magic power has condensed through some phenomenon, or an undiscovered dungeon. Yeah. It¡¯s likely an undiscovered dungeon.¡± The nest Moon Ga-eun guessed was on the tree far away. That was probably the reason I came to this Sobaeksan Mountain Field. To find and get to the undiscovered dungeon I had set out to find no matter what. It was definitely ¡®The Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯. Consider donating, your support is needed! via Buymeacoffee Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 125

Chapter 125

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Inwangsan Mountain Field in Seoul. In the middle of it lies a high-level dungeon, a forest covered by snakes. It was once an undiscovered dungeon that Hunting Team 5 had nned as arge project and attempted the first raid, but now that it has been cleanly conquered, it has be one of the main dungeons responsible for arge portion of the profits in . On a Saturday, the start of a weekend holiday. Kang Juyeon had been at the entrance of the dungeon since that morning. It was to observe the practical interviews of the applicants for the project currently in progress within the n. ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bitte.¡± She approached the group of people gathered and spoke. Among them were n members like Hunting Team 5 leader Kwon Oh-jun and Scout Team leader Cho Gyu-hyuk, people quite close with Kang Juyeon. They were all the interviewers for this practical interview. They were closely checking the evaluation criteria of the applicants, from preparation to conduction to results of the hunt, and teamwork among party members. ¡°Oh! You¡¯ve arrived, mydy.¡± Cho Gyu-hyuk, who could be considered the closest to Kang Juyeon, was the first to greet her. At that, Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly. ¡°I told you not to call me mydy.¡± ¡°Haha. Mydy will always remain mydy until you be a master or submaster.¡± Kwon Oh-jun also let out a heartyugh as he responded to her words. Since they were uncles who had known Kang Juyeon since she was very young, they didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of changing the way they addressed her. It was faster to just give up. Kang Juyeon let out a small sigh, then lightly nodded her head towards the other interviewers as well. Since they weren¡¯t particrly close with her, they politely exchanged greetings and bowed. ¡°How are the applicants?¡± Kang Juyeon turned her head again and asked. At that, Kwon Oh-jun waved his hand with a groan. ¡°Oh geez. Don¡¯t even get me started. There¡¯s no talent, none at all. I¡¯ve been nagging and nagging to the master, and he exceptionally allowed me to observe the interviews this time but¡­ this is just swatting flies.¡± His expression was as if he was fed up. At that, Kang Juyeon nodded her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t they all B-grade Holders?¡± Just as all Holders have differing ranks, the n also divides recruits into ranks when selecting new n members. Among them, the interview Kang Juyeon was currently observing was for new B-grade n members. That could be seen from the location of the interview being the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯. However, Kwon Oh-jun heavily shook his head at her question. ¡°Even B-grades need to be decent B-grades to be useful. The majority are just Holders with the exterior of B-grades who don¡¯t even know how to properly utilize their runes.¡± Not all B-grade Holders are the same. There were clearly gaps even among them. Kang Juyeon herself had also spent her time as a rookie B-grade when she first entered the academy, and now many yearster, she was reaching a mature stage. But it seemed like the selected applicants this time were mostly rookie B-grade Holders like that. ¡°Mydy. Isn¡¯t there another kid like Do Jae-hyun? Without him and you leaving, Hunting Team 5 just can¡¯t operate properly. Ah, really¡­¡± Kang Juyeon felt strangely happy at hisint for some reason. The two months that Do Jae-hyun was active as a team member. Even though he was just an intern, it seemed like he had fulfilled his role well. It looked like that time had left quite an impressive memory on Hunting Team 5 as well. She felt a bit proud as the person who had rmended him. ¡°But Jae-hyun¡­ is a C-grade.¡± Kang Juyeon was startled by the way she addressed him herself for a moment but¡­ Fortunately, none of the n members noticed. ¡°That kid isn¡¯t just a C-grade. He onlycks results, but his skills surpass most early B-grades. He was nevercking in getting work done.¡± At that, Cho Gyu-hyuk, who was listening as well, smiled and spoke. ¡°Well, we did secure one talent, someone who seems like they could reach A-grade soon.¡± ¡°That kid is just too overwhelming. The other Hunting Teams will be coveting him too. We got pushed out and couldn¡¯t recruit him¡­¡± At that conversation, Kang Juyeon nodded her head. ¡°Who is¡­ that person?¡± ¡°Ah. Mydy might know her as well. Yoon Ji-ah, she¡¯s a 3rd year student graduating soon from the academy¡­¡± ¡®¡­Yoon Ji-ah?¡¯ At that familiar name, Kang Juyeon tried to think back. Ssssshhhhh-!! Woooowoong!! A monster appeared before the applicants preparing to hunt at the river by the dungeon entrance. An electric eel with the speed of lightning that Hunting Team 5 had encountered before. A B-grade monster, Electrophorus. ¡°Team 1, prepare for battle!¡± A sharp voice rang out through the forest. It was a female Holder holding a staff in the back, preparing magic. And¡­ Kang Juyeon recognized her face. ¡®..The vice president of the Circle.¡¯ Yoon Ji-ah. She was Kang Juyeon¡¯s senior from the academy who had been the president of the Circle and was now the vice president of the Circle. She was originally famous as a skilled Holder within the academy, but she wasn¡¯t a particrly interesting person to Kang Juyeon. She was just¡­ One senior she got to know after bing infatuated with the Circle started by Do Jae-hyun¡­ Nothing more. Yet that same person was calmly giving out orders among the n applicants she teamed up with. ¡°Mages¡­¡± Kang Juyeon muttered softly as she watched. The party leader role is taken up by a Mage. It was a rare sight in a typical Holder party. At her bewilderment, Cho Gyu-hyuk smiled and nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s unique. Yoon Ji-ah isn¡¯t just an outstanding applicant in terms of skill, but she¡¯s also demonstrating excellent leadership in preparing forbat and leading the party.¡± Kwon Oh-jun also watched with great interest as he continued. ¡°Take a good look, mydy. Thatdy might be able to handle fire better than you someday.¡± Ssssshhhhh-!! Woooowoong-!! A total of four Electrophorus charged at Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s team. ¡°Warriors team, take the monsters on the sides! All rear support focus your attacks on the front monster!¡± As the monsters approached, Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s voice grew faster. ¡°Recovery team, apply a slow debuff!¡± ¡°Uh, me?¡± ¡°Yes! To the monster furthest in the back!¡± At the precise orders, the party members moved in perfect unison. Each devotedly took on the role given to them, and the attacks containing the full force of the rear support rained down on the Electrophorus in front. Thanks to that, the party members were able to focus onbat without panic despite being outnumbered by monsterspared to the tank. ¡®They¡¯re good.¡¯ Kang Juyeon also quietly nodded her head. The leadership was definitely outstanding. Despite it being Kang Juyeon¡¯s first time seeing a Mage take the party leader role, the party members followed her words without a peep. It meant she had already earned the favor and trust of her team members beforebat even began. That alone was worth passing points from the interviewers, and her original capabilities were also exceptional. She was the best of the B-grade Holders. Her abilities gave the impression that she was right at the threshold of A-grade. ¡­And to top it off. ¡°Rain down.¡± An ¡®Oration¡¯ flowed out of Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s mouth. The prerequisite to casting an Ultimate Skill. B-grade Holder Yoon Ji-ah was aplete Holder who even knew how to utilize Ultimate Skills. Asrge fireballs rained down from the sky¡­ The already settling situation came to an end. Interview Team 1, which seeded in perfectly hunting down four Electrophoruses without any major injuries. The undisputed contributor was none other than the party leader, Yoon Ji-ah. ¡°Yes, yes. As expected, well done.¡± Kwon Oh-jun pped his hands as he sang praises. Certainly, the battle just now was a perfect battle that deserved full points. ¡°What do you think, mydy? A Mage who can handle fire that well¡­ doesn¡¯t it stimte you?¡± Kwon Oh-jun subtly asked, seemingly wanting to stimte her no matter what¡­ To be honest, it wasn¡¯t very inspiring. If she had felt inferior to top Holders, she should have felt that towards her father first. Kang Juyeon answered without much change in expression. ¡°It¡¯s good when skilled n members join.¡± ¡°I guess¡­ you¡¯re right. Hrmm.¡± Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s gaze turned back towards where the battle had taken ce. Then, as if he was about to let out praise again, he stroked his chin and mumbled. ¡°Ah¡­ I suddenly want to see her and that Do Jae-hyun kid fight together. If those two teamed up, it would be absolutely amazing. What a waste, a shame. If both of them were on Hunting Team 5, our team would be top for results¡­¡± Startled-. Kang Juyeon, who had been absentmindedly watching the applicants¡­ This time, reacted to Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s words. ¡®The two of them?¡¯ From his position, those were just thoughtless words, but¡­ In reality, the two did have a close public rtionship. The president and vice president of the Circle. Student Holders leading the top ranks of the same Circle. Perhaps because of that, an image of the two joining forces against began to form in Kang Juyeon¡¯s mind as well. And that image was unexpectedly¡­ Quite fitting. ¡°Mydy? Why the look, all of a sudden?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± And in Kang Juyeon¡¯s quiet heart. A small me began to kindle. Consider donating, your support is needed as it costs a lot to produce ac chapter. via Buymeacoffee Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 126

Chapter 126

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. A tree where pure magical power has gathered. To be precise, a small nest located at the top of that tree. It was a ce hidden deep in the entrance we had passed through, and the reason the magic stone of the harpy I had just hunted was in such good condition. That harpy must have stayed here for a long time, umting high-quality magic power. If that harpy filled with umted magic power had not appeared¡­ It was a ce we would have just passed by. This was an undiscovered dungeon that could only be found by encountering that harpy. I looked up at the tree and said. ¡°We should check it out, right?¡± Although we discovered the undiscovered dungeon by chance, finding dungeons was the fundamental reason I came to the Sobaeksan Mountain Field. Clues about the Forgotten Dragon. I blindly searched for dungeons in order to grasp even a single thread¡­ With Moon Ga-eun¡¯s sharp intuition and bold actions using [Magic Tracking], we couldn¡¯t have found a better situation. ¡°Yeah. But¡­.¡± Moon Ga-eun started to reply but looked back. There was the A-grade Holder escorting us. Seong Na-yeon was slowly approaching. ¡°Let me say again, do not worry about me. I may intervene if you two are in danger, but that is the full extent of my escort duties. I will not be involved in anything rted to dungeon rewards, hunting results, etc.¡± Seong Na-yeon also roughly grasped the situation. That we had identally discovered what appeared to be an undiscovered dungeon while ordinarily hunting harpies. As someone undertaking escort duties, of course she would also follow us into the undiscovered dungeon, but she was emphasizing again that she would give up all rted rewards. ¡®It¡¯s simr to when I was with Master Yoo Eun-seol.¡¯ It was a simr position to Yoo Eun-seol when we hunted the ¡®Stained Rock Pile.¡¯ The difference was that back then I had officially received Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s bus, whereas this time I only had Seong Na-yeon¡¯s escort from behind. In fact, just that meant we had nothing at all to lose. ¡°Then shall we go in?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯d be stupid to not go into an undiscovered dungeon we found. But¡­¡± This time, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s gaze went towards the top of that tree. With a slightly perplexed expression. ¡°That¡­ how do we get up there?¡± Ah. That¡¯s¡­ right. I silently looked up at the top of the tree. If it was a suitable height, I could somehow manage to parkour up using magic power through [Magic Control], but honestly this was way too high. At a nce, it looked over 10 meters¡­ It seemed difficult to climb without wind-attribute magic that could levitate through the air. ¡®Oh? Wind attribute?¡¯ Recalling something that suddenly came to mind, I looked at Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Don¡¯t your archery runes have the wind attribute? Why can¡¯t you go up?¡± However, Moon Ga-eun shook her head. ¡°That just adds the wind attribute to my attacks and archery, it doesn¡¯t let me use wind-attribute magic.¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­.¡± Moon Ga-eun¡¯s [Wind Archer] was ultimately just a high-level rune for [Bow] with the wind attribute added, not a rune that allowed her to handle wind-attribute magic. Moon Ga-eun and I were lost in thought as if we were sorry for that. And the two of us seem to havee to a conclusion. At the same time, I thought the same thing and turned my head. ¡°Holder¡­ Seong Na-yeon?¡± ¡°¡­.Yes?¡± The wind attribute magic that will lift us. A Holder who knows how to handle this¡­ There was only one person here. *** Ippotrantion *** [You have entered the dungeon.] [The expansive energy of the dungeon slightly reduces the Holder¡¯s speed.] We were able to enter the ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯fortably. Seong Na-yeon, a multi-holder who is evaluated as having a high level of swordsmanship as well as wind-attribute magic. Her [Levitation] skill was perfectly stable. As a skilled person, it seems that her wind attribute magic rune is quite high level. There was no sense of incongruity or objection at all when she supported the two of us and carry us on top of the tree. ¡®I need to get the relevant runes quickly.¡¯ Even though I thought it was fortunate, I made a promise to myself. I had to hurry and obtain wind-attribute magic runes. I hadn¡¯t felt the need until now since I focused so much on physical attacks, but when an important situation came I desperately needed the corresponding runes. To be blunt, if Seong Na-yeon hadn¡¯t been here, we might not have been able to enter the undiscovered dungeon we finally found, despite everything. On top of that, wind-attribute magic runes were necessary for [High-speed Flight]¡­ now incorporated into [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] for ¡®Air Charge.¡¯ I honestly wondered how often I would use it, but once runes are obtained, they can be used someday. My experience so far proved this. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s so spacious.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nest Covered by Cloud was a in-type dungeon. It was so expansively huge that we couldn¡¯t even determine which direction to go in to reach the boss room. This was also my first time seeing a dungeonyout like this. Since it was a dungeon from the original work that was only mentioned¡­ Exploration, hunting, strategizing¡­ We had to try everything through repeated failures. ¡°Let¡¯s explore first.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Moon Ga-eun crouched down and ced her hands on the ground. She was utilizing her main exploration rune. [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar]. Moon Ga-eun closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. And not long after¡­ Her eyes snapped open. ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Yeah! Diagonal right! Three of them!¡± Kuuaaaah-!! Kiiik-!! I quickly turned my head in the direction Moon Ga-eun mentioned. Along with strange cries, exactly three monsters were charging at us. ¡°Those are¡­.¡± Their creepy appearance entered my eyes at a nce. A face resembling a human like a harpy, an exterior resembling a lion, wings that looked like they would tear any moment, a tail that seemed to be directly taken from a scorpion¡­ Even from a distance I could identify the monsters. ¡°Manticores.¡± A-grade monsters, manticores. Going even further than harpies which seemed tobine humans and birds, their appearance mixed humans, lions, bats, scorpions and other ferocious animals. Their attack tendencies were also physical enhancement types like harpies. Naturally, their abilities far surpassed those of harpies. ¡°Ga-eun! Autonomous support fire!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± At this point, Moon Ga-eun and I had pretty good teamwork inbat. We had devised a number of ns ording to the situation, and talked a lot about responding to variables, so¡­ We now understood well what the other had to do with just a short conversation. Moon Ga-eun swiftly drew her bow, and I also took out my weapon. ¡®Physical enhancement types are actually easier.¡¯ For our current partyposition, the most dangerous monsters were those that primarily used magic. Magic attacks that could strike the dealer from a distance were difficult to respond to and counterattack. On the other hand, monsters that utilized physical attacks through physical enhancement had to sh first. And these types were much easier to deal with. I could buy time by directly shing, and there were many ways to handle them before they reached the dealer. Especially the weakness of melee monsters against magic attacks. The fact that my magic attacks could be effectively applied was the most appealing point. ¡®Quarter knife first.¡¯ I threw four daggers at the leading manticore. Kwaaaah-!! Kuuuuh-!! Having seen its definite effect when hunting harpies, it was foolish now not to use it. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± Next, I powerfully kicked off the ground and leapt. Using [Magic Amplification] and [Magic Control], I could fully close this much distance with a jump. I went straight for the second manticore. I left the follow-up attack on the lead manticore to Moon Ga-eun. Since I had alreadynded one strike with the [Quarter Knife] imbued with Rainbow sh, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s follow-up attack should at least buy some time. ¡®Staircase sh.¡¯ I wielded short swords in both hands. The rune I was utilizing was [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], the swordsmanship exclusive to daggers. The skill I was using was [Staircase sh]. Although it is much weakerpared to the original [24 Plum Blossom Sword Technique], there were no runes more suitable for using short swords. Kuuuuh-!! Shhk- Kwaaang!! With short swords, the speed was maximizedpared to when using longswords. On top of that, just like [Quarter Knife], [Staircase sh] could also add explosive attributes. If I could imbue magic power into the sword I was using, [Explosive Sword Aura] could be utilized anywhere. I charged at the manticore with intense speed and unleashed [Staircase sh]. ¡®Explosion only on the final strike¡­!!¡¯ [Staircase sh] only applied magic power on the first step andst step. So I didn¡¯t add the explosive attribute on the first attack, only on the final attack. To connect the rapidly chained skill more smoothly. And to tie up the conclusion of the skill more effectively. Kwah, kwaaaah-!! Kuuuuh-!! The relentless chain of physical and magic attacks in an instant. Unable to collect themselves amidst the overwhelming speed, the manticores howled. Seeing that the movements of the lead manticore I passed were also constrained for a moment, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s support fire seemed to have properly struck. ¡®It¡¯s not over yet.¡¯ Although I hadnded a big blow with the surprise preemptive attack, I didn¡¯t think this finished the hunt. They were A-grade monsters, after all. No matter how easily I got the attacks in, manticores were monsters with the strength to counterattack. Being careless could be dangerous instead. Keeping that in mind, I prepared for the next attack. And at that moment. ¡°Hup?!¡± Kuuuuh-!! Swish- Gasp! The third manticore I briefly lost sight of in my vision. It flew in with tremendous speed and attacked me while I was slightly open. The form of attack was physical. Precisely, an attack stabbing with its long scorpion-like tail. ¡®Its tail?¡¯ The creepy tail approached and stabbed one of my forearms. Although its high strength pierced my toughness stat and left a wound, thanks to the lower defense runes of [Descendant of the Barbarian King] and [Physical Defense], it wasn¡¯t too major a blow. Honestly, biting and tearing me directly would have been more effective, so I didn¡¯t understand why it attacked with its tail. And¡­. [Blocked the ¡®Venom Sting¡¯ head-on. An unbearable toxic element courses through the body.] [The level of the ¡®Venom¡¯ rune has increased.] [1 Poison Resistance acquired due to the rune¡¯s affinity.] [The ¡®Venom¡¯ rune¡¯s derived skill, ¡®Poison w,¡¯ transforms into ¡®Poison Attack.¡¯] Seeing the barrage of messages that appeared, I could understand. ¡®Right. This bastard was a poison-using monster.¡¯ The manticore was a special monster form with a scorpion¡¯s tail. That tail contained an extremely potent toxin. Naturally, its greatest form of attack was¡­ A poison attack utilizing its tail. The skill [Venom Sting] also seemed to be a derived skill of the rted rune. ¡®¡­It benefits me?¡¯ However, that attack. It was a huge misunderstanding to think it would be effective against anyone. I quickly switched weapons with Art of Weapon Exchange, taking out [Sword of Penitent]. Then I stabbed the temporarily defenseless manticore¡¯s nape with the sword, and tersely stated. ¡°My poison resistance is over 10, you bastard.¡± The toxins of the underground dungeon¡¯s Poisonous Iguanas. The poisonous monsters of the Forest Covered by Snakes. The endless, irritating poison of countless monsters¡­ While growing against that, my special stat, poison resistance, was now recording over 11. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 127

Chapter 127

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Should I help? Should I stay quiet? At the crossroads of two choices, Seong Na-yeon agonized countless times. Manticores, A-grade monsters. Three of them were evaluated as almost top-level among physical enhancement-type monsters. With just two B-grade Holders¡­ And in a solo-carrybo at that, it seemed too burdensome to hunt down such a pack of monsters cleanly. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Before she could make a decision, the battle began. Do Jae-hyun and Moon Ga-eun. There was no hesitation in their preparation. As soon as they detected the monsters with exploration runes, they immediately took up battle formations, seized advantageous positions by attacking first before the monsters¡¯ attacks, and kept the upper hand with nimble dagger techniques timed properly with jumps and calmbinations of magical attacks that seemed like skills. Against A-grade monsters, the two were smoothly continuing the hunt. ¡®Holder Do Jae-hyun¡­¡¯ Na-yeon also knew Do Jae-hyun¡¯s name well. Assassin ss, 1st year at the academy. But regardless of his ss, a multi-holder with various runes. Not just wielding multiple weapons, but a talented multi-holder utilizing both magical and physical runes like herself. Evaluations and stories about him were already spreading. Especially being epted as a short-term intern, breaking precedents in the , proved he was a promising prospect receiving much attention in the current Holder world. ¡®He wouldn¡¯t know this himself.¡¯ Large ns don¡¯t berge ns for nothing. Even if they don¡¯t openly show it externally, internally they record scouting reports on all promising academy prospects. Among them, Do Jae-hyun was a key recruitment target for . Excluding Kang Juyeon, he had received almost the highest internal evaluations among 1st year academy students. As a seasoned n member with considerable status and reputation in the n herself, Seong Na-yeon was well aware of such key recruitment lists within the n. ¡°He¡¯s certainly living up to his name.¡± While watching Do Jae-hyun and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s party hunt, Seong Na-yeon nodded as if admitting it. He is certainly a skilled Holder. Ability scores, rune levels and utilization, senses and judgement. He wascking in almost nothing when it came tobat. ¡­Notpletely nothing though. Maybe because he gained great power at a young age, he had a somewhat arrogant side that couldn¡¯t be ignored. Taking the manticore¡¯s poison attack head-on with his body. Even with proper defensive measures equipped, this was not the best action as a tanker. If possible, he should have kept evading until the end andpletely blocked the opponent¡¯s attacks ¨C that was thebat method warrior-type Holders should pursue. Well, that aside, he was demonstrating considerable ability. ¡°This will be fun.¡± Seong Na-yeon looked at Do Jae-hyun with an interested gaze. At first, just escorting Moon Ga-eun. And curiosity about the two being a couple. Though she had taken an interest in the mission for those reasons¡­ Now, she was also gaining personal interest in Do Jae-hyun. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Jae-hyun! You okay?!¡± Moon Ga-eun¡¯s voice came from behind. The scene of the scorpion-like tail stabbing into my forearm. It was tant enough that she would worry. I also thought uh-oh to myself. Since this was a poison attack, I was able to defend efficiently, but if it was another type of special attack, it could have been quite dangerous¡­ Even with [Descendant of the Barbarian King] and [Physical Defence] equipped, over-relying on runes inbat should be avoided. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Give me cover fire instead!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± As if she had finished preparations beforehand. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s arrow barrage filled the sky. The target was the manticore I had leapt up to with [Staircase sh]. My body had already moved to another manticore attacking me. ¡®With zing mes¡­¡¯ [Sword of Penitent] stabbed into the nape of the manticore¡¯s neck while summoning intense mes within it. The magical attack following the sessful physical attack was extremely effective. Whoosh-! Kuh, kuh-!! Twisting in pain, the manticore crashed to the ground. [Fiery mes] was already level 8. Unless they had considerable fire resistance, it wasn¡¯t easy to block this attack timed properly. ¡°The rest too¡­.¡± The manticore that endured Moon Ga-eun¡¯s arrow barrage and [Staircase sh] also fell to the ground. It seemed all the manticores would fall unconscious at this rate¡­ Kuh-!! Kkiik- ¡­Not quite. One was still flying properly in the sky. It was the manticore that had charged forward first in the beginning. Although it had taken [Quarter Knife] and [Extreme Shot] from us in the beginning, somehow it had recovered its status and was trying to counterattack. ¡®Does it have magical resistance or something?¡¯ To recover this quickly after taking our main skills¡­ Unlike the other manticores, this one seemed to have more advantage in enduring and recovering. ¡°But that¡¯s not happening.¡± Regardless of that oddity, I couldn¡¯t let it attack. I utilized [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] and it then charged straight at Moon Ga-eun. Where its counterattack would be aimed¡­ That was obvious. Kuh-!! Kang! Kagang!! In a sh I arrived before it in front of Moon Ga-eun. And without a moment to catch my breath, I lifted the [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield]. Followed immediately by the derived skill, [Iron Wall Defence]. The physical attacks of manticores without charge runes could be handled without much difficulty. Though the manticore tried to attack the ranged ss, my defense with a skill blocked it futilely. ¡°Hut-!!¡± After that, it was smooth sailing. Lifting my sword again, I finished hunting them. Thest manticore I attacked seemed to have high resistance to magicpared to the others, but it couldn¡¯t withstand the concentrated attacks from Moon Ga-eun and me. [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique], plus various other magical runebinations. This was sufficient to hunt the exhausted manticores. [You were victorious in the battle! Your high contribution in the battle is recognized, granting victory. With the mystical power of a rune hunter, you can copy one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to copy.] An information window appeared, signaling the end ofbat. Leaving it for the moment, I approached Moon Ga-eun and asked. ¡°You okay? Hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Yeah. I used up quite a bit of magic, but should be fine after a potion. More than that¡­¡± Moon Ga-eun looked around at the manticore corpses and said. ¡°You¡¯re seriously amazing¡­ How did you deal with three A-grade monsters so easily¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the ttery? You¡¯ve seen it often.¡± ¡°It was never to this extent before.¡± That¡¯s true. Thest time I hunted with Moon Ga-eun was the academy underground dungeon, and me then and now were worlds apart. ¡°You got a lot stronger too, right? Compared to the end ofst semester, it¡¯s like you ate some great item during break?¡± However, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s skills had also improved tremendously. Her physical attack uracy was outstanding, and her magical attacks were delicate and borate. Especially her timing in providing support fire at the right moments during battle was awe-inspiring. Hunting three manticores cleanly without using her ultimate skill even once. This wouldn¡¯t have been possible without Moon Ga-eun¡¯s support. ¡°Oh, stop¡­ I was always at this level¡­.¡± No she wasn¡¯t. She had clearly grown a lot. At my simple praise, Moon Ga-eun seemed strangely embarrassed. ¡­Have I notplemented her enough till now? I scratched my head and asked another question. ¡°Moon Ga-eun. You¡¯re B-grade now, right?¡± Hunting together, I clearly felt it. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s level was definitely not C-grade. Minimum B-grade¡­ And with plenty of hunting experience, she felt like a mature B-grade Holder. However, Moon Ga-eun shook her head. ¡°No, not yet. I¡¯m close to B-grade¡­ but I think my strength score is still a bitcking, so I¡¯m raising it more to get promoted.¡± ¡°Achievements?¡± ¡°I filled those ages ago. Since I went hunting with a n so often.¡± Simr situation to me then. B-grade Holder promotion requires an ability score of 50. Exceeding 50 in just one of your main ability scores satisfies the promotion requirement. In my case, acquiring [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] rune raised my agility stat to 51, so I already met the promotion criteria. After clearing this dungeon, it seemed Moon Ga-eun and I would both get promoted to B-grade together. ¡°Thanks anyway. Definitely helped with support.¡± ¡°You did better.¡± ¡°Puh- What are we doing? Hurry and grab the by-products then head to the midpoint.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Manticores are A-grade monsters. Naturally, the by-products from hunting them included many high-grade materials. Moon Ga-eun walked towards one of the crumpled manticores, while I first approached the frontmost manticore. The one at the vanguard during the earlier battle. The one enduring our attacks and counter attacking until the end. ¡°Hm?¡± And the moment I tried extracting its magic stone first¡­ I noticed something odd. The magic stone possessed by the manticore. Therge, chest-embedded magic stone¡­ ¡°ck?¡± Was tinged with a dark color I had never seen before. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 128

Chapter 128

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. was an unfinished novel. Towards the end, the confrontation began in earnest and various clues about the monsters were provided, but I ended up getting summoned to this world before seeing the conclusion. Naturally, there was still a lot I didn¡¯t know. Things like the setting collection I had eagerly bought while immersed in the novel just provided supplementary exnations about the events or monsters that appeared in the story. ¡®A ck magic stone¡­?¡¯ I had never heard of a ck magic stone before. The colors of magic stones indicate their grade ¨C E~C grade stones are usually blue, B~A grade are red, and S grade have a purple tinge. There are some variations in color between special types of magic stones, but even among those, I had never seen a ck magic stone before. It was apletely new form of magic stone to me. ¡°Huh?¡± Then something strange happened in session. The color of the magic stone, which was pitch ck just a moment ago, quickly turned red ¨C back to the original A-grade magic stone color. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Ever since I got dropped here out of nowhere. I had faced countless variables. Park Jin-woo who didn¡¯t learn [Wave Sword Technique], Kang Juyeon who didn¡¯t go to , Yoo Eun-seol who came as a short-term instructor at the academy, Kim Do-yoon who appeared and was subdued earlier than in the original story¡­ Just thinking of the ones off the top of my head, there were too many to count. However, I had flexibly dealt with them so far. It was bewildering but I had made the best judgements I could. So I needed to watch this new variable with more interest. A ck magic stone. It was an object I waspletely unfamiliar with, but it was certainly worth researching. ¡®It could be another key.¡¯ I got summoned to this world even before the confrontation with in the original story ended. So I had no information at all about the story or ending after that. Perhaps the ck magic stone could be a small key to those clues. Exploring new information was essential even for the future. Of course, it is difficult to research now since the evidence had disappeared. ¡®When there¡¯s time left¡­.¡¯ I nced to the side and Moon Ga-eun was trying to harvest byproducts like leather from the other Manticores after the magic stone. That was a process that took quite a bit of time. I decided to use the remaining time to im the duel victory reward I had put off for now. [You were victorious in the duel! Due to your great contribution in the duel, your victory is acknowledged. With the Rune Hunter¡¯s marvelous power, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] [1. Rapid Recovery (Temporary) 2. Lion¡¯s Sturdy Tendons 3. Venom (Unselectable) 4. Endurance (Unselectable) ¡­ ¡­ 8. Quadruped Combat (Unselectable)] ¡®What the¡­ this too.¡¯ Right after. After the ck magic stone, another abnormality appeared. Of the eight runes possessed by the Manticore, the first selectable rune was a ¡®Temporary Rune¡¯. I knew about runes that appear in this temporary state. These are runes obtained through special circumstances that the original Holder did not possess. Ha Do-kwon, whom I fought before, was a simr case. He had temporarily gained the [Ruthless Charge] rune by using a [Berserk Potion] at the time. Just in case, I opened up the other information windows too. I caught three Manticores in total. Since they were different individuals, I could also gain runes from the other Manticores. [You were victorious in the duel! ¡­ Please select a rune to replicate.] [1. Lion¡¯s Sturdy Tendons 2. Venom (Unselectable) 3. Endurance (Unselectable) ¡­ ¡­ 7. Quadruped Combat (Unselectable)] ¡®As expected.¡¯ It was just as I thought. The other Manticores didn¡¯t have the temporary rune [Rapid Recovery]. Only the first Manticore. In other words, only the ¡®special Manticore whose magic stone momentarily shone ck¡¯ had the temporary rune. It was a situation that proved the color change of the magic stone didn¡¯t just end as a peculiar phenomenon¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s take them all first.¡¯ First I had to take the runes and check the information to be able to find out anything. [You have selected Rapid Recovery. Since it is a Rare rune of Level 3, its level will be downgraded to 2 when registered.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [You gain 2 Recovery from the rune¡¯s properties.] [You have selected Lion¡¯s Sturdy Tendons. Since it is a Rare rune of Level 11, its level will be downgraded to 6 when registered.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [You gain 2 Strength from the rune¡¯s properties.] [This is a subordinate rune that connects with a superior rune. Through the Rune Hunter¡¯s marvelous power, the ¡®Lion¡¯s Sturdy Tendons¡¯ rune has been registered as a subordinate rune of the ¡®Descendant of the Barbarian King¡¯ rune.] [Lion¡¯s Sturdy Tendons] was one of countlessbat-support runes I had obtained before ¨C a rare rune for physical enhancement. In particr, like [Lizard Scales] and [Tough Wolf Skin] I got before, it had the name of the rted beast and connected as a subordinate rune to the superior rune [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. Thanks to that, after gaining a superior rune, I could finally register a newly acquired rune as its subordinate for the first time. ¡®And¡­.¡¯ The problem [Rapid Recovery]. I hurriedly summoned the information on this rune. ¡ò Name: Rapid Recovery ¡ò Rank: Rare (Rare) / Downgrade ¡ò Level: 2 ¡ò Engraved Location: Right palm ¡ò Special Effects:- : (Sealed due to downgrade) : Can quickly recover from injuries caused by magic attacks. Recovery speed increases further proportional to Divinity. ¡ò Derived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡ò Detailed Information: ¨C : One of the main enhancement techniques of the Barbarians, a primitive tribe. Artificially injected and engraved through the special power of Runic magic. Registered in a downgraded statepared to its original power during the process. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ It was truly a ¡®problem rune¡¯ as the name implied. The information on [Rapid Recovery] contained many unfamiliar, new pieces of information, more perplexing than I expected. First, the rank I was seeing for the first time ¨C ¡®Downgrade¡¯. The additional ¡®Downgrade¡¯ next to the original rank, like superior runes, proved it was a debuff rank ¨C one of the special effects was sealed, as if to demonstrate that. It seems some special circumstance urred when the Manticore gained this rune¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell whether this was downgraded from Epic to Rare, or if only the effects were downgraded while retaining the same rank. That paled inparison to the details that followed. ¡®Barbarians? Runic magic?¡¯ Information recorded in the details exining [Rapid Recovery] ¨C these were all unfamiliar, new concepts I was hearing for the first time. Of course, it¡¯s not like I had no guesses whatsoever. ¡®A type of spell for the Mage-type?¡¯ Rune Holders of the Mage-type. They each have their own spells. Among those, the most representative spells are [Florian Spell] and [Adrian Spell]. Just as the Warrior-type has [Three Essences Sword Technique] and the Archer-type has [Star Destruction Archery], it was amon rune for arranging and manifesting magic power when the Mages used it. I guessed [Runic Magic] was something simr ¨C another spell system for the Mages, even though I was hearing the term for the first time. ¡®Barbarian Enhancement seems to be an ability rted to Divinity¡­¡¯ Abilities rted to enhancement or status buffs/debuffs are mostly within the domain of the Recovery stat. Seeing the rune¡¯s power is proportional to Recovery made me more certain of it. Especially the name ¡®Barbarian¡¯. I had heard this before. When gaining the superior rune and legendary rune [Descendant of the Barbarian King], the details definitely contained the information ¡®Barbarian King Magnus the Barbarian¡¯. I don¡¯t know how closely rted the Barbarian tribe and Barbarian King are, but¡­ they seemed to at least be connected concepts. ¡°I¡¯m done¡­!¡± Around then when I was briefly perplexed by the new information. Moon Ga-eun suddenly shouted with joy. She had gone to harvest byproducts like leather from the other Manticores. She was grumbling ever since catching the harpy earlier, but this time she finally seeded in skinning a leather. I smiled and approached her. ¡°You skinned the leather?¡± ¡°Yeah! Look at this.¡± Moon Ga-eun handed me the Manticore leather she skinned herself. ¡°¡­.¡± It was a leather that looked quite shabby. Due to inurate skinning, the thickness was uneven, and there were holes and tears here and there due to her inexperienced skills. At a nce, I could tell it was leather in poor condition. I smiled and gave the leather back to Moon Ga-eun. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s fine. Big ns use professional skinners anyway. If Archers are good at skinning too, they¡¯d be jack-of-all-trades. Don¡¯t be too disappointed.¡± ¡°¡­Is it that bad?¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s just focus on magic stones from now on.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± With a sullen face, Moon Ga-eun threw away the leather she had skinned. ¡®I told her not to be disappointed, and she gets disappointed immediately.¡¯ I burst intoughter and spoke to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go hunt again. We have to do what we¡¯re good at.¡± ¡°Tch, fine.¡± It reminded me of something I had put off earlier. The ck magic stone and [Rapid Recovery]. They were information that perplexed me, but¡­ Anyway, those were issues to think more aboutter. The immediate goal right now was tackling the ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯. To do that, we had to head back to the boss room now. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 129

Chapter 129

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°Your magic arrays are too fast. Calm your mind further. The moreplex the magic structure, the slower it should flow. When manifesting, let the magic not burst out but array sequentially in aposed manner.¡± The voiceing from the side, as usual. While keeping the words in mind, Kim Chae-eun also tried to let it pass through one ear and not out of the other. The master always emphasized ¡®discernment¡¯. The advice thrown from the side should always remain as reference. Although countless pieces of advice passed by her ears, Kim Chae-eun had to engrave and yet shake them off at the same time as she tirelessly put in effort. ¡®Slowly. And urately.¡¯ Speed is not what¡¯s important for mages. A decisive blow that takes time. An attack that¡¯s a bit slow yetplete. As much as the frontline warriors buy time, the ¡®dealers¡¯ of the mage-type must prepare the expected damage. ¡®¡­I did it!¡¯ Kim Chae-eun, who had been fighting a battle of her own, finallypleted the preparation process and manifested her magic. [Ultimate Frost] and [Field Freezing]. It was ¡®double casting,¡¯ simultaneously unleashing single-target and area of effect spells. Pop- Crash- Crackle- Whoosh- All the magic structures prepared as monster substitutes froze over. The boulder in the center, and the grass and trees around it as well. It was the result that showed the two contrasting magics were sessfully cast. Master, who had been watching with a stern expression. Even Jeong Seon-young finally smiled brightly. ¡°Congrattions. You¡¯ve finally pulled off double casting.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Double casting. Having seeded in it now, Kim Chae-eun was fully at the B-grade Holder level in skill. It wasn¡¯t just in name. [Intricate arrays, meticulous application, clean manifestation! Your skill in handling magic is nearing perfection. Your understanding of magic and spells rapidly rises.] [The level of the Rune ¡®Magic Control¡¯ has risen.] [The level of the Rune ¡®Adrian¡¯s Spell¡¯ has risen.] [The level of the Rune ¡®Freezing¡¯ has risen.] [You gain 3 magic from the rune¡¯s traits.] As if having gained great enlightenment, the info windows incessantly appeared. Thanks to this, the levels of her main runes passed 10, and her magic stat also surpassed 50. They were info windows indicating Kim Chae-eun had be a B-grade Holder in visible figures as well. And¡­. [Your affinity with ice is at an awe-inspiring level. The high affinity and understanding will bring about another wind when you reach the stage. Your inherent talent blooms.] [You have obtained the new rune ¡®Frozen Battlefield.¡¯] [You gain 1 magic from the rune¡¯s traits.] In the info window that rose once more¡­ This time, Kim Chae-eun¡¯s face flushed in bewilderment. The runes awakened at the time were talents given to the Holder. She had received the normal rune [Freezing] and nned to continue using it as her main from then on. ¡°Ma, Master¡­.¡± But now. Thatmon rune was being shattered. The epic rune the master possessed. And of all things, [Frozen Battlefield], called the best of ice-attribute runes. That rune was¡­ Being recorded in Kim Chae-eun¡¯s . It was the moment the closed bud of talent finally bloomed. *** Ippotrantion *** The raid of the Nest Covered by Clouds went smoothly. At first, I wondered when we would ever get through this vast in, but finding the direction was unexpectedly not difficult. Following [Dolphin¡¯s Sonar], Moon Ga-eun¡¯s exploration rune, we found ces where the monsters gathered. Naturally, the direction was set¡­ and as we followed it, we had already passed the entrance and were in the midway point. ¡°Ga-eun!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Hunting in a party with Moon Ga-eun also increasingly became more skilled. We didn¡¯t have bad chemistry from the start, but after raiding dungeons together for a long time, our level rose considerably. Now, just calling each other¡¯s names, we knew what to do. It was almost simr to the pace I had when hunting in a party with Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Inhale¡­.¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun!!¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t without danger. B-grade monsters were no problem even if a few came, but when the number of A-grade monster individuals exceeded four, it was considerably difficult. Flying-type monsters usually don¡¯t have the habit of moving together in groups, but that only applied to the Sobaeksan Mountain field. In the Nest Covered by Clouds, countless monsters appeared gathering in hordes over and over. And resolving these crises was¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Holder Seong Na-yeon!¡± A-grade Holder Seong Na-yeon steadily protected the rear. She would quietly watch our hunt, then personally step forward and handle the monsters when dangerous situations like this urred. Extremely skilled wind magic and brilliant swordsmanship as a multi-holder. Admiration as a fellow multi-holder involuntarily came out. Disying that, she silently aided our hunt. ¡­Practically there was one more A-grade Holder in the party. But Seong Na-yeon¡¯s attitude remained consistent. ¡°Please pay me no mind. Just continue what you were doing.¡± Just what were we ¡®doing¡¯ though¡­ She seemed to be quietly helping, yet would send anticipating gazes at times. Moon Ga-eun and I gritted our teeth and ignored that gaze. We didn¡¯t know what kind of report would go to Moon Jung-hyuk if we got tempted and did skinship or something. ¡®If we don¡¯t do it, won¡¯t he worry about that instead?¡¯ Moon Jung-hyuk was fully capable of doing that. Anyway, with the pace with Moon Ga-eun and Seong Na-yeon¡¯s help, we were finally able to arrive at the final stretch of the dungeon. The end of the midway point. At the end of the vast in, a nest finally came into view. Just as the dungeon¡¯s entrance was a nest, the boss room seemed to be a nest as well. But this was no ordinary nest either. ¡°Wow¡­ how is this so big?¡± ¡°Can you even call this a nest?¡± We looked at the giant nest with tired expressions. If ordinary nests were made of small branches¡­ This nest wasposed of gigantic trees. Enormous fallen trunks ced horizontally and a spacious clearing inside. The scale was too overwhelming to call it a nest. ¡°This is the boss room for sure right?¡± ¡°Obviously. It¡¯s just sitting there oasis-like in this wide in.¡± Inside the boss room, there were all kinds of terrain but no monsters in particr noticeably stood out. Seeing as most of the monsters in the dungeon had been flying-types, and the boss monster we would soon face had a high chance of being a flying-type as well. And¡­. Screee- Kyueeee-!! Once we climbed and stood on one side of the giant nest¡­ A bizarre cry could be heard from somewhere. Among the cries of flying-type monsters heard so far, this sent chills down my spine the most. The shockwaves could be felt even from afar. ¡°Here ites!¡± Blocking the sunlight, one giant monster revealed its form. A body and wingsrge enough to cover the entire sky. It had the figure of a bird but with the legs stretched below and rugged look, it was undoubtedly a pterodactyl. Covered in deep blue scales that asionally glittered. Dragon or Wyvern. If told to find the one among the monsters encountered so far that was closest to a dragon, I would point to that guy. The rumored A-grade monster. Its majesty seemed near an S-grade. It surely looked like a ¡®Wyvern.¡¯ ¡°Everyone, behind me!¡± And then. Seong Na-yeon, who had been quietly observing the situation, leapt in front of us. Then she swiftly manifested something using magic. Simr to when she used [Levitation] upon entering the dungeon. It was the posture of preparing wind-attribute magic. Screee- Kyueeee-!! The wyvern shrieked once more. Quack, qwack-!! Phat, phat, kwoong!! And the terrain around the nest started getting smashed. As if countless meteors were striking, holes were punched through in session by the invisible energy. ¡°Th, this is¡­.¡± We hurriedly went to Seong Na-yeon¡¯s side at her call and watched the sight while breaking into a cold sweat. Fortunately, thanks to the strong barrier she deployed with wind-attribute magic, we could evade that damage. Seong Na-yeon spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a monster that can use wind-attribute magic runes. Much stronger than the monsters faced so far. At minimum A-grade, we must also consider it being S-grade. There¡¯s too much concentrated magic so I hastily responded, but¡­¡± Her gaze turned to the wyvern dominating the sky. ¡°That monster seems to control winds better than I can.¡± That clearly wasn¡¯t good news. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 130

Chapter 130

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Seong Na-yeon is a multi-holder with two main runes. Her skills with the sword are unmatched among other A-grade Holders, and she is recognized as the top talent when ites to her wind-attribute magic rune. Decades since monsters and Holders started appearing. Throughout the years, countless multi-talented Holders who can use physical and magic runes have emerged, yet there is a reason why Seong Na-yeon is always mentioned whenever naming the authority in this field. ¡®Someone who can control the wind better than Seong Na-yeon?¡¯ I stared at the Wyvern with a fed up expression. Boss monster with no known grade, tendencies, or characteristics. Information rted to it was also only known through rumors, with no official documentation. And that guy was preparing for another attack. ¡®At least I figured one thing out.¡¯ That it can control the wind better than Seong Na-yeon. Which means it¡¯s a dealer-type monster with high magic attack stats. And these dealer-types have a clear weakness. Powerful attacks butparably weak defense. ¡®Just like the Imugi of the mountain.¡¯ The boss monster Serpent of the Wild Mountain, the boss of the Forest Covered by snakes had that trait. It shook and tore through the ground freely, overwhelmed raid parties with powerful tree attacks, but¡­ The moment all of its attacks were blocked, it revealed its weakness. Took major damage from sudden physical attacks, andpletely crumbled against concentrated magic attacks. If it wasn¡¯t for its tactic of moving its body through the huge trees, it would¡¯ve been much easier to hunt. ¡®If I can just counterattack this guy somehow¡­¡¯ I watch the Wyvern pping its enormous wings. Reaching and fighting something flying freely through the sky like it owns the ce was daunting, but either way, the raid tactic itself was simple. Block or avoid all of its attacks. If I can just get close enough tond a decisive counter. I was certain we could gain the upper hand. Currrr-!! A terrifying scream rang out again. And once again. A wind-attribute magic attack is needed. Invisible auras fully packed with powerful magic, formed of wind. They were a type of ¡®spear¡¯ made of wind.¡¯ Moreover, spears are made solely for throwing. Countless ¡®wind spears¡¯ mercilessly rained down on us. ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Seong Na-yeon, who was alone in blocking the attacks up front, let out a low groan. She had blocked the first wave of attacks perfectly, but now in the second wave, she looked to be struggling a bit. ¡®¡­Not good.¡¯ Clearly not a good situation. Although Seong Na-yeon uses wind magic runes, she is still a tanker who leads the front and deals damage with her sword. For her to be here in the back, using only defensive magic to protect us¡­ It was to shield us, yes, but also because she knows it¡¯s not easy for her to get close to the Wyvern herself. A difficult battle formation. It signaled the situation we were in. I turned to Moon Ga-eun with my lips slightly bitten. ¡°How about ranged attacks?¡± Moon Ga-eun had her bow drawn ever since the Wyvern appeared. Her attacks had already been attempted several times toward the sky. But Moon Ga-eun shook her head with a bitter expression. ¡°Too far away. I can make it reach if I use magic power, but every time I do, that monster seems to cast defensive spells like Team Leader, blocking mepletely.¡± The Wyvern casting defensive magic on top of its attacks directed at us. Masterful magic rune utilization, befitting one who can use wind better than Seong Na-yeon¡­ The meaning became clear at once. Kwakwakwa-!! Kuuung!! The area around the nest copsed again. The ground we were standing on also seemed ready to crumble at any moment. This won¡¯t do. If we stay still, we¡¯ll eventually fall. We needed some kind of breakthrough. I spoke to Seong Na-yeon at the front after making up my mind. ¡°Holder Seong Na-yeon, is Levitation possible now?¡± Surprised by my abrupt request, Seong Na-yeon answered flusteredly. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes. I will go up into the air to divert that thing¡¯s attention.¡± Rangedbat was useless as is. Then the method was to have a tank step up. To do that, I first needed to get closer. And the Wyvern was in the sky. To approach it, I inevitably needed Seong Na-yeon¡¯s [Levitation] skill. Seong Na-yeon worried for my safety at the suggestion. ¡°Then Holder Do Jae-hyun will be in danger. I can lift you up but I can¡¯t control you in midair while evading the monster¡¯s attacks. That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m not going up to face it directly right now. I¡¯d lose focus and Levitation woulde undone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Her concerns were valid. Even if I went up into the sky through [Levitation], fighting the Wyvern would make it impossible to fully focus on it. But my case was different. I had the dash rune [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] and its sub-rune [High-speed Flight]. Once up there, I had the power to link what came after. I just needed to get up into the sky. If I could just get airborne. I would be able to dash and strike at the monster from midair. ¡°Anyway, in the current situation, we have to confront him. Holder Seong Na-yeon can also use physical attacks, but Holder Seong Na-yeon is the only person who can use wind attribute magic right now. If you trust me and help me, I will make a gap in front for you.¡± The Wyvern¡¯s attack is strong, but its defense is weak. Right now, it also serves as a defense through magic rune, but if you create a situation where you can¡¯t care about it, you can sessfully attack from a distance. Seong Na-yeon is an A-grade Holder who has been through it all. There¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t know this fact. After briefly contemting, Seong Na-yeon nodded her head as if making a decision. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go right now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The decision has been made. There was no more time or need to hesitate further. Seong Na-yeon, who had just cast a defensive spell earlier, immediately used [Levitation] without rest. Whoosh, whoooosh- I feel my body float up with a light feeling. Rising into the air at high speed. Reaching the Wyvern¡¯s height and going up a bit more happened in an instant. As I waited for the process, I held the [Sword of Penitent] in my hand. The reason was simple. The Wyvern had aggressively attacked us first this whole time despite the great distance. Let alone now that I¡¯m closing the distance by going up into the sky. There¡¯s no way it would just watch quietly as I encroached on the sky it had dominated until now. Kuu, eeeeh-!! The monster let out its third magic attack. Quite a fast timing this time. Countless spears made of wind. The target is all alone in the sky with me And. ¡°Flow.¡± Facing the monster in the sky, I used my saved up ultimate skill. [Water Sword Dance]. A sword dance that sweeps everything away, bouncing off all the projectiles. Just because they were wind-based didn¡¯t make them an exception. Swoosh- swoosh- Ping- kaboom- I sweep aside the countless wooden snakes. A skill that had bounced away even the powerful water bullets. Deflecting the Wyvern¡¯s wind attacks was just as easy. ¡®This is it¡­!!¡¯ [Water Sword Dance] has a very fast invocation speed. The monster¡¯s attackes flying in, I bounce them all off in an instant. After bouncing away thest of the wind attacks, I felt my body slowly fall to the ground. Not considering hang time, I had performed the sword dance. Naturally, Seong Na-yeon¡¯s [Levitation] came undone. Right as I was about to crash down precipitously like that. I swiftly used one more skill. ¡®Berserk.¡¯ Another skill I had saved up for this moment. [Berserk] of [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. It has the morale-boosting effect of increasing my abilities by 50% for 10 minutes. Adrenaline rushes through my entire body, overflowing me with strength. Using this power, I kicked off the empty air in an instant to jump. Thanks to the pumped up abilities beyond my limits, I could make it up once even without [Levitation]. ¡®And charge!¡¯ I flowed seamlessly into the next move. Immediately utilized The [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. Since it had the sub-rune [High-speed Flight], I could dash just as I had thought while in the sky. I shifted my falling body and shot through the air. An elerating charge while descending. Kuu, eeeh¡­. The somewhat subdued groan of the Wyvern could be heard. And soon after, it seemed to cast another defensive spell. Unlike its domineering attitude until now, its movements seemed urgent for some reason. Only natural. Having deflected all those powerful magic attacks, and now suddenly utilizing dash runes to rapidly approach within striking distance¡­ It must have been perplexing for the monster dominating the skies all this time. ¡°Toote!¡± [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]bined with its sub-rune has its dashing ability enhanced tremendously. Its tempo of charging is on a different level. No matter what the opponent prepares or what defense they use. It cuts in half a bit faster. That is the charge of [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. And that wasn¡¯t the end. ¡®el Piercing¡­!!¡¯ Somehow, the spear I held in my hand along with the [Sword of Penitent] was reced through ¡®Arts of Weapon Exchange¡¯ technique. One of the equipment I had received from Choi Yoo-min before. A normal-grade, in spear. But when used with [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. And its derivative skill, [el Piercing]. It became the most destructive weapon of them all. And¡­. ¡®Got it.¡¯ Kuu, kuuueeeeh¡­!! My [el Piercing] tore through and pierced the wind magic defense the Wyvern hurriedly created. The boss monster I didn¡¯t think I could reach. It was the moment I firstnded a hit on it. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 131

Chapter 131

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Cuueeee-!! ¡°No way¡­.¡± My gaze turned to the sky where the fierce sh was unfolding. The tremendous speed, the amazing destructive power. Do Jae-hyun piercing with his sword, embracing it all. That reckless charge of his was somehow prating through Wyvern¡¯s wind attribute defensive magic. The surrounding is filled with the sound of space tearing apart. It was a sh that made the noisy sky even more chaotic. ¡®How is he able to¡­¡¯ I stopped preparing my skill, just staring nkly at that scene. I Only used [Levitation] on him. My head was full of doubts. No matter how promising a talent he is, at best he¡¯s a B-grade Holder. In a deadlock situation where even I, an A-grade Holder, couldn¡¯t find a breakthrough, I didn¡¯t expect Do Jae-hyun to do anything just by going up into the air with his body. But since continuing the fight like this would be dangerous, and he would inevitably get hit if he just stayed still, I acknowledged his attempt to ¡®create an opening¡¯. ¡®But¡­¡¯ However, Do Jae-hyun showed a result thatpletely exceeded expectations. After going up into the sky with [Levitation]. He immediately blocked Wyvern¡¯s wind attack with a single skill. I could faintly hear the chant¡­ And considering its level, it was probably his ultimate skill. A Holder who has just risen to B-grade, perfectly utilizing his ultimate skill with mastery akin to perfection, and applying it inbat. That was not even the end. He suddenly used another skill, showing explosive jumping power, then flew towards Wyvern at a tremendous speed. With a sword in both hands. And the situation I¡¯m seeing now is the result. The space is filled with tearing sounds. Do Jae-hyun¡¯s sword, concentrated with magic and eleration, is prating Wyvern¡¯s defensive magic, and¡­ stabbing the skin of the monster that looked impregnable. The n to create an opening. He has seeded in doing so in the end. ¡°Now¡­!¡± I heard Moon Ga-eun¡¯s urgent voice from the side. And an arrow filled with magic is shot at the Wyvern. Wyvern, whose firm looking defense line is finally prated. This was the only chance to deal damage to the bastard. Cuueee-?! Do Jae-hyun¡¯s [el Piercing]. And Moon Ga-eun¡¯s [Extreme Shot]. Wyvern, hit by the two consecutive attacks, lets out a pain-filled roar, stirring up winds. The rough, fierce winds. Its momentum was like a storm. Despite being dealt an unexpected blow, Wyvern whose sharpness of attacks did not wane. ¡°Cough¡­?!¡± Do Jae-hyun got blown away by the counterattack. He was about to follow up with another coordinated attack, but unable to act due to Wyvern¡¯s fiercer than expected resistance, he fell. Cuueee-?! Still¡­ The Wyvern, filled with rage, prepared its fourth magic attack. The wind javelins that tormented the party throughout this fight. Its intensity multiplied several folds, and the casting speed became much faster. If Do Jae-hyun were to take the attack head on while falling, he would surely receive great shock and be put in danger. ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t just watch and do nothing. I pulled up the magic I had prepared in advance. From the moment I started fighting Wyvern. And from the moment Do Jae-hyun created an opening. The power I was saving to use at the most decisive moment. ¡°Blow violently.¡± My ultimate skill, [Typhoon Hand]. I unleashed that power chanting the Oration. The gigantic hand of storm began heading from its nest up to the sky, then from the sky towards the battlefield. ¡®Defense first¡­.¡¯ [Typhoon Hand] is a rather peculiar skill. It can summon and directly control highly condensed wind power, which depending on the user¡¯s will, can be utilized in any direction. If intending to attack, it bes an attacking skill. If the goal is to defend, it bes a defensive skill. I could move the winds in the direction I wanted. And what¡¯s needed now is defense. I had to block the innumerable wind javelins pouring down on Do Jae-hyun. Paht- Pabaht- Uuuuuung!! All the wind javelins that flew in with enough force to tear everything apart were blocked. The Wyvern is clearly better at manipting winds than me. Its winds possess overwhelming destructive power, and the speed at which it controls them is astounding. But [Typhoon Hand] is also an ultimate skill. It¡¯s the extreme winds I¡¯ve poured all my power and magic into manifesting. The refined ultimate skill winds of an A-grade Holder did not easily lose out to Wyvern¡¯s and stood their ground. ¡®Next is¡­¡¯ Having barely blocked all of Wyvern¡¯s wind attacks, I did not lose my focus and moved on to the next n. The winds of [Typhoon Hand] still remained. I can use it at least one more time. And there are two options. One is to continue the momentum and attack Wyvern. Using the direction changing ability of [Typhoon Hand] for attacking this time. However, I had a negative view of this. ¡®It¡¯s inefficient.¡¯ No matter how powerful an ultimate skill [Typhoon Hand] is, it¡¯s still just wind in the end. Attacking a Wyvern, who has overwhelming affinity and mastery of wind-rted magic runes, to attack¡­ It was like using water-type magic against sea monsters. I would be able to deal some damage but the efficiency is extremely low. I couldn¡¯t waste the remaining opportunities like that. ¡®Then support¡­!¡¯ If the user wants, [Typhoon Hand] can change direction at any time. If desiring to attack, it bes an attacking skill. If you want to defend, it bes a defensive skill. And¡­ If wanting to support, it bes a support skill. The one Holder who has been most active in this fight, and the only one who created a chance for victory. Do Jae-hyun. Although he currently seems to have lost momentum and falling¡­ If I can provide the driving force again. He would be able to push Wyvern into a corner once more. Do Jae-hyun definitely could do it. ¡®Show it to me again.¡¯ Seong Na-yeon decided to trust him one more time. At first, he was just Moon Ga-eun¡¯s boyfriend, which seemed interesting. When watching the fightter, he became a promising talent I took interest in. And now. He¡¯s like the one and only key Holder who can take down the boss. Believing in him, I converted all the remaining winds of [Typhoon Hand] to support. Soon, the condensed gigantic winds grabbed the falling Do Jae-hyun. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± I heard a seemingly bewildered voicee from him. And not long after, his body was getting pulled up at a tremendous speed. A speed iparable to [Levitation]. Instantly taking position behind Wyvern¡¯s back. It was the beginning of round 2. *** Ippotrantion *** My body that was recklessly falling gets grabbed by an inexplicable wind. Then once again. My body starts shooting towards Wyvern. Tremendous propulsion and speed. It was a movement as if a motor was attached to my back. ¡®It¡¯s Seong Na-yeon¡­!¡¯ I soon realized. Seong Na-yeon¡¯s previously silent winds were helping me. The artificial magic winds supported me so naturally and smoothly it was unbelievable. ¡®Her ultimate skill?¡¯ The probability was high that it was. Not only the current support, but the magic attacks from Wyvern poured down on me earlier were also blocked by these winds. Effects and duration of this level could only be exined as an ultimate skill. And she used her one-time only ultimate skill to support me. I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility. ¡®Can¡¯t miss it.¡¯ The golden opportunity Seong Na-yeon created for me. I absolutely could not miss this. Luckily, my body condition is optimal. [Rapid Recovery] that helps heal wounds from magic attacks. And [Combat Healing] that allows healing duringbat. With the two runes, the injuries from Wyvern have already recovered. Uuuuuung-!! The condensed winds instantly moved me behind Wyvern. I gripped the dagger in my hand with a tense expression. At first, I was going to take out [Sword of Penitent] but I shook my head and changed my mind. A chance that doesn¡¯te easily. More than just blindly charging in and using a skill, I needed to fight more cautiously with risks in mind. ¡®It¡¯s clearly weaker than before.¡¯ I look at Wyvern¡¯s shoulder I stabbed with my spear. The astonishing destructive power of [el Piercing] and its ¡®bleeding¡¯ special effect. The two stacked upon each other and left a deep gash on its shoulder. That¡¯s not all. There¡¯s no way I only used [el Piercing] in what might have been my final attack opportunity. ¡®Must be having a hard time with the poison too.¡¯ [Poison Attack]. A skill like [Poison w] evolved and transformed after [Venom] reached level 7 from hunting Manticores. Unlike the previous effect of only applying poison to ws, I could now mix poison into all ¡®physical attacks¡¯. The moment I used [el Piercing] on Wyvern. I managed to mix in [Poison Attack] at the sword¡¯s tip, inflicting a poison attack as well. A powerful blow, bleeding, and poison¡­ Plus Moon Ga-eun¡¯s follow up arrow attack. It surely must have been much more painful than normal attack tolerance. Although it immediately counterattacked, I instantly felt its body condition was not normal. ¡®Quarter knife first.¡¯ After lightly confirming that advantageous situation. I first utilized [Quarter Knife] with stun bombs to throw at it. Cuueee-!! As expected, small fries like dagger throws won¡¯t work huh. Wyvern¡¯s reaction speed was considerably fast. Like when it made me crash to the ground earlier, it stirred up fierce winds and blew the daggers away. But I was not disappointed. ¡®Either way, it used magic right?¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect to deal damage from the first skill use to begin with. Just depleting its magic even a little bit. Making it more tired and vulnerable when approaching. That was the goal. I also considered using abilities like [Simple Curse] rune or [Deration of Domination] skill that affect mental stats, but they didn¡¯t suit the urgent situation right now. ¡®Now¡­!¡¯ It¡¯s time to really use the sword. I immediately used ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange¡¯ to take out [Sword of Penitent]. After that, utilizing all physical boost runes like [Agile Agility], I got as close to its back as fast as possible. An approach it would absolutely not have allowed normally. A distance I could barely reach only with charging skills and [el Piercing]. However, the Wyvern, which has already spent a lot of magic, then used more with that feint. It did end up allowing a close-range approach. Cuueee-?! Wyvern¡¯s huge backskin. [Sword of Penitent] sinks deeply into it. Then once more. Seeding in reaching it again¡­ ¡°Explode.¡± I did not miss the second chance Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 132

Chapter 132

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. A powerful light of magic pours down. Wyvern¡¯s tough backskin. The [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] that burst from deep within, borrowed all the magic left in my body to unleash an explosive magical attack. The wyvern let out no scream as it met its death. Bleeding, poison, arrows, wind¡­ Various physical and magical attacks and diverse skills. With so many attacks piled up on the wounds, it seemed to have died without a chance to resist. It was the result that let me know the tedious battle had ended. Kwaa, kwaaaang!! Woooong- A tremendous roar shakes the dungeon. It¡¯s the sound of the wyvern¡¯s massive body crashing to the ground. I had been riding on its back and thought I would fall with it, but Seong Na-yeon¡¯s wind kicked in at the right moment, catching me. Her ultimate skill seemed to have ended when I arrived on the wyvern¡¯s back, but she had apparently re-cast her [Levitation] skill after the battle ended. Inded lightly on the ground, then headed towards Seong Na-yeon and Moon Ga-eun. I then praised Seong Na-yeon. ¡°That was amazing. You still have magic left?¡± Seong Na-yeon smiled mischievously. ¡°Are you making fun of me? I barely fought.¡± ¡°Huh? Haha, no. It was a victory we all made together. If it wasn¡¯t for Holder Seong Na-yeon, the one smashed into the ground would have been me instead of the wyvern.¡± Although I was active at the front, the great support from Moon Ga-eun and Seong Na-yeon at the back was also huge. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s arrows struck the wyvern at the right moments, and Seong Na-yeon¡¯s windpletely changed the dynamics of the battle. If it wasn¡¯t for those two¡­ This boss hunt really wouldn¡¯t have been easy. As if to prove that, both their faces looked quite tired. ¡°Anyway, thank you for your hard work. Holder Do Jae-hyun is a much more amazing Holder than the rumors say. He¡¯s surely a talent any n would covet.¡± ¡°¡­You tter me too much.¡± I felt a bit embarrassed, but I did think I navigated this battle well. I minimized unnecessary exertion while considering efficiency and possibility, then utilized every possible rune and skill within that. Having the support of Moon Ga-eun and Seong Na-yeon was a bonus. Compared to when I was a bit careless fighting the Manticore at the dungeon entrance, this was a battle I fought very well in my opinion. Seong Na-yeon, having finished her thanks, briefly tidied up and prepared to exit the dungeon. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll head out first. You two should check the clearing rewards and exit slowly.¡± ¡°Are you sure? We cleared it together after all¡­.¡± I scratched my head and asked. Seong Na-yeon, who had apanied us under the pretext of being our guard. She was in effect one of the members in our dungeon clearing party. Without her [Levitation], we wouldn¡¯t have even been able to enter the dungeon, and when fighting the increased monsters afterwards, and the final boss wyvern. She directly stepped in whenever we needed her help. For her to leave without any reward¡­ It reminded me a bit of when we cleared the Stained Rock Pile dungeon, but this time I felt even more apologetic. Back then, Yoo Eun-seol at least had the motive of recruiting me into her party, but Seong Na-yeon had only acted ording to her n¡¯s orders. However, Seong Na-yeon smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you this might happen in advance. My purpose was solely as a guard. Though the assault target was a bit different¡­ Well, it¡¯s fine. I think all the dangers in this dungeon have been dealt with now.¡± After saying that, Seong Na-yeon left the dungeon. She had truly passed all the rewards to us. I smiled wryly as I watched her go. ¡°I feel kinda bad.¡± ¡°Why do you keep feeling bad? It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just saying that, the team leader will get rewards too.¡± Moon Ga-eun, who had been on the other side, came over and said. ¡°Ah, really?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no unpaid overtime for results like this. Especially for top talent and highly paid specialists like her.¡± Meanwhile, Moon Ga-eun rummaged through her magic bag. She took out some potions and handed them to me. Potions with [Healing] effects. And potions that replenish stamina. Just what I needed after the battle had just finished. I gestured in thanks and downed the potions she gave me in one go. ¡°You¡¯ll probably get individual rewards from my dad. Since the guard TF team members didn¡¯te and only the team leader came, it seems like a personal request. You know how protective my dad is.¡± ¡°-Gulp. Yeah, I know, I know.¡± No one knows Moon Jung-hyuk¡¯s daughter¡¯s love more than me. I had heard a lot from Moon Ga-eun, and drank together with him directly and heard everything. If she receives rewards directly from him¡­ Considering the results of this mission, it likely won¡¯t be insignificant. Thinking that far, I finally felt at ease. Seeing my expression, Moon Ga-eunughed. ¡°He takes care of useless things, I tell you. When he already said it was fine.¡± ¡°I just feel bad.¡± ¡°Tsk, so principled. Let¡¯s hurry and get the rewards and go. I¡¯m tired now too.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The undiscovered dungeon we had only vaguely heard of when we first came. The ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯. This was the moment its challenge had ended sessfully. *** Ippotrantion *** Seoul, Yeongdeungpo district. A quiet neighborhood on the outskirts. Cha Soo-yeon walked through that silent street, passing several blocks to arrive at a shabby building. Tak-tak-tak- The sound of shoes echoes from inside the building. Basement 3rd floor. It looks like a worn-down building that makes you wonder what could possibly be in it, but once she went down three floors, a dusty entrance came into view. An entrance left wide open despite not a single guest around. ¡°¡­.¡± Cha Soo-yeon silently gazed at the entrance. It seemed some sort of shop was here after all, as the interior had various seats and tables. She, an expert in this field, recognized it in an instant. A wine bar¡­ This ce had the fixtures of a wine bar, more or less. ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± As she stood still in front, a sturdy voice called out from inside. At the table right in front of the entrance. Sitting on a dusty sofa while drinking beer¡­ Was a man with dark brown hair. The moment she took in that sight, Cha Soo-yeon went inside and awkwardly knelt down on one knee. ¡°Vice¡­ Master, I greet you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the concept this time? Suddenly speaking formally. It feels unfamiliar.¡± The man chugged his entire beer in one go, then poured himself another ss. He must have been here for a while already. Over six empty beer bottles were next to him. ¡°It¡¯s because of the new rules enacted recently¡­ isn¡¯t it. To speak respectfully between executive members too.¡± ¡°There was something like that? What a boring rule.¡± ¡°That is it, Hwang Seong-yeon, you¡­!!¡± A sharp voice burst out from the provoked Cha Soo-yeon. The Vice Master¡¯s real name that slipped out in a moment, and the coarse swearing. Realizing she had blurted that out unconsciously, Cha Soo-yeon tried her best to calm her mind and said. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Vice Master make a fuss and cause problems? During thest Divine Punishment incident, you were arguing and suddenly decapitated the Gangnam branch head.¡± ¡°Boring story.¡± The man said so and drank more beer. Hwang Seong-yeon, owner of the demon sword. Vice Master of the n, and perpetrator of the ¡®Gwanghwamun Mass Murder¡¯ incident. He had killed countless Holders and civilians so far, and was one of the most notorious fugitives in . And here he was, drinking alcohol on a dusty sofa. A shabby building. A closed wine bar. The only reason Cha Soo-yeon had gone through the trouble of finding this filthy ce was for the secret meeting with the Vice Master. Tap- Hwang Seong-yeon put an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Then he took out a bundle of papers from his clothes and ced it on the table. Cha Soo-yeon stared at him silently, then asked. ¡°¡­What is it.¡± ¡°A boring operation.¡± The bundle of papers contained various writings sorted by type, like news articles, theses, essays. And it was one of the encrypted documentsmonly used in . Being so familiar with these documents, it didn¡¯t take long to decipher it at all. Cha Soo-yeon quickly skimmed through and finished decoding it. Then she opened her eyes a bit wider and said. ¡°In 2 weeks¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The date the n had nned was 2 weeks from now. The nned operation was ¡®Academy Raid Operation¡¯. Luring out S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol from the academy temporarily, then invading and assassinating key figures inside. And most importantly, finding and obtaining ¡®that item¡¯. A massive operation that had been nned for a long time¡­ Was progressing much faster than expected. ¡°Do it properly and I¡¯ll be able to y too. So assemble the details well. You have full authority anyway.¡± The question why did note out. was the most free-spirited npared to any other, but when focused on a specific goal, they had to follow the executive¡¯s decisions withoutint. And Cha Soo-yeon was the same, being part of the executive. The only ones who could give her orders were¡­ The Vice Master and Master of the n. In other words, this operation¡­ Was an order directly from n master. Hwang Seong-yeon flicked away his cigarette and drank more beer,ughing. ¡°Let¡¯s do well for a change, Lee Soo-yeon.¡± ¡°Fuck, didn¡¯t I tell you not to call me by that name?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve finally returned to an amusing tone.¡± Like a cold air descending, a massive pressure pounds the wine bar. Hwang Seong-yeon smiled slightly at that energy. It was a peaceful meeting between the n¡¯s executives. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 133

Chapter 133

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After the weekend holiday and the intense raids. Tuesday morning. I came to the Association during my free period to take care of some reward issues regarding the undiscovered dungeon ¡°Nest Covered by Clouds¡±, and also for a rank promotion visit I had been nning for the past few days. ¡°ording to your ability score review¡­ you have exceeded the standard ability scores in two of the three main areas ¨C strength and agility. You only need to exceed one to qualify, but Holder Do Jae-hyun has exceeded two.¡± A familiar female voice read out the report. C-grade Holder, Lee Ji-hye. She was an Association employee who had overseen my promotion exam sometime ago. Since this rank was higher, she wasn¡¯t personally overseeing my exam, but was summarizing and delivering to me the results that had already been reviewed by other expert staff members. ¡°The review of your rune utilization and proficiency from before was close to perfect. Appropriatebination of physical and magic runes, and skilled utilization. You¡¯re showing your strengths as a multi-holder, while not losing the basics of being a Holder.¡± I kept hearing favorable feedback. Although I had a rough idea, hearing the actual results made me feel ted. ¡°So¡­¡± As my words trailed off in question, Lee Ji-hye broadly smiled and nodded her head. ¡°Yes, congrattions. Starting today, Holder Do Jae-hyun, you have been promoted to a B-grade Holder officially recognized by the Association. You have satisfied all the requirements ¨C ability score evaluation, rune utilization and proficiency exam, standard Holder achievements review¡­¡± B-grade Holder. When I first entered the Academy, it sounded like something from a farawaynd. It was the pinnacle rank of geniuses like Kang Juyeon, and I thought it would take me quite a while to reach through effort alone. And now, I have finally made that rank my own. After getting transported to this world, and registering as an F-grade Holder, this aplishment in just about 9 months was splendid. ¡°In the system you¡¯re already registered as B-grade, and the official certificate will be issued to you in a week.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡± Lee Ji-hye passed me some documents and exined various things ¨C the privileges and responsibilities of a B-grade Holder, issues rted to taxes, and other misceneous matters. After briefly exining for around 10 minutes, Lee Ji-hye looked at me again, her eyes shining. ¡°Anyway, this is really amazing. It feels just like yesterday when you got promoted to C-grade, and now you¡¯re already B-grade¡­¡± Just like yesterday¡­ that was true. I had gotten promoted to C-grade just 4 months ago, at the very start of vacation inte June¡­ To have satisfied all the evaluations for ability and achievements in just those 4 months and gotten a promotion, from her perspective of having observed the entire process, it must have seemed unbelievable. Even I hadn¡¯t seen such a rapid promotion before. ¡°The examiner was very helpful regarding the achievements evaluation, so I was able to make it happen. Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh stop. I was just doing my job as an employee, nothing more.¡± By the way, Moon Ga-eun also got promoted to B-grade. She hade about an hour earlier than me and finalized her promotion before leaving, and it seemed she easily passed the achievements evaluation with her long history of n activity at . As for her abilities as a B-grade, I had directly confirmed them while hunting in a party together, so there was nothing more to say. ¡®Now there¡¯s three B-grades.¡¯ The underground dungeon 5 person party from the Academy. Out of those, three were already B-grade. Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun, and me. Moreover, Kim Chae-eun and Park Jin-woo were also Holders who had reached B-grade level abilities, justcking in achievements to get promoted. A party with all B-grade Holder members. Unlike the temporary party formed in the beginning, it now felt like an elite party. ¡°Oh right, about the undiscovered dungeon you raided this time.¡± Lee Ji-hye suddenly brought up something she seemed to recall. ¡°The discussion about joint ownership rights will likely be finalized within 3 days. The dungeon name has been set as the one you proposed, Nest Covered by Clouds.¡± ¡°Has the raid review finished?¡± ¡°Yes. You contacted us yesterday so Association employees were dispatched early this morning. You seem to have raided it quite cleanly.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± I awkwardly scratched my cheek at that. ¡®¡­Because Seong Na-yeon raided together.¡¯ The participation of an A-grade Holder at the core of one of the top 3 domestic ns. Of course the raid would go smoothly. Well, regardless of the process, the results were the results. The previously undiscovered dungeon, ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds, was discovered and raided by us, so the rights were decided to be jointly owned by Moon Ga-eun and me. To my dungeon collection I had steadily built up so far¡­ Another name was being added. That wasn¡¯t all. [The magic stone of the forgotten dragon has been filled. The tablet is enveloped in the aura of mysterious power.] My real purpose in raiding the dungeon. The exploration I had vaguely embarked on to find the ¡®dragon¡¯. My guess had been correct. Wyvern was the dragon the tablet was asking for. The four magic stones ced in the five grooves of the tablet. Now there really was only one left. ¡®The rune as well¡­ I found what I wanted.¡¯ The reward from [Rune Hunter] obtained by defeating Wyvern was also satisfactory. Among the runes Wyvern possessed that were necessary for me right now and could be obtained from Wyvern, it was the best rune. The attribute magic runes I had steadily collected so far. Among those, the only one that was empty was regarding ¡®wind¡¯, which I desperately needed. [You have selected ¡®Roughly Shaking Wind¡¯. As a level 9 epic rune, its level will drop and it will register as level 5.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [With the rune¡¯s attributes, you gain Wind Resistance 5, Magic 4.] [A new resistance has been activated.] ¡ò Name: Roughly Shaking Wind ¡ò Grade: Epic (E) ¡ò Level: 5 ¡ò Inscribed On: Back ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C : You can now control the power of rough and crude wind. As the nature of the power leans toward attack, the might of the rune changes depending on how it is utilized. When using the rune for attack purposes, might increases by 50%, and when using for defense and support purposes, might decreases by 30%. : You can use the ¡®Levitation¡¯ effect at all times. As long as you have remaining magic, you can levitate in desired locations by turning the surrounding air into an updraft through the power of wind. The maximum height you can rise increases proportionate to magic level and rune level. : Wind Resistance +5, Magic +4 ¡ò Derived Skill: ¨C : [Wind Javelin] ¡ò Detailed Information: ¨C : The sharp winds at times cut and pierce even the flesh. The wind power created while only looking ahead will move solely to aid your attacks. [Roughly Shaking Wind] This wind attribute magic rune that Wyvern possessed had power I had directly experienced myself, so it had outstanding capabilities. Firstly, the stat increases it gives are good. It raised my magic by 4, and wind resistance by 5. Considering it was a level 5 epic rune, these were quite high increases. Thanks to it, like when I obtained other attribute magic runes, I was able to gain the new resistance stat, ¡®Wind Resistance¡¯, from this rune as well. ¡®The special effects all seem very useful.¡¯ The versatility of the first effect seemed limitless depending on how it was used. For now, since my magic rune utilization focused heavily on attacking, and the penalty decrease rate was lower than the increase rate, it seemed plenty usable for any purpose. And the second, ¡®Levitation¡¯ effect. This was no different from converting the [Levitation] skill Seong Na-yeon used into a special effect. An effect absolutely necessary when facing aerial monsters, or in special situations requiring flight. Especially for me who needed ¡®Levitation¡¯ to utilize [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] and [High-speed Fight], this was the most necessary effect out of anything. ¡®The skill is¡­ that magic spear from back then.¡¯ [Wind Javelin] was literally a ¡®wind spear¡¯ as the name suggested. The powerful attacking skill Wyvern had used several times, which had persistently bothered us. It allowed throwing 10 spears of wind at the enemy. As the ¡®epic rune¡¯s direct attack skill¡¯, the cooldown was quite long at 1 day. ¡®There¡¯s not a single thing to throw away.¡¯ They were all satisfactory rewards. Aside from these, there were also various items from the rest area, materials harvested from Wyvern when we attempted to hunt it, materials obtained from hunting other aerial monsters, and so on¡­ Although there were a variety of rewards, these were the major ones that could influence my Holder information. After exchanging some more minor talk with Lee Ji-hye, I finished up and left the Holder Association with light footsteps. ¡°Starting today¡­ I¡¯ll be busy with the circle.¡± I¡¯ll have to put strengthening my Holder information on hold temporarily. Now I had to focus on seriously carrying out activities for the circle. There was more to do within the circle than I thought. Finding spies infiltrated into the Academy and evidence of that needed to be top priority, and I also had to look into ¡¯s changed movements after Kim Do-yoon¡¯s assault incident. Now that I had the protection of and on my back¡­ Even if it is a circle activity within the Academy, I couldn¡¯t take things lightly. Click- Aftering back to the Academy and attending all my remaining sses, I went to the circle clubroom in the student association building. Today is Tuesday, so it was the day for Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s dedicated lesson, but her personal schedule ovepped so the lesson this week was postponed to Friday. Thanks to that, I could devote today entirely to circle activities. ¡°Huh?¡± But there was already a visitor in the clubroom. Long, dark hair tinged slightly red. A casual yet slightly formal outfit. Really, all that stuff was unnecessary ¨C the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful appearance. ¡°..Hey.¡± It was Kang Juyeon. Since I came right after ss ended, I thought I¡¯d be the first one to arrive, but she was already sitting in a corner of the meeting room, havinge who knows how long ago. And in her seat¡­ she seemed to be writing something down. In the brief moment I encountered her, those words all entered my eyes at once. ¨C A-grade, fire, epic rune,bat experience, growth, Do Jae-hyun? Only after seeing that did I realize. ¡®Growth episode!¡¯ Kang Juyeon¡¯s growth episode. The n I had prearranged was now bearing fruit. Originally, Kang Juyeon was supposed to meet Yoon Ji-ah in the circle and undergo growth once. The chance for her as a B-grade to rise to A-grade. And the moment the youngest ever A-grade promotion in Holder history took ce. Although Kang Juyeon didn¡¯t end up joining unlike the original, and instead Yoon Ji-ah came to , the puzzle pieces hanging by a thread matched up nicely. That was the writing right now. Something I would never normally see¡­ Kang Juyeon¡¯s new appearance after meeting Yoon Ji-ah. It was odd my name was included in her keywords for growth, but it looked like a mind map where she noted down keywords rted to her growth overall. It seemed to be a very desirable self-improvement. However¡­ ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ The next page also contained other words, barely visible. Although not clear, thanks to her pretty handwriting I could easily make out what they were. ¨C Kim Chae-eun, just the two of them, hunting, weekend, Moon Ga-eun, again? ¡­What is this? Feels like I saw something I shouldn¡¯t have. Like I¡¯ll regreting straight to the clubroom after ss. Noticing my gaze, Kang Juyeon very naturally covered up the writing and slid it aside. Seeing that unfamiliar sight, I awkwardly greeted her. ¡°Oh, hey. You came early, huh? Haha.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± And. Her voice was somehow colder than usual. Hearing that, my suspicions solidified. ¡­She¡¯s definitely mad, right? Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 134

Chapter 134

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. An ordinary but refreshing Tuesday. Kang Juyeon was not in such a bad mood today. The academy lectures that used to be so boring have recently be quite interesting, and with the improved quality of lecturers and professors, there was a lot to learnpared to the first semester. Most of the sses since the second semester started have been satisfactory, but today she felt an extra level of focus. Especially after seeing Yoon Ji-ah interview for the new n member in ¡¯. After seeing her, Kang Juyeon has changed little by little. Unlike before, she now has a desire to improve her skills, and this ambition has made her a little more passionate. She absorbed the lecture contents faster and more urately than anyone else, and showed the ability to schedule personal training sessions after ss. From a B-grade Holder to an A-grade Holder. Laying the groundwork for growth as a Holder. The process of slowly sowing this was not a bad feeling. ¡°Juyeon, Juyeon. I got promoted to B-grade!¡± ¡­Her only close friend. As Moon Ga-eun shared this sudden news. Juyeon quietly asked back. ¡°¡­B-grade?¡± ¡°Yeah. My strength was a bitcking before, but after going hunting at Sobaeksan Mountain Field, I improved a bit. Thanks to that, they told me today I got promoted immediately! Now I¡¯m the same grade as you, you know. Hahaha.¡± Moon Ga-eunughed and joked. In fact, her promotion to B-grade was only a matter of time. She was already at the top among C-grade Holders, and had long since met the benchmark performance. As a daughter of the n, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t get promoted to B-grade with their full support behind her. It was just that Juyeon had shown such an overwhelmingly excellent side, but Moon Ga-eun was also a key prospect of the academy as the top archer when she entered. Her close friend, and one of the few Holders she acknowledged herself. That was Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Good for you. Congrats¡­¡± As Juyeon was about to nod her head and give a congrattory greeting. One word caught her attention. ¡°¡­Sobaeksan Mountain?¡± Sobaeksan Mountain Field. One of the many fields outside barriers in Korea. But it was a particrly familiar name to Juyeon. Just a few days ago. A man had¡­ Proposed that they go hunting there together. She had reluctantly declined due to a n project at the time. So Juyeon¡¯s voice asking this was slightly subdued. ¡°Yeah. I went hunting during the weekend.¡± At that reply, Juyeon quietly asked again. ¡°¡­Alone?¡± ¡°Huh? No, I went with Do Jae-hyun¡­¡± Oh. Moon Ga-eun immediately stopped talking, realizing her mistake. But the spilled water could not be gathered back up. Hunting at Sobaeksan Mountain Field. On the weekend, Do Jae-hyun had also suggested they go together, but she couldn¡¯t participate due to the new n member recruitment project. As expected, the hunting Moon Ga-eun went on was a party hunt with Do Jae-hyun. Juyeon¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Juyeon, listen to me. It wasn¡¯t just the two of us, Holder Seong Na-yeon also went along¡­¡± Moon Ga-eun hurriedly tried to exin, but Juyeon didn¡¯t listen further. Hunting solo with Do Jae-hyun. Someone she didn¡¯t expect lit the fire this time. ¡­In fact, it wasn¡¯t really an issue. It was an offer that hade to her as well, and she was the one who refused due to the project. Do Jae-hyun had contacted all his close friends, and Moon Ga-eun just happened to be avable. Just an ordinary temporary party hunt. That was all¡­ Yet for some reason, she felt unhappy. It was a moment that quickly dampened a morning that had been quite refreshing so far. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± And so now. The silence that followed as she faced Do Jae-hyun in the clubroom. Do Jae-hyun, sitting across from her, asked in a slightly awkward tone. ¡°Um, are you mad?¡± ¡°..No.¡± ¡°You seem mad though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Childish responses kepting out first. In fact there was nothing to be mad or upset about¡­ Maybe because of vague emotions she couldn¡¯t quite define. Words that usually didn¡¯te out ticked away. Anyone who knew Kang Juyeon would be shocked and doubt their eyes and ears if they saw this. ¡°Uh¡­ originally I was going to go hunting with everyone, but everyone had ns. You also said you couldn¡¯te because of the n project¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± I should have just scrapped that project. She suddenly had that thought without realizing. It was an important project screening new n members, and she had gained momentum for growth after being stimted there by meeting Yoon Ji-ah, but¡­ If she had known it would be a solo hunt with Do Jae-hyun. She wished she hadn¡¯t just skipped it. ¡°So¡­ let¡¯s set a date and go hunting together next time. How about it? Matching our schedules, to a hunting ground we haven¡¯t gone to yet. Come to think of it, it¡¯s been a while since we synced up.¡± But Do Jae-hyun smiled and made a new offer. One that wouldn¡¯t upset Kang Juyeon¡¯s mood¡­ It was a carefully worded proposal. At his bright face, Kang Juyeon lowered her head. For some reason she felt embarrassed. As if she had thrown a fit over nothing. As if she had shown her feelings for no reason. And on the one hand, her heart raced. The situation of being alone with him in the clubroom. Do Jae-hyun looking at her brightly with a smile. She had felt a little envious of that situation before, but now she was the one put in it. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± The disgruntled feeling from earlier was already long gone. She didn¡¯t even remember something like that existed. Amidst the whirlpool of swirling emotions recently. All Kang Juyeon could do¡­ Was to quietly nod her head in response. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡®Phew.¡¯ I let out a sigh of relief to myself. Kang Juyeon¡¯s voice returned to normal. Seems I handled it well. She must have been upset that I went hunting without her. But it¡¯s unfair. I did ask her toe along, didn¡¯t I? I definitely remember inviting her¡­ ¡°Oh, Do Jae-hyun. Good evening.¡± Anyway, after resolving that minor issue and preparing for today¡¯s meeting, the clubroom had started filling up with members before I knew it. Park Jin-woo¡¯s greeting that seemed very cheerful caught my attention. Last Friday. The first club meeting we had that day. After the many things that happened then. This was the first club meeting since the members gathered again. Among the bustling members. I went to the center of the meeting room and picked up the mic. ¡°Thank you all for attending. Because this week was an extended weekend due to Monday being a holiday, we inevitably had to have the meeting on Tuesday. But from now on, the meetings will be held every Monday evening as nned.¡± Every Monday evening at 8 pm. That would be the regr gathering time for our club. Unlike other circle-type clubs that allow a lot of freedom, the circle does not have much flexibility. The club activities will also be quite busy, and there is a lot to do as a member. From the beginning, when establishing it, that¡¯s how it was nned. Since there is the one overarching goal of ¡®Opposing the n and finding clues about the insider spy¡¯, we had to take a more serious approach and members also needed a sense of responsibility. ¡®A lot of people came.¡¯ Fortunately, it seemed most agreed with that kind of slogan. Most of the members were in attendance, lighting up the meeting. From Kang Juyeon, who I had been with earlier, to Kim Chae-eun smiling brightly, Moon Ga-eun looking anxious and stealing nces at Kang Juyeon¡­. Yoon Ji-ah, who was sitting quietly but focusing her gaze on me, Park Jin-woo eating some chocte bar, the grave-looking Lee Hyun-ho, and the inscrutable, expressionless Ji Yoon-jae. The club¡¯s key figures caught my eye one by one. But there was also someone missing. ¡°Senior Kim Myeong-hoo¡­ isn¡¯t here?¡± The member who had objected when I took the club president position at the first meeting. 2nd year warrior-type Kim Myeong-hoo. I didn¡¯t see his annoying face. After being ruthlessly handled by Park Jin-woo and fleeing the clubroom that day, unsurprisingly he was absent again today. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to get in touch. Looks like he¡¯s busy.¡± Among the 2nd year members in the meeting room. At least one Holder who was rtively close to Kim Myeong-hoo spoke up. Busy or hasn¡¯t responded to contact¡­ In other words, he was clearly dodging this. Whatever the reason, it was fortunate. Having a member who would muddy the waters attend the meeting wasn¡¯t ideal for the club either. If the problematic member voluntarily stayed away, we were happy to say thank you. ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s start the first meeting.¡± Nodding, I immediately began the presentation. On therge screen connected by the beam projector. The contents I had prepared appeared in the center. ¡°First, the topic is about the overall goal of our circle.¡± Flip- As I advanced the slide, familiar faces appeared. Ha Do-kwon, who was ranked 2nd in the 1st year warrior-type ss. Also 1st year warrior-type Kim Do-yoon. They were the two insider spies from the n side who once caused turmoil at the academy. ¡°While the scope for our circle¡¯s activities has widened considerably with the Judgement of Fire n and Royal n¡¯s derations of full support, in the end¡­ we¡¯re still a ¡®circle¡¯ operating within the academy. So thinking we¡¯ll dive right into the heart of Viin from the start is a bit fanciful.¡± I pointed at the two spies¡¯ faces with the pointer. ¡°So what I proposed as our goal for this semester is, first, let¡¯s find and reveal the spies who have infiltrated the academy. Two insider spies have already been exposed, and who knows how many more Viin n members are hiding. Therefore, Anti-Viin¡¯s first major goal is to find the spies who have infiltrated the academy and obtain evidence.¡± Most of the members nodded and agreed. These were contents they had thought of and agreed to when joining, after all. Among those, finding and revealing spies was the most realistic goal. The issue was how. How would they find them? That was the key. ¡°We¡¯ll have to frequently discuss methods for this going forward, but just saying we¡¯ll all put our heads together and find a way from now on¡­ feels a bit abstract to me.¡± I took a breath and continued speaking. ¡°So I wanted to introduce a method I had considered when nning this club, to you members.¡± At those words, the expressions of all the members changed. A groundbreaking method? Most were curious about the idea.. ¡°¡­..¡± All except one. Ji Yoon-jae. Unlike the other members. His eyes were shaking slightly with a hint of unease. Since he usually hid it behind a poker face¡­ It wasn¡¯t very noticeable. ¡®Scaredy-cat.¡¯ Seeing that, I smiled to myself and slowly continued speaking. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 135

Chapter 135

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°First of all, we need to find the distribution route of the Berserk Potions,¡± I slowly cleared my throat and spoke. Upon hearing my suggestion, the hopeful gazes of the circle members quickly faded. Even Ji Yoon-jae, who had been slightly shaken at first, regained hisposure and looked relieved. It was as if he had thought ¡®Surely not that?¡¯ but then went ¡®Oh wait, he really means that.¡¯ The [Berserk Potions] were the only evidence the spies had. Find their distribution route, I said. They all knew well just how fanciful that idea was. ¡°President, that¡¯s too unrealistic,¡± Yoon Ji-ah, who was sitting right next to me, spoke up. She had been busy preparing to join the n recently, but came to today¡¯s meeting out of a sense of responsibility as the circle¡¯s vice president. She started trying to convince me calmly. ¡°As you probably know, President¡­ Globally illegal items like Berserk Potions aren¡¯t traded through normalmerce. It¡¯s different from simply purchasing items from the Guild, or personal trades between individuals.¡± Of course I know that. I probably know it better than any other circle member. I nodded and responded to her words. ¡°I¡¯m aware. The production of illegal items is usually done in overseas third countries, and their distribution also goes through several nations before arriving in our country. So it¡¯s not easy to trace them step-by-step. It¡¯s like¡­¡± I deliberately trailed off, and Yoon Ji-ah picked up with a stern expression. ¡°Drugs.¡± ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s simr to how drugs are distributed.¡± In the previous world, and in this world long ago as well. ¡®Drug distribution¡¯ had its heyday. After the drugs were produced by specialized third countries, the end products were distributed illegally and abnormally to each nation. Cocaine, amphetamine, fentanyl¡­ Countless drugs were distributed everywhere, and they were also secretly traded in Korea for a long time. Drugs were always problematic globally, whether in Korea or America. ¡®But that declined quickly.¡¯ After the emergence of Monsters and Rune Holders, and the world entered an era of irreversible upheaval, the drug market shrank significantlypared to before. With ¡®Divinity-type¡¯ Holders who could cure any illness and addiction appearing, curing drug addicts became far too easy, and some special items obtainable from dungeons and fields boasted stimtion effects surpassing drugs. ¡®So the target changed.¡¯ The drug cartels who lost their business territory promptly reorganized their forces, and attempted new ventures. That was the business of distributing and selling globally banned ¡®illegal items¡¯, even producing them. These items included the aforementioned stimnt items, along with all sorts of illegal weapons and special items, as well as the [Berserk Potions] we¡¯re dealing with now. The asional news about illegal drug seizures¡­ Had turned into seizures of illegal items. With those facts in mind, I slowly spoke. ¡°While there are countless countries producing illegal items worldwide, if I had to pick the cartel with thergest scale¡­ It would still be Colombia.¡± Colombia. A country famous as the world¡¯s drug capital in the previous world. Looking at just the cartels, it¡¯s the country with the maximum scale. These drug and crime cartels solidified even more after Holders appeared. By gathering various criminal Holder members into the cartel, they transformed into an organization far stronger andrger than before. Compared to Korea, it¡¯s like a n. Of course, they are farrger in scale and their collective purpose is also much clearer, soparing them is somewhat embarrassing, but it conveyed just how malicious of a criminal organization they are. As the country possessing cartels that handle the most illegal items globally. Naturally, that would include [Berserk Potions] as well. ¡°I¡¯m going to investigate the illegal items distributed from Colombia to Japan, and then smuggled again from Japan into our country.¡± I will find those who purchased [Berserk Potions] in that distribution process. And from there, find clues about the internal spies. That was my n. Of course, not all illegal items distributed in Koreae only from Colombia. Many items are also smuggled in from other cartels in South America like Mexico, and nearby Southeast Asian countries. But the amount from Colombia is overwhelming. Several times that of other distribution countries. The quantity of illegal items handled by is also considerable, so investigating them could lead to finding clues. After exining this much, the circle members¡¯ expressions still did not brighten easily. I also knew well why that was. ¡°How can we, just a circle, carry out suchrge-scale investigations¡­¡± The n is good, but the scale is too big. Despite calling ourselves the circle, we¡¯re ultimately still a circle within the academy. A group formed by mere students. A circle, not even a n, is going to attempt investigations on that level? Anyone would likely find it fanciful. But I smiled and dispelled that worry. ¡°It¡¯s okay. This investigation won¡¯t rely solely on our circle¡¯s activities.¡± ¡°Huh? Then¡­¡± Yoon Ji-ah cocked her head and asked back. I turned my gaze to Kang Juyeon sitting on the other side. ¡°The Judgement of Fire n, which has trade routes opened to the Japan side, will actively assist us with this investigation.¡± and . The two major ns had officially decidedst Friday to actively support the circle. Among them, ¡¯s support was¡­ Safety assurance for club members. Theyposed an escort TF (Task Force) team within the academy, and even sent top n member Seong Na-yeon as the team leader, disying powerful physical support. Thanks to that, Seong Na-yeon and I could go hunting outside the academy under her escort, returning safely. ¡°And if Royal provided such physical support, Judgement of Fire promised mary or personnel support.¡± ¡°Ah¡­!!¡± Finally realizing it, Yoon Ji-ah pped. Among domestic ns, is the n that has best secured ¡®trade routes to Japan¡¯. Naturally, they have also highly specialized in manpower and knowledge regarding that area. If they enthusiastically participate in this investigation, it could pave the way for the previously vague clue exploration. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll be sharing the investigation details with the Judgement of Fire n. They must have their own countermeasures against Viin as well¡­ And they may produce far better results than us. But well, that¡¯s that, and this is this.¡± I smiled and looked around at the circle members. The clubroom, which had been quiet. Even those who had been distrustful at first were now all focused. ¡°While we¡¯re just a circle, we can simply continue on our path. We have to achieve the will and purpose for which we first formed. That¡¯s why we gathered.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± At those words, Yoon Ji-ah let out a small exmation. Then soon¡­ She slowly nodded her head and said. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. From the beginning, it felt like an impossible circle. Yet still, just managing to gather like this must have been a miracle. And here I was reconsidering possibilities within it. Without even trying first.¡± She made a bright smile and continued. ¡°Sorry for objecting right away. I¡¯m in favor of that method.¡± ¡°No, Vice President, that was a very rational objection.¡± As weughed and aligned our opinions, the other circle members quickly expressed agreement as well. ¡°I¡¯m for it too! I don¡¯t see a better way than this right now. Hehe.¡± ¡°Oh, I acknowledge that part.¡± ¡°I should start preparing the equipment in advance¡­.¡± Circle members actively consenting, noticeably so. ¡°¡­Our n doesn¡¯t have that kind of grand countern.¡± ¡°Juyeon, you¡¯re not still mad, are you¡­?¡± ¡°Mad? I wasn¡¯t in the first ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡­Circle members chatting idly, regardless of the methodology. Aside from them, most other circle members also took my suggested method positively. Firstly, because a domestic top 3 n like was coborating. In that regard, they all seemed to feel great trust. Well, I¡¯m the same in that. As someone who¡¯s worked in a n before, I know better than anyone just how neat and urate ¡¯s work is. To be honest, ¡¯s coboration seemed more reliable than the abilities of the hastily gathered club members. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it everyone is in agreement, and proceed with the first phase n as I outlined earlier. Next, let¡¯s discuss the detailed division of roles. First¡­¡± After the biggest agenda item smoothly passed. The subsequent detailed PT and concrete discussions followed. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°So the first investigation date is¡­¡± ¡°Contacting the Judgement of Fire side can be handled by President and Holder Kang Juyeon¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lend out the equipment I¡¯ve made in rental form. They¡¯re probably better than most equipment on the market¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ It was a passionate meeting, taking up well over 40 minutes. I also satisfyingly moved the meeting along. And in the process, I nced at Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s expression a few times. Still to get a read on his intentions, like before. But that nk expression still had no changes. Certainly a poker face befitting a veteran spy. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s motive for joining was obvious. To acquire information from our circle, while Ji Yoon-jae himself spreads false information and interferes with circle activities. But I gave no opening to spread false info from the start, and acquiring info from us would have little meaning now. Taking any action at this point could be more risky in terms of getting exposed. ¡®How should I catch this guy.¡¯ Unlike other spies, I know for certain that Ji Yoon-jae and Cha Soo-yeon are spies. If I can just catch them, I can somehow obtain evidence. But the optimal timing for when to catch them. When I can perfectly purge them, and from there reach ¡¯s head. That seemed to require more thought. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 136

Chapter 136

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The first week of every month. Although we don¡¯t set an exact date, the day I trade contracted equipment with Choi Yoo-min is always scheduled for the first week of the month. Thanks to that, on Wednesday evening, I was waiting for her in the lounge inside the special division building where we always meet. ¡°¡­¡± Originally, we would meet on weekends rather than weekdays. On weekdays, I have so much to do and I also have private lessons with each professor in the evenings. Especially Wednesday evenings, when I have private lessons with Professor Tak Won-ho. By now, I should be receiving his ruthless sword strikes in the training ground, but¡­ -Technically, there is nothing more I can teach you. The gap between you and me now is just the difference in umted time and experience, stats, and rune levels. Truly monstrous growth. Professor Tak Won-ho dered that he had ¡°nothing more to teach¡± and changed the private lessons from once a week to once every two weeks. He understands exactly the direction I want to pursue with the sword, I have awakened to the essence of [Wave Sword Technique], and have absorbed all of his know-how and experience built up so far. In that sense, Professor Tak Won-ho gave me a passing grade. On top of that, with my stats growing as I was promoted to B-grade Holder¡­ It was natural that ss time decreasedpared to before. It was the same with Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. -Holder Do Jae-hyun doesn¡¯t use the water sword better than me now, does he?¡± ¡°¡­¡± -Hahaha, just kidding. I mean your growth has been so fast it¡¯s unbelievable. I seem to have taken on a great disciple. Saying that, he also reduced ss time to once every two weeks. That doesn¡¯t mean the education I receive from the two professors haspletely ended. Even with reduced ss time, I was still exclusively under the two professors, and this would not change even when I surpassed them and reached A-grade Holder. It was just that, with the difference in ability and efficiency of education, some adjustments were necessary. Thanks to that,tely I have been focusing on the private lessons from Yoo Eun-seol, working on dagger skills and assassin-type abilities. ¡°Jae-hyun, hi!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± Just as I was lost in thought¡­ The lounge door opened and a familiar face greeted me. It was my first time seeing Choi Yoo-min since the new semester started. It felt strange not seeing her for a month, and she also looked quite different after the break. ¡°You dyed your hair?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Gray and brown two-tone color. Her once monotonous hair was dyed in a variety of colors. Yoo-min lightly touched her hair tips and asked. ¡°Does it suit me?¡± ¡°Yeah. It totally suits you well. When did you do it?¡± The words just naturally came out of my mouth. It wasn¡¯t ttery. I really meant it. She often wore dark colored clothes so she gave off a gloomy vibe, but this dye job erased that atmosphere in an instant. ¡°I finished the final touchesst night. Hehe.¡± She must¡¯ve been busy with my request, yet still found time to dye her hair. Fortunately, she looked very happy about it. Thud- whoosh- Choi Yoo-min sat down and immediately rummaged through her magic bag, taking out equipment. Today was the day I received contracted equipment from her. Unlike previous contracted gear, I had ced an additional order and provided extra materials. To be exact, I handed over most of the spoils from Stained Rock Pile and Nest Covered by Clouds, along with additional payment. I had specifically requested equipment I thought would be helpful and useful for me. So instead of the usual 10 normal-grade equipment over two months, I asked her to provide 4 high-grade equipment. From before the semester started up until yesterday¡­ It seemed Choi Yoo-min hadpleted all the requested items in that short timeframe. ¡°I made everything you asked for, Jae-hyun. But like I said before, the contract fee is too much. I don¡¯t need this much money¡­¡± There she goes again. Perhaps because she lived as an unknown for so long in poverty¡­ Choi Yoo-min would sometimes frown at the additional payment I provided. Saying it was too high an amount forpensation. But to me, it was absolutely worth the price. The items Choi Yoo-min produced were much higher quality than anything I could buy externally, and considering cost-performance, it was very reasonably priced. Moreover, once she graduates from the academy, I won¡¯t even be able to buy her gear anymore. I had to purchase what I could while I still could. ¡°Not at all. Considering the quality, it¡¯s not a huge amount. So don¡¯t worry about it and show me the goods.¡± ¡°Hehe, okay, here.¡± ¡ò Name: w Short Sword ¡ò Type: Sword (Short Sword) ¡ò Rank: Rare ¡ò Durability: Normal ¡ò Crafter: Choi Yoo-min ¡ò Special Effects:- : Speed +2 : Contains the brutality of a beast tearing its prey apart. When shing as if wing with nails, deals 20% increased damage. Detailed Information:- : A short sword crafted with profound metallurgy. Imbued with the ferocious ws of a wolf, barg, giving off an aura that overwhelms opponents with bestial might. The wolf ws do not break easily, while anything they touch will be easily torn apart. ¡ò Name: Wyvern Spear ¡ò Type: Spear ¡ò Rank: Rare ¡ò Durability: Normal ¡ò Crafter: Choi Yoo-min ¡ò Special Effects:- : Strength +1, Speed +1 : Empowers attacks with the wind¡¯s aid. When attacking by dropping down from the sky or utilizing sufficient momentum, deals 30% increased damage with spear attacks. ¡ò Detailed Information:- : A long spear oveid with the hide of the sky¡¯s ruler, frezzard wyvern. Outstanding metallurgy brings out its brilliance, infused with the power of a monster that wielded the winds. Boasts sturdy durability and considerable weight. I had requested a total of four items from Choi Yoo-min. One was a short sword. Recently, I¡¯ve been learning the intricacies of dagger skills from Yoo Eun-seol and seriously raising [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], making the short sword one of my main weapons. Lacking a proper weapon so far, I had asked Choi Yoo-min for one. Using the ws of Barg, the boss monster of Stained Rock Pile, along with various magic stones, she crafted the short sword [w Short Sword]. It was much higher quality than I had imagined, and the special effect ¡®damage increases when shing¡¯ also seemed very useful for short swords. Especially when using the [Staircase sh] skill, I felt the synergy would be considerable. ¡®And the spear¡­¡¯ Originally, spears weren¡¯t my main weapon, buttely its importance rose significantly due to the derived skill [el Piercing] from the rune [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. A relentless charge at high speed. Combined with a piercing spear attack. Thisbo, which greatly contributed when hunting wyverns, required a decent spear to utilize properly. In that regard, the [Wyvern Spear] Choi Yoo-min produced was very appealing. The specs were decent, and the special effect was perfect. Of the requested items, the two most important weapons were highly satisfactory products. ¡°The throwing daggers and shield are normal grade. I tried my best but not every produced item turns out rare grade yet. Hehe.¡± For the two pieces I hadn¡¯t checked yet, Choi Yoo-min added an exnation. Throwing daggers and a shield. I already had weapons in those categories, but considering my frequency of use inbat, I thought spares were necessary. Of course, they didn¡¯t need to be top quality. I shook my head at that. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m already amazed you made two rare grade items. You¡¯re incredible. Yoo-min, your skills have improved so much.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Choi Yoo-min smiled shyly at the praise, but I was genuinely surprised. No matter how good [Iron-Blooded Night Field] is, Choi Yoo-min had just started properly crafting high-grade equipment. Far from the norm at this stage in her growth. Yet she took my request and produced two rare grade items just like that¡­ At this rate, she would soon catch up to Lee Hyun-ho, considered the most promising cksmith. I received the four pieces of equipment from her and expressed my gratitude. ¡°Anyway, thanks. I really needed this equipment.¡± ¡°Yeah! Let me know if you need anything else. I¡¯m totally free.¡± ¡°Free when the semester just started?¡± ¡°Yup. Our department focuses more on practical training than theory, so making equipment is basically like sswork. I can just submit the production reports for these two rare grade items and easily get a good grade. Hehe. Thanks to you.¡± Hearing that, I nodded in understanding. The cksmith department is quite rational¡­ So that¡¯s why Lee Hyun-ho attentively participates in all the circle meetings. ¡°Oh! And congrattions on reaching B-grade.¡± ¡°Huh? How¡¯d you know about that?¡± I blurted out in slight surprise at Choi Yoo-min¡¯s sudden mention. She tilted her head and answered. ¡°It was in online articles?¡± ¡°Articles?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like Rising Teen Prodigies in the Holder Field, 20-year-old Do Jae-hyun Reaches B-grade in Record Time¡­ stuff like that. You¡¯re kinda trending these days.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I opened a portal site on my phone and indeed, it was true. I was listed among rising teen prodigies like Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun. There was increased observation of my activities after the Kim Do-yoon assault incident brought me some fame at the academy. A multi-holder using both physical and magical runes. Reaching B-grade from F-grade in the shortest time ever. With so many intriguing traits, it was understandable I¡¯d gain attention. ¡®So that¡¯s why people have been ncing my waytely¡­¡¯ I let out a hollowugh at the thought, shook it off. Then bid Choi Yoo-min farewell once more. ¡°See you next month.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± I stored all the equipment she passed me in my magic bag. The reason I specifically asked Choi Yoo-min for a high-grade weapon this time was to prepare for the increasingly intense shes with . Not knowing when ambushes or battles may ur, any shorings with equipment had to be avoided. I was making every preparation for that. And following that¡­ The second step towards eradicating spies. [Kang Juyeon] The overseas trip is scheduled for the weekend. Let me know which circle members will being along to determine the travel roster. It marked the true beginning of the investigation. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 138

Chapter 138

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°Ah, hello!¡± The sudden visit of the Hunting Team 5 members. Seeing them, Yoon Ji-ah, who was spacing out for a moment, soon came to her senses and greeted them. Even though they were colleagues I was with just two months ago, they are senior-level people to her who is just taking the entrance exam for the . ¡°Nice to meet you! I¡¯m Shin Yuna.¡± ¡­Even Shin Yu-na, who is still a newbie in that team. While Park Jin-woo and Yoon Ji-ha were slowly exchanging greetings with the Hunting Team 5 members, I spoke to team leader Kwon Oh-jun, whom I was meeting after a long time. ¡°You came earlier than I expected?¡± ¡°Early? I waste by 30 minutes because I was checking the equipment.¡± ¡°Was it Shin Yu-na again?¡± ¡°What can I say. Sigh. She¡¯s the sessor I personally chose, but she¡¯s quite a handful.¡± Even as he said that, Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s face was full of pride. It was an expression that showed he was quite proud of Shin Yu-na¡¯s growth. Shin Yu-na was a new n member of Hunting Team 5, and a B-grae Holder I had a match with when I first joined to test my skills. She was the sessor ambitiously chosen by Kwon Oh-jun when he got promoted to an A-grade Holder and team leader, and a promising talent in the closebat field. Personally, she was a senior who greatly helped me adapt to my intern life. ¡®¡­Even though I somehow lost touch with herter¡­¡¯ Of course, because of that, I did feel somewhat closer to Shin Yu-na. So if I had to pick the teammate I was closest with in Hunting Team 5, it was undoubtedly Shin Yu-na. I heard she recently proved her skills and got promoted to a B-grade Holder. The fastest among her peers who entered as C-grade. The struggling and agonizing figure I saw during the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ strategy was now nowhere to be found. ¡°Holder Lee Soo-mi, Holder Kim Seong-cheol, Holder Choi Dong-wook¡­ all the B-grade members came?¡± Looking over the members, all of ¡®Hunting Team 5 B-grade¡¯ were here. The familiar members I spent two months with were gathered in one ce. Kwon Oh-jun nodded his head and answered. ¡°Yes. This dispatch is considered quite important within the n. It¡¯s a kind of inspection and investigation, and the fact that a hunting team was dispatched shows the n¡¯s interest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The hunting teams were literally hunting teams. Outside-barrier fields, dungeons, and other special missions. Most of their duties focused on hunting monsters, so it was quite unusual for a hunting team to be dispatched on an investigation like this. ¡°I heard you rejected the n¡¯s official invitation?¡± Kwon Oh-jun asked with a mischievous smile. ¡°Invitation? What¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the offer to officially join Judgement of Fire. Everyone wants to get into the number one n so badly, so why did you reject it?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± About to answer right away, I changed the subject when I saw his face, wanting to joke around. ¡°Now, Judgement of Fire isn¡¯t the number one n. There¡¯s Royal and Raging Sword as well. More precisely, they are the three major ns.¡± ¡°What? This punk¡­ So are you going to another n instead?¡± ¡°Haha. Just kidding, kidding. I just thought it was too early to decide, so I postponed my answer. I still don¡¯t really know what n I want to join or what work I want to do, and I still have over two years left at the academy.¡± Just because I say I want to join now doesn¡¯t mean I can be a n member right away. I¡¯m still a first-year, with two years left until graduation. Unless it was a special recruitment by Kang Juyeon, I wouldn¡¯t be able to drop out and join the n, and forcibly doing so didn¡¯t seem like it would greatly benefit my career. ¡°Tsk. Then it can¡¯t be helped. Among the new n member applicants these days, there¡¯s no one like you, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°I also enjoyed working with Hunting Team 5.¡± ¡°You sure know how to talk.¡± Kwon Oh-junughed once while hitting my shoulder, then pped towards the team members and circle members. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going now that you¡¯re all familiar with each other¡¯s faces. It takes quite some time to go through departure procedures.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Since the [Warp Gate] was at the airport, the departure procedures for Holders were also conducted within the airport. The process was simr to taking a ne. Baggage check, passport and ID verification, customs deration, etc¡­ You go through most of the regr procedures for going abroad. However, unlike the general baggage check for prohibited items, the purpose of a Holder¡¯s baggage check was mainly to detect illegal items. ¡°Please present your Holder license.¡± Holders have to present their Holder license to go through the [Warp Gate] and depart from the country. While individually Holders are special ability users, from the national perspective they can be human weapons. Therefore, Holders are always watched by the association and government when moving domestically or internationally. The Holder license was for that verification. Originally, you had to be issued an ¡®International Holder License¡¯, but Korea was one of the globally recognized Holder powers, so the domestic license itself was proof of trust. ¡°Departure proceduresplete. Holder Do Jae-hyun is booked for the 11 a.m. international warp gate to Tokyo. The departure floor is 3F, gate number E-3. Thank you for using Incheon International Airport¡¯s Warp Gate service today.¡± The airport employee politely greeted me and handed me the ticket. I headed towards the location written on the ticket. The other team members swiftly grabbed their luggage and followed. In fact, the only difference was the transportation changing from nes to [Warp Gates], so this was no different from a normal overseas departure procedure. Once all the team members gathered, Kwon Oh-jun ryed the information. ¡°When we arrive at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, we¡¯ll immediately move to Nagoya through the domestic warp gate.¡± ¡°Nagoya?¡± ¡°Yes. More precisely, we¡¯ll use the warp gate near Nagoya Station¡¯s Sakae area. We¡¯ll depart right away without waiting, so gather as soon as you arrive.¡± While this investigation was a coboration with , the area we wanted to investigate was under ¡¯s jurisdiction. We couldn¡¯t just go wherever we wanted. So until we reached our destination, following Kwon Oh-jun and Hunting Team 5¡¯smand was the norm. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Okay. See you all in Japan after personal preparations.¡± And so, we headed to Japan. For me, sinceing to this world. It was my first time setting foot in another country. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Ugh, I feel sick.¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ International warp gates are seriously no joke.¡± After arriving in Tokyo and immediately crossing over to Nagoya in one breath, we took a short break in front of the gate. International transfers via [Warp Gates] was on a different dimension than domestic transfers. Just the transfer consumed a tremendous amount of magic, and the twisted magic damaged the body, causing extreme nausea. My whole body felt disgusting and stuffy. It was iparable to car sickness or seasickness. My stomach churned violently. ¡°Not tired?¡± Seeing Kang Juyeon looking fine, I asked. ¡°¡­A little.¡± She only seemed a bit fatigued, with barely any change in expression. As expected of Kang Juyeon. Amazing poker face. No one was even paying attention, yet she was doing her utmost to stay in control of herself. To think she got that angryst time¡­ You never truly know someone. After resting for about 10 minutes. Our team headed out of the [Warp Gate] interior space. The location of the [Warp Gate] was Sakae Station in Nagoya. It was a subway station in the lower parts of Nagoya. While leaving the station, I asked Kwon Oh-jun while looking around the interior. ¡°It feels kind of shabby, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a subway station. If we go further down towards the harbor, there¡¯s a downtown area.¡± Sakae Station didn¡¯t have many people and gave off a gloomy vibe. Once we exited the station, that feeling intensified. Old, worn-down buildings and shopping districts everywhere. It felt like I was in a small neighborhood in Seoul rather than Japan. ¡°The wee party is here.¡± Kwon Oh-jun spoke as we exited the station and looked around for a bit. I turned my head in the direction he pointed¡­ And saw a man waiting to wee us. With shaggy hair and brownish-gold dyed hair. For some reason, familiar¡­ A typical Japanese face. -Judgement of Fire n, Anti-Viin Circle. Wee to Nagoya! And he held up a banner with that message. ¡®Wait, aren¡¯t those kinds of things usually at the airport?¡¯ Seeing him holding that alone outside a quiet subway station felt absurd. He approached us with a cheerful smile. ¡°Long time no see. Kwon Oh-jun!¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. Mr Shimizu. It¡¯s been about 6 months since west met. Thank you for today as well.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Fluent Korean flowed out of him. Was he Korean-Japanese? His pronunciation was so urate and clean. The man called Shimizu also shook my hand. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Shimizu Kenzo, a senior n member of the n. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun from Seoul Holder Academy¡­¡± About to naturally return the greeting, I paused and asked back in surprise. ¡°Your name is¡­ how do you spell it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Shimizu Kenzo. You can call me¡­¡± ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t think we need to shorten it.¡± I felt like I had heard something I shouldn¡¯t have. I quickly changed the subject to talk about work. ¡°Team leader Kwon Oh-jun told me the gist. You¡¯ll let us directly inspect the n tower interior?¡± Shimizu nodded at my words. ¡°Yes. Our Man¡¯s Term n and Korea¡¯s Judgement of Fire n have maintained a 5-year trade cooperation rtionship, regrly conducting transparent inspections on trade items and processes. Today is the same. I can open the n tower to you two anytime if you wish. Shall we go right away?¡± I nced at Kwon Oh-jun to ask his intention. But he signaled me shortly with his chin. Having worked in his team for two months, I understood this signal well. It meant to do as I saw fit. I nodded and looked back at Shimizu. ¡°Please guide us right away.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 139

Chapter 139

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± After about 15 minutes of walking from Sakae Station. Shimizu, who stopped walking, gestured at the building with his hand. Although it looked a little shabby, it was a neat building equipped with everything needed. It¡¯s not like the n in Yeouido, but still a prettyrge building. It was the n tower of the n he belonged to. ¡°Wee! Wee to the Man¡¯s Term n.¡± The female employees at the entrance desk greeted us. It wasn¡¯t just one or two. It was the same after passing the desk, at the ID check ce, and even inside the elevator. Moreover, most of them were ordinary employees, not Holders. ¡®¡­Man¡¯s Terms?¡¯ I was puzzled for a moment. It was apletely different image from the n name. Seeing my reaction, Shimizu burst outughing. ¡°Haha. You seem quite surprised.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. It¡¯s much more¡­¡± As I hesitated, Shimizu asked back. ¡°Gorgeous and vibrant, right?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Haha. Unlike our rugged n name, our n focuses onmerce andrge-scale businesses. Naturally there are female employees and many ordinary n members.¡± Shimizu shrugged and continued. ¡°The n name is just what the Master came up with in the early days. Recently, we also felt that this n name is not appropriate for business, so we are considering an official change.¡± ¡°I see.¡± A n focused on trade and transactions. Shimizu¡¯s exnation became more credible as I looked around the n tower. Unlike , filled with department rooms and conference rooms, the interior of n tower was overwhelmingly full of ¡®warehouses¡¯. Warehouses rted to trade with the United States, warehouses rted to trade with Korea¡­ Or warehouses rted to domestic transactions within Japan. There were various warehouses and departments to manage them. Shimizu slowly moved and introduced the internal departments floor by floor. And the ce we were looking for¡­ We were only able to arrive on the 7th floor. ¡°This floor has the department and warehouse that oversees trade with Korea. Our n¡¯s Korea trade department has an exclusive contract with the Judgement of Fire n, so it also oversees transactions with Judgement of Fire.¡± Shimizu, continuing his exnation, looked at Kwon Oh-jun for a moment. ¡°How would you like to proceed with the regr inspection this quarter?¡± ¡°I think I should discuss it with my team members. Kim Seong-cheol.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Seong-cheol, a mage-type Holder, stepped forward. For paperwork during hunts, it was always Kim Seong-cheol or Lee Soo-mi who took charge, and this time it was Kim Seong-cheol. Holding the prepared documents, Kim Seong-cheol moved to a specific department with a n employee. ¡°Then I¡¯ll continue the exnation. As you know, the contract form between our n and Judgement of Fire is intermediary trade. More precisely, we serve as the link between Latin America and Korea.¡± ¡°Latin America¡­¡± It was the most critical region rted to this investigation. Hearing my murmur, Shimizu nodded and continued. ¡°That¡¯s right. We export Korean-made equipment like weapons and armor to Latin America, and export potions and special items made in Latin America to Korea.¡± The reason was obvious. Korea is one of the globally recognized Holder powerhouse. Naturally, the overall talent pool of Holders is broad, which also affects the special-type cksmiths. Cheaper and better quality equipment than the US. There was no better country than Korea to import them. ¡®¡­While potions are well-made in Latin America.¡¯ Latin America is not just good at making illegal items like [Berserk Potions]. In general, the quality of crafted special items is good. Latin America has so many alchemists rather thanbat-type Holders. Naturally, this was a strength in trade. Korean equipment to Latin America. Latin Americans crafted special items for Korea. The n was carrying out this business by exclusively contracting intermediary trade with . ¡°Regarding the cause of illegal item smuggling you requested, it is either mixed in secretly during the import of these special items, or smuggled in.¡± ¡°Smuggling?¡± Smuggling. With that one word, the expressions of the members, including me, changed. What we tried to investigate aftering all the way to Japan, the clue came from Shimizu¡¯s mouth. ¡°Yes. Illegal items secretly mixed into our n are picked out after inspection in the process of re-exporting to Korea¡­ It is difficult to find the items they smuggled in directly.¡± Shimizu pointed at the map attached to the wall of the warehouse. The arrow is drawn between Latin America and Japan. Its color was ck. ¡°Because they sneak into Japan through unauthorized warp gates for smuggling.¡± Unauthorized [Warp Gates]. In other words, they cross borders through illegal magic phenomena. I quietly murmured at that statement. ¡°Unauthorized warp gates¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Although we are the n in charge of legal intermediary trade here, in fact Nagoya is the area with the most illegal item smuggling in Japan.¡± In other words. It is correct that conducts transactions of illegal items like [Berserk Potions] through Nagoya. So tracking it will allow us to find the route and rted parties. Shimizu was precisely conveying that the first activity of the Circle was in the right direction. After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I suddenly asked Shimizu. ¡°Then does the Man¡¯s Term n know the location of unauthorized warp gates?¡± Based on the circumstances, examining the interior of the n seemed meaningless. They were carrying out intermediary trade through clean contracts, and was confirming this through regr inspections, so there was nothing more to question. Then the key was smuggling, as he said. And criminals [Warp Gate] that were unauthorized. We needed to know the location. But Shimizu made an awkward expression at this question. ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­¡± He pointed at the map on the wall again. This time it was a domestic map of Japan with Nagoya City drawn in detail, right next to the previous map. There were random circles marked here and there within the city. It looked like a sign that inspection of certain ces wasplete. ¡°Of course, since it is directly rted to our n¡¯s profits, we do make efforts to find them. But as I said earlier, we are not a n focused onbat, so there is a limit to how much we can search. Unauthorized warp gates are mostly secretly created inside dungeons or outside barrier fields.¡± [Warp Gates] created in barrier-free fields or dungeons. To find and crack down on them, you have to go through killing all the monsters in there, so naturally manpower shortage arises. I frowned a little at that. ¡°How vicious.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a ploy to avoid the dra. Moreover, the Japanese Holder Association has no will to actively investigate this¡­ Although we have consistently investigated, it has been difficult to grasp urately.¡± After thinking for a while, Shimizu continued. ¡°So if Do Jae-hyun wishes, I can connect you with the head of our anti smuggling team to assist the investigation. Eradicating smuggling in Nagoya has been a deep desire for our n as well.¡± At those words, I nced back at Kwon Oh-jun. ¡°Team leader, is it okay? Our circle intends to actively investigate.¡± After all, this investigation involved coboration with . It wasn¡¯t something I could decide alone. Fortunately, Kwon Oh-jun readily agreed. ¡°Our n¡¯s job is the regr inspection of the trading n and escorting the external activities of the Anti-Viin Circle. Anything else is up to you, Do Jae-hyun. Don¡¯t worry and make the decision. We¡¯ll support you no matter what.¡± With that, I deeply bowed my head in gratitude, then looked back at Shimizu. ¡°Yes. Then please proceed, Mr. Shimizu.¡± ¡°Understood. This way, please.¡± He led us back to the 9th floor. Unlike the other floors filled with warehouses, the 9th floor consisted of arge department interior and conference rooms. The humble exterior and overflowing paperwork. Only a few employees were busy working inside the department. Passing them, we headed to the team leader¡¯s seat in the center. ¡°Ms. Akiba?¡± At Shimizu¡¯s call, a woman sitting at the desk raised her head. Long ck hair hanging down and red eyes. She had a strange vibe, muted by her neatposure. At a nce, it was obvious she was not an ordinary person but a Holder. ¡°Greet them. They are Holders who came from Korea to coborate with us. They will help explore unauthorized warp gates.¡± And Shimizu¡¯s brief introduction that followed. At that, the woman stood up from her seat. And greeted us in the most polite posture. ¡°I¡¯m Akiba Miyura.¡± In a pure white narrow-sleeved kimono and wide hakama (traditional Japanese clothing), she had a prominent contrast of white and red. And therge longbow on her desk. It was like¡­ A unique appearance, as if looking at a miko (shrine maiden). Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 140

Chapter 140

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. What surprised me when I first saw Akiba Miyura was that she was also fluent in Korean. ¡®Is Korean the primarynguage for this n?¡¯ Is it because the n¡¯s focus is on trade andmerce? Like Shimizu, and Akiba as well¡­ They all demonstrated Koreannguage skills at the level of a native speaker. On top of that, a shamaness that would be more fitting in a Japanese prehistoric era, is a Holder belonging to the n called ¡°Man¡¯s Term¡±. No matter how they say it¡¯s just an early n name, it still felt kind of awkward. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Do Jae-hyun from the Seoul Holder Academy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kwon Oh-jun of the Judgement of Fire.¡± When we exchanged greetings, Akiba once again politely bowed her head. I could feel her etiquette of valuing courtesy just from the brief greeting. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the general story from Mr Shimizu. You¡¯re looking for an unauthorized warp gate.¡± ¡°Yes. More precisely, I¡¯m investigating Holders who smuggle illegal items into Korea, as well as their connections and routes of entry.¡± At my words, Akiba nced at Shimizu for a moment. It was like an implicit question. ¡®May I take over this conversation?¡¯ Shimizu nodded his head in response, answering her. From the moment clues rted to smuggling appeared, and another n member in charge of it came out, Shimizu¡¯s role of introducing the n was practically over. ¡°Then may we move to a meeting room? I will exin our future investigation ns regarding the warp gate to Do Jae-hyun and the Korean Holders.¡± ¡°Yes, please do.¡± We promptly moved locations to a meeting room on the 9th floor. The inside of the meeting room was neat and fully prepared. A beam projector and arge projection screen, countless rted documents ced on the desk¡­ And on the whiteboard next to it were some scribbles. Words that looked like the team members put their heads together toe up with methods. Various ardent traces here and there within the meeting room stimted my eyesight. This is like¡­ ¡®A space made to persuade someone.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a space made just for our investigation team. From the start, they looked like materials prepared to try to persuade someone. And that target was probably¡­ The head of the n. It seemed Akiba and the anti smuggling team had long before our arrival, devised a n to investigate the ¡®unauthorized warp gate.¡¯ Based on that, they must have tried to embark on a full investigation, only for the n to fall through every time. ¡®Due to theck ofbat-type Holders.¡¯ The n focuses onmerce and trade. Rtively, the number of Holders and high-rank Holders responsible forbat is insufficient. Due to the nature of trade where protecting and preserving goods is top priority, thebat power of the Holders they have is definitely not weak, but¡­ The problem was them being concentrated only in the escort teams. With the strong, experiencedbat-type Holders all taken by the trade item escort teams, there weren¡¯t enough Holders to be officially dispatched for hunts or operations. ¡®It seems like they don¡¯t even have a specialized hunting team.¡¯ Especially for conquering mid-to-high level dungeons, a specialized hunting teamposed of high-rank Holders is essential. The higher the level, the more segmented the role division must be for sessful dungeon conquests. But just from Shimizu¡¯s n introduction and tour of the n tower, I could confirm they didn¡¯t have a specialized hunting team. ¡°Our team selected a total of 11 points as suspected unauthorized warp gate locations, after gathering rted information.¡± Akiba opened her mouth again in a polite tone. The PPT projected by the beam projector showed the map of Nagoya that Shimizu disyed earlier. A map with circles marked in various spots, as expected it was the investigation points of the smuggling team. ¡°Among them, there are 4 fields outside the barrier, 6 dungeons, and 1 general area. Embarrassingly, our team has been pouring our efforts into investigating the 1 general area due tock of manpower, and this is still ongoing. Additionally¡­¡± Akiba¡¯s meticulous and detailed exnation continued. The locations and characteristics of each point, precautions¡­ Simple information about the monsters they would encounter if battles urred, and so on. I listened attentively to her story and exchanged various opinions with the team members. Eventually, our opinions converged into one. ¡°In the end, we have to check them all.¡± Aside from the one general area, the remainingbat zones all required investigation. It was the conclusion of the meeting thatsted over an hour. At my words, Akiba heavily nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s right. But¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re short on time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We didn¡¯t have that much time to stay in Japan. We came on a special dispatch utilizing the weekend, and on weekdays we each had our own schedules, so it was best to wrap up our schedule within two days and head back. However, checking all 10 investigation points within that time was close to impossible. ¡°Still, let¡¯s get moving. We can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing. I¡¯ve decided the first investigation point will be the dungeon, Humid Ghost Cave, in Atsuta Shrine.¡± I swiftly made the decision. Since we were short on time, I couldn¡¯t hesitate at all when making judgements. At my appearance of making a prompt decision without coordinating opinions or hearing additional suggestions, Akiba looked at me with a startled expression for a moment. It was the first time her polite, well-mannered expression broke. But she soon resumed the noble appearance of a shamaness, and politely epted my words. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do that.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** Sitting in the meeting room for a bit was enough to cure the poison. After obtaining consent to cooperate from the side, we promptly began our on-site investigation without dy. A temporary partyprised of 10 members in total. 5 members from the ¨C Kwon Oh-jun, Kim Seong-cheol, Choi Dong-wook, Lee Soo-mi, Shin Yu-na. 4 members from ¨C me, Park Jin-woo, Yoon Ji-ah, Kang Juyeon. Only Akiba Miyura by herself joined as a coborating party member from . ¡°Oh, what a luxurious memberposition.¡± Park Jin-woo, walking next to me, murmured. As he said, the party members were quite luxurious. There wasn¡¯t a single member among the party that was insufficient in strength. Even Akiba is a B-grade Holder of the archer ss. With this, all the essential members for eachbat ss were present, and a high-ranking temporary party was formed with 1 A-grade and 9 B-grade Holders. ¡­Well, Park Jin-woo is still registered as C-grade, though. ¡°All the dispatched members are B-grade or higher¡­ The Korean holders are amazing.¡± Akiba absentmindedly spoke as if she found it fascinating. For her, who was unable to conduct on-site investigations due tock of suitable party members, these members seemed unfamiliar. ¡°This matter is quite important, that¡¯s why. We don¡¯t always dispatch such high-level personnel.¡± ¡°I see.¡± While exchanging such small talk, we were soon able to arrive at Atsuta Shrine. One of the three great shrines of Japan, boasting a massive scale and area fitting of its reputation. The visitors also seemed to be far more ordinary people than Holders. We watched the crowds for a bit before promptly heading to the dungeon, our investigation point, ¡®Humid Ghost Cave.¡¯ We had permission to enter in advance from the owning n. [You have entered the dungeon.] [Due to the humid atmosphere and heavy air of the dungeon, the Holders¡¯ speed is slightly decreased.] Unexpectedly, the interior of the dungeon was deserted. Whether it was because Holders who came to conquer dungeons today were especially few, or if it was always like this, I didn¡¯t know¡­ But for us, whose purpose was to find the ¡®unauthorized warp gate¡¯ that might be hidden somewhere in this dungeon, it was good the Holders were sparse. ¡°Team leader Kwon.¡± As soon as we entered the dungeon, I spoke to Kwon Oh-jun. The only A-grade Holder of our party. With his abundant experience and outstanding skills, it was natural for him to be the party leader, which was the implied meaning behind my words. However, Kwon Oh-jun shook his head. ¡°You are the party leader.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah. This dispatch is ultimately a coboration project between Judgement of Fire and Anti-Viin, and you¡¯re the person in charge of overseeing it. Since you took the lead on nning the operation, try leading the party once.¡± ¡­He¡¯s telling me to be party leader? I was taken aback by his sudden words, but Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s serious expression didn¡¯t seem like he was joking. ¡°But shouldn¡¯t Team Leader Kwon be the one tomand battles?¡± ¡°Only during truly dire situations. For the rest, it¡¯ll be better for you to do it. After all, our goal is searching, not hunting.¡± It was a valid point. If we came to hunt monsters, the precious personnel of wouldn¡¯t have crossed over to Japan like this. ¡°Plus, you did well when conquering the Forest Covered by Snakes boss, right.¡± ¡°That was a special circumstance¡­¡± I muttered inint, and Kwon Oh-jun just shrugged his shoulders in response. ¡­This guy, isn¡¯t the talk of directing operations and whatnot just an excuse, and you¡¯re just trying to shove it onto me because you¡¯re toozy? I briefly had that thought, but soon let out a sigh and stepped forward. Truthfully, we didn¡¯t even have time to worry about things like this. We still had 9 more investigation points left. ¡°Then I will issue operational directives. First, let¡¯s split the party into two teams. Team A goes left at the fork, Team B goes right.¡± Tl/n: Ill be taking a break after this chapter. Happy new year! See you on 10th of jan 2024. You can also read ahead with unto 20 chapters through this link Buymeacoffee. Consider Buying me a coffee via Buymeacoffee. It helps a lot! Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, /ippostrantions Chapter 141

Chapter 141

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Akiba Miyura is a shrine maiden of Shintoism(*the ethnic religion of Japan). Since she was very young, she has been trained in etiquette and spirituality as a shrine maiden of Atsuta Shrine. After awakening as a Holder, she has also been active as a ¡®battle shrine maiden¡¯, hunting nearby fields and dungeons. With her long period of hunting and growth, her Holder rank reached B-grade. She possesses the epic-grade rune [Archer¡¯s Guardian], so she is of the archer ss. However, even after bing a Holder, she has always tried not to lose sight of herself as a shrine maiden. Devout faith and mindset of respecting others. The consciousness of believing without doubt and wanting to trust. This could also be seen as her identity. This is also why Akiba always has a polite attitude in her interpersonal rtionships. ¡°Miyura. There are guys defiling the sanctuary.¡± One day while continuing her life as both a Holder and a shrine maiden. Akiba heard rumors about ¡®smugglers¡¯ from a senior shrine maiden of the shrine. That there are criminals operating ¡®unauthorized warp gates¡¯ near shrines and temples in Nagoya, buying and selling illegal items. And that civilians and believers are being victimized in the process ¨C it was unbelievable news. After that day, Akiba immediately went looking for the criminals. She gathered rted clues and asked around various ces about their whereabouts. But for an individual, finding those who move in a point-to-point organization was a hopeless task. She searched as far as her abilities allowed, but there were limits. ¡°So you wish to join our n?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What? A shrine maiden from Atsuta Shrine is unsatisfied with something¡­¡± The n she joined was . was a n renowned for intermediary trade in Nagoya. Contrary to its name, it also had a considerable number of female n members. Since the n¡¯s main focus wasmerce, theycked the manpower to investigate sites, but they could identify locations that were suspected to be contact points for the criminals, owing to therge scale of the n. And finally, the opportunity to subdue the criminals arrived. It was a coboration with powerful Korean Holders. ¡± ¡­ Team A will consist of only the 5 team members from the Hunting Division, and Team B will include the anti-viin members, as well as Ms. Akiba. Please go through the two forked paths thoroughly. We¡¯ll meet in front of the boss room after the search.¡± Akiba looked at the man who was calmly giving out instructions. Do Jae-hyun. The project manager in charge of this coboration project, and a ¡®student¡¯ from the Seoul Holder Academy. He¡¯s only 20 years old, yet has already reached B-grade like herself. Despite being suddenly put in charge, he demonstrated skilled leadership without panic. Just like when he chose the dangerous spots without hesitation while investigating the site, his judgment was quite fast and cold-headed. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Akiba felt an unfamiliar feeling from his appearance. The people she had met so far were always full of doubts. Does this criminal suppression have any realism? Even if so, is it possible within the scope that doesn¡¯t harm our n? Is this person someone I need? Does anything change believing in god? Both as a shrine maiden and as a Holder. Many people she met doubted her words and actions, and these behaviors always brought disappointment to Akiba. The fact that the n wasn¡¯t proactively participating in the suppression of smuggling crimes also stemmed from such doubts. ¡®Mr. Jae-hyun seems to be someone with built trust.¡¯ But Jae-hyun had trust. Hepletely believed the words of a n member from a foreign n he saw for the first time today, on the premise of expertise. And the words of a team member that he, an A-grade Holder, could lead the party better, he also trusted without much opposition. Above all¡­ He had faith in himself. That they would be able to find the unauthorized warp gates by searching suspicious areas. That he could take on the party leader role without issues. He epted those dramatic premises without any sense of refusal. ¡®I hope he can be rewarded for that trust.¡¯ Seeing that, Akiba sincerely cheered for him. She had only obtained disappointment from the trust she gave others, but she hoped that Do Jae-hyun at least could be rewarded. As a shrine maiden with faith in god. And as a fellow human respecting humanity. And¡­ As a member of the team he leads. She sincerely wished for a positive oue. ¡°Prepare for battle.¡± And such trust was. Immediately proven in the battle that happened shortly after. *** Ippotrantion *** In the right forked path Team B entered, a monster appeared in less than 10 minutes. A messy body and bulging muscles. A horn in the middle of its head, and a single eye below it. Skin the color of blood as if drenched in blood. And a huge, chubby club in one hand. The main monster of the ¡®Humid Ghost Cave¡¯. B-grade monster, Red Cyclops. There wasn¡¯t much information about Japanese monsters called Ghost, but we had thoroughly examined them through the PPT Akiba showed in the briefing room earlier. I lightly took out my weapon and said to Park Jin-woo. ¡°Park Jin-woo. You remember how to deal with them from earlier, right?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. Of course¡­ I forgot.¡± I knew it. This guy had the style of grasping information by crashing into it with his body. ¡°They have overwhelmingly high strength and endurance. Their skin is tough and sturdy, so physical attacks absolutely won¡¯t pierce through, so we have to take them down with magic support as much as possible. But their speed is damn slow, so don¡¯t be too scared.¡± ¡°Okay. In short, they¡¯re lizardmen on steroids?¡± ¡°You surprisingly understand things well.¡± I¡¯ve felt it multiple times, but Park Jin-woo¡¯s head works unnecessarily well in useless areas. I turned my head and looked at Akiba. ¡°Ms. Akiba. Do you know how to use Magic Tracking?¡± [Mana Tracking] was a high-level derivative skill acquired when Exploration-type runes and [Magic Control] reached high levels. Since Akiba is a B-grade archer, the probability of her possessing it was quite high. ¡°Yes? Ah, I can use it, but¡­¡± Akiba was slightly flustered by my sudden question and answered. I nodded and continued asking, ¡°Then while we fight, can you trace the surroundings for any hidden warp gates with Magic Tracking?¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Yes. Anyway, we have to take down the Red Cyclops with magic. As long as the Tanks do their job properly, and the Mages provide firepower support¡­ it shouldn¡¯t take long to deal with them.¡± The main purpose of this operation was searching, not hunting. Although a B-grade archer would be greatly helpful in battle, extracting her for searching while utilizing only the Mages against the monsters was more efficient. Hearing that, Akiba looked at me with quite surprised eyes. Perhaps she hadn¡¯t thought that far. It was understandable, as it was an operation focused on extreme efficiency. Akiba soon nodded and answered. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll do as Mr. Jae-hyun intends.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡­Those words could bergely misunderstood if heard by someone else. Ku, eueueu-!! Kuu, kuuuu!! While briefly exining the n like that. The Red Cyclopes couldn¡¯t hold themselves and started shouting. And dragging their hulking bodies, they began approaching us. Their numbers were considerable. At a nce, 8¡­ no, 9? Most dungeon monsters have the tendency to move in groups, but these guys seemed especially so. No matter how our party consisted of B-grades, we could be in danger if we didn¡¯t fight strategically. I hurriedly turned around and asked the Mages. ¡°Kang Juyeon! Vice president! You both know without me saying, right?!¡± ¡± ¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already casting.¡± The core of this battle were the Mages. Their fire magic had to urately pierce into the monsters¡¯ bodies. Fortunately, befitting experienced high-rank Holders, the two had already begun preparing their magic without needing to be told. Hearing their concise answers, I felt relieved and immediately leapt forward. ¡°You pig bastards. Eat this first!¡± Park Jin-woo fearlessly charged into the battlefield, using the derivative skill [Leah sh] of [The Unstoppable Swift Sword]. ¡®¡­Why does that guy look so excited?¡¯ Was it because it was party hunting after a long time? He was zing right from the start, not holding back his skills one bit. I also began charging at the cyclopes. Utilizing [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven ], my speed was considerably fast. ¡®Let¡¯s save Quarter Knife¡­¡¯ [Quarter Knife], the skill I use most frequently when trying to attack first. Now that it even has the additional effect of Rainbow Bomb, it¡¯s be one of my ace skills, but it doesn¡¯t have the best efficiency against multiple opponents like this. To preserve the skill¡¯s cooldown and allow flexible maneuvering, I held back on using skills. Instead, I stabbed into their bodies using [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]. Although I can¡¯t deal big damage with physical attacks, I should at least be able to hold aggro in a form of evasion¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Kuu, kuuuee-?! Kuuu!! Kuuuu-!! But something strange happened. I lightly moved as if loosening my body, stabbing into the monsters, but the monsters I stabbed writhed in pain as if in excruciating agony. Seeing the inexplicable scene, I involuntarily became flustered. ¡°Why are these punks like this?¡± It was like¡­ Zombies pained from the bright light. Tl/n: Happy year guys.. sorry about thete post, been a little busy. Also, I have some sad news, suppport for this novel and the site in general has basically died down, so ill mostly be reducing the chs per week starting next week and that is untill the chapters have reached a certain point¡­ To which if it reaches that point. Ill be droping this novel. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 142

Chapter 142

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. It wasn¡¯t because I utilized some especially powerful runes. Some of the attribute runes I have take time to array magic, and in a fight like this against multiple enemies, something like [Explosive Sword Aura] isn¡¯t suitable and would actually interfere with rear support. I just utilized the sword technique runes [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique], as well as some other auxiliary physical enhancement runes. Kuu, uhh¡­ But still, they were writhing in pain after just a few sword strikes. I was momentarily surprised, but I didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. The Red Cyclops has extremely high strength and endurance, but is slow moving and weak to magic attacks. Now that the tide had suddenly turned in my favor, I needed to press the attack even more. ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange.¡¯ I put away [Sword of Penitent] and took out [w Short Sword]. It was a crafted tool given to me by Choi Yoo-min a few days ago. I wanted to use the short sword to change up mybat style. A longsword is better when charging into a battlefield, but a short sword is better for close-quartersbat inside. With my steadily growing [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] now at Level 5, and [Agile Agility] now up to Level 8, I could wage an effective battle amidst multiple monsters if I utilized both runes simultaneously. Kuu, uhh¡ª!! Kuuu¡ª!! ¡°Kik¡­?!¡± And as expected, itpletely failed. The Red Cyclops that were writhing in pain just a moment ago quickly regained their vigor and deflected my attacks. The [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] I unfolded with the [w Short Sword] didn¡¯t even leave a scratch on them. Their original strong points ¨C durability and defense. They were showing me once again that rock-solid appearance. ¡®Damn. What is this?¡¯ The attacks that seemed overly effective earlier now had no effect at all. Instead, the enraged monsters swung their huge clubs at me. I quickly moved my body to dodge those attacks. Kuu, uhh¡ª!! Kwaaang!! With their tremendous strength, the ground sank in an instant wherever their clubs smashed down. Huge craters were gouged into the earth from the Red Cyclops¡¯ clubbing. And from within those craters, an unidentifiable smoke seeped out, oxidizing the surroundings. Seeing that, I immediately realized. ¡®They¡¯re not just dumb brutes with lots of strength.¡¯ Like the [Corrosive Powder] I¡¯ve experienced before, or the ¡®corrosion¡¯ curse I can utilize with my [Simple Curse] rune, the Red Cyclops¡¯ clubs also contained some special power to corrode objects. I didn¡¯t know if this was simply an effect of the clubs themselves or the power of a rune the Red Cyclops possessed, but¡­ In any case, it seemed I shouldn¡¯t take those attacks head-on. ¡°Park Jin-woo, be careful of the clubs!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Fortunately, Park Jin-woo also noticed the anomaly and was avoiding direct contact between weapons. With the experience he had umted by now, he had the ability to flexibly deal with variables like these. Hwa-rook ¨C Hwa-rulrul! Kuu, uh¡­? And then, the moment the Red Cyclops retrieved their clubs and tried to approach again. Hot air enveloped the surroundings right on time. The vicinity was covered in mes, and several fireballs filled with magical energy shot in and assaulted the Red Cyclops. There were two. Two Red Cyclops were hit directly by the fireballs and instantly incapacitated. I looked back and saw Kang Juyeon holding a staff. ¡®Nice, Juyeon.¡¯ It was the rear support I had been waiting for. Somehow, Yoon Ji-ah seemed to be providing fire support on Park Jin-woo¡¯s side, while Kang Juyeon was helping me out. Thanks to that, the battle dynamics became much more favorable. I took out [Sword of Penitent] again with my weapon swap technique. In a 5:1 battle formation, I wielded the short sword to effectively conduct close-quartersbat by capitalizing on its light weight and fast speed. But now that Juyeon¡¯s support had brought it down to 3:1, I felt the longsword would be better in terms of attacking power. Also¡­ ¡®It didn¡¯t work with the w Short Sword, but did with Sword of Penitent.¡¯ When I first entered wielding [Sword of Penitent], the attacks worked, but when I switched to [w Short Sword] for close-quartersbat, they had no effect whatsoever. And now that the battle had resumed¡­ I vaguely understood why the earlier attacks worked. Name: Sword of Penitent ¡­ ¡­ Special Effects: : Against cursed monster forms, it can exert 50% increased performance. The higher the wielder¡¯s recovery stat, the greater the sword¡¯s power. [Sword of Penitent] special effect. Its performance explosively increases when fighting cursed monster forms. For monsters weak against divinity, [Sword of Penitent] was the worst matchup. ¡®And there¡¯s the rune effects.¡¯ Name: Descendant of the Barbarian King ¡­ ¡­ Special Effects: : Thews of the beast that wants to conquer its pack are constantly applied. When fighting alone against three or more enemies, certain stats (Strength, Speed, Toughness) increase by 20% (Lv.4). Whenbat ends or conditions are no longer met, stats immediately go back to normal. My stats explosively increase when fighting multiple enemies. With the stat difference caused by [Descendant of the Barbarian King]¡¯s special effect, the [Oppression] special effect is triggered. It was a temporary stat pumpingbo I had experienced once before at the ¡®Stained Rock Pile¡¯. With these effects and the intimidation of the weaponbined, there¡¯s no way the Red Cyclops, who were at most B-grade monsters, could withstand it. The Red Cyclop¡¯s overwhelming endurance and defense stats. I had pierced through that with just my physical attacks. ¡°Hmph¡­!!¡± Confidently grasping that, I brandished my sword. Once the number of opponents dropped below 3, the ¡®the Law of the Beast¡¯ effect would stop applying, so I had to take them all out in this one attack. Thanks to the pumped up stats¡­ Attacks much faster and more intense than usual. I also utilized the [Explosive Sword Aura] rune I had been saving up. It was the maximum attack I could do without using a skill. Kwa, kwaaang-!! Kwakagaga-!! Kuu, uh¡­?! Without pause, I mowed down the monsters, and explosive sounds that seemed to split my ears rang out in time. From the feeling at the tip of my sword and the Red Cyclop¡¯ screams, I could tell these attacks were properly getting through. It was a much more sophisticated attack than when I first entered. Kuu, kuuuh¡­. The bulky Red Cyclop bodies lifelessly copsed. Two by Juyeon¡¯s magic attacks, and the remaining three just now by my attacks. Of the total 5 Red Cyclops I was facing, they had all been hunted down. After the battle started. This result happened in less than 5 minutes. ¡°You¡¯re already done? Damn. The world is unfair.¡± Park Jin-woo, who had been struggling next to me, shouted when he saw the result on our side. The progress on his side was also decent. Two Red Cyclops taken down by Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s magic attacks, and Park Jin-woo facing off against the remaining two. Park Jin-woo could probably hunt thosest two Red Cyclops alone if he went all out, but he seemed to be conserving his strength for the exploration and battles ahead. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard while fighting.¡± ¡°One hit from them sends you to the afterlife, and you call this overboard?¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t get hit.¡± ¡°Easy to say¡± As I teased the grumbling Park Jin-woo, I jumped in and finished off the Red Cyclops. We were already at 7 kills out of the starting 9. Taking down thest 2 with ourbined might was no trouble at all. Kuu, kuuuh¡­. With all the Red Cyclops down, the battle smoothly ended. Pushing back the flood of info windows that appeared before my eyes for the moment. I first went to Akiba. From how things looked, she also seemed to have finished [Magic Tracking] during the rather short time. ¡°Ms. Akiba.¡± ¡°Ah, Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Akiba slowly shook her head at my question. ¡°Nothing in the initial area. There were several mixed magical phenomena that briefly confused me, but at least I don¡¯t see any magical convergence points that could cause dimensional distortions.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It doesn¡¯t look like there are any ¡®unauthorized warp gates¡¯ as I felt. That¡¯s what Akiba was saying. It was regrettable, but I couldn¡¯t expect to hit a home run on the first try. The search was still in the initial stages. ¡°Then let¡¯s just collect the magic stones and get moving.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± And so, after briefly checking our equipment, we started gathering our things and moving forward again. As we did so, Park Jin-woo came up beside me and nudged me with his elbow. ¡°Yo, yo.¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go out with Juyeon?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± What¡¯s this punk on about all of a sudden? When I turned my head, Park Jin-woo shrugged and said. ¡°I mean, with just the two of you, you can handle everything anyway. Honestly, our current partyposition isn¡¯t very efficient.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to¡­.¡± I was about to retort immediately, but paused for a moment. Then I pondered it carefully. The time we could stay in Japan wasn¡¯t long. 3 days total, including today and the weekend. It was unrealistic to investigate all 11 suspicious points in that time. We could return to search next week, but we would have to coordinate with the , and who knows how the criminals might move in the meantime. It was imperative we finish all the searches this weekend for there to be a possibility. ¡°¡­.¡± In this situation, dispersing the party to investigate wasn¡¯t an option, but a near necessity. Splitting into Team A and Team B from the start with 10 people was also to efficientlyb the dungeon interior. And if it was possible in terms of manpower¡­ Further splitting the party was no problem. As evidenced by the recent battle, Juyeon and I alone could handle the average monsters. With [Sword of Penitent], I had nothing to fear against these monsters. I looked at Park Jin-woo with newfound eyes. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Are you really Park Jin-woo?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ what nonsense is this again.¡± It was advice unbing of Park Jin-woo that I hadn¡¯t heard in a really long time. Tl/n: Happy year guys.. sorry about thete post, been a little busy. Also, I have some sad news, suppport for this novel and the site in general has basically died down, so ill mostly be reducing the chs per week starting next week and that is untill the chapters have reached a certain point¡­ To which if it reaches that point. Ill be droping this novel. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 143

Chapter 143

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Boom-!! Swish- Swish- Mysterious blue energy and fire magic attacks from mages collide. The intense magics that seem to burn everything, but this opponent was leisurely deflecting them. A-grade monster, Aooni. Meaning blue demon in Chinese, it¡¯s a monster that unleashes powerful curses and has high magic resistance, making it extremely difficult to deal with. Because of this, even Akiba who was focused on searching, was now providing support fire. Swish- ¡°Park Jin-woo! Be careful!¡± I urgently shouted at Jinwoo Park as the Aooni moved again. Thanks to the special effect of [Sword of Penitent], hunting was still easy for me, but Park Jin-woo¡¯s tanking position was quite dangerous. Surrounded by multiple Aoonis, he was barely dodging unknown attacks that could stab him at any moment. If it wasn¡¯t for him possessing the best mental rune, [irvoyance], he might have already been hit by Aooni¡¯s curse and physical attackbo. Responding to my shout, Park Jin-woo strained his voice. ¡°Toote! Chase them!¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s body moved as if gliding, dodging Aooni¡¯s attacks. Then in an instant he turned his body towards one Aooni and unleashed a sword strike. Too fast to see with the naked eye, a total of 17 shes. He made full use of his main rune [Unstoppable Swift Sword], and even activated his ultimate skill [Otherworld sh]. Crack- ng- Kagagaga-!! Swish- Swish¡­ With that attack, one Aoonipletely copsed. Park Jin-woo¡¯s [Otherworld sh] mastery has also increased quite a bit now. Iparable to when I first received it. It has be much more sophisticated and skilled than before. Of course a normal A-grade monster couldn¡¯t withstand such a powerful ultimate skill. ¡°Whew¡­!!¡± Without even having time to be impressed, I promptly joined the battle. To protect the now defenseless Park Jin-woo after using his ultimate skill, and defeat the remaining Aoonis. Since the monsters were already worn down by our party¡¯s firepower, thankfully it wasn¡¯t difficult to finish them off. ¡°Hey. What if you run out of ultimate skill already.¡± After the intense battle ended. Gasping for breath, I scolded Park Jin-woo. ¡°Then should I just let it hit and kill me? I dodged well enough.¡± ¡°This sly bastard. It¡¯s easy for you huh, this?¡± Despite what I said, it wasn¡¯t actually a bad choice. Anyway, this is the final point of the mid section, we aren¡¯t going to the boss room. The boss room of ¡®Humid Ghost Cave¡¯ is structured like a separate room, and because of this, unauthorized warp gates created can be easily noticed by anyone. Therefore, we already knew that the boss room would be pointless even if we went. Also, the Aoonis were the toughest monsters we¡¯ve faced so far. It could be a huge loss if we conserved strength here and got hurt by chance. So Park Jin-woo made the best judgment he could, pouring out all his power. Certainly, when ites to battles and duels, Park Jin-woo¡¯s brain processing speed bes overwhelmingly fast. ¡°President. What do you n to do now?¡± Yoon Ji-ah, who was in the back, came up to us and asked. Her appearance dripped with sweat. Showing that this battle was quite an ordeal for the support personnel as well. ¡°This is thest mid-point, and we aren¡¯t going to the boss room¡­ so we have to wait here for Hunting Team 5.¡± I answered and looked at Akiba. ¡°Ms. Akiba. Still the same results right?¡± Akiba nodded with a gloomy expression. ¡°Yes, Jae-hyun. It seems smuggling isn¡¯t urring in the Humid Ghost Cave after all. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Ah, what are you sorry for Ms. Akiba. We all came to investigate.¡± I didn¡¯t even expect we could find it so easily in the first ce. I turned my gaze to the path branching off to the right. The path Hunting Team 5 led by Kwon Oh-jun took. It seemed they hadn¡¯t finished hunting and searching yet. ¡°Then let¡¯s wait a bit, and if Team A is toote, we¡¯ll enter the right branching path. We don¡¯t have much time left.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Everyone nodded at my words. I wanted to depart immediately, but the battle just now was extremely intense. The tired team members also needed some rest. I also sat on the floor to take some time to rest. [You were victorious in a duel! Your high contribution in the duel is recognized as a victory. With the mysterious power of a Rune Hunter, you may replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to copy.] [You have selected ¡®Curse of Demons¡¯. Since it is a level 6 epic rune, the level will decrease and be registered as level 3.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [You gain Recovery 5, Willpower 3 from the rune¡¯s attributes.] The rune rewards from ¡®Humid Ghost Cave¡¯ were quite good. Perhaps because the monsters hunted here were different from the ones I¡¯ve fought before, the obtainable runes had no ovep. A total of 3. [Tainted Body], [Soul¡¯s Cry], and the newly obtained [Curse of Demons]. Interestingly, they are all rted to ¡®Divinity¡¯. The first rune focused on Toughness and Recovery, a rare grade auxiliary rune. The second focused on Willpower and Recovery, a normal grade auxiliary rune. ¡®Are curses also considered a type of divinity power?¡¯ Recalling the auxiliary effects of [Simple Curse] I got from defeating a Goblin Shaman, curses did seem rted to divinity abilities. ¡ò Name: Do Jae-hyun ¡ò Gender: Male (20) ¡ò Stats:- ¡ò [Strength: 50] ¡ò [Magic: 45] ¡ò [Speed: 51] ¡ò [Recovery: 31] ¡ò [Toughness: 40] ¡ò [Willpower: 40] ¡òResistance: ¡ò [Water: 10] ¡ò [Fire: 8] ¡ò [Lightning: 8] ¡ò [Earth: 6] ¡ò [Wind: 5] ¡ò [Poison: 11] ¡­ ¡­ Thanks to this, my stagnated Recovery point is now 31. My Willpower point has reached 40. At first, my points were heavily focused on main abilities (Strength, Speed, Toughness), leaving the other abilities extremely low. But now, they seem rtively bnced. In fact, my Magic point has even surpassed my Toughness point because of its increased importance. Random ability point increases from the special effect of [Effort of the Seeker]. And the result of [Rune Hunter]. I nodded in satisfaction at the lightly summoned and checked the new rune info. ¡òName: Curse of Demons ¡òGrade: Epic (Epic) ¡òLevel: 3 ¡òEngraved Location: Left Palm ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : You can freely wield high level curses, and exert greater power proportional to the rune¡¯s level and your Recovery point. You can use all officially recorded curses. : Those with malicious and intense curses, in turn have greater resistance to the curses of others. Once a day, you can block a curse with resistance equal to twice your Willpower points. This effect is automatically applied at all times. : Recovery +5, Willpower +3 ¡òDerived Skill:- ¡ò [Barrier Break] ¡òDetailed Information:- : A curse by demons worshiping Ahriman. When deep faith is twisted, it can sometimes turn into an unbearable curse. ¡®Whoa¡­.¡¯ Not from a boss monster, but a normal A-grade monster. The rune obtained from them was quite goodpared to what I¡¯ve gotten so far. There were quite a lot of restrictions, but it seemed close to the best among Willpower or Mage-type runes. The stat boosts from the auxiliary effects were very high, and the special effects were all attractive as well. ¡®Now I can properly use the spellbook.¡¯ [Cursed Spellbook]. An epic grade item I obtained when first clearing the ¡®Goblin Lair¡¯. This item¡¯s true value is bing a teacher for using runes rted to Mages. It contained various curses not found in libraries or normal archives, and anyone could freely use them as long as they had the rted runes. I¡¯ve made good use of it so far with the [Simple Curse] rune, and now that I¡¯ve obtained the [Curse of Demons] rune, I¡¯ll be able to try high level curses I haven¡¯t touched before. ¡®The curse resistance is also decent.¡¯ The second special effect. Once a day, I can automatically block a curse with resistance equal to twice my Willpower points. This was a pretty extreme effect. No matter what mental attacks I face during future hunts or raids, I can inevitably block one of them. It was like gaining a curse-exclusive safety device. ¡®Barrier Break¡­ will it be useful somewhere?¡¯ The derived skill was a bit ambiguous. A skill to slowly dismantle magic barriers over time. It probably won¡¯t show immediate benefits, but will likely prove effective in special dungeons that actively utilize barriers. ¡°Hmm~ As I said, I was right that we¡¯d be here first, wasn¡¯t I?¡± While finishing maintenance. A familiar voice was heard from across. Team A that finished searching the right branching path and joined up. They were members of Hunting Team 5. ¡°¡­Team leader, is this right? How are they faster than us?¡± ¡°Hrmm. They have one extra dealer over there.¡± Kwon Oh-jun making excuses with a sullen face. I got up and approached him. ¡°Team leader Kwon, did you find anything?¡± But as expected. Kwon Oh-jun heavily shook his head. ¡°Nothing. Looks like this ce is pointless as well.¡± ¡°Disappointing.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. So, are you thinking of going somewhere else next?¡± Kwon Oh-jun casually asked me. The fact that I hold the suprememand of this operation. It was a question reminding me of this again. ¡°No. It¡¯s toote today so it¡¯ll be difficult. Instead¡­¡± I looked around at the team members and continued. ¡°Starting tomorrow, I n to subdivide our members further and split into teams to investigate.¡± ¡°Split up?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There were a total of 11 suspicious points for the unauthorized warp gates. Among them, ¡®Humid Ghost Cave¡¯ was the highest difficulty mid-tier dungeon. You could tell right away from the Red Cyclops and other B-grade monsters swarming from the entrance, and A-grade monsters like Aoonis appearing at the mid-point end. But just because we chose a high difficulty first didn¡¯t mean all the suspicious points were dangerous. Of the remaining 10, 4 were around this dungeon¡¯s difficulty. The other 6 were rtively weak dungeons or fields. ¡°Team A will remain the same, and Team B will split again. It¡¯ll be me and Kang Juyeon as Team B, and the rest of the members as Team C.¡± ¡°What? Will that be okay? I know you and the youngdy fight well but¡­.¡± Even Kwon Oh-jun, who had infinite trust, looked surprised this time. To investigate with just the two of us as a party. Though we¡¯ve proven our abilities so far, worrying came first in this situation. To this I answered honestly. ¡°Yes. Since my weapon is a divine weapon, it works well against monsters and cursed monsters. Hunting today was much easier because of that. I think Team B should conduct an investigation focusing on the spots where such monsters appear.¡± ¡°Hmm, but¡­ .¡± Kwon Oh-jun seemed to be thinking for a while. Aftering to Japan this time, the first conflict of opinions. But it was an understandable concern. It was hard to consent to separating the team again in order to facilitate the operation, even though Kwon Oh-jun left me in suprememand. As the dispatch team leader, his duties weren¡¯t simply participating in the operation, but also safeguarding our circle. Especially since Kang Juyeon was the daughter and sessor of the n master. She was one of the key figures and top protection priorities of the dispatch team. Separating her like this to better carry out the operation was a hard issue to ept. But¡­. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± A voice suddenly cut in, surprising both me and Kwon Oh-jun. The person who made us worry. It was Kang Juyeon¡¯s interjection. ¡°I¡¯m not weak enough to need escorts either, and neither is Jae-hyun. We¡¯ll investigate faster and deal with variables well. So, we can proceed with the operation.¡± She spoke in her usual calm tone¡­ But with a voice firmer than anyone¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s proceed as nned.¡± That concluded the situation. We couldn¡¯t defy her words once back in Korea, where she has virtually the highest authority. And she wasn¡¯t forcibly asserting herself either, so it was hard to argue back further. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± At that clean conclusion. Kwon Oh-jun and I scratched our heads¡­ And nodded at each other silently while looking at each other. Tl/n: Happy year guys.. sorry about thete post, been a little busy. Also, I have some sad news, suppport for this novel and the site in general has basically died down, so ill mostly be reducing the chs per week starting next week and that is untill the chapters have reached a certain point¡­ To which if it reaches that point. Ill be droping this novel. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 144

Chapter 144

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After finishing the intense investigation on the first day of dispatch, we were at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn with hot spring baths) in Nagoya that the n of had reserved for us. The Ryokan is located on the outskirts of Nagoya. At first nce, I saw its antique atmosphere and colorful designs. ording to Shimizu, they intentionally avoided ces with many tourists and booked this location. Indeed, as rmended by the locals, it was quiet yet equipped with all the amenities a ryokan should have. [A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features tatami-matted rooms] ¡°Did the Judgment of Fire side go east?¡± By the way, our lodging was separated from the Hunting Team 5. Depending on the direction of the investigation that would begin in earnest tomorrow, the team went east and the team went west for lodging. Of course, we would further divide into teams for the investigation within that. Shimizu, who was in charge of guiding us, nodded at my question. ¡°Yes. An ind area called Mizuho-gura. Kwon Oh-jun must be quite familiar with the geography since he has visited our n several times.¡± In short, they wouldn¡¯t need a guide over there. The n also had amodations in Nagoya that they frequently used through partnerships, and Kwon Oh-jun seemed to know those quite well since he hade to Japan several times. After checking in at the lodging, I thanked Shimizu at the entrance. ¡°Thank you for guiding us thiste evening.¡± ¡°Not at all. Since we promised to coborate, I must do my best to assist. Our n also views this matter as very important.¡± Of course. Since theycked the manpower to lead the investigation themselves. Cracking down on smuggling crimes was important for the n as well. It was an issue directly and indirectly rted to their profits. However, considering that Akiba had gathered all this information yet field investigations hadn¡¯t been carried out¡­ I could see how frustrating the situation must have been before we came. I briefly thought. ¡®Can¡¯t they just pull some escort team members?¡¯ But from the n¡¯s perspective, that seemed to be beyond the eptable range. Plus, despite smuggling crimes needing to be resolved universally, they didn¡¯t share this information. The reason was probably to monopolize the benefits gained from directly cracking down on smuggling themselves. Taking all those veiled circumstances into ount, the n was just another ordinary n moving for their own benefit. Well, it wasn¡¯t something we, who came to coborate, needed to worry about. ¡°If any issues arise tonight, please contact me here.¡± Shimizu took out a business card. It had shy decorations and the n logo, along with a phone number written on it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Yes, well then, have afortable night.¡± With those words, Shimizu left the ryokan. I put the business card in my wallet, then headed towards the reserved men¡¯s lodge. The roomyouts and designs of Japanese ryokans vary widely by type, but our lodge on the outskirts of Nagoya had the form of a traditional two-story ryokan. Shimizu said it was reconstructed in a modern style from an old private farmhouse, though honestly I didn¡¯t really understand what that meant and it just looked simr to a Korean hanok hotel to me. Especially due to the atmosphere and designs, it gave off a distinctly upscale feeling that couldn¡¯t be found in ordinary lodgings. The men¡¯s rooms were on the left side of the two divided lodges With the help of the front desk attendant, I was able to arrive at our 2nd floor room quickly. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here.¡± Of course, there was already a guest in the room. While I briefly spoke with Shimizu, Park Jin-woo hade up earlier after getting instructions and was resting here. Sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the living room, he muttered without even looking at me. This bastard really has no manners. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What do you mean what am I doing? I¡¯m lying down.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this here instead of going into the room?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to go to the room. I haven¡¯t unpacked either.¡± ncing around, his luggage was haphazardly sitting in one corner of the living room. Wow¡­ What a jerk. Has he just been doing this since arriving? ¡°Hey. Go unpack. Wash up and rest.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ toozy. And this room is so big, I feel like I could just fall asleep like this without any issues.¡± As Park Jin-woo said, our suite was quite spacious. Starting from thisrge living room where he was sprawled out, there were two separate bedrooms to sleep in, a multipurpose room to casually eat and chat, shower and toilet facilities. It was too big to be called a two-person room. They probably gave us the best premium suite in this ryokan. I was impressed by the tremendous size, but seeing Park Jin-woo try to just sleep here in the living room made me sigh. I scratched my head and changed my approach to convince him. ¡°Come on, does it make sense toe all the way to a ryokan and not use the hot springs?¡± ¡°Toozy. And I¡¯m tired. I used up all my magic with the ultimate skill today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why you should relieve your fatigue. Huh?¡± ¡°Nah, not going. Gonna sleep.¡± Just like that, Park Jin-woo closed his eyes again. This jerk is hopeless. Does everything aside from fighting seem troublesome to him? I felt like a fool for being impressed with his tactical proposal today. ¡°Sheesh¡­ I¡¯ll go alone then.¡± I sighed and gave up, leaving the lodge alone. The time wasn¡¯t toote yet, so lights glittered inside and outside the ryokan. When I arrived at the end of the 2nd floor, the front desk attendant I saw earlier greeted me. ¡°Do you need anything, sir?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯d like to use the hot springs.¡± ¡°Then may I guide you there?¡± ¡°Yes, please do.¡± The attendant bowed to me once then led the way to the hot springs. Going down to the 1st floor and opening the door behind the men¡¯s lodge, an open space appeared. And there was a small building that looked like shower rooms, with the hot spring area screened off behind it. ¡°After showering in this building, you may enter the hot springs through the inner entrance. It¡¯s avable until 2 AM, and if you need to call for anything, please press the buttons provided in the hot spring and shower rooms.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡± The hot spring operation was very professional. Though it seemed strangely empty of guests¡­ I guessed it was probably because the lodging fee here was quite expensive despite being located on the outskirts. I hadn¡¯t seen anyoneing in and out when entering the lodging earlier. After thanking the attendant, I went into the shower room. ¡°Oh¡­.¡± As expected of a high-end lodging, the shower room was also clean and neat. Did they clean the shower room every hour here? It was so clean, without any traces of other guests havinge and gone. After showering,rge towels were neatly arranged by the hot spring entrance. I knew Japanese hot springs had an image of going semi-covered, but didn¡¯t realize there were hot springs that required towels. Was this thoroughness due to it being a high-end lodge? I smiled absently and entered the hot springs with a towel wrapped around me. ¡°Oh¡­!!¡± I was impressed at first nce inside. Colorful flowers and trees appeared to have been cultivated by the ryokan, growing around the area. Beneath them were hot spring baths made of small rocks. The water was a clear cobalt blue color. It was a hot spring encapsting natural scenery and an antique atmosphere all at once. ¡°Damn¡­¡± As expected, there wasn¡¯t a soul around. I didn¡¯t know for sure since the n seemed to be covering all expenses, but somehow the lodging fee here seemed quite expensive. I hadn¡¯t seen anyoneing and going since entering the lodge. I directly entered the wide open hot spring bath and immersed my body in the water. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± A third exmation escapes me. Park Jin-woo, that jerk. Why would he give this up? I¡¯ll have to tease him a lot when he wakes up. I closed my eyes and leaned against a rock. My mind became tranquil, and my body soaked in azy feeling. It felt like all the fatigue from the day was washing away. So this is the appeal of hot springs. I understood why people insist on including a hot springs ryokan when traveling in Japan. Seeuck- After about 10 minutes¡­ Maybe 20 minutes had passed. I suddenly sensed movement in the solo hot spring. WasPark Jin-woo not finallyable to resist and decided toe? Or was it a guest from another room? With that thought, I slowly opened my eyes. The sound of movement gradually got closer as another hot spring guest revealed themselves. And¡­. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­.Huh?¡± A beautiful appearance that instantly filled my vision. A slender, petite body and long hair. A towel farrger than mine covering that person. My close friend who knew me well. The too familiar appearance of a ¡®woman¡¯¡­. Was right before my eyes. ¡°Ah.¡± And then I finally realized. Here was. A mixed bath. Tl/n: I am not dropping the novel, this is a hobby and I do not expect to make funds on this but there is literally only one supporter for this novel and the cost of the site and editor per month cost more than what 1 supporter can do. Thanks to them though, I can support site and this novel for a while and that is why the chapters per week will be reducing and that alone is not enough cause cost of site. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 145

Chapter 145

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡°Um, uh¡­¡± An oppressive silence flows. Kang Juyeon, who I ran into suddenly in the mixed bath. After seeing her, my pupils lost their way. Although we covered our bodies withrge towels, still, these are hot spring outfits. My upper body waspletely exposed, and Kang Juyeon¡¯s slim, curvaceous figure caught my eye. Ssh, ssh ¨C Feeling embarrassed, I suddenly stood up. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t stay like this. ¡°Ah, uh¡­ I, I¡¯m done bathing already?¡± ¡­So you wanna use it alone? It was a question implying that meaning. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t express my thoughts as cleanly and clearly as usual. That¡¯s not all. My gaze was still turned to the sky, not looking at Kang Juyeon, and I was desperately holding my towel around my waist, worried that it might slip down. ¡®Am I crazy?¡¯ It was a truly uncharacteristic appearance. I want to tear at this idiot¡¯s head. My extreme embarrassment was felt in my words and actions. Somehow, the current situation must have been quite embarrassing. ¡°Kang Juyeon¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Just as I was about to call out to her again since she didn¡¯t answer. An unexpected response came from Kang Juyeon. And thump, thump ¨C She slowly approached the bath. Although it doesn¡¯t look like her gaze is turned to the air, I could feel hering this way from just the sound. And¡­. Ssh ¨C ¡°Hup -.¡± I heard the sound of her stepping into the bath. At that, I unconsciously held my breath for a moment. I could feel Kang Juyeon¡¯s presence right next to me, and the warmth of the bath kept stabbing me all over, giving me a strange feeling. And once again. Kang Juyeon spoke. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± No, crazy. What do you mean it¡¯s okay over and over? My face flushes at her words with no object. But Kang Juyeon added to her words, resolving the misunderstanding. ¡°¡­Anyway, I¡¯ll be leaving soon. And tomorrow, we have to talk about where to investigate¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I immediately nodded at her persuasive words. Come to think of it, that¡¯s right. Since tomorrow I have to team up with Kang Juyeon to investigate, we¡¯ll also need time to discuss it, and also, there¡¯s no need to avoid the mixed bath that was made for us to use together¡­ Ssh ¨C ssh ¨C Just as my head was gettingpletelyplicated. Kang Juyeon made sshing sounds as she leaned back against therge rock. Seeing her rxed appearance, my tension also loosened. ¡®What am I thinking?¡¯ Truthfully, although it¡¯s a bit embarrassing, it wasn¡¯t a situation where anything big would happen. We just have to use the mixed bath together, talk, and¡­ Naturally leave. Feeling silly for the fuss I made to myself, I went and sat next to Kang Juyeon. Ssh ¨C ¡°Where do you think we should start investigating tomorrow?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± But this time, Kang Juyeon¡¯s voice shook. I tilted my head and asked. ¡°Why do you look so surprised?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± It doesn¡¯t seem like nothing. Seeing Kang Juyeon awkwardly avoiding my eyes, I tried to pry more, but the moment my gaze touched her body soaked in the water¡­ I unconsciously shut my mouth. I calmed myself internally. ¡®Good thoughts, good thoughts.¡¯ I¡¯ve been feeling like my head is getting more and more stupid. With her smooth, snow-white skin filling my vision, my brain wasn¡¯t working properly. Besides, Kang Juyeon is pretty. Not just pretty, but overwhelmingly pretty. She¡¯s one of the most popr Holders at the academy, and one of the top beauties of the freshman year along with Kim Chae-eun and Moon Ga-eun. No matter how close we¡¯ve gotten, being in a mixed bath with a girl like that¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. ¡°Ahem, hmm. Anyway, let¡¯s decide in advance where we¡¯ll start investigating tomorrow. Since we agreed to take the southern part of western Nagoya, I was thinking of starting with the Nagoya Port Aquarium area, what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± ¡­Again, again. Everything¡¯s okay with you. But still, starting work talk helped a lot. The awkward atmosphere that had persisted was gradually disappearing. Kang Juyeon and I leaned against the same rock, exchanging all kinds of words. Where to start, what route to take, what parts to focus our search on, how to set up our base in terms ofbat formations¡­ They were talks I used to break the ice, but before I knew it, time flew by. After talking for about 20 minutes, I think. We were able topletely set the direction for tomorrow¡¯s investigation. ¡°Then¡­ after breakfast tomorrow, let¡¯s head straight to Nagoya Port Aquarium at 8?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The work talk was over. Another silence, this time more natural. None of the embarrassing atmosphere from earlier remained. The bath was cozy and the temperature just right, so I soon forgot about saying I¡¯d leave soon. Ssh ¨C ssh ¨C Kang Juyeon moved her hands and made sshing sounds again. Following that, I also made sshing sounds with my hands. The sshing sounds naturally ovepped¡­ Our yful eyes also met. ¡°Pfft -.¡± ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯sughter, rarely heard, rang out. I also smiled involuntarily. Doing childish tricks that only elementary school kids would do¡­ In the beautiful nature andfortable atmosphere, people be childish, it seems. ¡°Is the vice president noting?¡± Suddenly remembering that I didn¡¯t see Yoon Ji-ah and that Kang Juyeon hade alone, I brought it up. But at this question, Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyes somehow sharpened. ¡­What is it? Did I say something wrong? ¡°¡­She¡¯s tired.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Ha, haha. Park Jin-woo said the same, that he didn¡¯t want toe because he was annoyed and tired. I persuaded him so much, but he refused toe no matter what. When this relieves fatigue so well.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She¡¯s cold. This is almost the same chilly aura I saw in the clubroomst time. Although I babbled meaningless words like rapping, it didn¡¯t seem effective. ¡°¡­It does relieve fatigue.¡± Fortunately, that mood didn¡¯tst long. Realizing from my thoughtless question that I didn¡¯t have any other intentions, Kang Juyeon quietly responded. And the bubbling hot spring atmosphere also helped. Is this why people go to hot springs? ¡± ¡­ So only 5 new n members will be selected this time?¡± ¡°Yeah. We have to recruit selectively, even if we¡¯re short on manpower.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Big ns really are different.¡± Anyway, with the work talk over, we exchanged trivial chatter. Mostly academy talk and n talk, but since we were born Holders, these topics weren¡¯t boring at all. On the contrary, hearing these talks from Kang Juyeon was refreshing and fun. Ssh ¨C ssh ¨C When the conversation ended and it became quiet, I could always hear the sound of water. In that pleasant silence, I quietly spoke. ¡°Kang Juyeon.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± As Kang Juyeon nodded, I asked without hesitation. ¡°Why did you help me back then?¡± ¡°¡­Back then?¡± ¡°Yeah. The first time we went to clear the underground dungeon together. We didn¡¯t know each other at all then.¡± In the first semester after entering the academy. The first time I cleared the academy¡¯s underground dungeon. Truthfully, without Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s help then, clearing the dungeon would have been nearly impossible with my abilities and rune level. With the dungeon¡¯s difficulty at the time beyond what I could handle with my stats and runes, I would have sorelycked the deal to take down the monsters without the firepower the two showed, after all. The dungeon clear rewards, rted growth paths, new runes¡­ From that clear, I was able to achieve explosive growth. But I had been curious all along. About her reason for epting my out-of-the-blue proposal, when Kang Juyeon and I hadn¡¯t even been acquainted. Only now, after getting quite close with her and bing much morefortable¡­ Could I ask that question? ¡°You just¡­ stood out.¡± ¡°Stood out?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± And to my question. Kang Juyeon answered without hesitating much. ¡°On the day of the entrance exam¡­ you stood out the most. Your skills werecking but you were calm, and though you fought for a long time and grew tired, you had perseverance.¡± Ssh ¨C Kang Juyeon made an awkward ssh sound and continued. ¡°So the person who stood out approached first¡­ That¡¯s why I went along without hesitating, I think. The uncharacteristically long sentence. But I could feel the sincerity in her words, so I nodded. ¡°I see.¡± Until now¡­ I think I had a kind of preconception about Kang Juyeon. A major character from the original work, female lead, someone I¡¯d seen for a long time. I had always judged her with my own standards, blindly believing the paper information I knew about her. ¡°¡­.¡± But the Kang Juyeon I met face-to-face was a much more human person than I thought. I only knew she was cold and curt, but she had affection and warmth inside. I only knew she was always strong and confident, but she had a vulnerable side in her heart. Hunting together, living n life together, our rtionship continuing until now when we¡¯re in the same circle¡­ Over time seeing her and growing close, the biases I had about Kang Juyeon have peeled away a lot from within me, I feel. So¡­ ¡°¡­Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡­ took some time to call you by name¡­ But I wanted you to call me like that from now on¡­.¡± So at this appearance of Kang Juyeon, unable to finish her words. At these words she was delivering, what she was trying to say, the sincerity she felt¡­ I could feel it all now. Ssh ¨C Kang Juyeon¡¯s awkward ssh sounded again as she lowered her head. I smiled and replied. ¡°Sure, Juyeon.¡± The end of today. Although we unexpectedly met in the mixed bath¡­ I somehow felt much closer to her. Tl/n: I am not dropping the novel, this is a hobby and I do not expect to make funds on this but there is literally only one supporter for this novel and the cost of the site and editor per month cost more than what 1 supporter can do. Thanks to them though, I can support site and this novel for a while and that is why the chapters per week will be reducing and that alone is not enough cause cost of site. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 146

Chapter 146

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Tl/n: Changing recovery to divinity The next day. Our team members went down to the 1st floor to have the breakfast provided by the ryokan. Yoon Ji-ah, who I hadn¡¯t seen since checking in yesterday, and Kang Juyeon, who had talked for a long time in the mixed bath, were already there in the dining room. ¡°¡­Hello.¡± ¡°Oh, uh. Good morning.¡± Kang Juyeon, who now naturally greets me first. I awkwardly replied to her words ¡­It would sound unnatural to anyone listening. ¡®Get it together, Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ I lightly p my cheeks with my palms. My dazed mindes back a little. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m awkward with Kang Juyeon. Rather, after sharing many conversationsst night, the distance that had remained between uspletely narrowed. We even agreed to call each other by our first names to be closer. It doesn¡¯t make sense for that intimacy to disappear overnight. It¡¯s just¡­ -Jae-hyun. -Huh? -I think the towel tie on my back came loose¡­. -¡­Yes? Before finishing the conversation and leaving the bath. Kang Juyeon, who asked me to tie her towel. And I was extremely nervous as I helped her. Her smooth back then, her pounding heart¡­ kept popping up in my head. ¡®Ah, really. Am I possessed by a perverted demon?¡¯ I scolded myself internally and shook off the useless thoughts. Anyway, putting aside the strange memories fromst night, we finished preparing to head out for the investigation. After breakfast and checking out of the ryokan, Akiba was already waiting in front of it. ¡°Then let¡¯s meet up again at the Sakae Station warp gate after everyone finishes investigating. Please take good care of our team members, Akiba.¡± ¡°Yes. Leave it to me, Jae-hyun.¡± Our team, divided again into two teams to investigate. Akiba was in charge of Team C. Since she knows the geography and characteristics of Nagoya so well, and is a skilled B-grade Archer, it was easy for her to givebat orders. Thanks to that, each of us headed to our investigation points, and Team B, Juyeon and I, also moved to the site. Our first destination was the Port Aquarium at Nagoya Port. Specifically, the dungeon located in one of its exhibition halls, called the ¡®Sea Monster Habitat¡¯. Most dungeons are found somewhere in a field, but there are many cases like this where they manifest in ordinary ces. Also the ¡®Underground Academy Dungeon¡¯ was one such case. [You have entered the dungeon.] [The stuffy aura of the dungeon slightly reduces your Holder¡¯s speed.] The ¡®Sea Monster Habitat¡¯ was an uninhabited ind style dungeon. The sea stretched in all directions, and the entrance was at the beach. I have runes like [Underwater Breathing] and [Underwater Sprint] so I¡¯m fine, but Kang Juyeon doesn¡¯t have rted runes, so even underwater dungeons give her a headache. Fortunately, despite the name, thebat route heads ind, and the boss room is also located in the center of thend¡­ So it didn¡¯t look like there would be major issues duringbat. Thanks to that, we steadily hunted the monsters while investigating the unauthorized warp gates. Groooaaar-!! Swish- Swish- ¡°Juyeon, Light Meteor!¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± The battle progresses quickly. Meanwhile, Kang Juyeon¡¯s and my breathing gradually synchronized. Since I know Kang Juyeon¡¯s main spells, I looked to her when needed, and she also preemptivelybined spells to support mybat. Quack, quackagack-!! Quackwaaang-! ¡°Huh?¡± But while continuing the battle at the front, I had to be surprised every now and then by Kang Juyeon¡¯s support. Kang Juyeon¡¯s fire-attribute magic. They were magic attacks I had experienced several times, with a familiar aura, but¡­ Their power and spellcasting speed far exceeded my expectations. ¡®What the. When did she get this strong?¡¯ When we cleared the ¡®Humid Ghost Cave¡¯ yesterday, there were several damage dealers in the 5-person party, so I didn¡¯t fully realize it. But facing Kang Juyeon¡¯s firepower support head-on in a 2-person party today, I clearly felt her strength was exceptional. ¡®Did she reach the A-grade threshold?¡¯ Kang Juyeon utilizes orthodox [Florian Spell] runes. Compared to Kim Chae-eun¡¯s [Adriane Spell], [Florian Spells] are much moremon and easier to use, so they grow faster, but that¡¯s at the beginner stage. High-level mage-type Holders like Kang Juyeon increasingly faceplex rune utilization and easily hit limits. Naturally, their growth slows down. But despite those limits of the runes, Kang Juyeon demonstrated overwhelming might. Her abilities and rune utilization improved, and her battle sense became even sharper. Kang Juyeon, whose limit seemed to be removed after encountering Yoon Ji-ah. It felt like I was watching that process directly. Quack- Quackagack- Grooo¡­? When there¡¯s a difference in level, attributes be meaningless? Most of the monsters appearing in the dungeon have water attributes, so they shouldn¡¯t be very effective, but Kang Juyeon¡¯s magic mercilessly suffocated the monsters. Meanwhile, I as the frontliner was able to move freely. ng- Kagang- Guoo-!! ¡®Easy, too easy.¡¯ With Kang Juyeon¡¯s firepower support, the monsters were practically on the verge of death, and the power of [Sword of Penitent] continuously amplified due to the monsters¡¯ nature of harboring curses. Naturally,bat was much easier than usual. That¡¯s not all. My newly acquired [Curse of Demon] rune. Its utilization was quite handy. *[Simple Curse] : Corrosion, Blunting, Confusion *[Curse of Demon] : Corrosion, Blunting, Confusion, Frailty, Provocation -When a rune¡¯s level rises and its unique trait is contained in the curse, that curse transforms into a derived skill. Until now, I could use 3 curses with [Simple Curse]. Corrosion, blunting, confusion. Most curses, including confusion which debuffs the enemy¡¯s directional sense, have effects just as their names state. ¡®It was hard to use them effectively inbat¡­¡¯ I did mix in curses here and there until now, but [Simple Curse] could not be my mainbat rune. The reason is simple. It¡¯s difficult to simultaneously control divine arts and directbat. I can mix in attribute runes duringbat, but moreplex magical attacks are hard tobine, and divine arts like curses need even more delicate control to use together. ¡®It became much easier thanks to the Curse of Demon.¡¯ But yesterday, after obtaining a high-level curse rune, that issue was immediately resolved. It still takes time to useplex and precise curses, but some curses can now be mixed in duringbat. Guoo¡­? The most handy of those was undoubtedly ¡®Frailty¡¯. A curse that instantly reduces the target¡¯s toughness. It¡¯smonly called a ¡®defense debuff¡¯. Among my runes there¡¯s [Sturdy Fangs] with that effect, and for skills there¡¯s [Hide Attack], but¡­ The two can only be used when certain conditions are met. Meanwhile ¡®Frailty¡¯ is a curse that only uses divine power, without risk. For me who focuses on physical attacks, it was the most suitable status ailment. ¡®Its power is considerable, too.¡¯ Unlike magic, curse manifestation uses divine power. Just as divine-type Holders borrow the power of certain gods to use divine arts, curses also borrow the power of evil gods, so they are rted to the divine. Therefore, their might depends on the divine stat, and is enhanced by divine-rted runes. That was why the might of [Curse of Demon], which I just obtained, was so great. [An intensely wicked curse! The incantations that ce spells on the target contain an extremely evil aura. Your curse handling skills be more meticulous.] [The level of the ¡®Curse of Demon¡¯ rune has risen.] [The rune¡¯s nature rewards 1 divinity.] [Your extremely high divinity makes recovery very fast! Your body¡¯s healing response bes increasingly familiar.] [The level of the ¡®Rapid Recovery¡¯ rune has risen.] [The rune¡¯s nature rewards 1 divinity.] My runes grew steadily as well. Along with the ¡®Curse of Demon¡¯ rune level rising thanks to consistent use, the ¡®Rapid Recovery¡¯ rune also repeated growth. It was a rune I obtained by catching a rare manticore in the ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯ dungeon some time ago. It feels simr to [Combat Healing] among my runes, but its performance is much better since it only heals magical damage. By raising divine-rted runes like this and increasing abilities, now my divinity stat reached 35. ¡®It¡¯s pretty high¡­¡¯ Even I¡¯m amazed by that stat. This much is almost¡­ Enough even for a C-grade divine-type Holder. Go, goooh¡­. The battle ended. The sea monsters we faced all copsed. Still, it was a 7 monster horde of all B-grade monsters¡­ The battle ended far too quickly and futilely. I shook my body once and lightly inspected my equipment. Since time was limited, I had to take only the magic stones and move forward like before. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± While preparing to head out like that. Kang Juyeon, who had been supporting with rear attacks, approached. ¡°Oh, are you done with preparations? Let¡¯s take these magic stones and head out.¡± As I said that, Kang Juyeon suddenly shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­.¡± Then her finger pointed slightly away. The bushes of the uninhabited ind-style dungeon. It was somewhere among those lush trees. ¡°I felt¡­ a strange power from over there. It¡¯s subtle so you¡¯d miss it if you don¡¯t check carefully.¡± At those words, my eyes immediately widened. The second day of the Nagoya investigation. The slight clue we had been looking for¡­ Kang Juyeon was pointing at it right now. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 147

Chapter 147

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Nagoya, Japan. A cafe so deserted it looked like no one was there at all. A man hurried into the deste cafe that seemed to have no owner or customers. Holder, with a sharp face and a scar on his forehead. It was Ji Yoon-jae of the n. ¡°Branch manager, the targets have discovered the operation location.¡± He approached a woman sitting in the corner of the cafe and spoke. In the quiet cafe where there was no one else. It was Cha Soo-yeon, drinking wine alone. ¡°Hmm ¨C has everyone entered?¡± ¡°No. Currently only a small team consisting of Do Jae-hyun and Kang Juyeon has discovered the dual dungeon and the first warp gate. They will probably call in team members by the end of today.¡± The ¡®Sea Monsters Habitat¡¯ located in the Nagoya Port Aquarium. Somewhere in the middle of it, there existed an ¡®unauthorized warp gate¡¯ which was the n¡¯s main smuggling route, and their base of operations, a dual dungeon. The circle and the n hade to Japan for exploration, cooperating with each other. And the n was waiting for them in advance. Ji Yoon-jae was conveying the news that the targets had taken the bait earlier than expected. Cha Soo-yeon slowly savored her wine and said. ¡°Hmm ¨C then get ready.¡± ¡°¡­Branch manager. But are you sure this is okay?¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± At Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s sudden question, Cha Soo-yeon turned her head. There was no sign of reprimanding him in her face. Just pure curiosity. It was only an expression of wondering what his answer would be. At that, Ji Yoon-jae spoke calmly. ¡°First of all, we¡¯re using our n¡¯s actual smuggling site as bait. It has the advantage of being able to lure them in for sure, but if the operation fails, our n will lose one of its main sources of ie.¡± This was a pretty big problem. For the n, whichmitted all kinds of crimes, the biggest source of revenue was ¡®smuggling of illegal items¡¯. The ¡®unauthorized warp gate¡¯ which served as the starting point would be used as bait in this operation. If the operation were to fail, they would lose all of the n¡¯s smuggling routes and procurement personnel. This could be seen as the riskiest operation the n had undertaken so far. ¡°Haha. We just have to seed, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Yoon-jae.¡± At that moment, Ji Yoon-jae lowered his head at Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s sharp call. ¡°Yes, branch manager.¡± ¡°Since when did you be such a coward?¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡± Don¡¯t assume failure. That was what she was saying in other words. ¡°Keep going. This is fun.¡± A discussion that would have normally ended there. But perhaps because it had been so long since they had a discussion like this, Cha Soo-yeon smiled and entertained the rebuttal. At that, feeling this was thest time, Ji Yoon-jae brought up his second reason. ¡°Secondly, provoking the Judgement of Fire seems too dangerous. Anyway, the Anti-Viin circle won¡¯t function properly without Do Jae-hyun as the focal point. It should be enough just to remove the obstacles to our n, but if we get involved with Kang Juyeon and the rest of the Judgement of Fire members¡­¡± He trailed off with a dreadful imagination and continued. ¡°After the operation ends, we¡¯ll have to wage an all-out war with the Judgement of Fire.¡± This operation was arge-scale coborative operation. In Korea, n Submaster Hwang Seong-yeon and countless n members would raid the academy, while in Japan, dispatched members like Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae would ambush the circle and . The goal was assassination. Assassination of all personnel who hade to Japan for investigation. To aplish that, they had leaked information about the smuggling site, and to aplish that, they had lured them into the dual dungeon that they had not yet conquered on a n level. ¡®¡­.¡¯ Ji Yoon-jae thought this was too reckless of an operation. Of course. The n had intentionally avoided frontal confrontations with major domestic ns so far. There was no particr benefit to be gained from frontal confrontations, and the existence of S-grade Holders each n possessed was also a burden. That¡¯s why they weren¡¯t one of the top 3 domestic ns. There wasn¡¯t a single n among the three that was confident they could win if they engaged in frontal warfare. ¡®Why¡­now¡­¡¯ If they just wanted to kill Kang Juyeon, they could have killed her anytime. Ji Yoon-jae was nearing the A-grade level now, and as an assassin-type Holder, assassination of specific individuals was easy if he put his mind to it. Yet the assassination order had note down, because the moment such an operation unfolded, an all-out war with the Judgement of Fire would be unavoidable. Because he understood this well, this operation made even less sense to Ji Yoon-jae. He didn¡¯t understand why the circle was cooperating with two major ns now, or why ¡¯s Moon Ga-eun was attacked unintentionally during thest operation. ¡°And originally, the raid on the academy was¡­nned for next year.¡± This was the decisive final reason. An operation that had originally been nned for next year or the year after next had been brought forward. Naturally, as it was an operation carried out hastily, there were bound to be parts that were deficient here and there. At those sharp points, Cha Soo-yeon tapped the table and answered. ¡°Hmm ¨C you know the reason it was brought forward, don¡¯t you Yoon-jae?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In fact, it was inevitable for the n to be moved up. With Kim Do-yoon¡¯s assassination n for Do Jae-hyun ending in failure, the academy¡¯s vignce had been extremely heightened, and unexpectedly, two major ns had turned to cooperate with them. In this strengthened state of vignce, rather than shrinking back, they had to move forward. This operation came from that rationale. ¡°And the Judgement of Fire¡­¡± After taking a sip of wine, Cha Soo-yeon continued. ¡°We¡¯ll wage an all-out war, after all the ns are over. Just like you said.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ji Yoon-jae asked back in surprise, and Cha Soo-yeon quietly nodded her head. ¡°Yes. So stop whining already. I feel like killing you when a senior n member keeps objecting to upper directives, you know?¡± At those ruthless words. A single phrase automatically came out of Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­I apologize.¡± Thud ¨C ck. That was the end of the discussion. Cha Soo-yeon stood up, tidying up as she did. The targets had discovered the smuggling site. That meant the operation was right before them, and it was time to start preparing. To begin full-scale movements, Ji Yoon-jae also prepared to follow her out. ¡°Oh right. How¡¯s that forged sword I brought in recently?¡± Cha Soo-yeon suddenly remembered something and asked Ji Yoon-jae. ¡°The forged sword¡­you mean Koo Myeong-hoon?¡± ¡°Yeah. That pitch ck guy.¡± ¡°He joined us in Japan and is on standby for the operation. It looks like he¡¯ll be matched against Park Jin-woo of the Anti-Viin circle.¡± Many n members including Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae would be deployed in this operation. The goal was to lure the targets into the dual dungeon and boss room, then assassinate them when they were exhausted. And participating in this operation was Koo Myeong-hoon, who had received a forged sword from vice master Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s orders. Cha Soo-yeon nodded her head. ¡°Hmm ¨C use him well and dispose of him when we¡¯re done.¡± He was a Holder temporarily recruited for this operation. Because brainwashing had been used on him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep him for long anyway. If the operation was sessful, disposal of Koo Myeong-hoon would be top priority. At that cold yet reasonable order, Ji Yoon-jae lowered his head. ¡°Understood.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** The team members who had been scattered here and there gathered in one ce. The ¡®Sea Monsters Habitat¡¯ dungeon. A ce located deep within it. We immediately called in team members due to the strange concentration of magical power here. And 1 hourter, everyone had arrived. ¡°This is definitely an unauthorized warp gate, and a medium connecting to a dual dungeon.¡± And Akiba Miyura, who had examined them thoroughly. Her deration concluded the verification. The illegal item smuggling site of the n we hade to Japan to find. It was right here. ¡°The Sea Monsters Habitat is one of the more famous dungeons in Nagoya. Many Holders frequently visit this dungeon to hunt, so the raiding direction is also clearly established. That¡¯s why criminals likely built the smuggling site in this spot, separated from the orthodox raiding direction.¡± Akiba supplemented this with an exnation. The reason other Holders hadn¡¯t discovered the dual dungeon despite its existence. It was precisely because this dungeon was such a popr hunting ground that they had taken advantage of that opening to build the site. ¡°So this warp gate was made as a primary location to go to the dual dungeon?¡± At my reasonable conjecture, Akiba nodded her head. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely. Transactions can¡¯t be carried out here.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to enter the dual dungeon for the investigation to continue concretely.¡± Saying that, I looked at Kwon Oh-jun. As always, he made a gesture of leaving it to my judgment with his chin. Themand of the 10 people was with me this time as well. ¡°Then we¡¯ll enter the dual dungeon. Everyone, please prepare for contingencies.¡± I decided without hesitation. To obtain clear on-site evidence and conduct a detailed investigation, we had to enter this dual dungeon. There was no reason to hesitate further. And so, the 10 team members including myself promptly entered the dual dungeon. And¡­. [You have entered the dungeon.] [The stuffy air and swirling magic in the dungeon decreases the durability of the Holders.] A dual dungeon filled with scorching heat weed us. It was a cave-like dungeon we encountered for the first time since the underground dungeon of the academy. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 148

Chapter 148

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. When I first entered the dungeon, I felt confused. The ¡®Sea Monster Habitat¡¯ mainly has aquatic monsters. As the name suggests, there are fish-shaped aquatic monsters that live in the sea, and most of the monsters that appear ind on the uninhabited ind also possess aquatic-type magic runes. Therefore, the double dungeon located there was naturally rted to water, and I thought the monsters would alsoe from that category. ¡°The surroundings are quite fiery.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± But the double dungeon waspletely different from the ¡®Sea Monster Habitat¡¯. The interior of the dungeon was narrow and enclosed, and mes flickered all around. The type was simr to the ¡®Underground Dungeon of the Academy¡¯. Especially considering the information window in front of me and the heat around, the monsters appearing would definitely possess fire-type abilities. Then, Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s and my expressions simultaneously grew perplexed. ¡°Thepatibility is not good.¡± That goes without saying, thepatibility between the support mages of our party and the monsters was bad. Kang Juyeon and Yoon Ji-ah are fire-type. Kim Seong-cheol is wind-type. All three mages were either the same element or an element that had difficulty dealing big damage. ¡°We can¡¯t help it. We can¡¯t always encounter favorable matchups.¡± ¡°Um.¡± Encountering monsters with ineffective matchups while hunting happens often. In most cases, we gather intel on the hunting ground beforehand and prepare, only taking party members with good matchups, but¡­ In situations like now where we discovered a new dungeon or are facing a boss monster with special mechanics, bad matchups are inevitable. There¡¯s not much we can do then. We have to overwhelm them with skill. It¡¯s not reasonable to bring mages of every element just to prepare for every special situation. As Kang Juyeon has shown several times before, overwhelming power makes matchups almost meaningless. ¡°I¡¯ll reorganize the party roles.¡± I spoke while looking around at the party members. With 10 people assembled again, we needed to rearrange the roster. ¡°First, Ms. Akiba and Juyeon will be taken out of the search team. After observing, it seems Juyeon has the best magic detection in our party. She was the one who found this dungeon too.¡± I continued speaking, alternating my gaze between Kang Juyeon and Akiba. ¡°So although not an archer-type, I will assign her the search duty. You two search from the back focusing on unauthorized warp gates and onsite evidence.¡± At this, Kang Juyeon quietly nodded, and Akiba also replied in her characteristic curt tone that she understood. But for some reason, the other members¡¯ reactions were strange. ¡°¡­Juyeon?¡± ¡°Hmm ¨C You justplimented her unnecessarily while assigning duties, right? I heard that correctly, right?¡± ¡°Holder Lee Soo-mi. Please put on more clothes. This is embarrassing to look at.¡± ¡­I can hear everything they¡¯re whispering about even though it¡¯s amongst themselves. What delusions are they having? Also, at Kim Seong-cheol¡¯s snarkyment, my eyes inadvertently wandered to Lee Soo-mi¡¯s outfit. ¡­It is embarrassing. No matter how much I see it, I can¡¯t get used to it. Is that person really a divine Holder? ¡°Focus everyone. This is an important operation, and Do Jae-hyun is currently the party leader. You are all too distracted.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Fortunately, Kwon Oh-jun, the de facto leader of the party, brought the mood back on track. I lightly thanked him and continued speaking. ¡°The rest are all dungeon attack personnel. We don¡¯t know how far the smugglers¡¯ influence stretches within the dungeon, so we¡¯ll push the attack as far as we can, to the boss room if possible.¡± Cave dungeons have a lot of space. Even along the attack route, secluded areas pop up here and there, and those areas are naturally like ¡®rooms¡¯ that can store goods and items. That spatial convenience and leeway were probably why the and smugglers targeted this dungeon. ¡°However, Holder Shin Yu-na will be in charge of escorting the rear search team. She has to deal with any monsters we miss upfront. Got it?¡± ¡°Yeah, got it!¡± And so, we began clearing and searching the double dungeon. Not long after the attack began, unfamiliar forms of monsters rushed at us. Kwaa, kwaaang-!! Kaeng ¨C kaeng- ¡°Mages provide support fire faster! Focus more on crowd control than dealing damage! We¡¯ll take them down primarily through physical attacks!¡± Amidst the coordinated movements of the party members, I shouted orders at the top of my lungs. This double dungeon, tentatively called ¡®Smuggling Cave¡¯, had a difficulty far from easy. The level of the emerging monsters was much higher than expected. The monsters appearing most frequently were akao-ni (red ogres) and hell hounds. Their appearances matched the images evoked by their names. These guys freely wielded fire-type magic runes and made the battle situationplicated. Ssss- Grrr¡­!! Kung! Kwaang-!! ¡°F*ck. So damn sticky.¡± ¡°Park Jin-woo! This time you need to deal damage too. Magic support isn¡¯t very effective.¡± ¡°I know¡­!!¡± Fiercebat continued repeatedly. Both the akao-ni and hell hounds are A-grade monsters. Normally, a pack of A-grade monsters should be dealt with by a B-grade Holder party at minimum, but this battle was not normal. Thepatibility between the mages who had to hunt the monsters and the monsters was the same or close to invalid, and because of this, there was burden on the frontline. In particr, this ¡®smuggling cave¡¯ is narrow inside the dungeon itself. Due to spatial problems, the battle structure was bound to be limited, and as a result, the number of monsters to deal with at once increased. ¡®Even though¡­¡¯ Fortunately, the situation was not at all hopeless. With the mages¡¯ support weakened because of their bad matchups with the monsters, the frontline tanks had to make up for it with damage¡­.. And our setup for that was quite good. Me, Park Jin-woo, and Kwon Oh-jun on the frontline. The three of us Holders were all bruiser-types who could both tank and deal damage, and the assassin-type Choi Dong-wook also showed himself at the right moments to supplement damage. That is, our physical attacks were able to prate the monsters¡¯ defenses. This allowed the battle to progress somehow. ¡®And Team Leader Kwon is fighting so well.¡¯ While blocking the monsters¡¯ attacks, I nced at Kwon Oh-jun repeatedly. As the only A-grade Holder and seasoned team leader of Hunting Team 5, his performance was tremendous. Focused wholly onbat without needing to give orders, Kwon Oh-jun saved the party multiple times from crisis with his overwhelming skill and keen senses. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± Kagagang- Grrr-?! With a shout, Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s spear pierced the hell hound¡¯s head in one strike. It looked like an unremarkable piercing attack. However, concentrated magic and the essence of spearmanship were contained within it. Thanks to it, Park Jin-woo who had been surrounded was able to catch his breath for a moment. ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± ¡°Save the thanks forter!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± And so the fierce battle continued repeating. *** Ippotrantion *** A few hours had passed since the attack began. Oveing the early difficulties, our party was finally able to clear through to the end of the middle section of the dungeon. The skilled Hunting Team 5. The capable members. With the two teamsbined, even high rank dungeon attacks were not an imprable wall. [You were victorious in the duel! Due to your great contribution in the duel, your victory is acknowledged. With the Rune Hunter¡¯s miraculous power, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to copy.] [You have selected the ¡®The Dead Firework¡¯ rune. Since it is a level 8 rare rune, the level will drop to 4 when registered.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [You gain 1 Magic and 1 Fire Resistance from the rune¡¯s attributes.] I obtained a new rune as well. The rare rune [The Dead Firework] aids in handling fire-type abilities. It was a simr form to the [Fiery me] I already possessed. Since I had obtained so many runes from monsters until now, new types didn¡¯te out easily anymore unless it was a monster I hadn¡¯t seen before¡­ I was lucky this time it seemed. ¡°Ms. Akiba. Have you collected all the items?¡± ¡°Yes, Jae-hyun. I¡¯vepletely recovered a total of 128 illegal items. Combined with items that were lost or haven¡¯t been traded yet, there would be many more, but¡­ I believe we¡¯ve recovered all the items that were in this dungeon.¡± With the attack nearly finished, the search was also sessful. As expected, the double dungeon ¡®Smuggling Cave¡¯ was a smuggling site. In some of the open spaces we passed through while clearing, we found traces of transactions and discarded illegal items, all of which we recovered and processed as we went by. ¡®And there were warp gates too.¡¯ In particr, those spaces had additional ¡®unauthorized warp gates¡¯ installed. I had been suspicious the whole time how they made a ce with A-grade monsters prowling all about into a smuggling site, and it turned out they had created [Warp Gates] in special spaces the monsters couldn¡¯t reach. That¡¯s how we recovered 5 unauthorized warp gates. And with a total of 128 illegal items¡­ We were able toplete the onsite investigation we had aimed for. And¡­. ¡°Now there¡¯s just one thing left.¡± My gaze left Akiba and turned towards another entrance deeper in the dungeon. Pulsating with intense magic. The final point of this arduous dungeon we had fought through. The boss room of the ¡®Smuggling Cave¡¯. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 149

Chapter 149

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. As I entered the boss room through the unknown door, it was hot at first. All the monsters I had encountered in the dungeon so far were of the fire attribute. And as if to imply that the boss monster would also be of the fire attribute, the boss room was filled with suffocating air and intolerable heat. With my fire resistance at 10 and equipped with the [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor], I had no trouble adapting, but¡­ The party members with no fire resistance at all seemed to be struggling quite a bit. As soon as we entered, everyone looked ufortable. ¡®On top of that, the space is too big.¡¯ I looked around the boss room with a tense expression. It was big. It was too big. It boasted a size that looked to be several times that of the ¡®special smuggling space¡¯ I had checked midway, so the boss monster was not yet in sight. In the ¡®Academy Underground Dungeon¡¯, which had the most simr structure to this dungeon, Grizzly Drake or Red Drake had revealed themselves as soon as I entered the boss room¡­ But now, only an inexplicable sense of tension lingered inside. ¡®Is there a boss around here?¡¯ Looking at the end of the boss room, which looks quite far away. It was hard to see because it was covered in mes everywhere, but there was definitely a wall at the end. Walls surrounding the beginning and end. And the vast space stretched out on both sides. Considering the shape of the cave, it was structured like a dome. It was a form that was difficult to see as the same space as the narrow interior of the dungeon that had been passed through while attacking the dungeon. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± I asked the party members who had suddenly fallen silent. Kang Juyeon, Yoon Ji-ah, and Park Jin-woo had no problem because of their high fire resistance. Kwon Oh-jun also seemed to be fine, probably having some resistance of his own. The remaining five party members were the problem. Due to the dungeon¡¯s special conditions, the intense mes and interior temperature seemed to make it difficult for everyone to breathe. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a bit tough.¡± ¡°It feels like I¡¯m constantly taking fire attribute magic head-on.¡± Hearing the strained replies of the party members, I nodded heavily. This dungeon had A-grade monsters appearing from the start, so it was a high-level dungeon. Of course, I expected that the boss raid at the end would not be easy either, but I didn¡¯t know that such a debuff would be in ce as a special condition. It was almost like the debuff of a gimmick boss. It was a bad condition that could be a major obstacle to raiding. ¡°Well- It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Just as that awkward situation continued. Lee Soo-mi, who had been quietly standing there, opened her mouth. She then took out her staff and concentrated to draw up her divine power. After about 3 minutes, she announced thepletion of her divine spell. ¡°Regain your tranquility.¡± It was an oration. Lee Soo-mi¡¯s ultimate skill, which I had never seen before, was unveiled. The purple divine power that originated from her staff dispersed and covered the five party members. The divine power was quickly absorbed by each party member. Soon, their expressions became noticeably brighter. It was an astonishing spell that restored the condition of all the struggling party members due to the dungeon¡¯s special conditions. ¡°¡­Is that an ultimate skill?¡± Knowing it was rude to even ask, the question came out unconsciously. Lee Soo-mi, looking slightly exhausted, nced at me. ¡°You heard the oration, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have it before.¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. President is quite attentive towards me.¡± As expected, I¡¯m no match for Lee Soo-mi¡¯s gift of words. Just how does she think to reflexivelye up with words like that? Moreover, right after she finished speaking¡­ I felt an unpleasant feelinging from somewhere. I cleared my throat and changed the subject. ¡°Is it a buff skill of the stability-type?¡± ¡°Yes ¨C I just learned it recently so the range and duration are short, but 5 people max for 30 minutes is the limit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s plenty.¡± Lee Soo-mi¡¯s ultimate skill, which I hadn¡¯t even imagined. Clearly it was a skill she didn¡¯t have during the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ raid, but seeing how she freely used it now¡­ She had probably acquired it not long after I left . Anyway, it was good. Thanks to it, the conditions of the five party members who were in poor shape recovered in one breath, and I immediately gave instructions to the party members and ordered them to advance. ¡°Formation stays the same. Akiba, who is an archer, wille to the front line and join us¡­¡± But then. Crack, crackle- Boom, roar!! Cracks appeared on the walls of the boss room, which had been quiet. That wasn¡¯t the end of the cracking. A powerful explosive sound that seemed to destroy every structure was heard, and the wall was blown apart. And the space visible beyond the caved-in wall. Next to the boss room, which looked like arge open space, anotherrge space that even a group of monsters could fit in was prepared. This dungeon was consistent from start to finish. The ¡®room¡¯ that I had discovered several times while raiding the dungeon. Evidence of smuggling and crime was found in those special spaces for illicit transactions. It appeared the same way even in the boss room. Boom, crash¡­!! Soon after, the dungeon¡¯s side waspletely blown apart. The perpetrator of the explosion revealed itself before long. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s the boss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Exmations came from the party members¡¯ mouths. And for good reason ¨C the appearance of the boss monster that appeared dramatically was¡­ so bizarre and enormous that it was horrifying. The fiery eyes and sharp fangs. The violent aura as if it would tear everything apart. Just looking at the head, its creepy appearance stood out¡­ ¡®Fuck, it has 8 heads?¡¯ The boss monster was a gigantic snake with a body size that seemed to reach several meters, extremely tough scales, and a whopping 8 heads. ¡°Yamata no Orochi¡­¡± Akiba, who was at the forefront, muttered as she saw the monster. ¡°I thought it only existed in legends¡­¡± Yamata no Orochi. A legendary Japanese monster with the form of a giant serpent. It was a monster I had only heard of in passing, I didn¡¯t know it actually existed as a boss monster in a dungeon. The monster swung its 8 heads and tail as it approached us. Tap- tap- ¡°Holder Kwon! I¡¯ll go first!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± There was no time to hesitate. I dered that I would take the vanguard toward Kwon Oh-jun and implicitly asked for support in session. And using [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven], I rushed straight toward Yamata no Orochi. The weapon in my hand was [Wyvern Spear]. One of the new weapons I had recently received from Choi Yoo-min beforeing to Japan. It was also one of the most efficient weapons when taking the first attack on a monster. ¡®el Piercing.¡¯ A swift charge. Extreme thrusting using that eleration. I rushed in toward Yamata no Orochi¡¯s body using the derived skill [el Piercing]. It was one of my stronger attack skills, so I was able to deal a decisive blow to the enemy monster. Grrr!- A creepy, chilly sound was heard. I could feel the spear piercing the scales as it prated the monster. Facing the fierce charge, Yamata no Orochi also tried to dodge it somehow, but¡­ It wasn¡¯t enough. My speed was already 51, and [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] was level 5. The charging and thrusting at almost the realm level was not easy to avoid for a monster without speed as its forte. Boom, crash¡­!! Yamata no Orochi thrashed violently with a horrible roar. The piercing attack that prated its sturdy durability left a big wound on its body, and the unique ¡®bleeding¡¯ effect of [el Piercing] was taking ce from the injury. Proof that I hadnded a decisive hit with the first attack. ¡°Ugh!¡± I immediately dodged its thrashing. The resistance was so intense that there was no time to pull out the spear. The 8 heads and tail iled around chaotically. The inside of the boss room shook, and parts of it started to break. I moved as far away from the monster¡¯s attack range as possible and clung to another side wall. Then I shouted. ¡°Holder Kwon!¡± ¡°Leave it to me and fall back!¡± The battle I started with my [el Piercing]. Now it was time for the party members who had prepared in advance to follow up while I changed weapons, caught my breath, and got ready. Kwon Oh-jun and Park Jin-woo started rushing toward the monster from both directions. Supporting magic attacks had already been cast from the back. I still didn¡¯t know what runes and abilities Yamata no Orochi had, but at this rate, it seemed we would be able to hunt it smoothly. But¡­. Crack, crackle- Boom, roar!! ¡°What?!¡± On the side where I was catching my breath. The wall on the opposite side of where Yamata no Orochi appeared suddenly exploded. I hurriedly utilized my body defense runes so as not to get swept away by the impact. ¡®What is this?¡¯ While being blown away by the wall fragments, I was puzzled. Yamata no Orochi had already burst through the wall, so why did the opposite wall suddenly explode? To solve that question, I forcibly turned my body to look at the site of the shock. And¡­. Gh, oooo-!! ¡°Holy¡­shit.¡± Faced with a sight I couldn¡¯tprehend rationally, I could only spit out a curse in a daze. Another monster appeared as it blew apart the wall. An overwhelming second monster. ¡®There are two boss monsters?¡¯ Following Yamata no Orochi¡­ A gigantic snake with a total of 9 heads had¡­ Newly revealed itself. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 150

Chapter 150

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡®Two bosses?¡¯ The left wall of the boss room shattered and after Yamata no Orochi, another monster snake appeared. From its size and hideous appearance¡­ It¡¯s definitely not an ordinary monster. In other words, that monster snake is also a boss monster. That meant the dungeon ¡®Smuggling Cave¡¯ had a total of two boss monsters. ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯ Even amidst the chaos, I couldn¡¯t stop my bewilderment. The existence of two boss monsters in one dungeon. This was information that was absent from my knowledge so far. Even after countless dungeon raids, I¡¯ve never seen this before, and I¡¯ve never read about something like this in back in my old world even after reading through it multiple times. The only rted piece of information was the change of the dragon boss in the underground dungeon from the existing ¡®Red Drake¡¯ to ¡®Grizzly Drake¡¯. That was the extent of new boss-rted information I¡¯ve learned so far. ¡®This ispletely new information again.¡¯ Thoughts shed through my mind. Back in my old world, I wasn¡¯t able to see the ending of . Properly dealing with the ¡®Academy Raid Incident¡¯ and the decline of the n. And Park Jin-woo stepping into the ¡®City of Stray Wolves¡¯ afterpleting his growth, and encountering the strange existences within dungeons. That was where theter parts I¡¯ve seen ended. So while I knew this world better than anyone, I was also aware my knowledge had clear limitations. And it wasn¡¯t just limited to the double bosses in this dungeon. Earlier, the A-grade monster Manticore that I hunted with Moon Ga-eun in the ¡®Nest Covered by Clouds¡¯. The [Rapid Recovery] rune I obtained from a special Manticore. Even the information on that rune had many things I didn¡¯t know about. Downgrade runes, Barbarian enhancement magic, Rudeanak spells¡­. Unfamiliar words and information hade to me at that time. ¡®I need to start investigating this myself now.¡¯ I could finally ept the reality then. The information I had taken the lead on had reached its end. From now on, people would continue to discover countless undiscovered dungeons, and obtain hidden items and runes through their own methods. Soon, Song Hyun would announce his ¡®rune acquisition method through repetition¡¯, and Choi Yoo-min would rise to be the best domestic cksmith in Korea. Amidst that change¡­ I had to adapt to the transformed surroundings in my own way. The raid of this dungeon and the appearance of the double bosses were the signal res indicating the start of that. Ga-, Ooooor-!! The monster snake let out a chilling screech as it attacked me. The first strike was a physical attack. Using its huge head for a frontal bite attack. ¡°Tch-!!¡± Four of the hideously extended nine heads instantly flew towards me. I quickly switched equipment using ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange¡¯ and took out [Goblin Bronze Shield]. Then, I immediately activated the skill [Iron Wall Defense]. Since I couldn¡¯t urately tell if this guy was A-grade or S-grade, I had to use the maximum defensive techniques I had avable to block its attacks. ng-! ng, ng, kaaang-!! Gyaooroar-!! After enduring that vicious attack. I soon realized. ¡®Not as strong as I expected.¡¯ The opponent¡¯s physical attack was weaker than I anticipated. Having many heads made it a bit tricky to predict the direction of attacks, but still, I could block them anyway. And if a monster that exerted this much force had weak physical attacks¡­ There was only one reason for it. Gyaooroar-!! Fwaaang- Whoosh- Whoosh-!! Intense mes engulfed my entire field of vision. mes erupted all around and small embers started burning on the opponent monster¡¯s scales. Fire-attribute magic. It was one of the keywords describing this ¡®Smuggling Cave¡¯, and the opponent monster utilized it at an extremely high level. Pssst- Pssst- Whoosh-!! ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± The direction of the mes instantly turned towards me. It really was instantaneous. I was about to retaliate right after blocking its headbutt attack, but I didn¡¯t have the chance to. The gaudy colored mes stretched out from all directions, stabbing into my body and quickly pushing up against my chest. But I still had onest line of defense left. ¡®Hardening¡­!¡¯ [Hardening], one of the derived skills of the [Descendant of the Barbarian King] rune. Aside from [Iron Wall Defense], it was the best defensive skill I could use. Plus, when blocking attribute magic attacks, [Hardening] was more efficient than [Iron Wall Defense]. ¡ò Name: Hardening ¡­ ¡­ ¡ò Effects : Doubles toughness stats for 5 seconds and bes much harder. Also gains 10 resistance against all elemental attacks while hardened. Effect ends after 5 seconds and Hardening is released. Because [Hardening] had the temporary effect of increasing resistance against all elemental attacks, it was better in this case. My current ¡®Resistance Stats¡¯ had 10 in fire resistance. With [Hardening], it temporarily became 20. That wasn¡¯t all. The [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor] made by Choi Yoo-min was specialized in defending against me attacks. Unless it was an extremely powerful attack¡­ The opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to prate my defenses with fire-attribute magic attacks right now. [A specialbination of venom and mes! Withstood the ¡®Red Venom¡¯ of the me Hydra head-on. The intense poison and mes are rampaging, burning your skin.] [The level of the ¡®The Dead Firework¡¯ rune has risen. Obtained 1 more fire resistance.] [The level of the ¡®Venom¡¯ rune has risen. Obtained 1 more poison resistance.] The busy information windows are spinning around. And the magic of fire disappeared from my body immediately after. It indicated that I had blocked that powerful magical attackpletely and that the opponent¡¯s name was ¡®me Hydra¡¯. ¡°Do Jae-hyun!¡± At the same time, I heard a shout calling my name from behind along with approaching footsteps. It was Park Jin-woo who had hastily switched targets after engaging Yamata no Orochi. Judging by how the support was split, Kwon Oh-jun who went on the rear attack must have assessed the situation here and sent some help. ¡®He grasped the situation urately in that short time.¡¯ The me Hydra was a boss monster with top-level fire-attribute magic runes. Naturally, it would be difficult for our party¡¯s mage-types. Somehow, we had to hold out in melee range and wait for Akiba¡¯s ranged support. On top of that, Park Jin-woo was a Holder with considerable resistance against fire. Excluding Kwon Oh-jun, he was the most helpful party member in this situation. His participation was the optimal support personnel for the current circumstances. The moment I confirmed his presence, I yelled without even looking back. ¡°Cut off its heads! The fire¡¯s pretty strong so be careful!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Park Jin-woo and I have sparred countless times until now. We knew each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone, and could position ourselves most efficiently against each other. With just that brief exchange, we had already calcted thebat formation. ¡°Chase!¡± Park Jin-woo immediately activated his ultimate skill. [Unstoppable Swift Sword]¡¯s [Otherworld sh]. 17 ultra-fast shesnded on the me Hydra¡¯s first head. Swish- ng- Gya- Gyaooroar-!! The me Hydra thrashed even more violently than before at the sudden attack. Using an ultimate skill just to cut off one head¡­ It was understandable for the monster to be flustered. But that was the foothold for a continuous chain attack. ¡°Tch-!!¡± I leapt into the air andnded on Park Jin-woo¡¯s side. Then I stepped on his shoulder to jump forward once more. Utilizing the momentum, I charged at the me Hydra¡¯s other heads. ¡®Staircase sh¡­!!¡¯ I wielded [w Short Swords] in both hands. It was to inflict small damages using [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. Kwaaang-!! Kwagang-!! Gyaooroar-!! I¡¯m not sure if I passed 3 or 4 heads. Since I brushed by so quickly, I couldn¡¯t keep track. Instead, I focused [Staircase sh]¡¯s power into the first andst attacks. I imbued [Explosive Sword Aura] into them as well. Even if they weren¡¯t major blows, the consecutive magical attacks seemed to throw the me Hydra into disarray. Whoosh-!! Whoosh- As if to prove that, intense mes erupted around me again. It was the fire-attribute magic attack that was the monster¡¯s specialty. But that wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Ugh, argh¡­!!¡± I heard Park Jin-woo¡¯s agonized screams. When I hurriedly checked, he was taking a fireball from the me Hydra¡¯s mouth head-on. Despite Park Jin-woo¡¯s considerable fire resistance, he was helpless against attacks surpassing his resistance stats. Against the explosive, rage-filled st¡­ Park Jin-woo had taken major damage. ¡°F*cking b*stard¡­.¡± Profanities left my mouth unconsciously. But I held in my anger and leapt on top of the me Hydra¡¯s body, my original goal. I had to stay calm at times like these. There were two boss monsters here right now. If I lostposure and reason due to this attack, not only would the raid fail, but the party members¡¯ lives would be at risk. ¡®Water¡­!¡¯ Amidst that chaos. I suddenly took out a bottle of water. Not an item with any effects or a system item¡­ Just in drinking water. Some might call me crazy if they saw me, but I desperately needed this right now. Pwaang-! Swish- I smashed the water bottle. The small amount of water started flowing down the me Hydra¡¯s body. Without even time to watch that, I hurriedly used a skill. ¡®New Wave.¡¯ [New Wave], the derived skill of [Swirling Tidal Wave]. If there was even a tiny bit of water¡­ I could summon a gigantic wave rivaling the ocean with this skill. The water that started from the water bottle seemed to multiply like crazy, swelling at an insane pace. Gya, Gyaooroar-? Sensing something strange. The me Hydra started thrashing again, but¡­ ¡°Toote, you little sh*t.¡± Parts, parts- Before I knew it, I had switched weapons. In my hands the [Prating Brain Strike] with its intense currents is already flowing through. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 151

Chapter 151

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯ Kwon Oh-jun intuited that the situation wasn¡¯t looking good. The hunt that had seemed to be going smoothly was now facing difficulties. Overall, it was a precarious situation. It was good that Do Jae-hyun, who was taking the vanguard of the party, had opened fire first. As a Multi-Holder, he had also somehow learned spear techniques and attacked Yamata no Orochi first, and the elerating thrust dealt a big blow to the monster. Even from Kwon Oh-jun¡¯s perspective as someone who mainly used spear techniques, it was a shocking level of ¡®Lance Charging¡¯. If things had just gone as they were, Yamata no Orochi would have definitely copsed from the follow up attack. ¡®Its recovery is too fast.¡¯ But that expectation waspletely off. At first, Yamata no Orochi showed such low toughness stats as if it were a boss monster. But soon after, it also showed that it could heal those wounds in an instant. It was a kind of ¡®divine art¡¯. Like how high-level divine system Holders would unfold [Cure] or [Rest], the monster quickly treated and stabilized its own body. The casting speed was so fast that it almost felt like natural healing. ¡®It¡¯s using curses.¡¯ As the fight with this monster continued, Kwon Oh-jun was finally able to realize its identity. In the Holder system, ¡®curses¡¯ are one type of divine spell. Since their originse from borrowing power from evil gods, curses are recognized as a type of divine art regardless of appearance. And Yamata no Orochi was a boss monster that showed overwhelming skill in manifesting those curses. From recovering wounded parts of its own body that were attacked, to distinctly changing the air of the battlefield, to debuffing itself and party members. It was gradually creating a battle situation favorable to itself through various curses. It could be seen as a higher-grade versionpared to the curse-type monsters like Aooni and Akaoni that he had encountered in Japan so far. ¡®Damn. This is way too bad.¡¯ Kwon Oh-jun nced back with his spear in hand. To make matters worse, another boss monster had appeared out of nowhere on one side. Two boss monsters existing in the boss room? Even for Kwon Oh-jun who had been a Holder for over 10 years, this was unheard of. Just fighting Yamata no Orochi was difficult enough, and ¡®Double Bosses¡¯ was a variable that made the situation go from bad to worse. That was why Do Jae-hyun, the core fighting power of the party, was fighting a lonely battle as he was tied up fighting it alone. He did hurry to send Park Jin-woo as support personnel, but at first nce it didn¡¯t look like he was of much help. ¡®We might have to¡­ Retreat.¡¯ The first thing that came to mind was ¡®give up on the raid¡¯. This is dangerous as is. Although Kwon Oh-jun was someone who didn¡¯t easily give up even when the situation was bleak during the ¡®Forest Covered by Snakes¡¯ raid, he kept getting the thought that the current situation was difficult. There were two boss monsters approaching S-grade from A-grade. There were clear limitations with the current party members to raid them. Plus, the main purpose of raiding this dungeon was ¡®searching¡¯ from the beginning. Once the original goal was achieved, there was no need to stubbornly continue the raid. Although it wouldn¡¯t be easy to retreat when the battle had already begun, he felt like they could somehow make it work if they used all their items and skills to shake off aggro. ¡°Team leader Kwon!¡± Choi Dong-wook at the front urgently shouted. This was the limit. Due to one of Yamata no Orochi¡¯s curses called ¡®Slow¡¯, the movements of the party members became extremely dull. It would be dangerous if this continued. Although the current party leader was Do Jae-hyun, Kwon Oh-jun was another party leader in an implicit way. The direction could change depending on his decision. Having made a decision inwardly, Kwon Oh-jun shouted at the party members. ¡°All party memb-¡° Giving up on the raid. Retreat and withdrawal. At the moment he was about to give that order. Swish, swish¨C!! Do Jae-hyun, who was fighting against the 9-headed monster snake on the side, suddenly created arge stream of water and waves. It was amazing that he was using a water-type magic rune, but the amount of water was enormous. A huge waterfall created from a ce that didn¡¯t even have a drop of water to wash your eyes with. A gigantic wave covered the monster snake and the entire interior of the boss room. And that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Crackle crackle¨C!! Lightning-type magic runes started bursting out from Do Jae-hyun¡¯s sword. The lightning created along the conductor quickly spread around. The target was the 9-headed monster snake. It was the boss monster who was confused by the suddenly created sea of water. Crackle crackle crackle¨C!! Gya, gyao¨C?! Massive lightning struck the boss monster. The magic rune itself already had considerable electric capacity, butbined with the waves created earlier, the amount became impossible to measure. The monster snake agonized as it writhed, and Do Jae-hyun didn¡¯t miss that gap. ¡°Explode.¡± His [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] that I had seen before ignited. The numerous physical attacks alreadynded during the battle. Followed by the gigantic magical attacks utilizing water and lightning. And to top it off, his best offensive ultimate skill. Attacks that an ordinary Holder wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry out properly at all were being linked by Do Jae-hyun alone. He was taking care of roles that party members should have done and hunting an A-grade or above boss monster with practically his strength alone. Seeing that overwhelming spectacle, Kwon Oh-jun thought. ¡®Just what is that guy?¡¯ He knew he was a talented Holder, but he didn¡¯t know he was to this extent. He was a C-grade Holder just a few months ago, but now he had grown explosively and was at the brink of A-grade. He knew he was a Multi-Holder, but I didn¡¯t know he was to this degree. He could use swords, spears, fists¡­ And on top of that he could use fire, water, lightning, doing everything by himself. Does this make sense¡­? ¡®That guy is practically¡­ A one man army.¡¯ A one man army. That expression fit perfectly. The current Do Jae-hyun was showing a form close to that of a one man army. It was¡­ An insane level of activity that was grabbing the boss room raid, which was on the verge of crisis, by the cor and dragging it to sess. *** Ippotrantion *** Gyaooo¡­. Got it. The me Hydra finally lost its bnce with its huge body and mmed into the ground. The fact that it focused on fire-type attacks while I had high resistance, the good utilization of skills like [New Wave] and the [Prating Brain Strike] rune, and the clean finish¡­ Thebination of various factors allowed me to take down the boss practically solo. ¡®It is a bit disappointing to have used Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword though.¡¯ I do feel regretful about having used the best offensive skill I can currently use, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. It wasn¡¯t just some average monster, but a whole boss monster. Not knowing what other abilities it might showter, refraining from using skills because I wanted to conserve my strength would have made me regret it. I had to take it down without fail when I had the chance. ¡®The other side looks urgent too.¡¯ I briefly look at our team fighting Yamata no Orochi. The situation wasn¡¯t good. Kwon Oh-jun, Shin Yu-na, and Choi Dong-wook at the very front were barely holding on while under status conditions like ¡®Slow¡¯ and ¡®Fear¡¯, and the rear support personnel were also having a hard time casting magic while confronting the curses. Lee Soo-mi, the party¡¯s only divine-type Holder, was sweating bullets trying to dispel the party members¡¯ debuffs. ¡®A monster specialized in curses.¡¯ I was able to grasp the situation at a nce. Yamata no Orochi was a monster specialized in curses and malignant divine runes. It could be seen as an evolved version of monsters I had encountered before like Aooni and Akaoni. I don¡¯t know how high the party members¡¯ mental stats are, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy to resolve the curses of an A-grade or above boss monster. Just Lee Soo-mi alone wasn¡¯t enough. We needed at least two or three more divine-type Holders. ¡®A method is necessary.¡¯ It was the same for me. Although I do have the epic divine weapon [Sword of Penitent], its effect can only be seen when my attack seeds against the target. If I get hit by curses before even finishing my attack, before even getting close to the boss¡­ I didn¡¯t have an answer as I was either. So to get close to it, we needed some kind of special breakthrough that could prate through those powerful curses. And I knew that protagonist well. ¡°Park Jin-woo¨C!!¡± I call out Park Jin-woo who had copsed after getting a st of fire from the me Hydra. He has the epic rune [Iron Will]. A mental defense rune that has an immunity effect against almost all curses and allows you to carry out your will without wavering. It¡¯s evaluated as the best morale rune among mental-type runes. If Park Jin-woo with [Iron Will] draws aggro at the front against Yamata no Orochi while I maximize my divine power in the back to deal damage¡­ Even that seemingly impregnable boss had plenty of potential to be hunted. ¡°Ow, fuck, my chest is fucking burning hot¡­.¡± Park Jin-woo who still couldn¡¯t get a grip on himself, holding his chest. I walk up to him and throw a top-grade potion I took out from my magic bag. nk- ¡°What the.¡± ¡°What do you mean what the. It¡¯s a potion. Hurry up and drink then let¡¯s move. We have to take down the remaining boss.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? You want me to fight again looking like this?¡± ¡°Then are you gonna let the party members die?¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t have that.¡± The ever loyal Park Jin-woo forced his body up again Two boss monsters appearing in the boss room. I was bewildered by that unfamiliar situation at first, but still, our side¡¯s forces aren¡¯t half bad either. There were two protagonists from the original work, and ¡¯s Hunting Team 5 who had been through all sorts of experiences fighting together. Havingpletely finished off the me Hydra who had been quite troublesome. Right now was a golden opportunity to take down the remaining boss monster instead. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 152: Seoul Holder Academy.

Chapter 152: Seoul Holder Academy.

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. In the empty campus buildings and offices. As if representing the vulgar autumn atmosphere, today¡¯s academy was filled with a bleak aura everywhere. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± In that silence. Tak Won-ho was quietly doing his paperwork in his office. Familiar. The academy on weekends was always quiet. There were professors who asionally came out for research or students who came out for personal training and circle activities, but since there were no sses that day, there were far fewer visitors than usual. Students or professors passionate about personal growth¡­ Unless you were operational staff like Tak Won-ho who oversees the institution, it was stranger toe to the academy on a golden weekend. ¡°The underground dungeon¡­¡± Tak Won-ho was reading a thick pile ofpiled reports. It was a special report that his exclusive disciple, now the academy¡¯s most promising prospect, 1st year Do Jae-hyun, had worked hard to prepare. The underground dungeon that was discovered by chance one day. He thought it should be explored at some point, but never got around to actually doing it. If Tak Won-ho explored it himself, there was a possibility that other executives of the Tak family would find out¡­ Then the underground dungeon would just be an object of vignce and an ordinary source of ie for his brothers. So the second best option, he handed it to was Do Jae-hyun. The exclusive disciple who at the time showed exceptionalbat senses and growth potential. He thought that the boy would be able toplete the exploration, and if it proved too difficult, he was willing to just leave it buried. ¡°But that was it¡­¡± But Do Jae-hyun perfectly carried out the exploration Tak Won-ho had given him. Somehow, he recruited the academy¡¯s top prospects in 1st year to be hispanions andpleted the exploration of the underground dungeon, recording all information about the interior of the dungeon and its monsters in his report. It was virtually a perfect exploration report. But that wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°He pierced perfectly into the weak point.¡± What Tak Won-ho had secretly wanted. Regarding the underground dungeon, Do Jae-hyun sharply analyzed the parts that had seemed suspicious. And he created a report adding his own rational inferences. That was the final report Tak Won-ho was reading now. ¡­ (omission) ¡­ Therefore, it can be confirmed that the monster ¡®Sizzling Smander¡¯ that appeared inside the academy this first semester originated from the underground dungeon below this academy. In other words, this was not a natural phenomenon, but an artificial incident, and the possibility that the n was deeply involved cannot be ruled out at all. ¡­ ¡­ If the n orchestrated the incident at that time, one more dangerous piece of information can be inferred. And that is that the side possesses some kind of special method or item to summon dungeon monsters into reality. This has the potential to cause tremendous harm to ordinary people, and in the worst case, innocent victims could suffer the same fate as in the ¡®Gwanghwamun za Mass Murder Incident¡¯ ¡­ ¡­ (omission) ¡­ The monster that suddenly appeared in the academyst semester. The B-grade Sizzling Smander. Because it appeared randomly during non-lecture hours, many students were injured and killed. Although it became an issue at the time, the incident soon died down. But Do Jae-hyun brought it up once again. That it was clearly rted to . That they have a special way to summon monsters into reality. The stories supporting that im were neatly organized in the final report. ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t for nothing that he became the circle leader.¡± As he read the report, Tak Won-ho admired it. When his disciple had said he would create a circle to stand against the nation¡¯srgest criminal organization, honestly he had been worried at first, but now more than anyone he firmly acknowledged it. Do Jae-hyun was the most suited to be president of . All the conclusions he arrived at made sense, and all the clues he found were credible. Creating this previously non-existent type of circle at the academy wasn¡¯t stemming from some misguided hero mentality. His actions always had a basis. ¡°Hmm. As expected from my disciple.¡± With a meaninglessugh, Tak Won-ho cleared his throat and concentrated again on the report. Since it was a report containing the sweat his disciple had shed over one semester, he needed to read it a bit more prudently. But then. Tap tap- Boom-! ¡°Professor Tak! Trouble!¡± Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded and the office door mmed open, and one academy employee resident rushed in with an urgent expression. Annoyed by the noisy atmosphere, Tak Won-ho frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°An attack! We¡¯ve been attacked!¡± ¡°¡­Attacked?¡± At the out-of-nowhere word, Tak Won-ho blinked in puzzlement. The academy was suddenly attacked? It was an improbable story. But the employee quickly nodded and replied, ¡°Yes! About 20 people! Many employees and students have been badly injured. Judging by their ruthless methods, they seem to be Viin n members! Immediate action seems necessary. And¡­ and the man leading them is¡­¡± The employee¡¯s face darkened in despair. ¡°Hwang Seong-yeon. The owner of Devil Sword, it¡¯s definitely Hwang Seong-yeon!¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± On the peaceful weekend academy. A brutal de was suddenly baring its fangs. *** Ippotrantion *** Kuwoong! [You have won the duel! Victory is recognized due to your high contribution in the duel. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to replicate.] The informational window naturally reveals itself, as if congratting me on my victory. I felt strength draining from my body. It was the same for the party members who had poured all their power into the hunt together. ¡°Wow, wow¡­ We got it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over¡­.¡± Yamata no Orochi fell. It was a hard-fought victory, piercing through his vicious and intense curses. At the center of it was Park Jin-woo, who actively utilized [Iron Will]. Using his rune that ignores most curses, he attracted all of the boss¡¯s aggro, allowing our party, freed from curses, to carry out systematic attacks. ¡®We just need our feet freed.¡¯ The most difficult thing when facing it was the status condition skills. My feet kept getting tied up from the tricky curses, which was only resolved after Park Jin-woo actively stepped up to the front. Freed from those shackles, our partyunched an all-out offensive. Kwon Oh-jun and Kang Juyeon¡¯s ultimate skills that we had saved up. And the [Divine sh] inherent in my [Sword of Penitent] all poured out in an attack. That¡¯s how Yamata no Orochi fell. No matter how fast his self-healing is with his evil-inclined divine rune, it was no match for two ultimate skills and a skill filled with immense divine power. ¡°Everyone worked so hard.¡± Barely holding onto my weakening legs, I told the exhausted party members that they did a good job. ¡°You worked hard too.¡± ¡°You worked hard¡­.¡± Perhaps because everyone waspletely drained, they barely responded. Most of the party members were already sitting or lying on the floor, resting. ¡°Wow ¨C I really thought we were goners¡­. This felt like facing an S-grade monster.¡± Even Park Jin-woo sprawled out on the floor with a groan. Certainly, this battle must have been quite difficult for him. I was surprised too when he got burned by the me Hydra earlier and was in pain. But as expected of the original protagonist, he soon recovered and contributed the most in the hunt against Yamata no Orochi. No matter what anyone says, he was one of the main contributors to clearing this dungeon. ¡°If it really was S-grade, we¡¯d all be dead.¡± ¡°You said it. But honestly, shouldn¡¯t they make an A+ grade? The so-called A-grade monsters are way too strong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Whether Holders or monsters, there is a tremendous gap between A-grade and S-grade A strong disconnect stemming from actual differences in ability and experience. Therefore, even with the same A-grade, everyone¡¯s skills varied greatly. Thus, some argued that A+ or even SS grade should be newly established. I¡¯d heard that some countries actually implemented such a grading system. ¡°In any case, a boss room with two boss monsters¡­ This will surely be a sensational topic worldwide once we get back¡­.¡± Akiba, sitting in a corner, mumbled to herself. I silently nodded in agreement. Two boss monsters. This was certainly information that would astonish not just Korea and Japan, but the entire world. Since such a thing had never appeared in history before. As she said, once we return to reality¡­ All kinds of articles would praise this highly, and research rted to it would skyrocket exponentially ¨C or so I imagined. ¡°Then let¡¯s start cleaning up and prepare to head back. The rest room over there is open too.¡± The ¡®Smuggler¡¯s Cave¡¯ was an undiscovered dungeon. As soon as the raid was over, the rest room opened up, revealing a new room. Of course, since the information ¡®two boss monsters¡¯ had never appeared anywhere before, I had assumed this dungeon would definitely be undiscovered. I approached the fallen me Hydra to begin dismantling it. Extracting magic stones from each boss monster and confirming rest room rewards. Just take care of this much, then it¡¯ll be time to head back soon. It¡¯s a waste to leave the boss monsters¡¯ spoils behind, but there were no dismantling specialists anyway, and the party members desperately needed rest. ¡°Ugh-?! Huk¡­?!¡± But then. In the moment when we were about to finish resting and start cleaning up. Kim Seong-cheol, the magician-type, let out a painful groan. I quickly turned around in surprise, only to see¡­ A sharp knife stabbed into his abdomen. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± For an instant, I couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. Kim Seong-cheol was suddenly stabbed with a knife. ¡­Why? What just happened? And soon, the reason became clear. ¡°Heheh ¨C Nice to see you all. I¡¯ve been wanting to kill some of your faces for a while now, and you just happened to gather here today?¡± The man who stabbed Kim Seong-cheol with the knife, and his group. Plus, the leader at the center of the group showed herself. An unfamiliar voice, but a recognizable tone. An unfamiliar face, but memorable looks. Long hair falling to her waist and a sharp impression. And a woman with a smile as sinister as midwinter. The branch leader of n¡¯s Academy branch. The mastermind who had cruelly harassed me and the Academy all this time. The ruler of gravity, Cha Soo-yeon. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 153: The Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride (1)

Chapter 153: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride (1)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. I couldn¡¯t hide my bewildered feeling. The ruler of gravity, Cha Soo-yeon. She is the branch manager who oversees the academy at the n, and a core n member who is a member of the upper ss. The starting point of the incidents that have urred at the academy so far. It all started from Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s hands. The appearance of a monster inside the academy, Kim Chae-eun almost dying from Ha Do-kwon¡¯s blind axe, the danger Moon Ga-eun and I faced due to Kim Do-yoon¡¯s attack¡­ Most of them were either directly nned by her or approved by her. ¡®¡­The skill is top notch.¡¯ As befits her title of branch manager, her skills were also overwhelming. She was the strongest with a long career within the academy branch, and even throughout the n, there weren¡¯t many n members who could catch up to her. At best, maybe a master or submaster? Ji Yoon-jae, my peer, who infiltrated as a spy. Although he was also an A-grade Holder, it was embarrassing topare him to Cha Soo-yeon. The skill at the top even among A-grade Holders. That was Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s power. ¡®What the hell is going on.¡¯ Originally, Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s appearance was supposed to be next year. The academy raid incident. The moment when the n officially raided the academy and fought fiercely with key figures. It was when Cha Soo-yeon first revealed herself to the outside world, and at the academy she fought Kang Juyeon, who rose as an A-grade Holder at that time. But recently, the situation has changed. Since S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol took over the academy, and the n¡¯s ns went awry¡­ Out of nowhere, Cha Soo-yeon also took office as an ¡®academy teacher¡¯. Infiltrating as spies within the academy along with Ji Yoon-jae and starting direct activities. It was a drastic move that was clearly different from the original work, and this was also why I created the circle. ¡®¡­Then why is she here?¡¯ Cha Soo-yeon is a branch manager level figure in the n. Naturally, she was one of the wanted criminals who the Korean Holders Association was desperately looking for, and she hade this far going through countless aliases and disguises. Therefore, her sphere of activity could only be limited. The higher the office, the more burdensome it was toe to the fore. That was why I was surprised when she was appointed as an academy teacher out of the blue. But now, rather thaning to the forefront, she haspletely revealed herself before us. Kim Seong-cheol, stabbed by the attacking sword. Ji Yoon-jae who appeared with her and numerous other n members. And the aggressive words and encirclement. Anyone could see that this was an assault on us. ¡°Hmm hmm ¨C You all have very bewildered faces?¡± As Cha Soo-yeon looked at me and smiled deeply again. It seemed like she was mocking me for trying to grasp the situation in that short time. ¡°Kuh, huk?!¡± ¡°Holder Kim Seong-cheol!¡± And as the stabbed sword was pulled out, Kim Seong-cheol crashed to the floor. Akiba, who was next to him, hurriedly propped him up, and we at the front rushed over to them. Tap tap ¨C Whoosh ¨C whoosh ¨C Surrounding them as if to surround the rear personnel. Hurriedly healing Kim Seong-cheol and taking formation to protect those personnel. All the front line personnel drew their weapons and tookbat stances. Without any mind and not knowing exactly what the situation was¡­ The fact that those in front of us were ¡®enemies¡¯. Not just me, but our party members also recognized that. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see Judgment of Fire and the academy members gathered interesting people. And¡­ There are also quite pleasantly familiar faces?¡± As Cha Soo-yeon snapped her fingers and spoke, her gaze turned to one of the party members. I also nced briefly to see who it was. It was Lee Soo-mi, who was treating Kim Seong-cheol on one side. Although she waspletely focused on the treatment¡­ Strangely, only her face was covered with a fearful expression. ¡®¡­What is it?¡¯ An expression I had never seen before while doing operations with Lee Soo-mi until now. And Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s meaningful words. There seems to be a connection between the two that I don¡¯t know about. It was an unexpected connection. ¡°Hello, Do Jae-hyun. Do you recognize me?¡± Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s gaze turns to me again. Although her voice was disgusting, I made every effort not to show it. After all, our current party was in crisis. After pouring all our power into hunting two bosses, our bodies were exhausted and our magic was depleted. If we fight right away, we have no power to confront them. Presumably, it would clearly be a total annihtion. In this situation, rather than provoking the opponent, we had to somehow buy time and find a solution. Besides, Cha Soo-yeon called out to me instead of Kwon Oh-jun or Kang Juyeon. As I felt before, this clearly meant that I was currently being checked by the n. ¡°Cha¡­ Soo-yeon.¡± A barely squeezed out response. At that, Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s pupils grewrger. ¡°Oh? Did you really know?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. Ji Yoon-jae next to you too.¡± Ji Yoon-jae, standing proudly next to Cha Soo-yeon. As usual, he was looking at me without any expression. Although his emotions had slipped out to me a few times before, his usual self was so curt. ¡®And that guy is¡­.¡¯ There was one more familiar face behind them. Koo Myeong-hoon. The 2nd year who joined the circle and on the first day of the meeting made a fuss about changing the president. Who then lost his soul after sparring with Park Jin-woo and was a zealous follower of Yoon Ji-ah. I don¡¯t know what the hell he was doing there, but with no focus in his eyes and barely holding a sinister looking sword¡­ Even at a nce, he was clearly not normal. ¡®There are too many of them.¡¯ While vaguely responding to Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s words, I quickly checked the opponent¡¯s forces. There were a total of 10 people in the group. Including Cha Soo-yeon, Ji Yoon-jae, and Koo Myeong-hoon. The remaining 7 also seemed to be n members of . Normally it would be plenty to take on, but our current party was too exhausted. Forget 10, even 5 would have been difficult to deal with. ¡°Haha. How does betrayal from your friend feel?¡± ¡°Friend? Who? That bastard? Do you still consider someone who hangs out with bastards as a friend these days?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What? Puh, hahaha.¡± At my reply, Cha Soo-yeon burst outughing, and Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s expression, which had been curt, finally crumbled for the first time in a long while. And his hands pulled out the daggers at his waist. The four daggers that poured out in a sh were a skill I knew very well, [Quarter Knife]. Swish ¨C Rustle rustle ¨C ¡®Crazy¡­ She dered an all out war!¡¯ Due to the sudden attack, I hurriedly used the derived skill [Deration of Domination] from [Master of Martial Arts]. Not because I couldn¡¯t avoid that attack. Because that bastard¡¯s daggers were aimed not at me, but¡­ At Kang Juyeon who was inside. I provoked them expecting an ambush, but I never imagined they would target anotherrade at that moment. Thump ¨C Thud thud ¨C A bogus skill that can nullify ranged physical attacks within a certain area. Ji Yoon-jae¡¯s daggers limply fell under [Deration of Domination]. Seeing that amazing sight, Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°You¡¯ve got an interesting skill. What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have skills to tell Viin bastards about.¡± ¡°Hmm ¨C You noticed?¡± ¡°It would be more stupid not to.¡± While replying properly, I nced at Kwon Oh-jun. But he closed his eyes heavily at my gaze. A gesture that he couldn¡¯t see any solution at all. And that was the case for the other party members as well. No matter how much they racked their brains, there was no prospect of winning. Despair. A Desperate situation wasid out before us. Having just finished the boss raid, facing the core n members of ¡­ Was close to impossible. ¡°Haha. No matter how much you look around, no solutiones out. You¡¯ve rolled right into the trap neatlyid out, is there a solution now?¡± At Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s ridicule, I kept silent. ¡®The Smuggling Cave¡¯ turned out to be a trap set up by the n. They lured us in using their main source of ie, ¡®illegal items,¡¯ and the ¡®unauthorized warp gate¡¯ as bait. As we had just finished conquering the dungeon, we werepletely cornered. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ But I still don¡¯t really understand. The act that they used the n¡¯s ie source as bait, the fact that executive-level figures like Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae revealed their identities to participate in the operation, the fact that if we get annihted here, n will have to wage an all-out war¡­ The trap the n has set now had far too much risk, even if the result ended in sess. That¡¯s probably why I didn¡¯t expect them to show up even more. ¡°You¡¯ve been too annoying, Do Jae-hyun. You can think that the death of yourpanions today is all your fault.¡± ¡°Cut the bullshit. If you were only going to kill me, there were so many better opportunities. Why? Do you think me dying with guilt will help your pleasure even a little bit?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s expression, which had been leisurely until now, froze in an instant. It was a face that seemed to have hit the nail on the head. Then in no time. Regaining her smile, she spoke to Ji Yoon-jae. ¡°Hmm- This perceptive guy is no fun. I should start wrapping this up now. Yoon-jae.¡± ¡°Yes, branch manager.¡± ¡°Get ready.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± And with those words. The atmosphere of the space changed. An intense, disgusting aura flooded the boss room. Ji Yoon-jae took out two short swords and prepared for battle, and Koo Myeong-hoon approached us with his oversized sword. That wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Ugh, ugghh¡­!!¡± An intense magical power manifests and strikes the party. The tanks who were gripping their weapons with tense faces copsed. Kwon Oh-jun was nkly standing there, but Shin Yu-na and Park Jin-woo couldn¡¯t endure it and fell to their knees, and I also felt the intense pressure¡¯s pain. ¡®It¡¯s gravity.¡¯ Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s specialty, gravity magic. I had only encountered it in text so far and had never experienced its actual power before, but the gravity I directly faced was tremendous. The pressure of the magic power spread over the whole area pressed down on my whole body as if crushing me, and its intensity was painfully hard to endure, making it hard to even breathe. With the support of huge gravity magic¡­ And the approaching n members. If this continued, our party would be annihted. ¡®I need a method.¡¯ I needed a breakthrough. In the pain of being suffocated, I recalled everything I had. Magic runes? I couldn¡¯t use them. All magic was already depleted, and the opponent wouldn¡¯t wait for me to umte manifestation time. Curses or divine runes? Simrly difficult. To immediately use divine arts, I had to concentrate, but because of Cha Soo-yeon¡¯s gravity magic, full utilization was cumbersome. Ultimate skills? I hadn¡¯t used [Water Sword Dance] yet, but that wasn¡¯t the solution to resolve this situation. Defensive skills couldn¡¯t be the breakthrough. I needed a more effective and efficient method. ¡®Deration of Domination!¡¯ I got it. [Oppression]¡¯s [Deration of Domination]. Now at level 4, with quite some proficiency added, a status condition series skill. I didn¡¯t know how high the enemies¡¯ mental stats were, but I had to try first anyway. WooWoong- ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°My strength¡­.¡± In an instant, a huge resonance urs, and the struggling party members regain their vigor. It worked. The ¡®fear¡¯ of [Deration of Domination] took effect on the enemies. Especially Cha Soo-yeon, who had been using gravity magic, flinched and the pressure of magic power applied to the party all disappeared. I didn¡¯t stop there. The duration of fear was barely 3 seconds at most. [Deration of Domination] could only buy time, it couldn¡¯t be a fundamental solution. ¡®The magic stones¡­!¡¯ My next action was taking out special items from my magic bag. [The Forgotten Stone of a Dragon]. It was a legendary-grade item that had long been put away in my bag. Clearly, I currently didn¡¯t have the power to resolve this situation and defeat . All magic was depleted, and I had limited runes and skills I could use. But¡­ If I could obtain and advance some power I hadn¡¯t gotten yet. If I could somehow do that, then perhaps a path I couldn¡¯t see before might open up. ¡®me Hydra¡¯s magic stone.¡¯ Two boss monsters. I fill up the me Hydra¡¯s magic stone among them. There was no special reason. It was simply because I didn¡¯t have Yamata no Orochi¡¯s magic stone. While mining the me Hydra¡¯s magic stone and organizing the boss room, I encountered , so there was no time to extract Yamata no Orochi¡¯s magic stone as well. And¡­ ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ And the result was lucky. A sess, huge sess. The me Hydra was the ¡®one dragon¡¯ the [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon] required. As I filled the me Hydra¡¯s magic stone in the tablet which had an empty slot left, it soon began shining intensely. Like when [Rune Hunter] had advanced before¡­ It was dazzling golden light. ¡°Hmm-?¡± ¡°That is¡­?¡± The side, momentarily flustered from the fear status, became flustered a second time from the sudden urrence. And as if sensing something strange¡­ Ji Yoon-jae moved immediately. The moment he escaped the status condition, he started charging at me at fast speed. But it was already toote. [The Forgotten Stone of a Dragon¡¯s magic stone has been filled. The tablet is wrapped in a mysterious aura.] [All magic stones in the tablet have been filled. The seal will be released.] ¡­ ¡­ [The vast sky, immense pride, oath of conviction. The pact humans and dragons made very long ago arrives at thend where heroes slumber, oveing eras. A mystical, sacred power nestles in every spot you inhabit.] ¡­ ¡­ [You obtained the new rune ¡®Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Knight Pride¡¯.] Radiant light poured out. It flowed along the tablet and my hand, soon decorating my whole body. Too short a time toprehend and ept something new. But I fully knew what I could do¡­ And what I had to do. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± I slowly opened my eyes. Cha Soo-yeon preparing magic again and Ji Yoon-jae charging at me. And countless enemies holding weapons, pouring towards me. That dark scene seemed to move¡­ In slow motion. Malice and bloodlust. Anger and obsession. As all sorts of negative auras covered the space. I drew my sword. And I chanted. ¡°Rush.¡± Atst. I could bear the fruit of my long journey. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 5 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [wed, thur, fri, sat, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 154: The Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride (2)

Chapter 154: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride (2)

If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. What are the manifestation conditions for ultimate skills? Every Holder has different opinions, and every researcher has different perspectives, but¡­ In my opinion, the condition is ¡®understanding¡¯. You need to have a high level of understanding about the rune that possesses that skill. For example, let¡¯s look at one of my epic runes. [Fragmented Earth Garden] is a rune I got as a reward after defeating the ¡®Forest Covered by Snake¡¯. Its level is quite high at level 6, and it has a very powerful derived skill called [Power Break] as well. Its special effects are nothing to scoff at either, a high-level magic rune. Nevertheless, I have never acquired a new ultimate skill from this rune, let alone new derived skills. ¡®Because my understanding iscking.¡¯ Thanks to the power of [Rune Hunter], the level itself has been adjusted and obtained, but I have not thoroughly analyzed the true power of that rune. That¡¯s because I¡¯m not a mage. I have only used the magic runes I possess as auxiliary concepts in my battles, and have never used proper spells. Just looking at my main ultimate skills [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance]¡­ I had to raise the rted runes to level 10 and satisfy various conditions before I could use them. Not to mention other runes that grew even slower. ¡®But¡­.¡¯ But the rune I just acquired this time. [The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride] was able to immediately manifest its ultimate skill. There were quiteplicated factors hidden here. [You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the duel is recognized as a victory. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You have selected ¡®Insight¡¯. As it is a level 11 epic rune, its level will decrease and register as a level 6 rune.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Your rune affinity has gained 4 willpower.] While the enemies¡¯ movements were stopped for a moment with [Deration of Domination]¡­ I quickly loaded the information windows that were on one side, in a hurry to fill [The Forgotten Stone of a Dragon]. It was to acquire the [Rune Hunter] reward from this boss raid in the ¡®Smuggling Cave¡¯ together. ¡®I have to do something.¡¯ Just because I unsealed [The Forgotten Stone of a Dragon] doesn¡¯t mean I have the power topletely overturn the situation. So I had to do something, use every power I had avable to increase my chances even a little bit. And that moment was when the enemies were caught in an abnormal state. ¡®Insight¡¯ I obtained the [Insight] rune from Yamata no Orochi. It¡¯s one of the top-tier mental-type runes that Park Jin-woo also possesses. Whenever I saw that guy with it I always wanted it, and luckily I was able to get it this time thanks to [Rune Hunter]. Thanks to it, my willpower stat instantly rose by 4, and I gained near-immunity resistance to curses and sorcery that were troublesome before. It might not be of immediate help, but for a Holder it was a very attractive rune. Up to this point, there were no variables. The problem started from the rune I acquired after defeating the me Hydra boss. [You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the duel is recognized as a victory. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You have selected ¡®Unstoppable Fire¡¯. As it is a level 9 epic rune, its level will decrease and register as a level 5 rune.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Your rune affinity has gained 2 magic and 3 fire resistance.] [Abinable rune currently exists! Using the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can obtain a superior rune. ] [Superior Rune: Elemental Master / Inferior Runes: Unstoppable Fire, Swirling Tidal Wave, Fragmented Earth Garden, Roughly Shaking Wind] The epic rune acquired after defeating the me Hydra boss. [Unstoppable Fire]. As demonstrated by the me Hydra itself, it was a ridiculously powerful and destructive fire-type magic rune. It could even be seen as an upgraded version of my current [Fiery me] or [Lion¡¯s Fiery y] runes. But as soon as I got this, as if it had been waiting¡­ The ¡®Superior Rune Combination¡¯ information appeared. At a nce¡­ The inferior runes were all runes I had acquired after defeating the dragons. Fire, water, earth, wind. A superior runebining the 4 basic attributes at once. [Master of Martial Arts], [Descendant of the Barbarian King], [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. Following the 3 superior runes, this was the moment the 4th superior rune came into existence. [You havebined the ¡®Elemental Master¡¯ superior rune. A total of 4 runes have been selected as inferior runes. The determined level of the superior rune summarizing the inferior runes is Level 5.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Your rune affinity has gained 2 magic, and 2 each of fire resistance, water resistance, wind resistance, and earth resistance.] ¡ò Name: Elemental Master ¡ò Grade: Legendary (Superior) ¡ò Possessed Inferior Runes ¡ò [Unstoppable Fire] ¡ò [Swirling Tidal Wave] ¡ò [Fragmented Earth Garden] ¡ò [Roughly Shaking Wind] ¡ò Level: 5 ¡ò Engraved: Back of Right Hand ¡ò Special Effects: ¨C : With the special power of superior runes, skill corrections can be given to inferior runes. Each inferior rune can raise its skill level as a single rune, as well as raise skill through the superior rune¡¯s correction. : The ¡®Change Strike¡¯ effect is applied at all times. If you convert and attack from one attribute to another attribute, the might of that attack increases by 10% each time. This effect can stack up to 5 times (max 50%), and if you duplicate back to the previously changed attribute, the effect is reset. : The ¡®Pure Element¡¯ effect is applied at all times. When attacking with the 4 basic attributes, damage ignoring the target¡¯s resistance stats proportional to the rune¡¯s level can be dealt. (Currently max 5) *Sub Special Effects : (Details) ¡ò Derived Skills ¡ò [Elemental Shield] *Sub Skills ¡ò [Rush Meteor] ¡ò [New Wave] ¡ò [Power Break] ¡ò [Wind Javelin] ¡ò Detailed Information:- : The ability to handle all elements of nature. Said to have been possessed by ancient archmages, its origin lies with dragons. Greatly increases affinity with nature and the elements. Unfortunately there was no time to read this slowly. There was too much. If I could just get out of this crisis and get outside¡­ I felt like I had to read it again carefully. Of course, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t expect something like this. I already had 3 superior runes, and through my experience so far I thought that if elemental-type runes gathered, something wouldbine. I just didn¡¯t know the end result would be ¡®a legendary rune with 4 epic runes as its inferior runes¡¯. But in any case, it was a superior rune that would greatly help increase mybat power. But this rune¡­ Had a massive influence when unsealing [The Forgotten Stone of a Dragon] again, way more than I ever imagined. [The magic stones of The Forgotten Stone of a Dragon are being filled. The stone tablet is wrapped in a mysterious aura of power.] [All the magic stones within the stone tablet have been filled. The seal will be unlocked.] [All secrets of the stone tablet have been unlocked! Through the long journey you have made, you have found traces of those who forgot their names and glory. The glory they once held will now be realized through the promise you have inherited.] [You have obtained the new rune ¡®Promise Bound by Dragons¡¯.] [Your rune affinity has gained 2 magic and 3 leadership.] [¡®Special stats¡¯ points have been activated in your Holder information.] The legendary rune, [Promise Bound by Dragons]. A rune that allows the handling of dragons or wyverns in certain conditions and situations. It is a taming-type rune, evaluated as extremely rare even among Holders. In the original work, when Ji Yoon-jae unlocked all the tablet¡¯s secrets and obtained this rune, he got the title ¡®Dragon Riding Assassin¡¯. There are many meticulous conditions attached to taming itself, but if you can tame a decent dragon it¡¯s a rune that can demonstrate tremendous power. I was aware of this much as well. Of course I didn¡¯t expect to be able to use it right away, I only intended to create variables in the battle situation with the ability points obtained as rewards. But¡­ [The unlocked tablet resonates with your possessed runes. The resonating runes are ¡®Descendant of the Barbarian King¡¯ and ¡®Elemental Master¡¯. Satisfying new conditions, a hidden secret has been revealed!] [Vast skies, boundless pride, oath of creed. Ages and ages ago. The pact once made between man and dragon now arrives upon thend where heroes slumber. A mystical and sacred power dwells in every ce you stand.] [You have obtained the new rune ¡®The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride¡¯.] [Fulfilling special conditions, it registers at level 10.] [Your rune affinity has gained 5 in each general ability (Strength, Speed, Magic, Divinity, Willpower, Toughness).] A runepletely exceeding expectations appeared. The gear-like variables twisted the result. A rune that didn¡¯t exist for Ji Yoon-Jae in the original work. [The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride] A new legendary rune was etched onto my body. The rune¡¯s acquisition conditions¡­ Possession of [Descendant of the Barbarian King] and [Elemental Master] runes, extremely special conditions on the verge of impossibility. Since both runes were acquired through the [Rune Hunter]¡¯s ¡®Superior Rune System¡¯, for ordinary Holders obtaining them was pretty much impossible. ¡®The same goes for me as well.¡¯ If I had simply filled the magic stones¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have gotten this rune either. In other words, if I didn¡¯t hunt and obtain [Unstoppable Fire] from the me Hydra, if I didn¡¯t possess thebined superior rune [Elemental Master]¡­ If I hadn¡¯t unknowingly satisfied the hidden conditions¡­ Just like Ji Yoon-jae, it was a rune I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see at all. But with all the circumstances matching up like lies, I was able to possess a powerful rune. Dungeon rewards all at once. It was the moment I obtained 3 legendary runes. ¡ò Name: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride ¡ò Grade: Legendary ¡ò Level: 10 ¡ò Engraved Location: Chest ¡ò Special Effects:- : Closer to the origin of magic power. The might of all possessed magic runes increases by 10%, and resistance to magic attacks greatly rises. : The ¡®Dragon¡¯s Blessing¡¯ effect is applied at all times. The wondrous power of dragons dwells in your body, greatly elerating wound healing speed and magic recovery speed. The amount of magic power that can be stored internally also greatly rises. : When magic power first manifests, the ¡®Dragon Fear¡¯ effect is applied. All targets faced with intense magical power fall into a flinching state, partially decreasing physical ability. This effect amplifies proportional to mental stat. ¡ò Derived Skills ¡ò [Dragon Transformation] ¡ò [Dragon Breath] ¡ò Ultimate Skill ¡ò [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] ¡ò Detailed Information:- : Where pacts are made, pride lives and breathes. The power usable by dragon knights who made covenants with ancient dragons ages ago. Only those with physical abilities rivaling dragons and extremely high affinity with elemental magic can be chosen by this power. ¡ò Name: Distortion¡¯s Shadow (Ultimate Skill) ¡ò Derived Rune: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride ¡ò Cooldown: 24 hours ¡ò Conditions for Use: Magic Power 50 or higher ¡ò Command: Rush ¡ò Effects:- : Instantly casts the ¡®Blink¡¯ magic, said to have been utilized by ancient dragons but now lost. (No incantations or magic arrays are needed to use this skill.) Can instantly approach targets within 300m. Warps space to move, able to disrupt magic arrays of teleport destinations. The ¡®first attack¡¯ immediately following ignores all of the target¡¯s defenses and magic resistance. And unlike other runes¡­ This rune¡­ Could definitely overwhelm this crisis. An extremely powerful and overwhelming might. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 155: The Forgotten Knight’s Pride (3)

Chapter 155: The Forgotten Knight¡¯s Pride (3)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Ji Yoon-jae did not doubt the sess of the operation. Today, he briefly argued with Cha Soo-yeon about the risks of the operation and the future direction of the n, but he didnt think for a moment that this operation would fail. This dungeon has quite a high difficulty level. Thats understandable, the opponents are tigers that have already lost their fangs. The undiscovered dungeon that was the site of this operation was a trading ce that the n had recently relocated, and the level was so high that even the boss room raid had not yet been attempted, so it was a top-tier dungeon. No matter how capable that Do Jae-hyun is, who has foiled the ns ns so far, and how excellent the skills of A-grade Holder Kwon Oh-jun are It wasnt at all difficult to overwhelm the party that had just finished conquering the dungeon. Doing useless things. So even when Do Jae-hyun used some kind of wide-area status anomaly skill, Ji Yoon-jae was not particrly worried. Most of the n members had their feet tied, but at best it was a fear that only binds for about 3 seconds. He thought it was thest struggle of a rat driven into a corner. What is it? But his actions did not end there. Instead of attacking while he had inflicted status anomalies, Do Jae-hyun took out something like a stone tablet and made a sudden move. And then the intense light pouring out of nowhere. A golden light covered Do Jae-hyun. And after that. It felt as if the figure of a dragon appeared. ! Somethings weird. I cant leave it like this. That thought stuck in Ji Yoon-jaes head. So without any further dy, he raised his sword. Using movement buff runes and speed stats to the extreme, he charged at Do Jae-hyun. It was to preemptively eliminate the danger before Do Jae-hyun could use any more petty tricks. But. Rush. As his eyes opened. And a line of spells were chanted. All of Ji Yoon-jaes movements became meaningless gestures. What? Ji Yoon-jae doubted his own eyes. Disappeared. Do Jae-hyuns figurepletely disappeared from sight. It wasnt about increasing his speed or using movement buff runes It wasnt that kind of movement concept. As if space itself was distorted, his body transitioned as if it never existed in the first ce. Where to? If he disappeared, there must be a direction. Not the front. Ahead there were only the confused party members. Definitely not the sides either. Since Koo Myeong-hoon and the n members wereing together, if it was the sides, the sign would have been clearly felt. Then. Only one left. Ji Yoon-jae hurriedly looked back. But it was already toote. !! Kyaak-!! A chilling scream fills the dungeon. The orderly arrangement of magic is distorted, and red blood spurts into the air. Cha Soo-yeon. The target was Cha Soo-yeon. She hastily severed all magical connections and deployed defensive magic against Do Jae-hyun, who had suddenly appeared behind her, but Do Jae-hyuns sword managed to stab her chest through her back. That makes no sense. How on earth? Ji Yoon-jae simply could not believe it. The distance between Do Jae-hyun and Cha Soo-yeon was at least 200 meters. It wasnt a distance that could be narrowed in less than a second, and even if it could be narrowed, it wasnt a distance that S-grade Holders like Ji Yoon-jae or Cha Soo-yeon wouldnt be able to react to. Yet Cha Soo-yeon was hit. That was a speed that fits the term instantaneous perfectly. The moment Do Jae-hyun moved, he appeared behind Cha Soo-yeon, smashed all her magic, and stabbed her with his sword. As a result, Cha Soo-yeons gravity magic, which was unleashed around the boss room It was crumbling easily as if it never existed. Ugh- F*ck, f*ck! Why arent you bastardsing faster-!! All n members, protect the branch manager! Cha Soo-yeons screaming voice echoed, and Ji Yoon-jae hurriedly issued orders as the person in charge. Swish- Swish-! ng! ng! Ji Yoon-jae, Koo Myeong-hoon, and 9 n members surrounded Cha Soo-yeon. As if he had not fully achieved his intended goal, Do Jae-hyun pulled out his sword with a dissatisfied expression and stepped back. Ugh- Ugh F*ck, f*ck! Kill that bastard-!! Cha Soo-yeon screamed again. She was not in a normal state. Her whole body was soaked in sticky blood, and there was a huge hole in her chest. It seemed she was also having trouble properly breathing, as she was clutching her chest and gasping for breath. Seeing her disheveled appearance, Ji Yoon-jae was dismayed. He had never seen Cha Soo-yeon like this before. Not once since joining and bing her direct subordinate. She had always shown a cold and ruthless appearance. He had thought that even as a fellow psycho, would he be able to hand over his business card in front of this person. And that knife-like facade was possible because of the strong force she possessed. The reason why Ji Yoon-jae had always obediently submitted to her without a word was because her power was that much stronger. Yet. Such a Cha Soo-yeon was hit with one blow. An A-grade Holder as close to S-grade as evaluated in . Within the n, aside from the Master and Submaster, there was no one who could follow her. That brilliant reputation meant nothing now. The solid magic barrier was torn like paper, and the opponents attack far exceeded her reaction speed. Certainly the opponent must have been depleted of magic and exhausted With an iprehensible skill once, the situation was instantly reversed. Death. With that one blow, Cha Soo-yeon was on the brink of death. Ji Yoon-jae bit his lip until it bled. Unfortunately, he hadnt even been able to chase the shadow of that blow. Lim Jin-hyeok. Yes! Heal the branch manager. Bring all the potions you have and pour them on her. Understood! The n member called Lim Jin-hyeok hurriedly stuck to Cha Soo-yeon, and Ji Yoon-jae turned his head again to look at Do Jae-hyun. He stood there with a leisurely expression, his sword resting on his shoulder. Just what Did you do. Words squeezed out, biting his lips until they bled. At that, Do Jae-hyun snorted. Cant you tell? I was trying to kill your boss. Im asking what skill you used. Why would I tell you that? Both you and Cha Soo-yeon have only been asking funny questions. Do Jae-hyun speaks with hollowughter. He soon changed his expression coldly and red at Ji Yoon-jae. Disgusting bastards. You messed with the wrong person. A chill tone. And the air around growing even colder than that. At that moment, Ji Yoon-jae was startled. And took out his two short swords. !! ng-!! sh-!! The next moment two weapons collided intensely. Somehow, Do Jae-hyun, who was quite a distance away, was now right next to him. It wasnt the teleportation when he first attacked Cha Soo-yeon. However, it was fast. Boasting an insane speed, Do Jae-hyun approached Ji Yoon-jae in an instant. Movement buff rune? No. It wasnt a movement that could be exined by movement buff runes like [Agile Agility]. Overwhelmingly high speed. This was clearly A sense of disparity and pressureing from an enormous difference in stats. Through the crossed swords, Do Jae-hyun quietly chanted with sharp eyes. Get ready to pay the price, Ji Yoon-jae. Together with those words. Magic was instantly pulled up from the crossed swords. Boom-!! Soon after, a fierce explosion urred on Do Jae-hyuns sword. That was definitely It was once the specialty of Kim Do-yoon, who was a formerrade. [Explosive Sword Aura]. F*ck. Just what the hell is going on!! Swept away by that intense magic, Ji Yoon-jaes head was full of nothing but questions. *** Ippotrantion *** Its a shame. My lethal strike towards Cha Soo-yeon ended in vain, leaving my appetite unsatisfied. [Distortions Shadow] allows me to Blink right in front of my opponent in an instant, attacking fiercely while ignoring all defensive measures with its ultimate skill. Reading its skill description briefly, I immediately judged: To kill Cha Soo-yeon. There was no hesitation in my actions after that decision. Rush. It felt as if my sword would pierce Cha Soo-yeons heart with thatmand. As expected, Cha Soo-yeon is still Cha Soo-yeon. But how could the infamous among our top talents disappear so easily? Despite losing all defensive capabilities, Cha Soo-yeon Reacted in that brief instant, matching my attack speed. A spot slightly grazed near her heart. If striking from the front, it would be her chest, if from the back, near her shoulder de. She turned in that direction, blocking lethal damage at the very least. She is a bitch after all. I couldnt help but admire her judgment at that moment, even if she was the enemy. Of course, its not like she avoided a fatal injury. She barely escaped instant death, but Cha Soo-yeon was nowpletely incapacitated. If treatment failed and time passed like this Death was the only fate awaiting her. Luckily the viin bastards are also stupid. I look around at the n members surrounding me. As soon as Cha Soo-yeon was hit, these bastardspletely shifted their attacking direction, which was initially towards our party, wholly onto me. I did target Cha Soo-yeon anticipating this to some extent, but I didnt expect them to stupidly gather towards me all at once like this. It would have been troublesome if they dispersed and simultaneously targeted our party, but since they moronically rushed at only me With my strength now fully recovered, I couldnt ask for a better thank you. Do Jae-hyun Another voice was heard from somewhere. A sword and body filled with ominous aura. And pupils that have lost focus. Once a member of , 2nd year senior Koo Myeong-hoon. After I briefly knocked him down by feeding [Explosive Sword Aura] to Ji Yoon-jae, now a senior groupie who has attached himself to shows up. Senior. I was wondering where you disappeared to, but you were sucked into Viin huh? Ugghh After killing you hehe Lady Ji-ah You drank a berserk potion too. He was now out of control. No matter how much I told him to get a grip, it was meaningless to a beast moving blindly after losing all reason. I took out [Sword of Penitent]. Lets get this over with quickly. As seen previously when facing Ji Yoon-jae, my condition now is perfect. And thats all thanks to one rune. [Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride]. This rune boasted the most overwhelming performance among all Ive obtained so far, easily the best morale boosting rune. Not only due to the ultimate skill [Distortions Shadow]. With its special effect of elerated wound healing and magic recovery speed, my depleted magic has beenpletely refilled, and boosted magic power from increased magic potency allowed each of my magic attacks to deal powerful blows. On top of that, the derivative skill, [Dragon Transformation]. At first I thought dragon wing-like things grew out with the skill, but physically there were no noticeable changes other than scales appearing on my skin. Rather, this skill resembled [Berserk] instead. A skill that temporarily increased abilities by 30% for a certain duration. The percentage was lower than [Berserk] but had less penalties and a longer duration. Huff As a result, with both [Berserk] and [Dragon Transformation] used together, my amplified abilities showed an 80% increase effect. It doesnt exactly double despite being amplified from base abilities, but its still devastating. Abilities pumped up to nearly twice as much. It could be considered top tier A-grade Holder level abilities. Swish- Whoosh- Pushick-!! Utilizing those overwhelming abilities, I instantly approached Koo Myeong-hoon at my utmost speed. Then lightly shed his shoulder. Kuak-?! Kwaaaaak?! Koo Myeong-hoon, who didnt even notice me approaching, let out ate scream. Not wanting to hear more of that irritating sound, I used the [Combo] skill. Three sword strikes on his back. Kwek, Kwerk- Unable to withstand that ruthless blow. Koo Myeong-hoon foamed at the mouth and copsed. Faced with the overwhelming difference in abilities, he could do nothing. Looks like he did get some special power from . Koo Myeong-hoon seemed to have clearly received exceptional abilities granted by . He possessed an ominously bulging sword that looked like it was made of magic, and his surroundings overflowed with sinister energy. Showing signs of losing his senses, it was easy to tell he had also taken [Berserk Potions]. If left alone, he might have be quite a headache. But Ignorance is bliss. I lightly shook my sword. I just had to take him down before he could show anything. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 156: The Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride (4)

Chapter 156: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride (4)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After rune Holders and monsters appeared in modern society. Countless research has been done in the Holdermunity. What exactly is the power called runes, what is the identity of monsters and dungeons, where is the system that governs all of this from From the most fundamental questions. To the fundamental will for development. Holders have been conducting research in various fields so far, and have been able to build a much more professional system than in the beginning by slowly producing results from those efforts. Kang Dong-wook, professor at the Seoul Holder Academys Specialization Department, the first Leadership-type Holder to surpass 30 Leadership among domestic Holders Has he finally seeded in taming B-grade monsters? What is the main academic field of the current Holdermunity? If someone were to ask The schrs would all answer the same. Monster Taming. It is the most mysterious power that urred after the coexistence of Holders and monsters, and the main academic field that most rune researchers are interested in watching in the current Holdermunity. Not only the academies, but many schrs from associations and various organizations have already conducted research on this, and as time goes by, rted secrets and keys are alsoing out one by one. Some even made excessive ims that only the taming runes can unravel all the secrets entangled with Holders and monsters, and furthermore, it is the only way to bring peace. Thats how much Monster Taming was one of the major academic fields of modern society where the attention of the Holdermunity was focused. Professor Kang, youre here. Hello. Youre working hard even though its the weekend. Kang Dong-wook smiled and replied to the team leader in charge of guarding the research institute. Kang Dong-wook. A tenured professor of the Specialization Department at the Seoul Holder Academy. He was the only professor at the academy who taught Monster Taming, and was also the most outstanding researcher in academia producing the best results. As one of the top authorities among domestic Leadership-type Holders, both in theory and practice, there werent many Holders who could match him. I have work to do. Professor, shouldnt you be resting on the weekend instead of working? Haha. The results have been so goodtely. My body itches to get to work. Kang Dong-wook shook his body with a grin. The reason why he went to work at the academy on this golden weekend instead of taking time off was to spend more time on research that had been yielding good resultstely. I wish I could take it with me. Kang Dong-wook looked inside the research institute, licking his lips. Deep inside the Specialization Departments Multi-disciplinary Research Institute at the academy. There was a very valuable item rted to Monster Taming research sleeping there. [The Order of Harmony]. A crystal orb with a strange appearance shining in rainbow colors. The only special effect immediately apparent is increasing Leadership stat by 10. But with many sealed abilities, it was a legendary item overflowing with parts to research. It had even enabled Taming two monsters simultaneously, which was previously deemed impossible. With just the abilities revealed so far without the research even beingpleted. In the domestic taming field, which was still in its infancy without rted research beingmercialized yet. [The Order of Harmony] was an innovative item that could bring new winds of change. Thats why research is conducted in secret. That was why the existence and research content of the item were kept secret. [The Order of Harmony] was an item belonging to the academy. Since Kang Dong-wook had also signed a contract with the academy to conduct research, private use was not allowed. That was why he had tomute even when he wanted to take it home and research it. Youll be in the private researchb today too? The guard team leader suddenly asked a question, to which Kang Dong-wook nodded his head. Yes. Do we have any new monsters prepared? The B-grade monster, Centaur, you asked for, we procured it on Friday. You can probably check the details in the researchb report. Although the guard teams main mission was to guard the research institute, they sometimes yed the role of transporting experimental monsters. Some time ago, Kang Dong-wook had applied for the procurement of a B-grade monster for full-fledged taming research, which seemed to have just beenpleted. With a satisfied look on his face, Kang Dong-wook said, I see. Well, thanks for your hard work today As he was about to say goodbye and enter theb. Boom-! The entrance of the Multi-disciplinary Research Institute opened with a rough sound. And not long after, people came pouring out. It was a group with academy staff, professors, and some students deployed. At that sudden appearance, question marks popped up in Kang Dong-wooks head. Whats this? The Multi-disciplinary Research Institute was not a ce anyone could just walk into. Although one could enter the building by entering through the entrance, one would inevitably be blocked by the guard team to go deep inside. Even if the visitor imed to be an academy professor, it was not allowed. Only formally authorized resident researchers like Kang Dong-wook could enter. Haa Haa. P-Professor? And the one leading the group, panting as he approached. It was a face Kang Dong-wook knew very well too. Professor Tak Won-ho. He was a tenured professor of the academys Warrior Department, and the heir presumptive of the Tak n, which operated the Seoul Holder Academy in effect. And to Kang Dong-wook, he was the contractor who had formally proposed the [Order of Harmony] research. Professor Kang, you have to get away. Huh? After he brought that group along. He was suddenly telling him to get away. At that abrupt remark, Kang Dong-wook couldnt grasp the situation well. However, Tak Won-ho didnt seem to care whether he understood or not. He immediately followed up. We have to move the rainbows storage location. Theres no time. Right now Rainbow. It was a kind of codename referring to the special item [Order of Harmony]. When that secretive name left Tak Won-hos mouth, Kang Dong-wooks face became even more bewildered, but Unfortunately, the conversation between the two did not end nicely. Boom-!! Bang! Bang! Boom!! An explosion urred. Fire-attribute magic. Among them, [Explosion] which caused a wide-range st. That powerful magical attack revealed itself on all sides, making loud noises. Naturally, the people who had hurriedly entered through the door were also easily caught up in the explosion. Gaaack-!! Save me! Professor! Professor!! In an instant, the research institute became chaotic. Those who survived moved their bodies as much as possible and entered deeper inside the research institute, while those who failed to respond to the attack in time thrashed about in agony. Masked men wielding weapons each came flooding in through the entrance. Twenty people? Thirty? There were too many Holders to even try counting. W-What is What on earth is going on! At that hellish sight. Kang Dong-wooks pupils lost their way, filled with confusion. It was the same for the guard team captain who stood beside him to quickly grasp the situation. The peaceful research institute had suddenly be drenched in blood. Masked people invaded and carried out an assault, and many were injured or killed. This all happened in just 10 minutes. It was impossible toprehend the situation at all. !! And from among that explosion. A man walked out. Dark blue hair and a huge ck longsword. The aura of darkness undting around him. That man was. Someone Kang Dong-wook and Tak Won-ho standing in front of him to block his way both knew very well too. Its been a while. Hwang Seong-yeon, the owner of the demon sword. He was the one who assaulted the academy. With dozens of n members in tow. Unlike the numerous spies who disguise themselves and move within n, his face was too familiar to the public. Because ever since Hwang Seong-yeon became a wanted criminal after the Gwanghwamun Mass Murder, He had never once changed his name or face. In that same face as that time. Under that same name as that time. Even today when he assaulted the academy. All those who came face to face with him recognized him. Youve managed to sneak back into the academy very well. Tak Won-ho red at Hwang Seong-yeon, gritting his teeth. Too many people had already been hurt and killed. At this rate, it seemed like thergest casualty in academy history would ur. The culprit of that disaster was shamelessly walking forward. However, Hwang Seong-yeons expression did not change one bit in response to Tak Won-hos anger. There was a necessary item. An item necessary enough for the submaster of the Grand Viin n to lead dozens of n members must be quite the extraordinary item indeed. To that verbose remark, Hwang Seong-yeon stared straight at Tak Won-ho. Won-ho, you already know. Dont call my name with your filthy mouth. Tak Won-hos expression was filled with rage. The pain of old grudges and memories losing their way dwelled in his emotions. Hwang Seong-yeon. That name had given Tak Won-ho far too many nightmares. And seeing that stiff reaction, Hwang Seong-yeon Quietly gripped his sword. Uninteresting talk. That there was no more meaning to the conversation. Because they already knew that. Swish- Swish- Before one knew it, magical power had gathered in Hwang Seong-yeons ck longsword. It was a bizarre magical power where filthy darkness and deep red blood color mingled. Powerful magical power with the will to end things in one go without wasting time Seeing that, Tak Won-ho also gritted his teeth and gripped his sword tightly. He had to block it. If it went through here. If they took [The Order of Harmony], which he presumed was what they were after. He didnt know how things would flow going forward. He didnt know how the n would rage. In order to contain that potential danger, he absolutely had to stop Hwang Seong-yeon here. And Bleed. Great despair descended upon the academy. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 157: The Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride (5)

Chapter 157: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride (5)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. It was a series of shocking events. Ji Yoon-jae, who was a friend and a member of the group, was from the n, and had prepared to ambush by setting traps in this dungeon. Just up to this point, it was enough to make ones eyes wide open in astonishment, but what came after was even more surprising. In the despairing situation where death was right before his eyes. A change urred to Do Jae-hyun, who was at the very front. A huge stream of golden light poured all towards him, and the form of a dragon briefly appeared and disappeared behind his back. It looked just like the appearance of a dragon that one would only hear about in legends. Kang Juyeon nkly stared at Do Jae-hyun. The man who kept showing different transformations every time. When she first saw him, he was just a crude Holder who only knew how to use a single dagger, but as time passed, the number of weapons he could wield kept increasing Now, before she knew it, he had be a talented Multi-Holder who could also use numerous magic runes. She didnt know what rune existed for that mystical growth. Or what power he had borrowed. But one thing that was certain. He always tried his best in every given situation, and behind that growth was unseen sweat and effort. After watching him for quite some time now, Kang Juyeon could finally see the backside of that growth. I received help again. That was another transformation of Do Jae-hyuns. She didnt know what power he had gained this time, but it was surely a desperate struggle using all his power to save the party in crisis So even after Do Jae-hyun fully gained that special power. And even after he retired the enemy leader in one breath with the ultimate skill Rush after a simplemand. Completely turning around the unfavorable battle situation. Kang Juyeon thought. I want to help too. Rather than only receiving help from him, she wanted to support his shoulders as a strong colleague who stands alongside him. Do Jae-hyun No, Jae-hyun. I want to be a strong colleague whom he can trust and rely on. That determination and will shattered an egg. Kang Juyeon who was trapped inside an egg created by the mannerisms of genius under the name of talent. That egg waspletely shattered. And as she stepped out from it, she was newly soaring. [I have witnessed the sacred pact between the forgotten Dragon Knight and Dragon. The power contained in the pact intertwines with your will. The Unquenchable me of guardianship slumbering in your chest flickers. The Red Dragon of the pact, Kanaless will stand beside the Knight anywhere and anytime.] [The hidden power of the Unquenchable me rune is revealed.] [Rune information is updated to the new rune Guarding Unquenchable me.] [You gain 5 magic power and 5 fire resistance with the runes attribute.] [You have learned the derived skill Defensive Barrier.] [Guarding Unquenchable me]. The existing [Unquenchable me] was renewed to register as a new legendary rune. She had only thought it was a fire-attribute epic rune obtained upon awakening, but it turned out to be a mystical and intense power intertwined with the legend of dragons. The seal was finally broken, transmitting a new power to her. Kang Juyeon slightly opened her eyes which she had been shutting. The new direction of the rune shed across her mind. The rune she had thought was focused only on attacking. Because of that attribute, Kang Juyeon had always only focused on destructive and aggressive rune utilization. But the real power her rune possessed wasnt that. The fire-attribute magic rune once possessed by the Red Dragon Kanaless. [Guarding Unquenchable me]. This was a power created to guard knights who formed pacts and care for humans. Kwaang! She looked over the battlefield before her eyes. Although Do Jae-hyun hadpletely turned the tide after defeating the enemy leader, the situation was still unfavorable. There were still seven viin n members remaining who looked to at least be B-grade Holders, and it was questionable how long Do Jae-hyun who had already used a lot of power raiding the boss could hold out even after gaining new power. And there was Ji Yoon-jae. He was looking for a chance to attack Do Jae-hyun with the unique movements of assassin-style holders after being pushed back for a moment in the initial sh against Do Jae-hyun. While Do Jae-hyun may have noticed this as well, it was clearly visible to Kang Juyeon who was concentrating from afar. In the smoke that temporarily obscured her vision from the explosion. Ji Yoon-jae was charging at Do Jae-hyun again. In that instantaneous situation Kang Juyeon quietly moved her magic power. Defensive Barrier. Do Jae-hyun who was alone and surrounded from afar. Around him A fiery barrier fiercely blocking attacks. Now it was her turn to support as well. *** Ippotrantion *** Ta- Tap tap- Wharrlurruk-!! Oh crap. Surprised me. I almost swore without realizing it. In the moment of fighting the remaining n members after rendering Koo Myeong-hoon unable to fight. Suddenly mes burst up around me. It wasnt something the enemies did. All the opponents were close-ranged, without any hint of trying to utilize magic. The manifestation of magic power came from behind. It was magicing from our party side that had been tensely watching the fight. Who is it? Senior Yoon Ji-ah? I dont know who casted the magic. They should all have depleted their magic power because of fighting the boss, so I wondered how they cast magic. On top of that, the shield of mes burning wholly around me, It was a peculiar form of magic I had never seen before. Although the mes bloomed around me, there was no intention at all of attacking me. Rather, it seemed like magic created for the purpose of defense. The mes zed up and surrounded my body, then freely moved by adjusting its height near my chest. It looked like the skill, [Magic Control] and [Physical Defence], runes you could acquire by taking martial arts runes to the extreme. And. Crk- Whoosh-!! Kuuk!! Among the blinding mes, there was an enemy taking damage. Ji Yoon-jae. The guy who shed swords briefly with me earlier and got pushed back by the momentum of my [Explosive Sword Aura]. He was trying to ambush me while I fought intensely with Koo Myeong-hoon, but got blocked by the suddenly appearing mes and bounced off. Although the shield of mes consisted of magical energy, it effectively blocked all of Ji Yoon-jaes physical attacks. What is this Of course, I knew he was lurking for a chance to ambush me. With [Berserk] and [Gaze of Stiffness] increasing my stats nearly twofold, my dynamic vision to respond to the opponents raid also increased exponentially. Of course I noticed Ji Yoon-jaes ambush and was preparing countermeasures. Then the shield of mes suddenly appeared and obstructed him. Because of that unexpected defense, Ji Yoon-jae shouted as if exploding. F*ck! Just how many skills do you have?! Hey. This wasnt something I did. I really didnt. Feels kinda unfair. Tak- tak- Swish- Crk!! And maybe that defense was the fuse. Three Holders wedged themselves into the battle formation where I was surrounded alone. Kwon Oh-jun, Park Jin-woo, Choi Dong-wook. The Holders who took the tanking line at the front. The members besides Shin Yu-na who was guarding the rear. They quickly approached beside me, Then shed weapons with the n members. Seeing that, I quietly spoke. Is everyone okay? No matter how physical attacks are better to use than other elements, still, they must be tired and depleted of magic power. I was needlessly worried they had forced themselves toe help me. Oh, we cant just keep watching. Right. Because you took down that gravity mage, our feet got freed up a bit. Kill about three for me. They must have already used up their ultimate skills, and skills with long cooldowns too. All they had left was physical ability and weapons. Despite that, they stubbornly charged in to help me. Because were a team. Because we ran here with the same goal as a team. So I understood their feelingspletely. It wasnt like I would be any different. Even in that despairing situation, I unsealed the Stone Tablet in an attempt to do something. I didnt know the result would be this good, but anyway, all that was an action for the team. I nodded my head then gripped my weapon again. Then everyone be careful! I will engage as many people in front as possible! After leaving the rear to my teammates. I immediately utilized [Agile Agility] and stepped forward. The number of n members had already decreased a lot. Cha Soo-yeon was in mortal danger from [Distortions Shadow] and one n member was next to her trying to heal her. On top of that, Koo Myeong-hoon was practically unable to fight after my first explosive attack. Of the original 10 n members, only 7 remained. With 3 of those already upied by my teammates. The number I had to face was just 4. And once its 3 or more thew of the beast is applied. Special effect of [Descendant of the Barbarian King], Law of the Beast. When fighting 3 or more enemies, physical abilities (strength, speed, toughness) rise. 20% for level 4. Pumping from [Berserk] and [Gaze of Stiffness]. Pumped once more by [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. And finally, pumped again by [Oppression]s special effect. Countless ability score modifiersboed and applied like a cheat key. Well, this is something that would make anyone nod their head. Judging only by my current ability scores I had easily surpassed A-grade level. Crk- Kagang-!! Kkakagaga-!! Kuhk!! W-Whats with this monster-like strength!! The n members desperately tried to deploy formations, but were quickly flustered by my overwhelming abilities. Of course, once past A-grade, the highs and lows of ability scores lose a lot of meaning. Theres no criteria ability score to raise grades And from there, ability scores matter less than rune level and rune utilization skill in distinguishingbat power. But thats only for A-grade and above. The n members here now besides Ji Yoon-jae are all B-grade Holders. Even with 3:1 odds it would obviously still be difficult for them. Because of that. Crk- Kagang-!! The only one who canpete with me now is an A-grade Holder. The [Sword of Penitent] and two short swords sh roughly. And a single Holder, escaped from the difference in ability scores Blocked my path from the start. It was Ji Yoon-jae, who had been lurking for a chance to ambush all this time. In front of the crossed weapons, I grinned wickedly. You little rat. Just aiming for the back as always, huh? Do Jae-hyun I will definitely kill you here. Ji Yoon-jae. And the 4:1 battle against the three n members. A formation I would never have dared attempt normally, But I wasnt afraid of it at all now. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 158: The Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride (6)

Chapter 158: The Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride (6)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. What is the biggest characteristic of the Assassin ss? If someone asked this, most would probably answer like this: As the name suggests, assassination is the characteristic. The Assassin ss is most effective when ambushing from unseen ces. Although there may be small differences between the finely divided abilities, the core is ultimately the ambush. The foundation is the [Stealth] rune and the [Weakness Detection] rune. Hiding traces or disappearing from sight with [Stealth], and lowering the opponents defense with [Weakness Detection]. This was the most basic ambush route for the Assassin ss. And Ji Yoon-jae failed twice in ambushing me. The first time was when he attacked me while I was fighting with Koo Myeong-hoon, hiding in the explosion. The second time was just now, when he suddenly jumped in during the 3:1 battle against the n members. The first time I was blocked by the fire shield, and just now I was blocked by my reaction speed. An Assassin ss that failed two ambush attempts. A Holder who lost his specialty would inevitably be at a disadvantage in battle. Haap!! ?! At the sudden series of sword strikes pouring down on him, Ji Yoon-jae is flustered and counters with his short sword. A total of five quick sword strikes. Containing the faint power of attributes. Change Strike. The new advanced rune [Elemental Master] I got bybining all four attribute runes into one. The core effect of this rune is Pure Element, which allows partially ignoring the opponents Resistance Stat (Attribute Resistance). And Change Strike, which can increase the power up to 50% by alternating the power of attributes. These two. Ji Yoon-jae, who seemed a bit inferior in a frontal confrontation. I made full use of this to pressure him. Fire, water, earth, wind, and fire again. The five attributes faintly imbued in my sword, changing over and over. If it was an ordinary sword, the magic resonance would have been weak and it would have broken instantly, but the [Sword of Penitent] was an epic item with considerably high resonance. As expected, expensive weapons were worth their high price. What the hell is this!! Ji Yoon-jae was flustered as he brushed off my sword strikes. Although he spoke like that, I strangely felt like he blocked them quite easily. He blocks well with that little short sword. This is why A-grade Holders are different from B-grade Holders. Ordinary B-grade Holders would be flustered by this kind of attack, overwhelmed by the vastly superior strength and speed, and be pushed back as it is But A-grade Holders narrow that difference like this, utilizing their runes. This brushing away was probably a sword technique rune that utilized the short sword. It seemed to be a skill specialized in evasion. Since the Assassin ss generally has difficulty tanking, they often set up strategies focused on evasion in confrontations Ji Yoon-jaes current state was the textbook of that evasive form. Although the title of Assassin Riding a Dragon had crossed over, after all an A-grade is an A-grade. The basic talent that Ji Yoon-jae possessed was not easily going anywhere. But seeing that, Iughed bitterly inside. I wasnt even aiming for him from the beginning. My target wasnt Ji Yoon-jae from the start. In the first ce, Ji Yoon-jae is of the Assassin ss. Although he is an A-grade Holder, his specialty is ultimately ambushes utilizing [Stealth] and defense pration. Naturally, his real power alsoes from ambushes rather than frontal confrontations. So if I defeat the remaining 3 n members who can buy time and drag out the frontal confrontation Wouldnt the battle formation easily turn to my advantage? From the moment I came in to fight these four, I had devised this strategy, and the first step, retiring one by cutting off his arm just now, was a great sess. The finish of Change Strike. The special effect of [Elemental Master] called Change Strike. An attack with 50% increased power by changing attributes. I instantly changed the direction of the finishing blow andnded a hit on a different n member instead of Ji Yoon-jae. The B-grade Holders who were already struggling to grasp the situation against my pumped up abilities. There was no way they could block this finishing blow pushed to the extreme. The result was aplete sess. Now there were three left, including Ji Yoon-jae. I could see the despair flooding theirplexions. Thats your ability, Ji Yoon-jae. When it came to ambushing and assassinating me, Ji Yoon-jae made one huge mistake. That was timing. When I was the most dangerous, and when he could deal the most effective blow to me. Ji Yoon-jae missed the chance when that timing came. I should have killed him with Cha Soo-yeon. The time I was most defenseless was the moment I tried to kill Cha Soo-yeon using [Distortions Shadows]. At that time, I was pouring all my power into assassinating her, and was even preparing to utilize [Explosive Sword Aura] by investing magic power afterwards. Naturally, I would inevitably be vulnerable to other attacks. Ji Yoon-jae should have aimed for that moment. Without considering Cha Soo-yeons life and death, he should have poured all his power on me at the optimal timing. Having missed that golden time, this was how he struggled in an uncharacteristic manner. Damn it! Hide it and throw it!! Like this. Unable to make proper situational judgments, forced to fight hectically being pushed around. Moron. Iughed inside. Finally it came out. Ji Yoon-jaes main rune, the pinnacle skill [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives]. The ultimate skill [Knife Rain]. A ranged skill that shoots 21 daggers at the target Rather than the daggers pouring down all at once, it was a timed attack pouring down at different timings. Especially since the directions the daggers flew from were all unpredictable,bined with the defense pration effect that partially ignored the targets toughness stat, it was an extremely bothersome ultimate skill. And they are all physical attacks. Most of the ultimate skills I possess,rge or small, utilize magic power. On the other hand, Ji Yoon-jaes [Knife Rain] was a purely physical attack. It was a pure physical ultimate skill without any magic power assistance, while receiving a lot of support from other aspects. I would have cleanly nullified it with Deration of Domination if this was a battle of magic. A skill that could nullify an ultimate skill with a single skill. Unfortunately, however, I had already used [Deration of Domination] earlier to protect Kang Juyeon, so the cooldown was still ticking. Of course, even so, I had some leeway. I had evasion and defense skills given to me besides [Deration of Domination]. Because that wasnt my only evasion and defense measure. Flow. I quietly chanted. At some point, swords were gripped in both hands with the Art of Weapon Exchange. I calmly took a stance and prepared to deflect the pouring daggers. I did use [Sky-Shatttering Heavenly Sword] during the me Hydra raid, but fortunately I had saved [Water Sword Dance]. It was a skill focused on extreme evasion, so I wondered if there would even be a chance to use it, but this opportunity had found me once again. Shh- Eee-!! ng- ng- sh- sh-! Although it was said that all the directions of [Knife Rain] were random, in fact the directions the first 5 came flying from were fixed. Lower left knee, upper right diagonal, right in front, right shoulder, behind the back. I had the wholeplex directionposition memorized. Ji Yoon-jae was a fairly important viin in the original work. ordingly, I also knew in detail about the runes and skills he utilized. Then rhythmically after. The first 5 daggers flew in syncopation. After blocking those tricky 5 daggers, I just had to block in time with the timing. 21 daggers poured down in total. My sword shifts as if to dance to match them. ng- ng- Following that were the bizarre shing sounds of Ji Yoon-jaes daggers bouncing off. My swordy shing with the daggers pouring down like rain Reached its end in an instant. And. sh-!! Once again, Ji Yoon-jaes weapon and my weapon shed. Ipletely lost count of how many times already. Fucker! How?! Why the hell do you know everything, why!! Ji Yoon-jae, filled with rage, fiercely swung his short sword pushing me back. The attack routes of [Knife Rain], and even the directions of the first five daggers. And as if that wasnt enough, even this Ji Yoon-jae charging in to take advantage of the opening. It was all within my range of prediction, and he had foolishly taken the bait of this counterattack. It was the end for one whose patterns had all been read in advance. And. Ugh-?! Ji Yoon-jae, who had charged at me like a bull with horns, suddenly moaned. He had an ufortable and painful expression. As if an unexpected blow had struck him somewhere. At that, a sneer escapes me. Of course, I knew the reason for it. Hows the poison taste? That instant, Ji Yoon-jae and I shed weapons several times. Scratching and scraping him all over as my sword grazed him in various spots. From there, potent venom was flowing out. The derived skill [Poison Attack] from the now level 8 [Venom] rune. Like a damned rat hiding in the corner, my poison attack was parasitizing Ji Yoon-jaes body. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 159: The Forgotten Knight’s Pride (7)

Chapter 159: The Forgotten Knight¡¯s Pride (7)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. It hurts. The intense pain would not go away. A pain I havent felt in a very long time. Since bing an A-grade Holder, since bing a key executive of . A suffering I hadnt been able to properly feel even once. That dizzying sensation flows through my whole body. The bleeding wont stop, causing excessive blood loss, and the sword scar engraved on my chest shows no signs of fading. Puh puh huh Cha Soo-yeon barely gasped for breath. An operation I thought would be over in less than a minute. The time of ughter I was waiting for with a smile. It had all turned into bubbles. The situation had changed to an unfavorable position in an instant, and all of my subordinates were in crisis due to the enemys counterattack. Umm umm. Its a really shitty situation. Hystericalposure flows out of her heart. And again, it was because of Do Jae-hyun. The root of all distortions. The fundamental reason why the n n had be a little urgent. A first year student holder Had ruined the operation again. This time, inflicting direct damage on me, Cha Soo-yeon. Do Jae-hyun. Although it was humiliating, I gritted my teeth and stared at him. Fortunately, my life had been saved. I would have to go back and receive proper treatment, but somehow there didnt seem to be any threat to my life. On top of that, I had also properly grasped his ultimate skill. The skill that was unleashed with themand Rush. That was clearly a magical instant movement that did not use physical strength. And the additional blow thatpletely shattered my [Magical Defense Barrier]. It seemed to be an ultimate skill system that ignores defense after instant movement. It was quite a shocking skill, but if we meet again. Cha Soo-yeon was confident that she could block it and counterattack. Wait. I will definitely, definitely kill you. However, that would have to wait for the next time. In her current physical condition, rather than counterattacking, the probability of being hit again was higher. Cha Soo-yeon looked at the n member in front of her. The subordinate who poured potions on her injured body and enthusiastically treated her. He was standing guard in preparation for a possible attack. Whats your name? Im Lim Jin-hyeok, branch manager! I see. Cha Soo-yeon turned her head and looked back. The boss room of the Smuggling Cave. Towards the entrance leading into it. Although no one had noticed because the output magic was so subtle, there was an unauthorized warp gate there. The smuggling site that Do Jae-hyuns party had continued toe looking for in this dungeon. Thest passage also existed in this boss room. Can you get there No problem. The n subordinate responded resolutely. It was as if no matter what Cha Soo-yeons order was, even if it was hell, he would go with that kind of face. With most of the n members fighting the enemies, and some inbat disabled condition. There was only this one subordinate who could support Cha Soo-yeon now. Cha Soo-yeon nodded slowly. Yes, then At that moment. Whoosh- Pak!! Uk?! An arrow came flying out of nowhere and pierced the subordinates shoulder. Over there The archer ss of the opposite party. It was Akiba Miyura of the n. Like a mature B-grade Holder, she urately hit the arrow even from a long distance. Im okay, branch manager! Ill block it! Hurry. The situation became more urgent. The opposite party who had poured all their power into assaulting the boss was slowly regaining their strength. Those who use physical attacks were already participating inbat, and those who use magic were finishing their recovery. Now was the only chance to escape. Cha Soo-yeon nodded her head and used the sacrifice of the nameless subordinate n member as a stepping stone to move. Although the sharp sound of arrows continued and the voice of her subordinate became less frequent she didnt really care. After all, it was a worthless underling whose name she didnt even know. And soon, she was finally able to arrive at the unauthorized warp gate. She touches the hidden magic point. Just as she was about toplete the transition. Lee Soo-mi!! An unpleasant voice called out a name somewhere. An expression filled with fear and uneasy trembling. Disheveled blonde hair and an exposed nuns habit. It was Lee Soo-mi, the divinity-type Holder of the opposite party. And She was also an old connection that Cha Soo-yeon knew very well. Umm Its disgusting to hear that name again. I guess Im out of luck. Even as she said that, Cha Soo-yeon quickly nced around Lee Soo-mi. Fortunately, there didnt seem to be any other Holders chasing her other than Lee Soo-mi. Dont run away. Ill kill you today. Puhaha- Hearing those words, I couldnt help butugh. You? With what. Your staff? No matter how weakened Cha Soo-yeon was now, it wasnt enough for her to be defeated by a holy-type who didnt even have a proper attack skill. As if Lee Soo-mi also knew this, she couldnt hide her embarrassed expression. She had run desperately to stop Cha Soo-yeons movement, but with all the damage dealers inbat now. She had no real way to catch her. Umm Lets vent our anger next time. Im a little busy today, sis. Cha Soo-yeon lightly smiled, then immediately put on a cold face and raised her hand to the [Warp Gate]. I did see an unexpectedly pleasant face, but That was it. What was important to her now was escape. And revenge against Do Jae-hyun who had given her indelible humiliation. The only thought was to tear him apart and kill him. Ugh Holy Bind! The desperate Lee Soo-mi somehow tried using a divine skill to bind the target, but The [Warp Gate] had already finished activating. And so, Cha Soo-yeon seeded in escaping. *** Ippotrantion *** [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponents runes. Please select the rune you wish to copy.] Its over. Now, the status window of [Rune Hunter], which sounded like a text message notification, informed me that all battles were over. Ji Yoon-jae dropped all his weapons and knelt down. Evasion and tanking. Physical attacks and magic attacks. Explosions and poison attacks. I poured out everything I could do in the current situation, and he couldnt withstand it to the end and was defeated. Ugh! No, I cant. Swish-!! Noticing something strange, I immediately changed my weapon to a club and mmed it on his head. He seemed to have admitted defeat and was about tomit suicide No way. He had to be captured alive and interrogated until he died. Ow Ji Yoon-jae, who received a huge shock to the head, copsed to the ground. With the Rune [Master of Martial Arts], which raised the proficiency of all weapons to a certain level, I had no restrictions on using weapons. This applied to blunt weapons like clubs as well. Ji Yoon-jae probably never imagined that my full swing would have such a huge impact. Hes not dead, right? Seeing him sprawled on the floor like a dying insect, I strangely feel uneasy. Do Jae-hyun. When I was about to wrap up the fight with Ji Yoon-jae. I heard peopleing. Ah, Team Leader Kwon. Kwon Oh-Jun, Park Jin-woo, Choi Dong-wook. Not only the three frontrunners who fought with me, but also the support staff who were in the back slowly came over as they regained their strength. Its over. Are you hurt anywhere? Well, as you can see When they used the Berserk Potion, I was surprised, but fortunately, the magician sses helped out a bit. When Ji Yoon-jae attacked earlier That sudden Fire Shield that blocked me was not a coincidence. The magician sses, whose magic power should have beenpletely depleted, had somehow recovered their magic power and supported the frontrunners, allowing the rest of the party to smoothly take down the n members. I slowly looked around. Ugh ugh. Cough cough. I could hear painful voices here and there. Most of them were not normal. Including Ji Yoon-jae, all n members have be incapacitated. Among them, some had lost their lives, and many like Ji Yoon-jae had lost consciousness. But as I looked around, I noticed something strange. The most important person here was missing. I couldnt see Cha Soo-yeon. I Dont see Cha Soo-yeon. And at those words, Akiba and Lee Soo-mis faces darkened. Akiba exined the situation. While you were fighting the others, the woman named Cha Soo-yeon moved through an unauthorized warp gate. What? There was another warp gate? Yes. It was hidden near the entrance to the boss room. Holder Lee Soo-mi and I tried to block it but it was toote to stop her. Im sorry. How frustrating. We barely won the battle, but except for Ji Yoon-jae, most of the n members here are just small fries. As the branch manager of the academy and a core executive of , we should have captured Cha Soo-yeon. Since we were outnumbered and many were exhausted, it was difficult to mark everyone. Especially after using my ultimate skill [Distortions Shadow] to put her in a near-death state, it is even more regrettable. Well, it cant be helped. Lets organize the remaining members first and get out. Everyone is too tired. Just as I was about to wrap things up. Kang Juyeon from behind approached me. Jae-hyun. Huh? What? What she showed me was a small pendant glowing red. This is Amunication device exclusively for Judgement of Fires executives. uratemunication isnt possible, but it can send signals in an emergency. Usually, modern items dont work inside dungeons. Of course, mobile phones cant be used either, cutting off contact with the outside. A special item prepared for such asions. Kang Juyeon was showing me one of them. And what that meant was. It doesnt look like Viin only attacked here. It was another move by these pesky guys. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 160: Counterattack (1)

Chapter 160: Counterattack (1)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Theplete conquest of the smuggling cave. And after fending off the attack of . Without even a moment to rest, we hurried back to Korea. The academy might also get attacked. It was because of the information that the academy was also attacked while we were being attacked by Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae. When returning, we received a lot of help from the n, our coborating n. Shimizu Kenzo and Akiba Miyura actively helped us, and additional personnel were also assigned. Through a special prisoner transport of criminal Holders, a total of 9 members of the n were transferred to Seoul, and they were transferred as-is to the Korea Holders Association. And the party members who were scattered to their respective affiliations. I ran straight to the academy without even looking further. In the academy, which was a mess due to the attack, there was Professor Tak Won-ho alone guarding the campus. Teacher!! As soon as I saw him, I ran over. Instead of the title of Professor that I usually call him, the title of Teacher slipped out. Of course, his condition was beyond words. There was a huge stab wound in his chest area, and traces of bloodstains and wounds were engraved here and there. Not to mention the countless scratches drawn all over his upper body. In one word, a battered body. It was a body condition that indicated traces of intensebat. Anger rises to the top of my head. I was already angry that we were attacked at the smuggling cave, but when I saw that the academy was attacked and civilians around were hurt, my anger red up. I asked him, clenching my fist. What What bastard is it. Right now Calm down. At that, Professor Tak Won-ho rather calmed me down in aposed tone. He is already a senior Holder with a lot of experience and long career. Even in this situation, he never loses hisposure. Thanks to him, I was also able to calmly settle my mind. Seeing my teacher with a big injury Ive never seen before, I must have gotten extremely excited without realizing it. Whats important is from now on. Anyway, we somehow survived. Professor Tak Won-ho asked me continuously with a calm face. Yes. Did you find all the evidence on site in Japan, and catch the Viin members who attacked? Yes. In particr, this site was Viins new trading ce, so catching them and simultaneously dealing financial damage to the bastards will be quite significant. Well done. Youve done something really big. Thanks to you, the Viin side must be quite urgent as well. Creak- At the same time as those words, the door of the professors office opened. And soon, three professors walked in. They were familiar faces. Yoo Eun-seol, whom I havent seen in a while, Kim Myeong-hyun with a rather dark expression, and a professor with a face I see for the first time came in at once. Like Professor Tak Won-ho, thest professor also had arge wound on one arm. It seemed to be the professor who took the brunt of the attack within the academy. Oh Seeing them, I immediately stood up and bowed my head. Yoo Eun-seol and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun slightly raised their hands to ept my greeting. The top brass of the academy and the current strongest at the academy in terms ofbat ability. Very rare figures gathered together. I briefly wondered if I could be in a seat with such prestigious professors. Ive heard the news. Yoo Eun-seol, who was the first to enter, opened her mouth. Herplexion looked very bad. Presumably, thats because she saw the victims of the academy with her own eyes on her way here. Although Yoo Eun-seol has an image of being cold and stiff outwardly, she actually has a warm heart. She must have had quite a lot of affection for the students she has taught so far and me, even though she hasnt shown it outwardly until now. And at the moment when she was away on an external business trip, many were killed and injured in the attack. In the original work, she also harbored hatred against due to the Academy Attack Operation, and now that she directly became an instructor That emotion was bound to be more intense. It happened right when I was away. At those words, Professor Tak Won-ho slightly bowed his head. Im sorry. It was clearly an operational failure of the management. It seems Spies have infiltrated quite deep within the academy. Seeing how the bastards rushed in when Instructor Yoo Eun-seol was out on a business trip, it must be so. There are spies within the academy. And this is not just about students. Clearly, there were also spies hiding among the management and professors. At the end of 1st semester, the absurd weakness and negligence of the inspectors in Ha Do-kwons attempted murder case. At the beginning of 2nd semester, the Kim Do-yoon assault case, where strangely the three of us, me, Moon Ga-eun and Kim Do-yoon became a team. And in various other incidents involving Many suspicious points could be discovered. That means there are definitely spies on the management side as well. This was also information that did note out clearly in the original work. The reason why I enthusiastically investigated during this Japan exploration was also to properly detect such hidden spies. Althoughte, I will actively participate in the academys future ns. I cannot just stand by and watch this social evil that so mercilessly deals with innocent students and ordinary people. Yoo Eun-seol dered. Yoo Eun-seols hatred toward . That emotion rolled like a snowball and became the catalyst for her to make an unexpected decision. The academy had no particr justification to include her as abat personnel since she was simply recruited as an instructor, but it was as satisfactory as it could get that she voluntarily came out like this. Professor Tak Won-ho nodded and turned his eyes. Professor Kang. May I ask for an exnation? Yes. It was the professor with the face I saw for the first time among the three professors who entered the professors office. I am a former full-time professor of the special division, Kang Dong-wook. Ah. At that name, my head shed for a moment. Kang Dong-wook. I definitely had a memory of hearing that name before. Although an insignificant character without much presence in the original work, aftering here myself I heard that he was quite an influential academy professor. He is one of the most prominent authorities with the best performance in the summoning (taming) division, and is also a celebrity receiving focused interest from academia. In particr, Kim Chae-eun, who is quite interested in such famous Holders, I think Ive heard about him a few times through her as well. As you all must have heard, this incident involved arge-scale attack by Viin ns submaster Hwang Seong-yeon and many other Viin n members. And from what I additionally heard, it was also a simultaneous attack on our academy students dispatched to Japan. Professor Kang Dong-wook put a report and a phone on the desk. And he yed a video. In the video, there was a mysterious crystal-like item giving off a hazy green light. What youre seeing now is an item called the Order of Harmony. Its a special academy-owned item that has been secretly buried externally, evaluated by rted disciplines as having tremendous potential value. [Order of Harmony]. It was an item name I had never heard before. Considering Professor Kang Dong-wooks discipline and position, it seemed to be a special item specialized for the summoning discipline. What the Viin aimed for in this attack operation was this item. Despite taking on extremely high risk factors, they infiltrated the academy and managed to steal this item. Professor Kang Dong-wook calmly continued. The potential value that the Order of Harmony possesses is enormous. Even I, a professional researcher, have not been able to draw out its inherent capabilities, its a legendary-grade item with countless unknown abilities still sealed. Sometimes a lot of effort is needed to unleash the true power of certain items. Just for the [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon] that I had, it took considerable time and magic stones to unlock its seal. The [Order of Harmony] item I just learned about also seemed to have such sealing properties. I dont know how much the Viin n will be able to utilize this item, or to what extent they will be able to unleash its power. After all, even our research team hasnt figured out its real power yet. The look in Professor Kang Dong-wooks eyes darkened as he uttered hisst words. Just that we dont know what will happen when that power is fully unleashed. Ordinary peoples attack controlling monsters. Such a disaster could happen at any moment. Professor Kang Dong-wook assumed the worst case scenario. Thats why we need to assemble our forces as soon as possible and reim this item from the Viin. How so? Yoo Eun-seol asked. Its easy to say. Get back the stolen item and take revenge on the . If only it was possible, it would have been a n that was implemented long before now. But no one knows the whereabouts of the s base. As they areposed in a cell-type organization, even the low-ranking n members dont know their base The n leaders move their residence using various illegal items. Unable to locate the exact position, neither the Association nor each n has been able tounch an annihtion operation so far. However, Professor Kang Dong-wooks expression seemed confident. Its through this guy. Professor Kang Dong-wook spread his hand. Seeing that, I cocked my head. What is this guy? Because at first nce, there was nothing in that hand. But when looking closely, I saw something. Professor Kang Dong-wook slowly held out his hand. On it, I spotted something very tiny, like a speck. If you dont look very closely, its something that ispletely invisible. This thing is a bug called an F-grade monster, a special small-sized monster that can only be found in insect nesting dungeons. F-grade monster. Bug. It was a monster name I had never hunted or heard of before. Professor Kang Dong-wook talked as he looked around at the monster I was seeing for the first time. As you can see, this monster is so small that its hard to discern its shape with the naked eye, and it has no magic in its body, making it difficult to detect even with magic sensing. That alone proved why the gathered professors and I were unaware of its existence here. Well, it may be an advantage since it has almost no lethal power, but still. In anticipation of such a situation, I had attached a trained bug to the Order of Harmony item at all times. I suppose even Hwang Seong-yeon from the Viin who took the item didnt notice this part. Upon hearing that, I roughly understood why Professor Kang Dong-wook was bringing up this random story. Not just that the item was simply taken away, but that some special device was installed. It seemed like he wanted to appeal that point In fact, that exnation alone was insufficient. What great significance is there in it having no magic? Theres no way to convey the location anyway. Having no magic makes it difficult to find. In other words, it means there is no way for us to locate it either. The same goes even if its a trained monster. [Summoning] tamed monsters is one of thebat methods ofmon tamed monster art Holders, but that doesnt mean they can identify the current location of the tamed monster. Monster taming is only achieved through a kind of contract and high intimacy, not an affiliation. However, Professor Kang Dong-wook shook his head at my question. There is a way. Instead ofbat power, they have some characteristics unique only to themselves. Thats why, for bugs Characteristics? Professor Kang Dong-wook slowly answered me. Yes. Bugs are small and weak, but there are many of them andmunication with their kind is active. Therefore, despite having no magic, through special signals, they can still let their kind figure out direction and location. Ah!! When that exnation came out. Everyone gathered in the professors office was amazed. Only then did everyone realize what Professor Kang Dong-wook was trying to say, what it meant. That is, through this bug attached to the Order of Harmony item We n to locate the Viins base. At first nce, the monster seemspletely useless. But by taming it, he had nted a spy to identify the s location. It was A kind of biological GPS made through monster taming. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 161: Counterattack (2)

Chapter 161: Counterattack (2)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Professor Kang Dong-wooks bug utilization was certainly groundbreaking. From his perspective, it was simply a safety device attached because the [Order of Harmony] was an important and precious item to worry about losing, but the situation took aplete turn when the stole it from him. For a long time, we were ever able to find the s base. It became an important clue to finding this. After hearing the whole exnation. We started to seriously make ns after confirming the possibilities. So can the location be identified in real time? At this question, Professor Kang Dong-wook shook his head. No, thats not the case. Since its not a location thats identified through magic, you have to directly explore by following the direction the bug is pointing to. The location the bug is indicating now is facing east. His answer implied quite a bit. Its the only clue that can identify the sir, but it also means that the opponent can set a trap if they realize this. This method also had its own risks. Still, we absolutely cant give up. Yes. This is the only chance to catch the Viin. Is he about to exin the detailed n? Professor Tak Won-ho walked up to the front and pointed at the bulletin board. Then suddenly, thesh marks on his chest and wounds here and there caught my eye. Hwang Seong-yeon. Seeing Professor Tak Won-ho like this made my anger surge up once again. He was always the firm, silent teacher, but because of that psycho bastard Experiencing a major injury of someone close for the first time, my emotions were all over the ce. I must cut down Hwang Seong-yeon with my own hands. My head was filled with nothing but those kinds of thoughts. As you all know, the s recent attack was practically a deration of war. Even though theyve caused countless social controversies so far, theyve never waged full-on battles with specific groups until now. . The moment Professor Tak Won-ho started speaking He posted several statements on the bulletin board. In light of this, the Korea Holder Association and 42 domestic ns have sent statements saying they will cooperate with the Academys operation. If this operation goes normally, it will be the greatestbined force in domestic Holder history. Next, Professor Tak Won-ho put up some mas marked with the Academy logo. The reason you have all gathered here before starting the operation is simple. Professor Kang Dong-wook is at the center of operations and involved, and Holder Yoo Eun-seol is currently the strongest force in the Academy. If Holder Yoo Eun-seol agrees, we thought these two would be the core of this operation. This time, Professor Tak Won-hos gaze turned to Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and me. And Professor Kim and student Do Jae-hyun are rted to the Anti-Viin circle, another issue from this attack, so I felt an exnation was necessary. In other words, the people gathered here are the Academy side personnel among the coborative operation members. Somehow I ended up bing the student representative, but that wasnt very important in the current situation. Professor Tak Won-ho cleared away the posts and slowly continued speaking. Then I will exin the outline of the Anti-Viin sweep operation. *** Ippotrantion *** The departure date was set for tomorrow. It was to take advantage of the situation and proceed swiftly with the operation before the Viin side noticed our n. Professor Tak Won-ho wanted to participate directly in the operation no matter what, but with his health deteriorating rather than recovering It was too much for him to participate in the operation. Therefore, he took on the role of the control tower within the Academy, and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun became the overall person in charge of the on-site operation. Yoo Eun-seol, who is recognized as the strongest of all, was asked first, but she declined the position, saying that she is not an official member of the Academy. We dont have much time. After hearing the operation schedule from Professor Tak Won-ho I came to the Circle room and was making my own concrete ns. First, a review of and . Through this dispatch to Japan and the attack and response to the Smuggling Cave, I gained a lot of new power. Just the number of runes I acquired was close to 10, and various abilities including special ability points also increased significantly. I need time to make these powers and new effectspletely my own. Although one days time is quite pressing, it will still be much more helpful than just sitting still. There are some I havent read at all. Especially for the rune [Promise Bound by Dragon], which I obtained by unsealing the [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon], I didnt even have time to read the rune information. Because the situation was urgent at the time, and I knew that training runes cannot be utilized right away. In addition to those, there were runes and skills that I had not looked at in detail. I can check them in person when I go to the training ground. I checked the contents I needed to review in sequence. Once this personal review is over.. On our side, 10 people are going like that? Group review content. As if to check this, a cheerful voice rang in my ears. I turned my head to see her face. It was Kim Chae-eun. I hadnt seen her during the weekend, but somehow she knew I was here and came looking for me. Was she with Moon Ga-eun was sitting next to her as well. Yeah. Professor Tak Won-ho said there was no need for that many people to participate, but our club members are too eager. I nodded and answered Kim Chae-euns question. 10 people from the side will participate in this operation. For the first year there is me, Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun, and Park Jin-woo. For the third year there is Yoon Ji-ah, and a total of 4 members from the second year. For the first year members, participation is high and we are close to each other, but the participation of other members was unexpected. Even though I told them it was okay not to participate They stubbornly expressed their willingness to participate. I guess most of them, like Vice President Yoon Ji-ah, were directly harmed by the or had quite deep emotional scars. Do Jae-hyun. Are you okay? I heard you got attacked in Japan. Moon Ga-eun asked with a worried look. Since the scale of this incident wasrge, the news spread quickly within the country. From the fact that a submaster participated in the Academy raid, to the attack personnel assigned to us who were dispatched to Japan. Especially since we subdued the attacking personnel and escorted them back to Korea, interest was focused more. Although the news delivered was positive From the point of view of those around, it was natural to worry about the parties involved. Understanding those feelings, I smiled and reassured her. Of course Im fine. You know Im tough. And I cant let those Viin guys get away with it easily when Im the president of the Anti-Viin circle. With arrogance mixed in my tone. At that, Moon Ga-eun made a frown, but she couldnt hide the expression that she was relieved deep down. Seeing things like this, Moon Ga-eun is also the type whose expressions are easily revealed. If I knew something like that would happen, I should have gone with you, Do Jae-hyun. And without realizing it herself, she made this remark, which was also sincere. Moon Ga-eun really thinks this way. It was by no means an unwee remark. As time spent with her umted, I could now know her sincerity. I jokingly threw out a joke because I was grateful for her feelings. Ohe on, if you went you might have gotten hurt. I guess because it was so rushed today, I didnt have the leisure to take care of my archers too. Do you wanna die? Sorry. For some reason, more often than not I cant even recover my principal. Still, thanks to the joke, the heavy atmosphere loosened up nicely. While talking with them about this incident and tomorrows operation Kim Chae-eun suddenly asked Moon Ga-eun as if she found it strange. Ga-eun, but are you still calling Jae-hyun Do Jae-hyun? At that sudden question. Moon Ga-eun asked back with a puzzled look. Huh? Oh. Why? You two are quite close. Why do you still call him by his full name with hisst name? Huh? At that, Moon Ga-eun had a dumbfounded expression. For a moment I also couldnt understand and blinked my eyes. Theyre close so why call by full name? There seemed to be no connection between the two premises Of course, its true that close friends call each other by name But if they dont, does that mean they arent close? Moon Ga-eun seemed to have simr thoughts as me, pondered for a while, then answered. Well, I guess because the form of address has solidified into one, thats why? Ive never thought it was strange to call him by his full name withst name attached. It just becamefortable. And oh yeah, she snapped her finger and added. And Juyeon also calls him Do Jae-hyun, Do Jae-hyun. Since I got to know Do Jae-hyun through Juyeon, I think I just followed the form of address Juyeon uses for him. Ah I see. Kim Chae-eun nodded her head as if she understood. But listening to that, I objected. Oh No. I agree with the previous remarks, but the next premise was mistaken. It looks like Moon Ga-eun is misunderstanding something. I have to correct the mistake. What do you mean no? At that, Moon Ga-eun turned her head towards me and asked. For a moment I wondered if I should say it, but On second thought, there was absolutely no reason not to tell. We would find out sooner orter when we are together anyway. I scratched my head and answered. Um Juyeon and I decided to call each other by first names. I didnt know, Juyeon said it takes her some time to get close to someone else. Why does it feel like someone cast a silence spell all of a sudden? Why did it be so quiet all of a sudden? So she said it looks like were morefortable now, so it would be nice to be more casual while talking about this and that in Japan, we decided to call each other by first names As I innocently answered like that My words trailed off near the end. Because I kept feeling something was off. What!? Weird. Somethings weird. Even though I didnt say anything wrong, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Talking about the confrontation against the , the mood was heavy but also lively as we were catching up on the weekend when we didnt see each other. It should have been rxing with casual talk and getting serious starting tomorrow for the task ahead. What What is it. But that bright atmosphere became heavy. Cold. Too cold. As my words continued, the circle room atmosphere became infinitely chilly. Amidst that silence being broken and their conversation reaching my ears. Ha, ha. Wow, wow. Ga-eun, you heard that too right? .I should be called by my first name now too. Yes. What? What does he even mean?. Thats right. When you get close, you should drop thest name and call by first name. He went to Japan without us for this, for this. No, it wasnt a conversation. While seemingly having a conversation on the surface They were actually just voicing their own words. It was a collective soliloquy consisting of 2 people. But Ga-eun. You have no reason to be upset right? Thats right. Since Juyeon calls him like that now, I should do that too this time. Yes. Its weird. Ga-eun wasnt part of the n. Amidst the flow of that iprehensible conversation. I grasped my head. Stop it. Im sorry. I dont know what, but I was wrong. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 162: Counterattack (3)

Chapter 162: Counterattack (3)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. What is the most efficient way to utilize the [Rune Hunter]? Various rune acquisitions, properbinations, high-level rune syntheses, etc. It may vary depending on the approach, but if you had to choose the most effective method, it would be obtaining high-level good runes. While the grade is an important factor in evaluating runes, the level is an equally important core element. The higher the level, the different the proficiency. And [Rune Hunter] typically registers acquired runes at about half the level. Therefore, the higher the level of the opponents runes, that is, the more excellent the opponents level, the higher the value of the runes obtained. Ironically, in order to obtain high-level runes, you have to be a high-level Holder worthy of seizing them. Thats why the rune levels have been low so far. In general, the rune level is higher for Holders than for monsters. While Holders consistently refine and grow their own runes over a long period of time, monsters live their lives with growth halted in a specific space. And most of the runes Ive hunted so far are monsters runes. I did get some runes through a few duels with Holders, but I never fought an overwhelmingly strong opponent. Thats why there was a limit to the level of the runes I acquired. Ive hunted monsters up to A-grade, even S-grade monsters, but Unfortunately, there were no runes exceeding level 10 when acquired. .This time its different. However, s recent attack. Battling quite powerful opponents, high-ranking Holders, the situation has changed. The fruit of victory seized while fending off the sudden attack Was definitely different from before. [You have won the duel! Your high contribution in the duel is recognized as a victory. With the wondrous power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponents runes. Please select the rune to replicate.] [You have selected Art of Hidden Throwing Knives. As it is a 20-level epic rune, the level will drop to 10 when registered.] [You have gained 5 speed from the runes nature.] The rune proficiency changes from A-grade Holders. Spy Ha Do-kwon and Kim Do-yoon temporarily showed a formparable to A-grade with [Berserk Potion], but This was just aparable form at best. There was a clear limit to how much ability scores could be pumped up. Even so 20 levels On the other hand, Ji Yoon-jae was a senior n member of . Unlike those I faced before, he demonstrated the full capabilities of an A-grade Holder. Of course, he was iparable to lower-level Holders in terms of rune level and utilization, and the results of victory were also astonishing. The proficiency of a main rune at level 20 was beyond imagination. With this, I was able to obtain an epic rune at level 10. [You have selected Intolerable Gravity. As it is a 20-level epic rune, the level will drop to 10 when registered.] [You have gained 5 magic from the runes nature.] Wow. And it was the same with Cha Soo-yeon. She took a big hit from my [Distortion of Shadow] and fled, so [Rune Hunter] recognized my victory. Thats why I was able to acquire her main rune [Intolerable Gravity]. It was the moment when two level 10 epic runes were added to the at once. I slowly looked through the information on the newly acquired runes. Name: Art of Hidden Throwing Knives Grade: Epic (E) Level: 10 Engraved Location: Finger Joints Special Effects : You can expertly wield daggers, daggers and other non-metallic weapons. You can freely utilize various techniques handed down from the Darkmoon n, a shadow n. : When used with concealment runes, the power increases by 20%. : If you infuse magic and throw knives, you can momentarily bend their direction. There is no limit to when you can bend, and the attack is made with 70% of the original power. Derived Skills:- Ultimate Skill :- [Knife Rain] Detailed Information:- : A specialized knife technique from the Darkmoon n, the arch-enemy of the barbarian tribe Barbarians. Although it is said to be very difficult to acquire and the techniques are abstruse making it hard to hand down, there are still those who continue the tradition. Ji Yoon-jaes main rune [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] was a kind of mighty rune. Since the rune itself contained technical methodologies, the effects were simple and there were no derived skills. Among my runes, it was simr to [Wave Sword Technique], [Water Sword Technique], or [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. Instead, once the rune level reached the benchmark, the ultimate skill could be utilized. Knife rain A skill that shoots out 21 daggers in random directions at a target. It was Ji Yoon-jaes trademark ultimate skill and also the supreme physical attack I had just experienced in the previous battle. It was one of his powers that I coveted the most, and now it became my power. Since I was rtivelycking skills for physical attacks, this seemed like an attractive skill. Name: Intolerable Gravity Grade: Epic (E) Level: 10 Engraved Location: Corbone Special Effects:- : You can freely manipte gravity and your understanding of gravitational forces increases. : The status condition slow is applied to all magic manifested through this rune. : As this maniptes the gravity of a specific area rather than a specific target, all magic manifested through this rune takes the form of area of effect magic. Depending on rune level and magic level, the area that can be expanded varies. Derived Skills:- [Press Down] Ultimate Skill:- [Reverse Gravity] (Restricted) Detailed Information:- : A rune specialized in manipting gravity within the elemental power system. The gradually increasing pressure of gravity makes anyone copse unbearably. Hmm. After reading each piece of information on the runes, I felt that Cha Soo-yeons [Intolerable Gravity] had unexpectedly low applicability. The overall performance is good. The fact that status conditions are inherently included in all magic, the fact that all magic has an area of effect These are effects that have nothing to fault. Its a shame its not an attribute rune. However, the w was that this rune was not an attribute magic rune, but a special magic rune. Special magic runes basically require arrangement and manifestation of magic as an essential element, and are heavily influenced by supporting runes. Just looking at the area of effect magic trait of [Intolerable Gravity], you can see the premise that you must be able to expand magic in that area. Therefore, unlike attribute magic runes that can easily conjure fire, lightning, etc. with just light magic These specialized special magic runes were not easy to utilize. The fact that the ultimate skill [Reverse Gravity] was in a restricted state was also a phenomenon that urred because the level requirement was met but such necessary conditions were not satisfied. It would be inefficient to start learning spells now. My main focus is and will always be physical attacks. I do utilize magic, but I dont arrange and manifest magic using incantations like other magic Holders. Even if I were to learn this and be able to use it, such tendencies would not match well with mybat style. But Press Down looks usable. Fortunately, the derived skill of applying intense gravitational increase on an individual target, [Press Down], seemed to have high applicability. Unlike other magics, this could be used simply by lightly eliciting magic. It felt like I had gained a solidifying status condition skill. As for the rest Nothing more. Unfortunately, there were no runes acquired from Koo Myeong-hoon. Among the academy students, he was a Multi-Holder who handled elemental fire magic runes and swordy in a textbook manner. Perhaps because of that, the runes he possessed were all ones I already had. I thought some new rune might appear since he was using something like a demon sword, but it was simply the performance and effects of the item. It seemed there were no dramatically appearing new runes. Then. After trying out the newly acquired [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives ] and [Intolerable Gravity] a few times, I tidied up my weapons and left the training grounds. There were no runes that needed further inspection. I did read over the new Legendary Rune [Promise Bound by Dragon] as well, but this one is not yet a rune that can be directly utilized inbat. Now I had to mentally picture tomorrows operation and focus on the progress of the n. *** Ippotrantion *** The day dawned. Early morning. In front of the academy main gate, there were a total of 8 Holders. The four that Professor Tak Won-ho had gathered yesterday. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, Professor Kang Dong-wook, Yoo Eun-seol, and me. In addition, personnel dispatched from the top 3 ns in the country, and personnel dispatched from the Korean Hunter Association came. This operation will consist of an advance party and follow-up forces. As the advance party, we will first locate the position of the Viin n following Professor Kangs search, then raid their base at the same time as the follow-up forces. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, who was the team leader, briefly exined. That is, the current 8 people are the advance party members. Since personnel representing each n and the association came, the members were quite prominent. Nice to meet you all. I hope we can definitely eradicate Viin this time. Kim Dae-won, an A-grade Holder, came from the Korean Holder Association. Kim Dae-won is considered one of the top rankers among the domestic new generation series, and is also known for his generous support for lower-ranking Holders such as free healing or rotating treatment. He can be seen as someone who has greatly contributed to publicizing the positive influence in the Holder Association. Im Park Chang-hyun. Im Kwon Oh-jun. Park Chang-hyun, an A-rank Hunter, came from , and Kwon Oh-jun, a rising executive of , attended. It would be difficult for the head-rankers toe, but they were Holderers that carried a nk in their respective ns. However, went a step further. A key executive named Moon Jung-hyuk, one of the founding contributors, came as the advance party member. Despite magic-types not being necessary for the advance party, he insisted on having at least one archer-type, using somewhat logical reasoning. Thanks to him, I was able to see his face again after a very long time. Its been a while, Holder Moon Jung-hyuk. Oh my, I almost forgot what my future son-inw looks like since I havent seen you in so long. Huh? What was this guy talking about? I doubted my ears for a moment and asked back, then scanned my surroundings faster than anyone else. Fortunately. Fortunately, it seemed no one had heard that. Um Mr. Moon Jung-hyuk. Please keep that talk a secret externally Hmm? Ah, right. Haha. Sorry about that. I nked out for a moment. I was just happy to see you again, thats all. Yes, yes. This was like a time bomb that could go off at any moment. Fortunately, Moon Ga-eun was not here. If she saw us together, who knows what nonsense Moon Jung-hyuk would have spurted out. Then, shall we get going now? Professor Kang. Yes. The chaotic atmosphere quickly settled down at Professor Kim Myeong-hyuns words. Professor Kang Dong-wook lowered his head. Then he stared intently at the small monster lying on the back of his hand. He seemed to be confirming the Bugs Signal, the key to this operation, as the tamer. And not long after Professor Kang raised his head. Its west. And so. The counterattack against the n began. Tl/n: Sorry about thete posting, was kinda busy and when I was free, there waswork downtime. Ill still be tranting this novel and would love to finish it. Happy Reading., Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 163: Training Contract (1)

Chapter 163: Training Contract (1)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Fortunately, the exploration did not seem to take a long time. Unlike in the past when we moved around and explored using trial and error, this was the era of rune Holders with activated runes and [Warp Gates]. As long as we could confirm the direction, we could narrow it down by going through the [Warp Gate] points one by one. Starting from Seoul, we entered Gyeonggi-do to the west. We went into Goyang, Gwangmyeong, and Bucheon, but The bug was still pointing west. And after entering Incheon, the western metropolitan city, the direction of the bug finally changed to northwest. The probability is high that its towards Ganghwa Ind Professor Kang Dong-wook opened his mouth about it. If you go north from Incheon, theres Gimpo. If you go west from there again, theres Ganghwa Ind. It was somewhat expected, but it seemed that the viin had made the ind areas and the surrounding uninhabited inds their base. Uninhabited inds were difficult exploration areas. If we directly delved in, the search attempt itself would be difficult, and even if we did search, there was no guarantee that it would be sessful. The took good advantage of that vulnerability. In fact, even though we had almost confirmed the direction, there was still a possibility that we would not be able to find their real base. When our party arrived at the coast of Ganghwa Ind. Professor Kang announced, Im sure. Its one of the uninhabited inds around here. Thats where the viin is. Then Yes. I think we need to contact the main force now andunch a joint search. After all, we were just the advance party. In order to discover the s base and annihte them in one blow, we desperately needed the main forces participation in the operation. At that, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun nodded his head. Then he dered a temporary suspension of the operation. We decided to take a break for a while at a nearby hotel while waiting for the main force to join us. Thanks to that, we were able to get some rest time after running here breathlessly. Um Professor Kang Dong-wook? After reorganizing the time when wed gather again and everyone taking time to resupply, I went to the cafe inside the hotel during that time. To be precise, it was to see Professor Kang Dong-wook who was already there before me. Oh, Holder Do Jae-hyun. Whats the matter? Professor Kang Dong-wook lifted his head at my call. It seemed he was still researching things rted to this search, pondering over something while looking at the bug before I came. I ordered a coffee and sat down in front of him. Well, its nothing else but And the prelude I slowly brought up. Despite seeming to have nothing inmon with him, I was surprisingly curious about many things regarding him. In fact, ever since we had a chance encounter yesterday, I wanted to talk, but the situation was so urgent and the operation progressed so quickly that there was no time. After listening to all my questions intently with a focused face. Professor Kang Dong-wooks eyes rounded in surprise. Youre curious about the trainig series? Yes. The training series. Among the sub-fields of the Academys special series, it was a rare series, yet evaluated by academia as a mainstream discipline. Seeing my words that I wanted to hear more about it Professor Kang Dong-wook had an expression that he didnt really understand. Holder Do Jae-hyun has already demonstrated prominence in his own series, isnt he the Academys most promising prospect? Im not at that level. In fact, that evaluation is correct externally. Once during my 1st year from the Ha Do-kwon incident and ultra-fast promotion. Once across the entire Academy from the Kim Do-yoon assault incident and the establishment of . And once again this time from stopping the s double maneuver more effectively than anyone else. In one breath, I became a famous figure in the Holder world that no one doesnt know. It was the same as being raised to the number one promising prospect in the Domestic Top 10 Promising Prospect Holders that Park Jin-woo had shown me before. Professor Kang Dong-wook nodded his head and tried to persuade me again. Holder Do Jae-hyuns academic enthusiasm is certainly praiseworthy, but unnecessary excessive study can be an obstacle to growth. Its true that the training series is emerging as a mainstream discipline among Holder circles these days, but it cant be directlypared to the traditional poprity ofbat series. It was a reasonable argument. The reason why I dont learn [Florian Spells] of the wizard series or [Star Destruction Law] of the archer series is also for this reason. Forcibly learning runes or abilities that dont suit my fighting style could make the utilization of other abilities awkward. Unless they had sufficient efficiencypared to the time invested, they had to remain just assisting my main runes. However. This time was a bit different. I scratched my head a little and spoke to him. Thats not it I recently obtained a training series rune One of the three legendary runes I obtained through this incident. [Promise Bound by Dragon]. This rune had overflowing effects that were too good to just be an assist So I couldnt just pass by it nonchntly. Name: The Promise Dragon Has Made Grade: Legendary Level: 1 Engraved Location: Right Back of Hand Special Effects:- : Beings who have lost intelligence due to magic stones can be trained and contracted. Due to the special effects of the rune, contractors receive additional stats corresponding to 10% (5.5/6.0/4.9) of the users general stats. : If the contracting targets are rted to the legend of dragons or have some dragon traits, the sess rate of the contract increases dramatically. In addition, special effects are added to the contractors information. : As the runes level and leadership stat increase, the level of entities that can be contracted rises, and the number that can be contracted also changes. (Currently 1) * [Rune Hunter] Associated Special Effect:- : One of the runes held by the user can be granted to the contracting target. Up to 3 runes can be granted per contracted target, and the granted rune is deleted from the Holders information. Contract Target List (0/1):- None Derived Skill:- [Hand of Contract] Detailed Information:- : It is a promise made by the dragon, called a mythical being in legends. Beings who have lost intelligence due to magic stones can be trained and make contracts as partners. The power of the strong promise engraved by the dragon will allow contractors to use special power. The dazzling danced before my eyes. This rune was originally going to be obtained by Ji Yoon-jae. [Training Contract], one of the training series runes representing the top among them. As expected, its renown was proportional to its tremendous special effects. The fact that part of the rune Holders abilities could be passed on to the contracting target, or that the training of dragon-rted monsters became much easier, and then additional special effects would be added There was no rune that could follow it among training runes when it came to the tremendous specs lined up. Plus, due to being linked with [Rune Hunter], a derived special effect appeared. Rune Granting. No matter how many times I read it, it was shocking. It says runes can be given? The number of runes a Holder could obtain was set at 30, and I could obtain slightly more at 50 runes. Although 50 runes in total Ordinary Holders might not even fill it up in their lifetimes of training By steadily utilizing [Rune Hunter], 50 would be nothing to me soon. Just looking at the runes I have now, it was nearing 37. Considering I had steadilybined high-level runes so far even though it was this much already, who knows how quickly 50 would be filled. Of course, obtaining runes without discrimination like this meant thatter I might not get necessary runes. I can pass unneeded runes onto the monster? But some of those runes could be granted to the contracted monster? This was an effect I desperately needed right now. Keeping prime runes while passing unnecessary ones Yet strengthening contracted monsters by granting runes. It was an effect that was almost killing three birds with one stone. My current with the excessive amount of runes. This was an opportune time to neatly organize it. So in order to actively utilize this, I needed to develop the training series and increase leadership stats. Hmm I see. Although Ive heard that Holder Do Jae-hyun is an outstanding Multi-Holder, I didnt know you were talented to that extent. Professor Kang Dong-wook, who had been steadily persuading me. Atst he nodded his head as well. Since I came to obtain training series runes and didnt know how talented I was here, I wanted to study it It seemed he was understanding based on that logic. Alright. Then I will briefly lecture on you properties, Holder Do Jae-hyun. Thank you, Professor! Inwardly, I cheered. Getting advice from the foremost authority in this field would surely pave the way where there were dead ends. Professor Kang Dong-wook put away the material he was organizing and unfolded a new page of his notebook. It seemed he was briefly outlining the content he would lecture to me. Then he picked up his pen and wrote down some big words one by one. Training, summoning,nguage A small mind map consisting of some keywords was drawn. Professor Kang Dong-wook, who had slowly been drawing the mind map, looked up at me afterpleting it at some point. First of all, the training series isnt a series that ends with simply obtaining training contract runes. Though it may be simr for other series, the training series in particr can be seen as a series where assisting with othermon runes is essential. Tap, tap. Emphasizing the content by knocking the table a couple times. Then his pen touched the Language section on the right side of the mind map. Among those most importantmon runes isnguage. Language? Yes. Language runes are the only means that enablemunication between the Holder and contracted monster. Generally, training and contract establishment is possible withoutnguage runes, but Professor Kang Dong-wook shook his head. There is a clear limit to that growth. Its merely the Holders unteralmands withoutmunicating with the monster, and such emphasized repetitivemands make the monsters anxious. Anxious? Yes. Seeing me mull over the exnation, Professor Kang Dong-wook slowly continued speaking. As that anxiety continues, eventually at critical moments, the monster will be unable to demonstrate its power. It goes beyond the area of control for the Holder. Ah. I let out a small sound of admiration and engraved his lecture properties. Training runes I thought simply ended after training. There were unexpectedly quiteplex intertwining information here. Not only the sess or failure of the training itself was important, but it didnt just end there. What came after the training was important as well, then what came after that. In case I forgot, I also took out a notebook. Listening while taking notes helped the organization better. His lecture continued. Now, next are summoning runes. Writtenrgely afternguage so Holder Do Jae-hyun must have been very curious. The assisting role summoning runes y is However, the atmosphere of Professor Kang Dong-wook continuing his lecture was strangely bright for some reason. He seemed even more interested than me who had just became interested in the lecture. His teaching voice was full of excitement. What is it. Isnt this person more excited than me? Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 164: Training Contract (2)

Chapter 164: Training Contract (2)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Incheon Metropolitan City, Ganghwa-gun. An indmonly called Ganghwado Ind. And countless uninhabited inds nearby. Among them, Gijangeum Ind is the home base of the n. Important information and items about the n are scattered across many uninhabited inds near Incheon, and although there is no one location that can be singled out due to this decentralizedwork structure Nevertheless, Gijangeum Ind is considered the home base by the n executives. Because the n master of , Hwang Dong-yeon. Unless there is a special asion, he always stays on this Gijangeum Ind. Its still a boring ind. Clothes and coat covered in blood. Arge, shabby sword hanging over his shoulder. Hwang Seong-yeon quietlyments on the ind while walking into the center. In the middle of Gijangeum Ind. If you look closely around it, there is a structure with a unique shape leading underground. Another hidden space appears inside from there after tampering with the concealed device, and you have to engrave a password for the door to open. If it was someones first time here, they wouldnt even be able to find the structure let alone the device But for Hwang Seong-yeon who frequented Gijangeum Ind like his home, it was a tedious repetitive task. Creak- Thud- He forcibly opens the device with his foot and carelessly engraves a password. Then inside the narrow space. An even narrower secret space appeared. Hwang Seong-yeon enters it and starts going down. Since it was an underground space made from the ind, its depth wasnt as deep as one would think. As if getting up every morning and eating cereal, Hwang Seong-yeon naturally opened the special spaces and entered Soon he was able to arrive at his destination. Ughh, ugghh-!! Ugh, ugh, urgghh- . As soon as he opened the door, a shrill scream of a woman was heard. And as if something had happened to make her shut her mouth right away, the sound of bubbles boiling from her mouth was heard at the same time. Hwang Seong-yeon immediately frowned. It was a sound he heard every time he came to this space, but He didnt feel great every time he heard it. The screams he enjoyed were not that kind of freaky scream. Ugh- ugh- urggh- O, oh. Bro, brother. Yo, youre he, here? And as if noticing Hwang Seong-yeons presence, a man assembling the woman in question looked up. Deeply sunken head and dark eye circles. An atmosphere gloomier by farpared to Hwang Seong-yeon, the owner of Mageom (demon sword). And somehow, features strangely resembling Hwang Seong-yeon. It was Hwang Dong-yeon, the n master of and Hwang Seong-yeons younger brother. I found it. What you were talking about. Still frowning, Hwang Seong-yeon threw the Orb he had in his clothes towards Hwang Dong-yeon. The legendary special item obtained by assaulting the academy during the recent joint operation. It was [Order of Harmony]. Carefully receiving it, Hwang Dong-yeon asked in surprise. O, oh! I, is this for real? Wo, wow. Ho, how? What do you mean how. I poured all the ns power to get it. Our n is now considerably more dangerous. I brought what you wanted so take care of it yourself. Hwang Seong-yeon was not in a good mood. Even though he barely managed to bring it by force at his younger brothers persistent nagging, this was not a good choice. Dering full frontal war against the academy, and major ns rted to it would soon participate as well probably. If that happens, would be in danger. It was a crisis where the n could even be dismantled, and in the worst case they might have to leave Korea. In the end though, the n was just a means to an end. If this n disappears, opportunities for him to feel thrill would diminish as well. Naturally, Hwang Seong-yeon could not feel good. However, Hwang Dong-yeon seemed to have no interest at all in the external situation. He stroked [Order of Harmony] like a treasure and said. O, oh. I, its ok. Wi, with this Hehe Tha, thanks, bro. . Quietly watching that, Hwang Seong-yeon soon turned around and left the master room. Urghh- urggguh. Behind his turned back, the womans freaky voice still flowed out. The grotesquely divided body parts were also strongly etched into Hwang Seong-yeons mind. As he closed the door and came out he said. How boring. He felt every time he saw it, it was not a very enjoyable sight. And he thought. No matter how was a gathering of psycho killers Compared to his younger brother who first created and led this insane n, he wascking. *** Ippotrantion *** In the end, a taming contract is a rune that allows you to make a contract and tame special existences that are highly valued by the system. So the Holder must always think about how to utilize this contractual rtionship Professor Kang Dong-wooks lectures conveyed multifaceted knowledge. [Training Contracts] are special runes that can tame and make contracts with these specially valued beings, and utilize them as partners. The [Promise Bound by Dragon] I obtained this time is a legendary rune that is a higher version of such a [Training Contract]. As you can tell from the word training, the protagonists of these existences are usually monsters. You can train monsters and borrow their powers to deploy them in battle. Of course, if the subject of the contract changes, the name of the rune also changes. If the rune is called [Spirit Contract], then that existence bes a spirit, and if its [Golem Contract], then simrly it bes a golem. The key is that you can make contracts with these special existences. When information about these runes was first revealed, the Holder Association could not easily dismiss their doubts. We can train monsters, our hostile existences? The trained monsters wont attack humans? It was content that didnt make sense based onmon sense. However, as researchers like Professor Kang Dong-wook who delved deeply into this emerged, and actual cases of sessful monster training urred one after another [Training Contracts] were finally recognized as a special type of rune system. As the taming of monsters became sessful, theories that had been circting in the international academia as orthodoxy also lost their sheen. What theory are you referring to? I asked in response to Professor Kang Dong-wooks words. He continued firmly. The theory that monsters will unconditionally be hostile to humans. Just as we Holders were given power by the system, they simply lost their intelligence due to the system. This is still a minority view in academia Some refer to them as beings from another dimension. Beings from another dimension I quietly ruminated on those words. Not because I was surprised by the new term, but because a quite familiar term came from an unexpected person. Research has already advanced this far huh. Beings from another dimension, monsters. Although now referred to as a minority view in academia, this willter be an unambiguous mainstream academic view. The dungeon that bes the starting point for this change in perception is The City of the Distorted Wolves. The dungeon that Park Jin-woo sets foot in towards the end. An episode of that I didnt get to fully see before I was possessed. In this dungeon, werewolves who attempt tomunicate with humans appear for the first time,pletely reversing the perception of monsters by 180 degrees. The details areplex, but to summarize it in one phrase: That they were not simply a peculiar phenomenon, but like Holders, beings from another dimension entangled by the system. Discoveries like the City of the Distorted Wolves dungeon and research into [Training Contract] runes triggered such a change in perception. As Professor Kang Dong-wook was talking excitedly about this He suddenly seemed to realize the time and said worriedly: Ive been chatting for too long. Anyway, to get back to the main point, like other systems,mon runes are also very important for the training system. Without support frommon runes, the contract targets often cannot exert their full power. To summarize his exnation: When utilizing [Training Contracts] The most important things are Leadership stat and support runes. Among them, Leadership determines the trainable grade and number of contracts. Below 10 Leadership, E-grade monsters up to can be trained, 10 or higher allows D-grade, 20 or higher allows C-grade, and 30 or higher allows training of B-grade monsters. However, these are just general guidelines, and can vary greatly depending on the performance and level of the rune. The maximum number of possible contracts also changes ording to situational requirements. Support runes are also absolutely critical. The second element, support runes, is also key. There are variousmon runes like [Language] and [Summoning] that Professor Kang Dong-wook exined, as well as [Magic Sharing], [Contract Reinforcement], etc. Although each rune has slightly different effects and performance, mostmonly they allow the contractors to get closer with them and slightly increase theirbat efficiency. Even if I seed in training a monster right now, without these guys, I wouldnt be able to expect a meaningful increase inbat power. But Holder Do doesnt have any of thesemon runes, right? Professor Kang Dong-wook suddenly asked worriedly. I dont know much about Multi-Holders, so I dont know how you obtain new runes. As I said before, even with the Training Contract rune, without other supporting runes equipped, it would be difficult to actively utilize the rune. As I said before, training monsters has several prerequisite conditions, and without perfectly meeting them, it would be difficult to properly utilize [Taming Contract] no matter how high the runes level is. Professor Kang Dong-wook was pointing that out. Moreover, his guess was actually correct. I only had the taming systems [Promise Bound by Dragon] rune, and didnt have any othermon runes at all. However, unlike Professor Kang Dong-wooks worries These factors didnt worry me at all. Professor, about how many students are there in the Academys taming system? Students? Professor Kang Dong-wook repeated in surprise at my sudden question. Talking with a top expert then suddenly students in the system? His expression was like, where did this irrelevant questione from? Yes. Even within special systems, there are sub-systems right. No matter how rare and special the taming system is, there are still students. After all, the Special Systems Academy was established to educate such minor systems. And ording to Professor Kang Dong-wooks words They must be specialized in the taming system. The probability was high that they possessed all the support runes he mentioned. Realizing this, I smiled slyly and said. It would be best if there are as many as possible. Support runes I currently dont have. I had an easy way to obtain them. Professor Kang Dong-wook answered with a slightly bewildered expression. There are about 3 students But. I nodded satisfactorily to that. 3 huh. Nice, just right. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 165: Total War (1)

Chapter 165: Total War (1)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. While I was receiving attribute lectures on [Taming Contracts] from Professor Kang Dong-wook. About two hours after establishing a foothold on Ganghwa Ind, the main force members who departedte finally all arrived. To be precise, they didnt all gather on Ganghwa Ind, but were dispersed to different locations near Incheon. It was Professor Tae Won-hos idea that the ns bases wouldnt be established on just a single uninhabited ind. How fascinating. While watching their wless strategy unfold, I couldnt help but be impressed. The Academys Treasure, [Order of Harmony]. Using it as bait to lure out the ns headquarters. This process didnt exist in the original story I knew. Because there was no Hwang Seong-yeon back then. The Academy Raid Operation that should have happened exactly 1 yearter. There was no involvement of submaster Hwang Seong-yeon. It was a raid operation with massive participation from Cha Soo-yeon, Ji Yoon-jae, and the Academy spies, and at the time, they were able to fend it off without losing the item thanks to Park Jin-woos awakening and the participation of key figures. Thats why even towards theter parts of the story when Park Jin-woo went to clear the City of Distorted Wolves dungeon, the n was still fine. The only thing that was caught was the Academy branch, the n heads Hwang Dong-yeon and Hwang Seong-yeon didnt reveal themselves much. So I didnt even think about catching the Viin n. Completely suppressing the massive criminal organization n felt like something only far in the future. In the first ce, even my n after first possessing this body was to move while avoiding the n if possible. Perhaps because the sequential ns got tangled and operations continuously failed Unexpectedly, the nunched a reckless raid operation on the Academy, and due to that, they truly ended up in a dangerous situation. The golden opportunity topletely destroy the massive criminal organization n. It was something that happened before even 1 year passed since I possessed this body. We absolutely have to catch them this time. I steeled my resolve. The n is unquestionably a social evil. If we just get rid of those guys, there wouldnt be any factors that could impede my Holder life going forward. Oh boy, Im so excited. While briefly lost in thought, a familiar voice rings out from beside me. It was Park Jin-woo, who arrived on Ganghwa Ind after joining up with the main force. The guy ended up in the same search team as me among the newly organized search teams. Werent youpletely uninterested in stuff like this before? I suddenly recalled how in the original story, he didnt participate in defending the Academy until his younger sister Park Yoon-seo was victimized, so I asked. At that, Park Jin-woo scoffed. What are you talking about. Those Viin punks messed with our circle. I cant live after being pushed around. We gotta hit back as hard as we got hit. I was the one confused by his reply instead. Our Circle? Yeah. Why, its true right? . This guy So you were actually fully sincere about the while pretending not to care, huh? As I nkly watched Park Jin-woo nonchntly inspecting his equipment, I soon averted my gaze. Nearby, there were not only Park Jin-woo, but also familiar faces gathered. Jae-hyun ah, hi. Oh, you came? Did you fully recover your body? Yeah. I rested well. Thats good to hear. Kang Juyeon, whom I met again after just a day. And Kim Chae-eun, who had her arms crossed as she sent me a sharp re I didnt know the reason for. Why dont you say hi to me too? Huh? I just noticed you now, thats why. Somethings changed. What now. Dunno. But somethings different! How do I get you to let this go. After the operation ends, make me cream pasta. Promise. In the end thats what it was. I heaved a deep sigh and turned my head towards Moon Ga-eun next to me. Ga-eun too, hi. What. Why are you like that too. Tch. Since when did you call me by my name? Do it like usual. Ah Why is everyone like this to me. I scratched my head with a troubled expression. The women around me were simply impossible to get a handle on their moods everyday. Do Jae-hyun. Ah, Team Leader Kwon. The one who saved me when I was in danger was Kwon Oh-jun. Behind him were his team members Shin Yu-na, Kim Seong-cheol, Choi Dong-wook, and Lee Soo-mi. Kwon Oh-jun talked to me with a smiling face. We ended up in the same team again, huh. At this rate we might as well start up a n or something, who knows. Haha, dont even joke about that. Itd be faster for you to join Judgement of Fire instead. Well, that is true. The Dungeon Hunting Team 5 reunited into the same party once more. It was the party assigned to lead the main forces search. Theyposed teams of around 15 people each, with 4 people in the Warrior and Mage sses, 2 people in the Assassin and Archer and Divine sses, and 1 person in the Special ss. That was why Judgement of Fires Dungeon Hunting Team 5, who had pretty good coordination, was assigned to our team, then people from the side like me, Kang Juyeon, Kim Chae-eun, Moon Ga-eun, and Park Jin-woo were added, making 10 people. After that, 1 Divine ss, 1 Archer ss, 1 Mage ss, and 1 Special ss from other ns were added as well. And finally Teacher. It looks like everyones preparations areplete. I approached a woman at the front and spoke. White martial arts uniform and snow-white hair cascading down. The S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol, emitting a clean, pure vibe. She was the strongest of this operation and the Assassin ss of our search team she was the party leader of our party. Yoo Eun-seol nodded her head and answered me. Yes, then lets head out. Holder Do Jae-hyun is like the vice party leader of this party, so please consistently report our party members conditions and movements to me. Understood. With that, preparations wereplete, and our party boarded the ship headed towards the uninhabited ind. Unlike Ganghwa Ind, there werent any [Warp Gates] on the uninhabited ind, so we had to physically board ships to move. Our search ind was Gijangeum Ind. It was where the [Order of Harmony] was located, ording to Professor Kang Dong-wooks bug. Whoosh After everyone boarded, the small ship departed towards Gijangeum Ind. . Perhaps because we were facing a fight against a massive criminal organization ahead, tense, nervous energy filled the ships party members. Even Park Jin-woo who was usually so talkative was silently inspecting his equipment now. I was also slowly looking over my Holder information and runes, preparing for battles that might ur ahead. Um, Jae-hyun. While doing so. Someone grabbed the cor of my clothes and talked to me. From the tone and voice I immediately recognized, there was only one person who would address me like this. When I turned around, it was indeed Lee Soo-mi. I smiled and answered her. Not calling me Chairman today? It doesnt feel like the mood for joking around. .? What? Is this really Holder Lee Soo-mi? Such unexpected words left her that I was stunned for a moment. The unique nasal tone she would always add was gone, as was the calm voice and serious tone. Come to think of it I hurriedly looked her up and down just in case, and her outfit was also uncharacteristic of her. Whether she was working within the n or dispatched to sites, she would always wear somewhat revealing nun outfits But today, the style of clothes she worepletely covered her body. Nun outfit, robe, and staff. It was attire fitting of a standard Divine ss member, but it looked very awkward on Lee Soo-mi. Do you need something? Its not that. I just have a request. A request? What is it? What kind of request could a Holder of her caliber have for me? Lee Soo-mi pondered for a bit while looking around, then talked to me while slightly biting her lip. If you happen toe across Soo-yeon I mean, Cha Soo-yeon during this operation. I want to kill that woman with my own two hands. And the words that left her were Quite shocking. Killing Cha Soo-yeon, one of the ns core executives, with her own hands. It was not something that could simplye out easily without an enormous grudge. Ah right,st time. And I suddenly recalled Lee Soo-mis reaction was odd when she saw Cha Soo-yeon before. Fear yet simultaneous hatred towards Cha Soo-yeon It was an emotional wave unbelievable for two people meeting for the first time. I found it strange even back then when I saw her reaction to Cha Soo-yeon, and after hearing her words today There was definitely something between the two. My suspicions were immediately solved with Lee Soo-mis next words. That woman Is my older sister. What? Cha Soo-yeon. Real name Lee Soo-yeon. The worst psychopath who killed my entire family except me 10 years ago. That crazy woman is my sister. After hearing that shocking confession Everything made sense. Lee Soo-mis odd reaction, Cha Soo-yeons vicious smile too. It was all a reunion created by their tangled past. Just like how the members of our club directly joined the to try and erase their trauma themselves Lee Soo-mi was another victim of the n. The turning point that led to the Viin ns destruction, as well as finding Cha Soo-yeon It was all possible because you moved the Anti-Viin, Jae-hyun. So I wanted to tell you. Lee Soo-mis words were like pouring out her past self. At that, I made a troubled expression. While I fully understood her feelings, when it came to murderers There were parts that couldnt simply lead to fulfilling personal greed. Holder Lee Soo-mi, thats I know. That I cant simply kill as I wish, and you dont have that kind of authority either. I just wanted to say it out loud. And in case I do get my revenge, I was hoping you would condone it, Jae-hyun. My silence was equivalent to affirmation. Since her words were just a kind of deration anyways, I had nothing left to add. As if Lee Soo-mi understood that well She took a step back while smiling like usual. Huh- Not only are you cool when speaking seriously, Jae-hyun, I like it. Anyways, dont get hurt and do well, kay? Right after the brief words, Lee Soo-mi entered the cabin. I stood still for a long time like that as well. Then I emptied myplicated thoughts while looking out at the ocean. I have to definitely seed in this operation It wasnt merely a fight against a criminal organization. Contained was the revenge and indescribable grudges of many people against the n. The all-out war against the n was right before my eyes. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 166: All-Out War (2)

Chapter 166: All-Out War (2)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Boom! It took no time to arrive at Gijangeum Ind. The distance between the tip of Seomodo Ind near Ganghwa Ind and Gijangeum Ind is about 400 meters. Its so short that its embarrassing to move by boat. I was worried that there might be members lying in wait, but the area around the ind was just quiet when we arrived. Ill head straight for the center like this. Party leader Yoo Eun-seol gave a brief order. From now on, its an all-out war. Even if there are traps on the ind, we had to push through and move forward. Moon Ga-eun? Yes, yes! Moon Ga-eun promptly responded to Yoo Eun-seols call. Even though shes an academy instructor, archers rarely cross paths with Yoo Eun-seol. So this current conversation with Yoo Eun-seol was Moon Ga-euns first, and naturally her attitude became stiff as if receiving an order. While Ive gotten somewhat close with Yoo Eun-seol in a teacher-disciple rtionship, to Moon Ga-eun shes just a sky-high S-grade Holder. And its not just Moon Ga-eun, most of the Holders participating in this operation must be quite nervous. Being able to work together with an S-grade Holder is a rare opportunity for any holder. From now on, the archer sss role is important. We dont know what kind of traps the Viins side has set up, so dont let your guard down and keep using magic detection. Ah, yes! Dont be too nervous. Holder Ahn Seong-hyun will help you out well. Holder Ahn Seong-hyun? Yes. You can leave it to me. The A-grade Holder Ahn Seong-hyun, who came as reinforcement, lightly replied. He is an archer ss Holder belonging to the n. Considering A-grade Holders among domestic archer sses are by no meansmon, it was clearly felt that is an emerging powerhouse. In addition to him, Yoo Eun-seol gave detailed instructions to other sses. Shes extremely skilled. I was slightly amazed by her. The S-grade is a grade that can only be achieved by building up excellent skills and umting a lot of experience at the same time. Its a sky that Holders always reach for, an ivory tower thats hard to get close to. Although Yoo Eun-seol is an unaffiliated Holder without a n The S-grade grade was not easily obtained, as she skillfully led the party with a sharp attitude. I had only seen her strict appearance when teaching me, but seeing her serious demeanor in her main job felt different again. Tak tak Thud The sound of equipment moving split the silence. Our party carefully searched inside the ind. The search direction was straight through the center from the starting point, then right again. Its the direction of going around the ind once. 10 minutes, 20 minutes Time kept passing as we went deeper into the ind, but no threatening traps appeared. But the more that happened, the more tense the party became on the inside. Yoo Eun-seol stopped searching for a moment to liven up the atmosphere and asked Ahn Seong-hyun, an archer. Archer ss. Still nothing? Yes, party leader. It doesnt seem there are any special traps. However However? Yoo Eun-seol asked back at Ahn Seong-hyuns words. Moon Ga-eun took over. It looks like theres a magic-concentrated structure in the center. Structure. Yes. I felt it from the entrance of the ind, but the aura gets stronger as we go closer to the center. Its an overwhelming amount of magic. Im not sure if this is the Viins base, but theres definitely something with concentrated magic. The atmosphere of the party changed once again. A structure made up of an overwhelming amount of magic. In other words, it was almost exactly the location Professor Kang Dong-wook had indicated through the bug. As Moon Ga-eun said, it wasnt certain whether this was the s base, but there was definitely something on Gijangeum Ind. Then lets keep going As Yoo Eun-seol was about to give orders again at that moment. They suddenly seemed to feel a vibration of strong magic. Ahn Seong-hyun and Moon Ga-eun looked up at the same time. Party leader !! !! And that wave wasnt only felt by the archer ss. Swoosh! Swoosh! The warriors in front all raised their respective weapons and the mages in the back began to array magic. Other sses also prepared for battle in their own ways. Thats right. Battle preparation. We all prepared for battle. The reason was simple. Suddenly, in the quiet center of the ind The enemy appeared. Oh, oh youre Youre really here, everyones Everyones here like brother said. A grating voice was heard from somewhere amidst the tense confrontation. In front of our partys position. He was a short man with thick brown hair falling to his eyes. Tak ck And that wasnt all. With the sound of heavy equipment moving, countless Holders appeared along with him. The Holders were in a variety of ces. Of course there were some where the man in front was, and next to him. And next to them, diagonally Even behind our party, Holders took up positions. Fuck. Unintentionally, profanity came out internally. Our party was surrounded. Innumerable Holders appeared around us. Since arriving at Gijangeum Ind and starting the search It was the biggest crisis situation. There was another unauthorized warp gate. The group of Holders that suddenly appeared. They were most likely n members who came through a [Warp Gate]. Given that there were no traces of magic until now and then they suddenly popped up, it was certain. Still less than I expected. I felt it wasnt apletely hopeless situation. Perhaps they arrived in a hurry, fortunately the numbers arent overwhelming. Adding up the encirclement numbers in front, behind and to the sides Around 40 people? Considering the estimated 200 n members, its clearly an insufficient number. Its still a burdensome number, but it was a scenario we expected to some extent. We have to buy time. Therge-scale Anti-Viin raid operation is carried out simultaneously on the uninhabited inds near Ganghwa Ind and Incheon. Partiesposed of at least 15 people assault the inds to conduct searches, and when a contingency urs, they gather again in one ce. Therefore, our party had to buy time here on Gijangeum Ind. Until reinforcements from other parties arrive, we have to hold out against these guys while minimizing damage as much as possible. Ho, how di, did you know to co,e here? The man with thick brown hair who spoke first opened his mouth again. It must have been because of the item. Then the man next to him picked up the conversation. Simr looks and hair color. However, opposite with hisrge height and shoulders, and a huge, bulky sword hanging over them. An overwhelming aura dominated the area around him. Hwang Seong-yeon. Even though it was the first time seeing his face, I immediately recognized him. Aside from anything else, the ominous magic sword could only belong to Hwang Seong-yeon. Then the short man he called brother must be n master Hwang Dong-yeon of the Viins. The n master and submaster of the were standing in front of our party together. A, an item? Yeah. That thing called the Order of Harmony or something. Theres nothing else that can figure out our location. I, I see. Hu, humans are pre, pretty smart too. We, well all die an, anyway hehehe. . Hwang Dong-yeon, who stuttered so much it was hard to listen to, spat out strange words while looking at us. We tensely looked around with guarded expressions. While these guys are exchanging pointless chatter now The battle could have started at any moment, it wouldnt have been strange. Hmm Hwang Seong-yeon. I told you Id kill that bastard Do Jae-hyun. I called dibs earlier. A familiar voice chimed in as well. Next to Hwang Seong-yeon and Hwang Dong-yeon stood the woman with sharp features. It was Cha Soo-yeon, who yesterday Whom I Inflicted a fatal wound on and ran away. With the vivid memory of a hole in her chest as she bled profusely She was somehow standing in front of us in perfect condition again. She came back well. Seeing her, I clicked my tongue as if it was a waste. She managed to recover from her injuries and rejoin. I should have just killed her yesterday. She red at me with hatred and resentment, grinding her teeth. It seems the anger towards me built up quite a lot yesterday. But then again A key executive of the almost died in 1 second to an academy student Holder being called a promising talent It makes sense her pride took a huge blow. Still not using honorifics, huh. No need to be more courteous, right? This n is already screwed anyway. ..Thats an unamusing thing to say. I could hear Hwang Seong-yeon and Cha Soo-yeon chatting. I clicked my tongue again internally. ..Crazy bastards. Talking nonsense like that with enemies right in front. They were quite full of themselves. Or perhaps there was no need to rush, that could also be why. As they said, with the n itself being in crisis, they might have be desensitized to the urgency of the situation altogether. In any case, this kind of attitude from the enemies It was an opportunity for us. Koo, koooong!! Craaack! Wha, what is The ground! The calm ground suddenly shook violently. Soon, apanied by intense roars, the surface started cracking. It was because I, who finished preparing, used a skill. Power Break. [Power Break]. The branch skill of [Elemental Master], now a subordinate rune of [Fragmented Earth Garden]. Itpletely splits the ground in the middle, changes the surrounding terrain, and overturns the battle situation on the ground altogether. It was a powerful skill that alters the battle dynamics. I used this skill to split our partys left side. Normally it would be correct to split the back. Anyway, we were surrounded, and to secure the safety of the rear personnel, blocking the ess path behind us was necessary. However, thats an extremely defensive tactic. Once a skill is used that way, no aggressive formation can be created anymore. And the strategy we set up beforeing here was Attack from the very start. Master! Mm! After I gave the signal when preparation ended, Yoo Eun-seol immediately moved. Through runes of the evasion method, she went into the gap in the split ground. Thats right. She went in precisely. The earth was torn, and something like a crevice or cliff was created Yoo Eun-seol attempted parkour while going inside it. For the assassin ss with runes of the evasion method and magic utilization pushed to the extreme, that level of wall climbing was a piece of cake. Once inside Vision gets blocked. Vision gets blocked. This statement means the same as being able to utilize [Stealth] runes. And when assassins use [Stealth] They can demonstrate their inherent abilities to the fullest. Through [Power Break], I created A space to hide in the currently wide open spot. Yoo Eun-seol, who went in and used [Stealth] there It was the optimal environment to assassinate someone. Huk !! In an instant, Yoo Eun-seol headed towards the Viins leader. Changing the terrain and somehow assassinating key enemy figures. That was the reason an S-grade assassin ss Holder was deployed to our party And n A when contingencies urred. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 167: All-Out War (3)

Chapter 167: All-Out War (3)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Depending on the utilization and situation, but in general The higher the grade of a rune, the better its performance. In the rune grade settings of , there are a total of 5 grades. Normal, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical. asionally there are mutant epic grade runes that exceed legendary and mythical grades, like [Rune Hunter] or [Effort of the Seeker], but usually the above order is the performance order of runes. Therefore, even the same ability runes, the performance varies depending on the grade of the rune. The same goes formon runes. This applies tomon runes, not just main runes. For example, one of themon assassination runes, the Agility Rune. The basic agility rune is [Agility], a normal grade rune. Its a speed rune that makes the Holders movements a little faster and more agile. Ive obtained it before while monster hunting, and since it was a normal grade, it didnt have any special effects or derived skills. A slightly better performing rune is [Agile Agility]. Its a rare grade. This also assists movement faster than [Agility], and has the special effect of bing adept at Magic Parkour. Like this, all runes have different grade runes with performance differences, even if they have the same ability. I cant see the opponent at all! R, really. W, wow A, amazing. Where did he go. And this applies. To the Stealth Rune of the Assassination series as well. As Yoo Eun-seol began to move, the n members couldnt hide their confusion. Because right in front of them, she openly hid her figure, yet they couldnt find her at all. The basic stealth rune is [Stealth], a normal grade. But Yoo Eun-seols figure wandering and stirring up the enemy was by no means normal grade performance. At minimum epic grade, maybe even legendary. The level must also be at least 10. That person is an S-grade Holder. Even I couldnt help but be amazed watching her. It was a n made in advance, but I didnt think it would actually work out as I had thought. After Yoo Eun-seol hid in the cracks in the ground I made with [Power Break], she didnt reveal her figure properly even once. Shepletely disappeared. Disappearing from sight and hiding her presence at the same time, it was literally perfect stealth. It was a level only the pinnacle of the Assassination series could show. S-grade Holder, S-grade Holder. Although Ive heard about it countless times to the point my ears were numb, this was the first time I felt the might directly. Just hiding once The overwhelming difference in skill was felt. Even when Yoo Eun-seol came to help me and Kim Chae-eun in the Stained Rock Pile dungeon, she didnt exert her full power. Swish- Thud-!! Ugh, ugh-!! D, damn!! The suffocating silence ended. At some point, Yoo Eun-seol deactivated her stealth and revealed her figure. And immediately after, she started a surprise attack on the enemy. An infiltration to kill either the n master Hwang Dong-yeon or the sub master Hwang Seong-yeon in one blow. The n members in her path of infiltration were all knocked down by her one sword strike. Seeing her figure, which was like a signal re for battle, I immediately turned my gaze to Kwon Oh-jun. Team Leader Kwon! Yes! All party members support Holder Yoo Eun-seol! Archers and Magic sses provide remote support, Divinity sses buff only without healing! Kwon Oh-jun, who was practically the sub party leader of the party, quickly issued instructions. When an S-grade Holder joins the fight, the other troops are only hindrances. It was more effective to provide remote support from behind rather than awkwardly interfering from the front. Kwon Oh-jun knew the structure exactly. Thats why he turned all personnel into support and instructed Divinity sses to only use buffs. In addition, he changed the formation so that the remaining Assassination and Warrior sses could guard the party all around. Do Jae-hyun. After giving brief instructions, Kwon Oh-jun, who took out his spear, looked at me. And the words he said were shockingly bold. I want you to help Holder Yoo Eun-seol as a free agent. Me? When I asked back in surprise, Kwon Oh-jun nodded heavily. Right now youre the only Holder in the party that can be both offense and defense. I want to go in too, but there are too many Viins around. Kwon Oh-juns words were right. Although Yoo Eun-seol swept through the battlefield into the enemy like drawing with a brush, the fact that our party was still surrounded did not change. Swish- ng-!! At that moment, as if to prove it, two n members rushed at the party. Park Jin-woo blocked their swords with his own sword. On the other side, Choi Dong-wook and Shin Yu-na were also struggling to block the enemys attacks. Kwon Oh-jun spoke urgently. I saw your strength well enough in thest fight. If you go all out, you probably wont lose even if you face me. Please, Jae-hyun. Help Holder Yoo Eun-seol. The situation looks fine for now, but Holder Yoo Eun-seol can be in danger at any time. Do you know why? .Yes. Although Yoo Eun-seol was clearly an S-grade Holder with no rivals here, a threat existed within her. Hwang Dong-yeon and Hwang Seong-yeon. The master and sub master of . The possibility that the two brothers could be S-grade Holders as well. Although Hwang Seong-yeon was known to be an A-grade Holder, seeing how he single-handedly swept away the internal A-grade Holders in the recent Academy Raid, his skills were by no means that of an ordinary A-grade Holder. As for Hwang Dong-yeon, no one had ever encountered him, so there was no way to directly confirm his prowess. If the two heads of the leadership were really S-grade Holders, it could be dangerous even for Yoo Eun-seol. Of course, it wouldnt be safe for me either. If there were two S-grade Holders on the side? Then our party would be pretty much finished. We could only dy that crisis as much as possible until reinforcements arrived. Hmph!! I finished the brief conversation with Kwon Oh-jun and immediately moved. Into the enemy camp that Yoo Eun-seol was sweeping lightly. I started a fierce charge. It was the charge of [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. el Piercing! I equip the [Wyvern Spear] in both hands with the Art of Weapon Exchange. A weapon exchange to utilize the derived skill [el Piercing]. It was the most effective skill when taking the lead and breaking down the enemys formation. Ugh-!! Charge rune? How is this speed possible. My sudden charge injured several n members, bewildering them. There were so many enemies that it was difficult to even count their numbers. Naturally, when fighting multiple enemies, the Law of the Beast from [Descendant of the Barbarian King] activates. And since there were many opponents with lower stats than me among the opponents, the special effect of [Oppression] also activated naturally when I entered the enemy camp. As soon as I entered the enemy camp following Yoo Eun-seol, my stats bloated up immediately. Thanks to that, my movements were much lighter than usual. Oh, wow A, another one came H, haha. Among the n members guarding him, I could hear the voice of Hwang Dong-yeon. I wonder if that guy really is the n master. I dont know why he keeps stuttering like a psycho. Master is. When I briefly observed the situation, even Yoo Eun-seol, who had infiltrated for a surprise attack, was unable to approach Hwang Dong-yeon, blocked by the guards. Although the difference in standards between B and A-grade Holders and an S-grade Holder is enormous The story is different when the number exceeds 20, 30. Yoo Eun-seol was struggling quite a bit against the n members who were somehow blocking her with physicalbat. Well, n A failed from the start. Although it started out well, the follow-up attacks were blocked by the opponents quantity offensive. Still, buying time would be beneficial. Just because she was blocked by numbers for now, Yoo Eun-seol was taking down every enemy she faced. If things continued like this. Our party might even be able to win against these guys. That is, if things continued like this. ?! While fighting recklessly after entering the enemy camp. I was suddenly surprised by the immense aura I felt from the side. I quickly took out [Goblins Bronze Shield] and blocked the iing sword strike. ng, ng-!! Swish- Cough!! Damn, what kind of strength is this. I barely blocked it at first, but soon I was pushed back by the overwhelming difference in strength. Eventually, I dodged by taking out my shield. When I quickly raised my head to check Sure enough. It was none other than sub master, Hwang Seong-yeon. With an indifferent expression, he was swinging down the giant greatsword that was his trademark. Crazy. Is he really an S-grade? Although it was just a brief sh, the might was certainly conveyed. I couldnt measure at all the level of strength that was fully felt. Although it is said that runes be more important than stats from A-grade onwards, there is definitely an absolute difference in stats between grades. The strength I just faced from Hwang Seong-yeon was by no means ordinary strength. Hwang Seong-yeon! I said I would be the one to kill that b*stard. In the moment I was pushed back by the single sh A sharp voice spread from the front. It was Cha Soo-yeon. Hwang Seong-yeon nced at her and turned his head towards me again as he answered. Its a waste for you to use your gravity on one person. You go fight those guys in the back. Were not exactly in afortable situation here either. At those words, Cha Soo-yeon bit her lip and replied. Tch. But leave him alive. Ill be sure to peel off every inch of that b*stards skin myself. How unpleasant. Along with those words. Cha Soo-yeon led some n members towards our party at the back. Not good. I felt more and more that the situation was not good. All the enemies I was facing retreated. It was to rush at our party in the rear following Cha Soo-yeon. Therefore, my bloated stats also returned to normal in an instant. On top of that, Hwang Seong-yeon, the owner of the demon sword. The man whose might I still didnt know the extent of, had practically be my 1:1 opponent. Do Jae-hyun, right. Hwang Seong-yeon looked at me and opened his mouth. At those words, I quietly gripped my sword and replied. You know me? Yes. I heard youre Won-hos disciple. Won-ho? I was puzzled by the sudden unfamiliar name. Did Hwang Seong-yeon and Professor Tak Won-ho know each other? Although I was curious, there was no time to unravel my doubts. Because Hwang Seong-yeon raised his demon sword without even time to chat. Lets talkter. !! Swish- Once again, Hwang Seong-yeon approaches. I quickly devised a method in my head. I wasnt ready to face this guy yet. I first needed to quickly use [Berserk] and [Rage Rush], for which casting time was still required. I had to buy time now. And in that short moment. I immediately came up with a method. Hide and throw! The epic rune [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] that Ji Yoon-jae possessed. Its ultimate skill, [Knife Rain]. Because Ji Yoon-jaes rune mastery was very high, I, who copied the rune, could also immediately use the ultimate skill. Of course I wouldnt be able to deal huge damage to Hwang Seong-yeon, but at least I could buy some time. The ultimate skill utilized with a level 10 epic rune. It was an attack that could not be ignored. Swish, swiiish-!! Stab-stab-!! A total of 21 daggers poured down like rain. The dark rain that would mercilessly devour him charged forward And. While looking at the powerful ultimate skill used by his subordinate. Hmm? As if he saw something wrong. Hwang Seong-yeon merely blinked. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 168: The First Contract (1)

Chapter 168: The First Contract (1)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Hwang Seong-yeon suddenly felt bored. Most of the n members participating in this war probably dont know, but the current battle was actually just a stalling tactic. That was the case for both the Academy Alliance Army and the side. The reinforcements wille. Hwang Seong-yeon is a veteran when ites to one-on-onebat. The problem is that the inside story was all a scene of ughter, but in any case, he reads the flow of battle better than anyone. The Academy Allied Forces were probably waiting for reinforcements. Thats why they are deploying such a defensive strategy. Even if it is said that S-grade Holders are there, it is only a party of 15 people. It would not be easy to withstand being pushed by numbers, and Yoo Eun-seol was stopped by Hwang Seong-yeon himself. We are also stalling for time. However, the side was also stalling for time. Hwang Dong-yeon really wanted to try that so-called ultimate skill. To manifest that, he had deliberately brought n members to the ns main base and was stalling for time. My foolish younger brother who stutters looks stupid, but he was actually concentrating his magical power to manifest his skills. It was a battle of time. We had to sweep them away before the Allied reinforcements arrived, and the opponent would just try to hold out. So sooner orter We may have to abandon the ns main base and property and just flee with our lives. Its boring. Hwang Seong-yeon felt that the flow of such a battle was boring. It would be better to have a fiery fight with Yoo Eun-seol, but the enemy did not seem to want a direct confrontation. Rather, the previous raid operation to seize [Order of Harmony] felt more fun. Back then, he killed people as he pleased, and he also met his old friend Tak Won-ho. However. In the midst of a boring and uninteresting battle. One interesting Holder caught Hwang Seong-yeons eye. Do Jae-hyun. The one who needed attention that my subordinates kept reporting about. Among the most promising rookies at the Academy recently, he possessed the best skills and growth potential. He also heard that he was a disciple of Tak Won-ho. That guy jumped into the side zone like a moth to me, following Yoo Eun-seol. Moreover, he fights well. Do Jae-hyun, who started the charge with a spear, continued the battle without being pushed by multiple n members after joining the group, wielding a sword. It was an activity that clearly demonstrated his reputation and talent. It would be disruptive. So Hwang Seong-yeon joined the battle. And he aimed at all the other n members and executives. In order to confront Do Jae-hyun directly. Also, to focus the remaining personnel against the Academy side. Hide and throw!! However, the battle with Do Jae-hyun, which seemed easy to end at first, was the most interesting thing that happened today. Swish!! ng-. Hwang Seong-yeon smiled wryly as he looked up. A downpour of daggers. A physical attack that is unpredictable and cannot be predicted. It was clearly an attack that Hwang Seong-yeon was familiar with. Does he have the power to steal runes or something. Such a judgment is made in a short time. This attack is definitely the ultimate skill [Knife Rain] of senior n member Ji Yoon-jae. I heard that Ji Yoon-jae was caught in the previous raid operation and could not escape, and it looked like he had received some kind of treatment in the process. Whether it was using an item or the power of runes It was clear that the skill had plundered Ji Yoon-jaes abilities. How fun. Hwang Seong-yeon injected magic into the demon sword he was holding. [Drain Slice] moves. The ck energy outside the sword moved inside the sword, and the blood-colored energy inside the sword moved outside the sword. The magic injected in a short time soon created an ominous darkness that covered Hwang Seong-yeons body. And. ng! ng! Cagaga-. The daggers pouring in from all sides hit the wall. To be precise, the crimson energy surrounding Hwang Seong-yeon. The unique energy that started from the demon sword blocked all the pouring daggers. It was the moment when one Holders ultimate skill was blocked all too absurdly. Hmm. This is the advantage of [Drain Slice]. Darkness that maximizes both attack and defense. It is a very demanding weapon with many penalties, but if used properly, it boasts overwhelming performance like this. Especially Hwang Seong-yeon possesses the rune [Hero yer], which maximizes the ability of the demon sword to the extreme. The [Drain Slice], known to the world as legendary-grade, has currently had all its seals released by Hwang Seong-yeon to be a myth-grade weapon. Hwang Seong-yeon casually retrieved his energy and looked ahead again. Although he had blocked the downpour of daggers, the actual opponent who used the skill had disappeared from sight. And. Rush. Once again. Themand was chanted once again. The ultimate skill that ordinary Holders can hardly get once in a lifetime was unleashed from Do Jae-hyun for the second time. Push!! . Hwang Seong-yeon looked with indifferent eyes at a sword that had pierced his heart. The darkness defense created by [Drain Slice] was prated. And the rough blood spurt that followed. Blood that seemed to pour out flowed down his chest and through his whole body. His chest was pierced straight through by Do Jae-hyuns sword. While looking at that astonishing scene Hwang Seong-yeon smirked. A deep smirk. It was a deep, richugh that could never be easily seen from him normally. As expected, its fun. Truly The appearance of a truly fun opponent. It was his figure, purely delighted by that fact. *** Ippotrantion *** F***. What the hell is this? I couldnt believe the current situation. It was absurd that [Knife Rain] was blocked. I didnt expect it to make a big impact from the beginning, but I really didnt know it wouldnt make any impact at all. The bloody darkness created by Hwang Seong-yeon through the demon sword. That bizarre energy instantly wrapped around him, blocking all the daggers pouring down. It was as if Its like Juyeons skill. The fire barrier that wrapped around me when I fought with Ji Yoon-jae. It gave me a simr feeling. I had heard that the barrier was Kang Juyeons newly awakened ability. But now Hwang Seong-yeon was simr. No, this barrier was much stronger than that one. The bizarre bloody darkness that showed strange movementspletely blocked the ultimate skill [Knife Rain]. The total of 21 daggers Couldnt even touch Hwang Seong-yeons body, all bounced off and fell to the floor. Still At least up to that point was fine. Since I used the ultimate skill in the first ce to buy time. The important thing was to have time to use [Berserk] and [Oppression]. I managed to buy some time, however short, and with the two skills I pumped my abilities nearly twofold. With my ability level, I had the power of an A-grade Holder, close to the top among them. As Kwon Oh-jun said, it was enough power not to lose against any Holder I collided with. Rush. And I unfolded another ultimate skill. [Distortions Shadow]. Teleport behind the enemy with Blink and attack with a powerful physical skill that ignores all defense on the next attack. Among the skills I can use right now Undoubtedly, it was the strongest attack skill. So as I charged towards Hwang Seong-yeon, I had no hesitation. Crazy. But the situation that followed was strange. Too strange. Although I prated Hwang Seong-yeons bloody darkness, I couldnt connect the attack I wanted at all. The sword aiming for his head went towards his heart against my will. After stabbing with the sword, strangely my maic didnt flow into the sword. So I couldnt utilize the connected skill [Explosive Sword Aura] either. It felt as if My hand was moving on its own, under some kind of special energy. Is that it? The ultimate skill Cha Soo-yeon told me about. How Hmm. As expected, Hwang Seong-yeon knew about my ultimate skill. It seemed Cha Soo-yeon had mentioned it to him in advance. With an oddly somber smile, he said, The darkness of Dain Slice follows wherever there is blood, not only my body. Once faced with this darkness, your body will also crave blood at some point. Yes. Thats why your sword headed towards my heart. F***. What the hell is all this crap. I didnt fully understand Hwang Seong-yeons verbose words, but one thing was certain. The demon sword [Dain Slice] and Hwang Seong-yeons ability were much more powerful than I anticipated. This was an undeniable fact. Looking at just the recent attack, for example. The direction of the sword heading for his head changed against my will. Afterwards, when I stabbed with the sword. My magic didnt get injected, as if it got snatched away. And finally Hwang Seong-yeons body pierced by the sword to the heart instantly regenerated as if with super-regeneration. Gasp!! Horrified by the abnormal sight, I quickly pulled out the sword and retreated from him. What kind of freak is this. Looking back at the short battle, I felt the situation was hopeless. I had poured in a lot of my power. I utilized all the stat pumping I could. I had already used two ultimate skills. But the opponent was barely damaged. The attack I went in with that ignored defense seemed to have hit, but he recovered rapidly with some freakish super-regeneration And inside that bizarre bloody darkness, somehow my magic didnt get injected. Hwang Seong-yeon was a Holder whose powers werent fully revealed even in the original work. Since I didnt know the opponents abilities and attack patterns urately, I couldnt grasp how to deal with him in an unexpected situation. I still had a lot of runes and skills left unused, but It was questionable whether they would work on Hwang Seong-yeon. Swish- Shh-!! Huh? While the confrontation with Hwang Seong-yeon continued, someone hurriedly grabbed my body. Reacting instantly, as I recognized the familiar aura and appearance I immediately rxed my bodys tension. Master? It was Yoo Eun-seol. She had gone deeper inside to assassinate Hwang Dong-yeon but was now next to me without me noticing when she came over. Grabbing my waist with one hand, she swiftly used movement runes to get further away from Hwang Seong-yeon. It was an incredibly fast speed, as if she had used Blink. Hwang Seong-yeon watched us silently without responding. Holder Do Jae-hyun, you need to retreat for now. Huh? What do you Look over there. Getting closer, Yoo Eun-seol urgently spoke to me. And her finger pointing ahead. As I followed her gaze There was a manughing insanely. Haha, hahahaha It worked, it worked!! It worked, I tell you!! Hwang Dong-yeon, n master. He held a translucent crystal ball in his hands. That was probably the item known as [Order of Harmony]. The legendary-grade item Hwang Seong-yeon had seized through the ambush operation. Holding [Order of Harmony], Hwang Dong-yeon shouted, pouring out tremendous magic. Awaken!! It was the unleashing of intense magic that could be felt from this distance. And Rumble- Grooaarr!! Rorr-!! Roaarrr!! Holy What is all this. I nkly murmured at the distant sight. Many. Too many. After Hwang Dong-yeon spat out some incantation. An enormous number of monsters revealed themselves inside the ind. Monsters I couldnt count with my eyes. They were clearly monsters. Except None of them seemed to have intact bodies. Undead. A category of monsters belonging to the curse series. Undead. They were all undead. Skeletons, ghouls, banshees, wraiths Among them were monsters that looked like death knights and liches. And in the center. There was a gigantic dragonposed entirely of bones, looking like it could trample all the surrounding Holders. No matter how far up I looked, its form wasnt fully visible, it was a monstrously huge monster. I stared nkly at the sight, lost for words. This was clearly. Iparably bigger than the overwhelming might of Hwang Seong-yeon I had faced. It was a tremendous crisis. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 169

Chapter 169

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The situation was not good for the remaining party members either. The viin n members gathered here on Gijangeum Ind were clearly over 40 people at a nce. Although Yoo Eun-seol and Do Jae-hyun were leading the charge into the enemys formation, there was a limit. Frankly, if just half of them, 20 people, attacked, it would be hell for the allied party. Kim Chae-eun bit her lip slightly as she looked at the situation. Its too dangerous. There were 13 members left in the rear party. Of those, there were only 4 warriors and assassins who could take the lead Kwon Oh-jun, Park Jin-woo, Shin Yu-na, and Choi Dong-wook. Just the 4 of them were facing at least 3 n members each, protecting the rear members. No matter how much they fought with buffs and support, in a many-to-one situation, the burden was bound to increase. Jae-hyun too. Suddenly, Kim Chae-euns gaze turned to Do Jae-hyun, fighting alone in the distance. In order to break through the crisis of the party. And to help party leader Yoo Eun-seol, Do Jae-hyun had jumped into the enemy formation alone. Ever since the battle started, Kim Chae-eun was so worried about him that she had a hard time concentrating. What if Just in case, something went wrong with him. Even while fighting the enemy, such anxiety had a ce in her mind. That idiot. Come to think of it, he had always been like that. No matter what incident or crisis came up, he always took the lead. There was never any hesitation or worry. Even though it must have been dangerous and scary for himself, he always reassured the others with a smiling face. It was the same this time as well. Without a word to Kwon Oh-juns unreasonable request, he finished preparing and jumped into the enemy formation. Even though he could have taken on a safer role without anyoneining Do Jae-hyun did not do that. He knew well the risk of eventually returning to the party if he did that. Kim Chae-eun felt sorry for him in that way. There were burdens on him that were hard toprehend easily. There was certainly the burden she herself had ced on him as well. I have to be helpful. She had to relieve him of that burden. If this continued, everyone was in danger. If the rear members on this side struggled, Do Jae-hyuns side, which needed support, would naturally have an even harder time. In order for the flow ofbat to be brought up positively, a breakthrough had to be found on this side as well. The members who could create that variable were certainly in this party. Juyeon. Yeah. Kang Juyeon, who was sweating while casting magic, replied to Kim Chae-euns call. Although they usually gave off the feeling of being mortal enemies, there was no leisure to show such an appearance in a situation like this. You know it too, right? We have to catch that mage. . At Kim Chae-euns words, Kang Juyeon quietly nodded her head. At a distance a little away from the party. At the center of the n members, a female Holder casting magic alone. Cha Soo-yeon. She was the problem. Having experienced it once in Japan already, Cha Soo-yeons gravity magic was quite tricky. It controlled the overall movement of the vanguard with a slowing effect and the mage sses also had troubleunching full attacks due to the interference with concentration. If Hwang Dong-yeong and Hwang Seong-yeong were the centers of the front enemy formation, Cha Soo-yeon was the center of the rear enemies. They had to deal with her in some way in order to unravel the frustrating situation now. Im ready. Next to them, Moon Ga-eun cut in on their words. And at the same time she drew her sword. The [Extreme Shot] powerfully fired. One of the n members copsed, taking a direct hit to the leg. She was not the only one. Oh, if were going to do it, lets hurry up. Im getting tired. Kacha kchak- Along with the dull sound of weapons shing, Park Jin-woo, who had momentarily retreated, came over here to catch his breath. As his words indicated, they did not have much time left. The ns numbers were still far greater than theirs, and recklessly using thecking warrior sses was a pretty big risk. Make it more certain. But saying there was risk meant correspondingly that they couldunch an effective strategy that would create momentum. Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun, Park Jin-woo, and Kim Chae-eun. The elite party that worked together to clear the Academy Underground Dungeon, an intermediate-advanced dungeon. Except for Do Jae-hyun, it was a party that knew each other very well and worked together exceptionally. After confirming that those members had gathered, Kim Chae-eun firmly nodded her head and drew up her magic power. And. With a short incantation, she signaled the opening shot for the operation. Swallow the cold. The surroundings fill with chill. The Rune Kim Chae-eun had obtained before, [Frozen Battlefield]. Its ultimate skill, [Blizzard]. The skill that was teacher Jeong Seon-yeongs trademark appeared in the middle of Gijangeum Ind. [Blizzard] was an attack skill against a single target. If it could only reach its target, it was a powerful ice-attribute magical attack that would freeze everything of the target. Although Kim Chae-euns proficiency was still too low and it was immature, it was certain that it was a skill that could still change the flow ofbat. Its target was Of course, the n core Holder that they had discussed from the beginning. It was Cha Soo-yeon. Sssss-! Kkjjjjak-!! Chief!! But at the moment the chill was about to reach right next to Cha Soo-yeon. One of the n members quickly approached and physically blocked [Blizzard]. His movement was very fast, seeming to have used the effect of a certain Rune or skill. Seeing that, Kim Chae-eun smacked her lips in disappointment. If it had gotten through, the situation would havepletely changed As expected, the enemies were not fools to just watch and do nothing about it. Its okay. But she was not too disappointed. She had expected to some extent from the beginning that her ultimate skill would not directly take effect. The important thing was that the enemies moved in response, changing the previous formation. Park Jin-woo! Go straight ahead!! Moon Ga-eun shouted loudly and fired her wide-area skill [Triple Power Shot] at the enemies. Her main Rune was [Wind Archer]. A bow-type weapon Rune imbued with wind-attribute, its attack power varied ording to wind direction and wind speed due to its unique effect. The current wind direction was northwest. Precisely, it was the direction blowing from their side toward the n side. Oh!! At the same time, Park Jin-woo explosively charged forward. Park Jin-woo was a warrior-ss focused on speed. His main Rune that represented him now was, of course, [Unstoppable Swift Sword]. Although he did not possess assault-type Runes like Do Jae-hyun, he had the ability to be sufficiently effective for short distances and meleebat like this. So with Moon Ga-euns support, his pration with the wings of wind Lacked nothing in bewildering the enemies. Kacha kchak!! Kagagang!! Shit! Block him!! Whats with this speed Did he hide his strength? Hey! If you guys go too, the bnce will copse! Cracks appeared in the n aggressive charge. Kim Chae-euns ultimate skill [Blizzard], Park Jin-woos high-speed pration, and Moon Ga-euns firepower support. The party that suddenly changed from a defensive stance to being aggressive. The momentum that seemed to push in as if awakened something Their imposing manner of attack could not be described as insufficient to bewilder the enemies. Dont let go of the guys youre responsible for! Cling tightly! Thanks to that, Team 5 of Divine Punishment who had been fighting hard and the remaining party members also gained strength, realizing the flow. At Kwon Oh-juns yell, everyone gritted their teeth and endured. Somehow, they had to get Park Jin-woo to reach Cha Soo-yeon. And as if in response Park Jin-woo pushed deeper inside more recklessly. Chase them! Three n members suddenly blocking his way. In front of them Park Jin-woo used the ultimate skill he had been saving up. [Otherworld sh]. Originally it was a skill that shed a single target 17 times but When many were concentrated together like now, he could continue chaining attacks as if binding those many into one target. Guh, guaaaak-!! It ignores endurance! Be careful! The n members tried somehow to block him but defense without preparation was nothing but a sandcastle. They copsed quite easily before Park Jin-woos sword. Kim Chae-eun had only recently learned [Blizzard] and on top of that, since the skill was non-targeted, it was difficult for it to even hit in itself. On the other hand, Park Jin-woo had already mastered his ultimate skill long ago, and unlike Kim Chae-eun, he had continued researching [Otherworld sh] after shing with Do Jae-hyun all day to barelyplete it. An attack that they could not simply block by recklessly throwing their bodies to defend against. Tsk tsk. They really are useless bastards. Reverse it. As the situation flowed here, a countermeasure finally came from the enemy side as well. Cha Soo-yeons voice mixed with irritation. It was the incantation to unfold the ultimate skill [Reverse Gravity]. [Reverse Gravity] was a skill that instantly reversed the gravity that had been applied to the targets until now, switching the power around. If her gravitational magic was a kind of attractive force that pulled in, this ultimate skill was a repulsive force that pushed away. Therefore, the Holders who had been suffering under the oppression of gravitational magic were lifted into the sky as soon as this skill unfolded. The frontline Holders such as Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook who had endured until now. The mage-ss Holders who had been preparing magical attacks. Even Park Jin-woo who had been charging toward Cha Soo-yeon. They all floated into the air under the influence of [Reverse Gravity] without exception. Cha Soo-yeons specialty. Her ultimate skill showed the extreme of abnormal status. Huh? Oh Oh. Got you, fucking bitch. However. There was one thing Cha Soo-yeon missed. Park Jin-woo No, Kim Chae-eun, who nned this short operation. Had no intention of using Park Jin-woo to catch Cha Soo-yeon from the start. Just one wound. Or chipping one point of endurance. That much was enough. Right before being lifted by [Reverse Gravity]. Park Jin-woos sword barely grazed Cha Soo-yeons shoulder. And with that, Park Jin-woos role was over. Tsk tsk. So youre throwing a tantrum because you want to die. Ill make sure to Whoosh, whoo!! Cha Soo-yeon, who was about to finish off the rising Park Jin-woo, was startled by the magical power she suddenly felt and deployed a [Magic Barrier]. A hot magical aura. Intense mes gathered ceaselessly toward Cha Soo-yeons shoulder area. And. Burn!! The ultimate skill with all specific conditions met. Kang Juyeons [Inferno] began mercilessly zing from Cha Soo-yeons shoulder. A me that seemed to burn everything away without a trace. Kang Juyeons fire never let go of a target once caught. Gah, gaaaaak!! Once again. Cha Soo-yeons terrible scream, heard in Japan, echoed throughout Gijangeum Ind. This time it was truly a dead end With no ce left to retreat. *** Ippotrantion *** Kang Juyeons punchnded perfectly. Kim Chae-eun clenched her fist and rejoiced internally. As expected from the top prospect Holder of the Academy. Although she didnt like her usual behavior, there was no denying her ability. In this worst situation, she was the only Holder Chae-eun could rely on, and she fully demonstrated that power. Thanks to her, Cha Soo-yeon, the core Holder among the enemies, waspletely retired, and the side fell into chaos. There were still too many enemies left, but at this pace, it seemed fully possible to stop them. Jae-hyun is With the short operation ending in sess and the situation behind stabilizing, Kim Chae-eun turned her head. Now there was room to help Do Jae-hyun. It was time to provide support to him fighting alone. However Huh? As Kim Chae-eun turned her head, she doubted her own eyes. Something Something was very odd. Where the enemies were filled with countless Holders Now countless monsters filled the space. Thats right. Monsters. They were definitely monsters. For some reason she didnt know, on Gijangeum Ind where the bloody battle between Holders continued Countless monsters had appeared and taken over the ce. Moreover, the main characters were undead. Skeletons, Duhans, Banshees, Wraiths, and all sorts of monsters that seemed to be curse-type were wandering around, showing their ghastly appearances. Just when she thought they had entered a stable zone, the situation was bing worst than ever. Hmm? However. What really made Kim Chae-eun rub her eyes was not the procession of those monsters. In the middle of those monsters, as if it were their boss An enormously huge monster boasting massive size. A cursed dragon made entirely of bones. It was because of that cursed dragon. Or rather, to be precise. Why are you there, Jae-hyun? Precisely because of the Holder on top of that giant dragon. That Holder who seemed to be issuing grave orders With a very familiar appearance. It was because of her friend, Do Jae-hyun. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 170: The First Contract (3)

Chapter 170: The First Contract (3)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Wake up!! Hwang Dong-yeons stutteringmand. Along with it, countless monsters appeared. Seeing that sight, I couldnt hide my hopeless feeling. What the hell is that What the hell is all that? The ind was filled with numerous monsters. They all looked like undead from the curse series. As they let out chilling screams, they approached us. And no matter how many times I washed my eyes and looked, their posture was not friendly at all. I think its Hwang Dong-yeons ability. Yoo Eun-seol, who was holding my waist, took a few steps back. She helped me understand with an exnatory supplement. Hwang Dong-yeons ability? Yes. When I tried to enter earlier, Hwang Dong-yeon was arranging magic within his guards, then at one point magic concentrated explosively, and thats the result. Thats the ability of a Holder Information about Hwang Dong-yeon had always been veiled. So far, a lot of information had been revealed about the n, their movements and members. And even the submaster Hwang Seong-yeon had caused a major incident, so there was an abundance of rted research material. However, information about the n master Hwang Dong-yeon himself had never been properly known. Thats because Hwang Dong-yeon had only established the n, with almost no criminal history or pre-activity information. He was really controlling monsters? s unusual actions rted to monsters in the past. And the lizardman smander that attacked the academy. Through some incidents, I had suspected there was a Holder rted to [Taming contracts] within . But I never imagined that would be the ability of Master Hwang Dong-yeon, nor that he could control so many monsters. How high is his leadership anyway. ording to Professor Kang Dong-wook, the number of monsters a Holder can control is affected by leadership and rune level. And the battalion Hwang Dong-yeon had raised now was at least tens of monsters at first nce. It was so many monsters that I couldnt even gauge his leadership at all. Holder Do Jae-hyun. We have to retreat first. Regroup with the rear party and wait for reinforcements as much as possible Kaaaahhh Kyaaooo!! Just as Yoo Eun-seol was hurriedly speaking to me. An aura of tremendous energy, a howling, spread throughout the ind. A huge, dragon-like monster made entirely of bones standing among the monsters. A kind of Bone dragon. There was no shortage in calling it a bone dragon. It was stomping the ground roughly and screaming. Ugh At that moment, I saw Yoo Eun-seols body stiffen slightly then rx. I knew this condition very well. Status condition fear. The status condition I experienced when facing Grizly Drake before. It was an effect possible with the [Deration of Domination] skill of the [Oppression] rune I acquired after defeating him. [The special power of the Bright Mind rune keeps the targets clear mind. You are immune to any curse or status condition. Fortunately, I was immune to such status conditions. Thanks to the mental epic rune [Keen Mind] I hunted and acquired from the Japanese boss monster Yamata No Orochi yesterday. I now also had the second legendary rune that Park Jin-woo possessed. Master. I think we have to deal with that guy first. As long as hes there, retreating will only make it more dangerous anyway. Yoo Eun-seol also nodded at my words. She must have felt it too from the recent howling. That we had to stop that bone dragon ourselves or it would wipe out our entire party. As the partys maximum firepower, we had to take the lead to block it. Only then was there a glimmer of hope. I have to buy time. But the conclusion has been the same from the first operation until now. I have to buy time. Somehow buying time and waiting for the soon-to-arrive allies. Thats why we took the risk and came to the front. Yoo Eun-seol looked at me worriedly. Then Ill go first. Please be careful. Yes, master. I absolutely wont die. That was the end of our division of roles. Yoo Eun-seol rushed towards Hwang Seong-yeon, who was slowly pulling out his demon sword again, and I headed towards the bone dragon in front of me. Kya, oooh!! The bone dragon screamed again. Ignoring its howling with [Keen Mind], I quickly approached right next to it. Damn. Its freaking huge. Its dull, bony legs. Seeing that, I felt its huge size more vividly. I had to crane my neck up to barely see its body. I wondered how on earth Hwang Dong-yeon made a contract with this ridiculous thing. But it has its advantages. Because it was so huge in size, there were points I could utilize. Themon rune of the assassin series, [Stealth]. If a high-level [Stealth] just disappears from the opponents sight, I could make full use of that effect. Because the bone dragon was so huge, it couldnt see me, rtively small, so the [Stealth] effect was properly applied. Hide Attack!! If I bes [Stealth], I could naturally also use the derived skill [Hide Attack]. After disappearing from the bone dragons sight with [Stealth], I charged towards its hind legs and immediately used [Hide Attack]. [Hide Attack] was one of the few direct attack skills I had. If I could justnd a hit, I was sure to see great effect. Crack, kagagang Gya, gyao?! Huh? But the moment my sword touched its body. Something strange happened. I immediately stopped moving and stared at the phenomenon. What the, suddenly? A strong magical light suddenly It arises at the junction of the sword and the body. The magical power that arose from the junction began to climb up the dragons body, then concentrated on a specific point at the center of its body. Thats for sure. The magic stone embedded in the dragons body. And separate from the magical stone, there was another something that was shining brilliantly. The dazzling lights soon appeared in front of me, creating an information window. [The dragons intense will roams the world even after annihtion. The legend contained in the special item Dragon Heart still breathes its scent. The intense magical power emanating from the Dragon Heart covers the surroundings.] [The Promise Bound by Dragon rune and Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride rune resonate with the Dragon Heart. All hidden special conditions are satisfied regarding a true contract with the Bone Dragon.] [The unstable contractual rtionship of the Bone Dragon has been identified! By satisfying all special conditions, you can break the existing contract and make a new contract. This contract is not affected by leadership and rune level.] I read the information window in surprise. Dragon Heart? Contract? Unfamiliar words and phrases dazzled my eyes. As always with information windows, there was no intuitive, detailed exnation of the new power. There were only contents that made me wonder what the hell this meant whenever I saw them. But I didnt have time to mumble about it. You have to go with the flow at times like these. I could tell from my experience so far. It was the same when I got the High Rune, the new ability of [Rune Hunter], and when I broke the seal of the stone b and gained dragon-rted abilities. Opportunity. New power always turned into an opportunity to overwhelm crisis. Hand of Contract. I use the derived skill of [Promise Bound by Dragon], [Hand of Contract]. As the name implies, this skill allows you to make a contract with the target. The moment it is used, a contract can be made if the conditions are met. ording to the information window description, I was now able to make a contract with this immense Bone Dragon [The contract is sessful! Bone Dragon (Curse/Special) is added to the contract target list for the Promise of the Dragon rune. This is an abnormal contract, and the contractors abilities are partially limited.] [Current List of Contract Monsters (1/1)] [Sometimes, special beings make informal contracts. Of the rune; You have seeded in a mysterious contract that goes beyond your full ability; your understanding of the rted rune rises rapidly.] [The level of the Promise Bound by Dragon rune has risen.] [Acquires 7 Leadership with Runes tendency.] ; The first contractor of [Promise Bound by Dragon]. Ironically, it was A monster I had contracted with an enemy. Roaaar! The bone dragon lowered its massive body. Then it suddenly pushed its rather gruesome skull towards me. But unlike before, it was not aggressive at all, and very obedient. It was as if Telling me to get on its body. It was definitely a gesture like get on my body. Professor Kang Dong-wook was definitely right. Without the [Language] rune,munication with the contractor was anything but easy. If I could ovee all the crises today and return, I would definitely have to get themon runes rted to [Training Contract]. Thinking so, I got on the bone dragons body. Whoooaaaa!! Rooooaaarrrr!! As I climbed up the bone dragons body, it let out a roar as intense as before, causing a howl. At first nce it was so despairing and terrifying, but Now that it was on our side, I couldnt ask for a more reassuring roar. What, what the Wasnt that a monster made by the Master? Desperate voices came from the ground. Looking around briefly Our party members who were fighting fiercely behind us. Yoo Eun-seol and Hwang Seong-yeon, who were shing weapons against each other. Even Hwang Dong-yeon, who had unleashed these monsters. Everyone was looking at me with disbelief. Or with desperate eyes. Roaaar!! Boom! Boom! Rooooaaarrrr!! In that silence. Once again, the bone dragon roared. Then it mercilessly began to trample the enemies who had fallen into a fear state for a moment. F*ck! What the hell is this!! Ru, Run away! Kyaahhh-!! In an instant the battlefield became chaotic. n members fled in panic to avoid the bone dragons attack, and those who failed to escape were killed on the spot by the stomping. Roaaar!! Boom! Boom! Simrly, Hwang Dong-yeons undead monsters. Although they each possessed considerable power, they werepletely swept away like dust by the bone dragons blind rampage, who was like their boss. The bone dragons physical ability was much better than I had expected. Everyone, stay calm! We have to stop it by joining forces! Its impossible! How do we stop that?! Do Jae-hyun! Do Jae-hyun, we just need to catch that bastard. Get in somehow and bring that son of a bitch down! Amidst the turmoil. A man who looked like an executive of the n gave reasonably calm instructions. I guess every group has someone with quick thinking. That executive made the most rational inference given the short time and situation. Not good. I clicked my tongue at him. The bone dragon is an extremely powerful monster. A disaster-like monster that crushes everything in front of it with its huge body and tremendous strength. Without seeing the detailed , just looking at its physical abilities, it felt like an S-grade monster. But as I first approached it, it is rtively slow. Also, being sorge makes it difficult to deal with enemies clinging to it. The executive was taking good advantage of that weakness. If multiple B-grade or higher Holders clung to me at once, it could be very dangerous even if I was on the bone dragon. Then Ill have to use something else. Seeing the n members swarming like ants I grinned. Althoughmunication with the bone dragon is still difficult without the [Language] rune, There was A way to deal with this situation. [A special effect linked to the Rune Hunter rune can be used. Currently, a total of 3 runes can be granted to the contractor, Bone Dragon.] [The Agility (Normal/Lv.5) rune is granted to contractor Bone Dragon. The rune is deleted from the Holders Information.] [The Physical Defense (Normal/Lv.7) rune is granted to contractor Bone Dragon. The rune is deleted from the Holders Information.] [The Dead Firework (Rare/Lv.5) rune is granted to contractor Bone Dragon. The rune is deleted from Holders Information.] The special effect of [Promise Bound by Dragon] linked with [Rune Hunter]. Rune Grant. Through this effect, I granted the bone dragon three runes among those I had acquired so far that had lower efficiency. And Roooaaarr!! Boo! Boom! Boom!! Whooooosh!! Did I give too much? The bone dragon started rampaging like crazy. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 171: Suppression and Cleanup (1)

Chapter 171: Suppression and Cleanup (1)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The uninhabited ind of Ganghwado, Gijangeum Ind. The ce where the Academy Alliance search team and confronted each other. In the center of it all, unbelievable things were happening one after another. Seeing the sight, Hwang Seong-yeon could not hide his absurd feelings. What the hell is that It was literally in an instant. The giant monster created by Hwang Dong-yeon, the Bone Dragon. Do Jae-hyun, who first shed swords with that overwhelming monster, was suddenlypletely engulfed in some strange light and escaped from the monsters attack. Then he somehow seeded in controlling it and in no time was sweeping the battlefield riding on its back. Just thinking about it, this unbelievable event happened in less than 10 minutes. Thats why Hwang Seong-yeon, who was exchanging swords with Yoo Eun-seol, also hurriedly pulled back to observe the situation. Fortunately, there were still many people on this side from Hombi Baeksan, so stopping the fight with Yoo Eun-seol was easy. Is it a rune that steals the enemys abilities in real time? He couldnt help but be suspicious. In the short battle, Do Jae-hyun had continued to show peculiar powers. The [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] of his subordinate Ji Yoon-jae. And its ultimate skill, [Knife Rain]. He was using the abilities of enemies he fought just yesterday today. It wouldnt be strange at all if he could steal abilities in real time. Its just unbelievable that such a power actually exists. I, I cant believe it My, my Bo, Bone Dra, Dragon Ugh, ugh!! Nearby, Hwang Dong-yeon was murmuring with a nk expression. The Bone Dragon is not simply a monster you make a contract with, but a monster that must be manufactured directly using top-tier magic stones and special items like [Dragon Hearts]. After establishing It was a monster created after investing enormous capital and time over a really long period. Having that monster he prepared so ambitiously get stolen in just 10 minutes was maddening. This got boring. The situation was turning out worse than he thought. The purpose of this battle was purely an experiment from the beginning. [Leadership Contract] and [Rudenark Spell]. And Hwang Dong-yeon, who through the rune [Death Lord] could breathe life into the undead he made himself and control them. On top of that, obtaining the item [Order of Harmony] allowed him to make up for the 20% of power he wascking. This battle was to inspect the final version of that power and experience in advance the massacre nned for the future, a kind of trial version. If he could sweep away the Academy Alliance forces with perfect control, it would be a great sess. And even if it wasnt as sessful as he thought, the n was to just finish checking and escape. How, how did he make that!! Ho, how lo, long did it ta, take!! But he didnt expect a failure of this magnitude. Hwang Dong-yeons ambitious undead legion. While the summoning and maniption worked, the Bone Dragon, considered his greatest asset, fell into the enemys hands. The process and cause are unknown. Other than that the protagonist was Do Jae-hyun, there was nothing they could find out. Thats why Hwang Dong-yeon was furious enough to demolish everything around him. The fruits of several years of human experimentation, monster experimentation, and the enormous funds poured into them Were crumbling pathetically. It was more surprising that he still had a shred of sanity left. Its time to get rid of this punk too. Seeing that, Hwang Seong-yeon clicked his tongue. The reason he brought Hwang Dong-yeon along until now wasnt because they were brothers. Hwang Seong-yeon wasnt the type of person moved by human emotion, and feelings like affection had long since died within him. It was just that his younger brother was a psychopath on par with himself. To the point of being disgustingly grotesque. Their purposes and abilities matched, so they moved together out of mutual benefit, nothing more. But it seemed like it was time to end that partnership. In the end was just a n made for necessity. It was now a used tool that had served its purpose, so he had no lingering attachment. He needed to find another group, another partner, that could feed more blood to his demon sword and satisfy his desires. Ugh, ugh Sto, stop that ba, bastard!! Dra, drag him do, down!! Hwang Dong-yeon was still lost in rage, shouting orders at the n members. After watching that for a bit, Hwang Seong-yeon raised his demon sword. And soon after, a crimson aura enveloped Hwang Seong-yeons body. That aura, which had shown overwhelming power in attack and defense, now hid Hwang Seong-yeons presence. It looked just like an assassin using [Stealth]. Somewhere amidst the chaos and pandemonium at the center of Gijangeum Ind Hwang Seong-yeon slowly faded away. And he looked upon the man who had sparked all these cracks. Do Jae-hyun. A Holder who just awakened this year, yet was already approaching A-grade. A Holder he just found interesting despite his subordinates excessive reports. A Holder who defied all expectations and managed to shatter their ns. Now he could say for sure. Do Jae-hyun was at the center of all these results. An irregr that prevented the gears from meshing properly. Looking at him, Hwang Seong-yeon smiled deeply inside. Interesting. For the first time in a very, very long while He felt like an interesting opponent had appeared. *** Ippotrantion *** Kaaooo! The dragon flew into the air. With that huge body, how can it fly? But interestingly, it has the ability to freely adjust his body size. [Bone Fragment of Transformation]. One of the runes the dragon possesses, allowing it to gather the extending bones and adjust his size. Thanks to it, at first the sky was too small no matter how much I looked up due to its huge size, but now it was just the right size for me to ride on. If it had flesh on, it would be about the size of a wyvern. Here ites again! Avoid it, avoid it!! The n members were still in chaos. No matter how great their number or how many of Hwang Dong-yeons undead there were, it was useless. With the original huge dragon just once. With the size-adjusted dragon just once. With the irregrbat methods, I kept inflicting damage, so they couldnt get their bearings. Everyone attack together! Bring that thing down! Its impossible! Physical attacks dont work at all! Damn it! What the hell can we do?! Moreover, what they had to deal with was not just the dragons abilities. [The Gratest Racehorse Under Heaven]. My assault-type runes unified into one by the higher order rune system. The special effect of this rune is Rapid Riding, which allows 70% rune utilization while riding a mount. The dragon was of course categorized as a mount, satisfying the condition, and I could utilize the linked [Ruthless Charge] rune whenever I used assault runes. Thanks to it, the s physical attacks werepletely nullified. Kwa, kwaaa! The dragons wings swept over the enemy troops once more. Despite simply being a close-quartersbat utilizing physical attacks, the effects were tremendous due to the overwhelming stats. Name: (Bon) Contractor: Do Jae-hyun ssification: True Dragon (Special / Manufacture) Attribute: Curse (Undead) Affinity: Neutral Status: Normal General Stats:- [Strength: 98 (+11.0)] [Magic: 55 (+12.0)] [Speed: 53 (+12.2)] [Divinity: 11 (+8.0)] [Toughness: 101 (+9.0)] [Willpower: 22 (+9.8)] Possessed Runes:- [Dragons Fury Lv.18] [Oppression Lv.15] [Bone Fragment of Transformation Lv.15] [Magic Domination](*Restricted) [Promise Bound by Dragon](*Restricted) [Agility Lv.5] [Physical Defense Lv.7] [The Dead Firework Lv.5] Details : An undead given intelligence through the forbidden magic of Ludenark. All the dragons glory from legends is gone, only the dragon heart and top-grade magic stones cling onto that trace. Due to the abnormal method, it was in an unstable contract rtionship, but has made a new contract after meeting a qualified contractor. However, since it is not aplete contract in term of control, some runes and abilities are restricted. When I first saw its stats, I was shocked speechless. I guessed it was around the level of top A-grade or S-grade But Id never imagined its main stats (Strength, Toughness) would be near 100. Almost double my main stats. Additionally, its gaining extra abilities through [Promise Bound by Dragon] special effect. In short, a monster. It would take several top A-grade Holders joining forces to barely stop it. His abilities are also more diverse than I thought. Aside from the three runes I gave it, the dragon itself possessed 5 runes. Some abilities were restricted due to my low Leadership stat and rune levels, but that was a problem that could be resolved with time. Rather. Seeing the name Ludenark appear again in the details, an ufortable feeling arose within me. Its information Ive seen before when obtaining the [Rapid Recovery] rune, and seeing it again in the dragons details means Its probably a clue regarding new information Ill get in the future. I felt I had to research more into this partter. What should I name it? The nk Name in the . ording to Professor Kang Dong-wook, directly giving a name strengthens the bond between contractor and contracted, so I should do it. Giving a name raises affinity while [Language] allows building more rapport. Butcking spare time and no namesing to mind I just randomly picked a name. [You have given the name Bon to the contractor. This name will now serve as a bridge to further strengthen your contract rtionship.] [Unteralmunication! An unsatisfying name only brings difort. Contractor Bons affinity has slightly dropped, and some abilities have weakened.] Damn it. Total failure. Since it was a dragon, I just shortened it easily to Bon, but he probably didnt like it. Even his abilities dropped despite me putting some affection into naming him it stung a little. Kaaooo! Boom! Kwaa! Whoosh- Anyway,bat with the contractor boasting monstrous abilities was crazily intense. With overwhelming abilities and the newly gained fire elemental magic rune, Bon tormented the Viin nsmen. I, riding it, was relegated to more of a support role. It wasnt just Bon and me. S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol, and our party in the back after achieving victory in the small-scale battle. Everyone joined forces and started pushing back the enemies, forcing the more and more onto the defensive. And Theyre here! Reinforcements have arrived! Things always happen if you endure and wait. We were driven into a corner as if everything was over, but held on until the end to secure a foothold for a reversal. Of course, we were also lucky to gain Bon in the process Anyway, we did our best in the given conditions, that hasnt changed. Judgment of Fire! The master of Judgment of Fire, Holder Kang Woo-hyun! Holder Hwang Geun-wook and Moon Jung-hyuk of Royal have alsoe! Im Song Do-hyeok! The elites of Sunset Flower n have all arrived. Truly the end. The news of reinforcements arriving, my ears nearly bleeding from the roars. The tops of the 3 greatest domestic ns, the S-grade Holders. The elite Holders havee to wipe out the . Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 172: Suppression and Cleanup (2)

Chapter 172: Suppression and Cleanup (2)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. The reinforcements from the Academy Allied Forces had all arrived, and the situation was quickly cleaned up. Tens of n members and the undead legion provoked by Hwang Dong-yeon. Those who looked like Mt. Taesan at first sight copsed so pathetically fast. The guys werepletely outmatched in every aspect. I dont know if Hwang Dong-yeon is really an unofficial S-grade Holder or not, but on our side there are as many as four officially recognized S-grade Holders. There was noparison between the quality andbat level of the Holders. We also have far more numbers. In addition, as the contacted reinforcements all arrived at Gijangeum Ind, we also took the lead in numbers. The three major ns in the country that promised cooperation with the Academy and other minor ns. Just the mobilized Holders from each n exceeded at least three. Of those, about 60 Holders had arrived at Gijangeum Ind as reinforcements. Including Hwang Dong-yeons undead legion, the side still had more, but to the well-trained professional Holders, those monsters were like gum. All suppressionplete! Operation over!! A Holder who was checking the situation in the center shouted loudly. The n members who came to Gijangeum Ind. And the remnants who were trying to escape by taking advantage of the chaos. By blocking all their escape routes, they seeded in capturing them. Woowoong- Gyaaoo-. Even I breathed a sigh of relief at that sound, riding on top of Bon in the sky. Its really over. I didnt just stand still while the battle continued. Although I was tired and exhausted, somehow I helped the Academy Allied Forces general offensive with Bon. Bons powerful flight, which possesses overwhelming ability points, had intense destructive power that copsed the enemys formation. With the reinforcements arriving, not utilizing this ability would have been foolish. Thanks to that, I was able to achieve the feat of capturing Hwang Dong-yeon who was trying to escape with an escort. Whether he had ability points concentrated in contracting and summoning, he was captured without much resistance when attacked together. Th, this Let, let go! You, you son of a! My, my dragon!! Hwang Dong-yeon babbled while grabbing my cor. With the situation resolved and effectively finished, he was just spewingints like a kid instead of dignity in this desperate situation. To think this guy was s master. And that the Academy had been pushed around by a guy like this until now was unbelievable, I could only sigh. Ugh, ugh Wh, where Where did brother go? Can this jerk not speak without stuttering? Annoyed at his gibbering voice, I spat out whatever came to mind to provoke him. Hey. Your dragon was awesome. The reaction came back strongly in less than 1 second. What, what? This, this bastard!! Hwang Dong-yeon red. Despite his magic beingpletely depleted, his body restrained by various weapons, he recklessly hurled insults at me. It seems hes quite vulnerable to this kind of provocation. I shrugged and said, Ill use it well from now on. Your share too. No!! It said my dragon was better than yours right? You saw earlier? How freaking awesome it fights. Itll get used to fighting with me now, this one too. That, that cant be My, my dragon. With those words, Hwang Dong-yeon bowed his head as if sinking. The tower he had worked on for so long hadpletely copsed. It seemed he was finally realizing that. Hes quiet now. After silencing Hwang Dong-yeon who had been noisy all day, I slowly moved Bon to attemptnding. Althoughmunication was still difficult without [Language], I could grasp identification and direction of movement. Woowoong- Gyaaoo-. Foooo- Bon carefullynded on the ground. Below were already countless monsters and n members who had been suppressed by the Academy Allied Forces gathered in threes and fives. And among them, in the center, stood a familiar middle-aged face. n master, Kang Woo-hyun. He, the key figure of the Allied Forces, was waiting for me in the middle. Holder Do Jae-hyun. Seeing you again. Its been two months since the internship right? As I got off Bons body and set foot on the ground, Kang Woo-hyun warmly weed me. At the same time, other Holders in the Allied Forces came to take custody of Hwang Dong-yeon. After handing Hwang Dong-yeon over to them, I bowed my head deeply to Kang Woo-hyun. Greetings, Master. What? Hahaha. You, your jokes have improved. Kang Woo-hyun spoke heartily with a puzzled look. To that I lightly shook my head. I received overwhelming support. Thank you so much. Thanks to Holder Kang Woo-hyuns favor, me, the Anti-Viin Circle, and the Academy were able toe this far with less casualties. This was sincere. His daughter Kang Juyeon is a member of my circle, and since she was isted during this operation, it was a natural step for him, but His favor was appreciated anew. Kang Woo-hyun had not spared active support for and me. It was the same when looking for clues rted to , and when dispatched directly to Japan. Especially in this operation, he was the first to dere joining the Allied Forces, and yed a pivotal role in gathering all the major ns in the country and the ns together. If it wasnt for Kang Woo-hyun. Perhaps this suppression operation would have encountered more difficulties Your modesty is still there. Have more confidence. Without you, not only this operation, but my daughter would have been in danger as well. A max doting father Holder. It seems he raced here to Gijangeum Ind in one breath because he was worried about his daughter. Still, his words were not just mere ttery. In blocking ns attack and suppressing Hwang Dong-yeons undead legion. My exploits were quite big, that I acknowledged as well. In evidence, All the Holders gathered around. Most of the n members from each n and Academy professors were looking at me with surprise and admiration. Gyaaoo-. Especially the huge bone dragon bowing its head towards me. Theyre probably all curious about it. Is that monster really contracted with you? As if he couldnt hold back his curiosity, Kang Woo-hyun asked. I smiled and answered him. Yes. As you can see, a bone dragon made entirely of bones. Truly surprising. Its a monster Ive never seen before, yet its power is also strong you say. Just from the power I saw earlier, it looked almost like an S-grade monster. Since its also the first time Ive seen this monster, I dont know the exact grade assessment. The grade assessment of monsters is determined through consultation between institutions such as the Holder Association and International Monster Research Association. The evaluation criteria are revealed monster information, theses and consistent research results. So the bone dragon that has never appeared in the field or dungeons before has no assessed grade. Its a natural story. Bon wasnt an ordinary monster, but a manufactured monster specially made by Hwang Dong-yeon and . I still cant believe a single Holder made a monster with these ridiculous stats points. However, considering Hwang Dong-yeon had not revealed himself to the public while concentrating on research so far, there were probably inhumane human and monster experiments that cannot be counted as well as countless secret crimes involved That was just my guess. Anyway, really great work. A hero has been born to the Academy and Holdermunity. Kang Woo-hyun patted my shoulder and spoke. In his eyes was a deep trust that somehow burdened me involuntarily. You praise me too much. Ill leave the rest of the cleanup to the reinforcement side, so go to the rear and get some rest. Ah, Holder Kang Woo-hyun. Im curious about one thing. Hm? Before finishing the greetings and turning away. Kang Woo-hyun looked at me with a questioning face. By any chance, have you secured the whereabouts of sub master Hwang Seong-yeon? I look around but cant seem to find him anywhere. Hmm. Swallowing his throat sound, Kang Woo-hyun answered with a stiff face. Unfortunately, Hwang Seong-yeon had already disappeared by the time reinforcements arrived. While we arrested arge number of master Hwang Dong-yeon and s key members and wanted criminals, only Hwang Seong-yeon was missing. It seems he slipped out earlier during the fight with you guys. I see. Hearing those words, a regretful feeling naturally arose. I felt like he disappeared for a moment during the fight, and in the meantime he had slipped away and moved. Abandoning not only the n but also his younger brother Hwang Dong-yeon and escaping alone This kind of vicious guy was also the first im encountering. Its too bad. Hwang Seong-yeon is an extremely dangerous figure in terms of his abilities and brutality. When I crossed swords with him, I didnt feel like I could win at all. Almost like facing Yoo Eun-seol, hitting a wall. It meant Hwang Seong-yeon was an S-grade Holder. It was a chance to catch such a guy in one shot, but I missed it, leaving a deep regret. Still. It was fortunate to have captured n master Hwang Dong-yeon and s key members. What had been headache for the Academy and me until now were ns organized and vicious raids Now I was freed from that threat. With that in mind, I swallowed the regret and headed to the rear for rest. But in the middle of turning around. Information windows I had put off popped up incessantly without a break, confusing my view. [You have won the duel! Victory is recognized for your high contribution in the duel. With the Rune Hunters miraculous power, you can replicate one of your opponents runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] [You have won the duel! Victory is recognized for your high contribution in the duel. With the Rune Hunters miraculous power, you can replicate one of your opponents runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] [You have won the duel! Victory is recognized for your high contribution in the duel. With the Rune Hunters miraculous power, you can replicate one of your opponents runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] Ah. Come to think of it, in this fight. There were as many as 40 Holders alone, 50 zombies from Hwang Dong-yeon. Among them, just the ones I had wiped out with Bon were probably nearing twenty When would I finish collecting these runes? Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 173: Suppression and Cleanup (3)

Chapter 173: Suppression and Cleanup (3)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Breaking News! Largest domestic criminal organization, Viin n suppressed! n master, Hwang Dong-yeon who was veiled has been arrested. Academy Alliance with participation of 42 domestic ns. Sessful operation. Praise from the Holder Association and government continues In the end, it was the Academy students who made it happen. The arrest of Viins key executive Cha Soo-yeon was also led by 1st year students. The arrested Viin executive Cha Soo-yeon, Umm Dont look at me. I want to kill you. Threatens the press corps with sharp words The hectic suppression operation was sessfully wrapped up, and articles poured out from the Holdermunity. Thergest domestic criminal organization and unauthorized n . Their solid organizational structure has been destroyed. Although Hwang Seong-yeon, the mastermind behind Koreasrgest criminal Gwanghwamun Mass Murder Incident, failed to be arrested, all other key executives and core n members were sessfully apprehended. Especially with the perfect arrest of the n master Hwang Dong-yeon who was veiled The Holdermunity was able topletely sever all the connections that made up . In recent years, it was about eliminating various wanted criminals that had been headaches in Korea. Who exactly is Do Jae-hyun, the hero born in the Academy? Do Jae-hyun who is still 1st year. Huge ns are pouring their interest on him Kang Woo-hyun of Judgement of Fire. Has intention to recruit Do Jae-hyun. Are Do Jae-hyun and Moon Ga-eun dating? Rumors floating around the Academy Will Do Jae-hyun go to ? Among the central figures, the main interest would be Do Jae-hyun. He became a star through this operation after making a name for himself earlier with the Kim Do-yoon Assault Incident and founding the circle. He had found Viins unauthorized warp gates and main smuggling ie sources early by being dispatched to Japan. He also effectively blocked the ensuing two-pronged attack. Following that was the Viin Suppression Operation the next day. In thisrge-scale operation with participation of 42 domestic ns, he continued his exceptional performance. He stalled almost alone until allied reinforcements arrived and made major contributions after that such as arresting Hwang Dong-yeon. Naturally, headlines of all articles featured him. Although each n and the Academy yed pivotal roles in the operation, the key resolution was simr to Do Jae-hyuns work. Could Do Jae-hyuns contracted monster be S-grade or A-grade? Academy Professor Kang Dong-wook, There is no Holder in the domestic training field superior to Do Jae-hyun Do Jae-hyun the extreme Multi-Holder. Just how many runes does he have? Articles digging deep into him also came out. A Multi-Holder who can use all kinds of weapons. At the same time, he also utilizes various attribute magic runes. Moreover, in this operation, he revealed the power of [Training Contract] which has recently be a hot topic, by showcasing the Bone Dragon called his contracted monster A mutant Holder epassing multiple talents. If until now, the Holdermunitys view of Do Jae-hyun had been a promising junior Holder with tremendous potential. Now, he was rising as the trendy Multi-Holder to lead the Korean Holdermunity. He was the mysterious and astounding, representative Holder of Korea. We should also consider scouting him. Amidst that The ns interest was a given. The n which had ignored and s interest towards Do Jae-hyun so far, started expressing aggressive interest in him from this incident onwards. Song Do-hyeok, the eternal n master of . He leisurely told the n scout team leader. At that, the scout team leader answered with an awkward expression. Uh Master? I think Holder Do Jae-hyun wont be easy to scout. Why? When Song Do-hyeok asked, the scout team leader slowly replied. Firstly, he isnt from the warrior-type Holder that is our ns main scouting target. Didnt you say hes Professor Tak Won-hos disciple from the Academy? Then he must definitely use swords. At the same time, hes also Senior Yoo Eun-seols disciple. Not just that, he uses magic runes like mages, and summons like trainers. Rather than distinctly categorizing Holder Do Jae-hyun, its better to see him as a multi-talented Multi-Holder epassing various disciplines. At those words, Song Do-hyeok nodded. I think I roughly heard about that part. Above all, our n has no story with Holder Do Jae-hyun. ? Suddenly, why the talk about stories? Song Do-hyeok made a puzzled face at the scout team leaders puzzling words. The scout team leader then quickly brought out a report and recited. From long-term observation by our team until now, Holder Do Jae-hyun has links with all 3 major domestic ns. Hes best friends with Moon Ga-eun Holder from Royal n, and has even had meals together with her father, Moon Jung-hyuk Holder. Considering how close the two are, there are even rumors they might be dating. It was as if he had been waiting for today. The scout team leader continued with an excited face. It gets worse with Judgement of Fire. Its well known in the Academy how close he is with sessor Holder Kang Juyeon, and he had even exceptionally worked as an intern n member. Judgement of Fire is probably the n closest to recruiting Holder Do Jae-hyun. Here, the scout team leaders expression suddenly darkened. On the other hand, our Dragon Light Sword n has nothing. No connections at all. If there was any connection at all It would be how Do Jae-hyun uses swords as his main weapon, suiting the talent that desired? Even that meaning had long faded due to his recently revealed abilities and runes. Compared to the other 3 major ns, there is no reason whatsoever for Holder Do Jae-hyun to go out of his way to join our n over others. Hearing the scout team leaders dejected voice, Song Do-hyeok asked with a stunned face. Is it my fault? How could it be Masters fault? If there is any fault, it lies in our scouting team for falling behind the trends of domestic Holders and not arguing more strongly for stronger recruitment. Sigh. The scout team leaders voice was tinged with deep regret. In fact, the scout team had consistently advocated for the recruitment of Do Jae-hyun. However, Song Do-hyuk was a rather unique domestic n master who focused on the individual growth of his Holders, so he couldnt give such detailed recruitment instructions. He had thought, what could a first-year student Holder do well anyway? What was once faint interest has now exploded, sparked by this incident That was the change. Song Do-hyuk scratched his head and said to the scout team leader, Can we still not do anything now? Im afraid it will be difficult. He needs to naturally be friendly, only then there might be an opportunity, but in our Song family there are no Holders of simr age to Holder Do Jae-hyun, right? As evident from the words our Song family, the scout team leader was a member of the Song family, same as Song Do-hyuk. The Song Family. Along with the Tak Family Foundation, they were evaluated as one of the two major authoritative families of swordsmanship in the country. They were the core family that established the n. The majority of the n members consisted of members of the family, and even the n master Song Do-hyuk was the current head of the family. Also, because they owned so many shares, it was reasonable to see the n as being owned by the Song family. As such, almost all the families Holders belonged to the n. However, unfortunately among the Song family members currently attending the Academy, there wasnt a single student Holder. Because there were no family members of that age group. Story and bond is important, The scout team leader pointed out. Frankly, even if some of the n members got close to him, would that be anything more than a business partner. He would have to naturally get close and personally step forward wanting to join the n. As the undisputed top among the current promising Holders. With both fame and ability, Do Jae-hyun required such meticulous approach to even have the slightest chance of recruitment. Having heard that much, Song Do-hyuk suddenly pped the table as if struck by a thought. A Holder around the same age. Dont we have one? Huh? Who My youngest sister Hyun-a. Hyun-a will be entering the Academy next year, so they can get close as senior and junior. At those words, the scout team leaders expression turned odd. It was a face that seemed to have misheard something. Uh Master? Its true that Ms. Hyun-a is an outstanding member of the family, but she certainly didnt have the talent to be a Rune Holder Song Do-hyuks youngest sister, a direct descendant of the Song family. Song Hyun-a. The fact that she didnt have the talent to be a Rune Holder had been a story passed down in the family and n for a long time. She had sword skills and understanding that were considered one of the best in the family, but oddly enough, she didnt have the talent as a Rune Holder, which was regretful to those around her. So even though she was turning 20 next year, she had been scheduled to just attend university as normal Why is the master suddenly talking about her entering the Academy? What was Song Do-hyuk talking about? She didnt have it, untilst month. Facing the scout team leader tilting his head in puzzlement. Song Do-hyuk revealed an iprehensible smile. A fact only he, the closest to his little sister, knew. His little sister who hadnt been able to obtain even themon [Sword] rune, had already finished her awakening in a way that would astonish the world. I need to tell Hyun-a beforehand. To get a little close with her senior. The fierce recruitment battle of the top 3 domestic ns towards Do Jae-hyun Had thus, secretly begun in this way. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 174: Suppression and Cleanup (4)

Chapter 174: Suppression and Cleanup (4)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After all the tiring and difficult battles ended. What I needed was rest. There were still many things to investigate about the remaining situation, and the domestic Holdermunity was bustling every day due to the suppression, the biggest incident in history But honestly, it was out of my interest for now. My only goal right now was one. I need to sleep. To return to the cozy home and sleep without dreams as much as the overdue sleep. Since I founded . I hadnt had afortable sleep for even a day. Because I was worried that the guys, who didnt hesitate to use any means or methods, would target around me rather than me. Because of my greed to sweep away . I was worried that my surroundings might get hurt. Such worries andplex emotions ovepped, I didnt even remember when Ist slept soundly. I couldnt even sleep well because my whole body isnt in good condition. When I arrived home, I cut off all the pouring calls and messages, and immediately went to bed. How long did I sleep? Thats how I woke up after sleeping restlessly. Blinking to remove drowsiness, I turned on my turned off cell phone. [PM 8:32] Its 8:30 at night. I remember it was around this time when I came home yesterday. I must have slept for more than just 30 minutes. This crazy bastard. My mind awakens in an instant. Somehow this crazy bastard seemed to have slept for a whole day. Its my first time in my life. Not at all proud. Oh my, how long did I sleep? I scratched my head in embarrassment. No matter how tired I was, I had never slept for 24 hours before, so clearly I had been in an excessive state of tension until now. I hadnt slept at all the day before going into the suppression operation, so it was understandable. There are a lot of contacts. Countless calls, text messages, SMS contacts, etc. were filling up my inbox. Most of them were familiar names such as Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun, Tak Won-ho, Kim Myeong-hyun Close friends, acquaintances, or academy teachers. At a nce, there were also many contacts from unfamiliar numbers I saw for the first time. Maybe because it was such a historically huge operation. There wasnt a single person who wasnt interested in this incident, whether it was the domestic Holdermunity, the press, or foreign media. Meanwhile, I was away from all those contacts and slept for 24 hours straight. Ill reply to the contactster. I postponed replying to the contacts for the time being. Since I had copsed and slept first, there was a lot to organize personally. First of all, the runes I acquired after the battle with . At the time, too much information popped up to check everything, but now I had time to organize and grasp it. Fifteen Was it? The total number of acquired runes was 15. I was worried there might be too many, but fortunately ovepping runes weremon for skilled Holders, so the number of possible acquisitions was less than I thought. The types of runes acquired were diverse. Things like [Starlight Assassination], which I wanted to get from the Archer series, or [Weakness Detection], amon rune for the Assassin series, [Triple Saber], from the Warrior series, etc They were basic runes that clearly assisted the Holder. There was one thing they had inmon. Interestingly, the levels of the acquired runes were quite high. Name: Starlight Assassination Grade: Normal Level: 10 Name: Weakness Detection Grade: Normal Level: 9 The levels of the acquired runes were quite high like this. Maybe because they were the Holders I defeated or inflicted great damage on that contributed to my victory. Their level must have been high so their rune mastery was high. Thanks to that, I was able to acquire themon runes of each series that I desperately needed, at high levels. Of course, the huge increase in abilities from that was a bonus. Name: Do Jaehyun Gender: Male (20) Abilities:- [Strength: 70] [Magic : 71] [Speed: 73] [Divinity: 50] [Toughness: 55] [Willpower: 54] Special Abilities [Leadership: 31] Acquired 15 runes. Precisely, [Starlight Assassination], [Weakness Detection], [Triple Saber], [Critical Hit], [Stamina], [Florian Spell], [Sword Shrouded in Darkness], [Picky Arrowhead], [Hand of Illusion], [Dark Fear], [Summon], [Language], [Magic Sharing], [Strengthen Contract], [Corpse Commander]. So many There really are a lot. Anyway, because I acquired so many high level runes My abilities increased quite a bit even though the main runes were normal grade. My main abilities Strength, Speed, Magic all exceeded 70. The other abilities exceeded 50. The most encouraging growth value was of course Leadership. Leadership, which had an extremely low value when I first got it, now exceeded 30. There must have been many contract-rted Holders under Hwang Dong-yeonsmand. No matter how he was at the pinnacle of [Leadership Contracts], I wondered how he produced so many undead legions It turns out there were quite a few rted Holders as his subordinates. It was a considerable stroke of good fortune for me. By acquiring their runes, I was able to greatly increase my Leadership level and acquiremon contract-rted runes that I had nned with Professor Kang Dong-wook from the beginning. There was no need to forcibly spar with the academys special contract Holders. Summon, Language, Magic Sharing, Strengthen Contract. I looked over the newly acquired runes. A total of 4mon contract-rted runes. Among them, [Summon] and [Language] were especially important. [Summon] is a rune that can summon contracted monsters using magic stones, like a [Warp] that can use space movement magic. And [Language] is a rune that allowsmunication with contracted monsters. To immediately check these runes, I headed to the nearby Goblin Vige dungeon. A dungeon that I owned all rights to. It was perfect for experimenting with new things here. [You have entered the dungeon.] After arriving at Goblin Vige, I immediately utilized the [Summon] rune. [Summon] is a linked rune that must have runes rted to contracts, and can summon contract targets by consuming magic stones. Naturally, the higher the level of the contract target, the higher the grade of magic stones consumed. Tears areing out. The consumed magic stones were grade B. In other words. In order to summon Bon, I have to pay 42 million won every time. It couldnt be an expensive top-notch power. Caww, caah- Cahooo-!! Youvee, Bon. Bon was summoned. Originally because it had no ce to stay, I asked Kang Woo-hyun to keep it on Gijangeum ind temporarily Meeting Bon again after just one day. In the vast sky. Flying around the sky of Goblin Vige as if it were its own home, Bon enjoyed it freedom. Seeing that, it didnt feel like a monster at that moment. But then. Bon suddenly stopped flying around and swooped in front of me. Cuckoo, koo- p- A fierce wind hit the surroundings and dust blocked my vision. Then Bon stared at me with an inscrutable expression. But I dont like that name. Huh?! I was so surprised at the consciousnguage I suddenly heard and eximed. Did this punk just talk? Ive been talking all this time. My master just ignored it. Wow Amazing. We can reallymunicate, huh? I expected and experimented with this, but it was still amazing that it became reality. Although Bons voice was stronger and huskier than I thought, it wasnt ufortable to listen to. I said I dont like it. Twice. Oh oh. Sorry. I didnt know youd hate it that much. And I regretted it right away when affinity and abilities decreased after naming it. People and contracted beings alike prefer cool names after all. I want to change it. Is there a way to change it? When I regain my power. Power? I asked again at Bons sudden words. pping it magnificent bony wings roughly, it answered. Yes. I originally had power. Very strong. But youre very strong now too? I was stronger! But my memories were erased. Ive lost too many pieces now. I dont really understand, but anyway, you can change your name if you regain that? Yes. To be precise, I can regain my name too. Bons lost pieces. It was highly likely the memories of the dragon that was the original owner of the dragon heart. Since the current Bon only had bony pieces left and was newly assembled, it was a kind of undead. It said it could find its name too if it regained those Somehow I have to try to find them. It looks like Bon itself doesnt know the method either, but still, since my contracted being doesnt like the name I gave it I have to change it for it sake. Master. I like it here. While I was lost in thought for a moment. Bon spoke to me again. I immediately showed delight at those words. Huh? Do you really? Then do you wanna keep living here? Yes. I want to be here when the master is gone. I was already considering Bons lodging anyway. Originally, Holders who make [Taming Contracts] find lodging themselves for contracted monsters if they are small or puny in size. They raise them in their own rooms or nearby yards. But even if they get just a little bigger, it bes a problem. Even though Holders know the monsters are tamed, to ordinary people they just look like monsters. So Holders that make [Taming Contracts] pay a fee to the Holder Association and protect monsters in certain dungeons. But I have no need to do that. In the first ce, Goblin Vige is my property. Since I was the first finder and first raider I had priority rights over all rights. Naturally there was absolutely no problem letting Bon live here. The biggest problem was if Bon didnt like this dungeon, but looking at it now, fortunately that didnt seem to be the case. Craaahhhhh-. Bon ascended with rough ps of its wings. Like a fish that met water, it cried out freely while flying. Its mood seemed good, and as the contractor I felt good too, but Somehow that cry was unpleasant. Was that thing originally that loud? And a creepy voiceing from somewhere. The bone dragon roared! Keureup! Damn it, lets get out of here! It was a conversation between the monsters inside this dungeon. The Goblins. While looking at that strange sight, I held my head. Ah. This [Language] rune. It even lets me hearnguages of monsters I dont want to hear. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 175: Peaceful Daily Life (1)

Chapter 175: Peaceful Daily Life (1)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Bon roared and flew in the sky several times, while I continued my personal inspection. First, I gave Bon two more runes. Originally, the maximum number of runes that could be given to a contract target with [Promise Bound by Dragon] was three, but as the level increased to three, the limit increased to five. It seemed that the number of runes that could be granted would also increase whenever the rune level rose. By the way, the list of monsters that could be contracted also increased from (1/1) to (1/2). [The Stamina (Normal/Lv. 10) rune is granted to the contractor Bone Dragon. The rune is deleted from the Holders Information.] [The Dark Fear (Rare/Lv. 6) rune is granted to the contractor Bone Dragon. The rune is deleted from the Holders Information.] Out of the 15 runes I gained through this mission. I gave two runes that seemed suitable for Bon out of the ones I needed the least. I already had the superior version [Sturdy Stamina], so [Stamina] was unnecessary, and [Dark Fear] was quite a good rare darkness-handling rune for me, but it seemed to suit Bon better. Can I take back runes that Ive granted? I tried here and there because I felt a bit regretful, but there was no such function. Once you give a rune, its final. I have to give them carefully. Fortunately, the abilities that rose by acquiring runes did not change. Acquire high-level runes to increase abilities, then pass on unnecessary runes to the contractors. It was quite an efficient method of distributing runes. The remaining runes are. There werent many runes I had to look at closely. [Florians Spell], amon rune for magician-type, was brought to make more use of Cha Soo-yeons [Intolerable Gravity], and [Picky Arrowhead] that could inflict status abnormality arrows also seemed toe in handy someday. Most of the runes I gained this time weremon runes like this. If I had to pick out peculiar runes that others didnt have, there were only three exactly. [Sword Shrouded in Darkness], [Hand of Illusion], and [Corpse Commander] I got from Hwang Dong-yeon. It doesnt seem I got a victory judgment against Hwang Seong-yeon. Although Hwang Seong-yeon fled during the battle, unfortunately, I did not get the victory judgment for the duel. My attacks didnt seem to have given him much damage, and his movement seemed to have been a strategic retreat. Those seemed to be reflected. If I had gotten his rune, which had a high chance of being an S-grade Holder, it would have been a great help in terms ofbat power I felt a bit regretful. Ill check the remaining runester. The curse-type runes [Sword Shrouded in Darkness] and [Hand of Illusion]. And the contract-type rune [Corpse Commander]. It seemed like I had to check these guys when I fought monsters directly or made new contracts with monsters. Kwaaaah-. Stop roaring already, guy. Leaving Bon, who was excitedly circling in the sky, I left the Goblin vige. *** Ippotrantion *** Why cant I reach you? And youre in trouble right away. In front of the house I returned to after finishing Bons summoning. Kim Chae-eun leaned against the wall With arms crossed, waiting for me. I didnt know how long she had been waiting, but her face was full of frowns when she met me back. Sorry. So when I saw her, I immediately apologized. That makes sense Since yesterday, 24 hours. Plus the additional 2 hours I went out and came back. I did send messages to my acquaintances before going to bed yesterday saying Id rest for two days, but after that, not being able to contact at all was another issue. I was in hiding without contact for a whopping 26 hours I had nothing to say. At my apology, Kim Chae-eun unfolded her arms for a moment, then asked in a slightly shaking voice. Are you avoiding me by any chance? What? At those words that Professor Kim Myeong-hyun would probably sh my body about thirty times if he heard, I was surprised and waved my hands. No, no. What are you talking about? Yesterday I was so tired that I was unconscious. I barely got calls from other people too. Didnt you see the text saying Id rest for two days? I saw it. Thats why. I really slept all day yesterday so I couldnt do anything. I just went out for a bit and came back. At those words, Kim Chae-euns expression softened a little. After all, in all nations, everyones heart weakens in front of someone who is sick and tired. In a much brighter tone, she asked me. You really arent avoiding me, right? Why do you keep saying weird things? If youre bored stop it ande over here. At my words piercing her like a wedge, sheughed. Hehe. How long did you sleep? All day? I went to bed at 8, woke up at 8. So the whole day. Wow. Do Jae-hyun, youre nothing but a sleephead. Kim Chae-eun spat childish words as she clung onto me. Youvee back now. To the Kim Chae-eun I knew. Lately she kept showing sad expressions so I was embarrassed, but seeing her lively like before puts my mind at ease. At the same time, I felt like I had been insensitive to the people around me recently. Whether there were any changes in them, how they treated me I hadnt paid attention at all. Surely because of , I must have been impatient. You sleep way more than me, Chae-eun. Hehe Thats true. Kim Chae-eun, crossing her arms around me andughing like before. Maybe because all dangers ended and it was a peaceful next day. For some reason, this smile looked very nice. Ddittak Rak rak I naturally entered the password and went into the house. Although I just slept the whole day before Kim Chae-eun came, fortunately the inside wasnt dirty because I had left the house empty for so long. Come to think of it, it also seems to have been a really long time since Kim Chae-eun came over to y at my house. While lightly tidying up the scattered clothes in the living room area, I asked Kim Chae-eun. Did you have dinner? Kim Chae-eun shook her head round and round as she answered. Not yet. Not yet? Its almost 11 oclock now? Isnt the professor home? Yeah. Dads been super busy because of this incident. The academys been a messtely, right? I nodded at those words too. Since the intrusion incident urred, The academy had dered a suspension of sses for 2 weeks in total until now. Since it was a major incident with quite a lot of casualties, and various ces such as domestic associations and ns, foreign media, etc. were focused on it The heat needed to be eased down. Thanks to that, the students got sweet breaks to rest their tired bodies and minds, but it was a story unrted to the academy professors. Reoperation of the academy that had be a mess after the intrusion. Lecture directions that each department would have to reestablish. Weeding out remaining spies rted to the n, etc The professors had some personal or departmental things to do as professors. Among them, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun was the academy professor who took over the overallmand of this operation in ce of Professor Tak Won-ho. Since he was in charge of overseeing the pre- and post-incident follow-ups, he must have been busy without even having time to breathe properly. Lets eat. You must be very hungry. Although I said that In fact, I was the hungry one. After not eating for 24 hours and just sleeping, my body condition was not good, beyond hunger to malnutrition level. So even though I was nning to have a meal as soon as I got home, Kim Chae-eun happened to be fasting too. It seemed good to eat together after a long time. Where? Go out to eat? No, lets make something to eat at home even though its a bit of a hassle. Theres no ingredients at your house, right? Kim Chae-eun asked me with rounded eyes. Since I had left the house empty for nearly a week after the activity. Because I had left the house empty for so long, the rooms were neat and there was practically nothing to eat inside. Even if I wanted to cook something at home, the preparations werecking. She sure knows these kinds of things well. I let out an involuntaryugh at her sharp point. When looking closely, it seems like Kim Chae-eun knows about my house better than me from time to time. Maybe because shees over to y at my house so often? I walked over to the fridge while saying, Of course I prepared in advance. Huh? Even if I wanted to cook something at home but there were no preparations, that would be right, but It wasnt like I just went home and slept yesterday. Just in case, food ingredients I bought in advance yesterday were fortunately shining at the right timing. Finely sliced vegetables and bacon pieces, andrge dried noodles. Above that wererge pieces of meat and various spices, cheese, etc. As Kim Chae-eun looked around the ingredients filling the fridge, she opened her mouth slightly. Wow What are all these? What are you trying to make? She must have seen these ingredients many times, but for some reason she kept poking the ingredients with her thin, long fingers as if they were very fascinating. A smile naturally bursts out at the sight. I briefly answered her question. The top ingredients are for pasta. The bottom ingredients are for steak. Pasta? Yeah. You said you wanted to eat cream pasta before the mission. So I bought the ingredients beforeing home yesterday. In case you came over so I could make it for you. Ah! At my answer, Kim Chae-eun looked at me with a face that seemed she didnt expect it at all. Did she forget? Since I was determined not to forget and make it for her because she sulked while mentioning it then. What is it? While taking out the ingredients from the fridge one by one, I continued exining to her. The steak will be ribeye. Itsplicated to exin, just think of it as simr to T-bone. Surprisingly, I dont think Ive made you ribeye before. . Kim Chae-eun kept looking at me for a long time with moistened eyes, as if she was greatly moved by something from my voice exining the main dishes to her. Why is she suddenly like this? She looks quite deeply moved about something What is it? Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 176: Peaceful Daily Life (2)

Chapter 176: Peaceful Daily Life (2)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Kim Chae-eun had an excited look on her face. She seemed like she wanted to say something, hesitating with her mouth open, when she suddenly banged on the table and shouted, Wait a minute! Huh? Youre going out? Where are you going? What? Shes going out now? All of a sudden? Rustle- tter- It was truly in an instant. She quickly gathered her coat and bag, then opened the door like the wind and headed out. Thanks to her, I, who had prepared a surprise for the first time in a while Was left standing nkly alone in the middle of the quiet kitchen. Youll be back soon, right? Theres no way she just abandoned me like this right? She did say to wait a minute Shell be back soon, right? I trust Chae-eun, but being left alone in the kitchen like this, I inexplicably started feeling anxious. Sigh. Scratching my head, I quietly took out the ingredients from the fridge. Anyway, I still have to diligently cook. Tap tap Ingredients were ced on the table one by one. I had already nned out in my head the steps for what I was going to cook. For the meat Let it marinate for a bit. Let the meat marinate for a little. It had already thawed since I put it in the fridge the day before, but I hadnt gone through the special marinating process. Itd be best to let it sit for about 3 hours, but since we didnt set a specific meal time Even so, before cooking now. Letting it marinate for about 20 minutes would make it tastier to eat. Hmm, boil the dried noodles. In arge pot, I boiled salted water and spread out the pasta noodles. The noodles surprisingly cook quickly, so its best to immediately prepare the next ingredient after adding them. Sizzle- I lightly oiled the frying pan and added the prepared oyster mushrooms, onions, and bacon. This is a very basic cooking process. Now is when the power of Runees into y. Stamina Food. My [Cooking] rune that has now reached level 7. I activate its derivative skill, [Stamina Food]. Its a skill that seems useless, but quickly recovers the magic and stamina of the Holder a type of buff skill. It was simr to [Rest] among the divine-type skills. And for the meat here I took out more frying pans and pots and ced them in the cooking area. One side to prepare pasta sauce, one side to prepare the pasta noodles. Another side to grill the steak. Many pots and pans are used at the same time, but thanks to the house being so spaciouslyrge with an expansive kitchen area, there is no hindrance to the process at all. It really is big. Im impressed again by how big my house is. In fact, when I first fell into this world, I didnt have the leisure to realize this. I became a rune Holder as soon as I possessed someone, enrolled in the academy, got entangled with the main characters of the original work I also made great internal achievements by clearing the Academy Underground Dungeon, and properly stepped into the world of rune Holders. The world of rune Holders. Where you can earn big money from clearing a single dungeon, and will spare no expense when ites to growth. Having gotten used to that ce, I didnt realize how well-off my household was. Its too big for a 20 year old living alone. While cooking, I happened to look around the living room. A 24 star rating apartment with 2 rooms. No, it definitely seems bigger than just 24 star rating. Since Ive never paid monthly rent, its probably a lease. Considering the minimum lease price starts from 60 billion won in Dongjak-gu From when I first came up to Seoul, the parents who looked around and found this ce for me Proved that they were incredibly rich. I suddenly recalled the phone conversation I had with my mother before this operation. Mom, is there anything you want? -Why the sudden polite speech? Huh? Ah haha Im an adult now too. Trying to get in the habit. -Its nice to hear. Your father will like it. Anyway, is there anything you want? Mom, dad, I want to buy presents for you. -Oh goodness, stop. What do Ick I just hope our assets remain well preserved. Lately the price of rice has been plummeting, its incredibly concerning. The price of rice fell that much? -Yeah. It dropped 20%pared tost year. Our revenue for this season alone decreased almost 4 billion, what nonsense. What? When I heard that much. I stopped thinking further. My parents werent simply farming in the countryside. They were conducting agriculture in the countryside on almost a medium enterprise scale There was a reason they sent their only son alone to Seoul like this. Anyway, thanks to my rich farmer parents, on a day like today. I could leisurely enjoy cooking in afortable, cozy home. I should pay them a visit after the semester ends. Last semester, saying I was interning for the Judgement of Fire, I didnt even show my face. Theyre awfully cynical people who dont show it, but they were probably quite disappointed. After this semester ends, I have to go down to the countryside no matter what. Vowing that to myself, I focused again on cooking. Rustle rustle- tter tter- While finishing up the cooking, thinking about other things, Kim Chae-eun, who had gone out, returned. Jae-hyun! Youre back? It was just when I was finishing up the cooking. The cream cheese sauce to go in the pasta was nearing the end of cooking, now I just had to grill the meat I marinated. Taking my hands off the cooking tools strewn about for a moment, I looked back. In Chae-euns hands as she returned Were bags full of something. I bought pudding! Grape vor. That much? Hehe. They didnt sell it at the nearby mart, so I warped with the warp gate to Gangnam and bought it there. Wow. At the unbelievable story, I clicked my tongue. What great passion. Was my cooking she hadnt eaten in so long that moving? Whatever the reason, it seemed Chae-eun went out to buy pudding as a reward for my cooking. People wouldugh if they heard this, but To me, it was a very wee reward. Smiling, I beckoned her to sit. Hurry and sit. The cookings done. Yeah! 11 PM at night. Compared to dinner, it was a veryte hour After the intense battle with finally ended. It was a peaceful meal I was having for the first time in a while. *** Ippotrantion *** The next morning. The academy was still temporarily closed, but I headed out to the academy early morning. Unlike the other students, as I was a key figure involved in this operation and incident. There was a lot I had to be investigated about in cooperation with the Association, and I had to help Professor Kim Myeong-hyun with the summary report he waspiling. In short, I had a lot to do. On the way to the academy, I asionally heard other students gossiping about me. Is it true a 1st year took them all out by himself? Ah, yeah, thats right. This guy must not watch the news. I saw it too. But when I watched, they only talked about Judgement of Fire and Dragon Light Sword, nothing else. As one student tilted his head as if it was strange, the student who was poking fun flicked his finger. No no. They just glossed over it. You dont know Do Jae-hyun? Nowadays at the academy, if you dont know Do Jae-hyun youre a spy. Why, he was even on the big poster board in the student hallst time. Something like student of the month. Who looks for things like that. Anyway, that guy supposedly carried the entirest operation alone. Rumors say hes an S-grade Holder. What? S-grade Holder?! Im not an S-grade Holder. At the baseless chattering, I wanted to correct them so a pir of smoke seemed to rise from my head. The facts are with the rune and skill full doping effect, I can barely reach A-grade, yet theyre saying S-grade Holder. Anyway, exaggeration seems to be a passive trait around here. But everyone is in an uproar. Although it had already been two days since the operation waspleted, the surroundings were still bustling with talk about . Those guys who hadmitted all kinds of crimes, constantly hiding their identity all this time. Not only deeply harming the Holdermunity, but also seriously pestering ordinary citizens. At the news of that organization beingpletely annihted Everyone seemed startled yet quite excited at the same time. And it wasnt just the students who were excited. Holder Do Jae-hyun!! Why have you onlye out to the academy now! The ce I visited first early morning at the academy. Professor Tak Won-hos office. I briefly reported my return and dropped by to ask about Professor Tak Won-hos well-being since he was greatly injured during the raid But the one who actually weed me was Professor Kang Dong-wook of the special department. Professor Kang Dong-wook ran to the front of the door with a moved expression and grabbed my hand. I was looking everywhere for you for so long. What happened? You asked me about contracting yesterday, then less than a dayter contracted with such a powerful monster? Just what is that monsters level?! Professor Kang Dong-wook was spraying questions at me almost rap-like. I stiffened at that spot, then nced to the side for a moment. In the center of the professors office was still Professor Tak Won-ho receiving injury treatment. Countless bandages were wrapped around his arms, shoulders, and chest. I lightly nodded a greeting at him. Then Professor Tak Won-ho smiled wryly and shook his head. It was like A nod saying, when Professor Kang Dong-wook like this, no one could stop him. Answer me, Holder Do Jae-hyun!! The madness in his shrieking voice. Really. A madman possessed by his research No one could stop him indeed. I held my aching head and told him. One At a time. Ask me slowly. It was a truly peaceful morning at the academy. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 177: Peaceful Daily Life (3)

Chapter 177: Peaceful Daily Life (3)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. After briefly asking for Professor Tak Won-hos understanding, I had a conversation with Professor Kang Dong-wook. He seemed to have many questions for me, and I also had things I wanted to ask him. First, regarding the monster that contracted with Holder Do Jae-hyun. Wasnt it originally the contract monster of the Viin Master Hwang Dong-yeon? As soon as we sat down with tea, Professor Kang Dong-wook cut right to the main point. I lightly answered his question. You mean Bon? Bon? Ah, thats the name of my contract monster. Since its a bone dragon made entirely of bones, I shortened it to Bon. . At that, Professor Kang Dong-wook froze for a moment. He had an expression of not understanding what he had just heard.I guess I did choose the name poorly. Seeing even Professor Kang react this way. I regretted my past mistake and continued speaking. Ahem. Anyway, Bon was originally Hwang Dong-yeons contract monster. During the battle, the contract was momentarily terminated and it made a new contract with me. Is that really true? Yes. Is there some kind of problem? No, no. More than a problem, its an innovation! In the history of the Taming Discipline so far, there has never been a case where someone has taken another persons contract monster. Holder Do Jae-hyun is the first. Professor Kang Dong-wook eximed with an extremely excited expression. Another first. Since bing a Holder, it seems Ive obtained that title very often. Whether its good luck or a reflection of my abilities, I dont know. In any case, Professor Kang Dong-wook hurriedly took out his writing supplies from his bag and began summarizing our conversation and recording it. His passion is really amazing. Although weve already met several times, among the academy professors, Professor Kang Dong-wook was exceptionally overflowing with schrly passion and desire for research. As Ive told you before, attempting to tame a monster can only be done when all the situational requirements are met. Yes, I remember. It was magic power depletion and debility, right? Exactly. Professor Kang Dong-wook nodded in satisfaction. Right before being deployed for the suppression operation. The brief lecture Professor Kang Dong-wook gave me in the hotel cafe. At that time, he said that two conditions were necessary to tame a monster. Magic power depletion and debility. The former refers to the state where the monsters magic power has beenpletely depleted, and thetter is a rare abnormal status that urs when a battle has gone on for a long time. In short, as he put it. You have to push the monster to the brink of death and then induce those two abnormal status conditions I mentioned earlier. And afterwards, use the derived skill of the [Taming Contract] rune called [Hand of Illusion] to sessfully continue the contract with the monster. Its quite demanding conditions, but When all these conditions are met, the sess rate of the contract is 100%. So far, no Taming Discipline Holder has ever experienced failure within this framework. But Holder Do Jae-hyun broke that mold. And in a way where he even snatched away his opponents monster. Professor Kang Dong-wook looked at me as if it was truly miraculous. To be honest, it was miraculous to me too. At the time, I had just approached with the thought of defeating that bone dragon, yet somehow it had be my contract monster. But looking back on it now, there were reasonable grounds for what happened. The first is the runes special effect. [Promise Bound by Dragon] greatly increases the chance of contract sess for those rted to the legend of dragons or those with some draconic traits, which the contract target possesses. Bon the bone dragon obviously met this condition. Thats why the abrupt contract proceeded smoothly without issues. And the second reason is Hwang Dong-yeon also couldnt properly control Bon. I recalled the information of Hwang Dong-yeons main rune. [Corpse Commander] Name: Corpse Commander Grade: Epic Level: Max Engraved Location: Nape of neck Special Effects:- All abilities increase by 10% whenmanding multiple targets. Only applies whenmanding at least 3 or more targets. Restrictions on the Commanders that can be contracted is removed. As long as a contract has beenpleted with the Commanders, they can all be controlled regardless of Leadership points. However, if all the magic power shared with the contractor is depleted, the summoning of the Commanders can be cancelled. This effect and the Ultimate Skill Death Revival only apply when in possession of runes rted to Spirit Contracts. Ultimate Skill [Death Revival] Oration: Arise Cooldown: 30 days Conclude contracts at the same time with Commanders that were prepared in advance, and they can be revived simultaneously. However, the contracted Commanders will be in an unstable contract rtionship for the first 24 hours. After 24 hours have passed, official contracts with the contractors can be made again. [Corpse Commander]. The reason Hwang Dong-yeon was able to control so many undead on the day of the operation was because of this rune. No matter how high ones Leadership stat is, I wondered how he was controlling so many undead, and it was because of this cheat-like effect of removing restrictions. Also, the reason why I was able to contract with Bon was because of this rune. [Death Revival]. It has the unique and powerful merit of being able to make premade monsters into undead for use, but there was also the risk that the resulting contracts would be imperfect. Although I doubt he expected a crazy guy woulde and snatch away the monster. This was probably something even Hwang Dong-yeon didnt predict. So Holder Do Jae-hyuns rune isnt for taming contracts? Well Strictly speaking, yes. Anyway, Bon was an undead, so it counted as a Corpse. Although its form is that of a monster, of course. I see. [Promise Bound by Dragon] is strictly different from [Taming Contract]. While [Taming Contract] is limited to contracts with beasts, insects, monsters with peculiar forms, etc., [Promise Bound by Dragon] can contract with any being that has lost sentience due to magic stones, as long as they have sentience. Likely even spirits and, as with contracting Bon, Commanders as well. Presumably it upies the top position among contract-rted rune disciplines. It made instant sense why the runes grade was Legendary. Then About that Bon of Holder Do Jae-hyuns exactly what grade do you estimate it is? Judging by its physical abilities at that time, it was surely at the top national level. At Professor Kang Dong-wooks question, I also shook my head. I definitely dont know either. It certainly seems to exceed A-grade, but I cant judge if its at S-grade. As you know, S-grade isnt a normal ranking. Is Bon currently in Seoul? Yes. It resides in my personal dungeon called Goblin Vige. Holder Do Jae-hyun, you also have a dungeon? Huh? Ah, haha Yes, well. At Professor Kang Dong-wooks expression, seemingly tired of it all, I awkwardly scratched my head. Doesnt everyone have at least one dungeon? I almost made that joke But held it in because the mood would have definitely turned strange. By the way, regarding Bons residence in the dungeon, yesterday I received confirmation from the Korean Holder Association. [Lee Ji-hye] Approval came down from upper management at the Association! The Chairman said to fulfill any request from Holder Do Jae-hyun as much as possible, heh heh. Starting today, weve also notified about this in the dungeon entry warning, so please rest easy keeping him there. The Association was extremely favorable towards me. Ever since then, Ive asked them to help me with several tedious tasks, and they were all processed in less than a day. I understand why. Because, the n had been one of the biggest headaches for the Holder Association until now. An vicious group thatmitted crimes not only against Holders, but ordinary citizens as well. The chance to eradicate them all at once would have definitely note easily. While this incident was an operation the Academy had staked its life on, it was also a matter of pride for the Association. As a result, I, who was at the center of resolving it, received the full attention of the Association. The Chairman, who I havent even seen the face of once, keeps contacting me to eat a meal together that should say plenty. Then, may I visit that dungeon sometime? Its too valuable a research subject. Of course. Professor Kang Dong-wook is my master regarding contracts. And for me to control Bon better as well, I need your research too. Please feel free to contact me anytime. Good. Very good. With that, Professor Kang Dong-wook finally stood up from his seat. After briefly saying goodbye to Professor Tak Won-ho, who was on the other side of the office, he immediately opened the door and left the professors office. Creak- close. Whew. I flopped down on the sofa and let out a sigh. How to put it. I felt drained. While it was definitely a constructive and good conversation, it was tiring at the same time. Professor Kang Dong-wooks passion for research. It wasnt easy keeping up with that. Good work. Professor Tak Won-ho, who was sitting on the other side of the office, smiled wryly and spoke to me. I also smiled wryly in response. You did good work too, Master. Having to listen to all that What work was there. I just sat and listened. Rather than that Professor Tak Won-ho suddenly stood up from his seat and approached me. And the sheet of paper he had been holding in his hand. He ced it down on the table. I had been leaning back on the sofa, but immediately corrected my posture. What is this? Read it. A simple proposal written on that single page. Written there Was therge title. The moment I saw that, my eyes widened as I looked at Professor Tak Won-ho. Master, this is? Professor Tak Won-ho sat down on the sofa across from me and spoke in a calm voice. The Academy owes you, Do Jae-hyun, an enormous debt from thisst operation. There were long discussions within the operating board about what reward we should give you, and how we should treat you. He tapped the table twice and continued speaking. The establishment of the first nned student n at the Academy is the first proposed reward method. It hasnt been specifically finalized yet, and is just an idea proposed for consideration. Read it and tell me your impression. If you, the concerned party, dont like it, many other rewards have been prepared as well. Another first title for a proposed reward method. But this time, the meaning was special. If realized A n started and established by students. Giving me the full support for that n. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 178: A Peaceful Daily Life (4)

Chapter 178: A Peaceful Daily Life (4)

If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day. Just as Professor Tak Won-ho said. The n only described the basic establishment measures, and the specific timing, scale, support direction, etc. were described as subject to further discussion. Anyway, since Im the person involved, it will consist of consultations with me. Still, as I was carefully reading the n, I asked Professor Tak Won-ho. If its a student n, is it a n established within the academy? Thats not it. Its just tentatively called a student n, the academy cant establish a n that pursues private interests due to external agreements. However, this is support provided to you by the Tak Group and Foundation in the form of schrships. At those words, I scratched my head and asked again. Still, wont there be pressure from the foundation? I think it would be more difficult not to interfere with support on such arge scale. A puppet n where the foundation interferes here and there. If it was such a n, it was actually a more toxic offer to ept. However, Professor Tak Won-ho responded firmly to him with a stern face. Not at all. As the person in charge of this support project, I guarantee that that will never happen. The management will also be formed by the personnel you choose. In the first ce, since it is a business notarized and supervised by the Holder Association, there is not even a slight possibility of that happening. The Association? Yes. The chairman was very positive about this n. He said he would unconditionally support the n created by the national hero. National hero. How far up does it go? While the excessive elevation of those around me was burdensome, the feeling of being recognized for my aplishments wasnt bad. As I felt before, the favor of the Korean Holder Association and its chairman towards me seems quite deep. It wasnt just because I sessfullypleted this operation. I must have contributed quite a bit so far. 8 months since I became a rune Holder. From the F-grade Holder I started with to the B-grade Holder I became. The results I produced in half a year were tremendous. From the underground dungeon of the unreported academy, goblin viges, forest covered by snakes, stained rock piles, nest covered by clouds, field hunting and disaster monster hunting, and more. While these results became the foundation for my growth, they were also results that made the association, who was in charge, grin from ear to ear. Just the discovery of new dungeons and magic stone trading results were enough to be selected as Holder of the Year. In this situation, ying a key role in subjugating It would have been strange if the association didnt like me. n establishment, huh. I felt excited about the proposal Professor Tak Won-ho handed over. Establishing a new n. It wasnt something I hadnt thought about before. I had thought about wanting to create and run a n led by me someday, but I didnt know that vague thing would be brought forward like this. It will be fun. And surprisingly I didnt feel afraid of that eleration. When I established the Circle, I felt it again, but when I take on something new, I usually feel more passion. Hunting S-grade monsters, conquering top-tier dungeons, suppressing the worst criminal organizations. So far, many incidents I have solved contain only unfamiliar and difficult things that seemed difficult. Establishing a n was the same. No matter how much support I receive, it seems impossible at first nce for a first year academy student to establish a n. But there I felt enthusiasm again. I can do it. Im sure I can do it. Or what if I fail. Failure was not scary. If it copsed, it was just a matter of getting up again. Not only the Holder system, but all things in the world were the same. Ive done well so far, and I was prepared to ept the mistakes that would happen in return for that ovepensation. The excessive sense of burden also seemed to have reached the point where I could now enjoy it as an appropriate tension. As I folded the n and put it in my arms, I answered. I understand. Then Ill discuss this part againter. After all, the business start is from next year, right? You know it well. It will be the 2nd semester of next year at the earliest. Then I can discuss it more slowly. Thank you for taking care of me. I only receive help from my Master. Hmm. Its the opposite, I think. Although he speaks so stiffly, there was actually a very subtle smile on his lips. My Master was also quite weak in emotional control. When there was a pleasant incident, he couldnt hide his expression at all. So I also swallowed myughter inwardly and got up from my seat. And then suddenly remembering one point, I tilted my head and asked. By the way, how did you know I was interested in establishing a n? A thought that I didnt tell anyone about, that even I only vaguely had. How did Professor Tak Won-ho know that? At that question, he smiled wryly and said, How could I, as your mentor, not know what my only disciple is thinking? Just looking at your stance after the Judgement of Fire internship, I could tell even now, let aler, that youre not interested in joining arge n right away. Ah. Such deduction is possible again. To be precise, I wasntpletely uninterested. Through the internship, I had absorbed all the benefits of n activities, and I could fully understand why they wanted to join arge n so badly. Its just that I wanted to postpone that decision until after I graduated from the academy. In the meantime, this opportunity came, though. Anyway, Ill take this story to discuss againter. Yes. There are a lot of things to talk about regarding additionalpensation as well, but my disciple looks a little busy today. Ahaha. I awkwardlyughed at his sharp point. Contrary to appearance, he is quick-witted. Today I had quite a few appointments scheduled in addition to the interview with Professor Tak Won-ho. Thats why I came to the academy early in the morning. I see. Lets go then. Later well talk while having the duel we havent had in a while. Its always an honor to duel with my Master. I squeezed one fist with my other hand and said jokingly. The title of Master sticks well in my mouth now. I only used the title Professor before, but when I had Yoo Eun-seol as my mentor this time, I changed the titles for all three professors Its a nice title that I feel more affectionate. It wasnt for nothing that Kim Chae-eun kept saying master, master while following Jeong Seon-yeong. So I opened the door of the professors office, and just before I left. Professor Tak Won-ho called me again. Do Jae-hyun. Yes, Master. Sitting in his seat, Professor Tak Won-ho. Without turning his head once, he said. Good job. You saved the academy. His short but heavy words. It was an embarrassingpliment that the media had been mentioning over and over, but hearing it from my Master who rarely says such things made me feel refreshed again. So I also nodded my head vigorously and answered. Yes. I think so too. . And the silence flowing in the room. Was this too much? *** Ippotrantion *** It felt like we only had a brief conversation in the professors office, but time passed by in a sh. 11:30am. Its already time to eat lunch. I had a lunch appointment. Hurry up I heard its popr so well bete if werete. Moon Ga-eun, who was waiting for me at the academy front gate. Seeing me, she grabbed my arm and hurried me along, making me involuntarilyugh. Whats the big rush. Its the vacation period anyway so there wont be many people. No. That ce is more popr with regr people, so we have to line up even if we go early. Is that so? Was there such a good restaurant near the academy? With [cooking] as my talent, I thought I had already been to all the good ces nearby. Indeed, the world is wide and there are many good restaurants. Ugh, were really going to bete. Lets go quickly. Thats why I told you Id make it myself. Why do you want to go out and buy it so badly? Pffft No matter how good you can cook, it cant beat restaurants. You havent eaten the dishes Im really good at making yet. Come to think of it, Moon Ga-eun has never eaten my cooking before. One of these days I need to treat her to a meal. I really want to see her surprised expression. Bullseye! Lets go there. The ce we arrived at was a fish cuisine restaurant specializing in pollock, on the outskirts of the academy. To have an appointment to eat pollock for lunch, it was a very Moon Ga-eun like casual choice. And like she said, the restaurant was in full swing with peopleing in for lunch. There was only one table left, we had to squeeze our way in. As soon as we sat down, Moon Ga-eun naturally started ordering food. Boss, order! Yes, what would you like? 2 servings of braised pollock here. Got 2 servings of braised pollock. Listening to that short exchange, I unconsciously murmured. Braised pol? Huh? Whats up Jae-hyun? Ah, nothing. Its definitely different since its a famous braised pollock restaurant. Anyway, Moon Ga-eun is now naturally calling me by my first name. Just a few days ago she was still calling me Do Jae-hyun, so this is good progress. Actually until I became conscious of it just now, I didnt think much about addressing her by herst name either, but being called by my first name now, it feels a lot more familiar. Hows the feeling? Feeling about what? Bing the academys hero. Going from someone only we knew about to a famous domestic awakener reported on the news. The academys hero, Do Jae-hyun! A slogan like that. Ugh Not you too. Im so embarrassed I could die. Ahaha. As if to get back at me for getting teased all this time, Moon Ga-eun kept poking fun at me. Entering this restaurant, I could feel gazes on me, making me uneasy. Is this that celebrity disease or something? The symptoms were very serious. Anyway, our conversation mainly revolved around the events surrounding thisst mission. In the middle of that, the topic of Moon Ga-euns father, Moon Jung-hyuk came up. Dad keeps talking about ittely. About what? When well announce were dating. Pfthahaha- I barely held back spitting out my drink. In a flustered voice I asked back. Hes, hes still on about that? Its not that hes still on about it, its gotten worse. Since you got so famous this time, he got even more excited himself probably. His daughters boyfriend is a big shot after all. Ah. Thinking about Moon Jung-hyuks meddlesome personality, thats certainly usible. It was a meddling of a different kind from Kang Woo-hyuns. So what did you tell him? What could I say. On the contrary I used that as an excuse. Saying itll be hard to meet if everyone outside knows since you got so famous. Its better to keep dating secretly. Think about celebrities and all. Well, something like that. Nice, thats a good cover. Anyone hearing that would find it believable. Praising her quick witted response, Moon Ga-eun burst outughing. Ahaha, right, right? Yeah. You seem totally different from the Ga-eun I know. Who are you? Hisss Do you want to die? Always address me formally. Sorry. While joking andughing together like that. The food we were waiting for came out. Various types of clean tasting side dishes and light broth soup. shy yet subtle visuals. The table setting for this restaurants signature menu, braised pollock. Thanks for the food! With an excited expression, Moon Ga-eun picked up her chopsticks. Despite my doubts, I also picked up my chopsticks. Naturally picking up a piece of braised pollock and putting it in my mouth. And. Ah. I squeezed my eyes shut. The familiar vor filling my mouth. A taste bringing feelings of familiarity and irritation at the same time. Ugh I knew it, braised pollock. Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] All /ippostrantions Chapter 179: Peaceful Daily Life (5) Chapter 179: Peaceful Daily Life (5) If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
Although I was briefly annoyed by the familiar vor, this restaurant was certainly a gem. There was a reason people lined up toe here. The soft texture and proper seasoning. The pollock stew was a perfect blend of moderate seasoning and ingredients. It provided the best possible vor one could expect from a fish dish. With pleasure in my mouth, the atmosphere was also harmonious. Moon Ga-eun and I enjoyed the peace and daily life that we hadnt experienced in a long time over the delicious meal. Ah Im happy~ Moon Ga-eun smiled like a hamster, mouth full of pollock stew. Seeing that, I jokingly asked, You say youre happy just because the food is decent? Dont you have low standards for happiness? What are you saying. Happiness was never meant to be found far away. You have to look for it in the little things. Havent you heard of little happinesses? Ah, Ill give you that. I nodded unconsciously. As Moon Ga-eun said, happiness wasnt far away. Eating delicious food and having fun That was the kind of happiness that could be found in everyday life. And Im also happy that were eating together. Following up on her previous statement, Moon Ga-eun mumbled quietly. I couldnt hear her words clearly, so I furrowed my brows and asked again, Huh? What did you say? Ugh, your hearing fails only at times like this. How annoying. Hey, you were the one who spoke too softly. Tsk- I said Im even happier eating with C, why. No you didnt. You definitely said something else. Ah, nevermind. Continue what we were talking about earlier. Hrmm. Something felt off, but it looked like Moon Ga-eun didnt want to talk more about it, so I decided to change the topic as she wanted. What we were talking about earlier It was, of course, the operation from the day before yesterday. The main topic of our conversation since we entered the restaurant. While the media only sang praises of the academy, the major ns, and my achievements the truth was that the rest of the party members also struggled tremendously behind the scenes during the operation. Our search party members had an intense battle against the overwhelming numbers of n members. In fact, I was more curious to hear about them. So you guys really captured Executive Director Cha Soo-yeon by yourselves? The biggest spotlight was, of course, the suppression of Cha Soo-yeon. An A-grade Holder, and one of the top elites amongst them. A high-level executive within . I was amazed that my friends were able to capture such an infamous woman. Yeah. Chae-eun first opened the way with her ultimate skill, then I provided support while Park Jin-woo infiltrated. The finishing blow was by Juyeon. Chae-eun has an ultimate skill? Huh? Yeah. You didnt know? I had absolutely no idea. Kim Chae-eun liked praising others, but she wasnt the type to boast about herself. Contrasting her bright and lively personality was a cautious mentality. So I had only heard the rough details about capturing Cha Soo-yeon Not even a peep about her ultimate skill. I did hear she gained a new rune though I knew Kim Chae-eun had recently gained a new rune. [Frozen Battlefield]. The signature rune of Jeong Seon-young, the best ice-type ability user. She had perfectly replicated the rune of her mentor and seeded in learning an epic-grade rune, far more advanced than [Freezing]. So Chae-eun had an innate post-awakening talent. Kim Chae-eun, who never stood out in the original work, was a Holder who bloomedter in life. Separate from the rune she first awakened with, some are able to gain enlightenment and attain a higher grade rer in life. There was exactly one such case in the original work: Song Hyeon. Scion of the prestigious Song family, and the first to introduce [Sword] runes in Korea. He was a leading example of a Holder talented in post-awakening with runes. Thanks to that talent, he obtains powerful runes towards the end of the story and disys immense prowess and versatility as a mighty wielder. Kim Chae-eun, who recently gained a new rune and even mastered an ultimate skill She seemed to possess outstanding post-awakening talentparable to the original casts. Anyway Everyone did way better than I expected, so we were able to capture that notorious Cha Soo-yeon. It was amazing and so cool. Moon Ga-eun smiled awkwardly as she spoke. Then she rummaged through the pollock stew with her chopsticks again. For some reason, she gave off an ufortable vibe. Seeing that, I jokinglymented, You were amazing and cool too. Why talk like youre praising others? Moon Ga-euns body froze at those words. The chopstick motions also naturally ceased. Then she turned to look at me with her trademark flustered expression. Wha, what are you saying. I was just a support. Arent supports what archers are for? Or were you gonna whack them like a mage? Or tank for the team like a warrior? Your ss specializes in support by nature. I dont even have an ultimate skill. Are you asking to be scolded? Ultimate skills arent everything. You have so many other strengths. Moon Ga-eun was the top ranked archer in 1st year to start with. Given time, she was by no meanscking in talentpared to others. It was just that her circle of friends happened to be so exceptionally skilled, especially with Kim Chae-eun suddenly rising meteoricallytely I figured Moon Ga-eun may have developed unnecessary impatience. I mmed my chopsticks on the table with conviction and dered, Thats it. Youre getting special training this vacation. Special training? Why so suddenly? Theres someone who would be the perfect mentor for you. Of course, Moon Ga-eun already had Moon Jung-hyuk the best master in Korea. But the roles of master and advisor were clearly distinct. That miko from the Japanese n who told me to contact her anytime She would probably Make an excellent trainer for Moon Ga-eun. *** Ippotrantion *** A crevice born from ciers, the valley of death. A crevasse. Somewhere in Antarctica. Inside a crevasse in an uninhabited wastnd A man entered. A ck aura enveloped him with ash gray hair. The man who escaped alone from Ganghwa, Gijangeum Ind. Former Sub Master of , Hwang Seong-yeon. Grrrr- Hwang Seong-yeon moved through the crevasse. He clung to the walls with magic, traversing the perilous terrain where one wrong step meant certain death. It exceeded the concept of parkour. A form of [Levitation] magic. After descending for some time In the pitch ck cliff surrounded by darkness on all sides, Hwang Seong-yeon finally discovered an opening. A tiny hole made in the middle of the crevasse. An entrance leading to a hidden, specialized cave. Thud- Grrrr- Phew. Hwang Seong-yeon pulled himself towards the entrance with magic and used his sword like a walking stick to enter inside. He brushed off his body and took heavy breaths within the cave, as if he had cleared a dungeon. A specialized space that required magical energy to enter, structured simr to dungeons. Yet this ce definitely existed in reality. Hwang Seong-yeon walked through the dark space devoid of any light. About 10 minutes passed. The one he meant to meet promptly revealed himself. And a freakish sounding voice was heard. You have arrived. Hwang Seong-yeon created a light to gaze upon the figure before him. But the man had wrapped his entire body and face in a deep robe, concealing all physical features except his hands. Hwang Seong-yeon scowled and responded, Still not showing your face I see. Its unspeakably hideous. You probably wouldnt like my face either, Hwang Seong-yeon. Without caring whether he liked it or not, Hwang Seong-yeon had no interest in appearances to begin with. The robed man gestured at himself and continued, That aside, havent my Korean improved considerably? The pronunciation, vocabry, everything became quite solid. Is that so. Did you learn anguage rune or something? Hwang Seong-yeon asked. The man shrugged his shoulders. Haha, no way. We of the Ludenark are always conducting research to draw new conclusions. By melting the human brains you sent along with magic stones We added Korean to our trantion magic. Thanks to that, smoothmunication like this is possible. Casually mentioning biological experiments like a bad joke. Hwang Seong-yeon whispered at the psycho-likeughter, Not a funny story. Ah, indeed. I heard the news. I was told Young Master Hwang Dong-yeon got captured? Heard he was your younger brother. The grief must be immense. I dont particrly feel that emotion. Haha, is that so? But I personally find it heartbreaking. He was a summoner we invested heavily in from the Ludenark. It was true. The undead legion Hwang Dong-yeon created. While provided the material and manpower support, the research process itself came from none other than the man before him. To return empty-handed losing it all, truthfully he had no excuses. But Hwang Seong-yeon held no interest towards thoseplicated internal affairs. Does it interfere with the n? Not at all. Not at all. The core of our n is you, Hwang Seong-yeon, the true owner of the dark demon sword Sleipnir Not some crippled summoner. ording to the original agreement between the two men, nothing major had changed anyway. Tap- Hwang Seong-yeon leaned against the cave wall and sat down. Then he slowly got to the main point. I found the dungeon you spoke of. The ce with the thick smell of blood and wolf scent, overflowing with powerful magic. Oh-! Is that true? .But the entrance was barred. It seems some kind of special item is needed to enter, unlike normal dungeons. Ahaha- Thats no issue at all! The important thing is you found it. Because when that dungeon eventually opens one day, Hwang Seong-yeon must be able to tail them. The man shook his hands around in excitement Then stopped as he looked towards Hwang Seong-yeon. Though his face couldnt be clearly seen, he gave off the impression of broadly smiling. The core is Lycan. We cant have those pathetic half-wolf kin awakened and freed. For our Ludenarks ns to seed, they must remain forever bound to us. At the mans words, Hwang Seong-yeon also quietly nodded his head. Inside an Antarctic crevasse. A bizarre cave filled with utter darkness. Within Truths still hidden from everyone Swirled and surged like a vortex.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 180: Do you know Do Jae-hyun? (1) Chapter 180: Do you know Do Jae-hyun? (1) If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
After the subjugation operation ended sessfully. The academy dered a 2-week temporary suspension, and made every effort to deal with the aftermath of the incident and straighten out the chaotic atmosphere. The buildings and structures that were smashed by Hwang Seong-yeons invasion were somehow repaired by hiring various contractors and rted expert Holders. And all the administrative matters that were behind were also neatly processed. Especially the damagepensation for the employees, students, professors, etc. of the academy who were sacrificed during this operation. This was done in cooperation with the government and the association, providing the best possiblepensation that could be done at the national level. Although this cannotfort all their spirits, at least their remaining seats could be solemnlymemorated. All the spies were caught too. The academy also seeded in identifying all the spies left inside. This process was surprisingly easy. By interrogating the captured n members and executives and grasping the movement routes of key n members such as Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae The ends caught in the could be found quickly. Not only the academy, but also spies nted one by one in the three major domestic ns in Korea, including , and , were all found. The , which was so difficult to grasp its entity because it wasposed like a cell organization, was easy to catch below because many above were captured. Thats how the , thergest criminal organization in Korea that had stirred Korea for a while and gave headaches, disappeared cleanly into the back alleys of history. Jeee- Wooo- Tok! Tatatak- However, during the 2 weeks of the academys stabilization. I came to the academy every day without missing a single day. Like a civil servant. No. You have to put in magic more delicately there. Professor Kang Dong-wook snarled at me in a sharp voice. I shook my head once to clear my mind. Im sorry. Ill try again. Keep in mind. The Order of Harmony is a legendary item that all domestic taming system Holders want to research desperately. Holder Do Jae-hyun is handling such a rare item. Doing research with a half-hearted mind is an affront to them. Yes, I understand. The things I do personally at the academy during the suspension period are quite diverse. But if I had to choose the main task It was still the joint research with Professor Kang Dong-wook. Among them, intensive research on the special item [Order of Harmony] was the focus. Its still far. Wiping the sweat pouring down my forehead, I gently stroked the emerald crystal ball. [Order of Harmony]. It was a special item that the academy had owned and conducted research on, and that the went through the trouble of capturing even through rash operations. The special effect of this item is to increase the leadership ability by 10, which alone has tremendous value for the contracting and summoning systems. Because leadership, which belongs to special abilities, cannot be raised just because you want to raise it, just like innate abilities. But the real power contained in the [Order of Harmony] Was in the three sealed effects that had not been unlocked. The three shells inherent in the Order of Harmony. Those solid shellsposed of special magic must be peeled off solely by Holder Do Jae-hyuns magic. As soon as the first shell is peeled off, synchronization with the Order of Harmony begins immediately. Like an expert who has studied this crystal ball for a long time, Professor Kang Dong-wook knew its effects better than anyone else. The first is a drastic increase in understanding and favorability towards contractors. And the natural ability increase obtained through it. The second is when using the [Hand of Contract] skill, it greatly increases the probability of contracting. So you can make a contract without necessarily making the monster magic depletion or weakness, and if the situation allows it, you can even train two or more high-level monsters at the same time. Thest third is Infinite magic supply for the summoners summoning maintenance. Thats right. That was why Viin Master Hwang Dong-yeon was able to wield so many summons at the same time without magic depletion. Our ultimate research goal is to manifest this third effect. An effect that even Professor Kang Dong-wook didnt know about before. An effect that could not be revealed even in secret research so far. Infinite magic supply for the summoners summon maintenance. That was the fundamental reason why the stole the [Order of Harmony]. Through the [Corpse Commander] rune, Hwang Dong-yeon released the limit on the number of possessed summons, and obtained infinite summoning sustain magic by using the [Order of Harmony]. So Professor Kang Dong-wook and my joint research goal became to manifest this third effect. The reason I became the main researcher in this important research was simple. Unlike other taming system Holders, I can handle multiple high-level monsters because I have the legendary contract rune, regardless of my leadership stat. Of course, the reality is that Im still struggling, unable to even take off the firstyer. Jeee- Wooo- Tok! Tatatak- Again. Ill do it again. The moment the connection between me and the [Order of Harmony] is cut off, Professor Kang Dong-wooks cold voice rings out without fail. Fxxk. Save me. Its hell. There is no separate research hell. Barely catching my exhausted body, all my nerves were poured in, but the result was a series of failures. Before I knew it, I was asking to be saved. But this endless research, which seemed so far away Was by no means a waste of time. [More persistently, more delicately. Delicacy is added to your ability to manipte magic. You will be able to control magic more smoothly and flexibly. Understanding of runes increases dramatically.] [The level of the Magic Control rune has increased.] [The level of the Magic Amplification rune has increased.] [You gain 2 magic from the runes disposition.] The levels ofmon runes that had stagnated for a while rose. Combat-type runes that handle weapons or martial arts grow on their own through repeated practice orbat, thanks to the [Effort of the Seeker] which triples the basic growth rate of runes. However, to raise the levels of thesemon runes, time had to be spent separately. They helpbat in the end asmon runes, but growth itself stagnates because they are not used directly duringbat. The opposite side of rapid growth Rapid growth means there are many things missed as well. Unlike othermon Holders who grew by umting experience and know-how, I achieved rapid growth through [Rune Hunter] and special items, so I was often behind peers in detail aspects. To give a clear example, Ji Yoon-jaes [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] was level 20, and Cha Soo-yeons [Intolerable Gravity] was also level 20. On the other hand, my main runes [Wave Sword Techniques] and [Water Sword Technique] were still level 11. The proficiency was still terriblycking to be called an A-grade Holder. With the levels of my main runes like this, the levels ofmon runes that are especially difficult to raise were even worse. So I felt like going through the process of trimming my possessed runes as mymon rune levels rose like this. Jeee- Wooo!! Tat- Tat- And as the [Magic Control] rune reached level 10, a change urred in the [Order of Harmony], which had not moved at all. Inside the emerald crystal ball. One sparkling ring appeared strangely swirling around, revealing its figure visible to the naked eye. At the same time, I felt a sense of connection with my magic running through my skin. [Seeded in magic connection with Order of Harmony. A bright and clean magic flows around enveloping the vicinity.] [Unsealed the first seal of Order of Harmony. While possessing the Order of Harmony, the favorability with contractors possessed by the target rises sharply, and all contractors abilities increase by 10%.] You did it! Professor Kang Dong-wook shouted happily. As an experienced expert, he immediately noticed the change between me and the [Order of Harmony]. I also smiled involuntarily at the result of long concentrationing out. Yes. I finally seeded in the first phase. I knew you could do it. As expected, Holder Do Jae-hyun is fast To show such magic control as only a first grader. Stroking his chin with an admiring look, Professor Kang Dong-wook snapped his finger. Then, lets go out on a field investigation tomorrow and experiment with the performance of the Order of Harmony together with your contractor, Bon. I expect much better results than the growth Ive studied so far. At those words, I unconsciously made an absent-minded expression. And asked. Well continue the research tomorrow too? Of course! This is the perfect opportunity to thoroughly analyze the performance of the Order of Harmony! I will also concentrate on lecturing you onmon runes rted to contracting, so pleasee out again tomorrow. . This crazy researcher. So thats why he was so excited to teach me at first. *** Ippotrantion *** And in the afternoon. Once again I feel that Holder Do Jae-hyun indeed has talent in the assassin system. In the training field of the academy. The blunt voice of a woman echoed in this ce where no one was because it was a suspension period. Yoo Eun-seol, an S-grade Holder who was also my assassination teacher. Whether it was the result of training so far, or the help of practical experience from this operation Growth of runes was also achieved for the first time in a long time in exclusive sses with her. [Your heightened senses stimte every nerve. Your will is strongly embedded in your swinging dagger. Understanding of runes increases dramatically.] [The level of the Master of Martial Arts rune has risen.] [The level of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique rune has risen.] [The level of the Stealth rune has risen.] [You gain 3 speed and 2 strength from the runes disposition.] [Master of Martial Arts] and [Stealth] finally reached level 10, and [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], which I learned directly from Yoo Eun-seol, had now reached level 7. Seeing the rune levels moving up to high levels one by one, I could clearly see that I was taking off from B-grade to A-grade. Retracing and trimming things that had jumped over a limit once was not such a difficult process. But my growth was, as always, too visible to my master as well. Yoo Eun-seol watched the changes in my body quietly, then nodded and said, Good. This time, block my attack directly. The pattern is assassination after stealth, the attack route is unspecified, the martial arts used is Snow Plum Blossom. I wont put magic in like before. With not a single change in expression, Yoo Eun-seol poured out tremendous words. At that brutal sentence I despaired, doubting my ears. Fxxk. Save me. It was a day I wanted to cry.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 181: Do You Know Do Jae-hyun? (2) Chapter 181: Do You Know Do Jae-hyun? (2) If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
The academy was attempting many changes using this incident as a turning point. Among them, the most representative would be Of course, exchanges with foreign academies. The Seoul Holder Academy has nearly monopolized the domestic academy market. While there are some academies existing in domestic areas like Busan and Gwangju, there were no domestic academies that could follow the fame and authority of the Seoul Holder Academy. And monopoly soon leads to stagnation. The current academy had naturally becent under the name of the Holder powerhouse Ilta Academy, and thisck of external exchange along with theck of manpower had often been pointed out as a major cause of the qualitative decline of the academy. The first project attempted to innovate against such criticisms. That was this exchange project with foreign academies. Arge card hung high in the middle at the front gate of the Seoul Holder Academy. Seeing the unfamiliar sight he was seeing for the first time since admission, Park Jin-woo scratched his head. California? Although it was still a temporary vacation period, Park Jin-woo naturally came to the academy. After all the operations were over. After resting for about three days, he couldnt stand his body being idle. Resting and just resting didnt suit Park Jin-woos body. Its changing a lot, huh. The academy he was attending after nearly a week. Many things had changed without him realizing it. The buildings that were smashed here and there after s invasion quickly regained their former appearance, and as the follow-up of the incident was being wrapped up, vitality was graduallying back into the academy which had been gloomy. In addition, the card he just saw. Student exchange with famous foreign academies. It seemed this project had been prepared for quite some time, as the exchange students had alreadye over to Korea and the project was being executed. While they were mocked by domestic media for mending the fold after the sheep was lost, the academys response through this incident was certainly tidy. Its got nothing to do with me though. While such changes in the academy were very wee innovations to rted parties, honestly, Park Jin-woo didnt care. He simply liked to fight with all his might. When he felt the sense of aplishment from bing stronger himself by fighting with all his power. If each Rune Holder has their own beliefs, Park Jin-woo thought such sense of aplishment was the greatest driving force leading him. Thats why the academy would be fine as long as the environment to y around well was provided. Space and time to train. Opportunities and preparation for actualbat. An opponent who can be a goal. If he had just that, there was nothing more he wanted. Im lucky to have that bastard Do Jae-hyun. Although he usually didnt express it, Park Jin-woo secretly felt grateful to Do Jae-hyun. He was now a friend who had risen too high to be called a rival, but perhaps because of that he was more suitable as a goal. He became the driving force to get back up again after crashing and smashing into each other several times, and he kept ramming around thoughts, providing an environment to y around in. Do Jae-hyun would hop around the boring and standardized academy like a whack-a-mole. And such a mess was also the environment Park Jin-woo liked the best. Hehe, lets run again today. Park Jin-woo loosened his sluggish body and headed for the academys training ground. He had a lot to test out today. Through the extreme actualbat experience from thest operation, he had gained quite a lot as a Holder. Abilities and Rune levels that had been stagnant for a while had risen sharply, and there were new abilities he had obtained as well. Especially thebined strategy he unleashed when arresting Cha Soo-yeon. When using [Unstoppable Swift Sword], he vaguely grasped a strand of realization. Todays short-term goal was to grasp that strand more clearly. Squeak, creek- Tadada- And so he entered the training ground he thought would be empty since it was vacation period. But surprisingly, there seemed to be an opponent. Haaa! Lower pressure!! The loud and cheerful shouts along with the shes of movements as quick as knives. Feeling the rough signs from one side of the training ground, Park Jin-woo cocked his head and went inside. Huh? And there was a female Holder. ttering golden hair and pronounced facial features. Snow white skin and long limbs, and drops of sweat dotted here and there. More than anything, from the shouts, he felt a strange sense of English. From just that. He could instantly tell she was not Korean. Hap! Hahp! She continued training with regr movements. A shield seeminglyrger than her own torso. And a weapon notmonly preferred, a rapier. Freely wielding the two armaments like limbs, connecting prepared motions and irregr movements. Oh wow Shes strong. The moment Park Jin-woo saw her, he felt it. A strong Holder. At least B-grade, perhaps even A-grade Holder. Although he hadnt crossed weapons directly, from the amount of magic power and strength of Runes felt nearby, he could gauge just from that shield technique. Her movements are unconventional. Her shield technique was quite shocking. Moving the shield without constraints of direction, horizontal, vertical, front and back, diagonal. A defense that seemed to have no gaps when seen with the naked eye. And the movements of the rapier poking out from inside were also considerably aggressive. From the start, moving in a direction difficult to predict, and when it seemed prediction was possible, changing paths again to give variation. Seeing such crude yet wless offense and defense, Park Jin-woo wondered if he could win if he went down there and fought. Swish- Tok! Tadat- At some point. Her movements stopped. Then, her gaze turned this way. It was then that Park Jin-woo first saw her pupils. It was An extremely deep and clean gaze. Her unwavering eyes were as clear as ake, and her eye sockets glistened with the blue light of a vast sea. It was a gaze that seemed to contain a firm will towards martial arts. Lost in those strange pupils Park Jin-woo nkly had his gaze stolen away. It really was A feeling he had never experienced in his life before. Who are you? The womans voice flowed out again. It was English. -Who are you? Simple English that Park Jin-woo could understand came out. Thud Tap Thump! At those words, Park Jin-woo immediately jumped over the railing and entered the training ground. With high magic power and endurance stats, it was easy tond from this height. Ah, um And soon his words were blocked. Park Jin-woo scratched his head with an awkward expression. He had impulsivelye down, but he couldnt grasp how to speak to the foreign woman. But surprisingly, the question came first from the woman. Are you a student here? Huh? You can speak Korean? As soon as he heard the familiarnguage, he felt a weing feeling first. In response to Park Jin-woos question, the woman nodded her head and answered. A little. I was surprised earlier, so I used English. Its still awkward. Yes. Im learning. Korean is hard. Haha. Park Jin-wooughed at her slightly cute way of speaking. And after shaking his wandering hand for a while, he carefully reached out to her. An emotion I had never felt before in my life. It was a handshake that barely held back my pounding heart. My name is Park Jin-woo. Im a 1st year warrior under the Seoul Holder Academy. ParkJin-woo. The woman mouthed his name with still clumsy pronunciation. Soon she smiled brightly and shook his hand. Im Cam. Cam Flores. 1st year warrior from the California Holder Academy. Nice to meet you. California Holder Academy. At that familiar name, Park Jin-woo internally went Ah! and snapped his fingers. Youre an exchange student. She seemed to be an American Holder student participating in this exchange project from the Seoul Holder Academy. Yes. I arrived yesterday. Wow. You really just got here recently huh. Yes! I dont know a lot. Please teach me. M-me? Surprised by the natural flow of the conversation, Park Jin-woo asked in bewilderment. Then Cam nodded brightly. Yes! Im curious about the Korean academy. In contrast to when she trained roughly, she seemed to be someone who conveyed a bright aura to those around her usually. Slightly flustered by her clean appearance, Park Jin-woo soon regained hisposure and thought. An American Holder who had just arrived in Korea. Regarding the academy information he was supposed to teach her about But where do I start? However, unfortunately Park Jin-woo was weak in things like this. Basic building and department introductions. Introductions of rted professors and key information. Introductions of academy facilities and nearby areas. For information that any academy student could easily teach, in truth Park Jin-woo knew almost nothing. Im screwed. That was because Park Jin-woos patterns were almost always simr. ssroom Training ground Home. Or Training ground ssroom Home. Except when attending sses, he trained every day, so even after nearly a year, he still didnt know the structure of the academy exactly. Naturally, what he could teach Cam was also limited. As Park Jin woo concentrated to think of a method Ah. With the thought that shed like lightning, he barely squeezed out a word. Do you happen to know Do Jae-hyun? Do Jae-hyun? Yes. Hes currently the most Ah! I know! The academys hero! Koreas hope? Bingo! At Cams positive response, Park Jin-woo shouted in delight internally. As expected, Do Jae-hyun. The reputation of his friend who had recently taken over headlines like the medias darling had reached even Holders from overseas who had crossed the ocean. It felt like blood had rushed into the previously awkward flow of conversation. Hes my friend. Would you like to watch us spar? Spar? Ah, so fight each other. Ill show you how Korean Holders fight. Oh! Good. So good. Just like Cam who had been training since arriving in Korea the next day, she seemed very interested in sparring. After much contemtion, the method Park Jin-woo barely chose was what he knew best and did best. Okay. Then wait a minute. Yeah! Leaving Cam behind for a moment, Park Jin-woo went to one side of the training grounds and took out his phone. It was to deliver this good news to his friend and savior, Do Jae-hyun. [Me] What u doing Fortunately, he seemed to be looking at his phone too, as the reply came back in 3 seconds. [Do Jae-hyun] Eating pancakes. I feel like dying right now. [Me] At a cafe? [Do Jae-hyun] Yeah. Inhaling a mocha frappino. [Me] Come to the training grounds. Lets go one round. [Do Jae-hyun] ? After the offer, the conversation paused briefly before A reply came back as if incredulous. [Do Jae-hyun] Cant read? I said I feel like dying. I just finished sparring with Professor Tak Won-ho. [Me] Just do it once today. Its really important. [Do Jae-hyun] No, I said I cant do it? Im on fumes right now. [Me] If you spar today Ill give you 10 free match tickets anytime. [Do Jae-hyun] Ah this bastard. No thanks. And only you benefit from that. Although fiery curses came from his friend, Park Jin-woo was simply in a good mood. Famous friends, this is nice. It felt like today would go well somehow.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 182: Do You Know Do Jae-hyun? (3) Chapter 182: Do You Know Do Jae-hyun? (3) If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buymeacoffee For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
Im really going to be worked to death. Overworked. Ive never been this overworked before. These days, I dont even have time to breathe because of Professor Tak Won-hos busy schedule, so I had been training with him from dawn by splitting up my time Out of nowhere, Park Jin-woo dragged me out in the morning to train with him. Park Jin-woo isnt the type to usually make requests like this, but I somehow agreed to amodate him After overexerting myself, my whole body was sore. This punk Park Jin-woo Selling out his friend for a woman. Just thinking about it makes my teeth grind. The really important issue that he sweet-talked me into going to the training hall for, there was a blonde blue-eyed foreign woman sitting there. An American Holder, her name was Cam Flores. A student who hade for this Academys international exchange program. Park Jin-woo had dragged me out to show the foreign Holder a fight between Korean Holders. A fight between Korean Holders my ass. I realized it was all bullshit as soon as I arrived. Cams beautiful looks and bright aura. The intimate atmosphere between the two people in the training hall. Amidst the conversation filled withughter, I couldnt help but sense that subtle tension. Park Jin-woo had used me as a prop to make the conversation topics more colorful. Fucking bastard. He acted all disinterested at first. To be honest, I was pretty shocked when I first saw the scene. Park Jin-woo, who seemed like making himself stronger was the purpose of his life, was showing interest in a woman. It was a happening that would surprise anyone who knew him. An unprecedented event even in the original work. Well, there was no romance to begin with in the original work. There was no romance in , a pure growth story. It mainly dealt with Park Jin-woos growth process, battles, rtionships, punishing evil, etc., but contained no content regarding the main characters love lives. That was also why Kang Juyeons position was ssified as heroine. She was literally the heroine. Showcasing growth in a different direction from Park Jin-woo, another protagonist of the story. That was why no romance between the protagonists came up in the original work, and the current happenings were obviously a strong butterfly effect resulting from my intervention and countless variables. Cam, a new character, and Park Jin-woo showing interest outside of battle. It was quite an unfamiliar yet interesting sight. Well It doesnt seem bad. I grinned and scratched my cheek. My body was battered all over but my heart felt light. After all, the current Park Jin-woo was my friend. Also my best friend who I could share swords with, someone I rted to a lot internally and externally. How the original work was, how the butterfly effect turned out Those things werent important. What was important was that a woman my friend liked had appeared, and he had asked me for help so he could do better. I had no reason to not dly help him out. I did my best in the match with Park Jin-woo. Although Park Jin-woo did lose in the end, Cam was delighted by the high-level match regardless of the result. She seemed to have great interest in purely handling martial arts. And after the match had ended. I called Park Jin-woo aside and gave him an overview of the Academys guidance and key facilities, along with various pieces of advice. -The atmosphere of this cafe is particrly nice, so give her a tour and drop by when you have time. Park Jin-woo looked quite surprised by my sincere advice. Maybe shy? He said some iprehensible things. -Oh If you know so well, then why are you like that? -What, why would I tell you for no reason. -Uh No, anyway, thanks for helping out today. Really. -If youre thankful then buy me a meal or somethingter. -Ill increase the 10 free match tickets we promised today to 20. -Ohe on! I dont need stuff like that. Anyway, that was how Park Jin-woo went off to subtly ask her out under the guise of a tour, while I had returned to the cafe from earlier. After throwing out the finished coffee, I order another sweet drink. I hade to replenish my depleted blood sugar levels, but the match from earlier turned me into a corpse again. I needed to recharge my blood sugar a second time. And while resting my face on the cafe table Yet another annoying message that I wanted to throw away immediately came in. [Professor Kang Dong-wook] Holder Do Jae-hyun, you didnt forget about field training today right? Lets properly sprint today and unlock up to the 2nd seal! Hahaha. .Please save me. For some reason, it felt like my schedule had gotten even busier after wrapping up the big incident. *** Ippotrantion *** Yoo Eun-seol had been in quite a good mood recently. At first, she took the position of academy instructor for her own personal purposes, but after teaching students for a couple months, she had formed a bond with them. The n that robbed those students of their peace, massacring innocent citizens It was the first time Yoo Eun-seol felt such intense hatred towards a certain group The . After eradicating all of them and the academy regaining stability, that alone was enough to lift Yoo Eun-seols spirits. But that wasnt all. Do Jae-hyun did it again! Sessful mild reaction in the 1st phase of fusion order. Koreas greatest prospect, Do Jae-hyuns journey. Even foreign media singing high praises! Is Do Jae-hyun Yoo Eun-seols exclusive disciple? His luxurious masters A genius teaching a genius. Could Do Jae-hyun be the 6th S-grade? Even now, long after the cleanup operation ended, the fervor surrounding Do Jae-hyun had yet to die down. In the past and present, Koreans love heroes. The young hero who appeared at the academy. Do Jae-hyun was currently the greatest prospect in Koreas Awakened world. . Yoo Eun-seol barely managed to stop the corners of her mouth from curving up. That was the reason for Yoo Eun-seols good mood these days. He was her disciple. The first person she had ever exclusively taken on as her disciple and directly taught. And that person was receiving the attention of the entire nation, even being praised as the greatest prospect in the Awakenedmunity. It would be stranger if she didnt feel good. ..Its fascinating. At first, her only intention was to find a party member. Do Jae-hyun was the Holder containing the dragons energy she had been looking for, fulfilling the condition to enter the double dungeon A means towards Yoo Eun-seols personal goal. Coldhearted, but a natural story in the world of Holders. And Do Jae-hyun had gained a lot from that kind of rtionship too. But now. However, after entering the academy and taking him on temporarily as her exclusive disciple, her perception had changed greatly. Do Jae-hyun was a talented Holder. He quickly and urately absorbed every lesson taught, and grew at an astounding pace ordingly. Despite being the first exclusive disciple she had ever taken, there hadnt been a single bump in Yoo Eun-seols education so far. His feats during the n cleanup operation, were not a fluke but prepared results. The new nickname the media kept moring about, Prospective S-grade Holder. As the youngest S-grade Holder alumnus, Yoo Eun-seol didnt think the possibility was zero. Holder Yoo Eun-seol, do you happen to know Holder Do Jae-hyun well? Public interest wasnt limited to just the media. Even acquaintances she actually knew would often ask this kind of question. Asking Yoo Eun-seol the S-grade Holder not about herself but another promising prospect Holder. Yoo Eun-seol found the situation fascinating yet she somehow felt good. Hes my exclusive disciple. So these days she would say this kind of thing without hesitation. Strictly speaking he was a temporary exclusive disciple, but she could omit that unnecessary supplementary exnation. Wow, really? Yes. Ive been teaching Holder Do Jae-hyun dagger techniques for several months now. The articles were true. Not that anything else makes sense, but even our Sunset Flower n wants to scout Holder Do Jae-hyun no matter what. Hes a prospect who will lead Koreas Holdermunity in the future. Youre right. Its no exaggeration to say Holder Do Jae-hyun has that kind of talent. A conversation like this happened over a meal with a member of the n she had once partied with in an attack squad formation. And hearing her words, Yoo Eun-seol nodded as well. The current Do Jae-hyun was definitely a talent any n would covet. With the 3 major domestic ns vying for him, the n had every reason to vie for him too. As expected of my disciple. And at the same time, this shameless thought crosses her mind. She doesnt even feel embarrassed about it anymore. Was this a masters joy? The more Do Jae-hyun excelled, the more praise he received Yoo Eun-seol felt strangely ted for some reason. And she thought. The exclusive disciple she had only temporarily considered. Maybe now it would be alright to officially make him so. She felt like Do Jae-hyun was plenty worthy. But Holder Yoo Eun-seol, you dont seem very close with your disciple? .What? Why was this person suddenly saying something so out of the blue? When Yoo Eun-seol cocked her head in puzzlement, the n member awkwardlyughed and answered. Oh, just that when you kept saying Holder Do Jae-hyun, Holder Do Jae-hyun, it gave off this awkward vibe between master and disciple. Ahaha, ahaha. D-dont mind me. I shouldnt have said something like that to Holder Yoo Eun-seol. Its not like you speak politely to your disciple, and titles dont matter. She hurriedly finished speaking as if flustered. But at those words, Yoo Eun-seol quietly shut her mouth. Come to think of it, I do speak politely to him. And she pondered once more. Would speaking politely to my disciple make me seem too cold?
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 183: End of 2nd Semester (1) Chapter 183: End of 2nd Semester (1) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
The long vacation period has ended. The two weeks went by faster than I thought. There was the unfortunate incident where the academy was attacked and there were casualties, but in any case, the academy handled the aftermath well, responded appropriately, and was able to wee a vibrant new semester again. Especially the recent coboration with the California Holder Academy. Thanks to therge-scale exchange project that even changed Park Jin-woo, who was a training maniac, foreigners overflowed in the academy. Wherever I went down the street, whichever building I passed by I always saw a pair of blue eyes with blonde hair. Oh! Youre Holder Do Jae-hyun, right? Wow, wow! Im your fan. And at least once Like this, there were also American Holders who recognized me. Some even imed to have be my fan through this operation, asked me for an autograph with a pen and paper. No, theres no way theyve seen me fight. Can you be a fan of someone youve never seen before? Suddenly I wondered, but for some reason, my hand was naturally reaching for the pen and paper they handed me. I cant be rude to someone iming to be my fan anyway. They might have be a fan just by seeing my face in the news articles. Thank you. What was your name again? Also, when I say this. Most of the people who asked for autographs were surprised and asked back. You can speak English? A little. Not very fluent though. But your ent is really good considering. It was thanks to [Language], themon rune I obtained from thest mission. The [Language] rune is a pretty unique one. At first I thought it was just a rune necessary formunicating with extraterrestrial beings like monsters or spirits, but its scope also applies to humannguages. Anynguage Ive heard at least once is naturally inputted into my system through application. Since then, not only have my listening ears opened up, but speakinges out as fluent as my nativenguage as well. Of coursemonnguages like English were easy, and even traditional tribalnguages, I could fluently pronounce them as long as I heard them once. That fluency and applicability varies depending on the level of the rune. My current [Language] level is 8. Its a whole level higher than even [Cooking], so needless to say, the proficiency was unmatched. Thank you! Ill definitely take your ss togetherter! Yes. Thank you. So after the new semester began. It became moremon for me to give autographs to my fans that I didnt even know about. It happened asionally even before the mission, but never this much Moreover, foreigners from overseas weed me so enthusiastically, it made me flustered yet grateful at the same time. Anyway, with the fresh faces blowing in new wind, liveliness filled the academy day by day. Hyaah! Youre fast! But California Holders are even faster! Stop talking! Especially the academy training ground. A ce where practical training and drills are conducted, and students can spar with each other. It was always crowded with Korean and American Holders having matches and sparring sessions. Themon desire to gauge each others skills andpete to see whos better, anybat-ss Holder would have it no matter which country theyre from. It was an interest that worked anywhere in the world. Kang!! Ggggg Keuk. The directions a bit different, but I was no exception in these training ground battles. Tuesday evening. In the Private Battle Room, located in the academy training ground that only professor-level Holders can request for use, I was taking Yoo Eun-seols relentless sword strikes. Shes really mercilessly beating me. Ive taken her sword a few times during the temporary vacation too, but today she seems to be especially stronger. Did she intentionally increase her power to match the new semester? Yoo Eun-seol, who was barely catching her breath, soon fired another cold deration at me. Again. Yes! Despite the record-breaking changes I go through day by day due to my exceptional growth rate, the growth I achieved through this mission and vacation felt quite valuable. It wasnt just because of therge number of runes I acquired. Through this opportunity, I was able to gain a significant amount ofmon runes that I always thought were my weaknesses, and these runes have synergy with each other. They were runes that might one day even be Superior Runes under [Rune Hunter]. Plus the 3 legendary runes I got from Japan, which could now be my main runes. And finally, now that there was a way to peel off unnecessary runes separately, I was able to engage in much more efficientbat than before. But still. If I had to pick the most encouraging thing. It was definitely the growth of the assassin-ss abilities. Starting with [Stealth] which has already reached level 10, coremon runes like [Weakness Detection], [Critical Hit], etc have been equipped, and [Agile Agility] which supports them is already level 8. Especially [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], which I learned directly from Yoo Eun-seol, and [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] which I obtained after defeating Ji Yoon-jae. In the two branches of the assassin ss category, the respective martial art runes have firmly established themselves. Now Im really looking like an assassin-ss. Up until now, despite being called an assassin-ss Holder, I was more like a Multi-Holder of the warrior ss. But now, the scent of a proper assassin-ss Holder emanates from me. Ivee to possess the ability to easily catch up with the performance of even a top-tier B-grade assassin-ss Holder, or possibly an A-grade. If I coulde this far despite all the twists and turns. It was naturally thanks to the great efforts of my mentor, Yoo Eun-seol, who took over my exclusive lessons. While runes give tremendous power as a teacher, interestingly, there were more times when I couldnt keep up with my mentor in reality. Kang!! Ggggg Tap- tap- Training over. Thats it for today. Haa haa- haa Good haa haa- work today haa. Hearing Yoo Eun-seols conclusion, I threw away the two short swords I was tenaciously holding onto. And Iy down, panting heavily. My training with Yoo Eun-seol is almost always like this. She pushes me to the very limits, to the limits of my limits, and helps me gain enlightenment at that point. The reason why my assassin abilities have continued to grow rapidly so far is because of her limit breakthrough-style lectures like this. I dont think theres anything more I can teach you about the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. While I was lying down and catching my breath for a while. Yoo Eun-seol suddenly said something unexpected. I raised my upper body again and looked up at her. Really? Yes. Holder Do Jae-hyuns Plum Blossom Sword Technique is nearingpletion now. You should know that well yourself, no? Ah..? Cant I check the rune levels directly? Yoo Eun-seol was saying that. As she said, the [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] rune was already level 8. Excluding application, Ive basically learned most of the foundation and skilled stages. But there was one question. Umm Master? Yes. Does the Plum Blossom Sword Technique not have an Ultimate Skill? So far whenever I obtained runes containing martial arts or technical elements, they all had Ultimate Skills. [Wave Sword Technique] had [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. [Water Sword Technique] had [Water Sword Dance]. Even when I obtained Ji Yoon-jaes [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives], I got the Ultimate Skill [Knife Rain]. [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] was also a simr form of martial art rune. I naturally thought that upon reaching level 10, Id be able to acquire the Ultimate Skill. But Yoo Eun-seol slowly shook her head. No. The Plum Blossom Sword Technique is the Twenty-Four Style Plum Blossom Sword Technique of Chinas Hua Mountain Sect simply reorganized and optimized for the assassin ss. I heard many assassin xx Holders in Korea are researching this rune, but no Ultimate Skill has been developed yet. Sometimes, the power of reality is implemented into the system as runes. [Twenty-Four Style Plum Blossom Sword Technique], the actual martial arts skill of the Hua Mountain Sect, being registered as a rune was a prime example. So theoretically, if one researches the technical aspects within the power given by runes, Ultimate Skills can certainly be developed. The only problem is that the probability is almost as astronomical as plucking stars from the sky. Anyway The temporary focused lessons I nned for this semester with Holder Do Jae-hyun ends here. I see. A sigh slipped out unconsciously at Yoo Eun-seols quiet words. I knew it already. After all, Yoo Eunseol and I met based on mutual interests. We teamed up to clear my double dungeon , and she took over my focused lessons to power me up in preparation for it. Perhaps some affection grew while receiving her teachings? Now that shes dered an end I just felt oddly regretful. Still, I should give her a proper farewell. For whatever reason, thanks to her I was able to grow into a proper assassin-ss Holder. I wanted to surely express my gratitude for that. Setting aside my regret. I lowered my head courteously to Yoo Eun-seol to pay my respects. Master, thank you for everything so Also from now on, Im nning to officially ept Holder Do Jae-hyun as my exclusive disciple. What do you think, Do Jae-hyun? Huh? At that moment. Words I never expected came out of her mouth. Exclusive disciple. Removing the temporary title thats been attached to her teachings of me so far, shes offered me a formal discipleship proposal. This was no light matter. Isnt every current S-grade Holder in Korea without one? Among the S-grade Holders in Korea now, there are some who have mentors that nurtured S-grade Holders, but none who actually have disciples that are S-grade Holders. In other words, Yoo Eun-seol just now. Broke that implicit bnce of rtionships and dered that she, the youngest S-grade Holder, will formally ept a disciple. And I was to be the one filling that disciple seat. After making such a shocking deration, Yoo Eun-seol looked at me with a strange expression and asked. But, Holder Do Jae-hyun, my using banmal doesnt make you ufortable, right? If its ufortable, let me know. Id like to fix it. I have no experience having a disciple either, so I dont know much about the master-disciple rtionship Even saying shell fix her own habit for a disciples sake? If this was revealed to the public, the media would go nuts again.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 184: End of 2nd Semester (2) Chapter 184: End of 2nd Semester (2) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
Late December. The year is alreadying to an end. For me who fell into a new world, this was the first year-end Ive ever experienced in this life. With so many words and so many escapes this year. The 2nd semester which was especially full of incidents and idents Now its really rushing towards the end. The end of this semester has been postponed by a week, from December 16 (Fri) to December 23 (Fri). Professors please adjust your lesson ns ordingly. The end of semester notice that was posted in advance during the temporary suspension period. Although the temporary suspension period was a total of 2 weeks, the Academy flexibly adjusted the schedule and only postponed the end of 2nd semester by exactly one week. Since this temporary suspension urred due to internal circumstances of the Academy, they didnt want to take away the individual schedules of the students for that reason. As a result, the end of 2nd semester is December 23rd. In other words, it was set before Christmas Eve and Christmas begin. And of course, this was a decision that received enthusiastic cheers and support from the students. Ending before Christmas makes so much sense. I know right~ Dont have to worry about exams and can just y during Christmas. You dont have anyone to spend Christmas with anyway. Why you gotta fight? The Academys been doing pretty good with thingstely. I wonder why. Its probably because Won-ho is running things alone now. I heard he has surpassed both Tak Won-hyuk and Tak Won-sang. Really? Is that official? Its just my spection. Honestly, warrior majors would probably have wanted to beat up the management and just get on with sses Anyone can manage things but not everyone can teach well Is Tak Won-ho that bad? The professors are all so-so. You just havent met any really good professors. Ah now that its ending I wont be able to see the California snowscapes.. I enjoyed the snow views But didnt the American kids not end their semesters yet? How are they here in Korea? I dunno lol The US Academies operate on a 3 semester system When they came here it was their break. It was Monday of the final week before end of semester. While sitting in a corner of the ssroom, I read the reactions posted on the student Holdermunity. Although varied, there were a lot of evaluations that the Academy has been doing things welltely. Of course, this was something I also agreed with. Certainly, the Academys handling of things has be very decisivetely. It feels awkward that theyre suddenly doing things well. However, because theyre sessively doing things they didnt use to do, it just feels novel. Beside me, Moon Ga-eun smiled at my words and replied. Pfft The top management might feel bitter if they heard that. Well. Things have been a bit strange in the past. Are you gonna say that directly to Professor Tak Won-ho? ..Ga-eun, is there anything you want to eat? Why do I feel, like talking again, lets talk. Ew, gross. Dont. Shaking her head in displeasure, Moon Ga-eun soon smiled subtly and agreed with my words. But I admit that. It feels like the Academy has suddenly changed. Honestly from the position of a member student, its confusing how decisively things are being handled. Up till now, the Seoul Holder Academy had quite a more negative than positive image. Monopoly over the domestic academy market. Lack of manpower and deterioration of professor quality. Stuffy and suffocating internal management Just listing three things off the top of my head fills up my hands. The image was so bad that whenever an incident ured, the media would pounce on it like flies. To the point that the Tak n managing the operations foundation werebeled ipetent. Its like aplete rebirth after thest operation? To be precise, it started since 2nd semester. Ah, right. The Academy that was like that has changed. The starting point was the recruitment of famous lecturers starting 2nd semester. By sessively recruiting capable senior Holders like Yoo Eun-seol, Jeong Seon-young, Lim Hyun etc, they drastically raised the qualitative level of Academy education in the short term. And the decisive blow was the sessful subjugation operationst time. Right after the sessful conclusion of the operation, the Academy decisively showed great handling as if they were waiting for it. They provided definitepensation to the victims of the raid and operation, and cleanly tidied up the Academy interior that was about to be ruins during the suspension period. On top of that, they smoothly progressed coboration with the California Holder Academy that had been in preparation for a long time,unching surprising projects one after another that astonished even students. Things like bringing forward the end semester date were just icing on the cake with their detailed and flexible handling of misceneous matters. So that rumor was true after all. What rumor? Hearing my question, Moon Ga-eun looked around briefly then Moved closer towards me and whispered. That, there was a spy from amongst the management. . At first listen it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it wasnt a storypletelycking in credibility. The opponent allocation during the final evaluationsst 1st semester, or the ipetent supervisors, or Kim Do-yoons sketchy team allocation this 2nd semester Just the strange phenomena Ive personally experienced is quite plentiful alreadfy. It wouldnt have felt out of ce at all if s influence had entered. Moreover, those guys infiltrate even the 3 major ns and the Holder Association, so there was no reason they couldnt infiltrate the Academy management either. Cha Soo-yeon and Ji Yoon-jae who are currently under intensive interrogation by the Holder Association. If they could extract information from those two who were core spies within the Academy, they could probably draw more definite conclusions. In any case, its good that things have changed. I know right. Honestly I didnt expect much. Whatever the process The current Academy has changed. Especially looking at how Professor Tak Won-ho has been extremely busytely, in terms of Academy operations it feels like the Tak heir has clearly seized leadership amongst the siblings. It was satisfactory progress to wrap up the year well and have high anticipations for next year. Ah, the professors here. While chatting about this and that with Moon Ga-eun Professor Kim Kwang-boo entered the ssroom on time. It was for thest lesson of , one of only 2 generalpulsory modules this semester. Greetings students. is a lecture that aims to have students directly harvest byproducts from monsters like magic stones, and ultimately attain the [ughter] rune. Although it hit a brief snag due to the Kim Do-yoon incident, Professor Kim Kwang-boo skillfully led the lecture topletion leveraging his expertise. Today was a time to sum up the lessons so far, and talk briefly about the direction students should take in future. Since it was mainly practical focused due to the nature of the ss, there was no final exam in particr. After about 30 minutes of talking Professor Kim Kwang-boo gradually wrapped up the lesson. As you are all aware, the talents of Rune Holders are divided into innate and acquired. And most ughter belongs to the category of acquired talents. The professor continued speaking after catching his breath for a bit. Even if you have not attained a ughter-type rune before this semester ends, I hope students will not feel too disappointed. As Ive always emphasized, harvesting by-products is a battle of perseverance and patience. Innate talent and acquired talent. If the former refers to the runes attained upon awakening, thetter refers to runes that can be attained depending on the efforts of the Holder. Like how Kim Chae-eun attained [Frozen Battlefield], or how Song Hyun will soon attain [Sword]. Even after initial awakening, Rune Holders have ample opportunities to attain more runes afterwards. [ughter] is the most representativemon rune belonging to subsequent attainment. Just like how I had previously taken lessons and attained [Magic Control], I also took hoping to attain the [ughter] rune. .in the end I didnt get it though. I earnestly attended the lessons but unfortunately could not attain the rune. It could be that I have no talent for ughter. Or it may not have been the right timing for me to attain the rune yet. But even without talent, it wasnt a huge issue. Even without attaining the actual rune, greatly aided my understanding towards monsters and their by-products. If a truly crucial moment arises in future I can just attain it with [Rune Hunter]. That concludes todays lesson, no, the Harvesting of By-product lessons this semester. Thank you everyone for your hard work. Following Professor Kim Kwang-boos words The first lesson of 2nd semester, came to an end. With the students words of appreciation, the packed ssroom started emptying out one by one. Waaa its over Once the lesson ended, Moon Ga-eun happily cheered while stretching. Seeing that, I also involuntarilyughed. That happy? Yup! It finally feels like the semester is ending. A bit disappointed I didnt get the ughter rune though. Moon Ga-eun was also simrly unable to attain the rune. She greatly regretted it. Despite already having professional ughter experts, she really wanted to attain [ughter] herself or something like that. Aside from me Moon Ga-eun was also quite an interested Holder when it came to attainingmon runes. I briefly nced at my watch and asked her. Dont you have exams today? Nope. All my exams are clustered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Thats good then. Come by the Circle clubroom for a bitter. Hearing that, Moon Ga-euns eyes widened. Holding a meeting? Yeah, for like 30 minutes? Wanted to keep it short since most people cant make it thisst week. Although n was mostly eliminated through thest operation, Circle still remained. Partly because there were still n members lurking throughout society. And also because I, as the Circle President, have not given any particr stance. Todays meeting was to discuss directions for s future. Just as the Academy was ending lessons properly, it was time for me who started this circle to tie up loose ends responsibly.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 185 – End of 2nd Semester (3) Chapter 185 ¨C End of 2nd Semester (3) Monday evening, Academy student hall. The circle room of . Familiar faces that I haven¡¯t seen in a while were gathered. Starting with my ssmate Lee Hyun-ho, seniors from 2nd grade that I haven¡¯t seen in a while, and senior Yoon Ji-ah who¡¯s preparing for graduation. They weren¡¯t as close friends as the other 4, but they were all precious circle members to me. After exchanging nces with them one by one. I slowly grabbed the microphone in the middle of the meeting room. ¡°Hello everyone.¡± Hello- A quiet echo rang out. Despite being a meeting called during exams, most of the members¡¯ expressions were bright. That must have been because of the peace and safety that came to the Academy¡­ And because the purpose of the circle has been achieved. ¡°It¡¯s been almost two months right?¡± Nod nod- At my casual question, the members nodded in affirmation. After the viin sweep operation day¡­ Anti-Viin has only met temporarily once, never properly. That¡¯s because I temporarily dered a halt to the circle¡¯s activities. Through the joint operation, has beenpletely swept. Although remnants of V n members are left, the roots of the problem have all been pulled out. Because of that, the purpose of the circle has been achieved much earlier than expected. Extremely speaking, the very reason for the circle¡¯s existence has disappeared. ¡®The circle activities just disappeared.¡¯ In fact, that wasn¡¯t just about our circle. Since the entire Academy went through such a big incident and was in turmoil, other circles couldn¡¯t continue proper activities either. This 2nd semester wasn¡¯t a time suitable for circle activities. So I had time to reset the direction of future circle activities. It was a temporary halt in activities for that. And today was time to exin the results to the members. ¡°First of all, thank you for attending despite it being exam period. Everyone¡¯s time is okay right?¡± Kim Chae-eun and Park Jin-woo answered that question for me. ¡°No problem-!¡± ¡°Oh, I gave up on exams a long time ago.¡± ¡°Puhaha.¡± Hearing the two mood makers¡¯ answers, most of the members burst intoughter. Despite meeting after a long time, there was no awkwardness between us at all. I also smiled faintly and said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start the circle meeting. Before the meeting, there are two good news. First¡­¡± My gaze turned to the member sitting to my right. The only 3rd year among the members, and the circle vice president. It was Yoon Ji-ah. ¡°Our circle vice president miss Yoon Ji-ah, who¡¯s been helping our circle, has finally passed the Judgement of Fire n Test. Congrattions, senior.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Wow¡­.¡± The top 3 ns are always the object of admiration for Holders. A n that everyone wants to enter, the best n. And someone who just graduated from the Academy entered one of them. It was certainly surprising news. I heard she¡¯s the only one among all the 3rd year mages too. As the members¡¯ admiring gazes poured on her, Yoon Ji-ah smiled shyly. ¡°Thank you everyone. I think my activities in Anti-Viin influenced my final eptance. It¡¯s a circle I¡¯m thankful for in many ways.¡± At her brief words, all the members apuded loudly. Despite being busy, they were sincerely congratting the vice president who had done her best for the circle. No matter how much resentment she held against , her scope of activities was tremendous. She practically managed Anti-Viin¡¯s administration alone, participated in the circle¡¯s main activity ¡®Dispatch to Japan¡¯, and even joined the final sweep operation as an Academy member. Managing all that while preparing for Judgement of Fire¡¯s entrance exam interview, her activity level was simply monstrous. ¡°With senior Yoon Ji-ah¡¯s graduation, the vice president position has be vacant. We¡¯ll discuss this part again in the main meeting. And the second good news is¡­¡± I stopped talking for a bit and looked around at the members. Then I smiled and continued. ¡°Our Anti-Viin circle has been selected as the official circle of the year for the Academy award this year. We achieved this feat just 3 months after the circle was formed, surpassing all the other major circles.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Fo, for real?¡± Everyone was surprised and asked back hearing my words. The ¡®Circle of the Year¡¯ selected by the Academy every year. An award given to the circle that showed the most passionate activities and noteworthy results that year. Additional funding for the circle, que, president¡¯s letter of rmendation¡­ It was the pinnacle of benefits you could get for circle activities in the Academy. Our circle received that glory of award right before the 2nd semester ended. I, the president of the circle, got contacted first about this yesterday. Starting tomorrow, posters about this will probably be put up on the student hall bulletin boards and each department buildings. ¡°Yes. I definitely got contacted. So you should all be proud. The Academy directly acknowledged our circle¡¯s contributions regarding the viin n sweep.¡± Even though the circle¡¯s goal disappeared too quickly, the performance our circle has shown in 3 months was by no means small at all. Just the circle¡¯s establishment itself made the n leadership feel a sense of crisis, making them hastily bring forward the assault that would happen. Afterwards, with the direct support of and , we demonstrated the driving force to attempt coboration with a major n for the first time among Academy circles. Especially, the ¡®unauthorized warp gate¡¯ found during the Japan dispatch blocked n¡¯s main source of ie, and in the main sweep operation, many circle members participated and led the operation to sess. ¡®¡­This is beyond the circle level.¡¯ Although it¡¯s only been 3 months since the circle was formed, no circle in the Academy could match our activity results. It was a natural prize in a way. ¡°Oh, so what¡¯s good about getting that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s too much to say everything. Read the benefits yourselfter.¡± ¡°Just tell me the most important thing.¡± ¡°You can apply for the ¡®Group Battle Room¡¯, ¡®Private Battle Room¡¯ in the training ground. It¡¯s a free pass.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s really the best benefit.¡± After telling him the benefit Park Jin-woo would like the most, he murmured with a nk face. Since it¡¯s a circle prize you can only get once a year, there were quite a lot of benefits that could help the individual members. After chatting and sharing the joy of winning the award for a while. We soonposed ourselves and entered the main discussion. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start the main meeting. As you all would expect, today¡¯s agenda is about our circle¡¯s existence.¡± Hearing the important topic, everyone looked at me with tense faces. Despite being selected as the ¡®Circle of the Year¡¯, was like a circle with time limit. Now that the ultimate goal of the circle disappeared¡­ There was really only the process of dissolution left. Today¡¯s meeting was also to wrap that up. ¡°To conclude first, dissolution of the circle is confirmed.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Hearing my cold words, small exmations could be heard. There were voices that seemed to have expected it, feelings of disappointment, nonchnt reactions¡­ It was aplex mix of elements hard to convey in words. ¡°The Viin n has already reached the stage of copse, and at this point of regained peace¡­ Continuing our circle¡¯s existence is no different from shadowboxing. Just like when I first formed the circle and you approved my reckless n, I felt I should also respect your free will after achieving the goal.¡± I nodded my head a couple times and continued. ¡°So our circle has decided to stop at the most honorable and beautiful moment.¡± Dissolution of the circle. Despite the results we¡¯ve achieved in 3 months that no other circle could, since we were made with short-term goals, we now had to head towards a new path even if reluctant. Most of the members seemed to agree on this point as well. But¡­ ¡°However, I¡¯d like to postpone that timing to next year.¡± Dy of dissolution. Hearing my sudden words, the members¡¯ faces filled with puzzlement. With a slight smile to those members, I said. ¡°As you all know, there are still many Viin n members that haven¡¯t been caught in Korea. With the numbers gathered during thest operation being less than half, there are at least over 100 Viin n members scattered around.¡± Although the leadership has mostly been caught, the small fries still wander around. If you leave those guys as they are with their Viin habits intact, they¡¯ll eventually fall into bing other criminals. They were probably guys that would lightly skip over being an ¡®Outholder¡¯ and be a real nuisance. ¡°So our circle ns to catch those remaining Viin n members from now on. You might ask why the circle has to step up and do this¡­ But isn¡¯t seeking something we don¡¯t need to do and stubbornly keep going part of circle activities?¡± At that, all the members nodded. Among the people gathered here. No one hade to the circle by force. ¡°The activity period is until next year before the new member recruitment. Anti-Viin will dissolve in next year¡¯s 1st semester summer break. So those who want to continue activities together can stay, and those who want to leave can freely leave any time. It was the same when we started, the choice is up to you guys. I will just steadily go on with my nned actions. Please decide freely.¡± That¡¯s how I wrapped up today¡¯s main agenda. Dissolution of the circle is confirmed. But the grace period is until next year¡¯s summer. Freedom to withdraw from the circle anytime within. They were decisions I had thought over for a long time. And¡­ ¡°Ahem-¡± ¡°So when are we electing the vice president?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about uninteresting things for so long.¡± The circle members making jokes andughing. Among the members, not a single one left the circle after this decision. *** Ippotrantion *** After the meeting ended, whether it was long or short. I was left alone in the circle room. I was resetting the direction of the circle for the future. In fact, it was not in my expectation that all the circle members would stay, so I needed to change the direction of activities more actively to match that. ¡°What are you so busy with?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± But it seemed I wasn¡¯t alone after all. At the sudden voice I heard, I turned my head to see Kim Chae-eun smiling and looking at me. ¡°You didn¡¯t leave?¡± ¡°Yeah. I went to the bathroom and came back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have to study for your exam?¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re not doing it either.¡± ¡°That hits the mark.¡± A smile unconsciously forms at the corners of my mouth. I lowered the corners of my mouth with effort and faced the n I was writing. Kim Chae-eun sat next to me and threw all kinds of chitchat at me. ¡°They secretly liked it a lot.¡± ¡°Liked what?¡± ¡°That the circle isn¡¯t being dissolved right away. Even if they pretend otherwise, they all seemed to regret it. They put in a decent amount of effort.¡± ¡°I know right. This is a scenario I didn¡¯t expect.¡± A full withdrawal was not in the n. I thought most of the second year seniors would withdraw, but it felt strange yet nice that not a single one withdrew. It means the circle I¡¯ve been leading isn¡¯t a group that can be decided on a whim. ¡°Especially Lee Hyun-ho liked it a lot.¡± ¡°Lee Hyun-ho?¡± ¡°Yeah. He pretends to be curt but his expressions give it all away.¡± I roughly guessed the reason why. It must be because of Hwang Seong-yeon. Lee Hyun-ho is a character who lost his mother because of Hwang Seong-yeon. No matter how much they say has been suppressed, as long as Hwang Seong-yeon has not been caught, his chase will not end. ¡®It¡¯s the same for me too.¡¯ Although not as much as Lee Hyun-ho, Hwang Seong-yeon has be a goal for me as well. A Holder who ruthlessly kills innocent citizens without a care. The man who brutally murdered the academy people. If you had to pick the worst criminal in the country, it would definitely be Hwang Seong-yeon. One day I wanted to find him myself after he escaped and catch him with my own hands. To do that, first I would also need the skills of an S-grade Holder. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± While briefly lost in thought. At Kim Chae-eun¡¯s voice calling me, I turned my head. She was staring straight at me, biting her lower lip. An expression that seemed like she had something to say. And that hesitation didn¡¯tst long. ¡°I was wondering¡­ Do you have any ns this Christmas?¡± Ah. Here ites. Chapter 186: Will It Snow for Christmas? (1) Chapter 186: Will It Snow for Christmas? (1) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
We need a strategy! Kim Chae-eun dered. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun looked at her puzzled. ? What strategy? It was the week before the end of the 2nd semester at the academy. In a quiet cafe nearby. The three girls rented a seminar room in the cafe to meet. To be precise, it was Kim Chae-eun saying they needed a strategy. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun had followed her call, but Christmas ising up soon. So? What do you mean so? Ga-eun, what are you going to do for Christmas? Kim Chae-eun suddenly stabbed her with a question. At that, Moon Ga-euns expression noticeably filled with bewilderment. It was as if She had been caught nning something secretly. W, what? I, I dont have any ns. Liar. H, hey! Im not lying! Then what are you going to do, Chae-eun? At the counter-questionced with slight injustice, Kim Chae-eun confidently said, Im going to spend it with Jae-hyun. What? ! The rock she casually threw struck the two at the same time. At Kim Chae-euns answer, Moon Ga-eun as well as Kang Juyeon looked at her with shaken eyes. Spend Christmas with Do Jae-hyun. While this may be nothing to others To them, it was a bombshell deration. Because Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun also had thoughts of spending Christmas with Do Jae-hyun. W, what? Jae-hyun agreed to spend it with you? Had she already stolen the march? At that thought, Moon Ga-eun anxiously asked. Her first Christmas date ever. If things went wrong, it could end without her even trying It was a crisis that it could finish before she could even attempt it. However, Kim Chae-eun slowly shook her head. No. I havent even asked him yet. Phew . Sighs of relief filled the seminar room. There was still a chance. It was a sigh that came out unknowingly at the thought that there was still an opportunity. Moon Ga-euns actions did not match her words that she had no ns whatsoever. At that, Kim Chae-eun snorted. See. You guys were also thinking of spending it with Jae-hyun. . At her bulls-eye words, everyone quieted down. Different ces, same thoughts. The three all had simr ns. It was a moment when Kim Chae-euns words, a countermeasure was needed, were quickly understood. Knocking the table a couple times, Kim Chae-eun brought up new words. I think we need to be more honest with each other. Honest? At Kang Juyeons repeat question, Kim Chae-eun nodded her head. Yes. Just take right now for example. We were hiding it in our hearts and almost had ovepping schedules without realizing it. Everyone slowly nodded their heads at those words. What if all three made the same suggestion on the same day? This was a disaster among disasters. Especially since it involved a n regarding Do Jae-hyun. While of course itd be good if one got chosen Given Do Jae-hyuns personality, he likely wouldnt just pick one person. He would probably make a choice where no one got hurt, even if he had to take the me. Like suddenly going monster hunting alone Monster hunting on Christmas? Just the thought itself was a horribly crazy idea, but Do Jae-hyun doing it was very much a possibility. Rather, the probability of that was higher. Discussions like today were definitely necessary to prevent such a catastrophe. Weve fought together since the underground dungeons to the recent Viin subjugation. And I think we know each other just as well. Even when we feel like rivals at times, theres still a bond. After saying that and closing her eyes for a moment, Kim Chae-eun opened her eyes and got to the main point. Im interested in Jae-hyun. Romantically. !! And Im guessing its the same for you two. Am I right? While the words were too direct, they were also necessary words. Something they were all already aware of. And for a fairly heavy topic that couldnt just be glossed over lightly. So at Kim Chae-euns words, Moon Ga-eun slowly nodded her head in agreement. However, it looked like only Moon Ga-eun sympathized. Kang Juyeon, who had quietly listened to Kim Chae-euns words. After seeing Moon Ga-eun nod her head She called out to her with a slightly nk expression. Ga-eun. Huh? DoDo you like Jae-hyun? . A sudden silence flowed in the seminar room. Suffocating stillness and invisible mes engulfed the small space entirely. Big trouble. One wrong answer here and shed be grilled alive. She was already considered one of the best fire abilities, andbined with the intense anger, she had no confidence in blocking those mes whatsoever. Ah, no. Didnt you hear what Chae-eun just said? She was talking about having interest, not liking someone. Desperately trying to dodge the question while concealing her fluster, Moon Ga-eun said. With her brows furrowed a little, Kang Juyeon said. Isnt that the same thing? Its not! Liking someone means you have to be ready to confess anytime an opportunityes up. Like the heroine confessing in dramas. But I absolutely cant confess now. Can you? At the question, Kang Juyeon briefly hesitated before burying her head and answering, No. Right? Phew Anyway! Im in that state too. Just interested, just interested. Kang Juyeon nodded her head as if in understanding. But not long after, she cocked her head. Something was strange. Isnt having interest eventually meaning it could develop into feelings of love anytime? Or was there really a boundary between romantic interest and feelings of love? Having thought up to there, Kang Juyeon raised her head. At that, as if sensing shed been stabbed, Moon Ga-eun was oddly avoiding her gaze for some reason. Kang Juyeons forehead creased once more. Traitor. W, what? With a voice full of injustice, Moon Ga-eun rebutted. Yet you said you didnt like Jae-hyun. If I had pressed you for an answer back then, you would have dodged and said no too. You even made fun of me for not having dated before!! In truth, Kang Juyeon had also concealed her feelings all this time. It was obvious enough that even her longtime friend Moon Ga-eun, let alone Kim Chae-eun whom she hadnt know for long, noticed. But she had fooled herself, insisting it wasnt like that However, a lot of time had passed now, and her feelings had grown deeper. Now, there was no reason or need to hide it anymore. Having thought up to there, the slightly embarrassed Kang Juyeon turned her head away. Imjust interested. Not that I like him. Ack! Youre totally taking advantage! Jab jab- As the two bickered, engrossed in their own conversation. Before they realized, the inside of the seminar room had filled with cold air. Frost gradually appearing on the walls and table too. At the strange phenomenon that came out of nowhere, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun, who were squabbling, turned their heads. Hehe. Its nice chatting, but shall wee up with a strategy now? It was Kim Chae-eun. Though her face was smiling, cold air billowed out around her with force. At that overwhelming atmosphere Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun nodded their heads unconsciously. Yeah. L, lets do that! Its truly universal across times that nice people are scary when angry. *** Ippotrantion *** The second semester hase to an end. The final evaluations for this semester were reced with final exams, assignments, and performance evaluations. The viin raid and subjugation operations that the students experienced during the semester gave them excessive fatigue. Because of that, the administration judged that it would be too much to conduct evaluations rted to duels again. Instead, an interim duel tournament was held at the mist field for applicants to duel freely. The festival and dueling tournament that were originally scheduled for the end of the 2nd semester. It was a tournament that somewhat reced therge-scale events that were canceled due to the viin attack and subjugation. I was too busy to participate, but I heard that Park Jin-woo and some of our circle members participated. Huh? For a moment, my eyes widened in surprise when I saw the results. The name listed as the winner was very familiar. Cam Flores. The American Holder from the California Academy I met when Park Jin-woo forcibly called me out. More than that, she was the first female Holder that Park Jin-woo showed interest in. As this tournament was an interim festival-like event, the American exchange students were also able to participate. But still, seeing her name as the tournament winner was surprising. She already showed an active desire to improve when we first met, and it seems her skills were also considerable. Do you know her? A familiar voice was heard from the side. It was a cold but now subtly affectionate voice. Crimson hair and beautiful looks. And Uh. For a moment I almost turned my head unconsciously. Kang Juyeons outfit in front of the student council building today It was more daring than I thought. A short dress going up to her knees. Although her arms were covered, her shoulders were exposed from the off-shoulder style. Above all, the color of the dress Was red. An off-shoulder red dress. An outfit with a Santa-like feel that would catch anyones eye. Unlike Kang Juyeons usual style, a daring yet charming outfit that suited her more than anyone else. Ill be in big trouble if Kang Woo-hyun finds out I was with Kang Juyeon looking like this. If we get caught together with Kang Juyeon as she is today? I didnt even want to imagine how Kang Woo-hyun would react. I hope there are no reporters who would take pictures of us today Ahem, when did you get here? Just now. Whos that person you were looking at? Kang Juyeon pointed at the paper I was staring intently at. She seemed curious about the unfamiliar foreign name that caught my attention. Ah, her names Cam Flores Shes an American Holder who came as an exchange student, shes kinda close with Jin-woo. Park Jin-woo? Yeah. I met her briefly before, and I saw that she won the interim duel tournament today. Surprised me. Of course, the interim tournament results werent the only thing posted. With the semester ending and the yearing to a close, many posters were put up in the Academys student council building. Starting from New Years greetings by key figures like the Chairman, professors, and student council president, recruitment posters for graduating senior sses, trade proposals for various used equipment, etc Various posters were continuously being posted. Among them were also posters rted to me. Anti-Viin (Leader: Do Jae-hyun/1st year) Review: The Anti-Viin circle was first established this 2nd semester, achieving unbelievable results in less than 6 months since its activities began. First of all <2nd Semester Top Rankings by Grade> *1st Years (Overall: Do Jae-hyun) Warrior: Park Jin-woo Mage: Kang Juyeon Assassin: Do Jae-hyun Congrats on being first in our grade. Kang Juyeon, also looking at the posters beside me, spoke. Despite her curt tone, I could now tell it was a congrattions with full sincerity. Thanks. I didnt say meaningless words like I thought it would be you.. Because this semester, my grades were overwhelmingly superior in terms of achievement and growth. Proportional results ording to my hard work. I decided to fully enjoy it as such. Shall we get going? Yeah. Leaving the posters behind, we turned our bodies. December 24th. Christmas Eve. It was the day I had dinner ns with Kang Juyeon.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 187: Will it Snow on Christmas? (2) Chapter 187: Will it Snow on Christmas? (2) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
The day Kim Chae-eun asked about Christmas. I got calls from other friends as if it was a lie. Kang Juyeon on Christmas Eve, and Moon Ga-eun at Christmas lunch. They each suggested different time slots and nned to meet with me. Are they all matched? Their schedules were so sharp, I wondered. Thanks to them, as soon as the academy was over, I was booked with appointments with three friends. Of course, it was a pleasant n just thinking about it for me. Although its nice to spend a vacation at home, Im the type who gets energy when I go out and active. Especially Christmas, considered one of the best long vacations. Being able to spend it with someone was a pretty blessed thing. Its just a shame Everyone meets separately? As it was the end of the year, I wanted to create an atmosphere where we all gathered together to wrap up the year and celebrate the new year a bit. Thats why I suggested why dont we all gather at my house and have a party, but At this, Moon Ga-eun got angry like fire. -This idiot!! You need appeal time too sometimes! Saying that for no reason, she ignored my offer. I dont know exactly what the appeal time is at a Christmas party, but in any case, everyones opinions seemed simr about meeting separately. In addition, Park Jin-woo also said he could note, so meeting everyone naturally fell through. The five members of the underground dungeon. At first, they were just colleagues gathered to strategize the dungeon, but now they were bing precious friends to me that could notpare to anyone else. If even one of them was missing, the party would not have meant anything anyway. This way. Kang Juyeon lightly grabbed my arm and led me. Kang Juyeon nned and prepared this appointment. I said I would help her too, but The result goes without saying rejection. Once Kang Juyeon made up her mind, no one could bend her stubbornness. Here we are. The ce we arrived was Oksu-dong, Seongdong-gu. After walking for a while near the station, the desired ce appeared in no time. Bustling people and decorations that fully set the mood. And in the middle was a man helping guide. Hello. We are the n Comfortable, which always strives to make citizens lives morefortable. Due to the holiday rush and overcrowding, our ns Ice Garden Dungeon is currently not epting on-site appointments. Are you a customer with a reservation by any chance? As the man rattled off like a manual, Kang Juyeon nodded her head. Yes. May I check your ticket? Here After I came back from with Moon Ga-eun For some reason, I promised Kang Juyeon, who seemed angry, that we would go to a dungeon togetherter. Although we did go hunting together when I was dispatched to Japan, that was just work and the promise was another matter. While looking for a suitable dungeon Kang Juyeon suddenly brought me to a dungeon, saying lets rece that promise today. A special dungeon located near Oksu Station. . A dungeon owned by the n , which studies the convenient life of citizens. Unlike othermon dungeons, this dungeon does not focus on hunting. Due to the very low level of monsters appearing in the dungeon and the considerably low difficulty of the boss room, the rewards for clearing it were not very attractive. Perhaps an inferior dungeon that ordinary Holders would avoid. Yet was crowded with people who wanted to enter every weekend or annual anniversary. Can you just let me in once? Im sorry. As previously announced, only customers with reservations can enter. Dear, lets just go. Ah, its so pretty here. A couple having an argument separate from us. As they said, provided a remarkably beautiful scenery. As soon as you enter, there is an ice path stretching out with ice sculptures ced here and there. Mystical bushesposed of ice flowers. Ice of beautiful colors proudly illuminates the surroundings. It was a sight so pretty and beautiful that it would not be awkward to call it a tourist attraction. Thats why were often visited by Holder Couples, men and women who were both Rune Holders, and were the optimal date spots. Yes. Confirmed 2 people reservation. Please enter through this medium. The man in charge of us finished checking and allowed entry. Then the couple next to us looked at us enviously. Theyre going in. Those people must have made a reservation. Wow, it was sopetitive I wonder how they got through? Huh? But that guy, Ive seen him a lot somewhere. At once, the woman of the couple tilted her head. She seemed to recognize me right away. So I pulled Kang Juyeons arm and hurried my steps. Lets go quickly, Juyeon. Huh? Uh. Thats why being famous is a headache. Now I was really worried if I should wear a hat and mask. *** Ippotrantion *** Kang Juyeon barely held her pounding heart. Today was a series of challenges for her. Once in the morning, when she nned dinner with Do Jae-hyun herself. Once at lunch, when she put on her outfit for today before going out. Once in the evening, when she saw Do Jae-hyun at the academy. Especially just before entering . When he said lets go quickly and grabbed her arm She almost felt her heart burst. Kang Juyeon found herself strange. In the 20 years she lived by age, she had never felt such intense waves of emotion. Ordinary school life and excellent grades. Familiar family background and n work taught directly by her father. Boring academy andpetence as a Holder without inadequacy. Although everything had its own meaning if she gave it, looking back, Kang Juyeon had just lived along as things flowed. Buttely, waves kept urring in that calm water. Everyone to Jae-hyun And that On the day Kim Chae-eun said lets have a countermeasure meeting. The day everyones sincerity was subtly revealed. Ironic as it felt even more intense. As everyone subtly and honestly revealed their inner feelings, Kang Juyeon could finally admit it herself. That she too has a rational interest in Do Jae-hyun. Although it was the feeling she felt for the first time She could be more certain because it was the first time she felt it. In her short life, Do Jae-hyun was the only one who made her feel this emotion. After admitting that, the waves of emotion felt even more intense. Wow. Its really worth making a reservation anding. Its so pretty here. After entering . Do Jae-hyun, who was looking around the beautiful scenery around him, said. Sculptures that seemed sufficiently valuable as decorations were ced here and there, and beautiful colored ice proudly illuminated the surroundings. nkly staring at it, it was a kind of live-actionndscape painting. The term garden suited the scenery perfectly. Do Jae-hyun looked around and soon came over to Kang Juyeon. With this, a white Christmas doesnt exist separately. Right? A white Christmas. A special and beautiful day when it snows on Christmas. Although it wasnt snowing, looking at the entirely white and clean scenery of It really felt like experiencing a white Christmas. Of course, Kang Juyeon had no time to care about that now. With Do Jae-hyun suddenlying over, she grabbed her startled heart again and slowly nodded her head. Yeah. You okay? You look kind of out of it. Im fine. In fact, whether she was fine or not was irrelevant. It was a matter of tension, not condition. You look pretty today. What? But suddenly. At Do Jae-hyuns blurt Kang Juyeon was surprised and raised her head. He then avoided eye contact with an embarrassed face and said, Oh, just that I felt like I didnt get to say it earlier. The outfit suits you really well. It matches Christmas well with the chords and stuff. . Do Jae-hyun awkwardly cleared his throat and walked ahead. Watching him, Kang Juyeon thought. His hand. I should hold his hand. This is clearly an opportunity But when she tried to act on it, she couldnt move to action smoothly. I seemed more daring in the hot springst time, but actually entering a standard date, even holding hands was difficult. After all, the atmosphere was important. But still But still, today is special. Its only once a year, Christmas Eve. It must be okay to be a little bolder. With that in mind, Kang Juyeon matched his pace and tried to hold his hand At that time. Crash- rustle rustle- Roar! Heeheeng!! Gak, gak aaak-!! What, what is it!! Run! Its an irregr boss! Suddenly on one side of the broken dungeon interior. And the nimble beast-shaped monster that appeared. Oddly, the whole body of the monster was made of ice. With that sudden attack, people panicked and fled. Irregr Boss. Refers to a boss monster that is of a level that does not match the rated level of the set dungeon, suddenly appearing in the middle of a dungeon It was also called a mutated monster. It had some simrities to a mid boss, but was named irregr boss because a monster that had never appeared before suddenly appeared. At that sight. Kang Juyeon was at a loss for words and looked ahead. Now, here. An irregr boss appears at this timing? It was an event with improbable probability. The whole world is on Chae-eun and Ga-euns side. It was a rare moment for Kang Juyeon To feel unfair.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 188: Will it Snow on Christmas? (3) Chapter 188: Will it Snow on Christmas? (3) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
Whoosh, whoosh- Woo woo woo-!! Strange wailing sounds echo throughout the dungeon. It was the sound made by the Irregr Boss. When you listen to it, it sounds like a horses cry, and when you listen closely, it sounds like a cows cry. Yet its appearance resembles a deer. Judging by its shiny icy exterior, I guessed that strange sound was probably a deers cry. An Irregr Boss suddenly appearing The Irregr Boss is a monster simr to Asena, the mid-boss we encountered at the Stained Rock Pile before. However, while mid-bosses match the level of their dungeon and are weaker than the final boss, Irregr Bosses often surpass the level of the dungeon due to their irregrity, making them stronger than even the final boss. Take this lowest-grade dungeon for example. It should only spawn F-grade and E-grade monsters, yet the monster before us now was at least B-grade. Because of this peculiarity, Irregr Bosses were also called disaster monsters. In fact, whenever an Irregr Boss appeared in a dungeon, the Korean Holders Association would immediately dispatch a temporary attack unit. Hurry and run away!! Is there any magician who can use fire magic? Power Melting?! Theres no high-level Holder like that here!! The Holders near the Irregr Boss panic and scatter in all directions. But there is a high-level Holder like that here The fire-attribute magic, [Power Melting]. Its a skill that requires high proficiency, but someone of Kang Juyeons caliber should be able to use it sufficiently. This dungeon probably has more value as a tourist attraction, so the Holders who came today dont seem to be of very high level. Still, it looks like no Holders have been seriously injured yet. Despite the sudden ambush, since the monster uses magic Fortunately there doesnt seem to be much damage. Juyeon, can you support? As soon as I grasped the situation, I swiftly turned my head and looked at Kang Juyeon. Magicians are always Holders who fight against time. In all aspects like the arrangement, manifestation, and application of magic power They need preparation time, and the greater the destruction they can unleash ordingly. The probability that Kang Juyeon wasnt fully prepared due to the sudden appearance of the Irregr Boss was high. Yeah I can. But Kang Juyeon is a professional rune Holder. From the moment the situation urred, she had already finished her preparations with her staff in hand. The top 10 promising yers in the country, the greatest prospect of the Academys magician ss Those dazzling titles did not follow her for no reason. I sent her a look of strong trust and nodded my head. Then focus more on counterattacks and defense rather than attack skills. Ill be right back. Got it. After hearing Kang Juyeons reply, I dashed forward as is. If it were normal times, I would have used the charge rune [Greatest Racehore Under Heaven] right away but Im different now. After the subjugation operation, it could be seen as my first battle since then. My battle methods have be much more diverse since that time. The Hand of Contract. As I quickly run forward, I activate the skill [Hand of Contract] from the [Summon] rune. A skill that uses magic stones to summon the designated contractor through the power of the rune via a contract. The magic stone that flew out of my hand into the air summoned a gigantic monster. Kaooo!! W-Whats that? Another Irregr Boss? No. Thats, thats, you know, that one. The Bone Dragon. Holder Do Jae-hyuns contracted monster. Do Jae-hyun? Do Jae-hyun is here? I can hear other Holders murmuring in the distance. A bizarre exteriorpletely made up of bones. Yet the majestic fluttering of its wings as it makes its grand entrance. It was my one and only contractor, Bon. I lightly climbed onto Bons body which loudly revealed itself. Its been a while, Bon. Master. That crazy researcher isnt here today. Instead of taking my greeting of hello, Bon says something else first. That crazy researcher. It was referring to Professor Kang Dong-wook. Professor Kang Dong-wook would often visit on weekends to research the contractual rtionship and cooperation between me and Bon. Most of his research was on strengthening our cooperative power through the covenant, and it was also rted to the special item [Order of Harmony] research. Since I had been actively participating with him, our cooperativebat power had indeed increased thanks to him. But judging by the expression crazy researcher, it seemed the process was merely tedious to Bon. Its not research today but realbat. See that deer-looking guy over there? We have to catch him. At those words, Bons gaze turns to the Irregr Boss for a moment. The opponent was already unleashing ice-attribute magic, filling the already frozen surroundings with even more cold air. If left alone, even the escaping Holders would soon be in danger. Kaooo!! Woo-woong- Syaaa Bon prepares for a fierce charge at tremendous speed. Faster than his usual cruising speed. An movement several times faster than what he normally flies at. The Rapid Riding special effect from [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. This effect, which is always active at any time, allows the mount the rune user rides on to also utilize charges. The performance is 70%. Although the performance decreasespared to when I use it directly with my own body, the usability increases tremendously. Because the sticity sticks to Bons movements. Despite not having the [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] rune himself, Bon can now use its power. With Bons charges, there are virtually no directional limitations, and while riding I can prepare another attack. Instead of decreasing speed, the destructive power after the charge increases. It was simpler to think of it that way. Whoosh, whoosh Woo woo woo-!! In the middle of fiercely charging at the Irregr Boss. The guy finally unleashed the ice magic he had been preparing. Crack- Crack crack- All the ice rinksid on the floor began to spike up. Some rose up like pirs, some stabbed the interior like sharp thorns. Among them, ice spears rained down like javelins. That was one of my attribute skills, [Wind Javelin]. You could say it was the ice version of that skill. Damn Its stronger than I thought. The unexpected attack was headache-inducing. This guys ice magic is stronger than I expected. While I can block or evade those magic attacks, the other Holders who havent escaped yet were the problem. If left as is, there would surely be casualties. And at that moment. Whoosh-! Whoosh whoosh- At just the right timing, Kang Juyeons fire magic unfolds. A gigantic aura of mes that arose throughout the dungeon melted all the Irregr Bosss ice. Wow. That wasnt magic on the level of [Power Melting]. A single gigantic dragon made of mes. It was a fiery figure reminiscent of seeing a phoenix. The enormous mes started from Kang Juyeons staff and covered the entire dungeon,pletely neutralizing the opponents ice magic. Id heard that there were recent changes to Kang Juyeons runes and her skills had reached almost A-grade, but I never imagined her power would be at this level. Master, dont get distracted. Were still charging. Ah, sorry. Well go all the way up to el Piercing, right? Remember? -No problem. Thanks to Kang Juyeons support, I elerated Bons charge. And took out [Wyvern Spear]. The Bons Charge into [el Piercing] that had been developed and practiced countless times through our cooperation Kaooo!! The direction of Bons charge, which had been going forward, changes. From top to bottom. A plunging charge diving straight down ferociously. Although residual ice attacks poured at Bon here and there amidst magic Kang Juyeons magic had yet to melt, useless. Not at all. They couldnt deal any damage whatsoever. That was purely due to Bons physical abilities. Bons endurance stat, which exceeded 100. That wasnt a number that could be easily prated even with a magic-imbued attack. el Piercing. I utilize the skill I had been preparing as is. An attack skill that focuses all power into a thrust using the charging momentum as a stepping stone. Especially when attacking while falling from the sky to the ground, there is a 30% power increase from [Wyvern Spear]s special effect so Our coordinated attack boasted tremendous destructive power. Quack, kagagaga-!! Quack! Quack! Quackwaaang!! I kept getting the feeling something was catching on my stabbing spear. The Irregr Bosss ice attacks? Before I could even realize that My spear shredded through all the obstacles in front of me and pierced straight into its torso. Puff, whoosh. Wooo- That was the end of the battle. The Irregr Boss trembled for a moment before losing its shiny glow and its life. No way, what. At the absurd result, I was rendered speechless for a moment. What is this? [el Piercing] isnt originally a finishing skill. Its an attack that inflicts severe preemptive strikes while grabbing momentum, and the attached skill effects are also bleeding Meant to deal continuous damage. Yet the battle ended with one skill. Considering the power of the magic the Irregr Boss had shown, the opponent was an A-grade monster at minimum. I just Finished off an A-grade monster with one skill. Jae-hyun Youre too strong. Kang Juyeon, who had been slowly walking over, spoke to me. Somehow, hearing those words from Kang Juyeon made me feel wronged. But the result is indeed absurd even to me. I know I didnt expect this either. I guessed this was probably the result produced by Bon and my joint attack. Although we had conducted a lot of research together with Professor Kang Dong-wook, the research results had never been connected to actualbat. The academy semester hadnt even ended yet, and there simply hadnt been an opportunity to engage in realbat. Yet when utilizing it in actualbat, its power was tremendous. Bons overwhelming physical abilitiesbined with my excellent rune utilization. Adding those two together seemed to have taken [el Piercing] beyond its original might into An unimaginable level of destructive power. Um Shall we get going? Feeling somewhat awkward for some reason, I turned my head and looked at Kang Juyeon. Yeah. Kang Juyeon also nodded. Fortunately, most of the Holders seemed to have taken refuge, so there were no people visible nearby. There had been some trivial hunts, but no issues. We could just go back to sightseeing as if nothing had happened. As for the aftermath The Holder Association that arrivedte could take care of it. Just as I was about to turn around. [The special power of Ice Rudolph permeates the garden. Only once a year. The elusive Ice Rudolph, who even then only has a 50% chance of revealing itself, possesses his own boss room as a very special being. If you follow his trail, you may discover an amazingly beautiful space.] [Another boss room of the Ice Garden opens.] In one part of the center of the , which had been obliterated by my [el Piercing]. A shining, shimmering staircase leading downward appeared.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 189: Will it Snow for Christmas? (4) Chapter 189: Will it Snow for Christmas? (4) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
We slowly walked down the stairs. The stairs that stretched out like a circr tower and spiraled around. It was longer than I thought. Even after walking for over 3 minutes, there was no end in sight. Especially since the stairs themselves were all made of ice, the exterior was transparent and the texture was slippery. Ah! Are you okay? While going down, I suddenly grabbed Kang Juyeons hand and waist when she was about to fall. It seemed that the magic power focused on her lower body had momentarily loosened. Im fine. Kang Juyeon turned her gaze slightly embarrassed and nodded her head. Gripping her hand I grabbed tighter, I said. Hold my hand and follow me slowly. I have an assist rune so moving with magic power is a bit easier for me. Okay. When moving in a special ce made of extraordinary materials, you have to focus your magic power on the soles of your feet and legs as much as possible and move slowly like this. Its on the same principle as Holders riding on walls, trees, or water. It can be seen as a kind of parkour utilizing magic power. One of my assist runes, [Agile Agility], has the special effect of bing adept at parkour utilizing magic power. Its an effect that is pretty useless in normal situations, but in situations like this, it makes me feel almost like walking on t ground. Thanks to it, I was able to arrive at the hidden boss room in no time without feeling the slipperiness of the ice stairs at all. A dungeon with two boss rooms, isnt this a first in the Holder world? I guess so? Ive seen dungeons in Japan with two bosses I guess strange things really do happen when we explore together. We get to see all sorts of things. A dungeon with two bosses and a dungeon with two boss rooms. As far as I knew, both were firsts in the Holder world. There was also that time the rest room was a monster. I recalled the Golden Goblin from , which made meugh again involuntarily. When I reported that, even Lee Ji-hye from the Holder Association didnt believe me at all. She asked how it made sense for the Golden Goblin to be the rest room. Up until now, I had moved based on my knowledge as a Regressor, but looking back, there were quite a lot of bizarre phenomena that I had discovered myself. It meant that I, as I am now, have adapted well to this world and am living a new life. I no longer felt a sense of incongruity with the existence called Do Jae-hyun. Squeak- Swish- I opened the door to the boss room. The door, also made of ice, opened smoothly without making any creaking noises. Huh? Whoa. And the moment the door opened. The both of us couldnt help but be amazed at the same time. Snow was piled up everywhere around the entrance, and the trees sparsely nted here and there were dyed pure white. The path stretched out in a circle, and inside it was filled with water No, ice. Gorgeous ice unting its beautiful figure. Ice so clear you couldnt distinguish whether it was turquoise or sky blue. It was the special boss room that Ice Rudolph possessed. It was a huge iceke. Is everything frozen? It seems so. They called it an ice garden, but this beautiful ce was hidden here. It really takes your breath away with its beauty. The deste-looking snow and frost boasted soft tones, and just looking at the water and ice in theke made you feel like you could get sucked into it. If you go on vacation to Northern Europe or Canada, you can see icekes like this, but the scenery before my eyes showed a much more mystical and harmonious appearance. Kang Juyeon, who had been absent-mindedly looking at theke, looked around and asked. Wheres the boss? There was no boss even though this was the boss room. In fact, I had already predicted this part upon entering. The irregr boss we defeated earlier was probably the boss of this boss room. The info window also said it was a dungeon owned by Ice Rudolph. In other words, this iceke was just a peaceful, already-conquered space where even the rest room wasbined into the same space as the boss room. As we walked over there to check out the rewards, Kang Juyeon suddenly pointed at one area with her finger. There. Huh? Ice Rudolph, whom we had fought earlier. There was a statue that looked very simr to him in front of theke. On either side of it were two small chairs, and magic stones and various items were scattered messily rolling around in the middle. The rewards of a conquered boss room. Even the rest room itself was merged into the same space. We went over to confirm the rewards. [Ice Queens Crown] [Advanced Adrians Grimoire (Freezing)] [Fluffy Gift Bag] As we scanned through the list of items, we scratched our heads. Something . Its like These items are supposed to be given to someone. We briefly nced at the item info, but neither I nor Kang Juyeon were able to use them. In such cases, normally they would be sold to the Association or auctioned. However, neither I nor Kang Juyeon were the type of Holders to be concerned with such mary factors. These items probably had better use. Lets leave dealing with them forter? I dont care Do as you like. Eh- We got them together so why bother. Lets keep them for now and deal with them togetherter. Sure. After finishing organizing the rewards like that. We each sat down on the chairs ced in front of the iceke. Fortunately, there were two chairs and the distance to theke was just right. Perfect for sitting together and enjoying the scenery. Especially with Ice Rudolphs statue ced between us like a decoration, it strongly gave off the feeling of being some kind of tourist attraction. If couple Holders came here, they would have definitely taken pictures and caused an uproar. Unlike them We simply sat quietly and enjoyed the scenery. Being here really feels like a White Christmas. With all the snow piled around us. Youre right. While the gave the impression of simply being an ice rink and a park made of ice, this iceke was a sublimendscape with snow and ice harmoniously mixed. Thanks to it, even though there was no falling snow today The surroundings were filledpletely with snow Showing us a beautiful, white Christmas eve. Jae-hyun. Yes? While we were quietly enjoying the scenery like that. I turned my head at Kang Juyeons voice suddenly calling me. Staring at me with eyes like ck gemstones, she asked. Do you Remember what I told you about my runest time? Your rune? Ah, the one you awakened new in Japan? Yes. Of course I remember. Congrattions again. It rarely ever happens that someones main rune reawakens, you definitely have talent. Kang Juyeons main rune was originally [Unquenchable me]. It was an epic rune that I had tried to get many times but failed. Now Im able to get it but with [Elemental Master] I no longer have a need for that rune. However, among fire elemental magic power runes It was still considered the best. It was also the rune representing Kang Juyeon in the original work, and contributed the most to her growth from B-grade to A-grade. The fact that such an important rune of hers had awakened anew was obviously an unbelievable event I had never experienced before, but now things like this happening didnt faze me. There were so many butterfly effects that urred because of my actions so keeping track of every single one was more tiring. The awakening of this rune Happened thanks to you, Jae-hyun. Huh? Now this made me surprised yet again. Youre saying the reason for the awakening is me this time? I couldnt even force an awkwardugh at that. When we were fighting Viin in Japan My rune also reacted to your newly awakened power. Its the power wielded by the Red Dragon Canales, bound by a pact of oath. A Red Dragon bound by a pact of oath, Canales. While the name waspletely unfamiliar, the word oath gave me a clue. [Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride]. That legendary rune containing the oath of an ancient Knight was rted to yet another legend. Overall, this rune became better than my original one And its trait itself changed to be more defensive. Defensive? Yes. So I also have more defensive-rted skills And my power bes greater when I use magic power for defensive purposes. [Guarding Eternal me] Even though she couldve just not revealed the name, Kang Juyeon told me the name of that rune. The destructive power of [Unquenchable me], considered to be the best fire elemental rune,bined with defensiveness and stability. Judging by the Defensive Barrier skill she used in Japan and the Power Melting she showed today I was already able to feel the power of that rune firsthand. But It feels like the awakening isnt over yet. Its not over yet? No. Kang Juyeons soft reply and her inability to meet my gaze It seemed she was trying to cautiously tell me something. After hesitating a few times, Kang Juyeon slowly opened her mouth. Um Since its a rune awakened by your rune The final awakening probably also needs your power. Ah! I see. I immediately understood. The power of the Red Dragon bound by a pact of oath. To draw out its true capabilities, a special unsealing by the oathkeeper was probably necessary. Especially since this involved my rune as well, during the awakening process new power could have arisen within me. In delighted anticipation, I approached her and asked. What is it? If its something I can do, Ill help out as much as I can. Uhh um. With our chairs pressed close like that. Our proximity had gotten closer. However, Kang Juyeon still had her head lowered, turning away her gaze. Mumbling hesitantly, unable to easily speak. And. We, we have to kiss. Kang Juyeon squeezed out with great difficulty. At that moment, I felt like my brain had stopped functioning. Did I hear that wrong? We have to what? Kiss If the knight who made the pact of oath kisses The power sealed within the rune gets unsealed. With that final remark, Kang Juyeon deeply bows her head again. Is this for real?
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 190: Will it Snow on Christmas? (5) Chapter 190: Will it Snow on Christmas? (5) For every 2 donation, Ill release an extra chapter the following day.
Silence flows over the icyke. I should say something, but my brain has stopped working and Ive lost the words. So Youre asking to kiss? No, more precisely, a peck on the lips? Thats not the main issue here. I shake my head, flustered and spewing out any random thoughts. In any case, whats certain is that Kang Juyeon is requesting a specific skinship from me. And the level of intimacy is quite high. I dont know if her reason is genuine or not, but that was the given situation. Juyeon. I tidy up my slightlyplicated thoughts a bit, and call out to her. What Im about to ask now isnt a response to her suggestion, or a concrete question about her rune awakening. Rather, its a question that digs a little deeper inside. Kang Juyeon looks at me with shaking eyes. Yeah. But when ites time to ask, I find myself at a loss for words too. However, with some hesitation, I slowly open my mouth. It took a lot of time and umted worries to ask this question But it was a question that had to be asked in order to move forward. Do you like me? !! In truth, its an issue Ive overlooked for a long time. Packaged under the name of friendship Those who have slowly crossed that line towards me. Labeled asrades Those who have gradually revealed nonrade-like feelings. I was aware of the girls showing affection towards me. Based on the direction of my feelings and my guess, there are 3 girls. And that affection is most likely Romantic affection. Since the way they act towards me ispletely different from how they act towards Park Jin-woo, another guy. Even so, I intentionally ignored their advances until now. Because I was confused too. That was partly because they hadnt directly confessed their feelings themselves, but moreso because I couldnt focus my feelings on just one person either. They were all precious to me, all special. I couldnt choose any one. These sorts of feelings were new to me in life, so I avoided the issue itself in confusion. I wasnt sure what was what, so I had suppressed my own feelings. But But now, the situation has changed a little. Shes trying to cross thest line that remained in my heart. As such, now I really need To redefine the ambiguous rtionships Ive had until now. I dont know. A sudden, direct question. Kang Juyeon lowers her head in embarrassment at that. Seeing that, I became more convinced. That the kiss for rune awakening Was just an excuse she made up. When someone you asked a favor of suddenly asks if you like them, the natural reaction wouldnt be I dont know but rather feeling weirded out. No matter how I looked at it, it wasnt the reaction of someone desperate for that request to be fulfilled. I moved next to Kang Juyeon and looked at her. Juyeon. Tell me honestly. Do you really need a kiss to awaken your rune? Kang Juyeon still wouldnt meet my eyes, but soon she shook her head And told me the truth. No. I figured as much. It was a bit surprising that Kang Juyeon would tell such a lie, but I didnt think there would be an awakening condition that extreme. Unless the Red Dragon Canelles and the dragon knight of that era had been lovers, such an excessive condition wouldnt make sense rationally. I asked her slowly, without urgency. Then? I wanted to confirm it. Confirm? Yes. Kang Juyeon, who had looked away At some point, met my eyes. Her eyes still shook anxiously. But like she always had until now. Her gaze was proud and self-assured. When Im with you My heart keeps fluttering. Is that why Lengthy expressions spill from Kang Juyeons mouth, from whom I usually only get terse replies. For Kang Juyeon, this represented tremendous courage I hadnt seen before. My eyes meet yours and I tremble. Your hand touches mine and Im startled. Kang Juyeon looks at me. I look back at Kang Juyeon as well. In that meeting of our gazes There was a profound exchange between our hearts that couldnt simply be exined in words. Thinking of you puts me in a good mood Seeing your face when I picture you makes me want to see you. She brings her two small hands together to her chest. The sound of her own heartbeat. Its like shes trying to directly feel it with that gesture. If this is what liking someone feels like, then that must be it. Kang Juyeon speaks with her eyes closed slightly. And once more She shakes her head and opens her eyes. But if not, then I dont know. So because I didnt know, I wanted to confirm it. These feelings that Kang Juyeon is experiencing for the first time in her life. Are they just a momentary wave? Or an eternal ocean? Until she crashes into them herself No one could be certain. Thats probably why she told that kind of lie and wanted to confirm her true feelings from me. I see. Seeing that I unconsciously nod my head. I imagined just how much time Kang Juyeon had spent thinking alone until today. And how long she had worried all by herself. Her courage now was the result. Her confession just now was the result. Having barely worked up the courage to spill everything she felt Kang Juyeon shone more brilliantly in this moment than anyone else today. Now it was time I responded to that courage. Lets confirm it, then. I narrow the already small distance between us. I gently wrap one hand around the back of Kang Juyeons head. Then lightly shift my body And press my lips onto hers. An intensely dizzying sensation, as if I cant breathe. A sweet scent spreads throughout my body. I cant see anything. I cant hear anything. The icyke, glimmering clear blue. In the middle of nowhere on it Only each others warmth could be felt, piercingly. Thats how Without saying a single word. We kept our lips pressed together for a long while. It was Christmas Eve night, with pure white snow falling. *** Ippotrantion *** Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The spacious mansion of S-grade Holder Kang Woo-hyun. Inside, in a room so big it could be called a living room. The interior is covered in simple, no-nonsense furniture and items tidily organized, not allowing for any deviation. Even the papers and research journals on the desk only contain content about high-ranking magic, indicating the entric personality of the rooms owner when ites to work. However, the rooms owner, who is a female. Kang Woo-hyuns daughter and only child, Kang Juyeon. She is Lying alone on the bed in her room. At a loss for what to do, rolling arond. Hehe. And an unbelievableughter escapes from her. Embarrassment, shame, joy, happiness Complex emotions that cant fully be put into words constantly appear on her face. Right now, Kang Juyeons heart Waspletely filled with someone else. Jae-hyun From her lips spills that same name shes called out countless times now. Do Jae-hyun. The man who captivated her gaze at some point. The man who came to receive her affection at some point. At some point, without her even realizing The man she came to like. She wanted to keep calling out his name. The memories from today were that absolutely unforgettable to Kang Juyeon. That these unbelievable moments happened Just earlier this very evening. The fact that it urred mere hours ago was most important right now. Kang Juyeon slowly brings her hand to her lips. Her lips that still held warmth. His lingering traces that she had searched for countless times Remained right here even now. And once more She recollects the memory. Lets confirm it, then. Kyaa! Another unbelievable soundes from her mouth. Thud thud thud-. Her fists, possessing quite some strength, pound the bed. Whoosh- And the mes she has to protect ignite and burn her pillow. Oh well. The broken bed can be fixed and the burnt pillow reced. What was important to Kang Juyeon right now werent those consumer goods. Hehe His rough hand gently wrapping around her head. The soft sensation of him stealing her lips. Those unbelievable moments that felt like a dream Unfolded right in front of her eyes just earlier tonight. The fact that it happened just a few hours ago That was most important now. Oh, thats right. At that thought, Kang Juyeon picked up her phone. She wanted to revel in this joyful Christmas Eve a bit more, but she had to tell her friends about what happened. Hehe. Then from today, were cooperative allies! If progress happens in the rtionship with Jae-hyun, well update each other and help out! Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun, and Kim Chae-eun. The cafe meeting with those three girls that day. On the surface, the purpose of that meeting was to discuss Christmas ns. But Kim Chae-euns real intention in gathering them was different. And that was for them to understand, respect, and cooperate with each others feelings going forward. To persuade and pledge that. The examples she used of Liam Hendricks and Public interest in the recent specialw regarding Holders were Enough to understand that purpose. Kang Juyeon had consented to that opinion as well, and the date location rmendation also came from Kim Chae-eun. First I should tell Ga-eun. Since they had established that sort of rtionship, She had to tell her friends about what happened today. She didnt know how the rtionships might change going forward, but Kang Juyeon was also on the side of cheering on her friends rtionships. So Kang Juyeon called Moon Ga-eun and briefly exined what happened today. And What? You kissed Jae-hyun?! Its not kissing, it was a peck. Thats the same thing, you fiery fox! Betrayal, betrayal!! The cooperative rtionship established that day was at risk of crumbling within 1 minute.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 191: Will it Snow on Christmas? (6) Chapter 191: Will it Snow on Christmas? (6) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
The Holder Powerhouse. If you had to choose the Holder powerhouse of the present Earth. Various countries like Korea, Japan, the UK, France, etc.e to mind but Still, the first country called is, no matter what anyone says, the United States. In fact, the term Holder powerhouse itself is embarrassing for the United States. They have over twenty S-grade Holders, and the number of A-grade and B-grade Holders, called the core Holder forces, is too many to count. Of course, the quantity and quality of their affiliated Holders is overwhelmingly superior, and the quality and standards of education are also very high It was a country that had as many as five world-famous Holder academies. Not simply a Holder powerhouse, but the worlds greatest Holder powerhouse. That expression was just right. Liam Hendricks, International Holder Associations Holder of the Year. Hendricks reveals his luxurious private residence, sparks headlines An S-grade residence fitting for an S-grade Holder. Just how much is his fortune? But in any group, there are always uniquely dominant figures. Among the countless Holders of the United States, there were a few famously notable Holders. One of them was Liam Hendricks. The top ruling S-grade Holder across the United States, he was also a veteran Holder approaching his 50s. There are various reasons why Hendricks has left such a global reputation. The fact that he was the first warrior-ss to reach S-grade Holder. The fact that he possessed overwhelmingly greater power than other S-grade Holders. The fact that he is the master of one of thergest ns in the US There are various reasons, but the most sensational point was of course that he is a Holder with five wives. Liam Hendricks manages to enact specialws in the US. Another opening in modern society! US legalizes polygamy. The biggest purpose is DNA The logic that Holders with superior dominant traits will birth superior children. After monsters and Holders appeared in modern society. The first person to marry multiple wives was Liam Hendricks. In fact, he even managed to enact specialws regarding Holders marriages in the US, reviving polygamy in modern society. Thanks to him, many countries are now enacting special Holderws regarding polygamy, and movements regarding this are also taking ce in Korea where it is not yet legalized. I think Jae-hyun will be Koreas Hendricks. Hendricks? Inside a cafes semi-private room. Those gathered today to n their Christmas schedule. At Kim Chae-euns sudden remark, Moon Ga-eun asked back. Bringing up Liam Hendricks out of the blue, she wondered what Chae-eun was getting at, but she was connecting it to Do Jae-hyun for some reason. Yeah. Just between us three, he already has three, doesnt he? A charming Holder like Jae-hyun will naturally be popr among female Holders. Especially in times like these when polygamy is legally permitted around the world. The new winds brought on by Hendricks. It was a craze that would be hard to suppress even in Korea. Many Holders demanded legalization and wanted specialws enacted, expecting our nation to also follow the global trends spearheaded by leading Holder nations. In fact, news that rted bills were being reviewed positively also came by every so often The winds of reform were blowing everywhere, across the nation. So I think instead of fighting outdatedws between us who dont even have dating experience, we should help and lead each other. Help each other. Yeah. I know this is kind of awkward to ask, but have you two ever dated before? A piercing question from Kim Chae-eun. At that, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun shook their heads awkwardly. Let alone dating experience, these were girls who had never even held hands with another guy. Dont be embarrassed. Im the same. Haha. Anyway, the important thing is! Fighting between us who have no dating experience will be of no help whatsoever to our dating lives. In other words, like today gathering to n their Christmas schedule. They should bepanions who cooperate to advance each others rtionships. That was what Kim Chae-eun was trying to say. However, the prerequisite condition for that was whether Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun would recognize the new winds of modern society, polygamy. Especially since they were daughters of figures from major ns, there was a more careful aspect to bringing up this point. Fortunately, they did not seem conservative in that regard. Moon Ga-eun raised her hand first. I agree! Honestly, Chae-eun, I didnt even know you had this kind of thinking. Didnt you just want to fight with Juyeonst time? At that question, Kim Chae-eun awkwardly smiled. Back then I was still clumsy and didnt know your true feelings. And thinking continually changes anyway. Kim Chae-euns thinking, which once checked Kang Juyeon Had changed quite a lot now. For better rtionships and development, the three of them had tobine strengths. It was a conclusion reached after a long time. Im okay with it too. Even Kang Juyeon nodded her head in agreement. With this, all three of them agreed that even if they did be Do Jae-hyuns lovers, they would recognize each other. Of course, whether Do Jae-hyun would choose one of the three, or two of the three was still unknown. Haha. Then from today, were cooperators! If progress happens with Jae-hyun, well notify and help each other! And so the three made a peace treaty. *** Ippotrantion *** But that peace treaty was broken in just one week. [Ga-eun] Emergency, emergency, ultra-emergency. Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun. The group chat with just the three gathered. At the frantic rm ringing in the chatroom, Kim Chae-eun tilted her head and replied. [Me] Why so suddenly? [Ga-eun] The fox already climbed the summit first. Im totally caught in the first-mover advantage effect! [Juyeon] . Fox was a nickname referring to Kang Juyeon. A nickname given because her actions seemed fox-like despite being a mage-ss who uses fire element runes. A nickname she herself hates quite a bit, but the two who had grown closer sharing their love issues were freely calling each other such nicknames now. But Kim Chae-eun couldnt justugh it off after reading that. Climbed the summit first, caught in the first-mover advantage effect Extremely uneasy words wereing out in the chat. [Me] What do you mean by that? [Ga-eun] Juyeon apparently kissed Jae-hyun yesterday Were finished, Chae-eun. Thud- It felt like my heart dropped. Unbelievable words came up in the chatroom. Do Jae-hyuns first kiss was stolen. No, I didnt know for sure whether that was his first kiss or not but I desperately wanted to believe it was. It was a reality I simply could not ept. No way. Of course, I had expected it to some degree. ording to the rationally decided order, Kang Juyeon had made a Christmas Eve dinner appointment. And a special evening on a special day. I thought she might confess to Do Jae-hyun first. Anyway, the three women had shared their hearts with each other and agreed to support each others methods. But I didnt think that expectation would lead to having his first kiss stolen. There was no such permission of allowing up to kisses in the peace treaty the three of us made. This was really An unexpected ident. [Juyeon] It wasnt a kiss, just a peck. [Ga-eun] Thats precisely it! Damn Im so wronged. I havent gotten beyond a hug yet. [Juyeon] When did it happen? The hot topic made the chatroom noisy. Kim Chae-eun hurriedly sent another message. [Me] Juyeon, so are you dating Jae-hyun now? It was an extremely important issue. There was something the three of them swore togetherst time, but that was just a verbal promise. Kang Juyeon who suddenly changed her heart could also want exclusivity. [Juyeon] I dont know. [Ga-eun] You dont know? Whats that supposed to mean? Where do you kiss but not date? [Juyeon] Its been awkward since then, so. [Ga-eun] Wow This silly bear, really. Shouldve nailed down dating right away. [Juyeon] When did I be a fox? Fortunately, it didnt seem to be going that way. Anyway, bringing up what happened yesterday in the chat meant Kang Juyeon also remembered the verbal promise they made at the cafe that day. Kang Juyeon moved faster than expected at a much quicker timing, but there was no major problem. She just had to sprint as well and catch up. [Me] Anyway, congrats. Im jealous-. [Juyeon] Thank you. [Ga-eun] My first kiss was stolen, but still, the first girlfriend is [Ga-eun] ! This message has been deleted. With thatst message from Moon Ga-eun who kept saying iprehensible things, Kim Chae-eun put down her phone. Todays ambitious Christmas n she was busily preparing was feeling a bit futile. But it was still fine. As Moon Ga-euns words, the first kiss may have been stolen but the opportunity to steal something else still remained. The peace treaty is over, over. Kim Chae-eun bit her lips and determined. Their mutual feelings toward Do Jae-hyun and respecting each other had not changed. Congratting Kang Juyeons rtionship progress was also sincere. However, even among multiple lovers She could not give up the greed to be the first lover whoes to mind. On the path to getting there, even the peace treaty was meaningless. Kim Chae-euns expression was more solemn than ever.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 192: Will It Snow for Christmas? (7) Chapter 192: Will It Snow for Christmas? (7) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
The next day after spending a special Christmas Eve. Early in the morning, I went to the dungeon with my equipment. It was a dungeon that I had experience conquering before with Moon Ga-eun and Seong Na-yeon. After the conquest, I only got a share of the dungeon ownership rights andpletely handed over the operations to the n. Thanks to that, it was a dungeon I had forgotten about for a while, except for the steady ieing in. Standing at the entrance of that dungeon, I foolishly asked. Are we really going to spend it here? Moon Ga-eun, who I had promised to spend Christmas lunch together with. The ce she had made an appointment early in the morning was here. . She even directly requested the n and had them empty out the inside of the dungeon so no other Holders coulde today. Moon Ga-eun nodded brightly. Yup! Im definitely going to ride your contracted monster today. The reason was one. She wanted to ride Bon, my contractor, and personally fly through the sky. I asked her with a bbergasted expression. But cant you do that anytime? Does it have to be on Christmas? At my words, Moon Ga-eun nced at me with slightly wet eyes. Tch- Youre going to be super busy again when vacation starts anyway. When we wont have time. . I had nothing to say because she hit the nail on the head. Especially since I had to reinforce the new runes I got this vacation, and I also had dungeon conquests scheduled with Yoo Eun-seol, I might be even busier thanst vacation. But if we make an appointment in advance, well have plenty of time But I didnt say that out loud. Because I kind of knew what was on Moon Ga-euns mind. Moon Ga-eun probably nned it this way hoping that I wouldnt care about things like that and just freely enjoy my vacation. Come to think of it The kid who didnt seem like she would was actually the most considerate. And theres no good ce to go from morning to lunch anyway. So its better to just rent out the whole dungeon and y around. That makes sense too. She had a point. Of course, hunting is included in the y category, which is an issue, but Well, Moon Ga-eun looks super excited so it doesnt matter. She came up close and pushed my back. Anyway, lets go quickly! Were short on time, short on time. Ow, that tickles. Joking around like this, we soon entered the inside of The Nest Covered by Clouds. Holder Seong Na-yeon wasnt here to pull us up likest time, but fortunately I now had the [Elemental Master] and [Florian Spell] runes. A magic rune containing the wind attribute and a high-level spell rune. Thebination of these two runes made [Levitation] a piece of cake. *** Ippotrantion *** Kyaooo-!! The vastnd and expansive skies. The rough, charging wind as if a storm was blowing. And in between, the giant monster flying fearlessly across. The skies of , filled with aerial monsters, turned into Bons domain in less than 10 minutes. Bon, summoned at once with [Summon]s [Hand of Contract], was happy with the dungeon that fit his form and flew across the sky. It was like he had found its home. Woo-hoo!! And the excited one wasnt just Bon. Moon Ga-eun was enjoying the aerial dash to the fullest, hugging me tightly from behind my back. -Master. This woman is weird. Shes a good kid. -I dont know. Shes just weird. Actually, Moon Ga-eun riding Bon and flying through the sky. This was practically impossible originally. No matter how strong the contracted monster, to withstand such rough and crude flying, the [Horseback Riding] rune was absolutely necessary. I didnt have that rune either, but instead of [Horseback Riding], I covered it with themon rune [Strengthen Contract] which supported cooperation with the contractor in various ways. But Moon Ga-eun, without [Horseback Riding] or [Strengthen Contract], could only feel unsafe in the sky. However. But I have the Horseback Riding rune? You do? Yup! Ive had it as amon rune ever since I awakened as a Holder. And my level is super high. I mustve been a mounted archer in my past life, ahaha. I see. There was a reason she adamantly wanted to ride Bon like a toy. Then she might have talent for taming contracts Moon Ga-eun said it jokingly, but I looked at it more seriously. From my recent research on [Order of Harmony] and contract-rted runes with Professor Kang Dong-wook, Holders with the [Horseback Riding] rune often have talent in [Taming Contracts] as well. While the [Horseback Riding] rune assists abilities rted to mounts, unrecorded mounts in the system are usually meaningless in a Holders battles. Thats why holders with the [Horseback Riding] rune often end up acquiring the [Taming Contract] rer on. Moon Ga-eun, who was enjoying the aerial dash on Bons back, could also be a case like this, I thought. Yee-haw!! Right now, shes so excited so talk like that probably wont get through. I slightly turned Bons direction to the right and asked Moon Ga-eun. Want to go hunting? Hunting? Yeah. It looks like four Manticores have been following us. Shoot your bow once from Bons back. Okay! Id love to! I definitely want to try it! Seeing Moon Ga-eun happily agree like a kid, I nodded satisfactorily. Lately, Moon Ga-eun had seemed down so I was d I could make her smile like this. I put a little more strength into the magic connection with Bon. Lets go, Bon. -Troublesome. Just bear with it for now. Ill give you top-grade magic stones when we get home. -Fine. Keep your promise, Master. And he has to get a verbal promise for this too. Whether monster or human, everyone loves expensive things. Motivated, Bon started moving his body enthusiastically. Kyaooo-!! Kuhhuh-!! There are four monsters flying in the sky. One is Bon, and the remaining three are A-grade monsters, Manticores. If I used my ownbat runes like [Greatest Racehorse under Heaven], I could easily hunt them now, but now was the time to support Moon Ga-euns hunt. While still on Bons back I cast all the status conditions I could use. Deration of Domination. First, [Oppression]s [Deration of Domination]. Its a derived skill that depends on the targets mental stat so I dont favor it much, but fortunately, Manticores concentrate all their ability points on physical enhancement so their mental stat is quite low. If it seeds, its a charming skill that can inflict a whopping 3 seconds of fear. Kuh-?! Bullseye. Two of the three were inflicted with fear. At the same time, Moon Ga-euns bowstring pulled taut. A total of three. As if using the [Continuous Strike] skill, three arrows flew out continuously one after another. It was now [Deadly Archery], a derived skill of [Starlight Assassination] I also possessed. Shweee- Thwack-! Thwack-! Three arrows pierced into the shoulder area of a Manticore. Without even having time to check that, I continously used status conditions. This time, the [Curse of Demon] rune. Contained inside was the spell, Slowing. Kuh-!! Kuh? The Manticore that had charged out of [Deration of Domination]s range suddenly stopped. Perhaps because my divinity stat had already exceeded 50. The spell was extremely powerful even when casting it. This wasnt slowdown, it was practically immobilization. Kyaoo-!! Now Bon moved its body. I wanted Moon Ga-eun to handle all the damage dealing this fight, but Bon was a martial contracted monster who loved fighting after all. It wasnt the type to quietly watch the prey right in front of its eyes. Kuh-!! Kyaoo-!! Bons solid, destructive teeth and fangs tore into the Manticores torso. Due to my [Curse of Demon], the Manticore was practically immobilized and could only helplessly allow the fierce mauling. The suffering Manticore writhing in pain. Bon who absolutely wouldnt let it go. Oh. Watching the intense battle in the sky, Moon Ga-eun, who imed to have the [Horseback Riding] rune, staggered. I immediately grabbed her waist which had almost fallen off. You okay? Uh, uh yeah. Seeing the very flustered Moon Ga-eun, I unknowinglyughed. Thats why I told you to be careful. You cant just recklessly move however you want just because you have the Horseback Riding rune. Tch- This is inevitable!! How am I supposed to react when moving this violently? Hahaha. Still holding onto her body, I held onto Bon even more tightly. I signaled it to move in a swirling direction. And I whispered to her. Hold on tight, Ga-eun. Kyaa-!! Kyaooo-!! Kuhhuh-!! Ignoring the manticore it was mauling, Bon soared even higher into the sky. Following after it. Thest remaining manticore flew up. With Bon above and the manticore chasing below, it was like a chase, both flying up towards the top. And on top of Bon, we could look down at the Manticore as if looking down from a high-rise building. And in that warped structure I grabbed the bowstring. Not my bowstring, but Moon Ga-euns. What, what are you doing? Finishing the hunt. Instead of Moon Ga-eun whose battle preparation was disturbed, I personally shot the bow. With [Master of Martial Arts] at level 10, and the [Starlight Assassination] rune I recently acquired at level 10 as well, there was no problem shooting a bow for attack. Pulling the bowstring while hugging her like in a backhug, I pulled the string with her. The nearly perfect [Deadly Archery] rained down towards the Manticore. Oh. Huh? But in the process, a slightly awkward situation urred Well, it couldnt be helped in the hurried battle, right?
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 193: Will It Snow On Christmas (8) Chapter 193: Will It Snow On Christmas (8) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Im going crazy, for real. Moon Ga-eun barely held back her flushed face. The bone dragon flying up into the sky, and the Manticore chasing after him. And also, on top of the bone dragons body Do Jae-hyun and Moon Ga-eun, turned around in the opposite direction of the flight path. It was like an acrobatic movement, but thanks to Do Jae-hyuns [Strengthen Contract], they were able to not fall off the bone dragon. And then the Manticore hunt that followed. Do Jae-hyun showed an interesting battle where he held Moon Ga-eun from behind and used her bow instead. He definitely used Deadly Archery. Amongst that, the skill he used was [Deadly Archery]. [Deadly Archery] was a derived skill that required both the [Bow] rune and the [Star Splitting Archery] rune to be at least level 10, and was one of the very powerful attack skills used by the archer ss. It was almost top-tier among the single target attacks. That high level skill, used by Do Jae-hyun, a warrior and assassin ss? Normally, one should be suspicious about this. Oh, when did he get so good with a bow? But Moon Ga-eun didnt have any suspicions about it. Do Jae-hyun had already shown his versatile powers and talents several times, and research papers were being written about it at the Holder Guild. Now, it wasnt about how many abilities he had, but about how much he had grown those abilities. While hugging back So Moon Ga-eun just Quietly recalled the earlier situation in her mind. Hunting together while hugging back. Even when thinking back on it, it was quite a romanticposition. Of course, during shooting the bow. If Do Jae-hyuns arms and hands didnt touch her chest. Uwaa- An extremely embarrassing situation. Thanks to that The two didnt say a word to each other until the bone dragon finished flying andnded. Do Jae-hyun was probably embarrassed about what happened, but in Moon Ga-euns case, it was for a different reason. What if he thinks theyre small? Ah, I shouldve drank more milk. She was only focused on how Do Jae-hyun would react. Usually she didnt care about breast size at all, but when the situation came up, oddly she desperately wanted dairy products. Um sorry, Ga-eun. Anyway After the shy battle in the sky ended. Do Jae-hyun spoke with an embarrassed face. It was an apology he seemed to contemte several times before making. At that, Moon Ga-eun hurriedly waved her hands. Ah, no, I was happ I mean, no. It was an ident. Its fine as long as you held on well. Ahaha, ahaha. An awkwardugh flowed, and she mentally hit her head several times. Im going crazy, Moon Ga-eun. Really crazy. Anyway Her mood today was light. Like she said in the beginning. She just wanted to ride Do Jae-hyuns contracted monster, and enjoy a small hunting date together. Kang Juyeon did get the first kiss from himst night and got on the rtionship horse first, but still, that was a result of her gathering the courage. If she tried to hastily chase after that, she couldve lost her own path. So today, Moon Ga-eun wanted to spend time with him like she always did, ordinarily. What do I do Im nervous. But when the n became reality, her head was spinning. Do Jae-hyuns voice made her heart thump, and his touch made her flustered. Was it because it was a date after a long time? Or was it because her feelings for him had deepened? Or maybe like Kang Juyeon said. Not evading my feelings and acknowledging them After that, she was bing more honest with her own heart? So Moon Ga-eun Decided to gather some courage for once as well. Jae-hyun. At first, just an acquaintance of a friend. Later, the closest friend at the academy. And during vacation. The fake boyfriend she asked to pretend so her lies wouldnt be caught. Do Jae-hyuns way of approaching Moon Ga-eun was quite diverse, but.. Looking back, it seems she liked every side of him. When he was just an acquaintance of a friend. When he was a close friend. When he was a fake boyfriend. Do Jae-hyun always had goodmunication, was humorous, and had a delicate caring side. At some point, she started feeling those sides of him were charming. She passed it off as a joke every time, but today, she wanted to express it. For the first time in her life An honest feeling, albeit embarrassing. She really wanted to express that. Huh? So facing Do Jae-hyun who turned his head, She carefully let out her words. Actually I liked it earlier. Barely holding back her shy heart, a quiet mutter. She gathered courage, but she probably wouldnt be able to meet his eyes. So with her gaze fixed on the ground, Moon Ga-eun barely squeezed out her words. But After a brief silence. The reply that came from him was strange. Uh, what? You liked it? His question contained a peculiar nuance. Feeling strange, when she raised her head, Do Jae-hyun was also looking at her with an odd expression. And after organizing her thoughts for a bit, Moon Ga-eun Soon understood the meaning behind that gaze. Ah, not that I liked it! Its just!! Argh, are you really trying to die? But you clearly just said that. Of course I meant the hug was nice! Without expressing the object, her words became strange. Suddenly she became a pervert who liked getting her chest touched. With anger rising in her, Moon Ga-eun fiercely poked Do Jae-hyuns shoulder. Eek! I finally gathered some courage! Sorry, sorry. Ah! Ouch, that really hurts. Just die! Die! You pervert! Di Like hunting a monster, Moon Ga-eun fiercely charged at him. As she was relentlessly punching with no breaks, Moon Ga-eun Suddenly lost her bnce. Thud- It was because Do Jae-hyun instantly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. Thanks to that, once again. In the sky, and now on the ground. She was hugged by him. Still held by him, Moon Ga-eun said in a much smaller voice than when she was yelling earlier. Lelet go. Dont want to. You said you liked it earlier. At those words, Moon Ga-euns expression crumpled. Eek! If you keep teasing me, then But cutting off her words. Do Jae-hyun quietly whispered. I liked it too. Huh? I said I liked it too. Hunting together while hugging. I wanted to hold you too, so I did that on purpose. What did I just hear? His sudden straightforward words that whammed into her. Moon Ga-euns expression nked, as if she misheard. Seeing that, as if she didnt believe what she heard, Do Jae-hyun smiled again. Thanks for expressing it after gathering courage. Did Juyeon tell you anything by chance? Ah, yes. At the mention of Kang Juyeons name, Moon Ga-eun nodded her head. Although she said she didnt officially date him, kissing and confessing her heart. That was a change in their rtionship, which until now was just a friendship. He probably vaguely noticed Moon Ga-eun and Kim Chae-euns feelings as well. Do Jae-hyun asked with a slightly worried face. Will you really be okay just seeing me? Not them too? Yeah. Many already do that overseas. Our country will amend it soon too. I just want you to look at me sincerely when you do. Moon Ga-eun trailed off answering and shook her head in embarrassment. Uwaa! I cant do this! How do people in rtionships say such embarrassing things?! Thats just like you. He turned her body to face each other, eye to eye. Then once again While tidying her hair, he said. Please keep supporting me. Now that we know each others hearts, lets fight a little less? At those warm words. Moon Ga-eun felt like she could fly, but Hiding her expression, she pretended to grumble. Tch, youre the one who always starts it first. Well I like your reactions. Really wanna die? You cant kill me anyway. So annoying. Haha. Lets go, resume the hunt. Do Jae-hyun suddenly held out his hand. Moon Ga-eun, with a slightly nervous face Carefully held his hand. Although they had done this light skinship before, holding hands after confirming each others hearts feltpletely different. His hand was cold but had a strange warmth. At that pleasant touch, Moon Ga-eun had to barely hold down her rising mouth corners. Jae-hyun. Can I ask you one thing? What is it? As Do Jae-hyun tilted his head asking, Moon Ga-eun smiled a bit and asked. So does this mean were dating now? Isnt that obvious? Ah, just Juyeon said she wasnt officially dating yet, so I wondered if maybe. Juyeon said that? Do Jae-hyuns expression twisted a little. He looked quite indignant, as if asking why that mattered. After kissing lips, it was more absurd for her to simply view it as some fling. A happening purely from Kang Juyeonsck of any dating experience. And in fact, Moon Ga-eun as well. Due to herck of dating experience, she wanted confirmation from him. Jae-hyun, can I ask just one more thing? Ask two things, three things, its fine. Even if it was fake, in front of dad we acted like we were dating. Ah, right. Moon Jung-hyuk probably still thinks the two are dating. And ironically That became reality. The affairs of the world were truly unpredictable. Anyway, Do Jae-hyun looked at Moon Ga-eun curiously for suddenly bringing up that story. She carefully asked her question. So Am I your first girlfriend? For you. . In that moment, Do Jae-hyuns expression flooded with bewilderment. A face asking why that matters. But for Moon Ga-eun, who got her first kiss stolen by Kang Juyeon This was an extremely important issue.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 194: Will it snow on Christmas? (9) Chapter 194: Will it snow on Christmas? (9) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Boom-! The special hunting date with Moon Ga-eun. And on the way back after having lunch. My phone kept vibrating with notifications. As expected, it was from Moon Ga-eun. I naturally smiled. How many messages is this already? We just said goodbye after eating, but this was already the fifth message. [Ga-eun] Anyway, Im the first! You cantinter! [Me] Alright, alright [Ga-eun] Hmph.. I already miss youuu Shes so cute, really. I wonder how she endured this whole time. Given her personality so far, its surprising. Moon Ga-eun likes to joke around and be yful, but shes weak when ites to embarrassing and awkward things. Just look at when I pretended to be her boyfriend. She was so startled and bashful just from holding hands I guessed even without asking that she probably had zero dating experience. But now shes bolder than me. The Ga-eun who used to be like that now expressed her feelings without hesitation. She kept wanting to confirm my heart. I who teased her so many times was now the one being teased instead. Is this what they mean byte blooming feelings being scary? I found her changed positive attitude curious yet cute. Boom-!! While looking at my phone, another text notification rang. This time, it wasnt from Moon Ga-eun. [Chae-eun] Where are you now? Thest of Christmas. It was from Kim Chae-eun, whom I promised to spend the evening with. The name that used to be stiffly saved as Kim Chae-eun had now changed. The reason wasnt grandiose. The girls who approached me with interest. As I began acknowledging the favorable feelings towards them I slowly started embracing things I had feigned ignorance of and avoided. Saving their names more affectionately was the beginning of that change. I looked around briefly and replied to Kim Chae-eun. [Me] Im almost home. But arent we not going out? Didnt we agree to go to Hongdae? Last time when making Christmas date ns. Kim Chae-eun had said lets meet in Hongdae. She said there was a dessert cafe she really wanted to go to, so lets go early before it gets crowded with people. But this morning The schedule suddenly changed. She just told me to go home after finishing my appointment with Moon Ga-eun. Hmm I did think it was odd, but I silently agreed to follow her wishes. After all, Kim Chae-eun was the one who first suggested a Christmas date, so I wanted to amodate her as much as possible. That was also because I was grateful she had silently gone along with my dungeon raids, battles, club activities, and other ns so far. Boom-!! And then the answer that would resolve my questions came. [Chae-eun] Were having a party at my house today. [Me] At your house? [Chae-eun] Yup yup. [Me] Professor Kim Myeong-hyun isnt home? [Chae-eun] Dads been really busytely. Looks like he has to work even on Christmas. I had heard bits about my master. Originally renowned for his excellent swordsmanship and substantial sses, Professor Kim Myeong-hyuns reputation grew even more after this incident. Within the academy, his status rose much higher than before, and in the Holder world, he established himself as a more respected Holder. It was a bonus that he was on good terms with Professor Tak Won-ho. From Taks position of holding the academys executive power, having no external restrictions on task delegation made him happy. I also heard rumors hed be the department head of the Swordsman discipline starting next semester. Given how busy he must be now, it made sense hed be busy even on holidays. I nodded and sent a reply. [Me] Then what about dinner? Should I go buy something? But the answer to that question Was the disastrous response I dreaded. [Chae-eun] No need. I prepared everything today. Justefortably. Ah This time, it had trulye. She prepared everything today. In other words, she cooked Right? Just thinking that far made my head spin. I suddenly resented Master for being busy on Christmas. *** Ippotrantion *** After stopping by my house, taking a shower and changing my clothes, I was at Kim Chae-euns house. And Kim Chae-eun was standing with her back rigidly turned to me. Was I that unpleasant? Hey, why do you say things like that again. I was just worried, thats all. I feel sweat forming on my forehead. Its a situation Ive experienced a few times before, but its endlessly awkward whenever it happens. The reason she was upset was simple. Kim Chae-eun had made food! With that shocking news, I had entered the house showing obvious signs of anxiety And she caught me red-handed with that expression right in front of her. From her perspective, it was something that could extremely hurt her feelings. And it wasnt even food I made myself. She had told me she prepared everything, so I thought she had made the food herself like usual. But that wasnt the case either. Kim Chae-eun had brought food to the house through a Home Party Catering Service. Its formal name was It was apany formed by Holders who possessed [Cooking] runes, dealing exclusively in high-end cuisine and expensive service. With dishes made by Holders rivaling professional chefs, they boasted a quality far beyond typical catering services. When did you prepare all this? Dont know. Im sorry, honey. What can I do to make up for it? As Kim Chae-eun turned her head and spoke, she looked back at me again hearing those words. There was an expectant look in her eyes. Hug me. You want a hug? Yeah. Are you a hugger too? Iugh at the anticlimactic resolution. Of course, Moon Ga-eun seems to prefer back hugs more, but still. As Kim Chae-eun wanted, I spread my arms wide and embraced her. Despite her small stature, her proportions and figure are so good that she doesnt feel petite at all But shes still much smaller than me, so she lightlyes into my arms. Maybe thats what she wanted with the hug. I could feel Kim Chae-eun fully embracing me with her whole body. This is a bit awkward. In fact, weve done minor skinship before like linking arms or holding hands, but this was my first time facing each other and hugging. And when you hug someone with a nice body, there are inevitable parts that touch. I immediately felt that, making me feel awkward and flustered. It was the same with Moon Ga-eun, and the same now. I feel like Im under some strange spell. Hehe. After the hug ended, Kim Chae-eun stepped back. Seeing her characteristicugh, it looks like her mood has lightened. Funny. Anyway, when did you prepare all this? This morning! I got ready early in the morning. I made a slightly puzzled face. So you really did suddenly change ns? Why didnt you want to go to Hongdae? Hearing that, Kim Chae-eun let out an awkwardugh. Ah well, thats hehe. Isnt a home party like this better, Jae-hyun? I guess so. Going out today would be packed with people. Its crazy going out on Christmas. Just looking at the date I had with Kang Juyeon yesterday, it was like that. There were so many Holders gathered, it was even ufortable entering the venue. If it wasnt for the double boss room that opened for Ice Rudolph hunting, I probably wouldnt have enjoyed much among all those Holders crowding the . Wow But you really prepared this nicely. I slowly looked around the interior. There were a whopping 3 tables. Dishes with food, wine, fruits, desserts Arranged on the tables in a U-shape, each food item wasid out. By the veranda, the drawn curtains and warm lighting created an atmosphere, with balloons next to arge Christmas tree. In another corner, there was some kind of firece structure. Whats that firece? Does it really make fire? Yeah! Its burning with an alchemy item called Ignition Stone. Wow. Thats pretty hardcore. [Ignition Stone] was an item crafted by alchemy-type Holders, utilizing magic stones to create fire in a firece. While not too expensive for Holders, the fact that she used it just as a prop for the atmosphere showed how much effort she put into this. Looking over the food on the tables, I asked, All the dishes are from Rune Foods? Yeah. I personally picked the wine. I havent used them before so not sure, but arent Rune Foods pretty expensive? Ordinary people wouldnt even dare consider them. Well Im not an ordinary person, am I? I splurged a bit. Certainly so. I could feel it wasnt just money she spent, but sincere care she poured in. The arrangements of food and decor all blended together in this space, perfectly conveying a subtle, quiet Christmas vibe. I kept praising our little party venue in admiration. It was probably an ambience I wouldnt easily find anywhere else. A home party Kim Chae-eun had set up herself. Thank you. You mustve worked hard alone. I went up to Kim Chae-eun and lightly stroked her hair. While the sudden change of ns was surprising, I still wanted topliment her over and over for letting us enjoy this party. The thought made me find her actions precious and delightful. Kim Chae-eun looked up at me with bright eyes and smiled. Looking up like that, shes totally like a Maltese. Then naturally, she linked arms with me and said, Hehe, lets eat first. You must be hungry? Yeah. I want meat. This way Kim Chae-eun suddenly paused. Why, whats wrong? I asked. She pointed her finger at the window. Snow Its snowing. Just as she said, white snowkes were falling outside the window. Snow. Not the snow of the otherworldly boss room we saw yesterday at the , but real snow in the real world. It was snowing on Christmas. I nkly watched the scene. The twinkling lights and warm firece. And fresh white snow drifting down fitting that atmosphere. It felt like someones wish was about to fullye true It was a beautiful, white Christmas.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 195: Will it snow on Christmas? (10) Chapter 195: Will it snow on Christmas? (10) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
There were a lot of Korean dishes among the foods Kim Chae-eun had prepared. In the center were neatly arranged mushrooms and meat, vegetables of various kinds ced in round dishes, fish that seemed to be cooked to the right doneness, side dishes like dongchimi that stimted the appetite At a nce, they were all familiar foods. However, what caught my eye were the upgraded high-end Korean dishes. Especially the skewer-style beef in the center was a dish I had seen before. Seolleongtang. It was one of the popr foods during the Goryeo dynasty, beef cooked with proper doneness and seasoning. Foods that couldnt be left out for high-end Korean cuisine were ced all over the table. Since we eat Western and Japanese foods so often usually, I thought itd be a bit special if we had Korean dishes Thats why I prepared them. I nodded at Kim Chae-euns brief exnation. Good. It kinda breaks the fixed notion that Western cuisine is for Christmas, right? Right, right? Yeah. You prepared really well. Christmas was always the same repertoire going to a restaurant, going to a cafe, or going to our own space. But facing this fresh home party with Korean cuisine made me feel quite good. Then my eyesnded on one of the tables. It was the table with the wines Kim Chae-eun herself had chosen. Seeing that, I tilted my head. But dont they not really match with Korean food? I really like Korean food, but I wondered if the prepared alcohol would go well with these dishes. Ah, is this another fixed notion? Come to think of it, high-end Korean restaurants also paired wines with the food. With Korean cuisines trait of harmonizing well with anything I didnt know, thebination with wine might work unexpectedly well. Lost in my own thoughts for a moment. Suddenly, Kim Chae-eun got up from her seat. She quietly moved to that table, then took out something that was hidden under the table cloth. Huh? It was something I knew very, very well. A familiar sized, shaped ss bottle. The green visual I had seen endlessly. Koreans most beloved alcohol Soju. Kim Chae-eun lightly pressed the dewy soju bottle to her cheek and said, Hehe. I prepared this too, knowing youd think that- You really prepared thoroughly huh? I had drunk alcohol with friends before, but oddly, I hadnt had soju. It seemed to be because as a Holder who touched big money from a young age, I sought expensive imported alcohol first. But soju and Kim Chae-eun It was an unbnced yet suitablebination. Or maybe it was just because Kim Chae-eun was pretty, everything suited her. And if you want Western or Japanese food, tell me. Its in the kitchen. You prepared all that too? Yeah. I wasnt sure what youd want to eat today, so I got them just in case. Thats kinda touching. I scratched my cheek awkwardly and said, Now I feel kinda sorry. Ah. But I was the one who asked to meet you despite the sudden change of ns. Its only natural. Kim Chae-eun smiled and returned to her seat. Then she poured alcohol into our sses set before us. Jae-hyun. Ah. I can guess what shes trying to do. Kim Chae-eun pressed her ss to her cheek again and went ahead with that line. If we drink this, then well Thats prohibited. Ahhh whyyy I wanted to try this. Pfft- As expected, joking with someone I dont usually do that with brings a very efficient reaction. I smiled widely and picked up my ss. Then I clinked my ss sharply with Kim Chae-euns, who had a wronged expression. Thank you for being with me this year, Chae-eun. Merry Christmas. Its embarrassing, but I convey my sincere greeting. After suddenly falling into this world. Kim Chae-eun was the first person I got close with, and spent the most time together. If not for her, adapting to this unfamiliar world wouldnt have been easy. Knowing that all too well I wanted to express my gratitude on this special asion. Really, youre killing me. I was gonna say it first. Kim Chae-eun looked at me with a sulky expression, then smiled and clinked her ss against mine. Thank you too, Jae-hyun. Merry Christmas. *** Ippotrantion *** The night grew deeper. And naturally, our drinking party also deepened. At first, the atmosphere was cozy as usual. Enjoying the meal Kim Chae-eun prepared, talking about our usual conversation topics, and clinking sses here and there Since most of the items I got yesterday from the happened to be ice-rted, I had also gifted them to her. It was an ordinary home party on a special white Christmas. How did we end up like this? But as time went by, the home party turned into a drinking party. At first, we set the mood by drinking soju, but under the pretext that it would be a waste not to open the liquors we bought ourselves, we started popping open hard liquors too. One bottle, two bottles, three bottles We didnt finish drinking all that much, but tried various kinds, sampling each type. And when strong alcohol goes in, getting drunk is a given. Some Holders with excellent alcohol tolerance could neutralize the alcohol in their bodies, but unfortunately, Kim Chae-eun didnt seem to want to do that today. Jae-hyun, Im sleepy. Thanks to those words, the location had already changed to Kim Chae-euns room. After lying in bed for about 10 minutes, Kim Chae-eun Bolted up as if nothing had happened and started sprouting conversation flowers again. The main topic was about me. So Thats why- Right then! When you appeared, I was like, whoa, surprised. Hehe. You were so cool then. Im not kidding. Really. I know, I know. Thats the fourth time youve told that story, Chae-eun. She decided she wanted to get drunk today. If it was Kim Chae-eun, she must have been able to neutralize the alcohol with her abilities, but there was no sign of that at all Cheers- The problem is, that kind of Kim Chae-eun is pretty cute. Drunk Kim Chae-eun showed an allure that made you get absorbed. Since I was already clinking sses with her, that said it all. On top of that, even though she was quite drunk, the atmosphere didnt get ruined because there werent any major faux pas that could be called mistakes. That also helped a lot. Cheers. Cheers- hehe. The tart, bubbly taste of the Siraz goes down my throat. Perhaps because it was a red wine with a particrly fruity fragrance, a sweet vor could be felt amidst the tartness. Of the wines we bought today, this seemed to be Kim Chae-euns favorite. Yan- Sleepy again. Kim Chae-eun put down her ss andy back down on the bed. The structure we were seated in right now was very peculiar. We brought the table with the food and wine into Kim Chae-euns room and ced it as close to the bed as possible. And sitting on the bed like chairs, we were drinking. It was due to Kim Chae-euns request to be able to lie downfortably while drinking. Looking at that, I let out a hollowugh. You can sleep if you want. Its gotten prettyte already. Oh- But at those words, Kim Chae-eun bolted back up again. And after briefly ncing at the clock She smiled softly at me. Itste but I want to drink more with Jae-hyun Is this a fox or a bear. I suddenly feel like my heart is aching. Its an allure I wouldnt have imagined from the Kim Chae-eun I knew. I asked her as calmly as I could. Youre not even going to turn on the lights beforeing in? Tsk. I heard it from the kids too, you know? Jae-hyun, you know my feelings better than anyone. It was something that could be expected. Kang Juyeong and Moon Ga-eun. After getting involved with those two It wouldnt remain just a friendship with Kim Chae-eun, with whom I shared an even deeper rtionship with. Kim Chae-eun had probably liked me for a while, and I liked her too. Perhaps realizing that fact about each other Made us even more careful. Sssk- Suddenly, Kim Chae-eun moved her body and sat on my thigh draped over the bed. My heart almost stopped in that moment. Although it was just clothes touching clothes, I could feel her soft flesh And with both arms she hugged my neck. And looked at me with slightly moist eyes. I like you. Ah. Sometimes, even when you know what words wille out, hearing those words can still surprise you. Thats how I was now. I like you Jae-hyun. When I heard her shy yet sincere confession. It was as if my breath had stopped And couldnt say anything at all. At that moment, she was so beautiful it was hard to express in words. I like you so, so much It took me this long to get here. Kim Chae-eun smiled. And slowly drew closer to me. The closer the distance between us grew, the closer her expressions became as well. Sotheter it is I want to pour everything into you. Everything I want to give it all to you. I hope you feel the same way too. That faint whisper rang by my ear. I wanted to say I like you too, that Ive been waiting just as long, but There was no time for that. As if to prove her confession, Kim Chae-eun kissed me as she sat straddled on me. The sweet fragrance of the Siraz could be felt in our kiss as well. Thud- The sound of the bed and body colliding could be heard. I fell onto the bed in the same position, kissing Kim Chae-eun. Then I carefully broke the kiss and looked at Kim Chae-eun as she breathed heavily. I like you too, Chae-eun. Her eyes rounded in surprise for a moment. What she had said, what feelings she had approached me with I knew it all too. And that the process of making that decision was absolutely not easy, I knew that all too well. Thats why I wanted to cherish her even more. Thats why I wanted to hold her even more preciously. No amount of time would be enough preparation for that. Careful not to startle Kim Chae-eun, I slowly moved my body and kissed her again. Along with the snow falling outside the window
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All Chapters It was a Christmas night that grew even /ippostrantions Chapter 196: Will it snow on Christmas? (11) Chapter 196: Will it snow on Christmas? (11) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
NSFW CHAPTER This is NSFW Chapter. Final Warning!!!
NSFW CHAPTER The heated atmosphere makes us more aroused. As I kiss Kim Chae-eun, my right hand naturally heads toward her chest. She flinches slightly, but soon gently epts my movement. Her bursting chest contained in the snow white shirt. Even with a bra on, the sensation is amazingly soft. I pause our longsting kiss for a moment. Haah Haah After finishing the suffocating second kiss, Kim Chae-eun breathes roughly. A deep kiss with our tongues intertwining. Its because were out of breath, but also because the mood between us has reached a slightly aroused state. Perhaps because of that, the look in Kim Chae-euns eyes Has an unexinable sense of anticipation and fear at the same time. Are you scared? No. A sharp answer to my probing question. Kim Chae-eun looks at me with a burning desire in her eyes. Not at all. I practiced a lot. Practiced? I ask again at the sudden word. Kim Chae-eun shyly lowers her gaze. Oh um Imagining with you Jae-hyun . Crazy. Too cute. I barely hold back my sanity. Although the sentence isntplete, Ipletely understand what shes trying to say. That she practiced imagining doing it with me? What? How? The words stimting my imagination, I quickly shake my head. Chae-euna. Uh, yes? And I decide to warn her once. If you say sexy stuff like that, I wont be able to hold back. Im quite sensitive to stuff like that. Say it one more time and I wont let it slide. This is probably Kim Chae-euns first time. Rather than a rough first experience, I want her to be able to enjoy the rtionship slowly. So I feel I need to be more careful and cherish her. Oh. But as Kim Chae-eun listens to my words, her expression is odd. As if She realized something? And she adds strange actions to match. Raising her hands, she slowly undoes the buttons on her shirt trapping her. One, two With about four buttons undone, her chest bones are fully revealed. Lace slightly adorns her ck lingerie. A sudden, bold action. And then grabbing both ends of her shirt Kim Chae-eun shyly says. Jae, Jae-hyun .? P-please have sex with me. Ah. Crazy. I cant hold my sanity there any longer. Although I know Kim Chae-eun intentionally said that, it didnt matter at that moment. I take off my hoodie and kiss Kim Chae-eun again. Mm Hmm Clearly different from the first and second A rough, crude kiss. Despite her surprise at my movement, Kim Chae-eun happily epts my tongue. With our lips locked I take off her clothes one by one. I undo all the buttons on her shirt and slightly unhook her bra straps. Without any more hesitation there, I unzip and take off her skirt as well. Her clothes have been quickly stripped in seconds. Kim Chae-eun then says in surprise. W-wait a minute. Jae-hyun!! No. Toote. I did say I couldnt hold back. Should have agreed when I warned you. After finishing our third kiss and looking at Kim Chae-eun, her explosive body ispletely revealed. The only clothes left are her shirt, stockings, and the panties inside. Wuu wuuu. Kim Chae-eun makes crying sounds as she covers her eyes with both hands. She was so full of herself saying sexy stuff, and now her shyness is hitting her. I smile slightly and bring my lips to her chest. Ahh! Her nipples must have been aroused already as I take one into my mouth. I suck on her left breast as my free hand heads between her soft legs. Caresses flooding in like the tide. At that, Kim Chae-eun moans in confusion. Hukk! Haht! W-wait Jae, Jae-hyun. I have no thoughts of stopping despite her pleas. Truthfully, Im also extremely aroused, making it even harder to stop. I start using my tongue in the caress focused on her lips. Going from bottom to top. Whenever my tongue sweeps once, Kim Chae-euns nipple bounces in reaction. In that tingling pleasure, Kim Chae-eun gasps in surprise. Haaang!! What, what is! Yut Haaat! What!! I didnt give her a moments rest and keep moving. I alternate caressing her left and right breast, while my free hand prates inside her wet cavern. Her secret garden. Its already filled to the brim with love juices. The, there!! Jae, Jae-hyun Haaat! Jae-hyun!! A pleading Kim Chae-eun calling my name. The sight further aggravates my arousal. I continuously stroke her lower lips and push my fingers into her fleshy hole leaking noises. Kim Chae-eun gasps again in surprise at the invasion. Ha, Haaang!! I said I couldnt hold back. Yup Umm!! I kiss her for the fourth time while caressing her chest and lower part with my hands and lips. My left hand holds the back of her neck, while my right hand continues to torment her womanhood. With pleasure assaulting both her mind and body, Kim Chae-eun has lost her mind. She probably isnt aware that her legs are spread wide open. And that her expression is very erotic She has zero clue. Hut Haaat. It, its good!! Listening to Kim Chae-euns moans like a melody, I slowly remove my lips and hands from her. At such an extremely aroused state, anticipation alone makes one wet. I consider giving her deeper, more stimting acts, but with how drenched she already is, further forey is unnecessary. In fact I could have inserted from the start with how much fluid and soft her womanhood is. Haa Haa. When the caresses suddenly stop, Kim Chae-eun opens her eyes and looks at me. Theres a bit of anticipation in her gaze. Since I havepletely stripped off my pants and am stark naked already. So pretty. Kim Chae-eun is simrlypletely naked as well. Once she has removed her shirt, stockings, and panties. Her explosive yet beautiful body hase into view. I naturally gasp at it. Kim Chae-eun seems shy, as she covers her chest and lower part with both hands. Then she turns her head and says. D-dont stare so much. That shy bearing was cute as well. Chae-eun. .Yeah? Do you have a condom? Ah. Her expression says not, as I expected. I guessed she prepared for today without considering that. Instead, Kim Chae-eun carefully speaks again, turning her head. Im Safe today. Hit on exactly as I anticipated. At Kim Chae-euns infinitely cute figure, I gently pat her head a few times. I hesitate saying we should prepare condoms starting next time, and quietly swallow the thought. I dont want to break the mood with that talk. Wuu wuu. Then Im going in. Uh, huh? This fast? Words like asking if shes ready and if I can insert We didnt need those. Since well ept each other today and made our resolution, theres no need to hesitate. Aligning myself at Kim Chae-euns entrance I push my hips in one go. A feeling of something suddenly snapping and blood slightly flows around. Aak!! Yup!! Feeling the momentary pain of her hymen tearing, Kim Chae-eun screams. Then noticing I might be shocked, she quickly bites her lip to endure the pain. You didnt have to do that Even a moment like this, she considers her partner Her gesture was pretty but also worried me. To embrace all her worries, I stay still without moving and kiss her. Does it hurt a lot? No Doesnt hurt. Do whatever you want. A lie. One look at her crumpled expression from her arousal earlier tells me how painful it is. With me still inside her, I hold her in my arms. After about a minute I suppose. Jae-hyun. Yeah. I think Im really okay now. Please move. At those words, I slowly start moving my hips. Her previously somewhat twisted expression gradually gets better over time. Flesh hitting flesh, my speed grows faster. Wet noises fill the room as things get obscene, around when Hut Hut. Kim Chae-euns moans spill out once more. As she gets used to my movements, her forgotten pleasure seems to return as well. Kissing her while holding her and moving, my pose changes too. Yut Ung W-wait So embarrassing in this position Haat!! I spread Kim Chae-euns legs more luridly and grab near her knees like handles. Her lewd face and figure are in full view. The extra stimtion has my body moving faster as well. Uuing!! Haaat! G-good! Its good!! I wonder where she learned to use this half-honorific. Since its her first time with me, she seems to unconsciously use it Her talent is indeed talent. Huff Huff. Thanks to it, its hard for me to subside my excitement as well. Whenever I feel like Ill ejacte many times, I endure by changing positions. Hukk? Haat, haat Haaah!!! And after our long session Kim Chae-eun seems to have reached her climax atst. Her body suddenly trembles violently. Seeing her erotic appearance, I can no longer withstand the urge to ejacte. Hukk!! Embracing Kim Chae-euns head, I pour out everything I endured into her. Haah Haah. The passionate sex ends like that. Perhaps because the afterglow still hasnt faded away, Kim Chae-eun breathes slowly. Lying next to her I stroke her hair. Did it feel that good? And throw a mischievous question as well. At that Kim Chae-eun turns to face me and smiles shyly. Heehee. Was I too loud? Yeah. But it was good. You were super sexy, Kim Chae-eun. Tsk. Kim Chae-eun stares into my face for a moment. Then she smiles again and kisses me slowly. I like you, Jae-hyun. A confession that thrills me no matter how many times I hear it. This time I convey my reply without dy. I like you too. From yesterday to today. The night and day And night again, where we confirmed each others sincerity. Snow is still pouring outside the window. It was a white Christmas with falling snow.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 197: The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon (1) Chapter 197: The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon (1) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
The hot Christmas passed and everything was wrapped up by the end of the year. The morning of the new year dawned. And the academys vacation began. This vacation is quite meaningful to me. Its the first vacation where Im finally taking off the 1st grade title at the academy, and its a rest period that wraps up this year that was like a whirlwind. If I had to evaluate the past year in one word I can say it in one word exactly. Rune. Through the fraudulent rune [Rune Hunter] so far, I have obtained countless runes, and those diverse runes have served as the foundation for me to grow without being confined to one ce. The number is 48? As I suddenly counted the number of runes I possessed, I was surprised. Crazy. Why are there so many? It far exceeded the normal Holders limit on the number of obtainable runes (30). I even almost filled up the 50 limit that increased due to the special effect of [Rune Hunter]. I thought I had managed it rtively well, but the pace was much faster than I thought. Ah, theres one more. Its not 48, but 49. Come to think of it, there was one more that I obtained on Christmas Eve. Name: Antlers of the Deer Grade: Rare (Rare) Level: 4 Engraved Location: Head Special effects:- : You can freely manipte the ice attribute. If used in special terrain with water or ice, etc., it can be utilized more strongly and quickly. : If the target with horns on the body part possesses it, the power of the rune increases by 50%. Also, the antlers can be transformed into ice magic at any time without a cooldown. Derived skills:- Detailed Information:- : Special ice antlers of deer thate only on special days. Originally it was the power to beautifully decorate the garden, but over time it also gained the tremendous power to freeze the surroundings. It was the rune I obtained by defeating Ice Rudolph. When I first got this, I thought it wouldnt be included as a sub-rune of [Elemental Master], but strangely, this guy wasnt included as a sub-rune. Thats not the only one. My [Fiery me] and [Prating Brain Strike] were also not incorporated as sub-runes and still remain in my possession. Just because its a rune with a simple elemental attribute doesnt mean it will all be incorporated as a sub-rune. It seemed that [Elemental Master], unlike other upper runes, only recognized certain specified runes as sub-runes. Anyway, as the name suggests, the [Antlers of the Deer] is a magical rune that allows me to handle ice attributes. Although there are no derived skills due to low proficiency and rune level, there are special effects that conditionally increase the power. In particr, the condition of if the target with horns on the body part possesses it caught my eye. Its obviously telling humans not to use it. I felt a little bit of resentment, but in fact, there was nothing to resent when I thought about it. I wasnt supposed to get it in the first ce! In the first ce, humans cannot obtain this rune, so it was nothing more than forcibly obtaining it through [Rune Hunter]. At least I have the special skill, [Dragonization], which transforms my body, but This skill just pumps up some ability stats by making some scales sprout on my body, and doesnt have any effects like making horns sprout on my body. Ill have to give it to the contracted monster. I had to give runes to the monster I was going to make a new contract with, either by giving them runes or by raising the level of the [Promise Bound by the Dragon] rune and giving additional runes to Bon. I could use it myself, but I didnt think I would get much efficiency. After all, if I really need ice magic, I can just go hunting with Kim Chae-eun. 3 levels, and leadership is 31 too. After training steadily with Professor Kang Dong-wook and researching the special item [Order of Harmony] My abilities rted to contracts have also grown tremendously. [Promise Bound by the Dragon] was level 3, and my leadership stat was 31. Thanks to this, the number of targets I could contract increased from 1 to 3. I felt that even making one more contract wouldnt be too difficult to maintain the summoning. I need to hurry up and make a contract with one so I can strip some runes. I felt like I managed it rtively well, but I didnt expect it to already reach 49. It seemed that the 15 runes I obtained during the purge operation took up arge portion. If my rune inventory fills up, I may not be able to get the runes I want, so I decided to hurry up and make one more contractor. There were a total of two ways to organize runes upper runes and giving runes to contractors but thetter seemed more certain and faster to proceed with. Jae-hyun, did you wait long? While I was briefly organizing my like this. I felt a familiar voice tapping my shoulder. Ah, Master. Snow white martial arts uniform and rattling white hair. Beautiful appearance as white as snowkes yet somehow ancient. Her fashion may feel old, but her unique dignified atmosphere offsets this. It was Yoo Eun-seol, who was now my official master. She still spoke to me formally, but she had changed the stiff title of Holder Do Jae-hyun. At first I didnt think much about the title, but when my master called me by my first name, it made me feel closer. It felt simr to when Juyeon and Ga-eun first called me by my first name. Yoo Eun-seol came over to me, gently touching her robes and daggers. Im sorry. Since this is a dungeon Ive been preparing for a long time, there are a lot of things I need to check. No, I just got here too. Today, just a few days after the new year began. We were preparing to hunt in a 2-person party. The promise Yoo Eun-seol and I made when we first met. The reason why she specifically took up the position of academy instructor. It was to clear the double dungeon inside . Did you bring the items I told you about beforehand? As Yoo Eun-seol checked her magic bag and equipment, she asked me. The items she told me about beforehand [Intermediate decryption potions], [Intermediate sedative potions], [Intermediate haste potions], and others. , the dungeon were going to, spawns various types of monsters. Most of them use runes or skills rted to abnormal statuses. Thats why to clear it, we absolutely had to either include a divine ss Holder in the party, or bring abnormal status recovery items made by an alchemist. Since itll just be the two of us clearing the dungeon, we really need those items. However, for this clear attempt it would just be Yoo Eun-seol and me. Just the two of us. The reason being, our goal isnt itself, but clearing the double dungeon hidden inside it. Only two Holders possessing special conditions can enter this double dungeon. ording to Yoo Eun-seol, those conditions are Holders possessing the dragons energy At the time, I hadnt unlocked the tablet yet so I dont know how I qualified back then. In any case, while informing me of such clearance information, she instructed me to be sure to bring rted items beforeing today. I dont need them because of Keen Mind But in truth, I dont need items like that. Due to the epic intellect rune [Keen Mind] I obtained in Japan after defeating Yamata no Orochi. This rune, Pank Jin-Woos second trademark, has the outrageous effect ofplete immunity against intellect-based attacks. Already at level 6, normal abnormal statuses were at a negligible level. Yes, I brought everything here. Still, the masters instructions are instructions. There was no need to add exnations about my rune information, nor was there any harm in preparing for the worst case. When I took out all the relevant items from my magic bag, Yoo Eun-seol nodded in satisfaction. Good. Then lets go straight there. Should we take the academy warp gate? Yes, since we have to go to Chungcheongnam-do. is located in Gyeryong Mountain across Gongju and Daejeon city in Chungcheongnam-do. During the original clear, Yoo Eun-seol purchased all the shares from her party members, making it her personal property. Thanks to that, it seemed we would be able to attempt the clear today without interference from other Holders. We moved from the front gate towards the warp gate inside the academy. Its convenient that theres a warp gate in the academy. Its a bit disappointing that normal students cant use it though. In truth, ordinary students cant freely use this warp gate. The academy has usage restrictions. Only insiders, former professors, or specially approved students could use it. Since it wasnt a national government operated warp gate but one privately managed and connected to the foundation and association, such restrictions were possible Well I can use it but By the way, I also have usage rights to this warp gate. Circle of the Year The award my circle officially received from the academyst time. Among the benefits of receiving that award was academy warp gate usage rights. They said there would be special and varied benefits, and surprisingly, there was a use for it not too far away. Thanks to that, I could use the warp gate with Yoo Eun-seol without having to go too far. Even though Im about to leave, the academy still acknowledges my status. Yoo Eun-seol said as she walked next to me. As she first aimed for, she resigned from the academy after precisely 6 months as an instructor. Professor Tak Won-ho also epted this, so he let her go withoutint. However, since the academys official graduation period is February of the new year, it seemed she was still recognized as a special instructor for now. I smiled and replied. Well of course. You greatly contributed in thest operation, Master. You did a lot to save the academy. Is that so? Yes. Without you Master, we would have been annihted there. Shouldnt you say that to Jae-hyun instead? I think Jae-hyun did more than me. Ah Afterplimenting her once, I received an even more embarrassingpliment. In truth, I can never win against the Master in conversations like these. Master had tremendous pride in taking me as her disciple. Even in media interviews, she would always praise me and mention me, making the shocking statement that I would surpass her to be the youngest S-grade Holder ever. I have to do well. At first, I was just embarrassed by her praises, but now the thought of living up to her expectationses first. That just shows how much she believes in and relies on me as her first official disciple. Weve arrived. While chatting about this and that, at some point we had reached our destination. Daejeon, Yuseong-gu, after passing through the warp gate. At its outskirts lies Gyeryong Mountain National Park. The mountain leading to .
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 198: The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon (2) Chapter 198: The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon (2) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
After monsters appeared in modern society. Most of the special topographical features in the country became outside the magical barrier fields. However, the spacemonly referred to as the field was not called that just because the [Magical Barriers] were absent. Just as when you clear a dungeon, the dungeon boss takes a week to respawn, even in areas outside of dungeons, there is a kind of monster respawn space designated by the system. No matter how much you set up barriers and control magic in this space, monsters will appear somehow, breaking through them. It was not simply a space without magical barriers, but a space where setting up barriers was meaningless anyway. Although Holders around the world have conducted countless research to annihte monsters so far, everything ended in failure due to the systems force majeure. Thats why fields have now lost all possibility of [Magical Barriers] and their perception has changed to something like hunting grounds for Holders. Its not a field, is it? However, there was a special topographical feature in the country that escaped this field designation. That was Gyeryong Mountain, which we are climbing today. Gyeryong Mountain was not designated as a field, so it was an ordinary mountain where [Magical Barriers] were normally activated. Yoo Eun-seol nodded at my words. Yes. Gyeryong Mountain is the only mountain among the major mountains in the country that is not designated as a field. Its close to being the only mountain in the country where you can go hiking on weekdays, so there are so many people even though its a weekday. I see. Theres still so much I dont know. Although I became a veteran B-grade Holder after going through all kinds of hardships for a year, in terms of Holder career I was still a fledgling Holder rookie. There were still many fields and dungeons I hadnt been to, and quite a bit of information I didnt know because I didnt see it in the original work. I only found out today that Gyeryong Mountain was the only no field among the major mountains in the country. As if to prove that, there were an uncountable number of ordinary people hiking around us. Despite the limit on the number of people at the entrance, there were too many to count. Mom, I think those are Holders over there. Joon-soo, dont point at the Holders like that. There were also some people looking curiously at us hiking while armed. The good thing was that both Master and I were moving with masks and robes on, so there was no chance our identities would be revealed. Given how much attention is focused on us just for being Holders, if people found out who we were They mightpletely block the way, asking for autographs and to take pictures. Master is a celebrity even known to ordinary people. Ive only recently made a name for myself, and even then Holders are more interested in me as a promising prospect Master is one of only five S-grade Holders in the country. Moreover, a genius among geniuses who became the youngest S-grade Holder ever. The number of S-grade Holders also signified national status, so his poprity surpassed that of average entertainers or sports stars. Dressing up like this to go to dungeons was not excessive at all. [You have entered the dungeon.] [The valor of the dungeon temporarily raises the spirit and divinity of the Holder.] We soon arrived at the dungeon, passing through therge crowd. As soon as I entered here, I had to read another message I was seeing for the first time. What the. It raises instead of lowers? When entering a mid-level dungeon that could have average C-grade or higher monsters appearing A stat downgrade info window normally pops up. This is a debuff held by the dungeon itself, which cannot be immune even with mental stats or [Enlightenment Quotient]. No matter how strong the Holder, they couldnt escape this debuff. Yet for some reason, a message about raising stats appeared instead of lowering them. Of course, this was a fact I had never heard of or experienced before. I blinked my eyes a few times and rubbed them. Master looked at me strangely. Jae-hyun, whats wrong? The Dungeon debuff Ah. Its a bit strange, isnt it? This dungeon oddly lowers mental and divine stats instead. When I raided this dungeon, I think it was my first time seeing a peculiar debuff like this too. Huh? Thinking I misheard, I stupidly repeated the question back. It lowers instead of raising them? What is this? I tilted my head and thought about it. That is to say, the content of the info window Master saw and mine were different Was there any chance Master, overwhelmingly stronger than me, would have something happen to cause us to differ? Ah. Is it because of the runes? The thought suddenly came to me. The runes rted to dragon that I have. [The Promise Bound by the Dragon] and [The Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride]. If there was any reason for this, the high chance was that these two runes were it. The name of this dungeon was . Not only was it a dungeon rted to dragons by name, the two runes I had contained the legend of the dragon knight and dragon, so they were special runes. Master. Yes. Go ahead. Is the boss of this dungeon perhaps a dragon? The top-tier dungeon . In fact, the Holder world didnt really know much about this dungeon. The reason was simple. Although the raid was already over, Master, whopleted the raid, personally bore the dungeon operation costs and effectively closed the dungeon itself. So there was no way to even know what kind of monster the dungeon boss was, let alone information about clearing the dungeon. There were various rumors circting in the Holder world, like Yoo Eun-seol became an S-grade Holder through this dungeon, there is tremendouspensation waiting in the dungeons boss room That was also why. Youre right. I should have told Jae-hyun in advance. After thinking for a moment, Master pointed to the front part inside the dungeon. Lets talk while walking first. No monsters appear in the first 10 minutes of this dungeon. We simply prepared our equipment and started walking inside the dungeon. The is amon forest type dungeon simr to other dungeons. From the entrance to the middle and boss room, there is a lush forest in a straight line, and next to it is a muchrger river flowing along. The route is simpler than I thought. Just go down along the waterway of the river and youll reach the end. Of course, the level of monsters appearing in the process is enormous, but its not a difficult dungeon to clear because of the terrain andndmarks. Compared to dungeons Ive cleared before, it was a very simr form to the . First of all, to conclude, the boss of this dungeon is not a dragon. Its not a dragon? Yes. To be precise, none of the monsters in this dungeon are rted at all to the form of the rumored dragon. ording to Masters words. There were no dragons in the . In fact, there were no dragons, let alone the Grisly Drakes or Imugi of the Mountain that I saw before There were also no beings that could be called sub-dragon. The appearing monsters were mostly beast-shaped monsters or monsters with simr humanoid forms. They were monsters said to possess mostly debuff skills. After hearing that, I asked with a puzzled face. Then why is the dungeon named River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon? Isnt it a name not set by the Holder Association? The names of dungeons are determined in two ways. One is after the clear, the Holder Association collectively reviews the reports and decides. The other is when the name of the dungeon was originally set from the beginning. Based on the story so far, thetter was highly likely for this dungeon. Master nodded and answered. Yes. The dungeon name was originally set. And with that statement, she took out a pendant-like item from her belongings. Inside the pendant shone a brilliant blue gem and a sword shaped drawing engraved on it. Its an item called the Token of Courageous Oath. I discovered it in the rest room after clearing. In the details of this item, the part about the name of this dungeon is specified. Token of Courageous Oath. I murmured that name nkly. Courageous, and oath. Both were very familiar words. Master continued. There are various effects of the item but The most important thing is that it gives qualification to enter the dual dungeon inside. More precisely, it gives qualification to the Holder, and for others with different qualifications, it shines and reacts. The reason why I was able to find Jae-hyun as my partner was also thanks to the effect of this item. The questions I had been curious about were solved there. The reason why Master chose me urately. And the reason she knew about the entry conditions for the dual dungeon. It seemed that everything was exined in the rted item. And thinking that far, I suddenly pped my hands as a thought urred to me. Ah! Then that dual dungeon Yes. I think thats really the dungeon rted to the existence called dragons. I think this dungeon is more like a rite of passage to get in there. It seems like too powerful of a dungeon for just a rite of passage though Anyway, I understood everything Master was trying to say. Around then when the 10 minutes she first mentioned was ending. Wooo wooo!! Syut, ahhh! Suddenly from somewhere. Along with a heavy wailing sound, I heard the sound of a huge wave of water. The owner of the sound was close. It was the sounding from behind therge river right next to us. I quickly took out the [Sword of Penitent] and the [Goblin Bronze Shield] with the Art of Weapon Exchange. It was to respond defensively to the sudden situation. But Master reached out her hand and stopped me. Stay calm. Its a reactive-type monster. A reactive-type monster? Yes. To be precise, it will pass by without us even having a chance to attack. Its a peculiar monster that moves repeatedly from the entrance to the deepest part and back. Unlike normal monsters, reactive-type monsters dont attack until the Holder attacks first. Extremely rare, but while going around dungeons, monsters like that would asionally appear. In fact, this monster doesnt even attack, it just passes by without giving us a chance apparently. Hearing Masters words, I also rxed my guard stance relieved. No need to waste strength on a monster we wont even hunt. But. Wooo wooo!! Syut ahah!! Coo, quaah!! Master? Isnt this guy not passing by? Huh? The giant monster moving with tremendous roar stopped right next to us. Apletely different development from Masters words that it would pass by without a chance to hunt it. Even Masters face showed rare bewilderment. But the really important thing Wasnt that. Lord, Aspidochelone! I greet the oath keeper of the great existence! I will safely transport the oath keeper to wherever they wish to go!! The monsters bellowing ismunicated through the [Language] rune. But I didnt understand its words straight away. I suddenly felt like an idiot. Just what the hell is this giant turtle punk?
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 199: The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon (3) Chapter 199: The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon (3) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Whooooa!! A gigantic turtle,rge enough to cover the entire huge river. Due to its extremely bulky body, at first nce it looked like a whale, and with the trees surrounding its shell, it looked like an Ind. This turtle that introduced itself as Aspidochelon had very bright and shiny eyes as it looked at me. Its a bit awkward. The words it uttered were like that. The oathbound of the great existence, I will safely transfer you Somehow, its tone and gaze were as if it had been waiting for me. It felt like I had to solve something for it. But unfortunately, I didnt have time to think deeply about that. Swish- Because Master had taken out her weapon due to the sudden appearance of the monster. I seem to have misunderstood. Jae-hyun, please wait here for a moment Wait, Master! I urgently stopped Masters movement. With her Assassin-type traits, she could easily take care of most monsters if she put her mind to it. If I had been just 3 secondste That turtle would have already be a corpse floating in the river. Hearing my restraint, Master tilted her head and asked. Why? I think its a monster rted to my runes. Ill take care of it. Your runes, Jae-hyun? Yes. Just a moment. I slowly approached Aspidochelon. By then, it had already moved its long neck near thend, still looking at me with its bright eyes. And soon, familiar information windows greeted me. [An ancient monster that was thought to be extinct exerts its magical power. Aspidochelon, who has entrusted his body to the great existence due to special circumstances, is currently free. Its loyalty remains, but if the conditions are met, you can also make a contract with it.] [The Promise Bound by the Dragon rune and the Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride rune resonate with the ancient monster. With all the hidden special conditions met, it bes possible to make a Contract with Aspidochelon. This contract is not affected by themand value and rune level.] The two legendary runes once again resonated, facing special circumstances. It was an information window simr to when I canceled and re-contracted with Bon. At this, I used the [Hand of Contract] skill without hesitation. The reasons were that this monster was a contract partner at a level too high for me to contract using my own abilities, and thatmunication with it would only be possible if the contract was sessful. Although the [Language] rune allowed me to hear the words of monsters, I still couldnt spit out their words at the same level. [Contract sessful! Promise Bound by the Dragon runes contract target list adds Aspidochelon (Water/Special). An abnormal contract, some abilities of the contractor are restricted.] [Current Contract Monster List (2/3)] [You have made a contract with an ancient and dignified existence. The astounding contract result sometimes drastically increases your understanding of runes.] [The level of the Promise Bound by the Dragon rune has increased.] [You gain 4 Leadership from the inclination of the rune.] Informing me that the contract was sessful, a series of information windows appeared in session, and soon a dazzling light enveloped Aspidochelon. It was a signal indicating that we were connected in a contract rtionship. As if to prove that, Aspidochelon stretched out its long neck and took a bowing posture towards me. I, Aspidochelon, greet the oathbound of the great existence again. Hearing that, I asked back. By any chance, does oathbound mean Dragon Knight? Yes, thats the namemonly known to humans. It was as I had expected. I was able to instantly contract with this ancient monster that I saw for the first time, thanks to the two legendary runes I had being runes rted to dragons. I then asked in quick session the questions I had been curious about. So is this ce where the Dragon No, where the great existence lives? No. This is the turf of the great existences former subordinates. The turf of the subordinates Thats right. The territory of the great existence can be reached from the edge of this turf, the border between the river and thend. I am in charge of transporting guests of the great existence to the hidden warp gate there. Only then did I understand what this guy had said earlier. I will safely transfer you to the great existence. In other words, ignoring the typical dungeon clearing route, it meant that it would instantly transport me to the end of the dungeon. However, that ce was not the boss room, but a double dungeon. As Master had inferred, the double dungeon she found seemed to be a dragon-rted dungeon. After chatting with it for a while, Master, who had been nkly watching us, approached me. Did you Contract with that monster? Master is an S-grade Holder. Although she became one at a young age, she is an S-grade Holder who has experienced many trials and errors. So with just the phenomenon that happened in a few seconds, she immediately noticed our rtionship. However, she showed an expression that she could not believe it at all. Normally, [Taming Contract] means that the monster has to be in an magic exhaustion and weakness state to be on the verge of death for the process to be possible Yet I went through the process smoothly and naturally, as if water flowing, and finished contracting. Moreover, the target was an ancient monster that even she knew was a post-attack type. Considering only the depth of magic and huge size, at least A-grade or above. She probably couldnt understand that I seeded in contracting with such a monster as easily as befriending someone. Yes. It said itll take us down there. Down there You mean the boss room? Im not sure of the details either, but I think its referring to the double dungeon Master found. ! Masters expression was filled with surprise once again. . She had gathered the top-level party to clear this dungeon, and was clearing it by defeating high-level monsters one by one. One of the fruits of thatbor was this double dungeon. However, the double dungeon that only she thought she had found actually had an official way to ess it. It was Aspidochelon, the giant turtle that everyone thought was a post-attack type monster or something like an Easter Egg in the dungeon. Um Aspidochelon? You may call me in a more casual way, contractor. Hearing that response, I hesitated for a moment before asking. Then, can I shorten it and call you As? It would be my honor. [You have given the name As to the contractor. From now on, this name will be a bridge to make your contract rtionship even stronger.] [By conversing andmunicating, mutually satisfactory names have been decided. The intimacy with contractor As has increased slightly, and some abilities have risen.] Nice. This time it worked properly. As expected of an ancient monster who served the great existence. Unlike some bad-tempered bone monster, it was very embracing. With a satisfied smile, I continued the question I was asking earlier. As. Thisdy next to me also wants to enter that territory, but is there a way? She doesnt have riding-rted runes. As the contractor I could ride contracted monsters even without rted runes. But Master was different. Just like when Moon Ga-eun rode my Bon, having rted runes was necessary to safely move around on monsters. Hearing my words, As turned his long neck to look at Master for a moment. Then looking back at me, it said. She is also a guest of the great existence. She holds the proof of the great oathbound. Also, I have transportation rted runes so you dont have to worry. I will safely transfer both of you. After hearing that much, I turnd to look at Master. It said both of us can get on and move. Is that really True? Yes. It has transportation rted runes so even without riding runes, it seems we can travel safely. Transportation runes. As you saw, this thing movement speed is really fast so riding it well probably get there quickly. Hearing my words, Master nodded her head a few times. While we could move cleanly following Master since she had finished clearing the dungeon Actually, if we could just go there, ignoring the standard clearing route was better. Fighting dungeon monsters means umting fatigue, no matter the difficulty level. No matter how many potions we brought, we could still easily get tired. Our goal was not this dungeon itself but the double dungeon at the edge. Minimizing the movement path was naturally advantageous. Its a shame not being able to fight new monsters though. Well for that, I could just tell Masterter ande back to this dungeon anytime. Besides, I already had 49 runes now so acquiring new ones would be difficult. Papak- Pat- Tak! Tap- Having made the decision quickly, we soon moved our bodies and leapt onto Ass shell. Its shell, which looked like a huge forest from afar. When getting close, there really were lush trees growing on the shell. Amazing. It really is like an ind here. I know right. While we were admiring the peculiar shell of the giant turtle. As, having finished preparing for movement, said to me. Then, I will get going. Please hold on tight. Wheres the handle though? I didnt even have time to ask that. After finishing its preparation, Aspidochelon immediately moved at a tremendous speed, cutting through the waterway.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 200: The Blue Dragon of Bravery (1) Chapter 200: The Blue Dragon of Bravery (1) 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Whoosh-!! Zap-!!! Ass speed over the water defied imagination. The loud movements matched its incredible velocity. Just like when we first saw it It felt like we were riding a small, high-speed boat. At first, the overwhelming speed was hard to adapt to, but as time passed, I gradually got used to it. The trees were handled. Youre right. Master and I had manifested magic on our bodies and were sticking tight to the tree trunks on Ass shell. The ornamental trees on Ass back that I had dismissed turned out to be handles. By holding onto them, there was no chance of falling off no matter how fast it went. As I regained my bearings from the dizzying speed, I spoke to As again. As. Yes, speak. How long until we arrive? Were about halfway there now. Since its been about 3 minutes so far And halfway means the total time is 6 minutes. That was about the time itd take to travel 4 subway stations. Can a turtle really go this fast? Thats the kind of useless thought that crossed my mind. But among Ass stats, its Speed stat wasnt actually that high. Name: As (Aspidochelone) Contractor: Do Jae-hyun ssification: Sub-Dragon Turtle (Special/Ancient) Attribute: Water Affinity: Loyalty Status: Normal General Stats:- [Strength: 61 (+14.2)] [Magic: 101 (+14.6)] [Speed: 35 (+15.0)] [Divinity: 40 (+10.0)] [Toughness: 108 (+11.0)] [Willpower: 83 (+10.8)] Possessed Runes:- [Dragon Turtle Shell Lv.20] [Swirling Tidal Waves Lv.16] [Magic Control Lv.20] [Draconian Spells Lv.17] [Underwater Sprint Lv.Max] [Underwater Breathing Lv.Max] [Transport Expert Lv.Max] [Magic Domination](*Restricted)] [Horn of Bravery](*Restricted)] To be exact, it was extremely low. 35. Even with the additional stats from our contract, he barely reached 50. Maybe because its a turtle, its Speed was way too lowpared to its transcendent stats in other areas. Instead, it had the runes [Underwater Sprint] and [Transport Expert] that were Max level. In other words, while its innate Speed was very low, when moving through water or transporting others it could demonstrate speed that exceeded its limits. Youre more focused on magic, huh? Thats right. My strengths are my sturdy Endurance, and the water-attribute magic I can unleash while enduring attacks. I hope these abilities can be of help to you, my contractor. I think theyll help a lot. While I have [Elemental Master], having a contractor who can adeptly control attribute runes can only be a good thing. Especially since As has a fighting stylepletely opposite of Bon. While their Toughness stats are simrly high, theirbat tendencies are totally different. Bon focuses on physicalbat with its high Strength and support runes. As specializes in magic control and spells as an aquatic-type monster. With them I could summon and utilize contractors to maintain a good bnce inbat. As. Yes, speak. Can you tell me what kind of ce the territory of the great existence is? The double dungeon . The so-called Territory of the Great Existence that Master and I would soon raid. Since As was a dragonoid who once served a dragon lord, I wondered if using its information would make clearing the dungeon easier. But Ass reply was negative. My apologies, but I do not know either. You dont know? Thats right. While its true I once resided in that beings domain, most of my memories of it have been erased. Not only that, but I dont have many memories left about the great being itself either. I just have the sense of duty that I once served it, and must now fulfill my current role dutifully. This was quite a shocking revtion. While I knew the monsters and heteromorphs that came to the modern age were existences from other dimensions and boundaries, I didnt know their memories were erased by the System before they arrived. When I talked with Bonst time, it said something simr about only having its dragon heart left as an undead. At the time I just thought it was because Bon was an undead dragon. So Most of the dungeon monsters have lost their memories? Of course, this might only apply to Bon and As. Since the only beings from other worlds Ive properly spoken to after getting the [Language] rune are Bon and As It looked like I would need to research this topic more deeply. Ill have to go over it as soon as possible I secretly recalled a dungeon in my mind. . The dungeon where the heteromorphs first appeared, who the Holders had triedmunicating with in the original story. I had the key to enter that dungeon, the [Madmans Howling Journal] item. And after raising my level appropriately for the highest difficulty dungeon, I was ready. In order to solve the mysteries about other worlds and dungeons It was time to tackle that dungeon head on. Master, we have arrived. With the sound of crashing waves, As announced our arrival. The rugged boundary between the river andnd. Lush forest spreading next to the downstream. We really did arrive right at the double dungeon entrance. Hearing Masters slightly admiring voice, it seemed we were in the right ce. I got off Ass shell and lightlynded on the ground. Then I looked back at As and said, Thanks As. We got here quickly thanks to you. I merely fulfilled my duty. Oh right, when making a contract with me youll need to choose a residence I look around therge river and its surroundings for a moment. Among my numerous dungeons I own, none of them have water this expansive. The most suitable residence for As is No matter what others say, its this . As expected, your previous home is the best right? At my words, As shows a rare happy gesture and says, -If you permit it, Id like that. Good. Lets settle here then. When I need you, Ill be sure to summon you from a ce with water. -Understood. Ill be waiting. Alright. Then now oh. As I was about to greet As who safely transported us, I snapped my finger at a thought that suddenly came to mind. I almost forgot the most important thing. The reason why I wanted to increase contracted monsters. I used the special effect of [Promise Bound by Dragon]. [Assign the Souls Cry (Normal/Lv.4) rune to contractor Aspidochelone. The rune is removed from the Holders information.] [Assign the Triple Saber (Normal/Lv.11) rune to] [Assign the Simple Curse (Rare/Lv.5) rune to] [Assign the Tainted Body (Rare/Lv.5) rune to] [Assign the Hand of Illusion (Rare/Lv.7) rune to The rune is removed from the Holders information.] A total of 5 runes were assigned to As. With [Promise Bound by Dragon]s rune level already at 5, the number of runes I can assign to a contractor also increased from 3 to 5. Ive already given Bon 5, and now Ive given As an additional 5. I wanted to give runes that suit it since I had the chance, but with my rune slotspletely filled, I had to get rid of the more unnecessary ones first. As already has much better runes than these anyway, so they probably dont hold much meaning. -How fascinating. Is this the Holders ability? As shook it head repeatedly at the newly obtained abilities. With that giant turtle shaking its head, it seemed like an earthquake was happening. I smiled and replied, Theyre your abilities now. -I strangely feel as if Ive gotten better at using a sword. When I dont even have hands to wield one. Hahaha. Anyway, see you next time As. And thanks for moving me today. -It was an honor. May the blessing of the great existence remain with you, Holder Wooooo!! Swwooosh! Its really is fast. Watching As swiftly swimming up the river again, Master murmured vacantly. I smiled and answered, Its speed itself isnt actually that high. Is that so? Yes. It seems to be because of a rune that makes it swiftly run through water. We exchanged light chatter as we headed towards the passage with the dual dungeon. The border betweennd and river. The ground where the river water has pooled, and the trees near it. Beneath a mysticalrge tree with overflowing energy, two spaces that can fit a person were set up. Master stepped onto one and said, You just have to enter this circle-like ce. And input magic at the same time. Understood. Since Ive entered dungeons so often, I was already used to it. Master and I stepped onto the space and simultaneously input magic. Perhaps because it was a dungeon entrance that required special conditions, an informational window appeared before we even entered. [All special conditions required to enter the great region are satisfied! The magic shot out by the two beings resonates with the warp gate heading towards the great region.] Afterwards was the same as usual when entering dungeons or using [Warp Gates]. We instantly left the , getting sucked into a new space. And. [Amazing Achievement! Realm of the great existence, space that all beings revere. You have encountered Dragons Lair. Ancient mysteries and long histories are alive and breathing within this space. Witnessing this legendary ce broadens your horizon.] [All basic abilities increase by 2 due to the nature of the achievement.] [Forgotten memories asionallye alive again upon reunion! Following the Guardians me, youve now witnessed the Torrent of Dragons Bravery. With the pacts memories that have floated up one after another, proficiency in rted runes rapidly rises.] [The level of the Promise Bound by Dragon rune has risen.] [2 Leadership acquired due to the runes nature.] [The level of the Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride rune has risen.] [The level of the Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride rune has risen.] [1 in all basic abilities acquired due to the runes nature.] Upon entering the dual dungeon within the that As called the realm of the great existence, informational windows that I could barely read flooded towards me. While analyzing runes and monsters, the amazing achievement asionally pops up. This time it showed up from simply discovering the dungeon. Thanks to it, my abilities rose and various rune levels instantly went up. It was a chance encounter that Holders very rarely have while exploring dungeons. Jae-hyun, Stealth! But the real important thing wasnt these chance encounters. Hearing Master hurriedly shout at me, I used [Stealth] without any doubt. Master always makes rational judgements. Telling me to suddenly hide in this situation, there must have been a reason. !! . However upon hearing that quiet yet Ironically, scream-like sound from somewhere in the sky. I felt something had gone terribly wrong. [Legendary existence from myths. Sensing the tranquil roar of Blue Dragon of Bravery, Fluvius. With overwhelming magic and energy, all abilities of the Holder greatly decrease.] Dragons Lair, Realm of Great Beings. This double dungeon The boss appears right when you enter It was apletely absurd dungeon.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 201: Chapter 201: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
The Blue Dragon of Bravery (2) My body feels heavy. Just as the information window showed, I can feel that all my ability stats have dropped significantly. Naturally, my level 10 stealth was easily broken. And its not just me. My Masters stealth was also broken, and she was standing in front of me holding a weapon. Her usually calm expression was tense for the first time in a long while. That meant that even to her, an S-grade Holder, the current situation didnt look good. Jae-hyun, that might be Yes. It seems to be the boss of this dungeon. The dragon weve only heard rumors about My Master and I turned our gaze towards the sky. The vast skyscape was the same as before. A single blue dragon,rge enough to cover the entire sky, was circling the area. Its size was overwhelming, on the same scale as the first Bon I saw without using [Dragon Transformation]. The mighty being, the Brave Blue Dragon. It exuded a presence befitting its brilliant name. What rank would it be? Of all the monsters Ive seen so far, the highest ranked was the S-grade monster Swirl Leviathan. The Swirl Leviathan was the disaster monster that appeared in Pohang, trampling numerous Holders and turning the sea into a field. It was also the second piece of the [Forgotten Stone of a Dragon], corresponding to the Dragon. Comparing that monster to this Blue Dragon, called Fluvius !! . A soundless roar echoes again. A tense chill runs through my body. It feels like that massive body could lunge at us any moment. Its iparable. I shook my head heavily. It was embarrassing to evenpare them. Just as there are varying skill levels among A-grade Holders and monsters, of course there would be a gap even within S-grade. The Swirl Leviathan was one of the weakest among S-grade monsters. Compared to other S-grade disaster monsters that appeared, it was quite easy to hunt, and while its ability stats were very high, its rune level was quite low. Its main rune [Swirling Tidal Wave] was only level 7. In fact, the rune level of my contractor Aspidochelone with the same rune was 16 It should have been ssified as a top A-grade monster. In other words, the Blue Dragon before us now was at the very least a top S-grade monster, or perhaps even a new rank of being that hasnt appeared in the Holder world yet. Wait, Aspidochelone? In that pressing situation, as I endlessly pondered countermeasures in my head, I suddenly had a peculiar thought. The turtleAspidochelone, which served the mighty being. With its S-grade power, it was a monster I could never have contracted with my original runes. But like with Bon, I was a dragon knight called Oathman I was able to contract him thanks to [Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride] and [Promise Bound by the Dragon]. And the being Aspidochelone served is now in the sky above. The system directly referred to it as the Brave Blue Dragon, so there was no doubt. Then what if I summoned Aspidochelone here? Could itmunicate with the dragon? With no idea when the dragon might attack, I didnt hesitate long. I immediately used the [Call of the Contract] skill of the [Summon] rune. However. [A strange flow of magic is interfering with you. Due to a special barrier, magic travel is impossible! To lift the restriction, special conditions must be met or the barrier must be destroyed.] [Call of the Contract skill usage has been canceled.] Damn it. I was blocked right away. The domain of a mighty being. This dungeon with that grandiose name seemed to have a special barrier installed that blocks any warp effects using magic stones. If Holders focusing on [Taming Contracts] had entered this dungeon, they probably would have died instantly without being able to do anything. And so, my attempt atmunication through summoning Aspidochelone was in vain. Jae-hyun! Run away! And then As soon as the attempt failed, crisis struck. At Masters sharp cry, I turned my gaze back to the sky. The Blue Dragon, which had been calmly circling and watching us, suddenly began pping its wings lightly. !! Our expressions turned to shock at the sight. What arose from those wingbeats was not wind. Water. It was water. Not just an amount visible to the eye, but a vast, immeasurable quantity. From the sky, the ground, or beyond the hills Water came flooding in from all directions. Crazy Thats way too much. It was far too massive to be considered a simple water-attribute spell. How much there was, how deep it was. It was beyondprehension. The barren wastnd was being covered by a virtual ocean. Shaaah-!! Kuwoong!! The massive waves sometimes struck the ground like thunder. With the booming sound, Master and I tried to quickly flee the oing waves. Theres nowhere to take cover But unfortunately, there was no ce nearby to hide. The wastnd was a true wastnd. There was not a single geographical feature around that could shield us from these waves. If I were to somehow leap into the sky, I could temporarily avoid the iing waves But after that, I would inevitably have to face this sea of water head-on. Make a single flower bloom. ?! And then, at that moment. A singlemand spilled from my masters lips. I know the meaning behind thatmand. It was the [Snowfield Descending Blossom] of [Plum Blossom in the Snow, my masters signature ultimate skill that is quite well-known in the Holder realm. Being an ultimate skill of the assassin ss, it was an extremely powerful offensive skill. The ultimate skill already? But I never thought that ultimate skill woulde out already at this stage. It was an extremely bold judgment. In my understanding, offensive ultimate skills were always the final attack to finish a battle Yet my master did not hesitate to use this to block the enemys skill. Shoooaaa!! Sssu ssut Shashasaha Jae-hyun always has the habit of holding back skills. My master, quickly moving around me, spoke as she used her skill. Whether its a practice match or an actual battle. You need to know how to boldly use your skills when you think its necessary. Even if its an ultimate skill. Though her body moved busily, strangely, all those words clearly reached my ears. My ultimate skill can slice through anything regardless of direction. That includes things made of magic as well. Finally, her des made contact with the pouring water. Among the overcast weather and violent waves Untimely snow flowers scattered. My master moved like a dancer wielding des, using her two short swords to unhesitatingly slice through the waves. !! It was truly an astonishing sight. The water pouring at us from all directions was sliced by my masters short swords, naturally gathering and flowing away in different directions. The water sliced from the right flowed back to the right, and from the left back to the left. The waters that hade from different directions all returned the way they came. Through this, a single whirlpool was formed. Just now, my master had created a whirlpool with just her sword strikes. Within the small space inside the whirlpool she had made in the sea, my master looked at me. Like this, dont hold back and use your skills freely when you think its necessary. Even if it seems trivial, doing so will make you a more skilled Holder. I will keep that in mind. A teaching blooming in the midst of realbat. For me, stillcking experience as a Holder, this was advice that would be my flesh and blood. Gripping my sword tightly with a tense feeling, I engraved her words into my mind. Seeing my state, my master nodded before continuing, Jae-hyun. Can you provide magic support? Magic support? Yes. It would be good if we could attack together, but with your current stats, its nearly impossible to inflict damage on that dragon. That monster Fluvius is showing the most destructive appearance among the S-grade monsters Ive ever encountered. I nodded my head at those words. No matter how much my stats had improved, there was a clear limit based on my experience. Even using both [Berserker] and [Dragon Breath], I definitely wouldnt be able to reach Pluvius. But a Holders power is not all about stats. If my physical stats werecking, I just needed to supplement my power through rune utilization. Yes. Ill try. Good. Then just focus on dealing damage support. No need for Levitation separately. No need? Yes. Together with those words, my master simply jumped straight up from where she stood. Literally jumped. Jumping up, she leapt into the air. Damn. What the hell is that? My master was leaping towards the sky. Unlike me, my master is not a Multi-Holder capable of using wind attribute magic runes. She is solely specialized inbat runes and martial arts as an assassin-ss Holder. Naturally, she could not use [Levitation]. In other words, right now she was walking through the air without using any magic. So thats the legendary Air-Treading technique. A skill derived from pushing physical reinforcement runes like those used by assassin or offensive warrior-ss Holders to the extreme. Commonly referred to as lightfoot technique as well, [Air-Treading] is the skill that emerges. It seemed my master had already reached that realm and was skilled in its use. Only then did her bold use of the ultimate skill make sense. Even without relying on the ultimate skill, her innate abilities themselves were already trustworthy powers. I should help too. I couldnt just gape nkly at her movements. I also had a definite opportunity to provide support. The whirlpool my master created offered me a safe space, indicating it was the optimal situation for me to utilize magic. Berserker, Dragon Breath. First, I pumped up my stats. Using those two skills instantly amplified my stats by 80%. Naturally, my magic stat easily surpassed the level of an A-grade Holder. Array. Then manifest. Using the [Magic Control] rune, I arrayed the magic. Strangely, the location was inside my open mouth. Special magic was arrayed within my widely opened mouth. Apply, Amplify. And then through the spell rune [Florian Spell] I recently acquired, I applied it. An essential rune for manifesting formal magic. Borrowing that runes power, I altered the magic form and furtheryered [Magic Amplification] on top. Most of the remaining magic within my body began concentrating towards my mouth. Preparations wereplete with that. Nothing more was needed. Slowly, as the magic concentrated and gradually built up I raised my head towards the sky and opened my eyes wide. Dragon Breath!! The magic support my master had requested. The strongest magic skill I could currently use towards that dragon in the sky was Ironically, the [Dragon Breath] exclusively used by dragons themselves.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 202: Chapter 202: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
The Blue Dragon of Bravery (3) If I had to choose the bestbat-focused rune among the ones I currently possess, I would unhesitatingly choose [Forgotten Dragons Knight Pride]. The legendary rune [Forgotten Dragons Knight Pride] possesses tremendous effects befitting its name and reputation. From special effects that increase the power of magic runes and resistance against magic attacks, to the Dragons Blessing effect that greatly enhances health recovery, magic recovery rate, and internal magic storage capacity, to the Dragons Fear effect that can demoralize targets when manifesting magic. Perhaps if other Holders saw the effects of this rune, anyone would crave to possess it regardless of their ss. And there are the skills too. But the true value of this runees from its skills. My currently strongest attack skill [Distortions Shadow] goes without saying, and the two derived skills [Dragon Transformation] and [Dragon Breath] also exhibit top-notch performance. [Dragon Transformation] is a risk-free supplementary skill, while [Dragon Breath] is a destructive magic attack skill. Until now, I wasnt able to fully utilize [Dragon Breath] due to theck of a proper spellcasting rune, as this skill ces much more emphasis on the magic application process through spellcastingpared to other skills. Thats why I couldnt properly use it in realbat after acquiring the skill. But now its different. However, now Im able to use skills with certainty. After the eradication operation, I obtained 15mon runes, one of which was [Florian Spell] at level 11. Now I too can wield magic through quite proficient spells. The first spell I cast by pouring all my magic into it was [Dragon Breath]. Kook, kwaaah!! Jjeojjeojjeok!! The breath imbued with tremendous magic spreads out from my mouth. And simultaneously, everything touched by the breath starts to freeze. [Dragon Breath] has the characteristic that the caster can decide the attribute. The attribute I imbued into this breath was ice, which recently became avable to me through the [Ice Antlers] rune. Although its not one of the four major elements so it cant benefit from the [Elemental Master] runes effects, it was the optimal attribute to block the Blue Dragons attacks that turned the surroundings into an ocean. The chilly breath froze the entire sea of water and left traces on the Blue Dragon Fluvius as it rose into the sky. ?! Ah!! But perhaps I stillck proficiency. I tried to aim the breath away from where the Master was, but I couldnt control it precisely enough to that degree. The chilly breath grazed past the Master, freezing her leg area. Stunned by the sudden magic attack, the Master quickly grasped the situation and infused her sword with magic to shatter the ice. Wow I was amazed once again at that sight. As Ive felt several times today, the Masters instantaneous judgment is incredibly fast. At the moment when others would still be processing the situation in their heads, the Master has already acted. Even if her expression seems flustered, her body moves naturally as if anticipating what would happen. I was amazed not just by her bold use of the ultimate skill earlier, but by these movements too. Perhaps its these unseen ability stats that make up the qualities of an S-grade Holder. Jjeojjeok! Jjwaa!! Finally, the chilly breath bound the Blue Dragons wings. The seemingly invincible Blue Dragon could still be restrained by pouring all my magic into this powerful skill. It felt like the distance to it had greatly closedpared to before. The Master, who had approached it with [Skywalking], did not miss this chance. Haah!! Her twin short swords danced. [Snow Blossom]. A martial art I had seen dozens, hundreds of times while sparring with her. Regarded as simply the best among the sword styles used by the assassin ss. True to its name, with graceful movements like a plum blossom in the snow, she shed at the Blue Dragons weak points the frozen wings, the tail that seemed to have lost some strength, the wide open center of its body that revealed its innards. Faster, stronger. Master attacked Fluvius with movements of martial transcendence. !! But the name Dragon was no trivial matter after all. Despite being outmatched by my [Dragon Breath] and Mastersbined assault, it did not lose its will to resist. The ice clinging to its wings shattered instantly, freeing Fluvius movements. !! And once again, an eerie, unvoiced roar echoed. Perhaps this was the sound a dragon would make if it strained its voice to the limit. Moreover, this roar was no ordinary one. [The Absolute Ones heavy dread flows through your body! Your Keen Mind is shaken.] The oppressive aura I first felt when facing Fluvius washed over me. I knew this effect well the special Dragons Fear effect present in my [Forgotten Dragons Knight Pride] rune. However, its might and performance were iparable to mine, making the entire dungeon tremble with just one roar. Fortunately, I had the [Keen Mind] rune to remain unaffected by the dread. Though shaken momentarily, I quickly regained myposure. But Master The problem was, Master was directly confronting Fluvius. While she likely had some rune or skill to resist status ailments, the Blue Dragons Dragons Fear overcame all such countermeasures. If it could momentarily prate even [Keen Mind], no amount of high mental stats could easily resist its effect. Thus, Master froze for a moment, afflicted by the fear status. And in this situation, being unable to move for even a second meant grave peril. !! Fluvius tailshed out at Master. Simultaneously, five water jets struck her from another direction abined physical and magic attack. An intricate technique only possible for a Dragon whose stats approached the extreme. If left unchecked, Master could have suffered considerably dangerous damage. Rush. So I did not leave it be. I used the ultimate skill I had been preparing since casting [Dragon Breath]. [Distortions Shadow]. After reaching the target via the ancient Blink magic, it negates the targets entire endurance stat for the next physical attack, inflicting 100% unmitigated damage. However, instead of designating Fluvius as the target, I set it as Masters. If used on Fluvius, I could get closer but miss the chance to counterattack. But if used on Master, I could block its attack while creating an opening to strike back. The water jets were blocked. In an instant, I reached the Masters side. And at that moment, the water jets flying towards her suddenly lost their force and fell to the ground. Another effect of [Distortions Shadow] by warping space to arrive, it momentarily disrupts the magic array at that point, acting like a magic disruption barrier of sorts in special situations like this, despite being meaningless for simple assassinations. Art of Weapon Exchange. In my hands was the [Wyvern Spear]. To deflect its tail attack, I needed a longer reach than swords. And with that, I turned my body. Since I had used the skill on Master, I wasnt currently facing Fluvius, so I had to turn to attack it. Utilizing all avable supportive runes, I spun in mid-air and, using that rotational force, powerfully thrust the spear into Fluvius. !! For the next physical attack only, [Distortions Shadow]pletely negates the targets endurance stat. No matter how high that stat, if nullified, even 50 strength can inflict damage. Moreover, my current strength was around 120 after buff skills. More than enough to tear through Fluvius defenseless tail. !! As its tail was nearly shredded, Fluvius thrashed about in agony. And Carve a thousand petals. Master, now free of the dread status,nded another strike an entirely new ultimate skill I had never seen before. If [Snowfield Descending Blossoms] was her dagger styles ultimate skill, this seemed to be the pinnacle skill for swordsmanship. To put it inparison Perhaps simr to my [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] ultimate skill, [Knife Rain]? Though of course, iparable in terms of destructive power. !! Suk- suk- sseuk- Pabbabaht!! Dozens of daggers erupted from Fluvius body. Not stabbed they erupted from its body, emerging all over as if in reverse. A grisly sight that belied the image of a blooming flower, yet that was the spectacle that unfolded. Shwuuuu Kwaaang!! And with that, the battle was over. Having already sustained considerable damage from my [Dragon Breath] and the Masters [Snow Blossom], Fluvius failed its counterattack and fell. A thunderous boom echoed as its massive body plummeted from the high sky. Ah! Jae-hyun! And my body fell with it. Completely magic drained, Icked even the power for [Levitation]. Master swiftly used [Skywalking] to catch my falling body. And so, after battling from the dungeon entrance all the way to the boss in an unbelievable fight, we slowly descended to the ground. *** Ippotrantion *** Jae-hyun always surprises me. After the battle was over, my Master looked at me with amazed eyes and said, Haha I scratched my head with an awkward smile. Even I think it doesnt make sense. Breathing fire from my mouth, shrugging off status effects, teleporting with Blink, and then striking the dragon with a spear as a B-grade Holder If you just hear the story without seeing the situation, It sounds like a ridiculous tale that would get you pped for spouting nonsense. But in any case, a Holders Rune is their personal privacy. My Master is stricter about this than anyone, so she didnt ask further about my abilities. So then Its over now? Looking at the massive corpse of Fluvius, and the devastated surroundings, I asked. Master also nodded at my words. Yes. A monster of this level is probably the boss-level at most. Probably But then, I couldnt hear the rest of my masters words because a status window had suddenly appeared before my eyes, obscuring my vision. [You have won the duel! However, since you won against a Clone, your victory is only half-recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponents Runes. Due to the half-victory, the Rune to be replicated will be chosen randomly.] [Trace of the Dragon Tribe Rune has been selected. As a Max level Legendary Rune that cannot be leveled up further, its rank will not decrease when replicated.] [You have gained a new Rune.] [Due to the Runes attribute, you gain 6 Magic and 6 Willpower.] The reward message of the [Rune Hunter] appeared as usual but its contents seemed a bit strange. Clone? A duel against a clone. And a half-victory. Phrases I didnt understand at first hit my head. And then, Greetings, worthy humans. A pleasing feminine voice rang out. I immediately turned my head to see a woman walking towards us. The brilliant blue light I had seen from Fluvius scales earlier She had that light in her hair a mysterious and mature woman. Ah. And I was able to recognize her identity in an instant. The mention of Clone in the status window. And her hair color, so simr to Fluvius scales. It would be harder not to make the connection at this point. So thats how it is. Somehow, for a dragon, it was captured more easily than I expected.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 203: Chapter 203: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Two Middle-Aged Men and the Training Hall At a training hall in Seoul. Operating under the name , this is thergest and most famous private training hall in Dongjak District. With very neat facilities and private instructors avable, student Holders often frequented this ce like an academy. Kim Myeong-hyun, a full-time professor at the Seoul Holder Academy and now even the head of the warrior department, also visited this ce frequently in his youth. In those days when he was bundled up with a bit of arrogance and self-confidence. He honed his sword skills and tirelessly trained to improve his abilities here. Especially when he created his own sword style, the [Water Sword Technique], and spared whileparing it to his friend Tak Won-hos [Wave Sword Technique]. Looking back, there seemed to be no happier days than those. Though many things changed as he started a family and became a father His passion from those days, Kim Myeong-hyun still hadnt forgotten. What are you thinking about so deeply? Lost in thought like that, Tak Won-ho, who was wiping his sword next to him, asked. Kim Myeong-hyun smiled faintly and said, I was reminiscing about the old days for a bit. The old days? Yes. The days when you and I created our sword techniques at this training hall. The memories of creating the [Wave Sword Technique] and the [Water Sword Technique] They were truly traces of their distant youth. At those words, Tak Won-ho let out an awkwardugh. Have you been too busytely that youre tired? Why are you getting so sentimental? Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. At the academy recently, he was undoubtedly the busiest professor, no matter what anyone said. Having overseen the Viin Eradication Operation, he couldnt rest even after the operation ended. It was such arge-scale operation that he had toplete reports almost at the dissertation level, and he also spent time cooperating with rted detailed investigations conducted by the government and association. More than two months had passed since the incident, but he was involved in the investigations until the new year approached. This showed just how much influence the n had exerted domestically, and the magnitude of the impact from taking them down. Especially recently, with the strong rmendation of the other warrior department professors and Tak Won-ho, he was appointed as the head of the warrior department at the academy Adding another title to his already busy schedule. But you were far busier, werent you, Professor Tak? Tak Won-ho drank another shot. Through this incident, he had truly emerged as the core of the academys operations. With the ipetence of the other Tak family sessors revealed during the operation, and some even found to have been indirectly colluding with The sessors themselves had all dropped out. This allowed Tak Won-ho to be the central figure of the academys operations, acknowledged by the foundations chairman Tak Yun-jae and epted by everyone outside as well. It was premature for him to seed the family, but at the very least, he had consolidated all power within the academy. Thanks to this, the Seoul Holder Academy was finally embarking on a path of reform, and Tak Won-ho had been relentlessly busy recently. Well, at least we can rest like this now. Indeed. I thought wed be stuck at the academy even during the vacation. The two had finally gotten a chance to rest after wrapping up all the busy academy affairs, at the start of the new year. The ce for this rest was the training hall. Tak Won-ho and Kim Myeong-hyun liked to converse while swinging their swords at the training hall. Even when catching up, they moved their bodies, and even while chatting idly, their hands never rested. Rest while training! That had been a kind of routine and slogan for them since long ago, when they created their own sword techniques. It showed just how obsessed with swords these two were. Did you find that person? As they finished preparing at the training hall and were in the midst of disying their sword skills, Kim Myeong-hyun suddenly brought up a topic. At those words, Tak Won-ho momentarily paused the busy movements of his hands. That person. Without saying it directly, he knew well who Kim Myeong-hyun was referring to. Not yet. You might not be able to find them. They were always like that. Now And in the past too. The person he spoke of is Hwang Seong-yeon. The worst criminal behind the Gwanghwamun Mass Murder Case, and the vice-master of the n that recently attacked the academy. . Hwang Seong-yeon was Someone Kim Myeong-hyun and Tak Won-ho could never forget. Not simply because he was the one who caused a stir nationwide, but in the distant past, tracing back over 20 years Among the four young men who studied the sword together, Hwang Seong-yeon was one of those members etched in their memories. One left feeling disillusioned with the world to go on an adventure, and another, Hwang Seong-yeon, became a criminal But the fact that they had studied the sword together then would never change, no matter how much time passed. That As if to add something more, Kim Myeong-hyun Shook his head and swallowed his words. Shwik- Shwishh- Then he quietly began to disy his sword technique again. Knowing his heart better than anyone, Tak Won-ho also silently followed, swinging his sword. For quite a long while, Only the swords moved in the silence. It seems like there will be an interesting neer in the new warrior department ss this time. In the midst of that, Tak Won-ho brought up a new topic to freshen the mood. It was something Kim Myeong-hyun was also aware of. You mean the younger sister of Holder Song Do-hyuk? Yes. Song Hyun-a. Or should I call her Holder Song Hyun-a now? Song Hyun-a, the direct sessor of the renowned Song martial arts family, one of the two great domestic factions, was entering Seoul Holder Academy as a freshman This spective news had just broken today and was already causing a stir in the Holdermunity. Kim Myeong-hyun tilted his head and asked, Wasnt she a regr person until a few months ago? Thats what I thought too, but it seems shes awakened since then. Word is that the Dragonfang Sword n will be making a shocking announcement soon. I wonder what it could be. Oho Shwik- Shwishh- This time, Kim Myeong-hyuns sword moves fluidly, The opposite movement of Tak Won-hos sword that disyed overwhelming destructive force with its straightforward motions. Anyway, youll be busy again once Holder Song Hyun-a enrolls. After the Judgment of Fire and Royals, now the golden lotus of the Dragonfang Sword is joining the warrior department Youll have your hands full. Thunk- But at those words, the movements of Kim Myeong-hyun, who had been swinging his sword, naturally came to a halt. And soon after, with an incredulous look, he asked Tak Won-ho, Why will I be the only busy one? What about you? Ill be teaching the second-year ss with Do Jae-hyun. At Tak Won-hos shameless remark, an aggrieved expression spread across Kim Myeong-hyuns face. No way, that cant be right. Since bing a professor, youve always taken the same grade every year. Its time we split up. And the teacher must also walk the path their disciple treads, no? Though he spoke in a roundabout way, Kim Myeong-hyun understood the implication well. Since he worked his butt off this semester, next semester Tak wanted to have some fun teaching Do Jae-hyun. Thats what Tak Won-ho was saying indirectly. Then Ill take the second-year lectures too. I was Do Jae-hyuns teacher first, you know. You jest well. If the head professor doesnt teach, then who will teach the freshmen? Is that why you took the department head position? I have no idea what youre talking about. From then on, Kim Myeong-hyuns nagging continued. He said things like he knew from when Tak took the position that this would happen, itspletely an abuse of power by the administration, he wants to teach second-years too, the Song family really is the renowned martial arts family The baseless banter went on, and Tak Won-ho just smiled and ignored it. Childish as it was, this was the yful banter between the two middle-aged friends. Whoong- Whoong! Shwik- Shwishh- As the lighthearted sword sparring and casual conversation unfolded, Kim Myeong-hyun suddenly asked Tak Won-ho, Actually, Professor Tak, theres something Im curious about. I refuse to resign as department head. Its not about that. At that, Tak Won-ho stopped his sword and turned his head. Then what is it? You know my daughter, right? Kim Chae-eun? Yes. As if deep in thought, Kim Myeong-hyun spoke, My daughter has been smiling a lottely. Smiling? Yes. While eating meals, while resting at home. Recently, even when I have free time and teach her some basic self-defense sword skills she just randomly starts smiling while swinging her sword. . Kim Myeong-hyun didnt usually share much about his family outside. It was because he cherished his only remaining family with all his heart. And the only person he could open up to like this, was his friend Tak Won-ho. Kim Myeong-hyun tilted his head, then continued speaking. Its even worse when she enters her room. Her room? Yes. Or maybe I should say its an embarrassing expression Before entering her room, she always makes that kind of expression, and aftering out, she keeps smiling again. . Do you notice anything odd? You may not be a Holder, but you have a regr daughter too. At Kim Myeong-hyuns question, Tak Won-ho momentarily froze. Because there was something he noticed. After Christmas ended, around the end of the year at the academy, while immersed in his workload He had stepped out for a bit of fresh air on the nearby street. And at that time, Tak Won-ho saw Kim Chae-eun. More precisely, he saw Kim Chae-eun walking intimately with her arm linked with Do Jae-hyuns. Though both were wearing masks and hoods, Tak Won-ho, who had known them for so long, recognized them at a nce. One was the only daughter of his longtime friend, the other his sole disciple It would have been stranger if he didnt recognize them. And anyone could easily tell that the two were in a romantic rtionship. Who knows. Im not really sure either. So Tak Won-ho decided to respect their privacy. He didnt know the details, but Kim Chae-euns new behaviors were probably stemming from that romantic rtionship And if the overprotective Kim Myeong-hyun, who dearly cherished his daughter, found out about this That usually quiet demeanor of his might just erupt like a tidal wave. Although Tak used the Wave Sword Technique himself, overly rough waves were best avoided. Professor Tak, it seems like you know something? I have no idea what youre talking about. You cant fool the eyes of a friend of over 20 years. Tell me what you know. I should train more. Maybe its because Ive only been doing desk worktely that my disciple is catching up to me. Tak Won-ho gritted his teeth and feigned ignorance as he began swinging his sword again. Somehow, the secret would stay safe. Within the peaceful training hall.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 204: Chapter 204: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
A New Power (1) The Blue Dragon of Bravery, Fluvius. The one we had defeated was just a clone. I could tell that much just from looking at the information window. Then This blue-haired woman who appeared before us is probably The real Fluvius. Anyone could easily deduce that fact. That she took a human form instead of a dragons was surely due to using the ancient magic [Polymorph] that is said to have been lost. Was the monster we exhausted all our power to capture a fake? It was quite despairing, but there was one consoling point. Her tone is more amicable than expected. That was the tone Fluvius greeted us with initially. The fact that it was quite amicable. Expressions like wee and qualified humans. This means Fluvius also knew or was waiting for us toe. I dont know the reason, but thats what the given situation suggested. Thats why my master and I, who had tensed up at the rapidly changing situation, did not act rashly and just observed her instead. If the being before us was truly a dragon Then we were the first humans in the Holder realm to converse with an untamed monster. Ah, perhaps my words are not conveyed properly? As my master and I remained silent, Fluvius spoke up again. She had an expression as if she had overlooked something. She was asking if we were quiet because her words werent getting across. I slowly shook my head in response. No, I can hear you well. Good. My trantion magic hasnt rusted yet. It seems Fluvius was speaking to us while using trantion magic. Ive heard that highly advanced trantion magic can automatically learnnguages just by sensing the others magic. Of course, the dragons, masters of magic, had reached the pinnacle in this ability. Thanks to that, fluent Korean was flowing out of Fluvius mouth surprisingly. Having managed to casually break the ice, I carefully asked her a question. By any chance, are you a grgreat being? I almost asked if she was a dragon outright. I quickly changed my words, feeling that directly using the term dragon might be rude somehow. Fluvius smiled faintly and answered, Its strange to hear such a title from a human of another world. Yes, I am Fluvius, of the great dragon race, known as the Blue Dragon of Bravery. I know you are not familiar with our customs, so you can address me more casually. At those words, My master and I simultaneously widened our eyes. For a moment, we couldnt believe the words we had just heard. A human of another world. A concept researchers had only set up as a hypothesis until now. A deduction they had no way of verifying due to the inability tomunicate with monsters. The im that dungeons and monsters came from a certain dimension different from Earth Fluvius had just directly verified that theory, which had only been passed down as a hypothesis, with her own mouth. You said Another world? A conversation that could cause a huge stir if known in the Holder realm. My master carefully opened her mouth to say that. Fluvius nodded. Yes. For now, lets sit and talk. Tak- Suddenly, Fluvius snapped her fingers. !! This is Then the barren wastnd that had shown nothing Instantly transformed into a different space. My master and I looked around in astonishment. The luminous blue scales of the Blue Dragon I had seen many times before. That mystical light flickering everywhere. Just looking at it was enough to captivate your gaze Arge, beautiful room. A room. This was a room. Fluvius had warped the three of us into her room with just a snap of her fingers. Is this the fabled Dragon magic I had heard about? The [Dragon Magic] that had only been passed down in rumors. Until now, there had not been a single Holder who had faced a dragon, so it was just a fanciful rumor But experiencing its power firsthand was awe-inspiring. The power to simultaneously warp three people without any dy. I couldnt believe it even though I experienced it directly. If used differently, it could just kill too. We didnt even have a chance to react to the magic. If beings who used magic could be moved so easily In other words, it meant they could also be killed easily. I was newly struck by just how powerful the dragon before me was. And there was one other thing I was now certain of. A rank beyond S-grade. That there needs to be a change in the existing Holder and monster ranking system. S-grade is not the end. There were even more distant beings above that. The fact that my master and I couldnt even react told me that the Blue Dragon Fluvius possessed strength beyond imagination that far surpassed us. I would love to have a meal, but the system likely wont allow that much time. You two, have a seat. Fluvius ced an hourss on the table and took a seat herself. After exchanging nces, my master and I also sat down. FFluvius? Speak casually. May I ask again about the other world you mentioned earlier? My master politely inquire once more. Though considered one of the strongest in the country in terms ofbat power, she knew when to fight and when not to. Information that is absolutelycking for Holders. It seems she sensed this was an opportunity to obtain that. Fluvius answered with her usual faint smile. Exactly as I said. You and I are beings frompletely different worlds. Beings from another world are bound together by the system. This was actually information I was already aware of. In theter parts of the raid in the original work, species like Fluvius start attemptingmunication with humans. However, those other species did not mention specific keywords like system or beings from another world back then. Theirck of information about the system was the same. Then by any chance Are all the other monsters aware of that fact as well? Why are they attacking us? At my first question, Fluvius had a slightly puzzled expression. Monsters Ah, are you referring to monsters? Its simr. To be precise, we call all beings from the other world monsters. Including humanoid races. My Master added an exnation. Then Fluvius nodded and continued speaking. Monsters attack you because of their innate aggression. They used to attack humans in their original world as well. And those who are not monsters They may have lost their memories because they are bound by the system. Lose their memories? Yes. Transcendents like me are able to preserve most memories when crossing dimensions, but ordinary beings mostly lose their memories and be obsessed with certain notions when crossing over. Also, the abilities and authority they can use in each space is quite limited. Thats probably why you havent been able tomunicate with them so far. Fluvius calmly exined. In contrast, Transcendents are granted a space of thought when crossing dimensions, and can directly set the trials within that space. Trials You mean? Like my clone that you challenged earlier. Ah! Though the words and content were a bitplex, in summary In a word, it meant they could directly set the conditions to clear the dungeon. Thats why Fluvius did not take an aggressive stance towards us, and how we could naturally converse like this. Afterwards, we exchanged some small talk. What kind of ce the other world is, what beings crossed over dimensions, whether Transcendents like yourself are unable to escape this ce Most of the questions were about the system. Fluvius diligently answered those questions, but there were also many she could not answer. That part is difficult for me to answer due to constraints. Unfortunately, I cannot answer that. As much information as she provided us, there were still parts she could not disclose. Of course, the more that was the case, the more questions arose about the Holder system. In the midst of this, Fluvius suddenly picked up an hourss from the side of the table and fiddled with it. Oh dear. The time is already up. AlAlready? I unwittingly let out a flustered voice. No way, how is it ending already after talking for so little? Did 10 minutes really pass? I wondered why she had ced that hourss there at the start, but it seems she really just intended to use it to keep track of time per its original purpose. Rooms of Transcendents originally have a time limit. Transcendents themselves cause imbnces in the world just by existing So while they are granted great authority, they also face many constraints. So this dungeon No, the Transcendents Room, we cannot enter again? Fluvius shook her head at my anxious question. You can enter again after a month has passed. However, by then the trial will have already ended, so we cannot discuss the system like we did today. There are constraints. Yes. If you wish to obtain new information Youll have to either seek out another Transcendents Room and undergo their trial, or meet beings granted authority from the system. One puzzle piece fell into ce with those words. Beings granted authority from the system. In other words, the specific werewolves that appeared in were beings granted a degree of authority from the system. Thats why back then, they were also able to have concrete conversations about humans and the other world. Thun- Fluvius snapped his fingers again. Then two doors appeared in the corner of the room. She pointed at them and said, The reward for oveing the trial can be obtained by going through those doors. The kinds are much more diverse than you might think, so feel free to take whatever you desire. After saying that, Fluvius looked at my Master. Qualified human. It was a pleasure to meet you. You did well in finding the token I made a long time ago. Ah, this is It would be nice if we get a chance to meet again. It is quite enjoyable to observe humans who have surpassed their limits. After those words, Fluvius turned her gaze towards me. It seemed that was her way of bidding farewell to my Master. My Master briefly looked at me as well, nodded, then opened the door and exited the dungeon. Outside that door was probably a sort of rest room within this dungeon. Pactbearer. I also enjoyed meeting you. You had an unusual aura and remarkable traces that flustered me in an uncharacteristic way, though I dont know if it showed through to you. After my Master left, I responded to Fluvius words with a question. Youknew? An interesting question. I also knew that you formed a contract with Aspidochelon, who was once my follower. So she really did know everything. Now that I think about it, being a Transcendent seems almost all-powerful. Fluvius showed me a gentle smile, as she had been doing, and said, You are a Pactbearer with infinite potential. If you continue walking your path as you have been, you may be able to regain the brilliant glory you once had in Raphrion. It seems you are also connected to the me of Protection, so seeking her out could be one method as well. Perhaps she may hold the answer. Fluvius cryptic advice ended there. By now, time had really run out, so I had to open the door and leave like my Master did. I received quite a lot of information from Fluvius today, but because I was pressed for time, I didnt even properly thank her. If a month passes and Ie back here again I resolved that I must convey my gratitude then. And. [Amazing Achievement! You have ovee the grueling trials of a Transcendent, a towering feat few could ever aplish. Your unbelievable achievement causes all the powers you possess to experience rapid, dazzling growth.] [You gain +5 to all general and special ability stats, and +3 to all resistance ability stats.] [The level of all runes you possess increases by 1.] [Legendary Existence. You have ovee the trial of Fluvius, the Brave Blue Dragon. The Brilliant Power of Water bestowed by Fluvius envelops your surroundings.] [The Wave Sword Technique rune and Water Sword Technique rune react to the Brilliant Power of Water. Through Rune Hunter, a new superior rune embodying the power of those two is created. The two runes disappear from your Holder information.] [You acquire the Brave Eternal Wave rune.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [Due to the runes attributes, you gain +7 to Strength and Speed, and +5 to Magic and Water Resistance.] [By meeting special conditions, another door opens. Among your contractors, Bon regains the vigor of a dragon and awakens new power!] [Bon is given the new name Tyrbon. Tyrbon is no longer amander.] The reward from the Dragon Lady was really amazing.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 205: Chapter 205: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
A New Power (2) The rewards for conquering the Transcendents Room were divided into three branches. First, the ability stats gained as an achievement reward. Second, the rune obtained from oveing the trial. Third, the awakening of the Bon obtained through special conditions. Moreover, ording to Fluvius, the rewards for the conquest can be chosen directly by the holder. However, the current information windows show things that have been automatically decided without any choice. In other words, the material rewardsmonly referred to as the rest room in regr dungeons are separate from these. Here they are. As soon as I opened the door and came out, I couldnt see them at first because the information window blocked my view, but after walking a little, I saw the rewards right in front of me. A total of 3 gem boxes. And in front of them was a single key. It seemed we could only take one of them. Hmm The gem boxes were simple yet intense. The first box contained dozens of brilliantly shining high-grade magic stones, the second contained a sword in the shape of a dragon, and thest box held a pair of simple blue boots. I didnt have to ponder for long. I already have the other things. The sword was already efficient enough with [Penitents Sword], and magic stones, although I have quite a few, can still be bought with money. However, these boots emitting a peculiar aura were different. I had already purchased and was using decent rare-grade boots, but they couldnt bepared to the rewards obtained from conquering the Transcendents Room. Name: Mystical Dragon Boots Type: Boots Grade: Legendary Durability: Normal Creator: Special Effects : +5 Durability, +5 Magic Power, +5 Water Resistance : The power of all movement-rted runes is increased by 30%. : Can spend magic power to walk in mid-air, moving as naturally as onnd with no special difort. Details : Boots said to have been worn by the Brave Blue Dragon Fluvius in her youth. Imbued with a mystical and wondrous aura, allowing the wielder to harness amazing powers that ordinary boots cannot. Wow The effects were incredible, to say the least. The basic stat bonuses were great, and the special effects were perfect. A 30% increase in power to all my movement-rted runes like footwork and charge runes meant a significant boost. And the second special effect allowed me to move freely in mid-air without [Levitation], just like the Masters [Sky-Walking] skill she demonstrated in this battle. Swish- Swish Swish- Cang! As I was looking over the reward, the remaining gem boxes suddenly vanished like they had been warped away. As expected, I could only choose one out of the three. And my body was warped again, to a specific location. It was therge tree where I had first entered the . Jae-hyun. Ah, Master. Outside, my Master had arrived first. Unlike me, she had chosen a weapon a pair of short swords engraved with peculiar patterns that she was fondling. You chose the weapons, Master? Yes. And you chose those boots, Jae-hyun? Yes. The effects are amazing. A legendary item, moreover one rted to the Transcendent Fluvius herself. It was bound to have incredible effects, living up to those conditions. I bowed my head slightly to my Master. Thank you, Master. Hm? For what? She asked with a puzzled look, then added softly, Youre not trying to say you seeded in the trial because of me, are you? I gave a smallugh at that. Im not that humble either. This Transcendents trial was the result of my Master and I working together. If my Master hadnt been there, it would have been quite dangerous for me too. However Dont you think the Transcendents trial was too short, Master? Too short? Yes. Even if the Transcendents can set their own trials, it seems strange that the trial ended just by defeating one powerful clone, no matter how much stronger it was than most bosses. The rewards we received seem too great inparison. At those words, my Master pondered for a moment, then nodded. Indeed Youre right. I think its because we had alreadypleted the existing dungeon The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon beforehand. Since we had already fulfilled all the difficult conquest conditions of the higher dungeon, we only needed to prove that we could ovee the trial. No matter how many dungeons had appeared so far, the concept of the was something my Master and I discovered for the first time. In other words, this dungeon is not discovered through the physical world like ordinary dungeons. Although not certain, most were likely double dungeons like this one. The structure would be to gradually conquer higher dungeons, and finally reach the Transcendent as the underlying legend. After conveying this hypothesis to my Master, I smiled and said, So thank you. For allowing me to receive the trial rewards even though I didnt participate in the conquest of this dungeon. The reason the rewards for the trial were so great was also because the trial rewards were a hidden piece for the conquest of . Master shook her head slightly. Well, you were able toe here in one go thanks to being a Oath Bearer and that giant turtle, Jae-hyun. Still, if it werent for you, Master, I wouldnt have been able to enter this dungeon at all. When I first met my Master It was clearly out of necessity for each other. Master needed me to meet the conditions for entering the , and I needed Master to learn more about the Assassin ss after conquering the dungeon. We each had our own goals when we met, and it was only today that we achieved that result together. But now No matter what anyone said, we had be a Master and disciple who resembled each other a lot. Im grateful too, Jae-hyun. Thanks to my disciple, I as the Master was able to break through another wall. Thats why I could see the small smile of my Master, the S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol, like this. Masters smiling face is quite rare though. Oh, Master. What will you do about the information on the Transcendents Room? Will you make it public to the Association? The new concept we discovered today for the first time, the . Although it immediately presents the highest difficulty trial upon entry, if one can ovee it, immense rewards are given in this special dungeon. If revealed, it would be a groundbreaking event that could turn the Holder world upside down. Master pondered for a moment, then answered, I should make it public. Just as we uncoveredpletely new information today, there are still many uncharted areas in the Holder world. We cannot ignore the collective intelligence. When information is shared, research advances. We are not a special criminal organization like , so there is no need for us to monopolize information that could improve the conditions of Holders. But Ill hold off for a bit. Until I get used to the new power we obtained, and organize a report on this conquest. Understood. It was a neat decision. Master suddenly seemed to remember something important and added, And Ill be taking a break from your dedicated lessons for a while. You need a vacation too, Jae-hyun. Although my Master will soon quit her lecturer job at the Academy, she is still my exclusive Master. Of course, lessons will continue even during vacations when there are no regr sses. However, she also needed time to rest, and I needed personal time for self-reflection. For that, my Master dered a temporary long-term leave of absence. How long will you rest for? About a month should be enough, I think. A month I trailed off for a moment, gazing at therge trees dungeon entrance we had emerged from. Master nodded at my gaze. Yes. Letse back here. To this ce, the Transcendents Room. Fluvius said we could only re-enter the after a month had passed. Of course, she said that even if we came back then, she wouldnt share as many stories as this time But still, from our standpoint of gathering information and writing reports, there was no reason not to re-explore this uncharted area. Master and I promised to meet here again exactly a monthter and ended the long day. *** Ippotrantion *** Come on, hurry up and show me, Jae-hyun. Wait a minute. This is the first time Ive summoned him since then too. I scratched my head at Moon Ga-euns constant urging from beside me. . The dungeon is filled with memories of conquering it together with Moon Ga-eun. A difficult dungeon where mainly aerial-type monsters appear But now, it had be more of a date spot that we frequently visited whenever we wanted to hunt together. Since we owned the dungeon rights, we didnt have to worry about other Holders, which was convenient in its own way. And it had also be the main ce where I summoned my contractor, now a Tyrbon. Tyrbons residence was my personal dungeon [Goblins Vige], but that dungeon was justrge with low-level monsters, making it unsuitable for experimentation. made up for that shoring. Especially today, it was the first time I was summoning Tyrbon after receiving the rewards from the . Moon Ga-eun was clinging tightly to my side with her arms crossed, eager to witness it. Then Call of the Contract. Without further ado, I used the [Call of the Contract] skill of the [Summon] rune. As soon as I cast the skill, the dungeon began to rumble. Roar!! Kyaaoooo!! With a tremendous tremor, an enormous figure appeared within the dungeon. A familiar yet unfamiliar appearance. Seen before yet changed in appearance. Its entire body was made of bones, but a luminous blue glow shimmered between them. Like gems were embedded all over its body, it had a mystical appearance. And -Greetings, Master. I am Tyrbon. For some reason, it sounded more energetic than before And Tyrbon, extremely satisfied with his own name, addressed me. This guy Hes really loving it. Seeing my contractor so happy makes me feel good too. I lightly smiled as I received his greeting, then called up the information window I had postponed sincest time to check the new powers Tyrbon and I had gained.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 206: Chapter 206: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
A New Power (3) Name: Tyrbon (Bone Dragon) -Contractor: Do Jae-hyun ssification: Sub-dragon (Special) Attribute: Favorability: Interested Condition: Excellent General Stats [Strength: 108] [Endurance: 111] Runes Possessed [Blue Sky Fighter Lv.1] [Sturdy Fangs Lv.1] This was the information window I had confirmed after oveing the previous trial. It said, Tyrbon is no longer amander. That statement was reflected in the as well. The ssification, which used to be (Special/Construct), had dropped the Construct part. The attribute, which used to be Cursed, had be no-attribute and was left nk. The favorability, which had always remained at Normal, had finally be Interested. And with his newfound power, his condition boasted an Excellent state. Tyrbon hadpletely shed his past as a construct undead and was reborn as a sub-dragon lifeform. He didnt be a water or fire attribute, though. It was peculiar that his attribute was left nk. I had somewhat expected him to be a fire attribute through the [Lions Fireworks] rune or a water attribute due to the transcendent Fluviuss influence But it seems that level of rune or influence wasnt enough to alter his attribute. Still, being a no-attribute wasnt necessarily bad. The no-attribute is given to contractors specializing in physical enhancements or close-quartersbat, and it has the advantage of minimizing elemental weaknesses since it doesnt lean towards any particr attribute. How is it? A big change, right? Moon Ga-eun asked with an expectant look as I quietly examined the information window. She had heard that Tyrbon had newly awakened after clearing a dungeon this time. So she had been quite eager even beforeing here to test it out. Perhaps it was because we had flown together so often and had grown quite close. Now it seemed like Moon Ga-eun cared more about Tyrbon than I did. Yeah. He got new runes, and his ability stats increased a lot, too. Tyrbons changes werent just limited to his attributes and ssification. His main ability stats, strength and endurance, had increased by 10 each, giving him a staggering 108 strength and 111 endurance. Looking at just his ability stats, he was practically at the top A-grade level. He probably had enough power to take down most monsters single-handedly. Of course, from B-grade and up, a contractors rune utilization is valued more than raw ability stats for both Holders and monsters. But ability stats were still one of the evaluation criteria. Having high ability stats wasnt a bad thing. The runes he got are just right for Tyrbon, too. The two new runes he obtained upon awakening were [Sturdy Fangs] and [Blue Sky Fighter]. The former was a physical enhancement rune I had obtained before, and thetter seemed to be an advanced version of [Quadruped Combat], a martial arts-type rune. Although their levels were low since he had just gotten them, they were perfect for Tyrbon to utilize with his high strength and endurance. This was a very satisfactory awakening result. Plus, he even said things like this: -Master. I want to fly. Tyrbon before his awakening, could express himself, but he always had a gloomy, negative mindset. He only showed a little energy when given a magic stone, but he had never said anything this eager before. But now that his favorability had be Interesting and he had gained a clean, new power, his whole demeanor seemed to have changed. Come to think of it, even his appearance had be more stylish. Should we go hunting for a bit? -Indeed. I will show you my changed power. I briefly took my eyes off Tyrbon and looked at Moon Ga-eun. Ga-eun, Im going to go hunt for a bit. What do you want to do? Want toe with? Flying on Tyrbons back to hunt together it was a kind of driving date that only Moon Ga-eun and I enjoyed. Usually, Moon Ga-eun would pester me about wanting to go, but this time she shook her head. No. You two go on ahead. Huh? Really? Yeah. This is his first time flying after newly awakening. You should check his condition at its best without me there to bother you. Moon Ga-eun said that and took a step back. Earlier, when Tyrbon had first been summoned, she had marveled at his changed appearance, holding both his hands But now that an inspection was needed, she thought she should sit this one out. At Moon Ga-euns considerate gesture I walked up to her and gave her a light kiss. Wh-What was that for, all of a sudden? Moon Ga-eun was flustered by the sudden skinship. Even though we had been dating for quite a while, she was still weak to these kinds of things. I thought it was cute how considerate youre being. Gee- Youre just trying to tease me again. Haha. Its not like Im always teasing you. Anyway, Ill be back. Its dangerous for you to go outside alone, so wait here. Moon Ga-eun slowly nodded her head. As long as one didnt stray too far from the entrance of , no monsters would appear. This ce was essentially a safe zone. Still, just in case Before departing, I set up a simple [Warning Barrier] around the area where Moon Ga-eun was. It was a ward that would immediately notify the caster if any intruders appeared. I had just recently be able to create these types of barriers after [Florians Spell] and [Magic Control] both surpassed level 10. Seeing this, Moon Ga-eun was surprised and asked, Jae-hyun, you know how to create barriers too? A little bit? I cant make full magic barriers yet. To create [Mana Barriers] that couldpletely block monsters, one needed to max out the [Magic Control] rune. This was something only Holders who had studied [Magic Control] to the highest level could do, so there was a global shortage of people capable of setting up barriers. In any case, this level of barrier would be sufficient for now. Ill be back. Okay! After bidding farewell to Moon Ga-eun, I climbed onto Tyrbons back. The bones I had ridden so many times felt sturdier and more vibrant today somehow. I lowered my body slightly, preparing for flight. Lets go, Bon. -Its Tyrbon. Ah, right. My bad. Tyrbon, who unexpectedly took pride in his new name, and I began soaring through the vast sky. *** Ippotrantion *** Kuhuhuhuh!! Kyaoooo!! Kaang! Bang! Kwaaang!! Manticores and Tyrbon. Each time their massive bodies collided, an ear-splitting roar echoed through the sky. Tyrbon attacked in an extremely aggressive manner, as if intent on unleashing all his pent-up energy. The unfortunate manticores that had be his test subjects fell lifelessly, unable to regain their senses. Damn Hes freakin strong. I couldnt help but be amazed. This was on a whole other level. The manticores were already outmatched in ability stats originally, but after awakening with an even greater specialization in close-quartersbat, Tyrbon was practically a thug. He would bite into one manticores body with his fangs while striking others with his wings and tail. The charge using [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] was also one of his powerful attack methods. [Contractor Tyrbons Blue Sky Fighter rune level has increased.] [Contractor Tyrbons Sturdy Fangs rune level has increased.] Thanks to this, the runes that had started at level 1 rapidly grew throughbat experience. Tyrbon became more and more ustomed to battle, freely utilizing his martial arts. There was no trace of the crude fighting style he had when I first met him, simply relying on his massive size and high ability stats. He had be a master of aerial close-quartersbat, to the point where even the renowned manticore experts were outmatched. -Master. There are too many of them swarming us. However, the saying that too many cooks spoil the broth, proved true. No matter how powerful Tyrbon the dragon had be, he still struggled when mobbed by A-grade monsters en masse. He could handle up to four at most. But when the number exceeded seven or eight He sent me a signal rather than forcing it. And I didnt hesitate to lend my power when that was the case. Hup!! Without any hesitation, I descended from Tyrbons back. I suddenly dropped into the open air, but it wasnt an issue. Thanks to the legendary boots [Mystical Dragon Boots] I had recently acquired, I could move in mid-air as if I were on solid ground. Kyaoooo!! At the same time, Tyrbon took flight towards the higher skies. The moment I dismounted, he immediately retreated from the battlefield. This instruction had already been conveyed through our mental link. Kuhuhuhuh!! Kweeeeh!! With Tyrbon out of the way, a total of eight no, nine manticores charged at me simultaneously. Normally, this many monsters wouldnt attack at once, but it happened because we had lured them together through our flight. Its fine. But I wasnt too worried. Both my dismounting into the midst of the monsters and sending Tyrbon away I had done all this because I could handle it. The reason was Tyrbon wasnt the only one who had newly awakened after clearing . Tak- I quietly recited a verse as I gripped the sword I had unsheathed after so long. Flow like a rapid stream. Shua, Shuaaaa!! A stream of blue water gushed out from the tip of the sword. The water flowed through the air, enveloping my surroundings in a single sphere. Some of the charging manticores stopped in confusion, while others plowed right in But none of them could pierce through the water sphere. And I didnt just stand still either. Within the flowing water sphere, I found my own current and moved my sword. No thrusting. Just shing, over and over again. With detached ferocity, I relentlessly shed everything within the sphere. After roughly 10 seconds of this Shuaaa, aaaa!! Kugagaga!! The water sphere that had enveloped me finally Dispersed into dozens of de beams, raining down upon the surrounding manticores. This was the first ultimate skill of [Brave Eternal Wave]. [True Flowing Sword].
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 207: Chapter 207: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
A New Power (4) A new rune obtained after clearing the . [Brave Eternal Wave] is a rune that handles the power of water. Precisely, it allows me to borrow the power of water and infuse the secrets into the sword skills I use. It is a superior rune thatbines my main runes [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique], and a unique type of rune that requires possession of a water-attribute magic rune to use. Therefore, the ultimate skills of those two runes also returned to me in an evolved state. True Flowing Sword. The True Flowing Sword with the added word true gained the power of water on top of its existing defensive capabilities, adding a long-range attack function. First attempting an absolute defense with the water sphere extracted from the sword, then counter attacking the enemy with dozens of thrusting strikes created afterwards. I didnt realize it until I used it directly, but it definitely felt different. Not just the changed parts, but the sheer power itself feltpletely different. It felt at least three times stronger than before. Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword Technique Just as [True Flowing Sword] was created, naturally [True Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] was born as well. Unlike the more extensively changed [True Flowing Sword], [True Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] maximized the existing attack method of thrusting the sword and releasing magic. It draws out water from the thrust sword tip and creates a vortex with that water, generating powerful rotation. Combining that rotational force with the explosive release of magic to unleash a formidable single strike. Originally used as a finishing skill, this one solidified and enhanced its abilities much further. Among my single attack skills, its destructive power is now clearly at the top. Name: Brave Eternal Wave Grade: Legendary / Superior Level: 1 Engraved Location: Right wrist Special Effects: : All sword skills and techniques used gain the power of water. The power of water flexibly enhances all attacks of the user. This constantly activates only when possessing a water-attribute magic rune. : Compatibility with movement-rted runes is greatly increased. Smooth motions with no obstructions gain added fluidity. : Abilities are amplified in special terrains like the ocean or rivers, and the runes power increases by 20% during underwaterbat or against fire-attributed enemies. Ultimate Skills: [True Flowing Active Sword] [True Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. To be honest, when I first read the runes description, I didnt quite get the full sense of it. Aside from the straightforward effect of increased power in ces like the ocean, there were too many vague descriptions. But after directly wielding the sword in battle, I think I understand. [Brave Eternal Wave] In a word, it was an extremely high-level martial arts rune. Kuhuhuh-?! Shuk- Shuk- Shaaah- I lightly tore through the midst of 9 manticores. The ones already heavily damaged by a direct hit from [True Flowing Sword] copsed without regaining their senses from my sword strikes that scattered water. With [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]bined, there was no stuttering when transitioning between the two techniques. shing and rotating was flexible, while thrusting and striking down was destructive. The power of water granted me smoother and faster movements And the techniques unfolding from my sword were exquisitely smooth. I can feel the increase in power. Moving directly with it makes me sense it. Its a feeling that cant be conveyed just through stat numbers. Faster and stronger movements. More difficult and profound motions. Things that only existed in my mind before but never manifested in reality are now possible. [Brave Eternal Wave]. In the end, this rune is a powerful martial arts rune that raises my overallbat prowess. Fortunately, the prerequisites are also aligned. [Brave Eternal Wave] is the power held by the dragon Fluvius. Hence, to unleash this runes true might, I had to peculiarly use the [Dragonization] skill. While the rune could be used without [Dragonization], I couldnt fully utilize all of its abilities. Gaining the dragon characteristic was a prerequisite of sorts. But that demanding condition was resolved through the [Trace of the Dragon Race] rune I obtained by defeating Fluvius clone. Name: Trace of the Dragon Race Grade: Legendary Level: Max Engraved Location: Heart (Duplicate) Special Effects: : Allows drawing out the true power held by dragons. All dragon-rted runes gain a 10% power increase and have some usage restrictions lifted. : Further elerates the rapid growth of dragons. All dragon-rted runes gain double the growth speed. [Trace of the Dragon Race] is a rune that acts like a vessel capable of containing the power of dragons. Possessing this rune allowed me to freely use the power of dragons even in my normal state without using [Dragonization]. Moreover, the insane effect of doubling the growth speed of all dragon-rted runes After [Effort of the Seeker] and [Swirling Tidal Wave], this is the third growth-rted rune to appear. Although its a special max level rune with no unique skill, this growth effect alone makes it a treasure of a rune. -Master, theyre all dead. Thats enough now. Lost in the trance of swinging my sword, eventually Tyrbon approached nearby. He was looking at me with a fed-up gaze, like he was watching some monster. Hes one to talk, being a monster himself. Ah, sorry. I got carried away without realizing. Looking around, by now 8 manticores had fallen to the ground while I still grasped one in my hand. I must have really gotten excited over the new martial arts rune. I sheath my sword and mounted the hovering Tyrbon next to me. Lets go. -Where to, Master? Lets hunt a bit more. Ive tested everything that needed testing. Tyrbon and I have verified the power of our newly acquired runes, and Ive confirmed the close-to-90bat stats that are my main abilities. Only [The wave that slumbers within the dragon is rugged like the tides yet flows gently like a stream. Yourprehension of the Eternal Wave increases rapidly.] [The Brave Eternal Wave rune level increased.] While they were perhaps a bit too easy to defeat, the manticores were still A-grade monsters. By mob-hunting the high-ranked beasts together, the level of the rune I had just acquired kept rising rapidly. Enjoying the long-awaited fun of hunting, I continued the aerial travel with Tyrbon for a bit longer. * * * Ippotrantion *** No way, youre just too damn strong! Park Jin-woos exasperated voice rang out. We were at the in Sangdo-dong as usual, our regr meetup spot, crossing des like we always did. And just now, Park Jin-woo called for a time-out during our intense sparring session. With a dejected look, he said to me, This monstrous bastard. How am I supposed to beat this? Youve gotten way too strong. The sparring results were an overwhelming victory for me. Though Park Jin-woos growth was dazzling as well after so long, I had the upper hand after rapidly growing over the past two months. With the new runes including [Brave Eternal Wave], my main stats nearly reach 90 (Strength, Speed, Magic), gradually stabilizing magic and auxiliary runes, and more. Not only were my growth indicators good, but the sheer variety was an advantage. [The Promise Bound by a Dragon], which had now be one of my main runes, was even a summoning-type rune that I didnt use and still won easily, so its understandable Park Jin-woo felt frustrated. You got really strong too. Is that supposed to be constion right now? Then what should I say? Its a fact you got stronger too. Argh Park Jin-woo scratched his head vigorously. Seeing that, I let out a smallugh too. Even with his whining, he probably knows deep down. That his growth rate is exceptionally fastpared to others. While I did undergo an excessive rapid growth spurt, Park Jin-woo grew considerably stronger too after experiencing the mission to Japan and the viin subjugation operation. Hes already at the early A-rank level. Speaking in terms of ranks, hes reached the early A-rank Holder level. If he just umtes some achievements, the Association will soon approve his promotion. Considering the original Park Jin-woo was around average B-rank at this point in time, this is an astonishingly fast pace. Its Park Jin-woo, rapidly strengthening at a rate far exceeding before using his own training methods instead of learning from Professor Tak Won-ho, having suitable sparring partners, and experiencing momentous events. Since my own promotion is being processed at the Association currently If he gets promoted as well, hell be the third A-rank Holder in our group after me and Kang Ju-yeon. Or actually, are they all almost A-rank? In fact, Kim Chae-eun has nearly reached early A-rank skill too, justcking some aplishments. Moon Ga-eun will likely get close to A-rank with just a bit more of a spurt The Academy Underground Dungeon Party has almost all be A-rank, it seems. For mostly all five of us, students who have just entered our second year of the academy, to be A-rank? Just hearing it makes you want tough in disbelief. If reporters who like talented Holder prospects ask, itd make for a huge scoop article.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 208: Chapter 208: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
A New Power (5) Anyway, I need to train more. Ive been cking offtely. At those words, I suddenly lifted my head. The words cking off came out of Park Jin-woos mouth? This is quite a scoop in itself. And as soon as I heard those words, something immediately came to mind. I forced an ominous grin and said to him, Hehe. Have you made any progresstely? Why didnt you tell me, man. Previously, under the pretext of a friends request, I had be a sacrificial pawn in Park Jin-woos romantic endeavors. The duel at the academys training hall. The Holder from the California Academy I saw then. Cami Flores. If what I saw was correct, Park Jin-woo was interested in Cami at the time. And if the notorious training maniac Park Jin-woo is using the expression cking off, the chances are high that its rted to Cami. Well, its only been about a month. Were just in the texting stage for now. Park Jin-woo didnt deny it and answered. But I asked again as if I didnt understand his words. Why? You should meet up, grab a meal, go to a cafe or something. This guy He teased me so much about my romantic exploits, but he cant even unbutton the first one with his own romance? Park Jin-woo sighed deeply and replied, Ah Id have to be able to meet her first. During the winter break of the Seoul Holder Academy. Along with that, Cami had returned to America. Of course, its not like shepletely withdrew after her exchange student program ended. She just went home during the break, and shell be back once the new semester starts. In any case, since shes an American Holder from California, she had to go home to rest during breaks. So Park Jin-woo has been in frequent contact with Cami, but he said he just doesnt have a proper opportunity to meet her. Tsk. Thats too bad. I clicked my tongue in resignation as well. This was Park Jin-woos romance that didnt exist at all in the original, so to be honest, I had hoped for it as a fan at one point It seems well have to wait until the next semester starts before anything happens. Yeah. What kind of romance is this? Youre more suited for training. Lets go to a dungeon Ive looked into, after some hardcore grinding. It worked out well this time. . For the strategy to clear that dungeon, I had even considered removing Park Jin-woo from the party if he was too busy But this way, I can recruit him as a party member without worry. Since powerful monsters appear frequently in that dungeon, every A-rank Holder was precious. Park Jin-woo let out a dryugh at my words. Wow You want to date around while I roll in the dungeon? Have you ever seen such a jerk? Why are you being so grumpy? I said, Lets roll together. Oh, those party members are probably all your girlfriends too. If youre upset, just call Cami to Korea. Damn Nothing has even started yet I had told Park Jin-woo that three of my friends became my lovers. Theyre also members of our Underground Dungeon Party, and hes not the type to go bbing about this fact. Afterwards, he kept teasing me, So you acted all innocent, but you were dating them all along. But still, it feltfortable to open up to my closest friend. We tease each other every day, calling each other this jerk and that jerk, but Park Jin-woo is the only friend I can have these serious conversations with. But seriously, how are you nning on dating three of them? Gonna be the Korean Liam Hendricks or what? They said theyre going to make me into that. Theyre messed up too. But wait, how are you going to exin this to your parents? If the n Master of the Judgment of Fire finds out, I dont think youll be able to stay alive. At Park Jin-woos biting remark My body froze for a moment. I remembered the scary, daughter-obsessed side hidden behind Kang Woo-hyuns benevolent appearance. -Hahaha. A thief trying to take my daughter away, I cant just leave him in the n, can I?. I started sweating unconsciously. If just taking his daughter away makes me a thief, and on top of that, I have two more girlfriends? If he finds out, I might really get turned into mincemeat. As Park Jin-woo said, I may not be able to stay alive in this world. After clutching my chest for a moment, I tried to brush off reality and said, Ju-yeon will somehow make it work. How are you going to convince Professor Kim Myeong-hyun? Chae, Chae-eun will somehow. You crazy bastard. What about Holder Moon Jung-hyuk from the Royals? Ah, that ones fine. I had directly sparred with Holder Moon Jung-hyuk and grasped his character. He was a father who would understand anything as long as his daughter is happy. Itll definitely be fine, definitely. Anyway, we continued exchanging stories while lying down in the training hall. This is how we unwind after sparring. The amusing part is, the main topic tends to be romance. Even Park Jin-woo, that bastard, is a guy. He tries to act innocent, but hes quite attentive to my advice and consultation. To be fair, since I was the one who got confessed to first, my advice may not always be clear. But still, I had more to say than him as his senior. After giving him a full consultation, I suddenly said with a touch of regret, Its such a shame. I should put what Ive learned into practice right away. At those words, Park Jin-woo scratched his head too. Tsk. Cant be helped. Its for the better anyway. I need to focus on growth for now. There will be a lot of Holders acquiring the sword rune soon. What? I was startled and asked back at the words he casually dropped. A lot of Holders will acquire the sword rune? It sounded vaguely familiar. Then Park Jin-woo asked as if I didnt know. Oh, what? You didnt see the news while you were in the dungeon? It was crazy yesterday. After briefly searching on his phone, he tossed it to me. Thunk- On the screen of the phone I received As he said, sensational news articles were disyed like posters. Worlds First! Holder Who Artificially Created Runes, Song Hyun-ah Who is Song Hyun-ah? The Heiress of the Sword Master Song Family Song Hyun-ah to Enroll at Seoul Holder Academy Song Hyun-ah Picks Do Jae-hyun as Her Idol Holder Repetitive Action Created the Rune Any Others Besides [Sword]? Liam Hendricks, Korea always surprises me. Its real. Finally, the acquisition method for the [Sword] rune has been revealed to the world. It was scheduled to happen around this time in the original too. I was aware of it, but I was just a bit surprised when it was announced while I was in the dungeon. It must have really caused an uproar. It makes sense why there are so many articles. The artificial acquisition of runes through repetitive actions. This amazing method has been revealed to the world for the first time, so its no wonder the entire Holdermunity is in an uproar. From now on, many Holders will acquire the [Sword] rune. Of course, Holders who mainly use [Sword] already possess it, and holders who dont may not necessarily need a rune thats not their main one But runes grant stat increases when acquired. Regardless, just acquiring a rune gives you a stat increase, however small. In the case of the [Sword] rune, if your strength is very low when you acquire it, it gives you 1 point in strength. It may be meaningless for high-ranked Holders whose stats wont increase, but for newbie Holders just learning about runes, its a precious stat increase. Perhaps all the closebat focused Holders will try to obtain this. Apparently, Song Hyun-ah became a Holder through that method. Really? Yeah. So now regr people are all trying to imitate it. They want to be Holders using that method. I just nodded along to Park Jin-woos words. I already knew this information. Moreover, it will soon be revealed that this is not actually a method to awaken as a Holder. Of course, Song Hyun-ah did be a Holder from being a regr person But her case ispletely different. In truth, she already had the innate talent to be a Holder, and this method just elerated that process. Since so many people are apparently trying it now, the truth will be revealed soon. But then, I felt an inexplicable sense of difort. It was as if I heard an unfamiliar name from Park Jin-woos words. Not Song Hyun-i, but Song Hyun-ah? Not Song Hyun-i, but Song Hyun-ah. The name I was familiar with had changed. After listening to Park Jin-woos words, I quickly reread the articles It was true. The Holder who first revealed the acquisition method of the [Sword] rune to the world. The heir of the prestigious Song Sword Master Family. The person who should have been the male Song Hyun-i was now the female Song Hyun-ah for some reason. What is this? Shes even pretty. With her long, dyed blonde hair, she unted a morous appearance befitting the heir of a renowned family. In the original, she was portrayed as an icon of perseverance, overshadowed by her talented brother Song Do-hyuks abilities, but here she gave off the vibe of a noble youngdy. I cant keep track of it. I thought I had a decent grasp of this world, the differences from the original, and the butterfly effects I had caused But there were still many unpredictable elements. This was the first time a characters gender had changed. Its not a huge deal, though. Still, nothing seemed to change drastically. The important thing is that Song Hyun No, now Song Hyun-ah, was The Holder who first revealed the acquisition method of the [Sword] rune to the world. And. Like Park Jin-woo, shes an incredible icon of perseverance, a possessor of acquired talent who ister rewarded for her efforts. So if I ever happen to meet her, considering her future achievements, it would be better to maintain a more amicable rtionship with her. Thats about all I needed to keep in mind.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 209: Chapter 209: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Home Town (1) Inside a simply decorated room. Kim Chae-eun was lying on the bed, tightly gripping her phone. She was waiting for a text message from early morning. One, two three. Boo-woong- Exactly 3 secondster, a reply came. Kim Chae-eun hurriedly checked the phone she was tightly holding in her hand. [Jae-hyun] I miss you too. Did you eat breakfast? Hehe. As soon as she saw that, Kim Chae-eun smiled like a fool. Just seeing his name makes her heart flutter, and reading his reply makes her even happier. A man who was once her closest friend. Now, her one and only boyfriend who no one else can rece. It was a morning text from Do Jae-hyun. [Me] Yes, I ate. What about you Jae-hyun? [Jae-hyun] I ate too. Im at the training hall right now. [Me] This early in the morning? [Jae-hyun] Yeah, I have a lot to practice these days. So hard-working. Kim Chae-eun smiled again. In fact, she would have praised him no matter what he was doing, but Do Jae-hyuns diligence was already well-known in the Holder world. His exceptional talent that ranks among the best of all time,bined with his unwavering efforts instead of resting on hisurels. Steady training and constant practice have made him who he is today a story reporters who love making heroes have been telling for a long time. Too much poprity is also a problem. Kim Chae-eun thought about her boyfriend. The most popr Holder in the current Holder world. Undoubtedly, if asked to name one, it would be Do Jae-hyun. Including the top 3 domestic ns, numerous ns already want to recruit him, and the association and academies also send him offers. Interview requests from reporters pour in almost every day. Organizations want projects with him, and individuals want to be acquainted with him. It seems even ordinary people like him too. Perhaps because of his good looks, Do Jae-hyun was also highly popr among regr people. If you search his name on portals, hundreds of rted articlese up, and photos taken who-knows-where circte online. Thats not all. From who knows when Theres also a Do Jae-hyun fan club with quite arge membership. Heh. Im a member too. Of course, Kim Chae-eun was a member. Her rank was even the highest premium member. After uploading a few rare photos of Do Jae-hyun that others cant easily get, her rank immediately leveled up. There are only 5 premium members in the fan club, including the president, and she became an elite member in a short period of time. In any case, Do Jae-hyun was highly popr not only among Holders but also regr people. Thats why they keep having to disguise themselves on dates recently. Incredible. The more she thinks about it, the more amazing her boyfriend seems. Hes evaluated as the top domestic prospect and his potential is recognized, and in reality, he already has overwhelming power that would rank him among the top active Holders. When running the circle , he showed strong leadership, and in the eradication operation, he single-handedly blocked monsters while disying a heroic aspect. At this point, it would actually be harder for him not to be popr. And That, hes also good at Kkya- While mumbling to herself, recounting his deeds Suddenly, as if embarrassed. Kim Chae-eun buried her face in the pillow without hesitation. Do Jae-hyun had one more advantage that people didnt know about. Its almost been a month already. But Kim Chae-eun hasnt forgotten that day for a single day, not even for a moment. The sweet memory of that snowy Christmas night. Embarrassing but also beautiful, their intimate exchange. At the time, her mind was nk But after a day or two, she realized. That the night they spent together was passionate. And that she truly became his woman through it. An extremely personal matter that no one else knows about. A secret she hasnt been able to tell even Kang Ju-yeon and Moon Ga-eun out of embarrassment A secret only Kim Chae-eun keeps to herself. Chae-eun, get ready soon. Lets go. Huh? What?! At the knock and her fathers voice, Kim Chae-eun was startled and answered. Her embarrassing imagination dissipated into the air. As if she had been caught secretly peeking at something. Haha. Why are you so surprised? Ah, its nothing! Ill be right out! Okay. Ill be in the living room. Take your timeing out. Today, shes going out with her father. Its not just to have a meal together after a long time, but also to go to the training hall for the swordsmanship training she had been postponing. After the day she almost died to the viin Ha Do-kwon, Kim Chae-eun asked her father to teach her swordsmanship. Not high-level martial arts like [Left-handed Sword Method], but enough to use a sword for self-defense Topensate for the weakness in closebat that magic-type users like her have. Unfortunately, there was no time to learn until now. With her father taking on the role of department head in addition to being a professor, he was busy every day, and Kim Chae-eun herself had no time to spare as she was learning magic from her official master Jeong Seon-young. But now they have time. The chaotic incidents have ended, and the vacation has started. Both her father and herself have free time. Moreover, the recently hot topic of [Sword] rune acquisition method. A method the Holder Song Hyun-a ims to have found, Kim Chae-eun wants to try it too. In fact, going to the training hall isrgely for that purpose. Ah! Suddenly, Kim Chae-eun pped her hands. As she was slowly thinking about todays schedule, something urred to her. Then, slightly opening the door, she asked her father in the living room. Dad! Where are we going today? I said the training hall, didnt I? Yes. Were going to the Prime Training Hall. Why, is something up? No, just wait a bit! Then she returned to the bed and grabbed her phone. The content of the message she was writing was obvious. [Me] Jae-hyun, which training hall are you at right now? [Jae-hyun] The usual one, what? [Me] Prime? [Jae-hyun] Yeah. Seeing Jae-hyuns immediate reply, Kim Chae-eun smiled. Hehe. Great. Shes lucky. Today is going to be a good day. She was going to go train in swordsmanship with her dad, but by chance, Jae-hyun is there too. She can see his face again while shes at it. The excitement she felt from the morning now felt like she had wings. What should I wear today? Kim Chae-euns gaze turned toward her closet and mirror. Actually, she should wear training clothes. After all, the purpose of going out today is training. But even if she changes into them at the training hall, she wanted to look pretty in front of her boyfriend. Ah, right. I should tell the girls too. Pondering in front of the dresser, Kim Chae-eun suddenly remembered and grabbed her phone. Kim Chae-eun, Kang Ju-yeon, and Moon Ga-eun. A group chat for the three girls. They share their schedules and ns in this chat so they dont ovep with each other Somehow, it became more active after the three of them started dating at the same time. When meeting Do Jae-hyun or making date ns individually, they use this chat to prevent any issues amongst themselves. Kim Chae-eun meeting Do Jae-hyun today wasnt originally scheduled. She had to let her friends know. [Me] Im meeting Jae-hyun today! [Ga-eun] Huh? Where? I heard Jae-hyun is training today. Moon Ga-eun happened to be reading the chat, as she replied right away. Kim Chae-eun smiled and responded. [Me] Hehe. Were going to the same training hall it seems. Im going for training with Dad today too. We might be able to have lunch together, so you guys be aware! [Ga-eun] Okeying. Arasso!! Perhaps by acknowledging and respecting each other, theyve been able to have an open mind. The three girls all support and cheer for each others rtionships with the same man. It was a very positive rtionship that would have been unimaginable when the group chat was first created. I should let the girls know about that day too. Kim Chae-eun quietlyposed herself. They had agreed to share everything, and she was also the senior in this aspect. It might be a bit embarrassing, but She thought she should tell her friends about that day and give them advice on what she can help with. Just as she was closing her phone in a warm mood. Boo-woong- The group chat notification rang again. What is it? She immediately checked the notification. [Ju-yeon] I also have ns with Jae-hyun next week. It was Kang Ju-yeon, who hadnt replied earlier. It seems she just saw the chat and decided to share her schedule too while she was at it. Kim Chae-eun lightly asked about it. [Me] What is it? [Ju-yeon] Im going to Jae-hyuns house. Together with Jae-hyun. [Me] Oh? Really? Then I might be able to see you guys. Our house is right next door after all. After sending that reply, Kim Chae-eun suddenly tilted her head. Has Ju-yeon never been to Jae-hyuns ce before? That thought urred to her for a moment. Its been almost a month since the two became a couple Is it possible she hasnt been to her boyfriends house, even though he lives alone? Especially when he really enjoys and is good at cooking? Its not that strange, but she couldnt quite remember, so she was confused. And then. After a moment of seeming hesitation with no reply in the group chat Kang Ju-yeon sent another message. It was really A bombshell remark that made Kim Chae-euns mind go nk. [Ju-yeon] No, not that, Im going to Jae-hyuns parents house We agreed to go together. Jae-hyun said hes going down to his hometown during the vacation.. Huh? Kim Chae-eun blinked her eyes for a moment. Did she read that wrong? Where is she going? Jae-hyuns parents house. So that means The house of his mother and father, who lives in the countryside, whom she has only heard about but never met. This vixen! Kim Chae-euns warm and fuzzy feelings began to burn fiercely again, like ice melting. Kang Ju-yeon, who had been quiet recently. She was once again quietly rising to the top without anyone knowing. To be the first to meet her boyfriends parents. This is really unfair.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 210: Chapter 210: 27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee
Home town (2) The winter break signaling the new year and the start of the second year. I had made a rtively simple n for this break. Go to dungeons just a little, and focus on improving my existing abilities! The reason I made this n was simple. I had obtained quite a lot of runes and abilities through [Rune Hunter] and various awakenings, but their utilization was inevitablycking. For a Holder, the highs and lows of their possessed abilities are important, but rune utilization is often more important. Ability levels only determine up to C-rank. From B-rank Holders onward, the focus shifts more to rune levels and utilization rather than abilities. Theyre called Rune Holders from the start. If Im not skilled at handling runes, its only natural that my strength wouldg behind. Steadily growing, I see. Fortunately, there were no particr issues with my n. Through diligent training and practice, most of my growing runes had now surpassed level 10, and even non-main runes couldnt be below level 5. At the center of this was the [Effort of the Seeker] rune that had been doing excellent work since the early days of my Holder life. This absurd rune that triples rune level growth speed and grants ability stats with each training Was an ability optimized for a Holders growth like no other. There was even a rune among my possessed ones that gave a bonus to the growth of water-rted runes, so the applicable runes showed insane high-speed growth. Notably, the level of the recently acquired [Brave Eternal Wave] rune was already 6. Really fast. In any case, my simple break n of raising rune levels was progressing sessfully like this. Its not like I was neglecting dungeon raids either. There were only two dungeons I nned to raid this break. and . I had already finished raiding the former with my master from the start of break, and thetter was postponed to the end while slowly picking members to go with. Thanks to that, I had quite some free time left in the middle of the break. I spent most days training and practicing, but with no big ns overall, I had room for leisure. My first trip in a year since falling into this world. This visit to my hometown was also A trip born from that leisure. Oh, its an honor to meet Holder Do Jae-hyun! This is why its tiring to be famous. Most of the Holders I met on the way recognized me, and it was the same at the warp gate to our destination. A Holder belonging to the Association greeted me so overly in such a remote region. Well, they did advertise me so much in the news, so itd be weirder if they didnt know me. Ah, but you seem to be a much senior Holder than me Oh. Ah, but youre a Holder I deeply respect What does seniority matter! Haha. Plus, Holder Kang Ju-yeon is with you too. Ah I see. Thank you. Haha We awkwardlyughed and quickly left that ce. If we stayed any longer, wed inevitably have to do photo time. Quite the popr guy. By my side today was Kang Ju-yeon. When we coincidentally brought up visiting my hometown on ourst date, she said she wanted toe along too. I was a bit torn, but ultimately allowed it. Kang Ju-yeon is a good person without any ws as a girlfriend, and even more so someone who wouldnt make any mistakes in front of my parents. Plus, it was the first time she asked me for something, so I wanted to ept if possible. Ah, just popr with Holders. Ordinary people wont even know who I am. You seemed popr though. There are far more ordinary people not interested in Holders. You had a fan club and everything. Oh, dont even mention that. The fan club president keeps contacting me these days, and I feel like some celebrity. Of course, it wasnt personal contact. As the fan club grew a bit in size and activity, they would asionally contact me through email about holding events like fan meetings or autograph sessions. I didnt know the other partys information, but I could clearly feel they were an avid fan of mine. Im grateful, really. That they show this much interest in me whos not even a real celebrity. But its still a bit burdensome, so Ive been rejecting or postponing their proposals so far. However, Kang Ju-yeon seemed to have seriously misunderstood something As she asked me in a rather cold tone. Should I take care of it? Ju-yeon, please. Im scared you might be serious. Her choice of words made her earnestness feel even stronger. Anyway, we arrived at our destination while chatting about this and that. My hometown is located in Haenam, Jeonam-do. A town better known by the nickname The End Vige. The ce where my parents live, Masan-myeon, is located a bit towards the outskirts even within Haenam. So after arriving in the town, we had to take a taxi and travel quite a distance. My first time in Haenam. After getting out of the taxi, Ju-yeon looked around and said that. While expressionless on the outside, her excited feelings were showing through. The scenery of the countryside and fresh air. It seemed the whole atmosphere surrounding her appealed to her heart. Its my first time too So I tried to excitedly respond as well Before abruptly stopping myself. For someone born and raised here to say Haenam is their first time Im insane. What am I trying to say? Ah, my first time sinceing to the Academy. Yeah, haha. It feels new even though its only been a year. Fortunately, I was able to smoothly connect it. Faced with directly confronting my past that I dont even know, I inevitably stumbled at times. Come to think of it, Im meeting my parents for the first time today too I realized I needed to be careful not to make any mistakes. We must have walked about 10 minutes. Strolling down the countryside road hand-in-hand, it felt like we were on a date, which made me happy. After passing by vast fields and paths crisscrossing between them We finally arrived at my parents house. And the moment I saw it, my mouth naturally hung open. An enormouslyrge mansion was right before our eyes that could hardly be taken in at a nce. Are they some local bigwig? I couldnt help but think that. This is just an insane size. While only 3 stories tall, the area was so wide that it upied the entire site. The courtyard below was spacious enough to be a public parking lot, with several cars parked there. It gave the feeling of what itd be like if wealthy people came down and built a house here in the countryside. It was a scale rarely seen in rural areas. Jae-hyuns family is quite well-off, huh. Even Kang Ju-yeon, from a prestigious family herself, said that. Yeah. I almost forgot our family is affluent. My parents are the kind who can casually offer their son an entire lease deposit for a 24-pyeong apartment. The only reason I was able to attend the Academy after recklessly going up to Seoul was thanks to my farming tycoon parents unlimited financial resources. As we arrived in front of the house and looked around, my parents soon came out to greet us. Son-! Youre here? Thedy of our household and my mother, Park Eun-sook, rushed over first to wee us. Next to her, my father Do Seung-wan stood slightly smiling. While meeting them for the first time, I had already be familiar with their faces through photos and videos. Mom, Dad. Im here. I greeted them in as sincere a tone as I could muster. To which my parents broke into smiles. Haha. He really is speaking formally. Oh my. Why are you surprised by my son? Hes all grown up now. It seems my father couldnt believe my formal speech at first. Since I had only spoken to my mom over calls until now. But hearing this conversation put my heart at ease. I was a bit worried my slightly changed manner of speech mighte across as odd, but fortunately, both parents seemed satisfied. With that out of the way, I nced to the side and Had to forcibly hold back augh that almost burst out. There stood Kang Ju-yeon, at least 10 times more tense than me, stiffly frozen like a statue. How cute. I can understand that tension. Id probably freeze up too if I had to greet Kang Woo-hyun, Moon Jeong-hyuk, or Professor Kim Myeong-hyun directly. Seeing them normally is different from Meeting them as their daughters boyfriend feltpletely different. Mom. This is the girlfriend I mentioned before. So I took the initiative to help her out. With my simple introduction, my parents gazes turned toward her, and Kang Ju-yeon immediately bowed in greeting. Hello. Im Kang Ju-yeon. Its an honor to meet you, Father, Mother. Kuhek. I almost let out an inadvertent cough. Father and Mother, huh. Setting the rtionship so firmly from the start. But that wasnt the only point that shocked me. Her speech is fast and precise. Among all the words Ive heard from Ju-yeon until now This was the fastest and most urate delivery. Kang Ju-yeon. You really are good with words, huh Oh my, so crisp. And such a pretty face too. Thank you. Almost too good for our Jae-hyun-. As my mom jokes like that with augh, my dad chimed in. Heh. What do you mean, what is our Jae-hyuncking? I mean with his manners, you know. Anyway, lets head inside. I need to go with Ju-yeon. Taking Ju-yeon by the arm, my mom led the way. Not just over the phone, I felt it again in person my moms affability seems to be the highest among anyone Ive met so far. This level might even surpass Moon Ga-euns. Left behind, my dad and I exchanged amused smiles before heading towards the house. Oh, Jae-hyun. Yes, Dad? Then my dad called out to me, and I turned my head. We have a guest visiting right now. A guest? Yeah. A Holder, but someone famous in farming too, so theyre coborating with our family for a bit. A Holder famous in farming? Its an unusualbination. No matter how hard I racked my brain, no particr individual came to mind. Patting my shoulder, my dad continued speaking. They were curious about meeting my son, a Holder too. Greet themter when you meet. Yes, I understand.
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
All /ippostrantions Chapter 211: Chapter 211:
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Home Town (3) The interior of the mansion was as splendid as the outside. The first floor consisted of a living room, kitchen, and rooms for guests, while my parents room and mine were on the second floor. Peculiarly, the third floor had arge study, various business-rted rooms, and agricultural researchbs spread out. It seems my parents, being wealthy farmers, had agricultural materials systematically organized even inside the house. After entering the house, my parents went down to the first floor to finish preparing the meal While Kang Ju-yeon and I came up to the second floor, touring my room. Fortunately, since theyout wasnt too different from my studio apartment in Seoul, I didnt feel too bewildered in this new room of mine. Kang Ju-yeon slowly ran her hands over various parts of the room, admiring it. Its huge. She would asionally make such remarks. Haha, thats how parents are. They always want their childrens living spaces to be nice. Isnt Ju-yeons room like that too? When I asked her teasingly, Kang Ju-yeon nodded slightly. Her room was probably even bigger than this, definitely not smaller or cramped. Compared to Kang Woo-hyuns love for his daughter, my parents love for their son was like childs y. Kang Ju-yeon continued touring the spacious room. Honestly, Im not too interested in interior design, so there wasnt much for me to look at in the room But she seemed so delighted, touring with a faint smile. Her expression looked inexplicably happy. So I didnt disturb her either. Kang Ju-yeon toured my room, and I toured Kang Ju-yeon. There wasnt much conversation, but that silence was surprisinglyfortable. Knock knock- Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. My mother had arrived, having finished the preparations. Kids, the meal is ready. I just set it up, so no need to rush if youre busy. Come down when youre done with whatever you need to do. No, mom. Well go right now. I immediately responded to my mothers cheerful words. Mother. What kind of imagination were you having? What could we possibly be busy with or need to finish in this short time? Her thoughtful consideration was almost embarrassingly mischievous. Kang Ju-yeon seemed to have btedly understood my mothers implication, as her face had turned red. Ahem. Lets go quickly. The food will get cold. Yes. It felt like she was implying something terrifying like time is but I tried to ignore it. In any case, we finished our brief tour of the house and my room, and headed down to the first floor. The dining room was next to the living room. It was toorge a space to be called just a kitchen. Inside, there was a dining table that could probably seat around ten people. And A feast that could make the table legs bend awaited us. Wow Another exmation escaped my lips. There seemed to be over 10 basic side dishes alone, and the appetizers and main courses matched that in number. The diverse array of dishes spannednd, sea and air, and even at a nce, their quality was apparent. There were also appropriately paired beverages fitting the atmosphere, as well as visually delightful decorations. This could truly be called a sumptuous feast. Looks like mom is as sincere about cooking as I am. The [Cooking] rune might have originally been my innate talent after all. Mom, did you make all of this yourself? As everyone was eximing in admiration, I leaned in and whispered to my mom. In response, she yfully pushed me away with her arm. You know your mom cant cook that well. I had most of it catered. Catered? I asked back in a puzzled tone. But how could such dishes be delivered all the way here To our rural vige, which is even more remote than the end of Haenam county? These days, the world has be better. If you pay a generous service fee, they evene and cook on-site. I was surprised the Holders could cook so well too. Ah, she used . The same catering service Kim Chae-eun had used before. It seems she had the Holders from their Gwangju branch make an on-site visit here. Considering the cost of [Warp Gate] plus the additional distance, she must have spent a considerable amount, but my mothers smile showed no concern whatsoever. Indeed, when my parents spend, they spendvishly. Everyone, please take a seat. Ju-yeon, you too, sit down. Yes, mother. We all took our seats at the gorgeously set table. After a short while, the guest my father had mentioned also arrived. He had arge, almost gigantic stature and short ck hair. His disheveled appearance still exuded a sense of style in his choice of clothing. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man you could easily see in Seoul. Introduce yourself, Jae-hyun. This is Senior Holder Kim Ji-sung I mentioned earlier. My father gestured towards the guest as he spoke to me. It was a Holder name I had never heard before. But he seemed to be someone who worked with my father. I greeted him politely with a bow. Hello, senior. I am Do Jae-hyun, a 2nd-year student from the Seoul Holder Academy. However, Kim Ji-sungs reaction was strange. It was as if he hadnt expected to see me here. With a bewildered expression, he looked back and forth between me and my father. President Do, was your son perhaps Holder Do Jae-hyun? Ah, did I not mention that? No, not at all. Haha, yes, thats right. The Do Jae-hyun, whos been frequently in the newstely, is my son. Hahaha. Watching my fatherugh heartily, I realized He deliberately didnt say anything. My father was as much a trickster as my mother. He didnt mention it at all, probably worried it might burden me, but he seemed to take subtle pride in my name appearing in news and articles. I should appear in the news more often then. While I tried to avoid fame as much as possible, finding it bothersome, for the sake of being a filial son, I might need to change my approach. In any case, Kim Ji-sung scratched his head in perplexity. I could well understand his feelings. If he knew me, he would probably recognize Kang Ju-yeon too, so stumbling upon the s only daughter and me in this rural setting must have been quite startling. But it didnt seem like our fame was the reason for his surprise. Holder Do Jae-hyun, may I speak to you a bit casually? Ah, yes of course. Youre my fathers guest. Then After a moments hesitation, he asked me. Then by any chance, do you know the name Park Jin-woo? The unexpected name Park Jin-woo came from Kim Ji-sungs mouth. Park Jin-woo? Why is he being brought up here? I blinked my eyes nkly as I looked at him. Jin-woo? Yes, hes in the same grade with you. Yes, hes my friend, Jin-woo. But how do you How do you know him? I trailed off, notpleting that question as I gazed at him. But Kim Ji-sungs face had already shifted from surprise to delight. My answer that Jin-woo is my friend Seemed to have resolved whatever was bothering him. And soon after Kim Ji-sung dropped a shocking statement. Nice to meet you. Im the one who will be Jin-woos father. Pardon?! My stunned voice filled the dining room. Jin-woos father? What is this all about. *** Ippotrantion *** After the storm of a lunch was over, my parents briefly excused themselves. They said they needed to check on the fields for a bit, but it was clear they were giving us some space to talkfortably. They probably wanted to catch up with their son after so long too, but showed thoughtful consideration for what seemed like an important matter for us. So Are you really Jin-woos father? Thats how Kang Ju-yeon, Kim Ji-sung, and I were left in the living room. I asked the biggest question that had been lingering since earlier. Park Jin-woos father. This was definitely content that did not appear in the original work. Ah, was it briefly mentioned? While his fathers name or appearance was never described, there was a passing mention about his traces. That his father was such a wanderer that he traveled all over the country. So like an absentee father, he would only asionally visit home. But that was the extent of the brief mention. The most that was borated about Park Jin-woos family was regarding his kidnapped younger sister Park Yoon-seo during the Academy Invasion Incident. In response to my question, Kim Ji-sung let out augh. Haha, well I could be Jin-woos real father, or a fake one. You seem like a fake father though? The words almost slipped out. Well, they really didnt resemble each other at all. From their facial features to speech, demeanor, and gestures Nothing about him was simr to Park Jin-woo. Not to mention his name is Kim Ji-sung to begin with. Is that like an alias then? Various doubts filled my expression. Seeing that, Kim Ji-sung nodded his head. I understand. There are probably a lot of disconnected parts. Hmm Where should I start exining from? After briefly pondering, he snapped his fingers. Ah right, itll be faster to show than tell. !! The moment those words ended, Kang Ju-yeon and I flinched reflexively. There was a sudden shift in the surrounding air. An intense magic began emanating from Kim Ji-sungs body. The magic originating from his fingertips and feet slowly traveled up, eventually enveloping his entire body. The speed of manifestation and delicate control were astounding. His [Magic Control] exuded a deep level of mastery. High-ranking Holders could roughly gauge someones level just by seeing them wield magic. Kim Ji-sung was one such case. He demonstrated magic utilization so impressive that even Kang Ju-yeon and I were left admiring, clearly marking him as an advanced Holder. Whats going on? And then came his next physical transformation. I watched the sight with a stunned expression. Hows this? Do I look more like Jin-woos dad now? What is this? A [Polymorph] ability? While his initially disheveled attire remained the same, his face hadpletely changed. With distinct facial features and bright eyes, an aura that seemed to exude passion and vibrancy. It was an appearance that made one instantly ept him as Park Jin-woos father. This face goes by the name Park Ji-hwan. Its effectively my real name too. Your real name? Yeah. I cant give my wife and son a fake name. Hmm, and this is Once again, The magic at his fingertips red up intensely. It seemed he was about to demonstrate that perfect disguise ability again. And This face goes by the name Ryu Ji-hyuk. It might even be a face you two are most familiar with. A man with a considerably sharper appearance than Kim Ji-sung or Park Ji-hwan appeared before us. And as he said It was indeed a face Kang Ju-yeon and I knew very well. Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk A Holder whose name and face had appeared in articles numerous times. One of the five Holders that Koreans took pride in. The Holder with the nickname Mystic Holder for rarely showing himself in public. Another unaffiliated S-grade Holder after Yoo Eun-seol. It is Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 212: Chapter 212:
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Home Town(4) S-grade Holder, Ryu Ji-hyuk is a mysterious figure. There is little known about his personal information, and true to his nickname The Mysterious Holder, he doesnt often reveal himself. In fact, its hard to find eyewitness ounts of people actually seeing him, leading to rumors that he might be residing overseas. However, hes notpletely disappeared either. Whenever hes forgotten about, he would resurface and bring significant achievements to the association. He is called the free-spirited soul of the Holder world due to his unique persona. Haha, thats quite a surprised expression you have there. Yes. Its not just quite surprising, its extremely surprising. There are only five S-grade Holders in the country, and this particr one is known to keep a low profile. And he is the father of Park Jin-woo? Of course I would be shocked and flustered. This is perhaps a plot twist towards the very end that wasnt even revealed in the original work. I never imagined Id get to meet Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk at our house all of a sudden As an S-grade Holder shrouded in mystery, there isnt much publicly known information about him, his name, appearance, basic build, and that he is in the warrior ss, wielding sword and shield as a defensive type. While the skill in the warrior ss lies in tanking and counter attacking, Ryu Ji-hyuk is the only one who has risen to the S-grade in this ssical form. Thats why he receives immense respect from many other warrior-type Holders. The man himself, however, just shrugged his shoulders with the amiable smile he had shown us earlier. Is that so? The names I gave Park Ji-hwan, Ryu Ji-hyuk, Kim Ji-sung all have Ji in the middle, dont they. I was momentarily at a loss for words. No Who would notice something like that, teacher. Seeing him casually mention such a ridiculous story confirms that he is indeed Park Jin-woos father. I shook my head briefly to gather my thoughts, and asked the most important question. Then What should I call you? Ryu Ji-hyuk, Park Ji-hwan, and the other identity introduced to my parents today, Kim Ji-sung. With three different names, the proper form of address was an issue. Call me Park Ji-hwan. Thats my real name, and it would be more appropriate for Jin-woos friends to call me by that name. I nodded in agreement. I also thought that name would be the most suitable to use. I can switch back to calling him Kim Ji-sung when my parents return. Holder Park Ji-hwan. Speakfortably. After organizing my thoughts, I asked the question that had been burning in my mind. I understand that you are Jin-woos father. I was surprised, but I also understood that you are the S-grade Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk, considering your camouge abilities and your past activities. But I hesitated briefly before continuing. I dont understand why youre telling us this. If youve been hiding it all this time, you must have your reasons. Even though we are Jin-woos friends Telling you because youre Jin-woos friends is part of the reason, isnt it? Huh? With a puzzled expression, I asked back, and Park Ji-hwan let out a heartyugh. Haha, I was just joking. But thats not apletely wrong statement either. I revealed that Im Jin-woos dad right away when I saw you. Showing you my identity as Ryu Ji-hyuk is a different matter, though. He took a sip of the tea on the table, and continued slowly. The reason I revealed my identity to you is simple. I may need your help right now. Our Help? Thats right. Im currently chasing after a certain organization. That organization doesnt exist in reality, and the clues can only be found in dungeons, not in the real world. One of those clues is in the field where your parents are farming, here in Haenam. Thats why Im here as Kim Ji-sung. He had many vague and unclear aspects. He couldnt tell us all the information, but the contradiction arose from him asking for our help within that. Nheless, one thing was certain. Park Ji-hwan is chasing after a specific organization, and hes asking us for something in that regard. Can you at least tell us what that organization is? Not yet. Is it something simr to the Viins? Worse, more fundamentally evil than that. Hearing that, I nodded. I had predicted to some extent that another evil group would emerge after the . Submaster Hwang Seong-yeon had fled, and bits of information rted to the other world were starting to surface one by one. Of course, I didnt expect to obtain this information in such a manner, but It seems Park Ji-hwan is tracking the traces of this unknown organization. I roughly understand. Anyway, the conclusion is that you want us to tackle some dungeons, right I said, carefully unraveling the tangled threads. In fact, there was one more contradiction in his words. But can we do what you, as an S-grade Holder, cannot? Weve just recently been promoted to A-grade, while you are an S-grade. How can we do what an S-grade cannot? And entrusting this task to us, who are merely the friends of his son, was also questionable. However, Park Ji-hwan firmly nodded. Its possible. How so? Because the dungeon I want you to tackle is the Chamber of the Transcendent. !! The sudden mention of that term made my eyes widen. The Chamber of the Transcendent. Unlike regr dungeons, it has entry conditions, and formidable trials that are difficult for ordinary Holders to conquer. I had first learned about this space when training with my mentor at the start of the vacation, and the reporting on it is still ongoing, so the information has not yet been made public. Jae-hyun, I know that you have already ovee the trial of the Transcendent once. Thats why Im entrusting this request to you. How do you know about that? Its one of the abilities of my Rune. As a seeker, I can see what others cannot. Seeker? Another familiar keyword echoed in my ears, which had been important to both Park Jin-woo and myself. Kang Juyeon was looking at us with a puzzled expression, as she had no knowledge of the . Ill probably need to exin it to her in more detailter. I thought for a moment and asked again. Cant I go with you, Holder Park Ji-hwan? Haha. Jae-hyun, you should know better. There are entry requirements for the Chamber of the Transcendent. Im already disqualified, and even you might not be able to enter. He was right. Without knowing the specific entry conditions for the that Park Ji-hwan is requesting, if we dont meet them, the dungeon exploration would be impossible from the start. What if we dont qualify? Well, then nothing can be done about it. Ill have to find other trustworthy peopleter who do qualify. Have you considered requesting help from the Association? If youre chasing an evil organization, they would be faster, right? But at that, Park Ji-hwan burst out into boisterousughter. Hahaha. Thats a really funny suggestion. I appreciate the goodwill, but Ill have to decline. Theres not a single trustworthy person in the Association. Trustworthy Holders. At that vague term, I quietly looked at him. Am I considered a trustworthy Holder then? Of course you are. And why is that? Because I am Jin-woos friend? That is one of the reasons, among other reasons. Park Ji-hwan stood up from his seat as he said that. Anyway, I ask that you do this. This map has the location of the dungeon and the path to the Chamber of the Transcendent. If you seed in the exploration, send me a simple greeting to your parents as a signal, and Ille back here to find you someday. His belongings were already neatly packed, as if he was about to leave our house after this conversation. I asked while looking at that. Where are you going? France. I have to find another path. Do you often go abroad like this? I tend to be abroad more often than in the country. So the rumors were true, S-grade Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk is not in the country, but wandering abroad. And thats when I finally saw his true self, one who has given up many things and is searching for a path. If the Transcendent holds the most information about the other world, then Park Ji-hwan, who holds the most crucial key among the Holders, is the one. Anyway, I appreciate your help. If you happen to see my son and daughter, please pass along my greetings. I do visit them asionally, but Im not sure when Ill be able to go home next. I nodded at that. Despite being close friends with Park Jin-woo, we had never talked about his father before I was curious to see how he would react if this topic came up. Park Ji-hwan, who finished packing his belongings, came up to me and lightly patted my shoulders, whispering in my ear. Please also give my regards to Won-ho and Myeong-hyun. You know the masters? Theyre fading memories now. Thats one of the biggest reasons I trust you. Park Ji-hwan said that and took his leave, lightly bidding farewell. Hes really gone. No, what kind of meeting and parting was that, so brief? It seems thats how busy of a Holder Park Ji-hwan is, and it was a stroke of fortune that we happened to meet at our house. Itsplicated, Kang Juyeon muttered quietly. Too much information hade in such a short time. Park Jin-woos father is actually the S-grade holder Ryu Ji-hyuk, who goes by multiple identities and is a mysterious figure, separate from the Association he is chasing a specific organization, and has asked us to tackle the . Before we could even fully process all this, he had immediately left. My head was filled withplexity. Are you going to do it? Swish- Kang Juyeon suddenly moved on the sofa,ing closer to me. Crossing her arms, she leaned her head on my shoulder and asked. Her natural disy of intimacy is surprisingly developed now. Probably? Anyway, its a request from Jin-woos father, and the dungeon seems to be quite important to me as well. The only downside is that theres no reward, but In fact, for something like the , sharing the dungeon information would be the proper reward. And wed be monopolizing that. Then Ill do it too. Kang Juyeon snuggled deeper into my embrace as she said that. Theres a mountain of information she doesnt know, starting from the . But she didnt ask about any of that, and just said she wanted to do it together. I could feel her deep trust and consideration for me. Alright, lets do it then. This visit to the main house, which was originally meant to meet my parents and hang out with Kang Juyeon, now had another purpose added to it.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 213: – Chapter 213: ¨C
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Chamber of the Transcendent: Canales (1) That night. Our family finished dinner and had a light drinking session. They said it was 3-year-old ginseng infused liquor To be honest, I didnt really know the depth of it. Since I prefer wine, it just felt like I was eating medicinal herbs. Ugh Its bitter. Haha. I thought you were all grown up, but youre still a child when ites to alcohol. My fatherughed as he refilled my ss. He seemed very d to see his son after a long time. His high spirits from lunch had carried on into the night. By the way, did you see Mr. Park no, Mr. Kim Ji-sung? As I poured alcohol into my fathers ss, I brought up the story of the departed Park Ji-hwan. My father nodded. He came to our field and greeted us. He said helle again. I didnt know, but hes actually the father of my friend. I heard about that too. What a coincidental connection. He was just a guest who came to coborate on some technical research. I still had many questions about Park Ji-hwan. What was the organization he is chasing, what exactly was the seeker, how were his son and daughter doing, why was he acting alone As he was a figure who held the keys to new information, there were many topics I wanted to discuss with him. But he was a person who wandered around the world, exploring the truth. I would need time to meet him again. I could only promise a future day, whenever that may be. Jae-hyun. Wheres our Juyeon? Suddenly, my mother next to my father looked around and asked me. At that question, my expression became one of bewilderment. Is it already our Juyeon? Hoho. The term just came out like that? It would be nice to enjoy together, wouldnt it? She said shell rest in her room. But its been a year since were all together as a family, so she didnt want to disturb us. Kang Juyeon had gone upstairs to the second floor to give us space. The guest rooms are usually on the first floor, but there are also rooms on the second floor. The room Kang Juyeon chose was right next to mine. Since its a huge manor, the second floor space is wide, and theres quite a distance between the rooms Even though theyre on the same floor, it seems shell be able to stay without much inconvenience. How thoughtful of her. Jae-hyun, mom really likes Juyeon. My mom smiled brightly. Then my father took a sip of his ss and said, Shes the daughter of such a prestigious n. The judgment of fire, perhaps. Pft- At those words, I almost spat out the infused liquor I was sipping. How did he know that? I was so taken aback by the unexpected remark. I stared at him nkly and asked, Did you look it up? Ah, dont even mention it. Ever since you became a Holder, your father has be a full-fledged Holder too. He searches the news every day and reads the articles about you three times, you know? Useless talk. At my moms added words, my father cleared his throat. The paternal instinct I felt earlier was not false. He might even know the Holder circle better than I do. It was clear that he was pretending not to know, even though he knew I had be a famous Holder. Thats nice. But I wasnt particrly upset about it. The parents I met for the first time today They were all good people. They had a bright energy, and an exceptional consideration for others. They took pride in their work, and there was the warm country spirit lingering in the house. Although they were worried about the arduous journey of their Holder son, they were always proudly cheering him on. I was grateful for that unwavering support. It seems that because of the care of these people, I was able to continue my academy life without any major troubles, starting from nothing. Mom, Dad. Thank you. Although the words are still unfamiliar to me, even from the previous world and even now But now, truly, these people are my parents. Dear, our Jae-hyun has really grown up, hasnt he? Thats right. The two of them looked at each other andughed, clinking their sses. I also smiled back at them. And I quietly raised my ss for a toast. It was a waning night at the family home. After relieving the long pent-up feelings with my parents, I returned to my room. Although it was a room I had never seen before, thanks to the extensive exploration earlier, I wasnt too confused about theyout. ? And the unexpected guest I encountered in the room. A familiar face. She should have been sleeping in a different room My girlfriend. Her outfit was even daring. Wearing a see-through pink negligee, fully revealing her smooth legs. And in a kneeling posture by the side of the bed, grasping the bedpost. Disying an alluring demeanor more than ever before, she lowered her gaze slightly and said, I, I took a bath. . It seems the night was not over yet. *** Ippotrantion *** The next day. We were out in my parents field from early morning. The dungeon that Park Ji-hwan had told us about. We were there to conquer the . To do that, we had to first go to the dungeon that was the entrance to the inner dungeon. Hmm. Is, is this the ce? It seems to match the map. Uh, yeah. But as Kang Juyeon and I were about to enter the dungeon, we stammered awkwardly at each other. The reason was yesterday. We had first been intimate with each other. Its a natural progression in a rtionship, and I had already spent the night with Kim Chae-eun, so there was no need to be embarrassed But the reality didnt quite match the theory. Seeing Juyeons flustered expression, I kept thinking about what happened yesterday. Her lovely words and actions. Her soft body and lips. And Dammit, Jae-hyun, pull yourself together!! I shook my head quickly to dispel the memories. Love is one thing, and work is another. Hmm. Lets go in. Okay. I managed to regain myposure and prepared to enter the dungeon. Fortunately, Juyeon also quickly returned to her usual self. [You have entered the dungeon.] The dungeon weve entered this time is the . Its a dungeon in the form of a cave. By the way, this name was given by Park Ji-hwan, and he turned out to be quite good at naming. Anyway, ording to his exnation This dungeon is a high-level dungeon with fire attribute monsters. From the B-grade Sizzling Smanders we experienced in the , to the A-grade zing Imps and Burning Scorpions. There was even an A-grade HellHound, simr to the one we saw in the in Japan. True to the dungeon that holds the Chamber of the Transcendent>, formidable high-level monsters were crawling all over. The elemental affinity isnt good. Yeah. For Kang Juyeon, a fire attribute mage, the elemental affinity is not favorable. Of course, since I have a universal affinity for almost all attributes, its not a major issue But thats when were just hunting normally. The conditions were facing now are clearly disadvantageous. We have to go to the Chamber of the Transcendent. Our current goal is not the . Its the inner dungeon within it, the . Im not sure if the conditions will be met, but If we can enter there, we have to maintain our physical condition at its best. The trial of the boasts an extremely high difficulty level. And thats the reason for the current disadvantage. While efficiently hunting and maintaining our condition, continuing the hunt in an unfavorable elemental affinity would easily tire us out. And the solution to that was simpler than I thought. We just need to pass through without hunting. How? At Juyeons question, I smiled. And from my magic bag, I took out a bottle of water and focused my magic into it. Manifestation, Arrangement, Amplification. When using magic rune skills, I can cast immediately without an incantation, but using an incantation amplifies the effect. I concentrated my inner magic into my hands and the water bottle using [Magic Control] and [Florian Spell]. Adding [Magic Amplification] on top. Instantly, powerful magic flowed towards my hands and the water bottle. New Wave. [Elemental Master]s derivative skill, [New Wave]. If theres even a little bit of water, it can summon a massive amount of water and create a gigantic wave. With the assistance of various runes, the [New Wave] unleashed Arger wave than ever before, engulfing the interior of the dungeon. Shuaaaaa-!! Call of the Contract. I didnt just watch the spectacle passively. As the water burst forth, I immediately summoned my second contractor, As. Woooo-!! Looking at it makes my jaw drop open, a massive turtle revealed itself. Its been a very long time since Ive seen this sight. This was the second summoning after the previous raid. -I greet the Oath bearer. Long time no see, As. Can I ask a favor of you right away? -I am always prepared, Master. To pass through the dungeon without hunting, we need a means of transportation to bypass the monsters. Thats where Tyrbon and As came to mind. But Tyrbon doesnt have any transportation-rted runes, so it cant be easily ridden by anyone. Moon Ga-eun had the [Horseback Riding] rune, which made it possible, but Kang Juyeon did not possess that. On the other hand, As has the Max level [Transportation Expert] rune. Just like how he transported Yoo Eun-seol before, he could also carry Juyeon. So I used [New Wave] to create a massive wave, and forcibly summoned As. But its still not enough. However, even so, there was not enough water for As to travel. We needed more water, a bigger wave To at least reach the early middle part. There was only one way to solve this problem. Use the New Wave skill right now. -Understood. Like me, As possesses high-level water attribute magic runes. Using its [New Wave] to draw out even more water was the solution. As focused its magic without asking any questions. A whopping Level 16 [Swirling Tidal Wave]. And the Level 17 [Dragonion Spell] that only the Dragon Tribe can use. Its borate rune setup drove its water magic. And Woooo-!! Shuaa, shuaaaaa-!! Ssh-!! A wave far exceeding my [New Wave], began to engulf the interior of the dungeon.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 214: Chapter 214:
Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Chamber of the Transcendent: Canales (2) As can only be summoned where there is water, and he bes capable of high-speed transport when traversing waterways. However, the [Altar of Ash Fire] is a dungeon in the form of a cave. The water present was just groundwater pooled in various ces. So I came up with a strategy to draw water to ces where there was none. Through the [New Wave] skill, I was able to create enough water to summon As, and from there, I used Ass [New Wave] to create the water we would travel through. By stacking amplification and enhancement on the magic, and with Ass high-level water magic unfurling, a tremendous torrent was created. It was an amazingly massive wave. As I stood there in awe I quickly shook my head to regain my senses. There was no time to just stand and watch. Juyeon, wait a moment. Okay. I swiftly embraced Juyeon and stepped onto Ass back. We needed to hurry. While I had summoned enough water to cover the entire cave, this wave ultimately wouldnt reach the end of the dungeon. The water would likely reveal the floor somewhere in the middle section, so we needed to elerate from here to cover as much distance as possible. Lets go, As. -Yes, hold on tight, Oath bearer. Uwooong-!! No need forplicatedmands. At the single word go, As fully utilized its strengths. The utilization of its max-level runes was truly unparalleled. Actively using [Underwater Sprint] and [Transport Expert], it swiftly carried us along. I had thought about it before, but this was a furious speed, like riding an ultra-high-speed boat. Shuuu-! Kaga-!! And not only speed, but also safety. During the transit, A-grade Hell Hounds and Burning Scorpions emerged from the waterway But Ass transport waspletely unfazed. This is practically an iron wall. Thanks to Ass immense defensive capabilities. As is a hexagonal contractor with diverse abilities, but its physical stats are mostly focused on defense. With its 20th-level [Dragon Turtle Shell] rune and 108 Toughness, he outssed even most tank Holders in defensive power. So the sudden attacks of the monsters were simply ignored by As, and we didnt need to specially prepare forbat. It was a trulyfortable dungeon transit. As, I have a question. Around this time this stable movement continued. I called out to As with a question that had just urred to me. Ass replied while maintaining his speed. -Please speak. Can you also use magic like Polymorph? [Polymorph]. The legendary magic that the great Dragon n would asionally use for amusement. In the current magicalmunity, it was essentially judged to be a spell that Holders could not cast. What Park Ji-hwan showed wasnt Polymorph. Of course, Park Ji-hwan had disyed simr abilities just yesterday. Park Ji-hwan, Ryu Ji-hyuk, Kim Ji-sung. He had freely transformed the appearances of as many as three people. At the time, I had been a bit confused about whether that was [Polymorph] magic or not But upon further reflection, I could easily tell that it was not. Because Park Ji-hwans abilitycked the consistent routine of magic being cast. Magic involves drawing mana and shaping it through incantations. In addition to the magic being arranged and manifested, the incantation process is also required for application. Therefore, if one is deeply versed in it, you can tell just by looking whether something is magic or not. Park Ji-hwans ability was not magic, and there were still no Holders capable of using [Polymorph]. But As might be able to. As is a Sub-Dragon, after all, a member of the Dragon n. He possesses the unique [Draconian Spells] rune and its [Magic Control] rune is a staggering level 20. Considering these circumstances, perhaps Ass [Polymorph] could be possible. -It is still difficult for me. But As expressed a negative opinion. However, there was a condition attached to that. Still? -Thats right. Although I am currently contracted with you, Oath bearer, some of my runes are restricted due to ack of certain conditions. Polymorph requires very demanding magic utilization, so it can only be used once the Magic Control rune is unlocked. Ah! I understood immediately. Tyrbon and As are high-ranking monsters. Normally, with my current control stats and rune levels, I would be unable tomand them. Through the Dragons uniqueness and my ridiculously overpowered runes, I somehow managed to form a contract, but as a penalty, some of my runes are currently restricted. Possessed Runes [Magic Control](*Restricted) [Dragon Hearts Horn](*Restricted) As has [Magic Control] and [Dragon Hearts Horn] restricted. As it said, it seems those runes need to be unlocked for it to be able to use high-level magic like [Polymorph]. Anyway, as long as I can get Polymorph, your summoning wont be limited to just water, right? The reason I was specifically asking about this magic was simple. I wanted to break the limitation of As only being able to be summoned where there is water. As is an unparalleled monster in water magic and defense. So if I could remove that summoning restriction, the possibilities for its utilization would be endless. Theres a high chance its abilities would be limited, but even so, I think it would still be more than usable. -Thats correct. However, in Polymorph state, all abilities are reduced by 70%. Thats fine. I expected as much. In any case, I now have a way to use As more actively. Ill increase my control stats and rapidly level up the contract-rted runes Ive added another sub-goal to my mental checklist. * * * Ippotrantion *** Shuuaa-! Our movementsted longer than expected. The wave As and I created reached quite far into the dungeon, allowing Ass transport to continue all the way to the very end. The destination was the edge of the middle section of the dungeon. Just 10 more minutes of walking from here, and we would arrive right at the entrance to the . I jumped down to the ground with Juyeon, then spoke to the stationary As. Good work, As. -It was an honor to see you again, Oathbearer. May the blessings of the great ones be with you. Alright. See you again. Im not sure when Ill summon As next, but with this new goal, it wont be long. Just 10 minutes. After sending off As and walking for 10 minutes, we arrived at the expected destination, as predicted. Fortunately, the only monsters we encountered on the way were three A-grade Hell Hounds, an easy hunt that didnt affect our condition at all. Is this the ce? Seems like it. As Park Ji-hwan had instructed, this was a secluded area away from the boss room. There was a zing, intensely red altar in this space. Originally, it should have been ash gray in color, and located in the boss room, not here. This was the reason the dungeon was named the . However, this was the entrance to the inner dungeon, the . Hence, the altar was glowing with a powerful crimson light. Juyeon. Okay. We approached the altar and ced our hands on it. And we simultaneously concentrated our magic. This is different from Fluvius. could only be entered by two entities possessing or bearing the mark of the dragon. Meaning, it was a dungeon that could only be entered by a party of two. But this altar had no such mark. It meant solo entry was possible. And for dungeons like this, magic had to be infused simultaneously. Because if one Holder clears the , it bes inessible for one month. Its done!! I immediately sensed sess. As we infused our magic, the space began to shimmer. Not just on my side, but on Juyeons as well. We both had fulfilled the entry conditions for this ce. [You have met the special conditions to enter the realm of the great! The legendary mes are ring up all around. The magic you exude resonates with the warp gate to the realm of the great.] After passing through the distorted magic, the moment we entered the new space, I finally realized the entry condition for this . The searing heat and mes piercing my entire body tell me. Possession of a legendary rune rted to the fire element. That was the special condition for being able to enter this . [Remarkable achievement! The realm of the great, the space revered by all beings. You have witnessed the Dragons Lair for the second time. The legendary spaces each hold their own unique value. If you continue to uncover the mysterious and solemn ancient histories, a new path may open up for you.] [Your alignment with this achievement increases all base stats by 1.] [The level of the Promise Bound by the Dragon rune has increased.] [The level of the Forgotten Dragon Knights Pride rune has increased.] [Your alignment grants you 2 additional Leadership.] No time to look at the info window. I briefly put aside all the info windows and quickly surveyed the surroundings. The must have a formidable trial awaiting. In Fluvius, her doppelganger had appeared to attack us, an offensive boss form, right from the dungeon entrance. This time, I had no idea what kind of trial might appear, so I couldnt let my guard down. The location is the same deste wastnd. The internal structure is simr tost time. A vast, empty wastnd. No visible organisms or monsters, and not even a roar to be heard. It seemed different from the doppelganger trial back then. Well, those dragon fellows wouldnt repeat the same trial, would they? But just then. Jae-hyun! Over there!! Suddenly, the voice of Juyeon next to me called out. She was pointing to the area behind us. I quickly turned my gaze in the direction her finger was indicating. There, a disaster was approaching. An immense wall of mes, apanied by a powerful explosion, was surging towards us. Boom-! Kwagaga-!! Kwaaang-!! Shit, dodging a bomb, huh. It seems this trial is about Evading or blocking the transcendents magic attacks directly.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Chamber of the Transcendent: Canales (3) The most efficient way to block a magic attack is to use a counterattack of the corresponding element. The attribute of the magic attack currentlying at us is fire. Of course, to block this, we need to utilize the water attribute. No way. But my opinion on this was negative. This fire is not at the level where simply using water attribute magic can block it. The overwhelming origin of this attack is likely the Transcendent Dragon. As such, the intensity is on a different levelpared to regr magic attacks. In fact, thats exactly how it feels. This is, without a doubt, a fire energy that is more intense and deeper than any fire Ive seen so far. I dont have a suitable water magic. Moreover, I dont have a water magic powerful enough to cover this much fire. The most effective of my water magics, [New Wave], has already been used. If I could summon As, I could bring out a few good water magics. But unfortunately, theres no water here to summon As, and even if I did summon it, theres a high chance it would be nullified by a specific barrier, just like with Fluvius. Juyeon, hold on tight! Okay! The only solution is one. If I cant block it, I can only evade. I made all the judgments in less than a second and immediately moved to lift up Juyeon. Since Juyeon doesnt have any physical enhancement runes, I had to use my own stats to move together. Frenzy. Dragon Transformation. Without hesitation, I used buff skills in session. My abilities, which were around 80-90, instantly rose to the 150 range. The most important of these is speed. My speed of 87 recorded 157. Feeling the surging speed of my body, I immediately utilized [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. I have to run. I had to charge in the opposite direction of the iing fire. That was the first method to evade this magic attack. Haaaaah! Fwooosh- Bababam- Kuguugu-!! Gathering my resolve, I started a frenzied charge. Generally, if the rune level of a charge-type rune is high enough, the speed stat doesnt matter too much. Just looking at the two contractors I have right now, its evident. Ass charge with [Underwater Sprint] was unstoppable, and Tyrbons charge with the Rapid Riding effect of [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] was also quite reckless. Considering their speeds are 35 and 63 respectively, its quite remarkable. But speed influence is not entirely absent. However, that doesnt mean speed has no effect at all. Utilizing high speed can Naturally make the charge more effective. My buffed speed of 157 was powering the [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] to a degree beyond imagination. Boom! Kwang! Fwoosh-!! Kuguugu-!! Its easy to lose them. The raging fire and explosions were gradually growing more distant. I could feel it from the sound and heat dissipating. I felt a glimmer of hope in the arduous dungeon clearance. Anyway, the interior structure of this dungeon is a vast wastnd. No matter how extensively the Transcendent unleashes magic attacks, it cannot cover the entire expansive wastnd. The Dragon is not limitless in magic, and even if it were, there would be a limit to how much of the dungeon interior it can fill with magic attacks at once. But Jae-hyun, in front! Juyeon, who is being carried by me. Her sudden shout. Apparently, she saw something appear in front of her. I, maintaining the trance-like charge, immediately turned direction. Whew! Normally, changing direction mid-charge is impossible. Charge-type runes grant speeds beyond my control, so I cant easily manipte the direction. But [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] is the top-tier rune among charge-type runes. It even has the direction change effect of the lower-tier [Rage Rush], allowing for a quick and smooth charge transition. Fwoosh-!! Kwaaang-!! The fire just barely missed us. I could feel the intense heat on my arm. And the tremendous explosion sounding from right behind. Just from the unnatural power and sound, I knew. This is absolutely. Not something that can be canceled out by my fire resistance ability or water magic. I almost got hit. Moreover, the situation has changed. The fire attacks were not justing from behind. It was attacking us head-on from the front as well. It appeared so abruptly, as if bursting from the ground, and if not for Juyeons marking, we would have directly faced the fire attack. I had to focus on the new variables in front of me again. Maintaining my gaze forward, I continued the charge. Boom! Kwaaang! Fwooosh- Fwurrrr- One, two, three Seven, eight, nine Too many fireballs to even count were whizzing past us. Damn It never ends. Marking as many as I could with Juyeon on my back, our cooperative charge managed to evade the fire attacks. But crushingly, there was no end in sight. The fire attacks appearing in front of us just kept increasing in number. Multiplying, and multiplying again. The uncontroble spreading mes had reached a point where simply changing direction was no longer enough. Fire was everywhere. Damn el Piercing. The situation had be too dangerous. Not just me charging, but Juyeon on my back could be struck at any moment. I had no choice but to bring out [Wyvern Spear] using the Act of Weapon Exchange. There was no other option. If all the paths to evade by charging were blocked I had to directly pierce through that blocked wall. Fwooosh- Fwurrr-!! [el Piercing] is not a simple physical attack. Itbines physical and magic attacks, enabling it to instantly tear apart the target. Even if the target is magicposed fire energy, it is no exception. Tsss- Tsutsu- Swoooosh-!! The moment [el Piercing] pierced through, I quickly imbued it with water attribute. Using the special effect Change Strike of [Elemental Master], to ensure it passes through even more decisively. Thanks to that, the seemingly solid fire barrier was ultimately pierced by my spear. Juyeon, shield! Okay! At that moment, I quickly asked Juyeon to deploy a [Magic Barrier]. Even with many safety measures, the remaining heat could still harm us. I needed to fully suppress the bacsh. The best judgment in the worst situation. Even in that brief moment, we found an effective solution and acted. Thanks to that, 10 minutes after the trial began, we were able to reach this point without sustaining any significant damage. But Dangerous. The situation was not all good. We were actually entering a real crisis. [el Piercing] is a skill that has conditions to use, so it is undoubtedly powerful. It managed to pierce through the Transcendent mes that I thought I couldnt block directly. However, there is one weakness. That is, using the skill interrupts my charge. This is no problem in the usual offensive situation where I use charge, but in the current evasion situation, it is a critical w. Armor Weapon! Conveniently, Juyeon seems to have finished her preparation. Immediately afternding, she used a skill. A defensive-type skill that I had also experienced before. The mes she created were to try to ovee the current crisis as much as possible. Fwoosh- Fwurr But still, blocking fire with fire is apparently difficult. Juyeons fire barrier was instantly consumed by the greater Transcendents mes. And with an even more intense force, it started rushing towards us again. Power Break. Seeing that, I made a decision. I will use all the skills I have. After all, once this trial is over, will be cleared. I dont need to hold back my abilities and skills. Boom! Kuguugu- Jjeojeojeok- The ground right behind us started moving. [Power Break] can momentarily transform the ground through magic, changing the structure of the terrain andndscape. With a massive vibration, the ground cracked and a huge chasm, like a cliff, was formed. As a result, the iing mes could not cross the gap and were instead drawn into the crevice. The rear was now safe from the raining mes. And Flow like a raging stream. I didnt hold back even my ultimate skill. [True Flowing Sword]. Among my defensive-type skills, this is now the one with the highest performance, if not an outright ultimate. Especially with the characteristics of the [Brave Eternal Waves] rune, the power of water is infused into the skillIn a situation covered in fire like now, this ultimate skill can disy an even greater effect. Swoosh, Aaaaah-!! Kugagagaga-!! Instantly, a sphere of water was generated around me, and it soon transformed into thrusting water strikes shooting in all directions. The power of [True Flowing Sword] had already been thoroughly proven. The water strikes possessing both defensive and counter attacking power relentlessly covered the area, neutralizing the mes. After using [el Piercing] to pierce through the mes, This was a satisfying counterattack striking the Transcendents attack once again. It was a refreshing retaliation. Cant let my guard down. While all the nned attacks seeded, I did not let my guard down. Ive missed chances like this more than a few times before. Here, I had to erect a barrier that could withstand the magic present and absent. I quickly reached out to the ground and looked back. Juyeon, help me amplify the magic here on this side Jae-hyun. But Juyeons stiffened expression. Her gaze fixated on the opposite direction Told me that the situation had once again taken a difficult turn. Damn it. Turning my head, I faced the despair head-on. I had anticipated it, but the speed is too fast. And too powerful. This damned Transcendent has created an even more intense me And is now unleashing it directly at us.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Chamber of the Transcendent: Canales (4) Fuck This is really too much. This is really ridiculous. Even though I extinguished so much fire, it appeared again. This time, the fire that came back was even stronger andrger. As if to prove the word trial The transcendents fire attack didnt get tired and weed us. When will this end? Until now, it seems Ive held out for at least 15 minutes, but this damned trial showed no signs of ending. Act of Weapon Exchange. But there was no time to whine. Nothing changes just byining. It will only put us in danger. I quickly put away the sword and took out the shield. Since the [True Flowing Sword] is blocked, there is no reason to keep the sword. I really didnt want to do this. It was an option I excluded because I thought it was too reckless. Thest defense measure I kept as ast resort. It was to Use my body and shield to directly block that fire. Juyeon, dont move. No!! Ignoring the shouting Kang Juyeon, who seemed to have realized something, I tightly embraced her in my arms. And I turned my back to the fire. Woosh- Fwoosh-!! Normally, the right way is to face the fire and raise the shield. But if I do that, Kang Juyeon behind me will be in danger. The fire that flows through the sides of the shield will only go towards the back. So I turn my body in the opposite direction, wrap her in the shield, and fully receive the fire with my own body. Defending this way increases the burden of the attack on me, but I can carry out a slightly more perfect defense. All the remaining skills. [Iron Wall Defense], and [Hardenning]. I utilize all the remaining defensive skills I have left. Ive done everything I can. Whats left is to hope that the power of that fire is within my predictions, and that this attack will be thest. There was no choice but to fervently wish for that. And. Boom, Booooooom-!! Fwoooosh-!! For the first time in my life, I felt The terrifying mes and pain that began to engulf me. *** Ippotrantion *** No. Kang Juyeon looked at the dark front with a shocked expression. Because Do Jae-hyun was tightly embracing her to keep her from moving, the surroundings were blocked and she couldnt do anything. However, she tried to summon her energy. No no. This cant be. If it continues like this, Do Jae-hyun will be in real danger. The danger of that fire Even Kang Juyeon, who handles fire, couldnt gauge it. A fire she had never felt before. A fire her father couldnt even feel. A disaster that seemed to swallow everything. Do Jae-hyun stood in front of that fire with his bare body. A reckless action to protect Kang Juyeon by using the shield behind him. She couldnt just watch that. One more Defensive me Skill!! Although the skill was already blocked once, Kang Juyeon somehow used it again. A shield of mes rising around Do Jae-hyun. But as seen before, [Defensive me Skill] was easily devoured by the huge fire. Boom, Booooooom-!! Fwoooosh-!! And the terrible fire attack finally engulfed them. A deafening explosion sound is heard. Sessive bursts of huge mes. An overwhelming amount of magic that can be felt by its presence alone. Ah, ah Kang Juyeon looked ahead with a desperate face. The man who single handedly blocked this unbelievable attack. Do Jae-hyun was silent, not even letting out a small groan Lying still without moving his body. Kang Juyeon could feel his state through the hands grasping him. Thats why she was more afraid. Some pains sometimese So agonizingly that one cant even make a sound. Thats how Do Jae-hyun is now. The impact must have been extremely severe, as he was directly hit by the massive fire, far beyond an ordinary attack. No matter how high his fire resistance and toughness stats are. That fire was at a level he absolutely couldnt handle. Kang Juyeon couldnt even imagine how much pain he was in. No, no Kang Juyeon inwardly cried out. Deep regret pierced her heart. If she hadnt followed him. If he had gone through this trial alone Perhaps he wouldnt have suffered like this. Wasnt it all because of her own greed? In this extreme crisis situation, she felt like everything was her fault. Kang Juyeon, who had no physical enhancement runes, and Do Jae-hyun who endured the trial alone while carrying her. Unnecessary thoughts kept hitting her head. Fwoo- Fwoooosh-!! And as if scolding her for that, The fire red up again. Too spiteful and merciless an attack. But she had to block it. There were no more defensive skills left. If she took this one, it would really be the end. Please Something In the endless despair, Kang Juyeon desperately tried to summon her energy. But there was nothing she could do. [Defensive me Skill] was devoured by the mes no matter how many times she used it, and she didnt have any other defensive skills to use. Even though she had newly awakened and obtained the legendary rune [Eternal me of Protection], she couldnt properly utilize the rune. Whenever she tried to use her abilities, she was somehow blocked and restricted, and she had difficulty drawing out the true defensive power that the protection name implied. She vaguely realized that in addition to just obtaining the rune, there were other awakening conditions required, but she couldnt figure out what those conditions were. That was the reason for Kang Juyeons current helplessness. Jae-hyun She was resentful of her own self. What does it matter that shes the top prospect in the country, or an A-grade Holder? She has been praised and expected a lot throughout her career, but when the most important moment came, she couldnt do anything. The person she loves and cherishes the most. The one who made her most honest with her own feelings. The person she fell in love with for the first time in her life. She couldnt even protect that precious person. What meaning do all those honorifics have? Im sorry Despair turned to frustration, and frustration to resignation. Sinking deep into regret and self-deprecation, Kang Juyeons heart fell into an endless abyss. Like this epting everything like this. She only thought it would end miserably. But then. Kang, Juyeon A voice came from the motionless man. Full of a metallic sound, and hoarsely cracked, but definitely Do Jae-hyuns voice. Jae, Jae-hyun! Kang Juyeon called him in surprise. She thought he had fallen into a critical state, but fortunately he was able to speak. He slowly loosened the embrace around his body. And grabbing her shoulder with a trembling hand, he managed to let out his voice. Keep, fighting *cough*. WhatDid you say? Kang Juyeon asked again, not clearly hearing the words. What did he want to say? In a crisis situation where the mes could strike at any moment What did he want to say? With that question, Do Jae-hyun responded with a faint smile. And he delivered one sentence. Can you keep fighting? I need your strength. ! At those few words, Kang Juyeons body instantly became as stiff as a stone statue. That was an unforgettable sentence. -Kang Juyeon. Can you keep fighting? I need your strength. . Together with him, they hunted the boss of that dungeon. At the time when she thought everything was over, in that desperate situation. Do Jae-hyun, showcasing his amazing abilities, single-handedly opened a way out. He had said the exact same thing then. The exact same He had reached out his hand to her. -Lets go. Looking at him, the moment her heart started racing for the first time. The moment she might have fallen for him. Even then, he had believed in Kang Juyeon. Without hesitation, he had asked her for help. Despite his own innate power and abilities being overwhelmingly superior He didnt doubt that arade would help him ovee the trial. Cough! And it is the same now. Even after fighting his body to shreds And the result was despair, yet she was about to give up. When the one and onlyrade, the Holder who was her lover, couldnt do anything And she was ming herself, about to surrender. He did not give up. He was still reaching out his hand to Kang Juyeon. She didnt believe in herself, but Do Jae-hyun had always believed in her. . Kang Juyeon nkly looked at his figure. The man smiling at her like a fool. His appearance was as wretched as the ashes left by the fire, but In that moment, He shone more brilliantly than anyone else. The man she loved was such a wonderful person. So Kang Juyeon swallowed the falling tears and Smiled at him. Okay! That was undoubtedly The brightest and most beautiful smile Kang Juyeon had ever had in her life. [Your unwavering determination and the earnest request of the Knight resonate like a wish. Fragments of forgotten memories flow in, tracing the circle of recurrence. The sacred covenant that had long remained as an ancient trace now shines with light once more!] [Obtained the new rune Trace of the Dragon n.] [Gained 6 points each in magic and Willpower from the runes affinity.] [All limitations on the legendary rune Eternal me of Protection have been unlocked, as all special conditions were met. You are newly awakened to the true power of this rune.] [Eternal me of Protection rune level has increased. ] [Understanding of all existing fire increases dramatically. Gained 10 points each in magic and fire resistance.] Numerous information windows popping up suddenly. Booooooom- Fwoooosh- Fwoooosh-!! And as if keeping a promise. The approaching mes. Kang Juyeon briefly closed her eyes to hold back those mes, then gently embraced her boyfriend. And. When she opened her eyes again, ze endlessly. The gaze of Kang Juyeon towards the iing fire attack was coldly hardened.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Please rate this series here. Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Chamber of the Transcendent: Canales (5) In Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City, Japan, there stood the ¡°Atsuta Shrine,¡± a renownedndmark. One Korean Holder was stepping foot inside this grand Shinto shrine, which is counted as one of the Three Great Shrines of Japan. With her ash-blue hair and clear eyes, and a long bow that covered her upper body, the beautiful woman was Moon Ga-eun, an archer-type Holder from the n. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Moon Ga-eun looked at the majestic shrine with a sense of wonder. While she had visited Japan a few times before, this was her first time seeing such a grand historical site up close. Despiteing here for a different purpose, she felt like a tourist. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to Japan.¡±Beside her was Seong Na-yeon, a senior n member of and an A-grade Holder. She had received approval to be dispatched here, and was apanying Moon Ga-eun as her escort, though in reality, it was more like a winter vacation for her. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s visit to Japan was nominally a dispatch, but it was primarily for personal reasons, and with no major issues, the risk to Seong Na-yeon¡¯s escort duty was low. had also acknowledged Seong Na-yeon¡¯s contributions and the major incidents within the n had all been resolved, so they readily allowed this dispatch. ¡°Have you visited Japan a lot too, team leader?¡± ¡°I told you to call me unni (older sister).¡± ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯m so used to calling you ¡®team leader¡¯.¡± Seong Na-yeon gently scolded Moon Ga-eun, who sheepishly scratched her head. The two had been close n members from the start, but had grown even closertely. Seong Na-yeon had been taking on more of Moon Ga-eun¡¯s escort duties recently, but her increased interest was also due to another factor, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s love life, the sweet story of a 21-year-olddy Holder. ¡°I¡¯ve been here a lot, especially with your father.¡± ¡°With my father?¡± ¡°Yes. When I was actively doing n activities, your father, Holder Moon Jeong-hyuk, was my senior.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Moon Ga-eun nodded and looked around again. There seemed to be a strange sense of anticipation in her shining eyes. Seong Na-yeon looked at Moon Ga-eun with a peculiar expression. ¡°You¡¯re thinking right now that you want toe here and y with Do Jae-hyuun, aren¡¯t you?¡± Struck to the core, Moon Ga-eun jumped in surprise. ¡°Huh? No, that¡¯s not it at all! Do you really think I¡¯m always just thinking about Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Haha. I¡¯m right though. Last time you even asked me to tell the story about the skinship¡­¡± ¡°Aaah, I can¡¯t hear you!¡± Moon Ga-eun walked ahead, covering her ears, while Seong Na-yeon followed,ughing. The real reason the two were in Japan was to establish a mutual cooperation contract between their n and the Japanese n, . had already signed a trade contract with , and its recognition and favorability had further increased after experiencing the ¡®Viin Extermination Operation¡¯. As a result, they had more exchanges with Korean ns and established friendly rtionships. was one of the ns that joined this trend and signed a mutual cooperation contract. ¡®¡­But the real reason is something else.¡¯ In fact, the contract itself was almostplete. The n representatives had already met and verbally agreed, and had even finalized the details. What remained was just the review and signing of the contract document. So there was no real need for Moon Ga-eun toe to Japan for this. The true reason she came to Japan was standing in front of her. ¡°Wee to the Atsuta Shrine. I am the shrine maiden, Akiba Miyu.¡± The red and white-d shrine maiden, with her refined demeanor and beautiful appearance, was the reason Moon Ga-eun hade to Japan. And it was on the rmendation of her boyfriend, Do Jae-hyun. -Go meet the Holder Akiba Miyu at the Atsuta Shrine. She used to be a member of the n , but I think she left the n and returned to being a shrine maiden. The sudden visit to the Japanese shrine maiden was due to Moon Ga-eun¡¯s recent concerns. She had been feeling a limit to her growth as a Holder. Her rune level and abilities were progressing slowly, and the archer-type ss had its limitations. It felt like a wall had been erected on the path forward as a Holder. ¡®It¡¯s not a bad level, but¡­¡¯ Of course, her skills were notcking externally. As a 21-year-old B-grade Holder, she was the biggest prospect in the n and the top archer in the Academy. She was already wrapped in many des, and her overwhelming skills were unmatched among her peers. However, Moon Ga-eun could not easily be satisfied with this. Her friends like Do Jae-hyun, Kang Juyeon, Park Jin-woo, and even the recent Kim Chae-eun were all more exceptional and promising Holders. It wasn¡¯t a feeling of inferiority, but rather a desire to walk alongside them. ¡°My name is Moon Ga-eun, Holder of the Royal n. Nice to meet you. As I heard, you speak Korean really well.¡± ¡°Yes¡± Akiba Miyu, who was rmended by Jae-hyun, was standing in front of her. While Moo Jeong-hyuk, the top archer-type Holder in Korea, was closest to Moon Ga-eun, his teaching had its limitations. As a key executive in the n, he was always busy and didn¡¯t have enough time to properly teach her. Moreover, the best Holder and the best teacher are different. While the S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol had recently shown her qualities as an educator, not all S-grade or A-grade Holders were as outstanding teachers as her. Moon Jeong-hyuk, while at the pinnacle of archer-types as an A-gradeHolder, was more inclined towards natural talent rather than being specialized in teaching others. That¡¯s why Jae-hyun had rmended Akiba to Moon Ga-eun. Akiba, though a Japanese Holder, had systematically built up her skills and had extensive experience in teaching other Holders at the shrine. So Jae-hyun thought her disciplined approach would suit Moon Ga-eun¡¯s tendencies well. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Jae-hyun. First, shall we have a cup of tea inside and I¡¯ll exin the n to you in detail?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Then¡­¡± Suddenly, Moon Ga-eun stopped in her tracks. Jae-hyun¡­? They¡¯ve talked a lot on the phone? Those words sounded a bit strange to her. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Seeing Moon Ga-eun suddenly halt, Akiba tilted her head curiously. Hesitantly, Moon Ga-eun asked, ¡°By the way¡­ What kind of rtionship do you have with Jae-hyun?¡± She had heard that Jae-hun was her business partner, but still, she couldn¡¯t help but ask just in case. A muffledugh came from Seong Na-yeon beside her, but Moon Ga-eun deliberately ignored it. This was an important issue for her. ¡°He is someone I admire.¡± Akiba replied with a bright expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing those words, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s expression grew more guarded. No, whether he¡¯s a friend or a business partner, that¡¯s fine. But what does she mean by admiring him? Can I really take her as a mentor? With slightly forced questions, her gaze grew sharper. It was absolutely not because she felt threatened by Akiba¡¯s appearance. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡®How scary¡­¡¯ All around me, thendscape was torn and deformed into a wastnd, the air scorching hot. In the midst of this whirlwind, I stared ahead with a haggard expression. In front of me was Kang Juyeon, controlling the mes with a terrifying expression, as if intent on repaying all the humiliation she had endured. It was such a frightening sight that I could barely find the words to speak to her. ¡°Um¡­ Juyeon? Isn¡¯t it time to stop now?¡± I carefully tried to speak up. The situation was almost over. Kang Juyeon¡¯s newly awakened mes disyed an entirely different power. Before, her mes had been consumed by the Transcendent¡¯s mes, but this time, her mes were the ones devouring the others. Her pure and immacte mes were now sweeping across the surrounding area, almost like a cmity. The attack that had dragged us around for 15 minutes was easily blocked. ¡°¡­.¡± However, Kang Juyeon showed no signs of stopping. The mes she had created through her incantation of ¡°Burn endlessly¡± had already subdued the situation, but she continued to utilize her runes and magical power, not ceasing her assault. The already barrennd was bing filled with ashes. ¡°¡­ How dare they try to harm Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± I gave up on trying to stop her further. I seemed to have heard some words that should not have been spoken. Delving deeper might plunge me into an unknown abyss. After another 5 minutes had passed¡­ ¡°Enough! Stop this at once!¡± A woman with vibrant red hair appeared before us, her expression just as pale as mine. ¡°The child who has inherited my power has turned out to be such a stubborn one.¡± The one who had inflicted this ¡®trial¡¯ upon us, the owner of this , the entity known as ¡®Canales¡¯, the ¡®Crimson Red Dragon¡¯ as Kang Juyeon had mentioned before.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!!
All /ippostrantions Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun]
Chamber of the Transcendent: Canales (6) Even with the appearance of the Transcendent, Kang Juyeon showed no hesitation. Without a moment of hesitation, she gathered her magic. ¡°me¡­!¡± ¡°Wait! Wait a minute, Juyeon!¡± I hurriedly stopped Kang Juyeon. After all, even if we attacked the Transcendent, it wouldn¡¯t have any effect, and since it wasn¡¯t hostile in the first ce, there was no need to attack it. ¡°¡­Why?¡±¡°I told you before we came in. There is a being called a Transcendent in this dungeon. That being is probably the Transcendent, the owner of this chamber.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Convinced by my persuasion, Kang Juyeon¡¯s momentum gradually subsided. However, she still looked at the Transcendent with sharp eyes. The ¡®trial¡¯ that had almost killed us just now. She seemed unable to let go of her anger at the one who created it. ¡­In fact, I don¡¯t understand that structure either. Driving the intruders in with a murderous intent, and then being hospitable if they ovee the trial. It was an inconsistency that was difficult to ept rationally. If the Transcendent had not been stronger than us, to be honest, I might not have been able to control my emotions and attack it, system or not. ¡°But I see you are an Oath Bearer. Have you already met Fluvius?¡± Unlike her sharp impression, a soft voice flowed out. The Transcendent also knew about my rtionship with Fluvius. Well¡­ Since I obtained the rune [Brave Eternal Wave] and had the ¡®power of water¡¯ all over my body¡­ It would have been funny if the dragons didn¡¯t recognize it. I greeted her with proper courtesy. ¡°It is an honor to meet such a great being.¡± ¡°I am also d to see an Oath Bearer like you. My name is Canales. I am the Transcendent who gave you the trial, and I am also known as the Red Dragon of Protection.¡± The Red Dragon of Protection, Canales. Ever since we first entered the , we had spected about this Transcendent, and we were certain of it when we entered the . The legendary being that was the source of the new power Kang Juyeon had obtained was right before our eyes. Canales turned her head slightly and looked at Kang Juyeon. ¡°I¡¯m d to see the child who inherited my power as well. I didn¡¯t expect you toe, though.¡± Kang Juyeon frowned slightly and replied. ¡°¡­Who says I¡¯m your child?¡± ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t you know that best? My name must have appeared in the system as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Just like with Fluvius, the Transcendents were well aware of the ¡®system¡¯. The system where Holders acquire runes and raise their stats. The various information windows that quantify them. Perhaps the Transcendents could freely utilize such information as well. ¡°Well then¡­¡± Tap- Canales moved the conversation along and snapped her fingers. The special warp that I had seen before with Fluvius. With just a snap of her fingers, she instantly moved us to herir. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Experiencing this for the first time, Kang Juyeon was startled and looked around. Like partners¡­ It was exactly the same reaction I had shown before. I smiled slightly and gently held her hand to reassure her. ¡°Take a seat. I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions.¡± At Canales¡¯ words, we took our seats. On the table, of course, an hourss was draining its sand. The time given to us this time was only as much as this sand. I nced at Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyes for a moment. She met my gaze and nodded. -Do as you please. That was the meaning of her nod. We had already exined the structure and rewards of the before entering the dungeon. And entering this chamber was primarily due to ¡®Park Ji-hwan¡¯s request¡¯¡­ If we overcame the trial, we had agreed to ask his questions first. ¡°Ms. Canales¡­ May I call you that?¡± ¡°Of course, as the Oath Bearer pleases.¡± Dragons are benevolent towards Oath Bearers, the dragon knights. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true of all dragons¡­ Or if it¡¯s just that the dragons I¡¯ve met happen due to ¡®Dragon¡¯s Blessing¡¯ by chance. ¡°By any chance, could you interpret this note?¡± I took out a small note from my magic bag and handed it to her. This was the note that Park Ji-hwan gave me right before he left yesterday. -If you meet a Transcendent, hand it this note and ask about it. A Transcendent should be able to interpret it. And once you hear the answer, you¡¯ll also share the information about this with the organization. Instead of hiding information as much as possible, Park Ji-hwan had decided to share the secrets if we seeded in clearing the dungeon. Even if he trusted us enough to share dungeon information, sharing information about the organization he was pursuing was a separate issue, which is why he took this approach. Canales received the note I handed her and answered with a slight smile. ¡°There is a light magic seal on it.¡± ¡°A magic seal?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a device that only those well-versed in magic can create. A kind of barrier, if you will.¡± Canales spoke and then ignited a small me at the tip of her finger. The note was lightly burned, turning quickly to ash and disappearing. Judging by her slightly closed expression, it seemed to be her way of undoing the magic seal. And when Canales opened her eyes, the story she told was quite shocking. ¡°You¡¯re asking about the Ludenark Spell.¡± ¡°Luden¡­ark?¡± I asked back, opening my eyes slightly. The Ludenark Spell. A name that was unfamiliar yet somehow familiar. It was definitely a name I had heard before. ¡òName: Rapid Recovery ¡òGrade: Rare / Downgrade ¡­ ¡òDetailed Information: One of the representative enhancement spells of the barbaric tribe, the Barbarians. It was artificially injected and inscribed into the target through the special power of the Ludenark spell. In the process, it was registered in a downgraded state from its original power. The first was . A rune acquired by defeating a mutant of the A-grade monster Manticore. Its detailed information contained the unfamiliar names ¡®Barbarian¡¯ and ¡®Ludenark¡¯. Combining the original information and the stories of the Transcendents, I finally realized that they were a specific race or group in the ¡®otherworld¡¯¡­ But I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what kind of people they were. ¡òName: Bon (Bone Dragon) ¨C Contractor: Do Jae-hyun ¡òssification: True Dragon (Special/Manufactured) ¡­ ¡òDetailed Informations: An undead granted intelligence through the forbidden magic of the Ludenark¡­ And the second piece of information. Now given the new name ¡®Tyrbon¡¯ and bing apletely different being, the original Bon definitely had these details. Here, the name ¡®Ludenark¡¯ appeared once again. Bon was originally the undead that Hwang Dong-yeon tried to control. This meant that the power of Ludenark was directly or indirectly rted to the n as well. Additionally, it could be inferred that they were a spell that used a kind of ck magic ability. And finally¡­ ¡°The Ludenark are those who seek to imitate evil. Theymitted horrific human experiments as well as various evils that were considered taboo. In particr, they have a history of summoning demons or demons in the past, so they were considered public enemies on the continent of Laphrion.¡± Canales mentioned this again in great detail. In other words, the note asked about the Ludenark Spell, and the group Park Ji-hwan was chasing was precisely them. It was quite ironic that the information deeply entangled with me eventually came back to me. I slowly organized my thoughts and asked Canales, ¡°When you say spell, does that mean they study magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Precisely, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s unnecessary for us dragons, but humans have such things. However, the evil group represented by Ludenark is probably not an officially recognized spell.¡± Information about ¡®spells¡¯ was already known in the Holder Realm. The and the . The two branches of ¡®Spell¡¯ that represent the current line of mages. The orthodox [Florian Spell] and the irregr [Adrian Spell] are spell traditions that came from these spells. This was also information written in the rune¡¯s details, but their specific organizational rtionships were not revealed. ¡®Because there aren¡¯t many people dealing with high-level information like me yet.¡¯ Even the , it was still information that the master hadn¡¯t disclosed. In any case, the was likely a simr type of spell to the previous ones¡­ And as Canales said, it would be a spell not officially recognized by the humans on the continent. ¡°This note asks about the main abilities and movements of the Ludenark Spell¡­ But I don¡¯t have much to tell you about that. It will be faster to ask humans about human stories.¡± Canales added this response, saying she couldn¡¯t give a clear answer to the questions Park Ji-hwan asked in the note. It was a phenomenon that urred because we didn¡¯t know what kind of Transcendent would appear in this dungeon. I nodded at this and asked one more question out of curiosity. ¡°Then are there any Transcendents among them?¡± ¡°Perhaps. Even if they immediately sacrifice and summon demons, they will have the power of a Transcendent, and I¡¯ve heard that the human called the spell leader is very dangerous, though I¡¯ve never seen one.¡± That was really unpleasant information. I understood why Park Ji-hwan was chasing after the Ludenark Spell. If a group more vicious than the gained power rivaling the dragons¡­ If they reached reality in a worst-case scenario, the negative impact they could have on the Holder Realm seemed significant. They might even try to destroy everything indiscriminately. Like ¡®monsters¡¯ that can¡¯tmunicate. ¡°Vowed one, time is running short,¡± Canales suddenly said to me, pointing at the hourss. The rewards for conquering the arergely two. ¡®Information¡¯ given by the Transcendents who are mostly benevolent to the challengers, and rewards of ¡®ascension¡¯ in material or ability. However, there wasn¡¯t much time to obtain information, so more conquests and efficient questioning were needed. I turned my head and nced at Kang Juyeon. The conquest of this dungeon would have been impossible without Kang Juyeon. Moreover, the Red Dragon Canales before us¡­ Was a Transcendent deeply rted to Kang Juyeon¡¯s legendary rune. Rather than asking my personal questions, it seemed a little more helpful for the party if Kang Juyeon did the questioning. And¡­ ¡°¡­What is the rtionship between you and me?¡± Kang Juyeon¡¯s first question, without even honorifics, was fiery from the start.
27 Chapters per Month,10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Please rate this series here.
All /ippostrantions Chapter 219 Chapter 219 The Master¡¯s Way of Leisure However, there was no change in Canales¡¯ expression. As if she had expected it to some extent, she answered with a serene face. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that earlier? That you are the child who inherited my power.¡± ¡°¡­What does that mean exactly?¡± ¡°Since I am also bound by the system, I cannot tell you much. However¡­¡± After taking a breath, Canales continued speaking. ¡°The beings that remain as great legends sometimes pass on their power across generations. Although I didn¡¯t know that trace could transcend dimensions¡­ Nheless, you are the owner of that result and a kindred soul of the sacred. If you can ept yourself as you are, you will gain even greater power.¡± Her words seemed a bit vague at first nce. It was simr to when Fluvius was around¡­ This was because even though they are transcendents, they are bound by the system, and the area and time they can answer is limited. Understanding this, Kang Juyeon nodded. Since she had been emphasizing this point to me even beforeing to the dungeon, she knew it would be difficult to find answers by forcing it. ¡°Then¡­ Can I ask how to better utilize my power?¡± ¡°By all means, if there is time.¡± Was this the question she had been waiting for? For the first time, Canales nodded in satisfaction. And so, for the remaining time, an intense discussion took ce between the dragon and the human. I was slightly surprised to see Kang Juyeon speak so fluently. ¡®¡­She really talks a lot when it¡¯s about runes.¡¯ Usually, Kang Juyeon is quite shy and barely speaks¡­ But sometimes, she surprises me by talking a lot. For example, when she bes the leader and gives instructions to the party, or when she mentions strategy during a hunt, or when she has something to say to me like the previous confession, or when something fun happens on a date, or like yesterday when something special happened in bed¡­ ¡®¡­What am I thinking?¡¯ Since I¡¯m Kang Juyeon¡¯s boyfriend, I¡¯ve been able to see many new sides of her that aren¡¯t just cold. Anyway, as the conversation continued, time passed¡­ Before long, the hourss on the table signaled the end of time. ¡°Time is up.¡± Canales spoke softly with a smile. ¡°Humans who have earned the qualifications. It was a pleasure to meet you. The conversation we had here in this lonely ce was interesting.¡± Tak- She snapped her fingers, and once again a portal appeared in their. Just like with Fluvius, it was the exit from the as well as the ce to obtain the reward for the trial. ¡°The reward for the trial can be obtained by passing through that door, so feel free to take it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± As I bowed my head, Canales epted it with a smile. Then she turned her gaze towards Kang Juyeon. ¡°You can return here again in a month. To be ustomed to handling my power, you will need toe back a few more times.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± ¡°You may call me mother if you wish.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Hahaha. As expected, you express yourself clearly, my child.¡± After exchanging such light banter, we finished our farewells and opened the portal to exit their. It was the moment wepleted the raid of . *** Ippotrantion *** Recently, Korean Holders were quite excited. This was because fromst October until the new year now, explosive major incidents urred one after another, shaking up the previously calm Holdermunity. The first was theplete eradication of the n and the great transformation of the academy, along with the emergence of numerous ¡®promising students¡¯. No matter which country in the world, talented Holders receive a lot of attention and expectation from the Holdermunity, as they will be responsible for that country¡¯s future. In that sense, it was quite encouraging that many promising students who yed a major role in the ¡®Viin Eradication Operation¡¯ emerged. ¨C Academy 2nd year Do Jae-hyun, promoted to A-grade Holder! ¨C Yoo Eun-seol, the third fastest in Korea after Kang Juyeon¡­ ¨C Korean Holder Association: ¡®The fastest promotion speed within the period¡¯ ¨C Will Do Jae-hyun surpass his master Yoo Eun-seol to be the youngest S-grade? Especially, the poprity of Do Jae-hyun, the main character, seemed to pierce the sky. At just 21 years old, he was a multi-talented Multi-Holder who grew from an F-grade Holder through sheer effort. It was no wonder he emerged as Korea¡¯s representative promising figure. All Holders wanted to be close with him, and ns tried to recruit him by any means. ¨C Song Hyun-a¡¯s method of acquiring the [Sword] rune was correct! ¨C Already the 11th rune acquirer born. Revolution of repetitive actions. ¨C The greatest efficiency for acquiring [Sword] is the archer ss¡­ And the second thing that shook the Holdermunity was Song Hyun-a¡¯s ¡®method of acquiring the [Sword] rune¡¯. This was an incident that surprised not just Korea, but the entire world. Although the method was limited to Holders, the fact that Holders of different sses could acquire a single rune through repetitive actions was a revolution that overturned the mon sense of talent¡¯ that had spread through the Holdermunity until now. Many Holders newly acquired the [Sword] rune, and along with that, attention was poured onto Song Hyun-a who discovered this. The daughter of the renowned Song martial arts family and younger sister of S-grade Holder Song Do-hyuk. She had just turned 20 this year and was a prospective Holder scheduled to enter the academy. With her good family and reputation, she made this groundbreaking discovery in the Holdermunity. Following top-tier Holders like Do Jae-hyun and Kang Juyeon, she was evaluated as another promising figure. And¡­ ¨C S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol seeds in raiding a dual dungeon and reveals information. ¨C A newly emerged concept in dungeon raids, what is the ? ¨C The Korean Holder Association officially posts rted information on their website! ¨C What are the rewards for clearing the ? Holders¡¯ interest explodes¡­ Another piece of information that made Holders¡¯ hearts race was revealed. The . An advanced dual dungeonposed of various special conditions and the highest difficulty level. A dungeon that had never been revealed to the Holdermunity until now, and a new concept that would bring fresh wind to the stagnant dungeon raid market. Yoo Eun-seol raided this dungeon with Do Jae-hyun as soon as January started, but the information reveal was dyed until now, quite some timeter. There were two reasons for this. One was that it took time to organize theplex and new information. And the other was that if revealed, it would cause huge repercussions in the Holdermunity. They minimized the shock and maximized the effectiveness of information delivery. After much deliberation on these aspects, there was a dy, and the reaction was explosive as expected. ¡°¡­So you mean that if it wasn¡¯t for Holder Do Jae-hyun, your disciple, the raid of that dungeon would have been difficult?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, he was the center of the raid. He grasped the situation after facing the transcendent being much faster than me.¡± Yoo Eun-seol answered the question inly. She was currently being interviewed by the newspaperpany . was a newspaper that focused extensively on the worlds of Holders and monsters, boasting the most credible authority in delivering rted information. The topic of this interview was naturally the . Following major incidents like the ¡®Viin Eradication Operation¡¯, the emergence of various domestic promising figures including Do Jae-hyun, and Song Hyun-a¡¯s revtion of the [Sword] rune, this was another topic raised by Yoo Eun-seol. ¡°That¡¯s really an amazing achievement.¡± The reporter who had been calmly conducting the interview suddenly expressed admiration. In fact, until this interview, it was only known that this achievement was a coboration between Yoo Eun-seol and the Holder Association alone. The association first released the information, and put forward S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol as the source. However, after hearing her story, it turned out that Do Jae-hyun yed a huge role. He had a major influence on the raid itself, and yed a key part in discovering the concept of the . A coborative effort between Yoo Eun-seol and Do Jae-hyun. That was what this achievement should be called after the interview. ¡°Yes, he is a skilled Holder.¡± To this, Yoo Eun-seol replied with a slight smile. He was none other than her own disciple. The fact that her disciple actually made a big achievement and led the raid. There was no need to hide this. ¡°Then let me change the direction of my questions. Holder Yoo Eun-seol¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ Tick- Tick- Ring ring- After the long interview ended. Yoo Eun-seol returned alone to her home. Tak- She entered her room and sat in front of the desk where herputer was. To end the tiring day. If it were ordinary Holders, they might lie down on the bed or go take a shower in the bathroom¡­ But Yoo Eun-seol was different. For her, sitting at the desk and turning on theputer was part of her daily routine to end the day. Click- She moved the mouse and habitually opened a portal. ¡°Hmm¡­it¡¯s up.¡± The first thing she checked was today¡¯s interview. True to being a medium that delivers information quickly and urately, had already edited and posted the interview from today. She slowly read through the interview to check the contents. And then¡­ She started ¡®scrapping¡¯ rted articles. It was an unexpectedly humble action for a Holder who held the overwhelming position of an S-grade Holder domestically. Click- Her mouse moved again, and the screen pointed to a new site. ¡°¡­Hmm, hmm.¡± Yoo Eun-seol let out some awkward coughs and looked around. Of course, there was no one in her studio apartment. She nonchntly turned her head back. Then she went into the writing section and posted the articles she had scrapped earlier. With a suitable title and content. Her user ID rank shone in golden letters¡­ [Premium Member] ¡°¡­As expected of my disciple.¡± Afterpleting her daily quota like this. Yoo Eun-seol read other articles with a satisfied expression. Viewing her disciple¡¯s achievements or directly finding and informing many others about them. Embarrassingly enough¡­ This was Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s very important way of spending her leisure time to end the day.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Senior, I¡¯m a Fan (1) After finishing all my schedules in Haenam, I returned to my home in Seoul. I stayed at my parents¡¯ house for about three more days. I left a message for Park Ji-hwan, and spent more time with my parents whom I couldn¡¯t meet for a while. After conquering the , it seems like I enjoyed myself without any worries for three days. Since I visited my parents¡¯ house for a short break¡­ I put aside the headache stories about runes, monsters, and training for a while and enjoyed traveling to the fullest. Today, having returned to Seoul. I organized the things I had postponed. The first was the rewards for conquering the . [Amazing Achievement! You have endured and ovee the arduous trials of the Transcendent that no one else could withstand, that towering achievement. All your powers will grow rapidly and brilliantly due to this unbelievable feat.] [You gain 4 points each for all general and special stats, and 2 points each for all resistance stats.] [The level of all the runes you possess will increase by 1.] There aremon rewards you get when conquering the Chamber of the Transcendent. One is the increase in stats, and the other is the increase in rune levels. For the former, the degree of increase varies depending on the Holder¡¯s abilities. In fact, when I conquered Fluvius, all stats increased by 5 and resistance stats by 3, but this time they increased by 4 and 2 respectively. It was a result that directly reflected that the higher the abilities, the harder it bes to raise them further. ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡­ ¡òGeneral Stats: ¨C ¡ò [Strength: 90] ¡ò [Magic: 95] ¡ò [Speed: 92] ¡ò [Recovery: 60] ¡ò [Toughness: 65] ¡ò [Willpower: 64] ¡òResistance: ¨C -Elemental ¡ò [Fire: 21] ¡ò [Water: 23] ¡ò [Earth: 14] ¡ò [Wind: 13] ¡ò [Lightning: 14] -Non-Elemental ¡ò [Poison: 17] ¡òSpecial Abilities: ¨C ¡ò [Leadership: 40] ¡­ ¡­ Nevertheless, the ability rewards of the are still sufficiently high. Thanks to this reward, my main stats (strength, magic, speed) have finally surpassed 90, and all other stats have exceeded 60. With these abilities, I would be in the upper-middle tier among A-grade Holders, and using pumping skills like [Amplification] or [Dragonification] would put me at the top tier. Moreover, [all runes leveling up by 1] is a reward hard to find anywhere else, so it can be considered the highest level of reward obtainable from dungeon conquests. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there are any other rewards¡­¡± When I conquered the , there were additional rewards besides the above. For example, [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] were integrated into [Brave Eternal Waves], or my Bon evolved once to be Tyrbon¡­ However, now only themon ¡®trial rewards¡¯ are given. It seems that additional rewards are given only when all conditions are met, such as the relevance between the Transcendent¡¯s chamber and the challenger, and special circumstances rted to the reward. ¡°But at least Juyeon received an additional reward.¡± Although disappointing, I decided to focus on the fact that Kang Juyeon had be stronger. Kang Juyeon is a Holder deeply connected to this dungeon. She was granted the power of Canales, the Transcendent and owner of the chamber, and yed a crucial role in the conquest. Perhaps that satisfied the conditions in a chain reaction, as she received additional rewards like I did during Fluvius¡¯ time. Her existing runes were enhanced, and she gained new powers as well. Kang Juyeon is my girlfriend and a reliablerade who takes charge of our party¡¯s magic attacks. Her bing stronger is¡­ No different from my own forces rising in the future. ¡°The rest room reward is¡­¡± I fondled a single pauldron in my hand. The colorful and red patterns and me emblems all over it. Despite its small size, the splendor stood out. It was the reward I chose from the Transcendent¡¯s ¡®Rest Room Treasure box¡¯. ¡òName: Mystical Dragon Shoulder ¡òType: Pauldron ¡òGrade: Legendary ¡òDurability: Normal ¡òCreator: ¨C ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C : +5 Endurance, +5 Magic, +5 Fire Resistance : When worn, the magic used bes purer, increasing the power of magic attacks by 10%. If an attribute is added, it increases by an additional 10%. : Magic recovery speed is 30% faster. This effect is maintained even inbat. ¡òDetails : A pauldron that the Red Dragon Canales supposedly wore during his youth. With its mystical and auspicious energy imbued, it allows wielding amazing powers that cannot be used by ordinary pauldrons. It seems to form a set with the [Mystical Dragon Boots] I chose during Fluvius¡¯ time. Befitting a legendary item, its effects are quite attractive. It had an offensive special effect that increases the power of magic attacks and a supplementary effect that enhances magic recovery speed. At a nce, these effects seem to have great synergy with my abilities such as the [Forgotten Dragon Knight¡¯s Pride] special effect. ¡°¡­There are quite a lot.¡± I muttered as I fondled the pauldron. Since we¡¯ve been conquering the Chambers of the Transcendent who are dragons, I already have two legendary items rted to them. If I get the chance to conquer more in the future, I might end up with a full dragon knight equipment set from head to toe. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think this is enough.¡± After organizing the info window and items I had postponed, I took out my phone. It¡¯s about 2 hours from Haenam to Seoul. Using [Warp Gate], there were messages and calls I couldn¡¯t check while moving around. Not being able to hold back, dozens of texts and calls had piled up. [Chae-eun] Jae-hyun, when are youing back..? I got blisters while training with dad ?.? [Ga-eun] Uaaah- Japanese food is really not tasty at allll ¡°Phew-.¡± Seeing the cute texts naturally made me smile. They were exactly the kind of texts Kim Chae-eun and Moon Ga-eun would send. Although they were a bit upset at first that only Kang Juyeon went on the family trip, it seemed theytermunicated and understood each other. I tried hard to hold back my rising smile and sent them a proper reply. ¡°Come to think of it, everyone¡¯s been busy.¡± Though I have a lot to do this vacation, my girlfriends also seem to have their own busy schedules. Kim Chae-eun was training hard to solidify her newly acquired ability and learning sword skills from her dad to train her body¡­ Moon Ga-eun went to Japan under the pretext of a business trip and was being educated by Akiba Miyu, whom I had rmended. It was the same for Kang Juyeon. With the recent increase in work for , she, being a senior n member, had a lot more to do as well. After clearing the dungeon in Haenam, she went up to Seoul before I did. Since we Holders are so busy with our own stuff, they seem to understand my boyfriend¡¯s crammed schedule too. ¡°Hmm¡­ What else¡­¡± I scrolled down on my phone again. Though it had been 2 hours, there were quite a few wee names I hadn¡¯t seen in a while. [Lee Hyun-ho/Anti-Viin] Chairman. I¡¯ve made an item that can restrain the remaining viins. I want to distribute this to the members, so can you spare some time for me? [Lee Ji-hye/Holder Association] Holder, long time no see!! You¡¯re doing well, right?! It¡¯s not much, but your Grade A Holder Certificate hase out, so I contacted you toe pick it up! Come to the association when you have time!! I¡¯ll buy you a meal then too. Oh and happy new year, sorry for the dy!! ¡°I should make some time soon.¡± The circles, association, and other rtionships¡­ There were many I couldn¡¯t meet while focusing only on growth. In particr, I hadn¡¯t seen Choi Yoo-min, with whom I had an equipment contract with, for almost 3 months. It seemed I needed to find some time to meet them as well. [Professor Tak Won-ho/Master] Text me back when you see this. There was also a text from a very familiar name. ¡°Still as hard as ever.¡± The opposite texting style from my other master, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. With a smile at my master¡¯s unchanging tone, I called him. Perhaps he was waiting, as the call connected shortly after. -This is Tak Won-ho. ¡°It¡¯s me, Master. You answered without looking at the name again?¡± -Yeah. Been a bit busy. I heard his busy period had ended, but with the new student intake approaching, he seemed busy again. The rough sound of flipping papers could be heard even through the phone. -I called with a request. ¡°A request?¡± -Yeah. What could my master possibly want to request from me? Just as I wondered, my master said something unexpected. -Do Jae-hyun. I¡¯m proud to have you as my student. When I first saw you, you were acking student, but in just a year you¡¯ve be a Holder representing the academy. ¡°¡­?¡± Is he buttering me up like this to make some request? My master is absolutely not the type to say such embarrassing things. -Being a student representing the academy means representing the senior students as well. And that also means¡­ ¡°No, Master. What are you even saying?¡± -¡­Ahem. You know tomorrow is the entrance exam for new students, right? My master brought up the main point in an awkward tone. The entrance exam for new students. The exam where students who passed the ¡®Seoul Holder Academy¡¯ entrance measure their abilities and grades to be assigned to sses. It was also the exam where I first met the protagonists of the original and won against Park Jin-woo to obtain [Effort of the Seeker]. ¡®Has time flown so fast already?¡¯ I¡¯ve been so focused on my own stufftely that I hadn¡¯t paid attention to such events. I shook my head and answered. ¡°No. I just heard it from you, Master.¡± -Well, it¡¯s good you know now. I called because I wanted you, Jae-hyun, to give the ¡®weing speech from seniors¡¯ at tomorrow¡¯s entrance exam. ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± I asked back in surprise at the sudden suggestion. The weing speech from seniors. It¡¯s a kind of freshman wee speech where seniors greet the new students and give them some simple advice. It¡¯s considered the highlight of the entrance exam¡­ The speech given before the start of the ¡®practical duels¡¯. But I tilted my head and asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that usually done by the student council president?¡± -This time, considering various circumstances and special factors, you¡¯ll be doing it. The student council president agreed to it too, and you were the overwhelming choice in the survey of new students. The speech that should originally be given by the academy¡¯s student council president. The news that I would be doing it instead. It seemed to be a decision considering my rapidly rising recognition and position at the academy recently. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Not bad. More precisely, good. Sounds fun. It¡¯s a chance to meet the characters who led new episodes in the original, and seeing them as a senior might give me a fresh perspective too. However¡­ ¡°It¡¯s good and all, but telling me just a day before¡­¡± -Ahem. Sorry about that. Got a bit busy¡­ Slipped my mind. Ah, so that¡¯s why he buttered me up like that earlier.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Senior, I¡¯m Your Fan (2) ¡°Arin, hurry up. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± A woman with her short hair tied back like a ponytail grabbed the arm of a woman with a ponytail, urging her. Although the two women were simr in having tied hairstyles, their atmospheres werepletely opposite. The urging woman had a bright aura on her smiling face, but the face of the woman whose arm was grabbed showed signs of annoyance. ¡°Just because we go quickly doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll get good scores. Why the rush?¡± The woman¡¯s name is Choi Arin. A second-year student in the cksmithing department, she is the younger sister of Choi Yoo-min¡­ A first-year student Holder in the rare Alchemist department who enrolled this year. And the woman grabbing her arm was Park Yoon-seo.She was the younger sister of Park Jin-woo, one of the main protagonists of the Golden Generation second-years. And likewise, she was a newly enrolled first-year Holder in the Assassin department this semester. In response to Choi Arin¡¯s blunt reply, Park Yoon-seo tried to persuade her again. ¡°If we finish the temporary grade measurement quickly, we can go to the training ground quickly too. Where the Duel exam is held.¡± ¡°The order for the Duel exam is random anyway.¡± ¡°Aish, really. The order isn¡¯t the problem.¡± Park Yoon-seo tapped her feet in frustration. Then Choi Arin sighed deeply and asked, ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°-The problem is that Senior Do Jae-hyunes right before the Duel exam. His greeting speech. That¡¯s the most important event today.¡± It wasn¡¯t Park Yoon-seo who answered the question. A smooth and seductive voice suddenly came from behind. Naturally, the two turned their heads. And upon identifying the owner of the voice, Choi Arin¡¯s face instantly scrunched up. ¡°Another fanatic joined the cult.¡± ¡°Speaking so rudely again.¡± ¡°Rudeness doesn¡¯t put food on the table.¡± The owner of the voice was Song Hyun-a. The Holder with the most recognition among the three. She was the daughter of the Song family and the younger sister of the S-grade Holder Song Do-hyuk. And she was also the very person who recently disclosed the method for acquiring the [Sword] Rune, causing the hottest stir in the current Holdermunity. She had only awakened about three months ago, so she became a Holderter than the other new students. However, with the outstanding swordsmanship of the Song family, the martial arts skills she had built up even before awakening, and most crucially, the tremendous ¡®effort¡¯ that allowed her to acquire the [Sword] Rune¡­ She had almost caught up with the other new students who were ahead of her. Her level was so overwhelming that there were already talks of her being the confirmed top student. ¨C Seoul Holder Academy, new students enrollment begins. Can they surpass their senior Golden Generation? ¨C Park Yoon-seo, younger sister of the 4th ranked domestic promising Holder Park Jin-woo, enrolls as a new student this semester¡­ ¨C Hope arises in the Alchemist department! What are the grades of the promising Choi Arin? After the major changes in the academy and the start of the new semester, the media was keenly interested. At the center of attention were these three people. Although they bickered with each other, in fact, they were the most prominent new students in this semester¡¯s intake at the academy. Song Hyun-a, who was being discussed for the top student position, was a given. Park Yoon-seo drew attention as the younger sister of Park Jin-woo. And Choi Arin, despite being in the rare Alchemist department, was showing top-tier talents. If you were to list the TOP 6 new students in each department, these three would naturally take up some of those spots. The amusing reason these three became friends? It was because of theirmon interest in ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯. ¡°But Arin, you follow Senior Do around too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s my customer.¡± In response to Song Hyun-a¡¯s sharp question, Choi Arin answered without flustering. Choi Arin and Park Yoon-seo had deep connections to Do Jae-hyun. Park Yoon-seo¡¯s older brother was Do Jae-hyun¡¯s closest friend, and Choi Arin had sold potions to Do Jae-hyun through a subsidiary contract with her older sister Choi Yoo-min. However, the transactions were conducted indirectly, and Do Jae-hyun was such a busy Holder¡­ Neither of them had actually met him in person. Knowing this well, Song Hyun-a let out a snort. ¡°So¡­ You¡¯re a customer, but you¡¯ve never seen him, so you really want to see him somehow. Like a big fan.¡± ¡°¡­How many times do I have to say it¡¯s not like that?¡± ¡°Speaking so rudely again.¡± ¡°¡­That darn rudeness, rudeness.¡± Choi Arin spoke as if exasperated. They had be friends after getting to know each other during the academy¡¯s application period, but there was no winning against Song Hyun-a¡¯s speech pattern. Whenever the verbal bout ended, she would somehow end up beingbeled as the rude one. ¡®¡­Though it¡¯s not entirely wrong.¡¯ Of course, there were times when Choi Arin was curious about Do Jae-hyun too. It was when he first made a contract with the sisters Choi Yoo-min and Choi Arin. She wondered what made him invest such arge sum in them, and she also wanted to express her gratitude since it led to her ability achievement. But that was only momentary. Later, as Do Jae-hyun became too busy and their contract seemed unnecessary, neglecting Choi Arin¡­ Their rtionship naturally grew distant. And Choi Arin lost any particr thoughts about him as well. He was just an ordinary, no, a somewhat appreciated business partner. That was the sum of her feelings towards Do Jae-hyun. But no matter how much Choi Arin tried to exin this, her peers didn¡¯t seem to believe her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Arin. Having a pure fan heart is not bad at all. Besides, he¡¯s the most popr Holder in Korea. I never dreamed I¡¯d be a fan of my brother¡¯s friend either.¡± Park Yoon-seo approached and gently ced her hand on Choi Arin¡¯s shoulder. Then Choi Arin shouted with an aggrieved expression, ¡°It¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s not! How many times do I have to say it!¡± ¡°A typical case of denying one¡¯s newly found admiration.¡± The conversation wasn¡¯t getting through. It wasn¡¯t for no reason that Choi Arin called them fanatics. By staying around them, she could witness herself unknowingly transforming into an ardent fan of Do Jae-hyun. Choi Arin shook her head and sighed. ¡°Okay. Think what you want. And please, just stay as fans. Don¡¯t cross any other lines.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± At her meaningful words, Song Hyun-a asked back, and Choi Arin shrugged her shoulders as she replied, ¡°My sister said there are a lot of pretty seniors around that guy. Ah, not just pretty, but they¡¯re also famous for their skills and reputations at the academy. Anyway, it¡¯ll take ages to get over that mountain, so it¡¯s better to just stay as a fan if you can.¡± Perhaps thinking shended a good one, Choi Arin poured out her words gleefully. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And this time, it was Song Hyun-a whose face becamepletely scrunched up. *** Ippotrantion *** The training ground within the academy. The ce where the ability assessment for the entrance exam waspleted, and the Duel exam would follow. It was also the location for a simple event held before the Duel exam. This event was conducted in an extremely simple manner. Since it was still the exam stage and not an official enrollment ceremony, neither the foundation¡¯s chairman nor the professors from each department participated. Only Professor Tak Won-ho, who is in charge of operating the academy, a greeting speech from the ¡®student senior representative¡¯, and instructions from the Duel exam supervisor were delivered¡­ It was a very lightweight event from an external perspective. ¡®¡­Phew. Stay calm, Song Hyun-a. Be refined.¡¯ However, for Song Hyun-a, this was a far more important event than any other. For a short time, she would finally meet the role model she had fervently chased after. The person who allowed her, in her unawakened state, to dream of bing a Holder. A Holder who was nothing more than a stranger before, but had now be her senior¡­ It was the day she would face Do Jae-hyun for the first time. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Song Hyun-a came to the entrance exam today solely for this event. ¡°Hyun-a, over here!¡± Park Yoon-seo, who had already secured the best spot at the front, called out to her. Next to her was Choi Arin, still wearing a listless expression. The three, who had coincidentally crossed paths when filling out their admission applications, had somehow be close friends who stuck together. They were a group regarded as promising students even outside the academy. ¡®Choi Arin will change her tune soon enough.¡¯ Though Choi Arin¡¯s dismissive attitude towards Do Jae-hyun irked her slightly, it was only a matter of time before she changed. Song Hyun-a has made people be fans in that way more than once. ¡°When does it start?¡± ¡°In 10 minutes. Senior Do Jae-hyun will be the first speaker.¡± Song Hyun-a took the seat next to Park Yoon-seo. Their spot was right at the center of the front row. The prime location with the best view of the speaker¡¯s face. She let out a small exmation of admiration. ¡°Really¡­ You secured a refined spot.¡± ¡°Hehe. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Awesome.¡± ¡°The effort paid off! Ah, by the way, Hyun-a-¡° Park Yoon-seo nced around briefly¡­ Then leaned in close and whispered quietly. ¡°Did you see the photos that were posted on the cafe today? They were of Senior Do Jae-hyun sweating during training.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Song Hyun-a asked back in surprise. Cafe. That referred to Do Jae-hyun¡¯s fan cafe. Park Yoon-seo held a premium membership in that cafe, and she thought her friend Song Hyun-a was also a premium member. ¡°You didn¡¯t see it? It was totally amazing¡­ The one who posted it was Jae-hyun SS, and the quality was really good.¡± ¡°Jae-hyun SS¡­ The one who got the top premium membership the fastest?¡± ¡°Yeah. That person doesn¡¯t usually post photos, but whenever they do, the quality is insane.¡± There were a total of 5 top premium memberships in Do Jae-hyun¡¯s fan cafe. This number included the cafe president, and among them, the nickname ¡®Jae-hyun SS¡¯ belonged to the member who achieved top premium status the fastest after joining. But that¡¯s not all. The remaining three top premium members were also essentially founding members of the cafe, satisfying the rank conditions not long after the cafe was established. ¡®¡­What kind of people are they?¡¯ Song Hyun-a wondered absentmindedly. Originally, getting top premium membership was extremely difficult. The conditions were set to be sufficiently challenging. Even Park Yoon-seo, the younger sister of Song Hyun-a¡¯s close friend Park Jin-woo, was only a regr premium member. It made one wonder how much premium information and photos one would have to share to reach the top rank. Yet the ¡®Jae-hyun SS¡¯, who achieved top premium membership in the shortest time, along with the remaining three unknown top premium members. What kind of rtionship did they have with Do Jae-hyun that allowed such rapid advancement? But those other thoughts were soon forgotten. ¡°Oh! He¡¯sing. Senior ising¡­!!¡± At Park Yoon-seo¡¯s words, Song Hyun-a quickly turned her head. On the small stage at the center of the training ground¡­ A neatly dressed senior was slowly walking up the steps.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Senior, Im your fan (3) On a slow morning, at the academy training ground. I came to the exam hall for the seniors greeting that my master had requested yesterday. And after stepping up onto the podium, I doubted my eyes for a moment. Why are they together? The familiar-faced girls were gathered together in the front center seats. Park Yoon-seo, Choi Arin, Song Hyun-a. Two were younger sisters of my friends, and the remaining one was a new student who had recently heated up the Holdermunity. Coincidentally, these three were also pivotal characters that would open a new phase of the original story.They would be the center of the current first-year students. Do they have connections? It was strange for those three to be together. Originally, they would be covered in separate episodes. Park Yoon-seo would be kidnapped in the episode, leading to a story with her older brother Park Jin-woo, the protagonist. Choi Arin would gain attention in the special department as a genius alchemist prodigy. And the original Song Hyun, Song Hyun-a, would gradually grow aiming for the female lead Kang Juyeon. They all had their own stories, and their processes did not particrly ovep, so they had no reason to be close. Especially, Song Hyun-a did not easily get close to others. She was called an icon of effort on par with Park Jin-woo as a Holder But just as much as that inner factor, she also greatly valued external factors like family honor and personal sophistication. She wouldnt even nce at someone she consideredcking in grace. So for Song Hyun-a to be with Choi Arin, who could be seen as the epitome of themoner, and Park Yoon-seo, an ordinary person from the outside It was certainly an exceptional case. Lets focus for now. But surprise was surprise, and work was work. I couldnt ruin the task requested by my master Professor Tak Won-ho over a minor variable. Moreover, I had seen so many deviations from the original flow already, that I wasnt easily shaken by variables like this anymore. Hello juniors. Nice to meet you. I lightly spoke into the microphone. In the quiet training hall, countless Holders were densely seated. It wasnt just new students and supervisors. Starting from academy staff, there were also scout teams from domestic ns, or seniors and colleagues who came to spectate. The Duel Exam, the final entrance exam, is a quiterge-scale event that allows checking the new students skills and abilities. Especially outside guests preferred observing these practical exams over formal events like entrance ceremonies. I am Holder Do Jae-hyun, currently a 2nd year Assassin student. Waaaaaah!! p p p As soon as my brief introduction ended, thunderous cheers and apuse rang out. ording to the new student survey results, my poprity was indeed overwhelming for this speech. Ah, Im embarrassed. But Im still not used to this poprity. I should be getting used to it, but I cant adapt at all. The nations top promising holder. The youngest expected S-grade Multi-Holder. A representing student of Seoul Holder Academy There are so many titlesbeling me. On top of that, the cheers and praises from many people. The expectation that I will lead the future Holdermunity. Befitting that, Ive somehow already be a nationally renowned celebrity. This is within just 1 year of bing a Holder, but its strange that Im not used to it yet. Of course, such fame isnt necessarily a bad thing. In any case, it bes a driving force to help me take a step forward, and can breathe strength into my vague sense of purpose at times. But. Its not all good either. The publics attention being focused on one person is absolutely not a good phenomenon. If there are people who like that person, there will also be people who dislike them in bacsh. They will probably lie in wait silently And if I slip up even a little, they will pounce on me like vultures and tear me apart without a doubt. And they will enjoy the heros downfall more than anyone. Bing fodder for the media and anti-fans like that, was something I declined. To be honest, I worried a lot about what story to tell my juniors. If I just said the typical things, it would be boring, but if I told light stories, it wouldnt help you all. In any case, riding on that fame to give the seniors greeting could draw even more attention from the new students. Its already a mess outside, and it could get even worse inside too. I didnt want to deal with that tiresome situation if I could avoid it. -So lets try to divert that attention a bit! That was the feeling behind my approach to this speech. Of course, there were many intentional parts to my speech too. But today is the entrance exam, and soon you all will take the Duel exam right? So to form somemon ground I want to tell you about when I was a new student taking the Duel exam. I slowly brought up the subject I had been thinking about sincest night. I had pondered it thoroughly for over an hour. The new juniors burning attention is already pouring out. To reduce that attention even a little It was probably the first time then. When I met my lifes greatest rival Holder, Park Jin-woo. The method was to divert that attentions direction to someone else. I smiled faintly as I thought. Jin-woo, thanks and sorry again today. You sold me out when wooing Cami too, so Ill use you this time. *** Ippotrantion *** Park Yoon-seo awakened as a Holderst summer, around when summer vacation was ending. Unlike her brother, she was born with innate talent. She was granted formidable epic runes like [Cool Ambush], suitablemon rune settings, and quite high ability stats. Thanks to that, even though it hadnt been a year since her awakening, she was expected to develop solidly. She wasbeled a new talent that appeared in the Assassin department. -Is Yoo Eun-seol, the only S-grade Holder in the Assassin department, really not taking any students besides Do Jae-hyun? -Will Multi-Holder Do Jae-hyuns Assassin abilities be to what extent? And it was only natural for her eyes to be drawn to the two at the top of the Assassin department. Yoo Eun-seol and Do Jae-hyun. Thebination of the two was already famous in the Holdermunity. They showed a fantastic breathing rhythm that transcended the teacher-student rtionship, almost like colleagues. They were perfect role models that those walking the same path aspired to. Do Jae-hyun Senior. And gradually, Park Yoon-seos eyes were drawn more towards the student, Do Jae-hyun. There were many reasons. First, he was a good-looking senior guy. As a Holder in the same department ahead of her, there was much to learn. And he has shown a heroic track record so far But more importantly, her eyes were simply drawn to him as he was. For the first time in her life, Park Yoon-seo became someones fan. -Bro. What kind of person is senior Do Jae-hyun? -Ooh! Sheesh. Are you grossly asking your bros friend, what he is like, senior this senior that. -Well, what else should I call him then? -Dont disturb my training and figure it out yourself. -This guy is totally crazy. The conversation with her closest person, her brother, was no help at all. He just kept rambling useless stuff that didnt help. So Park Yoon-seo slowly learned about Do Jae-hyun bit by bit. From the major information in articles to the most trivial details. She ran around searching directly, gradually learning about him. Thats how she came to Seoul Holder Academy, and thats how she earned the Excellent Fan Club Membership rank. And now. Her own idol Do Jae-hyun was giving his greeting speech in front of her. But Thats how Jin-woo became an unmatched expert in the Warrior department. Also, among offensive Warriors Park Yoon-seo stared ahead with a nk face. Even though quite some time passed as she listened, she still couldnt grasp the situation well. Something, something strange was continuing in this greeting speech. Why is he talking about that training maniac here? It was the greeting speech of Do Jae-hyun, the hero of the academy. She had expected to hear fun anecdotes rted to his brilliant achievements, his unparalleled dungeon conquests, or his dazzling activities within the academy But for some reason, from his mouth. Only stories about her brother Park Jin-woo were flowing out. Of course, it wasntpletely unrted. Like this, the existence of a rival who can stimte each other is very important for Holders to improve their skills. Just look at how Jin-woo and I grew side-by-side from F-grade until here Do Jae-hyun was mentioning the importance of rivals while supplementing it with his interesting duel stories and experiences. The instructive content that friends of simr skill levels can sometimes be the fertilizer for growth. In a way, it was the most suitable topic for a pre-Duel exam speech. But Park Yoon-seo felt resentful. This useless bro! Give our seniors story back!! She simply wanted to hear stories about Do Jae-hyun. The amazing feats he had aplished, or stories about his department and Multi-Holder talents. There were plenty of unique and interesting topics. Among all those stories, the ones stuck on her brother were not part of the n. -You dont know Park Jin-woo? He was the best rival I knew. And such. She didnt want to hear useless summaries like that. But time just kept passing relentlessly. And before she knew it, the seniors greeting was over. Thank you for now. I am 2nd year, Do Jae-hyun. p p p- Wah, waaah!! p p p- Whether he knew of Park Yoon-seos fan heart or not, the surrounding ssmates reactions were very heated. Praising it as a great speech, as expected of Do Jae-hyun, befitting the academys representative student. Suchpliments poured out, but The main subject of the reactions was, of course, the core topic about Park Jin-woo. Wow, senior Park Jin-woo was that great? Senior Do Jae-hyuns only rival. That says it all. The hidden contributor to the Viin Eradication Operation, or something like that? Hey hey, what are you saying? That thing, you know. The Unsung Hero. Really nonsensical stories without head or tail. Park Yoon-seo felt her head spinning from it all. No. My bro isnt like that. Hes just a training maniac obsessed with the sword!! No matter how desperately she shook her head, nothing changed.
If youd like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all months chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Moon Ga-eun Riding a Fox (1) A crevasse in Antarctica. A special cave hidden in the deep darkness. Into that darkness, which had be so familiar that he could find his way blindfolded, Hwang Seong-yeon lightly parkoured his way in. Cang- Gugugugu- ¡°¡­¡­¡± This ce never changed no matter how many times he came. The same cliff, the same darkness, the same entrance. The scenery after entering was also all simr. And¡­. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived.¡± Even this deste voice and the robe covering the entire body were exactly the same. Hwang Seong-yeon slightly frowned as he answered. ¡°I feel this every time, but your greetings are always so dull.¡± ¡°My apologies. As someone born a researcher, I have no sense of humor.¡± ¡°That line was a bit funny. So they consider psychos like you as researchers too?¡± Despite Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s sarcasm, the robed man did not falter at all. Kukukuku- He instead let out a deep chuckle. A strangeughter sound, like that of an old man. To an ordinary person, being called a psycho would be an insult, but to a true psycho, those words be praise. Moreover, the robed man was a pure follower of evil, beyond what the word psycho could fully express. It was only natural for him tough at the nickname he hadn¡¯t heard in a long time. ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve been visiting this ce quite frequentlytely.¡± ¡°Things keeping up that require me to.¡± Tak- With those words, Hwang Seong-yeon threw a folded newspaper at the robed man. The newspaper contained information about , discussions on ¡®Dragons¡¯ and SS-grade monsters ¨C contents that had recently set the Holder academia aze. ¡°Hmm?¡± The robed man lightly caught the newspaper. And he slowly read through the contents. 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes¡­ Time passed in silence. Due to his entire body being covered by the robe, he appeared to just be reading the newspaper with no visible changes. But having met him for a long time, Hwang Seong-yeon could sense it. He was currently¡­ Showing slight signs of agitation. This wavering was something he had never seen from him before. ¡°The information got out¡­much faster than expected.¡± ¡°Interesting. Is that all your impression is?¡± Another sarcastic remark from Hwang Seong-yeon, provoking his feelings. But this time, it seemed to have hit the mark¡­ Hwahreuk-! Suddenly, ck mes appeared andpletely burned the newspaper gripped by the robed man. Then, eerie glowing eyes turned towards Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡°Kkakkuk- Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no disruption to the n.¡± It was at that moment those words were uttered. Kwaaang-! Hwang Seong-yeon, who had suddenly drawn his sword, unleashed his magic to blow apart the left wall of the cave. Then he coldly looked ahead with his signature expressionless face. ¡°Seems you¡¯re getting the wrong idea. I¡¯m your contract partner, not your subordinate. Since I¡¯ve been quietly listening, you keep overstepping your bounds¡­ It¡¯d be better if you knew your ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The robed man, silently watching this scene, eventually bowed his head and reached out his hand first. ¡°My apologies. It was an unexpected situation, so I made a mistake. I have never seen you as a subordinate, only as my contract partner, Hwang Seong-yeon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°And it is true that there is no disruption to the n. Even if the humans have obtained information on the ¡®Transcendents¡¯, they still have no information on the ¡®Defectors¡¯.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon nodded his head at those words. From the beginning, their n was focused on the ¡®Defectors¡¯. Beings who preserve some memories like the Transcendents and are granted a space for reasoning¡­ But unable to remain in the derived space from the other world, they awkwardly assimte into this world. Just like the robed man. ¡°It will be difficult to find out about the Defectors unless directly confronted.¡± The two¡¯s n was to ¡®nurture¡¯ these Defectors. To nurture more Defectors, and eventually even turn a ¡®certain Transcendent¡¯ into a Defector. That was their ultimate goal. The core information about this has not been revealed to the world yet. And even if it is revealed, unraveling such aplicated n would not be easy. ¡°However, it is bing quite vexing. I was already wondering about some unidentified Holder tailing our Ludenark¡­¡± The robed man turned his gaze back to Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡°By any chance, do you know the identities of the Holders who uncovered this information?¡± ¡°An S-rank Holder named Yoo Eun-seol. And I¡¯ve heard that Do Jae-hyun also greatly contributed. Rumor has it that Do Jae-hyun took the lead, and Yoo Eun-seol only assisted.¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun¡­that guy again.¡± The robed man had already received information about Do Jae-hyun before. The Holder who made the biggest contribution in bringing down their allied n, . A Holder who was rapidly growing at a frightening pace, to the point of representing the academy. His name kept popping up time and time again. Whenever it seemed he could be the slightest obstacle to their n, his name would inevitably appear. ¡°An interesting fellow.¡± As Hwang Seong-yeon thought about him, he let out a slight smile and nodded. In Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s world, where the criteria for ¡®interesting¡¯ was quite high¡­Do Jae-hyun upied a significant portion as an object of interest. Even after a considerable amount of time had passed since the eradication operation, Hwang Seong-yeon still asionally recalled that day¡¯s duel. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to assign someone to him soon.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon asked in response to those words. ¡°To Do Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It will be difficult to assign anyone to the academy anymore. It¡¯s not asx as it used to be.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon, who had directly involved herself through those pastx openings, knew this. From the faculty to the students and even the operations staff. The academy that could freely manipte, was different now. After going through that bout of measles, they underwent a major transformation, making it almost impossible to infiltrate spies like before. But the robed man paid no heed to Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s negative response. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We just need to make an opening.¡± At those confident words, Hwang Seong-yeon nodded solemnly. While the robed man had some ominous aspects, he was no ordinary Defector when it came to ability. He had always shown results beyond expectations, which was why Hwang Seong-yeon had unhesitatingly formed a contract with him. This time too, he surely must have his own methods. However¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t kill him. He¡¯s the main dish I purposely left behind.¡± As much as he enjoyed the thrill of facing Do Jae-hyun, Hwang Seong-yeon didn¡¯t want to miss out on it. *** Ippotrantion *** After sessfully finishing the ¡®greeting from the senior¡¯ as intended. I returned home and was packing my bags. It would be nice to meet the new main characters who will open the next chapter, but I had quite a busy schedule during the vacation, so I had to move around a bit busily. ¡°I guess she¡¯ll be surprised?¡± This time, the n was to visit Japan. It was to see Moon Ga-eun, who would be diligently training with Akiba in Nagoya by now. Moreover, since I hadn¡¯t told her yet, I was thinking of surprising her. ¡°Ah. Jae-hyun is too much. Right after ying with Juyeon, he goes to y with Ga-eun.¡± Kim Chae-eun, who was next to me, grabbed my arm and said with a sulky expression. Of course, she probably wasn¡¯t really upset. Ever sinceing to Seoul, I had been with her all the time, andst night too¡­ We spent it together. Knowing that she was just yfully grumbling, I hugged her waist and kissed her. ¡°Why are you like that again? We were together yesterday and today.¡± ¡°Um- Hehe. My anger melted away with that kiss just now.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± I smiled and stroked Kim Chae-eun¡¯s head, then continued packing my bags. Apart from a few business meetings, this visit was really just to see Moon Ga-eun, so I didn¡¯t need to pack a lot. ¡°Ah, right. You should visit the Master too.¡± At those words, I looked up. ¡°Master Jeong Seon-young?¡± ¡°Yes. I mentioned it to the Master. Then she said she really wants to have a meal together with us.¡± Suddenly, memories of Jeong Seon-young came to mind. During the time when I failed to understand Kim Chae-eun¡¯s heart, she subtly gave me signals. It seems she had been enthusiastically cheering for us to be a couple ever since Pohang. ¡®¡­There seem to be many such people around us.¡¯ Not only Jeong Seon-young, but also Seong Na-yeon from before. There were quite a few people around us who enthusiastically supported our rtionship. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s see her once. I¡¯ve received a lot from the seniors as well.¡± After making an appointment with Jeong Seon-young, I finished packing all my luggage. Then, after receiving one more kiss from Kim Chae-eun telling me to go ande back safely, I left the house. ¡­ ¡­ Since I had been to Nagoya before, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to reach my destination via the [Warp Gate]. Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya City. As I set foot in this ce where I had previouslye for dungeon investigation, a familiar face came to wee me. ¡°Long time no see, Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ How long has it been? I¡¯m really d to see you, Akiba.¡± Her well-groomed posture and trademark miko outfit. Even from a distance, I could easily recognize her as Akiba. ¡°I¡¯m honored to see you again as well. By any chance, your luggage¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I left it at the amodation. I have some other things to do too. More importantly, can I see Ga-eun first? I came without telling her, so I wanted to surprise her. Haha.¡± Since Akiba was also an old acquaintance I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, I wanted to have a cup of tea with her as well. There was still a lot we hadn¡¯t had a chance to talk about. However, time was plentiful, and the purpose of my visit today was to see Moon Ga-eun first. So I immediately looked for Moon Ga-eun, but¡­ Akiba¡¯s expression seemed a bit strange. ¡°Ah, about Ga-eun¡­¡± Akiba, who had a slightly troubled look, eventually nodded at me. ¡°I see. Let¡¯s go together. But please don¡¯t be too surprised.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± What did she mean, don¡¯t be too surprised? Did she mean that Moon Ga-eun had be much stronger than before or something? ¡®But it couldn¡¯t be that, since the training period was too short.¡¯ The time Moon Ga-eun had been in Japan was too short for that. I was puzzled, but¡­ Nheless, I followed Akiba into the shrine. After passing through a few doors, we arrived at the . It was a dungeon I had experienced raiding when I came to investigate it before. I thought we would have to go in deep, but fortunately, I was able to spot Moon Ga-eun not far from the entrance. But¡­. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t follow Akiba¡¯s words of not being surprised. And for good reason. With its nine tails and shimmering crimson fur. It¡¯s quiterge body that could almost cover the entire dungeon. The aura swirling around it, enveloping everything. Something I had never seen during the previous dungeon raid¡­ A giant fox. More precisely, a nine-tailed fox was directly carrying Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Jae, Jae-hyun¡­?!¡± Moon Ga-eun, who finally noticed me, eximed in surprise. But I was the one who wanted to exim in surprise. I sent her to Japan to improve her archery skills¡­ But what is this about taming a nine-tailed fox? What on earth happened?
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Moon Ga-eun Riding a Fox (2) A few days ago, at the Atsuta Shrine. Moon Ga-eun hade to a ce called the ¡®Shaman¡¯s Field¡¯ where only dedicated shamans could enter. The Shaman¡¯s Field was a space set up within the shrine for various education and training of the dedicated shamans. Originally, it was a ce Moon Ga-eun, a Holder from another country, could never enter. However, since Akiba Miyu, who would be her short-term teacher from today, held a high position as a senior shaman here, there was no problem with her entrance. ¡°What I will teach you today is called ¡®Spiritualism¡¯.¡± Akiba, who had entered the field with Moon Ga-eun, went straight to the main topic. In her hand was arge longbow, and on the table next to her were items that glowed mysteriously like spirit objects and strangely shaped clothes. ncing between them, Moon Ga-eun asked, ¡°Spiritualism?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, after receiving the request from Do Jae-hyun, I pondered a lot about how to train you. After all, you¡¯re a B-rank Holder like me and a Holder who was educated by Holder Moon Jeong-hyuk, right? So I thought regr archery training might not be a very meaningful time for you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Moon Ga-eun nodded in understanding at Akiba¡¯s exnation. It wasn¡¯t wrong. No matter how skill and education might not be proportional, Moon Jeong-hyuk was one of the best archer-type Holders in Korea. For Moon Ga-eun, whose father was such a Holder, rudimentary archery training could be more harmful than helpful. There was no guarantee that simply adding another orthodoxy to an orthodox growth would easily blend. So Akiba concluded that she should not just teach archery but add a special element to the training. Something to refresh Moon Ga-eun, who had hit a wall in her growth. In other words, something that could revitalize the current direction of training as an archer-type Holder ¨C a new path. And that was the ¡®power of shamans¡¯ that Akiba had cultivated over a long time. ¡°Spiritualism is a kind of sacred power mainly used by Japanese shaman Holders. This ability is divided into all sorts of types, but the Spiritualism that we directbat types handle is mostly physical enhancement.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Moon Ga-eun, who had been nkly listening to the exnation, raised her hand. She had heard words she didn¡¯t quite understand for a moment. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re going to have me learn a new rune?¡± Spiritualism was a special power from the shamanic faith that often appeared in dramas and movies, but in the Holder world, its meaning waspletely different. Like ¡®curses¡¯ or ¡®blessings¡¯, it was a special power that temporarily borrowed the power of a god. It fell under the sacred power category. In other words, Akiba¡¯s words sounded like she was going to have Moon Ga-eun learn a new rune that she didn¡¯t have before. ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s about confirming your talent.¡± ¡°Confirming my talent?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you happen to know about inborn talents and acquired talents?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Inborn talents and acquired talents. The former referred to all the powers of runes one obtained from the start of awakening as a Holder, while thetter referred to the abilities Holders gained through growth after awakening. Kim Chae-eun starting with [Frozen] and gaining [Frozen Battlefield] was a representative case of an ¡®acquired talent.¡¯ To go into moremon examples,mon runes like [Magic Control] or spell runes like [Florian Spell] also fell into this category. One of the major reasons academies were operated in each country to educate novice Holders was to develop these hidden acquired talents. ¡°Most Holders focus more on enhancing their inborn talents rather than finding acquired talents. You probably know the reason for this too.¡± Moon Ga-eun nodded at those words. ¡°Yes, well¡­ It¡¯s inefficient to blindly search for uncertain talents, and even if found, their performance mayg behind inborn talents.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± This was also one of the reasons why Multi-Holders were rare. There were Multi-Holders like Seong Na-yeon of who were born with two talents from the start, but in most cases, acquired talents were discovered and developed as supplementary talents. If talents existed but were not discovered, or if people didn¡¯t even attempt it for efficiency¡¯s sake¡­ Of course, Holders using multiple runes would be scarce. On the other hand, however, there were also Multi-Holders who possessed countless runes and had special talents in all of those runes. Do Jae-hyun. An A-rank Holder and still a student Holder at the academy. He was being hailed as a once-in-a-generation promising talent expected to be the youngest S-rank Holder, and had risen as the hope of the domestic Holder world¡­not without reason. ¡°In any case, Spiritualism is a rune that can be acquired through the development of such acquired talents. It does require some items and special conditions, but if you can acquire it, it will definitely be a great help to your abilities. Through this, I want to present a new possibility to you.¡± In other words, Akiba¡¯s education this time was a kind of ¡®special lecture.¡¯ After satisfying the conditions by mobilizing rted knowledge and items, she would develop a new power. That was the purpose of this training. Of course, it might work or it might not. Just as Moon Ga-eun acquired [Magic Control] in but did not acquire any runes in ¡­ One must have talent in that field to acquire a rune. But even so, it was worth a try. As an archer-type, Moon Ga-eun almost never used the ¡®divine¡¯ stat among her ability stats, but if she could utilize a new direction using that, it would certainly be a boost to herbat support. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Good. Then first¡­¡± Akiba took out a neatly folded pile of clothes from among the items on the table. ¡°Moon Ga-eun. Will you wear this?¡± Total of three outfits. One was a white top that neatly covered the upper body, another was a skirt full of red, and thest was an outer garment that covered them both. It was clothing in almost the same form as what Akiba was currently wearing. A shaman¡¯s outfit, also called a ¡®hakama¡¯ in Japan. Moon Ga-eun tilted her head as she epted it. Before the training, why was she told to wear this outfit? ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shaman¡¯s outfit containing sacred power. The shaman¡¯s power I will teach you today, its responsiveness varies greatly depending on the wearer¡¯s clothes. Therefore, you must wear this to more effectively check your talent.¡± A shaman¡¯s outfit containing sacred power. In other words, an item. Upon checking the information, it was indeed a rare-grade item with some sacred stats attached. It even had the special effect patible with spirit channeling.¡¯ As Akiba said, wearing it would definitely help with the training. However¡­. ¡°This is a bit short, isn¡¯t it?¡± The length of the shaman skirt was not orthodox. Unlike Akiba¡¯s shaman outfit that draped down to the ankles, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s was shortened to ride up above her thighs. An outfit that would entuate her long, pretty legs if she wore it. In a way, it seemed like an outfit emphasizing fashion. Then suddenly, Akiba cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°Ahem. Ah, it¡¯s modified to fit the Korean style. As long as the shaman¡¯s outfit contains sacred power, there¡¯s no need for you to wear the Japanese traditional costume.¡± Modified to fit the Korean style? ¡­Really? Moreover, Akiba, who had been exining smoothly until now, suddenly cleared her throat and stumbled over her words, which made it seem even more suspicious. Moon Ga-eun, feeling there was something amiss, narrowed her eyes. ¡°Akiba.¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°Does Jae-hyun know I¡¯m receiving shaman training today?¡± Freeze-. Akiba¡¯s body stiffened for a moment. From that brief reaction, Moon Ga-eun could tell. Who the client was for this specially made shaman¡¯s outfit. ¡°Ah, he does know but the shaman¡¯s outfit has absolutely nothing to do with Jae-hyun. First of all, this is women¡¯s clothing, and Jae-hyun is male, so¡­ uh, so¡­.¡± ¡­What is this woman even saying? It was strange seeing such a flustered side from Akiba, who usually wouldn¡¯t let anything faze her. Moon Ga-eun let out an awkwardugh and grasped the shaman¡¯s outfit in her hand. ¡°Anyway, I got it. I¡¯ll go change. Where should I change?¡± At that, Akiba briefly looked embarrassed. Seemed like she realized her lie was exposed. Then she pointed to the changing room situated in one corner of the vacant lot. ¡°You can change in there.¡± ¡°Okay. Wait a bit.¡± ¡°Ga-eun¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Suddenly, Akiba approached her stealthily and looked around. Then, making sure Seong Na-yeon, who was standing guard at the entrance, couldn¡¯t hear, she leaned in and whispered. ¡°Jae-hyun asked me to keep it a secret¡­¡± ¡°Pfft. I know, I know.¡± Now she¡¯s not even trying to hide it, huh? Moon Ga-eun smiled and nodded, then headed towards the changing room. And after three steps, four steps¡­ When Akiba was almost out of sight. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s face flushed red with embarrassment. ¡®¡­Th-That idiot, really.¡¯ Even though she acted nonchnt in front of Akiba, Moon Ga-eun was more embarrassed than anyone. She couldn¡¯t tell if the outfit in her hands was a shaman¡¯s robe or a cosy costume. That¡¯s how peculiar and short it was. Something she shouldn¡¯t have found out¡­ It felt like she had discovered Do Jae-hyun¡¯s secret taste. ¡®Well, if you wanted it, you should¡¯ve just said so.¡¯ But even so, her heart raced unnecessarily. Her boyfriend, who usually just joked around¡­ Secretly hoped to see her in this kind of outfit. The unexpected realization made her feel giddy and excited for no reason. ¡®¡­Maybe I should lose some weight?¡¯ She could already picture herself meeting Do Jae-hyun while wearing the shaman¡¯s outfit. Following that thought, Moon Ga-eun started thinking about dieting.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Moon Ga-eun Riding a Fox (3) ¡°As you know well, Ga-eun, the abilities of Divinity-type Holders arergely divided into four categories.¡± After changing clothes, Akiba began her formal lecture. Moon Ga-eun shifted her attention from her attire and listened intently. ¡°The first is the healing and defense category. It is well-known to the public and is the field mostmonly handled by Holders.¡± Healing and defense are the core and foundation of the Divinity-type. Protectingrades from monsters and healing injuredrades. This is the greatest role expected of the Divinity-type by party members when hunting monsters in dungeons and fields, and it is also the first skill that Divinity-type Holders learn. The mostmon rune is [Heal], and the skill is [Cure]. These are abilities that borrow the power of the divine Recluse. ¡°The second is the sorcery category and abilities dealing with abnormal statuses.¡± The system considers borrowing the power of evil gods as ¡®Divine¡¯ as well. Therefore, the power of sorcery-rted runes such as [Simple Curse] and [Demon¡¯s Curse] is included in the abilities handled by the Divinity-type. Even if not directly sorcery, skills that inflict debuffs on the target, such as [Bind] or [Slow], are also considered Divinity-type abilities. Divinity-type Holders who focus on developing these abilities are sometimes called sorcery-type Holders or sorcerers. ¡°Was the third direct attack?¡± This time, Moon Ga-eun, who had been listening quietly, asked. Akiba slowly nodded in response. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the least preferred field.¡± Just because they are Divinity-type Holders doesn¡¯t mean they have nobat abilities. There are very basic attack skills like [Holy Arrow], and skills like [Illum Punishment], which is only heard in rumors, are ssified as skills with overwhelming power. They were particrly powerful in special situations against undead or summoned creatures. But still, the Divinity-type is the Divinity-type. Since the category is focused on indirectbat, there are clear limitations to their offensive abilities. Additionally, various situations and conditions must be met to exert great power¡­ These abilities were not a preferred field. ¡°And thest is the auxiliary category. After healing and defense, it¡¯s the most widely used field.¡± The auxiliary category utilizes support abilities onrades or themselves. A kind of buff category. The most representative is [Rest] from the [Mental Support] rune, and skills like [Haste] or [Strength] from [Physical Support] were also frequently used abilities. And¡­ ¡°The talent for the Reinforcement Rune that you and I will confirm through this education also falls under this auxiliary category.¡± This was the reason Akiba had continued her lengthy exnation. [Spiritualism] is a rune that allows the Holder to borrow divine power from an item containing divine power or a special ability that resonates with them, infusing their body with the borrowed power of a deity. Because of the phrase ¡®borrowing the power of a deity,¡¯ it may seem like a Mythic Rune at first nce, but in fact, the divine power and mythicalposition contained within are so feeble that it is ssified as a Rare Rune. ¡°While other auxiliary abilities can be used on both oneself andrades, Spiritualism can only be used on the wielding Holder themselves.¡± Moon Ga-eun asked in response to this exnation. ¡°So does that make the Divinity-type into a directbat type?¡± ¡°Yes. Are you perhaps familiar with special forms of multi-Holders like Monks or Pdins?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ve heard of them. So they¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. With some exceptions, most of them are Holders who use Spiritualism.¡± While abilities obtained through acquired talents are difficult to discover in the first ce, if guided effectively, they can be powerful assets for the Holder. [Spiritualism] is no exception. The power of this rune itself is merely a physical enhancement auxiliary rune, but if a Holder who was originally of the directbat type obtains it, they can see tremendous synergistic effects. The special Holders known as ¡®Battle Shrine Maidens¡¯ in Japan were one such case, and in Europe, the ¡®Pdins¡¯ fell into this category. Today, Akiba intended to open up the possibility of such a multi-Holder for Moon Ga-eun. ¡°I understand. So what should we start with?¡± With the introduction of apletely new method of education, Moon Ga-eun became quite enthusiastic as well. In response to her eager question, Akiba gestured towards the items on the table. ¡°You will draw out your divine power and attempt to resonate with these items.¡± ¡°You mean divine resonance?¡± Just as Holders utilize magic for magic resonance, utilizing divine power allows for the use of ¡®divine resonance.¡¯ The process is very simr to utilizing the [Magic Control] rune, so even non-Divinity-types can use it, simr to how Divinity-type Holders can use both divine power and magic. Perhaps for this reason, while there are applied runes like [Divine Amplification] among themon Divinity-type runes, there is no basic rune like [Divine Control]. ¡°That¡¯s right. A Holder with talent in Spiritualism can confirm it simply by resonating with divine-rted items like this. These eight items are representative items used for Spiritualism. It takes about 30 minutes for each item¡¯s resonance, so we should be able toplete the confirmation within four hours today.¡± Akiba nodded her head as she finished her final exnation. Performing divine power resonance with eight items. That was today¡¯s education. If talent is confirmed through this process, she would likely slowly train in [Spiritualism] afterward. However, as she listened quietly, Moon Ga-eun suddenly furrowed her brow. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nine items, not eight?¡± On the table, there were a total of nine items. Following the various glowing peculiar items, at the very end, there was a lone ring lying there. Akiba shook her head. ¡°That item was brought by mistake. It¡¯s an unidentified item kept in the Sanctuary, and an apprentice priestess identally brought it along while procuring the items.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re not resonating with that one?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already tried, and it had no effect. Although it emanates a mysterious aura, it¡¯s nothing more than an ordinary item without divine power, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± With those words, Akiba picked up the first divine item. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin, Ga-eun.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** To get straight to the point, it was aplete failure. Unfortunately, Moon Ga-eun was not gifted with [Spiritualism]. For four hours, she tried resonating with eight representative divine items, but none of the objects showed any special reaction. asionally, even when there is no particr reaction like this, there are cases where students seed in awakening [Spiritualism] by continuing their training, but the efficiency of this session was too low to pursue that slim possibility alone. Neither Moon Ga-eun nor Akiba were people who could afford such a waste of time. Even Seong Na-yeon, who came as a guard, was not someone who could spare so much time like that. ¡°What a pity.¡± Akiba said regretfully. She truly wished for Moon Ga-eun¡¯s growth. It was a request from the respected Holder and benefactor Do Jae-hyun, and she also felt a sense of connection since they both handled bows. But the n tailored to her growth had unfortunately failed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. If talents emerged exactly as desired, there would be an overflow of high-ranking Holders.¡± Fortunately, Moon Ga-eun didn¡¯t seem too disappointed. And for good reason¡­ Moon Ga-eun is the daughter of a core executive of the n. Having grown up in such a reputable family and under a famous father, she had already made countless attempts to awaken her talents. This attempt was just another process that passed by, and she knew that it would not necessarily proceed smoothly. Thanks to that, Moon Ga-eun really had no particr sentiments about this failure. ¡°Will we return to orthodox archery training tomorrow?¡± That was all she asked, inquiring about the next day¡¯s schedule. Seeing her attitude, Akiba slightly admired and nodded her head. Though a much younger Holder than herself, Moon Ga-eun seemed to be a Holder who was better trained and more outstanding than anyone else in terms of mental fortitude. No wonder Do Jae-hyun had entrusted this Holder to her. ¡°Yes. I will draw up a new n.¡± And that was it. Today¡¯s training was over. Since the verification process hadsted a whopping four hours, it was already pitch dark outside the grounds. Moon Ga-eun walked toward the changing room to change her clothes. ¡®¡­Should I ask to keep these clothes though?¡¯ Although she failed to learn [Spiritualism], making them meaningless, these were the shaman robes that Do Jae-hyun had specially ordered from Akiba¡­ It seemed a pity to return them just like that. Moon Ga-eun decided she would talk to Akibater and purchase them separately. tter- Thud- ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Then, something got caught under her feet. Upon picking it up to check¡­ It was the [Mysterious Ring], the special item that Akiba¡¯s junior shaman had brought by mistake. Until just before, it had been sitting on the table, but Moon Ga-eun and Akiba were so focused on training that it must have fallen on the floor without them noticing. ¡®It really is an unremarkable item.¡¯ Moon Ga-eun nodded her head after checking the . Just as Akiba had said. Despite having the legendary grade rating, it seemed to be sealed,cking any effects or innate skills. However, trying to ¡®unseal it¡¯¡­ There were countless items of this kind all over the world. Only when unsealed would they be truly legendary, otherwise they were mere trinkets. Items like this,cking unlock conditions and with pointless adjectives like ¡®mysterious¡¯ in their names, usually didn¡¯t receive good treatment. ¡®Still, maybe I should try resonating with it?¡¯ The thought suddenly urred to her. Perhaps because she felt the verification process earlier had been in vain. She wanted to try a ¡®divine resonance¡¯ with this trinket-like item, just for fun. Fortunately, she still had some divine power left, so attempting it casually wasn¡¯t a problem. But then¡­ ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Abruptly, information windows that dizzied Moon Ga-eun¡¯s eyes and ears began popping up incessantly. [The divine resonance of one with the qualifications has touched the ¡®Mysterious Ring¡¯! The seal of the ¡®Mysterious Ring¡¯ has been fully unlocked, regaining its true name as the ¡®Ring of Freya¡¯.] [Possessing the windborne martial art, transcendent senses, and experience riding a divine beast. You have met all the given conditions. Moreover, your special energy and resonance with the ring are exceptionally outstanding. You will absorb all the power contained within the ¡®Ring of Freya¡¯.] [Glorious and resplendent memories descend upon your shoulders. The power of the holy female warrior will make you unyielding, anytime, anywhere. ¡­] ¡­ ¡­ [You have acquired the new rune ¡®Valkyrie of the Battlefield¡¯.] [You have acquired the new rune ¡®Valkyrie¡¯s Steed¡¯.] [You have acquired the new rune ¡®Spiritualism¡¯.] ¡­ ¡­ ¡­From that day on, Moon Ga-eun decided to believe in God.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Moon Ga-eun Riding a Fox (4) [You have obtained a new rune ¡®Valkyrie of the Battlefield¡¯.] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain +3 to all basic abilities.] [You have obtained a new rune ¡®Valkyrie¡¯s Horse.] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain +2 to magic power and +3 to Leadership.] [Special abilities are activated in the Holder¡¯s Information.] [You have obtained a new rune ¡®Spiritualism¡¯.] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain +3 to divinity.] ¡òName: Valkyrie of the Battlefield ¡òGrade: Legendary ¡òLevel: 1 ¡òEngraved Location: Chest ¡òSpecial Effects : The effect of ¡®Armor of the Female Warrior¡¯ is constantly applied. Even if you do not wear armor, helmets, shoes, or other protective gear on your body, just by possessing them, you can use the abilities and effects of those defensive gears. : Your understanding of divine power increases dramatically. You can draw out an additional 20% performance from divine-level items, including items that the power of a god has touched even slightly. Additionally, the power of all runes rted to divinity increases by 10%. : The Valkyrie executes those whoe close to death by the order of the ruler. When facing the undead or necromancers, all abilities increase by 20%. ¡òDerived Skill [Valkyrie¡¯s Blessing] : The Valkyrie shines brighter beside a hero. Set a hero you wish to protect, and when you participate inbat together with that hero, you can grant 20% of your own ¡®Endurance¡¯ and ¡®Speed¡¯ stats to the hero. There is no cooldown, and if you set a new hero, the previous hero can no longer receive the effect. *Currently set hero: ¨C (0/1) ¡òDetails : The divine and valiant power of a female warrior who fought on the battlefield alongside gods in the ancient past. The source of this power is only revealed when you acquire the qualifications and meet special conditions. If you continue to track the power and memories of the Valkyrie, you may regain all the abilities of those brilliant ones who created ancient myths. *A rune that only females can handle; it has no effect on males. ¡­ ¡­ In a luxurious room prepared inside the Atsuta Shrine. We had already secured lodging in Nagoya, but since it was gettingte and we had stayed at the shrine for a long time, it was more convenient toe to this room. Thanks to the consideration of Akiba, the senior priestess of this ce, there was no problem for us outsiders to be in this room. And here, I said with a rather perplexed look, ¡°Hey Ga-eun¡­ You didn¡¯t have to tell me all that.¡± The one who made me perplexed was none other than Moon Ga-eun. My girlfriend, sitting right in front of me, grinning and telling me the story. Was it because of our long-awaited reunion? Or was it because of her growth¡­? She was excitedly telling me about the information of the new runes she had obtained, including [Valkyrie of the Battlefield]. Three runes in total, all of which showed overwhelming performance. ¡°Why~ Jae-hyun, these are the powers I gained because you told me about them, right?¡± ¡°How is that because I told you? You qualified and were lucky enough to get them.¡± ¡°Heh, is that so?¡± Moon Ga-eun smiled again. Seeing her like that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a wryugh as well. Recently, she had been looking unnecessarily dejected. Despite possessing top-tier skills in the archer ss, she felt her abilities were falling behind because of her rapidly improving friends, and she seemed to feel impatient about that¡­ But now that she had regained her confidence, I felt good too. And I was amazed once again by her growth. ¡®She really is amazing.¡¯ Although I did give her a little push, I actually didn¡¯t expect Moon Ga-eun to grow to this incredible extent. [Valkyrie of the Battlefield]. Just hearing the rune information again made my head spin. From ability stat adjustments rted to divinity and additional item performance to increased abilities against the undead, and even the derived skill [Valkyrie¡¯s Blessing] with special powers. Befitting its title as a legendary rune, each effect was exceptional. Moreover, the effect of ¡®Armor of the Female Warrior¡¯ boasted such a powerful ability that it almost felt like a scam. If it weren¡¯t for the condition that only females could handle it, I would have probably tried to acquire it as a [Rune Hunter] no matter what. ¡®¡­This legendary rune has exceptionally good performance among other legendary runes.¡¯ The power of legendary or mythical runes varies depending on the strength of the legends they are based on. [Valkyrie of the Battlefield], which Moon Ga-eun obtained this time, seemed to be based on a fairly famous and solid legend. That¡¯s probably why its performance seemed exceptionally goodpared to other legendary runes. ¡°Heh, but I wanted to tell you since I have to let you know if I want to set you as the hero.¡± Of course, Moon Ga-eun used [Valkyrie¡¯s Blessing] on me. Although she is a member of the n, at this point, she spends the most time going into battles with me, so it was more efficient for her to choose me. Even if there were no such circumstances, she would have definitely insisted and urged me to ¡°of course, flirt with your boyfriend!¡± While continuing to listen to Moon Ga-eun¡¯s exnation of her runes, I asked about the amazing sight I had seen earlier. ¡°So that giant fox¡­¡± ¡°Yes! Thanks to the Valkyrie¡¯s Horse rune, I was able to contract it.¡± The rune Moon Ga-eun obtained wasn¡¯t the end of [Valkyrie of the Battlefield]. [Valkyrie¡¯s Horse]. A rune that allows contracting beasts handled by Valkyries. It¡¯s said to be a superior rune to [Taming Contract], with the unique trait of only being able to contract beast-type monsters. From her possession of the [Riding] rune and closeness with Tyrbon, I had already guessed this, but it seems Moon Ga-eun really did have talent in the [Taming Contract] area. When we arrived at the Atsuta Shrine earlier. I was so surprised when I saw her riding the fox for the first time. ¡°My Leadership iscking, but I was able to form a limited contract by meeting the special conditions.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± This part was simr to my [Promise Bound by the Dragon]. I¡¯m able to form limited contracts only with monsters of the ¡®Sub-dragon¡¯ special trait, while Moon Ga-eun can form limited contracts with monsters of the ¡®Divine Beast¡¯ lineage. The giant fox, the nine-tailed fox, that Moon Ga-eun contracted with this time is a Japanese divine beast. It was an ¡®Aftermath Monster¡¯ existing in the [Shadowy Ghost Lair] dungeon, a special monster periodically managed by the shrine maidens of Atsuta Shrine. That¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t see it at all during the previous dungeon raid. Akiba was also reportedly shocked by the sight of Moon Ga-eun instantly making such an outrageous monster her contractor. ¡°But actually, I heard the true value of the runees out when contracting with a wolf.¡± ¡°A wolf?¡± I asked back at Moon Ga-eun¡¯s sudden remark. ¡°Yes. It seems the Valkyrie¡¯s horse originally referred to wolves. So if you contract with a wolf-type divine beast, the rune¡¯s performance and the contractor¡¯s power are supposed to increase greatly.¡± As soon as I heard that, the came to mind. The dungeon I¡¯m personally nning to raid towards the end of this break. A top-tier dungeon infested with A and S-grade monsters, where monsters that canmunicate with humans first appear, marking the beginning of an upheaval toe. I had already nned to bring Moon Ga-eun along, but after hearing this, I¡¯m more convinced. Plus, we¡¯ll need to utilize the [Valkyrie¡¯s Blessing] skill too. ¡®¡­But do regr wolves even appear there?¡¯ The is a dungeon featuring werewolves. It has various werewolf tribes referred to as werewolves or lycanthropes. But I couldn¡¯t recall if regr wolves in non-human form appeared there. Thest point of the original work I saw was during the raid of that dungeon. ¡®Well, if not, I can just contract Fenrir.¡¯ If there are no wolves, I just need to find one elsewhere. At any rate, contracting a high-level wolf divine beast seemed like it would be the key to further excessively developing Moon Ga-eun¡¯s rune. ¡°But Akiba was really amazing too. What I did this time was practically piging a shrine treasure¡­ yet she handled it without a hitch.¡± At those words, I slowly nodded my head. The catalyst that enabled Moon Ga-eun¡¯s reawakening, the [Ring of Freya]. Even if it was just a shiny trinket at first, it was ultimately an asset held by Atsuta Shrine. To instantly turn such a ring into scrap, it was an issue that could have caused problems. But it seems Akiba took the initiative and handled that part well. ¡°She¡¯s an influential figure within the shrine. She said she had been active as abat shrine maiden for a long time.¡± ¡°She really respected you?¡± ¡°¡­She seems to think so, generously. But well, we just owe each other favors.¡± While Akiba thinks I resolved her wish, without her, things wouldn¡¯t have been easy for me in Japan either. Akiba Miyu could be considered my biggest gain among the connections I made during my deployment to Japan. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really all?¡± ¡°What are you imagining?¡± Moving closer from her seat, Moon Ga-eun made a petnt expression for no reason. Her jealous look was cute. It was hard to hide my smile. Unable to suppress myughter, I hugged her tightly as she approached. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between us. And you¡¯re prettier.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Heh-.¡± Moon Ga-eun immediately burst intoughter, as if she had never been sulking. Then, as if suddenly remembering something¡­ She whispered in my ear. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°That¡­ Shrine maiden outfit, did you order it?¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡­Akiba, I told you to keep it a secret. But she figured it out anyway. I was momentarily flustered but soon nodded. It was true that I wanted to see Moon Ga-eun in a shrine maiden outfit. But then, I heard something unexpected from her. ¡°Want me to¡­ Show you me wearing it now?¡± At that moment. For the first time in my life, I felt Moon Ga-eun¡¯s voice is seductive. It seemed her growth¡­ Was not just limited to her abilities as a Holder. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Moon Ga-eun Riding a Bear
NFSW WARNING
A significantly shortened red skirt catches my eye. The hakama that should have originally been long together with the white top had been altered to suit my taste. Exactly as I had imagined. The specially made shaman outfit suited Moon Ga-eun very well. ¡°¡­Pretty?¡± Moon Ga-eun shyly asked me. But I was so entranced looking at her that I didn¡¯t even catch what she asked.¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°Stu-Stupid. I asked if I look pretty.¡± ¡°Extremely. I can¡¯t even breathe right now.¡± ¡°Ahahaha.¡± Laughing at my words, Moon Ga-eun slowly approached me. Toward where I was. To be precise, toward the bed I was sitting on. My dazed expression instantly snapped back to attention. This time with a face tinged with embarrassment. ¡°Uh¡­ Ga-eun? You¡¯reing onto the bed?¡± ¡°Ah, I know. You dummy.¡± A tremble could be felt in Moon Ga-eun¡¯s answering voice as well. Thump- My body copsed in an instant. Still in my sitting position, I fell back, my upper body lying on the bed, and Moon Ga-eun also kneeled onto the bed, leaning over me. In other words, she naturally mounted on top of my body. It was a far more stimting and proactive action than riding the giant fox. ¡°I, I¡¯ve¡­ Waited a really long time, you know¡­?¡± Moon Ga-eun asks in a still trembling voice. She¡¯s always been like this. Appearing nonchnt on the outside, but having more affection than anyone, putting on a tough front when she¡¯s actually delicate and warm-hearted. And right now is no different. Making a bold move toe onto me, but in reality, she¡¯s more tense than ever before. ¡®Which is what makes her so cute.¡¯ Since I know this so well about her, her current demeanor is¡­ Just another adorable side of my girlfriend. Maybe that¡¯s why. A mischievous urge suddenly rises within me to tease her. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know. What were you waiting for?¡± The eyes of the closely hovering Moon Ga-eun narrow. ¡°You jer- You know what.¡± ¡°I said I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­You did it with Chae-eun and Juyeon, but not with me.¡± ¡­¡­ There it is, the direct shot. For a moment, I nearly choked in front of her. Barely maintaining myposure, I lightly kissed Moon Ga-eun¡¯s pursed lips and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t have time or opportunity. It wasn¡¯t on purpose.¡± ¡°Well- Then today should work. We have time¡­¡± Once again, Moon Ga-eun¡­ Kisses me. But this wasn¡¯t a light peck¡­ It was a deep, passionate kiss where we could fully feel each other¡¯s breath. ¡°¡­And opportunity.¡± Haah- Haaah¡­ Both Moon Ga-eun and I¡­ We gaze at each other, breathing heavily. The ripened atmosphere was now familiar to me. But there was one nagging point. ¡°Here¡­?¡± This is the room we¡¯re staying in within the Shrine, thanks to Akiba¡¯s consideration. In other words, we¡¯re quite literally inside the Shrine, so it felt a bit awkward to have our private time. What if our voices were carried outside? However, Moon Ga-eun nodded as if it wasn¡¯t an issue. ¡°I got permission from Akiba.¡± ¡°¡­Permission for what exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. No one will know.¡± No, what kind of permission did she get? Come to think of it, it was strange. Why was there a bed in this room given for us to rest? But I had no time for stray thoughts. Having already made up her mind, Moon Ga-eun moved far more proactively than me. ¡°Mmm-¡° We continued our deep kissing. And in an instant, we undressed each other. Moon Ga-eun waspletely naked without a thread on, and I too had taken off all my clothes except my underwear. Naturally, my hands headed toward her butt. I would have groped her chest normally, but since she was leaning over me, the direction changed. ¡°Heh¡­!¡± Thankfully, she reacted just as readily to her butt. ¡°Stu-Stupid. I¡¯ll do it¡­¡± As expected, Moon Ga-eun immediately tried to take charge again. I let out augh and asked, ¡°So I just stay still?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t- Anyway, I¡¯ll do it.¡± After that adorable deration, Moon Ga-eun¡­ Slowly trailed down my body. From my lips to my chest, from my chest to my abdomen. And then¡­. ¡°Oh? Ga-Ga-eun, wait a sec.¡± This time, I was the flustered one. What¡¯s this? She¡¯s going to do that down there too? But rather than my flustered reaction, it seemed to only spur Moon Ga-eun on more as she hastily made her way down. ¡°Wow, wow¡­¡± And when my thing was revealed¡­ Moon Ga-eun gasped in admiration at its overwhelming size and¡­ Carefully stroked it with her hand. ¡°Haa¡­¡± A moan slips out of me without realizing it. The stimtion is more intense than I thought. Seeing my reaction, Moon Ga-eun carefully asked, ¡°D-Does it feel good?¡± ¡°Yeah. Honestly, it feels really good.¡± Moon Ga-eun¡¯s soft touch definitely felt nice. Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon weren¡¯t able to be this proactive during their first times¡­ But Moon Ga-eun was showing an inexperienced yet assertive side. Seeming a bit excited by my response, she boldly escted things. ¡°Mmph¡­¡± ¡°Hey, hey. You don¡¯t need to go that far. Haah-¡° I tried to stop Moon Ga-eun from attempting a blowjob on our first experience, but the sudden wave of pleasure made me shut my mouth. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s mouth that had suddenly enveloped me was quite warm and soft. An indescribable pleasure stroked my nerves. ¡°Nngh- Huah-¡° Though clumsy, Moon Ga-eun did her best to suck me off. It seemed she had studied thoroughly, as her technique was perfect in theory. Not grazing with her teeth, licking with her tongue in between, caressing the head¡­ She did everything she could to satisfy me. No matter how many times I said she didn¡¯t need to go that far, it was no use. As if trying to devour me today¡­ Moon Ga-eun came at me with abative energy. ¡°Haah- Haah-¡± ¡°¡­Ga-eun, are you okay?¡± ¡°Nngh- yeah¡­ Sh-Should I put it in now?¡± Lifting her head, Moon Ga-eun briefly met my eyes. Perhaps from having just sucked me off, she looked incredibly lewd. ¡°Right away?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m already wet¡­¡± She got wet without any forey? ¡°Heh¡­¡± When I pulled her close to feel for myself, she really was wet. Her pussy was soaked enough for immediate insertion. Just from my fingers, Moon Ga-eun seemed to feel deep pleasure, making a lewd expression as she moaned. ¡°Nngh¡­ You wanna put it in, Jae-hyun? Aahn¡­¡± ¡°¡­In this position? You¡¯ll be in a lot of pain¡­¡± ¡°Nngh¡­ I¡¯ll be fiiine¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her first insertion was going to be in a cowgirl position. This felt like I was the one being devoured here. While Moon Ga-eun¡¯s proactive advances and service felt nice, this defensive position was new to me, so I was a bit flustered. But I didn¡¯t have time to be surprised by that feeling. Because Moon Ga-eun, tired of waiting for my answer¡­ Immediately inserted my cock inside her. Squish!! ¡°Aahhn¡­!!¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± An overwhelming pleasure washes over my body, blowing away any stray thoughts. Moon Ga-eun, whose physique had looked proportional from the outside, drove me crazy on the inside too. Her tight pussy clenched around me as if trying to suck me back out, while her soaked folds aided the insertion like lubricant. If we could just get past the pain of Moon Ga-eun losing her virginity¡­ It seemed we could have an amazing sex session. ¡°Aahn, aahn¡­!! It, feels good¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± But strangely, there was no period of that pain. What¡¯s going on? I definitely felt like I broke through her hymen¡­ So why is she already swaying her hips? ¡°¡­Ga-eun, doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°No! It, feels good! Aahn- aaah¡­!!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± It¡¯s hard to believe she was a virgin until just now. Quickly adapting to the encroaching pleasure, Moon Ga-eun began swaying her hips on top of me. Her first sex, first cowgirl position. Everything was clumsy and crude, but¡­ For some reason, her movements felt so incredibly good that I could barely speak. ¡®¡­She¡¯s a natural.¡¯ I have to admit it. Moon Ga-eun was a born seductress. From the blowjob to her taking the lead in insertion. Though inexperienced, the flow was smooth and superb. Seeing how aggressively she¡¯s overwhelming me, someone who¡¯s gained some experience, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s sexual ability must be tremendous. Acknowledging that, I decided I couldn¡¯t stay still any longer. ¡°Nnh, heh?! Jae, Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m not holding back either?¡± ¡°W, wait! Too fast¡­!!¡± I¡¯ve been patient enough until now. While Moon Ga-eun¡¯s hip movements definitely felt good, her inexperience made themck finesse. I grabbed her hips with both hands and added bursts to her movements. ¡°Aahn¡­ nnngh¡­ so gooood¡­!!¡± ¡°Haaaah-¡° Moon Ga-eun¡¯s screams and my groans harmonize and resonate. Besides having sex with Moon Ga-eun, no other thoughts could enter my mind ¨C It felt that good. And soon, we both reached our limits. ¡°Nngh- I¡¯m cumming¡­!!¡± ¡°Yeah!! Cum for me! Cum for me, aahn¡­!!¡± Shudder- Our bodies trembled simultaneously. We had climaxed at the exact same timing. And Moon Ga-eun copsed forward, resting her body against my chest. ¡°Haah- haah-¡± ¡°Whew¡­¡± We panted heavily. That was an incredibly passionate performance for a first experience. What¡¯s more, it wasn¡¯t me leading, Moon Ga-eun took the reins from start to finish. It was a novel experience, one that surprised me a bit too. On the other hand, imagining just how eagerly Ga-eun must have awaited our first time made me feel a bit guilty as well. ¡°Haah, haah¡­ Jae-hyun.¡± Was that why, As she caught her breath against my chest, Her voice calling out to me was so careful. ¡°Yeah. What is it?¡± Unconsciously, my reply was filled with affection. I wanted to do anything and everything she asked. ¡°You know¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I want more¡­¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Thinking I misheard for a moment, I dumbly asked her to repeat herself. Moon Ga-eun lifted her head to look at me. ¡°Sex¡­ It was good. I want more.¡± Her gaze was like¡­ As ridiculous as this expression sounds¡­ A fox trying to devour a bear. ¡®¡­I¡¯m fucked.¡¯ And I sensed it. Tonight would definitely not end easily.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 228 Chapter 228 Recruiting the Attack Squad (1) I visited to surprise Moon Ga-eun, but ended up getting surprised myself and returned from the trip to Japan. I stayed in Nagoya for a couple of days and quickly returned to Korea. From the beginning, I had gone just for a short break, and also to boost Ga-eun¡¯s confidence. There was nothing in particr I could help her with additionally, as she was already adapting to new powers including [Valkyrie of the Battlefield]. Akiba was originally in charge of that additional training ¨C getting her limated to the newly acquired powers and orthodox archery instruction. Moon Ga-eun decided toplete a bit more training before returning home. -Noo babe¡­ Stay a liiittle longer¡­¡± -¡­¡­Of course, it was a bit difficult for ME to leave. Once Mun Ga-eun started opening her eyes, the brakes came off. Controlling her was never an easy task. ¡®¡­If I had stayed longer, it might have really be a mess.¡¯ Barely pulling away from Moon Ga-eun like that, I returned to Korea first. Although regrettable, I had ns to prepare and wrap things up in Korea. ¡°Long time no see, President.¡± The first person I met as a starting point was Lee Hyun-ho. A member of the circle, and my sophomore year colleague. A Holder renowned as the top talent in the cksmith ss. It had been quite a while since I¡¯d seen his face, spanning before and after the vacation. ¡°Ugh¡­ Do you really have to do that? We¡¯re in the same grade.¡± Lee Hyun-ho, who still spoke stiffly using the term ¡®President.¡¯ Seeing that, I made an exasperated expression. Hyun-ho had quite a rigid side, so hearing that term made the distance feel especially pronounced. Then he shrugged his shoulders slightly. ¡°This is morefortable for me.¡± ¡°It feels like I should call you Member Hyun-ho too then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not bad either.¡± ¡°Geez¡­¡± I made a vexed face, but we soon exchanged smiles. In fact, it was a miracle that we could have such a light conversation. When I first talked to Hyun-ho, it was so stiff with only work talk that it felt like conversing with a tree trunk. He was someone who had joined the circle solely for the purpose of revenge. So he probably didn¡¯t try to develop closeness with others. ¡®Hyun-ho has be much brighter.¡¯ After the sessful Viin Eradication Operation. It was apparent that Hyun-ho had brightened up in his own way as well. Though outwardly he still appearedpletely rigid as ever. Before getting to the main point, I suddenly remembered a call I had received from Hyun-ho previously and asked about it. ¡°What happened with the new Viin restraint item you said you developedst time?¡± ¡°I handed it over to the Vice President.¡± ¡°Juyeon?¡± ¡°Yes. The Judgement of Fire n is actively utilizing it as well after distributing it to them.¡± After the 3rd year Yoon Ji-ah graduated, the Vice President position of the circle naturally became vacant. There weren¡¯t any experienced students suitable for the role, and since we had announced disbanding the circle in the summer, there was no need to hastily appoint a new VP. -¡­I¡¯ll do it. -Huh? Really? -Yes. However, when Kang Juyeon volunteered for the position, the vacancy was filled. There were no circle members opposed to her taking the VP role, as her external reputation and internal activities were both sufficient. Originally, no one wanted to do it anyway. Thanks to that, Kang Juyeon has been taking care of the circle¡¯s troublesome tasks on my behalf. Especially regarding the remnant Viin n eradication, by liaising with her Judgement of Fire n which is friendly to us, she handled various duties. The special item Hyun-ho had developed also seemed to have been distributed directly by her. ¡®I¡¯ll have to repay herter.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a given just because she was my girlfriend. I made up my mind to definitely repay her for not shying away from the bothersome work and helping me out. Then I brought up the main point while looking at Hyun-ho again. ¡°I called you today because there¡¯s someone I want to introduce.¡± ¡°¡­Introduce?¡± ¡°Yes. Same grade as us, in the same cksmith ss as you¡­¡± Just as I was about to exin, Hyun-ho cut me off. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in women.¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s not like that. I was just worried you might not recognize who it is.¡± In the midst of it, how did he even know it was a woman? Hyun-ho has sharp senses even for useless things. Of course, the introduction wasn¡¯t meant in that way, but was work-rted. After a short wait, the person I promised arrived, opening the door to the circle room. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± It was Choi Yoo-min. She was a Holder I had made a gear contract with, but recently, as all my gears were fully prepared, there wasn¡¯t much reason for me to meet her. I naturally introduced the two of them. ¡°This is Choi Yoo-min. I got to know her from the start of the semester, and in my criteria, she¡¯s the next top talent after Hyun-ho in the cksmith ss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Choi Yoo-min.¡± Choi Yoo-min will eventually surpass even Hyun-ho. The [Iron-Blooded Night Field] rune she possesses will help elevate her to be the top cksmith in the nation as her proficiency increases, and her reputation willter extend worldwide. But that¡¯s a story for another time. For now, she¡¯s simply a promising cksmith realm Holder, her reputation not quite on par with Hyun-ho¡¯s yet. Hyun-ho was a cksmith realm Holder who had already crafted epic-grade items as a student. No matter who said what, he was the greatest domestic prospect in this field. ¡°And this is Lee Hyun-ho. Well, you probably know Hyun-ho already?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Of course.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lee Hyun-ho.¡± Upon my introduction, the two shook hands lightly in greeting. As expected, Hyun-ho didn¡¯t seem to recognize Choi Yoo-min. Although Choi Yoo-min had recently been making a name for herself by crafting numerous rare-grade items, she hadn¡¯t yet reached the level of catching Hyun-ho¡¯s attention. ¡®Well, that¡¯s just Hyun-ho¡¯s usual self.¡¯ When I thought about it, Lee Hyun-ho didn¡¯t seem to have much interest in his own circle or academy. His interests were solely focused on and . He was a guy who didn¡¯t have any other friends besides the circle members. Perhaps if I wasn¡¯t an myself, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to be this close with him. ¡°The reason I¡¯m suddenly calling you over and introducing you is because I want you to work on a job with me.¡± ¡°A job?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I took out the blueprints and contract that I had prepared beforehand. The blueprints contained brief requirements and exnations regarding special equipment, and the contract recorded rted information such as the expected quantity of additional equipment to be produced and the contract deposit. Tap ¨C Rustling sounds ¨C Rolling ¨C And a magic bag that spilled out as I ced it on the table. Dozens of high-grade magic stones tumbled out from inside. I had prepared them in advance to eliminate the hassle for cksmiths of having to obtain magic stones themselves. ¡°The deadline is exactly 3 weeks from today. I want you to produce all the special items and equipment listed here. Maintain the ratio of rare and normal grades as specified in the contract. If an epic grade happens toe out during production, I¡¯ll purchase it separately.¡± The content was simple. I asked them to handle the tasks listed in the blueprints and contract together. However, the sheer workload andpensation were staggering. An enormous amount of magic stones and a contract down payment. And the two people who checked the outrageous quantity of equipment recorded in the contract wore stunned expressions. Even Lee Hyun-ho, who rarely expressed much on his face, opened his eyes wide. It was understandable. I had also steeled my resolve for this project, pouring in arge portion of the money I had earned so far. ¡°If you¡¯re short on manpower, you can hire additional personnel from among the Holders you know or from the same circle. Just let me know and I¡¯ll match the conditions. But preferably, it would be good if they were master-level cksmiths.¡± Master-level cksmiths. While the actual meaning may differ, in the Holder realm, it referred to Holders of the cksmith circle who could produce ¡®rare-grade items¡¯. Since general Holder ranks didn¡¯t carry much meaning for Holders who specialized in production circles, nicknames rted to their circles often carried more weight as titles. Going further, those who could produce ¡®epic-grade items¡¯ would be called ¡®grandmaster cksmiths¡¯. ¡°Well, what do you all think? Will this work?¡± In fact, it was a rhetorical question. A contract of this size was a lucrative short-term deal that even veteran cksmiths running their own workshops would readily jump at. There was no reason for the two of them to refuse this contract. ¡°It¡¯s the first time the president has made a direct contract proposal. But I¡¯ll ept it. It looks interesting.¡± ¡°Me too! I¡¯ll do it too!¡± It was the moment the first button of the n was fastened. *** Ippotrantion *** Afterwards, the Korean Holder Association came to visit. I was having coffee and chatting with Lee Ji-hye after a long time. She was the examiner who oversaw my advancement to a C-rank Holder. Thanks to that connection, she has continued handling my association-rted tasks even now. Almost to the extent that she could be considered my dedicated handler. However, she has also produced many achievements to that degree¡­ Within the association, she has experienced an exceptionally rapid promotion, which is quite rare. She had to get approval from her superiors for everything she did before, but now she has a considerably high level of authority to handle tasks at her own discretion. Since I¡¯ve relied on her for many tasks each time, I weed such a change. ¡°¡­You¡¯re requesting protection of exploration rights?¡± Lee Ji-hye asked me with a surprised look. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve written the dungeon location and overview in the report beforehand.¡± ¡°But Holder Do Jae-hyun, you have a dungeon you can¡¯t clear right away?¡± That¡¯s because this was the first time I requested ¡®protection of exploration rights¡¯ for an unexplored dungeon while working with Lee Ji-hye. When exploration rights protection is granted, the corresponding dungeon immediatelyes under the jurisdiction of the Holder Association. They then supervise and manage it to prevent other Holders from unauthorized exploration or plundering of rewards. Since I had only shown monstrous achievements so far, it was understandable that this very ordinary request surprised Lee Ji-hye. I replied with a smile. ¡°Of course there is. Top-tier dungeons like the Deep Green Meadow can¡¯t be cleared by a small party, right?¡± was a recent dungeon explored by arge assault team formed by dozens of unaffiliated Holders. It was also a top-tier dungeon where powerful monsters roamed. ¡°The Deep Green Meadow? Then¡­¡± As soon as she heard the name of that dungeon, Lee Ji-hye¡¯s eyes lit up. She seemed to have caught on, befitting someone who has worked with me for a long time. I used the high-level dungeon that arge assault team was deployed to as an example, and requested protection of exploration rights to explore a simr dungeon. Ultimately, it meant¡­ ¡°Yes. I¡¯m also trying to form an assault team this time.¡± For the dungeon I intended to explore this time¡­ ¡­ It meant arge assault team would be deployed.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Recruiting Attack Squad (2) News that would once again stir up the Holder¡¯s world was delivered. The hero of the academy, Korea¡¯s greatest prospect. The youngest Holder closest to S-rank, Do Jae-hyun. He, who had astonished those around him with his every move, this time showed his first step as a professional Holder. ¨C Do Jae-hyun recruits temporary attack squad to tackle undiscovered dungeon! ¨C Recruitment guidelines posted on association homepage. Announced officially¡­ ¨C Korea Holder Association, ¡°The dungeon in question is under exploration rights protection.¡± Temporary attack squad recruitment.In the Korean Holder world where most move in n units, it¡¯s thergest temporary group where unaffiliated Holders can gather. The main case is when the association recruits for a disaster monster appearance, and sometimes it¡¯s recruited when the scale and difficulty of an undiscovered dungeon isrge. And in thetter case¡­ Only Holders with high fame and rank conduct it. More urately, the recruitment only works if they do it. Because there¡¯s no need to join an attack squad led by a low-rank Holder, and if an unknown Holder leads it, credibility drops rapidly. So Holders didn¡¯t even consider tackling dungeons of that scale to begin with, but even if they did, they rarely dared to recruit a temporary attack squad. ¨C First among academy students! Do Jae-hyun¡¯s temporary attack squad. ¨C Do Jae-hyun, qualified,cks nothing as attack squad leader. ¨C Holders already moving¡­ A-rank Holder Lim Hyun, ¡°I¡¯m interested¡± In the midst of this. Do Jae-hyun, still a student, suddenly started recruiting an attack squad. It was naturally the first among academy students, and also the first at such a young age. Youngest attack squad leader. It was a moment when yet another nickname was attached to him, who already had many descriptors. At this unprecedented news and announcement, the Holder world and variousmunities were thrown into an uproar. No matter which site one visited¡­ Only talk of Do Jae-hyun swirled around. ¨C Is he really making an attack squad? Not a prank flyer? ©¸ Official from the association ©¸ Wow he¡¯s really going for it damn the risk will be crazy ¨C Is it you again? GOAT ©¸ I worship you.. ¨C 21 years old and A-rank Holder, founding attack squad lmao life is fking ©¸ Do Jae-hyun attack squad leader form is insane ©¸ At this level I don¡¯t even feel inferior lmao just envious ©¸ What matters is unfailing talent ¨C But who would apply for a newbie attack squad like that;; ©¸ I¡¯m going to apply? Apparently the sess bonus is highest ever ©¸ You believe that? What money does Do Jae-hyun have to give for that, lol ©¸ Then don¡¯t lol who¡¯s forcing you to take up arms? ©¸ Idiot lol blocked ¨C Can C-rank Holders apply too?? ©¸ B-rank and above only ©¸ Ah I just want to see Jae-hyun¡¯s face once.. Frommunities where young Holder generations gathered inrge numbers, to¡­ ¨C Holder Do Jae-hyun has remarkable drive. I only saw him as young. ©¸ It¡¯s not for nothing that he became a top Holder at that age. ¨C Any members nning to apply this time? ©¸ I¡¯ll apply as a B-rank warrior. ©¸ I¡¯ll go too. Any runes you had in mind? ©¸ Of course Flowing Sword Arts. Applying to see Flowing Sword Activation once. ¨C If I pass the attack squad can I see the real Dragon Balls?? Just seeing them once would leave no regrets.. ©¸ Huh. You missed them during the Viin Subjugation? It was amazing. ©¸ I had an important dungeon raid at the time¡­ ¨C I¡¯m curious about the difficulty level of this undiscovered dungeon. If it¡¯s around Deep Green Meadow¡¯s level, it seems worth applying for. ©¸ I heard it¡¯s far more difficult than Deep Green Meadow. The research society and rted sites where veteran Holders mainlymunicated focused all attention on Do Jae-hyun¡¯s bold challenge. It was a fervor close to a storm, like when Song Hyun-ah revealed the acquisition method for the [Sword] rune, and when Yoo Eun-seol revealed information about the ¡­ ¡°Cami, what will you do?¡± The woman with long, flowing red hair, Ang Gremville, asked the blonde beauty sitting next to her. Her name is Cami Flores. A Holder from the California Academy who hade to Korea as an exchange student. She was also a ssmate of Ang, who belonged to the same academy. The two were currently discussing ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯s founding of a temporary attack squad¡¯ that had be a hot topic. It was stated that there would be no distinction by nationality for participating in this attack squad. In other words, the two exchange students could also apply. ¡°Well¡­¡± Cami turned her gaze away with an ambiguous smile, evading a clear answer. But in fact, her decision was already made. Founding an attack squad to tackle an undiscovered dungeon. The minimum rank was B, recruiting arge-scale party of at least 20 members. The participation and sess bonuses were the highest ever. This was an opportunity hard toe by even in America. It would be strange for her to hesitate in applying. Moreover, Cami was still a student Holder. The tendency to not recruit student party members was the same in Korea and America, so this attack squad was an even more precious opportunity for her. But there was one more decisive factor that encouraged her. ¨C Cami¡­! If you have time, want to do this together? The attack squad leader is my friend, so we just need to apply for a free pass. Remember? The guy we sparred with back then. The guy she met first aftering to Korea, and became closest friends with. Although she had lost to that friend, and he had also beaten Cami once¡­ He was a Holder who didn¡¯t lose confidence with an unyielding attitude. A Holder who shone much brighter and cooler than other Holders full of vanity. And that guy had suggested she join this attack squad. While speaking broken English. ¡°-Heh.¡± Recalling Park Jin-woo¡¯s appearance, Cami let out augh. A guy suggesting a dungeon raid as a date. What a terrible man. But she didn¡¯t dislike it. She was drawn to his earnestness that contrasted with his poor English. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to apply.¡± The reason Cami readily nned to join the attack squad was for that reason. ¡°Ang, you¡¯ll do it too, right?¡± ¡°If Cami¡¯s going, I¡¯m going too.¡± To Cami¡¯s question, Ang readily nodded. Though they had only recently be ssmates, Ang was someone whose disposition matched quite well in situations like this. *** Ippotrantion *** Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. An abandoned underground space in a remote area. Hwang Seong-yeon was drinking beer from arge mug. Around him were already eight empty bottles. It showed how fanatically he loved beer. Glug glug glug ¨C Gulp gulp ¨C In the quiet underground space, only the sounds of pouring alcohol and swallowing could be heard¡­ The owner Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s expression remained unchanged. It seemed like he was drinking mechanically out of habit rather than with any particr purpose. And then. Creak ¨C With the sound of the door opening. The quiet drinking finally came to an end. ¡°You came.¡± ¡°I¡¯mte. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. The waiting time was fun in its own way.¡± The man who btedly arrived at the appointed ce took out a few documents from his pocket. Inside them was a very familiar name that appeared frequently. Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. ¡°After Holder Do Jae-hyun requested protection of the raid rights from the association, he recruited a temporary raid party. The dungeon they¡¯re attempting to raid matches our target dungeon in Ludenark, as expected.¡± ¡°Do Jae-hyun again?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Really an interesting story.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s expression was tinged with a slight interest. It was something he was going to do anyway, but with his own interests added, his immersion doubled. He drank the remaining beer in his mug and said, ¡°It¡¯s really interesting. How does he always find out ande looking for me like this?¡± ¡°ording to the investigation, it¡¯s just a coincidence.¡± ¡°But that coincidence oveps too much. As if¡­ he knows something.¡± Interesting. To Hwang Seong-yeon, Do Jae-hyun was always an interesting subject. His movements, his skills. Everything served as a stimnt heightening Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s pleasure. Thud ¨C Hwang Seong-yeon mmed the empty mug down on the table and said, ¡°So, what¡¯s your n?¡± Your n. The ones called Ludenark. ording to the robed man¡¯s expression, they were the ¡®defectors¡¯. In this n, they were Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s coborators. ¡°First, I will move together with Hwang Seong-yeon. For nonbat situations requiring magical processing or detailed operation of the n, you can leave it entirely to me. Think of me as a sort of staff officer role.¡± ¡°And inbat situations?¡± ¡°Ludenark¡¯s magic will never be a hindrance.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon nodded at those words. Their magic skills had already been verified to a certain extent. These people who didn¡¯t even know the Korean consonants when they first came from another world could now speak such natural Korean with improved trantion magic¡­ Other ordinary magic was needless to mention. ¡°Where¡¯s the other defector? I heard two were assigned.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll participate directly in the raid party. He¡¯ll act as a bridge on the inside and attempt to link up with us.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon frowned slightly. ¡°If his background is vague, he¡¯ll be cut immediately.¡± After the elimination of Viins, the domestic Holder circle had be very sensitive to spies. It would be almost impossible to infiltrate as easily as before if one¡¯s identity couldn¡¯t be clearly proven. But the defector assisting Hwang Seong-yeon spoke with confidence, as if telling him not to worry. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s not even trying to enter as a Korean Holder, and he¡¯se up with an easy way to get in.¡± If all that proceeded sessfully¡­ Then the n would have no issues. Hwang Seong-yeon nodded at the defector¡¯s words, but silently clicked his tongue. ¡®Idiots. They still don¡¯t know about Do Jae-hyun.¡¯ The 21-year-old promising Holder from the Academy. On the surface, he seemed like the perfect easy mark¡­ But in reality, he wasn¡¯t such a simple opponent. Recalling how flustered Hwang Seong-yeon had been from directly and indirectly dealing with him, it was clear this was a Holder who couldn¡¯t be taken lightly. The robed man. He seemed so enraged by Do Jae-hyun¡¯s interference, yet still underestimated him. ¡®As long as it¡¯s fun, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ But Hwang Seong-yeon didn¡¯t care much. His goal was simple no matter where he went. A space and opportunity to kill freely. And an opponent he could fight entertainingly. Ludenark¡¯s n happened to be the most rational way to achieve that. So as long as he could fight and enjoy himself against Do Jae-hyun to his heart¡¯s content, Hwang Seong-yeon didn¡¯t really care what happened to Ludenark.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Recruiting the Attack Squad (3) ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve had an overseas schedule that I¡¯ve been tied up with for a few months, so it looks like I won¡¯t be able to return to the country until around March. I really wanted to participate in the first attack squad created by Holder Do Jae-hyun¡­ A text message pops up on the phone screen. It was from my teacher in the assassin field, Yoo Eun-seol. She had been indirectly asking about my participation in this attack squad. She was politely declining. ¡°¡­What a pity.¡± I clicked my tongue and shook off my pointless regret. From the beginning, I thought the possibility was slim, but if it was an overseas schedule booked a few months ago, it would be even harder to get out of.Still, as her disciple, I couldn¡¯t interfere with my teacher¡¯s schedule for personal affairs. ¡°Then¡­ There probably won¡¯t be any S-rank Holders.¡± With this, the participation rate of S-rank Holders became zero. The heads of the top three domestic ns, Kang Woo-hyun, Hwang Geon-wook, and Song Do-hyuk, were unable to participate from the beginning due to their positions and n duties. The S-rank Holder known in the secr world as ¡®Ryu Ji-hyuk¡¯, Park Ji-hwan, was still fiercely tracking down Ludenack somewhere in the wilderness. Among the five official S-rank Holders, my teacher was the only one with any possibility, but that was dashed by the text message I just received. ¡°Tsk. Well, can¡¯t be helped.¡± But the situation wasn¡¯t desperate. In the original work, when Park Jin-woo attempted the dungeon raid, he entered without any S-ranks. And it¡¯s not like having a higher-ranked Holder in the attack squad is always a good thingpared to me. It could even turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps this raid would be an opportunity for me to further develop my leadership andmand abilities. ¡°¡­Jae-hyun will do well.¡± As I was momentarily grumbling, a clear voice came from beside me. A pretty hand and pen were ced on the table. Long, flowing hair¡­ A breathtakingly beautiful appearance. It was Kang Juyeon, who was going over the documents with me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She seemed a bit embarrassed to offer such constion, a shy expression on her face as she spoke to me. ¡­Cute. Is a face really the perfection of constion? Hearing Kang Juyeon¡¯s clumsy but adorable attempt tofort me, my previously cluttered mind feels cleared, if only momentarily. ¡°Thank you. But you give me strength.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I lightly kissed her in gratitude¡­ Kang Juyeon shyly epted me. Her face showed a flustered yet excited expression. Even after we started dating and had skinship several times, she still blushed so much like this. ¡°What about the magic user types? Any good Holders there?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I¡¯ve picked out a couple.¡± ¡°Already? You tend to be quite strict in your assessments, Juyeon.¡± ¡°Well, these Holders are proven individuals.¡± But we didn¡¯t gather just to flirt. We came together to work. We had to select the optimalbination from the countless Holders who applied to join the attack squad. Excluding the original ¡®Underground Dungeon Members¡¯ ¨C me, Kang Juyeon, Kim Chae-eun, Moon Ga-eun, and Park Jin-woo, a total of five permanent members ¨C we needed to recruit additional attack squad members. The recruitment drive began three days ago. As unprecedented as its establishment, there was a lot of talk and it drew tremendous buzz, but in the end, the marketing itself could be considered a sess. And the applicants¡­ Far exceeding my expectations, they flooded in with the staggering number of 300. ¨C Record high! A total of 311 Holders flock to Do Jae-hyun¡¯s attack squad¡­ ¨C Major domestic ns allow their n members to apply for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s attack squad ¨C Jeong Hyun-seok of Sunset Flower says he¡¯s confident he¡¯ll get in, no question ¨C n members, including the Master, all apply for the attack squad? The shocking application turnout continued. A total of 311 applicants. I was newly amazed at just how many high-ranking Holders there are in Korea. Of course, not all of them were frencers ¨C some were affiliated with ns. It seems they received permission from their respective ns before applying to the attack squad. So there are some ns hoping to prove their reputation through any of their n members who get epted into our attack squad. From the applicants¡¯ perspective, it was a situation that could only elicit wryughter. ¡°Hmm¡­ This Holder only provided very basic information. And this person¡¯s background is too sketchy¡­¡± In any case, separate from the unexpected developments, We still had to screen the applicants who had submitted. I was currently doing the paperwork for that process. Selecting members for a temporary attack squad is very simr to recruiting for a n. You check the Holder¡¯s basic information through their application, evaluate their actual abilities through a simple interview, and then make the final decision. It¡¯s quite strict for something called ¡®temporary¡¯, but this is necessary to increase our chances of sess. A temporary attack squad is a kind of project-based party formed with the subject of a dungeon raid. Naturally, just as risk and reward are proportional, the stakes were high, which is why we had to carefully select the squad members. ¡°Jae-hyun, I¡¯m going to add one more person here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kang Juyeon was here to assist in selecting the attack squad members. She had actually experienced reviewing the admission of new n members within the , and she was the most discerning among our members in such tasks¡­ She was the most suitable talent for such a role more than anyone else. The workce was our house. The study room inside. A ce with bookshelves filled with various papers and books, arge table, and even a big bed ced there. Just like the original meaning of an officetel, it was an all-purpose space where one could rest after working. ¡®¡­But her clothes are not at all work attire.¡¯ My face is slightly tinged with embarrassment. Kang Juyeon was wearing a pink negligee that she had worn before. It was the clothes she wore on the first night she stayed at my parents¡¯ house¡­ Perhaps because of that memory, or simply because she liked the clothes, she often wore that outfit when she is alone with me. Of course, the clothes themselves were pretty, but they entuated her body shape and were see-through, so it wasn¡¯t easy to look at her as she was. ¡­What is this? I don¡¯t know if she came to work or to seduce me. With superhuman strength, I averted my gaze from Kang Juyeon¡¯s body and handed her an application. ¡°Juyeon, what about this person?¡± Kang Juyeon, who received the paper, quickly scanned the contents. ¡°Ang¡­ Gremville?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a Holder who came as an exchange student from the California Academy, and the abilities listed in her specs seem quite decent. Well, I¡¯ll have to see her in person to confirm the details.¡± For this recruitment, quite a few Holders from other countries also applied. Not only Holders from nearby Japan or China, but also those who recently came to the U.S. as exchange students and were qualified didn¡¯t hesitate to apply. High pay attracts mercenaries no matter where in the world. The Holders from other countries seemed to be faithful to this market logic. ¡®I¡¯d rather not hire them if possible.¡¯ In terms of forming an attack squad, differences in nationality be an unfavorable factor. There¡¯s the basguage issue, and since they¡¯re not from this country, there¡¯s a possibility of them acting impulsively without a sense of responsibility. And above all, if they die during the operation¡­ The post-handling process entangled with that country bes veryplicated. Because a rune Holder is that country¡¯sbat asset. That¡¯s why I tried not to recruit Holders from other countries unless necessary. But there were two exceptions. One was Cam Flores. And the other was this ¡®Ang Gremville¡¯ person listed on the application. ¡®Her specs are just too good.¡¯ Though she didn¡¯t reveal the specific numbers, it was written that her main ability stats (magic, willpower) exceeded 70, and she had over level 15 proficiency in her main runes andmon runes. If this application was true, it showed Holder information that was almost at the top tier among the B-grade magician ss. The top of B-grade is almost on par with A-grade. And in attack squad recruitment, an A-grade Holder is an almost free pass, a rare resource. No matter that she¡¯s a foreign Holder¡­ These kinds of specs were enough to let her through, even taking the risks into ount. ¡°¡­She looks good. I haven¡¯t seen her in person, but.¡± ¡°You think so? Seems worth interviewing her.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Fortunately, Kang Juyeon also had a favorable attitude. I put Ang¡¯s application on the list for interviews along with Cam¡¯s. As for Cam, I didn¡¯t even need to look at her application. She had top grades among the exchange students at the California Academy. She even won the at the end of the semester, a true expert. Not bringing a Holder like that into the attack squad would be a loss for me. ¡®Park Jin-woo will probably be thrilled too.¡¯ ¡­There was a bit ofworking involved in the selection as well. ¡°Oh, right. Juyeon, did anyone from the Judgement of Fire apply to join the n?¡± A thought urred to me, so I asked her. Just as n members from major domestic ns applied to our attack squad, there were applicants from the three major ns as well. From , they sent two senior n members, an A-grade and a B-grade. From , they sent the A-grade Holder Seong Na-yeon, who also serves as a bodyguard for Moon Ga-eun. ¡­At this point, Seong Na-yeon is almost like Moon Ga-eun¡¯s personal bodyguard. But I hadn¡¯t heard any news from , so I asked Kang Juyeon directly. ¡°I think¡­Holder Lee Soo-mi will probably apply.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I was slightly surprised to hear a name I had forgotten. Lee Soo-mi, a member of the n. A seasoned B-grade Holder who disyed her holy power. She had participated with us in the cleanup operation, and the shocking fact that she was the younger sister of Cha Soo-yeon, the former branch leader, was revealed. Afterwards, I heard she took on all the missions to eliminate the remnants of within the n, but I didn¡¯t expect to encounter her in such an unexpected ce. I nodded my head and said, ¡°Certainly a verified divine attribute. A good member has joined.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Essentially saying she was epted into the attack squad without needing an interview. Kang Juyeon replied with a brightened expression to my deration. Although she didn¡¯t show it, she seemed to have been worrying about Lee Soo-mi, who had been wandering aimlessly in the n. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s stop here for today and rest now. We¡¯ve worked hard enough.¡± Pat- I lightly tapped the table and organized the documents. The screening wasn¡¯t finished yet, but we¡¯d have to work on it again tomorrow anyway. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­Juyeon?¡± But suddenly, Kang Juyeon who had finished organizing¡­ Went and sat on the bed ced in one corner of the room. She sat sideways on the bed, holding onto the bedpost with her knees bent as if kneeling. It was definitely a somehow familiar posture. One I felt I had seen before somewhere. ¡°¡­I¡¯m ready.¡± To rest¡­ Her soft voice reverberated. ¡­D¨¦j¨¤ vu?
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Recruiting the Attack Squad (4) [R18]
NSFW Chapter
¡°Hic¡­¡± Kang Juyeon carefully exhales a breath. She has not yet be ustomed to even holding hands and kissing, so there was no way she could get used to the thick atmosphere of thete night. After seducing me with lewd clothes and actions¡­ She is the one who gets more embarrassed than anyone when the real game begins. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, Juyeon.¡± ¡°Eek¡­¡±And that appearance was impossibly cute. As I approach and whisper thepliment in her ear, she flinches in surprise once again. Is it because she is so inept at expression? She reacted strongly whenever I made direct expressions. I smiled faintly and satfortably on the bed, supporting the side of her head with my right hand. And with my left hand, I cupped her breast¡­ Carefully using my tongue, I began caressing her ear. ¡°Eek¡­ Just, wait a minute¡­¡± Kang Juyeon is even more startled by the sudden stimtion of the sensitive area. She may have expected her breasts to be touched, but¡­ It seems she didn¡¯t expect her ear to be licked. Seeing her reaction makes me want to tease her more. ¡°Hah¡­ Ugh¡­¡± In a way, my first time with her was quite orthodox. Deeply kissing while whispering words of love, slowly caressing from her breasts to her whole body¡­ A gentle form of sex. A stable structure that doesn¡¯t burden a woman having her first experience. Kim Chae-eun also did it that way on the first night, and only the slightly exceptional case of Moon Ga-eun went wild like a seductress from the start. But after those nights passed, today is the second night. Moving away from the stable sex, it was a night when I could give her slightly more stimting caresses. ¡°Jae¡­ Jae-hyun¡­ Wait a minute¡­¡± Starting from her ear, then her lips, nose, eyes. Cheeks, chin, neck, corbones¡­ I gently envelop everything around her face with my tongue. An unfamiliar and intense stimtion that was absent during our first time. Kang Juyeon couldn¡¯t keep herposure. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­¡± Her de-like responsees back when I ask mischievously. Of course she didn¡¯t dislike it. Even if it was a bit unfamiliar, it was pleasure delivered by someone she likes. I smiled faintly and moved my hands. My lips and tongue went to her lips. My hands, over her breasts, belly, past the hem of her panties, towards her pussy. The flimsy negligee was certainly covering her body, but the rough hand movements invading inside did nothing to stop them. ¡°Th¡­there¡­! Huah¡­¡± A sound that seems unbelievable to havee from Kang Juyeon¡¯s mouth bursts out. She was particrly weak to stimtion using hands. Whenever my left hand brushed down her breasts¡­ And whenever my right hand thrust into her secret ce, she was startled. Her trembling body and expectant gaze. She surrendered her body to the pleasure I was meticulously delivering. ¡°Juyeon. Your expression is really lewd right now.¡± ¡°Hic¡­ No, it¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°Lies. Your body is being so honest?¡± ¡°Huaaah¡­!!¡± When I yed a bit more roughly with the fingers that had prated inside¡­ Kang Juyeon trembled her body slightly and moaned. She didn¡¯t fully climax, but it seems she lightly orgasmed to some degree. I carefully withdrew my hand from her pussy and brought it in front of my eyes. ¡°Look at this. You¡¯re soaked.¡± ¡°Eek¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Kang Juyeon averts her eyes with an embarrassed expression. For a moment, I almost lost myposure at that sight. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ Cute. Too cute. It¡¯s not for no reason that I tease Kang Juyeon at night. She acts all sexy and seduces me before we start, but once the real game begins, she shows this embarrassed gap moe¡­ How can I not want to tease her? ¡°Want me to put it in?¡± ¡°Hueek¡­¡± So I deliberately say lewd things like that. At that overly direct phrasing, She immediately reacts by trembling, because of me. But Kang Juyeon seems too shy to just say ¡®Put it in¡¯, hesitating and choosing her words carefully. For times like this, there¡¯s a magic phrase. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to?¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­¡± ¡°Kuk.¡± Just as expected, she immediately responds like before. And this time, I said it in a slightly lower tone¡­ She flinched in surprise and raised her head. She must have felt that I was disappointed. I could barely hold back myughter. No matter how many times I see this reaction, it¡¯s cute every time. I kissed her startled lips again. ¡°Mmm-.¡± ¡°Juyeon.¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± And I whisper in her ear again. The atmosphere has already ripened. I pointed to the middle of the bed and continued speaking. ¡°Lie down on your stomach over there.¡± During our first time together, we only did the missionary position from start to finish. Today, I wanted to change positions and give her a new experience. ¡°Like¡­this?¡± Kang Juyeon carefullyid down on the center of the bed. Kneeling with both knees, cing her two arms like supports. It was the perfect position for having sex from behind. She blushed even more, seemingly embarrassed by her naked appearance¡­but while fidgeting, she somehow maintained the position. Extremely lewd yet, ironically, lovely. On the bed, I could clearly see her striving. ¡°Then I¡¯ll put it in.¡± I didn¡¯t keep her embarrassed for long. Lifting up her flimsy negligee above her waist, I rubbed my thing between her soft, decent buttocks. My cock met her thoroughly moistened pussy. I immediately inserted it into her warm inside. ¡°Hh¡­huaaang¡­!!¡± Today¡¯s hottest moan resounded in the room. Along with it, I too was hit with breathtaking pleasure. ¡°Kup¡­¡± All my nerves stood on end. If I didn¡¯t focus my mind, it felt like I mighte right away. The tightly squeezing insides and the folds that seemed to suck me in part by part. Even though I had made her this wet with forey, an intense tightness gripped my cock. Thanks to that, an unbearable pleasure stimted my whole body. ¡°Ungh, uwaang¡­huaaang¡­!!¡± Kang Juyeon had on¡­ A very disheveled face I had never seen her make outside. Only at night. And a face only I could see. Her moans I could never hear elsewhere were a bonus. Pang- pang- To the sounds of her butt colliding as my thrusts began quickening¡­ Those sounds grew even more intense. ¡°Haanh¡­this¡­ungh¡­¡± Because of the intense pleasure, her sentences didn¡¯tplete. This¡­. Perhaps she¡¯s saying this rear-entry position feels good. ¡°Kreup¡­¡± I too found it hard to stay focused because of the pleasure filling my brain. Normally when doing it from behind, the pleasure is less than missionary, but with sex with Kang Juyeon, I didn¡¯t feel that at all. Her bnced body shape and soft skin. Her beautifully straight back and waist. Taking in all of that with my eyes gave me visual delight. That additional delightbined with the intense physical sensations meant I was tasting a pleasure I had never experienced before. ¡°Un, nngh?!¡± I changed positions. Kang Juyeon was flustered by the sudden movement, but didn¡¯tpletely roll off. From that rear-facing position¡­ Extending her knees and arms to lie straight. It was a position lying face down, leaning on the bed. Lowering myself to match the slightly decreased height¡­ I clung tightly to her back. ¡°¡­W-wait. Jae, Jae-hyun¡­!¡± ¡°Hrrmph!¡± Unfortunately, I had no intention of heeding her request. Just like that, I pushed my cock inside and started moving my hips again. ¡°Hh, hhuah? Wha, what is this? Hhuah! Wai, wait¡­ huaaang!!¡± Dazed by the overwhelming pleasure, Kang Juyeon cried out. So many words, you¡¯d hardly think it was really Kang Juyeon. It showed just how flustered she was right now. But I didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°Hh, hhuh..?!¡± Without stopping my movements, I grasped the back of her head as shey face down and licked her ear. A peculiar act I had already done once before. As that strange act returned, Kang Juyeon let out a startled moan. ¡°Haahk¡­huaaang¡­!!¡± Tickling and pleasure are originally just a hair¡¯s breadth apart. What separates that difference¡­ Is the receiver¡¯s mindset and the atmosphere at that moment. And right now, Kang Juyeon was in an extremely aroused state mid-sex. Naturally, she could only feel this strange sensation as pleasure. Pang- pang- Burrrr- Her butt flesh collided relentlessly, making sounds, and Kang Juyeon¡¯s body trembled and shook. ¡°Huhh¡­hunh¡­¡± She had already gone several times by now. Going, then moving again. Going one more time, then moving again¡­ I didn¡¯t give her a chance to rest as I continued the sex. And after pistoning like that for quite a while, ¡°Krreuph¡­!¡± ¡°Haanh, haaaaaang¡­!!¡± Finally, I too reached my limit and came inside her. This position gave extreme pleasure not just to the woman, but to the man too, so it wasn¡¯t easy tost long. ¡°Whoo¡­whoo¡­¡± ¡°Haah¡­haah¡­¡± After that intense act of rapture ended, Kang Juyeon and I panted heavily, catching our breath. Following the previous time, I hade inside her again, but Kang Juyeon didn¡¯t seem too concerned. It wasn¡¯t a risky time of the month for her, and even if it was, Holders found birth control easier than ordinary people. Perhaps that¡¯s why my women tended to prefer internal ejaction. ¡­Saying it felt much better than wearing a condom. In any case, Iid my tired body on the bed and stroked Kang Juyeon¡¯s head. ¡°How was it? That new position.¡± Haah- haah-. Still panting heavily, she said with embarrassment, resting her head on my chest, ¡°¡­It was good.¡± Though I couldn¡¯t see her face, luckily she seemed to have liked it. I smiled and gave her forehead a light kiss. ¡°Shall we stay like this a bit longer?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± After that hot night¡¯s activities endedpletely¡­ Kang Juyeon reverted to her usual self. Finding that adorable, I kissed her again with a smile. It was a happy night that made me forget all about today¡¯splications.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Recruiting the Attack Squad (5) Assassin ss, B-grade Holder Do Seung-min. Now in his 6th year as a Holder, an unaffiliated frencer. But regardless of his experience, he was about to face a tense moment. ¨CDuring the final interview for the Far Realm Attack Squad recruitment. Do Jae-hyun¡¯s temporary attack squad recruitment. The attack squad named after the dungeon they would conquer. Do Seung-min was also waiting for¡­ The final interview to select members for that squad. ¡®That I passed¡­¡¯ It was actually an unbelievable result. A whopping 311 Holders had applied in the first document screening. Since they couldn¡¯t interview every Holder, they sorted them based only on the grades registered with the association and brief resume information. So it was already difficult for average Holders to pass the document screening. Apparently, quite a few A-grade Holders passed, while arge number of B-grades failed. It¡¯s understandable if the squad¡¯s sess depends on the members¡¯ grades. And among the countless B-grade Holders, Do Seung-min had proudly made it through thepetition to the final interview. ¡®Finally meeting Brother Jae-hyun.¡¯ However, Do Seung-min¡¯s sentiment was a bit different from other Holders. While others cheered at the squad¡¯s enormous scale,vish members, and unprecedentedpensation, Do Seung-min was excited just to see Do Jae-hyun in person. He was an ardent fan and follower of Do Jae-hyun. In fact, his sole motivation for applying to the squad was ¡®fandom.¡¯ ¡®Brother Jae-hyun is the pride of the Do family!!¡¯ Even though they just shared the same surname, Do Seung-min put special meaning into calling it the ¡®family.¡¯ A Holder who started from the very bottom to reach the top, and even from that top position, wasn¡¯t afraid of the spotlight pouring down on him at all. Rather, he was a hero who advanced history one step ahead based on that top position. For Do Seung-min, who had always fought in a world of low self-esteem and insecurity, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s existence could only be an object of admiration and aspiration. The top domestic prospect. The future of the Assassin ss. The academy¡¯s hero. The youngest squad leader¡­ All the titles surrounding Do Jae-hyun were objects of admiration and aspiration for Do Seung-min. ¡®I can¡¯t disappoint Brother.¡¯ With a determined mindset, Do Seung-min faced the final interview. He had disappointed many over the years ¨C parents, friends, the Holdermunity, even himself¡­ But he wanted to show a satisfactory result to Do Jae-hyun at least. Through this idol he found after many years, he also wanted to break through his own limits. ¡°Holder Do Seung-min?¡± In the midst of this, A woman in office attire approached and called out to him. Do Seung-min hurriedly patted his thighs and stood up from his seat. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Do Seung-min.¡± ¡°Oh, no need to stand up. There are about three people ahead of you, so I called you to get ready. When your name is called,e in right away.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Understood.¡± It seemed they were trying to minimize unnecessary waiting time since there were many applicants and field tests were needed. Do Seung-min sat back down. Then he turned on his phone and essed the , one of his ¡®favorite sites¡¯. It was a fan cafe where Do Seung-min visited almost as often as breathing¡­ And where he held the [Premium Member] rank. He went straight to the writing section and quickly left a short post. -3 mins before greeting the real thing.. Seriously so nervous A post to relieve tension before the interview begins. As expected¡­ The trolls constantly lurking in the cafe immediately leftments. [Jae-hyunLuv/Prem] Wow.. Where are you going?! ©¸ [Jae-hyunSS/Top] Isn¡¯t today the attack squad interview? This person probably applied to be on the squad. [GrapeYogurt/Top] Don¡¯t be nervous, fighting! [BondOwner/Top] Are you a girl by any chance? [ThatsBro/Prem] I¡¯m jealous.. I want an interview too ?.? ¡®¡­What kind of people are these?¡¯ Do Seung-min closed his phone with a cold sweat. Comments left just 1 minute after posting. On top of that, they seemed to know Do Jae-hyun¡¯s entire daily schedule. He posted to relieve tension, but their behavior only made him more anxious. The Ghost nickname really did fit them well. The ones marked ¡®Top¡¯, the [Top Premium] rank members, were even more mysterious. He couldn¡¯t fathom how they managed to rank up that high¡­ But soon a voice called out for him, And Do Seung-min shook off those distracting thoughts to enter the special area inside the Training Hall. And as soon as he entered, He was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. ¡®Bro¡­Brother Jae-hyun?¡¯ His idol and role model, Do Jae-hyun, was standing sweating in the center. Normally for squad interviews or n admission tests, the interviewers would typically set up a table in the Training Hall and sit there. Then the applicant would directly demonstrate their abilities in the open space, or perhaps have a match against another applicant. Do Seung-min had taken many interviews in that format before. But Do Jae-hyun was directly holding a weapon, ready to fight. It was clearly a special interview format where he would personally spar to evaluate their abilities. ¡°You¡¯re the applicant, Holder Do Seung-min?¡± And as he wiped his sword, Do Jae-hyun asked a question. The very first, glorious question from his idol. Suppressing his surging emotions, Do Seung-min answered as politely as he could. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s me, Brother.¡± ¡°¡­Older brother?¡± But it seems habits from the heart are unavoidable. He tilted his head at the very unfamiliar way of addressing him. Then Do Seung-min changed his words with an apologetic look. ¡°Ah. Sorry. I¡¯m a bit friendly¡­ I even call strangers older brother or older sister.¡± ¡°¡­Seems nice. First, take out your weapon and rx your body. The interview will proceed with a simple Q&A followed by a sparring match.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After briefly answering, Do Seung-min took out his weapon. There were some high-ranking Holders with familiar faces nearby, likely supervisors or interviewers, but Do Seung-min didn¡¯t really notice them. He only wanted to look good in front of Do Jae-hyun. In the meantime, Do Jae-hyun started the interview while reading his application. ¡°Your age¡­ 19 years old?¡± The first thing he checked was, of course, his age. Despite being a Holder with 6 years of experience, he was still only 19 years old. When the sensitive topic came up, Do Seung-min nodded tensely. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Did you awaken early?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rune Holders usually awaken between 18-20 years old, but asionally some awaken toote or too early. Do Seung-min was one of thetter cases, an ¡®early awakening Holder.¡¯ He started his Holder life at 13 after awakening at that age. Back then, there were no other cases of Holders awakening that young, so he was talked about as a prodigy. ¡®But in the end, I was just a promising talent that failed.¡¯ Recalling the past brought a bitter smile. Perhaps it was because he received too much attention at such a young age. Do Seung-min couldn¡¯t ovee the burden of beingbeled a promising talent. There was always a sense of pressure and impatience to meet expectations lingering in his mind, which stunted his growth during the most crucial time. After regaining his senses, he slowly built up his experience, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t break through the wall to be an A-grade Holder. ¡®But Jae-hyun is different from me.¡¯ That¡¯s why Do Jae-hyun became his role model. In the same situation, under the same spotlight, Do Jae-hyun overcame it all and became a true hero. Despite only being in his 2nd year as a Holder, he broke through his limits and meet everyone¡¯s expectations. That was envious and admirable. An inferiorityplex only arises whenparing someone on the same level. For someone shining so overwhelmingly bright¡­ You only want to follow and learn from them. So naturally, Do Jae-hyun became the object of admiration. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s start the sparring interview.¡± After the question-and-answer portion that felt like it passed in an instant, the sparring interview began immediately. His opponent was Do Jae-hyun, the squad leader of the . Kang-! Kakang-! ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ And as the match continued, Do Seung-min couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. The rumors didn¡¯t even scratch the surface of his true skill. Without using any special skills or additional abilities, he overwhelmed Do Seung-min with just two short swords. His stats, rune level, utilization¡­ The difference was clear in every aspect. His skills were unbelievable for only a 2nd year Holder. Even considering just assassin-type Holders, his skills would qualify him as top-tier. ¡®As expected of Jae-hyun.¡¯ Despite the obvious loss, Do Seung-min was simply in awe. Rather thanment his owncking abilities, he considered crossing des with his admired figure an honor. ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯ll stop here.¡± Just like that, the match ended in an instant. The result was, of course, Do Seung-min¡¯s defeat. It was a clean and unavoidable loss. As Do Seung-min tried to bow respectfully despite his overwhelmed feelings, ¡°Holder Do Seung-min. Did you happen to use a silver weapon?¡± His idol spoke to him again. Do Seung-min answered with a slightly excited face. ¡°No, Older Brother! This is one of my runes called Silvery Moonshadow. During battle, I can utilize Divine Power to imbue all abilities with the power of silver. As you¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s a really useless rune, but it¡¯s quite helpful against undead monsters¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay. You don¡¯t need to exin all that.¡± Do Jae-hyun interrupted with an annoyed look on his face. It made sense since Do Seung-min¡¯s endless stream of exnations must have been tiring to listen to. After sheathing his weapon and turning away, he said, ¡°Holder Do Seung-min passes the final selection. We¡¯ll notify you of the next steps, so keep the next 2 weeks open.¡± For a moment, Do Seung-min doubted his ears. Pass. He was selected as a member of the renowned . The unbelievable result came from the mouth of the person he admired the most. ¡°Wow, wow¡­¡± Momentarily stunned into silence, he then lowered his head and shouted, ¡°Th-Thank you! Thank you, Older Brother!!¡± ¡°¡­I told you not to call me that.¡± ¡°Ah! Thank you, Squad Leader! Wow¡­!¡± And with Do Seung-min as thest one, The temporary attack squad of Holder Do Jae-hyun¡­ Also known as the ,pleted all of its member selections.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 233 Chapter 233 The City of the Estranged Wolves (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- ippo center --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7198648689" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] [You won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to duplicate.] [¡®Silver Moonshadow¡¯ rune selected. Since it¡¯s an Epic rune at level 12, its level will decrease to 6 when registered.] [New rune acquired.] [You gain 5 points in Recovery due to the nature of the rune.] ¡òName: Silver Moonshadow ¡òGrade: Epic¡òLevel: 6 ¡òEngraved Area: Back of Neck ¡òSpecial Effects : ¡®Silver Blessing¡¯ is constantly applied. All equipment, abilities, skills, etc. used inbat contain the properties of silver metal. : The divinity resonance of equipment being used increases greatly. Divinity can be invested to make equipment perform more effectively. : Stats increase by 10% when facing curses likemands or undead. These effects intensify proportionally to the Divinity stat and rune level. (*These effects are greatly amplified when facing those who have received the ¡®Power of the Moon¡¯.) ¡­ ¡­¡¯At least I got one.¡¯ I nodded in satisfaction at acquiring a good rune. I decided to duel the applicants directly in an interview format, thinking I could obtain decent runes, but unexpectedly, acquiring runes wasn¡¯t easy. There were several reasons for this. First, most of the applicants I faced were A-grade Holders, so simply winning was not easy. Also, since I had already obtained mostmon runes, there were many duplicates. But more than anything¡­ ¡®Victories are rarely acknowledged.¡¯ Since we didn¡¯t fight with all our strength, the system often didn¡¯t recognize it as a [Rune Hunter] duel. The interview was literally just a ce to prove one¡¯s abilities and power. Even if I could defeat the opponent with my skills, there was no need to fight seriously. Out of the 97 people who passed the document screening and proceeded to the interview, I directly dueled 33 of them. But through those duels, I only acquired 3 runes. [Normal Rune ¡®Whip¡¯ is incorporated into the superior rune ¡®Master of Weapons¡¯.] [Rare Rune ¡®Ocean Sword Technique¡¯ is incorporated into the superior rune ¡®Brave Eternal Wave¡¯.] Two of them were incorporated into existing higher categories, and the remaining one was the Epic rune [Silver Moonshadow] that I obtained by defeating Holder Do Seung-min. [Silver Moonshadow] doesn¡¯t seem to have any special effects at first nce. It does imbue the ¡®silver¡¯ effect to all weapons, equipment, rune effects, skills, etc. being used, but the effect of silver itself has no power in ordinary situations. ¡®But it will be effective in this dungeon.¡¯ The ¡®werewolves¡¯, whose base rank starts at A, possess tremendous power. Innate strength, overwhelming speed, martial arts skills that are no less formidable than humans¡¯. Even their durability is so tough that ordinary attacks don¡¯t leave a scratch. Especially if a special situation urs inside the dungeon and a corresponding special rune activates, attacks may not evennd at all. Against them, the ¡®power of silver¡¯ is effective. The power of silver easily pierces their hide and inflicts additional damage. Ordinary power turns into Divinity and produces special effects. That¡¯s why I asked Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho to mass-produce silver weapons in preparation for this raid party. Although silver weapons have no effect normally and are difficult to reach high ranks due to the special manufacturing process, they demonstrate tremendous power against special monster forms like werewolves. ¡®In that sense, Do Seung-min is an attractive member.¡¯ That¡¯s also why I selected Do Seung-min despite him slightly falling short of the criteria. [Silver Moonshadow]. If another Holder had this rune that could be the key to this raid, it would be beneficial. Moreover, since he¡¯s still young and from the same assassin ss¡­ I could teach him various things while having him tag along, allowing for rapid growth. ¡°Ooh ¨C it¡¯s a tense day.¡± Lost in thought for a moment, a familiar male voice reaches my ears. With a tall, handsome build. Donning the rare armor and helmet gear. And a shy sword gripped in his hand. It was my close friend, Park Jin-woo. ¡°You came early?¡± ¡°Yeah, but this feels awkward. These gears are too expensive.¡± Park Jin-woo fiddled with his equipment, looking ufortable. While offensive warrior-types tend to prefer light gear, Park Jin-woo in particr rarely wore any gear at all. At most, a leather armor and boots? He didn¡¯t even wear a helmet, saying it obstructed his vision. When it came to equipment, I just used whatever was avable, but Park Jin-woo was quite extreme in that regard. ¡°Get used to it, will ya.¡± So I took this opportunity to gift him some high-end gear. In other words, everything Park Jin-woo is wearing¡­ I bought it all for him. Since all the equipment is at least rare-grade, Park Jin-woo tried to pay me back when I gave it to him, but I tly refused and just gifted it to him. There was meaning in returning the favor for the help, known and unknown, that I had received from Park Jin-woo as a friend and colleague over the years. And also because¡­ ¡°If the vice-captain¡¯s gear looks shabby, the whole raid party will look shabby.¡± I had appointed Park Jin-woo as the vice-captain of this . As soon as he heard the words ¡®vice-captain¡¯, Park Jin-woo immediately scratched his head vigorously. ¡°Ugh¡­ Do I really have to do that?¡± ¡°So are you not going to do it now?¡± ¡°No, there are a lot of experienced Holders. Like that person Lim Hyun, and the Royal sign Holder? That person too, right?¡± The two Holders Park Jin-woo is referring to. Lim Hyun and Seong Na-yeon. They are all experienced and skilled A-grade Holders, perfectly suitable as vice-squad leaders¡­ But there was a slight problem. ¡°I told you, there could be a dispersal ofmand authority.¡± The problem was that they were too experienced. Seong Na-yeon was the prominent sign Holder who took charge of big and small matters in , while Lim Hyun was the former squad leader of the raid team. They had great reputations and strong leadership, so many Holders followed them. Even among the members selected for our raid team now, except for a few, they would trust Seong Na-yeon and Lim Hyun more than me. Giving them a title with strong authority like vice-squad leader could cause problems in our strategy. I¡¯m the one who knows best about , but if they object based on their intuition and experience, it could get tricky. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s a bit iffy to assign something to someone from a n.¡± Lim Hyun is without a n, but Seong Na-yeon is clearly a member of the n. Giving an important role rted to the raid team to a member of arge n or private n could make our raid team look influenced by that n from the outside. Additionally, other ns that didn¡¯t receive the role could raiseints. That¡¯s also why I didn¡¯t assign the vice-squad leader role to Kang Juyeon, who is one of our most experienced members. ¡°Hey, and you can do well. You have unknown leadership within you?¡± ¡°Damn you, how would you know something I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Puhaha.¡± I burst outughing at Park Jin-woo¡¯s frank insult. The decisive reason I assigned him as the vice-squad leader was that I wanted to draw out his innate abilities. Park Jin-woo specializes in the warrior ss, but he¡¯s also an excellent leader. In the original work, he clearly demonstrated leadership qualities through a mental awakening, and he even formed this raid team himself, albeit crudely. If he can show those abilities again this time, it will be a great help to me going forward. He¡¯s a bit rough around the edges to be assigned vice-captain right away, but he¡¯ll do well. I¡¯m expecting that from him, which is why I even bought him equipment. ¡®Well, he¡¯s the only trustworthy one I have too.¡¯ Among the members of the right now, Park Jin-woo is the only one who is truly ¡®my person¡¯. Excluding Kang Juyeon, there was no one else suitable for the vice-captain leader role besides Park Jin-woo. It was a decision made amidst tangled interests andplicated rtionships. ¡°So when is Camiing?¡± I pped once and asked Park Jin-woo in a casual tone. At that, he frowned deeply. ¡°Why are you suddenly bringing up Cami?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°Why would you need to know?¡± ¡°Oh, so you do know? Have you contacted her?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± For a moment, the words hit Park Jin-woo right in his face as he closed his mouth. His expression showed he waspletely on point. Then, with an embarrassed look, he turned his back. ¡°I¡¯m going to sharpen my de. See youter.¡± ¡°Hey, crazy guy. What kind of weapon do you keep sharpening every day?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t look for me.¡± And so, starting with Park Jin-woo, the members began gathering one by one. The high-ranking Holders I mentioned earlier like Lim Hyun and Seong Na-yeon¡­ Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, and Moon Ga-eun who returned from Japan. Akiba, who joined the raid team at my request. Lee Soo-mi from the recovery ss, whom I haven¡¯t seen in a long time. And even Cami, whom Park Jin-woo had been desperately waiting for¡­ Countless other raid members revealed themselves one after another. ¡°Brother!! An exciting, heart-pounding morning¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± For some reason, there was also one devoted fan who followed me particrly well. Anyway, there were 9 warriors, 6 mages and archers, 6 assassins, 3 recovery sses, and 2 special sses. A total of 32 members had gathered at the scheduled time. There was no need for lengthy introductions. They quickly came together and maintained order. And at the center of them all stood me. Amidst dozens of pairs of eyes gathered there¡­ I dered in a low, firm voice, ¡°Then let¡¯s begin our strategy now.¡± It was the first step towards . Thend where unknown informationy buried.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 234 Chapter 234 City of the Estranged Wolves (2) Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The city where the dungeon is located. This dungeon doesn¡¯t connect to a field dungeon, but rather an abandoned factory within the city itself. Therefore, there is no particr risk from monsters in the area, making it easy for the guild to provide ¡®raid protection¡¯. I rented out an entire training hall near Sokcho and entered with my members for a brief strategy meeting before entering the dungeon. ¡°What I¡¯ll share today is simr to the content from our previous meeting, but it¡¯s more specific and covers additional points.¡± While a strategy meeting was already held in the preliminary gathering with all members present, another was also conducted right before the official raid started. Just like rehearsals are needed before going on stage or a performance¡­ Coordinating the strategy is necessary for dungeon raids too. This meeting was to review and re-discuss the raid route. *p* I took out an item from my magic bag and showed it to the members. A bundle of papers so worn and old it looked like it would rip at any moment. The special item [Madman¡¯s Howling Journal], the key to entering the dungeon. ¡°As you all know, this diary is the key to entering this dungeon. It¡¯s a special item required for dungeon entry. If you infuse magic power into the diary and hold it up to the entrance, the closed dungeon door will open for about 30 seconds. Without this item, entry itself is impossible, so really the guild¡¯s raid protection exists for this 30 second window.¡± The members¡¯ gazes converge on my hand. While I¡¯ve already exined this verbally, and it¡¯s been somewhat reported in the media¡­ This is probably their first time seeing the actual item. ¡°The name of this item is Madman¡¯s Howling Journal. It¡¯s an item with no particr effects or information listed¡­ But amusingly, when you enter the dungeon, its name changes.¡± [Madman¡¯s Howling Journal] is truly a peculiar item. Based on the outward information and effects alone, it just seems like a useless diary. But when held up to the dungeon entrance, it bes the key to opening the door, and simultaneously, the item¡¯s information changes. A seal on the inherent information within the item is released. And new information that wasn¡¯t previously recorded gets revealed¡­ It acts as a sort ofpass for the dungeon raid. ¡°Diary of the Estranged Werewolf. That¡¯s the changed item¡¯s name. In other words, the diary is rted to werewolves, and the monsters that will appear in this dungeon are likely werewolves too. The dungeon name was devised for that reason.¡± Werewolves. Monsters ssified as either A-grade Werewolves or A-S grade Lycanthropes. Originally the same term, but academia uses different names to distinguish the clearly separate species of monsters. Werewolves have brown fur, while Lycanthropes have silver fur as their distinguishing feature. They¡¯ve appeared in the Holder realm a total of 3 times so far, and each time their differing ranks and powers caused chaos among the Holders. ¡°So in this dungeon, we must prioritize simtingbat against werewolves. That¡¯s also why I provided you all with silver weapons, which have slightly less utility than other weapons.¡± Lee Hyun-ho and Choi Yoo-min managed to forge dozens of silver weapons within 2 weeks. Silver daggers, silver arrows, silver spears¡­ Various types of silver weapons were equipped, with at least 2 per member. While I assigned the task, the result is truly astounding. Even with help from other cksmiths, such speed would¡¯ve been near impossible if the main forgers didn¡¯t possess a genius for metallurgy. ¡°¡­The most important role in this raid is the archer ss. Since werewolves have overwhelmingly powerful physical specs, the archers must use silver arrows to cripple their mobility first. And for the assassin ss¡­¡± After that, I provided the members with detailed exnations on ¡®how to deal with monsters¡¯, a core element of the raid strategy. Since Werewolves and Lycanthropes are monsters with overwhelming physical abilities, I needed to repeatedly emphasize the countermeasures, even if it was tedious. The members, whether high or mid-ranked Holders, all maintained a serious and focused demeanor. After around 30 minutes of exnations, I finally brought up the most crucial point. ¡°Additionally, when you enter the dungeon, a unique info window called ¡®Baraten Camp¡¯ will appear.¡± ¡°Baraten¡­?¡± At the unfamiliar term, veteran Holder Lim Hyun asked. This part wasn¡¯t covered in the previous meeting. I slowly nodded and answered. ¡°Yes. This is information that has never appeared in the Holder realm before. It means this is a different type of dungeon from the existing initial area, middle area, boss room raid route structure. I think the information behind the word ¡®Baraten¡¯ might be the key to raiding this dungeon.¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± And at this, all the members let out exmations of amazement. New information and a special dungeon. In other words, that meant our pioneering this¡­ Would be leading new winds in the Holder realm. Just like how my teacher and I first revealed the information. The biggest reason I¡¯ve been able to find and operate such a massive raid party alone is probably due to ying a key role in revealing the information. ¡°So there¡¯s still no information on what exactly Baraten refers to?¡± I immediately answered another member¡¯s question. ¡°There are some spections, but there is nothing definite. It¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to figure out while exploring.¡± Of course, I know about Baraten. The werewolves that are the center of the dungeon. A tribe of the so-called ¡®Lycan¡¯ of the Lycanthropes n. They are also an ill-fated tribe that was driven out of the central city by the rival ¡®rk Camp¡¯ faction. In other words, those who were ¡®banished¡¯ in the are this Baraten tribe, and the [Diary of the Estranged Werewolf] was also a journal left by a Lycan from the Baraten tribe. However, since these are facts already known from the original work, I couldn¡¯t reveal them to the members, and anyway, they would naturally find out as we progressed through the raid, so there was no need to tell them. ¡°This concludes the rehearsal operation meeting. Are there any other opinions or things to say from the members?¡± I scanned around, but there was no response from the members. Rather than questions¡­ They were looking at me with a slightly admiring gaze. I think I know the reason for that. ¡®It¡¯s hard to believe I¡¯m a rookie raid leader.¡¯ This is the first raid I¡¯m leading under my name. In order not to ruin the tower I¡¯ve built, I prepared meticulously for this raid. I received a lot of advice from experienced Holders, and consulted with the operation teams ofrge ns. Especially for preparing supplies, I mobilized all my connections. As a result, I was able to form a solid raid party that would not lose to any regr or veteran temporary raid party. The fact that members with raid leader experience didn¡¯t particrly challenge me is proof of itspletion. For me, it was a very satisfying and rewarding result. After looking around once more, I said to the members, ¡°Then, let¡¯s enter the dungeon without dy.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** [You have entered the dungeon.] [¡®You set foot in the ¡®Baraten Camp¡¯. The resentment of the estranged ones seeps out.¡¯] We walked into the dungeon interior while maintaining ourbat formation. The background inside was a wastnd. Not aplete wastnd like the st time, but a wastnd with grass and trees asionally visible in the distance. Perhaps due to the vast space this dungeon boasts, if we kept walking we might suddenlye across special terrain or structures. ¡°Keep advancing.¡± Our raid party¡¯s formation was orthodox. A total of 9 warrior-type members took the front, with mages, archers, and other support roles in the middle. And assassin-types guarded the rear. As the raid leader, I took the center position. It¡¯s convenient to be in the center to give instructions that reach everyone, and also to receive reports from the archer-types who deploy ¡®Search Runes¡¯. ¡°Holder Moon Ga-eun, how about it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s still nothing showing up.¡± Moon Ga-eun answered awkwardly after finishing her scan. She¡¯s my girlfriend privately, but officially she¡¯s currently just one member of our raid party. It was better for both of us to maintain formalities. ¡°Holder Akiba, Holder Kim Ah-reum?¡± ¡°Nothing here either.¡± ¡°Same here, looks like we need to go further.¡± The three of them are the archers in charge of scouting for our raid party. Kim Ah-reum in particr is an A-grade archer, quite a veteran among unaffiliated Holders. If even she doesn¡¯t sense anything unusual, it seems we need to advance further. We continued forward while maintaining formation. ¡°¡­It¡¯s really damn huge.¡± ¡°At this rate, it feels like the initial monsters will appearter than in Green Grasnd.¡± ¡°But the raid leader did say from the start that this wouldn¡¯t have the form of existing dungeons with distinct starting and middle areas.¡± After walking for so long, the party members gradually rxed their tension. They chatted idly and exchanged some opinions about raiding the dungeon. We must have walked for about 20 minutes when finally, the city still wasn¡¯t visible, and the dungeon was simply too vast. The destend with varying elevations of rocks¡­ And the asional patches of grass catching my eye. But then ¨C Awoooooo- Grrrrrrr!! Awoooooo-!! The tawny-furred werewolves finally revealed themselves, disrupting the monotonous march.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 235 Chapter 235 The City of the Scattered Wolves (3) A sleek stretched brown fur and a rugged body. A form that seemed closer to a beast than a human. It was undoubtedly an A-grade monster, a Werewolf. Werewolves are monsters with clear limits, even among their kind. Their stats and runes are all focused on physicalbat, and their intelligence is not that high,ckingbat sense. There are some that utilize magical attacks, but those are really rare cases. Most individuals have simr abilities and simr strengths.It was a characteristic clearly contrasted with Lycanthropes, where each has vastly different runes and abilities, resulting in different grades for each individual. ¡®They can¡¯t even talk.¡¯ Moreover, they haven¡¯t developed any particrnguage, so conversation is impossible. That¡¯s the reason they are trying to attack us first. They were not the core of this dungeon, the Lycans, meaning ¡®Baraten¡¯ or ¡®rk¡¯. They were no different from the other mass-produced monsters we¡¯ve been hunting so far. And that meant¡­ There was no need to hesitate in hunting them down. Their appearance had already been predicted by the scout archers, so we were prepared. I beganmanding as I looked at the 6 Werewolves that appeared in front of us. ¡°Team A, start the battle first!¡± As I lightly called out the order, Team A, who had taken their positions in advance, charged into the battlefield. Before raiding this dungeon, I had divided the attack squad into 3 teams. Simple team formations of A, B, and C. Conveniently, excluding the special sses, the number of members per ss is perfectly divided into 3 teams. The reason for dividing into teams is simple. To distribute the members¡¯ stamina and increasebat efficiency, as well as for ease ofmand. Especially when dealing with A-grade monsters like now, the difficulty of the strategy itself bes very low, so fighting by teams is much more effective. ¡°All warrior sses, take two each!¡± Park Jin-woo, the leader of Team A, gave a slightly awkward subsidiary order. The assignments of team leaders were done quite rationally. For Team A¡¯s leader, it was Park Jin-woo, the vice-captain. For Team B, it was me, the captain. For Team C, the experienced veteran Lim Hyun. I had slightly avoided giving Lim Hyun a specific position, but this time there was no suitable candidate besides him. Team leaders had to be of a ss that could directly lead from the front line. And they had to be proven elites of their respective sses. Moreover, rejecting outside members too much was not a good look for an attack squad that had gathered together for amon goal. Grrrr¡­!! Kwaaaang¨C!! Paat- Pabambat- Kuaaaaah¡­?! The howls of the Werewolves rang out, and the battle with Team A began. The warrior sses each took on two Werewolves, and supporting them, a volley of silver arrows rained down. And on top of that, the bombardment of the mage ss Holdersyered like paint. The howls of the Werewolves were drowned out by the tremendous roars and sounds of weapons filling the dungeon. ¡®They¡¯re fighting much better than expected.¡¯ I watched the battle without letting my guard down. It was the first battle in the dungeon and Park Jin-woo¡¯s firstmand, so I was a bit worried¡­ But my concerns were unfounded, as Team A¡¯s cohesion was excellent. The three warrior sses wlessly tanked at the front, and based on that, the support members poured out intense damage. Especially the silver arrows of the archer sses effectively bound the Werewolves¡¯ movements as expected. Sssu- Kang! Kahgang¨C!! Bang- Kwagahgang¨C!! Kuaaaaah¡­!! ¡®¡­Those two are overwhelming though.¡¯ Among them, a few members stood out prominently. Cam Flores and Ang Gremville. Including Akiba, they were only 3 of the foreign Holders. They were the only two Holders with American nationality. I had hired them with some expectations at the time, but seeing the results, their abilities were even more outstanding. ¡®The quintessential shield warrior.¡¯ Cam Flores was the quintessential defensive warrior. Wielding a shieldrger than her own body, she effortlessly blocked the Werewolves¡¯ attacks, and the shield techniques and supplementary thrusts she mixed in showed just how easily she was fighting. There were no openings. She blocked every attack. No interference fazed her. I thought that even if it was not an A-grade monster, but an A-grade Holder attacking¡­ It would be difficult for them to easily break through her defense. That¡¯s how solid her defensive system was. I had heard from Park Jin-woo before that she was considered a top prospect at the California Holder Academy, and her performance truly lived up to thatvish praise. ¡®¡­And Ang.¡¯ Then there was Ang Gremville, Cam¡¯s friend. The red-haired mage ss B-grade Holder. Yet she disyed magic so outstanding that her B-grade seemed insignificant. Intensely zing fire magic and support magic employed right where needed. Her magic, with both destructive power and stability, was an incredibly reassuring core of rear support leading the attack squad. In a way, she seemed more formidable than other A-grade Holders like Kang Juyeon or Kim Chae-eun. ¡®Juyeon was right.¡¯ Ang¡¯s selection came with a strong rmendation from Kang Juyeon. The interviewers who were in charge of the final interview were hesitant about her being a foreign holder, but Kang Juyeon, being a fellow fire mage, confidently told me that she had a hunch. And the performance Ang is now showing¡­ I can say without a doubt that it is the most outstanding feat in the current A-Teambat. It proved Kang Juyeon¡¯s positive evaluation of her at the time of selection with her skills. Kung, Kuwoong¨C!! Krrrr¡­. The battle ended in an instant. Although werewolves are considered quite strong among the A-grade monsters, it was not easy for them to stop our attack squad, which consisted of experienced high-ranked Holders. Especially in this attack squad, there were two special-type Holders. One was a taming-type Holder, and the other was a willpower-type Holder. Since my B-Team has quite a lot of special abilities, those two were assigned to A-Team and B-Team separately. As the few domestic taming-type Holders summoned monsters and dispersed the aggroplicatedly, the warrior-type Holders in A-Team could fightfortably without being particrly exposed to danger. Although it seemed like three teams were roughly divided, they were teams that had neatly distributed their personnel. ¡°Combat terminated!! A total of 6 A-grade werewolf monsters, all hunted sessfully!¡± Park Jin-woo, who was at the forefront, shouted in a brighter voice. Although I had the overall responsibility of leading the attack squad, it was also true that the role of the team leader in each team¡¯sbat was very important. As the team leader and deputy squad leader, he seemed quite happy that the firstbat he was in charge of ended very sessfully. ¡®Kid. He can do well.¡¯ Seeing my friend¡¯s internal growth made me feel good for some reason. I tried to hide the smile spreading across my face and said to the members, ¡°Let¡¯s clean up the byproducts for a bit and move right away.¡± There was no time to be caught up with the werewolves. Before the day was over, we had to find ¡®Baraten¡¯s base¡¯ as soon as possible. *** Ippotrantion *** The A-grade holder, Lim Hyun, doubted his own eyes. It had already been 1 hour since the dungeon raid by the began. They had already fought werewolves dozens of times that they encountered in the middle. No matter how much easier it was to hunt A-grade monsterspared to S-grade, they were still ¡®A-grade monsters that traveled in packs¡¯. The endless battles and continuous hunting. If this continued consecutively, the fatigue of the attack squad would unknowingly umte. And this umted fatigue¡­ At some point, it could put the attack squad in a critical crisis. It really came at a moment they didn¡¯t notice. Temporary attack squads and inexperienced attack leaders tended to miss it even more. ¡®¡­The operation is just too neat.¡¯ But there was no such sight in the . The role distribution of the A, B, and C teams within the attack squad was very neat, and thebat situation also continued to preemptively upy advantageous high grounds as prepared. They mobilized all avable material and human resources to minimize the fatigue of the attack squad as much as possible. This is easy to say but never easy to put into practice. Lim Hyun, who was the attack leader for the dungeon raid untilst year, also knew how difficult it was. And at the center of it, the squad leader Do Jae-hyun¡­ How outstanding hismand ability and leadership were. ¡®I just thought they were students with great potential.¡¯ Last year, Lim Hyun had been a short-term instructor at the Seoul Holder Academy, following Yoo Eun-seol and Jeong Seon-young. Do Jae-hyun, Park Jin-woo, Kang Juyeon, and others¡­ The key Holders of the current were students whom Lim Hyun had directly or indirectly taught. He was well aware of their potential and skills, of course. The golden generation that would lead the future of the Holdermunity. Lim Hyun also fully agreed with the overly packaged expressions used by the media. ¡®Times really are changing fast.¡¯ However, that expression did not seem exaggerated at all. They were not the generation that would lead the future of the holdermunity¡­ They were the generation in charge of the present of the holdermunity. The that could open a new horizon for dungeon raids. Within it, they freely demonstrated their abilities without restraint, and moved freely without being intimidated among the veteran high-ranking Holders. As a senior Holder, and as a high-ranking Holder who had made an era¡­ It was a sight that made him feel the time hade to pass the baton to his juniors. And. ¡°Entire attack squad, halt.¡± The squad leader, who had been fighting fiercely whenever werewolves appeared¡­ Gave a halt order with a cautious expression. The squad leader¡¯smand, which had never issued a failed order so far. Following that, the members took cover behind protruding rocks, carefully hiding their bodies. And they turned their gaze upward. The huge hill spread out in front of them. Beyond that¡­ Krrreuaaah!! ¡ª-!! Awoooooh!! Finally, the silver-haired werewolves and dozens of werewolves appeared. They seemed to be charging toward each other as ¡®brethren¡¯.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 236 Chapter 236 The City of the Estranged Wolves (4) ¡°Brother, what is this situation?¡± Do Seung-min, who clung tightly to the seat next to me, asked me. Do Seung-min is an assassin in Team B of the assault team. I deliberately assigned him to the same team as me. [Silver Moonshadow] The Holder with the rune has the potential to y a big role in this dungeon raid if he is polished a little. That¡¯s why I put him next to me to teach him directly. Anyway, for now, Do Seung-min is the weakest assassin Holder in our assault team.Well, it¡¯s not like I have some grand meaning like ¡®I¡¯m going to take my first disciple!¡¯ I¡¯m just a sophomore Holder myself, so how can I take a disciple? It¡¯s just that I added one special management target to the assassin members who have to go in two per team. ¡°Call me Captain, Holder Do Seung-min.¡± That¡¯s that, and this is this. I don¡¯t know why this kid keeps calling me brother whenever he gets a chance. It¡¯s only been three days since we actually met. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry, Captain. But you canfortably call me¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do that myself.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Ah, Seung-min¡­ I can¡¯t help but sigh at the words of my inexperienced little brother. It feels like I¡¯ve gained a real little brother since we even have the samest name. I looked up again and looked ahead. ¡ª¨C!! Grrrr¡­!! The rough roars of the werewolves and the silent momentum of some lycans can be felt. At a nce, the number of werewolves is about 30? 20 of them were on the other side of the hill, and behind them were three lycans. The lycans boasted muchrger bodies, soft fur, and rippling magic than the werewolves¡­ And even one of the lycans in the middle had dark blue fur. ¡®That one must be the leader.¡¯ It ismonly said that ¡®lycanthropes have silver fur¡¯, but in reality, the fur colors of lycans vary greatly. To be precise, lycans of a certain strength or higher, S-grade lycans, have different fur colors even among their own kind. In other words, among the five lycans over there, the four with silver fur are probably A-grade, and the middle one is likely the leader, an S-grade. In terms of dungeon monsters, it would be a mid-boss level. ¡®And on our side¡­¡¯ On the other hand, the lycans near us¡­ There were only two lycans near the hill. Their colors were all silver too, A-grade lycans, and the werewolves with them numbered only 10. Vastly outnumberedpared to the other werewolf/lycans. Naturally, they were at a disadvantage in the ongoing battle. ¡°Captain, what are you thinking of doing?¡± Lim Hyun, the team leader of Team C nearby, asked me. Clearly, as a veteran Holder with a lot of assault team experience, the level of his question was qualitatively different. What to do. Right. What they were and what the situation was didn¡¯t really matter. What mattered was that a certain situation had arisen in the middle of the dungeon raid, and our assault team had to decide how to deal with that situation. That was the key. ¡°We¡¯ll help them.¡± ¡°Help¡­ Them?¡± At that word, help, which is highly inappropriate when dealing with monsters, not only Lim Hyun but most of the assault team members looked at me with puzzled expressions. I fixed my gaze toward the hill and gave them the answer. ¡°Do you all remember the phrase that popped up in the information window when you first entered the dungeon?¡± The information window upon entry. Along with the phrase [You have entered the dungeon.], there was the peculiar phrase [You set foot in the ¡®Baraten¡¯ camp.¡¯] That unusual information window, which did not exist in existing dungeons. At the time, the assault team members simply regarded it as one of the pieces of information to unravel for the dungeon raid, but in fact, the key to the raid was in that phrase from the beginning. ¡°Setting foot in the Baraten camp. That could literally mean the name of this dungeon, but if we take it literally¡­ It could also mean that we¡¯vee into a specific camp within the dungeon.¡± I gestured with my chin toward the hill. ¡°And their battle could be a fight between that camp and another camp. After all, there has been no information in the Holdermunity so far about monsters fighting each other.¡± ¡°¡­Wow!¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Some of the squad members eximed in admiration after I finished exining that far. The power struggle between those lycanthropes who seemed to be from different factions. We would get involved in the midst of it and take the side of one faction. They finally understood the meaning of my earlier deration that we would ¡®help¡¯ them. Of course, for squad members who had no prior information about this dungeon, my spection and decision may have seemed like a reckless mistake. After all, it would appear extremely unusual from themon sense of Holders to fight while helping monsters. However, I am not the one who decides the answer. The squad leader presents the direction the squad will proceed in, and is the person responsible for the oue. I simply chose what I thought was the best path based on the clues given from when we entered the dungeon. Perhaps that¡¯s why¡­ While some squad members still looked at me with uprehending faces, those who understood this overall process were looking at me with sparkling eyes. In particr, Lim Hyun¡¯s eyes were shining so brightly it was burdensome. ¡­Did I score some points as the squad leader? ¡°I understood the squad leader¡¯s words to some extent. So which side are we going to help?¡± Another squad member from one side asked. Ang Gremville. She was a key squad member who performed great feats as a mage in Team A. I turned my gaze back up at her sharp question. ¡°The side with fewer numbers.¡± ¡°¡­Is there a reason we have to help that side?¡± ¡°It has to be dramatic.¡± I answered her follow-up question right away. In fact, I already knew that the side with fewer numbers was the Baraten faction, but I added some more rational reasons to help the squad members understand. ¡°Even if we help the side with greater numbers, we won¡¯t be able to contribute much to their victory in battle. It¡¯s a fight they would win even without us. Not being able to influence those who may be at the core of the new information and dungeon, and its exploration strategy ¨C that certainly wouldn¡¯t be good news for us.¡± I paused for a moment to catch my breath before continuing. ¡°So we will help the numerically disadvantaged lycanthropes. So that our influence can reach them.¡± ¡°But what if the disadvantaged lycanthropes aren¡¯t the Baraten faction?¡± Ang fired off another sharp question in session. I was inwardly surprised. This woman is quite perceptive about the core of the exploration strategy. Based only on the clues given so far and my spection, she had figured out that we had to side with a particr faction. She wasn¡¯t Team A¡¯s ace for nothing. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°Yes. Although the ce we¡¯vee to is the camp of those called the Baratens, that doesn¡¯t mean we have to absolutely side with them. It¡¯s fine to help another camp. And all of this is just spection anyways, there¡¯s nothing certain about it. We may have to fight against the disadvantaged Lycanthropes right after helping them.¡± Of course, it¡¯s all nonsense. To explore the dungeon, we absolutely have to side with the Baraten camp. The rk tribe is an aggressive tribe that can¡¯t be negotiated with in the first ce. I know that fact well, and I also know that the disadvantaged lycanthropes are Baratens. But I couldn¡¯t tell the squad members the truth, so I just added sophistry to package it as a usible reason. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ang looked like she had more to say, but soon she nodded in eptance of my opinion. ¡ª¨C!! Grrrroooaarr¡­!! Bang! Kwagagaga-!! The momentum on the battlefield began to shift rapidly. The rk lycanthropes relentlessly pushed back the Baraten lycanthropes using their numerical advantage and superior abilities, and it seemed the battle would soon end in a rk victory. ¡°All offensive warrior-type and assassin-type members, follow me.¡± At that, I immediately gave instructions to the squad members. It was the formation of a separate task force, without dividing into teams. In such a sudden attack situation, the efficiency of defensive warrior-types isn¡¯t very high, so they were assigned to guard the rear while the offensive warriors and assassins formed the task force. They had rune settings specialized for offense, mostly possessing ¡®Movement Runes.¡¯ Moreover, with the aid of recovery properties and items, they could maximize their speed to the extreme. And moving at that utmost speed¡­ They aimed for the ¡®side¡¯ of the ongoing lycanthrope battle. ¡®Call of the Contract.¡¯ Amidst the swiftly moving squad members, I immediately used the [Summon] rune. The contract monster summoned was Tyrbon. The one who had fought alongside me the most battles. His huge size would immediately give away our presence, but in such chaotic battle there was no better charging mount than him. Kyaoooo¨C!! Amidst the howls of the wolves, the rough roar of the wyvern rang out. I leapt up to board the Tyrbon that had appeared in midair, and simultaneously drew out [Wyvern Spear] as well. Tyrbon¡¯s unstoppable charge was due to [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. And the [el Piercing] used in sync with it. There was no more effective attack when it came to ambush and striking first. ¡®Tyrbon, faster.¡¯ -This is the maximum, master. The target was the navy-colored lycanthrope standing in the center. Seemingly the leader of the rk camp lycanthropes.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 237 Chapter 237 The City of Estranged Wolves (5) Compared to ordinary Holders, I possess quite a number of runes. Thanks to the deceptive rune [Rune Hunter], the runes I¡¯ve duplicated so far number in the tens, and with special effects like the ¡®Superior Rune System¡¯ or the ¡®Limit increased to 50¡¯, the pool of runes I can acquire has expanded. But among all those runes¡­ There are definitely some ¡®main runes¡¯ that are used frequently. Runes that are often used, and have been used for a long time. Runes that you grow fonder of as a result. [You are utilizing the special effect ¡®Rapid Riding¡¯, a skill unleashed in extreme situations akin to an airborne performance, more effectively than anyone else. Your understanding of runes is steadily umting.][The level of the ¡®Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven¡¯ rune has increased.] [You gain 1 Agility due to the rune¡¯s attribute.] In that sense, [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] is definitely one of my main runes. A very long time ago, when I firstnded in this world, One of the 7 runes I obtained first was [Sprint]. For me at the time,cking other weapons or magic runes, the [Sprint] rune that could create variables through ¡®charging¡¯ was always a highly useful and attractive main rune. Even after obtaining additional charge-type runes and filling my previously empty rune slots in a spectacr fashion, achieving much growth¡­ ¡®Surprise attacks through charging¡¯ remained my go-to attack route. It¡¯s no coincidence that the Superior runebination [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] has already reached level 10. ¡®el Piercing.¡¯ That¡¯s why I¡¯m unrestrained when using my main runes. No matter what enemy is in front of me, I charge in with the momentum to tear them apart. An overwhelmingly fast speed and a charge that ignores range. Plunging down from the sky, adding even more destructive power. I gather all of that into one thrusting strike with my spear. In the midst of the battlefield where the werewolves had gathered, my [el Piercing] thrust furiously at the enemymander Lycan. -What is that? -A human! It¡¯s a human! -Evade it for now, Duke! I couldn¡¯t hear anything from far away, but the [Language] rune functioned properly up close. I could clearly hear the Lycansmunicating. On the other hand, the Werewolves seemed to have some issue as there was no verbalmunication from them since a while ago. ¡®It¡¯s already toote, pups.¡¯ I snickered at the flustered conversation of the Lycans and gripped my spear tightly. They probably noticed our presence when Tyrbon appeared, but before they could react, Tyrbon and I had already closed in. The [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] that reached level 10, its proficiency hitting its stride, is a cmity. The charge speed was too fast, excessively so. Kahng- Grgrgr- Jjijirk- Pooshwee¨C!! A sensation of tearing through something travels up my arm. ¡®¡­A magic barrier?¡¯ This S-grade Lycan with navy blue fur. Despite its appearance, it seems to specialize in magic runes. While the Lycanthropes are monsters strong in physical meleebat utilizing their powerful physical abilities, that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t use magic. They possess [Magic Control] runes like humans and are well-versed in using them their own way. Especially upon reaching S-rank and gaining new abilities and power, there are even Lycans who make magic runes their main focus. The werewolf called ¡®Duke¡¯ in front of me seems to be one of those types of Lycans. ¡®A magic-using werewolf? Thanks.¡¯ But to me, it¡¯s just easy prey to hunt. I take the initiative with a surprise attack after the charge, and the opponent is a mage? There¡¯s no better target than this. Moreover, [el Piercing] easily pierces through magic defenses in the first ce. Let alone this crudely made barrier without any special spellcasting¡­ Piercing through it was easier than breathing. -Kuk, kuaaak!! -Duke!! Dammit! -After that human!! Kakahng- Pooshuk! Along with the sound of piercing through solid fur, a fountain of blood sprays out, and the Lycan called Duke scream stimtes my eardrums. The powerful piercing strike is enhanced by all sorts of buffs. Additionally amplified by the ¡®Silver¡¯s Blessing¡¯ effect of the [Silver Moonshadow] rune. I couldn¡¯t instantly kill an S-grade monster with this attack, but I could definitely deal heavy damage. -Genzaaang!! -Catch that damn human!! -Wait! There are more humans over there too¡­!! -The Baratens are getting back up too! Stop them!! After prating theyers of werewolf guards and inflicting a critical hit on Duke, the enraged other Lycans and their subordinate Werewolves started going berserk. Catch him, kill him, tear him apart¡­ All sorts of vicious words reached me through [Language]. But in contrast, our counterattack also proceeded. The assault team members who had preemptively approached this area took my surprise attack as the signal tounch an all-out offensive. Behind them, backup fire from the rear troops was alsoing in. Moreover, it seemed the Baraten Lycans weren¡¯t that stupid, as they were quickly getting up despite being dazed by the sudden situation. From the Baraten Lycans¡¯ perspective, this was truly a perfect reversal of the situation. I hurriedly gave Tyrbon follow-up orders. ¡®Tyrbon, back up again.¡¯ -Already on it. As expected, Tyrbon had an excellent nose for situations where we¡¯d have to flee. Even before I gave the order, he had already changed our flight direction upwards in an attempt to withdraw from the battlefield. Of course, a perfect escape was difficult. A few werewolves who had received orders from the Lycans were leaping up to this high point, charging at us. It would be easy for me to fight while mounted on him, but Tyrbon could be in danger. No matter how high Tyrbon¡¯s durability was, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to fend off multiple A-grade monsters if they attacked with intent. Moreover, werewolves were monsters far more focused on attackpared to monsters like manticores. ¡®Tyrbon!¡¯ -Understood, master. I changed the order once more. Our long-cultivated rhythm meant we could predict each other¡¯s actions without much exnation. I dropped down from Tyrbon, and he immediately shot up into the sky. Mynding point was on the leaping werewolves¡¯ heads. This was the most perfect way to eliminate the danger. ¡®Stair sh.¡¯ I immediately switched to [w Shot Sword], delivering a [Stair sh] from the werewolves¡¯ shoulders down to their legs. Originally, [Stair sh] is a skill where you cut up the opponent like climbing stairs from below, but the werewolves and I were facing opposite directions now. Thanks to that, I could cut down the werewolves¡¯ bodies as if descending from the sky. ¡®Element is fire, explosion at the end.¡¯ I briefly raised my magic to imbue the ¡®fire¡¯ element with [Elemental Master], to strengthen the followingbo. And then [Explosive Sword Aura]. Skipping the first cut, I applied the effect only to the final cut. Kwa, kwaaang¨C!! Krreuuu¡­!! In an instant, I cut the werewolf¡¯s body five times while delivering an intense st. I retired the A-grade monster in less than a second. There was no time to spectate. I kicked off its leg to leap up, mounting another four werewolves above. This time I switched to [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. The skill I used was [Divine sh]. The elements I imbued were earth, water, and wind in order. I kept changing elements to maximize the ¡®Change Strike¡¯ effect of [Elemental Master]. ¡®Poison w, then Quarter Knife.¡¯ [Divine sh] is a physical attack without infused magic, so it can¡¯t receive the [Explosive Sword Aura] effect. But I could use poison. I used [Venom]¡¯s [Poison w] to cut down three werewolves simultaneously, and delivered a [Quarter Knife] to thest remaining one. Of course, adding an explosion to [Quarter Knife] was a bonus service. Kwa, kwaaang¨C!! Krreua aaa¡­!! -This is ridiculous¡­!! -Five Virgens taken out instantly¡­!! I heard the werewolves¡¯ screams and the astonished voices of the Lycans. It was understandable. In less than 5 seconds, 1/4 of the werewolf forces were gone. And after finishing all that, I¡­ -You are strong, master. ¡®Just realized that?¡¯ By the time Tyrbon hadpleted his high altitude flight and returned to where I was falling, I dropped right onto his body. Perfect timing and rhythm. ¡°All magic attack units, target the enemy¡­!!¡± And by this point, the mages should have finished preparing. To confirm, I immediately gave the order for an all-out attack. No, it was at the very moment I was about to give that order. ¡ª¨C!! Awooooooo¨C!! The howling sound that had asionallye from the Lycanthropes. Among them, the loudest, fiercest howl covered the entire battlefield. And then. [The rk Lycans¡¯ ¡®Duke¡¯ unleashes his ¡®Indigo Force Howling¡¯! All designated targets within range temporarily have their magic controlled by the howling!] [¡®Rune of Clear Mind¡¯ maintains the target¡¯s lucid state. They are unshaken by any curse or abnormal condition.] They may have allowed the preemptive ambush, but they don¡¯t go down easily. Duke, a Lycan boss of sorts, activated his special ability. In response, the magic of all attack units and Baraten Lycans was controlled. A sudden crisis situation. But thanks to [Rune of Clear Mind], I immediately broke free from that crisis and grinned. ¡®¡­The kid¡¯s got something good.¡¯ Fortunately, I still had plenty of magic left, as well as unused special effects and skills.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 238 Chapter 238 The City of Estranged Wolves (6) ¡ª¡ª!! Awooooo-!! The maddened howl of the enraged wolf echoes across the battlefield. No matter how much power was put into the [el Piercing] attack, the opponent is an S-grade monster. It possesses its own special abilities, and even if struck by an unexpected blow, it can retaliate sufficiently. ¡®Seems like it got really pissed off.¡¯ However, the fact that it received that ¡®unexpected blow¡¯.That must have been quite a humiliation for this Lycan named Duke. The ¡®Color Howling¡¯ known as the innate ability of S-grade Lycans. The fact that he used it without hesitation shows it. The color of the Lycan Duke is Indigo. The type of howling is magic control. It¡¯s not a powerful abnormal condition like knocking the target ¡®unconscious¡¯ or ¡®paralyzing¡¯ them, but an abnormal condition that deals critical damage inbat by temporarily disabling and disrupting magic. ¡®The performance exceeds expectations too.¡¯ Moreover, unlike other abnormal conditions with lower direct effects, its range is quite wide and its persistence is excellent. Just looking at our attack squad, we¡¯re within its area of effect. The rear personnel far away had their magic supportpletely cut off, unable to provide any help, and the members who came to the front line all stopped the attacks they were about to unleash with magic. ¡®The only ones who can fight properly¡­ Me and Jin-woo.¡¯ Park Jin-woo, who possesses the [Keen Mind] rune, is outside the control area. I too became immune after killing the ¡®Yamata no Orochi¡¯ in Japan and obtaining [Keen Mind]. The only ones who could fight were the two of us. ¡°Jin-woo!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already going!¡± Park Jin-woo gives the same answer that Tyrbon did. And he starts running at the fastest possible speed towards the enemy Lycan, Duke. He¡¯s a warrior-type with all his rune settings focused on attack, particrly ¡®Quick Sword¡¯. Naturally, in terms ofbat formation, he has an advantage in attacking the opponent. In contrast, I¡¯m a multi-holder with various categories of runes. Not only attack, but also defense, evasion, and healing are possible. Although Park Jin-woo¡¯s destructive power is lower than mine, in this situation it was appropriate for him to take the lead and for me to provide support. Awooooooo-!! ¡ª¡ª!! And then, Duke howls again and ms his massive legs down hard onto the ground. ¡°What is it!¡± ¡°The ground¡­!!¡± Then, with a tremendous roar, the ground begins to split apart. As if some giant serpent was burrowing into the ground, the earth splits at an astonishing speed and rushes towards our members. The power of Duke, the magic-wielding werewolf, is revealed here. It seems he possesses a magic rune that controls the earth attribute. ¡®Tyrbon. Fly at a suitable height and harass the Werewolves. Attack them as troublesomely as possible with the wings you¡¯re good at using. Understood?¡¯ -Understood, Master. [Sky Warrior] and the many runes Tyrbon has to assist in close-quarterbat, as well as his ability stats that in some areas exceed even mine. With this setup, Tyrbon alone should be able to sufficiently harass the werewolves. I give a short order and descend straight to the ground. My destination is where our warrior and assassin squad members are gathered. The earth attribute magic attackunched by the enemy Duke¡­ ¡­Is relentlessly rushing towards this area. ¡°¡­Power Break.¡± In the midst of it, I ce my hands on the ground. If the attackes from the earth, I¡¯ll block it with the earth as well. [Power Break], a derived skill of [Elemental Master]. Arge-scale skill that cleaves the earth and changes its structure in an instant. Although it has a long cooldown and can only be used once a day, there was no more suitable skill in this situation. Kugugu- Kwaaaa-!! The earth and the earth collide as if shing. The earth¡¯s movement, which rushed forward with the momentum to swallow everything¡­ ¡­Veered away diagonally as if it were a lie and disappeared. The controlled situation with an abnormal condition inflicted. And the powerful magic attack of an S-grade monster unleashed within it. I blocked it all with a single skill. At that unbelievable result, all the members of the attack squad around me stared at me with stunned expressions. They were already amazed when I took down five Werewolves in less than 10 seconds earlier, but now they looked even more astounded. However, there was no time to respond to such a sight. Park Jin-woo was still advancing alone towards Duke, and time was running short. ¡°Member Do Seung-min.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Captain!¡± Do Seung-min, who was watching me with a dazed look, snaps to attention and responds after I call out to him. This brat¡­ He automatically calls me ¡®Captain¡¯ in urgent situations, huh. ¡°Use the signal item. We need to call all the rear personnel here. And have the divine Holders heal the abnormal conditions as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, understood!¡± Do Seung-min replies sharply and takes out an item that sends a signal from his pocket. I turn my gaze towards Lim Hyun, the team leader of Team C. ¡°Team Leader Lim Hyun, once the remaining members arrive, take directmand and deal with the remaining Werewolves and Lycanthropes. Now that we have the numbers, we¡¯re sure to win.¡± ¡°Do you mean for me to lead the engineering department members?¡± ¡°Yes. The deputy chief engineer is going to that guy¡­¡± As I answered, I took out a ¡®bow and arrow¡¯ through my weapon changing technique. It was a special silver arrow that I had asked Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho to make for me. And as quickly as possible. But I pull the bowstring with an borate posture. ¡°Because I also have to assist the deputy chief engineer for now.¡± Whoosh!! A powerful magic arrow imbued with the fire attribute, one of the silver arrows, flies straight and pierces Duke¡¯s chest. The result is a hit. It was the power of the [Starlight Assassination] rune that I recently raised to level 13. [Starlight Assassination] is a martial arts rune that uses a bow, like the sword technique rune or mystic de arts rune. Since a bow wasn¡¯t my main weapon, I didn¡¯t feel the need to acquire it, but I obtained this rune while acquiring arge number of misceneous runes during the previous sweep. And the eternal truth remains unchanged. Once you acquire a rune, there will surely be a use for it somewhere. That fact was being proven right again today. Whoosh, bang!! -Arghh!! You rascal!! Catch that human! I said catch and crush him!! -Ca, calm down, Duke!! Their voices reach me through [Language]. The Lycanthrope named Duke has finally lost his sanity and gone mad. The fire arrow that pierced his chest out of nowhere. Immediately followed by a water arrow striking the same spot. It may not have the same impact as the [el Piercing] I dealt initially, but repeated annoying attacks¡­ from the same person no less, would be extremely irritating. ¡®One Point Kill.¡¯ Regardless, I merrily kept shooting arrows. [One Point Kill], a derived skill of [Starlight Assassination]. A skill that assists in striking the same spot with the 5 arrows shot after activating the skill. Thanks to this, despite not using a bow for a long time, I could keep shooting arrows into the Lycanthrope¡¯s chest. Moreover¡­. ¡®It¡¯s easier to switch attributes when using a bow.¡¯ When fighting with a sword, it¡¯s quite difficult to rapidly switch the attribute of attacks. After all, it involves using magic, and manifesting magic in the first ce isn¡¯t easy in a close-quarters battle where every second counts. But when using a bow, there¡¯s leeway each time I pull the bowstring. Each time, I utilize [Elemental Master] to change the attribute infused into the magic arrow. And in an instant, the 5 stacks of ¡®Change Strike¡¯ are fully built up. Silver arrows, elemental attacks, amplified power special effects. At this point, no matter howcking my archery skills, the Lycanthrope opponent is bound to take heavy damage. -Kuh, aaahh!! What are you guys doing?! Stop that arrow shooter! -But there are humans on this side too¡­!! -Duke! Some dragon-like creature is attacking the Virugens from the sky! The Lycanthropes of rk¡¯s forces weren¡¯t just sitting idly by either. They were desperately defending themselves in their own way. The current situation involved their ¡®magic¡¯ being controlled by [Indigo Force Howling], not their ¡®physical bodies¡¯. Hence, the still formidable Lycanthropes of the Baraten forces, the Tyrbon I had premanded, and¡­ ¡°Hyun, no matter how I think about it, our captain isn¡¯t being reasonable, right? He¡¯s using all his weapons, all the attributes. That just doesn¡¯t make sense. I only use wind with my sword, two at most.¡± ¡°Please stop talking duringbat, Holder Seong Na-yeon!¡± ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve already won anyway, so tell me what you think.¡± ¡­Our warrior members were fighting leisurely. Thanks to them applying pressure on the enemy Lycanthropes and werewolves with their unique physical attacks, despite the difficulty in using magic. ¡®Holder Lim Hyun must have ordered this.¡¯ Lim Hyun, the team leader of Team C. After temporarily handing overmand to him, he seems to have dispatched the remaining personnel to the front lines. A veteran¡¯s judgment to end the battle as quickly as possible with no casualties. As a result, my arrows kept hitting Duke¡¯s chest unobstructed. The biggest advantage of arrow attacks is restraining movement. Especially since Duke, a mage-type Lycanthrope, had already taken a heavy hit from my [el Piercing]¡­ He was helpless against my support fire. And then, ¡°Chase him!¡± My friend was no novice Holder to miss out on such a perfectly set table. Boom- Boom boom!! -Kuaaahh¡­!! -Du, Duke¡­!! Park Jin-woo¡¯s ultimate skill, [Unstoppable Swift Sword], shed Duke¡¯s chest dozens of times, finishing off the dying foe. ¡®¡­Cruel bastard. He just had to attack that spot again.¡¯ For some reason, from the time of [el Piercing] until the very end, It seems Duke kept getting attacked in the same ce. In any case, with his demise, the battle was essentially over. As Duke died, the ¡®magic control¡¯ status abnormality naturally lifted as well. ¡°All attack personnel, focus fire on the remaining wolves.¡± That was mymand as I regainedmand authority. ¡­ ¡­ [You have won the duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, your victory is acknowledged. With the mysterious power of a Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent¡¯s runes. Please select which rune to replicate.]
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 239 Chapter 239 The Warriors of Baraten (1) The battle was over. We were victorious, having hunted down not only the Werewolves of the rk camp, but all five Lycans as well. There were suggestions to keep at least one Lycan alive, but those top-tier monsters from the A-grade were too dangerous to spare. Moreover, even if it wasn¡¯t the rk faction¡­ ¡°Greetings, Lycans.¡± ¡­We still had Lycans left to converse with. Only four Werewolves remained after the fierce battle. And two Lycans from the Baraten faction. They looked confused by my weing gesture. -Human, did you just address us? -It seems so? He clearly said ¡®Lycan¡¯, didn¡¯t he? -So this human knows ournguage and is well-informed about our tribe? -Huh? No, I didn¡¯t say anything, how did you arrive at that conclusion? That¡¯s an insane stretch of assumption. Haha. And this is the first time we¡¯ve seen a human here since being transformed. -¡­True. I spoke to them, but received only murmurs in response instead of answers. It made sense though. The [Language] Rune only allows listening at low levels, notmunication. So at my current level, I cannot use the Lycannguage either. Yet I greeted them in Korean regardless. I did so knowing that Lycans possess highly developednguage abilities and the [Language] Rune. ¡°You¡¯re right that I am listening to you. I possess the Language Rune. And during the earlier battle, I deduced you also have the Language Rune after seeing you seemingly assisting us by following our operational orders.¡± As I exined with a smile, the Lycans of the Baraten faction reacted rowdily again. -Mr. Jiten! He knows we are proficient innguages! And he used the word ¡®Rune¡¯, so he is clearly influenced by the System¡­!! -Quiet down. I can hear it too. The wolf-humanoids, towering as tall as houses, were being incredibly noisy. ¡®They really are huge.¡¯ Around 3M tall perhaps? With their gigantic bodies, I had to look up at the Lycans up close. Anyway, the one who seemed the superior of the two, called Jiten, stepped forward to address me. -Greetings. I am Jiten, descendant of the great warrior Baraten. First, I express gratitude for saving us, though your motives are unclear. Jiten patted his shoulder twice and gave a brief bow. I didn¡¯t fully understand, but it seemed a courtesy of the Lycans or Baraten tribe. ¡°We didn¡¯t save you for any grand purpose. But before we discuss further¡­¡± I suddenly turned my head to look behind me. Our squad members, still fully armed¡­ ¡­Were staring this way with astonished expressions. The emergence of the made possible what was previously thought impossible ¨C a human conversing with monsters, as Transcendents were not even considered monsters. An unprecedented, paradoxical scene was unfolding before our eyes. Even the most experienced Holders could not help but be stunned and tense. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you please speak in ournguage? My Rune level is still too low for me to use the Lycan tongue. Also, our squad members without the Language Rune cannot understand our conversation.¡± I was speaking in Korean, while Jiten was using the Lycannguage. Thanks to [Language], we understood each other, but my squadmates could notprehend it. In response to my request, Jiten¡¯s already fierce expression became even more furrowed. -And why should I? It seemed the pride of this battle-hardened race was not easily swayed. I pondered an excuse with a troubled look. ¡°Well, we did sort of be your life-saviors, didn¡¯t we?¡± Thump! ¡°That¡¯s what I was going to say. Hello to the other humans. I am Jiten, descendant of the great warrior Baraten.¡± ¡­.. That was easy. Jiten patted his shoulder a couple times as he greeted my squad as well. The fluent Korean pouring from his mouth. This caused another wave of astonishment on my teammates¡¯ faces. By raising [Language] to high levels, one could naturally speak foreign tongues heard just once. ¡°Greetings! I am Haten, descendant of the great warrior Baraten! By the way, thisnguage is peculiar. The pronunciation has many sharp spots here and there. Haha.¡± Haten, the other Lycan, also introduced himself. The two silver-maned A-grade Lycans looked simr, but upon closer inspection, Jiten had arger build and more intense aura. Additionally, his mane had a faint reddish tinge to it. ¡®About to rank up?¡¯ A change in mane color indicated the transition from A to S-grade Lycan. Jiten seemed to be Haten¡¯s superior while being on the verge of ranking up himself. ¡°Squad Captain, what is this whole¡­¡± As I was observing Jiten¡¯s presence¡­ Some squad members approached me from behind with looks of disbelief. Although we knew from the start about the ¡®Baraten Camp¡¯ and the ¡®cooperation of the Lycanthrophe¡¯, this situation far exceeded expectations. The Lycans suddenly speaking Korean was too much. Even I would have struggled to ept it without prior knowledge. ¡°Let¡¯s just converse for now, since we can understand each other.¡± In cases like these, demonstrating is more effective than exining. After reassuring my team, I turned back to the front. ¡°Greetings. I am Squad Captain Do Jae-hyun, a Holder of the Ripple Raid.¡± Thump. I shook hands with Jiten. His rough, coarse hands conveyed immense strength. He was certainly no ordinary A-grade monster. ¡°Raids? Holder?¡± ¡°It seems this will be a long conversation.¡± For a morefortable discussion, we relocated briefly. The Lycans turned out to be more than just brawn. *** Ippotrantion *** The conversation with the Lycans was more constructive than expected. While they didn¡¯t have the in-depth information that the ¡®Transcendent¡¯ dragons had, they were beings who were influenced by the system and clearly aware of its existence. Should I say they are in the form of monsters holding Runes. Especially in terms of information disclosure, much was allowed, so in some ways it was more helpful than conversing with the Transcendents. ¡°Oho! So you are humans influenced by the system from the other world?¡± ¡°Exactly! We aremonly called Rune Holders, meaning humans who possess Runes.¡± In the back, Do Seung-min and Haten were excitedly chatting. The two people¡­ No, the one human and one werewolf were conversingfortably as if they had been friends for a long time. Perhaps because Do Seung-min is exceptionally friendly among our members, he quickly became close even with the werewolf who should clearly still be regarded with caution. ¡°¡­That friend also seems quite friendly.¡± ¡°Haten is a bit peculiar.¡± Jiten also nodded in acknowledgment. It¡¯s a bit noisy, but not an unpleasant sight. In any case, as Do Seung-min casually broke the ice in conversation, the invisible gap between our members and the Lycans gradually narrowed. Especially when those we had only considered monsters started blurting out key words like ¡®system¡¯, ¡®rune¡¯, and ¡®skill¡¯, everyone became interested and joined the conversation. I turned back to Jiten and continued our previous conversation. ¡°So to summarize, you are descendants of the Baraten tribe within the Lycans, and you are currently at war with the rk tribe to reim the city that was taken from you long ago, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Lycans we just fought were the vanguard of those dirty rks.¡± The ce we were standing was an area like the boundary line. Naturally, vanguard troops would cross over while patrolling the area, leading tobat in the process. That was the reason why Duke and the rk Lycans had boldly advanced into the Baraten camp earlier. This city originally existed on their continent Lafrion as well. The entire city had transitioned to the current Earth. Jiten didn¡¯t remember the details about why and how the city was taken from them either. ¡®It was probably erased by the system.¡¯ While a lot of information was open, there were still erased memories. In particr, when I was praised for hunting Duke and the ¡®legend of the Dragon Knight¡¯ came up briefly, when I asked about it in more detail, he just gave a formic response of ¡°I don¡¯t remember that part.¡± It¡¯s understandable to be frustrated by not remembering, but he acted as if it were a given. The probability of that too being encroached upon by the system was likely high. ¡®In any case, the important thing is that I convinced our members.¡¯ I briefly looked around at the members of the raid party. Some were chatting amongst themselves, but most were focused on either my conversation with Jiten or Do Seung-min and Haten¡¯s conversation. To that extent, through this special strategy, they were desperately trying to engrave the ¡®newly learned information¡¯ into their minds. And the members probably grasped it slowly too. That the condition for clearing this dungeon¡­ Was ultimately to help the Baraten camp and defeat the rkk camp. The decisive proof for this hypothesis was thanks to one item that Jiten gave me. ¡òName: Token of Trust ¡­ ¡­ ¡òDetails : A token of faith that the Baraten tribe Lycans give torades. The Baraten tribe considers this token very special, and has unlimited trust in those they give it to. Only a few warriors including Tol Baraten can possess this token. It doesn¡¯t have any special effects or innate skills, but¡­ It has peculiar detailed information attached. In other words, even the system has acknowledged it. That assisting the Baraten tribe and participating in the war will be the direction for clearing this dungeon. We entered through the ¡®Baraten camp¡¯ entrance from the start, so it was actuallyughable to consider another direction. I lightly grasped the [Token of Trust] in my hand and said to Jiten, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go then. To your leader, this Tol Baraten.¡±
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 240 Chapter 240 The Warriors of Baraten (2) Werewolves are divided into two main types. Werewolves and Lycanthropes. However, these are just monster names given by the Holders, and they actually refer to themselves as ¡®Virgens¡¯ and ¡®Lycans¡¯. Virgens are a type of werewolf characterized by brown fur, and they basically possess the strength of a lower A-grade monster. Moreover, unlike Lycans, they are a tribe whosenguage is undeveloped, so theymunicate only through gestures, signals, and howling. [Language] That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t hear their conversations despite having the Language rune. Even though they are bipedal werewolves, their temperament is closer to wolves than humans. Perhaps for that reason, the Lycan tribe seems to treat Virgens as a kind of ¡®tamed monster¡¯ or soldier. ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t the Virgens we hunted be a problem?¡± Asking if we happened to harm the Virgens of the Baraten camp. I asked Jiten, who was walking beside me, but Haten from behind cut in and answered. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that! The tamed Virgens are our troops and assets, but the Virgens roaming outside have nothing to do with us. In fact, the wild Virgens will far outnumber the tamed ones! Haha.¡± Haten is quite talkative for a werewolf, but he often blurts out helpful information like this. Additionally, the wild Virgens have a basic tendency to obey Lycans, so we didn¡¯t have to fight even when encountering them walking within the camp. They would growl at us humans, but when they saw the two leading Lycans, they would tuck their tails and run away. Thanks to that, we were able to walk to the ¡®Baraten Camp Headquarters¡¯ without a single battle. ¡®And the Lycans¡­¡¯ If Virgens are a wild pack that doesn¡¯t form groups, then Lycans are the upper ss of werewolves with both intelligence and strength. Unlike Virgens, who have simr strength across the board, Lycans possess different levels of power individually and can continue growing over time. As such, silver-furred Lycans possess the ability of upper A-grade monsters, and Lycans who have undergone awakening and acquired their own fur colors all disyed the power of S-grade monsters. ¡®Lastly, tribes.¡¯ The decisive characteristic that distinguishes Lycans from Virgens. They have highly developednguage skills and a tendency to form groups, so they live in separate tribes. They are a race that develops their own diverse civilizations, including housing, weapons,bat methods, and culture, and have even created a city called ¡®Wolfenser¡¯ as the culmination of those achievements. The dungeon name humans gave it. . The city mentioned here refers to this ¡®Wolfenser¡¯. But as civilization develops, conflicts naturally arise as well. Because their thoughts and pursuits differed, countless tribes split off even within the Lycans¡­ Among them, the two tribes boasting thergest scale were ¡®Baraten¡¯ and ¡®rk¡¯. ¡°The etymology of the tribe nameses from ancient warriors.¡± ¡°¡­Ancient warriors?¡± ¡°Yes. rk and Baraten were the most outstanding warriors in Lycan history. We are tribes that gathered to worship them. Those damned rk bastards are disgracing the name of their ancestors.¡± Jiten¡¯s brief exnation. And Haten chimed in again, rambling on about the history of the tribes. I tuned it out roughly while thinking, Anyway, the important thing is, The tworgest tribes went to war due to disagreements, and the defeated Baraten tribe was driven out of the city of Wolfenser. And that war to reim it is still ongoing. That¡¯s why the ce where Baraten currently resides is called the ¡®Baraten Camp¡¯. ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Thus we arrived at the Baraten Camp Headquarters. Countless tamed Virgens were training in the vicinity, and groups of Baraten Lycans were also curiously observing us. Fortunately, the Lycans¡¯ vignce was greatly reduced because Haten and Jiten had sent advance notice with a Virgen. ¡°What kind of camp is this¡­¡± However, as we slowly took in the Lycans and looked around the camp, we¡­ soon fell silent after not long. Then everyone looked at me with wavering eyes. The reason was simple. ¡®¡­Were these guys beggars?¡¯ The camp Baraten had built was too shabby. The tents set up here and there looked like they would tear at any moment, and the various makeshift necessities seemed ready to fall apart. Even if we looked more closely, there wasn¡¯t a single neatly prepared tool or material. I didn¡¯t specifically remember since it was such an old memory¡­ But it seems the Baraten guys are unexpectedly living in poverty. Perhaps because they are werewolves, they don¡¯t cling too much to affluent and neat living. Anyway, thanks to Jiten and Haten¡¯s arrangements, we were able to enter Baraten¡¯s camp without bloodshed, and before long, we were able to meet their leader as well. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Enrichten, a descendant of a great warrior. In our tribe, I am called Tol Baraten.¡± Unusually tall even among the giant wolf-human folk. An enormous physique and burly muscles. His blue fur covered himpletely¡­ Tol Baraten, Enrichten. He extended his hand for a handshake in front of me. It seems he was forewarned, as he showed consideration by speaking Korean the moment he met us. Admiring his dignified air and resonant voice, I shook his hand together. ¡°Pleased to meet you. I am Do Jae-hyun, the squad leader of the Ripple Raid. You may have heard, but I am one of the humans from the other world who has awakened.¡± ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯ve heard from Jiten. After the city was transported, you are the first beings from the other world toe find us.¡± ¡°¡­So you believe our whole story?¡± As Enrichten spokefortably with a warm smile, I asked, a bit surprised. Even if the precursor informed you beforehand, the information we¡¯re giving ispletely new. There¡¯s a lot that¡¯s hard to believe even when seen directly¡­ Yet he showed no sign of doubt. Enrichten turned his gaze to Jiten sitting beside him and answered. ¡°This Jiten here, whose life you saved, is my nephew. How could I not believe you after seeing the precursor my nephew sent and the ¡®token of trust¡¯ you possess?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know there were such circumstances behind it. For some reason, it felt too easy entering their camp and meeting the ¡®Tol Baraten¡¯. The Lycans we saved happened to be of the chief¡¯s bloodline. In a way, we were quite fortunate. ¡°Thank you. The favor of saving my nephew¡¯s life will be rewarded separately, regardless of what we discuss next.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Enrichten expressed his gratitude by patting his own shoulders twice. I also bowed my head to him in return. After our brief introductions, we immediately relocated. ¡°This way, please.¡± The ce Enrichten took us was inside an extremelyrge tent. There was a massive table that could amodate many people and dozens of chairs. Uniquely shaped weapons were ced here and there around it. And at the very front were wooden boards and things like pens. It was surprisingly pleasant and tidy, unlike the shabby tents we¡¯d seen before. As expected, they seemed to prioritizebat efficiency over livingforts. ¡°This is where our Baraten warriors hold operational meetings. They all gather once a week to n major operations or report on ongoing ones.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t meet that often, huh?¡± ¡°Indeed. Our Baraten territory is quite vast, and many warriors are dispatched near the borders.¡± After wiping the table, Enrichten spoke to me again. ¡°And the next operational meeting will be in three days¡¯ time. Do Jae-hyun, I¡¯d like you and your men to attend that meeting.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± What, so sudden? Things are moving so quickly! Bewildered by his abrupt proposal¡­ Enrichten briefly bowed his head to me, as Jiten had done earlier ¨C the highest form of respect Lycans could show. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you defeated one of the rk¡¯ scout captains, Duke. In my lifetime, I¡¯ve never heard of humans so effortlessly overwhelming awakened Lycans and their underlings. It must mean you are extraordinarily powerful beings transcending limits.¡± Thump thump. Once again, Enrichten patted his shoulders twice. ¡°We need your strength. We¡¯re willing to grant any request you may have. So please, can you attend the operational meeting in three days¡¯ time?¡± ¡°Ah no, wait a moment.¡± I barely managed to stop Enrichten, who seemed about to kneel. It¡¯s not that I intended to refuse. We came all this way to assist them in the first ce, and if they make such a humble request for our cooperation, we¡¯d dly oblige. But¡­ ¡°Does that operational meeting have to be in three days? The distance between the entrance we came through and this base seems quite far, so it¡¯ll be inconvenient to go back and forth.¡± Time and distance were the issues. We had started exploring the dungeon early in the morning, but it was alreadyte at night when we finally arrived at the Baraten camp. In other words, the distance between the dungeon entrance and Baraten base was considerable. And being told toe back here in just three days was problematic. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. There¡¯s a warp gate in the direction you came from.¡± ¡°¡­A warp gate?¡± Following Enrichten¡¯s unexpected words again, we relocated. And soon arrived at the intended destination. A massive magic structure stood in the center of the camp base. Although its shape and structure differed slightly¡­ It was undoubtedly the [Warp Gate] we had seen before. ¡°I suppose you can move to the coordinates where Jiten and Haten were dispatched? You all came from that direction as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± My squad members and I stared speechlessly at the [Warp Gate]. ¡­The wolf-humans were surprisingly well-versed in magic.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 241 Chapter 241 The Warriors of Baraten (3) ¡òName: Power of the Boiling Werewolf ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 9 ¡òEngraved Part: Vocal Cords ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C 1) Can handle the power of an ¡®Awakened Werewolf¡¯. The destructive power and instantaneous force of meleebat utilizing strength, speed, and endurance increase drastically. Additionally, the performance of runes that enhance and assist the body increases by 10%, and the performance of runes rted to ¡®martial arts¡¯ increases by 15%.2) On full moon nights, the inherent power awakens. Receiving moonlight causes all abilities to increase by 10%. 3) The type of derived skill ¡®Howling¡¯ differs for each awakened individual. Originally, only one Howling could be acquired per individual, but an abnormal rune acquisition led to a new effect. *Rune Hunter Additional Effect : There is no limit to the number of ¡®Howling¡¯ skills that can be acquired. If the ¡®Power of the Boiling Wolf¡¯ rune is acquired againter, only the Howling skill of that rune is newly added to the derived skills. ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Indigo Force Howling] ¡òDetails : A special power that only the Awakened Lycans of the Lycan tribe of werewolves can use. On nights when the brilliant moonlight shines, that power is amplified beyond control. If you happen to see a howling wolf somewhere on a moonlit night, it will already be difficult to spare your life at that moment. ¡°¡­It¡¯s definitely different.¡± After defeating Duke, the S-grade monster and Awakened Lycan, I read the information of the rune I acquired and remarked in a small voice of admiration. Not all Epic runes are the same just because they are Epic grade. While some runes rated as Epic perform simrly to Rare grade, at times there are Epic runes that outperform Legendary grade as well. This [Power of the Boiling Wolf] was one of those top-ranking Epic runes. The ability effects were that good. ¡°The power of awakening, moonlight effect¡­¡± Enhancement of physical enhancement runes¡¯ performance and martial arts-rted runes¡¯ performance. And the ability boost gained under the special condition of a full moon night. All the effects were focused on ¡®pure meleebat¡¯ without using weapons. Although there are asional variants like Duke who are skilled at magic, the basic nature of Lycans is directbat utilizing melee attacks. Naturally, the rune¡¯s special effects had to develop in that direction. ¡°Additionally gaining Howlings¡­¡± I can¡¯t acquire [Power of the Boiling Werewolf] in duplicate, but I can continue to add the ¡®unique Howlings¡¯ of those individuals as skills. This was a boon for me, who will engage in countless battles against Lycans going forward. The [Indigo Force Howling] alone allows me to inflict the powerful abnormal state of ¡®Magic Control¡¯ on all targets who hear the howl. To be able to acquire such Howlings without limit¡­. If this dungeon raid is sessful, I may end up with dozens of Howlings. ¡°Hey, what kind of mumbling is that?¡± As I spaced out and organized the information for a moment, a familiar voice reached me. It was Moon Ga-eun, now casually dressed. Leaning by the door, she was quietly looking at me sitting at the desk. ¡°Hey, when did youe in?¡± Thanks to Enrihten¡¯s [Warp Gate] rmendation, we decided to meet again in three days and returned to reality. There was a lot to report to the Association and discuss within the attack squad¡­ But first, we each went home to rest. So I naturally assumed she had gone home too, but she hade to my ce. ¡°Thirty minutes ago? You were spacing out and couldn¡¯t even hear the door, Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Really? How did you know my house password?¡± ¡°Geez, you wanna die? You told mest time, saying how can a girlfriend not know her boyfriend¡¯s house password.¡± ¡­Did I? With so many huge incidents happeningtely, I don¡¯t really remember the trivial daily conversations. And it seems I have to pay the price, as Mun Ga-eun says something frightening. ¡°I¡¯m really upset right now.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to make it up to me? I¡¯m sulking.¡± ¡°Uhh.¡± Before I knew it, I had my arms wrapped around her shoulders. ¡°Not today, really. I have to go on another dungeon raid soon. If we do it today too, I¡¯m really going to die.¡± ¡°Aw,e on!¡± Whack! A merciless punishment struck my back. From the intense force of her smash, I thought, ¡®I should have used Hardenning.¡¯ I had momentarily forgotten her strength from not being hit in a long time. The physical strength of an Archer-type Holder. It really hurts like hell¡­. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even thinking of that, you idiot. I just wanted a hug ¨C we didn¡¯t have time to talk after I came back from Japan because you left for the attack squad right away¡­ Geez.¡± This time she really does seem upset. Moon Ga-eun folded her arms and turned her head away. I suppose it¡¯s true. We¡¯ve been running non-stoptely without a break. Improving the proficiency of the newly acquired runes, preparing for the new dungeon raid, recruiting and interviewing for the temporary attack squad, then immediately nning the operation and attempting the raid. Not just with Moon Ga-eun, but I alsocked time together with Kang Juyeon and Kim Chae-eun. Especially since we still address each other formally within the attack squad and maintain an official rtionship, the longing as lovers must have been even greater. ¡°Sorry.¡± I hugged her and apologized. As far as I was concerned, it was just a yful tease, but thinking about it, Icked consideration for her who had been following the hectic schedule. And to cheer her up, I asked, ¡°Did you have dinner yet?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the dining table. I¡¯ll cook for you myself.¡± She hasn¡¯t tried my [Cooking] skill yet. I should make a special effort. But as soon as I tried to take her hand and go out¡­ Moon Ga-eun didn¡¯t move from her spot. Her face looked somehow embarrassed, her gaze fixed on the floor. And slowly, she opened her mouth. ¡°¡­Can¡¯t I eat something else?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah right. That¡¯s what it was. *** Ippotrantion *** n Tower 37th floor. The ce where the n Master¡¯s office is located. In front of that door, Kang Juyeon raised her hand to knock. ¡®I can¡¯t keep deceiving him.¡¯ She had made up her mind toe today. She had been postponing it with the excuse that she was too busy to have the chance to talk, but she couldn¡¯t deceive her father forever. The fact that she is dating Do Jae-hyun. That story, which her father wouldn¡¯t simply be surprised about when he hears it, she had to tell him today. In fact, the n itself doesn¡¯t really touch the members¡¯ private lives, and since Holders can easily disguise themselves when using items and runes, secret dating usually doesn¡¯t get found out. That¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t get easily revealed to the media or those around them either. ¡®¡­How much should I say?¡¯ But the problem doesn¡¯t end with just revealing it. She¡¯s dating Do Jae-hyun¡­ It¡¯s okay to say that much. He is the most famous Holder currently receiving a lot of attention, so even her obstinate father would be able to understand if she¡¯s dating a man like that. But now, if she introduces the two other girlfriends, Kim Chae-eun and Moon Ga-eun¡­ ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Kang Juyeon stopped her thoughts there. She didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen. Her father, who had never properly scolded or pushed her as his daughter until now, would react in a way that defies imagination if he hears such an explosive revtion. Knock knock ¨C Kang Juyeon brushed off her silly thoughts and knocked on the door. She had to face it no matter what happens. ¡°It¡¯s me, father.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Come in.¡± She had informed her assistant secretary in advance, so the door opened right away. Kang Woo-hyun, who was sitting on the sofa, had arge newspaper spread open. Even though times have changed a lot, he still preferred reading the paper newspaper. ¡°Juyeon,e take a look at this. It¡¯s an article about that friend Do Jae-hyun, and it talks in detail about his history of interning at our Judgment of Fire n. Haha. This reporter really has an eye for these things.¡± The topic of conversation that Kang Woo-hyun brought up with a heartyugh was ironically about Do Jae-hyun. And for good reason¡­ Because of Do Jae-hyun and his raid party, the current Holder world is in chaos. ¨C Do Jae-hyun provesmunication with monsters, previously thought impossible! ¨C Following the Chamber of the Transcendent, the Baraten faction¡­ Just what kind of race are the Lycan? ¨C The paradigm-shifting Ripple Raid Party to re-enter in three days ¨C This raid¡¯s interim report further strengthens the mainstream academia¡¯s ¡®Other World Theory¡¯¡­ Communication and cooperation with monsters, raids leading to inter-faction battles, the [Warp Gate] created by monsters, A-grade and S-grade Holders vying in the highest difficulty dungeon, etc¡­ Things never before seen in previous dungeon raids are pouring out. Everything is unprecedented. Everything is a new story. They were truly writing the legend of the Holder world, Do Jae-hyun and the . And Kang Juyeon, watching this scene, had a slight smile on her face. The topic she had to discuss today came up first. It was undoubtedly a positive sign. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Kang Woo-hyun turned his head immediately at his daughter¡¯s call. She couldn¡¯t hesitate any longer. In times like this, she had to throw the strike right away. Kang Juyeon steeled her heart and asked her father. ¡°What do you think of that Do Jae-hyun¡­ As a son-inw?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± And at that moment. She froze right there. Ah. I misspoke. I was going to ask what he thinks of him as a boyfriend¡­
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 242 Chapter 242 The Warriors of Baraten (4) Chomi¡¯s Interest It is truly the talk of the town that everyone is paying attention to. The dungeon . And the movements of the squad attempting to conquer it has caught the attention of not only Korea but Holdermunities around the world. And for good reason¡­ A case where ¡®one race¡¯ filled an entire dungeon. Communicating with monsters through [Language].Conquering a dungeon through inter-faction wars. Everything the revealed werepletely unprecedented events that the holdermunity had never experienced before. Many Holders from various countries took an interest in that challenge opening new horizons for the Holdermunity. Those high-ranking Holder¡¯s who couldn¡¯t participate due to being cut out or personal circumstances had to swallow their regrets. ¡°They really are interesting friends.¡± Large ns shared this interest as well. Kang Woo-hyun, the n master of , kept perusing rted articles with an intrigued expression. Perhaps an event that could change the history of the Holdermunity. Other ns only fidgeted at the fact that a temporary raid group was leading this, but the top 3 ns who had already sent one member each to the raid group didn¡¯t have such worries. Moreover, took it a step further. The member participating in the raid group happened to be the n master¡¯s daughter¡­ -How is that Do Jae-hyun as a son-inw candidate? He even had such a bold thought. Suddenly recalling what his daughter had mentioned yesterday, Kang Woo-hyun burst intoughter. ¡°Hahaha. As expected of my daughter. You¡¯d have to be at least that good to bring home a son-inw. Uh-huh.¡± The notoriously doting father on his daughter, Kang Woo-hyun. But he wasn¡¯t a father who was overly obsessed in that regard either. While he doted on and loved his daughter immensely, the love between father and daughter was clearly different from romantic love. Of course, his putting up a iron wall against his daughter dating until now was half-joking, half-serious. Moreover, separate from that, finding his daughter¡¯s happiness was also a father¡¯s role. If it was a man who met his standards, he was willing to ept him wholeheartedly. -I was asking if he¡¯d make a good boyfriend, not husband. Not that we¡¯re dating, just asking your opinion on him¡­ So, um¡­ -Absolutely not! I won¡¯t allow it even if sand gets in my eyes!! ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Of course, at the time he had adamantly opposed out of excitement. Not just opposed, but vehemently opposed. Ignoring his daughter¡¯s rarely flustered appearance, Kang Woo-hyun stubbornly rejected the idea, Giving the nonsensical reason of her being only 21 and it being too young to date. But after his daughter had left, Alone in his office, Kang Woo-hyun finally chuckled and looked up articles on Do Jae-hyun. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, the promising youngest S-grade Holder, already meets achievement requirements with this raid¡­ Hahaha. That¡¯s right. If he¡¯s to be my son-inw, he¡¯d have to be at least this good.¡± In his mind, Do Jae-hyun was already his future son-inw. Piecing together his flustered daughter¡¯s words, it didn¡¯t seem like the two were dating yet¡­ But that wasn¡¯t very important. If my daughter likes him, why wouldn¡¯t I let her meet him? For the doting father Kang Woo-hyun with that mindset, as long as his daughter had feelings, the game was already over. ¡°What are you grinning and looking at again?¡± Suddenly, a familiar yet irritating voice came from somewhere. Turning his head, there stood¡­ A middle-aged man with an annoyed expression on the sofa. His old friend of over 20 years, Moon Jeong-hyuk. ¡°Why do you barge in without even knocking? Into someone else¡¯s n, the master¡¯s office no less.¡± ¡°You alwayse into our office like that too.¡± Ignoring Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s displeased expression, Moon Jeong-hyuk plopped onto the sofa and opened a newspaper. Then his face instantly turned intrigued, as if he had stumbled upon something interesting despiteing without any particr thought. Soon, a shocking statement left his mouth. ¡°Look at my future son-inw¡¯s article?¡± ¡°¡­What son-inw?¡± For a moment, Kang Woo-hyun doubted his ears. Why was this darn friend saying what he was supposed to say? ¡°Ah, I misspoke by saying son-inw. I keep slipping up like that as I get older.¡± Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s face scrunched up at that. ¡°Why would Do Jae-hyun be your son-inw?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Good-looking, capable, rich. He¡¯s got everything a guy his age could want. He and my Ga-eun even look good together in pictures, being the same age and all.¡± ¡°What nonsense is this!¡± Bang! mming the table as he stood up, Kang Woo-hyun shouted. He was already displeased after seeing rumor articles like ¡°¡±, and now the girl¡¯s own father was spouting drivel, angering him further. ¡°He clearly suits my Juyeon better! Take your hands off, he¡¯s my future son-inw.¡± ¡°What?¡± Now it was Moon Jeong-hyuk¡¯s face that scrunched up. Under the impression that Do Jae-hyun and Moon Ga-eun were secretly dating, the idea of ¡®Do Jae-hyun being his future son-inw¡¯ was a foregone conclusion¡­ Only for a formidable rival to suddenly appear, no less. Having known Kang Woo-hyun for over 20 years, Moon Jeong-hyuk knew very well. This guy meant business when he said it. ¡°Not only did you monopolize having Do Jae-hyun as an intern n member, you want to take the son-inw spot too? Seriously, you thief. That renowned S-grade Holder title is wasted on you.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with this? Juyeon was the one who brought him in as an intern in the first ce. If you¡¯re upset, go ask Ga-eun if she made him an intern!¡± ¡°What did you just say?!¡± Bang! Kwang! Tak! Tadadadada-! The table flipped over, the sofa shattered. Fist-fighting without using magic was the basics. The office of a n master descending into chaos¡­ This was the secret behind the two friends maintaining such a long friendship. [A gif of Do Jae-hyun single-handedly taking down an A-grade monster Werewolf] ¨C Wow, f***. How is this even possible? ©¸ Isn¡¯t he doing all the support alone? That¡¯s total bullshit. ¨C Laugh of the year: Do Jae-hyun as an assassin lmao ¨C Is this K-Holder? ¨C Apparently it¡¯s even crazier when he takes them down with Lycanthrope. He shoots arrows while supporting Park Jin-woo, almost like an archer ss. ©¸ Stop bullshitting.. ¨C Life is so damn unfair fr.. In an important operation like this that catches the attention of domestic and international Holder circles, the Holder Association and the respective attack team upload evidence videos on the website through mutual consultation. A [Record Modification] video that hides as much confidential information as possible from the recorded content, while allowing for an intuitive understanding of the publicly avable information. That was the recently released ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯s Solo Hunting of Viergen¡¯ video. The purpose of the video was to fully reveal the appearances of ¡®Viergen,¡¯ known as the Werewolf, and ¡®Lycan,¡¯ called the Lycanthrope, as well as to inform about the fact that there is a ¡®struggle between factions¡¯ due to the battle between rk and Baraten¡­. But the Holders who saw this video reacted bluntly, such as ¡°As expected, Holder Do Jae-hyun turned the battlefield upside down.¡± Seeing the overwhelming battle scene¡­ The ultimate skill a solo Holder can demonstrate. Other elements did not catch their eyes. ¡®Indeed, a part to be acknowledged.¡¯ Do Seung-min chuckled as he looked at his phone screen. For him, an ardent fan of Do Jae-hyun, suchmunity reactions never got old and were always a delightful pleasure. ¡°The most important thing in this operation is that we must drag the first battle into an all-out war.¡± Before re-entering the dungeon, in the operation meeting. Attack team leader Do Jae-hyun said those words first. As the official meeting began, Do Seung-min hurriedly put away his phone and focused on the meeting. ¡°All-out assault. When meeting with the Lycans, you must insist on an all-out war based solely on a full-scale assault.¡± ¡°¡­Is there a special reason?¡± The question came from veteran Holder Lim Hyun. In response, Do Jae-hyun brought up a PPT he had prepared in the seminar room. It contained various positive reactions ¨C praise, admiration, acknowledgment, etc. ¨C that the had received in just three short days. ¡°Through the temporary reportst time, our attack team has gained the full attention of the Holdermunity. Not just domestically, but globally as well.¡± It¡¯s a fact everyone knows. The attack team members are Holders, and they are human. No one would feel bad about the world¡¯s acmation pouring in on them. There were even members who had spent nights watching such reactions. ¡°However, this is by no means just a positive signal. The higher you climb, the faster the fall. There are bound to be those who wish or are waiting for us to fall.¡± Notably, the media. As long as they can turn it into a hot topic, they don¡¯t care what happens to the subject, so they can easily change their stance. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to go for a quick, all-out war. If we drag it out with exploration or strategy-focused tactics, we may unintentionallye under outside pressure. For example¡­¡± Do Jae-hyun paused in his exnation and scanned the members. ¡°Opinions like ¡®That¡¯s why ad-hoc temporary attack teams don¡¯t work, we need to supplement with stronger and more personnel,¡¯ and in the worst case, specific ns maye forward to take charge of this dungeon operation.¡± Thump ¨C Do Jae-hyun lightly thumped the table and continued speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t want that kind of situation. Anyway, this dungeon operation is our attack team¡¯s responsibility. It¡¯s the result of our hard work and sweat.¡± Do Jae-hyun smiled slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t you all think the same?¡± A low tone, a soft voice. But the words contained within were far from low. We¡¯ll handle our business ourselves. We¡¯ll continue the current acim. ¡®Our attack team¡¯ will keep moving forward. This gave the members a lingering resonance in their hearts. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll do it ourselves!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s finish it quickly¡­!!¡± The operation meeting that instantly reassured the members who were a little uneasy about the unexpectedlyrge-scale operation. And with that start, The second entry into the took ce. It was time to meet Baraten¡¯s warriors.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 243 Chapter 243 The Warriors of Baraten (5) The central base of the Baraten forces. Inside a tent that can amodate countless people. The Lycans called ¡®The Warriors of Baraten¡¯ were all gathered. There were a total of 13 warriors gathered in this space with a tableid out. It was a smaller number than expected, but considering that those gathered were all awakened Lycans with the power of ¡®S-grade monsters,¡¯ it was not a small number. ¡®The atmosphere is quite intense.¡¯ I maintained a straight face as much as possible and looked around.Befitting the werewolf icon of brute force, they exuded a rough atmosphere. With sharp looks and bulging muscles. The fists ced on the table looked like they could smash everything at any moment. Such a rough atmosphere permeated the entire tent that even my apanying members had slightly tense expressions as they looked around. ¡®They don¡¯t have any equipment.¡¯ The peculiar point was that they did not have any ¡®equipment¡¯ at all. Not just weapons, but no helmets, armor, or shoes either. Not a single piece of protective gear covered their bodies. They didn¡¯t even properly wear clothes, only a cloth covering their privates. An unsightly appearance unbing of the term war, but perhaps it was natural for them. Protective gear is not necessarily essential for Lycans who originally have very high durability stats and relevant defensive runes, and they don¡¯t need weapons either since they mainly use martial arts. As the [Power of the Boiling Werewolf] rune shows, Lycans are monsters who must utilize martial arts to receive ability boosts and be stronger. And most decisively of all¡­ There is no ¡®cksmith¡¯ to produce all these things for them. Lycans are fundamentally a belligerent race. Even if there are mages who handle magic, they are still ultimately part of thebat ss. In Lycan society, taking on a non-mainstream ss like cksmith meant being treated as a weak coward. ¡°Then, let us begin the warriors¡¯ council.¡± The leader of the Baraten forces, Tol Baraten. Enrichten muttered in a low voice. Then, thud! The sound of a table being mmed echoed. It was one of the Lycans sitting around the middle of the table. ¡°Tol. I object before the council begins.¡± ¡®Tol¡¯ is the way they addresses Enrichten, Tol Baraten. Unlike the others, he speaks casually using the informal speech level. I didn¡¯t know Haten or Jiten used the most formal speech, but it seems there is no strict hierarchy among fellow warriors. However, at the sudden objection raised at the very start¡­ Enrichten slightly frowned. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Having humans attend the sacred warriors¡¯ council is questionable. I wonder if they are worthy to take the same seat as us warriors.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already exined about them.¡± ¡°Waging war together and strategizing together are different matters. They must prove if they possess the capability and sufficient power. This is separate from the matter of trust.¡± ¡­Prove we have the capability to strategize? Well, anyone can see we¡¯d be better at using our heads than you lot. For a moment, I had that thought, but I calmed down and spoke. ¡°Enrichten. Didn¡¯t you already get this all settled?¡± ¡°Do not address Tol so casually!¡± ¡°Whoa there.¡± ¡­This guy could just say it normally. Why is he shouting and going berserk? However, as the Lycan who raised the objection shouted, the atmosphere instantly became hostile. The other warriors growled, ready to stand up at any moment, and even my members behind me tensed their faces and gathered magic. I raised my hand to calm my members before addressing the Lycan. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­Schilten.¡± ¡°Schilten, you seem to have a big misunderstanding¡­¡± I drew magic from within my body and slowly guided it to my fingertips. As the magic rippled through my body, the Lycans immediately reacted, sensing its presence. Even Enrichten looked startled and tried to stop me. But my hand moved faster than him. Bang! My palm mmed down hard on the table with far more concentrated force than when Schilten hit it earlier. The specially crafted table was dented, and the Lycans who were about to stand froze in their movements. It wasn¡¯t just that they were stunned by the sudden situation. Their bodies had actually been immobilized by the magic I emanated. ¡°Wha, what¡­?¡± ¡°My body¡­!!¡± [Forgotten Dragon¡¯s Knight Pride] Special Effect. Upon first manifestation of magic power, it applies the ¡®Shrinks¡¯ effect, causing ¡®Intimidation¡¯ to all those exposed to the magic power. ¡®Oppression¡¯ is a status condition that basically temporarily reduces the target¡¯s abilities, but due to my high rune level and mental stats, it also adds a slight ¡®Paralysis¡¯ effect. Thanks to this, the Lycans momentarily froze in ce from the paralysis effect and ensuing confusion. In that state, I leaned forward towards Schilten and said, ¡°We attended this meeting by request and invitation, not ordered around like subordinates as you so rudely imed we were Tol¡¯s guests, not subordinates.¡± I nced at Enrichten before looking back at Schilten. ¡°It seems Enrichten didn¡¯t exin properly, so you should have objected before the meeting started. To openly berate the guests formally invited to the meeting like this, what does that make us who came to help? See?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dialogue with dialogue. Force with force. By pushing forward with a reasonably forceful manner, Schilten gritted his teeth as if to say something, but soon turned his head away. He looked quite upset. He seemed to realize that he had been overpowered by both logic and force. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Do Jae-hyun. I don¡¯t seem to have convinced the warriors well enough. I thought they would be convinced once Jiten handed over the token of trust, but their trust in strength seems to be a separate issue.¡± As the atmosphere settled down, Enrichten apologize first. I raised my hand in a dismissive gesture and responded, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can roughly understand. By the way, did you also tell the warriors that we captured Duke?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Enrichten turned a wry look towards the warriors, who all had ufortable expressions on their faces. Seeing that strange atmosphere, I immediately realized. ¡®These guys, they don¡¯t believe it.¡¯ Us who had suddenly appeared to join the war. And to the warriors, beings who remained weak humans. They seemed unable to believe that such beings had easily defeated Duke, who was supposed to be a key member of the rk n and an awakened Lycan. They may have heard the story, but probably thought something like ¡®Jiten and Haten must have left him on the verge of death before they could capture him with difficulty!¡¯ Moreover, since the unawakened Jiten had handed over the [Token of Trust], they probably thought an immature warrior had easily handed it over. Picturing their thoughts, the current situation made sense. They were following Tol Baraten¡¯s suggestion, but couldn¡¯t hold back their objections about the parts they looked down on. ¡®Oh man.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but inwardlyugh. Then I rposed myself. As foolish as it seemed, what could I do? Otherwise, my party members could really be in danger. ¡°Holder Do Seung-min.¡± ¡°Yes, captain.¡± ¡°Bring that over.¡± That. Whilecking any tact, Do Seungmin knew exactly what I meant in this situation. He hurriedly brought out his magic bag and took out a few items. Crystal balls glowing with a brilliant light. [Record Crystals Orb] containing the dungeon conquest footage of the raid. Ttak-. I ced the [Record Crystals Orb] I took out on the table and handed them one by one to the warriors, saying, ¡°This is a record of our attack squad hunting the Lycans and virgens of the rk factions. See for yourselves.¡± Although it¡¯s a bit embarrassing since my exploits are prominently featured, this record is undeniable proof nheless. The Lycans who had been skeptical at first¡­ Soon opened their eyes wide in surprise. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­!¡± ¡°Five virgens alone, and instantly at that¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe humans could be this strong¡­¡± Even Enrichten, who hadn¡¯t seen this footage before, watched the record with an astonished expression. The sight of Baraten¡¯s warriors huddling in groups to watch our battle footage is somehow quite awkward. At that, I cleared my throat to regain their attention. ¡°Are you all convinced now?¡± The first to answer was Schilten. ¡°Yes, I have offended a strong warrior. I apologize.¡± This guy immediately switched to the respectful speech. In any case, following Schilten¡¯s apology, the other warriors¡¯ attitude alsopletely softened. Their wariness of outsiders had already disappeared thanks to the [Token of Trust]. With our strength further proven on top of that, the warriors no longer had any reason to reject us. Satisfied with thepletely changed atmosphere, I turned to Enrichten. ¡°Then let¡¯s restart the meeting that was significantly dyed. I have a really good strategy in mind.¡± ¡°Strategy? What is¡­?¡± Enrichten looked puzzled at my sudden mention of a strategy proposal. I smiled and nced around his unprotected body. His in clothescking any armor. And before this conquest¡­ The expensive equipment I hadmissioned from Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho. That was the key to this strategy.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 12:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 244 Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy 244 The Warriors of Baraten (6) ¡°An all-out war is too dangerous.¡± Enrichten shook his head at my suggestion to swiftly lead the war to conclusion. Generally, an all-out war is a form of total war mobilizing all avable forces. Unlike local battles or guerri warfare, it¡¯s a battle where all forces are poured in, and with that, if the forces are not evenly matched, the tide is likely to turn in one direction. ¡°Although he has be a damned enemy now, the rk tribe has long been known among the tribes for its toughness. Theirbat power is also very excellent, and the number of their forces is overwhelming.¡± We are outnumbered for an all-out war. There are only 13 Baraten warriors stationed here. On the other hand, ording to Enrichten, there are 22 rk warriors. Among them, Duke, who led the scouting unit, has been killed, so 21 remain. We are outnumbered just in the awakened Lycan warriors, and we alsock greatly in the unawakened Lycans and trained Virgens. The reason the other Baraten warriors were dispatched one by one to the border areas was to try to contain the unfavorable frontline into localized battles as much as possible. But I did not give up and persuaded him. ¡°Reconnaissance or local battles also have limits. Unless we find an amazing trick to reduce the enemy¡¯s forces, we will eventually face an all-out war. Especially here, there are too many wastnds, making it difficult to take advantage of the terrain.¡± That¡¯s not all. The killing of Duke, an awakened Lycan warrior. Taking this as a turning point, the rk side will be more aggressive. They are not fools to sit still after losing their main force. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Enrichten has a pensive look at my reasonable reasons. Many of the surrounding warriors also seemed to agree, nodding their heads. At this point, I drove in the wedge I had prepared. ¡°And most crucially, we have a means to strengthen our warriors.¡± ¡°A means of strengthening? What is it?¡± ¡°We wear armor.¡± ¡°Armor¡­?¡± Enrichten¡¯s voice is tinged with doubt at the unfamiliar word. The other Lycan warriors watching our conversation with interest were the same. Since they had never fought equipped with gear before, my sudden suggestion to ¡®use armor¡¯ must have sounded strange. ¡°Enrichten, and other warriors¡­ As you can see with your own eyes¡­ Our strike force¡¯sbat power is not overwhelmingly strong. It will certainly be helpful in this war, but not strong enough topletely turn the tide of this unfavorable situation.¡± It¡¯s only natural. Most awakened Lycan warriors possess the strength to be ssified as S-grade monsters, and generally an S-grade monster requires A and B-grade Holders in a strike force unit to hunt it. The reason I and Park Jin-woo were able to kill Duke of the rk side rtively easily¡­ Was because we used ¡®silver weapons¡¯ that showed great power against Lycans, the opponent was a magic-type Lycan, and wended the full-powered [el Piercing] as a preemptive strike. In other words, not all 32 of our members have the skill level of awakened warriors. ¡°Still, the reason we could defeat Lycan warriors was due to role division based on abilities and the use of proper equipment for each person.¡± Along with those words, I took out two items from my magic bag. One was an item called [Sturdy Iron Gate]. The other was a in iron armor. ¡°This iron gate has its own durability stat. It has exactly 50,000 durability.¡± Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Without long exnations, I ced the [Sturdy Iron Gate] on one side and the armor with a [Sturdy Iron Gate]yered on top of it on the other side. Then, with force in my right hand, I struck each one hard. Bang! Bang! My strength stat of 90. The [Master of Martial Arts] rune that aids martial arts. With the fist of abat Holder that is far from ordinary striking down, the [Sturdy Iron Gate] was so crushed its original form was unrecognizable. However, ¡°As you can see, this gate is much more stably protectedpared to a regr iron gate. Wearing protective gear will be a great help in defense during battle. Not just against physical attacks, but especially against magic attacks.¡± The intuitive experiment showing the defensive power of protective gear. Looking around at the Baraten warriors who seemed quite surprised, I said, ¡°Therefore, in this war, I intend to provide custom armor for the Baraten warriors.¡± ¡°Custom armor¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I emptied the magic bag brought in advance by special operatives, spilling the items onto the table. ng, ng, tter. Dozens, no, hundreds of crafting materials. Specifically, these gears were¡­ Not geared to the specifications of regr Holders, but geared to veryrge and huge specifications. As if designed for Lycans to wear. ¡®This is why I spent all the money I had.¡¯ All this time, the preparations made by Master cksmiths like Choi Yoo-min, Lee Hyun-ho, and countless others for clearing the dungeon. Included not just silver weapons, but also this Lycan-custom armor. With the quantity exceeding 100 units, even for normal-grade items, the cost was astronomically high. ¡°Is this all¡­ Doh Jae-hyun. Are you really going to just give us all this gear for free?¡± So perhaps that¡¯s why. Surprised by the sight before him, Enrichten asked me in wonder¡­ And an earnest smile formed on my face. ¡°Of course not. Let¡¯s discuss from now how we can rationally distribute this gear to the warriors.¡± War is war. Business is business. Free handouts were never in my dictionary. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡­¡­ Cami Flores stood dumbfounded, her mouth agape at the absurd scene unfolding before her eyes. A business selling defensive gear against werewolves. Not only was this ridiculous act being carried out, but they were even charging exorbitant prices ¨C almost 4 to 5 times the original price. The warriors of Baraten, ignorant of market rates, readily epted those prices. Since werewolves had no currency where they lived, they were conducting barter trades with corresponding magic stones, byproducts, and special items. ¡°Jin-woo.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? What?¡± Cami called out to the male member of the attack squad closest to her. Park Jin-woo. The Holder she had first met when he came to Korea as an exchange student. In this attack squad, he was the vice-captain, the person closest to the captain, Do Jae-hyun. ¡°Captain. Something¡¯s fishy.¡± ¡­¡­ Hearing Cami¡¯s awkward Korean, Park Jin-woo found himself nodding unwittingly. Though her friend¡­ He was truly disying business acumen as fishy as it gets. The Lycan purchasers of the defensive gear all had satisfied looks on their faces, an ironic point. But this was also a rewardmensurate with the investment made. Just the information that werewolves were appearing, coupled with the term ¡®Baraten faction¡¯. That alone allowed him to deduce it was a factional war between monsters, and prepare specialized defensive gear ordingly. Did he have the ability to see the future? Such a frivolous thought crossed his mind, as it took an extraordinary amount of audacity to make such an investment. ¡°He¡¯s a smart one. Capable too. He works unhindered in the direction of the attack squad. That¡¯s probably why this operation has been sessfully carried out so far.¡± That¡¯s why Park Jin-woo respected his friend. In leading this attack squad, Do Jae-hyuncked nothing. The execution ability to carry out his nned tactics wlessly. Unwavering leadership unshaken by any variables. He even demonstrated overwhelming personal power as a Holder that left all observing squad members aghast¡­ He was showing everything a squad captain could show. A temporary attack squad of 21-year-old academy students? Could they really pull it off? He had neatly proven his ability, dispelling the doubts of the media and Holdermunity who had questioned it. Thanks to him, the previously somewhat unfocused attack squad had now rallied around him, boasting close-knit teamwork.??ewW ??ovels upd??tes on nov/??l/b(i)??(. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Jin-woo praise someone before.¡± Cami looked at Park Jin-woo in wonder. This was the same guy who used to only joke around andment, ¡°That guy¡¯s a total scammer! How is he even an assassin?¡± Seeing him give such sincere recognition was refreshingly new. ¡°Oh, did I? Well, I gotta give credit where it¡¯s due. That guy may seem flippant on the outside, but he gets serious when ites to leading people. His ability goes without saying.¡± Having observed him up close more than anyone¡­ Park Jin-woo was someone who could acknowledge him. And seeing that, Cami slowly nodded her head too. ¡°¡­Cool.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, haha. That Do Jae-hyun kid is kinda cool, I guess. His ability, and his looks too-¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s words sped up slightly in embarrassment. To which Cami shook her head. ¡°Jin-woo is.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Jin-woo is cool. For being able to acknowledge and respect others. And Jin-woo is capable too. Jin-woo is smart too.¡± ¡­¡­ The sudden barrage ofpliments. For Park Jin-woo, who listened intently to every word Cami said, these unexpected praises caught himpletely off guard. Jin-woo is cool. Jin-woo is cool¡­ Those words echoed repeatedly in his mind. The tiny spark burning within his heart¡­ Felt like it was erupting into a raging volcano. And he pondered quietly. ¡®¡­Am I really that smart?¡¯ Coming from Cami, Park Jin-woo wanted to believe every word. Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Deration of War (1) . A special dungeon that can only be entered with rted items within a limited time. Three men were standing at the entrance. Their faces were covered by hoods, and robes hid their entire bodies. They seemed to be deliberately concealing their identities with their outfits. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As if by agreement, none of them took a single step from the entrance. In this open area with nothing around the entrance, a deste wastnd. A vast expanse where no monster appeared. They quietly entrusted themselves to that expansive area. And¡­ Not even 10 minutes passed in this state, When the man with thergest build among them impatiently threw off the hood over his head. ¡°This is boring.¡± It was Hwang Seong-yeon. He had been nning to enter this dungeon from long ago, and finally followed the inside. To him, a robe-wearing man exuding an eerie aura replied, ¡°I can understand your impatience. You haven¡¯t done anything for a long time. Aquilen, you can also take off your robe if you¡¯re feeling restless.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With blond hair, blue eyes and a neat Western appearance, The other ¡®defector¡¯ called Aquilen also removed his robe. Watching this intently, Hwang Seong-yeon turned his gaze back to the robed man. ¡°Dave. Isn¡¯t it time for you to show your face too? Aren¡¯t you tired of living in that robe?¡± Dave. Whether that was his real name or not, it was the name the robed man used to refer to himself. While Hwang Seong-yeon now knew his name, he still did not know what Dave looked like, as even after making a contract with him a long time ago, Dave had never once taken off his robe. ¡°Haha. As I told you, it¡¯s not a face worth seeing. And it¡¯s not like we¡¯re the kind of people who need to see each other¡¯s faces to build trust, right?¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. From the beginning, their rtionship was formed out of mutual need. Dave had a chance to realize the n he had been making for a long time. Hwang Seong-yeon had a shy tool to satisfy his desires¡­ As long as they got what they needed from each other, that was enough. But Hwang Seong-yeon took out his magic sword, stabbed it into the ground, and said in a bored tone, ¡°It must be really boring then. Even at the dungeon entrance. Did you really have to just incapacitate those people? I wanted to just kill them all, since other humans can¡¯t enter here anyway.¡± Right before entering the dungeon¡­ The three of them, including Hwang Seong-yeon, had subdued the Hunters¡¯ Association Holders who were guarding the entrance and protecting the rights to attempt the dungeon. Hwang Seong-yeon wanted to kill them all to kick off the party, but Dave used aplicated ¡®wide-area sleep spell¡¯ to minimize casualties instead. For someone seeking more diverse killings and greater pleasures¡­ It was an act close to a waste. ¡°If we had done that, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter the dungeon in time.¡± ¡°But you extended the entry time with your magic anyway, didn¡¯t you?¡± The is a dungeon that can only be entered with a special item. When the entry condition is met with the item, the dungeon entrance opens for about 30 seconds, and if you don¡¯t enter within that time, the dungeon closes. However, blindly following the attack squad makes it highly likely to be spotted. That¡¯s why they quietly subdued the dungeon security personnel, and used Dave¡¯s magic to ¡®extend the entry time¡¯, allowing them to leisurely enter the dungeon. ¡°Which is why, as I¡¯m saying, minimizing attention was crucial for that time extension. If we hadmitted indiscriminate killings and word somehow reached the S-grade Holders, it would have been difficult for us to enter the dungeon.¡± By now, there must be chaos outside the dungeon. But since there¡¯s no way to contact the attack squad inside, they can only wait patiently. Of course, all these strategies were only possible thanks to the spy infiltrated within the attack squad. ¡°And you can kill people as much as you want in here too, can¡¯t you? Just wait a bit. You can even hunt some stray wolves as an appetizer if you¡¯d like.¡± Even with his face hidden, his tone conveyed everything. Dave was trying to persuade him with a smug attitude. Seeing this, Hwang Seong-yeon turned his body while resting his magic sword on his shoulder. ¡°¡­This is a boring conversation.¡± For those whose goal was not dungeon conquest¡­ But human conquest. The moment they took their first steps into the battlefield. *** Ippotrantion *** All the warriors of Baraten! Advance!! The warriors of Baraten and the alliance. Our attack direction has been decided as ¡®all-out war¡¯. We have already employed countless other forms of strategy. Further reconnaissance and guerri tactics are meaningless. And to win a war, we must eventually destroy and sever the enemy¡¯s core. At the decisive moment, Enrichten and the warriors of Baraten epted our strike force¡¯s proposal. ¡°Waaah!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take back the city! Fight and win!¡± ¡°Tol! Tol! Tol!¡± With the Lycan¡¯s raucous cheers as the signal, the advance began. 13 Baraten warriors including Enrichten and some 150 Lycans under theirmand. Here are the soldiers leading the charge at the front lines¡­ Some 800 Werewolves, known to humans as Virgens. And 32 members of the as well. A massive force of nearly 1,000 moved together. ¡®Damnably many, aren¡¯t there.¡¯ Such an uncountable number moving at once is a true spectacle. Thinking of the wars of the past that moved in units of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, this may seem an insignificant number¡­ But if we shift that perspective to the Holder realm and dungeon conquest, views change. Over 1,000 monsters of A-grade or higher. And that¡¯s just counting Baraten¡¯s side. I¡¯ve heard rk¡¯s forces are nearly double this force. So roughly around 3,000 in total. 3,000 experts capable of easily killing C-grade monsters, shing over a single city. The term war was inevitable. ¡°Tol. Enemy scouts have been spotted near the border line.¡± As we were moving, a Lycan on scouting duty approached and reported. Not even 10 minutes after crossing rk¡¯s border line. The enemy appeared in less than 10 minutes. Just as we discovered them, they must have discovered us too. And the advantage of a preemptive strike¡­ Is not giving the enemy time to prepare. ¡°We advance as is. We must capture them before they can flee, as quickly as possible. There may even be awakened warriors among them.¡± Enrichtenmanded in a low voice. In a way, it¡¯s a fortunate situation. We¡¯re moving with full force on arge scale, and the enemy scouts showed up obliviously. If we can capture them, we can whittle down rk¡¯s forces, even if just a little. ¡°Tol. Let me and the 8th Unit take the vanguard.¡± Schilten, who previously had an argument with me, spoke up. To take the vanguard and pin down the enemy unit. At his proposal for this crucial role, Enrichten nodded readily. ¡°Permission granted.¡± ¡°Our strike force¡¯s B-Team will also join.¡± I quickly followed suit, not wanting to miss out. Not the vanguard of massive forces shing, but the vanguard to hunt down enemy scouts. It¡¯d be foolish not to join such a guaranteed hunt without risk. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Schilten, somewhat ill at ease with me, grimaced, but Enrichten nodded just the same. ¡°That too is granted. Schilten¡¯s 8th Unit and the Ripple Raid Force¡¯s B-Team will take the vanguard, and hunt the enemy scouts. Most important is speed. Do not let even a single Virgen escape, push those rk bastards into a corner!¡± ¡°Yes¡­!!¡± With Enrichten¡¯s orders, we immediately took the lead and moved out. The Lycans and Virgens began moving in droves. And I too moved alongside Schilten and said, ¡°Hey, no need to look so displeased. We¡¯re a team now, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t displeased!¡± Together with the somewhat adorably stubborn Schilten, we immediately utilized our charge abilities. Something I only learned aftering to this dungeon, but all the wolfkin Lycans and Virgens possess the ¡®Charge¡¯ rune type. The rune is called [Wolf¡¯s Rush]. A rare-grade rune superior to the normal [Sprint], it allows far greater charge speed when ¡®quadrupedal¡¯ beast-dashing. I too acquired it during the previous Virgen hunt and naturally incorporated it into my superior rune, [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. And of course, the wolfkin can transform into wolf form at will. Kookung- Gookung- Koogoogogoo- Owoooooo- The 8th Unit at the vanguard, all the wolfkin began running with arms and legs uninhibited. The quadrupedal sprint for more effective charging. Nearly 90 wolves¡­ No, charging wolves. Watching their sprint, I felt an inexplicable surge in my heart. Though the war situation remains unfavorable, its end is uncertain¡­ There was no fear in Baraten¡¯s charge signaling the start. Advance, fight and win. That alone seems to upy their minds. Perhaps they had been waiting for this All-out war, I thought. ¡°We too will ept maximum buffs and move swiftly!¡± ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± Our B-Team has no Charge runes except me. Instead, we¡¯ll use holy buffs and haste to move as quickly as possible. I matched the team¡¯s pace, following the 8th Unit¡¯s speed. And I quietly thought, ¡®¡­I want to run too.¡¯ I could even use [GreatestRacehorse Under Heaven]¡¯s [Quadrupedal Charge] if need be¡­ But the captain running on all fours to charge? That might undermine my authority a bit too much¡­
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Deration of War (2) Capturing the enemy Lycans was instantaneous. The barrage of charging Baratenes like clouds and the swift movement of our attack squad. Their speed was so tremendous that even though the enemies noticed us and started to flee, we still stepped on their tails. Rak! They can no longer escape! ¡°Damn it! Reform the ranks! We¡¯ll eliminate them and then flee again!¡± The voices of the Lycans from rk¡¯s forces could be heard from afar, riding on [Language]. It meant our troops and the enemy troops had gotten that close.And as if waiting for it, a fierce howling sound soon rang out. ¡ª¡ª-!! Awoooo¨C!! It was the ¡®Howling¡¯ of an awakened Lycan warrior. This was a signal that the battle had begun. [rk¡¯s Lycan ¡®Rak¡¯s¡¯ ¡®Indigo Force Howling¡¯ rings out. Targets within range of the howling will have their physical strength temporarily greatly reduced!] [¡®rity¡¯ rune¡¯s special power maintains the target¡¯s clear mind. It will not waver from any curses or abnormal conditions.] Unlike Duke we faced before, this Lycan¡¯s howling was the kind that controlled ¡®physical strength¡¯. I was still immune thanks to [Keen Mind], but judging by the distorted expressions of my apanying members, it seemed to have quite potent control power. Moreover, since the stat distribution of Lycans and Virgens were focused on physical enhancement, the decrease in physical strength was a fatal abnormal condition. But¡­. Awoooo¨C!! [Baraten¡¯s ¡®Schilten¡¯s¡¯ ¡®Blue-Green Buff Howling¡¯ rings out. Targets within range of the howling will have their speed temporarily greatly increased!] There were awakened Lycan warriors not just on the enemy side. Our warrior Schilten also deployed a howling. Interestingly, this howling was a ¡®Buff Howling¡¯. Unlike Duke¡¯s or Rak¡¯s howlings, it was a skill that buffed allies. Thanks to this, although our physical strength was greatly reduced, our increased speed allowed us to charge at the enemies. Without falling behind, I immediately gave orders to my members. ¡°Support personnel will intercept the Lycan forces as much as possible! Leave the Virgen hunting to our Werewolves. Warriors and assassins, instead of taking the lead, escort the support personnel!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Even though thebined numbers of the enemy and us approached nearly 250 for thisrge-scale battle, in the end, it was the small number of powerful fighters that led the core of the battle. Just as we left the Virgen hunting for our side¡¯s Werewolves, we had to intercept the enemy¡¯s core forces, the Lycans and awakened Lycans. Fortunately, the support members I brought from Team B were familiar faces like Kang Juyeon, Kim Chae-eun, Moon Ga-eun, and Akiba. Most of them were my lovers, but regardless, they were also proven experts within the attack squad. They would likely provide great help at the critical moment. ¡°All units, full attack!!¡± I dashed forward using [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] and shouted. Even though I had already given all orders¡­ The reason I was yelling like this was one thing. The ¡®Indigo Force Howling.¡¯ To use the ¡®Howling¡¯ I had acquired as a reward from the previous battle. Generally, howling is the cry of a wolf, but since I¡¯m human and acquired this power, I can activate the skill just by shouting appropriately. The ability of [Indigo Force Howling] is to temporarily control the target¡¯s magic power. It¡¯s a debuff skill against enemy Werebeasts. The enemies seemed flustered by my sudden howling. ¡®The Call of Contract.¡¯ I didn¡¯t slow my sprint. As I charged towards the enemies, I jumped into the air. And I summoned Tyrbon. Kyaooo¨C!! There was no pause in our charge. Just like an athlete jumping onto equipment mid-run, I smoothly mounted Tyrbon, and he immediately gained the ¡®Rapid Riding¡¯ effect of [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] to fly at full speed. The target was the enemy awakened Lycan, Rak. The attack of choice was, of course, piercing. ¡®Act of Weapon Exchange, el Piercing.¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t feel right not using [el Piercing] for preemptive strikes these days. The [Wyvern Spear] gripped in one hand. Tyrbon charged at the enemy without hesitation. Our ¡®Lance Charge¡¯ was bing an ultimate technique. But¡­. -Master!! The Lycans¡¯ loosely formed ranks suddenly changed. Gathering in a circle centered around the awakened Lycan warrior ¡®Rak¡¯, around twenty Virgens positioned themselves in front. In human terms, it was a kind of human shield tactic. Since they couldn¡¯t withstand the speed and power of [el Piercing] by ¡®dodging¡¯, they instead chose to ¡®block¡¯ it. And it was as if¡­ They had foreseen this attack formation of ours beforehand. ¡®How?¡¯ In the first attack, all the Lycans, Duke and Virgens we encountered were hunted down. There definitely weren¡¯t any surviving Werebeasts who experienced that battle back then, so how could theye up with this defensive strategy? There was no time to resolve this doubt. The human shielding tactic using Virgens and Lycans worked properly. Our attack was immediately blocked. Although the overwhelming power of [el Piercing] left most of the shielding Virgens on the verge of death and instantly killed some¡­ The awakened Lycan Rak, our actual target, didn¡¯t have a scratch. Furthermore, Tyrbon and I were trapped within the enemy formation, unable to maneuver after the charge. We werepletely surrounded. ¡®Damn it¡­ Tyrbon, retreat.¡¯ -But then the Master will be in danger. ¡®I¡¯ll figure something out. Just retreat for now.¡¯ ¡°Understood.¡± I sent Tyrbon back first. The [Summon]¡¯s [The Call of Contract] also has an extremely long cooldown, so sending back a summoned contractor essentially means withdrawing from the battlefield. But there was no choice. In this state, if I had fought alongside Tyrbon, I might have put myself in danger instead. -Kill that damn human first! He is the Duke¡¯s enemy!¡± -Yes!!¡± -Kill the human! He is the enemy of Duke!¡± -Stupid Virgens! Move faster!¡± And the wordsing through [Language]. As expected, they knew that I was the human who killed the Duke. Apparently, there was a scout nearby, or the result of the battle at that time was also reported to the rk camp through their own special means ofmunication. ¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ Lance charge to break through the enemy formation using Tyrbon¡¯s mobility. It was abo I had been using as my main force for a long time, so I used it as a preemptive attack without hesitation, but the enemy came out in a way to give up flesh and take bones, putting me in a crisis. And my charge speed was faster than any warrior of Baraten. In other words, I am now alone in the middle of the rk camp. ¡ª¨C!! Awoooo-!! Lightning fast. About a dozen Virgens rush at me at the same time, seemingly trying to take me down quickly. ¡®But I can still manage.¡¯ I can still manage. First, thanks to [Indigo Force Howling], the enemies¡¯ magic power is somewhat controlled, and second, the enemy is off guard. If the awakened warrior Rak and the other Lycans attacked me with all their might at the same time, I would really have to do my best just to escape. Because even an S-grade Holder could be in danger against the coborativebat of an S-grade demon and top-level A-grade demons. But now, the Virgens are rushing in first, and then the Lycans are trying to attack afterwards. It means they are off guard. They must have analyzed my charge and [el Piercing], but apparently they did not grasp my other abilities that I did not show in thest battle. ¡®Dragonization.¡¯ I did not miss that opportunity. I immediately used the [Dragonization] skill to pump up my abilities. And I saved [Berserk] for the next battle. Right now, I had the Baraten warriors and attack squad as support behind me, so I just needed to buy time, and since those were skills with such long cooldowns, it was also important to distribute and use them. ¡®Act of Weapon Exchange.¡¯ The spear is reced, and in my hand is [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. I don¡¯t need a shield. In a melee and encirclement situation like this, holding a shield would actually make the side without a shield more vulnerable. Only evasion and deflection. That was enough means of defense. ¡°Flow like a rapid stream.¡± The best defense in an encircled situation. [True Flowing Sword] unfolds at the tip of my sword. The lightly flowing stream of water bes a huge globe of water surrounding me, and instantly bes dozens of strikes that cover the Virgens and Lycans. Pot- Pababbat-!! ¡ª¡ª!! Awoo, wooo-?! In any case, [True Flowing Sword] is a defensive skill. I could block the enemy¡¯s sudden attacks and counterattack, but its power was not enough to instantly kill them all. In any case, I needed a decisive blow to finish them off. And as soon as [True Flowing Sword] ended, I poured a massive amount of magic into my sword, having already prepared for the next attack. [The descending lightning, the spreading current! Your long familiarity with lightning shines forth. Your understanding of runes increases dramatically.] [¡®Prating Brain Strike¡¯ rune level has increased.] [You gain 1 Magic Resistance and 1 Lightning Resistance each due to the rune¡¯s affinity.] [You have acquired the derivative skill ¡®Chain Lightning¡¯ from the ¡®Prating Brain Strike¡¯ rune.] [Prating Brain Strike], which had long been active as my magic rune. When this one reached level 10, it manifested its derivative skill. It was the manifestation of [Chain Lightning]. Pahtsu- Pahtsutsu- Tsutsutsu-!! The Virgens, whose bodies were drenched by the aftermath of [True Flowing Sword]. And the intense lightning-attribute magic contained in my sword. The lightning that was once triggered travels along the sword into the water. From water to water, and water to water again. The lightning spreads and spreads¡­ Finally reaching all the Virgens around me. Once from the strikes of [True Flowing Sword]. Then again in a chain reaction from the [Chain Lightning] that followed. And on top of that, the special effect of [Silver Moonshadow] which is poisonous to Lycans and Virgens. As the powerful magic attacks rained down in a wide area all at once, the Virgens could not withstand it and copsed altogether. About a dozen A-grade Virgens, all instantly killed. -Rak. The Virgens are all¡­ -What in the world is this¡­!! The Lycans of the rk camp, momentarily dumbfounded by the unbelievable sight that unfolded in an instant. And then. ¡°Warriors of Baraten! Advance!¡± ¡°Protect our humanrade!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s kill all those damn rk!¡± ¡°Pouring all support magic around the Squad Leader! Can¡¯t let a single hair be harmed!¡± The Baraten forces rushing to help me. And the rear support from the prepared attack squad. If I can just buy time, the crisis will be resolved. Now it was time to hunt the Lycans.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 247 Chapter 247 Deration of War (3) Schilten, an awakened warrior of the Baraten faction, looked at the battlefield with a slightly admiring gaze. It was because the human who appeared one day saying he would help their war and received the [Token of Trust] from a member of the tribe, hisrade, who took the lead in the all-out attack, was showing a series of amazing exploits. ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯ There had been a bit of trouble during the pre-deployment strategy meeting, but now Schilten did not doubt him. He was a strong and capable human. Even when he summoned a sub-dragon to charge and was surrounded by enemies, his life seemed to be in danger at first, but before long he was finding his own way out of the crisis. By this point, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.¡®He¡¯s more impressive than I thought he would be based on the Record Crystal Orb.¡¯ He had already proven his ability through the [Record Crystal Orb], but the abilities he was showing now were much more diverse than back then. The first of those was his shy and intense magical attack. What seemed to be an ultimate skill ¨C a circr water barrier for defense followed immediately by a devastating strike. Just seeing that was enough to leave one¡¯s mouth agape, but on top of that, he added a lightning-attributed magical attack to increase the destructive power. Instant death. It was a truly annihting performance that instantly killed more than 15 Virgens. ¡®And¡­¡¯ Kwaaang¨C!! Auuuu-. As Schilten pinned down and easily knocked over a Virgen in front of him, he still kept his eyes fixed on Do Jae-hyun. Even after the preemptive strike was over, Do Jae-hyun did not leave that spot despite being able to break free from the encirclement with the help of his allies. That was because of the second ability he disyed. His overwhelming physical abilities and destructive physical attacks. Do Jae-hyun was fending off and deflecting attacks from more than 10 Lycan warriors and Rak, an awakened warrior, while guarding the front line. No matter how much help he got from his allies¡­ It was an unbelievable tanking ability. ¡®That¡¯s almost like¡­¡¯ And Schilten¡¯s gaze upon watching this became somewhat unsettling. Concentration, endurance, recovery, agility¡­ His unusually outstanding abilities were somehow familiar. Those who selectively enhanced only the important points forbat assistance. Schilten knew well of those beings. ¡®¡­Barbarians.¡¯ The barbarian tribe. Warriors who sought to be one with beasts by embracing only the strengths of beasts. The ¡®enhancement technique¡¯ they used produced a power just like this. And as far as Schilten knew, only barbarians and their king could use that ability. If someone other than a barbarian used this power¡­ There was only one possibility. It had to be those cursed ¡®fellows¡¯ who had sent the Lycan tribe to ruin. ¡®¡­I won¡¯t jump to conclusions likest time.¡¯ Schilten shook his head and focused on the battle again. Though there was something peculiar about the force and power Do Jae-hyun disyed, he could not doubt and make hasty judgments based solely on that. If his suspicion was correct, there would be no reason for Do Jae-hyun to bother beating and killing the warriors of the rk faction. Aside from the slightly unsettling part. In this battle, he was therade who had earned the greatest merit. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Waaahh!!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve annihted the enemy! Victory!¡± ¡°Baraten! Baraten! Baraten!¡± The battle, whether short or long, was now over. The allied wolfkin troops and our assault team flooded in like a rising tide, providing rear support. With the difference in troop numbers and firepower, securing victory was easy. Especially now, to the point where they could be considered abo, the shy magic of Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon. The contrastingbination of the two¡¯s magic cut off the stubborn Lycans¡¯ breath, signaling the end of the battle. ¡®¡­We really almost lost.¡¯ Amid the cheers of victory from the Lycans, I quietly exhaled alone. It was indeed too much for me to solely tank in the center of that battlefield, practically a hellscape, without a shield. The rage-filled Lycans of the rk faction truly charged at me with the ferocity to tear anyone apart. If our allies¡¯ support had been even a littlete, we would have genuinely lost. ¡®Ah, I overdid it recklessly.¡¯ [True Flowing Sword] and [Chain Lightning]. Thebination magical attack of those two skills was perfect. I instantly killed 15 Virgens at once and perfectly broke through the seemingly imprable enemy encirclement. But the problem was what came after. Foolishly getting carried away alone with thoughts like ¡®After the magical attack, it¡¯s time for physical attacks!¡¯ I ended up facing the enemies attacks all at once, even though they still outnumbered me. No matter how awakened, a Lycan is still a Lycan. If S-grade top monsters cooperate and rush me all at once, it is bound to be dangerous. I don¡¯t know how much I debated whether to use [Berserk] in the middle. ¡®But I managed to endure thanks to the auxiliary runes.¡¯ What held the situation together when it seemed like it would copse was thanks to the auxiliary runes. Since I had so many runes, they automatically assisted me inbat without me even being consciously aware of it. [Descendants of the Barbarian King] raised my physical specs. Lower-tier runes like [Lizard Scales], [Sturdy Fangs], [Strengthen], etc. that were integrated were all beast-inspired enhancement runes¡­ Even after being bound to the superior rune, they boosted all my physical abilities. On the other hand, there were also runes that assistedbat itself. The Movement type runes like [Agile Agility], [Strong Stamina], and [Gaze of Stiffness] were like that. They don¡¯t have noticeable special effects or derivative skills like other runes, but they definitely exert the power as their names suggest. You be much more agile, persistent, and less easily lose focus than others. It was thanks to these auxiliary runes that the reckless battle from earlier was possible. Moreover¡­. [You won the duel! ¡­ Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You have selected the ¡®Power of the Boiling Werewolf¡¯ rune.] [The rune is duplicated! Due to the ¡®Rune Hunter¡¯ linked special effect, only the derivative skill can be duplicated.] [The derivative skill ¡®ck Force Howling¡¯ has been newly added.] [You won the duel! ¡­ Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You have selected the ¡®Agile Reflex¡¯ rune. Since it¡¯s a rare rune level 14, the level will decrease to 7 when registered.] [Due to the rune¡¯s attribute, you gain 3 Speed.] [You won the duel! ¡­ Please select a rune to duplicate.] [You have selected the ¡®Precise Kic Vision¡¯ rune. Since it¡¯s a rare rune level 15, the level will decrease to 8 when registered.] [Due to the rune¡¯s attribute, you gain 3 Speed.] The reward was as sweet as the risk I took. In fact, in the previous small-scale battle, although I contributed greatly to defeating Duke, Icked contribution in defeating the other Lycans. That¡¯s probably why, even though there were four Lycans at the time, I didn¡¯t obtain any runes. However, this time, since the battle where I solo-tanked at the frontlines ended in victory, my [Rune Hunter]¡¯s contribution to the victory was fully recognized. Rak, an Awakened Warrior, had used [ck Force Howling], which was added as a howling skill, and through hunting other Lycans, I also obtained auxiliary runes [Agile Reflex] and [Precise Kic Vision]. ¡®Finally 100¡­.¡¯ However, I was touched by another fact. The stat enhancement effects of the new auxiliary runes I obtained this time. Thanks to them, my ¡®Speed¡¯ stat finally reached 100. It¡¯s the first of all my general stats to reach 100. Although the importance of stats has somewhat diminished since bing an A-grade Holder, stats are still one of the important factors in measuring a Rune Holder¡¯sbat power. Of course, it¡¯s never easy to raise a stat to 100, and I felt a new sense of emotion. Moreover, considering that none of the existing S-grade Holders have their main stat below 100¡­ I felt like I had taken a step toward bing an S-grade Holder. ¡°Jae-hyun! Are you hurt?¡± ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± As I was briefly indulging in these emotions, Our unit members who finished the battle came running to me. At the forefront were Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon. They asked with worried faces faster than anyone else, not even using the Commander title or honorifics as I had requested before. Seeing that, they must have been quite worried. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Were any of the other members injured?¡± ¡°This idiot¡­!! Who else would get hurt besides you? You charged forward like a bulldozer all by yourself.¡± Another unit member gave me a harsh scolding without hesitation. It was Moon Ga-eun, who joined btedly. ¡­Hey. Is it okay for them to just flock around me like this in front of everyone? I had that thought for a moment, but since I was at fault, I just cleared my throat and changed the subject. ¡°Ahem. Holder Moon Ga-eun? Perhaps you should show some respect to the Captain¡­¡± ¡°Tch- You really want to die?¡± ¡°My apologies.¡± In situations like this, it¡¯s best to just lower my head and apologize. Even though I felt that I had fought a bit recklessly in the battle, from their perspective watching from afar, it must have looked quite dangerous. I reassured them with the excuse that it was an important battle, so I took a slight risk. ¡°Captain, you worked hard.¡± ¡°Wow, Brother! That was really awesome. How did you take down so many Virgens all by yourself¡­!!¡± Other members also greeted me with admiring looks from a distance. Do Seung-min was all excited, calling me Brother again. With almost no casualties on our side, and zero casualties in , The members looked ted at this unprecedented great victory. It was only then that I realized the intense battle had ended. ¡°Do Jae-hyun.¡± Another gruff voice came from beside me. This time, not from an attack squad member, but from a lycanthrope¡­ One of the Baraten Warriors, Schilten. ¡°You did well. You exceeded expectations.¡± ¡°Thank you. It was possible thanks to everyone¡¯s help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to report to Tol, would you like toe with me?¡± While we were fighting the battle, Enrichten¡¯s main force had already arrived. Schilten invited me to join him in reporting to Enrichten. I looked around for a moment, then shook my head. ¡°Please go ahead. I have something to take care of first, and I¡¯ll report any additional details separately.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Schilten made an odd expression at my polite refusal. Then he nodded. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll see youter then.¡± With that, Schilten left first to make his report. And I too, after asking the squad members for a moment, moved to a spot without people around. The reason I dyed reporting to be alone for a bit¡­ [A runebination is currently possible! You can acquire a superior rune using the mystical power of the Rune Hunter.] [Superior Rune: Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Art / Inferior Runes: Agile Movement, Strong Stamina, Gaze of Stiffness, Rapid Recovery, Agile Reflex, Precise Kic Vision] It was because, after a very long time, an important matter hade up for me.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 248 The Kneeling Lycan, rk (1) [You havebined the superior rune ¡®Warriors Enhancement Art¡¯. Agile Agility, strong Stamina, ¡­Precise Kic Vision, etc. A total of 6 runes are selected as sub-runes. The judgment level of the superior runebined from the sub-runes is 8.] [You have acquired a new rune.] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain 3 points each in strength, speed, toughness, and willpower.] ¡òName: Warriors Enhancement Art ¡òGrade: Legendary (Superior) ¡òPossessed Sub-Runes¡ò [Agile Agility] ¡ò [Strong Stamina] ¡ò [Gaze of Stiffness] ¡ò [Quick Recovery*] ¡ò [Flexible Reflexes*] ¡ò [Precise Kic Vision*] (*Sub-runes in a ¡®degraded¡¯ state. They will be reincorporated into the corresponding rune when theplete rune is acquired.) ¡òLevel: 8 ¡òEngraved Area: Abdomen ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C 1) Due to the special power of the superior rune, the sub-runes receive proficiency adjustment. ¡­ 2) The ¡®Intuition¡¯ effect is constantly applied. In battle, the probability of making the best decision in urgent situations or split-second judgments increases. This effect¡¯s performance increases proportionally to the mentality score. 3) The unyielding will of thoroughly trained warriors does not break in any situation. The ¡®Indomitable Will¡¯ effect is constantly applied, increasing the strength, speed, and endurance ability scores by 20% when the internal magic ispletely depleted. ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Primordial Furious Attack] : Unleashes a destructive strike by expending all avable strength. This skill takes the form of a physical attack only. If the type of attack used is ¡®martial arts¡¯, the power is increased by an additional 20%. (Cooldown: 3 hours) *Sub-skill: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information : The enhancement art of the barbaric tribe, the Barbarians, who once ruled half the ancient continent. Once epted into the body, it permanently enhances various aspects. As this was a special enhancement art used by the ¡®warriors¡¯ within the Barbarians, it deals with abilities separate from the Barbarians¡¯ unique ¡®ability to wield the power of beasts¡¯. It has been a really long time since acquiring a superior rune. In fact, although the [Brave Eternal Wave] I obtained previously was also a superior rune¡­ It somehow didn¡¯t feel like a superior rune since it was aption of water-rted sword techniques and a reward from the dungeon. But this time, it¡¯s a superior rune newlybined from¡­ The runes I¡¯ve been collecting in theirplete form. Considering the [Elemental Master], it had been a very long time since acquiring a superior rune. ¡®The performance is formidable indeed.¡¯ Befitting a legendary rune created bybining rare runes, the special effects and skills were tremendous. The mentality-type effects ¡®Intuition¡¯, which assists instantaneous judgement and determination, and ¡®Indomitable Will¡¯, which increases physical specs in crisis situations. There is not a single special effect to discard. Depending on how they are utilized, they couldpletely change the course of battle ¨C high-level effects. Especially the derived skill [Primordial Furious Attack]. This is a direct attack skill that I haven¡¯t acquired in a while. A skill focused solely on ¡®direct attack¡¯ without any special effects or magic utilization. A purely physical attack skill with enhanced destructive power. Looking through all my possessed skills, there are hardly any simr skills except for the ultimate skill [Knife Rain]. ¡®What are these degraded runes?¡¯ If there is one thing that bothers me¡­ It¡¯s that the 3 runes incorporated as sub-runes have the name ¡®degraded rune¡¯. I was already familiar with the term. When I previously hunted a special Manticore and acquired the [Quick Recovery] rune. At that time, the detailed information stated that it was a name given because it was an enhancement art obtained through artificial imntation, not normal acquisition. And the entity that carried out that artificial imntation was¡­ ¡®¡­The Ludenark Sect.¡¯ The name of the group I had momentarily forgotten immediately came to mind. Those who seek to imitate evil, the Ludenark. The detailed information of [Quick Recovery] clearly stated, ¡®The Ludenark artificially imnted the Barbarian enhancement art.¡¯ And the fact that the 2 runes I acquired this time are degraded runes¡­ Means that the Ludenark has also artificially imnted these enhancement arts into the Lycan tribe of the rk faction. In other words, it meant that their power had reached the Lycan race as well. ¡®I have gained a more definite motive for the subjugation.¡¯ I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times while looking around. The Ludenark Sect and the Lycan of the rk faction. Important puzzle pieces are fitting together in unexpected ces. There are still many unanswered questions, but they will be clearer as I continue this war and subjugation. This war and subjugation are bing increasingly important for me¡­ And for the Holder Realm. *** Ippotrantion *** The first full-scale battle against the rk camp. The result was a victory, a resounding one at that. Among the human troops, the , there were no casualties, and most of the Lycans and virgens who led the vanguard also survived. In particr, they had annihted the enemy forces even before the allied main unit arrived. All the Lycans of the Baraten camp were ecstatic over this tremendous achievement. Although it was a sudden deration of war and the enemy¡¯s scouts were separated from the main unit, such details didn¡¯t matter much to those intoxicated by victory. Regardless, the important thing was the victory. ¡°Wow~ That¡¯s really amazing. Is that person really human? I felt it during thest battle too, but it seems to go beyond the realm of an ordinary person. To kill 15 virgens at once- whoa¡­¡± And among those drunk on victory¡­ There was a Lycan who spoke in an unusually excited tone, Haten. Haten was the Lycan who had encountered the from the early stages of the dungeon and was rescued by them. As always, Haten kept chattering without pause. The problem was that Haten wasn¡¯t just mumbling to himself. He was pouring out words as if addressing someone specific. Unfortunately, this time the victim was Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Haten? Please go y with your friends over there¡­ My ears feel like they¡¯re bleeding.¡± Moon Ga-eun spoke with an exasperated look on her face. Currently, the allied forces had halted their advance and were taking an evening meal break. On one side, the Lycans had already gathered among themselves, enjoying a festival of sorts, but she couldn¡¯t understand why this Haten guy was clinging to her. They had be somewhat close and had many conversations, but¡­ Haten was excessive. He talked too much. ¡°Haha. The other Lycans don¡¯t talk about humans, do they? In this battle, it¡¯s clear to everyone that the human leader, Do Jae-hyun, made the greatest contribution, but they¡¯re only praising Schilten and the 8th Unit¡¯s exploits. They don¡¯t want to admit they were outshone by humans, even after receiving tokens of trust.¡± However, Haten¡¯s nonchnt response continued normally. There was a subtle edge to his words that made Moon Ga-eun¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Haten. Are you not getting along well with the other Lycans?¡± ¡°What?! Of course not. I¡¯m just stating facts.¡± Haten quickly waved his hand as if telling someone not to listen. Seeing this, Moon Ga-eun also looked around and nodded her head. In fact, there was nothing wrong with what Haten said. The Baraten Lycans acknowledged the humans who had rescued their kinsmen and demonstrated their strength asrades, but they did not treat them with more respect than that. After all, the main force in this war was Baraten. The warriors active in the war were also Baraten. Such a mindset was subtly ingrained in the Lycans. ¡®Tch- They were d to ept our help.¡¯ Of course, Moon Ga-eun did not look kindly upon such behavior. Currently, the one who had made the greatest contribution in the Baraten camp, no matter what anyone said, was her boyfriend, Do Jae-hyun. Not just his achievements in this battle alone. He was the one who first proposed an all-out war against Enrichten. He persuaded the Awakened Warriors and formed the optimal unitposition. He provided tailor-made armor for the Lycans, minimizing casualties. (Though, he did charge an exorbitant price for the armor.) Currently, the positive momentum of the war was being led by Do Jae-hyun and the . However, the only ones who properly acknowledged this were Jiten and Haten, and the tribal chief, Enrichten. The other Lycans, as Haten said, avoided mentioning the humans¡¯ achievements, whether consciously or not. ¡°Well, that might change as the war drags on. There¡¯s also such a thing asradeship, after all. Haha.¡± ¡°Um- I suppose so.¡± ¡°Anyway, Do Jae-hyun really seems amazing. I still can¡¯t forget the scenes I saw earlier. Hiya, if it wasn¡¯t wartime, I would¡¯ve taken him as my husband right away. Hahaha.¡± Thud-. Suddenly, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s steps came to a halt. She had been listening with interest at the rare mention of a topic that caught her attention, but for a moment, she felt she had heard something she shouldn¡¯t have. She turned her head to look at Haten. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Pardon? What did I say?¡± ¡°What you just said.¡± Haten tilted his head in puzzlement, then spoke. ¡°That I can¡¯t forget the scenes from earlier?¡± ¡°No, after that.¡± ¡°¡­Hahaha?¡± ¡°No, before that!¡± ¡°Ah~ That I want to take him as my husband? I¡¯m serious! When Lycan warriors look for a mate, they consider strength. Although Do Jae-hyun is human, he would be a top-tier groom for any species. Hahaha.¡± Once again, Haten rapid-fired a barrage of chatter. Moon Ga-eun pinched the bridge of her nose and asked, ¡°Haten, are you a girl?¡± ¡°To be precise, a woman.¡± ¡°Sheesh- whatever! No, what kind of female Lycan talks like that.¡± ¡°I grew up rough among the males, so that¡¯s how I turned out. Haha.¡± In fact, although they were called Lycans, they all had wolf-like faces and only covered their important areas with a single piece of cloth, so it was difficult to discern their gender. But still¡­ Didn¡¯t that way of speaking sound unfeminine? Moon Ga-eun shook her head and started walking again. She really didn¡¯t want to know anymore details. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± ¡°Sheesh, don¡¯t follow me! You¡¯re off-limits to Jae-hyun too.¡± ¡°I was just joking earlier! Don¡¯t go! I sense a familiar energy from you, Moon Ga-eun¡­!!¡± ¡°Ah, whatever. Go y with your good friend, the Holder Do Seung-min!¡± Moon Ga-eun even used a Movement rune to leave the area. Seriously, this boyfriend of hers is the problem. Now he¡¯s unintentionally trying to seduce even Lycans, one thing after another¡­ She should probably gather her friends for a strategy meeting soon. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 249 The Kneeling Lycan, rk (2) The city of wolves, Wolfencer. ¡­In fact, there are no proper walls or buildings, andpared to human civilization, calling it a ¡®city¡¯ is embarrassing. Still, the Lycans referred to it as a city. Because this was the only ce where the wolf-humans built civilization. The former Wolfencer was a paradise for wolves. All the wolf-humans gathered and built their lives, cultivating the interior, a city built together by the numerous tribes within the Lycan race. However¡­After the day of the Tribal Great War, Wolfencer changed. The Baraten tribe, one of the two major mountain tribes within the race, was expelled from the city after being defeated in the great war, and all the remaining tribes within the city were under the rule of the rk tribe. Lycans who did not recognize rk¡¯s rule were all killed or expelled from the city, so the Lycans had no choice but to follow this reign of terror. Was it because of that? The paradise of wolves called Wolfencer was filled only with an ominous and gloomy atmosphere. Kwaaang¨C!! And in the central area of Wolfencer. A building built much taller than the surrounding buildings. The main gathering ce of the rk faction, also called the ¡®pce¡¯. From inside, the sound of furious destruction could be heard. A huge fist smashed down, shattering the chair¡¯s base. ¡°Do you think it makes sense to have lost Rak as well!!¡± Then an explosive roar was heard. It came from the one sitting on the ornately decorated throne-like chair, and the one who destroyed that chair. With a sturdy fur covering his entire body and a massive physique. A wolf¡¯s face with a sharp expression. The leader and chieftain of the rk faction¡­ The Lycan who called himself king, ke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tol!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± At ke¡¯s uncontroble anger, the surrounding Lycan warriors all knelt and apologized. Just as the leader of the Baraten faction is called Tol Baraten, the chieftain of rk is also called Tol rk. However, the treatment is worlds apart. While Tol Baraten and the Awakened Warriors respect each other and have rtively rational conversations, inside rk it is only domination and submission. Just as the numerous werewolves in Wolfencer submit to the rk faction, the Lycans and Awakened Warriors of the rk faction had to submit to ke, the Tol. So even in this situation, everyone first apologized to the Tol in a humble posture. ¡°Federick.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± When ke spoke in a slightly calmer voice, one of the kneeling warriors in the front, a Lycan named Federick, answered. Federick was the chief of staff of the rk faction. ¡°Exin it again properly.¡± ¡°Yes. This incident is different from Duke¡¯s case. Duke was moving around with Lycans individually outside of operation time when the incident happened, but Rak was killed while carrying out an official reconnaissance mission.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s information confirmed through the Rune of Kinship Records, an intrusion enhancement technique.¡± The [Kinship Records] Rune is one of the enhancement techniques of the Barbarian savage tribe. It is a kind of conditional rune version of the [Record Orb] item, which allows sharing the contents reported directly to the kinsman possessing this ability. It was thanks to this rune that the rk faction learned of Duke¡¯s death, and it was also thanks to this rune that they were able toe up with countermeasures against [el Piercing]. In other words¡­ The information Federick was conveying now was all ¡®fact¡¯. Kwaaang¨C!! And again, ke¡¯s fist smashed down. This time it was the left chair base. ¡°How can that be!! For rk¡¯s reconnaissance unit to have been defeated by those Baraten scum?!¡± Uncontrolled rage erupted from him. The reconnaissance units of rk and Baraten. For the former to lose in a sh between the two was absolutely unthinkable in hismon sense. Federick then tried to appease him with a frightened expression. ¡°Ca, calm down, Tol. ording to the records, the size of the enemy forces was by no means a negligible level. ¡°¡­Size of the forces?¡± ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t just Baraten¡¯s reconnaissance unit. It was the 8th Unit led by Schilten, plus a coalition force of the humans who killed Duke. And considering that the enemy¡¯s main force arrived at the end¡­¡± Federick paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°An all-out war. This is Baraten dering an all-out war against our rk with full force.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± ¡°They did¡­!!¡± This time, not only ke but all the Lycans inside the pce were stunned. A deration of war from the Baraten faction. This was something that had not happened even once since the Tribal Great War of long ago. And on the other hand, it also drew a sneer. Force size, number of Awakened Warriors, individual power. The Baraten faction, inferior in every aspect, dered an all-out war? They couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Those guys must be so exhausted from the war that they¡¯re walking into the abyss themselves.¡¯ ¡°Hahaha! After living so long, really interesting things happen too. So, where are those trash¡¯s movements¡­¡± ¡°Tol! They¡¯vee!!¡± Just as he was about to signal the beginning of the war. Another Lycan came rushing into the pce without hesitation and made an urgent report. ke frowned at this. ¡°They?¡± ¡°Long time no see, ke.¡± And at the same time, the appearance of¡­ Three ¡®humans¡¯. At the sight of them, all the Lycans inside gasped in even greater shock than before. The robed man, Dave. The man who bestowed ¡®enhancement techniques¡¯ upon the Lycans of the rk tribe, and led rk to victory in the Tribal Great War. The sub-faction leader of the ¡­ Was standing among the humans. Dave, still wearing his robe backwards, spoke leisurely in an expressionless manner. ¡°It¡¯s the first time since crossing dimensions, isn¡¯t it?¡± The second great war between Baraten and rk. Its beginning was gradually heading into an unknowable phase. *** Ippotrantion *** Awoooo¨C!! Kang¨C! Kagagang¨C! Pooshi¨C!! The howls of the enemy Virgens echoed, and various types of attacks mercilessly pounded them. The city of Wolfencer, the headquarters of the rk forces. There were quite a few scout units roaming around the area. They didn¡¯t have an awakened warrior like ¡®Rak¡¯ who had luckily seeded in hunting earlier, but there were quite a few Virgen units led by Lycans as captains. And now, the situation was that the news of ¡®Baraten dering all-out war¡¯ had not been conveyed to the enemy¡¯s leadership yet. The enemy scout units who were unaware that all forces were invading were helplessly swept away by our attacks. [Your flexible and refined movements and maximized physical attacks! The enhancements engraved in your body are gradually bing more powerful. Your understanding of runes increases greatly.] [¡®Warrior Enhancement¡¯ rune level has increased.] [You gain 2 strength due to the nature of the rune.] [¡®Power of the Boiling Wolf¡¯ rune level has increased.] [You gain 1 strength and 1 toughness each due to the nature of the rune.] War is tiring and strenuous, but its results were certain. Virgens, A-grade monsters, and Lycans of higher than A-grade ability. By hunting high-ranking monsters, the growth of runes naturally followed as well. ¡®Now my strength is 100.¡¯ In this war, I mainly used runes rted to ¡®physical attacks¡¯ or ¡®body enhancements.¡¯ As for magic, our team members¡¯ assured assistance was enough without me, and the new runes I obtained this time were mainly specialized in physical attacks. Thanks to this, the proficiency of the rted runes kept increasing, and my strength finally reached 100. If my magic power reaches 100, all my main ability stats (strength, speed, magic) will exceed 100. It was an internal growth that provided definite motivation in waging war. ¡°Kkreup¡­!!¡± At the moment when the information window popped up for a bit, I saw one of our team members caught by a Virgen in a crisis situation. It was the assassin-type team member, Do Seung-min. Without hesitation, I rushed toward him, leaped, and struck the enemy Virgen¡¯s head. ¡®Primordial Fierce Attack.¡¯ The newly acquired derivative skill [Primordial Fierce Attack] is a powerful physical attack skill. It unleashes all one¡¯s power to disy destructive force. Since its power increases further when using martial arts, I always switched to unarmedbat with Act of Weapon Exchange when using this skill. Kwa, kwagaga¨C!! Awoo¨C?! Kwaahhaang¨C!! Thanks to that, its performance was beyond imagination. The Virgen who had cornered Do Seung-min died instantly, its head bursting from my single punch. ¡°¡­Brother, are you a One-Punch Man?¡± ¡°Stop the unnecessary talk and focus onbat. It¡¯s not over yet. I¡¯ve repeatedly said this, but assassin-types must never get caught from behind. Especially you, with your low endurance and no significant defensive runes, you must absolutely fight with evasion. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I quickly conveyed my words like a machine gun and gave him a brief lesson. In this war, I was particrly caring for Do Seung-min and took charge of his personal training. Apart from that day, he was the only assassin-type in our B-team, and with the [Silver Moonshadow] rune, he had plenty of opportunities to perform in this war. Although he often showed careless andcking aspects, since he had lived the Holder life from a very young age, he absorbed the lessons I taught quite well. With a bit of refinement, Do Seung-min could even reach A-grade Holder level. ¡°Jae-hyun. Combat is over. No casualties in C-team.¡± After some time had passed and we hunted all the nearby Virgens, Lim Hyun, the C-team leader, came to me and spoke. During the war period, we had fought so many battles and exchanged so many conversations that our forms of address and tones had be quite casual. ¡°Yes. Good work, senior.¡± ¡°Is today¡¯sbat over with this?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± We could somehow advance further, but it would only drain our stamina as night had already fallen deeply. Enrichten would likely order the entire force to rest as well. Moreover, the news of the all-out war would reach the rk side tomorrow, and the war¡¯s situation would intensify. To prepare for that, we needed to rest at least a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s go, team leader. The members are waiting.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Following Lim Hyun¡¯s words, Do Seung-min and I roughly cleaned up the surroundings and followed him. The dimmed surroundings and scattered Virgen corpses. Above in the sky¡­ For some reason, a full moon hung there. If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Raid and Counterattack (1) Through this dungeon conquest, there were quite a few newly famous rookie Holders who gained a new reputation in the . If you were to name a representative figure among them, it would undoubtedly be Park Jin-woo. My friend really made a name for himself in this war. Park Jin-woo was originally evaluated as a promising talent with skills, and he had an enormous status within the academy¡­ But there were still questions about what kind of appearance he would show as an official Holder. After all, he was still a student and hadn¡¯t had any proper external activities other than the . Since he didn¡¯t have many opportunities to show his skills, Park Jin-woo had been underrated or ignored in the Holdermunity.¡®It changedpletely with this conquest.¡¯ Such an evaluation changed drastically as Park Jin-woo took on the role of the deputymander and the leader of Team A in this strike force. As a team leader, hecked some coldness, but he showed the ability to boldly lead from the front lines and take down the Virgens. He demonstrated the qualities of a fighting leader who participates directly inbat to lead the team. Especially after the video of him executing the intense ultimate skill that finished off the Awoken Warrior Duke during their first dungeon entry was revealed¡­ Various nicknames like ¡®Sword Master¡¯, ¡®Speed Park Jin-woo¡¯, and ¡®Slow¡¯ started appearing in the Holdermunity. In any case, thanks to this, the trust of the Team A members in the strike force deepened, and even those who had been skeptical of him started to view him in a more positive light. ¡®Come to think of it, Team A has an unusually high number of neers.¡¯ Teams B and C already had many well-known members. Team C was originally a veteran team formed by Lim Hyun and Seong Na-yeon, so there¡¯s no need to mention it, and even Team B had a majority of cases that had already be famous in the Holdermunity, including me, Kang Juyeon, and Moon Ga-eun. If I had to name someone considered hot¡­ Perhaps Kim Chae-eun, who hadcked fame until now, and Do Seung-min, who has been slowly demonstrating his abilities through my dedicated training? ¡®As for Team A¡­¡¯ On the other hand, Team A had quite a few neers who were making great achievements. Among them, the standouts were undoubtedly Cami and Ang. The only two American Holders in the strike force. Cami was showing a truly textbook-like appearance as a defensive warrior, and Ang was receiving praise from the members every day for her pure magic and shy attack methods. They were the neers receiving the highest evaluation after Park Jin-woo. ¡°Captain, have you seen where Jin-woo is?¡± ¡°Cami. You should use honorifics when addressing the captain.¡± ¡°¡­Korean is hard.¡± And those main characters were currently entering the temporary tent where I was resting. I lightly waved my hand at their casual conversation. ¡°It¡¯s okay to speak informally. The members have all be close now and speak casually to each other. And Jin-woo should be at the barracks at the far left end over there. He was getting treated after taking a hit from a Lycan earlier.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you, Captain. I will definitely be a magpie.¡± ¡°¡­Be a magpie?¡± Before I could understand that sudden remark, Cami immediately left. As I stood there looking foolish, Ang approached me with a slight smile. ¡°The captain understands. Cami learned Korean through fairy tales.¡± ¡°Fairy tales?¡± ¡°Yes. She learned easy ones because it was too difficult. Something like I¡¯ll be a magpie that repays kindness, or something like that.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Even though she can¡¯t properly use Korean yet, her application skills are top-notch. ¡°Does Ang use a trantion spell?¡± ¡°¡­How did you know?¡± ¡°Your pronunciation is too perfect. It doesn¡¯t seem like a skill thates from just a few years of learning. And feel free to speak casually. We¡¯re about the same age.¡± ¡°This is also me being very casual.¡± And at that moment. Huh. I unintentionally swallowed my breath. It was because Ang hade and sat right next to me after finishing her words. ¡­And very close at that. On the makeshift bed set up inside the barracks. As she sat down close to me, I could feel the softness of her thighs. I inwardly panicked and shifted my position slightly. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this too close?¡± ¡°The Captain told me to befortable, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to befortable with actions too¡­¡± If any of the couples catch me like this while I¡¯m alone and resting with a female member, I¡¯m dead. Especially if it¡¯s a beauty like Ang. It¡¯s already awkward enough with Moon Ga-eun recently saying strange things like ¡°Now you¡¯re hitting on werewolves too?!¡± I heard that Haten was a woman or something¡­ ¡°I came to ask about the direction of the uing conquest.¡± Ang spoke to me in a still alluring voice. That gaze staring intently at me. And for some reason, her slightly revealing outfit feels burdensome. ¡°Tomorrow, an all-out war will unfold with the rk forces, and the direction of the strike force may change ording to the scale of the war,pared to before.¡± However, her question was as sharp as ever. Ang was one of the most proactive members in the strike force. As a member of the mage ss, she precisely knew what she had to do and exerted 200% of her abilities. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t simply follow orders but constantly contemted the direction and conquest routes of the strike force. She had discussed this with me several times before as well. This time, too, she must havee to find me as an extension of such proactive actions. However¡­ ¡°The direction of the conquest is going well. Whether tomorrow¡¯s battle ends in victory or failure, the n that has already been made is sufficient. So¡­ Ang just needs to faithfully carry out her assigned duties as a mage-ss member of Team A.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± I continued with a slight smile. ¡°What I mean is that Ang¡¯s question is excessive. The conquest route is already sufficient. Since I¡¯m the captain, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could trust and follow me.¡± ¡°Ah, but I am just controlling the part that the squad leader failed to consider¡­¡± ¡°That role is for the vice-captain Jin-woo or the Team C leader Lim Hyun, not Ang.¡± Her body seemed to tremble slightly at my harsh words. Proactive action and overstepping boundaries are clearly different. Ang is now proposing a discussion with me as if she were a member of the attack squad¡¯s leadership¡­ but in reality, she is just an ordinary squad member. The only official leaders of the attack squad are Park Jin-woo and Lim Hyun. No squad member could freely vite that authority. This was a precaution I had set from the founding of the attack squad, and something I did not share even with my partners. ¡°And seeing you dressed like that with the squad leader at thiste hour, the members might misunderstand.¡± I pull her slightly revealed outer garment back up to her shoulder. For some reason, Ang¡¯s expression seems like she is biting her lip. I smile and say without concern, ¡°Rest up. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow, okay?¡± In other words, I¡¯m telling her to leave my tent slowly. The smart Ang could not have misunderstood my meaning. ¡°I understand¡­¡± In an odd tension, Ang left the tent. And a little whileter, I took out the [Communication Orb] item and tried to make contact. The person I contacted was Do Seung-min. -Seung-min. -Yes, brother. Fortunately, he seemed to be alone as he responded right away. I told him without dy, -We need to raise it a notch. -Right now? To what degree? -Maximum. -¡­! Understood. On that night with deepening suspicion, Although the exact nature was unclear, we had to be fully prepared. *** Ippotrantion *** The first night after starting the all-out war. Since everyone couldn¡¯t stay awake, the Baraten camp stood guard in a rotating night watch system. Humans were no exception. Kim Chae-eun woke up during her night watch shift and was patrolling. Her night watch partner was one of the Baraten camp¡¯s Lycan warriors. A front-linebat Lycan, ready to take the lead in protecting her should any situation arise. Initially, the Lycans tended to subtly exclude the attack unit, but after countless battles throughout the nights, a bit of camaraderie had built up. The Lycans, who used to consider only their own exploits supreme, were gradually acknowledging the humans¡¯ achievements. ¡°¡­Then Do Jae-hyun came right in front of me and smacked that rk guy¡¯s shoulder¡­ Wow, it was the first time I saw a human warrior punch so well. Is martial arts Do Jae-hyun¡¯s main fighting style?¡± ¡°No, the sword is his main weapon.¡± ¡°Whaaat?!¡± ¡°Haha.¡± The main topic was, of course, Do Jae-hyun. Since he had shown such overwhelmingly great exploits, whenever Lycans talked about humans, it was always about him. The Lycans especially took pride in using martial arts, so they were even more interested in Do Jae-hyun, who excelled at high-level unarmedbat. Thanks to this, Kim Chae-eun¡¯s night watch duty was not boring. In fact, it would have been harder for the conversation topic not to be interesting since it was about her boyfriend. ¡°¡­Wow, if that¡¯s the case, Haten wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he kept bragging about how Do Jae-hyun took down 15 Virgens all by himself. Seeing that power in person, I really¡­¡± ¡°Hey, wait a minute.¡± As they were chatting and moving about, She felt some strange energy and stopped the Lycan. An ominous atmosphere lingered around the barracks. Nothing was visible to the naked eye, but as a mage with deep insight into magic power, Kim Chae-eun could sense the anomaly. ¡°This is¡­¡± She sat down for a moment, gently cing her hand on the ground. ¡ª¡ª!! Kuk, kukukuku- ¡°¡­!!¡± A surge. It was a kind of surge. An enormous magic power was rampaging across thend, and she clearly felt it through her hand on the ground. And¡­ Awoooooo¨C!! ¡ª¡ª-!!! Awoooooooo-!! In front, behind, to the sides. On the surrounding hills¡­ Apanied by a chilling howl, Hundreds, no, thousands of wolves revealed themselves. An overwhelming number of wolves that would freeze you in ce at first sight. The Lycan who confirmed this shouted in terror. ¡°The, the enemy!! An ambush by those rk bastards!! And they¡¯ve even awakened¡­!!¡± The Lycan tried to run and ring the bell, but¡­ Kwah, kwagaga-!! ¡ª¨C!! ¡°Kuh, kwaaaaack¡­!!¡± Suddenly, one of the wolves erupted from underground and tore into that Lycan¡¯s throat. The enemy was not just in the distance. They were also emerging nearby, from beneath the ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Chae-eun bit her lip and gripped her staff tightly. She had to keep her wits about her, especially in times like this. This night watch duty was in preparation for such situations. Now, after the war had begun¡­ This was the Baraten camp¡¯s greatest crisis yet.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Raid and Counterattack (2) ¡®Stay calm.¡¯ Kim Chae-eun tried her best to calm her pounding heart. Although the Lycan who had been patrolling with her was struck a fatal blow by having his throat ripped out, he had at least managed to sound the rm and alert their allies about the enemy¡¯s ambush. Kim Chae-eun was no different. As startling and shocking as it was, the ambush had already begun, and from that point on, she had to do her part. Her role was that of a magic-user Holder. A rear support personnel responsible for the firepower of the attack team and their allies. And what she had to do was¡­ Take down as many of the enemy forces in front of her as possible. ¡®Field Freezing.¡¯ Normally when magic-users prepare to unleash their magic attacks, it takes quite a while to set their magic and check the incantations. That¡¯s why the warriors have to endure for a long time at the front during the preparation phase. But now. The speed at which Kim Chae-eun cast her skill was excessively fast. There were two reasons for this. One was that she possessed the [Rapid Chanting] rune that only geniuses among the [Adrian Spell] magic-users could use. The other was that she had already begun setting her magic from the moment she sensed the enemy by cing her hand on the ground. Papabat- Jjeojjeojjeok-!! [Field Freezing] has almost no killing power and asionally inflicts the ¡®frozen¡¯ abnormal status. It is an area-of-effect control skill. This was a skill she had initially obtained through [Ice Binding], but its power became even more intense after that rune evolved into the [Frozen Battlefield] rune. As the rune itself carried the name ¡®battlefield¡¯, it tended to fully demonstrate its abilities inrge-scale battles and widespread magic. Her signature skill unfolded across the vastnd. The magic poured out at the moment of casting. Magic quickly freezes the surrounding ground¡­. The reason she chose to use this skill first was one. ¡®The Lycan came up from the ground.¡¯ The enemy Lycan had clearly emerged from underground near their allies¡¯ barracks. Specifically, it took the form of a ¡®wolf¡¯ instead of a ¡®werewolf¡¯¡­ But judging from its magnificent silver fur and characteristic aura of dread, it was undoubtedly a Lycan. And its method of attack was more dangerous than she had thought. If it was the Lycan¡¯s own special ability, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. But if the attack had been artificially prepared through certain items or magic, that would be a problem. If thetter spection was correct, it wouldn¡¯t be just one or two Lycans, but dozens of them lying in wait underground tounch an ambush. In that case, the allies who weren¡¯t fully prepared could be left defenseless. It would be an extremely disadvantageousbat environment for their allies. In order to turn the situation slightly more in their favor, she had forcefully frozen the ground. Perhaps because she had poured out quite a bit of magic, she was able to significantly slow the enemy¡¯s advance. She could feel it from the repeated tremors shaking the ground. Awoooo- Kugheuugh-!! And then. The Lycan that had first appeared changed its target and charged at Kim Chae-eun. It had instinctively sensed that she was the key personnel at the current scene. Without flinching, Kim Chae-eun immediately cast another spell. ¡®Ultimate Frost¡­!!¡¯ The most powerful of the skills she possessed, excluding her ultimate skill, unfolded. [Ultimate Frost]. An ice-attribute magic targeting a single opponent, appropriately mixing abnormal status effects and offensive tendencies into a hexagonal skill. However, using this skill immediately was rather unusual. As it was almost the highest-tier skill in ice-attribute magic, it naturally required a lot of magic and took a very long time to cast. It was no casual skill that could be used consecutively after other skills. And yet, Kim Chae-eun¡­ Was already following up with the spell less than a second after casting [Field Freezing]. ¡òName: Crown of the Ice Queen ¡òType: Headgear ¡òGrade: Epic ¡­ ¡òSpecial Effect : Can imbue one of the wearer¡¯s ice-attribute magic skills into the crown. By inputting all the required magic, magic structure, and incantations for that skill, it can be cast immediately without any dy. (*Ultimate skills cannot be imbued, and if the wearer¡¯s proficiency with the skill is too low, it may not apply. Also, if the wearer changes, the imbued skill will reset.) ¡­ ¡­ The reason for this was thanks to a special item she possessed. ¡®The crown Jae-hyun gave me¡­.¡¯ The item her boyfriend had gifted her for Christmas. He had said he obtained it by hunting the special boss monster [Ice Rudolph], and befitting its grade and splendor, it had the amazing effect of allowing her to ¡®directly set an imbued skill.¡¯ So Kim Chae-eun had imbued her most powerful non-ultimate skill, [Ultimate Frost], into the crown. In situations like this, she could cast spells consecutively without any dy. Pabat, pababat-!! Keugh, keugheugh-?! ¡ª¡ª!! Intense cold instantly shot forth, restraining the enemy Lycan¡¯s body. As a skill unleashed upon a single target, its power was undeniable. The enemy Lycan came running but abruptly stopped, its whole body freezing in ce. Perhaps an ordinary mage would have fled here or devised another control measure, but¡­ ¡°Swallow the cold.¡± Kim Chae-eun was different. She understood her role better than anyone else. As a border guard, to alert allies of enemy intrusion and wake them up. And to dy the enemy¡¯s advance as much as possible. In that process, she couldn¡¯t hold back any runes or skills. The ultimate skill of [Frozen Battlefield], [Blizzard]. Her most powerful offensive skill¡­ Was mercilessly unleashed upon the enemy Lycan. Shrrrrr¡­ Pot, pababaht-!! An enormous amount of cold reached the enemy Lycan. Its body froze lightly, that ice cracked, and the cracked parts refroze. Once by [Field Freezing], once by [Ultimate Frost]. Finished off by [Blizzard]. Three skills poured with the full magical power of a high-ranker rained down on a single target. The speed at which it unfolded¡­ Was utterly unbelievable for a solitary mage battle. And finally. Kuwoong-!! The enemy Lycan copsed. Exposed to endless freezing abnormalities and [Blizzard]¡¯s cold, the beast couldn¡¯t withstand that intense magic power and died instantly. ¡°¡­Got it.¡± Kim Chae-eun grabbed her trembling legs. An A-grade, nearly top-tier monster. For a mage-type Holder to solo this without a tank was an outstanding feat that would astound the entire Holder world. Especially since she wasn¡¯t even a battle mage. Qua, quaahaa-!! Awoooooo-!! ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± But there was no time to savor victory. As the [Field Freezing] chant ended, the frozen ground quickly returned to normal, and the enemy Lycans burst through the earth as if lying in wait. One, two, three¡­seven. A total of 7 Lycans in wolf form charged in. With a single target ¨C naturally, Kim Chae-eun. ¡®¡­Out of magic power.¡¯ Kim Chae-eun watched the wolves with wavering eyes. She had no more usable magic power left. No, she could recover it, but there was no time for that. There was no particr way to escape this situation either. She had admirably done her duty as a party member, but hadn¡¯t thought about what came after. It was that chaotic of an ambush. And just as Kim Chae-eun had cut off the enemy Lycan¡¯s breath¡­ The moment the enemy Lycans tried to tear into Kim Chae-eun, ¡°Charge!!¡± From quite a distance¡­ Behind them. An all too familiar, wee voice rang out. Pusheeee-!! Awoooooo-!! The situation changed in an instant. The man who had reached the battlefield as if teleporting and seized the rear of the Lycans stabbed one¡¯s neck, Then used its shoulder as a foothold to leap towards Kim Chae-eun. And¡­ Tak- A rough, calloused man¡¯s hand grabbed her shoulder. Next, her body was swiftly gathered into his embrace. At that familiar warmth¡­ Kim Chae-eun felt like she might cry. ¡°Flow like a rapid stream.¡± His trademark ultimate skills unfolded one after another. Skills containing abilities more powerful and versatile than the ultimate skills his father created. The [Water Sword Technique] requires graceful motions toplete each motion. Yet with one arm holding Kim Chae-eun, he demonstrated the feat of activating this skill with just his other hand. ¡ª¡ª!! Awoooooo-?! The forces of water gathered. The swiftly converged water forces formed a sphere. The endlessly spinning water sphere blocked the relentless Lycan charge. Pot- pabat-!! And simultaneously, shes erupted in all directions. Thanks to the skill¡¯sbined defensive and offensive power, the previously noisy surroundings were swiftly cleared. This didn¡¯t kill all the enemies, but like before, it bought time. Kim Chae-eun finally looked at the man¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯rete, dummy.¡± ¡°Sorry. I never expected the enemies toe up from the ground. It must be some Ludenark magic. My failure to predict.¡± Do Jae-hyun. Her most trustworthy boyfriend was right before her eyes. The chaotic ambush situation and battle. Strange words like ¡®Ludenark¡¯ flowed from his mouth¡­ But in the end, what mattered was that he hade to protect her. Kim Chae-eun felt the fears and wavering resolve within her finally steady. This man was so deeply engraved within her¡­ As someone so immensely important. ¡°I¡¯ll finish up soon, Chae-eun.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± He always gave her this ¡®certainty.¡¯ ¡°Burst forth like waves.¡± The bit of water left on the floor from earlier. Do Jae-hyun plunged his sword into it. Soon, great magic power traveled along the de and infused the water, beginning to spread outwardly. The evolved form of [Wave Sword Technique]. It was the moment [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] was cast.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Raid and Counterattack (3) The outline was set from the beginning. That there might be a spy within our ranks colluding with the rk faction. I harbored such suspicions from the fact that the enemies found out how to deal with my [el Piercing], and those suspicions grew into certainty as the keyword ¡®Ludenark¡¯ emerged from the runes the enemies possessed. This war is not simply a dungeon raid. Perhaps a new enemy to the Holder realm, an organization called Ludenark, is involved. And if an outside group is involved, the possibility of there being a spy among our ranks¡­ ¡®The Ripple Raid.¡¯The probability was highest that it would be among the I had founded. So I heightened the vignce against spies that I had maintained since founding the . Ironically, the main person was Do Seung-min. ¡°Me, you want me to find the spy?¡± ¡°Not exactly find them, just be vignt. Since you handle the Stealth Rune well.¡± Unless Holders deliberately use detection-type runes or magic sensing, the [Stealth] of the assassin ss is rarely detected. Whilecking in many areas, Do Seung-min was a highly experienced assassin-ss operative. His proficiency with [Stealth] was on par with A-grade assassins. Of course, at first, I didn¡¯t exclude Do Seung-min from suspicion either, but as I mentioned, he had a long career, a solid alibi, and quite a few records from his childhood. With his identity confirmed, joining this for the first time, He was the most suitable person for this task. ¡°But the viins have all been wiped out now, right? Is there another group that could send in a spy?¡± ¡°Ah, perhaps ones even more vicious than the viins.¡± After maximizing vignce like that, I visited Enrichten at dawn. Four additional awakened warriors had gathered at hismand tent. A separate squad formed on my advice that the enemy mightunch a surprise attack tonight. But it seemed some Lans were disgruntled by the sudden strategy shift. ¡°Tol. We still do not understand. No matter that you received a Token of Trust and proved your formidable might, you are human after all. Moreover, you wield the power of those impure beings¡­!!¡± ¡°Schilten.¡± Enrichten cut him off and gently persuaded him. ¡°Do not just see what you want to see. Sense his aura closely.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°He certainly used the barbarian enhancement arts in battle, but that power was not artificially imnted in him by them. Do Jae-hyun is a descendant of the Barbarian King Magnus Barbarian. He is using the true, formal barbarian enhancement arts.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± It seemed there was a misunderstanding due to the rune [Warriors Enhancement Art] that I use. This power belongs to the barbarian tribe, and when the Ludenark sect granted this power to the rk tribe, the war rapidly turned. ¡®Come to think of it, I didbine their abilities into a rune¡­¡¯ In any case, the rune I currently possess is the formal [Warriors Enhancement Art]. And I even have [Descendant of the Barbarian King] to prove that power. Enrichten persuaded Schilten by urately distinguishing the unstable power of the rk faction from the power I possess. It was the moment my strategic exnation carried undeniable weight. ¡°Then Enrichten, let me continue exining. If the enemyunches a surprise attack tonight, the separate squad will go this way and cut off their supply route¡­ ¡­¡± Around 30 minutes into exining the meticulous counterattack n to them, -The enemy forces!! It¡¯s a surprise attack by those rk bastards! A Lycan on sentry duty shouted at the top of his lungs. As expected to some degree. A surprise attack by the rk faction at dawn had begun. We immediately exited the tent and prepared for battle. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± But Enrichten¡¯s expression outside was not good. He looked utterly dumbfounded, as if he had not expected this at all. ¡°Why do you look like that?¡± ¡°They cast a spell. They forcibly filled the moon to induce the awakening of the Lans ¨C the Pearl Moonlight spell.¡± Those ones. Referring to the Ludenark sect. I was stunned by those words. The Ludenark sect is here too? Does that mean they were in the dungeon from the very start? There was no time to resolve such questions. ¡°While this spell allows our Baraten to awaken and grow stronger as well, so it¡¯s not too threatening, the problem is the next spell. The Ludenark sect has many strange spells, including one that infiltrates Lycans underground for surprise attacks. For those unprepared, it is a highly devastating attack method.¡± In other words, what he was saying was, ¡°Our forward forces near themand tent are in danger. The warriors on sentry duty may already be¡­ Do Jae-hyun? Where are you going, Do Jae-hyUn!¡± There was no need to listen to the rest of his words. I immediately charged forward at full speed, using a mobility rune. The Strike Force member on sentry duty right now was Kim Chae-eun. Knowing that, I could not just stand idly by. That¡¯s how the situation was after we rushed over here with all our might. ¡®Did Chae-eun take on the Lycan alone¡­?¡¯ When I first arrived and nced at thebat situation, I was shocked. An A-grade top monster, Lycanthrope. It was even a monster that had awakened into wolf form through the magic [Pearl Moonlight]. Our Lycan was also lying copsed, so it seemed Chae-eun had defeated it alone without a tank. It was an astonishing feat for a mage to solo an A-grade top monster, but we didn¡¯t have time to admire it. ¡®I need to close the distance first.¡¯ I unleashed all my ultimate skills. [Distortion Shadow] that teleports me to the enemy while delivering a powerful strike. Thanks to that, one Lycan instantly retired. Using that one as a foothold, I leapt over and embraced Chae-eun, then unfolded [True Flowing Sword] with one hand. It was a technique I was trying for the first time, but I managed to pull it off somewhat clumsily. It was the moment I arrived just in time to avert the crisis. ¡°Burst like the waves.¡± I continued the battle without pause. The ultimate skill [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. Unlike the original [Wave Sword Technique] that pierces and erupts on a single target, [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] bes an AoE skill that spreads its power in all directions. If you thrust a sword into water and channel magic power, seven ¡®des of water¡¯ are instantly created. If you then fire those des in the desired direction¡­ You can erupt intense magic power on anything pierced by the des. In other words, it allowed me to remotely control the original [Wave Sword Technique] and use it on multiple targets. The power was less than the original, but its versatility was overwhelming. Pop- pababbat- ¡ª¡ª!! Kwahng-!! Kwaahng-!! The soft water magic power danced on the lycans¡¯ bodies like explosions. They had already been softened up by the onught of [True Flowing Sword], so the finishing blow of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] left them unable to recover. Pung- pung- The Lycans easily copsed and lostbat ability every time the ¡®des of water¡¯nded. ¡°Heuk- heuk¡­¡± ¡­Of course, I wasn¡¯t in perfect condition either. I had unleashed three ultimate skills in a row that ordinary holders could hardly acquire even one of. An immense amount of magic power drained from me, instantly leaving me depleted, and I could feel my physical strength also waning. I was only managing thanks to runes like [Pride of the Forgotten Dragon knight] or [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Art] that supplemented my health and magic. Without them, I would have copsed before those Lycans. ¡°Jae-hyun, finish them¡­!!¡± And at that moment, A familiar ¡®chill of ice¡¯ enveloped the surroundings. A mist-like magic power that tried to freeze the air. It was Chae-eun¡¯s main skill [Frozen Fog] that I had seen dozens of times. ¡®Brings back old memories.¡¯ This was always the feeling when fighting alongside her. Trapping the monsters with [Frozen Fog] or [Field Freezing], then me delivering the finishing blow. An efficient and ssic attack pattern. Although I didn¡¯t often fight like this anymore as my abilities diversified, it felt fresh to fight together with her again. Reviving those old memories¡­ I drew [w Short Sword] using the Art Weapon Exchange. For swift finishers, nothing beats short sword skills and [Wave Sword Technique]. ¡ª¡ª!! Awoooo-!! Finally, the Lycans gasped theirst breaths. We had ovee the overwhelming numbers and eliminated them all. And those numbers would only grow from here. This was just the start of our counterattack against rk¡¯s assault. *** Ippotrantion *** Meanwhile, on the side of the Baraten camp barracks. The allied forces who became aware of the enemy¡¯s approach due to the rms of the sentries were engaged in their own fierce battle. Moon Ga-eun drew the bowstring so tightly it felt like her fingers might break. Fortunately, the enemy approach rm was early enough that battle preparations were properly made¡­ but the number of enemies was too many. Far too many. No matter how many arrows she shot or how much magic she unleashed, the enemies pushed forward relying on their numerical superiority. ¡°Hold on! Wait until our allies carry out their operation!¡± ¡°Protect the humans as much as possible! Don¡¯t let the support get cut off!¡± The awakened warriors in charge of each unit shouted until their throats were hoarse. At first, they had preferred individualbat between the Lycan and humans, but now that the war had progressed quite a bit, they well knew that the rear support Holders were the core of the battle. ¡°Why is this! The wolf forms! Are so! Hard to hit! Annoying!!¡± Amidst that, Moon Ga-eun silently shot her arrows. Yet, irritation welled up inside her mind. The Lycans who had awakened by receiving the light of the full moon had all transformed into wolf forms and were rushing in. Because of that, their stride range became diverse, making it extremely difficult tond attacks urately, and their abilities had also risen through awakening, making their movements excessively sharp. In a word, the allied forces were at a huge disadvantage. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because the full moon has risen. When the full moon rises, Lycans and virgens be stronger through awakening and can transform into wolf forms. Of course, this full moon was created by magic!¡± And a voice could be heard from somewhere. It was Haten, the Lycan assigned to guard Moon Ga-eun. Even in this urgent situation, he was too talkative. ¡°Then you guys should just transform too¡­!!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t transform because of our numerical disadvantage. The human form is more convenient for defense.¡± ¡°Geez- Just transform already! We¡¯re all gonna die at this rate!¡± At those words, Haten, who had been fighting vigorously, pped his hands. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to say that!¡± As soon as the words ended. Shwack! In an instant, Haten¡¯s body began to transform. His upright standing form bent into a wolf shape. His protruding ws and fangs became sharper. The fur all over his body grew longer. And¡­ [The isted wolfkin, awakened by the moonlight, regains his true form. The chosen wolf n ¡®Phorien¡¯ has been a close friend fighting alongside the Valkyries since ancient times. Haten, a descendant of Phorien, became a wolfkin through mutation amid the turmoil, but now that he has regained his original form, he can make a contract with her.] [¡®Valkyrie of the Battlefield¡¯ Rune and ¡®Valkyrie¡¯s Steed¡¯ Rune resonate. Having met all the hidden special conditions, a contract with ¡®Haten¡¯ bes possible. This contract is not affected bymand values or rune levels.] The long-awaited new power also began to manifest.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 253 Chapter 253 Raid and Counterattack (4) ¡°¡­¡­¡± ke, the leader of the rk faction, felt doubt creeping in about the battle oue he was once so confident about. Something was off. The tide of war was flowing strangely. He had certainly awakened all the warriors through [Pearl Moonlight], and had disrupted the enemy camp using the special magic of the Ludenark sect. It should have been normal for the battle to end quickly and for sessive victory reports toe in. ¡°Tol! The side area 3 is not breached! The shield-bearing humans and those Baratens are firmly holding their ground!¡±¡°Tol! The front area 1, our initial entry point, has been annihted! The total of 8 Lycan warriors who attempted the first ground entry have died! The enemy is said to be just 2 humans!¡± ¡°Tol! A human riding a wolf has appeared! What is this¡­?!¡± But strangely, instead of victory reports, news of allied forces struggling and even intermittent reports of defeat kepting in. It was strange. Somehow, the tide of the war was turning the other way. In terms of numbers, awakening, preemptive strike, strategy¡­ It shouldn¡¯t have been possible for them to be creaking like this when they were ahead in every aspect. ¡°Dave!¡± So ke called out to the mastermind behind this n. Dave. The vice-captain of the Ludenark sect, the one who empowered the rk tribe and led them to victory in the great war. He was still quietly watching the battlefield without showing his face. ¡°Don¡¯t shout when I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Dammit! How can I not shout when the ns are all crumbling?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The n of his, which seemed certain to lead this war to victory as well, was starting to crack. The first n was a dawn raid utilizing spies. And an irregr attack through Ludenark¡¯s [Land In] magic. Even if rk¡¯s forces were discovered at the front, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the sudden ambush from the ground. That was the thinking behind the n. ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡­.¡¯ But the one who kept tackling Dave¡¯s ns was Do Jae-hyun again. The [Land In] magic requires a lot of magic and takes a heavy toll on the stamina of the Lycans deployed to the ground, so a special vanguard unit is dispatched. A special force to deal with sentries and key enemy warriors. That was the 8 Lycans from earlier. But Do Jae-hyun arrived at the front as if he had expected the dawn battle, and instantly swept away 7 of the Lycans in the special force. The remaining 1 had already been hunted down by a lone human mage who was on sentry duty. Even after receiving the report and confirming the records, the result was unbelievable. ¡®Ang¡¯s not responding either.¡¯ His subordinate who infiltrated the attack squad as a spy, informing them of how to enter , and was supposed to continuously report the situation after entering. The defector, Ang, was also not responding. Looking back at the overall situation, the probability was high that she had been exposed as a spy. ¡°Tol! The enemy¡¯s defensive line is not easily breached!! The bastards are wearing armor like humans!¡± ¡°Damn it! Dave!!¡± And here was the reason why the second n crumbled as well. [Pearl Moonlight] is a magic that forcibly raises the full moon, inducing the awakening of Lycans. The reasoning behind using this magic, which would also awaken the Baraten side¡¯s Lycans, was this, When transformed into wolves, their form bes focused on offense. In any case, Baraten was currently being raided, and they were outnumberedpared to rk, so they had no choice but to maintain a defensive line. And the human form is more efficient for defense than the wolf form. rk intended to suppress and subdue the Baratens, who had no choice but to maintain their human forms, by leveraging the ability difference from the [Pearl Moonlight] awakening. ¡®Lycan armor¡­¡¯ But the armor worn by the Baraten Lycans was the problem. The armors made specifically for Lycans showed an efficiency beyond imagination, solidifying their defenses. As a result, even the fronts with only Lycans were not easily breached, and in areas where humans fought alongside them, rk was actually being pushed back. Dave had received reports rted to this as well, but he never imagined those armors would have such capabilities and synergy. ¡°Aquilen.¡± Dave called out to his subordinate, gritting his teeth. As much as he disliked ke and the ipetent rk frantically chasing after him like babies, there was no choice but to find an alternative to win this war, since they had gone into this dungeon for that very purpose. ¡°Yes, Dave.¡± ¡°Where did Hwang Seong-yeon go?¡± ¡°He said he would fight the human Do Jae-hyun and left first. He should have arrived at the front area 1 by now.¡± ¡°¡­As selfish as ever.¡± Dave clicked his tongue and moved his hands. He took out some items from his magic bag. A thick magic book and no less than 10 rings. He put all 10 rings on his ten fingers. Immediately, a vast amount of magic began pouring into his hands and body. He lightly ground his teeth and told Aquilen, ¡°Follow me. We¡¯re joining the battle too.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± If the magic and strategies utilizing Lycans were not working, the only remaining n was for Ludenark to directly intervene in the war. *** Ippotrantion *** Kang Juyeon bit her lip and looked around. Like all the allied forces that were ambushed, the situation in the left side area where she was located was especially bad. ¡®There are no warriors¡­¡¯ For starters, there weren¡¯t many humans in this area. As the ambush unfolded chaotically, the warriors were unable to gather together and remained in their respective areas¡­ The only ones left in this area were Kang Juyeon, one from the assassin ss, and Lee Soo-mi from the sacred ss. When there is ack of personnel for rear support, they naturally fall behind in firepower. There were some among the Lycan who could use magic, but unfortunately they were not present here. ¡®¡­The enemy is too many.¡¯ And quite coincidentally, the Lycan from the rk side that ambushed this area were far more numerouspared to other areas. It seems the leadership that masterminded the ambush had targeted the side areas. Due to this, this area was at a disadvantage with the overwhelminglyrge number of wolves. To make matters worse, with the werewolves on the allied side also losing their sanity and transforming into wolves, there was almost no force left to protect the only mage, Kang Juyeon. ¡°Hm~ It¡¯s a total mess. Miss, shall we retreat?¡± Lee Soo-mi, who was in the same n and friendly with Kang Juyeon, posed the question. With the battlefield situation deteriorating to almost the worst state¡­ Perhaps as she said¡­ The answer here could be to give up fighting back and retreat. But Kang Juyeon shook her head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Um, why not?¡± ¡°Because those of Baraten value trust and force. If we retreat without putting up a proper fight, we may instantly topple the tower of trust we¡¯ve built up until now.¡± The Lycan of the Baraten side are simple but solid. They easily open their hearts to those they trust, but never turn their hearts back to those who have betrayed their trust. Especially in a crisis situation like this¡­ If they abandoned their alliedrades and ran away, Whether today¡¯s battle ends in victory or defeat, the attack squad may fail this dungeon raid. ¡°But it looks like we¡¯re all going to die?¡± ¡°¡­I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± Kang Juyeon dered with a confident tone. She had¡­ The power and belief to overturn the unfavorable battle situation. -Child, your mes are too rough and aggressive. Try to make a gentler me, one that can protect someone. The Red Dragon of Protection, Canales, Had said those words to Kang Juyeon while teaching her about ¡®fire¡¯. Whether it was the name of the rune or the Transcendent, Everyone had demanded a ¡®defensive me¡¯ from Kang Juyeon. At the time, Kang Juyeon seemed to ept it with her head but not understand it in her heart. -¡­Isn¡¯t fire supposed to be aggressive by nature? ¡°That¡¯s just the form known to humans. But mes can take on different natures depending on the name and power each one possesses. They have infinite possibilities. And the me of protection shows its greatest power when trying to protect someone.¡± ¡°When trying to protect someone¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Think carefully about what state of mind you used the fire with when you overcame my trial.¡± Back then, Kang Juyeon had wanted to protect Do Jae-hyun. She didn¡¯t want to harm the man cradled in her arms. Wanting to be of some help to the tired man¡­ She had unfolded mes with all her might to protect him. It was the same now. The targets she wanted to protect had changed, but her ultimate goal was still for that man. So that the attack squad he was leading for the first time could sessfully conclude, she intended to protect her allies with all her ability. ¡®re.¡¯ The area-wide fire magic skill akin to the basics of the fire attribute is unfolded on the battlefield. Due to its wide-ranging spread, it couldn¡¯t inflict meaningful damage on the enemies, but it filled the surroundings with a zing heat. Creating an ¡®environment¡¯ where other mes could rise further based on [re]. ¡®Light Meteor.¡¯ And then adding an attack magic on top of that. [Light Meteor]. Unlike [Meteor] which drops a massive ming meteorite, this magic drops dozens of small fiery rocks. While a very powerful offensive skill, it has the drawback of randomly dropping in the designated area, making it difficult to use in chaotic battles. If mishandled, it could also harm allies. However, Kang Juyeon¡¯s magic did not hesitate. [Eternal me of Protection]. This rune specialized in protection and defense allowed her to designate targets for this offensive skill. Qua, quaang¨C!! Quagagaga¨C!! Auuuuu¨C?! Countless pits of fire scorched the enemy forces. The dozens of fiery rocks dropping, Kang Juyeon calcted and controlled theirnding points without missing a single one. An ordinary mage Holder¡¯s head would explode from such control. But she was performing the spell casting akin to an artistic feat effortlessly. ¡°Th, this is¡­¡± Both allies and enemies seemed bewildered by the sudden fiery spectacle. Even Lee Soo-mi in the same spot gaped and watched the scene. Too widespread and an immense amount of mes to ignore and keep fighting. But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. ¡°Burn endlessly¡­!!¡± The ultimate skill cast for the finale, [Petum Inferno]. The ultimate skill newly evolved through thest raid. Now at a stage that could be considered fully mastered, the ultimate skill unfolded from her fingertips. Piii- Hwahreureuk¨C!! Hwaaaa¨C!! The intense mes that appeared after a long wait¡­ Those long mes from her fingertips to the ground. Soon from the ground outwards in all directions. Before long, bing endless hellfire engulfing the entire battlefield. The intelligent mes that protected allies while seeking out and striking only the enemy forces began to change the tide. At that unbelievable sight¡­ The allied werewolves who had been nkly watching also fell into the crucible of ecstasy and cried out. ¡°I, it¡¯s our side!! It¡¯s our fire!¡± ¡°mes that only reach the enemies! Let¡¯s fight!¡± ¡°Goddess of fire! The goddess of fire is on our side!¡± ¡°Warriors of Baraten! Let us defeat rk¨C!!¡± [Eternal me of Protection]. The mes Kang Juyeon had unleashed¡­ Were simultaneously protecting the imperiled Baraten forces while instantly reversing the disadvantageous battle situation.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Reunion (1) [Contract sessful! ¡®Valkyrie¡¯s Horse¡¯ rune contract target list, ¡®Harten (-/special)¡¯ has been added. Since the name has already been decided, you cannot give a new name. Due to the abnormal contract, the contractor¡¯s abilities will be partially limited.] [Current contracted monster list (2/2)] [You have formed a contract with the race of an old friend you had almost forgotten. The traces of the years you have fought together with them will rapidly increase your understanding of runes.] [¡®Valkyrie¡¯s Horse¡¯ rune level has increased.] [You gain 5 points in Leadership from the rune¡¯s affinity.] The Purien tribe, Harten. He is the second contractor I have acquired after the ¡®Nine Tailed Fox¡¯ of the Atsuta Shrine. In fact, the Nine Tailed Fox was not a very attractive contractor in such a melee. Since the monster¡¯s stats and rune settings were concentrated on the magic side, it was most effective when inflicting mass status ailments from a distance as a preemptive strike, and it was not suitable for evading enemies charging in recklessly. On the other hand, Harten is a race born for closebat. Originally an excellent monster in closebat even when he was a werewolf, needless to say now that he has transformed into a wolf. His sharply exposed fangs and ws were more than enough to tear apart enemies, and as a wolf, his speed and strength were further enhanced through the contract, reaching a level surpassing an average awakened Lycan. A contractor optimized and strengthened for closebat. And riding on top of him is the archer-type master. In a chaotic situation like this, it was the most effectivebination to ravage the battlefield. Awoooooo¨C!! Pushi¨C Kang! Kaang!! Kku, kwagagaga¨C!! Arrows blended with an appropriate mix of magic and physical power rained down. And freely shooting across that was a single wolf. At the sight of these heroic figures that appeared out of nowhere, even the Baraten army¡¯s warriors were wide-eyed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Harten?¡± ¡°Harten and a human archer together¡­!!¡± ¡°A mounted archer, no, a wolf-mounted archer!!¡± In fact, it was impossible not to draw attention. The suddenly appearing Harten and Moon Ga-eun recklessly shot around the battlefield, mercilessly trampling the enemies¡­ It was impossible not to catch their eye. Harten used the advantage of his wolf form to quickly bite and tear apart the enemies, while Moon Ga-eun shot arrows endlessly from above, assisting allies and finishing off enemies. The Valkyrie and Purien tribe on the battlefield. The rhythm of the two entities was beyond imagination, and even though their movements were quite rough and intense, Moon Ga-eun skillfully continued fighting. ¡®Harten, catch me again when I get off!¡¯ -Understood! The highlight was when there were too many enemy soldiers during the battle. As the enemy wolves outnumbered them and almost surrounded them¡­ Moon Ga-eun leapt off Harten into the air and shot arrows from above to wipe out the enemies. As soon as a reasonable number were taken care of, Moon Ga-eun fell back to the ground. And Harten leapt up to catch and mount her again. It was a movement and rhythm close to fantasy. It could be considered the pinnacle of mountedbat. ¡°Wow, wow¡­¡± ¡°We, we can win! We can also win!¡± ¡°Fight! Warriors, awaken and fight!!¡± And the allies¡¯ astonished gaze towards them¡­ Soon turned into passion, stimting the Baraten warriors. The Lycans, who had been only defending, began to advance little by little. Moreover, thanks to Moon Ga-eun¡¯s exploits, their hesitation about transforming into wolf form was gone. They no longer needed to just defend like before. With rapidly increased morale and hope that they could do it, The Baraten warriors transformed into wolf form one by one and attempted a counterattack. -Master, your riding skills are truly excellent. The enemies can¡¯t keep their wits about them! ¡®I¡¯ve ridden someone rougher and more awesome than you before.¡¯ -¡­You rode a person? ¡®Yes. And don¡¯t call me master, it¡¯s disgusting.¡¯ -If I can¡¯t call you master, then what should I call you? Harten and Moon Ga-eun, performing great feats with an unexpectedbination. The right nk area, which had been struggling, was finally making a turnaround. *** Ippotrantion *** Awooo¨C!! Kwahng- kwagahng¨C!! ¡®There are really a disgustinglyrge number.¡¯ As I continued to take down the mixed pack of Werewolves and Lycans, I clicked my tongue. The numbers are high. Too high, really. Normally, it would be much easier inbat to hole up and defend in the city, but they went out of their way to bring their entire force tounch a surprise attack on us for a reason. The overwhelming numerical difference in troops. While I already knew this, directly confirming it with my own eyes and body made me keenly feel the disadvantage. The Lycans that sprang from the ground numbered only 8, but after that, wolves incessantly invaded our territory from the front line. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, are you okay?¡± Tak- In the midst of fighting absentmindedly, I turned back face-to-face with the ¡®Tol Baraten¡¯ Enrichten who was fighting alongside me. He had followed the trail I rushed over and was leading our forces on the front line. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What happened to our troops who left for the operation?¡± Before the enemy surprise attack began. The operation we had nned in anticipation of this situation. To leave the barracks, go around the battlefield in a circle, and cut off the enemy¡¯s rear supply line with a separate corps strategy. Enrichten¡¯s voice answering about this was bright. ¡°Schilten, who led the separate corps, has sent a signal. A great sess. If we can just endure this all-out battle, even if those rk bastards retreat, the war will likely turn in our favor.¡± It was a wee sound as I listened. While Schilten had doubted me and caused a bit of trouble before, his skill was trustworthy. Showing his stuff, he seeded in the operation and paved the way. So now¡­ ¡°All we have to do is endure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the biggest problem.¡± ¡°Huhuh- don¡¯t die.¡± The enemy¡¯s troops that don¡¯t seem to end no matter how many are killed. If we can just endure them¡­ We could im victory in this battle, and even in the whole war. After the brief exchange with Enrichten, I immediately charged forward again. In my hand was the [w Short Sword], and I used the [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] martial arts. ¡®A short sword is more efficient than a sword.¡¯ Using a sword would allow me to kill enemies more decisively. In any case, my main physical attacks currently revolve around swordsmanship, and swords are far superior to other weapons in terms of utilization and versatility. But right now, it was more important to inflict shallow strikes over a wide area than to inflict powerful blows on the enemy. Because the current situation was a melee battle. It¡¯s because I¡¯m not hunting alone. There are rear personnel to support my attacks and movements, and allied forces to finish off enemies when I¡¯ve injured them. Especially since all the enemies were in agile wolf form, the shorter my reach, the better for matching their speed. Awooo¨C!! Kahng! Kahng! Kagang¨C! Fortunately, that judgment was correct. The [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] specialized in continuously moving and hunting enemies was very effective for hunting multiple foes. Moreover, my body was enhanced by [Warriors Enhancement Art], and the power of my attacks increased thanks to [Silver MoonShadow]. I wasnding blows on the enemies without even using special skills. Still, if I felt it wasn¡¯t enough, I would intermittently mix in [Deadly Poison] or [Explosive Sword Aura] to amp up my attacks. Kahng- Kagang- Kagang- Kagagang¨C!! I kept moving without stopping. ¡®Faster. Stronger.¡¯ I swung the short swords in an almost trance-like state. The basic moves of the [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] taught by Master Yoo Eun-seol are deeply ingrained in my body. Though not as shy as her [Snow Plum Blossoms] or the original [Twenty-Four Stroke Plum Blossom Sword Technique], the basic moves I understood and perfected formed their own distinct realm guiding my body. shing, shing, stabbing, shing. Then stabbing again, shing, shing. The two short swords moved so freely in my palms and fingertips. Sometimes in reverse grip, sometimes in standard grip. I moved the short swords ceaselessly, feeling like my hands might tear apart, but I continued attacking without faltering. How can I describe it? It was like the world stopped¡­ And I alone was moving. And finally, [You have discovered the secret of an Ultimate Skill! There is an inexpressible beauty in your sword technique, like passing winds and falling flower petals¡­ Movements no one has ever employed are unfolding from you.] [¡®Falling Blossoms Aesthetics¡¯, the Ultimate Skill of the ¡®Plum Blossom Sword Technique¡¯ rune, has been created. If you manifest this 5 more times, it will be officially registered as an Ultimate Skill. The rune used for this skill is ¡®Warriors Enhancement Art¡¯. You must possess rted runes to use this skill.] I also gained an epiphany I never expected. ¡®¡­An Ultimate Skill?¡¯ The creation of an Ultimate Skill. Something only Rune Holders who have mastered a martial art for at least 10 years can do. Something only the geniuses among geniuses can achieve, and even then, only with great luck. That was unfolding before me. The [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] rune, derived from the [Twenty-Four Stroke Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. Of course, since it wasn¡¯t a formal martial art, it naturally didn¡¯t have associated skills, and even the basic moves were crude¡­ But it seems this sword technique hase to me with apletely new interpretation. Using the [Warriors Enhancement Art] rune, I pushed my physical enhancement to the extreme, and leveraging that, I grazed countless wolves with my short swords. The attacks I unleashed were fast yet their force was anything but light. ¡®In other words,¡¯ In a very short time, I charged into the enemy ranks, then while grazing all of them, inflicted massive damage. The Ultimate Skill [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics] was an area-of-effect physical attack. ¡®I actually created an Ultimate Skill¡­¡¯ Honestly, I was dumbfounded by this totally unexpected development. The [Wave Sword Technique] Master Tak Won-ho created, or the [Water Sword Technique] Master Kim Myeong-hyun created. I couldn¡¯t believe I had created an Ultimate Skill imbued with that kind of long experience and know-how. Awooo¨C!! Bang! Kwagaga¨C!! But there was no time to admire it. Even having created an Ultimate Skill, I still couldn¡¯t use it in its iplete state, nor did I have the power to decisively end this battle. Dealing with the charging enemies was the immediate priority. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± But then, Amidst the Lycans and Werewolves, I sensed a very familiar yet ominous aura. Apletely human feeling, distinct from the surrounding wolves. A dark, destructive magic pressure¡­ As if someone had killed countless people. ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange¡­!¡¯ I immediately switched to the [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. And gripping the hilt with all my strength¡­ I spun my body in a whirling motion while swinging the sword. Kaahng¨C!! The shing of sword against sword rang out in an intense metallic sound. And then. ¡°Truly¡­ An interesting encounter, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Hwang Seong-yeon¡­!!¡± A figure still being hunted in the Rune Holder world. The former Vice Master of , and Korea¡¯s worst criminal. The one who drove me to the brink of death before¡­ A man suspected to be an S-grade Holder. Hwang Seong-yeon was crossing des with me right before my eyes.
If you¡¯d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions, you can do so via Buymeacoffee ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10 chapters ahead for 18$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ UTC+ 8:00 am [mon, wed, fri, sun] Rate this series here. Anyway¡­ Happy /ippostrantions Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Reunion (2) Why is Hwang Seong-yeon here? It didn¡¯t take long to solve that question. The Pearl Moonlight magic and the Lycans that infiltrated underground. Enrichten said the owners of that magic were ¡®Ludenack¡¯. In other words, it means members of the Ludenaak school either came to this dungeon or were here originally. And the n has previously shown connections to the Ludenack school. When we defeated the n master Hwang Dong-yeon and confirmed through the [Rune Hunter], he definitely had a [Ludenack Spell] rune, and also my contractor Tyrbon¡¯s previous form, the ¡®Bone Dragon¡¯, was an undead created by the Ludenack school.In other words¡­ ¡®Hwang Seong-yeon is also in cahoots with Ludenack.¡¯ The deduction became simple. By some method, the Ludenack school entered this dungeon, and Hwang Seong-yeon apanied them. And the war between rk and Baraten¡­ They¡¯re involved in our dungeon conquest. ¡®I never dreamed there would be beings stronger than the Transcendents.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t even imagine that existences from another world could directly move and live in this world. And the main character is the evil Ludenack school. I should inform the Holder Association and Park Ji-hwan as soon as possible, but there is no proper way right now. Ssshhhing- Kagagaang!! Our swords sh with fierce force. And Hwang Seong-yeon slightly raised the corner of his mouth. ¡°You seem to have a lot on your mind.¡± When I first saw him, he looked like a cold-blooded person who wouldn¡¯t bleed a drop if stabbed, but he¡¯s been showing a lot of expressions since fighting me. I expressed my displeasure at that unwee sight. ¡°I just ran into an unlucky bastard in a ce I never expected.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get heated up. Your mental unease shows in your sword.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me, you bastard.¡± Kaang!! Once again, our swords sh, sparking mes. It may look like we¡¯re just physically shing swords, but intense magic is swirling within. ck magic from Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s magic sword [Dine Sleep] flowed endlessly, and I poured magic into [Penitent¡¯s Sword] without holding back. So we could kill each other at any opportunity. We fiercely watched for chances. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve grown quite strong.¡± Even amidst the chaos, Hwang Seong-yeon muttered. His eyes seemed slightly surprised from shing swords. Is this guy wanting to fight or have a conversation standing? I gritted my teeth and provoked him. ¡°I put in some effort to try to kill you.¡± In fact, Hwang Seong-yeon wasn¡¯t wrong. I understood why he was surprised. There was a stark difference between me during the subjugation operation and me now. The newbination of runes and superior runes I acquired, increased mastery of existing runes, knowledge gained from the Transcendents, and the ¡®power of the dragon¡¯¡­ There were various changes, but the biggest was definitely my ¡®stats¡¯. My current stats show a change close to a reawakening. Both my strength and speed exceeded 100, with speed at 95. Even non-main stats were all in the 60s-70s. But that¡¯s just calcting raw stats ¨C using pumping skills like [Berserk] and [Dragon Transformation] causes explosive increases. My main stats reach 180, the rest around 100. S-grade Holders have vastly differing stats, and stats aren¡¯t that important¡­ But still, I¡¯ve exceeded the so-called ¡®S-grade standard stats¡¯ of 150. ¡°¡­Tremendous strength.¡± The fact that I could sh swords evenly with the likely S-grade Holder Hwang Seong-yeon was reason enough for his surprise. Kang! Kang! Kagagaang!! We shed swords relentlessly. The martial art I used was [Brave Eternal Wave]. Abination of [Wave Sword Technique ], [Water Sword Technique ], and [Ocean Sword Technique ]. Itbined only the strengths of the three sword techniques, with the overarching force being the ¡®power of the dragon¡¯. So in battle, my offense and defense were nearly perfectly harmonized. Forcefully when I needed to attack swiftly. Lightly when I needed to deflect fluidly. I moved with these gracefully while receiving Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s magic sword. And inwardly, I continually sought a way to win. ¡®The ultimate skill won¡¯t work¡­¡¯ [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], [True Flowing Sword], [Distortion Shadow]¡­ I had already used most of my main attack skills when saving Kim Chae-eun. All I had left were [Knife Rain], [Reverse Gravity], and the not yet officially registered [Falling Blossom Aesthetics]. None were suitable against Hwang Seong-yeon. Or more urately, using an ultimate skill against him wasn¡¯t a good choice. ¡®I need to find a fundamental solution.¡¯ During thest subjugation operation, he took my strongest attack skill [Distortion Shadow] head-on and was unfazed. He healed the struck area like ¡®ultra-regeneration¡¯, then actually pressured me. That meant my ultimate skills couldn¡¯t deal much damage to him. So I needed to find a more fundamental solution. ¡°¡­Hm?¡± Ssshhhing-! And the fundamental solution I thought of. It was divine power. ¡°Haaah¡­!!¡± I poured all the divine power in my body into [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. My current divine stat is 66. Farckingpared to A-grade or higher divine-type Holders, but not low for a directbat-type to possess. Added to that were the amplifying skills [Berserk] and [Dragon Transformation]. The stat became 114. Furtherbined with the high innate divine attunement of [Penitent¡¯s Sword] and the enhancing [Silver Moonshadow] rune. The abilities I had were already optimized for divine support. I was almost like a specialbat-type ¡®divine knight¡¯. ¡®Divine sh!¡¯ I used the innate skill [Divine sh] of my weapon. A skill that gathers mana imbued with divine power into a smiting strike. Just before the brief exchange of blows, I had already infused my sword with magic power, so all I had to do was convert that magic power into divine power to prepare my skill. Pop- Paaaat- Kuu, Kwaaang¨C!! A vast amount of divine power pours down like a torrential rain. Divine power alone can deal damage to the target, but if the target is of the cursed kind like an undead, then the effect is amplified twofold. Hwang Seong-yeon, who wields magic swords and magic¡­ For him, [Divine sh] is one of the strongest attacks I can unleash. ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange.¡¯ Without a moment¡¯s rest, I immediately switched weapons. Although Hwang Seong-yeon was properly struck by the unexpected divine power strike, I can¡¯t let my guard down with just this. There¡¯s no way a hit like this would make him fall, so to leave no room for a counterattack, I had to continue attacking relentlessly. ¡°Hide and throw.¡± Ssaa-aaah¨C!! Pop- Pabaht- Pabahbaht¨C!! The 21 des I was holding soar into the sky¡­ And soon after, theye raining down at a fierce speed from above. It¡¯s the manifestation of the ultimate skill [Knife Rain] of the [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives]. Although I had just expended a vast amount of magic power and divine power using [Divine sh], [Knife Rain] is a pure physical attack skill, so no separate preparation was needed. ¡®At least I can tie him up.¡¯ At first I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able tond any hits so I ruled it out, but now the situation has changed again. If I could just tie him up even a little bit. I had to utilize whatever skills I had at my disposal. Even if I kept pressing the attack like this, there was always the possibility of a counterattack from Hwang Seong-yeon. To shake off that unease, I immediately prepared my third attack. ¡®The finish¡­!!¡¯ Just as I was about to switch back to my sword and deliver the final blow, that slight unease became reality. ¡°Drink the blood.¡± The rapidly progressing battle was all for naught. Hwang Seong-yeon managed to endure all my attacks and used his ultimate skill. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Gritting my teeth, I watched the scene unfold before my eyes. Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s battered body began to heal. All the scratches and huge gashes instantly closed up, and his arm that was about to be severed naturally regenerated and reattached itself. Especially the blood that had spilled from his body and surroundings¡­ Therge amount of blood that had stained everything a bright red¡­ Began to be absorbed into his ¡®magic sword¡¯. A dissonance of dark energy and bloody magic power. The incantation was recited, and the phenomenon urred in less than a second. Grasping the magic sword that had sorted out the whole situation, Hwang Seong-yeon slowly approached me, head raised. ¡°Do Jae-hyun. More than just interesting, you¡¯re an amazing guy.¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± ¡°It means I acknowledge you far more than before. For you to have grown enough to corner me like that in such a short time¡­ I can hardly believe it even seeing it myself.¡± Shit. Is this guy really suffering from brain damage? Though all sorts of curses were running through my mind¡­ It was fortunate for me that I could buy some time. In any case, I had used up almost everything I could use, and the one nearing death was me, not Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡°My main rune, the Hero yer, is a peculiar rune.¡± And then, out of nowhere, He started talking about his rune. Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s main rune, [Hero yer], which had never been revealed in the Holder World before. ¡°The rune¡¯s ability itself is designed to synergize with a specific item, and my ultimate skill Blood Master also has the power to assist that item.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon slowly raised his magic sword toward me. ¡°In other words, the super-regeneration you just saw happen to me wasn¡¯t my own ability, but an inherent ability of this magic sword Dine Slipher. When we fought before, I recovered right away, but today I would have been in danger if I hadn¡¯t used my ultimate skill. Who would have thought you¡¯d have the power of a divine knight too.¡± Though his rambling on about his own power seemed idiotic, this was still high-level information. Some of the special effects of [Dine Slipher]. Damage absorption and super-regeneration. His ultimate skill enhances all the powers of the magic sword, including his own. It was valuable information that could help in taking him down. ¡­If I could take him down, that is. ¡°So ¨C we¡¯re back to square one. Let¡¯s fight again, Do Jae-hyun.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon slightly raises the corner of his mouth toward me. And he approaches me while raising his magic sword. ¡®Shit¡­¡¯ I gripped my sword tightly, swallowing a curse. I had already expended too much stamina and magic power. I could somehow fight again, but¡­ It was nearly impossible for me to corner Hwang Seong-yeon like before. It was a do-or-die moment. Everything I had built up until now would be for naught if this continued. And then¡­ at that moment. ¡°Do Jae-hyun! I¡¯m ready¨C!!¡± I heard the wee voice I had been waiting for. It was Enrichten¡¯s voice, with whom I had discussed the n. Before rk¡¯s sudden attack began, We had nned a second operation, ¡®guarding the barracks¡¯. The contents of the operation were surprisingly simple. It was to unleash arge amount of water-attribute magic in this area below the hill, where water could easily collect. Sshwa, Sshwaaaa¨C!! Kwa, Kwagaga¨C.. An enormous amount of water magic unleashed by both our water mages and Baraten¡¯s mage corps began to spread over the battlefield. -Wha, what is this! -Damn. Arge-scale water magic! Everyone evade for now! -Those crazy Baraten bastards! They¡¯re getting caught up in their own magic too¡­!! In an instant, enough water to cover the entire battlefield poured forth, and confused voices from rk¡¯s forces erupted here and there. I wanted to lend my power with [New Wave] as well, but¡­ In the current situation facing off against Hwang Seong-yeon, using skills was difficult. Instead. ¡®Call of the Contract.¡¯ I used a much more efficient skill. The magic power bursting from my fingertips. The massive form that makes the ground beneath my feet float. A giant beastrge enough to cover this area transformed into a river. -I am before the sworn ally of the great being. The wyvern, Aspidochelon. My contracted beast, most needed for this situation. The start of the second battle, fighting alongside him.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Hot Victory Report (1) The temporary barracks of the Baraten camp, turned into a battlefield. In an area between the center and the side. Like any other area, the wolves of Baraten and rk were fiercely fighting, and the humans of were also doing their best to lend their strength. The overall flow itself was good. The Baraten lycan forces, armed with ¡®werewolf-exclusive defensive gear¡¯, and the experienced humans thoroughly established defensive lines and held back the enemies. The tanking at the front was solid. The dealing at the back was definite. The coborativebat between humans and lycans. The experience was gradually umting, and they were feeling in sync with each other. And among them, the one performing the most was, of course, the human. -The master of swift des has brought down an awakened enemy warrior¡­!! -Waaaah-!! -The silent female warrior endures! Everyone endure together!! Park Jin-woo and Cami. They had recently taken on crucial roles within the strike force, and they also shone in counterattacking the sudden assault. While leading the allies, Park Jin-woo was at the forefront of the attack, while Cami, based on herrge shield, was at the center of the defense. They respectively took charge of the core of attack and defense, leading their allies. Especially the lycans particrly liked giving nicknames to warriors, so even in this wartime situation, they were given unique nicknames. Master of swift des and silent female warrior. Childish but definitely revealing their feats, these names. With just the two of them¡­ The battle in this area seemed like it would soon end in victory. ¡®Not good.¡¯ However, Park Jin-woo, the protagonist amidst the cheers¡­ Had to sense that the situation was deteriorating in real-time. For starters, they were holding up well, but the battle had erupted so suddenly that their stamina and magic were being drained far too quickly. Moreover, it was a battle fought after waking up in the early morning, so their condition was not optimal, and for that reason, stress was building up internally¡­ There were many psychological factors working against them in battle. Unless something to drastically overturn the current state appeared, the allied formation was highly likely to copse soon. ¡®Damn¡­ I hadn¡¯t even thought about stuff like this.¡¯ In fact, until now, Park Jin-woo had failed to notice these aspects. He had been fighting mindlessly at the front, and having never taken on a leadership role, he had no need to know such things. However, as he became the vice-captain of the and a central figure in the Baraten-Strike Force alliance¡­ He finally realized. Even if in a small position, anyone taking on the role of leader of a group had to fully shoulder the burden of their subordinate allies. That was the responsibility of a leader. ¡°Kyaaaah¡­!!¡± ¡°Cami!!¡± And at that moment. The deteriorating situation on the battlefield finally reached its worst point. From the rk camp, who had until now only aimed for close-rangebat in their ¡®awakened wolf form¡¯, magic suddenly came flying out of nowhere. Rippling ck magic and giant thorns. That ominous and dangerous magic struck¡­ Cami¡¯s body, standing at the very front. ¡°What bastards¡­!! Cami! Are you okay?¡± Park Jin-woo hurriedly ran over and held her. Her swaying body was caught in his arms, and copious blood oozed from her wound. The ¡®Darkness Thorn¡¯, whose origin was unknown. It had pierced through Cami¡¯srge shield and lunged into her chest, piercing her skin. ¡°Kkulleok- Jin-woo, over there¡­¡± With a trembling hand, Cami pointed to a distant ce. Following her gaze, Park Jin-woo shifted his eyes. There¡­ Amidst the wildly rampaging wolves on the battlefield. ¡®Humans¡¯ were walking towards them. ¡®¡­Humans?¡¯ Although he perceived the situation, for a moment, Park Jin-woo doubted his own eyes. A man wearing an inverted robe and a blond man. Looking like foreigners, they were undoubtedly human. Entry into the dungeon could only be done through ¡®special items¡¯, so they couldn¡¯t be Holders from other countries. In other words, they were humans inside the dungeon. ¡®¡­How?¡¯ Until now, humans had never appeared in the dungeon. The werewolves in the current dungeon, or the dragons in the had taken human form through [Polymorph] before¡­ But there had never been an entity with aplete human appearance. An unprecedented situation. And these ¡®humans from another world¡¯. ¡°Aquilen. You¡¯re still immature.¡± ¡°My apologies. That woman¡¯s runes and stats seem concentrated on defense.¡± ¡°Enough with the excuses. I¡¯ll step in.¡± However, there was no time to ponder this. They were clearly enemies. They had fatally wounded Cami and were about to unleash more magic on their allies. ¡®I have to stop them.¡¯ Regardless of how the situation was unfolding, at the very least, he had to block their magic. Park Jin-woo gripped his worn-out sword tightly. And activating the runes he had been resting, he prepared the ultimate skill he had been reserving. His target was the man in the inverted robe. The elimination of the enemy¡¯s core dealer. ¡°Chase¡­¡± But the man in the robe casually flicked his finger, dismissing Park Jin-woo¡¯s words. ¡°Ah, that works too. I¡¯ve already figured it out.¡± Kwah, kwaaang¨C!! ¡°Kuaaaak¡­!!¡± ¡°Jin-woo!!¡± A massive explosion erupted where Park Jin-woo was, and he rolled on the ground, covered in blood. This time, Cami came over and held him. Naturally, the ultimate skill he had been about to cast was also canceled. Against the perfectly timed magic, as if from a memorized pattern, he was helplessly struck. ¡®Shi¡­t.¡¯ Kkulleok- Hit with an overwhelmingly powerful strike, he coughed up blood. The amount of high magic and powerful runes they possessed, they had instantly pierced through all of Park Jin-woo¡¯s defensive runes and endurance stats, inflicting fatal damage. The attack the other mage had unleashed on Cami was also powerful, but the magic used by the robed man was on a different dimensional level. ¡°Aquilen.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Support me. I¡¯ll sweep away the rest, including those two.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± A deration as heavy as a death sentence was handed down. This much damage was done with just the magic that had been prepared for casting, but if he unleashed area magic by pouring out his full magical power¡­ He could not even fathom the extent of the damage that would ur. ¡®No¡­ I have to stop it.¡¯ Park Jin-woo tried to stand up, mustering every ounce of strength he had. He had to stop it. If he remained still like this, it would be the end for everyone. ¡®¡­I have to protect them.¡¯ He wanted to protect them. Cami in front of his eyes and Park Jin-woo himself. The countless members of the attack squad under hismand. The Lycans and Virgens he had fought alongside until now¡­. He wanted to protect all those who had stood back-to-back with him asrades-in-arms. ¡®The path¡­ The path to protect.¡¯ Until now, he had been fighting without a purpose. He simply enjoyed fighting, and he enjoyed the process of preparing for those fights. However, in this do-or-die moment when he could lose all hisrades¡­ It was only then that he finally realized. The path he had been wandering and searching for was¡­ The path to protect them all. At that moment, a bold word was engraved on the nk space where his purpose should have been. [A purpose has arisen on the path of the wandering cultivator! The inherent cultivator¡¯s ability within you has finally regained its true power. The path you were seeking is to consistently protect all those around you from external pressures, keeping them unwavering. You are the ¡®Cultivator of Bnce¡¯.] [You have gained the new rune ¡®Cultivator of Bnce¡¯!] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain 5 points in all basic abilities.] [Regaining theplete power of the cultivator, the epic rune ¡®de That Cannot Be Chased¡¯ evolves into the legendary rune ¡®de That Treads on Shadows¡¯.] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain 3 points in strength and magic, and 7 points in speed.] ¡­ ¡­ [You have gained the new rune ¡®Magic Control¡¯.] [You have gained the new rune ¡®Eye of Attunement¡¯.] ¡­ ¡­ And then. As Park Jin-woo soon opened his eyes. He recited the words for the ultimate skill he couldn¡¯t finish earlier. ¡°Banish the darkness.¡± With his increased power and changed attack. At the ces where Dave and Aquillen of the Ludenack School had joined the battle¡­ The counterattack was beginning. *** Ippotrantion *** As is a contractor with limitations on summoning. It can only be summon in ces with water, and since the abilities and level it possesses are extremely high, the magic consumed for the summoning itself is also considerable. A contractor who takes on risks just by summoning. Nevertheless, the return on that investment was certain. [Contractor ¡®As¡¯ uses the ¡®New Wave¡¯ skill. The vast waves of the ocean sweep over the battlefield.] [Contractor ¡®As¡¯ uses the ¡®Waterfall Shackles¡¯ skill. A total of 20 designated targets are bound by rigid streams of water.] While As is a dragon specialized in transport, in battle it is also an unparalleled mage second to none. Its main rune [Swirling Tidal Wave] is level 16, its spell rune [Draconian Spell] is level 17, and even its basic magic-rted rune [Magic Control] is level 20. Its rune settings and mastery specialized in water-attribute magic. In the current situation of a massive battle¡­ Its destructive power was indescribable. Shhhaaaa¨C!! Kuu, kwagagaga¨C!! -Damn! Lycans, use the Virgens as shields to evade the water!! -What kind of monster is that¡­!! -Uaaahh!! Save me¨C!! Raging waves and sharp streams of water poured forth, turning the battlefield into pandemonium in an instant. The Lycans of the rk forces tried to climb onto terrain features to evade the water magic, but¡­. ¡®If that was possible, I wouldn¡¯t have summoned As.¡¯ The magic of an S-grade monster cannot be evaded by speed alone. With the exception of the awakened warriors who were also S-grade monsters, almost all the wolves were caught in the water magic. Hwang Seong-yeon, who seemed to be approaching me earlier, also appeared to be submerged in water. But he was still looking at me with an intriguing expression. Shameless bastard. Atop As¡¯s back, I swiftly issued orders. ¡®As. Can you use more water magic?¡¯ -I need time before the next spell. But like earlier, I can simultaneously double cast two spells. ¡®Okay. Then move to a stable position and prepare your magic.¡¯ -As youmand, oath bearer. As soon as I gave the order, I leapt off As¡¯s back. And immediately utilized [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven]. Using the charge-type rune, I dashed forward in mid-air. My destination was the Lycans caught in As¡¯s [Waterfall Shackles] skill. Although it was a status effect-type skill and did not deal major damage, the fact that 20 Lycans were bound by a single skill held a different meaning for me. ¡®Chain Lightning!¡¯ The skill I used before to simultaneously ughter 15 Virgens. [Prating Brain Strike]¡¯s [Chain Lightning]. They were just standing there, ripe for this attack. Patsu- patsutsutsu¨C!! Kwa, kwareurr¨C!! Intense lightning bolts erupted, and the howls of the enemy Lycans could be heard. It was a direct hit. Of course, I ended up submerged in water at the same time, but with [Elemental Master] and [Underwater Breathing], water was just another home field for me. ¡®I need to keep whittling them down like this.¡¯ I turned my head to survey my surroundings. The still unabated battlefield and the wolves trapped in the water. ¡­And Hwang Seong-yeon. Even if only to capture Hwang Seong-yeon, I had to eliminate these enemies one by one. ¡®Until our forces outnumber theirs!¡¯ The most difficult part about facing Hwang Seong-yeon before was¡­ That I had to confront him alone. Among the S-grade Holders, he possessed top-tier skills and a magesword. Facing such an opponent alone was nearly impossible. Especially now, having already used [Divine sh] and with [Bursting Wide] running out. ¡®Then I just won¡¯t face him.¡¯ The solution was simple. If the fangs don¡¯t work, use the gums. If the sword doesn¡¯t work, use fists. If quality iscking, win with quantity. Until all the water on this battlefield dries up¡­ My goal was theplete elimination of all enemy forces except Hwang Seong-yeon.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 257 Hot Victory Report (2) The battle continued unabated. Water-attribute magic cast by S-grade monsters and high-ranking mages. The enormous amount of water managed to temporarily bind the enemies, but¡­ The rk forces were not just taking it either. There were far more lycans than our troops, all of them top-tier A-grade monsters, and the awakened lycan warriors were S-grade monsters like As. They were not so weak as to be annihted by a single enemy spell. Utilizing their superior physical conditions, they moved their bodies along various terrain features, jumping or concentrating mana in their feet to stay aloft when they had to touch water.Thanks to this, amidst the chaos of the battlefield¡­ An untimely underwater battle was unfolding for the wolves. -Tear apart Baraten¡¯s dogs! Kill them all!! -The 9th squad focuses on the humans using magic! -Kill that damned monster first! The human using all sorts of weapons and magic! -Lord Denskr, that human is faster than us! -Then move faster somehow, I¡¯m telling you¡­!! Ssh- Ssh- Fighting broke out with water sshing everywhere. The rk wolves howled orders, and Baraten¡¯s side also regained their center amidst the chaos and fought back. Fortunately among the misfortunes, our overallmander Enrichten was in this frontal area¡­ So Baraten¡¯s wolves also charged at the enemies without fear. [The rk lycan ¡®Shuperkr¡¯s Purple Force Howling¡¯ resounds! Those within range who hear the howling have their vision obscured. They fall into the ¡®Blind¡¯ status condition for a set time.] [The rk¡¯s lycan ¡®Denskr¡¯s Orange Buff Howling¡¯ resounds! Those within range who hear the howling have their magic significantly decreased.] ¡­ ¡­ [The Baraten lycan ¡®Enrichten¡¯s Red Force Howling¡¯ resounds! Those within range who hear the howling have their endurance severely decreased. Tol Baraten¡¯s cry renders the enemy¡¯s defenses meaningless.] ¡­ ¡­ The fierce battle continued, with all sorts of skills running rampant. Particrly the ¡®Colored Howlings¡¯ of the S-grade lycans. Each with a different ability, these skills would sometimes buff allies and sometimes debuff enemies. Since there were quite a few awakened warriors stationed in this frontal area, howlings also resounded here and there ordingly. It was an all-out war expending everything. A fight of wolves who had lost any ce to retreat. ¡®Still¡­.¡¯ Even amidst that fierce melee, however. It was our allies who had the advantageous high ground. ¡°upy the barracks tents and poles!¡± ¡°The lycan mage squad uses magic as much as possible to support our allies!¡± ¡°Lord Tol takes the vanguard!! Everyone fight¡­!!¡± That was because we had created the current battlefield conditions. Since we had operated from our barracks, it was easy to discern which direction would be advantageous to move, and for me and As, fighting in the water was no problem at all thanks to the runes. And if weunched attacks coordinated with the water like the earlier [Chain Lightning], the enemies would take a huge blow. I don¡¯t know when this water will drain away¡­ But at least until it¡¯s all gone, the advantage was ours. [Contractor As uses the ¡®Water Vortex¡¯ skill. A massive whirlpool of water swallows everything.] [Contractor As uses the ¡®Aqua Spear¡¯ skill. Intense water spears shoot towards 5 designated targets.] Moreover, once again. As¡¯s water magic that had crushed the enemies descended. Due to the cooldown, they were different skills from before, but their power was still notcking. The rk forces, who had barely prepared a counterattack, were once again swept up by the magic and suffered damage. -Kugh, aargh¡­!! -Daamn iiit!! -Someone catch that damn turtle! What¡¯s the 4th squad doing!! -Physical attacks aren¡¯t working at all! The shell is too hard! ¡®Obviously. It¡¯s a turtle.¡¯ No matter how the rk bastards enraged by the water magic tried to counterattack As, it was no use. The level 20 [Dragon Turtle Shell]. With damage adjustments, its endurance was 119. Perfectly reinforced on the defensive side, As¡¯s shell¡­ Was not something that could be easily prated. It is an outstanding mage as well as a sturdy tank. And a safe transporter too. Stab- Stab¨C!! I too did not stay still amidst As¡¯s feats. In conjunction with the water magic it threw out, I stabbed the enemies with a sword imbued with lightning. Likewise due to cooldowns, I couldn¡¯t use [Chain Lightning], but coordinating with As¡¯s water magic, simply causing lightning was an effectivebo. On one side was water magic, on the other side was a lightning attack. With the relentless onught of magic attacks, the enemy¡¯s atmosphere was chaos itself. ¡®I have enough magic.¡¯ It felt like almost a handful of magic was being drained away, but it was okay. Thanks to the [Magic Sharing] rune. This rune allows two contractors to share each other¡¯s magic, and depending on the rune level, it can also reduce the consumption, making it an efficient rune. Thanks to this, I could freely borrow the vast amount of magic that As possessed. I had consumed a considerable amount of magic before and after summoning As, but I was resupplied with an amount that exceeded and replenished all of that. Thinking only ofbat, I surveyed the battlefield without worry. With [Prating Brain Strike], I relentlessly struck lightning and defeated the wolves, and moving freely like the flow of water, I pierced the enemies. ¡­However. Sssss- Tsuut- Kaaang¨C!! The enemies did not just stand idly by either. From the heart of thest wolf I had pierced. A strange sword sprang out and attacked me. ¡°What¡­?!¡± Even though I hadn¡¯t let my guard down, I cried out in surprise. Like a lie. Because behind that wolf, Hwang Seong-yeon appeared. And the ominous energy and darkness emanating from that scar contained within the sword. It was the demonic sword [Dine Slipher] that I had be ustomed to. ¡®Ah, that pay-to-win bastard.¡¯ Gripping my sword while gritting my teeth inwardly. An ability or skill that defiesmon sense. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but it seemed to be another damn ability of the demonic sword. ¡°You¡¯re too fast for me to catch up, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°But it was an instant for something like that?¡± ¡°Now stop fighting just the two of us. I¡¯m not interested in this childish y.¡± Pushheeee- Hwang Seong-yeon roughly pulled out his sword, knocking away the bloodied wolf. And then pointed his sword at me again. Like before, he wanted to cross swords and fight with me again. At that sight¡­ I, too, let out a slight sigh and gripped my sword. No matter how freely I could move in the water, once Hwang Seong-yeon regained his senses and rose up onto the water¡¯s surface, it became difficult for me to flee any further. It was a situation where I had to settle things. And then, taking a deep breath¡­ I shouted in a loud voice. ¡°Enrichten!!¡± What do I mean, fight just the two of us? With the mindset of ¡®screw this¡¯, I turned my back and ran away. To catch this guy, you need the ultimate [Divine sh] imbued with extreme divine power and magic. Or an attack skill of the divine attribute on par with that. Until then, one-on-one or whatever, sheer numbers were the best. -The 11th battalion will aid the human leader Do Jae-hyun! Rush at the human fighting Do Jae-hyun, risking your lives!! -Yes!! -Understood, Toll! At my request for support, Enrichten actively sent the Lycans. No matter how strong Hwang Seong-yeon is, he was ultimately just one Holder. To face the onught of A-grade and S-grade demons, he had to, at the very least, devote time and effort to the battle. It was nearly impossible for him to ignore them all and charge straight at me. I nimbly shook off Hwang Seong-yeon and ran back towards the enemy forces,municating with As. ¡®As. Can you use the next spell?¡¯ -It¡¯s too much. I¡¯ve consumed too much magic from the consecutive double castings. Also, the water on the battlefield is dwindling. As he said, the water on the battlefield was disappearing. At first, there was such an immense amount that it could almost be believed to be a sea, but there was a limit to maintaining a singleyer of water pushed onto t ground. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the water disappeared and the ground was exposed. Then As¡¯s summon would naturally be released. I made my judgment quickly and gave another order. ¡®Then As, in the remaining time, can you rush as far as possible into the center of the enemy forces?¡¯ -Into the center, you say? ¡®Yes, as far as possible into where the enemy is most concentrated.¡¯ -Possible. However, 20 seconds. 20 seconds will be the maximum. ¡®That¡¯s enough.¡¯ Not 20 seconds for any other demon, but 20 seconds for As. [Underwater Sprint], [Underwater Breathing], [Transportation Expert]. With all 3 of these Max-level runes¡­ 20 seconds was even too much time for As. ¡°Huuh¡­!!¡± Mounting As¡¯s massive carapace, As began its charge. Shaaaaaah¨C!! The tremendous speed and resulting friction. Within that, I began concentrating magic into my mouth, utilizing [Florian¡¯s Spell]. This is the final stage. Once the water on the battlefield runs out and As¡¯s summon is released, most of our advantages will be gone. I had to tilt the victory in our favor before that happened. And so. At the moment when As¡¯s relentless charge came to an end. -We¡¯ve arrived. And this is where I leave you! May the blessing of the great being be with you, oath bearer¡­!! As¡¯s urgent voice rang out¡­ And finally, as the water on the ground disappearedpletely, the summon was released. And. I, too, opened my eyes as Ipleted my preparations. The magic gathered in my mouth spread out like an explosion. ¡®Dragon Breath.¡¯ To put an end to the long-fought battle¡­ I unleashed my final attack on the enemies. The property imbued in this breath was specifically ¡®lightning¡¯. For the wolves of rk, still drenched in water¡­ It was an exhrating breath that would give the utmost satisfaction. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Hot Victory Report (3) ¡°You motherfucker¡­!!¡± A hoarse shout erupted. The owner of the voice was the man in the robe. It was Dave, the sub-branch leader of the Ludenack faction. He tightly grasped the tattered end of his robe and struck his own thigh repeatedly. Since they were fleeing to a barren wastnd with nothing around, unfortunately he had nowhere to vent his anger except his own body. ¡°What the hell is that damn bastard?!¡±Dave¡¯s rage exploded again. The Holder who had blocked their path when they were in a hurry to get away. No, he did more than just block them ¨C he had pushed them to the edge of a cliff. Park Jin-woo. Because of his exploits after newly awakening the power of a ¡®Seeker¡¯, Dave and his subordinate Aquillen had to flee from the area without inflicting any significant damage on the enemy. ¡°Please calm down, Mr. Dave.¡± ¡°How can I calm down? Our Ludenark had to turn tail and run away because of a mere human!¡± ¡°¡­The situation was unavoidable.¡± Aquillen tried to persuade Dave as calmly as possible. In fact, he was right. No matter how much Park Jin-woo had awakened, he was still ultimately weaker than Dave, so originally there was no risk to their lives that would make them have to flee. However, from the point he seeded in defending once¡­ The tide turned in favor of the Baraten camp. The human heroes blocked the vanguard, and the emboldened wolvesunched a counterattack. The rk camp¡¯s wolves fell one by one to their relentless assault, and the Baraten camp seeded in gaining a numerical advantage. The favorable situation had turned unfavorable in an instant. Even though Dave and Aquillen were powerful mages, they were still just mages after all. Without troops to hold the front line, they could be endangered at any moment. ¡°Damn it. We tried to capture Do Jae-hyun, but ended up being held back by some human¡­¡± Their original target had been Do Jae-hyun. The n was to lightly step over the area Park Jin-woo was guarding, reach Do Jae-hyun¡¯s front area, andunch additional attacks. Since Hwang Seong-yeon had already left for the front area to fight him, they thought they could nk and pressure Do Jae-hyun by breaking through the side area. But then they ended up having to flee due to an unexpected human blocking them¡­ For Dave, it was an unbelievably ridiculous reality that was hard to believe. ¡°It seems we were too focused on Do Jae-hyun and overlooked his attack squad. Not only in the area we were in, but reports of defeats areing in from various other areas as well.¡± Aquillen spoke with his head bowed. Do Jae-hyun and the werepletely leading this battle. In one area, a destructive mage-type Holder praised as the ¡®Goddess of Fire¡¯ was active, and in another area, rumors swirled of a woman riding a wolf and shooting arrows. And in the area they directly experienced with Park Jin-woo, as well as the originally intended area of Do Jae-hyun. His attack force was present in every ce the ambush took ce. There was no ce they were not around. Perhaps the mistake in this infiltration operation was¡­ That they had underestimated the people around the target too much. ¡°¡­Is there still no contact from Ang?¡± As Dave gritted his teeth and asked, Aquillen took out a crystal ball. It was an item that would light up when a signal came from the distant her. ¡°Not a single time since the ambush began. It¡¯s certain she¡¯s been exposed.¡± ¡°To think they actually found the spy we so carefully prepared. They¡¯re not just good at fighting.¡± Even Ang the spy had been uncovered. This was a considerable blow. She was a spy they had painstakingly trained, even enrolling her in the American Academy, and she had also shown outstanding ability in manufacturing within Ludenark, so the regret was even greater. Do Jae-hyun, Do Jae-hyun, Do Jae-hyun. That damned name kept clinging to their heels wherever they went. During , he was merely an annoyance, but now he was truly rising as an enemy of Ludenark. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to becent? Do Jae-hyun is not an opponent to be taken lightly like that.¡± Then, a low voice chiding him came from the side. Dark blue hair covering the face. A crimson sword gripped in the hand. It was Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡°But aren¡¯t you in the same boat, Mr Hwang Seong-yeon?¡± A sneering sound apanied Dave¡¯s retort. He had rushed alone to the front area only to end up fleeing as well. Hwang Seong-yeon had also failed to anticipate Do Jae-hyun¡¯s ¡®battle avoidance strategy¡¯. In an instant, the battle situation had changed to a one-versus-many, and Hwang Seong-yeon could only leave the battlefield as well. Normally, Dave would have mocked his flippant tone, but he had no such leisure now. Hwang Seong-yeon folded his arms expressionlessly and said, ¡°So we¡¯re in the same boat. Then, do you have a next n?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that, Dave silently looked at Aquillen. Quickly understanding what his boss wanted, Aquillen took out a small jewel from his magic bag. A shy crystal that sparkled with a green light. This item was essentially the biggest reason they hade to this dungeon. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any damage to it.¡± ¡°Of course. It was an item prepared originally to extract those inferior wolves, but we couldn¡¯t even draw out a single one.¡± Dave received the crystal and put it in his robe. Then, he ced his hand on the ground and concentrated his magic. The n when entering the dungeon was simple. Aid the rk camp and wipe out the and Baraten camp. Then, turn the victorious rk wolves into ¡®defectors¡¯ and extract them out of the dungeon. That was the entire n, which ultimately failed. If it had seeded, it would have caused great chaos and raids in the present world, but since the n failed, all that was left was to leave the dungeon and pursue an alternative. Although to get out of the dungeon, you have to either find the entrance through which you came in or conquer the dungeon¡­ Dave didn¡¯t need to do that. He was already an ¡®escapee¡¯ who had escaped the dungeon once before. ¡°Aquilen, as soon as we get out, we¡¯ll execute the n. We¡¯ll use the spare crystals to expedite the defection of the guild master.¡± ¡°Yes, Dave!¡± Aquilen, who assisted with the defection magic, answered with a resounding voice. Watching this scene silently, Hwang Seong-yeon muttered while gripping a blood-stained magic sword in his hand. ¡°But it seems they still have a n.¡± Despite the apparent failure of the dungeon infiltration and the defection of the wolves, It seemed that the Ludenark Guild still had a contingency n. *** Ippotrantions * * * ¡°Raise your sses¡­!!¡± ¡°Victory! A great victory!!¡± ¡°For Baraten! For Tol!¡± ¡°For our humanrades!!¡± Cheers erupted from the excited wolves, and reports of victory rang out here and there. A great victory. The battle ended in an unprecedented great victory in Baraten¡¯s history. Considering the surprise attack at dawn and the overwhelming numerical difference, as well as other unfavorable circumstances¡­ It was a victory that could be called a miracle. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, are you okay?¡± Amidst the pouring congrattions, Enrichten came up to me and asked. After I had almost finished the battle with [Dragon Breath], I had expended all my magic and stamina, and was lying exhausted on the ground. Having no strength left to get up, I answered him while lying down. ¡°I can¡¯t get up. But I¡¯m okay physically.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, stay like that. You deserve to.¡± ¡°Enrichten, by the way, what happened to Hwang Seong-yeon? The human who was fighting me earlier.¡± When I asked the question that first came to mind¡­ Enrichten¡¯s expression darkened slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. He seemed to be a very important enemy to you, but I let him get away. With his peculiar abilities and great power, it wasn¡¯t easy to forcibly capture him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I, too, swallowed my regret at that answer. Hwang Seong-yeon was a man with the abilities and rune settings of an S-grade Holder, as well as the top-tier rune, the magic sword [Dine Slipher]. Since I, his only rival, had fallen in battle, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy to keep him detained. So I had somewhat expected it, but I still felt a tinge of disappointment that he had indeed slipped away. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t mark him; we did our best but couldn¡¯t capture him. Then what about the rk forces?¡± Hwang Seong-yeon and the Ludenark Guild. A major issue that humans and Holders must resolve going forward, but for now, the important thing is the victory in this war. This time, Enrichten¡¯s expression brightened considerably. ¡°It¡¯s aplete great victory. Eleven of the rk bastards¡¯ units have been annihted, and twelve of their Awakened Warriors have died. Although the Tol rk ke and some units managed to survive and flee to their camp , they¡¯ve had their supply lines cut off. If we advance like this, the war will be a victory for our Baraten.¡± A victory close to a miracle. Of course, there were many casualties on the Baraten side as well, and even our suffered losses¡­ But in the end, the important thing is that we ultimately prevailed. I look up at the sky. The full moon that had filled the dawn was gone¡­ And the sun was already rising in the sky. Seeing this, I smiled and said, ¡°Good work, Enrichten.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for me to hear, it seems.¡± ¡°Haha. You still went along with my rather forceful n, didn¡¯t you? It would have been impossible without you, Enrichten.¡± I had gained the trust of the Lycan warriors not only because of my abilities but also because Enrichten had believed in me and pushed me forward. If it weren¡¯t for him, this dungeon raid would have been considerably more difficult. In response to my expression of gratitude, Enrichten smiled wryly. ¡°You talk too much. Get some rest. I¡¯ll see youter.¡± As befitting a rough-and-tumble wolf warrior. As expected, there was no human-like courtesy. But that in response only made the victory feel more real to me. We won. Damn, we really won. Still rolling on the dirt-covered ground¡­ I fully savored that victory. And-. [Breath of Fantasy! With the deep trust built between you and your contractor, you will now shine brighter when both participate in the same battle. The level of understanding of the promise made through the Dragon¡¯s Words has increased dramatically.] [¡®Promise Bound by the Dragon¡¯ Rune leveled up¡­] [Due to the nature of the rune, you gain 10 Leadership.] [The shackles binding your contractors have finally been undone. You are now the true master of the two contractors, having met all qualifications. (*You still cannot summon both contractors simultaneously due to insufficient Leadership stat).] [Restrictions on the ¡®Magic Domination¡¯ and ¡®Dragon¡¯s Promise¡¯ Runes of your contractor ¡®Tyrbon (True Dragon)¡¯ have been lifted.] [Restrictions on the ¡®Magic Domination¡¯ and ¡®Horn of Bravery¡¯ Runes of your contractor ¡®As (Aspidochelon)¡¯ have been lifted.] [You have won the duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, your victory is recognized. Through the mysterious power of a Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent¡¯s Runes. Please select the Rune to duplicate.] [This is a duplicate Rune!¡­ You can only duplicate the derived skill of this Rune.] [The derived skill ¡®Orange Buff Howling¡¯ has been newly added.] [You have won the duel!¡­] [You have won the duel!¡­] ¡­ ¡­ Information windows congratting me on my victory kept popping up one after another. At the sheer volume, I stuck out my tongue. ¡®¡­But the raid isn¡¯t even over yet.¡¯ It was certainly a case of reaping sweet rewards after great toil.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Hot Victory Report (4) ¡òName: Power of the Boiling Werewolf ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 11 ¡­ ¡­ ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C¡ò [Indigo Force Howling] ¡ò [Dark Blue Force Howling] ¡ò [Purple Force Howling] ¡ò [White Force Howling] ¡ò [Violet Force Howling] ¡ò [Green Buff Howling] ¡ò [Orange Buff Howling] ¡ò [Brown Buff Howling] After the battle ended, the [Power of the Boiling Werewolf ] was newly updated. ¡®Whoa, a lot came in.¡¯ Since I killed 12 awakened warriors from the enemy forces in this battle, there must have been 6 in our area. Thanks to that, the list of derived skills, which had only two, now had 6 additional howlings registered. ¡®The indigo and purple are status abnormality types.¡¯ The Force Howlings arergely divided into status abnormalities and ability decreases, and among them, the indigo and purple have the unique debuffs of ¡®Magic Control¡¯ and ¡®Vision Reduction¡¯, respectively. And the ¡®Dark Blue/White/Violet Force Howlings¡¯ decrease ¡®Strength/Divinity/Speed¡¯, respectively, which are ability decreasing howlings. On the contrary, the ¡®Green/Orange/Brown Buff Howlings¡¯ increase ¡®Endurance/Magic/Strength¡¯, respectively, which are ability-boosting howlings. Since each howling possesses different abilities, and the extent of increase and decrease is also considerable, if utilized well¡­ They seemed like skills that couldpletely overturn unfavorable battle situations. And these are, after all, the rewards of [Rune Hunters]. Additionally, there were quite a few elements that grew internally as well. [The restriction on the ¡®Magic Dominance¡¯ rune and ¡®Dragon¡¯s Promise¡¯ rune of the contractor ¡®Tyrbon (True Dragon)¡¯ is lifted.] [The restriction on the ¡®Magic Dominance¡¯ rune and ¡®Horn of Bravery¡¯ rune of the contractor ¡®As (Aspidochelone)¡¯ is lifted.] The most encouraging among them was, of course, the growth of the contractors. As [The Promise Bound by the Dragon] reached level 10, the restrictions on Tyrbon and As were finally lifted. Through [Dragon¡¯s Promise], Tyrbon can now use status abnormality-focused dark magic, and As, with [Magic Dominance], can use a wider range of spells, including the [Polymorph] magic. It was always regrettable that As¡¯s powerful ability could only be used in ces with water, but now he can be summoned anywhere in human form. ¡®Horn of Bravery. This also seems usable.¡¯ In particr, the [Horn of Bravery] rune is a special rune that exercises a degree of restraint over all life forms living in water, which of course includes monsters. In other words, in special dungeons with oceans or rivers¡­ With this rune, I can directly control marine monsters. Of course, the degree of restraint will vary depending on the rune level and the grade of the opponent monster, but it seemed like it could be infinitely useful, depending on the method. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± Just as I was about to get up, someone called out to me and hugged me tightly. It was Kim Chae-eun, who had fought together with me in the same area. She seemed to be full of worry about me¡­ Her eyes were filled with tears. ¡°Are you okay? I thought you were going to die¡­¡± It must have looked that way. Without any support, facing the rk wolves alone, suddenly fighting the S-grade Holder Hwang Seong-yeon one-on-one, then hunting wolves alone as the surroundings became a sea of water, and finally rushing into the enemy camp like a madman¡­ An outsider would have thought I was a moth rushing to die. ¡°Sorry. I guess I was in a hurry because of Hwang Seong-yeon.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s appearance was an unexpected variable. Since he is such a formidably powerful and dangerous existence, I seemed to have stubbornly fought the battle, going to extremes without realizing it. Even I think it was a series of reckless moves. ¡°I wanted to help too¡­¡± ¡°What, you¡¯re talking like you didn¡¯t help at all?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little regretful.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to regret? You were the core DPS this time.¡± I grabbed Kim Chae-eun¡¯s slightly dejected shoulders and said. It¡¯s not just talk. Kim Chae-eun¡¯s main rune, [Frozen Battlefield], specializes in multi-target battles and wide-area magic. She supported the allies with fiery supportive attacks, showcasing various types of ice-attribute magic such as [Frozen Fog], [Field Freezing], and [Icicle Shot]. She¡¯s a magician capable enough to take down high-rank monsters alone¡­ Of course, she was a great help in battle? ¡°Hehe. Then I¡¯m d.¡± Only then did Kim Chae-eun¡¯s expression brighten up. Then, after ncing around¡­ She carefully kissed me. It was an ultra-speed kiss that seemed tost almost 0.5 seconds. ¡®Cute.¡¯ I found her adorable, so I immediately hugged her back. Additionally, I stroked the back of her head and asked, ¡°Are you okay? Did you use a lot of magic?¡± ¡°Hehe. It seems depleted, but it¡¯s okay since the battle ended. Ugh¡­ But I¡¯m out of breath.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and rest quickly.¡± In fact, after fighting such an intense battle and reaching the ¡®Magic Depletion¡¯ state, it¡¯s even difficult to stand properly. She had run with much more exaggerated expressions than usual, so she needed rest. I found a sturdy tent nearby and had Kim Chae-eun lie down. Then, gently kissing her forehead, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll be backter. Get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay. Come back soon.¡± I went outside to finish the remaining tasks. As soon as the battle ended, I had copsed from exhaustion, but it hadn¡¯t been long, so there was still a lot to do. The most important thing was to check on the members of my attack squad, to make sure none of them were injured or if any issues hade up. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Squad Leader! We¡¯re here~¡± The first ones to greet me were Lim Hyun and Seong Na-yeon from Team C. As veteran Holders, they didn¡¯t seem to have any major injuries despite the sudden ambush. While relieved to see my unscathed members, I still had to ask about the wellbeing of the person I was most curious about. They had been in charge of the right side area, which included my girlfriend Moon Ga-eun. ¡°Seniors, by any chance, was Ga-eun¡­¡± And before I could finish that sentence, Seong Na-yeon swiftly turned her head. ¡°See, Lim Hyun? I was right, the Squad Leader only favors Ga-eun.¡± ¡°For real.¡± Agreeing with Seong Na-yeon¡¯s expected jab, Lim Hyun chimed in. It seemed they had exchanged some words after my first question. I scratched my head with an awkward smile. ¡°That¡¯s not it. Ga-eun is originally from Team B, so I was asking about that side.¡± ¡°Yup~ Of course.¡± ¡°¡­Holder Seong Na-yeon didn¡¯t used to have this kind of image.¡± ¡°But this is the real me. And therees Ga-eun.¡± Seong Na-yeon pointed somewhere far away. Following her finger¡­ A woman was charging forward while riding on a wolf. ¡°Jae-hyun~ I¡¯ming~!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Waving at me from afar was Moon Ga-eun. Not only did she seem safe and unharmed, she looked full of energy. ¡­Just what happenedst night? Giving Seong Na-yeon a dumbfounded look, she just shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t know either, but it turns out our n¡¯s mischievous kid has the qualities of a lycanthrope.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s a werewolf?¡± ¡°Not just any werewolf, but Haeten. That chatty one.¡± ¡°How did she contract with a werewolf¡­ Actually, nevermind that, the full moon has passed, so why is she still in wolf form?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s how it is for the lycanthrope Ga-eun contracted with. Something about the Fulrien tribe.¡± It¡¯s an astonishing thing. I had previously tried contracting with a werewolf like Jiten, but failed miserably. The conditions didn¡¯t match, so the contract itself couldn¡¯t be established. Even if conditions were met, intelligent beings like werewolves could refuse contracts. Those born as warriors would never subject themselves to a summoner¡¯s constraints. ¡®¡­But it worked.¡¯ The result was right before my eyes. On top of that, it was a contract with Haeten, who we¡¯re closely acquainted with. I had noticed Ga-eun sticking close to him for a while now, and it seems they ended up contracted. Ga-eun was brightly waving at me from atop the wolf, her cheerful appearance leaving me with a resigned smile. ¡°The Goddess of Fire is here! Everyone make way!!¡± ¡°Warriors of Baraten! Praise the Goddess of Fire!¡± ¡°Uhahaha! Victory, victory!¡± And from somewhere, the rough voices of lycanthropes could be heard. Turning my head, I saw another familiar face there. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The hot aura of mes and a small build. A beautiful appearance that catches the eye anywhere. It was Kang Juyeon. She was walking over, looking flustered amidst the wolves. Upon making eye contact with me, she quickly ran over and said with an urgent look: ¡°¡­Stop them.¡± ¡°Pardon? Stop what?¡± ¡°¡­Stop those wolves from calling me the Goddess of Fire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It seemed Kang Juyeon had leveled up to a goddess. The cheers of the lycanthropes and the noisy atmosphere. Just from this, I could immediately tell how much of a great feat she had aplished in her assigned area. The lycanthropes in Kang Juyeon¡¯s area especially had very few casualties¡­ It seemed she had provided powerful fire support to take out the enemy first, greatly reducing harm to our side. ¡®But still, Goddess of Fire is a bit¡­¡¯ Those damn lycanthrope kids just love giving over-the-top nicknames. Just for this victory alone, I¡¯ve been showered with ridiculous titles like ¡®God of Lightning¡¯, ¡®He Who Confronted the Demon Sword¡¯, ¡®Turtle Master¡¯, and so on. And¡­ ¡°From this day forth, the human Park Jin-woo is my eternal friend!¡± ¡°Wee the serene female warrior! She is the hero of the lycanthropes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a festival, a festival!!¡± This time it was Cami and Park Jin-woo. Those who were in charge of the area between the sides and center¡­ Were being carried on the shoulders of the werewolves as they walked over. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I stood there speechless at their grandiose appearances. In just one night of battle, My friends had be idols among the wolves. ¡­Just what did they do out there?
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Hot Victory Report (5) ¡°Oh, Do Jae-hyun. Could you calm them down a bit?¡± ¡°Why do you keep asking me to calm them down? It¡¯s the nickname they got themselves.¡± ¡°Damn it friend, please.¡± He only calls me a friend when it¡¯s convenient for him. I ignored Park Jin-woo¡¯s earnest plea and walked away. At any rate, after confirming the safety of my two lovers, one friend, and many members of the raid team that I was most concerned about, the anxiety in my heart was somewhat relieved. Fortunately, there seemed to be no casualties within the attack team.¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Ah, Seung-min.¡± Passing by the parade-like line of Lycan, I arrived at one section and there was someone I had been waiting for. Before the dawn raid began. No, from the very beginning when the was created, there was a member assigned a special mission¡­ Do Seung-min. Usually a mischievous younger brother and an ardent fan admiring me, but now he bowed his head solemnly and reported. ¡°I seeded in tying up Ang Gremville. I have secured evidence that she wasmunicating with the Ludenark sect as you said, brother, and I have captured the situation where she tried to escape the camp at dawn.¡± In the end, Ang turned out to be the spy of the Ludenark sect. She had thoroughly hidden the fact that she was a spy, but in the end, she could not withstand the overwhelming situation and my hint that ¡®she might have already been discovered.¡¯ In fact, I only had a hunch and no evidence, so it wasn¡¯t easy to openly monitor her. But it seems Seung-min faithfully carried out the role assigned to him. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. It must not have been easy to detain such a high-ranking mage.¡± ¡°Jiten and the other Lycan helped a lot. Thanks to you, brother.¡± Seung-min, who had been operating alone during the surveince, had Lycan assigned to him at the start of k¡¯s raid, thanks to a request to Enrichten. Including Jiten, who had given us the [Token of Trust], a total of three Lycan were assigned solely to assist Seung-min¡¯s activities. Thanks to them, it seems Ang¡¯s detention went more smoothly than expected. No matter how powerful a mage she was from the Ludenark sect, she could not fend off thebined attack of three close-range A-grade monsters and a B-grade assassin Holder. ¡°She¡¯s in the prisoner tent now. Would you like to see her?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go for a bit.¡± Following Seung-min¡¯s suggestion, we went to the prisoner tent. As he said, Jiten and the Lycan were keeping Ang locked up inside. It seemed there had been some struggle in the short time, as her hair was disheveled and there were scratches all over her body. Biting her lip tightly, she¡­ As soon as she saw my face at the entrance, she widened her eyes. ¡°Captain! What is this? Can you arbitrarily detain an innocent member like this?¡± Well, well. Coming out all brazen like that? Seeing Ang spewing nonsense without batting an eye, I stuck out my tongue and approached her. Even with the evidence out, she did not lose her impudence. ¡°When I return to the present world, I will officially file aint with the Korean Holder Association and the Seoul Holder Academy. For a Korean student Holder, just because he¡¯s a captain, to do this to an American student Holder¨C!!¡± ¡°Are you not an American Holder anymore?¡± ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± I poured cold water on the enraged Ang. Lowering my head to meet her gaze, I spoke slowly. ¡°You know your friends from the Ludenark sect and Hwang Seong-yeon all lost to us and ran away, right?¡± I heard the rough situation from Park Jin-woo. In the area he was in, there were definitely two mages that looked like ¡®humans¡¯, using powerful magic to pressure our troops. They must have been the main members of the Ludenark sect. The superiors who ordered Ang to be a spy. As I mentioned them, Ang¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend not to know. It won¡¯t change anything. Anyway, they lost and ran away. Well, they probably found some way to return to the present world, just like how they entered this ce.¡± I don¡¯t know exactly how they entered this dungeon either. That¡¯s probably something I¡¯ll have to interrogate Ang about. But they must have had some faith, which made them infiltrate without considering the risks. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t bother ordering the raid team or our troops to chase after them. I figured they had already returned to the present world anyway. ¡°But those guys¡­ The traces ofmunication with you, the information rted to you, the identity they prepared for you in America ¨C do you think they¡¯ll leave all that as is?¡± Ang¡¯s eyes shook slightly. I shook my head lightly and continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They¡¯ll probably erase anything suspicious. There¡¯s no reason to leave anything behind.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ang, who had been full of spirit until just before, was now listening to my words in a dazed state. It seemed she was finally grasping the situation. Then I smiled faintly and added. ¡°Ang. Do you know why I suspected you from the beginning?¡± The spy of the Ludenark sect. The reason I gradually narrowed my suspicions down to Ang. To be precise, I didn¡¯t suspect her from the very start. Initially, she was recognized as a talented and insightful member of the raid team. And if being from America was grounds for suspicion, then Cami should have been a target too. But. ¡°I sensed a familiar aura from you. Definitely something I felt somewhere before.¡± The all too familiar aura I felt from Ang. At first, I couldn¡¯t tell if it was negative or positive¡­ Honestly, I was a bit confused at first. But now, I clearly know its identity. ¡°You were the creator of the Bone Dragon, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The Bone Dragon. While she may not have been the sole creator, she at least participated in creating the original form of the ¡®undead¡¯ that is now my contractor, Tyrbon. The faint aura I sensed from her was Tyrbon¡¯s. A skilled undead creator of the Ludenark sect. That must have been her true identity. Hearing all those deductions and facts, Ang¡¯s expression became one of resignation. I whispered quietly into her ear. ¡°I¡¯ll make good use of the Bone Dragon. So you should just resign yourself to it now. When you return, no matter how much you protest, you¡¯ll be immediately investigated.¡± Ang Gremville, the spy of the Ludenark sect. There was no way out for her. *** Ippotrantion *** The Allied Forces of Baraten did not drag things out. They had already secured one victory in a major battle and had backed their enemies into a corner¡­ There was no reason to give them time to retreat back to the city and defend. After a short rest, they marched directly to the enemy¡¯s city. They swept away all the remaining wolves of the rk faction, achieving sessive great victories. And in ¡®Wolfenser¡¯, which was the ¡­ All the defected wolves had gathered there. In the center was Enrichten, the leader of Baraten. ¡°Warriors! This is the head of ke, the leader of Tol rk! Victory! Our Baraten has won the long war between the Lycan tribes!¡± Enrichten raised the severed head of ke, the enemymander. At this sight, all the wolves of the Baraten faction went into raptures. ¡°Waaahh!¡± ¡°We won! We finally won!¡± ¡°For Baraten! For our human friends!¡± All the wolfmen embraced each other, and even hugged the humans, celebrating their victory. The process ofing into the dungeon that had been like a wastnd, helping Baraten form an alliance, and fighting and defeating rk¡­ That process, whether long or short, had finally borne fruit. [You have led the ¡®Baraten Faction¡¯ to victory in the Tribal War! You have fulfilled one of the various liberation conditions within the dungeon. The city of ¡®Wolfenser¡¯ does not have a special boss room, and the special audience chamber within the pce serves as a substitute for the boss room.] [Amazing Achievement! You have helped the ¡®Adaptors¡¯ ovee a trial that no one else has aplished before. With this unbelievable feat, all of your abilities experience rapid and dazzling growth.] [You gain 3 points each to all general and special abilities, and 1 point each to all resistance abilities.] [The level of the ¡®Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Arts¡¯ rune has increased!¡­¡­] [The level of the ¡®Power of the Boiling Werewolf¡¯ rune has increased!¡­¡­] And at that moment, The system also acknowledged that the dungeon had been fully conquered. Since the condition for clearing the dungeon itself was to lead one faction to victory in the war, there seemed to be no special boss room. The special audience chamber within the pce was likely just a rest room. However, there was something more important. ¡®Adaptor¡­.¡¯ The new term ¡®Adaptor¡¯ that appeared in the information window. Just as the faced the great and distant Transcendent, beings like the Baraten faction who couldmunicate and cooperate with humans seemed to be collectively called ¡®Adaptors¡¯. The dungeon was indeed different from existing dungeons. It was clearly a different form from simply hunting mindless monsters, and thanks to this, the result of sessful conquest was recorded as an ¡®amazing achievement¡¯ and provided exceptional rewards. The ability scores grew rapidly again, and certain runes also leveled up. ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (21) ¡òGeneral Abilities ¡ò [Strength: 103] ¡ò [Magic: 100] ¡ò [Speed: 106] ¡ò [Recovery: 70] ¡ò [Toughness: 73] ¡ò [Willpower: 73] ¡òResistance Abilities ¡ò [Fire: 22] ¡ò [Water: 24] ¡ò [Earth: 15] ¡ò [Wind: 15] ¡ò [Lightning: 19] ¡ò [Poison: 18] ¡òSpecial Abilities ¡ò [Leadership: 65] ¡­ ¡­ ¡®My magic has also reached 100 now.¡¯ The ability scores that had stagnated for a while had all surpassed 70, reaching very high values. The main abilities (strength, speed, magic) had all exceeded 100. At this level¡­ There would be no ce where I would be inferior in terms of abilities. Just when fighting against Hwang Seong-yeon previously, I had engaged in an intense battle using [Dragon Transformation] and [Dragon Spell]. ¡°Do Jae-hyun.¡± As I was briefly checking the information window, Enrichten, surrounded by the cheers of the Lycan, approached and spoke to me. And the reason was probably one. ¡°I would like to invite you and your friends from the Assault Team to the pce of our Wolfenser.¡± The , now friends of the Lycan. To give us the true reward for conquering the dungeon.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Hot Victory Report (6) ¡°¡­This is the imperial pce?¡± I muttered with a dumbfounded expression. Contrary to its grandiose name of ¡®imperial pce¡¯, the interior of the building was shabby. Rough and crude interiors and structures that looked like they could copse at any moment. There were no gold, silver, or jewels to be seen, and it did not feel majestic at all as a pce. ¡®¡­It¡¯s just a slightly upgraded Baraten barrack.¡¯ An evolved version of the Baraten barracks that only pursued practicality.That¡¯s exactly what this ce called the Wolfen pce was. Then Enrichten cleared his throat and made an excuse. ¡°Ahem. It¡¯s because a lot of time has passed. Since the empire now only remains outside the city, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Empire?¡± At the unfamiliar word, I asked back and Enrichten nodded. ¡°Yes. Originally, the ancient Wolfen was an empire with vastnds. Baraten and rk, and countless other Lycan heroes led the glory of warriors together with their ancestors.¡± ¡°Oho¡­¡± I was slightly amazed at this fact I never knew before. I had wondered why the term ¡®imperial pce¡¯ suddenly came up, but there was a reason for it. Additionally, as generations passed, the number of great heroes rapidly declined, and as wars between tribes within the empire intensified, Wolfen went down the path of decline. Especially when the human force called the ¡®Ludenark School¡¯ intervened in this great war, the process worsened further. ¡°At first, they participated in the war under the pretext of providing supplies, but they gradually crossed the line. One of them was forcibly putting the power of another warrior tribe, the Barbarians, into the rk Lycans.¡± ¡°¡­Enhancement magic.¡± ¡°Yes. The enhancement magic of the Barbarians. Due to various ck magic artifacts provided by the Ludenark side as well, we had no choice but to be defeated early in the great war.¡± And the result of that¡­ Is the same even now, having crossed over dimensions to this other world. The reason Baraten¡¯s side struggled in the great war was all because of the Ludenark School. ¡®These bastards don¡¯t miss anything.¡¯ I gritted my teeth as I had been a victim myself. Hwang Seong-yeon had joined hands with Ludenark, and it was Ang who created the original Dragon. In other words, the culprit behind that had been tormenting domestic Holders and regr people was also Ludenark. On top of that, they directly infiltrated and tried to interfere with this operation, and who knows how much more they¡¯ll try to interfere with us¡­ Just thinking about it made me irritated with those bastards. When I return to the present world, I¡¯ll have to meet with high-ranking officials like Park Ji-hwan in the Holder world and discuss ways to deal with them. ¡°You cane this way.¡± Enrichten guided me inside. A special space underground inside the building. It seemed to be the rest room mentioned as the ¡®Special Audience Room¡¯ in the information window. Since the operation progressed in units of attack squads, all squad members were qualified to enter, but Enrichten, as the squad leader, guided me first to the Special Audience Room. A small table and chairs were set up in the center. After taking a seat there, he called over a Lycan who hade with us. ¡°Jiten. Bring that.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± And as if they had prepared something in advance. Without much dy, he quickly brought the reward. Tak- Enrichten took out two items and ced them on the table. One was a ring item that seemed to contain the shape of a crescent moon, and the other was an old, tattered book. He first picked up the ring and said, ¡°It¡¯s an item called Lupus¡¯ Ring. If the one who has contracted with a werewolf wears this, they can awaken that werewolf to wolf form whenever they want.¡± ¡°Contract with a werewolf¡­?¡± Enrichten brought up another unexpected topic. A contract with werewolves. It¡¯s practically impossible. Since they have such strong egos and pride as warriors, they outright reject any attempt at a contract. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that I called the contracts between Moon Ga-eun and Haten a miracle. But before my question could reach him¡­ Kung-! Jiten, who had brought the items, knelt down on one knee before me. Seeing this, Enrichten smiled slightly. ¡°My nephew wants to make a contract with you. After Haten, if I lose Jiten too, it seems like I¡¯m going to lose all the children of our tribe.¡± Jiten wanted to make a contract with me first¡­? Such a sudden development. But Jiten had already made up his mind, maintaining an upright posture and politely saying, ¡°I wish to make a contract with Do Jae-hyun, the eternal friend of Baraten. Please give me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of the human world and the teachings necessary as a warrior.¡± [The Lycan tribe member, Baraten¡¯s preliminary awakened warrior ¡®Jiten¡¯ deres obedience. Highly intelligent beings can sometimes decide for themselves whether to ept a contract or not. Having earned Jiten¡¯s obedience, you can now make a contract with him.] And then. As if it were a lie, the information window appeared. The ¡®contract with a Lycan¡¯ that I had miserably failed at trying before¡­ Jiten so easily seeded just by kneeling down and dering it directly. ¡°¡­Was it really this easy?¡± But the rough picture was drawn. The contract with Jiten was probably the reward for clearing this dungeon. Just as the reward from the matched the challenger¡¯s temperament and affinities, it was highly likely that the reward for this ¡®Adaptors¡¯ Dungeon¡¯ was also in line with the Holder¡¯s temperament and affinities. ¡®I actively utilized Tyrbon and As in this conquest.¡¯ Considering such points, it seemed that the reward was rted to ¡®contracts¡¯. Perhaps the other squad members would also receive rewards suitable for them. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ With that thought, I proceeded with the contract without hesitation. The ¡®Contractor¡¯ and the [Promise Bound by a Dragon] was now one of the main abilities I would utilize. Moreover, it was a powerful being that excelled in close quartersbat. I even became free to awaken into a ¡®wolf form¡¯ through the special item [Ring of Lupus]. It was a contract I had no reason to refuse. [Contract sessful! ¡®Jiten (Close/Special)¡¯ has been added to the contract target list of the ¡®Promise Bound by a Dragon¡¯ rune.] [Current Contract Monster List (3/3)] [You have made a contract with a proud Lycan warrior. Since ancient times, Lycans have been known as beings difficult to tame unless they had a rtionship with ¡®Valkyries¡¯ or the ¡®Fulrien n¡¯. This amazing, almost unbelievable contract result will sometimes rapidly increase your understanding of runes.] [The level of the ¡®Promise Bound by a Dragon¡¯ rune has increased.] [You gain 5 Leadership from the rune¡¯s affinity.] Finally, the 3 slots for contracted monsters were all filled. Ironically, the types of the contractors werend, sea, and air respectively. For me, who was already capable of being a multi-type Holder, these contractors would add more diversity to mybat. ¡°Congrattions, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Thank you, Enrichten. Jiten, thank you too. It must not have been an easy decision.¡± To my words, Jiten shook his head and said, ¡°It is my honor to be with you, Mr. Do Jae-hyun. I will make sure to observe and learn much by the side of a human warrior as strong as a Lycan.¡± Kuk. Look at the way he talks. This is a true contractor, not just a summon. That bastard Tyrbon just has a big head, it defaults to rude speech and constantly whines for more magic stones¡­ Compared to Jiten¡¯s demeanor, befitting of an ideal contractor, I was very satisfied as I turned my head. Enrichten had one more reward prepared for me. ¡°This is an item called Maywil¡¯s Book.¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°An ancient Valkyrie who made a contract with the Fulrien n. No one could match her talent in contracting and summoning. This book contains all of her know-how and essence.¡± As soon as I heard that exnation, I sensed it. ¡®This is an item that grants runes.¡¯ Just as there are all kinds of dungeons, dungeon clear rewards alsoe in various forms¡­ And among them, the rarest and most valued reward is a ¡®rune¡¯. For Holders, runes are alwayscking, and no matter what kind of rune it is, if you have it, you can use it someday, so the more runes the better. That¡¯s why dungeons that give ¡®rune rewards¡¯ are very rare and considered a goldmine for Holders. And judging from Enrichten¡¯s words and the situation, it was clear that this special book-shaped item would provide contract-rted runes. Pat-paat¨C!! Sure enough, as soon as I received the book, an intense magic flowed through my fingertips. [You have found the book of Maywil, the Valkyrie who reached the pinnacle of contractors by taming the notoriously fierce werewolves. All the ¡®essence¡¯ she left behind regarding contracts flows into you in the form of magic.] [You gain insight into the various supporting powers of contracts. These minor but necessary powers will allow you and your contractors to reach even greater heights.] [You have acquired the new rune ¡®Empathy¡¯.] [You gain 3 Leadership from the rune¡¯s affinity.] [You have acquired the new rune ¡®Shared Sight¡¯.] [You gain 3 Leadership from the rune¡¯s affinity.] ¡®Bingo.¡¯ I inwardly eximed in delight. Until now, it had been difficult to acquire supplementary runes rted to contracts, as there were not many Holders dealing with [Taming Contracts] in the first ce. Considering that, these supplementary runes were an extremely attractive reward. Especially the increase in Command ability was priceless. This was because Tireborn and Asher had their restrictions lifted and became proper contractors, requiring a considerable amount of Command. If I kept increasing my Command like this, it might not be long before I could ¡®Simultaneously Summon¡¯ two of the three. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ But just as I was about to nod in satisfaction, it wasn¡¯t over. I was dumbfounded to see the still glowing book, and the runes in my body suddenly starting to glow as well. While the book glowing was one thing¡­ The fact that the runes inside me were also glowing could only mean one thing that I knew of. [Abination of runes is currently possible! Use the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter to acquire a superior rune.] [Superior Rune: Law of Contracts / Inferior Runes: Summon, Mana Sharing, Contract Reinforcement, Empathy, Shared Sight] After [Warriors¡¯ Enchantment], the familiar runebination window appeared again almost immediately, just dayster. Upon seeing it, I was inwardly moved to tears of joy. ¡®Those Lycan bastards¡­ they really were generous trees.¡¯ The great warriors of Baraten. They were never the kind to joke around when it came to rewards.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 262 Chapter 262 Special Press Conference ¨C The Glorious Return of ! Perfect Raid Sess¡­ ¨C Following Transcendents, Adaptors¡­ New Concepts Emerging One After Another. ¨C Official Dungeon Name , When Will It Open? ¨C In the End, There Was a Path Where Do Jae-hyun Went! Another Dungeon to Overturn the Holder Realm¡­ After sessfully clearing the dungeon , even without a chance to share the joy of returning, the Holder realm was already in chaos. The monsters with intellectual abilities called ¡®Adaptors¡¯. And the war they waged by dividing into factions¡­With the emergence of new concepts that seemed like real stories, Holders began to be thrilled. A dungeon where the raiding direction changes entirely depending on their choices. For high-level Holders who were tired of monotonous dungeon raids, it was really a refreshing rain in the drought. Thanks to that, I was inevitably caught for a ¡®special press conference¡¯. Due to the sensational impact nationwide and the new paradigm of dungeon raids, there was a need to fully exin it to the public. ¡®¡­Though I don¡¯t really have toe.¡¯ Actually, this is something the Holder Association should handle, but somehow I ended uping. This was because the Holder realm and the public really wanted to hear the raid party¡¯s report directly, and also because the association president kept pleading for me to attend. The knowledge gap between someone who directly experienced the dungeon and those at the association who only checked reports is iparable from the start. ¡®Ji-hye also asked me to.¡¯ Moreover, the reason I bothered to attend this press conference¡­ Was because Ji-hye, who has a deep connection with me, directly asked me to. [Holder Lee Ji-hye], if it¡¯s okay, could you attend this press conference in person? It¡¯s be a major issue domestically and internationally, and it would be more effective if the person involved exins directly. Feel free to decline if you¡¯re too busy! She had only helped me so far, and had never asked for my help like this before. I heard she got promoted rapidly thanks to my achievements, but indirectly receiving help and directly providing support are different. Moreover, there was also the greater purpose of informing Holders domestically and internationally, so I dly attended the press conference. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun! Is it true that you hunted 15 A-grade monsters Virgens simultaneously? You chained water and lightning attributes?¡± Of course, not all reporters were polite. There was a reporter who got overly excited and asked first without waiting their turn or even stating their name and affiliation¡­ ¡°Hey, you punk! Is Holder Do Jae-hyun your friend? Don¡¯t you use honorifics?¡± ¡­And my devoted follower who was worse than Do Seung-min. It was truly a fantastic coboration. Although the first question was a bit subpar, the logic of the rebuking reporter was also wed. What? Calling someone a ¡®punk¡¯ just for not using honorifics once? ¡°What? Punk?¡± ¡°Yeah, punk! You¡¯re from MTN, right? I looked into it as soon as a non-holder magazine got invited to this huge press conference.¡± ¡°Hey! Are you done talking?!¡± *Kwang!* ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ The situation was resolved quickly. In the end, the two were subdued by security and cleanly removed. Perhaps because this was the first official press conference I¡¯ve attended, with such a huge scale, there were bound to be a few of these reporters despite the strict selection process. ¡°For information on the raid party¡¯s activities or the dungeon, please refer to the records released by the association. They are well organized with videos and reports.¡± I said that preemptively in case any other reporters asked the same question. Except for the ¡®rk Dawn Raid¡¯ that couldn¡¯t be filmed due to circumstances, most information on ¡¯s raid was made public. Since this dungeon emerged as a key to the Holder realm, we had agreed with the association from the start, and I had gotten consent from all raid party members regarding this. Just browsing themunity, there are already circting videos rted to the raid party, so I don¡¯t know what that reporter was thinking with that question. ¡°I¡¯m Kang Eun-chan from HBN. In this achievement report, Holder Do Jae-hyun mentioned the term ¡®Adaptor¡¯. Could you perhaps exin that concept more precisely?¡± Still, after the situation calmed down, there were quite constructive questions. A quintessential press conference question. I spoke into the microphone to exin, ¡°Our raid party also learned about it through the information window, so it¡¯s not entirely urate. But it seems to refer to existences within the dungeon with high intellectual abilities. If the conditions are met, they canmunicate with Holders, and in some cases, even cooperate in raiding the dungeon. They are no longer monsters to be hunted, but Adaptors of the parallel world and dungeon.¡± Existences within the dungeon that canmunicate with humans. It was simr to the ¡®Transcendent¡¯ concept that emerged before, so some schrs even call dungeons like the ¡®Adaptor¡¯s Realm¡¯. ¡°So do Adaptors use both Runes and items?¡± ¡°What is the exact difference between Adaptors and Transcenders?¡± With those questions from reporter Kang Eun-chan leading the way, a flurry of questions poured out. Among them were many nutrient-rich questions worth answering, and I responded to the answers as proactively as possible. Of course, there were some perplexing questions as well. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun. What do you think about your chances of being promoted to an S-grade Holder?¡± An S-grade Holder. The highest level a Rune Holder could attain, and a rare rank with only 5 existing in Korea. Recently, there has been steady talk about my promotion to S-grade. It made sense, because no matter how big the gap between the same ranks, wasn¡¯t it questionable to consider me a regr A-grade Holder when I disyed the insane skill of hunting 15 A-grade monsters simultaneously? As the somewhat sensitive topic arose, the press conference room was tinged with tension. To exaggerate a little¡­ It seemed like everyone was just waiting for me to open my mouth. Approaching the microphone slowly, I opened my mouth against that atmosphere. The answer was simple. ¡°I think it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The reporters were flustered by my overly confident answer. But I didn¡¯t want to beat around the bush and drag it out on this part. Both personally and objectively. I was clearly close to being an S-grade Holder. Of course, the average level of the Runes I had to ovee was still around 10, and my stats were a bitcking, but there were plenty of other ways to make up for it. I had already shown a state of full doping equal to Hwang Seong-yeon, so it was almostughable to call that a regr A-grade Holder. ¡°However, even I can feel that there are still some shorings. I will try to improve on those parts as quickly as possible, and meet the conditions¡­ And take the promotion exam in due time.¡± The S-grade Holder promotion exam is veryplicated. First of all, there are no Holders in the Korean Holder Association who can examine S-grade Holders, so multiple S-grade Holders and senior A-grade Holders are invited to conduct the examination. Even if one manages to pass the exam, it¡¯s not over. The S-grade Holder rank represents a globally significant position by its name alone, so an additional examination by the ¡®International Holder Association¡¯ is required. ¡®Most Holders don¡¯t get recognized if they can¡¯t pass the international examination.¡¯ Of course, since Korea is a powerhouse when ites to Holders, there are quite a few Korean Holders within the International Holder Association as well, so the domestic additional examination was practically enough. For reference, all 5 of the domestic S-grade Holders had passed the international certification as well. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun! Then what about Pamun¡¯s attack team going forward¡­¡± ¡°What about the additional strategy for Wolfenser¡­¡± ¡°What exactly is the Ludenark Sect¡­¡± In any case, the press conference proceeded smoothly afterwards. With my willingness to answer any question, the reporters freely poured out their curiosities. I also had no hesitation other than the S-grade Holder topic, so I freelypleted my answers. In particr, when the topics of Hwang Seong-yeon and the Ludenark Sect came up, I wanted to give a stern warning with a strong tone. ¡°The Ludenark Sect is a new enemy our Holder society must pursue. They have been the mastermind behind countless viinous acts, and most of the human experiments they conducted were the work of Ludenark. A group that personifies evil. As Transcender Canales described, they are an organization at the center of evil.¡± Through this dungeon strategy, the veil waspletely lifted. The Holder societies of Korea and other countries¡­ Have started paying attention to the Ludenark Sect. The potential risk is growing day by day, with even Hwang Seong-yeon, the Sub-Master of , joining the fray. ¡°How these beings from the other world operate in the present, and how much power and influence they wield¡­ There is still much that has not been revealed. This will be a homework for our Holder society to figure out going forward.¡± The press conference wrapped up without any issues. It seemed like the delivery of new information and heightened vignce against Ludenark were well organized as I needed. However, The news articles I checked on my way home¡­ -[Breaking News] Do Jae-hyun deres challenge for S-grade Holder! -Do Jae-hyun¡¯s bombshell statement shocks the hall¡­ Who will be the S-grade Holder examiner? -When asked about the possibility of bing an S-grade Holder, ¡°I think it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡­ ¡­ -Park Jin-woo and Kim Chae-eun. The emergence of other powerful rookies¡­ -Moon Ga-eun bes a Multi-Holder, will she surpass her father Moon Jung-hyuk? -Surprise star Do Seung-min interview, ¡°Do Jae-hyun is a god.¡± Were all focused on sensationalism. ¡°¡­I told them to write about Ludenark.¡± Why was it so predictable? I knew it would turn out like this, but the reporters were really consistent. With a sigh, I put away my phone. ¡°Well, at least I got through it¡­ And wrapped it up nicely.¡± The busy vacation I had nned was now over. While digging into the LudenarK Sect, I learned about the existence of a new enemy, but I also gained a lot from this vacation. The end of a fulfilling winter break. Now it was time to wee the new semester.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 263 Chapter 263 A New Start, 2nd Year (1) The new semester started as the academy opened. You can tell the start just by looking at the buildings. The lecture rooms that had been dark for a while light up, and various internal facilities like cafes and bookstores resume business. At the entrance, the card saying ¡®Wee to Seoul Holder Academy new students!¡¯ is still hung, and asionally there are phrases congratting the ¡®Viin Subjugation Squad¡¯ or Do Jae-hyun¡¯s achievements. ¡°Anyone want tomemorate the opening with a match? Assassin department C-grade or below only!¡± ¡°Come hang out at the book club BluBook. It¡¯s different from a circle!¡± ¡°Hello! I¡¯m from the new n Chaser. Any 3rd years still undecided on your path, how about a consultation¡­¡±The people were the same. Returning students who advanced a year and newly admitted freshmen. The professors who would teach them and various outside guests. Even the scouts from the various ns hiding here and there. People of diverse affiliations roamed the academy grounds, each with their own purpose. Thanks to them, a fresh atmosphere overflowed on campus for a change. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± And on the morning of the first period, Song Hyun-a was heading to the Warrior department building. (Professor Kim Myeong-hyun) ¨C Warrior Hall 302 It was for the first lecture to start. Actually, the sword lectures held little meaning for her. The daughter of the famous sword family Song, and the sister of Song Do-hyuk, the Brilliant Sword Path n master. Her reputation alone proved her sword skills, and she even discovered how to acquire the [Sword] rune herself. Bing a Holder was just difficult, but after that she demonstrated overwhelming talent. So no matter which sword lecture she took at the academy, it was hard to gain any meaningful effect. ¡®¡­But he¡¯s the senior¡¯s master.¡¯ The reason she was attending the sword lecture was one. The professor teaching it was the famous Kim Myeong-hyun, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s master. Not just any professor who taught him once, but his exclusive master. This semester he was even the Warrior department head, a true expert. Especially was a ss Do Jae-hyun actually took. If she took that ss, Not only could she receive high-level instruction, but maybe¡­ ¡®I might hear some episodes rted to the senior?¡¯ With that expectation, she signed up for Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s lecture. It seems like a trivial reason, but it was very important to her as Do Jae-hyun¡¯s devoted fan. Moreover, Song Hyun-a wasn¡¯t the only student like that. As Do Jae-hyun¡¯s poprity rapidly rose among new students as an admired senior and aspiring Holder after sessively boosting his stock with the ¡®Viin Subjugation Operation¡¯, ¡®Transcendent Chamber¡¯, and ¡®Ripple Raid¡¯, his fan club membership grew daily, and on days with rted lectures like today, thepetition multiplied. It was a rare phenomenon for a first period lecture to have such intensepetition. ¡°Hyun-a~¡± And a familiar voice came from behind. Her friend, a new Assassin department student and another victor in the lecturepetition, Park Yoo-seo. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re up early?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s not just any lecture, it¡¯s Ki Breathing. I absolutely won¡¯t bete.¡± ¡®Ki Breathing¡¯ was an abbreviated way to refer to the lecture. It was nearly a miracle to meet the usuallyte-sleeping Park Yoo-seo in the morning, but for the Ki Breathing lecture she attended right on time as if she had signed a contract. If her brother Park Jin-woo saw, he might faint in shock. ¡°¡­What a pain first thing in the morning.¡± Beside her was an unexpected person as well. A girl with light green hair in a ponytail. Choi Arin, a new student in the Special department¡¯s Alchemy major. It was unusual for her to be here. The three had stuck together closely since admission, but today¡¯s first period was a joint Warrior and Assassin department lecture. It wasn¡¯t a lecture for someone from the Special department like her. Seeing Song Hyun-a¡¯s puzzled expression, Choi Arin frowned. ¡°There¡¯s a required liberal arts lecture for the Special department among the Warrior courses. It¡¯s annoying enough having to take lectures not directly rted to what the Special department focuses on, but for it to be a morning ss too¡­ I¡¯m really vexed.¡± It seemed that lecture was likely being held in Warrior Hall 302 here. An understandable story at a nce. However, Song Hyun-a narrowed her eyes and looked at Choi Arin. ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t sign up for the lecture next door just to see the senior, did you?¡± Here, ¡®senior¡¯ obviously referred to Do Jae-hyun. The suspicion starting from the entrance ceremony immediately triggered Choi Arin¡¯s reaction. ¡°This fanatic is really¡­ No, no! How many times do I have to say it? No, it¡¯s a first-year lecture in the first ce, how could you see that person? It¡¯s a lecture he has already finished taking.¡± Even if it was a lecture Do Jae-hyun was attending¡­ To take a ss in the next ssroom just to see him. In Choi Arin¡¯s mind, that was an action only an extreme fanatic could take, not an ordinary one. ¡°Eh- do you know? It could be true that senior Do Jae-hyun wille to our lecture.¡± When Park Yoo-seo burst into a mischievousugh as she spoke, this time Song Hyun-a made a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Why would senior suddenlye to our lecture?¡± If that were the case, it would be better than anything, but in reality, there was no possibility of Do Jae-hyuning to the Combat Breathing lecture. Unless he became a teaching assistant, he was just a second-year student in the assassin department. ¡°You never know. Today, the professor might have an emergency, and because of that, the senior mighte to give the lecture instead!¡± Park Yoo-seo spoke with an innocent expression. At that, Choi Arin, who had been shaking her head, took out an item from her arms. ¡°Stop daydreaming and take this.¡± ¡°What is this, apass?¡± The item she took out was a smallpass. It seemed to have been treated with special magic, as a unique energy could be felt from it in various ces. She handed twopasses to her friends and said, ¡°It¡¯s tentatively called the Remote Magic Compass. If you input magic into the medium connected to thepass, you can remotely track the direction of that medium. Do an experiment for me to see if it works well, as payback for messing with me.¡± At that exnation, Park Yoo-seo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You made this, Arin?¡± ¡°¡­Or did I steal it?¡± ¡°Wow, Arin, you¡¯re really a genius! How did you already invent a magic tool? Wow¡­¡± At those words, Choi Arin let out a small sigh. Genius. Ever since Do Jae-hyun had provided financial supportst year, Choi Arin, who had blossomed her talents along with her sister, had heard that word to the point of her ears ringing. However, she did not fully agree with that word. In these times when true geniuses were emerging¡­ It was difficult for her to im the title of genius with just this. ¡®She calls herself a genius too.¡¯ Moreover, Park Yoo-seo, who called her that, was also a genius. Not to mention Song Hyun-a, the top admitted student, next to her. The golden generation of freshmen following the current second-years. The three people present were the ones being called that name in public. ¡°Anyway, do an experiment next time. See if it works properly when you input magic. I¡¯ll go to ss first.¡± ¡°Okay! See youter, Arin.¡± With that, Choi Arin entered the next ssroom, and Song Hyun-a and Park Yoo-seo also entered room 302 for the Combat Breathing ss. And¡­ In room 302, where Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯s lecture on was supposed to take ce¡­ A handsome student assistant was standing in the center. ¡°Hello, students. Today, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun had an urgent external business trip, so I will be giving the orientation on the first day instead. Although I¡¯m just an undergraduate student, the professor directly received approval from the administration, so don¡¯t worry and just attend the ss. Now, let me start with attendance.¡± The sudden appearance of the most famous person at the academy caused an uproar in the lecture hall. A professor absent on the first day due to personal matters. Moreover, instead of a teaching assistant, an undergraduate student was assigned as a substitute by the professor. Ordinarily, this would have resulted in a torrent of criticism in the lecture evaluation, but since it was Do Jae-hyun, the situation changed. -Is this for real? -Should I get his autograph? -Kyaaa¡­!! The lecture hall had already be a fan meeting venue. Watching this, Song Hyun-a nkly thought, ¡®Why is this real?¡¯ Park Yoo-seo¡­ Does she have some kind of future-telling rune? *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°We did it! It¡¯s a sess!¡± Professor Kang Dong-wook eximed with a voice filled with joy. While I tried to remainposed during the experiment, in truth my mind was filled with the thought that we had seeded. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun is truly remarkable. An area that I could not seed in despite years of research¡­¡± ¡°No, if it weren¡¯t for you professor, I would not have been able to unlock even the first stage.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Still humble as always.¡± We were researching the [Order of Fusion] as usual. The special item [Order of Fusion] that provides unlimited possibilities to Holders who deal with contracts. Normally, this item only raises the Leadership ability score by 10, but its ability changes depending on the unlocking of seals. The first stage increases understanding and affinity with contractors. The second stage makes sessful contracts easier and increases the probability. And the third stage¡­ Provides unlimited magic for maintaining the summons of contractors. In other words, as long as the Leadership ability score is supported, no matter how many contractors are summoned, there is no impact on magic at all. ¡®¡­So it wasn¡¯t easy.¡¯ As much as it showed an ability iparable to the other stages, the unlocking process was quiteplicated and difficult. It was impossible for the expert Professor Kang Dong-wook despite years of effort, and I joined for a few months of research together but made no progress. However, today, the day of the special research, We finally seeded in unlocking the third stage seal of the [Order of Fusion]. At the center of this amazing result¡­ Was the higher rune [Law of Contracts] that I had newly obtained.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 264 Chapter 264 A New Start, 2nd Year (2) ¡òName: Law of Contracts ¡òGrade: Epic (Epic) / Superior (Superior) ¡òPossessed Sub-Runes ¡ò[Summon] ¡ò [Share Magic Power] ¡ò [Strengthen Contract]¡ò [Empathy] ¡ò [Shared Sight] ¡òLevel: 8 ¡òEngraved Location: Back of Hand (duplicate) ¡òSpecial Effects 1) By the special power of the superior rune¡­ each sub-rune can¡­ increase proficiency. 2) Rapidly increases understanding of everything rted to contracts. Additionally, the effect ¡®Knowledge is Power (*limited)¡¯ is always applied, allowing direct manifestation of understood concepts through magic. (*This effect only applies to contract-rted aspects.) 3) For those who follow the Law of Contracts, the breath of Maywil, the greatest tamer of Laphrion, reaches them. The effect ¡®Maywil¡¯s Training¡¯ is always applied. Contracted beings must mandatorily undergo self-training for a set period each day. Through this training, they can grow their abilities and rune levels. *Sub-Special Effects: : (Details) ¡òDerived Skills (*Excluding sub-skills, derived skills of the ¡®Law of Contracts¡¯ rune can only be used by contractors.) ¡ò [Emergency Exit] ¡ò [Loyal Mimicry] *Sub-Skills ¡ò [Call of Contract] ¡òDetailed Information:- : A kind ofw to be followed by those possessing a certain type of ¡®contractor¡¯. It is a unified regtion for all abilities used when utilizing contracts, and there is a vast performance gap between those who understand and make contracts versus those who do not. The [Law of Contracts] was newly born bybining five runes. The second effect of this rune. ¡®Knowledge is Power¡¯ was the core. Having the highest understanding of everything rted to contracts and being able to directly manifest it through magic¡­ It may seem insignificant when just reading the text, but¡­ When interpreting the [Order of Fusion] item, it was an ability worth a fortune. I gained perfect understanding of the item¡¯s structure and sealing method, and the magic array to unlock it was drawn in my mind. Thanks to this, unlocking the previously unknown 3rd stage was instantaneous. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe it. The Order of Fusion seal that had been a headache for years has been so easily broken¡­¡± Professor Kang Dong-wook¡¯s constant amazement made sense. Even I couldn¡¯t grasp it at all before obtaining the [Law of Contracts]. For over 4 months sincest November, I hadn¡¯t found the answer that eluded my research. Research that had seemed so hopeless¡­ Was immediately solved by acquiring a single rune. It proved once again that runes are everything for Holders. ¡®The other abilities are all necessary too.¡¯ The [Law of Contracts] was indispensable. The 3rd special effect, ¡®Maywil¡¯s Training¡¯, was an ability I desperately needed. Until now, the only way to grow contractors was to summon them directly and have them gain experience, but now they can grow on their own without being summoned. Of course, the rate won¡¯t be as high as directbat experience, but it¡¯s a nice merit that contractors can grow even while idle. ¡®The derived skills are usable too.¡¯ Uniquely, the newly acquired rune¡¯s derived skills could only be used by contractors. In other words, I couldn¡¯t use those skills. Still, both were quite decent skills. [Emergency Exit] allowed contractors in crisis situations to self-cancel their summon by their own judgment. [Loyal Mimicry] allowed a contractor to directly copy one of my ability scores for 1 minute. If utilized well, they could be useful inbat. Especially for Tyrbon with extremely low stats like Recovery (11) and Willpower (22), [Loyal Mimicry] could be an incredibly attractive skill. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, are you free next period?¡± As I was thinking about the rune information, Professor Kang Dong-wook asked with an excited expression. I checked the time as well. And naturally, an awkward expression formed. ¡°Ah¡­ Well, it seems I have continuous lectures from the next period until the evening.¡± I had used the Tuesday morning free period for research, but sses were scheduled from 11am. And in the evening, I had time to research ¡®Water Sword Technique¡¯ with Professor Tak Won-ho. Even with the start of the new 2nd year¡­ My schedule was packed tight. ¡°Haha. Well, I can¡¯t help it then. Come to think of it, I¡¯ve been clinging to the busiest Holder these days out of research greed.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Actually, I wanted to apply for a long-term rental of the Order of Fusion to the Association.¡± ¡°Long-term rental application¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like Holder Do Jae-hyun to continue being in charge of the Order of Fusion.¡± My eyes widened at the unexpected topic, but Professor Kang Dong-wook smiled calmly. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun is currently the most outstanding tamer in the country. Even if we expand the scope to include spirit channelers andmanders, there is no one superior to Holder Do Jae-hyun in the realm of contracts. Most of the monsters you handle are close to S-grade monsters.¡± He was right. Tyrbon (True Dragon), As (Sub-dragon). And now Jiten (Lycan) who I newly contracted. The monsters I have contracts with, whether judged by ability scores or rune utilization, were all close to S-grade monsters. Especially As, who had superior magic utilization abilitiespared to me, could definitively be dered an S-grade monster. The [Swirling Tidal Wave] rune alone was level 16, higher than even the Swirl Leviathan that was ssified as an S-grade Catastrophe Monster. ¡°Who else but such a Holder could handle the Order of Fusion? The Association would likely readily approve long-term rental on the condition of regr research reports, since it¡¯s Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± Just raising Leadership by 10 was a top-tier effect, and each stage¡¯s effects after unlocking the seal were attractive one by one for the [Order of Fusion]. For me, increasing the weight of coborativebat with contractors, acquiring it could be a definite weapon. Kang Dong-wook smiled and extended a handshake to me. ¡°Thank you for researching with this curious middle-aged man. I hope we can chat again if you have time in the future.¡± There was nothing more to teach, no more research to do together. It was already enough. The professor dered as such. Grateful for his farewell and final kindness, I bowed my head and took his hand. ¡°¡­Thank you, Professor.¡± What I learned and gained from him was immense. Although the n was truly an unforgivable criminal group, meeting Professor Kang Dong-wook as a result of their eradication was truly fortunate. *** Ippotrantion *** The top floor of the central building within the academy. Even though the new semester had already begun¡­ In the gathering of the operators, the meeting showed no signs of stopping. In the conference room where heated discussions were still ongoing, The central topic was just one. ¡°Ah, well it can¡¯t be done, you see.¡± A middle-aged man sitting at the edge of the conference room tapped the table as he spoke. ¡°There were reasons we haven¡¯t done it until now. Putting aside internal issues like member recruitment, just looking at external issues, it¡¯s a huge mountain.¡± Many eyes were focused on him. The middle-aged man¡¯s words had rarely been persuasive before, but this time his argument was quite reasonable. ¡°If we create a student n, what are we supposed to say to the domestic ns right away? We¡¯ve been implicitly agreeing without saying it, but if we suddenly break that, how can we convince them?¡± A man presented a counterargument in a rather sulky posture. His face looked as if he had caught some kind of mistake. Then, another middle-aged man in the center, One of the operators leading this meeting, said, ¡°With n Master Do Jae-hyun, that argument alone can persuade them.¡± It was a short and simple statement. And at those words¡­ ¡°What, what?¡± The man who had questioned him looked utterly dumbfounded. It felt like he had misheard something. And soon after, He mmed the table and stood up. ¡°Hey, Tak Won-ho! Have you gone mad after getting real power from your father? How long do you think you¡¯ll be in that position?¡± The man, flushed with excitement, spouted abuse. He was Tak Won-hyeok, who had been pushed out by Tak Won-ho and lost his authority as the sessor. The second son of Tak Won-sang who had ties with the and waspletely stripped of his position and even under police investigation, but fortunately for the merely ipetent Tak Won-hyeok, he was barely maintaining one seat on the operations team. Tak Won-ho did not change his expression at all as he said, ¡°Please calm down, Director Tak Won-hyeok. This is an official meeting.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to do whatever you want anyway, what¡¯s so official about it!¡± Bang! Unable to control his anger, Tak Won-hyeok mmed the table again and left the conference room just like that. He had simply followed the lead of his younger brother, who had their father¡¯s trust, but he exploded in anger at the insane suggestion of creating a student n. Whether he left or stayed, it was the same, his words would not be heeded. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s resume the meeting.¡± However, Tak Won-ho¡¯s expression remained perfectly calm, as if there was no problem at all. The n he intended to push forward was by no means an insane act. Considering public opinion and the academy¡¯s substantial interests, It was quite reasonable when all factors were taken into ount. That was the confidence stemming from his thoughts.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 265 Chapter 265 Confession (1) ¡°Sir Dave.¡± In a room thickly shrouded in darkness. A man approached cautiously and called out to a man wrapped in a robe. Dave, the deputy headmaster of the Ludenark faction, and his subordinate Aquilen. They had sessfully escaped from the dungeon and rebuilt their hideout. ¡°It was as expected.¡± ¡°¡­You mean Ang?¡±¡°Yes. She was captured by Do Jae-hyun and the Ripple Raid Squads, then dragged back to the present world escorted to the Korean Holder Association.¡± It was the expected course of events from the moment contact was lost. But- At the fact that he had lost a precious faction member, Dave shattered themp he was holding. No, it wasn¡¯t because she was a precious faction member. Do Jae-hyun. He was annoyed at being bested again by that damn brat. ¡°The handling?¡± ¡°It was carried out cleanly. Since all I had to do was touch the trigger, it was simple even remotely. Now Ang has be a nk te without any cognitive ability.¡± ¡°I see.¡± However, we didn¡¯t simply send Ang as a spy either. We had prepared a device to use Ang as a disposable pawn at any time. Though she herself was probably unaware of this fact. ¡°What is Hwang Seong-yeon doing?¡± ¡°Staying quietly in the designated room. He asionally kills the sacrifices we¡¯ve brought in, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. We need to use both the living and the dead as sacrifices anyway.¡± While Hwang Seong-yeon was ughtering people indiscriminately in his madness, Dave didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. In fact, that simple side of him made him easier to utilize. The true owner of the Demonde. Dealing with that dangerous existence wasn¡¯t easy, even for Dave. Cooperation with a purpose was actually more convenient. ¡°Aquilen. We¡¯re moving the n forward.¡± ¡°You mean¡­ elerating it?¡± ¡°Yes. Start bringing in Holders as sacrifices.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Aquilen¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the surprising order. But he managed to avoid questioning the order. Dave was a superior who hated being questioned about orders the most. ¡°Understood¡­ Sir.¡± The difficulty and risk had suddenly escted. If they were caught, the entire n coulde crashing down. Nevertheless, Aquilen quietly followed the order. That was the way of the Ludenark faction. *** Ippotrantion *** - My Great Performance! What¡¯s Moon Ga-eun¡¯s Next Move? -Holder Lim Hyun¡¯s Praise, ¡°Moon Ga-eun was the Core of Our Team.¡± -Already an A-Grade Holder Promotion Examination? A Daughter Trying to Surpass Her Father¡­ -What Kind of ce is the 2nd Year Generation at Seoul Academy? ¡°Our n Has Received a Blessing.¡± n¡¯s Executive Private Room. Moon Jong-hyuk was looking over the articles with a satisfied face that couldn¡¯t hide his smile. Some articles were sensationally written to attract views, but most of them did not spare their praise for his daughter. ¡°Well, I¡¯m eating my words.¡± A man watching this scene said with augh. He was neatly dressed in a suit and sitting casually on the sofa, but the intense magic emanating from around him and therge greatsword beside him¡­ He was clearly no ordinary presence. Moon Jong-hyuk also burst intoughter and replied. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy about it, brother-inw?¡± The man¡¯s name was Hwang Geon-wook. Moon Jong-hyuk¡¯s brother-inw and direct superior. One of only 5 S-grade Holders in the country. And the n Master of , one of the top 3 ns in the country. ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. Our one and only niece has raised the name of our n through her own efforts, unlike those sried thieves who do nothing.¡± ¡°Ay, why must you put it like that?¡± Hwang Geon-wook spoke somewhat bluntly. But Moon Ga-eun¡¯s performance this time was indeed remarkable. After the sessful dungeon raid, various issues emerged, such as information about adaptors, the Ludenark school of thought, and Do Jae-hyun¡¯s S-grade challenge¡­ But the public¡¯s greatest interest remained in the ¡®Holders.¡¯ Which Holder had a major achievement? Which rookie had newly emerged? Whenever a temporary raid squad was formed and began a raid, the public¡¯s attention inevitably focused on the degree of the raid members¡¯ performances. -Breaking the Mold of Archers! The Potential of ¡®Cavalry Archer¡¯ Shown by Moon Ga-eun. -Moon Ga-eun, the First in the World to Sessfully Tame a Werewolf, Receiving Love Calls from Taming Holders Around the World¡­ -Is Moon Ga-eun¡¯s True Ability Divine Possession? Just What is the Power of the Valkyrie? Among them, Moon Ga-eun was one of the most notable Holders. Not only did she rise as a multi-Holder through her taming runes, she even tamed an A-grade monster, the Lycanthrope, as her taming target. On top of that, she performed brilliantly in rescuing her squad members from crisis. With these facts revealed¡­ The n was in an uproar. As the n Master Hwang Geon-wook had no children, Moon Ga-eun, the mischievous girl, had grown up as the n¡¯s only princess. Yet this very Moon Ga-eun had now surpassed the worth of a single Holder, even several Holdersbined, raising the n¡¯s name. Naturally, the nsmen¡¯s cheers poured in. The marketing department even fully embraced this, using it as a promotional opportunity. ¡°I greet the Master.¡± In the midst of the lively atmosphere, the subject of their conversation appeared. Moon Ga-eun. She had been incredibly busytely with the raid, n duties, and the academy¡¯s reopening. Hwang Geon-wook immediately stood up from the sofa and weed her with an embrace. ¡°Our niece, it¡¯s been hard to see your face?¡± ¡°Tch- It¡¯s because I¡¯m running around in person for the n. The Master might not know, but I¡¯m already a veteran 2-year Holder, you know.¡± ¡°Haha. How could I not know that?¡± Hwang Geon-wook let out augh, then snapped his fingers to call his secretary. The secretary approached with a long, ornate box. A box that clearly contained an item¡­ With an antique, elegant feel. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Open it. It¡¯s a gift.¡± Click- With a puzzled expression, Moon Ga-eun opened the box. Her vision was filled with a bow engraved with several unique ancient patterns. And it was an item she was very familiar with. [Heavyblow Bow]. A legendary powerful bow said to contain the myths of Jeju Ind. The n had been keeping this legendary item for a long time. Naturally, it was a bow that archers had dreamed of possessing. ¡°Uncle!!¡± ¡°Ouch-¡° Unable to contain her joy, Moon Ga-eun dropped all formalities and hugged Hwang Geon-wook. Seeing this, both Hwang Geon-wook and Moon Jong-hyuk smiled contentedly. It was because they both knew very well how much she had wanted this item. ¡°I originally intended to give it as a graduation gift, but our niece did such a good job. This is a reward for not getting hurt and performing greatly in this operation. It¡¯s not a rental, it¡¯s being fully given to you, so don¡¯t worry.¡± In fact, Moon Ga-eun was not the only one who performed well in this ¡®Wolfenser¡¯ operation. There were Holders like Park Jin-woo, Kim Chae-eun, and Do Seung-min who made significant contributions in various areas, and Moon Ga-eun was one of those promising new Holders. However, she was the Holder who participated representing the n along with Seong Na-yeon. It was important that she did not fall behind and performed greatly on behalf of the name of . In particr, it was significant that Moon Ga-eun, who had always been evaluated as falling a step behind Kang Juyeon from the rival n , finally showed simr achievements and skills in this operation. ¡°Ah, and by the way, how has that friend Do Jae-hyun been doingtely? I haven¡¯t heard any news since thest press conference.¡± ¡°Jae-hyun?¡± Moon Ga-eun tilted her head at the unexpected name from her uncle. Then she answered briefly. ¡°He¡¯s attending the academy. Like me. He¡¯s still a student, you know.¡± Despite the flood of love calls and gifts from various ns, interview requests from media outlets, and duel requests from many Holders, and even requests to give lectures on theory alone¡­ After the ¡®Wolfenser¡¯ operation, there was tremendous attention focused on him, but Do Jae-hyun rejected all of that and quietly attended the academy. A student should attend sses. It was such an obvious statement. However, from the perspective of the domestic Holdermunity who no longer saw him as a student, his actions were baffling and regrettable. ¡°A student¡­ I suppose. But he¡¯s a student more outstanding than most professors.¡± Hwang Geon-wook let out a peculiarugh and snapped his fingers. ¡°Anyway, if Holder Do Jae-hyun is trying to do something new, be sure to let your uncle know too.¡± ¡°Trying to do something new?¡± ¡°Yes. That friend is currently in the eye of the storm, isn¡¯t he? If I want to keep up with the trends, I need to study hard too.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Moon Ga-eun looked at Moon Jong-hyuk with a puzzled expression as Hwang Geon-wook made remarks she couldn¡¯t make sense of. But he patted her shoulder, said to see her again, and went outside. ¡°Dad. What was uncle talking about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s just how the n master thinks. He has a lot of ns, you know.¡± Moon Ga-eun pursed her lips at the nonchnt answer. ¡°Tch- Dad doesn¡¯t know anything.¡± At that answer, Moon Jong-hyuk yfully pointed at her bow. ¡°But your dad knows better than anyone how to use that Heavyblow Bow¡­ Should I try using it?¡± ¡°Ab-solutely not! Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Moon Ga-eun had already tightly grasped the [Heavyblow Bow] as if it were her own possession. Moon Jong-hyukughed at that sight. It was such an amazing and astounding thing. His daughter, whom he had always thought was young and needed to be protected. His daughter, who had closed off her heart after losing her mother, or so he thought. That daughter had grown up to be a full-fledged Holder and n member. Moreover, her skills were so outstanding that she was trying to catch up to her father, and on top of that, she had acquired a legendary item within the n through her own achievements. Really¡­ Really, he was so proud and amazed. If this was what his daughter wanted. If this was what his daughter wished from her father¡­ It seemed like he could grant her anything, regardless of what it was. That was Moon Jong-hyuk¡¯s sincere feeling towards his daughter. ¡°Dad, I have something to say.¡± As if sensing his sincere feelings towards her, His daughter finally spoke up. ¡°Yes, tell me anything. Dad will listen to it all.¡± Mun Jeong-hyeok responded with a firm expression. At this moment, it felt like he could really listen to anything. ¡°I¡¯m dating Jae-hyun.¡± But his daughter¡¯s words were puzzling. Dating Jae-hyun? If Jae-hyun was the one he knew¡­ Hadn¡¯t that already been revealed a long time ago? Moon Jong-hyuk tilted his head at the unexpected re-confession and said, ¡°I know. Dad knows too. You told me about it before.¡± ¡°That was a lie because I didn¡¯t want to go on a blind date. I¡¯m sorry, Dad. But now I¡¯m really dating him. Seriously, with feelings that I like him more than anyone.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± For a moment, he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of her words. ¡­That was all a lie? Since when? No, how much of it? Before he could evenprehend that, his daughter¡¯s words continued immediately. ¡°And Jae-hyun is dating two other girls besides me. I gave my permission for that. You know one of them too, Dad.¡± And that was¡­ Compared to her previous statement, it was a bombshell revtion on an entirely different level. ¡°¡­What did you say?!¡± If this was what his daughter wanted. If this was what his daughter wished from her father¡­ Those thoughts were losing their way in Moon Jong-hyuk¡¯s mind.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Confession (2) The new school year started, but my training did not stop. The Ludenark Sect and the Hwang Seong-yeon Union. Since another enemy and certain goal has arisen¡­ Growth must continue endlessly. Fortunately, as my research with Professor Kang Dong-wook also ended, I had free time, so I started hunting in the dungeon right after sses ended. The dungeon I mainly visit is . It recently became famous as a dungeon that possessed , but it was originally famous as a high-level dungeon overflowing with A-grade and above monsters, so it was perfectly suitable as a training ground.Fortunately, the owner of this dungeon is my teacher, Yoo Eun-seol. It was easy to ask for entrance. [Teacher Yoo Eun-seol] Of course. I¡¯ll let the guild employee in charge of the entrance know, so Holder Do Jae-hyun can enter whenever he wants. [Me] Thank you, teacher. [Teacher Yoo Eun-seol] ¡­Or should I go with you? [Me] Huh? [Teacher Yoo Eun-seol] Ah, I guess that¡¯s a bit¡­ Never mind, just something I said. Ha, haha. Come back safe. Although there was some awkward conversation, thanks to her, there was no problem entering the dungeon at all. The first thing I tested when starting the hunt was¡­ Of course, the new contractor I gained through this subjugation. Awoooooo¨C!! A rough howl resounds through the dungeon, and a wolf with red fur reveals its stately appearance. It¡¯s Jiten, my third contractor. The color of its fur is much clearer than before. It meant he had gotten closer to being an S-grade monster. Grrr, grrrr¨C!! Jiten uses the charge-type rune, [Wolf¡¯s Charge]¡­ And tears through the dungeon relentlessly. Boasting such high speed and rune level, its momentum was no less than the charges I use. I swung my sword in sync with that howling. ¡®el Piercing won¡¯t work.¡¯ [el Piercing] is a skill I can only use when I charge or apply [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] to a mount. Right now, Jiten is directly using his own charge-type rune. Here, it was much more effective to use a sword or bow. sh! Swish! Grrrr¨C!! Fortunately, its destructive power was no less than [el Piercing]. Most of the monsters blocking the way fell with a single strike, and our breathing also gradually improved. Jiten¡¯s charge and my sword strikes. Our attacks blended like a harmony, without hesitation. -Master. This time, five are blocking the way. ¡®It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t stop.¡¯ The ck Ogres, one of the main monsters of the dungeon,e charging at us in a group. But I had no intention of stopping. ¡®I have to make the most of the charge.¡¯ If I were to name the biggest advantage of Jiten, a Lycan, when transformed into a wolf form, it would be that he has the charge-type rune [Wolf¡¯s Charge] and the [Ruthless Charge] rune that goes with it as a set. Ignore physical attacks during the charge, and deal damage equal to twice your strength at the end. This was a chargebo I often used in the early days, so of course Jiten in wolf form can also use this attack. ¡®Plus, I¡¯m free from the charge.¡¯ [Ruthless Charge] has a powerful special effect, but¡­ It has one downside. That is, during the charge, you cannot take any magical or physical action. Only charging during the charge. Other actions are only possible after the charge ends. However, the rider of the charge is an exception. Since I didn¡¯t apply [The Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] to Jiten separately, I could freely wield my sword during his charge. Grrrroarr¨C!! Waaaah¨C!! The sound of some squealing pig reaches my ears. Two ck Ogres in front of me instantly copse. Jiten¡¯s [Ruthless Charge] effect and my water swordsmanship ovepped in one breath, relentlessly bringing down the enemies. ¡®Heh. This is cavalrybat.¡¯ To be precise, not a horse but a wolf¡­ But whatever, doesn¡¯t matter. I felt an odd sense of exhration at how well we moved together. Certainly, Jiten was stillckingpared to Tyrbon or As, but as abat partner, he was not at all inferior. ¡òName: Jiten (Lycan) -Contractor: Do Jae-hyun ¡òssification: Werewolf (Special) ¡òAttribute: ¨C ¡òAffinity: Loyalty ¡òStatus: Superb ¡òBasic Ability Stats:- ¡ò [Strength: 94 (+20.6)] ¡ò [Magic: 33 (+20.0)] ¡ò [Speed: 101 (+21.2)] ¡ò [Willpower: 21 (+14.0)] ¡ò [Toughness: 75 (+14.6)] ¡ò [Psyche: 51 (+14.6)] ¡òPossessed Runes:- ¡ò [Power of the Boiling Werewolf Lv.14] ¡ò [Moonlit Night Lv.10] ¡ò [Wolf¡¯s Charge Lv.16] ¡ò [Ruthless Charge Lv.10] ¡ò [Quadruped Combat Lv.18] ¡ò [Tough Wolf Skin Lv.12] ¡ò [Sturdy Fangs Lv.11] ¡ò [Dexterity Lv.13] ¡ò [Endurance Lv.10] ¡ò [Physical Strength Lv.10] ¡òDetailed Information:- :A Lycan belonging to the Baraten tribe of the wolf city Wolfenser. He is the nephew of the tribe chief Enrichten and is currently a warrior about to awaken. He has made a contract and shows deep loyalty to the one who gave him a token of trust. First of all, his strength and speed are tremendously high. The reason Jiten¡¯s [Ruthless Charge] had such a great effect was because he possessed this immense strength and his speed supported the charge. On top of that, he has various auxiliary runes optimized for closebat. With just Moonlight or [Lupus Ring], he can freely awaken into wolf form with [Night of Flowing Moonlight]. The setting of all his runes was like the orthodox for a Lycan warrior. ¡®Jiten. Bite the neck of the guy in front of me.¡¯ -Understood. Jiten¡¯s charge was stopped by the recent collision. Two of the ck Ogres that were knocked down by the charge. I decided to deal with the one at the very front of the remaining three first. Upon my order, Jiten swiftly moved behind that one, and I also used art of weapon exchange. Changing weapons from sword to knuckles. Using martial arts after a long time. ¡®Primordial Furious Attack¡® A new skill I acquired this time. To effectively use [Primordial Furious Attack]. This skill that adds 20% more power when utilizing martial arts is focused on ¡®maximizing physical attacks¡¯¡­ Essentially, using this skill with punches has a simr effect to throwing tremendously powerful punches. Puh, euck¨C!! Kwuahh¨C!! The sound of a pig squealinges out again. The ck Ogre was pushed back from the strong impact, and without stopping, I spun my body to target another one. ¡®Rapid Strikes.¡¯ [Rapid Strikes], a derived skill of the [Master of Martial Arts] rune. A physical attack that deals three rapid strikes is inflicted. The first strike to the chest. The second and third to the abdomen. Even without infusing any magic, the creature was simrly pushed back greatly. ¡®I¡¯ve definitely gotten stronger.¡¯ I felt that my bare-handedbat sensations had greatly improved when wearing the knuckles. Thanks to the [Power of the Boiling Werewolf] rune. ¡òName: Power of the Boiling Werewolf ¡òLevel: 13 ¡òSpecial Effect 1) Allows you to wield the power of an ¡®Awakened Lycanthrope¡¯. The destructive power and explosiveness of hand-to-handbat utilizing strength, speed, and toughness increases tremendously. Additionally, the performance of runes that enhance and assist the body increases by 10%, and the performance of runes rted to ¡®martial arts¡¯ increases by 15%. ¡­ ¡­ A rune that grew to level 13 by sessfully clearing the dungeon. Thanks to this rune optimized for hand-to-handbat, the sheer power of my physical attacks increased greatly, and the effect was doubled when utilizing martial arts while wearing knuckles. That¡¯s why, even without using my main sword weapon, I felt like I was able to unleash 100% of my original power. [The contracted ¡®Jiten¡¯ has used the derived skill ¡®Loyal Mimicry¡¯ of the ¡®Law of Contract¡¯ rune.] [For the next 1 minute, Jiten¡¯s magic will be 100.] And the information window that appears before my eyes. It was information about another new skill I had just acquired. Seeing the contents, I smiled. ¡®Doesn¡¯t even need to be told, using it well.¡¯ [Emergency Exit] and [Loyal Mimicry] are derived skills only contractors can use. In other words, these are skills that contractors can use at their own discretion. In the middle of this battle, Jaten used [Loyal Mimicry] on his own judgment, thinking my magic count was needed. Kku, kwaaang¨C!! Kuahh¨C!! And I saw the full effect of using the skill. Jiten leapt towards the remaining ck Ogres and instantly utilized [Night of Flowing Moonlight] to shift into human form mid-air. Transforming into a Lycanthrope form while still in the air. And pouring all his avable magic into his fist¡­ He delivered a powerful uppercut to the ck Ogre. Even without [Magic Control], recklessly pouring in that much magic was effective due to the sheer amount, despite being crude. Without even a chance to react, the ck Ogre¡¯s head was instantly shattered. -Master. I¡¯ve finished them all off. Having cleaned up the battlefield in an instant, Jiten approached and spoke to me. He had also disposed of the remaining ck Ogres I had left on the verge of death. ¡­A truly exceptionally loyal contractor. ¡°Good, you worked hard. Let¡¯s rest for a bit.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Jiten reverted to wolf form and took a rest. I also sat down on the ground for a moment and took out my phone. To check the time¡­ But I had some missed calls and one message. [Juyeon] Jae-hyun, are you free now? It was my girlfriend. Sincemunication wont work inside the dungeon, she must have sent it before I entered, and I¡¯m just seeing it now. ¡°I should go.¡± Closing my phone, I scan the surroundings. The original n was to train for about 2 more hours, but since I just noticed this sudden message, it seems I should head out. ¡°But what¡¯s going on?¡± I tilt my head in puzzlement. Juyeon doesn¡¯t usually send messages like this, so I feel a strange sense of unease. And then. Bururu- ¡°¡­What is this?¡± Suddenly, my body starts to tremble slightly. From that unfamiliar sensation, An ominous feeling starts to well up within me, for some unknown reason.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Confession (3) ¡°You said you were going to tell your parents?¡± I asked again, thinking I might have misheard for a moment. However, Kang Juyeon¡¯s expression was firm as she nodded her head. ¡°Yes. Ga-eun will speak first, then me, and then Chae-eun after that.¡± Moon Ga-eun, Kang Juyeon, and Kim Chae-eun. The fact that they were going to speak in that order meant, of course, about our romantic rtionship. Although the trend is bing more open worldwide, simultaneous dating is still not epted in Korea.Let alone their parents¡¯ generation, who will certainly not understand it even more. It takes courage just to reveal the truth. ¡°This suddenly?¡± But I didn¡¯t expect it to happen right now. I didn¡¯t even know it was a decision announced in this form. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not sudden. I¡¯ve been worried about it for a long time.¡± ¡°For a long time means¡­¡± ¡°Since rumors about you started appearing often with Ga-eun or me.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± It was then that I understood what she meant. Recently, as I gained fame and took major steps as a Holder, articles with rumors about me and my girlfriends have increased considerably. (Although they¡¯re not really rumors.) The subjects were mainly the famous figures Kang Ju-yeon and Moon Ga-eun. Kang Juyeon is originally the daughter of the n master of . As the n¡¯s only heir, it goes without saying¡­ Moon Ga-eun is also the princess of who has no suitable heir. Both are treated as key figures within the n and from an outside perspective. Since I often spend time with them and handle important matters together¡­ It was inevitable that rumors would arise. What¡¯s more, my other girlfriend Kim Chae-eun¡¯s poprity has skyrocketed through this as well. For now, they can be brushed off as friends or colleagues, but we couldn¡¯t ignore it forever. ¡°It seemed better for us to tell them directly rather than them finding out through articlester.¡± In that sense, my girlfriends¡¯ choice was reasonable. It¡¯s a truth that wille out eventually, and in that case, it¡¯s cleaner for their parents to find out first and act ordingly before us. After all, they are our seniors in life¡¯s affairs. ¡°But at least let me know.¡± It was just a bit disappointing that they decided without consulting me. But I agreed with the content itself. ¡°Sorry. You seemed so busytely¡­¡± Kang Juyeon apologized as she pulled me into an embrace. And a light kiss on the lips. At her clumsy yet enthusiastic gesture¡­ I felt the resentment in my heart melt away like snow. ¡®This is cheating.¡¯ I find myself smiling inadvertently. Kang Juyeon¡¯s signature clueless expression and actions to cheer me up. Seeing that adorable side of her¡­ There was no way I could stay upset. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± So I ced my hand on her head and said. Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. You were right that I¡¯ve been really busytely, and I was nning on telling them too. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t get to it first.¡± Telling their parents the truth about our rtionships. This was something I had in mind since I started dating them. It¡¯s just that I kept putting it off as I dealt with major incidents one after another. So in a way, I was grateful that my girlfriends thought about it first and brought it up. Just as I was steeling my mind like this, Kang Juyeon, embraced in my arms¡­ Suddenly dropped a quiet bomb. ¡°Then shall we go see them tomorrow?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I dumbly repeated after her. For a moment, I didn¡¯t understand. But the spilled water couldn¡¯t be undone. Words I never expected came ringing in my ears. ¡°Actually, when Ga-eun spoke up, I told them too. Then Father said he wants to see you once¡­¡± Saying this, Kang Juyeon lowered her gaze. Along with her gaze, My head drooped down at the same time. Her apologetic manner and unfinished words. It was then that I realized for certain. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ It was time to persuade the ultimate daughter-con, Kang Woo-hyun, someone who seemed absolutely unpersuadable. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°What a disappointment.¡± A heavy voice descends, filling the room. It was not Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s voice. He was standing on the other side of the room with his arms crossed, looking at me. A familiar face and sharp expression. Muscle about to burst and a tall stature. Arge bow ced in one corner of the room¡­ It was the voice of Moon Jong-hyuk, Ga-eun¡¯s father. After hearing the same news, The two were meeting me in the same ce. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I bowed my head and apologized to him. In fact, I had nothing to say to Moon Jong-hyuk. Now, I was really dating them, but before, saying I was dating Ga-eun was a lie. All the conversations we had while drinking together must have felt like lies, so the betrayal he must have felt was even greater. ¡°You had the nerve to lie to me. Bold indeed.¡± ¡°Dad! I asked him to do that!¡± Moon Ga-eun, who was next to me, shouted with an aggrieved expression. She was there with me because she couldn¡¯t leave me alone. But Moon Jong-hyuk was firm. ¡°Ga-eun, you go out.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± ¡°Hey.¡± No matter how much he usually listened to her words, Moon Jong-hyuk kicked her out coldly right now. And the same went for Kang Woo-hyun next to her. ¡°Juyeon, you go out too.¡± ¡°¡­But I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Her small defiance was meaningless. And so the worried lovers standing there all left, and in the end only the fathers and I remained in the room. It was a three-way confrontation. Swallowing my tension, I met their eyes. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t read their thoughts.¡¯ The eyes of Moon Jong-hyuk and Kang Woo-hyun were deep and dark. I couldn¡¯t tell what they were thinking from their gaze alone. They were the Holders at the very top of the nation¡¯s top ns. It seemed they didn¡¯t easily get to those positions, as they showed even firmer appearances in situations like this. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been dating our daughters at the same time?¡± Kang Woo-hyun opened his mouth with a stern face. It was time to seriously discuss what had been kept hidden. Though he came on a bit too strong from the start, which caught me off guard slightly, there was nothing more to hide now, so I answered honestly. ¡°Yes. To be precise, there is one more friend named Kim Chae-eun.¡± ¡°Hah, quite brazen.¡± ¡°I thought I should tell you everything now.¡± I paused to catch my breath and continued speaking. ¡°I regret not telling Holder Kang Woo-hyun in advance, and lying to Holder Moon Jong-hyuk. It took time to confirm our feelings for each other, and afterwards I was too busy, so telling you was dyed.¡± I looked up at the two fathers. At this moment, honesty was the only weapon I could use. ¡°But there was never any lie in my love for Juyeon and Ga-eun. I didn¡¯t love one less than the other, and gave my heart equally to both of them. And I really wanted to tell you both that it would never change. It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Silence swirled in the room. The weight of my candid confession of true feelings was by no means light, so the fathers seemed lost in thought for a moment too. And then. ¡°Those words¡­¡± It was Kang Woo-hyun who first broke the silence. ¡°Do they mean you n to marry our daughters?¡± The content was quite bold. But there was no hesitation in my answer. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± Kang Woo-hyun was the one who seemed flustered by my sharp response. In contrast, my expression was calm. My love for them would never change. These were not words I had uttered lightly. They were the answer I had long thought about and agonized over fiercely. ¡°If you two give me permission, I would like to marry both of you. There will certainly be more than a few problems ahead¡­ But I will solve them. Please trust me.¡± Kang Woo-hyun and Moon Jong-hyuk. and . Just hearing their names makes one tense up. How can I possibly convince these people? After hearing the news from Juyeon yesterday, It was a problem I had been agonizing over, nearly staying up all night. I racked my brain and scribbled until the paper was almost torn. ¡®There was no answer.¡¯ But in the end, there was no correct answer. There were no words or sentences that could beguile the veterans who had been rolling in the Holder world for decades. The only way was a frontal assault. My sincere, honest story. Believe in me and give me your daughters. Other than telling that simple story¡­ No appropriate method came to mind. And perhaps that was¡­ The best option for this topic without a correct answer. ¡°Ha, hahaha!¡± ¡°What did I tell you? Isn¡¯t this just like Do Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Yeah, Moon Jong-hyuk. You¡¯re right sometimes. Ipletely lost. Haha.¡± The atmosphere in the room instantly cleared up. Bursts ofughter and scattered apuse could be heard. ¡®¡­What¡¯s going on suddenly?¡¯ I looked at them with a puzzled expression at the abrupt change. I had been honest in my frontal assault approach¡­ But I didn¡¯t expect the result to be this good. No, how could the heavy atmosphere change so quickly in an instant? However, the gazes of Kang Woo-hyun and Moon Jong-hyuk looking at me were only warm. ¡°We¡¯ve already given permission.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°From the moment Ga-eun and Juyeon told usst night, Woo-hyun and I had already discussed it. As you said, there are many problems, but we¡¯ve decided to give our permission anyway. What can we do? Our one and only daughters love and want you so much. We haven¡¯t discussed it with Professor Kim Myeong-hyun yet, but he probably won¡¯t be able to refuse his daughter in the end either.¡± Kang Woo-hyun exined the whole story in a gentle tone. It was something I never expected. I knew the two of them were friends, but I didn¡¯t think they would keep it a secret from their daughters and discuss my rtionship with them. I also didn¡¯t expect the result to be so positive. ¡°However, I was just curious about your sincerity. You nicely met our expectations and conveyed that sincerity in a simple way.¡± ¡°But Mr. Kang Woo-hyun¡­¡± ¡°Ohe on. Why so formal with Mr. Kang Woo-hyun? Just call me father-inw from now on. Hahaha.¡± Laughter broke out and the two men embraced my shoulders. Although they were speaking rather lightly, their ¡®permission¡¯ implied quite a lot. Kang Juyeon, the only heir of . Moon Ga-eun, treated as the de facto heir of . The fact that the three of us were meeting with marriage in mind was not just a personal matter, but could also be tied to n affairs. Yet Kang Woo-hyun and Moon Jong-hyuk did not mention that at all, readily giving permission for our rtionship. That meant¡­ They were also prepared to solve the problems that would lie ahead of us. ¡°So, which one of them did you date first?¡± ¡°Ohe on, why ask? He¡¯s been dating my Ga-eun for a long time anyway!¡± ¡°That was a fake rtionship!¡± ¡°It¡¯s real now, so it doesn¡¯t matter!¡± But the very people who had made such a momentous decision Were merely throwing childishly silly questions at me¡­ While enthusiastically bickering with each other.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Confession (4) ¡°Long time no see, Jin-woo.¡± ¡°Dad?¡± At the sudden appearance of this person, Park Jin-woo doubted his eyes. While his father was normally a wanderer like a migratory bird going all over the world, for the past few years he had rarelye home. His father, Park Ji-hwan. He had returned home as if it were a lie. Moreover, his mother and younger sister were out grocery shopping, not at home¡­At this ghostly timing. Park Jin-woo narrowed his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came at this time on purpose?¡± ¡°¡­If your mother and younger sister see me, they might try to kill me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± He readily agreed to the highly probable statement. Recently, his younger sister¡¯s temper had be especially fiery, but witnessing the wrath of the final boss of the household, their mother, in that state¡­ Was something Park Jin-woo also did not want. ¡°So what¡¯s the sudden reason for your visit?¡± Though his tone sounded somewhat aggressive, it was a question he asked out of pure curiosity. His father only came home when there was something really necessary, so there must be a reason for this visit too. ¡°As expected of my son. You can read your dad¡¯s mind well.¡± At that, Park Ji-hwan smiled brightly, but Park Jin-woo shook his head. ¡°Ugh ¨C just get to the point.¡± ¡°¡­Ahem. Right. Dad came to see your friend.¡± ¡°Friend?¡± Park Jin-woo tilted his head at the sudden word. This wasn¡¯t a proud fact, but¡­ Park Jin-woo didn¡¯t actually have that many friends. He thought of one woman¡¯s face first. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came to see Cami?¡± ¡°Cami? Who¡¯s that. You have a foreign friend too?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± Well, of course. There¡¯s no way his dad would know Cami. After nodding lightly, Park Jin-woo mentioned the name of his closest friend. ¡°Then did youe to see Do Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Right, Jae-hyun. I don¡¯t have much time right now, but when I went to his house, he wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°His house? How do you know Jae-hyun¡¯s house?¡± When Park Jin-woo asked back in puzzlement, Park Ji-hwan cleared his throat again and answered. ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s like that. Anyway, can you give me that friend¡¯s number? I think I¡¯ll need to contact him when I have timeter.¡± The Ludenark Sect. The group Park Ji-hwan had been pursuing for a long time had surfaced. It was time to make contact with Do Jae-hyun, who held the key to the core. ¡°But Jae-hyun is a little busy right now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it would probably be better to call him muchter or tomorrow.¡± A friend¡¯s suffering is my joy. Thinking of Do Jae-hyun who must be suffering, Park Jin-woo snickered. ¡°He¡¯s be a thief now, so he has to kneel and get permission for something.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** Taking a step towards the international flow! South Korea also implements the ¡®Hendricks Law¡¯¡­ The much-talked-about polygamy bill, how did it pass so quickly? The Kang Woo-hyun, ¡°I think it¡¯s a sufficiently necessary bill¡± Official Statement, ¡°We support the choice of the association and the parliament¡± The ¡®Liam Hendricks Law¡¯, which had only been discussed domestically until now. It was a polygamy bill that had already be a global trend, but its implementation in South Korea was dyed due to various issues. However, when the key figures of the three major domestic ns moved, the resolution was instantaneous. The stagnant bill swiftly passed, and through official statements, public opinion in each n was also steered in a positive direction. Even the headlines of the articles pouring out from the media are favorable. The ¡®permission¡¯ of Kang Woo-hyun and Moon Jong-hyuk, two giants of the Holder faction¡­ It was certainly not just a simple permission. ¡°It seems Holder Do Jae-hyun has put aside even his esteemed father-inw.¡± A soft voice is heard beyond the fingertips clutching the newspaper. The familiar room and sofa I¡¯ve often been to. The familiar face and physique sitting on it. Kim Myeong-hyun, the professor who taught me martial arts and another respected elder. I sat before him with utmost respect, seeking his permission. The object of permission was, of course, Kim Chae-eun. ¡°I was really surprised. Is this really because of the three major domestic ns?¡± As my teacher continues to marvel at the articles¡­ I carefully broached the subject. ¡°You are also an esteemed person, teacher.¡± Although not as renowned as Kang Woo-hyun or Moon Jung-hyuk, my teacher is still a formidable Holder. He had a high reputation as an academy professor, and his educational philosophy was also firm, earning the respect of many. Particrly, creating his own swordsmanship and elevating it to the rune [Water Sword Technique ]¡­ It proved that he was a top-ranking A-grade Holder who had umted years of experience and skill. At my admiring gaze towards him, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun suddenly burst into heartyughter and waved his hand. ¡°Haha. That¡¯s not what I meant. I was just marveling at those two. I might have misspoken.¡± He briefly ced the newspaper on the table and looked at me. Like his gentle voice, his eyes still held a warm energy. ¡°I hope Holder Do Jae-hyun also feels their greatness. Although the two readily permitted your simultaneous rtionships, there must have been a lot of contemtion and intense emotions they had to endure.¡± My teacher¡¯s words conveyed much. That although Kang Woo-hyun and Moon Jung-hyuk treated mefortably with smiles, there was a long period of contemtion before reaching that point. That a father¡¯s heart is not so simple when he has a daughter. Likewise, the words from my teacher, who also has a daughter and is about to give me permission¡­ they resounded deeply in my heart. ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± I nodded firmly, and my teacher gave me another warm smile. ¡°I will also permit you to meet Chae-eun. To be honest, when I first heard about it, I wanted to beat Holder Do Jae-hyun to a pulp, student or not¡­¡± He trailed off and took out a letter from his pocket. ¡°But after reading this letter, I couldn¡¯t do that. I suppose there¡¯s no father who can overpower his daughter.¡± A blue letter with a frost flower emblem. There were a whopping 5 pages densely written. A letter Kim Chae-eun wrote herself to persuade her father. It detailed why she came to like me, how she met her three friends, and her honest feelings through it all¡­ Various stories were crammed into it. A letter solely intended to make her father understand the current situation. Reading it, I felt both apologetic and grateful towards her. ¡®¡­They all worked so hard.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just Kim Chae-eun. I heard that Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun also spent a long time persuading their fathers. They emphasized that they had discussed it among themselves first, and honestly expressed that they all genuinely loved me. What was considered only an obstacle, the permission of the fathers. To obtain this rtively easily¡­ There were deep efforts from the girlfriends. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± My teacher suddenly ced his hand on my shoulder and spoke to me. And we quietly met gazes. Ironically, I could read the emotion held in his eyes. Love. It was certainly an immeasurable love for his daughter, Kim Chae-eun. ¡°Please cherish Chae-eun a lot. As Holder Do Jae-hyun may also know, Chae-eun is a child who grew up receiving only half the love from her parents. She has grown upcking, and needs that much more affection.¡± Kim Chae-eun does not have a mother. A fact I naturally came to know from being acquainted with her for a long time. I did not delve deeply into it. Chae-eun also did not want to talk about her mother in detail, and Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, who is my teacher, did not mention it either. Although I still do not know the precise details, the teacher was directly mentioning that part to me and making a request. ¡°Please fill thecking affection, Holder Do Jae-hyun. From what I¡¯ve seen of Chae-eun, she will dly ept that affection from you.¡± As much as thecking love from her mother¡­ He was making the most courteous request a father could, asking me to fill Chae-eun with more love. ¡°I will keep it in mind for life.¡± I quietly nodded my head and promised him. Seeing that, the teacher also smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°How reassuring.¡± It was the moment of receiving¡­ The final permission to freely meet my lovers. ¡°Well then¡­¡± The teacher, who had been enjoying the lingering feelings of emotion, suddenly pped his hands and took out his sword. ¡°Shall we go to the training grounds?¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ve finished the important matter, we should slowly start the lesson. Today we agreed to research the new ultimate skill of the Flowing Sword style that you discovered, right?¡± My master made a cruel remark with a faint smile. That¡¯s right. Before being my master, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡­ Was thebat instructor who taught dedicated lessons. ¡®No, I want to rest a bit today¡­¡¯ I was in despair at the lesson proceeding without exception. In fact, I had been running non-stop until now, and over the past few days, the mental fatigue from obtaining the fathers¡¯ permission had umted, and I really wanted to rest, but¡­ ¡°Sword training research together with the son-inw. It will be such a fun time. Haha.¡± With those words, I couldn¡¯t even open my mouth. ¡®This is unfair.¡¯ In this situation where I had just received permission to date¡­ Moreover, I even had a chance to score points. There was no way I could disappoint my master here.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Equipment Enhancement (1) I¡¯ve solved all the huge problems that had piled up until now. Conquering during the vacation, which was my core task, and the subsequent processing,pleting the [Order of Fusion] research and organizing the contractors I possessed, and growing and strengthening the abilities I had. More than anything, the biggest problem was¡­ Getting permission from the girls parents for my rtionships with their daughters. It wasn¡¯t until I finished everything in a positive way that I felt relieved that things were settled. Of course, I had only solved the tasks piled up right in front of me. There were still bigger problems to solve going forward.[Holder Mr. Park Ji-hwan] Jae-hyun, this is Park Ji-hwan. I got your number from Jin-woo. I have things to discuss rted to the Ludenark faction, so contact me when you have time. After the , a new group of ¡®evil¡¯ appeared. The Ludenark faction, which might be even more vicious. It was a journey to chase them down and ultimately bring them down. After finishing the stifling meetings with the master craftsmen, I met Park Ji-hwan and shared the uing schedule. Sharing various reports on the Ludenark faction, action guidelines for when they are found, cooperation structures with the association and major ns, etc¡­. It was a discussion of specific ns to bring them down. After talking to Park Ji-hwan about this, I felt like my previously vague n was taking shape. ¡°Finally, it feels like the new semester has started.¡± After finishing all those huge tasks, I flopped down on the desk in the lecture room, savoring the feeling of freedom. It was like weing the new year and new semester only now. ¡°What did my dad say?¡± And the disgusting voiceing from the side. I looked up, startled. ¡°What? Are you taking this ss?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s been skipping sses.¡± Jin-woo, looking at me with an unbelievable expression. ¡­Actually, he was right. At the start of the semester, I was so busy that I skipped some of the less important liberal arts sses. In my book, skipping ss was something that couldn¡¯t happen in any situation, but sometimes the book gets torn. When dealing with things that came rushing in, I¡¯d asionally break promises outside of myself as well. ¡°But I only missed two sses including the orientation.¡± ¡°Congrattions. So, what did my dad say?¡± ¡°We talked about the Ludenark stuff. What stance we should take going forward, how to go after those bastards.¡± Park Ji-hwan is the person who knows the most about Ludenark among the current Holders. Since he was the one who first gave me the clue, it was natural for me to talk to him about Ludenark. But Jin-woo was startled by my words and asked back. ¡°My dad knows about Ludenark?¡± ¡°¡­What are you saying? Don¡¯t you know what your dad does?¡± ¡°I know he¡¯s a Holder.¡± Jin-woo, who casually said he didn¡¯t know more about his own dad than I did, made a dr-rr-rrk sound as he pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. ¡°My dad is an extreme absentee dad, so he sends a lot of money home but doesn¡¯t reveal what he¡¯s doing. So when hees home, he gets beat up by my mom. These days, since my younger sibling has grown up, he sometimes gets beat up by my younger sister too.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± What kind of family did he grow up in¡­? As my expression turned to shock, Jin-woo just shrugged like it was no big deal. ¡°I only just found out that my dad had the power of a Cultivator. I think it¡¯s because I awakened that power myself this time, so my dad checked me out first. He said I finally got it.¡± I had heard before about Jin-woo¡¯s new awakening. [Cultivator of Bnce]. He said he acquired a rune I had never heard of before, and by acquiring several rted sub-runes, he gained the so-called ¡®power of a Cultivator¡¯. Normally, acquiring runes is manifested through a medium such as a Holder¡¯s awakening, Lest Room rewards, or special items¡­ But Jin-woo uniquely acquired the rune through enlightenment during battle. What that means is one thing. ¡®He originally had the talent for that power.¡¯ As he just said, Jin-woo¡¯s dad Park Ji-hwan also had the ¡®power of a Cultivator.¡¯ In other words, it means Jin-woo originally had the talent, but it just hadn¡¯t manifested yet. Damn protagonist buff. So he was already in possession of such powerful runes, and on top of that, he had more powers waiting to pop out. Anyway, by newly awakening, Jin-woo aplished great feats in defeating the wizards of Ludenark in the side area. Especially the magic used by ¡®the man in the robe¡¯ he said he directly faced was a great help in writing reports about Ludenark. ¡°Anyway, does that mean my dad is an important person in pursuing Ludenark?¡± ¡°Extremely. He¡¯s probably the one who knows the most about Ludenark among the current Holders. You¡¯ll probably have to deal with him a lot from now on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡± Knock knock ¨C As we were talking, the ssroom door opened. It was the professor in charge of this ss, . As soon as the professor entered the ssroom, he didn¡¯t take attendance and immediately opened the textbook. ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ This was a famous lecture where the professor didn¡¯t take attendance. That¡¯s why I signed up for it, and the rumor was true. The days I missed probably counted as attendance too. For someone like me who had been busy for a while, it was such a relief. Even though it was a liberal arts course, there was a reason for the fiercepetition. But¡­. ¡°As I mentionedst time, there will be individual presentations next ss. Please prepare by making your own reports and PPTs to present.¡± From the professor who opened the textbook and started speaking, a bombshell was dropped. It was unexpected homework. I quickly turned my head and tried to read their lips. -Hey, what? There was no mention of homework. -I don¡¯t know either. I was asleep during ss so I had no idea about anything like that. -What? Oh, seriously¡­. I was a fool to trust this guy. Of course Park Jin-woo wouldn¡¯t concentrate on a lecture with no practicals. It¡¯s a miracle he even showed up to a ss where attendance isn¡¯t taken. Of course, with my current reputation, I could probably skip the homework for some unknown liberal arts ss¡­. ¡®But there¡¯s no need to make a fuss over it.¡¯ In fact, my high reputation was the problem. Those who wanted to make anything into an issue could turn even trivial stories like this into gossip. I may not care much about others¡¯ views, but I didn¡¯t need to force such an awkward situation. Fortunately, the professor was merciful. ¡°Ahem. It seems there are students not paying attention in ss, so I¡¯ll announce it again. For this assignment, you¡¯ll purchase the equipment you¡¯d use yourself, and write a report presenting your thoughts and difficulties from that process to present.¡± Ah, I remember now. This was another reason this lecture was famous among students. It was because of the unique assignment to actually purchase and use thebat equipment you¡¯d wield, and present your impressions of it. Apparently it became a topic among students due to the cost issue, so it was noted as a strong warning in the sybus. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a normal equipment worth tens of thousands, or a rare equipment worth hundreds of millions. What¡¯s important is your honest thoughts and feelings from directly purchasing and using that equipment yourselves. Please write that sincerely in your reports.¡± After giving that notice, the professor started the lecture. I turned my head slightly again to read lips. -Hey, what are you going to buy? -Buy what? Just get any cheap normal equipment. The cheapest one. -What? If we have to buy it anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be better to get something useful? -I don¡¯t need anything? The equipment you bought me is still great. Don¡¯t want to waste money. This guy makes a lot of money but is so stingy with spending it. I was a fool for considering shopping for equipment together for once. I shook my head and focused on the lecture. Looks like I¡¯ll need to find a more suitable shopping partner. *** Ippotrantion * * * I did end up choosing a suitable shopping partner. ¡°No, Juyeon¡­¡± But I picked too big of a figure. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean we should go to an auction house¡­¡± Kang Juyeon outright decided to take me to an auction house. The Yongsan Premium Auction House. Touted as thergest Holder-exclusive auction house in Seoul, it boasted facilities much grander and morevish than the Daegu auction house I had been to before. It was a ce where all the wealthy and prominent Holders from across the nation gathered. I had lightly called Kang Juyeon thinking we¡¯d just go shopping together on a date, but that wasn¡¯t what she had in mind. ¡°¡­You have to buy items carefully.¡± As the sole heiress of one of the nation¡¯s top 3 ns, , she had been exposed to the lives of Holders for a long time. To her, purchasing equipment could never be taken lightly. Especially now that I was a high-ranking Holder with ample funds. The more so, the more carefully I had to select items, she said. Thanks to her, I found myself being led by her hand all the way up to the ¡®Supreme Command Auction¡¯ floor where the highest-tier auctions were held. ¡°¡­Is there anything in particr you want to get?¡± Kang Juyeon stroked my grasped hand and asked me. Amusingly, her gazing eyes seemed slightly excited. For a while, I had been preupied with raiding , and then at the start of the semester, I was too busy obtaining permission from their fathers and handling rted matters. I hadn¡¯t had leisure to spend time like this, just the two of us. ¡®It has been a while.¡¯ Though there was another purpose, it seemed Juyeon¡¯s mood was quite good to be enjoying a rare date together like this. Seeing her expression, I smiled and answered, ¡°Hmm¡­ I was thinking of getting a shield and armor.¡± When considering equipment enhancement, shields and armore to mind first. [Goblin¡¯s Bronze Shield] and [Scorched Lizard Leather Armor]. I¡¯d used them for a long time, and they were decent rare-grade items with good enough performance¡­ But it was about time to rece them. Not only had I been using those early items since the very beginning, butpared to my other equipment that had suddenly risen in grade, they were definitelycking. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s go this way first.¡± At that, Kang Juyeon nodded and led me. The 13th floor of the central Yongsan Auction House building. . That was the sign hung there.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Equipment Enhancement (2) The auction house isrgely divided into two types of auctions: ¡®Command Auction¡¯ and ¡®Blind Auction¡¯. The former is literally an auction for officially appraised items, while thetter is an auction for unappraised items. It was the unappraised item auction where I had almost swept up all the items at the Daegu auction house before. In Yongsan, it existed as apletely separate auction. While the auction houses are divided by auction method like this¡­ Sometimes they are also divided by the type of items being sold. ¡®It seems like they¡¯re only selling armors here.¡¯ Among them, the was an auction venue that sold only armor-type equipment, as the name suggested. Kang Juyeon seemed to have visited before, naturally presenting her ess pass to the staff and entering inside.¡°But I don¡¯t have an ess pass. Can I still go in?¡± When I suddenly asked out of curiosity, she showed me her ess pass. It was a high-quality pass with a faint transparent color. Inside, there was even a small diamond icon. ¡°VVIPs can bring one guest.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It must be convenient to have a wealthy and powerful girlfriend. Thanks to kang Juyeon, I was able to enter the auction house with a free pass. In fact, if I set my mind to it, I could probably create a VVIP ess pass myself, but it would have been difficult to use it right away today. Passes that requireplicated procedures take time to issue. -To all Holders who havee to the Yongsan main branch of the Korean Holder Auction House, it¡¯s nice to meet you. Before the auction begins, the ¡®Supreme Command Auction: Premium Armor¡¯ is an auction featuring primarily armor-type protective equipment. If anyone is looking for other items, please visit a different auction. After sitting in the secluded premium seats behind a ss window, the auctioneer soon appeared on the floor and grabbed the microphone. -This auction will proceed by openpetitive bidding. Holders, you can participate in the auction using the buzzers and microphones at your seats. You must bid a higher price than the current bid if you wish to purchase an item. If there is no change in the final price after I call it three times, the item will be awarded at that final price. The auction method was the same as in Daegu. It was only natural since it was run by the same organization, just the difference between the main branch and a regional branch. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How much are you nning to spend?¡± Kang Juyeon suddenly asked me, making me pause to think for a moment. In fact, I had saved up a lot of money over time. I owned shares in as many as 5 dungeons, along with various gains from dungeons I had conquered, by-products and magic stones from hunting monsters, mary rewards from the academy, etc¡­ There were quite a lot of means for me to be financially affluent. The capital just umted on its own without me having to worry much about it. ¡®Of course, I had separate reasons for saving up funds¡­¡¯ It¡¯s not that Icked financial sense and didn¡¯t spend money. I had my own epted proposals and ns in mind, and I was simply saving up money to prepare for those ns. Realizing those ns required a lot of capital. ¡®I guess I can spend some money today.¡¯ But since I had decided to enhance my equipment while doing the ss assignment, I could afford to spend a reasonable amount of money without issue. There was no need to be frugal. ¡°No limit.¡± ¡°No¡­limit?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll buy what I think is necessary. But since I haven¡¯t attended an auction in a long time, I don¡¯t really know the market prices, so Juyeon, you¡¯ll need to guide me.¡± At the Daegu auction house, I had information from the original work and had prepared a lot¡­ But for the Yongsan auction house, I was practically a newbie. I needed the help of Juyeon, who had a lot of experience in this area. She seemed slightly surprised by my words at first, but then smiled and gently held my hand as she turned her gaze to the auction that was just starting. -Then here is the first auction item. The minimum bid price is 100 million won. Bidding will start at 100 million won. With the auctioneer¡¯s words, item information appeared on the digital screen. The name was [ke¡¯s Torn Fury]. It was an epic-grade item in the form of a leather armor. As soon as I saw the item information and name on the screen, I was startled. ¡°Huh? This is¡­¡± ¡°Yes. A reward from the Wolfenser conquest, an armor made from the hide of a Lycan.¡± Juyeon quietly added an exnation beside me. Just as I had received [Lupus¡¯ Ring] and the ¡®Contractor Jiten¡¯ as rewards, the other conquest team members had received their own different rewards. One of the members, a tank warrior named Jeon Dong-seok, had received the hide of the Lycan, enemies from the rk tribe, as his reward. It had even be a hot topic because it was a by-product of the final boss ¡®ke¡¯. Apparently, Jeon Dong-seok had disyed outstanding tanking skills among the team, and the conquest rewards varied based on each member¡¯s performance. ¡°¡­They had Lee Do-gwon work on it.¡± ¡°Whoa, really?¡± ¡°Yes. So they must have put it up for auction as co-owned.¡± That was even more surprising. Lee Do-gwon is renowned as the best special-ss cksmith in the country. He is also the father of Lee Hyun-ho, a member of the circle. It costs an astronomical amount to directlymission Lee Do-gwon for crafting, but it seems they had him work on it for free on the condition of co-owning and splitting the auction proceeds. A masterpiece created by the best cksmith using the best materials. Its performance and effects were bound to be extraordinary. ¡°Should I buy it?¡± So I was torn. It was the first item, but¡­ Anyway, it seemed like an item that would suit me well. By then, other participants were also bing interested, and the price of the item was already skyrocketing. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t rmend it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± But unexpectedly, Juyeon¡¯s answer was negative. Even though I had decided to listen to her advice, I didn¡¯t expect to be rejected from the start, so I asked in a puzzled manner. ¡°Is there a particr reason?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s the first item that came out, so there might be better onester on.¡± Usually, the items thate to the auction house are all disclosed unless it¡¯s a ¡®blind auction¡¯, but the Yongsan Auction House uniquely only discloses half of the items and leaves the other half undisclosed. This is to generate excitement for the auction when unexpected items appear. The [ke¡¯s Torn Rage] that came out first this time was also one of those undisclosed items. ¡°¡­And the crafting equipment has inted prices.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± An additional understandable reason came up. The equipment made by cksmith Holders generally has inted pricespared to the equipment obtained as system rewards. The scarcity of being the only one. And the performance varies depending on the cksmith¡¯s skill. There are also various other reasons such as excess demand that cause the prices to rise. Especially if the first item is a premium equipment that hasn¡¯t been revealed before, like today¡­ The price could double or triple. Instead of a pricemensurate with the equipment level, you may have to pay a much higher cost. No matter how much ammo I have, there was no need for me to indulge in such overconsumption. ¡°Lastly¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like the equipment you need.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Staring straight at me, Kang Juyeon spoke. I didn¡¯t get a proper exnation for thest reason she gave, but in any case, even I didn¡¯t think I needed to forcefully purchase the first item. So at first, I followed the bidding moderately, andter, I gave up on the order. [ke¡¯s Torn Rage] was snatched up by a tall Holder who seemed to be of the warrior ss at a high price. ¨C This is the second item. ¡­ ¨C This is the fifth item! ¡­ The auction proceeded smoothly, moving on to the next items. Since there weren¡¯t any desirable items among the subsequent ones, I didn¡¯t ce orders for most of them and skipped them. And like that, past the sixth¡­ At the moment the seventh item arrived, I was able to understand the meaning behind Kang Juyeon¡¯s meaningful gaze from earlier. ¨C This is the seventh item. Before Wolfen, there was the Deep Blue Prairie! This is the item that came out after the raid team led by Holder Lim-hyun sessfully raided an undiscovered dungeon a few months ago. It¡¯s Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath. The minimum bid price is still 100 million won. With the bombastic announcer¡¯s exnation, a new item appeared. [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath]. One of the final rewards from the that A-grade Holder Lim-hyun had formed a temporary raid team to clear. At the time, the emergence of a legendary item caused a bigmotion, and it seems to have finally made its way to the auction house. This was also an undisclosed item that wasn¡¯t revealed before the auction. ¡òName: Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath ¡òType: Armor (Leather) ¡òGrade: Legendary ¡òDurability: Normal (Infinite) ¡òCrafter: ¨C ¡òSpecial Effects *Condition: Only those with runes that increase Divine Resonance or can manifest Divine Power can use it. 1) +5 Toughness, +5 Recovery, +3 Willpower 2) Possesses infinite durability. No matter how damaged or broken, infusing Divine Power will restore it to its original state. 3) The ¡®Divine Blessing¡¯ effect is constantly applied in proportion to the possessed Recovery stat. Automatically defends against attacks of an ¡®evil¡¯ nature such as ck magic, curses, dark-attribute magic, etc. once. (Cooldown: 24 hours) ¡òInnate Skill ¡ò [Thunderbolt of Condemnation]: :Trillion¡¯s oath to punish evil is manifested as an instrument of condemnation. It fires a massive thunderbolt at the target bybining Divine Power and magic. If the wielder possesses a lightning-attribute magic rune, it deals 20% additional damage. If fired at an ¡®evil¡¯ target, it deals 80% additional damage. ¡òDetailed Information: This is the armor of the brilliant protector of justice, the great holy knight ¡®Trillion¡¯, whose lifelong belief was the ¡®punishment of evil¡¯. If you drive away evil with Trillion¡¯s brilliant oath, you will be able to wee a new divine dawn. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± And when I finished reading the item information, I realized one important fact. ¡®Divinity-type equipment¡­.¡¯ The divine-type equipment that even cksmith Holders cannot create, existing only as system items. There aren¡¯t many demanders, and sometimes the conditions are difficult¡­ It may not be a popr itempared to other items. But for me right now, it was a necessary item. ¡®¡­Hwang Seong-yeon.¡¯ My enemy that I had already missed two chances against. The target I absolutely must defeat. The bane of that target was precisely divine-type equipment. Moreover¡­. ¡®No one will try to buy it.¡¯ I nced around the inside of the auction house. The once heated atmosphere¡­ Was strangely cooling down. The divine-type equipment alreadycks demand, and on top of that, it had the crazy condition of ¡®only those with runes that increase Divine Resonance or can manifest Divine Power¡¯. No matter how legendary the item was, not many participants would try to buy such a demanding item at a high price. ¡®I see¡­!¡¯ I tried to conceal my excited heart and ced my hand on the buzzer. Then I spoke into the microphone. ¨C 100 million. It was the bid price that started off so pleasantly.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Equipment Enhancement (3) The auction ended sessfully. As it was a legendary item with tremendous effects, there were somepetitors, but they quickly fell behind in the pricepetition, perhaps hesitating due to the strict usage conditions. It was never easy to invest arge sum in an item with diminished product value. Thanks to that, [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath] came into my hands for a price of 32 billion won. ¡®This is quite a bargain.¡¯ Epic-grade items and above start from 10 billion won as a baseline. Prices vary greatly depending on performance and demand, and legendary items with high rarity can sometimes fetch hundreds of billions.Just the epic-grade weapon I have, [Penitent¡¯s Sword], was auctioned off for 29 billion won. While 32 billion is also an unimaginable price, considering the prices of simr grade items, it was purchased very cheaply. ¡®And¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the armor that I obtained as a desired item. With the hint I got from Kang Juyeon, I grasped the keyword ¡®divine-type equipment¡¯, and I was able to acquire the desired item in a shield equipment auction called . ¡òName: Pure Pdin¡¯s Buckler ¡òType: Shield ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òDurability: Normal ¡òCreator: ¨C ¡òSpecial Effects 1) Toughness +3, Recovery +3 2) When infused with magic power, it can block not only physical attacks but also magical attacks. This activates regardless of resistance to the attribute, and the level of defense varies depending on the level of the opponent¡¯s attack. *When defending against dark attribute attacks, it can block with 150% performance. ¡òPossessed Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Random Treatment] : Can use a random divine spell by consuming divine power. The associated god is Reckless, and healing-type divine spells are selected. Because spells are randomly selected, the amount of divine power consumed varies, and its performance also differs depending on the recovery stat. ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : A round shield said to have been used by Pure Pdins of the Divine Empire of Recklin. As it was used by proud divine knights, it boasts solid defense and pure divine power When I first aimed to enhance my equipment, I targeted ¡®armor¡¯ and ¡®shield¡¯. Among them, I acquired the armor as a top-performance legendary item, and the shield, though inferior, I obtained as a usable epic-grade item. Especially the skills possessed by these two items. [Lightning of Judgment] and [Random Treatment]. For me, who can use divine power but doesn¡¯t know proper divine spellcasting, these skills were quite attractive spells. They can exert tremendous power especially when facing undead monsters or dark attribute opponents like Hwang Seong-yeon. This seemed like it would be one of my main item skills along with [Divine sh], the possessed skill of [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. ¡®I can fill what¡¯scking with items.¡¯ Right now, I need abilities rted to divine power. In fact, it could be a good method to replicate divine-type runes through [Rune Hunter] and develop rted spells or skills¡­ But that would take too long. In a situation where Hwang Seong-yeon and the Ludenark Sect could strike at any moment, I couldn¡¯t recklessly grow as an all-rounder like before. In that respect, ¡®items¡¯ are a good substitute. If it¡¯s difficult to raise runes or stats, you can fill that deficiency with items. ¡°¡­You look extremely pleased.¡± Perhaps my joy at finding a solution was visible on my face. Kang Juyeon was standing still, looking at me with a slight smile. I approached her and hugged her with all my strength. ¡°Oh, I¡¯mpletely happy. Thank you, Juyeon. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± Today¡¯s sess wasrgely due to her. It was she who brought me to the auction house after hearing about the assignment, she who gave me hints about ¡®divine-type equipment¡¯, and she who suggesteding to Yongsan today, when there happened to be a top-grade unreleased item like [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath]. ¡®She probably knew.¡¯ Kang Juyeon likely knew roughly about today¡¯s unreleased items. If the informants of exerted their power, obtaining this level of high-quality information would be no big deal. That¡¯s why she insisted oning to the auction house today. Because she thought today¡¯s items were exactly what I needed. ¡°Really, really thank you. I love you, Juyeon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Thinking about that made me feel even more grateful to her. Especially the talk about needing divine power to deal with Hwang Seong-yeon, I had only mentioned it very briefly to my lovers¡­ It was amazing how she remembered that short moment and connected it to this method. With such an intensified expression of affection than usual. Kang Juyeon looked quite pleased, though she seemed a bit flustered. ¡°¡­Is there nothing else you want to buy?¡± ¡°Hmm- This is enough for today.¡± Actually, it¡¯s not that there¡¯s nothing else to buy. I don¡¯t have a proper helmet or hat-type item yet, and I could use additional items like cloaks or gloves, which are rare but could be reinforced. But this was enough for today. I¡¯ve acquired the most needed items for the important equipment slots, and there will be many more opportunities to enhance the rest of the equipment. Above all, Lee Hyun-ho and Choi Yoo-min. The two pirs who will be Korea¡¯s best cksmiths in the future are in a cooperative rtionship with me. I decided to stop today¡¯s spending, nning to entrust the production ofcking special equipment to them. ¡°Then¡­ What are you going to do now?¡± And breaking free from my embrace¡­ Kang Juyeon looked up at me intently. There was some kind of indescribable expectation in her eyes. Only then could I realize. ¡®¡­It wasn¡¯t free!¡¯ Indeed, there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Even between lovers, good deeds need to be rewarded. Sensing that tonight would be longer than ever, I surrendered myself to her guiding hand. *** Ippotrantion *** The next day. I rested my face on the table with weary eyes. Fatigue covers me from head to toe. After staying up almost all night, my whole body was screaming in protest. ¡°¡­It seems things have gotten even more intense since getting permission.¡± After receiving approval from my father and parents of the girls for the rtionship. Kang Juyeon feels like some limit has been lifted. The atmosphere of trying to lead the night has be stronger. In fact, this is true for Kim Chae-eun and Moon Ga-eun (She¡¯s originally intense) as well¡­ But with Kang Juyeon, perhaps due to the contrast effect, that feeling was even more pronounced. ¡°What¡¯s intense?¡± And a voiceing from right beside me. It¡¯s Park Jin-woo, who¡¯s incredibly dense about these things. I sighed deeply and answered. ¡°There are such things, you idiot. Why are you here in the morning anyway?¡± ¡°The training ground is closed this morning. There¡¯s inspection and cleaning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a bolt from the blue for Park Jin-woo.¡± The timing is impable. I hade to the circle room because I had some things to take care of in the morning, and this guy, who¡¯s obsessed with training, seemed to have taken refuge in the circle room for a while due to the training ground inspection issue. Thanks to that, we were having an untimely morning coffee time gathered in the conference room. Slurp- As I lift the paper cup and drink the coffee, my mind bes clear. ¡°Ah- that¡¯s the taste.¡± ¡°Oh, I still prefer cheap coffee.¡± ¡°This is actually expensive among the cheap ones.¡± I like anything sweet anyway, and since Park Jin-woo prefers this kind of stick coffee to franchise americanos, our tastes matched quite well. While enjoying such a modest tea time. I turned to him with a subtle expression and asked. ¡°How are things going with Cami?¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s love life, which never existed in the original work. Maybe that¡¯s why¡­ Their rtionship looks even more clumsy and innocent. It¡¯s one of the things I¡¯ve been most interested in watchingtely. ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t even held her hand yet.¡± But Park Jin-woo, speaking with his head bowed low. At that defeated appearance. I couldn¡¯t contain my rising anger. ¡°No, you idiot. What the hell are you doing? You said you liked her. You said you thought you loved her.¡± After the conquest ended. Park Jin-woo had confided in me the honest feelings he had experienced there. That he wanted to protect Cami. That he hoped she wouldn¡¯t get hurt at all. That in his awakening of a new power¡­ There seemed to be love for her. It was an incredibly cheesy story, but I was somewhat impressed by his honesty about his own feelings. And I sincerely cheered for him and Cami to work out well. ¡®¡­Not even holding hands is too much.¡¯ But to think this is the result. Unfortunately, there had been no progress at all in Park Jin-woo¡¯s love life. ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t know either. I¡¯ve tried to confess a few times, but every time I stand in front of her, my mouth won¡¯t open. I freeze up like I¡¯ve been hit by some ice attribute magic and can¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s driving me crazy¡­.¡± Park Jin-woo,menting while scratching his head hard. Seeing that sight made me feel bad too. At first, I just thought he was an idiot, but seeing him actually struggling, I felt sorry for him. And I wanted to help. I wanted to help my friend, who still has many clumsy points, in some way. Thud- I put down the paper cup of the finished coffee on the table and dered. ¡°This won¡¯t do. You need special coaching.¡± ¡°¡­Special coaching?¡± ¡°Yeah. The goal is to date Cami. It¡¯s not even about confessing. The goal is to definitely be a couple.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Come to think of it, he¡¯s a Holder who only knows how to use strength, not quite a man yet. I need to make him into a proper person this semester. I have to see him walking hand in hand with Cami somehow. I stood up, imprinting such a goal in my mind. ¡°But first, let¡¯s finish today¡¯s tasks.¡± For that, I needed to deal with the tasks piled up right in front of me. I brought a bunch of document piles from the back of the circle room and put them down on the table without hesitation. Park Jin-woo, who was looking at that, suddenly asked me with a puzzled expression. ¡°Today¡¯s tasks? Come to think of it, why did youe to the circle room in the morning?¡± The mountain of documents piled on the table. And me, who came to the circle room early in the morning. It seems he just realized it was strange. To that question¡­ I smiled slightly and answered while tapping the table. ¡°Student n creation. I need to work on nning this impossible thing today.¡± Master¡¯s special proposal, which was brought forward much earlier than the original n. Today, I needed to think about this a bit.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 272 Chapter 272 n Establishment (1) ¡°The schedule has been moved up earlier than nned.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho, whom I hadn¡¯t seen in a while, said those words first. The schedule that was moved up earlier than nned. It included the ¡®student n establishment¡¯ n mentionedst semester, but at the same time, it also included the early closure of the circle that I had established. ¡°As ofst Friday, all the remnants of the old Viin n have been arrested. It¡¯s a result that progressed much faster than expected.¡± The reason for ¡¯s predicted end was simple. It was because all the n members of , which could be seen as the circle¡¯s purpose, had been wiped out.Thanks to some members, including Lee Hyun-ho, who were active with extreme revenge, and the cooperation of the Academy and various ns, the cleanup of the remnants could end very sessfully. ¡°Now, the remaining n member of the old Viin is¡­¡± ¡°¡­Hwang Seong-yeon.¡± As I immediately answered his trailing words, Professor Tak Won-ho nodded. ¡°Right. The only one left is Hwang Seong-yeon. And since his whereabouts have been confirmed, chasing after the old Viin hasrgely lost its meaning.¡± In fact, the cleanup of the old n had been nothing more than an intermediate step to chase Hwang Seong-yeon. It was much more important to find and catch him, who was the vice-master of and the worst criminal in the country, than the low-ranking n members who were doing errands without even knowing who was in charge. But during that n, all the remaining remnants were caught, and even Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s exact whereabouts were revealed through this operation. Ludenark Sect. The group that has now emerged as a new enemy of the Holder world. From the moment we caught a clue about them, the target had changed. ¡°As part of that n, Do Jae-hyun. I want to move up the student n establishment I proposed to you.¡± ¡°As part of the n¡­ You say?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tak- My master brought a stack of documents piled up on one side of the desk and ced them in front of me. At a nce, I could see what looked like statements from the Holder Association and various domestic ns. Kang Woo-hyun, Hwang Geon-wook, Song Do-hyuk¡­ From the names of the masters of the three major domestic ns to the names of famous figures in the country, I could catch glimpses of them. ¡®What is this.¡¯ It feels like tremendous things are progressing rapidly in an instant. Professor Tak Won-ho put those documents aside as if I could look at themter. Then he brought a tablet from one side and showed me some materials. ¡°Read this.¡± ¡°¡­Master, you even use a tablet?¡± ¡°What kind of prejudice is that?¡± ¡­Actually, I thought he wouldn¡¯t use modern gadgets much because he¡¯s such a manly man. Since he only uses sword techniques that are extremely focused on attack, like [Wave Sword Technique]. I cleared my throat at his rebuke and immediately looked at the tablet. The first thing I saw was the ¡®temporary goal¡¯ of the n that was about to be created. ¡°In fact, the reason why a n hasn¡¯t been established within the Academy so far was to prevent the Academy, which has a public duty to educate student Holders, from bing a power like private ns. We¡¯ve made agreements with ns before, and even without formal agreements, this was an implicit rule.¡± The establishment of a n within the Academy is not allowed by external ns in the first ce. Basically, student Holders are talents who will join their ns after graduation, and if an internal Academy n takes them away, the immediate human resource loss would be considerable. That¡¯s why rted agreements were made in the past, andter, discussions about it were not even held implicitly. In other words, even if it¡¯s a reward for wiping out ¡­ My establishment of a student n involves various external issues. However, Professor Tak Won-ho broke through these problems in a different direction. ¡°To gain their consent, what I came up with is public interest requests.¡± My master pointed to the ¡®temporary goal¡¯ section in the tablet. I asked back with a puzzled face. ¡°¡­Public interest requests?¡± ¡°Yes. While there are various reasons why the Viin n wasn¡¯t wiped out until now, one significant factor was that domestic ns didn¡¯t actively cooperate. After all, it¡¯s not rted to the private interests of the ns, and even if they participate, there¡¯s not much benefit in return. Even during thest cleanup, if the three major domestic ns hadn¡¯t dered their cooperation, other ns would have remained passive.¡± This was the core of this ¡®student n establishment¡¯. A public interest goal that other ns don¡¯t n. Gaining the consent of each n by setting this as a temporary goal. For example¡­ ¡°Ludenark Sect and Hwang Seong-yeon. The n you¡¯ll create will chase these new enemies of the Holder world. Of course, since this is strictly the work of the Holder Association, it will proceed in the form of a request from the association.¡± Chwk- Professor Tak Won-ho pulled out a few sheets of paper that were mixed in with the stack of documents. They were the statements from major domestic ns that I had glimpsed earlier. Although it looksplicated, the gist of the content was to support and encourage the establishment of the n I¡¯m going to create. ¡®¡­He used his head well.¡¯ I was impressed by my master¡¯s move. In fact, the Ludenark Sect and Hwang Seong-yeon were going to be chased anyway. As the person who first revealed the information and demanded strengthened vignce, I felt a sense of responsibility, and Hwang Seong-yeon was originally one of my target objectives. Especially recently, I had been in frequent contact with Park Ji-hwan and the Holder Association, continuously devising ways to wipe them out. However, other ns have no way of knowing about these internal affairs. So if I create a n to chase after Ludenark¡­ They¡¯ll apud, thinking we took care of the bomb on our own. This was the background behind the approval for creating a n within the Academy. Moreover¡­. ¡°Or, would your n take on this request?¡± Leaving like this, the ns had nothing to say. It was a brilliant move by Professor Tak Won-ho, who knew how to wield not just the sword, but the pen as well. ¡°The key is independence. Although it will be a nposed of internal support and human resources from the Academy, the core concept is that it¡¯s apletely separate n, independent from both the Academy and the Association. The temporary goal is simply to receive and handle requests from the Association.¡± Independence. The n I will create within the Academy¡­ Is free from the Academy that helped establish it. Ironically, the agreement of other ns came from this premise. As I listened to this exnation, one question came to mind. ¡°Master, then doesn¡¯t the Academy gain nothing from this?¡± They help establish an internal n and even expend human resources¡­ Yet that n is independent from the Academy. This was quite a contradictory story. And to that question. Professor Tak Won-ho answered with a gentle smile. ¡°That¡¯s obvious. This isn¡¯t an Academy project, but purely a reward for your recent aplishments, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± The reward for eradicating the n, which even I had momentarily forgotten. My master had been thinking about this all along. ¡°So if you change your mind, just let me know anytime. No matter how much I help, creating a n as an individual is never an easy task.¡± ¡°¡­I understand.¡± I nodded in response to his consideration. But havinge this far, I had no intention of giving up. Ever since creating , I had consistently thought about making my own n, and that desire grew stronger while leading the . A n to build together with the people who gathered around me. It was now one of the goals I dreamed of. Rustle-. Rustle rustle-. I carefully examined the rted materials handed to me by my master. Various visual materials in the tablet and the written n establishment n. There was not a single piece of unimportant information. I took in all of this with my eyes, and directly transferred the necessary materials to my email. And I quietly marveled. ¡®¡­There are almost no gaps.¡¯ There were few noticeable ws in the ns and materials. Untilst year, it had been a vaguely proceeding n, but now I could see that it was prepared in a really specific and detailed manner. It was a testament to how meticulously Professor Tak Won-ho had been preparing for this. ¡°Have you checked everything?¡± ¡°Yes, Master. Thank you very much.¡± As I bowed my head in gratitude, he lightly patted my shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no particr deadline. You¡¯ll probably have a lot to prepare, so it will take quite some time. When you¡¯ve made all the specific ns,e and report to me. I¡¯ll help you establish the n ording to when you want.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** That¡¯s how the current n establishment n began. After getting permission from my lovers¡¯ parents. To have such a major issuee up so soon after. It gave me a bit of a headache, but the excitement of creating ¡®my n¡¯ was even greater. ¡°You¡¯reing, of course, right?¡± I look at Park Jin-woo, who¡¯s scanning the documents with a curious gaze. ¡°Huh? Of course¡­¡± The guy nodded as if entranced, then quickly shook his head. ¡°No, why should I?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re doing this? You joining was fixed in my n. You weren¡¯t thinking of going anywhere else anyway.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­.¡± Is he unsatisfied with just epting without any deal? Park Jin-woo was lost in thought for a while, then snapped his fingers as if he¡¯d thought of something. ¡°Special coaching. If that seeds, I¡¯ll join.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± This guy. To think of that at this moment. Now I have one more reason why Park Jin-woo and Cami need to work out well. I pointed at him with a determined face. ¡°Okay. After this is over, I¡¯ll coach you properly.¡± ¡°Call.¡± After hearing Park Jin-woo¡¯s conditional entry answer. I turned my attention back to the n I was writing. . The basic step of n establishment. ¡®Recruiting personnel¡¯ was what gave me the biggest headache even duringst year¡¯s circle creation. ¡°Are you going to post a notice at the Academy?¡± ¡°The Academy?¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t you have to select from among the students?¡± Perhaps a question that could be considered obvious. But to a n that wasn¡¯t in my head at all¡­ I shook my head with a light smile. ¡°No. I¡¯ve already decided who to recruit among the student Holders.¡± A n created within the Academy. A group also tentatively called the ¡®student n¡¯. However, just because it¡¯s called that doesn¡¯t mean we have to only recruit students. ¡®They¡¯re still amateurs after all.¡¯ Students aren¡¯t students for nothing. Except for a few really capable students, the reality was that there were far more Holders who were still at a stage that could hardly be called professional. Therefore, there weren¡¯t that many students I had in mind as new n members. ¡®I need to create the most exciting new n.¡¯ Tap tap. The n on the desk that I¡¯m tapping with my fingers. At the top of it¡­ The phrases ¡®Unaffiliated Holders¡¯ and ¡®Ripple Raid¡¯ were written.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 273 Chapter 273 n Establishment (2) Veteran archers are quite rare in the Holder world. This is partly due to the slow growth of runes and abilities characteristic of their ss, and also because they are often assigned many major tasks besides long-range support like scouting and tracking. Just looking at the fact that Korea, considered a major power in the Holder world, doesn¡¯t have an S-grade archer, one could easily guess how popr skilled and experienced archers would be. ¨C Kim A-reum (Female) ¨C A-grade Holder (Archer ss) ¨C Special history ¡­ ¡­Because of this, Kim A-reum took pride in her position. An unaffiliated A-grade Holder of the archer ss. This was by no means amon title. So far, she had politely declined numerous offers from the three major domestic ns and countless other ns. There wasn¡¯t any grand reason for this. It was just morefortable to work alone, and she was livingfortably enough without needing to belong to a n. Above all, there hadn¡¯t been an offer attractive enough to move her heart. ¡°You¡­ Created a n?¡± But now. Kim A-reum was hearing a shocking proposal that made her doubt her ears. In her 13 years of activity as a Holder, This was something she had never heard before. ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m nning to create one. Of course, this scenario is only possible if you, Holder Kim A-reum, join us.¡± ¡°No, wait. Wait a moment, Captain Do.¡± The young captain of , Do Jae-hyun. The 21-year-old student Holder who shook the domestic Holder world. The most promising talent challenging to be the youngest S-grade Holder. A celebrity with too many titles to list. Kim A-reum, having worked with him in the attack team, considered him a respectable figure despite his young age. There was much to learn from him¡­ She was so d to see him again like this. But the proposal he was making upon their reunion was strange beyond belief. ¡°Aren¡¯t you still a student, Captain? As far as I know, academy students can¡¯t establish ns¡­ How are you saying you¡¯re going to create a n?¡± Establishing a new n. And recruiting Kim A-reum as a founding member of that n. That was the proposal Do Jae-hyun had made. But how would he handle the astronomical amount of money needed to establish a n and itsplex operations, and how did he n to recruit the minimum of 80 members required for a n? Above all, student Holders can¡¯t create ns. It would be restricted from the very start, so she couldn¡¯t understand what the captain was thinking to bring up such a thing. ¡°I got permission.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°Through an agreement between the Association and the Academy, I alone was granted an exception to establish a n. Major domestic ns have also sent statements of agreement, so there¡¯s no problem at all.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± She felt like a fool. The captain had clearly exined the reason, but somehow those reasons weren¡¯t properly connecting in her head. So, to sum up what he was saying¡­ ¨C It¡¯s not allowed normally, but it¡¯s allowed for him. That¡¯s what it meant. No, does that make any sense? Even if it¡¯s Do Jae-hyun, is this kind of exception really allowed? Such questions swirled in her mind, but¡­ Do Jae-hyun didn¡¯t leave her in that dazed state. ¡°Now, Holder Kim A-reum? Let¡¯s focus and listen from here on. These are the benefits you¡¯ll receive when you join our n. I think this will make things click in your head.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Do Jae-hyun took out a tablet and started exining enthusiastically. Faced with the proactive attitude of the captain she secretly respected, Kim A-reum couldn¡¯t help but gradually focus on his exnation, shaking off her dazed state. And she thought, ¡®¡­Why are the terms so good?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just talk. The various benefits and treatment were good. Too good, even. As an unaffiliated Holder with long experience, Kim A-reum was quite picky about contract terms, but the offer Do Jae-hyun was presenting now was certainly intriguing. A more attractive proposal than any love call she had received so far. As he said¡­ It truly was a moment when things clicked in her head. *** Ippotrantion *** ¨C Every move bes a hot topic! Do Jae-hyun, now creating a n? ¨C A continuation of ¡­ This time also pursuing criminal organizations. ¨C Tak Won-ho, Academy Foundation Director: ¡°It will be a n independent from the Academy.¡± ¨C Korean Holder Association President: ¡°We considered the special situation of pursuing an unknown group. The creation of a student n will be an exception applied only this time.¡± The long-held embargo finally broke. Rumors had already spread as they do, and those who needed to know already knew¡­ There was no need to dy any further. As the news broke, phone calls came from everywhere and n membership inquiries poured in, but I carefully turned off my phone and rejected all such contacts. Theposition n was already roughlypleted. ¡°Jae-hyun has been too busytely.¡± While sitting on the bed reviewing documents¡­ A hand unhesitatingly wrapped around my waist. And a soft sensation felt from behind. It was Kim Chae-eun. She was looking at me like a rabbit with a sulky expression. It was an expression I¡¯d been seeing oftentely. ¡°y with me.¡± ¡°How should I y with you?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± I ask, turning my head while grasping the hand wrapped around my waist. Kim Chae-eun then makes a face deep in thought for a moment¡­ Soon her eyes widened as if she had a good idea. ¡°Something naughty?¡± ¡°That might be difficult. I¡¯m too busy right now.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s face bes sulky again. The corners of my mouth rose involuntarily at that cute sight. I gently kissed the forehead of her pretending to be upset. ¡°How about this instead?¡± Fortunately, it seems to be an effective solution. A smile quickly returned to her lips. ¡°Hehe. I¡¯ll let it go if you do it on my lips too.¡± ¡°Of course I should.¡± As I lowered my head slightly and kissed her lightly, Kim Chae-eun smiled broadly as if her mood hadpletely lifted. And without releasing the back hug, she rested her chin on my shoulder and looked at the documents together. ¡°Have you finished nning the n member recruitment?¡± ¡°Not yet. There are still some problems to solve.¡± A n created within the Academy. The advantages are too numerous to count¡­ But the most crucial part is the selection of ¡®student Holders¡¯ as n members. The Academy management gave me guidelines on the number of student Holders that can be recruited when creating the n. 5 first-year students, 20 second-year students, 20 third-year students. A total limit of 45 people. One might argue why there¡¯s a limit on recruitment numbers for a n created within the Academy, but there¡¯s a reasonable reason for this. ¨C Ifposed of only amateurs, Ludenark-rted requests could fail. This was the logic put forward by the Holder Association as a condition for the personnel limit. Of course, student Holders including myself yed a big role inst year¡¯s cleanup, but it¡¯s difficult to generalize all students based on just a few such cases. ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ I fully acknowledged this. No matter how much the media talked about the golden generation or whatever, student Holders were still immature and had many inadequacies. If a nposed only of students was created, there was a high probability that Ludenark-rted requests would fail, as the association worried. I didn¡¯t want to create a n doomed to fail either. ¡®It¡¯s not such a big obstacle for me though.¡¯ In fact, the personnel limit wasn¡¯t that important to me. I already had experience directly leading professional Holders through , and had built up connections through internship activities, circle activities, and numerous other dungeon conquests. From the start, I didn¡¯t intend to recruit many student Holders. ¡®First-year students¡­¡¯ First-year students, of whom only 5 could be recruited. I started by excluding them from the n entirely. It¡¯s not that there wasn¡¯t talent I wanted to recruit, but impulsively recruiting first-year students with almost no information was risky. Moreover, I had almost no personal connections with first-years, so recruitment itself could be difficult. No matter how famous I am, they wouldn¡¯t follow based on name alone for major decisions like joining a n. ¡®Third-years and experienced members are all recruited.¡¯ Selecting third-years preparing for graduation was easy. The second-year seniors who were active inst year¡¯s all became third-years this year, and there were quite a few talented Holders among them. All were at least C-grade Holders, with some B-grade Holders among them. The selection of experienced Holders was even more powerful. I persuaded mostly independent Holders who were active in , and they were all B-grade Holders or higher, so they became a tremendous addition to our strength. If n member selection finished like this, an unprecedented elite small-scale n among new ns might be born. The problem was¡­ Rather, the selection of second-year n members. ¡°Is the number of n members insufficient?¡± Kim Chae-eun asked me as I was lost in thought for a moment. I shook my head lightly in response. ¡°No. The nned number already exceeded the standard.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s still unresolved?¡± I tapped my finger on thest document I turned over. Ironically, on that report¡­ The Holder records of Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun were brilliantly written. My lovers. ¡°Ridiculously, there are talents that need to be poached from other ns. And they¡¯re essential for creating the n.¡± Those who have done the most party hunting with me and have been deeply involved in my organizational operations so far. Those with talents surpassing any peers, and certainly promising talents who will surpass the brilliant high-ranking Holders in the future. Above all. Those I love so much¡­ Those who give me a sense of stability when I¡¯m with them. They were n members essential to my new n. ¡®¡­What should I say to the inws?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy to ask for permission to date their daughters, but now I¡¯m in a position to persuade them to let their daughters leave their ns.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 274 Chapter 274 n Establishment (3) In a room illuminated by a smallmp. It was so cramped that even two people could barely fit, and an unpleasant smell stung the nose. A slight smell of burning and blood. And¡­ The stench of decay. A terrible rotting odor was vibrating inside the room. And the source of that smell was, of course, corpses. The ¡®sacrifices¡¯ that were densely filling this space.¡°Even with management, it¡¯s in this state.¡± Aquilen frowned and covered his nose as soon as he entered the room. He had tried to manage it by embalming, but not being an expert, it couldn¡¯t be perfect. Still, it was fortunate that he had filled the required number. Having met the quota for corpses, now if he could just fill the living quota, he could finish the task assigned by the vice-master of the faction. ¡°Ah, here you are.¡± As he was briefly inspecting the room, a man with a vile expression entered following Aquilen. The man was a temporary subordinate hired for this mission. He wasn¡¯t an ¡®Escapee¡¯ member like Dave or Aquilen, but a kind of thug Holder called an Outholder. Whether there¡¯s trash everywhere or not, even after was wiped out, there were still guys who wouldmit crimes if paid. Thanks to them, this job was being resolved quite smoothly. ¡°Sir, the task you assigned is almostplete. Hehe.¡± ¡°When will it be finished?¡± ¡°Well~ This group was lured with direct trades of items and magic stones, so we should be able to kidnap them on the trade day in a few days. Especially this time, there are many high-quality ones, so you can look forward to it.¡± Moreover, since they were guys who didn¡¯t think about the consequences, the kidnapping of Holders could proceed rather easily. At the man¡¯s ttery that the quality was particrly good this time, Aquilen let out a snicker. Tak- And he threw a pouch that was on one side to him. It was the bnce of the request fee set for this job. ¡°Contact me when you finish the job. I¡¯ll check it personally.¡± The heavy request fee felt weighty just by holding it. Confirming this, the man broke into a broad smile. Then he kept bowing his head to Aquilen as he answered. ¡°Yes, yes! Of course!¡± The man left the room, bowing so low his waist might break. Left alone, Aquilen took out a cigarette in the room reeking of decay. Cigarettes were the favorite indulgence he hade to enjoy the most after ¡®escaping¡¯ to Earth. ¡°Soon¡­ It will be concluded.¡± And he thought, muttering into the air. When the preparations for both living and dead sacrifices areplete¡­ The n would move to the implementation stage. His superior, Dave, was not one to make mistakes in such matters, and Aquilen was not one to cause problems in a n he had put so much time into. The n that the Ludenark faction had been preparing for a long time. It was the preparation for the ¡®escape¡¯ of the faction leader ¡®Flinklo¡¯. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± A heavy tension overflows in the room. I quietly swallowed with a face more tense than ever before. Although I had experienced such confrontations many times, there had never been a day when I felt such pressure. It was that important a discussion, withplex interests intertwined. ¡°Juyeon, you go out.¡± ¡°¡­Again?¡± Kang Juyeon, who was beside me, frowned. It¡¯s quite a rare expression for her. She probably got a bit annoyed at being told to leave the room again, after staying quietly in her seat without saying a word since the conversation started. ¡°This is an important talk. I need to have it alone with my son-inw.¡± Kang Woo-hyun drew the line with a firm face. His words made me think for a moment. ¡®¡­He¡¯s just calling me son-inw now.¡¯ I did mention before that I was considering marriage, but the change in how he addressed me felt too natural. Anyway, Kang Woo-hyun issued a rare expression of dismissal. But this time, Kang Juyeon didn¡¯t back down easily. ¡°¡­It¡¯s rted to me. I want to talk together too.¡± ¡°Hey now!¡± The atmosphere in the room instantly turns cold. The dad who would listen to anything his daughter said¡­ And the daughter who always followed her dad¡¯s words without question. The moment when the two were in opposition for the first time was so chilly that it was hard to even breathe properly up close. Even I, the actual party to the conflict, couldn¡¯t easily intervene in the situation. ¡°It¡¯s not just rted to you. You¡¯re the only sessor to the Judgment of Fire and a senior n member. Do you really not know what it means to transfer such a core personnel to a newly established n?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was nothing wrong with Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s words. This is probably what I would have heard if we were left alone. An act that could be a seed of discord just by attempting it. An act considered to have no business ethics between ns. An act that could be seen as virtually hijacking¡­. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s anger was at its peak. ¡°¡­Still, I want to go to Jae-hyun¡¯s n.¡± ¡°Kang Juyeon!¡± Finally, Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s voice struck loudly in the room. Even Kang Juyeon seemed quite surprised by her dad¡¯s shout, not having expected it. ¡®¡­This won¡¯t do.¡¯ I sensed it was time to carefully intervene. Stepping in here might further provoke his anger, but I didn¡¯t want the father-daughter rtionship to worsen purely because of my selfishness and actions. ¡°Father-inw, please calm down a bit.¡± ¡°You stay out of this.¡± The sharp words I heard from him for the first time. It hurt a little, but it was okay. I continued speaking slowly without being flustered. ¡°There¡¯s a way that both you and Juyeon canpromise.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At those words, I felt Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s emotions calming slightly. After quietly catching his breath, he met my gaze. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We form an alliance between the n I¡¯ll create and your n.¡± ¡­An alliance? At that unexpected word, Kang Woo-hyun asked back, and Kang Juyeon¡¯s face also became puzzled. This was natural, as I hadn¡¯t mentioned this option to her either. I briefly left my seat and walked towards the whiteboard in the room. Then, I started drawingrge diagrams with a board marker. ¡°It¡¯s easier if you think about the rtionship our circle had with Anti-Viin before, and the rtionship you currently have with the Men¡¯s Term n.¡± maintained a close cooperative rtionship with st year, and as part of that rtionship, they dispatched the entire ¡®Hunting Team 5¡¯ to lead the operation to sess. The friendly rtionship with the n is simr. Even now, quite a few n members are dispatched to Japan. In the state of the highest friendly rtionship, a n member temporarily transferring bes a kind of ¡®temporary assignment¡¯, so there¡¯s no problem. ¡°I need Juyeon right now, and Juyeon also wants to join the n I¡¯m creating. But this is just about being together for the initial formation of the n, not about leaving Judgment of Fire forever. Isn¡¯t that right, Juyeon?¡± I turn my gaze as I finish speaking. Kang Juyeon also carefully nods in response. She too had a strong desire to be with me, but probably didn¡¯t intend to recklessly give up her position as the heir of . I looked back into Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°So let¡¯s form a friendly rtionship with our n and send Juyeon in the form of a dispatch. Then both of our concerns will be resolved, and outsiders won¡¯t view this as a merger.¡± What Kang Woo-hyun is worried about is the disappearance of the n¡¯s heir. And as a result, the natural absorption and merger of . That¡¯s obviously something the n members of don¡¯t want, and neither Juyeon nor I have even thought about it. Juyeon just wanted to be there at the moment I establish the n. ¡°The term is 2 years. We¡¯ll be together until Juyeon graduates.¡± ¡°¡­2 years, huh.¡± As a specific term came up, Kang Woo-hyun stroked his chin. It was a very reasonable and desirable proposal. Even with a brief consideration, there was no reason to refuse. Especially for him, who adores his daughter dearly, fighting with her for a long time would be quite unbearable. Probably Kang Woo-hyun was also very ufortable with the current situation where they unintentionally became confrontational. In that respect¡­ This solution, which could satisfy both father and daughter, was too attractive. ¡°Alright. I ept the friendly n proposal.¡± Finally, Kang Woo-hyun gave a positive sign. At the same time, both my and Kang Juyeon¡¯s expressions brightened. Although there were stillplicated procedures left for the friendly agreement, it felt like we had ovee the biggest hurdle. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°A friendly n¡­¡± The same conversation took ce at . Here, not only Moon Jeong-hyuk but another man was present. Hwang Geon-wook. The n master of and an S-grade Holder of the warrior ss. Also, as Moon Jeong-hyuk¡¯s brother-inw and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s uncle, he was a middle-aged man. He was quiteposed and rational, considering my proposal without being swayed by emotions. ¡°Not bad.¡± Fortunately, the result was positive. To be honest, I think it¡¯s an effective n too. No matter how senior a n member or heir to the n they are, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun are still student Holders who haven¡¯t graduated from the academy yet. So regardless of how talented they are or how outstanding their skills are¡­ Itmeans they must be at the academy for 2 years during non-vacation periods. In this situation, to temporarily join a new special n that receives full support from the academy and guarantees free activity? It was a dispatch that could secure both fame and practical benefits. ¡°But Holder Do Jae-hyun. There¡¯s one thing I¡¯m curious about.¡± ¡°Please ask.¡± ¡°This proposal, did you perhaps go to Judgment of Fire with it as well?¡± Hwang Geon-wook¡¯s sharp intuition activated. It was a widely known fact that I was in a rtionship with not only Moon Ga-eun but also Kang Juyeon. It was a reasonable deduction that I would have naturally gone to first for Kang Juyeon¡¯s sake. To this, I nodded and answered. ¡°That¡¯s correct. We¡¯ve alreadypleted the friendly n agreement with Judgment of Fire.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hwang Geon-wook, as if he had heard the most important information. With a confident face, he smiled and extended his hand to me. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s have Royal join as well. I¡¯d like to make the agreement today without fail.¡± In Hwang Geon-wook¡¯s eyes as he said this¡­ Some kind of inexplicablepetitive spirit was swirling. I looked at Moon Ga-eun beside me with a perplexed gaze, but she also had a face that didn¡¯t understand what was going on. And then¡­. -Hello, Holder Do Jae-hyun. I am An Hojin, the head of the secretarial team for the Dragon Sword n. Our n master wishes to meet with you, Holder Do Jae-hyun, so I¡¯m taking the liberty of contacting you like this. It¡¯s regarding discussions about forming a friendly alliance with the new n you¡¯re establishing. A text message from an unfamiliar number. It was a message from the secretary of Song Do-hyuk, the master of the n. And the topic of the meeting was, as expected, about the friendly n agreement. Right after finishing the agreement with . clung on as ifpeting. ¡®No, is this even something topete over?¡¯ I stared at my phone with an astounded face. I had put in effort and thought to recruit Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun as initial members, but for some reason, other ns were actively reaching out to our n. ¡®We haven¡¯t even started establishing yet¡­.¡¯ Some unexpected pressure starts to weigh on my shoulders. If this, by any chance. If the n establishment falls through, it would be a big problem. Now it was truly a stage where I couldn¡¯t back down.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 275 Chapter 275 n Establishment (4) ¡°I want to join too!¡± Park Yoon-seo spoke up as if feeling wronged. Inside the caf¨¦ they rushed to after ss ended. Beside her sat her best friends Song Hyun-a and Choi Arin. And their shared interest was only one thing, ¡°Senior¡¯s new n! I want to join too.¡± The new n that Do Jae-hyun was establishing.This was currently the hottest issue not only in the academy, but in all of Korea. It wasn¡¯t simply because a student was creating a n. -Student Holders can also be n members! Through an agreement between the association and the academy, there was a condition that allowed student Holders to be epted as n members, just for this time. This special condition was making the hearts of all students in the academy race. Not only could they shorten the 3-year study period and immediately start n life, but the master of this n was Do Jae-hyun, who was rewriting the history of Holders. The students who had directly witnessed his achievements and status all hoped to join the new n, without exception. Needless to say, Park Yoon-seo, who had even joined the fan club, was no different. These days, whenever she met with friends, she constantly talked about wanting to join Do Jae-hyun¡¯s n. ¡°Wake up. First-years can¡¯t join.¡± However, Choi Arin always poured cold water on her hopes. At her cold words, Park Yoon-seo¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°Ah, why! I¡¯m not exactlycking in talentpared to others.¡± Park Yoon-seo was the top student among the new assassin-type students this year. She had an impressive setup with the epic rune [Chilling Ambush] and various shy auxiliary runes. For a freshman, she had outstanding proficiency and very high stats. It was clear that if she continued like this, she would be quite a promising talent in the assassin field. But Choi Arin still shook her head with a negative expression. ¡°ns aren¡¯t organizations that recruit based on talent. They recruit professional, skilled individuals.¡± ¡°Arin is right. I want to join so badly too, but we haven¡¯t proven anything yet. How would the senior know anything about us to recruit us? There¡¯s nothing known about us.¡± Song Hyun-a, who usually acted like Yoon-seo¡¯s rival, agreed this time. She had admired Do Jae-hyun even before awakening as a Holder, and was an ardent fan who had been there from the start when the fan club was formed. If you had to pick who among them wanted to join Do Jae-hyun¡¯s n the most, it would undoubtedly be Song Hyun-a. But. ¡°He didn¡¯t even post a recruitment notice in the first ce.¡± Even if they wanted to join, there was no way. Because there was no recruitment notice. Do Jae-hyun didn¡¯t post a n member recruitment notice, and only recruited n members through personal interviews using his acquaintances and connections. Naturally, the first-year freshmen who had no connection to him¡­ Couldn¡¯t even make it into the limited number of 5 spots. Because of this, there was a flood of regretful criticism towards Do Jae-hyun, but experts evaluated his recruitment policy as effective. For a new n that hasn¡¯t yet established its system, they said that an official open recruitment for n members could actually be harmful. ¡°Tch. I¡¯ll just have a choctette.¡± Park Yoon-seo clicked her tongue in disappointment and brought the straw to her mouth. With that, the three of them changed the subject. ¡°¡­Did you hear that Holder Lim Hyun is also joining the new n this time?¡± ¡°I heard Holder Jeong Seon-young is joining too.¡± ¡°Wow, then it¡¯s basically an Avengers of unaffiliated Holders¡­¡± ¡­Although the changed subject was still about Do Jae-hyun¡¯s n. Even Choi Arin, who used to always shake her head as if tired of these conversations, was now actively participating in such talks. At some point, she had started to be drawn into this peculiar fandom. *** Ippotrantion *** The n member recruitment that had seemed so distant finally ended. Although the department setup and detailed operational ns hadn¡¯t been implemented yet, the most important thing was still the recruitment of human resources, the n members. The minimum number of n members for a small n is 80. Of course, this number excludes non-Holder employees like those in the finance team. Our n gathered a total of 82 n members. 17 were third-year student Holders. I mainly selected seniors who were part of , and also recruited only talents whose skills had been publicly verified. ¡°¡­?¡± And I¡¯m not sure if this person should be considered a third-year. Someone who was a third-year untilst year¡­ A certain graduate also came to me. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, President. I also want to join the newly created n.¡± The former president of and former vice president of . The top fire attribute talent who had stimted Kang Juyeon. The valedictorian of the mage ss, Yoon Ji-ah. At her sudden appearance, I asked with a nk face. ¡°Senior, why are you here?¡± ¡°I told you. I want to join the new n that the President is making.¡± ¡°¡­But what about the Judgment of Fire?¡± Yoon Ji-ah was considered the top talent amongst year¡¯s graduates. Because of this, she had quite easily joined the n that she had hoped for. From what I heard from Kang Juyeon, she had joined the hunting team and was adapting well, so I never thought she would suddenly leave ande to find me like this. Yoon Ji-ah looked at me with a slight smile. ¡°The Judgment of Fire is certainly a good n. As expected of arge n, they have excellent welfare for n members, and there are many opportunities to achieve results as a n member. But¡­ I never felt like I wanted to continue activities there with all my heart. That¡¯s natural, right? How many Holders are there who work so romantically? She ced her hand on her chest and said, ¡°You know, when I heard the news that the president was forming a n, my heart started racing. It was pounding uncontrobly. I guess I must have missed the circle activities where I fought alongside the president and other members.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yoon Ji-ah smiled again and extended her hand to me. It was certainly the elegant gesture of a respected senior that I had often seen until justst year. ¡°You¡¯ll ept me, won¡¯t you, president?¡± How could I refuse her when she asked like this? I gave a faint, bitter smile and took her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not president anymore, but n master now.¡± With that, including graduate Yoon Ji-ah, a total of 17 third-year student Holders were selected. And then came the second-year selection. Unlike the third years, this group was filled to capacity with 20 members. There were certainly many talented and skilled individuals among the second years. While the media praises them as the ¡®golden generation¡¯, it¡¯s not just empty hype. First, there are my four friends who have been with me since we were freshmen, handling party hunting, dungeon conquests, and various other tasks together. Kim Chae-eun, Kang Ju-yeon, Moon Ga-eun, Park Jin-woo. Now, rather than calling them my friends, the title of top domestic prospects suits these promising individuals better. My reliablepanions were naturally given a free pass. And another golden talent from the second year. ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me, I¡¯d like to join too, president.¡± The cksmith Holder from the special division, Lee Hyun-ho, also expressed his desire to join. ¡°Hwang Seong-yeon is the nemesis I must catch. If the president¡¯s n is going after him, I want to join that n too.¡± As long as his enemy lives, Lee Hyun-ho¡¯s revenge is not over. Somehow he learned that the n I was forming would be pursuing Hwang Seong-yeon and Ludenark, and he immediately came to me wanting to join the n. ¡°I, I want to join too! I couldn¡¯t join the circle before, but¡­¡± Choi Yoo-min, with whom I¡¯ve had a deep connection since freshman year, was the same. Although they are notbat resources, they are talents who can produce the best results in nonbat areas. There was no reason not to ept them as n members. ¡°Squad leader. Or should I call you master now?¡± And one of the top recruitment targets among the second years. The rising star of the tanking warrior ss, Cami Flores. Surprisingly, her recruitment process wasn¡¯t difficult. ¡°The California Academy gave permission easily.¡± After all, Cami is an exchange student from the California Academy. The American academy doesn¡¯t interfere much with the activities of exchange students in other countries. Whether it¡¯s circle activities or n activities. However, she¡¯ll have to return to the U.S. asionally before graduating, so we agreed to be flexible on that point. ¡®Other ssmates have also given definite answers¡­¡¯ In addition, Lee Tae-jun, who was formerly the top warrior ss student, and Seo Jin-ah, who has been gradually standing out as a spear user. Many ssmates worthy of the title ¡®golden generation¡¯ hoped to join. They are among the top talents in the academy, filling all the avable spots for second-year students. ¡®And the unaffiliated Holders.¡¯ The most important recruitment status. The senior pro Holders currently unaffiliated. Among the 45 people selected¡­ There were truly outstanding talents. ¡°How could a teacher not go where her student goes? Besides, I was also yourpanion during Jae-hyun¡¯s rookie days.¡± She came under the pretext of assisting her student Kim Chae-eun, but her intention to closely watch our romance was obvious. The pinnacle of the ice attribute magician ss, Jeong Seon-young, was the start. ¡°I should work with someone as capable as our squad leader at least twice. Jae-hyun, I¡¯m definitely in, right?¡± A Holder who became quite close to me through the raid. Lim Hyun, who is called number one among unaffiliated Holders in the ¡®warrior ss¡¯. He too confirmed his joining rather easily. ¡°An opportunity to repay the kindness I received from Mr. Jae-hyun hase. If you¡¯ll have me, I¡¯d like to join as well.¡± In addition, someone I formed a connection with in Japan and who even followed me to the raid team¡­ Akiba, who possesses the power of both the archer ss and shrine maiden. ¡°If you¡¯ll just ept me, I¡¯ll dedicate myself wholly to the activities! I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go, big brother¡­!!¡± ¡­It feels a bit off to include this one in the ¡®outstanding high-level holder¡¯s line. Anyway, even Do Seung-min, whose loyalty is unmatched. Most of the unaffiliated Holders I had connections with confirmed their joining as long as there were no special issues. Much better joining conditions and treatmentpared to other ns. Clear role distribution and quite systematic operation ns. Also, bing a founding member of a promising new n. Various reasons like these determined their decision to join. And¡­ [Master Yoo Eun-seol] I just arrived back in the country. I¡¯lle to the academy, so let¡¯s talk in person. Thest puzzle piece that I didn¡¯t have high hopes for¡­ Was waiting.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 276 Chapter 276 n Establishment (5) ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Jae-hyun.¡± A soft voice is heard, and a beautiful smile settles on her lips. Seeing that, I thought I was lucky. Because. This smile is a painting that can¡¯t be easily found anywhere else. In official settings, she rarely shows emotions, and when meeting people, she¡¯s often evaluated as cold due to her unique atmosphere. Yet, only in front of me, she would.Often show such a smiling face. ¡®She¡¯s so pretty when she smiles¡­¡¯ Of course, she¡¯s beautiful even normally. But when she smiles, it feels like her usually cold aura is melting away. A flower blooming in the snow. Is there a phrase that could describe her more perfectly? Her main rune [Snow Plum Blossom] suits her better than anyone else. Like a flower blooming beautifully in a snow field, she seemed to shine nobly alone. It was my master, Yoo Eun-seol, whom I hadn¡¯t seen in what felt like months. ¡°Hmm¡­ Has it been so long that you won¡¯t even greet me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Her lips part again, and I hear what sounds like a yful reproach. Only then did I realize that I had been staring nkly at my master without responding. ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡± ¡°Were you lost in thought?¡± ¡°No, just¡­¡± I scratched my head as I answered. ¡°Your smile is so pretty, Master¡­ So I was just thinking it would be nice if you smiled more often.¡± I thought about making an excuse but decided to be honest. After all, if it¡¯s Master¡­ She¡¯d probably see through such a small lie right away. ¡°¡­What?¡± But it seems Master¡¯s thoughts were different. She couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at my words. I could see her gaze wavering and her body trembling slightly. I inwardly scolded myself as if hitting my own head. ¡®Ah, why did I say such an unnecessary thing¡­¡¯ I should have just made some excuse. It¡¯s been so long since we met, I worried she might think it strange. ¡°Ahem. You said you went to Russia this time, right?¡± So I quickly cleared my throat and changed the subject. After conquering with me, Master had been traveling around domestically and abroad. With just one purpose. To find ways to develop her rune from various angles. Even though she¡¯s already at the pinnacle of skill in certain areas, reached S-grade Holder status, and gained all the honor¡­ She constantly strived to elevate herself to higher levels. Perhaps this initial mindset and passion is why she receives so much respect from domestic Holders. Anyway, this time Master had briefly gone to Russia and returned today. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Though there wasn¡¯t much gain.¡± Master, who had been briefly flustered, quickly regained herposure. Her usual cold-like atmosphere returned. But after seeming lost in thought for a moment¡­ She soon smiled slightly and said to me, ¡°It seems Jae-hyun has been up to quite big things while I was away?¡± ¡­Somehow, it looks like a very awkward smile. Is she smiling because of what I said earlier? ¡®¡­This level of delusion is a sickness.¡¯ I shook my head to clear away such idle thoughts. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve had quite a headache because of ittely.¡± ¡°For something like that, your n members seem quite impressive? You even brought along colleagues who had worked with me for a long time.¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t just luck. Since new ns start at a disadvantage in every aspectpared to regr ns, I did offer some radical conditions and treatment. I created incentives that could definitely attract skilled unaffiliated Holders. Thanks to that, despite concerns pouring in about the n, many skilled individuals confirmed their entry. ¡­Among them, getting top-tier personnel like Lim Hyun and Jeong Seon-young was truly a case of good fortune. ¡°So, is n member recruitment all finished?¡± Master asked me with a strange expression. To that, I swallowed nervously and carefully answered. ¡°There is¡­ One more person I¡¯d like to recruit.¡± ¡°There is¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll join. They¡¯re such an amazing person.¡± As I said this with a slightugh, Master also smiled. Though we spoke indirectly, we both knew who the subject was. The undisputed pinnacle of the assassin category. An unaffiliated S-grade Holder¡­ Yoo Eun-seol. The woman before me was the final puzzle piece in this n member recruitment. And after a moment of silence, her lips soon parted. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it too.¡± ¡°Re, really?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask in surprise. Not only did she go straight to the point without beating around the bush, but the content being a positive signal was even more surprising. S-grade Holders, of which there¡¯s only one in each of the top 3 domestic ns. If such an existence were to join a newly created n¡­ Its status could be iparably greater than now. ¡°But, there¡¯s a condition.¡± Master raised her right hand and held up one finger. ¡°A condition?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t care much about entry contracts or annual sry. You can do whatever you want with those. Just¡­ The ultimate skill.¡± ¡°The ultimate skill? ¡°I¡¯m talking about the ultimate skill Jae-hyun mentioned before. The skill he said he discovered unfinished during the Wolfenser raid. I¡¯d like us to research together toplete that skill, and then I hope you¡¯ll teach it to me too.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The ultimate skill created in an almost trance-like state while defeating countless Virgens during the raid. [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] Rune, [Falling Blossom Aesthetics]. A skill that dives into a group of enemies, quickly scratches all of them, andes out. It¡¯s quite rare among physical attack skills¡­ A very powerful area-of-effect skill. Although it hasn¡¯t met the 5 conditions yet and isn¡¯t apleted skill, ifpleted, it would be a main ability when handling assassin-type powers. I had mentioned this to the master when we finished the dungeon raid, and it seems she¡¯s been remembering it all this time. ¡°This time, Jae-hyun will be teaching me. How about it?¡± And the master, smiling slightly, waving her finger. Was it because I brought up something unnecessary earlier? Today, she gave off an atmosphere unlike her usual self. And at that sight¡­ I found myself answering as if entranced. ¡°¡­Call.¡± Recruiting an S-grade assassin with just one ultimate skill? This was a deal that had to be epted unconditionally. *** Ippotrantion *** -S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol finally leaves frence to join a n! -Yoo Eun-seol, into Do Jae-hyun¡¯s arms¡­ A meeting of master and disciple. -With an S-grade Holder and numerous A-grade veterans. Not envious ofrge ns! -The golden generation has all gathered! Pay attention to the 2nd-year n members. ¡­ ¡­ The news of the master¡¯s new n membership spread quickly and made headlines. The fact that the pinnacle of the assassin ss, who had only aimed for solo y until now, was joining a n, and a newly created one at that, provided quite a fresh shock. And that¡¯s not all. Veteran n members who have been active solo for a long time. Second-year students are called the golden generation and have various promising talents¡­. There were quite a lot of anticipated resources. Even though it was a new n, a force that couldn¡¯t be ignored was beingpleted. And along with that. Expectations for our n were rising from various ces. ¡°Then I¡¯ll dere the establishment right from tomorrow and prepare so that we can start activities.¡± ¡°Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Chairman.¡± ¡°Haha. No need for such words. If we¡¯re talking about who received help, the association received much more.¡± The n establishment, which was in the nning stage, entered the concrete stage. The list of recruited n members, selection of civilian staff, setting up internal departments, short-term operation ns, etc¡­ We finished the very basic stage of nposition andpleted all rted meetings with the Academy and the Holder Association. The preparations were done, and all that was left was to make the deration. The implementation happened in an instant. Especially thanks to Professor Tak Won-ho, who had been preparing for this longer than I had, our n¡¯s establishment proceeded quite quickly and concisely. -Do Jae-hyun establishes a n! The name is ¡­ - finally unveiled, what path will it take? -Scouts from each n unanimously say, ¡°A historic new n.¡± ¡­ ¡­ The n name was decided as . Directly tranted, it means ¡®a hunter who punishes evil¡¯, which carried on the banner of which could be seen as the n¡¯s predecessor, and also epassed our n¡¯s first goal of pursuing the Ludenark Sect. ¡®¡­Actually, it¡¯s named because of the Rune Hunter, though.¡¯ There¡¯s also a hidden meaning. The fact that the name was created centered on the ¡®hunter¡¯ of my main rune [Rune Hunter]. Since [Rune Hunter] is a rune not yet revealed to the world, no one knows about this meaning¡­ But it was quite a meaningful name in that it¡¯s a n created directly by my power after experiencing all the events so far. ¡°Luckily, we also quickly found a n tower.¡± ¡¯s n tower waspleted centered on a building near the Academy. Originally, it would have taken an enormous amount of time to acquire the site and build the interior, but fortunately, there was a site and building nearby that was being converted into a n tower, so we were able to finish by purchasing this. The n that owned the building was . For some reason, they passed on the building, which was already nearingpletion, to our n at a very reasonable price. -We¡¯re quitete, so this much is necessary to catch up. If it were up to me, I¡¯d like to give the building as a gift, but¡­ There will be views from the outside¡­ Anyway, I hope this opportunity will make us closer. Song Do-hyuk, whom I first met at the friendly n agreement. He threw such a puzzling remark while trading the n tower. What¡¯ste, and what are they catching up to¡­. As expected, S-grade Holders seem to have one quirky aspect each. Anyway, thanks to ¡¯s goodwill, our n was able to quickly obtain a quite magnificent and splendid n tower. ¡°Really¡­ I¡¯ve created a n, haven¡¯t I?¡± Therge building I face standing in front¡­ The so-called EH Tower¡­ ¡®Our n¡¯s¡¯ n tower. Only after taking this in with my eyes does it finally feel real. The moment everyone doubted, and even I thought impossible. It has finally be a reality. . A n I established directly with my own power. From today, I was the master of this n.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 277 Chapter 277 A Clue (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°Hehe. Congrattions, Jae-hyun.¡± Just as I was taking in the sight of the enormous n tower. I felt someone hugging me tightly from behind. It was Kim Chae-eun, who had now be a member of . I smiled and sped her hand. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°Just now. I rushed over as soon as I heard there was going to be our n¡¯s very first meeting.¡±Today was the day the n was founded and the first official meeting was to be held. All 83 n members were to attend and discuss the future direction of the n together. Since half of the n members were student Holders, the meeting time was set for the evening. ¡®And it will probably be like that from now on.¡¯ Although n activities should be the top priority once you be a n member, it¡¯s inevitable that activity areas will ovep. Until the student Holders, including myself, graduate from the academy, we had to bnce this time allocation well. This was especially something I had asked for understanding before recruiting n members. ¡°Let¡¯s go in first! The others will be here soon.¡± Since I came early to look around the n tower, there were still many n members who hadn¡¯t arrived yet. ¡°Hurry, hurry-.¡± Kim Chae-eun grabbed my wrist and led me. I smiled and followed her into the building. ¡°Wow¡­ It¡¯s huge.¡± The ¡¯s n tower, known as the EH Tower, exuded grandeur and splendor from the inside. From the high-end interior that immediately revealed it as a newly constructed building, to the neat reception desk, and the entrance equipped with an ess card system. It felt like seeing the n tower for the first time during my internshipst year. ¡°We greet the n Master.¡± ¡°Greetings to the Master!¡± As we passed the reception desk and entrance, the guards and staff greeted us. Honestly, I still felt awkward with the title of master and it made me a bit embarrassed, but the staff seemed thoroughly trained and greeted without any hesitation. As we passed through the entrance, Kim Chae-eun nudged my side with a sly look. ¡°It¡¯s really cool.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tease me.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m serious. I go to sleep and wake up to find my boyfriend is a n Master? Sounds like a novel title, it¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Hiding my embarrassment, I quickly turned towards the elevator. ¡°Still, they¡¯ve hired really good staff. Even though there wasn¡¯t much time.¡± Kim Chae-eun followed closely behind, speaking. I nodded in agreement and replied, ¡°The friendly ns were a big help.¡± In fact, the ability to organize the n¡¯s internal affairs so quickly wasrgely due to the help of the ns we had formed friendly alliances with. The top 3 domestic ns. Having maintained their top positions for so long, they had a lot of data on n establishment and had built up considerable rted infrastructure. Under the name of friendly ns, they spared no support. sold the n tower building andnd at a low price, helped with the selection of capable staff, and provided various items and equipment needed for operation. From their perspective, it was supports to maintain rtions as friendly ns, but for , which was still in its early stages of establishment and had little prepared, it was truly invaluable support. ¡®¡­It also helped with the image somehow.¡¯ If the support became too excessive, we might have been seen as a subsidiary n of the top 3 ns. They are suchrge ns, and is a newly created n. But the fact that we received help evenly from all three top ns changed the perception. Since the support wasn¡¯t biased towards any particr n, it rather created an image of being under the protection of the top 3 domestic ns. Thanks to this, ¡¯s poprity was skyrocketing from the start of its establishment. ¡°We greet the Master.¡± When we arrived at the 31st floor, the top floor, by elevator. A secretary in neat office attire greeted us. A beauty with both a smart image and intellectual charm. ¡­That¡¯s right. She was a beauty. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kim Chae-eun beside me looked at me with narrowed eyes. I panicked for no reason, even though I had nothing to feel guilty about. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Why is the secretary so pretty?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a misunderstanding. To begin with, there were only female applicants. They were candidates screened by Royal.¡± This is really unfair. While I personally selected ¡¯s n members from the start, it wasn¡¯t the same for the civilian staff. I had sought advice and rmendations from , who have expertise in this field. Of course, I conducted the final interviews, but all the applicants were women to begin with¡­. But Kim Chae-eun seemed to have no intention of letting go of her suspicions. ¡°I was already feeling like I¡¯m getting morepetitors these days¡­.¡± ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡± I immediately asked about Kim Chae-eun¡¯s voice that was barely audible, but she shook her head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯ll talk again when the others arrive.¡± ¡°No¡­.¡± Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun are joining here too? For a moment, I felt dizzy. ¡­Is this the fate of someone with multiple lovers? ¡°Um¡­ Master?¡± As I was bickering half-jokingly, half-seriously with Kim Chae-eun. The secretary who had been standing at attention on one side addressed me. Suddenly turning my head, I saw that she had a piece of paper in her hand. ¡®¡­What¡¯s this?¡¯ I had already received a report on the n schedule, but this seemed to be separate from that. She slowly approached me and showed me the paper. ¡°This is an official document sent by the Korean Holder Association in the form of a request application. It just arrived, and I was about to contact you, but you happened toe up to the master room¡­¡± ¡°A request application?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a request for investigation regarding the recent series of Holder kidnapping incidents in Jongno.¡± I took the official document handed over by the secretary and checked it. As she said, it was indeed a request application with the association president¡¯s seal. Of course, our n isn¡¯t a ¡®mercenary n¡¯ that takes on and solves requests from others, but we had something we promised as a condition with the Holder Association from the establishment of . ¡°¡­It seems the association has judged that this incident is rted to the Ludenark Sect.¡± That was precisely the Ludenark Sect. To find clues about them who imitate evil, and if given the chance, to exterminate them. This was also the primary goal of our n at present. *** Ippotrantion *** [Web Transmission] This is the secretariat. Due to an urgent matter within the n, we wish to move the scheduled meeting time one hour earlier. n members who cannot attend at the changed meeting time, please contact the n secretariat. Thank you. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Park Jin-woo came straight to the n tower as soon as his ss ended after checking the message. It was his first time seeing the n tower, but¡­ There was no time to be amazed at its splendor. He entered through the entrance and took the elevator to the meeting room. The destination was the conference room on the 28th floor. It was arge conference room where all 83 n members could gather. When he arrived, most of the other n members were already seated, probably because they had no particr schedule. Park Jin-woo found an empty seat at the back and sat down. ¡°Now that Holder Park Jin-woo has arrived, all n members are present. Then, let¡¯s start the meeting.¡± A man in the center of the conference room picked up the microphone. Though the name didn¡¯te to mind, it was a familiar face. He was a member who had been part of the . Jin-woo had expected his friend Do Jae-hyun to exin, but he was seated in a corner slightly away from the center. And next to him sat Yoo Eun-seol, the S-grade Holder who had been talked about since her recruitment. ¡°Greetings, fellow n members. I am Han Sang-jin, a special category Holder who has been appointed as the temporary nning team leader of the Evil Hunter n.¡± Han Sang-jin was in the special category. Among them, he was a Holder in charge of the taming category. During the operation, Moon Ga-eun also awakened to the taming side, and the Raid force leader Do Jae-hyun also possessed an excellent contractor¡­ They were sometimes collectively called the taming category trio. Han Sang-jin was a member who used to give good opinions with sharp analytical skills and quick judgment within the Raid force, and it seemed that Do Jae-hyun also highly appreciated these points and assigned him the temporary position of n nning team leader. ¡°Actually, today¡¯s nned meeting was supposed to organize future operation ns, department and position arrangements, and additionally celebrate the n¡¯s establishment, but¡­¡± Han Sang-jin used a pointer to flip through the PPT. A title that made one frown just by looking at it appeared. Holder serial kidnapping incident. Recently, as the disappearances of some Holders became frequent, there were ominous rumors about whether they might have been kidnapped¡­ This material seemed to confirm that as fact. ¡°It has been confirmed that a student Holder currently attending Seoul Academy is included in the Jongno District disappearance cases being ssified as kidnapping incidents. And as the possibility of the Ludenark Sect being involved in this incident has been detected¡­ This case has be our n¡¯s top short-term priority.¡± The conference room immediately buzzed at Han Sang-jin¡¯s shocking statement. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°A student Holder?¡± ¡°Suddenly mentioning Ludenark¡­¡± A student Holder has been kidnapped. This was no longer just under the jurisdiction of the association and government, but also came under the jurisdiction of the academy. Moreover, the fact that the Ludenark Sect, the n¡¯s top priority, was involved meant that couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch this problem unfold. ¡°Therefore, putting aside all n priorities, we will proceed with temporary activities by grouping the currently gathered n members into hunting teams. The temporary organization is as follows.¡± Flip, flip-. The PPT slides changed¡­ In an instant, the temporary department setup for n members waspleted. All n members are assigned to hunting teams, and the hunting teams are divided from Team 1 to Team 5. ¡°The n Master is Do Jae-hyun, and the Vice Master is Yoo Eun-seol. Also, the Vice Master automatically bes the leader of Hunting Team 1 in the temporary organization.¡± The founder of the n and the n¡¯s absolute powerhouse. It was only natural that they would be organized as Master and Vice Master. ¡°Next, Hunting Team 2 leader Lim Hyun, Team 3 leader Jeong Seon-young, Team 4 leader Kim Ah-reum. And¡­¡± The speech paused for a moment, and Han Sang-jin¡¯s gaze lingered at the back. Park Jin-woo was nkly staring at the material. It was the moment their eyes met. ¡°Team 5 leader Park Jin-woo. The n members named above will be the executives who will serve as temporary team leaders and confirmed senior n members. Team leaders, please check your team members and ensure there are no issues for uing operations.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Park Jin-woo, listening quietly, thought. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Passing over all the veteran Holders¡­ To be chosen as a team leader-level executive. It was the moment when that damn friend of his was stirring things up again.
T/N: Hi guys, this novel will be done with trantion in about 3-5 months depending on tier, so I need a new novel to trante. You can drop your suggestions in thement and will drop a poll in about a weeks.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 278 Chapter 278 A Clue (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] It was 2 hours before the n meeting started when I realized the seriousness of this incident. Choi Yoo-min, a special category Holder who was a founding member and had deep ties with me. And among the three juniors who had gained quite a reputation as the ¡®Freshman Trio¡¯¡­ No, to be exact, only two of the juniors, Song Hyun-a and Park Yoon-seo. The situation changed when they simultaneously came to the master room. ¡°Please¡­ Please help me, Jae-hyun.¡± Choi Yoo-min pleaded with me, tears in her eyes. Her younger sister, who was also a junior I had entrusted with a few alchemy-rted requests¡­ Choi Arin had been implicated in this .The estimated date was the day before yesterday. She reportedly hadn¡¯t returned after saying she was going to do a direct trade rted to magic stones. Her closest friends, Song Hyun-a and Park Yoon-seo, also testified about her disappearance, making Choi Arin¡¯s kidnapping almost a foregone conclusion. ¡®¡­Those damn bastards, really.¡¯ And as I heard the details, I found it hard to hide my rising anger. The Ludenark Sect, which I had vaguely considered a group of evil to be pursued. I didn¡¯t expect them to make the first move like this. Whether they intended it or not, the thought that someone close to me had suddenly fallen victim made my blood boil. Moreover, since they were beings from another world, they seemed to have even less hesitation in their indiscriminate criminal acts. ¡°Holder Han Sang-jin is the temporary nning team leader of the Evil Hunter n. Please oversee the n and organization of this rescue operation.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t have time.¡± I assigned Han Sang-jin as the n¡¯s temporary nning team leader. He was a training category Holder who had been with me since . I had been keeping an eye on his unique analytical and judgment skills since he was a member of the Raidforce. Although he¡¯s a Holder who can be of sufficient help in directbat, he¡¯s also specialized in handling internal n work, making him perfect for this temporary position. ¡°It¡¯s fixed that the Master, along with Holder Yoo Eun-seol, will take on the role of Vice Master.¡± Han Sang-jin was surprised when first assigned the role, but soon regained hisposure and offered opinions on the temporary organization of n members. Most of the organization was rational. As the founder, I was naturally the Master. The Vice Master is Yoo Eun-seol, the only S-grade and the strongest in the n. And for the team leaders of the temporary organization assigned to carry out the operation, n members who could be called the most veteran in each category were selected. Hunt Team 1 was led by Yoo Eun-seol, who also held the Vice Master position, Team 2 by Lim Hyun, Team 3 by Jeong Seon-young, and Team 4 by Kim A-reum. They were all skilled individuals I had put the most effort into recruiting. But for the leader of Team 5, a question mark appeared in my head without me realizing it. ¡°¡­You want to put Jin-woo as the leader of Team 5? ¡°That¡¯s right. Han Sang-jin boldly pushed for Park Jin-woo¡¯s team leader position. If Park Jin-woo found out, he¡¯d probably say ¡®That bastard Do Jae-hyun is at it again¡¯, but this appointment wasn¡¯t my sole decision. ¡°Is there really a need for that? There are many other veteran Holders too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an absolutely necessary process.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Because currently, half of Evil Hunter¡¯s n members are filled with student Holders.¡± Student Holders are n members that are like the identity of . It¡¯s good for them to learn under veteran n members and fill in their inexperienced parts, but it¡¯s also important for them to be active with freshness as a weapon and breathe vitality into the n. Park Jin-woo was chosen as the focal point for this. Although I¡¯m the Master, we need a n member who canmand in the field and practical work, and Park Jin-woo, who had already clearly proven his ability in , was a perfect fit. ¡®Juyeon and Ga-eun are temporary n members for now.¡¯ Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun would also fit well in this role. However, they were temporary n members assigned in a dispatched form. There could be opposition from other n members if they were given important responsibilities within the n. ¡°Alright. How did youpose the rest of the team members?¡± ¡°Yes, if you look here¡­¡± After a long discussion with Han Sang-jin, we finishedposing all the temporary hunting teams. It was an organization that considered rank, category, and harmony. And. The n meeting that was held earlier than the scheduled time. Han Sang-jin led the n meeting much more skillfully than I had expected. He neatly summarized and exined the necessary parts, such as the current situation of the n, the temporary organization, and the contents and ns of the uing operation. Although the schedule was a bit tight, the n members all seemed to understand his neat organization. After the basic exnation from the temporary nning team leader was over, I took over the microphone. ¡°Greetings to all n members. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun, the n Master of Evil Hunter.¡± p p p p- I paused for a moment as thunderous apuse erupted. ¡°I¡¯ve met and interviewed all n members individually, but this is the first time we¡¯ve all gathered in one ce. It would be nice to have a n tower opening ceremony and an after-party on such a joyous day¡­ But given the situation, I¡¯m sorry we had to hastily schedule this.¡± I continued speaking, looking ahead with a determined expression. ¡°But I¡¯d like you to recognize how important this situation is. As Team Leader Han Sang-jin exined earlier, this operation will begin with searching for and rescuing the kidnapped victims. And that search¡­¡± My gaze turns to one corner. Two women who weren¡¯t visible before due to the limited view walk towards the tform. They were Song Hyun-a and Park Yoon-seo, the juniors who came to find me with Choi Yoo-min. ¡°¡­Park Yoon-seo?¡± ¡°¡­Miss Hyun-a?¡± Two n members are greatly surprised by their appearance. One was obviously Park Jin-woo, Park Yoon-seo¡¯s older brother, and the other was Holder, who hade over from as a friendly n dispatch. He looked bewildered as the younger sister of the original n master suddenly appeared at the n meeting. ¡°Juniors. The thing you showed earlier¡­¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± Before I could finish speaking, Park Yoon-seo handed over thepass she had been holding tightly, as if she had been waiting. She held up thepass for the n members to see. ¡°Thispass is a magical trackingpass invented by Choi Arin, an alchemist ss Holder, before the incident. When the user inputs magic, it can track the location of the linked person, a kind of magical GPS tracker¡­¡± I pause for a moment and input magic into thepass. And soon. With a ¡®ping, grr-¡® sound, thepass moves. The direction was pointing northwest. ¡°As you can see, it works normally. It¡¯s set up so that not only simple direction tracking, but also specific additional functions will work as we get closer.¡± It¡¯s truly an innovative location tracking magical tool. An invention of a level that¡¯s hard to believe was made by an academy freshman. Perhaps that¡¯s why the eyes of the n members looking at it were filled with amazement. ¡°Also, this magical tool has been verified by Professor Kang Dong-wook, an expert in magic and item analysis. He verified that the array state is precise and the structure operates normally when magic is input. Therefore, this magical tool¡­ Will be an excellent guide for us who need to find the victims first.¡± I dered to the n members while holding thepass tightly. ¡°The preparation deadline is until tomorrow morning. All n members assigned to the hunting team are requested to gather at the n tower with preparations to engage in battle immediately. The first goal of this operation is to rescue all the victims first.¡± The specific details of the operation and team assignments have been conveyed. What remains is to follow the clues left by Choi Arin¡­ To find where the victims and enemies are. *** Ippotrantion *** The next morning. All members of gathered. In fact, it¡¯s extremely rare for Holders to be kidnapped, so there was a high probability that investigation teams would be formed by the association and each n, but anyway, the initial investigation was our n¡¯s responsibility. We started tracking from the n tower. The performance of the [Magic Tracking Compass] was quite good. At first, it only pointed in a simple direction, but as we got closer to where Choi Arin was predicted to be, additional signals appeared. Of course, these are unusual traces of magic that ordinary people can¡¯t grasp, but for archer ss Holders with search-type runes, this level was a piece of cake. And. ¡°Master, it¡¯s here.¡± Said an archer ss Holder from hunting team 1. A n member in charge of urate location tracking with thepass. In the direction she pointed¡­ There was a rough and hard ground. A cross-section with nothing around it. I quietly looked at that ce. Since the enemies wouldn¡¯t have dug a tunnel here¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the entrance to a dungeon.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s definitely a medium for entering a dungeon.¡± It¡¯s a moment when another secret is revealed. After I revealed the information about the Ludenark faction. The Holder Association had been steadily searching for them, but couldn¡¯t find a single clue. It was an obvious story. ¡®¡­Because they were in a dungeon.¡¯ It was somewhat expected from the moment it was said that beings from another world were active in this world. They probably have something to do with the dungeon generation process, like the ¡®Adaptors¡¯ Baraten tribe or the ¡®Transcenders¡¯ Dragons. And unlike them. They are free to enter and exit dungeons. The result of that was now before our eyes. I spoke quietly among the n members surrounding the area. ¡°¡­We¡¯re going in.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Now it was time to confirm their true nature.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 279 Chapter 279 A Clue (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] [You have entered the dungeon.] [You step into the ¡®Abandoned Laboratory¡¯. A damp aura and wandering spirits are transmitted through your skin. Some of your stats are randomly and significantly reduced.] [The special power of the ¡®KeenMind¡¯ rune maintains the subject¡¯s clear mind. It remains unshaken by any curse or abnormal state.] As soon as I enter, dazzling information windows greet my eyes. A debuff that randomly reduces one ability from the entrance. I had prevented it in advance with the [Keen Mind] rune, so I didn¡¯t know the exact figure, but seeing the expression ¡®significant decrease¡¯ written, it didn¡¯t seem to be a trivial level. Moreover, following the from the previous , another unique name appeared.. It could be the name of this dungeon, or it could be the name of a specific area within the dungeon. Whatever it was, it told us that where we had set foot was no ordinary dungeon. Furthermore. [This dungeon has already been prepared by the ¡®Adaptors¡¯! There¡¯s a high probability that it¡¯s structured in apletely different way from ordinary dungeons.] [Those who haven¡¯t received permission from the Adaptors be enemies of all targets within the dungeon!] An ominous form of information window that I had never seen before while conquering dungeons blocked the front. The ominousness became reality in less than 3 seconds. ¡°Master! Enemy attack!¡± One of the n members skilled in reconnaissance from the archer ss shouts. At the same time. Kugugugu- Shiiiii-!! Arge boulder with rising mes swooped down on us. If what I¡¯m seeing is correct, this is a fire attribute magic, specifically a meteor-type magic. Not [Light Meteor] which drops multiple small fire rocks, but [Power Meteor] with its enormous size and zing mes. It was a magic often called the flower of fire attribute attack magic. Moreover, the mes of [Power Meteor] were uniquely¡­ Dyed in a terribly dark ck color. It was a phenomenon indicating that the caster of this magic was not ordinary. ¡°Damn, everyone¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Kwa, kwaaaaang-!! An enormous amount of magical power and rapid dropping speed. As if they had been waiting and preparing for this attack¡­ There was no time or leisure to deploy a wide-area defense. The n members gathered in one ce had to defend themselves or attempt to avoid it on their own. ¡°Keuph¡­.¡± ¡°The shield¡­!!¡± Fortunately, our n is a small elite group where all members have excellent skills. Their reactions were not slow at all, and the subsequent handling was clean. Among them, there were n members who directly blocked the meteor with their shields. Thanks to this, we were able to minimize ally damage despite the sudden attack. ¡°Damn it¡­.¡± But the fact that we took a hit didn¡¯t change. To think that a prepared magical attack woulde flying from the entrance of the dungeon. Even for an Adaptor¡¯s dungeon, this was too disadvantageous a setup. Even during , a monster appeared from the entrance, but that was literally just a monster and not an attack urately aimed at us like this. In other words, those who justunched [Power Meteor] at us had considered us enemies from the start and prepared their attack. ¡°Master, over there!¡± The n member who first detected the attack pointed again. Right in front of our field of vision. A small hill that looked like a barren field. On top of that¡­ Ururuuru-! With a thunderous sound, a horde of beast-like creatures in the shape of horses was rushing towards us in droves. Even the n members couldn¡¯t hide their bewilderment at that tremendous quantity. ¡°¡­Centaurs?¡± ¡°No! The upper body has the form of a lion!¡± ¡°Then is it a manticore? But there are no wings¡­!!¡± ¡°Damn- It seems to be a chimera without any information.¡± Running with horse legs and having a considerably tall upper body, I naturally thought they were B-grade beasts, centaurs¡­ But as they got closer, a different form became clearly visible. Lower body of a horse, upper body of a lion. No wings and a normal tail, so it¡¯s not an A-grade beast manticore either. Rather, its mobility and menace seemed to surpass the two aforementioned beasts. It was apletely new form of beast. ¡®¡­How strong are they?¡¯ Looking at that sight, I bite my lips tightly. Chimera-type beasts have asionally appeared in other dungeons before, but the ones rushing towards us now are chimeras without any information. They were likely ¡®created¡¯ by the Ludenark Sect. Of course, we couldn¡¯t determine their characteristics, abilities, or even their rank. For now, we had to directly engage them to confirm their strength. ¡°Vice Master, takemand!¡± I turned my head to look at my master. As if she had already anticipated that I would jump into the front lines, she nodded lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s strength isn¡¯t simply that she¡¯s an S-grade Holder. Having spent time as an unaffiliated Holder rather than in arge n, she has considerable experience in raid groups and parties, and in most cases, she was in charge of theirmand. And above all¡­ She has a lot ofbat experience with me, the n Master, so she knows me too well. Yoo Eun-seol possesses all these strengths simultaneously. That¡¯s why she was calmlymanding the remaining n members even in this urgent situation. Recruiting her as a n member and appointing her as Vice Master¡­ Might have been the best choice since creating . ¡®Let¡¯s go, Jiten.¡¯ -I¡¯ve been waiting, Master. I summoned Jiten through [Contract¡¯s Call]. Normally, I would have called Tyrbon, but now the battlefield was onnd with enemies rushing in at once. Jiten, who possessed a charge-type rune, was a much more effective choice. Awoooo-!! Koo, gugugugu-!! Along with Jiten¡¯s howl, [Wolf¡¯s Sprint] unfolds. He raced through the dungeon at tremendous speed, using all the speed he had. The enemies surely possessed charge-type runes as well, but Jiten¡¯s charge waspletely oveing the disadvantage of startingte. Gugugugu-!! The distance to the enemies closed in an instant. Just before encountering them. [Wyvern Spear] was already in my hand. ¡®el Piercing.¡¯ My signature preemptive strike technique strikes the Chimera horde. Although I didn¡¯t use [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] myself, the ¡®mount¡¯ had already used its own charge and gained eleration. [el Piercing] could be used anytime during a charge. Kka, gagaga-!! Paaaaht-!! Kheuheuheung-!!! The spear tip imbued with magical power tears through the enemies¡¯ skin. Chilling cries and intense air-ripping sounds. And¡­ The enemies¡¯ blood and flesh spraying everywhere. The group of enemies that encountered us fell in an instant. Jiten¡¯s charge and my [el Piercing]. Even though thisbo was a powerful attack, it was difficult for enemies to fall so easily like this. So I sensed it. ¡®These bastards are weak.¡¯ Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re C-grade or lower monsters. They¡¯re weakpared to what we were worried about due tock of information, but they were monsters with at least B-grade to A-grade magical power and presence. Compared to the raid, they were slightly weaker than the Virgens. If that was the case, it was a force we could ovee with the cooperation of the n members behind us. ¡®Jiten.¡¯ -I understand. Jiten had already predicted what I was thinking. Though a werewolf, he has quite an excellentbat sense. In the current situation where we recklessly rushed in alone, Jiten also knew well that we couldn¡¯t sweep through the enemies by ourselves. So I¡­ At the moment Jiten¡¯s charge ended¡­ I jumped off his body and leaped into the sky. [Contractor ¡®Jiten¡¯ has used ¡®Emergency Escape¡¯, a derivative skill of the ¡®Contract¡¯s Law¡¯ rune.] Nearly hundreds of Chimeras. In a situation where they were all rushing towards us. I flew up into the sky and escaped from there, while Jiten used the [Emergency Escape] skill and disappeared from the dungeon entirely. A synergy created by understanding each other¡¯s intentions. From the beginning, we had no ns to face them. And. ¡®Contract¡¯s Call.¡¯ Once again. I summoned another sleeping contractor. Calling two contractors at once. This was originally nearly impossible given my leadership stat, but thanks to [Harmony¡¯s Order] borrowed from Professor Kang Dong-wook and the Association, such an unusual act became possible. At least for actions rted to contracts¡­ I was in a state where almost all restrictions had been removed. -It¡¯s been a while, Master. ¡®Yeah. It really has been a long time.¡¯ The summoned contractor was Tyrbon. Since I had leaped into the sky in the first ce, I needed a being that could fly to avoid falling. Inded neatly on Tyrbon¡¯s back in mid-air. And immediately took out a re from my magic bag and shot it into the sky. A re to inform the n members behind. In fact, I had rushed into enemy lines so recklessly earlier for this very task. And I immediately looked ahead and¡­ Asked Tyrbon, who had started flying. ¡®You know what we need to do, right?¡¯ -Human. ¡®Yes. We need to find the human mixed in with the monsters.¡¯ Tyrbon, who usually seems obsessed with magic stones, shows terrifying judgment in battle. The ce where both our gazesnded simultaneously was one. The mage who cast [Power Meteor] upon dungeon entry. Possibly a member of the Ludenark Sect. We had to find him first.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Zone 1 ¨C Abandoned Laboratory (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Gya-ooo-!! Kii-ii-!! Tyrbon¡¯s low-altitude flight begins. Flying high makes it difficult to locate enemy mages, so flying low and searching was the best option. Of course, flying low has its disadvantages too. Khu-eong-!! Kii-Kigigi-!! The chimeras that we had barely shaken off in the skye rushing at us again. From five or six to ten. From ten to dozens. An uncountable number of monsters leap and fly towards us. Thanks to this, Tyrbon and I fend them off and sometimes hunt them, while maintaining focus on searching for the enemy mage¡¯s position. It was truly a fierce chase. [Contractor ¡®Tyrbon¡¯ has used the derivative skill ¡®Loyal Imitation¡¯ of the ¡®Law of Contract¡¯ rune. ¡®Tyrbon¡¯ speed bes 106 for 1 minute.] And the derivative skill of [Law of Contract] activates during battle. I cheered for the skill used at ¡®Tyrbon¡¯ own discretion. ¡®Well done, Tyrbon.¡¯ -This much is basic. Tyrbon¡¯s original speed is 63. It¡¯s a somewhat low statpared to its strength or endurance which easily exceeds 100. Moreover, the only movement-type rune it possesses, [Agility], is still at a low level of 7 since I had transferred it through ¡®Rune Bestowal¡¯. Using [Loyal Imitation] to increase speed under these conditions is an excellent choice. Especially in chaotic situations like now when monsters are swarming. Pababat-!! Khu-eo-eo- Bang! Kwang! Sounds that can hardly be called hand-to-handbat are heard, and Tyrbon continues its acrobatic-like flight. Striking with wings, wrapping with tail, pushing with body. The recently acquiredbat-type rune, [Aerial Martial Artist], was shining. Enemy chimeras fell as soon as they flew in, and Tyrbon¡¯s flight showed no signs of stopping. ¡°Heuup¡­!!¡± I wasn¡¯t idle either. Our now quite familiar battle pattern. Falling during flight to engage in individualbat¡­ Then returning to Tyrbon to resume flight. Trusting our synergy, I dropped from the sky. And in both hands, I drew [w Short Swords]. The rune I¡¯m using is [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. [The passing wind and falling petals. Beauty that¡¯s hard to express continues to meld into your swordsmanship. Through repeated remarkable realizations, the faintly glowing fragmentse together and are finallypleted.] [The ultimate skill ¡®Falling Blossom Aesthetics¡¯ of the ¡®Plum Blossom Sword Technique¡¯ rune is officially registered. You can use the skill through voicemand!] The ultimate skill finallypleted through joint research with Master and personal training. I now perfectly understood the skill¡¯s operating principle to the point where my body remembered it, and knew the most efficient output value for using the skill. And the voicemand I¡¯ve grown ustomed to through constant practice. ¡°Fall.¡± I activate [Falling Blossom Aesthetics]. Using the speed of falling from Tyrbon as a foothold, I delivered sword strikes to all the chimeras within range. A speed close to a gale. Power simr to a sh. The rough and blind movements were creating rules only when blended and fired as one. It was like¡­ A stroke ofndscape painting where beautifully bloomed flowers sway and paint the sky¡­ It was an attack like that. Kwa, kwagaga-!! Bang! Bang! Kwagagang-!! Keo-eo-eo-!! Destructive hits are delivered, and the monsters¡¯ screams are heard one after another. I could take a stance here and catch more of them, but I didn¡¯t push myself unnecessarily. After all, the chimeras right in front of us aren¡¯t Tyrbon¡®s and my goal. Our target is¡­ ¡®Found it, master.¡¯ -Keep chasing. I¡¯ll follow on my own. Tyrbon¡¯s pursuit after spotting the target. To not miss the timing, I don¡¯t call Tyrbon to me. I¡¯m free in the sky anyway. Thanks to [Mystical Dragon Boots], I can move in midair, and with the [Greatest Racehorse Under Heaven] rune, I can charge in the air. Except for the instability of flight due to moving with just my body, I could somewhat keep up with Tyrbon¡¯s movements. Pabat- Pat- Tak-! After crossing paths with Tyrbon in midair like that, when I climbed onto its body. I could spot the mage over the horizon. Shabby appearance and a face full of anxiety. A spellbook in one hand and magic swirling around. And¡­ Constantly muttering something. As soon as I saw that sight, I realized something was wrong. ¡®Shit! Bon, escape upwards!¡¯ -What? What¡¯s with that suddenly¡­ ¡®Hurry! No time!¡¯ Calling its old name in urgency while ordering, I fell into the air again like before. Then I take out [Pure Pdin¡¯s Buckler] with ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange¡¯. The situation was too urgent to prepare for defense properly, but I nned to somehow block his attack with the shield. But. ¡°Grab it¡­!!¡± The casting of the magician who had alreadypleted all preparations was faster. He even chanted an incantation. It¡¯s the use of an ultimate skill. The ck magical power that began to gather in front of the magician formed a huge crystal as it umted. And the magical power that transforms in an instant. Its form was that of a ¡®hand¡¯rger than a building. Just as he chanted in his incantation. It was a form of magical power that seemed to grab anything. ¡®Damn it¡­.¡¯ This is the worst. While I was making my way here, switching between Jiten and Tyrbon, I wondered what on earth they were doing¡­ This gloomy bastard was apparently preparing a ¡®anti-personnel attack skill¡¯ aimed at me. An attack targeting only me, not considering other n members. He must have heard something from the upper echelons of Ludenark, and surely knew my description. ¡®Iron Wall Defense¡­!!¡¯ If I block this attack head-on, I¡¯ll probably take massive damage and injury. Yet there¡¯s no special way out. The ultimate skills of the magician ss have tremendous destructive power whenpleted, as they take a long time to prepare. I should have disrupted the spell casting earlier, but it¡¯s toote now. I raised my shield with a desperate feeling. And just as I was about to use the [Iron Wall Defense] skill. [Detecting a condensed crystal of malice! The brilliant oath of Trillion engraved in the armor awakens to punish evil. The effect of ¡®Divine Protection¡¯ is activated.] [The wearer¡¯s holy power is 70. ¡®Divine Protection¡¯ proportional to this value ¡­] [With the special effect of the ¡®Silver Moonshadow¡¯ rune, the holy sensitivity of the equipment is maximized! The power of protection increases by 40%.] Unexpected information windows appeared and spun around. Then covering my body¡­ An enormous amount of holy power. Holy power so bright it¡¯s dazzling envelops my entire body. It quickly began to concentrate in one ce from all over my body, and eventually became arge shield blocking in front of me. And then. Whooosh- Ku, Kwaaaa-!! As if it were a lie. It ¡®deleted¡¯ the touch of the dark magical hand. The enemy magician¡¯s ultimate skill¡­ I blocked it with just one special effect inherent in my equipment. The future I had imagined until 3 seconds agopletely changed. ¡°I, it can¡¯t be¡­.¡± The enemy magician who watched the scene muttered nkly. A face that couldn¡¯t believe it at all. ¡®¡­I feel the same way.¡¯ To be honest, I was surprised too. I knew my armor [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath] had a ¡®Divine Protection¡¯ effect¡­ But I thought it was for blocking surprise attacks or curses, not for blocking head-on like this. Moreover, the special effect of the [Silver Moonshadow] rune. A performance that maximizes the sensitivity of holy equipment. The unexpected synergy of these two effects created a powerful protection that I couldn¡¯t have achieved with my original divine power stat (73). It was the result of my attempts to acquire any good runes. ¡®Purple Force Howling¡­!!¡¯ I didn¡¯t miss the opportunity that rolled in on its own. Falling from the air, I use [Purple Force Howling] while shouting. ¡®Howling¡¯, a derivative skill of [Boiling Werewolf Power]. Among them, purple decreases the vision of designated targets. Itpletely restricts the vision of the chimeras appearing to protect the magician. They tried to block me but got lost, bumping into each other. And then. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, you bastard.¡± Whoosh-!! I stab my sword into the shoulder of the magician trying to turn tail and run. I saw a [Magic Shield] being generated quickly, but my sword easily pierced through the shield and into his flesh. Of course, the name of the sword is [Sword of Repentance]. It was even more effective against this guy who mainly uses ck magic. ¡°Ugh, Uwaaaaah¡­!!¡± The magician¡¯s painful scream is heard. It must have been so painful that he seems to havepletely lost his will to fight with this one stab. [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to copy.] Seeing this information window appear without any dy means just that. ¡®Spineless bastard.¡¯ I clicked my tongue and called Tyrbon, whom I had sent up to the sky earlier. ¡®Bon,e back.¡¯ -¡­Master, you¡¯re casually calling me Bon. ¡®Ah, sorry. Tyrbon,e quickly and bite this guy.¡¯ -Bite him? ¡®Yeah. Just not enough to kill him. Or you can take him to our n members while biting him. Whatever it is, we need to capture this guy as a prisoner and interrogate him.¡¯ -Understood. With that, Tyrbon immediately approached us. Then he bit the magician¡¯s waist as ordered. Just not enough to kill him. ¡°Uwaaah!! Ugh, ughh¡­ S, save me!!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die, you idiot.¡± After hitting the head of the overly dramatic magician to shut him up, I picked up my sword again. Now that I¡¯ve dealt with the most important one, it was time to help my allies and finish the battle.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 281 Chapter 281 Zone 1 ¨C Abandoned Laboratory (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to copy.] [1. Ludenark Spell 2. Dark Covenant 3. ck Magic 4. Mutation Creation 5. Magic Control (not selectable)¡­ ¡­] [You have selected the ¡®Ludenark Spell¡¯ rune. As it¡¯s a normal rune of level 18, its level will decrease and be registered as level 9.] [You gain 3 Magic and 1 Recovery from the rune¡¯s properties.] ¡òName: Ludenark Spell ¡òGrade: Normal¡òLevel: 9 ¡òEngraved Location: Back of the hand (duplicate) ¡òSpecial Effects: *Usage Condition: Only those who possess the ¡®Dark Covenant¡¯ rune can use it. 1) Borrow the power of demons to cast spells. Can produce 30% higher power than regr spells, and enables double casting. However, the cost varies depending on the type of magic. ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : A spell method developed by the Ludenark School, a group that imitates evil. The way of arranging and manifesting magical power is very unique, so it cannot be easily learned without long-term training. Especially because of the forbidden method of borrowing power by offering a price to demons, it produces much more powerful effects than ordinary spells. The rune taken from the enemy magician was [Ludenark Spell]. Although there were 4 runes to choose from, I didn¡¯t ce much importance on the rune selection in the first ce. I would be able to obtain all the runes anyway as we continue to clear the dungeon, and even if I obtained them, they didn¡¯t seem like runes that would greatly help my currentbat power. What¡¯s important is information. It was about obtaining even a bit of information about the Ludenark School. ¡®¡­The power of demons?¡¯ And the unfamiliar word written in the . Demon. [Ludenark Spell] was described as borrowing the power of demons, and it was stated that it could only be used with a special rune called [Dark Covenant]. It seems they were truly a group close to the source of evil, as they were called a group imitating evil. I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze. The fierce first battle at the dungeon entrance. Our n achieved a clean victory without a single casualty. The Chimeras, which had boasted overwhelming numbers, were all reduced to corpses scattered around, and the magician we had taken prisoner in advance was also captured in a bloodied state. ¡®¡­Looks like they bit a bit too hard.¡¯ The kneeling magician was in a terrible state. Especially around the waist area, which was quite red, it seems Tyrbon didn¡¯t control his biting force. ¡°Kill me.¡± The magician suddenly shivered and said to me. He was begging for his life just a moment ago, and now he¡¯s asking to be killed. I snorted and began the interrogation. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°I have no name to give to an inferior human like you.¡± We¡¯re both humans, what¡¯s with that. Judging by his expression, it seems he has no intention of revealing any information¡­ But I didn¡¯t have high expectations to begin with. ¡°Age?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Affiliation?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Ludenark School, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The magician¡¯s face showed surprise at the direct mention. At that moment, I inwardly rejoiced. ¡®Bingo.¡¯ A clue had emerged. The fact that the enemies don¡¯t know we¡¯vee to this dungeon yet. When the magician first used his ultimate skill against me, I thought the opposite, but it seems they only shared information about me and don¡¯t know much about the current situation. And that could mean¡­ The kidnapping of Choi Arin might not have been intentional. The thing I was most worried about whening to the dungeon was her condition, but maybe nothing serious had happened to her yet. I briefly turned my gaze to Choi Yoo-min, who had tears in her eyes, giving her a reassuring look, and continued the interrogation. ¡°Gender?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°ss¡­ Well, from fighting you, it seems you¡¯re a magician.¡± ¡°¡­What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me where your superiors are, right? And of course, you have no intention of revealing the location of the kidnapped Holders.¡± ¡°Human!! Are you trying to y games with me¡­ Argh?!¡± Thwack-! With that sound, I struck the guy¡¯s head once. Why is this bastard making a fuss even without being interrogated? I turned my head and moved my steps. The n members who were still armed and focused on me. They were looking at me with puzzled faces. ¡°I think we¡¯ve had enough rest time. We¡¯ll be departing soon, so everyone get ready.¡± ¡°W-wait a moment, Master.¡± Kim A-reum, the leader of Team 4, called out to me at the sudden departure order. She looked back and forth between the magician and me, asking as if something was strange. ¡°Are you going like this? Don¡¯t we have more to do?¡± ¡°This much interrogation is enough.¡± ¡°¡­This? No, no. Even if that¡¯s the case, how are you going to deal with that magician?¡± [Power Meteor] and a darkness attribute ultimate skill. Just from the attacks he unleashed, one could tell his level. The Ludenark magician in front of us was at least an A-grade Holder or higher. Obviously, we can¡¯t just let him go like this, and continuing to keep him as a prisoner would be burdensome for the n. Kim A-reum was asking about how to deal with him. ¡­At the very least, shouldn¡¯t we kill him here? That was the implicit meaning. Some other n members seemed to have simr doubts, so I gave them a simple answer. ¡°We¡¯ll keep him as a prisoner.¡± ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Of course, we won¡¯t be keeping them with us.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Kim A-reum¡¯s excited expression changes again. Keeping them as prisoners but not with us? For a moment, she didn¡¯t quite understand what that meant. I turned my head to look towards the dungeon entrance. Tap, tap, tap. Swoosh-! There¡­ Fully armed Holders¡­ Were entering in groups, one by one. Unlike , this dungeon has no special entry conditions. Naturally, other Holders besides us can enter too. And their identities were easily recognizable to me and my n members as famous individuals. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°Holders from the Association¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­Judgement of Fire?¡± ¡°There are Royal n members over there too!¡± n members are startled seeing them. , , . Starting with the three major ns we have friendly agreements with, the most famous domestic ns. Even at the very front was the Holders Association that gave us this request. Cooperation was nned, but¡­ They arrived much earlier, with much more force than expected. I added an exnation to the n members. ¡°From now on, the operation will continue as a joint effort with the Association and each n. The Holders Association will take full responsibility for escorting the prisoners. Also, our n, possessing thepass, will be the lead scout, but other ns will explore directions thepass doesn¡¯t point to.¡± The incident of Holders being kidnapped in session. Even though it was entrusted to our n in the form of a request, given the unprecedented nature of the incident, other ns couldn¡¯t just sit idle. Most major domestic ns epted ¡¯s request for cooperation and sent additional troops. Their main role is to help our n explore the dungeonprehensively. It was about catching members of the Ludenark School that we might miss while mainly searching for the kidnappers, or catching rted information. ¡°The Holders Association will be stationed at the entrance inside the dungeon and the outside entrance to assist our n. The most important thing for us is time. We need to find and protect the kidnap victims as quickly as possible. Our coborators will help with everything else.¡± In other words, we ended the interrogation of the magician too quickly. It wasn¡¯t because there wasn¡¯t enough need for interrogation. It was because there wasn¡¯t enough time. Interrogating a prisoner and making them spill information takes a very long time and effort, and our n didn¡¯t have the time to focus on that right now. We need to find the kidnapped Holders immediately and crush Ludenark¡¯s ns to do something with them. That was the division of roles. ¡°And for more efficient exploration, we¡¯ve secured another coborator from outside. This person will act as a temporary member of our n during this incident and will help with exploration and strategy.¡± ¡°¡­Another coborator?¡± This time, Yoo Eun-seol, the n¡¯s vice master, tilted her head. This was the first time I was mentioning this to the n members. Even my master hadn¡¯t heard about this. ¡°Yes, let me introduce. The Holder who knows the most about the Ludenark School among current domestic Holders, Holder Park Ji-hwan.¡± One Holder walking from far away¡­ As soon as I finished speaking, he instantly arrived beside us. With agility and speed almost like using an assault-type rune. Taking advantage of the n members¡¯ surprise, I immediately added an exnation. ¡°He¡¯s known as Ryu Ji-hyuk in the country. He¡¯s one of only five S-grade Holders in the country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Ho-Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk?!¡± ¡°No way, how¡­¡± An unexpected name appears. Ryu Ji-hyuk. One of only five S-ss Holders in the country, also known as the veiled Holder due to his elusive nature. He¡¯s a Holder who receives quite a lot of respect in the warrior ss due to his uniquely bnced abilities. ¡®¡­It must be the first time he¡¯s revealing his real name.¡¯ However, his true identity is Park Ji-hwan. The name Ryu Ji-hyuk was a new identity created by changing his face with a special ability. He was the first to warn me about the dangers of the Ludenark School, and besides me, he knows the most about Ludenark. I had been thinking about coborating with him since this incident broke out. There was talk of sharing rted information when west made contact, and above all, I thought things would be much easier if an S-grade Holder joined to help. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d reallye though.¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect him toe so willingly, even revealing his real name. ording to him, since we¡¯ve definitely caught Ludenark¡¯s tail, there¡¯s no need to hide his name anymore. Anyway, for us, it¡¯s the appearance of a very reassuring reinforcement. The n members who learned of his identity couldn¡¯t close their surprised mouths. And, the n member who was most surprised by Park Ji-hwan¡¯s appearance was someone else. At the front of where the temporary hunting team 5 was stationed. Where my best friend and team leader Park Jin-woo was. ¡°¡­Dad?¡± It was a moment of unexpected father-son reunion.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Zone 1 ¨C Abandoned Laboratory (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] After Park Ji-hwan joined, our n¡¯s exploration gained momentum. We still followed Choi Arin¡¯spass as before, but Park Ji-hwan¡¯s dungeon analysis was sharp, having umted knowledge while investigating Ludenark. ¡°This is where we are now. It¡¯s likely a ce where the Ludenark School researched chimeras or creation spirits.¡± Park Ji-hwan unfolded a map and pointed to a specific spot. It was the early part of a broadly drawn area, marked with an X. This magical tool was a special item called [Shared Creation Map]. It¡¯s divided into 5 maps, where Holders can use their magic to draw, and the same image appears on everyone¡¯s map.Thanks to this, the major ns exploring this dungeon and our n each took one,pleting the dungeon map by drawing each other¡¯s exploration results as agreed. ¡®I heard there were only a few in the country.¡¯ The [Shared Creation Map] was said to be created by a genius alchemist in America. It¡¯s so valuable and rare that I knew only a few were released domestically. The fact that they¡¯re not sparing even these items showed how important the association considered this incident. ¡°So it¡¯s a space that actually existed in the other world?¡± I interpreted Park Ji-hwan¡¯s brief exnation and asked. He nodded and answered. ¡°Yes. Among them, it¡¯s a ce that was determined to be discarded due to its low utility value. That¡¯s why it¡¯s called the Abandoned Laboratory.¡± ¡°Then there could be newly created spaces besides the discarded ones, right?¡± At that spection, Park Ji-hwan¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He seemed quite surprised that it matched his thoughts exactly. ¡°Exactly. If I¡¯m right, this dungeon is divided into several areas. We¡¯re clearly in a specific area called the Abandoned Laboratory now. We don¡¯t know how vast the dungeon is, but if we keep moving forward, we¡¯re likely to encounter another area.¡± I pondered his confident words. ¡°Division by areas¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Just like the faction divisions of the Lycans you experienced when conquering the Wolfenser dungeon, Jae-hyun.¡± The area division in was simple. The territorial division between the Krk faction and the Baraten faction. And the city of , a kind of middle ground that both factions wanted to upy. The Lycans were constantly waging war over this city, and this activity in the other world was exactly the same when it came to our world as a dungeon. Unlike other monsters that just mindlessly attack humans, they were beings who could cooperate with humans to achieve their own goals within the dungeon. That¡¯s why they were called ¡®Adapters¡¯. ¡®And the same goes for Ludenark.¡¯ If this dungeon is really the base of the Ludenark School. Then the school members residing in this dungeon are probably ¡®Adapters¡¯ too. They understand the dungeon¡¯s structure better than anyone, and their activities in the dungeon are likely rted to their own purposes. ¡°And those who have bepletely free from such dungeons, able to enter and exit like humans. We call them Deserters.¡± ¡°Deserters¡­?¡± Park Ji-hwan folded the map and looked around as he spoke. ¡°The dungeons Ludenark has adapted to aren¡¯t just here. I found out while frantically searching for those dungeons. The man in the robe you said you encountered in Wolfenser, Jae-hyun, is probably one of those Deserters. The vice-master of the Ludenark School, Dave.¡± ¡°Vice-master Dave¡­¡± Completely new information poured out one after another. In fact, I had only exchanged a few texts with Park Ji-hwan since , without much information exchange, but it seemed he had been diligently chasing Ludenark alone, as he knew quite important information. At the same time, it made sense that a man named Dave had infiltrated along with Hwang Seong-yeon. It was possible because he was a ¡®Deserter¡¯ who could freely move in and out of the dungeon. ¡°And this is just my guess¡­ But their n is likely to turn the head of the Ludenark School into a Deserter.¡± ¡°If the school head isn¡¯t a Deserter yet, that¡¯s certainly a possibility.¡± ¡°Maybe kidnapping the Holders is also necessary for that process. We can¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do to the kidnapped Holders. That¡¯s why we need to rescue the victims as soon as possible.¡± It was a very reasonable inference. I nodded deeply at Park Ji-hwan¡¯s story and picked up the pace towards exploration. After walking for about 30 minutes like that. The n member in charge of thepass shouted loudly. ¡°Master! We¡¯ve got an additional signal on thepass!¡± Choi Arin¡¯s [Remote Magical Compass]. This only indicates the direction of the magic connector¡¯s position, but it sends additional signals when the distance gets very close or to indicate important points. The additional signal that appeared on thepass this time was a green diamond. It was a signal I had never seen before. Sensing that this was a crucial signal, I directed advancement in the direction thepass was pointing. ¡°All n members, we¡¯re going over this hill!¡± Thepass pointed towards the direction beyond a steep hill. We hurried to move and crossed that hill. And then. ¡°This, this is¡­¡± ¡°How can there be so many buildings in a dungeon¡­¡± Suddenly, the name really hits home. Beyond the hill¡­ There were so many buildings it was hard to count them all with the naked eye. The color of all the buildings was white. Even the doors and windows were painted white without exception, giving it an eerie appearance that made one think of a mental hospital. Researchplex. Beyond the hill was a researchplex with a unique style. ¡°Master. There¡¯s a group of flying monsters ahead. The count is about ten¡­ No, 11. Unconfirmed, but more manticores seem to being from the side.¡± A n member of the archer ss quickly reports the reconnaissance results beside me. I too focus magical power in my eyes to expand my field of vision. Their identity was immediately recognizable. A-grade monster, manticore. The manticores we had hunted to the point of tedium were now approaching in a group. And a thought shes through my mind as I see this. ¡®This was the Chimera Researchboratory.¡¯ Manticores are basically chimeras in the form of variousbined beasts, and the monster we encountered at the dungeon entrance was also a chimera ofbined beasts. Combining these two facts, I could reach the conclusion that this ce was likely a researchboratory that cultivated chimeras. Especially the variant manticore with the [Rapid Recovery] rune we encountered earlier at . That manticore, which had been artificially injected with the barbarian¡¯s enhancement technique, was clearly a chimera created by the Ludenark School at this research institute. is a special ce focused particrly on ¡®creation¡¯ among the various abilities of the Ludenark School. Keeping these clues in mind, I issued orders to the n members. ¡°All archers take the main dealing formation.¡± For now, dealing with the monsters right in front of us was the most urgent task. And the best at hunting flying monsters were indeed the archer sses. *** Ippotrantion *** Kim A-reum, an A-grade archer and temporary team leader of ¡¯s Hunting Team 4, maximized her concentration by utilizing auxiliary runes. A swarm of manticores suddenly appeared, filling the sky in an instant. For the n to move forward, they first had to eliminate all of these creatures. ¡®Extreme Shot.¡¯ With the skill activation, an arrow was fired intensely. The [Extreme Shot], filled with magical power, urately pierced the head of a manticore flying low. With its quick cooldown, it was already the fifth sessful hit. ¡®There¡¯s no end to this no matter how many we take down.¡¯ Kim A-reum gritted her teeth and drew another arrow. Earlier, when facing the chimeras at the dungeon entrance, their numbers were enormous, but these manticores were no less in quantity. She wanted to rush into the researchplex right away to rescue the kidnapped victims, but with the overwhelming number of manticores swarming in, they had no choice but to prioritize hunting them. ¡°Fire Ar¡­¡± Suddenly, Kim A-reum sensed one of her team members trying to use a fire attribute magic. Looking at the face, it was Holder, a student from the academy. He was a 3rd-year mage ss n member who entered through special admission. Feeling a surge of irritation, she shouted, ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Wh¡­ What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear thebat instructions not to use attack magic?¡± ¡°But there are so many monsters¡­!¡± ¡°Holder Park Eun-hye! Are you disobeying a superior¡¯s order? This is a real battle!¡± ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry!¡± The reason for not allowing attack magic is simple. The chances of hitting the target are close to zero. Aerial monsters generally possess runes rted to flight, and high-level monsters like manticores fly even more freely in the sky. They have powerful evasion abilities that even warrior-ss Holders find difficult to catch. Therefore, if magic fails to hit in this situation, all the time and magical power spent on casting would be wasted¡­ Especially with clumsy casting like just now, it could even end up attacking allies. All archer-ss, main dealing formation. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that n Master Do Jae-hyun gave such instructions. ¡®How can there be such a difference between students of the same school¡­.¡¯ It was hard to believe that this inexperienced team member and the n master with his cold judgment were students at the same academy. The more she thought about it, the more special the master¡¯s talent seemed. Both in internal and external aspects of being a Holder. Of course, such special talent wasn¡¯t exclusive to the master. ¡°Haten, move faster! Don¡¯t let the manticores catch you!¡± Far away, riding a wolf and moving more recklessly across the battlefield than even the warrior ss, was an ¡®archer¡¯. Moon Ga-eun, a member of Hunting Team 1 and a dispatched n member from . Her performance in this battle was particrly outstanding. It was already impressive that an archer-ss Holder gained mobility through a contractor, but on top of that, she was a Holder who had already mastered manticore hunting during the raid. Probably except for Do Jae-hyun, she might be the most efficient manticore hunter among the n members. Whoosh-! Pat- Pabat-!! Moon Ga-eun moved at incredible speed, taking down manticores one after another. Even while running, her arrows were urate and destructive. She had already hunted over 10 manticores. ¡®There really are only monsters around the master.¡¯ Kim A-reum shook her head and grabbed her bow again. It was an impressive performance, but there was no time to admire it. They needed to hunt all of these creatures as quickly as possible and find the kidnapped victims.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 283 Chapter 283 Zone 1 ¨C Abandoned Laboratory (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The battle with the manticores ended faster than expected. Even though they were A-grade monsters and there were many of them, they were no match for our forces, which included two S-grade Holders and numerous veteran Holders. Park Ji-hwan and Yoo Eun-seol hunted several manticores with each casual movement, and the other n members also showed clean teamwork under the formation Imanded. ¡®We recruited archers well.¡¯ At the center were the archer-type n members. Most aerial monsters possess flight-rted runes, which prevents the usual battle formation where warrior types tank and mage types deal damage. So from the start, we adopted a formation that made archer types the main dealers.And our strategy hit the mark perfectly. Led by Kim A-reum, the 4th team leader, the archer types perfectly fulfilled their roles with the support of other n members. The battle ended cleanly, without even giving a chance for some of the stronger n members outside the standard lineup to intervene. -Master. I¡¯m scared of that woman. ¡®¡­Get used to it. She¡¯s going to be your sister-inw.¡¯ -I don¡¯t want that! Tyrbon, who was re-summoned after earlier, shuddered. The ¡®that woman¡¯ it referred to was, of course, Moon Ga-eun. She showed the most outstanding performance in this battle. Through , she demonstrated her hunting skills that proved she had be an expert in manticore hunting. Especially during the battle earlier, when her positioning seemed difficult, she suddenly said, ¡®Jae-hyun, I¡¯m borrowing your dragon!¡¯ and climbed onto Tyrbon¡­ Even in such rapidly changing situations, she calmly continued the battle. I couldn¡¯t help but admire her adaptability in such a fluidbat, but Tyrbon doesn¡¯t seem to feel the same way. ¡­Apparently, flying with Moon Ga-eun is too rough or something. ¡°Good work, everyone.¡± Anyway, that¡¯s how the initial battle ended. After the battle, I gathered the n members who were maintaining their equipment here and there. ¡°I¡¯d like to give you ample rest time, but given the situation, we need to depart right away. From now on, we¡¯ll be searching this researchplex, which is presumed to be where the victims are being held. The search will be conducted by each team, in designated areas.¡± I received Park Ji-hwan¡¯s [Shared Production Map] and pointed to the areas drawn on the map. These were special points within theplex that I had marked in advance as soon as the battle ended. ¡°Hunting Team 1 will search from Area A to Area C in order. If you find anything unusual during the search or if an emergency situation arises, use an item to signal. The top priority of the search is the kidnapped victims.¡± Simrly, Team 2 was assigned from Area D to Area F. Teams 3, 4, and 5 were also assigned three areas each for dispersed searching. And then. ¡°Lastly, Holder Park Ji-hwan and I will search Areas P and Q by ourselves.¡± ¡°Master! That¡¯s dangerous!¡± Lim Hyun, the leader of Team 2, shouted in protest. Even though it was a team consisting of the n Master and an S-grade Holder, he seemed to think it was too dangerous for just two people to explore an unknown area. ¡­Of course, it is actually dangerous. But despite that, we had to move forward now. ¡°Holder Lim Hyun, please follow orders for now. We¡¯re short on time.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I acknowledge it¡¯s dangerous. However, we need to proceed with the mission even if we have to take risks. The situation is urgent. S-grade Holder Park Ji-hwan will be moving with me, so we¡¯ll serve as minimal safety measures for each other. If we also get into danger, we¡¯ll signal you.¡± Seeing my stern expression as I spoke, Lim Hyun also looked troubled but quickly epted the situation. After all, he¡¯s been a regr member from the attack team to the n. Knowing that my radical decisions have rarely been wrong so far, he seemed to acquiesce easily this time as well. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t much resistance from other n members either. We then hurriedly moved into the researchplex to begin our search. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡®To think Dad was an S-grade Holder¡­.¡¯ Park Jin-woo moved with a slightly dazed expression. This first exploration with the n was a series of shocks for him. It was already burdensome to be suddenly given the big role of temporary hunting team leader, but to run into Dad as soon as they entered the dungeon¡­ It would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t flustered. Of course, he had heard from his friend that ¡®Holder Park Ji-hwan is a key figure in the pursuit of Ludenark, so you¡¯ll run into him often in the future¡¯¡­ But he didn¡¯t know it would be today. Moreover, the fact that his father¡¯s true identity was the S-grade Holder Ryu Ji-hyuk. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised since he had no idea about his ability to change his face. ¡°Team leader, focus.¡± But now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on such things. Cami spoke urgently right beside him. At that, Park Jin-woo shook his head as if to clear away distracting thoughts. A much more important event than his personal shock was unfolding before his eyes. ¡°Warrior-ss, maintain defensive positions as we move. Judging from our previous battles, the monsters in this dungeon are at least B-grade. If the vanguard attacks recklessly, the rear guard could be vulnerable. Maintain formation as we move.¡± He immediately gives orders to his team members. Park Jin-woo¡¯s leadership was already well-established from his time in . Cool-headed judgment unshaken by circumstances, determination to push through once he¡¯s made up his mind, and an almost innate knack for improvisation. Though opposite to his passionatebat style, he certainly had a talent formand. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that nning Team Leader Han Sang-jin had rmended him as the leader of Team 5. Thanks to this, his team members followed his instructions with a degree of trust in their young leader. ¡°Team leader, there¡¯s a shape ahead that appears to be a monster.¡± And something was discovered after just 5 minutes of exploration. At the archer-ss team member¡¯s report, Park Jin-woo heightened his vignce and focused. In narrow spaces, the probability ofbat immediately after encountering was high, so they needed to be ready to strike preemptively at any moment. As they drew closer to the enemy¡­ When the unidentified something finally revealed itself. ¡°Th-that is¡­?¡± ¡°What in the¡­¡± Not just Park Jin-woo, but all team members fell into confusion. And for good reason. The form of the enemy right before them. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s a person.¡± ¡°And a Korean at that¡­!¡± It was because it had the appearance of a human. This wasn¡¯t just mimicking human form like Virgen or Lycan in . It was unmistakably the form of an ordinary human. Moreover, its features were Korean. ¡°These, crazy bastards¡­¡± Park Jin-woo couldn¡¯t hold back the curse rising to his lips. Because he immediately grasped the situation upon seeing the human before him. Chimera. The Ludenark School had created chimeras using humans as materials. The face was ordinary, but the muscles bulging like a beast and the alien form of the lower body¡­ Decisively, therge wings pping behind its back made it clear. The opponent was a monsterized human turned into abat weapon. ¡°Team leader, surely that¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not someone on the list of abduction victims. It seems to be a case of someone captured and experimented on earlier that hadn¡¯te to light.¡± The list of abduction victims had been checked by all team leaders. Park Jin-woo knew this and preemptively quashed their suspicions. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What should we do about that¡­¡± But the team members¡¯ unease didn¡¯t easily subside. Whatever the process, the end result had a human appearance, and it wasn¡¯t even certain if the life of the experimental subject was still intact. If they hunted it recklessly as a monster, it could end up being murder. Shring- ng. In that confused atmosphere¡­ Park Jin-woo quietly drew his sword. As the team leader guiding the team, and as a n member. It was to step forward himself, shouldering the burden. ¡®¡­It¡¯s as good as dead already.¡¯ Moreover, Park Jin-woo was certain. The human-turned-chimera before them was no longer alive. [Eyes of Attunement] that allowed him to check the target¡¯s internal structure, external condition, and magic influence. This new rune he gained as a Seeker was telling him this. Though the head had a human appearance, there was no brain inside, and where the heart should be, a magic stone took its ce to serve as a power source. This was only human in outward appearance; in essence, it was no different from a zombie. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± For this reason, he steeled his heart and swung his sword at the enemy. Fortunately, the [Keen Mind] rune, which prevented him from wavering in any situation, was holding back his hesitation. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°It¡¯s not here either.¡± After thoroughly searching every corner of the room, I sigh and speak. We¡¯ve gone through the entire Area Pboratory we were assigned, but there¡¯s no trace of the abduction victims. And. ¡°I just learned that we need to tear those bastards to pieces.¡± A harsh curse erupted from Park Ji-hwan beside me. I could fully understand his feelings. The ¡®human-form chimeras¡¯ we encountered while exploring thisboratory. As we hunted those grotesque monsters, we could grasp the atrocities Ludenark had beenmitting. It was an evil act that could never be forgiven as fellow humans. ¡°Then, was the hypothesis about abductions for sacrifices wrong?¡± To my question, Park Ji-hwan shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. For one, none of the chimeras we encountered were victims of this recent abduction, and this is likely the first time they¡¯ve abducted so many at once. These chimeras are probably the result of gradual production over a long time.¡± Nothing but vicious experiments and their results. That was all we gained from inside theboratory. I shook my head bitterly and said to Park Ji-hwan, ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to Area Q.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Although anxiety was rising that things might have already gone wrong, we couldn¡¯t just sit still. We left theboratory and headed towards the Area Qboratory located at the edge of theplex.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Zone 1 ¨C Abandoned Laboratory (5) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°Anyway¡­ Isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Because¡­¡± Choi Arin opened her eyes in a faint consciousness. Fragments of conversation entered her mind, but she couldn¡¯t hear properly due to a splitting headache. ¡®¡­What is this?¡¯ Barely holding onto her senses, she looks ahead. In front of her were two men wearing ck uniforms.¡°Then we can use her as a sacrifice as nned.¡± ¡°Yes. She has excellent magic retention, so she¡¯ll be a great help to the Head of the school who has just left.¡± As her blurry visiones into focus¡­ The sounds in her ears be clearer. Now she could fully hear the conversation they were having. And as she slowly digested the content of that conversation, Choi Arin remembered. ¡®I was kidnapped.¡¯ ¡­That is the situation she was currently in. She hade out for a direct trade of magic stones, was knocked unconscious by a special power, and then kidnapped somewhere. It seems she had been asleep for quite a while¡­ When she opened her eyes, this was the situation. ¡°Understood. Oh, Lord Aquilen. By the way, about the post-processing¡­¡± ¡°¡­Do as you please. That¡¯s your share.¡± ¡°Hehe, thank you.¡± However, as if the kidnapped girl wasn¡¯t even a concern, the two men continued their ominous conversation. ¡°Are you going back to Section 3?¡± ¡°Yes. I need to prepare to wee the Master of the school. Youe over too once you finish your work. We should start closing the warp gate of this research institute soon. There¡¯s not much use for it anymore.¡± ¡°Understood¡­ Hm?¡± Hup-. She unknowingly swallows a rough breath. The man in front who had been bowing with a vile face suddenly turned his gaze towards where Choi Arin was. Thanks to that, the eyes of the man giving orders next to him also turned this way. It was the moment when her eyes met those of her kidnappers. ¡°Hehe. The sacrifice has woken up. The magic must have been strong, it took unusually long.¡± ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ll hear unpleasant screams again. Take care of it yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Aquilen.¡± Sacrifice. This unfamiliar word is heard for the second time. And the intelligent Choi Arin could grasp the meaning it implied. ¡®They¡¯re using kidnapped people as sacrifices.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t know what kind of sacrifice or how they¡¯re used. But she could at least understand that this abnormal act could actually take ce. The atmosphere inside the research institute, the expressions of the men, the surging magic power around. Everything surrounding this ce¡­ Was telling her that this conversation was no joke. ¡®I need to escape.¡¯ She tries to find a way while maintaining maximum calmness. But there was nothing she, who wasn¡¯t even in thebat field, could do. Her whole body was neatly restrained, and it seemed all usable magic tools had been taken away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that moment, fear swept over her body. The thought of bing a test subject for these unknown individuals was terrifyingly sad. Even though Choi Arin was known for her cold rationality¡­ She was still just a twenty-year-old student Holder. The current situation was too overwhelming for her to endure. ¡°Hehe. Don¡¯t be afraid. From now on, you¡¯ll be a sacrifice that will greatly contribute to the departure of the great Master of the school¡­.¡± However, as if trampling on Choi Arin¡¯s hope, the man in the ck uniform approached with a vile smile. A space covered in despair. A situation where resistance was impossible. Just as the rough hand was about to touch Choi Arin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rush in.¡± She Heard some voices. * * * Ippotrantion *** Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t toote. The distance shortened through the ultimate skill [Distortion¡¯s Shadow]. After piercing the neck of the man approaching Choi Arin with the [Sword of Penitent], I quickly followed up with subsequent attacks. I sh the back, near where the heart is expected to be, three times in session. This is the use of the derivative skill [Change Strike]. [Change Strike] is a derivative skill that most warrior-type Holders use, almost like a ¡®basic skill¡¯, but right now it was demonstrating a power that couldn¡¯t be ignored. Now the [Master of Martial Arts] rune has also risen to level 13, and its sub-rune [Sword] is showing a proficiency that would normally be close to level 20. As the proficiency of the rune increased, naturally, the destructive power of its derivative skill also increased dramatically. ¡®If I make it explode here, it¡¯ll be over.¡¯ If I additionally use [Explosive Sword Aura], it would surely finish him off, but with Choi Arin right in front, I couldn¡¯t use such a provocative ability. I had just killed the guy right in front of her, so there was a lot of blood stter and it was a brutal sight. Given the situation, it couldn¡¯t be helped, but it must have been quite a burdensome scene for her. I continued my attack in a different direction to minimize her injuries. ¡°Ugh, urgh¡­!!¡± I switched weapons using Art of Weapon Exchange, put on my knuckles, moved from behind the enemy to the front and struck his chest. The sound of blood boiling burst from his throat. With that powerful hit, the enemy was pushed back. It was a finishing blow to an opponent who had effectively lost allbat ability and will. ¡®I¡¯ll give you Poison w as a bonus.¡¯ As a precautionary skill, I gifted him [Poison w] from the [Venom] rune. Since it¡¯s a derivative skill of [Venom] that has risen to level 11, even if he somehow survives, he¡¯ll eventually die slowly. ¡°Holder Choi Arin.¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± Although time was short, I spoke to ensure her safe rescue. I had already undone all the restraints binding her long ago. ¡°I¡¯m sorry foring sote. The situation is a bit urgent now, so Holder Choi Arin needs to escape on her own. Can you see the traces I left with magic towards the exit?¡± Choi Arin is a Holder with good judgment. Despite being kidnapped and almost vited, she understood well the meaning of my words and what she needed to do. Nod nod- Seeing her nod, I quickly continued. ¡°Escape following the traces. Other Holders will clear the path for you.¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Ludenark school here. As we encountered in the Area Pboratory, various types of chimeras were blocking the way. And dealing with that volume¡­ Park Ji-hwan was handling it all alone. ¡°Then, be careful!¡± ¡°W-wait¡­¡± Tap, tap-! I move without listening to Choi Arin¡¯s words further. There was no time. While Park Ji-hwan was dealing with the chimeras alone, I¡­ Pop-! ng-!! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about escaping. I won¡¯t let you go twice.¡± Another man in the room trying to escape through [Warp Gate]. I had to catch a member of the Ludenark school. Moreover, not just any member. Judging by his appearance, this bastard was definitely the mage called ¡®Aquilen¡¯ that Park Jin-woo had mentioned. He was a Ludenark executive who was said to be with Vice-Master Dave. ¡°Damn it¡­ You interfere till the end, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°You even know my name?¡± ¡°How could I not know? Because of you, our nned schedule got messed up, rushed, and everything went crazy!¡± What a temperamental guy. I lightly ignored Aquilen who was bursting with anger, and stabbed him deeper with my sword. This isn¡¯t an ordinary attack. The ¡®water¡¯ attribute I imbued using [Elemental Master]. On top of that, when I took down the previous man, I had already stacked the attribute conversion 4 times. In other words, this thrust is an attack with the ¡®Change Strike¡¯ effect at full stack¡­ And filled with the water attribute I handle best. When using a sword, I could deliver a powerful blow even without using skills. Zzzzt- ng- ng-!! However, Aquilen¡¯s defense was tougher than expected. Around his body, there was a [Magic Barrier]posed of ck magic power, and this barrier was blocking my sword as if it were a Barrier. ¡®No, this isn¡¯t just a simple magic barrier.¡¯ There¡¯s a limit to the durability that can be achieved with [Magic Barrier]. My strength and speed stats that have already surpassed 100. And various auxiliary runes within [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Art]. My physical attacks couldn¡¯t be easily blocked by ordinary defensive abilities. The ¡®ck barrier¡¯ created by Aquilen¡­ Was clearlybining physical defense along with the existing magic defense. ¡°It¡¯s toote to notice now. I don¡¯t know how you so easily prated Kruig¡¯s ck Barrier, but my ck Barrier won¡¯t be so easy.¡± Aquilen growls at me as he speaks. Hearing this, I thought, ¡®This bastard, he¡¯s freely giving away his information.¡¯ Apparently, the identity of this unique barrier is a skill or rune effect called [ck Barrier]. And I also naturally realized how I had easily prated this Barrier when dealing with the previous enemy called Kruig. ¡®It was because of the Distortion¡¯s Shadow Effect.¡¯ The ultimate skill [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] mainly upies the enemy¡¯s rear as if teleporting, but it also has two additional effects. They are disrupting the magic array of the space and ignoring 100% of the target¡¯s durability for the next attack. Thanks to the former effect, I broke down the magical defense of [ck Barrier], and with thetter effect, Ipletely ignored the physical defense¡­ That¡¯s why that guy called Kruig went down without a chance to counterattack. ng- Grrrrr-!! The sound of [Sword of Penitent] grinding as it shed power against power. I immediately pulled back, withdrawing my sword. Though I definitely wouldn¡¯t be pushed back if I kept shing like this¡­ ¡®I could get hit by magic head-on.¡¯ The advantage of mage fighters is their overwhelming destructive power. Even with my well-equipped defensive measures, it could be dangerous if I took a direct hit from their already powerful magic attacks. ¡®First, I need to do something about that ck Barrier.¡¯ Taking a step back, I looked at the Barrier of magic power rippling with darkness. [ck Barrier], capable of high-level magic defense and physical defense simultaneously. It seemed I needed to deal with that first to have a chance of winning. But I had already used [Distortion¡¯s Shadow], so I couldn¡¯t break through that defense in one go. ¡®Then I¡¯ll have to create an opening.¡¯ I slowly draw up my magic power. I still had methods left to substitute for that effect.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Zone 1 ¨C Abandoned Laboratory (6) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] While I was thinking of an alternative, Aquilen¡¯s magic waspleted first. As he spread the [ck Barrier] and continuously gathered magical power, he suddenly exploded the concentrated energy and reached out towards me. ¡°To death!¡± And at the same time, ck magical power erupted. The shape was like vines. Dozens of vine-like shapes approach me. I hurriedly took out [Pure Element] and prepared to defend.¡®It¡¯s not an ultimate skill.¡¯ Although he shouted words that could be considered a verbalmand, it¡¯s likely just a signal re. The concentrated magical power wasn¡¯t that high for an ultimate magical attack skill, and the words he uttered were slightly different from the typical verbalmand grammar. Pat- Pababa- ng! Sng! Kagagang-!! Dozens of ck vines cling to and sh with the Barrier. There was no need to use the [Iron Wall Defense] skill. The holy shield, which had increased sensitivity through the [Silver MoonShadow] rune, showed effective defense against dark attribute magical attacks. ¡®This is simr to that ck hand I saw before.¡¯ I analyzed its power while blocking the relentless attacks. The ultimate skill used by the mage at the dungeon entrance. A giant ck hand created by the verbalmand ¡®Grasp¡¯. At that time, I didn¡¯t have the chance to feel it in detail as I unknowingly blocked the skill thanks to [Trillion¡¯ Brilliant Oath], but now, being attacked by dozens of divided vines, I could clearly tell. Those unique magical powers and skills seemed to bemon abilities among the members of the Ludenark School. Even if the form is different, the essence is the same. If so, it means that Aquilen in front of me can use that ultimate skill at any time. I had to strike quickly before giving him that time. ¡°To death! To deeper death!¡± Aquilen¡¯s voice spread consecutively, and this time the ck vines changed direction. Front, back, right, left. ck vines rushing in from all directions without boundaries. It was an attack that could no longer be blocked by the shield alone. But. ¡®It¡¯s gathered.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t just standing still either. When the concentration of magical power that I had been slowly gathering wasplete, and the supplementary runes [Magic Amplification] and [Florian Spell] were added. I finally clenched my fist and shouted. ¡°Reverse!¡± The ultimate skill used by Cha Seon-yeon, former executive of the n. [Intolerable Gravity]¡¯s [Reverse Gravity]. A high-level magic that creates an instantaneous repulsive force like a kind of zero gravity, unlike attacks that typically increase gravity to apply pressure. The most unique magic among gravity-manipting skills unfolds around. ¡°Wha, what¡­?!¡± A voice clearly showing confusion is heard. Aquilen¡¯s body suddenly floats into the air, and he flounders in an unstable posture in mid-air. And the ¡®ck vines¡¯ that were shooting at me from all directions also bounced around, losing their direction of attack. No attack can be carried out normally in a situation where the arrangement of magical power is disrupted. Aquilen¡¯s concentration waspletely disrupted as his body floated into the sky due to the anti-gravity. Thanks to this, I not only escaped the crisis but also made Aquilen defenseless. ¡®Stealth.¡¯ But I didn¡¯t get carried away with this momentary opportunity. The opponent is a mage ss predicted to be at least A-grade to S-grade. Even though I drove him into an extreme status condition using an ultimate skill, there could still be room for counterattack in such an urgent situation. At the very least, he would have the strength left to deploy [ck Barrier]. Therefore, I didn¡¯t immediately attack, but hid myself using the [Stealth] rune. The [ck Barrier] of the Ludenark School, which is like absolute defense. To break through that barrier. ¡°Where are you! Where did you hide!!¡± High-level [Stealth] can conceal all presence just by disappearing from the opponent¡¯s sight. Thanks to this, Aquilen, floundering in mid-air, shouted as if frustrated. The anxiety of not knowing where the attack mighte from. That was making him lose hisposure in battle. Of course, since the opponent is also a high-level mage, this stealth won¡¯tst long. ¡®Hide Attack.¡¯ However, that brief moment was enough. [Hide Attack] is a derivative skill that can only be used in a stealth state. I finished the brief stealth, revealed myself conspicuously, and stabbed Aquilen with my sword. ¡°How many times do I have to say it¡¯s useless¡­!!¡± And Aquilen, who discovered me, gathers ck magical power as if annoyed. The manifestation of the absolute defense, [ck Barrier]. My sword seemed to be absorbed bluntly again, being sucked into the darkness. But. ¡°Huh¡­!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Ka, kagrgg- Crack-! A gap appears in the seemingly infinitely solid wall. [Hide Attack] is not only an attack skill that increases destructive power through ambush, but it¡¯s also one of the few skills I possess that has a ¡®durability reduction¡¯ effect. Even if I can¡¯tpletely destroy the [ck Barrier] with this¡­ At least I can create a small gap. And when my sword finally reached Aquilen¡¯s skin, prating the ck magic that seemed imprable. ¡®Art is an explosion, you fool.¡¯ I utilized [Explosive Sword Aura] right then. It was the moment when the magic power imbued in the sword exploded to its maximum. Kwaga, kwagaga-!! Kwaaaaang-!! A tremendous roar bursts like fireworks in the air. ¡°Ku, kuaaak-!!¡± And a beatter, Aquilen¡¯s scream was heard. ¡®Bingo.¡¯ I inwardly rejoiced. The analysis I made in a short time hit the mark as expected. [ck Barrier] seems invincible because itbines both physical and magical defense, but rather, that very ability to bine both¡¯ was acting as a weak point. ¡®I just need to break through one of the two.¡¯ It¡¯s never easy for a mage ss to prate highly condensed magic defense. To break through with the same magic attack, you need to deliver a much higher-level attack, and even if you break through, it¡¯s questionable whether you can inflict proper damage. But [ck Barrier] is an ability that ¡®simultaneously¡¯bines magic defense and physical defense. Therefore, you can seed in attacking if you break through just one of the two. ¡®I¡¯ve been breaking through physical defenses like eating rice.¡¯ And for me, breaking through physical defense is quite easy. Anyway, I have ability settings close to the warrior ss, and I also possess means to reduce the opponent¡¯s durability stats. In addition, I¡¯ve faced ¡®armor¡¯ and ¡®shields¡¯ much more often than [Magic Barriers]. Naturally, I had thoroughly studied the mechanism to prate these. ¡°Hide and throw.¡± Once you break through, opportunities for attack arise in session. I used my ultimate skill, which had already reached its third use. This time, it was [Knife Rain] from the [Art of Hidden Throwing Knives] rune. A powerful physical attack skill that rains down 21 daggers on a single target. For Aquilen, who has almost no resistance to physical attacks without [ck Barrier]¡­ It was a follow-up attack as deadly as rat poison. ¡°Keuk- keuuuk¡­!!¡± Aquilen, pierced by 21 daggers like a porcupine. With his body in tatters, he writhed in unbearable pain. A scream at the first explosion. A groan at the following strike. As the impact grew, his condition, unable to even make a sound, was keenly felt. ¡°Damn¡­ It.¡± But they say even a cornered mouse will bite a cat. In a situation where an ordinary opponent would struggle to even steady their body¡­ I could see Aquilen trying to pull off another scheme. The ck magic that had tormented me throughout the battle was now gathering around Aquilen¡¯s heart. Seuseuseu- With an ominous sound, it gathered intensely, showing an even deeper color. And as it started to condense fiercely, swirling more and more. When it began to concentrate sharply. ¡°ept your death¡­ Kuk?!¡± Without needing to hear more. I immediately thrust [Sword of Penitent] into his head. The full-stack sword strike of ¡®Change Strike¡¯ that I couldn¡¯tplete earlier. Since the water attribute was blocked, this time it¡¯s an attack converted to fire attribute. ¡°You should have used your finishing move earlier.¡± It seems he was trying to use what appeared to be an ultimate skill, but a fat chance. I¡¯d be an idiot to just wait around for that. In a situation where I had already secured the upper hand with [Explosive Sword Aura] and [Knife Rain], there was no reason not to deliver the finishing blow. Pachut- Tsutsutsut-!! And with [Prating Brain Strike], I confirmed the kill once more. Although the lightning attribute doesn¡¯t trigger the Change Strike effect, it decisively brings down the enemy in a critical state through electrocution. I eliminated all existing possibilities of any contingency. Thud- With that, Aquilen copsed in death. Unable to use all his strength before the end¡­ In a way, it was quite a futile death. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even if he was a being from another world, it was still the first time in my life I had killed a person, not a monster. The unpleasant sensation of piercing through a head lingered on my fingertips. A slightly uneasy feeling lingered, but¡­ Fortunately, it ended at just that level of uneasiness. I didn¡¯t feel any guilt at all. ¡®Because they¡¯re trash who turned humans into chimeras.¡¯ I had already witnessed the evil deeds of the Ludenark School in this crazy researchplex. These people who aided the criminal activities of the former n, kidnapped innocent people for experiments, and evenmitted the unforgivable act of turning them into chimeras. There was no reason at all to spare such bastards on humanitarian grounds. ¡°Jae-hyun!¡± And then a familiar voice was heard from behind. It was Park Ji-hwan, who had fought alone against the chimeras inside the research facility, just as I had engaged in a fierce battle with Aquilen. As expected of an S-grade, I suppose. At a nce, it seemed there were close to 20 chimeras, but he had already caught all of them. I was surprised when we fought together earlier, but he truly possessed monstrous skills. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re not hurt.¡± ¡°Is Holder Choi Arin safe?¡± ¡°Mm. I cleared a path where there are not much or few chimeras as possible, so she should have escaped well. Let¡¯s get out of here quickly too. We need to rescue the other victims.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fortunately, we rescued Choi Arin just in time, but there were many more kidnapped victims we hadn¡¯t saved yet. They¡¯re probably trapped somewhere in this crazy researchplex.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Zone 6 ¨C A Land Touched by Death (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Entrance to the dungeon, the stronghold of the Ludenark School. The entrance area where major domestic ns, including the Holder Association, have gathered to form a kind of base camp. Because many Holders were building defensive lines, even Holders with insufficient skills or nonbat Holders could enter the dungeon and take their ce in the camp. For this reason, all those with Holder qualifications among the families of the kidnapping victims hade inside to wait for the rescue of the victims. Among them were Choi Yoo-min, Choi Arin¡¯s older sister, and her close friends Song Hyun-a and Park Yoo-seo. ¡°Arin!¡± ¡°Choi Arin¡­!!¡±¡°Sis! Girls! Waaah-!!¡± A tearful reunion takes ce. All four of them shed tears and hugged each other tightly. They had been missing for almost three days, and the disappearance was eventually determined to be a kidnapping. Moreover, the main target of the kidnapping was thought to be the Ludenark School, considered a ¡®group of evil¡¯. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if something had gone wrong, and in such a situation, their anxiety and worry must have been at its peak. The deeper the concern, the more overwhelming the reunion. ¡°It¡¯s a relief, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kim Chae-eun, who was standing nearby, wiped away a tear as she spoke. She also had connections with Choi Yoo-min and was a ssmate, so she seemed to have been very worried about Choi Arin¡¯s safety. I gently ced my hand on her shoulder. ¡°It was worth the effort.¡± ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m so d we had thepass.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It would have been impossible without thepass. It was possible because Holder Choi Arin is a genius alchemist.¡± Choi Arin¡¯s [Remote Magic Compass] did more than just locate the kidnapping victims. It found the stronghold of the Ludenark School and made it possible to enter the dungeon. Thanks to this, humans were not preempted by the Ludenark School and could instead invade the dungeon and attack them first. ¡®We¡¯ve already cleared five areas.¡¯ Starting with theplete conquest of by . From the destruction of this ce, set as the first area, to the areas simultaneously attacked by major domestic ns. From the second to the fifth area, a total of 5 areas have been cleared. It was a strategic move by the allied forces to simultaneously proceed with the rescue of kidnapping victims and the annihtion of enemies. ¡°Master.¡± Suddenly, a man¡¯s voice is heard from behind. It¡¯s Han Sang-jin, who is serving as the temporary nning team leader within . He didn¡¯t participate in this hunting team activity, but he was staying at the base camp and single-handedly taking care of external activities with the association and each n. Han Sang-jin, holding a report in his hand, said to me, ¡°The Abandoned Laboratory, designated as the first area, has received aplete conquest judgment. S-grade Holder Park Ji-hwan has transferred all the credit, and it has been registered entirely as the achievement of the Evil Hunter n.¡± To this, I replied with a bitter smile. ¡°You were thorough even in this urgent situation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s our n¡¯s first official activity. Even if other ns cooperate, I thought we should strictly be the main n for dungeon conquest.¡± It wasn¡¯t wrong. n work requires rational handling of rational aspects. I nodded slowly and asked back, ¡°What happened to the kidnapping victims?¡± ¡°We seeded in rescuing all 21 victims, including Holder Choi Arin. However¡­.¡± I sensed it from Han Sang-jin¡¯s bitter expression. ¡°They¡¯re not in normal condition, are they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Except for Holder Choi Arin, who was rescued first, all 20 Holders are unconscious in a state of exhaustion. The allied headquarters judges that they were sacrificed as ¡®Deserters¡¯ offerings for the Ludenark School leader.¡± ¡°Deserters¡­.¡± ording to Park Ji-hwan, those who can freely move in and out of dungeons like humans are called ¡®Deserters¡¯. Aquilen, whom I faced earlier in theboratory, was one, and this vice-master of the school called Dave was also a Deserter. The Ludenark School¡¯s n is to continue producing such Deserters. To narrow the time frame a bit more, it¡¯s to make the existence called ¡®School Master¡¯ Deserte. ¡®¡­But the School Master is not an ordinary being.¡¯ The higher the rank of the being, the more costly the Deserte seems to be. What was needed for this were the humans who became sacrifices. Both dead and living sacrifices are needed. The kidnapping victims, except for Choi Arin, had fallen victim to special magic, as such ¡®living sacrifices¡¯. Fortunately, they all survived, but it was uncertain when they would regain their consciousness and strength. ¡°Is there anything more revealed about the whereabouts of the Deserters?¡± The biggest problem with Deserters is that they can freely move in and out of dungeons. This doesn¡¯t just mean at the entrance and exit of the dungeon. They can go out to the current world if they want to, even now. While they can only enter through the entrance, when exiting from inside the dungeon, they can move between the dungeon and the current world from ¡®any point¡¯. This was a fact already confirmed when escaping from . Therefore, we needed to know more details about the whereabouts of Dave or Hwang Seong-yeon, or other Deserters within Ludenark¡­ Because we don¡¯t know when they might leave the dungeon at any moment and invade the current world. ¡°There¡¯s nothing yet. However, there is one area suspected to be the domain owned by Vice-Master Dave.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The robed man, Vice-Master Dave. As a clue rted to him emerged, I opened my eyes wide. Han Sang-jin immediately took out the [Shared Production Map] and showed it to me. An X drawn in the bottom left of the map. It was the point just above the 4th area that the n had reportedly conquered. ¡°It¡¯s named the 6th zone. The area¡¯s name is Land Touched by Death. It¡¯s said that in a special item diary, information about this area and Dave¡¯s name were written as clues.¡± 6th zone, . An area that seems to exude an ominous aura just from its name. We couldn¡¯t know for sure if this area was really Dave¡¯s territory as the Alliance Headquarters suspected, but since new area information and rted clues had emerged, exploration was necessary. As Han Sang-jin had said initially¡­ The main conquest of this dungeon was the responsibility of our n. ¡°Then let¡¯s decide the conquest schedule in the formal meetingter. Good work, Holder Han Sang-jin. Take a rest for now.¡± ¡°Understood. Oh, by the way.¡± Han Sang-jin adds as if he just remembered something. ¡°I¡¯m told the official name for this dungeon has been decided as ¡®The Room of Deserters¡¯.¡± Not the name of individual areas, but the overall name of the dungeon. . The evil deserters who threaten the Holder world and use humans like experimental materials. Given that they were all gathered in this dungeon, it was, above all, an appropriate naming. ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll see youter.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± *** Ippotrantion *** The conquest date for the 6th zone was set for tomorrow. I wanted to go afterpleting preparations perfectly in a more rxed situation, but since we had already dered war on , it was better to save as much time as possible. Somehow, the scale of the n¡¯s first activity had be enormous. ¡°Here, this.¡± Choi Yoo-min handed me a bundle painted in five colors. A bundle with subspace constructed in the form of a magic bag. Inside were crafting equipment. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°The contractor-exclusive equipment you asked for before. It was quite difficult as it¡¯s close to an invention, but working together with Lee Hyun-ho, we were able to make it faster than expected.¡± Contractor-exclusive equipment. Equipment that I hadmissioned as a joint request to Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho, whom I had recently recruited as n members. It was also an item without proper results in the world, and a type of equipment that even Holder-ss cksmiths hardly researched due tock of demand. Still, I thought if Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho, who had the best talents in the cksmith field, joined forces, they might be able to create it somehow¡­ That was the thought behind themission. ¡°When did you finish all this?¡± I thought it would naturally take a long time. It wasn¡¯t ordinary equipment, nor was it existing equipment. But the speed at which the equipment waspleted far exceeded expectations. When I asked in surprise, Choi Yoo-min slightly bowed her head. ¡°¡­Since Arin was captured.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You and the n members were risking your lives going into the dungeon to save Arin¡­ But I couldn¡¯t do anything particrly. So I did what I could do best. I wanted to be of help somehow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing that reason made me even more surprised. To craft equipment wanting to be of help in a situation where her sister was kidnapped. It wasn¡¯t something that could be done with ordinary mental strength. Of course, this is the ideal structure we hope for from nonbat n members, but anyway, these results are only possible with the passion of n members. ¡°Thank you. This will be a great help for tomorrow¡¯s conquest.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Until now, the kids got hurt a lot because there was no exclusive equipment.¡± For me, who relies on cooperativebat with contractors as the main force, exclusive equipment was one of the essentials. No matter how high the durability value and how well the defense runes are set, the body still wears down when subjected to strong attacks. Saddles, helmets, exclusive armor¡­ Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho¡¯s coborative work was full of defensive equipment that could protect the contractors. These would probably be the main equipment for Tyrbon and Jaten rather than As. ¡°And¡­¡± While I was smiling brightly holding the bundle containing the equipment. Choi Yoo-min, who had been hesitating¡­ Suddenly came closer and kissed me on the cheek. ¡°This is a gift. Thank you for saving Arin quickly without letting her get hurt.¡± ¡­What just happened to me? Dumbfounded for a moment, I opened my mouth with a bewildered tone. ¡°Hey, hey. I¡­¡± ¡°Hehe. I know, you have a girlfriend. That¡¯s why it¡¯s a gift! I¡¯m going! Have a good trip tomorrow!!¡± But Choi Yoo-min smiled mischievously and then waved goodbye, running away from me. It feels like something just passed by like a storm. And in the ce she left. I, who was left alone in a daze¡­ ¡°¡­No one saw that, right?¡± I quickly looked around, destroying the evidence. It wasn¡¯t my fault, but¡­ Anyway, if caught, I¡¯m screwed. It would be too unfair if someone happened to see it. *** Ippotrantion *** And the next day. As we did when conquering the 1st zone, our n gathered all five teams andpleted the move. The border of the 3rd zone. Another territory held by the Ludenark school. [You step into the ¡®Land Touched by Death¡¯. A gloomy energy and wandering vengeful spirits are transmitted through your skin. Some of your abilities are significantly decreased at random.] [The special power of the ¡®Runes of Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the subject¡¯s clear mind. You will not be shaken by any curse or abnormal status.] This was the 6th zone, .
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 287 Chapter 287 Zone 6 ¨C A Land Touched by Death (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Base Camp. Here, a joint headquarters was established, coborating with the Korean Holder Association, major domestic ns, and the n. The headquarters¡¯ role is to oversee the overall dungeon strategy, coordinate area-specific strategies with ns, and share and analyze information about the Ludenark School obtained during the operation. While the fiercest battles are fought on the frontlines inside the dungeon, the headquarters is also gathering all avable information to find ways to eliminate the threat. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll begin the 4th strategy meeting for the Deserter¡¯s Room operation.¡± The man in the center of the makeshift tent quietly deres. He is Kwon Young-hoon, the president of the Korean Holder Association.Recognizing the gravity of the situation, he personally came to the field as the leader of the association. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s not just the headquarters chief. The joint headquarters is filled with ster Holders. Professor Tak Won-ho, who effectively leads the Academy, Kang Woo-hyun of the n, Hwang Geon-wook of the n, Song Do-hyuk of the n, and others¡­ All the major figures representing the domestic Holdermunity are present. Moreover, with Yoo Eun-seol from who left for the 6th zone operation, and Ryu Ji-hyuk who revealed his real name as Park Ji-hwan¡­ This was arge-scale operation attended by all five S-grade Holders existing in the country. This showed just how significant this matter was. ¡°Evil Hunter will report first.¡± Han Sang-jin, the temporary nning team leader of , stood up holding a report from one side of the tent. ¡°As we¡¯ve already reported to the Association President, it¡¯s our opinion that the desertion of the Ludenark School¡¯s master has already beenpleted.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°No, how already¡­¡­¡± Unlike Association President Kwon Young-hoon who had heard the report in advance, most of the Holders hearing this for the first time wore surprised expressions. The school master¡¯s desertion was alreadyplete. This meant that the n Ludenark had been frantically preparing for all this time had essentially seeded. ¡°Firstly, we obtained information through interrogation of a mage at the dungeon entrance, and secondly, we have testimony from Choi Arin, a Holder who was a kidnapping victim. We at Evil Hunter believe that the kidnapping victims who haven¡¯t regained consciousness were sacrificed for the school master¡¯s desertion.¡± -She¡¯s a girl with excellent magic, she¡¯ll be of great help to the School master who haspleted the desertion. The words of the mage Aquilen, who was killed by Do Jae-hyun, referring to Choi Arin. This meant that the school master¡¯s desertion had already ended, and it also implied that the joint headquarters¡¯ strategy should be more aggressive. ¡°Therefore, we n to depart for the next operation after only minimal rest.¡± Association President Kwon Young-hoon continued. Currently, has departed for the 6th zone operation. Following this, other ns will also immediately begin operations in new zones. It was a strategy to push hard against the Ludenark School, which had used all its strength for the school master¡¯s desertion, without giving them time to recover. ¡°But if we push so hard, who will protect reality?¡± Kang Woo-hyun, the master of the n, raised his hand and asked. Currently, the domestic Holdermunity is pouring almost all of its strength into . Given the unprecedented situation where Holders are being kidnapped and attacked by a specific group, all n activities have been stopped to focus on eliminating them. It was a process simr to the elimination. But as they pour in so much, gaps are created in reality. Since it has already been revealed that ¡®deserters¡¯ can freely move in and out of the dungeon, the Holders and ordinary people in the current world cannot be said to bepletely safe. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­¡± In response to this valid point, Kwon Young-hoon takes out a crystal ball. [Record Crystal Ball]. An item that can view recordings captured through magic. Of course, being a special item, it can be viewed even inside the dungeon. Kwon Young-hoon smiles slightly and ys the video inside the crystal ball. And in it¡­ The face of an amazing figure that all the Holders gathered here recognize appears. -Greetings, Korean Rune Holders. I am Liam Hendricks, a Rune Holder leading the Wings of Freedom n in the United States. ¡°L-Liam Hendricks?¡± ¡°What is this¡­¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Liam Hendricks. America¡¯s pride, a super S-grade Holder. The first to reach S-grade as a warrior-type Holder, and also called the strongest Holder in current human history. And the n master of , the world¡¯srgest n. This celebrity of all Holders¡­ Was appearing in the video inside the crystal ball. -I, too, am very regretful about this incident. The kidnapping and experimentation of Holders and ordinary people¡­ It¡¯s something that should never happen in modern society, and I believe that any organizationmitting such acts must be rooted out. This is not a simple kidnapping. They are conducting human experiments to turn the kidnapped people into chimeras, and bestowing an unknown magic under the pretext of ¡®desertion¡¯. The fact that such horrific acts were beingmitted¡­ It was already being reported and made known to the internationalmunity. -Therefore, I, Liam Hendricks, and the n have decided to dispatch to Korea to punish these evil groups. This decision has a just cause, made at the request of the Korean Holder Association, in cooperation with the American Holder Association, and mediated by the International Holder Association. Well then, I¡¯ll see you in Korea. After delivering his message clearly, the video ends abruptly. Kwon Young-hoon put the crystal ball back in his pocket and said to the Holders, ¡°A reliable ally has arrived on the reality side, so you don¡¯t need to worry. If necessary, there¡¯s a possibility they¡¯ll jointly participate in dungeon conquest. I hope everyone keeps this in mind as we proceed with the operation.¡± Conquering the and national defense. It was the moment when the world¡¯s strongest Holder and the best n joined¡­ In this multinational operation. *** Ippotrantion *** smelled of death from the entrance, true to its name. ¡°I sense the aura of necromancy, Master.¡± ¡°It seems the main monsters in this area are likely undead.¡± The archers in charge of scouting unanimously acknowledged the presence of ¡®necromancy¡¯. It was no wonder, as thend within the area was rotting like ruins, and bones of unknown species were scattered everywhere. Even without using exploration-type runes, one could notice an unpleasant feeling permeating this area. ¡°¡­Master, over there.¡± Finally, after 10 minutes of entering the area, monsters appeared. In the direction pointed by Kim A-reum, the leader of Team 4, a legion of skeletal soldiers could be seen in the distance. Skeletons, Duhans, Ghouls¡­ There were even monsters presumed to be Death Knights, and Specters and Wraiths floating in the air. It was truly aprehensive set of undead creatures. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°This is¡­ Insane.¡± The expressions of the n members hardened as they confirmed the scale of the army. It was literally a ¡®legion¡¯. An unreasonable number, almost impossible to count with the naked eye, decorated the view before them. Hundreds? No, thousands? The number of undead far exceeded the number of chimeras encountered at the entrance of . On the other hand, our n¡¯s forces numbered around 80. The difference in manpower was embarrassinglyrge. ¡®If weck quantity, we¡¯ll overwhelm with quality.¡¯ However, if quantity iscking, we can make up for it with quality. Our n, formed as a temporary hunting team, consisted mostly of C-grade or higher members. Many B-grade and A-grade Holders were among them, and there were even two S-grade Holders. No matter how many C-grade monster skeletons gathered, they couldn¡¯t ovee this difference. Of course, if the number of A-grade to S-grade monsters like Death Knights and Liches were also high, the situation would be different. ¡°I¡¯ll depart first.¡± ¡°¡­Master!!¡± The team leaders protested against my reckless order. They were shocked that I was going alone ¡®again¡¯, following the previous incident at theboratory. But for me, it was an unavoidable choice. ¡°We need to disrupt the enemy¡¯s formation as much as possible at the start of the battle. And I¡¯m the only n member with enough mobility to do that.¡± In fact, it¡¯s very rare for a Tamer-type Holder to fight by directly riding their contracted beast. Especially in high-level situations like this, it¡¯s only possible for those with top-tier directbat abilities as well. Such multi-talented Holders are hard to find not only in our n but in the entire domestic Holdermunity. Essentially, there was no suitable candidate other than myself. ¡°In return, please engage as quickly as possible. I¡¯m even a bit scared of that scale. I¡¯ll leave the overallmand to the Vice Master.¡± ¡°Hah¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The n members seemed to understand that there was no other choice, quickly agreeing. ¡®Call of the Contract.¡¯ Thanks to this, I was able to quickly summon my contracted beast and depart. The contracted beast I summoned was Jaten. A wolf that excels in meleebat more than anyone else. I quickly exined the battle n to Jaten. ¡®Jaten. This battle needs to be swift and decisive. It¡¯s more important to break the enemy¡¯s formation than to take them down.¡¯ -Understood. Fortunately, Jaten was a brilliant contractor when it came tobat. The distance until our n members¡¯ attacks could reach. To buy that time, Jaten and I began a relentless charge towards the enemy legion.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Zone 6 ¨C A Land Touched by Death (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Though it was a short period, I wasn¡¯t just ying around while preparing for this area attack. I constantly pondered how to efficiently attack Ludenark¡¯s enemies, and researched which runebinations would be most destructive within my abilities. After much deliberation, the conclusion was one. ¡®Divine power.¡¯ The answery in divine power. The Ludenark school consists of beings who borrow power from dark-aligned and evil-inclined gods or demons, wielding magic with enhanced magical power. Therefore, it¡¯s natural that they are weak against divine power that deals with light attributes.I could see its effectiveness just by looking at how my divine-type items, [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath] or [Pure Element], yed a big role in this attack. So yesterday, I sought advice from an A-grade divinity n member. ¡°Faith?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s one of the runes that support the divinity ss¡­ While the divine amplification rune explosively releases divine power itself, faith can be seen as a rune that helps a smoother and more natural manifestation of divine power. Most high-level divinity-type Holders possess this rune.¡± The n member mentioned a divinity-type support rune called [Faith]. If [Divine Amplification] is a rune that supports the quantity of divine power, [Faith] is a rune that aids its quality and manifestation process. The reason why Holders of other sses can¡¯t use divine power as effectively as divinity-type ones, despite being able to use it, is because theyck these support runes. ¡°There¡¯s a high probability that members of the Ludenark school possess the faith rune.¡± He offered this view without even being asked. The reason I was suddenly asking about divinity-type runes. He had noticed this. ¡°So Holder Park Jeong-min also thinks Ludenark borrowed power from an evil-inclined god.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The ck magical power they wield clearly contains divine power. It¡¯s a system that can¡¯t be exined just by the runes previously known as ck magic. The demon entity that Master mentioned before is probably an extension of this.¡± Looking at themon runes of Ludenark school members, there are mainly three. [Ludenark Spell], [ck Magic], [Dark Covenant]. Among these, the first is about spellcasting. The second is a rune that manifests dark attribute magic. And the third is the rune rted to the ¡®evil-inclined god¡¯. ¡®The dark covenant rune is probably the key that distinguishes them from ordinary divinity-type Holders.¡¯ Without [Dark Covenant], Ludenark¡¯s members would have been ordinary magicians and Multi-Holders of the divinity ss. In other words, while the type of god differs, they also possess divinity-type support runes. I could see this just by looking at the rune I obtained after killing Aquilen yesterday. [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to copy.] [You have selected the ¡®Madness of Faith¡¯ rune. As it¡¯s a level 20 epic rune, its level will decrease and be registered as level 10.] [You gain 6 Recovery and 2 Willpower from the rune¡¯s attributes.] ¡òName: Madness of Faith ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 9 ¡òEngraved Part: Chest (Duplicate) ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C 1) The manifestation of divine power bes considerably smoother. If the level of the ¡®Magic Control¡¯ rune is high, freelyyering divine power onto magic power is also possible. 2) The resonance with the god you¡¯ve pledged faith to increases dramatically, allowing you to draw out over 20% more performance from runes rted to that god. (*If there are no rted runes, this effect does not apply.) 3) The true power of the rune awakens when contracted with evil-aligned and dark attribute gods, or demons. (*Sealed state) ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Divine Bless] ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : The mindset of some peculiar beings with misaligned faith. They forget that blind belief in a god can sometimes turn into obsession. If they continue to cling to faith tinged with madness, they might someday be consumed by its dark side. Aquilen possessed [Madness of Faith] as an epic grade rune, which is normally a normal rune [Faith]. However, this rune, true to its ominous name and detailed description, was highlypatible with the [Dark Covenant] used by Ludenark school members. Because of this, I couldn¡¯t use the core effect, which seemed to be the 3rd special effect, and the 2nd special effect was meaningless to me as I hadn¡¯t pledged faith to any god. ¡®¡­Still, it¡¯s a necessary rune.¡¯ However, for me right now, there was no rune more necessary than this. First of all, the 1st effect of being able to smoothly manifest divine power is very important. The most crucial thing in dealing with the Ludenark school and Hwang Seong-yeon is the manifestation and application of divine power, which I¡¯ve beenpensating for with items so far. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to efficiently raise divinity-type runes at this point, nor did I have enough time. But it¡¯s a different story if a high-level epic rune with good effects assists. I¡¯ve raised my Recovery attribute to quite a high level through [Effort of the Seeker] and rune acquisition stats, so if the manifestation bes smooth, I¡¯m confident I can freely utilize divine power. Moreover, ¡®Divine Bless. This skill is also overpowered.¡¯ The derived skill [Divine Bless] is a skill that increases the Recovery attribute by 30% for 10 minutes. Given that my current Recovery attribute is 76¡­ When I use the skill, it will increase to about 99. If you use the ability-boosting skills [Berserk] and [Dragon Transformation] on top of that, the divine value can increase exponentially. In the current situation where divine power and divine value are almost essential, such rune and skill assistance was truly worth its weight in gold. Awooo-!! Guguuugu- Anyway, after such aplex maintenance process. The battle that immediately followed is happening now. Jeyten running at tremendous speed and¡­ Me, manifesting divine power on top of him. I was using [Madness of Faith] to pour a lot of divine power into the sword in my hand. Moreover. ¡®Jeyten.¡¯ -Yes, master. ¡®I¡¯m going to assign youbat-rted runes. Can you use them right away?¡¯ -I¡¯ll do my best to help in battle. ¡®Good.¡¯ I assign new runes to Jeyten as he charges. These runes might not be very meaningful to Jeyten, who already has his ownbat style, but when facing C-grade monsters like skeletons, they could actually fill in the details. [The ¡®Deer¡¯s Ice Antlers (Rare/Lv.6)¡¯ rune is assigned to the contractor ¡®Jeyten¡¯. This rune is deleted from the Holder information.] [The ¡®Fiery me (Rare/Lv.10)¡¯ rune is ¡­ ¡­ ] [The ¡®Gaze of Stiffness (Rare/Lv.8)¡¯ rune is ¡­ ¡­ ] [The ¡®Combat Healing (Rare/Lv.7)¡¯ rune is assigned to the contractor ¡®Jeyten¡¯. This rune is deleted from the holder information.] [Fiery me] had been a pir of my magical attacks for a long time, but with the [Elemental Master] rune, its value naturally decreased. Although Jeyten wasn¡¯t familiar with handling magical power, just naturally drawing mes around his body could be a great help in this chaotic situation. [Combat Healing] also had little meaning due to the special effect of [ Forgotten Dragon Knight Pride], and [Gaze of Stiffness] and [Deer¡¯s Ice Antlers] were runes that didn¡¯t match well with me from the start. I assigned these four runes to Jeyten, maximizing the diversity ofbat. And then. Gakak- Gakak-! Gagagakak-!! Awooo-!! Jeyten¡¯s body collided with thousands of troops. Jeyten jumped by stepping on the shoulder of the first skeleton he encountered, leaping right into the middle of the enemy lines. mes rose from his feet and legs, and sharp ice protruded from his head, creating a peculiar sight¡­ But in this many-against-one battle, these magical attacks proved quite effective. Just by moving, he had already damaged four skeletons. -Master. Ice and fire, they seem good. ¡®Right? I really like them too.¡¯ I agreed, as Jeyten seemed quite satisfied. -Pardon? ¡®It¡¯s nothing. Jeyten, turn right from here. This time, burrow down. So my sword can reach.¡¯ -Understood. Jeyten¡¯s charge stops as if sudden brakes were applied. And before that recoil ends¡­ A curve that bounces to the right! Thanks to our long period of coordination, even Jeyten¡¯ rush was now as smooth as driving a race car. The thrill rises as our movements fit together perfectly. I thoroughly coated [Sword of Penitent] with divine power and cut down every enemy I encountered. Gakak- Gagakak-!! Kaang-!! Five skeletons, two durahans, three ghouls. In the sky, I cut down two specters, and even instantly killed a revenant that popped out of the ground. With [Madness of Faith] allowing free distribution of divine power, I was sweeping away enemies like a wave. Especially among my runes, there are quite a few effects that increase in power when fighting curse-type enemies, and the item [Sword of Penitent] goes a step further, increasing performance by 50% when dealing with undead. Even though we were surrounded by enemies on all sides¡­ This was the reason we could stride forward fearlessly. Gakak- Gagagakak-! Kang- Kang- Kakang-!! Awooo-!! I cut, and cut, and cut again. Already, countless undead were piling up like mountains. Jeyten too was hunting enemies well, blending his newly acquired runes with his original power. Thanks to this, although we had charged into the middle of enemy lines, we didn¡¯t seem to be in any crisis at all. Our efforts were not meaningless gestures. ¡°All magic users, deploy wide-area attack spells!¡± ¡°Support the Master!!¡± ¡°Take down all the undead!¡± The return on our risk came back for sure. As much time as we bought, the n members soon arrived nearby. The magic users prepared to cast wide-area spells to annihte the enemies, and the warrior types all jumped into the battlefield to help me. Now¡­ It was the start of a full-scale battle. And then. Kagagakang-!! From somewhere, a skeleton knight flies in like the wind and crosses swords with me. Heavy armor and a huge helmet. Red light shining through the gaps. An aura and magical power iparable to the small fry I¡¯ve been dealing with until now. With a high probability of being at least an S-grade monster¡­ It was the appearance of a Death Knight.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Zone 6 ¨C A Land Touched by Death (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Death Knights are notorious monsters among the undead. They have appeared asionally in necromancy-rted dungeons that various ns have been tackling, and each time they appeared, they shocked the Holdermunity. Tremendous strength and high speed. Excellent swordsmanship and magic utilization. Their physical abilities were almost on par with beast-type monsters, and their shy techniques closely resembled those of warrior-ss Holders. ¡®Almost¡­ As if they were originally human.¡¯ Through this, the Holdermunity could clearly define Death Knights.Death Knights are undead who have been resurrected through special magical processes and alchemy, having been knights in their previous lives. Theirbat style that looks unmistakably human. Their hand-to-handbat experience that doesn¡¯t falter in the face of variables. Looking at other factors of their abilities, it was easy to guess this fact. And ordingly¡­ The monster grade of Death Knights couldn¡¯t be clearly measured. This is because their power varies depending on how strong their soul was in life, and the strength of their body varies depending on the level of their creator. So while some Death Knights are A-grade monsters, Some Death Knights are S-grade, or even beyond that grade in some cases. ng! -ng!! And from the impact felt in the shing swords, I could tell. ¡®¡­At least S-grade.¡¯ The Death Knight before me had at least the skills of an S-grade monster. I had coated my sword generously with divine power manifested through [Madness of Faith], and when we shed, I used the principle of [Brave Eternal Wave]. In other words, I wasn¡¯t simply trying to sh swords, but attacked using variations of legendary martial arts¡­ And the Death Knight fellow received all of this, resulting in our swords shing. That fluid swordsmanship and instantaneous judgment, overwhelming reaction speed. The fact that it even withstood all of my divine power told me that this opponent was no ordinary foe. -Filthy traitor¡­!! We meet again here! But the state of the shing Death Knight was strange. ¡®What is it saying?¡¯ The fellow¡¯s words flowing through the [Language] rune. Mixed with a rough metallic sound, I couldn¡¯t hear clearly, but the word ¡®traitor¡¯ came through distinctly. When did it ever see me to call me a traitor? -Just because you received baptism from those pathetic priests, do you think your essence has changed! You are a knight of Termen to the bone! The wordsing in shouts one after another. Of course, it¡¯s nonsense that¡¯s hard to understand. It seems to be mistaking me for someone else¡­ I regretted that my [Language] rune level was too low to convey my thoughts, even though I could understand his words. sh- -ng-!! Grrr-. All I could do was fight hard, shing swords. Since it wasn¡¯t a situation where I could afford to show mercy to the enemy in the first ce, I focused all my strength on annihting him. ¡®Chane Strike.¡¯ After lowering my body from the shing state, I use [Change Strike] towards the opponent¡¯s waist. It should be a skill with no effect on an S-grade monster like a Death Knight, but [Change Strike] coated almost excessively with divine power was no ordinary skill. It receives support from various divine-type runes like [Madness of Faith], [Silver MoonShadow], and the item [Sword of Penitent] has excellent resonance with such divine power. But. -It¡¯s useless!! ng-! The enemy Death Knight counters [Change Strike] with that sound. As I saw earlier, it¡¯s a truly surprising reaction speed. ¡®This bastard, he¡¯s damn good with a sword.¡¯ I can¡¯t help but praise highly. Although its appearance is that of a rough skeletal knight, its swordsmanship and movements were quite flexible and smooth. Above all, the divine power. This fellow blocked my attack as if immune to divine power, showing no sign of damage. No, it¡¯s not immunity. The divine power is definitely eating away at the surrounding darkness and inflicting damage. It¡¯s just forcibly blocking this by exerting a power that transcends attributepatibility. -All traitors of Termen shall die by the sword of Neilid!! Neilid, revealing his name, drives me back. I thought while blocking the sword in a slightly defensive stance. ¡®This bastard, he talks way too much¡­.¡¯ Why is a Death Knight so talkative? Moreover, he keeps calling me a ¡®traitor of Termen¡¯, but honestly, I don¡¯t understand a word of what he¡¯s saying. Still, I can clearly see that this fellow is no ordinary warrior. His abilities are excellent, and he has the power to withstand divine power. He was an opponent not easily killed by conventional methods. -Master, I have cleared the path as you instructed. ¡®Well done, Jaten.¡¯ -I¡¯m at my limit now. There are too many enemies all around. ¡®Alright. You can return.¡¯ [Contractor ¡®Jaten¡¯ has used ¡®Emergency Escape¡¯, a derivative skill of the ¡®Law of Contract¡¯ rune.] So I prepared a more definitive way to kill him. Along the straight path that Jaten had created, pushing himself to the point of needing to use [Emergency Escape], A snow-white woman was approaching. And. ¡°Bloom a single flower.¡± Her trademark ultimate skill is activated. [Snowfield Descending Blossoms]. A skill that instantly explodes magic in one¡¯s body and sword, attacking the enemy as if dancing. The movement is fast but so smooth that it looks as if white snowke flowers are blooming from the enemies. Master Yoo Eun-seol. She had arrived right in the middle of the battlefield where I was. -Ugh, argh¡­!! Neilid immediately let out a scream of agony. Even for an S-grade or higher monster, it¡¯s not easy to block the ultimate skill unleashed by an S-grade Holder. I would find it difficult to block that attack, let alone a Death Knight without any special defensive measures. ¡®If divine power doesn¡¯t work, just overwhelm it with magic power.¡¯ Divine power is merely an auxiliary means. When dealing with dark attribute monsters, if you can unleash a magical attack powerful enough to overwhelm them¡­ Divine power wasn¡¯t necessarily needed. ¡°Jae-hyun, are you alright?¡± Master, who had struck Neilid, asked casually as she came towards me. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The other n members¡­¡± ¡°Except for the rear personnel, everyone has pushed inside. Especially thanks to you breaking their formation, area-of-effect magic is being effectively applied in each sector.¡± Master quickly exined the current situation. As she said, the sound of n members¡¯ wide-area magic exploding could be heard here and there. The warrior-ss n members had already arrived where we were and were guarding the surroundings. ¡°Now let¡¯s fight together. There are too many to fight alone.¡± I nodded at Master¡¯s words. Solo y was enough up to this point. -I¡¯ll deal with Termen¡¯s betrayer with my own hands¡­!! Crack-!! I thrust the [Sword of Penitent] into the chest of Neilid, who was still spouting nonsense about Termen. For an undead already battered by Master¡¯s [Snow Falling Flower], a sword strike imbued with divine power was a fatal blow. It was the pathetic end of the Death Knight that had been relentlessly pursuing me. But then something strange happened. When I stabbed the sword into its magic stone, which acted as its power source, the [Sword of Penitent] suddenly glowed with an odd light. A unique color blending white and ck. It was as if¡­ The dense darkness enveloping the Death Knight was being sucked into and absorbed by the sword. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ It happened too quickly for proper analysis. Is it just a phenomenon that urs when a Death Knight dies? Or did some magical process left by the Ludenark School react to the sword? All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind, but¡­ Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on this further. ¡°Jae-hyun, in front!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Although we had killed Neilid, probably the most powerful being in the legion, thousands of undead still remained before us. *** Ippotrantion *** How many tens? No, how many hundreds of undead had we swept through? By the time countless monster corpses and debris were piled up like mountains around us, we noticed a strange phenomenon. ¡°The enemies are retreating!!¡± The undead legion, which had been fighting with overwhelming numbers, suddenly began to withdraw. Slowly at first, then bit by bit¡­ Until they turned their backspletely and fled as if charging in reverse. It was as if¡­ They had received a ¡®retreat order¡¯ from someone. ¡°We should chase them right away¡­!!¡± ¡°Stop. We¡¯ll halt here.¡± I simply raised my hand to signal a stop. Some warrior-ss n members seemed eager to pursue them, but I didn¡¯t think it would be very meaningful. After all, our objective ining to the 6th zone was to conquer the area, eliminate the Ludenark School members, or find more rted clues. Killing a few more undead here wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°We¡¯ll take a moment to regroup and then depart.¡± More important was rest and nning for what¡¯s ahead. So I decided to calm the n members and take time to regroup. Sufficient rest was needed after fighting a sudden, long battle without much preparation. ¡°Master. You should see this.¡± While resting in one corner of the dungeon, Lim Hyun, the leader of Team 2, approached me and spoke. ¡°You should see this.¡± In his hand was a dark-colored magic stone. ¡°This is the magic stone from the Death Knight that Team 5 leader Holder Park Jin-woo killed. It¡¯s like a heart that acts as a kind of drive mechanism¡­ Even though we definitely killed it, this strange dark energy is still swirling around it.¡± A magic stone with an oddly dark energy flickering around it. It was clearly¡­ The same type of energy that had been absorbed into the [Sword of Penitent] earlier.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 290 Chapter 290 A Divine Sword for a Magic Sword (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] I didn¡¯t think long. Since I already knew the structure of how this type of magic stone changes, I simply thrust my sword into it. ¡°M-Master? What are you doing?¡± Lim Hyun was bewildered by the sudden action of stabbing the magic stone with the sword. However, it didn¡¯t take long for his bewilderment to turn into amazement. Swoosh- Swish- Tsutsutsu-.Once again, darkness is sucked into the sword. The deep darkness that enveloped the magic stone and the light that was uniquely leaking from the [Sword of Penitent]. The two opposing qualities seemed to try to devour each other, but soon became one, losing color and disappearing. ¡®It¡¯s exactly the same as before.¡¯ Who made who disappear? A phenomenon where it¡¯s unclear what consumed what. I¡¯m not sure what this means, but anyway, the ominous energy within the magic stone had disappeared. Perhaps the divine power contained in the [Sword of Penitent] resonates in a special way with the Death Knights¡¯ magic stones¡­ That was just my spection. But then. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Something strange happened. The [Sword of Penitent], which had swallowed the energy of the magic stone, suddenly began to emit a dazzling light, illuminating the surroundings. Then, an enormous amount of divine power burst forth from within. ¡­And a parade of information windows filled up in front of me. It was really. Such a sudden event. [Amazing achievement! You have reformed the forgottenrades of your kind. After Kelbilid left, they had been buried in endless darkness, allying with Ludenark. Cleansing their darkness is a noble act that only Kelbilid, a warrior of Termen and a fervent penitent of Sednilen, could perform.] [The ¡®Madness of Faith¡¯ rune and the ¡®Silver Moonshadow¡¯ rune react violently! Having met all the necessary conditions and achieved the feat, the tightly locked seal is unlocked.] [The hidden story contained within the item awakens. The ¡®Sword of Penitent¡¯ item changes to ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯.] ¡òName: Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance ¡òType: Sword (Divine Sword) ¡òGrade: Myth ¡òCreator: ¨C ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C 1) Strength +3 Toughness +3 Recovery +10 2) Can exert 20% additional performance when fighting against cursed forms. The higher the Holder¡¯s Recovery stat, the more powerful the sword bes. 3) Contains the power of Sednilen, the God of Mercy. The merciful Sednilen does not desire the offerings that believers wish to make. When manifesting divine power through the sword, the desired amount can be manifested with only 10% of the input. 4) Can reform those who have made the ¡®Oath of Darkness¡¯. The form of reformation may vary depending on the target, and as the number of reformations increases, thepatibility with the divine power contained in the sword increases rapidly. (Reformation count: 2) *The divine sword reacts when reformation targets are nearby. ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¡ò [Divine sh] ¡ò [Divine Mercy] : By thrusting the sword into the ground, create a divine protective area around you. Those within the area receive Sednilen¡¯s divine mercy for 10 minutes, increasing their resistance and immunity to dark attributes, and increasing all abilities by 10%. ¡òDetailed Information: : A sword containing the repentant heart of Kelbilid, once a warrior of Termen whomitted evil acts while intoxicated by darkness. It was reborn as a holy sword when Sednilen, the God of Mercy, breathed power into it. The one who has risen from the depths of darkness now bestows the mercy of reformation upon those touched by death. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was at a loss for words at the vast item information spread out before me. I just thrust the sword into the magic stone, just like when I killed the Death Knight called Neilid earlier, but¡­ What¡¯s all this? ¡°M-Master. The light from the sword¡­.¡± I wasn¡¯t the only one surprised. LiIm Hyun, who was watching the scene right next to me, the master who had been conversing with me until just now, and the other n members resting nearby. Everyone focused their attention on this strange sight. And for good reason, as anyone could see that the sword I was holding was shouting ¡®I¡¯ve got something!¡¯ while being drenched in intense light¡­ As a Holder, it was impossible not to be interested in this unusual phenomenon. Of course, I was probably the most surprised of all. ¡®No way, this is a divine sword.¡¯ It¡¯s exactly as the item description says. A divine sword imbued with the power of a god named Sednilen. The [Sword of Penitent] had been reborn as a mythical item called [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance]. I¡¯m not sure about the exact details, but¡­ It seems that thrusting my sword into the dark magic stone acted as a trigger, and in the process, my [Madness of Faith] and [Silver Moonshadow] runes reacted, unlocking the seal on the sword. ¡®I¡¯ve really be a Knight¡­.¡¯ Bewilderment filled my mind. Lately, I have been using divine power frequently and acquiring rted runes bit by bit, but I never imagined a scenario where I¡¯d obtain a divine sword. However, it was also a much-needed coincidence. With its changing performance against dark attribute opponents and itspletely devouring type ofpatibility. There¡¯s no item more effective than this divine sword when fighting against Hwang Seong-yeon, the owner of the demon sword. While it¡¯s not always good for a main weapon to have a biased nature, in the current situation, it¡¯s the most optimized weapon. ¡®Plus, the effects and skills are too good.¡¯ Although the stat increases are somewhat small for a mythical grade item, it increases the Recovery stat by 10. Also, the second special effect, which was also present in the original [Sword of Penitent] effect. It was nerfed from the original 50% to 20%, but since the sword¡¯s performance itself became heavenly as it became mythical grade, it was actually better. The third effect was an ability that increased the efficiency of using divine power, and the new skill [Divine Mercy] was¡­ Just by reading the description, I could tell it was an overpowered skill. A mythical grade item. The weight that the name carried was enormous. ¡°The issue is with this fourth effect¡­¡± I swung the divine sword back and forth while reading the description of the fourth effect. Setting aside the vague exnation about being able to reform those who have fallen into darkness, the result obtained through this process is important. As the reformation stacks umte, the sword¡¯s performance continues to increase. In other words, this meant it was a kind of ¡®growth-type item¡¯. It¡¯s already a mythical item with an unbelievable level of performance, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of monster would be born if it grew even more from here. ¡°Master?¡± Then a voice called out again from beside me. When I turned my head, I saw the n members full of questions. To that, I showed them the sword with an Ah- expression. ¡°This is a divine sword.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± And the n members fell silent for a moment. Their reactions burst out a beatter. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°A, a divine sword?!¡± ¡°No way, what¡¯s this all of a sudden¡­!!¡± Questions bordering on shock poured out. In fact, ¡®divine swords¡¯ are well known in the Holder world. This is because a mythical item called a divine sword had already appeared once in the undiscovered dungeon that came out in the United States. Its name was [Reclis¡¯s Warm Touch]. It was a divine sword with the power of Reclis, the god of healing, which had a stronger tendency to heal allies rather thanbat power, and in some sense, it was an item that contained the inherent power of a divine sword. It¡¯s one of the few mythical items in the Holder world, and it also has symbolic meaning as the extreme of divine items. Such a divine sword has appeared ¡®again¡¯. And not through dungeon conquest or special crafting, but just by the seal on one of my swords being suddenly lifted. Naturally, everyone couldn¡¯t help but have expressions of disbelief. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s depart now.¡± But unfortunately, there was no time to exin that. Our n was still rushing to conquer this , and the break time was almost over. ¡°Wait, wait, Master. Please exin more¡­ No, putting that aside, which direction are you nning to go?¡± This time, Kim A-reum, the leader of Team 4, stopped me. Suddenly departing, but where to? She looked at me with eyes full of such meaning. To that, I smiled brightly and raised [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance]. And the divine sword began to move above my hand. It spun around by itself¡­ Then stopped with strong pressure. Like Choi Arin¡¯spass, it was pointing to where we needed to go now. ¡°I¡¯ve got a goodpass. We just need to follow this direction.¡± It was the moment a path appeared in what had been a daunting area to conquer. *** Ippotrantion *** The divine sword¡¯spass function was certain. Within 10 minutes of setting out, we discovered another undead legion. ¡°3rd team mages, all attack! Pour everything you¡¯ve got!¡± ¡°2nd team archers, stand by! Detect any undead approaching from the rear!¡± ¡°Full assault! All members of 5th team, follow me!¡± The team leaders¡¯ shouted orders rang out chaotically. ¡¯s battle strategy in this area is quite simple. After the head Holders like me, Yoo Eun-seol, and Park Ji-hwan draw the big picture and formte a strategy, each team leader carries out those orders in their own style. Because there are many high-ranking Holders with excellent performance, and ordingly, many n members with ample opportunity to shine¡­ Even in this chaotic battle, they were faithfully fulfilling their roles. ng-! ng ng- Swoosh-!! And the need for me to give directions as the n master, reduced¡­ In other words, it meant that I too had the chance to y an active role as a field yer. I wielded [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance], newly evolved into a holy sword, and swept through various parts of the battlefield. Ability stats already close to S-grade Holder. Divine-type rune settings effective for undead hunting. Finally, a mythical item that was cheating just by existing. I was now the one most optimized to face those bearing the energy of death. [¡®You have reformed an evil person who made a ¡®Dark Covenant¡¯. The divine mercy of Sednilen touches the sword. The performance of the divine sword ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯ increases.¡¯] I also definitely reaped the rewards for hunting. The [Dark Covenant] rune is amon rune possessed by most members of the Ludenark School or affiliated undead. Therefore, hunting them continuously stacked reformation points on the holy sword, and ordingly, the divine sword kept growing. Moreover, the growth of the divine sword was quite visible. ¡òName: Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance ¡òType: Sword (Divine Sword) ¡­ ¡­ ¡òSpecial Effects 1) Strength +4 Toughness +3 Recovery +11 The first special effect of the divine sword, stat correction. Originally, it had an effect of +3 Strength and +10 Recovery, but now it¡¯s +4 Strength and +11 Recovery. The special effect has visibly grown ording to the umtion of reformation stacks. And that¡¯s not the end. For now, only the stat correction effect has increased¡­ But if I reform more or make more evil beings repent, perhaps the second or third effect could grow as well. It was truly a growth-type item with limitless potential. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ Thanks to this, I ughtered the undead with the feeling of striking gold. These bastards¡­ They were bing experience points for my newly acquired divine sword.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 291 Chapter 291 A Divine Sword for a Magic Sword (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Dense darkness surrounds the area, and an eerie atmosphere swirls about. Inside the pce, blood, flesh, and bones are strewn about. Deep within¡­ All kinds of screams mix together, exuding despair. Evil. Evil was present there. Not the simple concept of evil called crime among humans.Pure evil generated under the [Dark Covenant]. Its nature was so pure that it was even considered divine¡­ If one were to trace its origin, it was an evil that reached demons and evil gods. And in the center of it all. A man sat on a creaking throne. Pale face and hollow eyes. Thin limbs and long-grown nails. Even grotesque ¡®wings¡¯ growing on his back¡­ It was a being that could be considered closer to a demon than a human. His mouth slowly opened. ¡°Hehehe. Dave.¡± Right beside him. A single word calling Dave, the man wrapped in a robe. Dave bowed his head deeply and replied. ¡°Yes, School Master.¡± ¡°Show me¡­ Your face.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dave had never once removed his robe until now. His face, which he had never shown to anyone, not even his subordinates or his contract partner Hwang Seong-yeon¡­ But at the School Master¡¯s word, he immediately took off his robe and revealed himself. ¡°Hehehe. Still ugly as ever.¡± Half of his face was covered in severe burn scars, and the other half was ckening and dying as if cursed. A face that could hardly be considered human. Just looking at it spreads difort around. However, despite the School Master¡¯s sarcastic joke, Dave replied in a tone that showed no offense. ¡°It should be just as you saw in Lafrion.¡± ¡°You could have fixed it with magic.¡± ¡°I never intended to from the start. I wanted to live remembering it forever.¡± Those who made his face like this were¡­ The humans from Lafrion, the other world. He had been terribly tortured and brought to the brink of death by humans who imed to be exterminating the Ludenark School. The targets of revenge he had tried not to forget for his entire life. But as dimensional movement, adaptation, and departure began due to the System, such past vengeance no longer mattered to Dave. The School Master¡¯s desertion and the grand n to devour the entire world. His vision was rather aimed at something greater. ¡°Hehehe. So, the humans from the other world have entered ournd.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been reported that they¡¯ve already attacked several areas owned by the executives. They¡¯ve even arrived at the Land Touched by Death, which is my own territory.¡± ¡°Humans, whether here or there, seem desperate to devour us¡­ Even though we were once human too.¡± The School Master¡¯s face appeared to be that of a fairly young human, but his manner of speaking was like that of an old man who had experienced many years. And this was a very natural phenomenon. After all, that body¡­ Was not the School Master¡¯s from when he was human. ¡°How is our n progressing?¡± To the School Master¡¯s question, Dave bowed his head and said, ¡°We n to gather all the school members who havepleted their desertion and leave this ce at once. We will then attack the human world and establish new territories.¡± ¡°Hehehe. Abandoning this ce?¡± ¡°Yes. Since the territory itself has crossed over to the other world, the areas we¡¯ve created will be nothing more than dungeons from the outside. Staying here would only result in killing iing humans without any further progress.¡± From the beginning, they had no intention of remaining within the dungeon. They would boldly abandon it and head towards human strongholds. Dave was exining this core n. ¡°Once we seize the human strongholds and control the entrance to this ce, it¡¯s over. They will die as soon as theye out.¡± Hearing these final words, the School Master couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. ¡°Hahaha! Dave, you¡¯re indeed smart. No wonder you¡¯re the Vice-Master of the School. You¡¯re on a different level from those dim-witted school members.¡± ¡°You tter me.¡± ¡°Well then, do we have any school members left to tie up the remaining humans here?¡± ¡°Not school members, but we have a partner contracted from among the humans of the other world.¡± ¡°A partner?¡± To the School Master¡¯s question, Dave nodded. ¡°A man named Hwang Seong-yeon, who should already be leading an army in the territory I own.¡± The contract with Hwang Seong-yeon, the former vice-master of the n, had finallye to fruition. What Dave wanted wasplete assistance until the grand n was finished. Although many detailed ns had failed, he had faithfully fulfilled his role in shaking the core of humans and carrying out sabotage operations. And correspondingly, what Hwang Seong-yeon wanted was to kill as many humans as possible in an environment where he could run wild freely. Kill, kill, and kill again. A scene of endless ughter. That was Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s sole purpose. So Dave had intended from the start to leak the location of this dungeon to humans. The structure was for humans to directly organize troops to invade the dungeon, and for Hwang Seong-yeon to fend them off, thus fulfilling his wish as well. However, for some reason, humans found the dungeon much faster than expected, but there wasn¡¯t much deviation from the n. Currently, Hwang Seong-yeon was leading the undead legion, advancing towards the invading humans. Utilizing all the traps and mazes of . ¡°It will buy us enough time.¡± ¡°The other world is indeed interesting. There are even humans who are desperate to kill their own kind.¡± ¡°They are hypocritical beings who deny their evil nature.¡± ¡°Keukeukeu.¡± (Laughter) With those words, the school master rose from his chair. His already gaunt appearance was made even more grotesque by his tall stature. ¡°Dave. When do you think you¡¯ll be able to ept the power of the demon?¡± Dave flinched at those words from the school master. The power of the demon. For a member of the Ludenark school, it was the sweetest yet most dangerous power. ¡°About a week¡­ That¡¯s what I¡¯m estimating.¡± ¡°Eh. We¡¯ve waited so long, and still a week more to go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s because I¡¯m stillcking¡­¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s just get ready to go.¡± The man who stepped out of the pce with a deepugh. The master of the Ludenark school. It was the moment Flinw began to move. *** Ippotrantion *** Kang Juyeon stared nkly ahead. Holding a brightly shining divine sword in his hand¡­ A man sweeping through the battlefield alone, Do Jae-hyun. Belying his title as n Master, he was fearlessly continuing his own battle at the forefront. ¡®¡­Isn¡¯t this cheating?¡¯ No matter how cool and great her boyfriend is, this scene is hard to believe. How did he obtain the holy sword¡­ And why is he handling divine power so well? Do Jae-hyun was moving around freely like a fish in water, utilizing divine power and rted skills to exterminate the surrounding undead. Of course, his contractor Jaten was there during his movements, and when ground movement became cumbersome, he summoned Tyrbon to dominate the air. A holy knight freely traversing bothnd and air. It¡¯s absurd, but this was Do Jae-hyun now. ¡°Holder Kang Juyeon, Light Meteor at point A!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± But even in this situation, she didn¡¯t lose her focus on the battle. At Team Leader Kim A-reum¡¯ words, Kang Juyeon immediately cast the [Light Meteor] spell she had prepared. Her high-purity mes fall among the Durahans assigned to Team 4. Her main rune [Eternal me of Protection] is already at level 16. It¡¯s not very high for an A-grade Holder¡¯s main rune level, but considering it¡¯s a legendary rune and that rune leveling has be more difficult with evolution, it was certainly rapid growth. ¡°All warrior sses, please defend point B! Holder Moon Ga-eun and I will focus fire on point C!¡± Kim A-reum¡¯ voice hits various ces around. Kim A-reum is also a n member who suddenly took on the team leader position as an archer ss, but as a veteran A-grade Holder, she was carrying out her mission with rational instructions and clean tactics. Temporary Hunting Team 4. This ce is particrly crowded with those close to Do Jae-hyun. Kang Juyeon and Kim Chae-eun, representatives of the mage ss in the n, and Moon Ga-eun, who¡¯s making a name for herself as a multi-archer these days¡­ Currently, all three of his lovers are in one team, and even Do Seung-min, an assassin ss who¡¯s a fervent fan of Do Jae-hyun, is part of Team 4. ¡®¡­I need to do better.¡¯ Perhaps because of this, their enthusiasm was much stronger than other teams. Being close to the n Master isn¡¯t always viewed positively by other n members in terms of merit, so Kang Juyeon and rted team members tried harder to exceed expectations. The result is now. Excluding Do Jae-hyun, who¡¯s beyondmon sense, Team 4 had taken down the most undead within the n. ¡°Okay! The warrior sses will finish up the remaining point B. Everyone, good job¡­¡± After all the small-scale battles were over. Just as Team Leader Kim A-reum was about to give the final order and organize the team. Thud-. That change in terrain¡­ It came too suddenly. The rear point where mage and archer sses were gathered. The ground where n members were about to move to where the warrior sses were¡­ The floor they were standing on started to vibrate tremendously. Thud! Rumble-!! The ground that looked like just a deste in. The ground that showed no signs of abnormality even though team members and undead were stepping on it together. The sudden copse was instantaneous. Dense darkness and tremendous magical power. And visualized in ck¡­ Along with somerge hand. The ce where they were standing was being swallowed by ¡®something¡¯. ¡°Everyone, avoid it¡­!!¡± Team Leader Kim A-reum¡¯ anguished shout hits the surroundings. It¡¯s not easy for rear personnel with low speed stats and no movement runes to respond immediately in this situation. In the end, the retreat order couldn¡¯t be carried out¡­ And soon, an endless fall followed. * * * And then. [You set foot in the ¡®Maze Touched by Death¡¯. This is a special area created by the owner of the zone. You can only escape by finding the convergence point of the magic that activates the area.] Another area within the area. Apletely new ce greeted them.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 292 Chapter 292 Doing Well Even if Scattered (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] I scratched my head and looked around. I was trapped in a maze. A maze where I had to find the exit while facing monsters. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The incident started suddenly. I was happily ughtering the undead legion with my divine sword when suddenly, the ground beneath my n members started to concentrate magical power and copse. The special terrain change began swallowing the rear personnel first, slowly engulfing the entire area, and eventually even epassing the warrior-ss n members who had been outside the affected zone.In short, all n members present ended up falling into the maze. At the time, I was riding on Tyrbon, so I was free from that change, but I immediately dismounted and walked into the center of it. It was impossible to tackle the area alone, and I couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch as my lovers and n members all fell into an unknown realm. [You set foot in the Maze Touched by Death. This is a special area created by the zone¡¯s owner. You can only escape by finding the focal point of magical power that activates the area.] That¡¯s how I was pulled into this maze. I tried to fall as close as possible to where my lovers¡¯ 4th team was, but the result wasn¡¯t good. Not only did I fail to reach where they were, but there were no other n members around me either. Perhaps you had to be in the same ce when the terrain changed due to the concentration of magical power to go together. As I had entered alone, I was also alone in the maze. Needless to say¡­ This was not at all a desirable structure. ¡°¡­I¡¯m worried about the n members.¡± Being alone isn¡¯t a problem for me. I¡¯m a Holder who¡¯s used to ying solo, and my actual abilities are diverse, covering various roles as a Multi-Holder. But the other n members, especially Team 4, were the problem. The other teams had finished regrouping and fell together as teams, but Team 4 was in the final stages of battle and couldn¡¯t gather together. The warrior sses fell with other warrior sses, and the rear personnel fell separately. It became a challenge just to form a typical partyposition. ¡°This isplicated.¡± Actually, I thought it was resolving too easily. The is a dungeon of unprecedented scale among those conquered by Holders so far. It¡¯s a dungeon ¡®adapted¡¯ and entirely owned by a specific group called the Ludenark School. Countless areas are set within it, and even after conquering these areas, the end of the dungeon doesn¡¯t appear. We don¡¯t know how many more areas remain or what traps might be hidden. Even the Ludenark School must have noticed that humans have invaded the dungeon by now, but there¡¯s been no response to that. We¡¯ve been smoothly conquering each area and hunting the undead¡­ But this process has been progressing too easily. ¡°We¡¯ve really been hit hard this time.¡± In that sense, the was a trap that hit us hard. A sudden trap in the midst of an overly smooth conquest. It was like a development straight out of a novel. Moreover, this maze is likely a trap created bybining the special magic of Dave, the area¡¯s owner, with the geographical characteristics of the area itself. It¡¯s unlikely to be a trap made of simple magical power, considering that all members of the n,posed of high-ranking Holders, fell into it. It could be regarded as a kind of ¡®Area Gimmick¡¯. ¡°¡­And the level of the monsters suddenly increased dramatically too.¡± I muttered, looking around. When I came to my senses, I was suddenly surrounded by undead. Their appearance and level of armament¡­ Anyone could tell they were ¡®Death Knights¡¯. -Traitor of Termen!! -I¡¯ll kill you myself¡­!! -Execute the traitor! Their uniform dialogue makes me chuckle involuntarily. It seems all the gathered ones are from Termen. That Kelbilid bastard. As expected of someone who borrowed divine power, he had a lot of enemies. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s take them down first and see.¡± I said, wielding the divine sword, [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance]. Anyway, only our drop points were different; the maze should be connected as one. This is a guess possible because the magical transformation phenomenon urred simultaneously. Because of that, I set an immediate short-term goal. That was to defeat these damn undead as they came and gather the scattered n members together. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Park Jin-woo spoke, trying to maintain hisposure as much as possible. The suddenly changed terrain and space. is likely a special trap. It would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t surprised, but he was now the leader of a hunting team. Even in a crisis, taking care of his team members was the priority. ¡°No problems here.¡± ¡°All good, team leader.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± The members of Team 5 responded with trusting looks in their eyes. In fact, among the hunting team leaders, Park Jin-woo was the youngest A-grade Holder and the only student Holder, so he was treated as a sort of junior leader in the n¡­ But the trust of Team 5 members in him was absolute. The reason was simple. Park Jin-woo¡¯s inherent power of always standing at the forefront and demonstrating overwhelmingbat ability, the solid leadership he had built up since his days as vice-captain of the , and his ability to carry out n tactics with certainty. Except for his young age, Park Jin-woocked nothing as a team leader. Above all, the battle in the First Zone¡¯s . When all team members were hesitating at the sudden appearance of a ¡®human chimera¡¯, his decisiveness in boldly stepping forward and eliminating the enemy. That intense image had definitely strengthened the cohesion of Hunting Team 5. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± A sigh of relief escaped involuntarily. Although some team members showed slight dizziness from the sudden magical fluctuation, fortunately, it seemed that no one had injuries severe enough to hinderbat. If so, there was no reason to dy. Park Jin-woo immediately issued new orders to his team members. ¡°It seems this maze is a trap area constructed within the 6th Zone. ording to the information window, we need to find a specific point to escape, so everyone prepare to move immediately¡­¡± No, he was about to move. Until he saw a man he encountered when he turned his gaze. ¡°¡­Dad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a cooperating Holder, Team Leader Park Jin-woo.¡± S-grade Holder and his father, Park Ji-hwan, is right beside him. No, why is this person here? He looked at him with a bewildered face, but the man scratched his head with an awkward expression and exined. ¡°I came to Team 5 for a moment to see if Team Leader Park Jin-woo was leading well. As you know, the situation was a bit rxed at the time. But suddenly, this anomaly¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In short, he came to watch how his son was doing, and got caught up in the trap. ¡°That¡¯s an incredibly convenient setup.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how things go in this world.¡± ¡°If you wish, I¡¯ll hand over themand to you.¡± ¡°Oh no! What are you saying? Carry on as you were, as you were. I¡¯ll assist Team 5 in my usual free role.¡± Park Ji-hwan waved his hands, using awkward formal speech. Park Jin-woo, who had been staring at him nkly¡­ Eventually sighed and issued orders again. ¡°Then we¡¯ll depart immediately. First, the archer-type, Holder Yoo Hyun-seok¡­¡± However, this time too, the order didn¡¯t reach its end. ¡°Team leader! A magical attack from behind¡­!!¡± The urgent cry of the n member skilled in magic detection. The surprise attack was instantaneous. Kwa, kwaang-!! Kwaga- kwagaga-!! An enormous explosion engulfed Hunting Team 5. Although boasts a size and length that could be considered ground level, it¡¯s still essentially a room with walls. The power of fire-attribute magic attacks and explosions urring simultaneously was beyond imagination. ¡°Arghhhh!!¡± ¡°Hyun Seok-jun! Damn it¡­!!¡± ¡°Holder Ji Eun-mi! Cure quickly¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it now!¡± Most team members quickly deployed defenses and dodged attacks, but quite a few couldn¡¯t escape the mes. One of the mage-type members was even injured so badly that they couldn¡¯t move their legs. The divine-type n members quickly attached themselves to attempt healing, but all team members were confused by the destructive attack they encountered right after entering the maze. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Park Jin-woo bit his lip hard and ced his hand on his sword. He intended to cut down in one swoop those undead bastards who dared to nearly kill his team members. But. Tak-. A rough and blunt hand grabbed his wrist. In his turned gaze, a familiar face was caught. It was his father, Park Ji-hwan, with none of the earlier yfulness. Park Ji-hwan spoke with a stern face, not taking his eyes off the front. ¡°It¡¯s a Lich.¡± ¡°A Lich?¡± ¡°Yes. The only undead that can unleash this level of magic attack in a short time is a Lich. So don¡¯t move rashly. If you¡¯re not careful, you, the team leader, could be taken out.¡± After saying that, Park Ji-hwan nced behind. And there. Death Knights, undead as dangerous as a Lich, were gathering. ¡°Jin-woo, you deal with those Death Knights in front. Your swift sword should be able to buy enough time.¡± ¡°Then the Lich¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it. And Jin-woo.¡± Park Ji-hwan met his son¡¯s eyes even in this urgent moment. He spoke with eyes full of conviction. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the power of the seeker you possess. In the worst crisis, it will always be the key to breaking through the situation.¡± S-grade Holder Park Ji-hwan. Before being an S-grade Holder, he was a Holder who had first awakened the ¡®power of the seeker¡¯ that Park Jin-woo had awakened to.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Doing Well Even if Scattered (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] What exactly is the power of a seeker? Even Park Ji-hwan is not yet certain about its precise definition. In any case, since the ability itself takes the form of a rune, it¡¯s a power defined by the system as it crossed over from another dimension, and Park Ji-hwan also obtained this ability upon awakening as a Holder. However, the important thing is Each ¡®power of the seeker¡¯ has its own purpose. The nature of the power changes depending on what one pursues and what path they follow, and the process of finding that power sometimes serves as a signpost for the path the seeker walks. ¡®¡­¡¯And the rune Park Ji-hwan possesses is [Seeker of Ethics]. From the perspective of the ¡®light attribute¡¯, which is conventionally considered absolute good, it¡¯s a power specialized in defeating dark attributes and evil-inclined forces. The reason he has been steadily pursuing the Ludenark school and uncovering their true nature is that the rune he possesses is inherently opposed to their abilities¡­ And because of its influence, Park Ji-hwan himself has developed a conviction to lead justice and protect ethics. ¡®Son, find your own path.¡¯ This is also why Park Ji-hwan cannot give any special advice to Park Jin-woo. He had heard long ago that his son had awakened to the power of a seeker, but from the start, seekers each pursue different directions in their paths, so their abilities and growth directions are all unique. While the tendency of power might be hereditary¡­ The nature of power is a path one must find for themselves. That¡¯s why he sent him alone to the front lines swarming with Death Knights. Ssss- Ssssss- Kiiiii-!! And once again, following the first magic attack. An enormous amount of ck magic gathers. The group of liches upying the rear of Hunting Team 5 are about to unleash another massive area-of-effect spell. This time, since it¡¯s not a surprise attack, Hunting Team 5 won¡¯t just sit idly by, but the attack created simultaneously by S-grade monster liches was too dangerous. From the start, it was an absurd situation where S-grade monsters, difficult to handle even one-on-one, were gathered in a unit. ¡°Hm¡­¡± A situation where the defense and protection of a high-ranking Holder is essential. Park Ji-hwan raised the shield he had already taken out in one hand. Then, strongly focusing his magic, he chanted a verbalmand. ¡°Gather under the shield of light.¡± The ultimate skill of the [Seeker of Ethics] rune, [Moral Defense]. One of the rather rare ¡®defensive skills¡¯ among ultimate skills unfolds before him. [Moral Defense] is usually just a wide-range magic barrier, but when facing dark attributes and evil-inclined attacks, it demonstrates formidable defensive power. A range covering from wall to wall. Magic that covers the entire front¡­ And shields interconnected like a fine mesh. It was a solid wide-area magic defense skill that seemed capable of blocking all existing attacks. Pat- Paaaa-!! Ku, Kwaaang-!! There¡¯s a tremendous explosion as the liches¡¯ fire attribute magic attacks collide with [Moral Defense]. No matter how strong the liches are, it¡¯s not easy to prate the prepared defense of an S-grade Holder. Intense magic attacks targeted the rear of Hunting Team 5 from various directions, but Park Ji-hwan¡¯s iron-like defense didn¡¯t allow a single attack through. Kagrrrr-!! Guuuuu-!! But the undead army quickly found a solution. As if deciding to unleash physical attacks if magic attacks don¡¯t work, the Durahans near the lich unit were charging towards Hunting Team 5 with axes raised. ¡°These lich bastards are quite clever.¡± Park Ji-hwan let out a wryugh as he prepared to move. Though not as threatening as Death Knights, Durahans are still formidable monsters. If they break through the defense line, Team 5 could be in serious danger. Kang-!! Kagagang-!! But in front of Park Ji-hwan¡­ A blonde woman appeared holding a shield. And while easily blocking the Durahans¡¯ attacks, she shouted towards Park Ji-hwan. ¡°We¡¯ll hold this line, Father!¡± ¡°¡­Father?¡± Park Ji-hwan repeated the unfamiliar word he had never heard before. ¡°Oh, since you¡¯re Jin-woo¡¯s dad¡­ My Korean, not good!¡± Cami, the woman blocking his front, hastily added. Not knowing how to address her friend¡¯s father, she had used a term she had picked up somewhere. Besides, regardless of the form of address, they were in a situation where they had to immediately block the oing monsters. She shouted again towards Park Ji-hwan. ¡°We¡¯ll block the Durahans!¡± ¡°Oh okay. Do that!¡± Park Ji-hwan found himself shouting back in agreement. In fact, this is the efficient approach. Hunting Team 5 surely has warrior-types who can stand on the front lines, and Park Ji-hwan himself, as a high-ranking Holder, needs to block the liches who are stronger than the Durahans. It was just that, Cami¡¯s sudden appearance and¡­ Her even more sudden form of address had surprised him. Park Ji-hwan quickly gathered his wits, raised his weapon, and prepared to face the liches. Then he thought to himself quietly. ¡®Hmm. It would indeed be nice to have such a daughter-inw.¡¯ Father, she says. It¡¯s an unfamiliar word, but not unpleasant. It feels even bettering from someone he had his eye on. A Holder who jumps in with a shield first in the chaotic battle. A spirited woman who could keep his foolish son in line. Park Ji-hwan quite liked Cami. *** Ippotrantion *** [You have rehabilitated an evildoer who made a ¡®Dark Convenant¡¯. The mercy of the Divine Sednilen touches the sword. The performance of the divine sword ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯ has improved.] Another information window appears, announcing the growth of the divine sword. But despite the good news, I wasn¡¯t in a particrly good mood. ¡°Ah, these damn undead. There¡¯s no end to them no matter how many I kill.¡± No matter how many undead I hunted and advanced, the end of the maze was nowhere in sight. I needed to find and regroup with the scattered n members as soon as possible, but instead of regrouping, I was alone in the maze, about to be lost. Moreover. -Master, it¡¯s the same ce again. Jaten, who was carrying me as we moved, said quietly. And he¡¯s sniffing around, examining the surroundings. Lycans are basically monsters that take wolves as their original form, and ordingly, their sense of smell is highly developed. Perhaps because of this, he seemed to be able to easily identify the smell of the same location even in this foul-smelling maze. ¡°¡­I know.¡± But I had noticed that much too. I could visually feel that I was constantlying to the same area while hunting the undead, and in fact, through [Prey Search], a lower rune of [Descendant of the Barbarian King], I was also receiving information that the natural magic arrangement in the current area was identical. In other words, Jaten and I are going around in circles. ¡°But why do the undead keep appearing?¡± That was the problem. We¡¯re clearly repeating the same section over and over, yet the undead monsters keep appearing without rest. As if¡­ They were ¡®respawning¡¯. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t immediately notice that we were lost in the maze at first. Guooooo-!! Kakak- Kagakak-!! Whether they know or care about such concerns, the undead fill my vision again. I sighed deeply and drew up my magic. The ce where magic gathers is in front of Jaten¡¯ feet. Where the sewage in the maze is pooled. The rune I¡¯m using is [Elemental Master]. ¡°New Wave.¡± It was instantaneous for the sewage to turn into a massive wave. A wave that covers the entire area in no time. The undead were hit by an enormous amount of water, enough to be described as forming a river. And I gently push the divine sword into it, adding one more skill. ¡°Chain Lightning.¡± Lightning that seems to connect to the artificially created massive flood. It was a skillbo I had often used since acquiring [Chain Lightning], a derivative skill of [Prating Brain Strike]. The undead, floundering in the waves, couldn¡¯t regain their senses from the lightning magic that came rushing in without pause. ¡°Now it seems I can freely mix magic and divine power.¡± I muttered, feeling the divine power draining steadily with each use of the skill. Since obtaining the [Madness of Faith] rune, I¡¯ve be quite adept at adding divine power to magic attacks as well. The undead, who seemed unlikely to be affected much by magic attacks¡­ The fact that they all suffered a great shock as if electrocuted was proof of this. With auxiliary runes that increase divine sensitivity and even a divine sword, at this point, hunting undead was much easier than hunting regr monsters. -If only we could find the way. After easily sweeping away the undead. Jaten spoke first, seeming to understand my frustration. The way. If only we could find the way that seems to be blocked somewhere, but that¡¯s the problem. The fact that we keep going around the same space probably means it¡¯s a trap created by a specific magic phenomenon, but¡­ ¡°¡­Magic?¡± Suddenly, a thought shes through my mind. Magic phenomenon. Why hadn¡¯t I been thinking about this? If it¡¯s a trapposed of magic, I have a member who is more versed in this than anyone else. No matter how well I handle magic and possess search-type runes, I¡¯m still far behindpared to him. Maybe he could¡­ Figure out what this unusual phenomenon is. ¡°Call of the Contract.¡± Leaving Jaten, who was already summoned. I summoned another contractor. On the hard and barren ground¡­ A man appears, stepping nobly. It was clearly a contractor in ¡®human form¡¯. ¡°I greet the covenant Holder of the great being.¡± Contractor Aspidochelone. It was As, who always safely transported me with his god-possessed transportation ability. As had recently awakened anew as I finished conquering , and among other things, the restriction on the [Magic Domination] rune was lifted, allowing him to use [Polymorph] magic. So even in a ce without water like this, he could be summoned in human form. ¡°As, I need your power.¡± I summoned As to ovee the current crisis. He is primarily an expert in transportation and defense, but he¡¯s also an orthodox mage with [Magic Control] at level 20 and [Draconian Spell] at level 17. He¡¯s better than anyone at detecting and understanding magic. So I exined the current situation to him and sought his advice on what measures to take. ¡­And. ¡°It¡¯s a necromancer.¡± As analyzed the situation too quickly¡­ Perfectly. ¡°The location is underground. It¡¯s hiding deep in the spot we¡¯re standing on right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I stare nkly at his face. It was the moment an elite contractor became a savior.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Doing Well Even if Scattered (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Necromancer. A special ss also known as a spirit summoner or death mage. They generally make contracts with monsters called spirits or undead. If their abilities are broad enough, they sometimes contract with special and powerful monsters like Death Knights, Liches, and even Vampires. As for domestic Holders with such power¡­ The former master of the n, Hwang Dong-yeon, is a prime example. In fact, until the Viin Cleanup Operation, his abilities were shrouded in mystery, so it wasn¡¯t well known that he was a spirit summoner. But during the operation, with the undead legion that filled the ind and his ability tomand them, even showing near-perfect mastery of [Order of Fusion], the academic world evaluated him as ¡®at least in terms of skill, he was the top in the country¡¯.¡®Starting with the Corpse Commander rune.¡¯ The [Corpse Commander] rune, which I now possess. This rune increases ability whenmanding multiple units and removes the limit on the number of ¡®spirits¡¯ that can be contracted. As long as there¡¯s enough magical power to maintain the contracts, one can control tens or hundreds of spirits. In the past, Hwang Dong-yeon made this rune his main rune, showing the might to control legion-level undead numbers. Although his battle time was very short, and he ended up losing Bone to me and getting defeated by the allied forces¡­ Anyway, he was evaluated as the best necromancer in the country because he showed such overwhelming power. ¡®¡­Though I can¡¯t use it properly.¡¯ Unfortunately, I can¡¯t use this rune properly. The [Corpse Commander] rune itself shows great effect when contracted with ¡®spirits¡¯. But currently, I don¡¯t have a single contracted spirit. Originally, I had a temporary contract with Bone Dragon, but even that changed when this guy awakened as Tyrbon, transforming into a plete sub-dragon beyond a spirit¡¯, so it went back to zero. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I have no thoughts of spirit contracts at all. After all, the [The Promise Bound by Dragon] rune is a legendary contract rune that enables taming, elemental, and spirit contracts, and with the [Corpse Commander] rune, there¡¯s no limit to spirit contracts. If I could make contracts, undead would clearly be a great help to my Holder forces. ¡®¡­If contracts were possible, that is.¡¯ Just because contracts are possible doesn¡¯t mean they all lead to execution. Contracts are ultimately formed when both the contractor and the Holder, me, agree. Even if I want to make spirits my contractors, if they refuse, the contract ends in failure. And the undead I encountered in ¡­ Almost all of them refused to contract with me. ¡®Too high a recovery score is also a problem.¡¯ Unlike when contracting with Bone¡­ My current Recovery score has be too high. Without possessing [Dark Covenant] or evil-aligned god-tier runes, if the divine power is high, spirits will unconditionally judge this as an enemy and refuse contracts. Basically, divine power itself tends to have light attributes unless tainted by darkness, and even the divine sword I¡¯m using now has such tendencies. So after entering the dungeon, I couldn¡¯t even get a glimpse of contracts with spirits. ¡°All the undead appearing in this maze are contracted spirits. As the Oath-Bearer wanders through the maze, a necromancer hidden in the ground continuously summons them.¡± Unlike me, a mage who has mass contracts with spirits. As assured the existence of such a necromancer, he exined the current situation to me. I rubbed my chin, pondering, and asked. ¡°So there¡¯s only one necromancer?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve gathered so far.¡± ¡°One person handles this many undead?¡± The number of undead that Jaten and I hunted while wandering through the maze exceeds 100. It was hard to believe that someone had contracted with so many, but As nodded with a confident face. ¡°You know the method well too.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± [Corpse Commander]. The rune that removes the limit on the number of spirits that can be contracted. It seemed this necromancer also possessed that rune. ¡°Since the Oath-Bearer finished hunting in such a short time, the magic consumption for maintaining summons wouldn¡¯t have beenrge either.¡± And the assumption that not much magical power would have been needed for maintenance because I went around sweeping away the undead enthusiastically. Iughed dryly at that. ¡°Looks like I ended up helping instead.¡± ¡°Still, they must have been flustered. The hunting speed became much faster than the summoning speed. So¡­¡± As paused mid-sentence and suddenly concentrated magical power. With that, a single water droplet suddenly appeared in the air¡­ Then it became a long stream of water that pierced through the floor. It was the spot As had mentioned earlier, the ¡®current location of the necromancer¡¯. ¡°They revealed their location easily. Their magic concealment became sloppy.¡± Swoosh-!! Ssh- Splish ssh-! Boom, boom boom- The huge stream of water pierces through the floor like a waterfall, relentlessly digging into the inside. The sound of water drilling through the ground was like a cannon st. Watching the scene, I also stuck out my tongue. ¡®¡­That¡¯s brutal.¡¯ It¡¯s called a water stream, but that¡¯s aplete killing machine. The magic that almost mastered [Magic Control] and water-attribute magic runes shook the interior of the maze with just its momentum. Moreover, the amount of magical power contained in the water was enormous, creating a torrent that would really kill if hit directly. After As¡¯s water magic unfolded like that. The explosive water stream finally prated to the deepest part below the floor, easily fishing out the target we were looking for. ¡°Puff, puah¡­!! Aaah-! What kind of crazy bastards¡­!!¡± A man with dark ck hair rises from the floor. Yes. A man¡­ Not an undead, but a human. It likely meant he was a member of the Ludenark school residing in the dungeon. I didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment when I saw him. I leapt from my position and thrust my divine sword toward him. Due to the immediate reaction, I couldn¡¯t imbue it with magical power, but I aimed to decide the match with a speed difficult to react to and divine power. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± ng-!! Th-that-. It was certainly a speed that a necromancer couldn¡¯t react to. A time when it was difficult to even create a [Magic Barrier]. But the ¡®ck magic¡¯ that naturally gathered around the opponent¡¯s side firmly blocked my thrust. It was [ck Barrier], the trademark of the Ludenark bastards. ¡°Y-you monster¡­!!¡± This bastard was flustered. It was just that the performance of [ck Barier] was too excellent and automatically defended, but this guy couldn¡¯t react at all to my high-speed attack. I understand. Being suddenly drawn out of the ¡®hidden space¡¯ by a sudden water attribute magic, and then being hit with a sword attack without a moment¡¯s rest¡­ Anyone would be flustered. Thanks to that, I could see fear and bewilderment mixed in the eyes of the guy I encountered. ¡°R-rise up!!¡± Had his judgment been clouded? Or did he feel this was his only chance? The opposing necromancer shouted the incantation in front of me, gritting his teeth. And this was. An ultimate skill incantation that I knew all too well. ¡®Death Revival.¡¯ The ultimate skill of the [Corpse Commander] rune, [Death Revival]. A skill that forms ¡®simultaneous contracts¡¯ with pre-made undead and summons them all at once. It¡¯s a powerful contract-type skill that Hwang Dong-yeon used before in the viin cleanup operation. As expected, he possessed [Corpse Commander]. Grrrr-. Crack- Crackle-!! Stepping over the corpses of the undead that had already been eliminated, other undead are summoned. Too many to count at a nce. Enough to immediately block my entire view. It would be fine to move with Jaten like before, but now that I had summoned As, there was a better method. ¡°Jaten, go in! And As!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± As, showing excellent sense in battle befitting a former dragon¡¯s subordinate. He already knew what I was thinking. ¡°New Wave!¡± The [New Wave] skill of [Swirling Tidal Wave] unfolds. A skill I had already used once. Of course, this time it¡¯s As¡¯s more powerful skill. Whoosh, whoooosh-!! Crash-!! A huge wave once again engulfs the maze. Water pouring from the right and water prating from the left. Allbined, it looks like it would form a sea¡­ A vast flood urs. As is a mage with unparalleled skill in water attributes, and his rune level and magical power handling are on a level that¡¯s hard topare with mine. Naturally, even with the same [New Wave] skill, the effect was on a different dimension. ¡°C-crazy¡­ What is all this¡­!!¡± The necromancer, who had already tasted As water attribute magic attack once before, watched this scene trembling as if experiencing PTSD. Thatrge quantity is helplessly split. The undead are swept away by the rapidly formed torrent, and as their movements are restricted, the advantage of numbers disappears. And this was the real strength of [New Wave]. It strikes the enemy as a water attribute magic attack, but the real purpose of the skill is topletely break down the structure of the area by being cast over a wide range. This is why I had unsummoned Jaten earlier, who would have difficulty performing in water. ¡°As!¡± -I¡¯m ready this time too, Oath-Bearer! Grooooar-!! Along with the shout in a changed form of voice¡­ A huge turtle appeared on the battlefield. The release of [Polymorph]. And a form of As that I¡¯m much more familiar with. It was the majesty of the sea dragon, Aspidochelone. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± I immediately stood on As¡¯s shell and looked ahead. The target is the necromancer. The time is until all the water from [New Wave] drains away. Grrrr-!! Crack- Crackle-. Although the undead who had regained their bnce by then approached to block us¡­. ¡®As, let¡¯s depart.¡¯ -As the great being and Oath-Bearer wish. For As, who is a [Transport Expert]. This level of obstacle course was a piece of cake.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 295 Chapter 295 Doing Well Even if Scattered (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The current situation of Hunting Team 4 in was ambiguous. The expression is a bit strange, but it¡¯s literal. Among the teams that fell into the , Team 4 was almost the only one where team members were dispersed by their sses. Rear members like mage and archer sses were grouped together, while front-line members like warrior and assassin sses were in another group. It was the worst situation where necessary role groups were separated. But once they entered, nothing special happened. The undead they had seen to the point of nausea didn¡¯t appear, and there weren¡¯t evenmon magic traps.Whether it was good luck or bad¡­ They found themselves in a somewhat ambiguous situation. ¡°Until we¡¯re caught by magic detection, let¡¯s move as slowly as possible. Everyone, please be patient even if it¡¯s frustrating.¡± But Team Leader Kim A-reum couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch this. After all, the current situation was an unexpected variable and crisis for the n. To ovee this, they needed to focus on escaping the trap and reuniting with the n. ¡°Team Leader. Should I ride Haten and go around once?¡± At that moment, team member Moon Ga-eun spoke up. She¡¯s an archer ss but also a Multi-Holder handling taming sses, showing the image of a mounted archer riding a Lycan in battle. The mobility of a wolf and the search ability of an archer ss. As shown in the previous battle, it was a synergy that demonstrated considerable power. But Kim A-reum shook her head heavily. ¡°No. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Coldly, it was indeed too risky. Moon Ga-eun¡¯s ability is certainly a great help in battle, but that¡¯s only when the situation supports it well. In the current state where there are no warrior ss members at all, if she moves alone on Haten, she could suddenly be a single target for emerging enemies. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving at this pace¡­¡± Just as she was about to give that order. Kim A-reum suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her senses, constantly activating search-type runes as she moved, detected signs of a magic trap ahead. She raised her hand to stop the team members, then carefully ced her hand on the ground. And slowly feeling the flow of magic. ¡°¡­!¡± Kim A-reum¡¯ eyes widened. There it was. There was a magic trap containing powerful magic nearby. It was too far to be detected initially, but it was approaching Hunting Team 4 at a fierce speed. The attribute was earth, and the type was attack magic. And the direction was¡­ ¡°Holder Kang Juyeon! Dodge!¡± The right diagonal of the team. Where temporary n member Kang Juyeon was standing. Goo-woo-woo-. Kwaga-ga-ga-!! A sharply carved spear of earth lunges at her relentlessly. Kang Juyeon¡¯s expression was also tinged with surprise as she faced the earth-attribute magic head-on. Originally, this level of attack would be too easy for Kang Juyeon to break. For an A-grade Holder like her, it¡¯s a light attack, and her main rune [Eternal me of Protection] itself is specialized in defense. However, just like Moon Ga-eun¡¯s suggestion was rejected earlier, everything changes depending on the situation. A magic trap that seemed to have been prepared for quite some time. And magic flying in without time to defend. Using [Guardian¡¯s me] would easily block it, but in a situation where there¡¯s no time to draw up magic, she was helpless. Kwa, kwaga-gat-!! As the earth spear approached within reach, and just as Kang Juyeon was trying to dodge it somehow with her physical abilities. ¡°Ultimate Frost!¡± Jjeo-jeo-jeok-. The earth spear freezes instantly. Prepared magic rises simultaneously from the air and ground, and intense cold shes with the enemy¡¯s attack. [Ultimate Frost] of [Frozen Battlefield]. It was Kim Chae-eun¡¯s signature attack magic. When dealing with attack magic, deploying defensive magic is much more efficient in terms of magic consumption, but that doesn¡¯t mean attack magic can¡¯t be used to block. Kim Chae-eun used the special effect of the [Ice Queen¡¯s Crown] item to use a pre-embedded skill to collide with the magic. ¡°Juyeon, are you okay?!¡± Moreover, Kim Chae-eun wasn¡¯t the only one trying to block. Moon Ga-eun, who was right next to her, threw her body to evacuate Kang Juyeon. Swift movement utilizing high speed and footwork-type runes. Even if the earth spear had pierced straight through, they would have probably avoided the worst-case scenario. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Kang Juyeon looked at her two friends with grateful eyes. Once they had quarreled with jealousy for liking the same man simultaneously, but now they were the most reliable colleagues, acknowledging and helping each other. Thanks to them, Hunting Team 4 suffered no damage. ¡°Snow Wall!¡± Suddenly, a man breaks through between them and casts a spell. A skill that creates a wall by raising rough and strong winds, [Snow Wall]. While the word wall might sound like a ¡®defensive magic¡¯, it¡¯s actually a kind of ¡®counter-attack type magic¡¯ that sends back all iing projectiles with fierce reverse wind. It¡¯s said to be a high-level skill that only A-grade Holders among wind-attribute mage sses can use. ¡°Holder Lee Yoo-chan?¡± And the mage who performed such a counterattack was A-grade Holder Lee Yoo-chan. He was one of the few veteran mages of the n. Just as Kang Juyeon was dispatched from and Moon Ga-eun from , he too was a temporary n member dispatched from . He was a n member who came over through the friendly n treaty of . Thus, he was a team member with particrly rich experience and excellent skills within Team 4. The reason why he suddenly used a skill in the air was one. Pat- Pa-aat-!! Tu-du- Tu-du- Tu-du-du-!! The enemy¡¯s trap didn¡¯t end with just one earth-attribute magic. Immediately following was a barrage of arrows raining down from the sky. At their tips was ck magic. ¡°Just how many traps are there¡­?¡± Has it been too quiet until now? Team Leader Kim A-reum bit her lip at the session of traps pouring down as soon as the attack began. With no warrior-type to take the lead, having to focus solely on defense after giving up the first strike was an extremely unfavorable situation for the current Team 4. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± But someone grabs Kim A-reum¡¯ shoulder and speaks. It was Kang Juyeon, the n member who nearly fell victim to the first trap earlier. She had already regained herposure and was using her main rune to make refined mes bloom around her teammates. A stance ready to block any additional attacks that mighte. And she quietly pointed her finger to a distant ce. ¡°Look over there.¡± Kim A-reum¡¯ gaze naturally followed. In the space where no monsters were visible just a minute ago, undead creatures that looked like skeletons were now approaching in groups. Though not as numerous as the legion encountered in , it was still a considerable number for the current team members to handle. About half of them were holding bows as weapons, while the other half were wearing robe-like clothes and holding staff. Almost like¡­ The current Team 4,posed of archer and mage sses. ¡°What in the world?¡± ¡°Skeleton archers and demi-liches.¡± At this, Lee Yoo-chan, the veteran Holder, stepped forward and exined to the team members. ¡°I know because I¡¯ve hunted undead before. Those guys are a special unit of skeleton-type undead,posed of archers and mages.¡± Lee Yoo-chan was a veteran n member dispatched from . Naturally, he had extensive hunting experience from his original n. And among the most famous dungeon conquests of ¡­ Was the conquest of . Lee Yoo-chan had also participated as a member in the conquest of this dungeon, where the S-grade monster Death Knight first appeared, so he had considerable knowledge about the undead. ¡°Known as Archer and Mage. They¡¯re undead who set physical and magical traps in their desired terrain and hunt their enemies.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯re back to square one now.¡± Kang Juyeon added with a strange smile. And behind her, mes rose violently. That wasn¡¯t all. Beside her, Kim Chae-eun was preparing an evenrger ice magic than before while caressing her staff, and Moon Ga-eun had already summoned Haten and was ready to dash out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim A-reum was momentarily lost for words. Archer and Mage. A special unit of skeletonsposed of archer and mage sses. But in that aspect¡­ The members of Hunting Team 4 were more like the Avengers. *** Ippotrantion *** Reaching the finish line was as easy as eating cold porridge. As plowed through the floundering undead without hesitation, and the distance from the necromancer, which had widened due to [Death Revival], quickly closed again. ¡°You, you monster¡­ What the hell are you?!¡± The necromancer shouted with an incredulous face. But hearing those words made me sneer. ¡°Kid, stop pretending. You must have heard everything from your esteemed Vice-Master of the school.¡± They had known our identity since , and this bastard even set up a trap to toy with me. And now he¡¯s asking what we are. It wasn¡¯t even a funny lie. ¡°I, I never heard about summons like this¡­!!¡± Of course you didn¡¯t. Only Hwang Seong-yeon had seen As in action. Well, Hwang Seong-yeon could have spilled all my information to the Ludenark school¡­ But judging by the opponent¡¯s reaction, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°You talk too much. Just die already.¡± Although there are unusual cases like me, generally, summoners who control contractors have low inherent stats. In a situation where the undead can¡¯t provide protection¡­ The opponent waspletely defenseless. It was the perfect opportunity to deliver the finishing blow. ¡®Divine sh¡­!!¡¯ I strike with a direct hit using the attack skill I had been saving. It¡¯s an inherent skill of [Sword of Penitent] that I¡¯ve been using frequently, but with the item¡¯s evolution and my greatly increased divine stats, its power has skyrocketed iparably to before. The weakened necromancer had no chance of blocking it. ¡°Damn it!! Count Ripley! I¡¯ll offer you my heart! Right now¡­!!¡± But then came the opponent¡¯s iprehensible cry. ¡®He still has something left¡­?¡¯ I was momentarily taken aback. [Death Revival] alone was already a powerful ultimate skill that consumed massive amounts of magical power, yet he was about to pull something else? I immediately prepared to use the [Lightning of Judgment] skill in case of an emergency. But. ¡°Wh-what! This isn¡¯t what we agreed on!! You said if I offered my heart¡­ Ugh, aaaaargh!!¡± There was no need. The necromancer kept muttering to himself, then screamed in agony as he took [Divine sh] head-on. Ssh-. And his body was swept away by the waves. His life was extinguished just like that. ¡°¡­What was that?¡± The necromancer clearly tried to pull some trick but failed. I was perplexed by this strange sight, but I had dealt with the biggest obstacle nheless. With him defeated, all those summoned undead should have been unsummoned too, and the blocked maze doors should open anew. Whoosh¡­. After all the water from [New Wave] dispersed and disappeared. I dismissed As¡¯ summon and set foot on the ground. It was time to move and find my n members again. ¡°First, the exit¡­ Huh?¡± But then. In a ce where there was clearly no presence or magical energy¡­ A young girl was standing there. Long green hair and beautiful features. And somehow. She looked like her canine teeth were protruding slightly. This peculiar-looking girl smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re interesting. Want to make a contract with me?¡±
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Doing Well Even if Scattered (5) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] [Craving fresh blood, I shall seek eternal life! A cursed lord of Beltaine exudes magical power. The special undead ¡®Vampire n¡¯ generally stays only in their territory and adapted regions, but asionallyes out to non-adapted areas through contracts.] [¡®The Promise Bound by Dragon¡¯ rune resonates with the vampire¡¯s proposal, satisfying special conditions. A contract with ¡®Count Ripley¡¯, the noble vampire of Beltaine, bes possible. If you contract with them, you must pay a harsh price. Due to the ¡®Corpse Commander¡¯ rune, you are not limited in the number of contractible undead.] -Hey, want to make a contract with me? Along with those words, an information window poured out. And the girl introduced as a vampire smiled at me. ¡°But, to contract with me, you have to offer your heart.¡± Offering the heart.Clearly, even the necromancer from earlier had said this when wanting a contract. For some reason, it seemed the contract wasn¡¯t finalized at the end, but anyway, he also dyed the contract until the final crisis, perhaps because of such conditions. I tilted my head and asked her back. ¡°What do you mean by offering the heart?¡± ¡°Exactly what it sounds like! I¡¯ll engrave a mark on your heart as soon as we contract¡­¡± She trails off and shows an even deeper smile. The words she utters next are brutal. ¡°That mark will eventually lead you to ruin. How about it?¡± This is not a vampire, it¡¯s almost a demon. Her face was already mysterious and pretty¡­ When she smiled brightly, she became even prettier. She had something that could enchant people, to the point where if an ordinary person received the proposal, they would probably agree without even listening to the content. But I¡¯m a person who¡¯s somewhat adapted to external beauty. I could make a more rational judgment than others. ¡°Who would ept such a condition? You say ruin, but it just means I¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A mark engraved on the heart that will eventually lead me to ruin. Intuitively, it probably means it will lead to death. It¡¯s really an absurd condition. What crazy person would make a contract knowing they¡¯ll die? But the vampire said with a pouty face to my words. ¡°You, your words are a bit harsh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I offended you.¡± I apologized without realizing it. I could see she was upset from her deeply furrowed face. It seems she was really angry because my tone was rough. It¡¯s ironic that a vampire wants to use polite speech¡­ But since she looked like a pure girl, it somewhat matched. ¡°So, you won¡¯t make the contract?¡± Maybe my logic had an effect. The vampire pushes forward without being able to refute. It seems she changed direction with a confident attitude rather than persuasion. I pondered her proposal for a moment¡­ Then nodded and answered. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Why not offer my heart once?¡± Vampire, or blood-sucker. Those called such by humans are very special beings that go beyond the realm of ordinary monsters. Along with well-known beings in the Holder world like lycanthropes and death knights, they are ¡®unique monsters¡¯ with different powers for each individual¡­ And even the basic individuals possess at least A-grade or higher strength. They freely utilize various magic and special abilities, and sometimes there are mutant vampires who use weapons. Naturally, they¡¯re not easy to find, and a contract with such a being is an opportunity that won¡¯te again. I couldn¡¯t just let it go because it¡¯s dangerous. ¡®Besides¡­¡¯ I had no intention of fully epting the conditions set by the vampire. I don¡¯t know exactly what kind of mark she¡¯s talking about¡­ But at least if it¡¯s in the form of a ¡®curse¡¯ affected by the system, I had my own beliefs. The vampire¡¯s eyes widened at my answer. ¡°Huh? Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll do it, the contract.¡± A simple affirmative answer. At this, a bright smile spread across her lips. Then she approached excitedly, grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re the first human to contract so quickly! As expected, you¡¯re an interesting human.¡± ¡­Ridiculously enough. With this, the contract was established. [Contract sessful! ¡®Count Ripley (Special)¡¯ is added to the list of contract targets for the ¡®Promise Bound by Dragon¡¯ rune. As it¡¯s a conditional contract that¡¯s notplete, some of the contractor¡¯s abilities are restricted.] [Current contracted undead list (1/999+)] [You have contracted with a noble being of Beltaine. Surprising contract results sometimes dramatically increase your understanding of runes.] [The level of the ¡®Promise Bound by Dragon¡¯ rune has increased.] [The level of the ¡®Promise Bound by Dragon¡¯ rune has increased.] [You gain 5 Leadership from the rune¡¯s nature.] [The symbol of the noble vampire, Count Ripley, is ¡®Seed¡¯. The contractor¡¯s symbol also affects you.] [You gain 5 Earth Resistance from the contractor¡¯s nature.] Quite a lot of information windows pop up. The special effect of the [Corpse Commander] rune was applied for the first time, adding the first undead to the ¡®contracted undead list¡¯, which is unlimited. Ripley¡¯s rank was so high that the [Promise Bound by Dragon] rune also leveled up twice at once. But I saw something I didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡®What¡¯s this symbol thing?¡¯ Count Ripley¡¯s ¡®symbol¡¯, the seed. It wasn¡¯t specific information, but thanks to this, my Earth Resistance stat increased by 5. I thought I¡¯d need to look into Ripley¡¯s contractor information to know more details about this. And. [As a condition of the contract with Count Ripley, a ¡®Seed of Doubt¡¯ is nted in your heart. The moment the seed fully blooms and flowers, Count Ripley will bite your neck and take your blood.] [The special power of the ¡®Rune of Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the target¡¯s clear mind! It remains unshaken by any curse or abnormal status.] ¡®Bingo.¡¯ I silently cheered. As expected, the countermeasure I prepared worked perfectly. No, it wasn¡¯t even a countermeasure. It was just the performance of a rune I already possessed. I didn¡¯t know the exact information about the ¡®Seed of Doubt¡¯, but I was certain from the moment I heard about it from Ripley. The mark itself would be in the ¡®curse¡¯ category. It makes sense, as it¡¯s not specifically setting up a magic trap, and remotely interfering with someone¡¯s death is hard to find outside of curses or status abnormalities. And when ites to curses or status abnormalities¡­ I had a special rune that made me immune to everything. ¡®¡­This is really overpowered.¡¯ I marvel once again. It doesn¡¯t matter if the curse duration is long or short. Once it¡¯s applied, I¡¯m immune. It¡¯s no wonder [Rune of Clear Mind] is called a cheat rune, just like [Effort of the Seeker]. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± After the contract waspleted, Ripley asked me with a bright smile. She seemed ted by the sessful contract. I gained one more piece of information here. ¡®She doesn¡¯t know that the seed was removed.¡¯ The curse Ripley ced on me, the ¡®Seed of Doubt¡¯¡­ It seems that once it leaves the caster¡¯s hands, they can¡¯t track its progress. The information window said it would suck blood when it blooms, so perhaps only the result is reported back to Ripley. ¡®This is unexpectedly thrilling.¡¯ I felt my interest piquing for some reason. Until now, I¡¯ve met contractors with very high loyalty (As, Jeten) or strong self-will (TYrbon), but this was the first time I¡¯d met a contractor with such a special intention. Moreover, she looks human, so she doesn¡¯t give off a monster-like vibe at all. ¡®It feels like I¡¯ve gained a mischievous little sister.¡¯ ¡­Even though she¡¯s actually a vampire who can easily kill humans. ¡°Hey! I asked what your name is.¡± Ripley puts her hands on her hips and pouts again. ¡­Is she really a vampire? I chuckled and asked back. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the contractor¡¯s name? Shouldn¡¯t it appear in the system information window?¡± ¡°That¡¯s only when I¡¯m an adapter. This isn¡¯t Beltaine, you know.¡± From the earlier information, Beltaine seems to be thend where the vampire n and their subordinates reside. Ripley, being a vampire, is naturally an ¡®adapter¡¯ there. ¡®So she can¡¯t use the system in ces she hasn¡¯t adapted to.¡¯ New information floods in after contracting with her. I guess she can¡¯t use itpletely, but probably just can¡¯t read the information window. ¡°Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Do¡­ Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Yeah. No noble title like you, just Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Of course! You think bing a noble is easy? You need to have your own territory!¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s just a figure of speech.¡± She¡¯s really living up to the mischievous vampire image. She doesn¡¯t let a singlement slide. ¡°Do Jae-hyun¡­ That¡¯s an unusual name.¡± Ripley repeats my name a few times. Then she ps her hands and says, ¡°I¡¯ve memorized it! Now let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°¡­Are you really a vampire?¡± She¡¯s too bright and cheerful. I sighed and ced my hand on the ground. I was using magic detection through [Prey Search], a sub-rune of [Descendant of the Barbarian King]. ¡°What are you doing? I said let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait a bit. We need to find the exit to get out.¡± Although the necromancer and undead have all disappeared, finding the exit in this maze-like trap is a different matter. That¡¯s why I was using a tracking rune after a while. But Ripley, hearing my words, had a nk expression for a moment¡­ And then burst intoughter. ¡°Kyahaha. You don¡¯t need to find that.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± As I turned my head at this unexpected statement, arge hole appeared in front of where Ripley was standing. Although it looked suspicious¡­ It was clearly an exitposed of magic. ¡°This looping trap, I made it. Well, to be precise, I created this entire massive maze myself.¡± And then came the shocking fact. Ripley continued with a bright smile. ¡°Is there any ce you want to go? I¡¯ll take you there to celebrate our contract.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡±
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 297 Chapter 297 Doing Well Even if Scattered (6) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Swoosh-. Screech-!! A chilling scream was heard, and another Purple Specter vanished. Yoo Eun-seol inwardly sighed as she swung her sword. ¡®¡­There are many.¡¯ After falling into the trap called , Yoo Eun-seol led her Hunting Team 1 in search of an exit. And they encountered a massive number of undead.Although other teams would also face monsters, the area Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s team found seemed to have a particrlyrge quantity. ¡®And they¡¯re tricky.¡¯ The types of undead appearing in the area were also a problem. The ones they¡¯ve encountered so far included Geists, Wraiths, Purple Specters, ck Phantoms¡­. While all these words mean ¡®ghost¡¯, they were given separate monster names in the Holder world due to their slightly different appearances and abilities. Their biggest characteristic was that physical attacks generally didn¡¯t work on them. Divine power or magic had to be used for attacks to be effective, and some even had the ability to pass through their opponents. They were truly monsters that best fit the term ¡®Dead spirit¡¯. Since conventionalbat methods didn¡¯t work, even the warrior-ss n members who took the lead found it difficult to avoid struggling. ¡®My power too¡­.¡¯ Moreover, the fact that Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t effective in battles against multiple opponents was also contributing to the unfavorable situation. Yoo Eun-seol, a top-ss assassin. She exerts great power in one-on-one situations, fitting her ss abilities. Her ultimate skills like [Snowfield Descending Blossoms] and [Thousand Flower Leaf Kill] were single-target skills that dealt a powerful blow to only one target. Screech-!! Swoosh-!! The unpleasant cries of the Wraiths spread again. Yoo Eun-seol, who had been lost in thought for a moment, soon gritted her teeth and raised her weapon. In a situation where high-level undead were chaotically moving around and threatening team members, The one who needed to exert the most strength now was Yoo Eun-seol herself, the team leader and n vice-master. ¡°Haap¡­!!¡± The S-grade Holder¡¯s attack descends among the ghosts. [Footsteps of the Snow Mountain], considered the strongest among footwork-type runes. And [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], which is closer to aesthetics than swordsmanship. When these two runes, embodying the aesthetics of martial arts, intersected, the most beautiful sword dance was unfolding on the battlefield. Although there wasn¡¯t a powerful single blow like an ultimate skill, she shows an intense performance just by utilizing the runes she possesses. Five, ten, twenty, thirty¡­. Ghosts in numbers too many to count fell. If they could fight like this, it seemed they could hunt all those numerous undead. ¡®Not good.¡¯ But this was too optimistic an assumption. Even for an S-grade Holder, strength and magic are limited, and there¡¯s a limit to the hands and feet that can be used. In this seemingly endless swamp of undead¡­ Yoo Eun-seol and the n members of Team 1 were likely to be exhausted. ¡®Hmm¡­ I need Jae-hyun.¡¯ She suddenly felt a desperate need for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s help. With his diverse abilities and solid skills, he was particrly strong in these many-versus-few battles. He swept through battlefields using highly mobile contractors, and always turned unfavorable battle situations to his advantage by utilizing his multi-skills, which were his strength. Although Yoo Eun-seol had experienced many party hunts as an unaffiliated Holder¡­ Looking back on all those memories, there was no battle as fast and efficient as the two-person tactics she conducted with him. ¡®¡­I¡¯ve be weak. Having thoughts like these.¡¯ Yoo Eun-seol strengthened her grip on the sword, pulling herself together. In fact, she had fought in worse conditions, with even less capable team members. And somehow overcame desperate situations and seeded in the conquest. The current situation wasn¡¯t much different from then. It was just that this was a n led by her beloved disciple. The fact that she wanted to protect all its members without a single casualty. ¡­These factors were causing her heart to waver bit by bit. Swoosh- Swoosh-!! Screech-. The terrible ghosts pounce again. This time, it¡¯s a group of ck Phantoms attempting a collective attack. Yoo Eun-seol bit her lip tightly and raised her sword again. ¡­Or rather, she was about to raise her sword. ¡°Step away.¡± Until that voice was heard. She felt the strength in her raised sword suddenly drain away. The face she had longed to see so much¡­ Appearing along with that briefly heardmand. And then. Pop- Papap-!! Screech-!! Soon after, the surrounding group of ck Phantoms began to be deleted. Literally ¡®deleted¡¯. The man who entered the seemingly endless horde of ghosts was swinging his dagger, moving through them at a speed almost impossible to catch. Yoo Eun-seol knew the identity of this skill. ¡®Falling Blossoms Aesthetics¡­.¡¯ Judging by themand and skill effect, this was definitely [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics] created by Do Jae-hyun. [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], known as the me Flower version among dagger martial arts. The ultimate skill that Do Jae-hyun finally created within it. And it was also the skill that Yoo Eun-seol had set as a condition for joint research when joining his n . And now, thepleted form of its activation¡­ Was unfolding before her eyes. ¡°Vice-Master. Are you badly hurt anywhere?¡± Another man approached and asked from beside her. Lim Hyun, the leader of ¡¯s Hunting Team 2. He was a fellow Holder with whom she had done many conquests when she was unaffiliated. Although the n members had been scattered when they fell into the , they were now all gathered around Do Jae-hyun. Yoo Eun-seol answered, not hiding her surprised expression. ¡°¡­As you can see. Have all the other n members gathered as well?¡± ¡°Yes. The n Master found all of us. He¡¯s truly amazing.¡± Lim Hyun¡¯s voice and eyes were full of trust. Along with him, her gaze turns towards the front where the battle was taking ce. There was Do Jae-hyun, freely maneuvering between the ghosts with two short swords filled with divine power. And seeing that sight, Yoo Eun-seol felt a sense of relief wash over her without realizing it. It was truly amazing and surprising¡­ But it made sense because the subject was Do Jae-hyun again. ¡°That¡¯s right. Really¡­¡± ¡­Jae-hyun is an incredible disciple. Swallowing those words, Yoo Eun-seol smiled at the corners of her mouth. The n master and n members had all gathered. Now it was time to leave this infuriating trap. *** Ippotrantion *** There was no lie in Ripley¡¯s words about designing the trap herself. Following the magical exit she created, truly different spaces and new types of undead revealed themselves. The first ce we arrived was the area where Holder Lim Hyun and Team 2 were, but we couldn¡¯t go directly to where they were, so we had to walk a bit after entering. ¡°Is this area also one that goes around in circles like where I was?¡± A question that came up out of curiosity while walking. Ripley shook her head in response. ¡°That trap was only set for the area you were in, Do Jae-hyun. The trap in this point is a huge pit in the middle. If you fall in there, it¡¯s hard to get out even if you use all your physical strength and magic power.¡± ¡°What?¡± Crazy. Then we need to hurry and rescue them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one has been detected yet.¡± Ripley reassured me, wiggling her fingers. ¡°And here, they¡¯ve already met other humans.¡± ¡°Met them?¡± ¡°Yes. Unlike the area you were in, Do Jae-hyun, many other areas are connected to each other. Even so, to get to the final area, you still need to find the mediating ce.¡± When I asked her for descriptions, it turned out to be members of Team 3. It seemed that Team 2 and Team 3 members had seeded in finding each other. ¡°What¡¯s this final area? Is that a trap too?¡± Ripley answered that question with a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yeah! I just made it ording to the request. There¡¯s no special trap there, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s there. But you have to go through there to get out of this maze. That¡¯s how I designed it.¡± Ripley put her hands on her waist as if proud of it. Seeing that, I shook my head and moved forward. As expected, despite her tremendous abilities, her personality and way of speaking were just like a mischievous little sister. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?!¡± And she approached me again with her forehead deeply furrowed. ¡°Ripley. I have one more question.¡± ¡°Yeah! Go ahead.¡± ¡­It was easy to subdue her. I asked the question I¡¯d been most curious about since we made the contract earlier. ¡°Doesn¡¯t my divine power bother you? Other necromancers all refused to contract because of the divine power.¡± A high recovery score of 76. And [Madness of Faith]. There¡¯s even the [Silver Moonshadow] rune. Divine power so pure it could almost be called that of a knight. Naturally, without the [Dark Covenant] rune, such intense manifestation of divine power bes something undead avoid. That¡¯s why I hadn¡¯t been able to contract with a single necromancer until now, and Ripley, being a vampire, would also fall under the undead ssification, so it should have been the same for her. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m the noble Count of Beltaine. That level of divine power isn¡¯t enough to interfere with the contract.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± And the answer was simple. ¡­That level of divine power. I thought I had be quite pure, but it seems for Ripley, it wasn¡¯t yet at a level that would impact the contract significantly. ¡®Well. At least it¡¯s not bad.¡¯ What she implied was significant. It meant that the undead I¡¯d encountered so far weren¡¯t able to surpass my divine power, and also that Ripley, who did surpass it, was that much stronger as a contractor. The contract made by chance was turning out more and more positive. ¡°M-Master!¡± ¡°Are you alright, Master!¡± Anyway, Ripley and I soon arrived where the n members were. Just before falling into what Ripley called the ¡®pit trap¡¯. As expected, the gathered n members were from Teams 2 and 3, and fortunately, there were no casualties. That¡¯s how we slowly found the scattered n members. ¡°Cami? Call me Father one more time.¡± ¡°Oh, Do Jae-hyun. I¡¯m quitting. Being a team leader is tough.¡± Starting with Park Jin-woo¡¯s Team 5, who said they encountered Death Knights and Lich hordes. ¡°Burn endlessly! Burn! Burn¡­!!¡± ¡°J-Juyeon. Stop it, they¡¯re already dead. No, you can only use ultimate skills once anyway.¡± Team 4, who said they met enemies with the same tendencies as themselves. ¡­And my lovers who seemed somewhat off. ¡°Jae-hyun, you managed to find everyone after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Master.¡± Finally, the ¡®Ghost Zone¡¯, said to have thergest number of monsters in this maze. To Team 1 with my master, who had been struggling alone to protect the n members. Like putting together a broken puzzle, I managed to find all the n members, and fortunately, there were no casualties among the elites of even in this extreme situation. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ripley.¡± ¡°Okay! Then we¡¯ll depart~¡± Under the guidance of the brightly smiling Ripley, we were able to enter the ¡®final area¡¯ of the maze without bloodshed. And then. [You have reached the end of the ¡®Maze Touched by Death¡¯. This is the convergence point of the magic that operates the area. If you input magic into this point, you can escape the ¡®Maze Touched by Death¡¯.] With the information window appearing before my eyes- ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Do Jae-hyun.¡± -And a very familiar face I¡¯d seen many times before. At the end of the maze, that guy was there.
Have not really done this before but here¡¯s a shout out to the patrons that has supported this novel: zerobrainz, jopseph, shopping, myamya, beefedupkronks, gusts, sean, Happycheesecake, AthalosJ, TyrannicalWall, fayth_fugu, Lowah, ConspiracyPizza and the one that has been there right from day one, Jared. And of course the readers on site. Thank you all so much for being amazing. Have a nice /ippostrantions Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Mirror Battle in the Sky (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The end of the maze was too vast to be called a maze. The front was wide open, and the ceiling rose endlessly. If there had been only sunlight or moonlight, it would have been believable as open ground outside, given its expanse. And in the center, a man revealing an overwhelming presence. ¡®¡­Hwang Seong-yeon.¡¯ The former sub-master of , Hwang Seong-yeon. Still a wanted criminal domestically and¡­Someone deeply connected to me. He stood at the end of this vast maze, atop a distant undead legion. I slowly surveyed the undead under Hwang Seong-yeon, and soon became bewildered. ¡®Damn¡­ There are too many.¡¯ The final area boasts thergest space in the maze zone. The sheer quantity of undead nearly filling that space was literally staggering. At least on par with the legion encountered at the entrance of , with even more undead behind him that couldn¡¯t be properly seen. It felt like all the undead hunted in the maze so far might not match the numbers before my eyes. Moreover, their types were diverse. From ghostly forms like specters and wraiths, to skeletal forms like death knights and liches, to monstrous forms like zombies and revenants¡­. Various types of undead beasts stood in formation far below Hwang Seong-yeon. There were too many for our n to face rtively. ¡°I knew you¡¯d find this ce quickly. Waiting was quite boring.¡± As I was assessing the enemy forces in shock, Hwang Seong-yeon speaks first with a grin. Despite the considerable distance between us, his voice was heard clearly as if using a microphone. ¡°So you¡¯ve decided to go under Ludenarkpletely? Fighting alongside the undead, seems you¡¯ve thrown away your pride.¡± I chose words to provoke him as much as possible. Honestly, I wanted to fight immediately without even replying¡­ But given the suddenbat situation, my n members also needed some preparation. An efficient battle in optimal conditions. It was a war of words to buy even a little preparation time. ¡°That¡¯s quite boring as far as provocation goes. You must have expected this too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unfortunately. That provocation didn¡¯t have much effect. In fact, I had expected this to some extent. I thought Hwang Seong-yeon, who had joined hands with the Ludenark school, would be somewhere in the , and if was truly the domain of Vice-Master Dave¡­ would be Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s area of activity. I thought it was a usible guess. That¡¯s why I was particrly satisfied when I obtained the divine sword at the entrance. Because it seemed I would soon meet Hwang Seong-yeon wielding the demon sword. ¡°Wow¡­ So that¡¯s the person who¡¯s in cahoots with the client. Interesting.¡± Meanwhile. Ripley, who had been quiet beside me, sparkled her eyes. That murmur made me wonder for a moment. ¡®¡­Is this her first time seeing Hwang Seong-yeon too?¡¯ She was a vampire who had temporarily joined hands with Ludenark, and the maze creator who had directly guided us here. The client was probably Dave, the vice-Master of Ludenark, but from her words, it seemed this was her first time seeing Hwang Seong-yeon. It seems she didn¡¯t leave this ce even after creating the maze, andmunicated remotely with the Ludenark school. ¡°Interesting. Have you made a contract with the maze creator?¡± But Hwang Seong-yeon knew about Ripley. Seeing her unique appearance and standing next to me, he immediately grasped the rtionship. For a gloomy criminal, his insight was annoyingly quick. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be a need to tell you.¡± ¡°Still prickly as ever.¡± ¡°Think about what you¡¯ve done. How could I speak kindly?¡± ¡°Is that so. I prepared a special gift for you, but it seems you¡¯re not particrly interested.¡± To hell with gifts. Looking at his shameless face and tone, he really does seem like a criminal. Ignoring Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s words, I slowly drew my weapon. A divine sword against a demon sword. The divine sword [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance], the only one that can counter his demon sword [Dine if]. When I first encountered Hwang Seong-yeon, I waspletely overwhelmed, bewildered by his unknown abilities¡­ But in our second sh, I found some ways to counter, and now in our third confrontation, I was equipped with a suitable weapon. Now we could face each other head-on under equal conditions. But then. ¡°M-Master. Over there¡­¡± The voice of a n member calling me and¡­ A tremendous roar piercing my ears. The maze was shaking with massive vibrations. The shockwave was so intense that it reached all our n members, including the undead in front. And then. Gyaooo-!! A monstrous creature soared high into the sky. An enormous body filling the entire view, bone fragments piled within, ws that seemed able to tear anything apart, red inner light, and tattered yet chilling wings¡­. An undead form, very familiar, as if seen somewhere before. This was clearly¡­ The king of undead, a ¡®Bone Dragon¡¯. ¡°No¡­ Way.¡± Like the n member who first discovered it, my eyes were filled with shock. The Bone Dragon that Hwang Dong-yeon had contracted with the [Death Revival] skill during the past ¡®Viin Subjugation Operation¡¯. Although it was a monster created by the Ludenark school, its power and aura as amander were so strong that even Hwang Dong-yeon couldn¡¯t handle it properly. And that ¡®temporary contract¡¯ was broken, and the Bone Dragon had contracted with me. But now there¡¯s ¡®another¡¯ Bone Dragon? However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. There was an even bigger problem. ¡°I told you, Do Jae-hyun! That I prepared a gift! How do you like it? I find it quite entertaining!¡± Riding atop the bone dragon, Hwang Seong-yeon shouts towards me. This meant that Hwang Seong-yeon was now directly controlling that bone dragon. As far as is known, he shouldn¡¯t have any runes rted to contracts, but whether the Ludenark school had taken some measures, he was skillfully handling and moving the bone dragon. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± There were more than a few questions, but I couldn¡¯t just stand there gawking. Anyway, what¡¯s in front of me is clearly a bone dragon, and judging by its form and aura, it¡¯s much more powerful than the first bone dragon. Moreover, the rider of the bone dragon is the owner of the demon sword. This was certainly not abination to be ignored. For someone with strong power like Hwang Seong-yeon to gain mobility andbat versatility meant that the already difficult battle would be much moreplicated. If I stayed still like this, it was clear that my n members would be in danger. ¡°Call of the Contract¡­!!¡± I shouted with all my might and leaped from my spot. The contractor I summoned was, of course, Tyrbon. It was the only monster capable of reiming the already dominated aerial domain. Gyaooo-!! Tyrbon¡¯s rough roar was heard, and I lightly mounted it and began to fly. ¡®Tyrbon. We absolutely must not lose.¡¯ -Don¡¯tpare me to such a fake, master. Although it was an unexpected mirror match, Tyrbon showed no fear at all. Rather, it seemed ready to tear apart the opponent at any moment. I smiled at its overflowing confidence. And I focus my eyes forward. A battle between bone dragon and bone dragon. It was the beginning of a fight with an unpredictable oue. *** Ippotrantion *** Gyaooo-!! Kyaooo-!! A scene of hell unfolds in the sky. Two massive bone dragons were shing, fiercely attacking each other. And with this as the starting point. The battle of the n members also began. While Hwang Seong-yeon had risen to the sky riding the bone dragon, an overwhelming number of undead still remained below. ¡°All warrior sses, charge forward! Form a coordinated formation!¡± Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s urgent voice echoes across the battlefield. With n Master Do Jae-hyun leaping into the sky to face Hwang Seong-yeon, the overallmand of the n naturally fell to her, the vice master. And in the current situation, they needed to engage in nbat rather than team battles. Yoo Eun-seol, befitting her experience as an S-grade Holder who had long led unaffiliated Holders, unhesitatingly assigned n members to their respective roles and led the battle. Kak, Kageu-! Keugeugeug-!! The ranks of undead begin to pour into the front lines. There were notably many skeletons in the initial formation, probably because they were the armed monsters among the undead and excelled in initial attacks. And that¡¯s not the end of it. Leading the battle at the forefront¡­ A group of several Death Knights. High-ranking monsters appeared right from the start. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± And as soon as the Death Knights appeared, Park Jin-woo immediately rushed forward with his sword. He had been facing Death Knights ever since arriving at . Among the warrior-ss n members here, he had probably faced the most Death Knights. ¡®I need to kill them as quickly as possible.¡¯ While the power of Death Knights varied by individual, they were powerful undead monsters ranging from at least A-grade to S-grade. That¡¯s why it was important to break their momentum through early surprise attacks. Especially in a ce teeming with legion-level undead like this, allowing Death Knights to roam freely could pose a significant threat to n members who were stillcking in skill. [The targets you wish to protect and those defined as enemies are activated. The special effect of the ¡®Bnce Seeker¡¯ rune is triggered. As a result of target calction, all your abilities are temporarily increased by 47%.] And then an information window shes up. This was the true power of the [Bnce Seeker] rune that Park Jin-woo had acquired. After first awakening this ability in , he had been dealing with this power superficially for a while, but after receiving advice from his father Park Ji-hwan in the maze and facing Death Knights, he was able to unleash its true value. The most crucial special effect of the [Bnce Seeker] rune was that the Holder¡¯s abilities temporarily increased ording to the number of defined enemies. Because it tries to bnce between the targets to protect and the enemies, the greater the disparity, the higher the rate of ability increase. So now, Park Jin-woo was facing enemies with abilities much stronger than usual. ¡®I need to finish this quickly and help Jae-hyun.¡¯ Park Jin-woo¡¯s thoughts were directed towards the sky. Intense collisions were still urring in the air. Although he couldn¡¯t fully grasp the momentum, even Park Jin-woo on the ground could easily feel that the dark energy emanating from Hwang Seong-yeon had be much more intense than before. So while trusting his friend Do Jae-hyun, he had a strong desire to end the ground battle as quickly as possible to help him. Keu, Kagaga-!! Kang- Kang- Kagagang-!! Quickly, even quicker. In an instant, he sweeps through 30 skeleton warriors. His main rune, which evolved from [Unstoppable Swift Sword] to [Shadow-Treading Sword] as he awakened the power of the Seeker. Though the name changed, its essence of wielding a swift sword remained the same. Based on explosive ability increase and tremendous speed, Park Jin-woo arrived at the center of the enemy vanguard, sweeping away all the skeletons in the front. ¡®Got them.¡¯ And finally. When he arrived at the group where the Death Knights were gathered. Park Jin-woo gritted his teeth and uttered amand. ¡°Chase the darkness¡­!!¡± The ultimate skill that had also changed as the rune evolved. It was the manifestation of [True Flying Moon sh].
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Mirror Battle in the Sky (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Gya-ooo-!! Kya-ooo-!! Terrifying roars that seem to tear and devour the opponent spread everywhere. A signal re announcing the start of an aerialbat with no quarter given. We began to charge straight ahead without hesitation. Both Hwang Seong-yeon riding the new Bone Dragon, and I flying with Tyrbon. At least for the first collision, neither of us had any intention of backing down.And then. Kwa-aang-!! An incredibly fierce first collision urs. A violent sh to gauge each other¡¯s abilities. The head of the opponent¡¯s Bone Dragon and Tyrbon¡¯s head met forcefully. Within this brute-force movement, each side likely hid their techniques to deliver effective blows, but in any case, their first collision was a contest of raw strength in a reckless melee. And as soon as the two monsters collided, I immediately realized. ¡®Our strength is higher.¡¯ I could feel Tyrbon pushing back the opponent¡¯s Bone Dragon with sheer force. Although the difference wasn¡¯t overwhelming, given that the purpose of the sh was to gauge the opponent¡¯s abilities, this was quite a good harvest. Of course, we didn¡¯t excel in all abilities. Whether the creators hadpensated for previous weaknesses, I could definitely feel that their speed was superior to ours, and the durability stat, which could be considered the Bone Dragon¡¯s greatest strength, seemed simr for both sides. ¡®Considering the importance of battle¡­.¡¯ But just being on par with the opponent¡¯s abilities was as good as us being ahead. Originally, Tyrbon¡¯s predecessor, the Bone Dragon, was temporarily given to Hwang Dong-yeon by the Ludenark School during the ¡®Viin Cleanup Operation¡¯ due to their cooperative rtionship, and the Bone Dragon we¡¯re facing now was purposefully created to catch us and handed over to Hwang Seong-yeon. The materials, costs, effort put into its creation¡­ Compared to Tyrbon¡¯s predecessor, nothing wascking. To show such equal abilities against an undead like this was a remarkable achievement. ¡®It was worth cultivating and evolving all this time.¡¯ This growth of Tyrbon didn¡¯te out of nowhere. It had steadily increased its rune levels and honed its battle senses while exploring dungeons with me, and in , it even achieved evolution as a reward for clearing, breaking free from its framework as a mere undead. It had grown from a simple undead monster into a young dragon. Naturally, it couldn¡¯t help but be much strongerpared to before. When I was in the midst of raising it, it was troublesome due to the time and effort required, but now that it¡¯s repaying me with these results, I couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. ¡®Tyrbon, roll over and fly to the left.¡¯ -Understood Master. Even the execution of such orders had be quite smooth. In the past, it might have spouted nonsense like ¡®Why are we running away, Master? I want to fight! but now it seems to acknowledge that I, as its master, have far superior battle sense. Anyway, we flew on, unraveling from the entangled situation. ¡°Are you running away, Do Jae-hyun!¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s shout is heard, and the enemy Bone Dragon immediately chases after us. After that. A flight bordering on acrobatics began. When the enemy tries to close the distance and grab our tail, Tyrbon turns its head and rotates its body to the right. When the enemy increases its speed to bite our body, Tyrbon sharply reduces its speed and dives downward. Fleeing when they approach, distancing when they get close¡­ A flight that¡¯s like a kind of chase. Normally, we should be caught by the enemy Bone Dragon with its higher speed, but Tyrbon, under the effect of [The Greatest Racehorse under Heaven], and mymands while detecting magical power, overcame that difference in abilities. ¡®The sky is still too early for you, Hwang Seong-yeon.¡¯ The sky is a space where Tirbond and I have coordinated numerous times. No matter how skilled Hwang Seong-yeon is and how well-made the Bone Dragon is, trying to beat us in an aerial battle was greedy. Moreover, Tyrbon¡¯s rune utilization in between was exceptional. Kya-ooo-!! Kee-eet-?! Tyrbon¡¯s main runes are basically [Dragon¡¯s Fury] and [Dragon Promise]. These are mainly curse-type runes that affect the opponent¡¯s mind and inflict status ailments. But the opponent is Hwang Seong-yeon with a magic sword and a Bone Dragon. Of course, such dark attribute attacks wouldn¡¯t work. So Tyrbon actively utilized newly acquired runes. [Blue Sky Fighter] and [Sturdy Fangs] obtained after evolving into a young dragon, and [Lion¡¯s Fireworks] that I directly bestowed. Freely utilizing both physical and magical runes, it continuously pushed the enemy Bone Dragon, still inexperienced in rune usage, into difficult situations. Thanks to this, even while fleeing, we were consistently delivering small but irritating blows to the opponent. ¡®¡­It¡¯s here!¡¯ And at the end of this endless interference¡­ The moment the enemy Bone Dragon showed a slight opening due to fatigue. I was certain. The momentum of this biting chase had finally shifted to our favor. And without missing the opportunity, I hurriedly shouted internally. ¡®Tyrbon, now!¡¯ -Understood! Along with Tyrbon¡¯s response, our prepared strategy unfolds. Ka, grrrr-. Giii-! Tyrbon¡¯s body changes rapidly in an instant. The [Bone Fragment of Transformation] rune it possessed was manifesting. [Bone Fragment of Transformation] is a special rune that allows Tyrbon to freely adjust its body size by reassembling the bones that constitute it, and as the rune level increases, the transformation speed rises dramatically. And now, Tyrbon¡¯s level for that rune is 17. It canplete the transformation before the enemy Bone Dragon rushes in. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s confused voice is heard from afar, and soon the enemy Bone Dragon sweeps over the top of us. Due to Tyrbon¡¯s size suddenly bing smaller, they missed us, unable to target us urately. The moment our prepared strategy hit the mark perfectly. And this is not the end. ¨C Let¡¯s run, Master. Tyrbon, finding something to do without being ordered. We began to charge at full speed towards Hwang Seong-yeon and the enemy Bone Dragon that had just passed us by. Utilizing the ¡®Rapid Riding¡¯ effect of [Greatest Racehorse under Heaven]. We, who were being chased until just now, have now be the pursuers. ¡®Run faster, Tyrbon!¡¯ ¨C This is top speed, Master! When I first summoned it and collided with the enemy, there was no time to utilize runes due to the immediate impact. And during the subsequent chase, the distance with the enemy was so close that there wasn¡¯t enough space for a charge. But now. Now that we¡¯ve set up a perfect charging formation by utilizing [Bone Fragment of Transformation ] to catch them off guard. Our rush was fierce enough to tear through the sky. Gyaooo-!! Tyrbon¡¯s body reaches near the enemy¡¯s tail. The weapon in my hand is [Wyvern Spear]. I had already used the Art of Weapon Exchange. ¡°el Piercing¡­!!¡± Tyrbon and my signaturebo is activated. The enemy Bone Dragon had to take our [el Piercing] with its back turned, without even having time to properly turn around. Hwang Seong-yeon also tried to block our attack somehow, but it¡¯s too much to expect his abilities to be fully effective in an aerial battle. Kwaaang-!! Kee, iiii-!! Kak- Kagagak-!! The enemy Bone Dragon¡¯s bones shatter with a chilling burst. Maximum charging speed and a posture focused solely on attack. Even with pre-used ability-boosting buffs. No matter how much of an undead king the Bone Dragon is, it couldn¡¯t block [el Piercing] with just defense runes and durability in this situation. And then. Kang- Kagang-!! Along with the battle of monsters, the battle between humans continues. As soon as I saw an opening, I leapt from Tyrbon onto the enemy Bone Dragon. At the same time, my weapon changes to a divine sword. And simultaneously, Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s demon sword shes with it. We were facing each other with our swords on top of the falling Bone Dragon. ¡°This is¡­ Fun.¡± ¡°Stop putting on airs. Why did you pick a fight you can¡¯t win? What do you even know about aerialbat?¡± ¡°Kuk, kukkuk¡­.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon,ughing at my mockery, met my eyes. ¡°Yes, I admit it. I was indeed inexperienced in the sky.¡± At those words, I swallowed a bit of tension. It was just a taunt I threw out to provoke him, but seeing him admit it so easily, it seems he¡¯s quite worked up. At times like this, I must not let my guard down. And I had to take advantage of the openings created in the enemy through provocation. Ssut- Ssussu-. Ominous ck magical power gathers on his sword. The demon sword [Dine if]. And the rune [Hero yer], optimized for utilizing this item. Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s main rune and primary weapon were showing their true form with intense synergy. ¡®I won¡¯t be pushed back anymore.¡¯ I grip the divine sword in my hand more tightly, feeling tense. Although I obtained it by chance, this divine sword is the only item that can stand against his demon sword. I was confident that I wouldn¡¯t be easily defeated like before this time. But then. ¡°I certainly¡­ Admit it.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s attack target, with his demon sword drawn, was not me. Nor was he aiming at Tyrbon behind me or the n members on the ground. Hwang Seong-yeon raised his sword¡­ and stabbed the head of the Bone Dragon he was riding. ¡°I was inexperienced in the sky. So let¡¯s start from scratch, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard¡­!!¡± He hurriedly jumped off the Bone Dragon, and Tyrbon hastily retreated using the [Emergency Escape] skill. And then. Kwaaang-!! Bang! Kwagaga-!! The gathered ck magical power explodes from the enemy Bone Dragon¡¯s head. That crazy bastard Hwang Seong-yeon killed and exploded the undead he was riding on, trying to shock me and Tyrbon who were clinging to it. And simultaneously, Hwang Seong-yeon leaps and falls towards me. He rushed at me in mid-air, smiling madly like an evil spirit. ¡°It¡¯s round two from scratch, Do Jae-hyun!¡± ¡°Heuup¡­!!¡± I quickly raise my divine sword, drawing up magical and divine power. With the dead Bone Dragon and the quickly ended aerial battle. We shed swords as we fell.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Cessation (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Central Yeouido. On the top floor of the building housing the Korean Holder Association. In this space, converted entirely into a conference room, armed Rune Holders were gathered together. Notably, their skin was white, and their eyes were blue. American Rune Holders. They were members of the American n, dispatched in response to a request for aid from the Korean Holder Association. And at their center, a middle-aged man with an imposing physique stood, exuding rough charisma.An S-grade Holder from America and the world¡¯s strongest Holder. He was Liam Hendricks, the master of the n. ¡°We do not enter the dungeon under any circumstances.¡± This was the first statement Hendricks made in the conference room. His n members immediately fell into confusion. ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± ¡°No, then why are we here¡­?¡± All ns move ording to their interests. This was true whether in Korea or America. was no different. Nominally, they came to protect world peace and help Korea, but in reality, it was to get even a small foothold in the ¡®undiscovered superrge dungeon¡¯ that was attracting worldwide attention. -Official name , thergest dungeon in Holder history! Recently, after was revealed and its approximate structure was disclosed, interest from the Holdermunity worldwide surged rapidly. Evil groups like the Ludenark School and peace-oriented public interest attacks. Setting aside these purposes, had many interesting aspects. First, its scale was vast, with dungeon areas spread out extensively, and within it existed various ¡®zones¡¯ rted to the Ludenark School. Zones set up like double dungeons. Each zone had separate rewards for conquering, and naturally, as the level of monsters was high, the rewards were excellent. Holders couldn¡¯t help but be interested. ¡°Master. Wouldn¡¯t our losses be too great if we came all the way to Korea for nothing?¡± But topletely give up on conquering such a dungeon. The n members couldn¡¯t help but be bewildered by Hendricks¡¯ bombshell statement. However, Liam Hendricks¡¯ expression remained resolute. ¡°Our purpose is solely to protect the outside of the dungeon and Korea. And to deal with any Ludenark School members who might pop out.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Paul.¡± One n member continued to express dissatisfaction. Hendricks directly called him out. The n member immediately realized his mistake at the low baritone, but the reason for singling him out wasn¡¯t simply to me him. ¡°Have you ever seen dungeon monsters freelying and going in and out of dungeons?¡± ¡°¡­No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Neither have I. Moreover, we¡¯re not talking about monsters, but humans simr to us. We can¡¯t gauge how dangerous their abilities and intelligence might be, and it¡¯s hard to predict what results they might bring.¡± Hendricks raised his head to look at the n members. ¡°The current Holder world is in upheaval. Korea is at the center of it. We need to ept that fact. It means the times have changed a lot from when we used to act only chasing immediate interests.¡± Liam Hendricks was coolly assessing the reality. It¡¯s true that he and the n were the world¡¯s strongest. They had led the Holder world from the very beginning and taken pioneering steps within it. But there was now saying that wouldst forever. Just as he and had led the early days of the Holder world, now it was the Korean ns and Holders leading the global Holdermunity. ¡°Therefore, we focus on our assigned task of external protection. We will not independently proceed with dungeon entry until there are separate additional agreements with the Korean Holder Association.¡± Hendricks was trying to ride this trend, protecting world peace while also protecting the n¡¯s interests. If they moved rashly thinking only of immediate gains, it could sour rtions with Korea, who would lead future trends. Hendricks was preventing such incidents in advance. In fact, he was making the optimal choice as a n master. And then. ¡°Master! We¡¯ve received detection signals from the magic barriers and magical devices we set up. Just as the Korean allied forces advised! The enemies havee out of the dungeon.¡± One n member who had been dispatched in advance rushed in to report. Hearing this, Hendricks grinned. They hadn¡¯t just been sitting idle either. It was time to move. *** Ippotrantion *** Falling endlessly. And even while falling¡­ The sword strikes towards each other don¡¯t stop. Although the intense air pressure weighed down on their bodies, Hwang Seong-yeon and I moved with even more vigor as if we didn¡¯t care about such things. ¡®Stubborn bastard.¡¯ I¡¯m one thing, but Hwang Seong-yeon is something else. My main rune [Brave Eternal Wave], which belongs to the martial arts category, is by no means an easy sword technique. It incorporates the principles of [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] that my masters developed over decades with their own know-how, and additionally fuses the [Ocean Sword Technique] of veteran Holders. Even without special effects or skills, it¡¯s a very high-level rune that can defeat most monsters just by utilizing the rune. Yet Hwang Seong-yeon is fighting against this [Brave Eternal Wave] without wavering at all. Without even borrowing the power of ck magic or a demon sword. This meant that Hwang Seong-yeon also possessed a sword technique of simr orparable level. ¡®Genius¡­.¡¯ A genius in the Holder world that appears once in a decade, if that. I was freshly impressed by Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s abilities and position. And on the other hand, I also felt irritated. Why would someone so capable and great be obsessed with ughter and hurting people? The thoughts of psychopaths were just too hard to understand. ng-! ng-!! Amidst the shing sword strikes, Hwang Seong-yeon spoke softly. ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous if you fall like that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s falling.¡± As Hwang Seong-yeon said, at this rate I would be the one smashing into the ground. No matter how high my endurance stat is and how well-equipped my defense runes are, falling from this height would have a big impact. Knowing this, Hwang Seong-yeon increased the speed of his sword strikes. ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange.¡¯ And I put away the divine sword in my hand and took out [Pure Pdin¡¯s Shield]. A shield in one hand, a knuckle in the other¡­ In other words, bare-handed with a shield. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± For a moment, I heard Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s surprised voice, and I inhaled as I activated my martial arts technique. Although it¡¯s notparable to swordsmanship, my shield technique and martial arts, honed through [Master of Martial Arts], are superior to the skills of most warrior-ss Holders. I block Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s sword with the shield in one hand, and grab his body tightly with the other hand and both legs. I feel intense air resistance, but by pushing my strength to the limit, this much is no problem. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± [Master of Martial Arts], [Descendant of the Barbarian King], [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique], and even [Power of the Boiling Werewolf]. I receive the assistance of all runes rted to martial arts. Hwang Seong-yeon had firmly grabbed the wrong target in session. The thing I¡¯m most confident in after aerialbat in a duel¡­ Was none other than close-quartersbat. ¡°Haaah¡­!!¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± In an instant, I switched our positions. I perfectly block Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s thrusting sword with my shield. And in that moment when top and bottom are reversed. I kick him with all my strength in my right foot. ¡®Primordial Furious Attack¡¯ Literally kicked him. [Primordial Furious Attack] used in a state where physical attack assist runes are activated to the extreme. The power increased even more because I used only my body without a weapon. About 1 second before hitting the ground in the area. Hwang Seong-yeon, who was kicked, crashed into the ground one beat earlier. Crash, Craash-!! At the same time, I lightlynded on the ground. Originally, with the effect of [Mystical Dragon Boots] allowing movement in the air, there was no problemnding if there wasn¡¯t any particr impact. ¡°¡­Tough bastard.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s persistent attacks are giving me a headache. From the sudden aerial battle to the falling battle that followed from its recoil. Not a single easy fight. I managed to score a technical win somehow, but I also took quite a bit of damage, with Tyrbon¡¯s summon being canceled and using my main skills. Moreover, this isn¡¯t the end. That bastard must have taken some measures in this fall as well. The impact won¡¯t be big, and I don¡¯t know when a counterattack mighte. I didn¡¯t think it would end easily either. It was just a stage to take a slightly more advantageous position. ¡®I¡¯ve already used Dragonization and Berserk.¡¯ I consider battle preparations during this short time. [Berserk] and [Dragonization]. I¡¯ve already used all the stat buff skills. Among the howling skills in [Power of the Boiling Werewolf], I¡¯ve used all that could be effective in the current situation. ¡®Divine Bless.¡¯ Then I¡¯ll use a skill that increases divine power. [Divine Bless], a derivative skill of [Madness of Faith]. A skill that increases divine stats by 30% for 10 minutes. The divine stat, which was already pumped up by [Berserk] and [Dragonization], received another boost and recorded a whopping 160. With this level of ability, it could be considered S-grade in the divine category. An enormous amount of divine power overflowed from within my body. And one more thing. ¡°Holy Mercy.¡± After calling back the holy sword with the Art of Weapon Exchange, I plunge it into the ground where Inded. [Holy Mercy], the inherent skill of the divine sword. After stabbing the sword into the ground to create a protected area, it¡¯s a skill that gives buffs to all allies within that area for 10 minutes. This is no ordinary buff. It greatly increases resistance and immunity to dark attribute attacks, and allows all general abilities to increase by 10%¡­ It¡¯s a divine effect possible only because it¡¯s a ¡®divine sword¡¯. Although the duration is short, as long as they¡¯re in the area, all allies including myself gain a powerful edge against the undead. ¡®And the same goes for Hwang Seong-yeon.¡¯ The owner of the demon sword will also have extremepatibility in this domain. What¡¯s a buff skill for us bes a debuff skill for them. ¡°¡­Interesting.¡± As all the smoke from the immediate aftermath of the fall cleared, Hwang Seong-yeon, as expected, appeared unscathed. Using the divine skill I had been saving right afternding¡­ The reason for using up all the remaining buff skills was only one. To finish him off within 10 minutes, end this tiresome evil connection, and through that, put an end to all battles.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 301 Cessation (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] A chilly atmosphere surrounds the area. The calm before the storm. A situation where both sides¡¯ momentum is about to explode and collide. Normally, I might have waited longer here too. Generally, unless it¡¯s an ambush, defense is more efficient than offense. But now, there was no time for that. The buff times for [Dragon Transformation] and [Berserk] were almost over, and the newly applied buffs [Divine Blessing] and [Holy Mercy] didn¡¯t have long durations either.10 minutes. I had to take him down in just 10 minutes. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± So I raised my sword and charged faster than usual. Hwang Seong-yeon also raised his sword as if to meet my reckless movement. ng-! Kakakang-!! Sparks fly. The swords sh with a bursting sound, and dark magic and holy power strengthen their momentum as if to devour each other. If these were ordinary weapons, they would have shattered long ago in this tremendous wave of magic. Because we¡¯re both pouring all the power we can muster into the battle. But the magic sword [Dine if] and the divine sword [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance]. These two ¡®Myth-grade items¡¯ shone on the battlefield, boasting durability that seemed as if it would never wear down. Their momentum was beyond imagination, each containing the power of ¡®gods¡¯ with different natures. [The ¡®Silver MoonShadow¡¯ engraved on your body is continuously shining! The holy sword ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯ shows much more powerful performance.] And that¡¯s not all. The [Silver MoonShadow] I had acquired earlier through Do Seung-min. Thanks to this auxiliary rune that maximizes the performance of holy-type items, I could make much more intense attacks than the original power of the divine sword. Although it¡¯s not a rune optimized for a specific item (magic sword) like Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s [Hero yer], it matched quite well with the divine sword just by increasing divine sensitivity. Moreover, the effect of [Silver MoonShadow] bes stronger the higher the recovery value, and the performance of the divine sword also increases in proportion to the recovery value. Currently, my recovery value has increased to almost 180 with all kinds of buffs and the effect of [Holy Mercy]. This was by no means inferior to Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s [Hero yer] and magic sword. Pat- Pabat-!! ng- ng- Kakaka-!! Our swords keep shing and blocking each other. sh, sh, thrust, sh again. Turn and thrust, sh, thrust behind. I mixed countless variations into the attacks using [Brave Eternal Wave], but the S-grade Holder wielding the magic sword blocked them rather lightly. I also tried using skills like [Change Strikes] or [Poison w] in between, but to little effect. In a fight with an S-grade Holder, focusing on rune utilization and handling magic or holy power was more effective than using ordinary skills. ¡°Fight while being possessed.¡± And in the midst of such an intense battle. Suddenly, Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s lowmand was heard. ¡®¡­Ultimate skill!¡¯ I take a defensive stance as soon as I hear that voice. It¡¯s an ultimate skill. And in a form ofmand I¡¯ve never heard before. His well-known original ultimate skill is [Master of Blood]. It¡¯s the ultimate skill of the [Hero yer] rune that maximizes the power of the magic sword [Dine if] and enhances special abilities like ¡®super regeneration¡¯. And thatmand was clearly ¡®Swallow the blood¡¯. In other words, this skill was another ultimate skill that Hwang Seong-yeon possessed. Sut- Susu-. Kiiiii-!! The possession happened in an instant. The ck magic that was spewing from his feet and magic sword seemed to prate into the ground little by little, and then flew towards me at tremendous speed, dividing. The bizarre form of the divided magic was uniquely shaped like weapons. Weapons made of magic. Swords, spears, axes, hammers, arrows, maces¡­. An uncountable number of weapons were approaching me, wearing masks of ck magic from everywhere. ¡°Crazy¡­ Flow like rapids!¡± At this rate, I¡¯d be helplessly overwhelmed by those attacks. I hurriedly drew up my magic and countered with an ultimate skill. [True Flowing Sword]. My body and sword moving as if dancing. And the stream of water gushing from its end. It protected me by trapping me in a huge sphere created by water. Chwark-. Sut, sususu-!! The ck weapons lose their power as they hit the water sphere. Although it¡¯s a skill without holy power, it boasted quite stic defense due to therge amount of magic. ¡°It¡¯s a skill I¡¯ve never seen before.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Come to think of it, I had never shown the evolved [True Flowing Sword] in front of Hwang Seong-yeon. I answered tly to his exmation and quickly resumed my battle stance. ¡®This is my chance.¡¯ Even a high-ranking Holder with vast magic naturally gets tired after using an ultimate skill. It requires some recovery time along with a slight state of exhaustion. That¡¯s true for both Hwang Seong-yeon and me. We inevitably fall into a lull, keeping some distance from each other. But this lull¡­ For me, who has more ability to design battles, it was rather an opportunity. ¡°Power Break.¡± The first design. Change the terrain. The surroundings split with a roar that shakes the ground. [Power Break] of [Elemental Master]. It was a skill that shakes and splits the earth,pletely overturning the existing form of thend. And. ¡®Rush Meteor.¡¯ I add a fire-attribute magic attack on top of this. [Rush Meteor], another derivative skill of [Elemental Master]. An attack that drops multiplerge fire pits at chosen points. It¡¯s a skill I haven¡¯t used often, but it¡¯s quite effective in the current situation. Because. ¡°Hiding, huh. The pattern is obvious, Do Jae-hyun.¡± My n right now¡­ Was to hide my body within that shy attack. Although I used an attack skill, like [Power Break], its true purpose was to create unusual terrain to conceal myself. The greatly alteredndscape and my vanished figure. Hwang Seong-yeon mutters with a bored expression. Perhaps for someone of his skill level, this kind of stealth attack might have no effect. But even so, I had to try. An opponent against whom I need to use everything I have to have a chance of winning. That¡¯s Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡®Hide Attack.¡¯ I utilize [Stealth] along with its derived skill [Hide Attack]. Against Hwang Seong-yeon, [Stealth] would be detected in less than a second anyway. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s best to follow up with an attack right before being detected. Through the split earth and burning mes. I approached behind Hwang Seong-yeon. ng-!! But Hwang Seong-yeon immediately turns around, meeting my sword. In that short time, he had detected and understood my movements. As his confident tone suggested, my attack was easily blocked. ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯ However, I felt that I had achieved my intended goal. The preparation time needed after both using ultimate skills. I used that time to relentlessly push Hwang Seong-yeon, and in the process, he ended up focusing on defense. That¡¯s right. The important thing was that he ended up focusing on ¡®defense¡¯. ¡®Instead, an opening has appeared.¡¯ The demon sword [Dine if] and Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s abilities are focused solely on attack and ughter. Sometimes he shows ridiculous abilities like ¡®super regeneration¡¯, but the basic framework of his power is concentrated on extreme offense. Therefore, the moment he defends. Conversely, an opening is created. Power focused on attack shines brightest in attack. ¡°Lightning of Judgment¡­!!¡± A slight opening visible on Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s right shoulder. A part of the body where magic hasn¡¯t been gathered yet. Aiming for that gap, I used the holy-type skill I had been saving until the end. [Lightning of Judgment]. An inherent skill contained in the legendary item [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath] I bought at the auction house, it¡¯s an attack skill that delivers a powerful blow of pure holy power to the opponent. Along with [Divine sh], it was one of only two holy-type attack skills I possessed. ¡°¡­!¡± This is the first time. For the first time since the battle began, a surprised expression appeared on Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s face. The amount of holy power breaking through the gap¡­ He instinctively realized it was not at all insignificant. [Lightning of Judgment] is simr to [Primordial Furious Attack] in terms of physical attacks. Literally, it¡¯s an attack-type skill that gathers and concentrates holy power to its utmost and pours it onto the opponent, so it exerts very strong power against those who handle dark attributes or evil-aligned divine powers. From the start, when I bought the item at the auction house, I had chosen it imagining only this moment. ¡®It worked.¡¯ At that moment, I felt that the n I had drawn in my mind hade halfway. A momentary gap shown by the enemy. Expanding that gap further to make it a weakness. That was the core of this n. Then from now on, I¡¯ll continuously exploit the gap that has be a weakness. And. ¡®Ripley. Can you hear me by any chance?¡¯ -Huh? A surprised voice is transmitted. I guess she didn¡¯t expect me to suddenly call her in the middle of this fierce battle. My fourth contractor and first contractor as a necromancer. The vampire, Countess Ripley, had not been unsummoned since the battle began. Of course, I never forgot this fact. ¡®I need your power.¡¯ -My power? ¡®Yes.¡¯ Actually, I had already confirmed Ripley¡¯s abilities whileing to the final area of the maze. Befitting a vampire with the title of countess, her abilities seemed shy and quite powerful. But after much deliberation, I decided not to use them in this battle. The first reason was that I had never coordinated with her before, so I didn¡¯t know what variables might ur during the battle. The second was that I judged my own power to be more suitable for dealing with Hwang Seong-yeon than hers. It seemed right to use Ripley¡¯s power after I became a bit more familiar with it. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no use for it.¡¯ If I wasn¡¯t going to use it at all, I would have unsummoned her from the start. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unfamiliar with Ripley¡¯s abilities¡­ It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unfamiliar with the vast ¡®magic¡¯ she possesses. I took out the [Fusion Order] item and said to her. ¡®Sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you in advance.¡¯ -Tell me what? ¡®I¡¯m going to borrow your magic.¡¯ -Huh? What? W-wait. Do Jae-hyun, wait. Hey! Wait! I quickly utilize the [Magic Share] rune. This sub-rune within [Law of Contract] is a rune that allows contractors to borrow up to 30% of each other¡¯s magic. Originally, Ripley, who just contracted and has low loyalty, could have refused, but [Fusion Order], which shows cheat-level performance rted to contracts, deleted such intermediate processes. Thanks to this, the internal magic that had been depleted after usingrge-scale skills and ultimate skills in session was instantly replenished. This was the reason I had left Ripley from the start of the battle. ¡®Nice refueling.¡¯ Magic is filling up my entire body. Now I had to move on to the second n. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 302 Chapter 302 Cessation (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Replenishing magic from Ripley wasn¡¯t a choice, but a necessity. That¡¯s because in the second round that¡¯s about to unfold, the amount of magic and divine power to be expended will be much greater. I inflicted serious damage on Hwang Seong-yeon with my recent design, but this is by no means the end. Rather, this was just the beginning. ¡°¡­Swallow the blood.¡± Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s voice is heard from the settling dust. Ultimate skill [Master of Blood].A skill that maximizes the power of the magic sword [Dine if], enhancing existing abilities and even adding new effects. I had already predicted that he would use this skill. ¡®¡­More urately, I should say I induced it.¡¯ All the attacks so far were no different from me urging him to quickly bring out his trump card. Perhaps Hwang Seong-yeon knew this too, which is why he kept saving it. But in the end, by using the skill, I¡¯ve gained a step ahead in the strategy battle. ¡®I can¡¯t let my guard down.¡¯ Of course, the effect of [Master of Blood] is tremendous, as much as it was saved. Especially in a situation like now where the tide of battle was tilted to one side, it has the power to immediately reverse it. And among those abilities I¡¯ve experienced¡­ There was notably ¡®super regeneration¡¯. Swish- Ssss-. In thepletely cleared dust. The figure of Hwang Seong-yeon appeared, with his jaw and facepletely crushed and his right arm and shoulder blown off. [Lightning of Judgment] at the maximum draw of divine power. Moreover, it was an attackunched at the gap right in front, so its power was enormous. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t know it would be to this extent.¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect that Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s impressive body and face would be damaged to this extent. It was an attack of such power that an ordinary Holder would have died instantly. But Hwang Seong-yeon was tenaciously enduring this crisis with the power of [Hero yer], [Dine if], and [Master of Blood]. Swish- Crackle-. Along with an eerie sound, his flesh and bones begin to reattach. The ultimate skill [Master of Blood] has manifested, and finally, super regeneration has begun. The process of regenerating his distorted face and exploded body was quite bizarre. It was an unbelievable phenomenon even while watching with the naked eye. Moreover, the ability of [Dine if], which had been enhanced to the extreme, didn¡¯t end there. Swish- Paaah-!! Along with the healing, a counterattack begins. Thornsposed of some ck magical power spring forth. The location is behind my back. More precisely, from the ground behind. From within the ground, a level of magical attack that was difficult to calcte poured out. And before I could properly take a defensive stance. Those ck thorns were shot relentlessly towards me. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I almost stopped the next attack I was preparing without realizing it. Because it seemed like I had to block this surprise attack from Hwang Seong-yeon somehow. But I had to endure. I had to believe in the runes, abilities, and items I possessed. Only then could I lead the battle as designed. [Detecting a condensed crystal of malice! The brilliant oath of Trillion engraved inside the armor awakens to punish evil. The effect of ¡®Divine Protection¡¯ activates.] [The wearer¡¯s divine power level is 179. ¡®Divine Protection¡¯ proportional to this level¡­.] [With the special effect of the ¡®Silver MoonShadow¡¯ rune, the divine sensitivity of the equipment is maximized. The power of the protection increases by 40%!] ¡®It worked.¡¯ The special effect of the item that hadn¡¯t been activated yet awakened at the crucial moment. The special effect ¡®Divine Protection¡¯ contained in the legendary armor [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath]. Thispletely blocked the powerful magical attack of [Dine if], demonstrating perfect defense as if there had been no ck magical power in this space. Hwang Seong-yeon, who attempted a counterattack using even his core ultimate skill. It was the moment when his trump card attack was thwarted. ¡®The first design was sessful.¡¯ Using two massive magical attacks, [Hide Attack], [Lightning of Judgment]. And even utilizing the special effect ¡®Divine Protection¡¯. The purpose of all this first design was to consume Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s [Master of Blood] skill and the abilities of [Dine if]. And the second design that followed. ¡®Dragon Breath¡­!!¡¯ I didn¡¯t waste the given time at all. The reason for replenishing magic from Ripley. The reason for not stopping attack preparations until the end, trusting in the items. It was to prepare for the use of [Dragon Breath], a derivative skill that shows power on par with an ultimate skill. No matter how excellent [Dine if]¡¯s super regeneration is and how absolute Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s defense is, he couldn¡¯t easily block such a powerful magical attack without preparation. Whoosh-. Ku, Kwaaa-!! A huge mass of magical power spewed from my mouth is shot forward. Dragon breath erupting from a human mouth. Hwang Seong-yeon, just after recovering his body with the ultimate skill, had to take this absurd attack as a direct hit. Kwagaang, Kwaaa-!! The surrounding ground is overturned and bespletely close to ruins. A breath with the momentum to annihte everything. Huge mes, ashes, and remnants of magical power were scattered everywhere. And¡­ I ran forward through that hot gap. ¡®There¡¯s no time.¡¯ The 10 minutes of duration for [Divine Blessing] and [Holy Mercy] areing to an end. That time is all running out. Because Hwang Seong-yeon and I fought at such a fast pace, originally, this short term of 10 minutes should have passed long ago. Moreover, [Berserk] and [Dragonization] that I had used in advance earlier are also running out of time. It¡¯s natural that the situation would turn unfavorable when the abilities return to normal. To prevent this, I had to finish off Hwang Seong-yeon quickly. ¡®Ruthless Charge.¡¯ Using the slightly opened distance, I utilize [Greatest Racehorse under Heaven], and on top of that, I add the [Ruthless Charge] rune. The eleration is not high, but the speed is sufficient to collide with him. And. Thud-!! A dull collision sound is heard, and I¡¯m faced with the battered Hwang Seong-yeon. The battle unfolded in rapid session. Within that, [Dragon Breath] was applied even faster. The continuous unexpected attacks have dealt quite a blow to him as well. There was no time to spectate. ¡®This is the end.¡¯ I hold the divine sword in my hand again using the Art of Weapon Exchange weapon. Intense magical power slowly gathers at the tip of the sword. The energy of ¡®water¡¯ begins to envelop the surroundings. [Brave Eternal Waves]. As I was about to manifest the second ultimate skill, [True Flowing Sword]¡­ ¡°To thend touched by death-¡° ¡­at that moment. Hwang Seong-yeon opened his mouth. And with a maniacalugh, he stared at me with wide eyes. ¡°-Enter!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± A variable not in the n rears its head again. Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s third ultimate skill. As that unidentifiable verbalmand is uttered, the surroundings begin to be covered in an enormous amount of ¡®ck magical power¡¯. And. ¡°Urgh¡­?!¡± My center of gravity shiftspletely backwards. A strong grip from the ground behind was pulling me. As if being pressed down by an enormous weight, my body fellpletely onto the ground. ¡®This is¡­ Insane.¡¯ Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s counterattack came without a moment¡¯s pause. Perhaps thinking that he might lose if given time. Just as my attacks had relentlessly driven him, he too attacked me without giving any leeway. ¡°Ugh, aaargh¡­!!¡± Pat, pat, pat-! Dozens of ¡®magic swords¡¯¡­ They cover and pierce my fallen body. Pain beyond imagination reverberates throughout my entire body. It hurts. It hurts enough to die. I couldn¡¯te to my senses in this parade of pain I¡¯ve never experienced before. ¡®Damn¡­ it.¡¯ It¡¯s a mistake. No, this can¡¯t even be called a mistake. Just how many ultimate skills does this bastard have? Winning against an opponent who had hidden such an absurd level of skill was close to a miracle. ¡°Do Jae-hyun.¡± In a situation where I couldn¡¯t move a finger. Endless despair flowed through my mind. What should I do? How can I turn the tables again? I kept asking myself these questions. But no answers came to mind. And Hwang Seong-yeon approached me, holding his magic sword. ¡°You were an interesting opponent. Perhaps the best opponent in my life. I might never see someone like you again.¡± He seemed genuinely happy as he smiled at me. The only enemy who had stood up to him. Perhaps seeing such an opponent helpless was the ultimate entertainment for a psychopath like him. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but it was fun.¡± Hearing each of those words was hell. I wanted to get up right away and behead the bastard, but my damn body wouldn¡¯t budge an inch. I wanted to pour curses into his ears, but my exhausted body couldn¡¯t even utter a word. ¡°Farewell.¡± He finally announces the end. His magic sword rises towards the sky. Is this really how it ends? At that moment when indescribable anguish and pain intertwined within me. ¡®¡­¡­!!¡¯ A sh of light streaks through my mind. And. The execution was even faster than the thought. ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange.¡¯ With that, I opened my eyes. [The skill ¡®Random Treatment¡¯ inherent in the ¡®Pure Pdin¡¯s Shield¡¯ is activated. A holy spell imbued with the power of Reckless, the God of Healing, is randomly determined.] [The wearer¡¯s current divine power is 179. The spell¡¯s power increases in proportion to this value!] [With the special effect of the ¡®Silver MoonShadow¡¯ rune, the divine resonance of the equipment is maximized. The spell¡¯s power increases by 40%!] That¡¯s right. The ¡¯10 minutes¡¯ weren¡¯t over yet. As long as 10 minutes hadn¡¯t passed, my attack against Hwang Seong-yeon hadn¡¯t stopped. I still had the strength to face Hwang Seong-yeon and the obligation to continue facing him. Within this time limit I had set as thest line of defense, my n wasn¡¯t over yet. And. [The holy spell ¡®Resurrection¡¯, which had disappeared into myth, has been selected! All negative elements such as wounds, damage, curses, etc. inflicted on the wearer disappear. You regain a state close to perfect physical condition.] Even the gods, whose whereabouts were unknown, had raised my hand. Whoosh-!! A massive amount of divine power pours into my entire body, and all the pain that enveloped me disappears. Likewise. The ck thorns that had been binding my body all disappear. The joy of freedom coursed through my skin. ¡°Insane¡­.¡± And just as the surprised Hwang Seong-yeon hurriedly tried to bring down his sword. I too. Had finished preparing my third n. ¡°Surge forth.¡± Then. The rippling space weed my return.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Cessation (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The final area of . After Do Jae-hyun and Hwang Seong-yeon began their individual battles ascending to the sky, a massive undead army was pushing in with overwhelming numbers on the ground. And the situation of the n members fighting against them wasn¡¯t entirely favorable. ¡°Swallow the cold¡­!!¡± Kim Chae-eun uses her ultimate skill [Blizzard] towards the bound Death Knight. As many teammates¡¯ attacks had already umted, her ultimate skill, pouring out all her magical power, showed great effect and froze the opposing Death Knight solid. And then.¡°¡­There are too many.¡± Kang Juyeon, fighting alongside her, bites her lip. Even though each team is already dividing areas to hunt the undead, there are still too many undead swarming. ¡°Team 4, all defensive positions!! It¡¯s the Lich¡¯s ck Sphere!¡± ¡°Team 2 magic sses, focus fire on the Chimera Specters in the sky!¡± Moreover, this battle isn¡¯t just about quantity. The quality of the monsters has also increased dramatically. Death Knights with skills ranging from at least A-grade to S-grade and beyond, and Liches unleashing various ck magic spells and continuing tricky attacks. Even unique monsters simr to the Bone Dragon that Hwang Seong-yeon was riding, created by the Ludenark school, are positioned here and there. It was already difficult to deal with the sheer numbers, but with the level of the undead generals being so high, the battle difficulty was increasing substantially. ¡°¡­re!¡± ¡°Haten! Turn left!¡± Of course, this side wasn¡¯t without hidden cards either. A-grade magic users like Kim Chae-eun and Kang Juyeon, who possess powerful one-shot abilities, had been exerting themselves from earlier, and n members with special powers like Moon Ga-eun or Do Seung-min were also active all over the battlefield. ng-! ng-! Kagakang-!! Above all, Park Jin-woo, the temporary team leader of hunting team 5. His performance was overwhelming. He had shown an awakened form since the raid, leading the team with a more grown appearance, and through the 1st zone and the 6th zone , he demonstrated even more diverse abilities. Especially in dealing with Death Knights, he had be almost an expert, so from the start of the battle, he was contributing by hunting over 10 Death Knights alone. ¡°Vice Master! We need support! There are too many Revenants underground!¡± ¡°Team 2 warrior sses, full retreat! There¡¯s a high-level curseid out in front!!¡± But even with all these efforts, the situation was still unfavorable. No matter how high the level of the n members and how many one-man army Holders they had, it wasn¡¯t easy to break through the absolute difference in numbers. On top of that. ¡°Ugh, the n Master¡­!!¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­!!¡± To make matters worse, the crisis of the n Master, Do Jae-hyun, fighting alone in the distance, was visible to the n members. They couldn¡¯t intervene due to the intense battle, but in an instant, the situation changed, and Do Jae-hyun was driven to the brink of death. The already unfavorable battle was flowing closer to despair. ¡®What should we do¡­?¡¯ Such thoughts naturally arose in the minds of each team leader inmand. A breakthrough that could overturn the current situation. They couldn¡¯t think of any brilliant ns. At this rate, it seemed the battle would end in defeat. It felt like this was as far as the n¡¯s raid would go. An endless sense of frustration. As futile despair poured into everyone¡¯s minds at that moment. Tat- Taat- Pat-!! ¡°Gather on the sword of light.¡± ¡°Engrave a thousand petals.¡± A man and woman quietly taking down enemies. Short incantations flowed from their mouths. Uncontroble magical power swirled from the swords they held. The two strongest S-grade Holders in the country¡­ They began to move in earnest. *** Ippotrantion *** [Pure Pdin¡¯s Shield] inherent skill, [Random Treatment]. This is a skill that can use a random holy spell imbued with the power of Reclice, the god of healing, once. Its range varies from the lowest-grade healing spell [Cure] to the highest-grade healing spell [Resurrection]. Of course, with bad luck, it could end up being [Cure]. Whooosh-!! But in that urgent situation, I managed to draw [Resurrection]. This could be seen as just good luck, but I wasn¡¯t a simple Holder who would leave the resolution of a life-or-death crisis merely to chance. ¡®The 10 minutes aren¡¯t over yet.¡¯ My battle with Hwang Seong-yeon progressed at an insanely fast pace. Thanks to that, the 10 minutes of ability pumping hadn¡¯t ended yet. My divine stat was still at 179. Add to that the effect of [Silver MoonShadow] which increases the divine resonance of equipment. Although [Random Treatment]¡¯s divine spell is said to be randomly selected, in the end, it¡¯s a skill greatly influenced by the user¡¯s divine attribute and resonance. Because of this, I used the skill with confidence that I would draw, if not [Resurrection], at least a healing spellparable to it, or at minimum one that could break the bindings on my body. And then. ¡°Rush forth.¡± With that one word, the entire situation is reversed. The space before my eyes ripples, and the scenery in view changes. The shield in my hand has somehow changed into a divine sword. Whoosh- Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s demon sword, which was thrusting to kill me, sliced through empty air. And the divine sword gripped in my hand¡­. ¡°Kuh, kueok¡­.¡± The de was piercing through Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s neck as he writhed in agony. A situation that unfolded in an instant. His neck, which had seemed so far away, was now within my grasp. It was the moment when the third design fit perfectly. ¡®¡­As expected.¡¯ The ultimate skill [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] is a skill that allows you to instantly move through space and upy the enemy¡¯s rear, simr to a [Blink] spell. Within a set distance, it moves the body in ¡®simultaneous time¡¯ where the opponent cannot react. However, to be precise, this is not the same type of skill as [Blink]. While [Blink] is a magic that concentrates magical power to designate coordinates and move between spaces like [Warp], [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] breaks the space itself to move the user. In other words, it¡¯s a skill that allows the user to ¡®directly¡¯ move. So I always had a question about this. -What would happen if I used Distortion¡¯s Shadow right in front of someone? [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] is a skill that moves the user through distorted space itself. Then, if used right in front, couldn¡¯t you move as if passing through the target? And wouldn¡¯t the weapon you¡¯re holding move the same way? Just like¡­ ¡°¡­Now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± The result was as simted. I teleported to upy the space right behind Hwang Seong-yeon, and the divine sword [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance] I was holding pierced through his neck while moving together. There is no gap between movement and attack. The two actions happened simultaneously. Because of this, Hwang Seong-yeon had no time to take a defensive stance and allowed the attack in an instant. And that¡¯s not the end. ¡°Kuh, kueuk¡­ Uh, doom¡­ Euul¡­ Kuk!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Even in a situation where death was right in front of him, Hwang Seong-yeon was trying to say something fiercely. I twisted the divine sword andpletely blocked his mouth. I could feel him writhing in unimaginable pain through the divine sword. ¡°I thought you might have more hidden cards.¡± After being hit by the third ultimate skill following [Master of Blood], I realized painfully. Hwang Seong-yeon should not be given any openings. You never know what skills and abilities he might be hiding. If there was a chance, I had to take it and finish him off. ¡®That¡¯s why I pierced his neckpletely.¡¯ That¡¯s why I stabbed his neck with a sword strike through [Distortion¡¯s Shadow]. Anyway, because of the power of the demon sword he possessed and the ck magical power, he wouldn¡¯t die instantly even if I stabbed his heart. -Then let¡¯s pierce the neck to prevent him from speaking. Ultimate skills that can only be used by utteringmands. Topletely block the source of this, I upied his rear by stabbing his neck from the beginning. ¡®And¡­.¡¯ As expected, he had one more hidden card. But even if he wanted to use an ultimate skill, he couldn¡¯t because of the divine sword blocking his speech. I pronounced the final sentence to the powerless Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡°This is really the end, Hwang Seong-yeon.¡± ¡°Kuk, kueuk¡­!!¡± I gather magical power and divine power simultaneously in the divine sword. I pour out all the remaining magical power and divine power in my body, and amplify them using various auxiliary runes. Pat- Pababat- The skills I¡¯m about to use are two. One is [Divine sh]. The other is [True Sky-Shattering Heavenly Swords]. These skills exert powerful effects even when used separately, but this time, I use them simultaneously by concentrating them at once. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± However, as I gathered my energy, instead of simultaneous use of the two skills, apletely new form of attack knocked on my mind. This is neither [Divine sh] nor [True Sky-Shattering Heavenly Swords]. Yet I can do it. Now that my stats are at their maximum and my senses are extremely keen. It was possible now. Sut- Sususut-!! ¡°Kueouk¡­!!¡± As all the energy concentration was finished¡­ When Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s eyes widened, sensing something ominous. I dered for thest time. ¡°Sleep in great mercy.¡± Thatmand¡­ It was a sentence that naturally came to my mind. And. ¡ª¡ª!! Paaaaat-!! It ended with a dazzling explosion of light. The end is finally put to this tiresome ill fate. ¡­It was truly the moment when everything ended. [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select the rune to copy.] [1.Hero yer 2.Hoegni¡¯s Agent 3.Belief of the Fallen Holy Knight 4.Absolute¡¯s Enhancement Technique 5.Sword That Swallowed Darkness 6.Battlefield Stained with Blood 7.Magic Control ¡­ ¡­] ¡­ ¡­ [Amazing achievement! You have created a new form of ultimate skill by utilizing the skills inherent in items and the principles of ultimate skills you possess! This skill can only be used by those who have grown the ¡®divine sword¡¯ to the extreme and fully understood it. Therefore, it will be registered as an ultimate skill of a specific rune optimized for handling the divine sword.] [The inherent skill ¡®Divine sh¡¯ of the item ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯ will be deleted.] ¡­ ¡­ [You have acquired a new rune ¡®Apprentice Agent of Sednilen¡¯ (Mythical).] [The ultimate skill ¡®Merciful True Demon Sword¡¯ is registered to this rune.] [All abilities (general, resistance, special) increase by 7 due to the rune¡¯s nature. Additionally, the holy ability increases by 10 more.] [The performance of the item ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯ increases dramatically due to the rune¡¯s nature.] ¡­ ¡­ It¡¯s a lot. An enormous amount of information windows dazzle my eyes. But I couldn¡¯t read a single letter properly. My vision was blurry, making it difficult to confirm the contents. The sense of liberation that everything was over and the fatigue pouring in. Unable to ovee that state of exhaustion¡­ I copsed on the floor just like that.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Rest and Organize (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] A room deeply shrouded in darkness. A man wearing a robe was kneeling and trembling. And in front of him, a neatly dressed handsome man. Unable to contain himself, he burst outughing as he looked at the man in the robe. ¡°Hehe. Dave, you were wrong this time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dave and Flinkw.They were the two leaders of the ¡®Ludenark School¡¯, which has emerged as the worst criminal organization in the other world and is currently shaking the entire world. However, contrary to their reputation. The situation they were in was close to the worst. ¡°We carried out a diversionary operation¡­ But both failed. Hehe.¡± The reason was simple. The n ambitiously prepared by vice-master Dave had beenpletely seen through by humans and turned to bubbles. A diversionary operation carrying out two tasks simultaneously. In the 6th District, giving Hwang Seong-yeon an undead army to sweep away Do Jae-hyun and the Korean ns. Taking advantage of that opportunity, the Ludenark School that escaped outside would invade and devour the empty Korean territory. It was a fairly simple yet effective strategy. The opponent wasunching a full-scale offensive only on dungeon conquest without knowing much about our forces, and Ludenark had ways to gather enough troops from the outside as well. If sessful, they could have taken a step towards conquering the other world. ¡­If only it had seeded. ¡°I apologize, master. There was an error in the n. If you give me a little more time¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± School master Flinkw¡¯s indifferent voice rang out. The n had failed spectacrly. Hwang Seong-yeon in the 6th District met a miserable death at the hands of Do Jae-hyun of , and the undead army that supported him waspletely annihted without exception. That¡¯s not all. The situation for Dave and Flinkw who hade out wasn¡¯t good either. The Korea they thought was an empty house was being defended by the American n and S-grade Holder Liam Hendricks, so the defectors had to engage in fierce battles while being pursued wherever they went. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was truly a dilemma. As all the ambitiously prepared ns turned into failures, the Ludenark School fell into crisis. The loss of forces incurred in the process was enormous, and many of the executive-level defectors had already lost their lives. Naturally, Dave, who first proposed and implemented this n, had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths. However, School master Flinkw didn¡¯t seem to particrly mind this. His face was impossibly calm. He didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of punishing Dave or starting something new. Just¡­. ¡°We return to our domain.¡± ¡°School master, that¡¯s¡­!!¡± Go back to where we first came from and start over. Flinkw had already made up his mind to do just that. ¡°Hehe. Dave. I understand your regret. You probably don¡¯t want to retreat aftering this far.¡± Flinkw, who wasughing, raised his hand and spread it around. ¡°But look. The result is this miserable, isn¡¯t it? The school members who gave their all to resurrect and help me defect were annihted, and most of the executives you cherished, Dave, have lost their lives. Hehe, what more do you intend to do here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There wasn¡¯t a single wrong word. The damage already suffered by the Ludenark School was so massive that it was questionable whether they could recover from this again. In such a situation, insisting on staying in the current world was just stubbornness. ¡°Anyway, from the 7th District onwards, even humans won¡¯t be able to conquer easily. It¡¯s our domain containing the essence that Ludenark has built up over long years.¡± From the 1st District to the 5th District are also called ¡®temporary districts¡¯ within the school. They are at the very entrance and the school didn¡¯t pay much attention to magical traps or troop deployment in these districts, so in reality, they are not very difficult to conquer. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that the 1st District was named . However, from the 6th District, which is called the school members¡¯ own district, the difficulty level rises tremendously. It¡¯s a dangerous district where if ordinary humans set foot in it, they could die just from breathing, unable to withstand the aura of darkness and curses. No matter how powerful and the Korean ns were, from that point on, they couldn¡¯t easily conquer it. ¡°Hehe, we go back and n for the future. As we¡¯ve always done.¡± From Ludenark¡¯s perspective, they could buy time. And waiting while nning for the future¡­ It was all too familiar for Flinkw and Ludenark. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Dave answered reluctantly. To that, Flinkw added shocking words. ¡°And that vampire Ripley betrayed us, hehe. Seems human blood is indeed tasty.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°We need more helpers. Help the guys from Termen and Beltane inside the district to be defectors too.¡± Thus, the Ludenark School decided to strategically retreat. *** Ippotrantion *** An unfamiliar ceiling. I never thought I¡¯d be saying something like this. I had never fainted during battle before, and I had certainly never copsed due to illness. In the first ce, fainting during a conquest meant being in a life-threatening crisis situation, so it was natural. ¡°Ma, Master¡­!!¡± ¡°Jae-hyun!!¡± Anyway, it seems my crisis was well resolved. When I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling, familiar faces greeted me with teary eyes. ¡°Umm¡­.¡± Looking around roughly, it¡¯s a room I¡¯ve seen once before. It seems to be a rest room inside the n tower. In the room, all the people who could be considered close to me were gathered. My three lovers and the Vice-Master, my teacher. The team leaders of and my friend Park Jin-woo. Besides them, Holders like Park Ji-hwan and Choi Yoo-min who helped in various ways for this operation were also standing nearby. ¡®This is somewhat embarrassing.¡¯ It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to have everyone gathered around waiting for me like this. I cleared my throat a few times and opened my mouth. ¡°Seeing everyone gathered like this, it seems the conquest was sessful.¡± The thread of memory remains up to killing Hwang Seong-yeon. Ending the wretched rtionship with him, and the countless information windows that came up like a reward. And then I copsed, losing consciousness. Then Kim A-reum, the leader of Team 4 next to me, smiled and showed me a pad. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to the Master who took down the most dangerous enemy. Here.¡± The pad she handed over was filled with various articles rted to this incident. -Hwang Seong-yeon, owner of the Demon Sword, executed by Do Jae-hyun¡¯s sword! - n, perfect conquest of Zone 6! Not a single casualty¡­ -The worst criminal finally caught, now only Ludenark remains. -¡¯s outstanding conquest achievement, on par with the 3 major ns¡­ A model of an elite minority n. The first thing that came up was, of course, the story of our n¡¯s sessful conquest. I could quickly understand the situation by reading the articles and listening to the n members¡¯ exnations. The undead legions remaining in the dungeon were Ludenark School¡¯s forces, but themand authority was with Hwang Seong-yeon through a contract. This could be seen just by observing how the ¡®Bone Dragon¡¯ moved under Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯smand early in the battle. Maybe that¡¯s why. Right after I copsed after defeating Hwang Seong-yeon, the undead legion also lost its leader who acted as the central figure. And Master, an S-grade Holder and Vice Master, is not one to miss such an opportunity. She quickly rallied the n members,manded them, and sessfullypleted the remaining conquest. Zero casualties. Only ten injured, including myself. And all enemies in Zone 6 were annihted. It was an amazing result that even the term ¡®perfect¡¯ was insufficient to describe. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Mas¡­ No, Vice Master.¡± When I sent a look of admiration and respect towards Yoo Eun-seol, for whom the modifier ¡®Master¡¯ still felt more natural, she smiled lightly as if it was nothing and replied. ¡°As the Team 4 leader said, it was possible thanks to Jae-hyun. The undead legion lost its cohesion when Hwang Seong-yeon died.¡± Master sometimes seems too perfect a person. Even though she¡¯s already reached the top in terms of skill as an S-grade Holder, she often shows humility and maintains people¡¯s trust. Perhaps that¡¯s why there are so many unaffiliated Holders following her, and conversely, why she seemed reluctant to join other ns. ¡°What¡¯s this atmosphere?¡± ¡°I feel really ufortable, Chae-eun.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As I was briefly distracted, I heard the voices of Kim Chae-eun and Moon Ga-euning from somewhere. I cleared my throat a few times and quickly changed the subject. ¡°Holder Kim A-reum, so what happened to Ludenark¡¯s remnants?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. After we started the conquest of Zone 6, the individuals known as the School master and Vice School master of Ludenark escaped to the current world.¡± ¡°They¡­ Escaped?¡± This was a part I hadn¡¯t thought of at all. Of course, I thought the enemies would counterattack as they detected our dungeon invasion, but I didn¡¯t expect them to boldly attempt to escape to the current world and target domestic areas. ¡°Yes. Take a look at this.¡± Kim A-reum continued speaking while flipping through new articles on the pad. ¡°It seems that the legion-level undead we encountered at the final point of the Maze Touched by Death also descended upon the current world.¡± Combining the article contents and her exnation, the situation was like this: While we were conquering Zone 6, the executives represented by Ludenark¡¯s School master and Vice School master, along with other escapees, attempted to invade the country by escaping to the current world. However, the Allied Forces¡¯ strategy team had somewhat foreseen this situation. They requested aid from the United States and brought none other than the n and Liam Hendricks. And with their help, they were able to quickly suppress Ludenark¡¯s forces that appeared in the current world¡­ ¡°¡­Incredible things were happening while we were in the maze.¡± ¡°The Allied Forces weren¡¯t just sitting idle either.¡± ¡°Then, did they perhaps capture all the executives including the School master?¡± A question I throw out just in case, knowing they wouldn¡¯t be caught so easily. To this, Kim A-reum lightly shook her head. ¡°They say they returned to the dungeon. And with that, the dungeon conquest also entered a lull.¡± Thest articles that were quickly flipped through catch my eye. - passes the 7/10 mark, what will happen from now on? -Holder Association President, ¡°It seems it will be a long-term battle from Zone 7 onwards.¡± -Extermination of Ludenark bes a long-term battle¡­ Major domestic ns to take turns conquering! -Liam Hendricks, ¡°I¡¯lle again anytime if Korea requests.¡± ¡°Just now, the Holder Association President came and left a message. He said that from now on, the conquest of the Escapee¡¯s Room is likely to continue with ns taking turns. He said he¡¯d give priority to our n, which has the highest merit, and that he¡¯d talk again when you wake up.¡± Zone 6, which we perfectly conquered. However, from Zone 7 onwards, it seemed that even major domestic ns would find it difficult to easily conquer due to traps and forces in ce. So the decision made by the Allied Forces was conquest by n rotation. The policy was to set an order for major ns and attempt conquest ording to the situation and time. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a kind of ceasefire.¡± The moments we¡¯ve been running without rest, chasing Ludenark and Hwang Seong-yeon. Finally, a time to catch our breath has arrived.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 305 Rest and Organize (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] A head-on collision with the Ludenark School. And the eradication of Hwang Seong-yeon, who was the worst criminal in the country. After that, the domestic Holdermunity entered a lull. The Academy, which had been temporarily closed due to student abductions and other issues, announced its reopening. Various ns and the Holder Association also stated that they would resume their normal activities. Of course, the Ludenark School hasn¡¯t beenpletely eradicated, and not all incidents have been neatly resolved, so the is still in progress. However, the form has changed to sequential conquests by n under the supervision of the Holder Association. ¡°¡­We¡¯ve been running too fast.¡±In fact, the domestic Holdermunity has been running non-stop until now. Starting from the former n¡¯s attack on the Academy and the major sweep operation, the emergence of the and the Ludenark School, the conquest of the Adapters¡¯ dungeon , the Holder kidnapping incident and the ¡­. When one incident urs, another follows. Just when it seems to be resolving well, something else happens. Due to such massive incidents urring one after another, the Holder Association, each n, and even individual Holders and ordinary citizens in the country. Everyone who received rted news was in a state of umted fatigue. ¡°Finally, we can rest a bit.¡± In that sense, the little rest given now was like rain in a drought. I too felt that I was getting tired both physically and mentally, as I had been running without much rest. Maybe that¡¯s why. -From today, our n will rest for three days. At yesterday¡¯s temporary general meeting within the n. There, I dered a ¡®three-day unconditional rest¡¯ to all n members. This was partly to give rest to the n members who had been running since the establishment, but in fact, it was also because I just wanted to rest. ¡°For now¡­¡± Although I dered a rest, there¡¯s still a mountain of work to do. I need to discuss future schedules for the with the Association President, and organize the results of conquering the and . Also, I need to handle external schedules for our newly established n, and personally, I had meeting schedules with world-famous figures like Liam Hendricks. Above all, time with my lovers, which I had postponed due to being too busy. I also wanted to pick a travel destination, go on a trip, and spend a leisurely vacation. But am I perhaps born to be a Holder after all? Among all those tasks, what I chose first was. Of course, organizing the ¡®Runes¡¯. [You have entered the dungeon.] [The vast energy of the dungeon slightly reduces the Holder¡¯s speed.] I enter , a dungeon with vast skies. is a field-type dungeon with a particrly wide environment among the dungeons I own. Perhaps that¡¯s why whenever I want to test new abilities or runes, I invariablye here. ¡°¡­Holder Do Jae-hyun, aren¡¯t you tired?¡± And beside me. A woman looking at me with a face of exasperation. It was Lee Ji-hye, who has now be quite a high-ranking employee at the Holder Association. She was moving with me to coordinate my schedules rted to the Association and to authorize the daily sole use of the dungeon. ¡°This is resting for me.¡± Ji-hye¡¯s face scrunches up even more at my smiling reply. ¡°I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t say that¡­¡± ¡°Haha. Would you like to watch for a bit, Ji-hye? I¡¯m about to do something interesting.¡± ¡°Ugh, no thanks. I¡¯d rather go home and rest.¡± She finished all her work and left the dungeon as if fleeing. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the memory of struggling with the C-grade Holder promotion exam at the before? Ji-hye trembles at the mere mention of exploring a dungeon together. ¡°Well then¡­¡± Anyway, inside the dungeon left alone after she left. I started organizing the abilities I had been postponing. [You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can copy one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to copy.] [1.Hero yer 2.Hoegni¡¯s Agent 3.Belief of the Fallen Holy Knight 4.Absolute¡¯s Enhancement Technique 5.Sword That Swallowed Darkness 6.Battlefield Stained with Blood 7.Magic Control ¡­ ¡­] ¡°The problem starts with what to choose.¡± The list of runes that became obtainable after defeating Hwang Seong-yeon. An enormous list of runes appeared, but excluding duplicate runes and those of lower rank, only these 7 were worth using. ¡°First, the ones to exclude are¡­¡± The [Magic Domination] rune is an advanced version of [Magic Control], but it¡¯s not that difficult to obtain. My current contractors, Tyrbon and As, already possess it, and it¡¯s a rune that can be acquired by facing higher-level monsters in the future. So, it¡¯s the first to be excluded. ¡°It¡¯s best not to choose runes rted to demon swords.¡± [Hero yer], [Hoegni¡¯s Agent], [Believe of the Fallen Holy Knight]. Combining existing information with the names of these three runes, they are likely optimized for the demon sword [Dine if] or rted to evil-aligned gods. They¡¯re at least legendary-grade runes, or possibly mythical-grade depending on the circumstances. Normally, I would have chosen them without hesitation, but now there was something that made me hesitate. ¡°Because I have a divine sword.¡± That¡¯s because I¡¯m the ¡®owner of a divine sword¡¯. Not just an owner, but a fully optimized user who has even acquired rted mythical-grade runes. For someone like me to choose runes optimized for demon swords or rted to darkness? The probability of not only being unable to use them properly but also negatively affecting the divine sword-rted runes I¡¯m currently handling was high. They would probably be blocked from the usage conditions, like the [Ludenark Spell] I acquiredst time. Although the performance of these runes would be incredible right now, I had no choice but to give them up with a heavy heart. ¡°¡­Then there are three left.¡± [Absolute¡¯s Enhancement Technique], [Sword That Swallowed Darkness], [Battlefield Stained with Blood]. The first one is obviously a support rune. Although it has the modifier ¡®Absolute One¡¯, it¡¯s still a support rune simr to the [Warriors¡¯ Reinforcement Technique] I possess in terms of being a reinforcement technique. So if I acquire this, it¡¯s likely to be incorporated as a lower rune or be a duplicate rune. Then the choice narrows down to two again. [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] and [Battlefield Stained with Blood]. After racking my brains¡­ I decided to choose [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] between these two. [¡®Sword That Swallowed Darkness¡¯ has been selected. As it is a level 20 legendary rune, its level will decrease and be registered as level 10.] [Due to the rune¡¯s nature, you gain 5 points each in strength, magic, and speed.] [This rune is an evolved form of ¡®Sword Veiled in Darkness¡¯. Therefore, the ¡®Sword Veiled in Darkness¡¯ rune you possess will be deleted, and its proficiency will be adjusted to register ¡®Sword That Swallowed Darkness¡¯ as a level 14 rune.] Perhaps choosing [Battlefield Stained with Blood] might have been a better choice. After all, for me who owns a divine sword, the keyword ¡®darkness¡¯ could be a negative influence, and for someone who already has many attack-rted runes, a rune that supportsbat might be more effective. However, I judged this rune to be Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s unique sword technique-rted rune, unrted to the demon sword [Dine if]. He clearly showed his excellent sword skills beyond the demon sword during the battle, and this must have been recorded as a rune in some form. ¡°¡­Moreover, the ultimate skill.¡± There was the most important reason above all. Thest battle in . ¡®That ultimate skill¡¯ that pushed me to the brink of death. I really wanted to have that skill. Although I couldn¡¯t know exactly which rune it was registered to, if I had to choose between [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] and [Battlefield Stained with Blood], I thought the former had a higher probability. Therefore, this choice was also a kind of small gamble for that. And. ¡òName: Sword That Swallowed Darkness ¡òGrade: Legendary ¡òLevel: 14 ¡òEngraved Part: Back of the hand (duplicate) ¡òSpecial Effects: ¨C *Usage Condition: Can only be used by those who possess an Epic grade or higher ¡®sword technique¡¯ rted rune. 1) Allows the use of the sword techniquepleted by the Absolute One, Eldrain. This sword technique exerts its greatest power at the boundary between death and darkness. 2) The ¡®Sword Master¡¯ effect is constantly applied. The power of all runes rted to ¡®swords¡¯ increases by 10%, and the proficiency of rted runes rises 20% faster. 3) The ¡®Dark Glory¡¯ effect is constantly applied, increasing rune performance by 10% in areas covered in darkness. Additionally, if the opponent uses dark attribute attacks during battle, 30% of the magic power from that attack is stolen. ¡òUltimate Skill ¡ò [Boundary Binding] : Draws the target into the boundary where death and darkness meet. First, magic power is consumed to pull the back of the target and press them against the ground, then 17 magic swords are summoned and thrust into the target. This attack bes more powerful in proportion to the magic power, and the bound target stands only on the boundary, never reaching death. (*Incantation: Enter thend touched by death) ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : A new sword techniquepleted by Eldrain, the human who conquered the world with a single sword, at the boundary between death and darkness. It exerts its greatest power in ces covered in darkness, but conversely, it can also swallow that darkness. Therefore, it is a special form of martial art whose nature greatly diverges depending on the purpose of the one wielding the sword technique. ¡°¡­Bingo.¡± That gamble was a splendid sess. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Rest and Organize (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] was, as expected, the martial arts rune that Hwang Seong-yeon had been using. At first it was difficult to be certain since it didn¡¯t have a name like ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ attached, but this had a simr structure to the [Brave Eternal Wave] that I possess. It seems that because it was a swordsmanship and legendary runepleted over a long time by such a famous figure, it had this unusual name. ¡°¡­Nice.¡± The performance of the rune feels good just from the description. The martial power of the swordsmanship itself is excellent, and the set special effects are all worthwhile. It¡¯s an ability that truly stands out as a legendary martial arts rune.But more than anything, what I wanted most was something else. ¡°Boundary Binding, it got it right.¡± [Boundary Binding], the ultimate skill that drove me to the brink of death in thetter part of the battle with Hwang Seong-yeon. As I had guessed, this skill was the ultimate skill of the [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] rune. I¡¯ve already experienced it myself, but depending on how it¡¯s used, this skill has infinite potential. It can be used as a status effect skill that instantly breaks down the opponent in extreme situations, and it¡¯s also perfect to use as a simple attack skill because its power itself is remarkable. It¡¯s certainly a skill that could be considered top-tier among the ultimate skills I possess. Honestly, I had been feeling regretful about missing out on runes that seemed obviously overpowered at first nce, like [Hoegni¡¯s Agent] or [Believe of the Fallen Knight]¡­ But getting this skill alone made me feel like all that regret was washed away. Kuhuhuhu-!! Kiiiii-. And around the time I was reading the information window. Suddenly, flying monsters gather around. Familiar forms and unique appearances, enormous sizes. It was the A-grade monster Manticore that I had been hunting to the point of tedium. ¡°Right. These guys appear right from the dungeon entrance.¡± was a dungeon where monsters appeared right away not long after entering. I felt it was perfect timing. I needed subjects to test the newly acquired rune and skill, and they came looking for me on their own. I jumped up from the ground and rose into the sky. ¡®I don¡¯t need Tyrbon.¡¯ The purpose of this hunt is to test newly acquired abilities. If so, there¡¯s no need to summon Tyrbon. If I fight together with him, rather than fighting orthodoxly using a sword, it would immediately lead to an aerial battle form pursuing efficiency. Now, rather, I had to fight alone in the air using the levitation effect of [Mystical Dragon Boots]. Kuhuhuhu-!! Kiiiii-. As soon as I flew up to face the Manticores, I lightly drew out the divine sword and swung it. The swordsmanship I¡¯m using is [Sword That Swallowed Darkness]. The martial arts rune I acquired this time. Sak- Sasasak-!! Kuhuhu-?! And the moment I started shing smoothly with the sword. Both the Manticore being attacked and I using it were surprised at the same time. ¡®What is this.¡¯ The way of using magic within the swordsmanship that I naturally came to know is peculiar. At the moment of shing, it concentrates magic sharply at the tip of the sword to enhance lethality. It¡¯s a method anyone who knows how to handle a sword and magic can do, but the application of [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] was much more meticulous and clean. ¡®¡­It¡¯s incredibly strong.¡¯ And powerful. [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] swept away the Manticores while exerting destructive power. And only after sweeping away a few more Manticores was I able to notice the subtlety of this rune. ¡®It¡¯s a swordsmanship that focuses only on attack.¡¯ A swordsmanship to drag the opponent to the boundary between death and darkness. To achieve that purpose, it was focused solely on attack. Although the ultimate skill [Boundary Binding] is a status effect type skill, the ability contained in the rune itself is purely destruction and attack. If [Brave Eternal Wave], another martial arts rune I possess, is a bnce-type rune that harmonizes speed, destruction, and smoothness well. [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] was a rune solely to bring the opponent to death. That¡¯s not all. Around the time I was frantically knocking down Manticores, intoxicated by the power of the swordsmanship, a new information window greeted me. [Near-perfect utilization of the divine sword! Your skill in handling the power of merciful Sednilen bes much smoother.] [The level of the ¡®Apprentice Agent of Sednilen¡¯ rune has increased.] [You gain 3 Recovery from the rune¡¯s inclination.] After continuously handling the divine sword, the rune level rose before I knew it. [Apprentice Agent of Sednilen], a dedicated rune optimized for the divine sword. The first mythical (Myth) rune I acquired after bing a Holder. In fact, this rune was much more important than [Sword That Swallowed Darkness]. ¡òName: Apprentice Agent of Sednilen ¡òGrade: Myth ¡òLevel: 2 ¡òEngraved Part: Heart (Duplicate) ¡òSpecial Effects *Usage Condition: Only those who possess a specific ¡®divine object¡¯ containing Sednilen¡¯s power and have been recognized as qualified can use it. 1) The Recovery stat and the inclination of possessed Divine-series abilities change to ¡®Sednilen (God of Mercy)¡¯. 2) The effect of ¡®Agent¡¯s Sacred Object¡¯ is always applied. The currently set sacred object is [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance]. Therefore, the performance of this item increases by 10%, and you can handle it more skillfully. ¡òDerived Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Merciful Grace Period] : Consume arge amount of divine power to bestow Sednilen¡¯s blessing upon yourself. With this blessing, you can reset the cooldown of certain used derived skills (*some skills are excluded) to zero. (*Excluded skills: Ultimate skills, skills rted to stat increases) (*Cooldown: 7 days) ¡òUltimate Skill: ¨C ¡ò [Merciful True Demon Sword] : Gather both divine power and magic power in the divine sword, allowing you to shoot at the enemy with explosive power. It can be used in two forms: (1) concentrating and releasing in the form of a sh, and (2) stabbing the target with the divine sword and then detonating it. When used in form 2, the skill¡¯s power increases by 20%. If the target is of dark attribute, evil alignment, or curse type, the power increases by an additional 30%. (*Incantation: Sleep in Great Mercy) ¡òDetailed Information: : An apprentice agent who can handle the authority of Sednilen, the God of Mercy. The effects and performance of the rune change depending on the type of divine equipment possessed, and as the equipment grows, the rune grows with it. As you be more familiar with handling Sednilen¡¯s authority, the agent¡¯s rank may gradually increase. In fact, for a mythical rune, it doesn¡¯t seem to have any special effects. It¡¯s just that my divine alignment, which was neutral, has changed to Sednilen, and the performance of the divine sword has slightly increased. However, what was important was that this rune was a ¡®dedicated rune¡¯ optimized for the divine sword from the beginning. Just like Hwang Seong-yeon¡¯s [Hero yer] rune and [Hoegni¡¯s Agent] were dedicated runes optimized for the demon sword [Dine if], I was able to fully handle the divine sword only after acquiring this rune. Fwash- ¡ª-!! Kuhehe-?! Multiple manticores are sliced as easily as if cutting sashimi. Not even proper screams can be heard. ¡®¡­It¡¯sfortable.¡¯ I felt that fighting with the divine sword had be too easy. The manifestation of divine power became much smoother, and the performance of the divine sword increased significantly. As if my previous use of the divine sword was just scratching the surface, I became able to handle the divine sword as freely as my own limbs. This is the ¡®dedicated rune¡¯ of a mythical item. This was the true power of [Apprentice Agent of Sednilen]. Moreover¡­. ¡°Isn¡¯t this derived skill totally overpowered?¡± An exmation of admiration escapes my mouth without realizing it. The derived skill [Merciful Grace Period]. Even though there are skills limited to a 7-day cooldown, being able to reset the cooldown of already used skills to zero. What kind of cheating skill is this? Just off the top of my head, I can think of multiple uses of [el Piercing], double [Dragon Breath], turning the surroundings into a sea with [New Wave]¡­. Countless ways to maximize mybat abilities came to mind. This rune possessed an overpowered skill that finally made me understand the word ¡®authority¡¯. And finally. ¡°Sleep in Great Mercy.¡± Kuhehehe-!! Kiiiii-! The ultimate skill I created myself, [Merciful True Demon Sword]. I tried using this skill on a group of airborne monsters, including manticores. Not in the ¡®2nd form¡¯ like with Hwang Seong-yeon, but in the ¡®1st form¡¯. The manifestation method is a sh. It was simr to the now-deleted [Divine sh], which transformed into dozens of forms and flew around. And as soon as it was used. An enormous amount of divine power exploded inside the divine sword, and the resulting shes instantly swept away the surroundings. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was at a loss for words at the unbelievable sight. There were at least a dozen A-grade or higher monsters, all of which died instantly. It was an ultimate skill with unbelievable power, even though I created it myself. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go home.¡± I scratched my head as I slowly descended from the sky. No further testing was necessary. The rune rewards obtained through this conquest were proven to be overpowered. Of course, this is also due to the synergy with the runes and abilities I¡¯ve umted so far, but even putting that aside, the inherent performance of the runes was good. ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to even call myself an A-grade Holder now.¡± On the way back, I briefly skim through the . Endlessly listed information andvishly decorated abilities. All possessed stats exceeded 90, and the main stats (strength, magic, speed) all exceeded 110. Starting from transcendent numerical values in stats, now even the proficiency of possessed abilities and runes was heading towards the path of a top-tier Holder. I could feel for myself that I had definitely surpassed the level of an A-grade Holder. And. When I came out of the dungeon after finishing that short test period. [Lee Ji-hye/Holder Association] Holder! Are you still in the dungeon? Please reply when youe out and check this message. The schedule for the ¡®S-grade Holder Promotion Assessment¡¯ that you applied for before has finally been set! Speak of the devil. The schedule I had been waiting for quite a while was just around the corner.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 307 S-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Do Jae-hyun. A second-year student Holder attending Seoul Holder Academy. However, his recent poprity was sky-high, to the point where his obvious rank seemed insignificant. An overwhelmingly handsome appearance even among Holders. A physiquepleted with tall height and sturdy build. Skills that were difficult to match not only among his peers but across the entire country. Equipped with all the abilities a Holder could possess, he was an object of admiration not just for Holders but for ordinary people as well.¨C Academy¡¯s hero, Do Jae-hyun. This time, he saves Korea! ¨C Korea¡¯s top prospect, Do Jae-hyun! Can he surpass Yoo Eun-seol? ¨C Do Jae-hyun finds , now ¡­ ¨C Do Jae-hyun establishes a new n! The name is . In fact, it wasn¡¯t this extreme even a year or half a year ago. He had gained recognition within the Academy and the domestic Holdermunity by dealing with the Academy attack incident and several viin executives, but he was still just a Holder known only to those in the country. However, after carrying out the ¡®Viin Sweep Operation¡¯ and discovering the with Yoo Eun-seol, he started to appear consistently on the front pages of the media. Then came the conquest of and the establishment of the n. Most recently, the conquest of the and the defeat of the Ludenark school. As he continuously resolved major incidents, his stock continued to rise. This caught the attention of not only domestic Holders but also ordinary people who read about his achievements in articles, and even Holders overseas across the sea focused on Do Jae-hyun¡¯s potential. From Korea¡¯s top prospect¡­ To bing Korea¡¯s top Holder. As his potential, which experts had been watching, burst forth much earlier than expected, he gained nationwide recognition. ¨C Do Jae-hyun is no longer an A-grade Holder! ¨C We need his S-grade promotion examination as soon as possible! ¨C If the national hero isn¡¯t the best, who is? And as such evaluations persisted. Discussions about his Holder rank continued to be raised. It doesn¡¯t make sense for the current Do Jae-hyun to be an A-grade Holder. He should take the S-grade promotion exam as soon as possible¡­. This was the consistent public opinion in Korea¡¯s recent Holdermunity. Especially after the press conference following the conquest of , the dungeon of the Adapter. ¨C I believe it¡¯s possible. Do Jae-hyun had clearly spoken there. He had directly expressed his awareness of the S-grade promotion discussions and his intention to challenge it soon. Because of this, the level of interest had reached its boiling point. However, the ¡®Holder Kidnapping Incident¡¯ and the . The great sh with the Ludenark school to resolve it. Major incidents kept urring without pause, causing things to quiet down temporarily. And. After the conquest of the was somewhat wrapped up. Now that the standoff with the Ludenark school had entered a stable phase. ¨C Do Jae-hyun to take S-grade Holder promotion exam! The date is set for a week from now. ¨C Will the first S-grade Holder in 7 years since Yoo Eun-seol be born? ¨C Exam supervised by the International Holder Association. Examination board consists of 3 S-grade Holders each from Korea/US/Japan, 3 S-grade Holders from Europe, and 6 other special examiners¡­ Finally, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s promotion exam schedule was announced. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Wow, S-grade Holder¡­ I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Moon Ga-eun, sitting on the bed reading the article, says. I respond with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re the one getting promoted?¡± ¡°Tch- Your business is my business, and my business is yours.¡± Moon Ga-eun pouts and res at me. She was wearing my white dress shirt, with nothing underneath, revealing her smooth legs. ¡­Why do my girlfriends like such provocative outfits? Thanks to that, I had nowhere to look, so I hugged her from behind. ¡°Right. Wearing clothes like that, you look just like me?¡± ¡°Why? Is it hard to resist?¡± ¡°Yeah. Very.¡± As soon as I give the answer she wants, she looks at me with smiling eyes. Then she continues with a peculiar expression. ¡°Then we could do more¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± As I cut her off sharply, Moon Ga-eun¡¯s face turns into a frown. ¡°Ugh¡­ Why not again.¡± ¡°You just told me. S-grade Holder. The promotion exam is soon, and I can¡¯t bete.¡± Sweet time after long battles. I wanted to spend more time with Moon Ga-eun if possible, but with the S-grade promotion exam schedule so close, I had to start getting ready to leave. Moon Ga-eun pouts again. ¡°Tch- Am I an S-grade Holder?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the question of the century.¡± ¡°¡­Do you really want to die?¡± As Moon Ga-eun slowly raises her fist, I hug her tighter. It¡¯s not because I think I might die if I get hit by that fist. ¡­Really, it¡¯s not. ¡°Sorry, sorry. What can I do when the schedule is set like this? I¡¯ll make it up to you properly after the promotion.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. Promise.¡± I lightly stroke her thigh, reaching for her hand. Slowly intertwining our hands. Moon Ga-eun, smiling contentedly at the soft touch, suddenly jumps up from the bed. Then, putting her hands on her waist, she looks at me and says. ¡°Then let¡¯s go camping!¡± ¡°Camping all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Yeah. And with Juyeon too! I always used to go on friendship trips with Juyeon around this time.¡± That¡¯s something I didn¡¯t know. I knew the two of them had been close since they were young, but I didn¡¯t know they went on trips together once in a while. Since it hadn¡¯t even been half a year since I started meeting my lovers, there were often new facts I learned. Moon Ga-eun said to me with a big smile on her face. ¡°How about the weekend after the promotion exam is over?¡± This probably wasn¡¯t Moon Ga-eun¡¯s solo n, but something that had been discussed with Kang Juyeon. Seeing how she came up with the travel schedule so quickly. It seems they¡¯ve been waiting for a long time to rest while ying with me, after continuing fierce battles without rest. I can¡¯t help but smile at her excited appearance. I nodded readily. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s great. Where are we going?¡± ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t decided that yet¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Europe.¡± My suggestion came out immediately without much thought. Moon Ga-eun was more surprised by it. ¡°Eu-Europe?¡± ¡°Yes. And instead of just the weekend, let¡¯s make it a four-day or week-long trip including weekdays.¡± She probably mentioned the weekend thinking we wouldn¡¯t have time on weekdays, but we actually have quite enough time. Currently, the academy is on a break due to various incidents. Although they¡¯ve announced reopening, the date hasn¡¯t been set yet. There¡¯s a lot of floating time until it¡¯s definitely decided. I wanted to use that empty time to take the S-grade promotion exam and spend time with my lovers that I couldn¡¯t before. ¡®They¡¯ll probably count it as attendance too.¡¯ Even if sses resume quickly, it won¡¯t be a big problem. The achievements of in this incident were tremendous. Wepleted the conquest of ¡®Zone 1¡¯ on par with the top 3 domestic ns, and subsequently seeded in conquering ¡®Zone 6¡¯, bing the only n among the operation participants to clear two zones. Of course, for the academy, which is rted to the incident and helped establish , it¡¯s an achievement worthy of weing with open arms. Based on these points, if I discuss it with my master, there¡¯s a high chance that student n members of our n will be given ¡®attendance-recognized self-study leave¡¯. ¡°And since I¡¯m going to America with Chae-eun, I thought it would be nice to go to Europe with you guys.¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± Moon Ga-eun ps her hands as if she just remembered at my words. Recently, Liam Hendricks, known as the world¡¯s strongest Holder, invited me to America. The official reason is for a meeting between the n and the n. As both ns yed a significant role in defeating Ludenark, it¡¯s quite a meaningful meeting, and I also considered it an important course in my future schedule. So I was nning to carry out the schedule right after finishing the S-grade promotion exam. But then Kim Chae-eun said she wanted to go together, so we ended up going to America together. Somehow, it turned into a trip cum date added to the American schedule. Naturally, the other two lovers threw cute tantrums at Kim Chae-eun¡¯s preemptive move. ¡°Ugh, Kim Chae-eun¡­ Only she gets to go on an American trip with you. We got beaten to the punch.¡± ¡°Haha. That¡¯s why let¡¯s go on a trip too, to Europe.¡± So I decided to make travel ns with them too while I was at it. Of course, if I go through with all these schedules, I¡¯ll be skipping the academy for almost a month¡­ ¡®¡­Master will work something out.¡¯ The achievements disyed were so tremendous that my master, who¡¯s a foundation director, will somehow manage it well. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°There are a total of 9 S-ss Holders participating in this S-grade promotion exam. Among them, 2 are Korean Holders.¡± After making travel ns with Moon Ga-eun and Kang Juyeon like that. I came to the Holder Association for the S-grade promotion exam. My n¡¯s vice master and my master, Yoo Eun-seol, came to see me off. Then she gave me various advice rted to the promotion exam. I asked her what I was most curious about. ¡°Then perhaps, Master¡­?¡± But my master lightly shook her head. ¡°The domestic S-grade Holders selected as examiners are Holder Park Ji-hwan and Holder Song Do-hyuk. It seems the examining panel was selected considering various rtionships with Jae-hyun.¡± I uniquely had deep connections with domestic S-grade Holders across the board. Right beside me, Yoo Eun-seol is my master and the n¡¯s vice master, and Kang Woo-hyun of is none other than my future father-inw. Moreover, Hwang Geon-wook is the master of the n where Moon Ga-eun has significant influence. As I have all the few S-grade Holders as close acquaintances, the association must have had quite a headache selecting the examiners. ¡®Come to think of it, I¡¯m close with the other two as well¡­¡¯ It¡¯s not like the two S-grade Holders who became examiners aren¡¯t connected to me either. Song Do-hyuk is the master of which has a friendly agreement with our n. Park Ji-hwan is even the father of my best friend and a battlefieldrade who has been through numerous operations with me. In essence, it meant that the selection method considering rtionships didn¡¯t have much significance. ¡°I heard Liam Hendricks came from America as an examiner.¡± ¡°Liam Hendricks?¡± ¡°Yes. Apart from our n being invited by Liam this time, it seems he¡¯s personally participating in the S-grade promotion exam schedule.¡± Liam Hendricks inviting me to America was an official schedule as the master of the n. It wasn¡¯t just to meet face to face, but to meet as n to n and discuss various things. But separate from that, it seems he¡¯s also participating in my S-grade promotion exam. Anyway, that Liam Hendricks sure has a lot of interest in me. ¡°The promotion exam will only be conducted domestically. Exceptionally, the International Holder Association hase directly to Korea.¡± ¡°Is it because of Korea¡¯s achievements in defeating Ludenark?¡± ¡°That¡¯s highly likely.¡± At the entrance of the Holder Association, which we¡¯ve now reached. Yoo Eun-seol stopped right in front and looked at me. ¡°Well then¡­ Good luck with the exam, Jae-hyun.¡± The youngest S-grade Holder in Korea. A great step towards iming that title. I nodded firmly at my master¡¯s small encouragement and took a step forward. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 308 S-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°Wee, Holder.¡± Inside the association, Lee Ji-hye was greeting me. Anyway, since there are no Holders or staff within the Korean Holder Association who can independently evaluate an S-grade promotion, their role is limited to providing the venue, assisting with the evaluation, and handling external administrative matters. Perhaps because of this, it seems the association chose Ji-hye to assist me rather than looking for staff elsewhere. She¡¯s worked with me for a long time and we¡¯re close, and now she¡¯s also a high-ranking association official upying quite a high position. I heard from Ji-hye before that the association president really cherishes her because of her close rtionship with me. ¡°Is Ji-hye escorting me today?¡±¡°Yes. Are you disappointed?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± We walk in step, exchanging light jokes. The Holder Association I was visiting after a long time looked quite busy. Understandably, with the recent major incidents, the staff couldn¡¯t help but be busy. ¡°The promotion evaluation will be conducted over three stages.¡± Ji-hye took out a tablet and exined the outline of today¡¯s evaluation. ¡°The first is ability assessment.¡± ¡°¡­Ability assessment?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you remember when you first became a Holder and took the academy entrance exam?¡± Academy entrance exam. A test that evaluates the Holder abilities of the chosen field and determines a ¡®temporary ss¡¯ through light sparring and such. I was assigned to the lower ss here, and through a duel with Park Jin-woo, who was also in the temporary lower ss, I obtained the [Effort of the Seeker] rune. It was a filial rune that greatly contributed to improving my abilities, and also the first rune that my [Rune Hunter] sessfully hunted. It hasn¡¯t even been two years, but now it feels like a story from a distant past. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I nodded. ¡°Of course I remember.¡± ¡°Actually, the academy¡¯s annual entrance exam is conducted in cooperation with the Holder Association. Because the evaluation of rune possession and rank is the association¡¯s exclusive authority.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± It seemed she was referring to the ability assessment before the sparring evaluation. After all, gauging rune utilization and abilities is something the Holder Association has been doing consistently through rank evaluations. ¡°The measuring instruments used then were a kind of magical tool created by researching various magic stones and items. They were made to react only when touched by Holders possessing runes, so it was easy to confirm whether the test subject was indeed a rune Holder.¡± Ji-hye swiftly flipped the tablet screen. Then, a peculiar magical tool with a handle and gem attached appeared. There were a total of six magical tools, each with differently colored gems beautifully shining inside. ¡°These magical tools were designed and created in a simr way. These are tools that measure abilities, but they can¡¯t measureplete numerical values, only whether they exceed a certain threshold. You probably used them when you took the C-grade promotion test before.¡± I remembered. Special magical tools used by the association for ability measurement during promotion evaluations. Up to C-grade Holder promotions, there were standard ability thresholds set by the association, and you had to pass this ability measurement to be promoted to that rank. Actually, since the C-grade promotion was so long ago, and ability measurements weren¡¯t done from B-grade and A-grade, I had momentarily forgotten about it. The reason there are six gems emitting light is because Holders are given a total of six general abilities. ¡°As you well know, from B-grade Holder determination onwards, abilities aren¡¯t measured. They value rune utilization more than raw abilities.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying for S-grade, abilities be a criterion again.¡± ¡°Yes. But the standard won¡¯t be as high as you might think. You only need to exceed 90 in your chosen field and main ability.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really low.¡± Ability threshold measurement of 90. As Ji-hye said, the hurdle wasn¡¯t as high as I thought. As mentioned earlier, since there¡¯s no ability measurement from B-grade onwards, there¡¯s no set ability for specific ranks, but there were certainly generally epted figures floating around likemon knowledge. ¡®S-grade is¡­ Probably 150.¡¯ And the generally epted ability threshold for S-grade Holders in people¡¯s minds was 150. This figure became known three years ago when an A-grade warrior-ss Holder with a strength value of 131 failed to achieve S-grade promotion and strongly protested. Of course, since S-grade Holders aren¡¯t determined by abilities alone, most high-ranking Holders almost ignored this figure, but because the incident became such a hot topic, it was considered almost like an established theory online and unofficially. Moreover, when the world¡¯s strongest, Liam Hendricks, made the statement ¡®Even my strength value exceeds 150¡¯, it gained some credibility. ¡®That¡¯s fortunate for me.¡¯ In that respect, the fact that the ability threshold for this promotion evaluation was 90 was good news for me. Although my abilities are overwhelmingly higherpared to other A-grade Holders, it¡¯s difficult to reach 150 without using skills like [Berserk]. From the beginning, I intended to focus on rune utilization rather than raw abilities for the evaluation. ¡°And there¡¯s a test.¡± ¡°A test?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s aprehensive written/practical test solving simple theoretical problems and special magic structure forms, but the nature of the test varies slightly depending on the field.¡± ¡°¡­So S-grade Holders need to be good at studying too.¡± ¡°Haha. It won¡¯t be that difficult for you, Holder Jae-hyun. After all, you¡¯ve even done joint research with Professor Kang Dong-wook.¡± Ji-hye, who was speaking, suddenly pped her hands as if she just remembered something. ¡°Oh, right. Originally, there¡¯s a performance evaluation included here, but you¡¯ve already got full marks in that category. Probably among all current domestic Holders, there¡¯s hardly anyone with better performance than you, Holder Jae-hyun.¡± Holder performance evaluated in every rank assessment. I already had full marks in that area. ¡­Actually, it would be strange if I didn¡¯t have full marks. Not only in dungeon conquests, but he had also made significant contributions several times in operations conducted in alliance with the Holder Association. Thanks to this, the first evaluation, which assesses quite a few elements, was considerably shortened. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end of the evaluation, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. This is only the first evaluation conducted under the supervision of the International Holder Association. The S-grade Holders invited as special evaluators will participate from the second evaluation.¡± As we were talking, we had already arrived at our destination. Therge auditorium on the 17th floor of the association building used for official events. In front of that door, Lee Ji-hye faced me. ¡°Then, I wish you luck on your first evaluation, Holder! Since you¡¯re sure to pass anyway, I¡¯ll be waiting to guide you for the second evaluation, okay?¡± She smiled brightly and made a fighting pose. I smiled back and made a fist in response. ¡®Somehow, I¡¯ve got more people cheering for me now.¡¯ My master, and Ji-hye too¡­ There are many people expecting my promotion to S-grade Holder. I feel like I have to seed in the promotion to live up to those expectations. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°¡­¡­¡± Do Jae-hyun¡¯s promotion to S-grade Holder. In therge auditorium on the 11th floor of the association where the first evaluation was taking ce. Kwon Young-hoon, the president of the Korean Holder Association, watched the scene of the evaluation with a tense face. ¡®I hope it goes well.¡¯ Do Jae-hyun¡¯s promotion to S-grade is not just an individual achievement. It would be the first S-grade to appear in Korea in a very long time since Yoo Eun-seol, and if he seeds in the promotion, it would be a great achievement to increase the number of domestic S-grade Holders to six. Especially considering the influence that the number of S-grade Holders in a country has on the international Holdermunity, this could be connected to the political realm as well. The International Holder Association¡¯s supervision of the evaluation. The selection of S-grade Holders from other countries as evaluators. Such special events were happening naturally due to these political reasons. Therefore, the association was also desperately hoping for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s sessful promotion, and was putting great effort into preparing for the promotion evaluation. -The magic power level has also exceeded 90. The words of the employee in charge of measurement were heard through the screen. Following strength and speed, the magic power level has also exceeded 90. This essentially means passing the ability measurement part of the first evaluation. At this, Kwon Young-hoon let out a sigh of relief. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ Of course, there¡¯s only one criterion for ability measurement. It¡¯s considered a pass if just one of the main ability scores set exceeds 90. However, Do Jae-hyun had made a name for himself in the Holder world as a Multi-Holder, and was promoted to the international Holdermunity as a versatile Holder. In such a situation, if there was an ability score that couldn¡¯t exceed 90 among strength, speed, and magic, which could be considered his main abilities, it could slightly damage the pride of the Korean Holder Association. It had be a sort of face-saving act in front of Holders from other countries. ¡°As expected of Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± As if to prove this, fluent English was heard from beside him. Bill rk, the president of the International Holder Association, was expressing his admiration. For ordinary Holders, it¡¯smon for only one core ability score to be excessively high, so even for S-grade Holders, it¡¯s rare for all three ability scores to exceed 90. Do Jae-hyun, who has been active and made a name for himself as a Multi-Holder. The measurement results proved that his reputation was not in vain. ¡®This kid, how surprising.¡¯ Kwon Young-hoon felt strangely proud of this sight. A Holder from his country being recognized by the head of a prestigious foreign institution. Even though Korea is a strong country in terms of Holders, it¡¯s not amon urrence. Is this what they call national pride? Somehow, he felt good as a fellow Korean when Do Jae-hyun was doing well. Kwon Young-hoon smiled good-naturedly and naturally responded to rk¡¯s words. ¡°Haha. He¡¯s one of the best Holders Korea boasts of. Of course, this level is light¡­¡± -Toughness has also exceeded 90. But just as he was about to speak, The bewildered voice of the measuring staff was heard from the screen. The Toughness score had also exceeded 90. In other words, a total of four ability scores had exceeded 90. ¡°Wh, what¡­¡± ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± At those sudden words, Bewilderment was evident in the voices of the executives conducting the evaluation. The fourth 90. While there have been S-grade Holders who exceeded 90 in three ability scores before, four was uncharted territory with not a single precedent. It was a first since S-grade promotion evaluations began. Naturally, the executives from various national associations in charge of the evaluation couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. But it didn¡¯t end there. -Uh, the Willpower score has also exceeded 90! No, how is this¡­ Up to Toughness, it could somehow be understood. A warrior-type Holder who perfectly performs not only offense but also defense. From the perspective of a Multi-Holder, it¡¯s quite possible. But the fifth one. Moreover, when ites to the Willpower score, it¡¯s a different story. The mental score is mainly used by mage-type Holders who require concentration, or special-type Holders who specialize in it. Naturally, it was an ability score far removed from warrior-type Holders. It was a measurement result beyondprehension. And finally, -Recovery has also¡­ 90! Is, is this thing broken? The measuring staff muttered to himself in a foolish tone. And the first evaluationmittee members who heard up to that point. rk, Kwon Young-hoon, and the association executives gathered from various countries all had the same thought. ¡®What kind of person is this¡­?¡¯ A Rune Holder with all six general ability scores exceeding 90. This was clearly a Holder beyondmon sense. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 309 S-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡òName: Do Jae-hyun ¡òGender: Male (21) ¡òPossessed Abilities: -General ¡ò [Strength: 110] ¡ò [Magic: 110]¡ò [Speed: 111] ¡ò [Recovery: 94] ¡ò [Toughness: 91] ¡ò [Willpower: 90] -Resistance ¡ò [Fire: 30] ¡ò [Water: 31] ¡ò [Earth: 28] ¡ò [Wind: 23] ¡ò [Lightning: 28] ¡ò [Poison: 26] -Special ¡ò [Leadership: 82] ¡­ ¡­ I check the , which is too long to read all the way through. The part I want to confirm is ¡®Abilities¡¯. The general abilities, which were at rock bottom until earlyst year, now all exceed 90, boasting impressive figures. Moreover, there are ¡®Resistance Abilities¡¯ and ¡®Special Abilities¡¯ that are only generated in special situations or conditions. Although they haven¡¯t recorded high figures as they¡¯re difficult to raise by ordinary methods, the resistances are mostly close to 30, and leadership has even surpassed 80. Considering that even a resistance value of 10 gives quite strong resistance to the corresponding attribute, I could sense how high these figures were. Tsupaah-! Ssssss-. And these naturally became tools for recording. An orange-colored gem sparkling in front of me. I drew reactions from thest of the total 6 measurement magic tools, proving that all abilities were recording over 90. The first evaluation of the S-grade promotion, the ¡®Ability section¡¯. I had passed it almost perfectly. I actually thought about only getting assessed for my main abilities and hiding the rest, but it seemed unnecessary since everyone in the world already knows I¡¯m an extremely powerful Multi-Holder. ¡®Somehow I ended up surprising them.¡¯ I look at the shocked association staff member right next to me. This employee had been helping me measure my abilities since earlier, but unable to believe this cheat-like phenomenon, he fiddled with the measuring device several times. Wondering if the device was broken, or if he had measured incorrectly¡­ Even without him saying anything, his thoughts were clearly visible. ¡®¡­I feel a bit sorry.¡¯ That¡¯s not broken, it¡¯s normal¡­ There was no way my quiet cry could be heard. -Next is a brief written test and special magic structure form solving. After the shocking ability measurement, the remaining tests of the first evaluation continued. And as Lee Ji-hye said, it wasn¡¯t as difficult as I thought. The special magic structure form problems were tricky, but I could sufficiently cover them with my [Magic Control], and the written test was at a level that could be solved if one had carefully attended the academy theory sses. ¡®¡­It wouldn¡¯t matter even if I fail here.¡¯ Besides, it¡¯s not over if I fail here. The S-grade Holder promotion is determined by scoring through aprehensive evaluation afterpleting all assessment processes. In other words, even if I lose points here, I can make up for it elsewhere. -End. Holder Do Jae-hyun¡¯s S-grade promotion first evaluation has beenpleted. The first evaluation was all over. It felt like I had solved all the given problems without any hitches. Just as I was personally satisfied with that result. Someone spoke to me through the screen. -Hello, Holder Do Jae-hyun. I am Bill rk, the International Holder Association President. I inform you that your S-grade promotion first evaluation has sessfully ended. If it¡¯s alright with you, shall we move on to the second evaluation? Bill rk. A schr who made a name for himself as a rune researcher, and the person who made the greatest contribution to systematizing Holder grades. And in this S-grade promotion evaluation, he was the president of the International Holder Association, which, along with the Korean Association, was in charge of the overall process. I had often seen his face on the news, but seeing him in person, he looked even neater and more gentlemanly. Next to him was the familiar face of Kwon Young-hoon, the Korean Holder Association President, and around them were unfamiliar executives from various national associations. -Yes. Let¡¯s move on to the second evaluation right away. And I sent an affirmative answer and moved to the next location. It was a promotion evaluation I had to continue anyway. There was no need to dawdle. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°As expected, I knew you¡¯d pass just like that, Holder!¡± Sure enough, as soon as I came out of the exam room, Lee Ji-hye greeted me brightly. Is she that happy that I passed? Seeing her rejoice as if it were her own achievement, I smiled and thanked her. Then came the move to the second evaluation room and the exnation. ¡°From the second evaluation, special judges will participate.¡± ¡°You mean the S-grade Holders?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Two each from Korea, the United States, and Japan. Also, three Holders from Europe. A total of 9 S-grade Holders have been invited as special judges to conduct the evaluation. After all, while the contents up to the first evaluation are in general areas that association staff can judge, from the next evaluation onwards, it deals with Holder abilities in earnest, so the difficulty of the assessment increases dramatically. That¡¯s why S-grade Holders, who were widely featured in articles, participate in the second evaluation. And since the evaluation itself would be difficult without association staff, three high-ranking Holder employees each from the International Holder Association and the Korean Holder Association are selected to conduct a joint evaluation. It was a second evaluation conducted by a total of 15 judges. ¡°The second evaluation is an assessment of rune utilization.¡± Lee Ji-hye tells me about the next evaluation. The content of the evaluation was as I had expected. ¡°It¡¯s simr to when I was an A-grade Holder, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes. Even though they¡¯re S-grade Holders, they don¡¯t deviate from the basic framework of rune Holders after all. A Holder who handles runes well and can use them appropriately ording to the situation. However, the standard is just much higher.¡± In fact, if the first evaluation was a kind of sample assessment. The second evaluation can be seen as the highlight of the Holder promotion. While the items evaluated in the first assessment were aspects notmonly seen in Holder promotions so far, the ¡®rune utilization assessment¡¯ of the second evaluation is a core evaluation section conducted across all grades. From E-grade Holders to A-grade Holders, and now S-grade Holders. Rune utilization evaluation was essential in all promotion assessments. Moreover, this time the judges are senior S-grade Holders. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit nervous myself. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a shame I don¡¯t have a level 20 rune.¡¯ Of course, my rune levels are not high on average. The rune level scale for super-high-ranking Holders beyond high-ranking Holders is usually considered to be level 20, but I, with woefully insufficient experience as a Holder, had a maximum level of 14. Even that was only achieved in a short time thanks to the [Effort of the Seeker] rune, and in reality, it¡¯s difficult for Holders with simr experience to me to even reach level 10. ¡®Anyway, they¡¯re evaluating utilization.¡¯ But the Holder promotion assessment is not a test that evaluates ¡®proficiency¡¯. It literally evaluates the ¡®utilization¡¯ of runes. How well do you understand the rune in question? Can you use that ability appropriately in the right situations? In that respect, I was confident that I wouldn¡¯t fall behind other S-grade Holders. Thebat experience and dungeon conquests I had umted far more than most professional Holders, and my experience as a leader who had led groups three times, gave me confidence. ¡°Nice to meet you, Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± Thus, I arrived at the second evaluation exam site. A huge indoor training ground located on the third basement floor of the association building. All 15 judges were gathered here. And among them was Liam Hendricks, the world¡¯s strongest Holder. ¡°We meet earlier than I thought.¡± ¡°I thought I¡¯d see you at the U.S. invitation, but I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± ¡°Haha. I couldn¡¯t wait until then. Besides, it¡¯s the S-grade promotion of Holder Do Jae-hyun, who¡¯s gaining worldwide attention. Wouldn¡¯t it be disappointing if I wasn¡¯t part of the evaluation process?¡± I shook hands with Liam and exchanged light greetings. Not only did he help with this operation, but I¡¯m also very grateful to him for personal reasons. The pioneer who opened the door to polygamy worldwide. The Casanova of the Holder world with multiple wives. I couldn¡¯t help but like him as he was practically the one who solved the problems with my lovers. Maybe that¡¯s why. Even though it was our first meeting, there was no awkwardness at all, just dness. ¡°By the way, your English is better than I expected.¡± ¡°I possess anguage rune. I can speak most foreignnguages.¡± ¡°Really? Wow, as expected, a true Multi-Holder is different.¡± True Multi-Holder. It¡¯s a new title that¡¯s been used to refer to metely. A Holder who possesses so many runes and uses them well ording to the situation. It seems this nickname was given because I¡¯m walking a quite different path from the ordinary Multi-Holder that have appeared so far, and there¡¯s a clear distinction. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As I continued my conversation with Liam in fluent English, I could see the other S-grade Holders around us getting a bit surprised. It¡¯s not simply because I speak English well. Liam Hendricks is an S-grade Holder, but he¡¯s also an object of admiration even to other S-grade Holders. The fact that a rising Holder who¡¯s just challenging for S-grade is casually continuing a conversation with such a globally recognized Holder¡­ It seemed quite amazing to them. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s put the small talk aside for now and start the evaluation.¡± The atmosphere suddenly changes from the friendly conversation we were just having. Business is business, friendship is friendship. Liam Hendricks was a Holder who knew how to clearly separate work and personal rtionships. ¡®Hello, Holders.¡¯ I nodded greetings to the acquaintances I hadn¡¯t yet greeted properly. Park Ji-hwan and Song Do-hyuk. S-grade Holders with whom I have quite a good public rtionship. They too nodded lightly, conveying their pleasure at seeing me. ¡°As you¡¯ve probably already been told, the second evaluation is an assessment of rune utilization.¡± And then I hear the voice of another Holder waiting beside Liam. I focus my gaze on that person. The mark of the International Holder Association on their left chest. It¡¯s an A-grade Holder employee dispatched from the association. ¡°It would be best to evaluate while watching you perform in actualbat, but the battles of Holders challenging for S-grade end too quickly to directly assess their utilization with the naked eye.¡± Therefore, this second evaluation will solely assess rune utilization, and the rest will be left to directbat in the third evaluation. Also, the third evaluation will include assessments ofbat sense and strategy use¡­ The association employee exined the evaluation process as concisely as possible. Then, pointing to the vast interior of the exam site, they said, ¡°Instead, we¡¯ve created an environment as simr as possible to a hunting ground so that Holder Do Jae-hyun can freely deploy his runes.¡± Inside the exam site were over a hundred ¡®dummies¡¯. Of course, they¡¯re not just ordinary dummies. These are ¡®special golems¡¯ created using all kinds of magic tools and magic stones. Acting as substitutes for monsters, if they take a hit, they can even calcte an approximation of the damage¡­ They were a kind of advanced magic tool golem. ¡®¡­This is amazing.¡¯ I had heard that the status of rune research in academia has risen a lottely, but I didn¡¯t know technology had advanced this much. Moreover, there¡¯s even a variety of types: multi-purpose single golems, masses of golems that overwhelm with quantity, and even small flying golems in the air. It was a consideration to allow Holders to choose and be evaluated in the way mostfortable for them. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll start the second evaluation.¡± Thus began the second promotion evaluation. Among the countless types of golems, I moved towards the ¡®golem mass¡¯ where numerous dummies were gathered. And slowly, I draw out my weapon. Not my main weapon [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance], but the multi-purpose small weapon [w Short Sword]. ¡®There¡¯s no better rune to show utilization than this.¡¯ With a smile, I grip the short swords tightly in both hands. I had the rune and skill that would most perfectly fulfill the purpose of this evaluation. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 310 Chapter 310 S-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Korea is a powerhouse in the Holder world. Currently, it¡¯s considered one of the world¡¯s best alongside the United States and Japan. It has produced numerous high-ranking Holders, including five S-grade Holders, and the three major domestic ns, known as the top three ns in Korea, are making notable achievements in the international Holdermunity. Excluding China, which has cut off exchanges in the Holder world and turned towards domestic focus, Korea essentially possessed the world¡¯s second-strongest Holder power. Even in terms of absolute number of Holders, it doesn¡¯t fall behind. It has the fourthrgest number of Holders after the United States, China, and India. Considering Korea¡¯s situation with a rtively small poptionpared to other countries, this was certainly strange.Perhaps the realm where talent is born isn¡¯t proportional to poption size. Korea was precisely the anomalous region where Holder-birth talents converged. ¡®¡­They¡¯re making a fuss.¡¯ However, there were those who viewed Korea unfavorably. Jean Lemaire. France¡¯s one and only S-grade Holder, and the person specially invited as a judge for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s S-grade promotion examination this time. He came at the request of Bill rk, the president of the International Holder Association, but he had been looking inside the exam room with an ufortable expression throughout. In fact, Lemaire didn¡¯t like this exam from the beginning. The reason was simple. Korea, called a Holder powerhouse, wasn¡¯t a country he particrly liked. ¡®Korea takes S-grade too lightly.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how they became a Holder powerhouse in such a short time, but Korea was particrly proud of their abilities. The fact that they produced five S-grade Holders was simply because five talents happened to be there, but they push it as if it was due to their educational power or upright administration. No wonder, since the birth of Yoo Eun-seol, the youngest S-grade Holder, three A-grade Holders from Korea have already taken the S-grade promotion exam. Including this Do Jae-hyun, it¡¯s the fourth time. Originally, even entering the examination stage for S-grade Holders is very difficult andplicated. The S-grade promotion exam is hard to see even once a year worldwide. Considering these points, one could gauge how frequent Korea¡¯s promotion exams were. ¡®¡­ S-grade isn¡¯t such an easy rank.¡¯ Lemaire didn¡¯t like that. French Holders have only been given the opportunity for promotion exams twice so far, and he is an S-grade Holder who seeded in promotion through that narrow gap. It¡¯s a rank that should never be treated lightly. Yet Korea has been pushing for S-grade exams every time, and since Yoo Eun-seol, no Holder has passed the exam. Naturally, the perception of it could only get worse. ¡®How good could Do Jae-hyun be?¡¯ The same goes for Do Jae-hyun, the protagonist of this exam. Lemaire thought that Korea was again indulging in their unique ¡®star Holder making¡¯, overpackaging a promising talent who was just a little outstanding. Moreover, this time it¡¯s a 21-year-old rookie Holder. They¡¯re challenging for S-grade Holder promotion, presenting a student Holder who hasn¡¯t even graduated from the academy yet as if he¡¯s the world¡¯s best Holder. It¡¯s even being said that he¡¯s Korea¡¯s Liam Hendricks, which was increasingly ridiculous and frustrating to think about. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll start the second examination.¡± The second examination began amidst such ufortable gazes. Do Jae-hyun stood in front of the group of golems. The second examination is evaluated through special magic golems made of straw. The Holder being examined can choose the type they want, and Do Jae-hyun was choosing the ¡®group of golems¡¯¡­ That is, a wide-area target. And seeing this, Lemaire snorted. ¡®He¡¯s making the worst choice.¡¯ He too was well aware of the straw dummy test in the second examination. It¡¯s a form of test mainly given to directbat types, an evaluation item where one must show the utilization of their main rune. Most of the judges evaluating this are S-grade Holders from various countries, so the standards are high and strict. Therefore, one must utilize their possessed rune to the extreme to convince the judges. In this respect, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s choice of golem group was the worst. ¡®For attack-type warrior sses, choosing a single golem is the best. Because you need to show the maximum damage you can pour out. I guess they don¡¯t even teach that before the exam in Korea.¡¯ Although he¡¯s known to be a Multi-Holder with various abilities, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s main ss is assassin ss or attack-type warrior ss. And the greatest strength of such sses is, of course, ¡®attack power¡¯. In the exam, one needs to show their powerful attack power, and for this, choosing a single golem was naturally the best option. Yet Do Jae-hyun deliberately chose a group of golems. He¡¯s not even a mage ss proving his ability through wide-area magic, it was an iprehensible choice. ¡°From now on, the rune I¡¯ll show you is ¡®Plum Blossom Sword Technique¡¯.¡± Moreover, he¡¯s not even drawing a long sword, nor utilizing a contractor. The weapon he pulled out was just two small short swords. And then he dered that he would show a verymon and ordinary rune called [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. ¡®His arrogance reaches the sky.¡¯ As Lemaire is also an examiner, he knows brief information about him. [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique]. Martial art runes said to have been created by Korean academy professors themselves. Do Jae-hyun¡¯s main runes are clearly these two runes passed down by his teachers. This is probably known not only to Lemaire but also to other S-grade examiners. Yet he suddenly pulls out short swords and says he¡¯ll use [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], a degraded version of the [Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. It could only be seen as arrogance. Swoosh- Chut chut- Pat bababa-. Nevertheless, Do Jae-hyun steadily prepared for the evaluation. Unknown energies gathered around him. It wasn¡¯t magic. No flow of magic could be felt from him as he took his stance. Only the precursory energy that appears when using certain skills. It could be understood that he was about to use some powerful skill. And then. ¡°Fall.¡± When he finished preparing and uttered a shortmand. Chut- Pababat-!! Pat- Pat¡­!! Skang, kang, kang¡­!! The flower of the sword became a beautiful dance and fell upon the golems. Unbelievably fast speed and movement. Intense destructive power that destroys everything it scrapes. An overwhelming attack range that scrapes off all targets. Something never seen before¡­ However, an ultimate skill close to perfection was unfolding. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°What kind of skill is that?¡± All S-grade Holder examiners, including Lemaire, widened their eyes. Even though they were clearly standing and watching, it felt like they needed to stand up. That¡¯s how shocking the skill Do Jae-hyun showed was. ¡°Huu¡­.¡± And after shing thest golem. Do Jae-hyun slowly lowered his weapon and caught his breath. Starting from the leftmost golem at the front, he had used his skill while digging in, and before he knew it, he had swept through all the golems and returned to the rightmost golem next to it. And near the heart of the test golem developed by the academy¡­ -Instant death for D-grade or lower monsters -Critical wound for C-grade monsters -Unmeasurable for B-grade or higher monsters Such measurement results were being recorded. Instant death for D-grade or below, critical wound for C-grade, and damage varying depending on the monster¡¯s nature for B-grade and above. It indicated that it was an attack that reached almost the highest level of damage that could be inflicted with an area-of-effect skill. And above all. ¡®¡­They¡¯re all the same.¡¯ Jean Lemaire nkly looked at the damage figures of the golems. They¡¯re all the same. Without a single misaligned figure, all recorded the same damage value of 70. In other words, it meant that Do Jae-hyun, who used the skill, handled it perfectly. It was like saying that even though it was an ultimate skill he had never seen before, itspleteness had reached the extreme. Lemaire, in a daze, shifted his gaze to Do Jae-hyun. Having cleanly finished the skill, he was smiling while slowly putting away his weapon. ¡°This is the ultimate skill I personally developed, ¡®The Falling Blossom Aesthetics¡¯. Currently, there are two users: myself and my master, Holder Yoo Eun-seol. It¡¯s a skill currently in the process of being registered with the academy.¡± Ultimate skill [Falling Blossom Aesthetics]. [Plum Blossom Sword Technique], which was called a degraded version of martial arts and treated as a low-grade rune. From within it, Do Jae-hyun created this skill by himself. Moreover, by demonstrating the overwhelming performance and effect of this skill, he proved that he could handle it more perfectly than anyone else. The second evaluation of the S-grade promotion. It was the most suitable appearance in terms of ¡®Rune Utilization¡¯. And then. ¡°Pass¡­¡± The word ¡®pass¡¯es out of Jean Lemaire¡¯s mouth. The French S-grade Holder who had been dissatisfied with this test from the start of the evaluation and had been looking at Do Jae-hyun most unfavorably. However, among all the examiners gathered in the examination room, he was the first to dere passing the second evaluation. That¡¯s how overwhelming the skill is. That¡¯s how much it broke prejudices. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a pass.¡± Do Jae-hyun was showing results that made even those who disliked him acknowledge him. *** Ippotrantion *** The second evaluation also ended smoothly. The ultimate skill [Falling Blossom Aesthetics] created from the [Plum Blossom Sword Technique] rune. This was a skill that even my master Yoo Eun-seol coveted, and I¡¯m quite proud of it myself, so I thought there would surely be good results if I showed it. And the result was unanimous. After showing the ultimate skill and briefly exining the process of creating it, I immediately passed the second evaluation. In fact, I had nned to show the utilization of the [Brave Eternal Wave] rune as well, but it became meaningless when it turned into a ¡®Pass without needing to see more!¡¯ ¡®Anyway, that¡¯s a relief.¡¯ The rune utilization evaluation is an item that assesses how a Holder handles the rune and how deeply they are researching it. In that sense, creating an ultimate skill means nothing less than utilizing that rune to the extreme. Considering these points, I confidently showed it in the second evaluation, and I¡¯m d the result was good. ¡°The third evaluation is thebat ability assessment.¡± And I moved on to the next evaluation without dy. Combat ability assessment. A test that evaluates a Holder¡¯s dungeon clearing ability,bat sense, and simple strategy utilization. While the evaluation items for S-grade promotion vary slightly depending on the category, for me, who is in the directbat category, it was an almost essential evaluation item. ¡°The evaluation dungeon has been decided as the Ogre¡¯s Forest.¡± Advanced dungeon . A very unique form of dungeon where almost no monsters appear except ogres. However, since the rank of ogres starts from B-grade, and asionally monsters like ck Ogres or Twin-headed Ogres of A-grade also appear, the difficulty of clearing was quite high. And because the clearing format is simple, it was also the most suitable dungeon for the third evaluation. ¡°From now on, you can hunt the monsters in the dungeon in any form. You can directly hunt the monsters, or show your tanking ability through drive hunting, but¡­ Please note that the evaluation score may vary depending on Holder Do Jae-hyun¡¯sbat style.¡± The examiner cum association employee delivering the final precautions. With those words, the full-fledged third evaluation began. Graaaa-. Grrrr¡­!! As soon as I passed the entrance, a group of ogres had already gathered. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Seeing that sight, I was about to draw my sword immediately, but then I stopped moving due to a thought that suddenly shed in my mind. Then, drawing up my magical power, I quietly dered. ¡®Call of Contract.¡¯ Swoosh, swish swish-! Magical power gathers on the back of my hand, and the [Law of Contract] rune moves. And from beyond, the contracted one who was sleeping was summoned. The protagonist was¡­. -What, I¡¯ve been summoned? Oh, Do Jae-hyun? Ah, right! Hey! Do Jae-hyun! Do you want to die? Who gave you permission to use my magical power like that! I almost copsed from magical power depletion back then¡­!! The fourth contractor and the first necromancy contractor. It was Vampire Countess Ripley.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 311 S-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun (5) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡òName: Ripley (Countess) -Contractor: Do Jae-hyun (*Special Contract) ¡òssification: Vampire (Special/Necromancer) -Symbol: Seed ¡òAttribute: ¨C ¡òAffinity: Cautious¡òStatus: Normal ¡òGeneral Abilities ¡ò [Strength: 83] ¡ò [Magic: 151] ¡ò [Speed: 81] ¡ò [Recovery: 15] ¡ò [Toughness: 94] ¡ò [Willpower: 123] ¡òPossessed Runes: ¨C ¡ò [Noble Bloodline Lv.Max] ¡ò [Prating Seed Lv.Max] ¡ò [Elegant Blood Sucking Lv.20] ¡ò [Elemental User Lv.20] ¡ò [ck Magic Lv.20] ¡ò [Blood Servant Lv.20] ¡ò [Touch of Enchantment Lv.15] ¡ò [Transformation Lv.15] ¡ò [Beltane Spell Lv.20] ¡ò [Capable Architect Lv.18] ¡ò [Labyrinth Expert Lv.17] ¡ò [Magic Control Lv.20] ¡ò [Magic Dominance Lv.16] ¡ò [Magic Amplification Lv.15] ¡òDetailed Information: ¨C : A vampire belonging to Beltane, the kingdom of vampires. Possesses the symbol of ¡®Seed¡¯ and, born with noble blood, demonstrates a strong physique and proficient use of magic power. Owns territory as a noblewoman (Countess), currently temporarily away due to the contract. Due to the nature of vampires being able to form contracts at will with desired subjects, there is a possibility of not fulfilling the contractor¡¯s requirements or obligations. I check Ripley¡¯s information after a long time. Although I¡¯ve looked at this information several times before, it never fails to amaze me. First of all, the number of possessed runes is quite high. A total of 14 runes from [Noble Bloodline] to [Magic Amplification]. This is by far the highest number among all the monsters I¡¯ve contracted so far, and considering that even regr Holders typically utilize around 10 runes, this is a significantly high number. Given that the maximum number of runes one can possess is 30, filling half of that is remarkable. ¡®The rune grades and levels are impressive too.¡¯ Moreover, all 14 runes are top-notch. While there are 5 normal and rare runes, the remaining 9 are all epic or legendary runes. Additionally, most of them have reached or are close to level 20, showing monstrous proficiency. The ability scores include magic power exceeding 150 and mental at 120. Even the physical ability scores are far above average. These abilities would easily surpass the level of an S-grade Holder. ¡®¡­This wasn¡¯t a contractor I could handle from the start.¡¯ And I was aware of this. As emphasized repeatedly in the information window with the term ¡®special contractor¡¯, she was not someone I should have been able to contract originally. It was only because of that she personally created. The contract was formed simply because she showed interest in me when we met there. Due to this special contract, she could actually refuse my orders at any time. However, the reason I was able to borrow her magic power during the battle with Hwang Seong-yeon was because I used the [Magic Sharing] rune effect within the [Law of Contract]. In other words, while she could refuse orders, she couldn¡¯t escape from the power bound by the contract. Even Ripley, an absolute powerhouse, was equal within the chains of the contract. -You, what are you scheming again? The first summoning after the battle with Hwang Seong-yeon. Ripley, who had been burned once, narrowed her eyes. Seeing that her affinity had dropped from ¡®Interest¡¯ to ¡®Cautious¡¯, it seems she wasn¡¯t happy about me borrowing her magic power at will back then. I spoke to her in a soothing manner, trying to appease the prickly vampire. ¡®I¡¯m sorry about that time. It was too urgent.¡¯ -Hmph! Next time you¡¯ll break the contract because it¡¯s urgent? ¡®Why do you say such hurtful things? Besides, I can¡¯t break the contract on my own.¡¯ Taking advantage of Ripley¡¯s gaze on me, I point to my heart. ¡®I offered this heart to you, remember? Can¡¯t break the contract until the result of thates out, right?¡¯ -Ah, right! The heart! Ripley responds, pping her hands as if she had forgotten. She then stares intently at my chest. It seemed as if she was curious whether the ¡®seed of doubt¡¯ she had left was growing well. I nced around the dungeon. The S-grade examiners standing in a row behind us. And several ogres that had already approached close. I could draw my sword and deal with them immediately if needed, but doing so would likely significantly reduce my score in the 3rd examination. The examiners standing behind knew too well that since I had used the [Law of Contract] to summon a contractor, I was expected to use the contractor in battle. So I hurriedly tried to persuade Ripley. ¡®I think I¡¯ll need your help again this time.¡¯ -What? Don¡¯t tell me those ogres? ¡®Yes.¡¯ -What? Do Jae-hyun, you can easily take care of those yourself, can¡¯t you? ¡®That¡¯s true, but this time I need to defeat them with your help.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t much time left. Thud- Thud- Graaaargh-!! The floor shook as if an earthquake had struck, and the ogres¡¯ rough roars could be heard right in front of us. They seemed ready to rush in and tear apart anything in their path. Some A-grade examiners showed tense faces at this. -Tch. How vexing. ¡®I¡¯ll go with you to where you want as well.¡¯ -Huh? Ripley¡¯s eyes widened slightly at this unexpected remark. ¡®There¡¯s something you want to do with me, right? The heart is just a condition.¡¯ -¡­ nting the ¡®seed of doubt¡¯ in my heart was merely a condition for the special contract. It wasn¡¯t the reason why Ripley initially became interested in me and proposed the contract. She clearly had a separate purpose. And I had vaguely noticed this. ¡®Let¡¯s go together, to Beltane. Not now, but a bitter. How about it?¡¯ -You, what¡­!! Beltane, the kingdom of vampires. Going there together to conquer it. That¡¯s probably Ripley¡¯s goal. The reason I could reach this conclusion was simple. ¡®Because I devastated the adaptation dungeon.¡¯ I had already nearly perfectly conquered the ¡®dungeon of the adapted¡¯ while clearing . The 1st Zone waspletely cleared. The undead in the 6th Zone were annihted. In the magic trap , I even found and exterminated the necromancer she had contracted. As she listened to or observed a series of processes, Ripley felt a strong interest in me. Just a human¡­ And almost entirely on their own. The point of conquering the dungeon of the Adapters. ¡®¡­And she must have thought.¡¯ If so. Could they conquer not only , but also other dungeons of the Adapters? A contract with me that stemmed from such an interesting idea. I was urately pointing out that part. Thud! Boom! Thud-!! Graaah¡­!! Grrrr-!! ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun! What are you doing!¡± ¡°Quickly, do something¡­!!¡± ¡°Damn it, defend firmly¡­¡± The distance to the Ogres was less than 10 meters. Some panicked A-grade examiners shouted at me, and one examiner even hurriedly tried to use an ultimate skill. However, the S-grade examiners quietly watched me and Ripley. The thought that I, who had shown my abilities so far, wouldn¡¯t make any unnecessary moves. To that, I also firmly held my position and waited for Ripley¡¯s answer. And then. ¡°You¡¯re annoying. Hmph. But I¡¯ll ept it.¡± Ripley, who had been conversing in her mind, finally speaks out loud. ¡°As expected, Do Jae-hyun is interesting.¡± That tone of calling my name is now familiar. Ripley smiling brightly at me. Her pupils¡­ Had already turned a deeper red than blood. Graaah-!! Graaah¡­! The Ogres approached right in front of us. The umted number is enormous. At a nce, it seems to be over 10¡­ All of them were throwing punches towards us. Just as those massive bodies were about to reach the humans. ¡°Noisy. Bloom.¡± The vampire¡¯s shortmand echoed. Gr, rrr¡­?! Graaah¡­? The Ogres stopped right in front of us. They couldn¡¯t continue their attack. Because an indescribable phenomenon appeared. The hands that were reaching out to punch began to float in the air, and their huge bodies started to swell like bubble gum. As if air was continuously being pumped into their bodies¡­ Their bodies were endlessly swelling. And then. Swish- Whoosh- Bam, boom-!! Without time or chance to defend. The Ogres immediately burst. Without exception, all of the Ogres burst. The expressions of the watching examiners turned pale. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Im, impossible¡­.¡± All Ogres instantly dead. With that. The brief battle was over. *** Ippotrantion *** The 3rd examination concluded all the promotion assessments. In fact, since thest examination ended too quickly and anticlimactically, I was going to show more by exploring the dungeon and hunting directly¡­ But the examiners were already dumbfounded. An ultimate skill that instantly killed B-grade to A-grade monsters. It seemed that nothing else caught their eye after Ripley¡¯s shocking magic. From that moment on, further examination was meaningless. -Do Jae-hyun¡¯s promotion assessment ends in shock! Who is the beautiful woman with green hair? -Is she really a vampire as rumored? Do Jae-hyun¡¯s new contractor instantly kills Ogres! -¡®Contract-type Rune¡¯ now undoubtedly bes Do Jae-hyun¡¯s main rune¡­ -Contract field authority Professor Kang Dong-wook, ¡°I¡¯ve said this many times, but no one can match Holder Do Jae-hyun in the contract field. Whether domestic or international.¡± After the assessment ended. Ripley¡¯s shocking performance was also highlighted in the media. In fact, all matters that ur in S-grade promotion assessments are supposed to be kept secret, but it¡¯s said that one of the A-grade examiners couldn¡¯t resist the urge and spilled to reporters. I heard he was a British Holder belonging to the International Holder Association, but as soon as the article broke, the Holder was cut from the association. And he took tremendous responsibility for breaking the confidentiality agreement. ¡°If you wish, we will also help with thewsuit.¡± Bill rk, the head of the association, came and made such an offer, probably embarrassed by the mistake of his subordinate. ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine. Honestly, I don¡¯t mind much if it¡¯s revealed.¡± Of course, I politely declined. I had already received a hugepensation for damages. It was burdensome for me to extract anything more from here. Anyway, after all the promotion assessments that caused such a stir ended. Exactly three dayster. -Holder Jae, Jae-hyun! It¡¯s done! It¡¯s finally done!! I received a call from Lee Ji-hye, my manager. It was too quick for the promotion results to be out. So I thought it might be about something other than the assessment¡­ -S-grade! It¡¯s S-grade! Kyaaaa-!! It was indeed about the promotion. A voice of joy more excited than mine. Her words specifying the rank. Only after hearing that far could I realize it. -[Exclusive] Do Jae-hyun passes final S-grade assessment! -6th domestic S-grade Holder born! First time in 7 years since Yoo Eun-seol¡­ -World¡¯s youngest S-grade Holder, just 21 years old? -Liam Hendricks, ¡°I knew he would pass if that¡¯s the case.¡± -Do Jae-hyun once again raises the status of Korean Holders! One and a half years after bing a Rune Holder. My Holder grade that started at F-grade¡­ It was the moment it finally changed to S-grade. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 312 New York Double Date (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] I became a star overnight. Actually, to use such an expression, I was already a star¡­ But bing an S-grade Holder feltpletely different. The highest rank a Rune Holder can reach. Some argue that an SS-grade Holder should be created due to therge gaps even among S-grade Holders and monsters, but regardless, S-grade is still the highest officially recognized rank in the international Holdermunity. The birth of such a Holder is not just a personal glory, but a celebration for the country as well. ¨C 21-year-old S-grade Holder! Do Jae-hyun¡¯s great achievements¨C S-grade promotion longed for by citizens¡­ Overwhelming support in polls ¨C How did Do Jae-hyun be such a strong Holder? It wasn¡¯t for nothing that the Holder Association and the government stepped in directly. The enthusiastic support resulted in sessful oues and warm wees. My name was sshed across the front pages of all domestic newspapers, and turning on TV or video news brought nothing but stories about my promotion. Congrattory messages from acquaintances poured in endlessly, and contact requests for meetings flooded in from executives of the Association and major domestic ns. The whole country was abuzz. Is ¡®rank¡¯ really the most recognized way for a Holder? I was already considered one of the core Holders domestically, but with this promotion, I felt like I had truly risen to be the top Holder in the country. ¡°Master, please save us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re really going to die at this rate¡­¡± ¡°No, how can a n Master be this active-¡° The ripple effect wasn¡¯t limited to just poprity. Me, my family, everyone rted to me. And attention poured into , the n I personally created. Thanks to this, the newly established external rtions teams within the n groaned every day. ¡°Yes, yes. As I mentioned, from now on, we¡¯d like the S-grade Holder story to be included in all descriptions of our n.¡± ¡°Hello, this is Evil Hunter PR team. Regarding the article you¡¯re nning to publish in HBN¡­¡± The PR team had the most work, naturally. From their perspective, the n¡¯s recognition skyrocketed due to my promotion issue, and they could continue more full-fledged brand marketing based on this. It was an opportunity thates once in a few years, one that absolutely couldn¡¯t be missed. Moreover, they could reconstruct the n¡¯s image as ¡®a n led by an S-grade Holder¡¯, and how cleanly and sophisticatedly they could promote these rted issues was also a big factor. The 6th S-grade Holder in the country. And the world¡¯s youngest S-grade Holder. These were powerful titles that the n couldn¡¯t let slip by. ¡°Yes, this is Evil Hunter Master Room.¡± ¡°You want to form an alliance? For that, you¡¯ll need to meet directly with the nning team, but if you¡¯d like, I can schedule a date for you.¡± ¡°Personal schedules are difficult at the moment. We already have 31 bookings¡­¡± The secretarial team is ¡®just¡¯ busy. With my bing S-grade, ns and Holders wanting to contact me poured in, and there were quite a few who wanted to do something together or establish cooperative rtionships with our n. Lightly contacting these people and setting up schedules was the secretarial team¡¯s job. They already had a lot of work, but it piled up even more with this promotion. Moreover, my personal schedule was already packed even before the promotion, so they struggled considerably to coordinate the flood of meeting schedules. ¡°¡­They¡¯re really working hard.¡± PR team and secretarial team. These two teams were truly devoted to work almost every day, and thanks to them, they were the busiest teams in our n these days. is probably the only n with such busy teams despite not being Holder employees. ¡°So? Did you give them bonuses?¡± Kim Chae-eun, finding the n talk interesting, asked with a smile. I gently pinched her yful nose and answered. ¡°Of course. Though we¡¯re a new n, the treatment n members receive is the best in the industry. It¡¯s my management motto that created the n in such a short time.¡± ¡°Heh- Cool. So how much did you give?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret. Knowing too much about the Master¡¯s circumstances can hurt you.¡± ¡°What-¡° Kim Chae-eun pretended to be upset. But seemingly pleased anyway, she pressed her chest closer to my arm she was holding onto. ¡°I¡¯m so excited.¡± ¡°You like it that much?¡± ¡°Yeah! This is our first date in ages.¡± ¡°Right. We¡¯ve been so busy conquering dungeon after dungeon.¡± If the promotion assessment results had been dyed, this trip would have been postponed too. ¡°We finished the conquests cleanly, Jae-hyun got promoted to S-grade¡­ Everything wrapped up nicely and now we¡¯re on a rxed trip. Hehe, I love it.¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re going abroad?¡± ¡°That makes it even better!¡± Kim Chae-eun and I each had arge carrier in our hands. We could have put them in magic bags, but Kim Chae-eun wanted to hold them to get into the travel mood. Right now, we were on our way to the United States. While the actual purpose was travel and a date, on the surface it was a visit to the US for n business. An official invitation proposed to the n by Liam Hendricks and . I was going as the n¡¯s master and representative, and Kim Chae-eun, also a n member, was participating as my apanying person. ¡®Originally it was supposed to be my Master¡­¡¯ Actually, the first person proposed as the apanying member was the vice master, Yoo Eun-seol. It¡¯s extremely rare for both the master and vice master to participate in an official n schedule at the same time, but it was possible because is the world¡¯s top n with high prestige. However, due to the master¡¯s busy personal schedule, the visit to the United States was unfortunately cancelled. She is not only the n¡¯s vice master, but also an S-grade Holder representing Korea and the country¡¯s top assassin-type Holder. Especially recently, her time has been heavily upied with activities like ¡®teaching at the academy¡¯ and conquering the , so her postponed personal schedules had piled up like a mountain. Moreover, with her only disciple (me) having been promoted to S-grade Holder, interest in her has exploded and interview requests are pouring in. Her already busy schedule could only be more packed. ¡°Should I just overturn everything, Association and all¡­?¡± ¡°P-please calm down, master.¡± ¡°I wanted to go to America with Jae-hyun too¡­¡± Yoo Eun-seol expressed deep regret while casually uttering frightening words. In any case, by her giving up the apanying person¡¯s spot, Kim Chae-eun was able toe along. Since staff from the nning and operations teams who handle external affairs were attending separately anyway, it didn¡¯t really matter which Holder came as an apanying person. ¡°Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I turned my head to see Kim Chae-eun with a slightly anxious face. ¡°Um¡­ What did the others say?¡± ¡°The others?¡± I tilted my head for a moment but quickly realized. ¡°Ga-eun and Juyeon?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why, are you getting scared now?¡± Nod nod-. Kim Chae-eun nodded her head a few times with a meerkat-like expression. ¡°I just notified the girls and haven¡¯t looked at the group chat, I¡¯m scared¡­ What did they say? Do I need to hide when I get back to Korea?¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± It¡¯s this scary to just notify without discussion first. Considering Moon Ga-eun¡¯s angry facest time, her anxiety is quite understandable. I smiled and patted Kim Chae-eun¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Juyeon and Ga-eun decided to go on a trip too, so they¡¯re not angry anymore.¡± ¡°¡­A trip?¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s eyes widened at this news she was hearing for the first time. ¡°Ah¡­ Did I not mention it? The other girls said they wanted to go on a trip after a long time too, so we decided to pick a date and go together while we¡¯re on break. Since I¡¯m going to America with you, Juyeon and Ga-eun are going to Europe.¡± ¡°Europe?!¡± Kim Chae-eun eximed in surprise. She even stopped walking and stood still. ¡­Then she hugged me tightly and looked up with sparkling eyes. ¡°I want to go to Europe too.¡± ¡°Starting with formal speech is cheating, you know?¡± Kim Chae-eun has been subtly trying to train metely. She blinked her eyes without releasing her embrace. ¡°Can¡¯t we go together?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Aw, why~ I wanna go too~ Why are only the three of you going~¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re only going to America as the two of us. You need to know when to concede.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ That¡¯s true but¡­ I¡¯ve never been to Europe either¡­¡± I gently kissed her as she expressed her disappointment. Then, holding her cheeks, I said, ¡°Let¡¯s go next time. Instead, you can have fun in America this time, right?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I¡¯d like to take them all to America or Europe if I could. Why wouldn¡¯t I want to go on separate trips with each of my three lovers? However, we are not just lovers but also workce colleagues. It hasn¡¯t been long since the conquest of the entered a ceasefire state, and the newly established still needs to build its foundation. Although we¡¯ve taken a short break now, we can¡¯t just y around forever. That¡¯s why we¡¯re splitting up our tight schedule to spend time with our lovers like this. ¡°Hehe, I understand.¡± Kim Chae-eun quickly nodded with a smile, knowing these circumstances. In fact, I knew she was just throwing a little tantrum for fun. Still grateful for her understanding, I kissed her once more and held her hand. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Theter we are, the less time we¡¯ll have to enjoy.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± *** Ippotrantion *** ¡­And then we arrived in America. Before the excitement for a foreign country could even build up. I was looking ahead with a dumbfounded expression. Although I couldn¡¯t see her, Kim Chae-eun beside me probably had a simr expression. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A familiar face encountered in a strangend. My best friend and a core n member of . Park Jin-woo was facing us with a gloomy expression. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 313 New York Double Date (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] New York, called the de facto capital of the United States. New York City is not only thergest city in New York State but also thergest in the entire United States, and it¡¯s a historic metropolis that can be called the center both economically and culturally. Its scale is so vast that it¡¯s considered a global city. And this fame of New York¡­ Was not limited to just the world of ordinary people. ¡°In the American Holdermunity, it¡¯s called one of the two mountain ranges.¡± ¡°Two mountain ranges?¡±Kim Chae-eun asked again, seemingly curious and interested. She probably already knew this from studying, but it seemed she liked hearing it from me again. ¡°Yes. LA and New York. They have thergest number of Holders, and globalrge ns are also based there. Naturally, major cities tend to be famous as Holder cities as well.¡± New York is called one of the two mountain ranges of Holder cities in America. Along with Los Angeles, it¡¯s thergest in scale, with manyrge ns and high-ranking Holders settled there. Just as we have well-established Holder infrastructure in Seoul, our capital andrgest city, America also had a structure where Holders inevitably gathered in famous andrge cities. ¡°Wow¡­ There are really a lot of people.¡± Perhaps because of this, an enormous crowd of Holders was waiting at the [Warp Gate] where we arrived. New York¡¯s Warp Gate is located in Queens, which you have to cross the river to reach from Manhattan, the central area, and this is also where JFK Airport (New York¡¯s main airport) is located. ¡®It¡¯s simr to Incheon.¡¯ Just as Korea¡¯s international Warp Gate is located at Incheon International Airport, America also has international Warp Gates located within each region¡¯s airports. However, if there¡¯s a difference. JFK Airport, which was somewhat smallerpared to mega-airports like ATL or LAX, has grown muchrger as it became a hub for international Holders. ¡°Did the airport get bigger because it¡¯s the central city for Holders?¡± ¡°Yes. All Holders trying toe to New York pass through this airport.¡± The central cities for American Holders, LA and New York. Holders traveling internationally naturally favor the Warp Gates of these two cities. In other words, most Holdersing and going to America use one of these two. Because of this, the floating poption inside JFK Airport was at an enormous level, and as a result, the surrounding amenities and auxiliary buildings were also quite spectacrly constructed. ¡°Wow- I¡¯m so excited, Jae-hyun!¡± The hot breath befitting the city¡¯s reputation. Kim Chae-eun seemed to like their weing greetings, pulling on my arm with a bright smile. ¡°I know. It really feels like we¡¯re on a trip, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Where¡¯s our hotel? Is it near here?¡± ¡°No, the hotel is in Manhattan. We could go straight to the domestic travel Warp Gate over there, but¡­¡± I turned my gaze slightly towards that gate, then trailed off as I looked at Kim Chae-eun. She was staring at me with sparkling eyes. It was as if she was shouting, ¡®I want to stay here longer¡­!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter at that. ¡°Shall we look around Queens a bit before we go?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As expected, what Kim Chae-eun wanted was a diverse trip. I also felt like going straight to the Manhattan hotel to unpack and rest, but since we¡¯vee all the way to America, it was good to move around as we pleased and travel. Fortunately, since we didn¡¯t take a ne, we had enough energy. We prepared to leave the airport right away after putting our suitcases and luggage into the magic bag. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± A familiar face encountered in an unfamiliar ce. That is, until I saw Park Jin-woo. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Park Jin-woo was looking at us with a sour face. He sighed while scratching his head, then slowly approached us. ¡°Hey, Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s cold voice, which I had never heard before, came out. The unexpected turn of events and the unfamiliar tone. Thatbination made me feel nervous for some reason. And Park Jin-woo continued speaking. ¡°Keep your promise.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­What promise?¡± ¡°Special coaching! You said you¡¯d give special coaching when you make a n!! But this damn bastard kept putting it off for a long time, and before the coaching even started, he¡¯sing to y with his girlfriend using work as an excuse?! Hey, you bastard. Save me first¡­!!¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s angry shout strongly hit my ears and surroundings. With such force that it seemed he might grab my cor at any moment. I was surprised for a moment at that absurd situation¡­ Then I hit my head as a thought suddenly urred to me. ¡®This bastard, he still hasn¡¯t confessed.¡¯ Park Jin-woo, who was obsessed with training and growth, had built a wall against dating all this time. The love front between him and Cami¡­ It seems to be still at a standstill. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°So¡­ Cami said she was taking a vacation anding to America for a while, so you followed her without thinking, but you haven¡¯t even told her you¡¯re in America yet?¡± ¡°Oh- Exactly¡­¡± Park Jin-woo answered with a slightly deted face. A very rare sight for those who knew him normally. But I didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for such an appearance. ¡®No, you could just contact her.¡¯ I came to America too, let¡¯s meet once. I just contacted you because I was curious¡­. Why is he hesitating over something so simple? Sheesh, idiot¡­. I barely held back those words that wereing up to my throat. It¡¯s the kind of cursing exmation I would have said without hesitation normally, but it was better to spare it for Park Jin-woo who had lost his confidence like this. ¡°Haa¡­ I even took 5 days of vacation¡­.¡± My eyebrows twitched at Park Jin-woo¡¯smentation. ¡°What vacation? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Evil Hunter?¡± ¡°Where else would I take a vacation besides the n? The academy is on break.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything to the master when you took time off?¡± ¡°Oh- You must have been too distracted by your date to hear. After the emergency gathering ended, I just needed approval from HR.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± For Park Jinwoo, this is unnecessarily logical. Why does this guy be an idiot in front of Cam when he can speak so well? Feeling awkward, I scratched my head. ¡°Heh- So Jin-woo liked Cam¡­¡± And Kim Chae-eun next to me, admiring with a strange expression. Come to think of it, no one but me knew that Park Jin-woo liked Cam. I thought he had been showing it quite obviously, but surprisingly no n members or friends had noticed. ¡°Kim Chae-eun, don¡¯t tell anyone else. It¡¯s absolutely a secret.¡± Park Jin-woo earnestly pleads with her. Seeing that, I lightly chided him. ¡°Hey, is Chae-eun the type to go around bbing? Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­Like girlfriend, like boyfriend.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re jealous, why don¡¯t you date someone too?¡± ¡°You really want to die? Should I calcte all the special coaching I was supposed to do but forgot? Think about how you¡¯re going to coach right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m desperately thinking about it now.¡± I bowed my head in apology right after talking back once. Park Jin-woo who has awakened to love is scary. ¡°But you know.¡± Kim Chae-eun, who had beenughing at our banter, suddenly spoke as if she¡¯d thought of something. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Cam from California Academy? That¡¯s the one our academy had exchanges with. So why is Jin-woo in New York?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± ¡®California Holder Academy¡¯ located on the outskirts of LA. Along with New York Holder Academy, it¡¯s the most famous and excellent academy in the United States. Cam Flores was a Holder who came over as an exchange student from there, and naturally, if she came to the US on vacation, she should have been in LA. ¡°Cam¡¯s parents moved, to New York. With all the administrative procedures done, there was no need to go to the academy, and since Cam also came to the US on vacation, she came to New York.¡± In other words, Cam is in New York right now. Seeing Park Jin-woo exin this fluently, I asked. ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t contact her once sinceing to America, but you seem surprisingly well-informed?¡± ¡°I heard it when I was in Korea.¡± ¡°How did you hear about it in Korea?¡± ¡°¡­During the Deserter¡¯s Room attack. After the n meeting ended.¡± ¡°What would you have done if I hadn¡¯t created the n?¡± ¡°Please just shut up.¡± I quietly closed my mouth, feeling like he might draw a sword if I said any more. Indeed, Park Jin-woo who has awakened to love is scary. ¡°Then can¡¯t you just meet her? If you¡¯re both in New York.¡± Kim Chae-eun suddenly tilted her head and asked. As expected of my girlfriend. Her thoughts seem very simr to mine. Park Jin-woo shuddered at the appearance of Do Jae-hyun mk2, but finding it hard to get angry even at Kim Chae-eun, he sighed and answered. ¡°If it were that easy, would I be like this¡­?¡± If Park Jin-woo was that good at dating in the first ce, it wouldn¡¯t matter whether Cam was in New York or LA. He could just contact her to meet and go see her. ¡­For him, that wasplex and difficult, which was the problem. ¡°Then should we meet together?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At this unexpected suggestion, my and Park Jin-woo¡¯s gazes turned simultaneously. Kim Chae-eun spread her fingers as if asking what the problem was and said. ¡°If it¡¯s hard to meet alone, we can see her together. Cam and Jin-woo, me and Jaehyun. We¡¯ve done a lot of activities together so it won¡¯t be awkward.¡± Kim Chae-eun smiled brightly as she came up with a clear solution. ¡°How about a New York double date?¡± *** Ippotrantion *** We made a decision right away at Kim Chae-eun¡¯s suggestion. To send a text message to Cam. At first, we told Park Jin-woo to call her directly, but when he said he absolutely couldn¡¯t do that, we agreed on a text message. Fortunately, Chae-eun and I also have time. Hendricks¡¯ official invitation was tomorrow, so we still had some free time. However. ¡°Kim Chae-eun, are you really okay with this?¡± Park Jin-woo keeps asking, feeling unnecessarily sorry. After all, for Chae-eun, this was a date with me that she was enjoying after a long time, and it was supposed to be just the two of us. He seemed to have mixed feelings, thinking he was taking this away because of his own issues. Such a considerate guy, yet he can¡¯t handle his own love life. ¡°Yes. We came on a long trip anyway so we have plenty of time, and I¡¯ve always wanted to try a double date sometime.¡± After saying that, Kim Chae-eun briefly turned her gaze to me. As if asking if I was okay with it even though she was. I nodded with a smile in response. ¡°I¡¯m fine too. I was supposed to give Jin-woo special coaching anyway. This time I should teach him properly through a double date.¡± Hearing those words, Park Jin-woo frowned and chided me. ¡°Hey. Is that how you coach? It¡¯s Kim Chae-eun who¡¯s doing it.¡± ¡°In a way, I¡¯m the manager. Chae-eun is the coach I brought. Bringing a good coach is also part of a manager¡¯s skill.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re impossible.¡± He surrendered at my annoying response. And it¡¯s not wrong either. Actually, I¡¯m the one who brought Chae-eun to America, and I helped write the text to Cam in coboration with her. ¡°Does Cam know you came to New York?¡± ¡°Yeah, I mentioned it once before.¡± ¡°Okay. Then we can send it like this.¡± We send the text as naturally and gently as possible. Me, Kim Chae-eun, Park Jin-woo, Cam. A proposal for the four of us to meet together. Of course, we absolutely don¡¯t use the term ¡®double date¡¯, just a message asking if she¡¯d like to hang out together since friends happened toe to America due to their schedule. And then. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Park Jin-woo shouts, clutching his phone. [Cam Flores] Okay. Let¡¯s go together. Master, Chae-eun. Sightseeing America. Will help. A positive response came from Cam. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 314 New York Double Date (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Seoul Holder Academy. Following a series of shocking incidents, sses were suspended again likest year, but after conquering the 6th sector of , things stabilized and the academy reopened. As a result, most students, except for a few, attended the academy. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you Holder Song Hyun-ah?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ That¡¯s right. Excuse me, I¡¯m on my way to the lecture hall.¡± ¡°Wow-.¡± And it was the same for the trio of new students.Song Hyun-ah, Park Yoon-seo, and Choi Arin. The three were heading to the lecture hall together after a long time. Due to gaining quite a reputation from the ¡®Holder Kidnapping Incident¡¯ and the conquest of , Song Hyun-ah, who was already famous, became even more well-known at the academy¡­ But they didn¡¯t care much about it. It was a frequent urrence, and their real interestsy elsewhere. ¡°Senior is really amazing¡­ How does one be an S-grade Holder at 21?¡± As always, Park Yoon-seo speaks up first. S-grade Holder Do Jae-hyun. A title achieved by a 21-year-old academy student. The hottest issue in the entire Holder world and globally, whether in academies or academic circles. Park Yoon-seo, an official fan club member of Do Jae-hyun, had seen rted articles dozens of times, but still found the results hard to believe. That¡¯s how extraordinary his achievements werepared to previous aplishments. ¡°It¡¯s the overwhelming difference in talent. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s taken all the ¡®first¡¯ and ¡®youngest¡¯ titles.¡± Song Hyun-ah replied after lightly brushing off a student fan. As she said, Do Jae-hyun is in the process of taking all the titles rted to being the first or the youngest. Youngest attack team leader. Youngest n master. Youngest S-grade Holder¡­. Not to mention being the first to discover or conquer various undiscovered dungeons like and each sector of . These were truly the ultimate achievements one could umte as a Holder. Although he was already famous for the ¡®Viin Sweep Operation¡¯, through these recent events, he came to be treated as aplete hero among the students. Despite quite a few unfortunate incidents at the academytely, the atmosphere was as if every day was a celebration, and this was why. ¡°I heard all the students in the senior¡¯s n get their attendance recognized for three weeks.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a vacation recognizing their contributions in making the academy globally renowned and rescuing all the kidnapped Holders. An administrative decision with ss.¡± The n also benefited. When it was first established, people said there would ultimately be limitations to a student n, but they dispelled all doubts and became a new pride of the academy. As a result, they received the exceptional reward of a three-week vacation with recognized attendance for all n members. Interestingly, no academy studentined about this special treatment. ¡°Ah~ I want to join Evil Hunter too.¡± Currently, is in a state of constant recruitment for n members. Although they haven¡¯t recruited a single new n member yet, the n could select additional members anytime if they wanted to. And there were still spots left for student n members. However, Do Jae-hyun, who aims for a small elite n, was unlikely to recruit inexperienced freshmen n members. Park Yoon-seo grumbled despite knowing it wasn¡¯t possible. ¡°Arin, what are you doing?¡± At that moment, Song Hyun-ah¡¯s gaze turns to Choi Arin. She was walking beside them, looking at her phone and smiling to herself. In the past, they wouldn¡¯t have cared much about what she was doing, but after the recent ¡®Holder Kidnapping Incident¡¯, the rtionship between the three had be very close. They realized that even though they bickered and fought every day, they were precious friends in the end. So now, there was no pretense at all in the rtionship between Song Hyun-ah and Choi Arin. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± But Choi Arin suddenly stammered and tried to cover her phone. This triggered her friends¡¯ sharp senses. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like nothing.¡± Song Hyun-ah¡¯s eyes turn towards Park Yoon-seo. Then Park Yoon-seo suddenly hugs Choi Arin from behind. ¡°Eek-?!¡± ¡°Wow, look at this, look at this. As expected, she was looking at Senior Jae-hyun¡¯s photos.¡± Do Jae-hyun¡¯s photo filled the phone screen. And at the top, clearly recorded was the ¡®Premium Member¡¯ grade. It showed she was proudly viewing as a member of his official fan cafe. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was just a business rtionship before?¡± ¡°P-people change, you know.¡± ¡°This vixen, really¡­!!¡± Originally, Choi Arin had absolutely no feelings for Do Jae-hyun. Far from having feelings, she couldn¡¯t even understand her friends who fangirled over him like fanatics. But even shepletely changed her mind after being rescued from . The person who came to rescue her before anyone else. The person who prioritized her safety in a dangerous situation. Do Jae-hyun. A strong admiration and reverence for him had already fully taken root in Choi Arin¡¯s heart. ¡°Wow, but Arin got premium membership really fast.¡± ¡°Is that important? We need to make Arin pay for lying to us today.¡± ¡°Ah, right. You were criticizing us when you didn¡¯t understand, and now look at you. You need to be taught a lesson, Choi Arin.¡± ¡°L-let go of me!¡± Just as the three friends were bickering half-jokingly, half-seriously. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Suddenly, a man in a suit appeared in front of them. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah, I am this person.¡± As curious gazes gathered, the man took out a business card from his pocket and showed it to them. And the eyes of the three widened as they checked the card. n Scouting Team -Head Scout Team Leader Yoon Jae-ho The contents written inside¡­ It was one of their greatest interests. ¡°I apologize for interrupting your way. The reason I¡¯m here is that our n is conducting an unofficial recruitment for new n members, and I came to offer you three an invitation for a recruitment interview.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Us, you mean us?¡± Yes. Originally, I wasn¡¯t nning to recruit first-year n members, but I heard that the three of you helped the allied forces fight in the initial area of the Deserter¡¯s Room. Everyone spoke very highly of you.¡± After Choi Arin was rescued from zone 1 . Song Hyun-ah and Park Yoon-seo did not immediately return to the present world, but remained in the dungeon to help the allied forces hunt undead. At first, there was strong opposition from the Academy, but they couldn¡¯t dissuade the two who were determined to fight Ludenark, who had kidnapped their friend. Additionally, Choi Arin contributed by personally craftingbat magical tools, and thanks to this, stories about the three of them in the initial area became quite famous. ¨C The first-year geniuses who fought against the undead! An issue that was even mentioned once in the media. That¡¯s why earlier, when Song Hyun-ah was walking, there was a student who immediately recognized her. ¡°The interview won¡¯t be too difficult. I hope all three of you will participate. Especially Holder Choi Arin, there was a message from the Master asking for her participation.¡± ¡°Senior Jae-hyun?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡­And to these girls. An unexpected reward wasing after their hard-fought battles. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°So, are we epting first-year students as n members?¡± Kim Chae-eun asks with curious eyes. The TO for first-year n members was strictly limited to 5 people. Originally, there was no intention to fill even one of those spots, but this time, minds have changed. ¡°Not all of them, just those 3 for interviews for now. And they¡¯re such exceptional kids that we¡¯re not even sure if they¡¯ll definitely join. One is the younger sister of the Dragon Sword Master, one is a genius alchemist we really want to recruit, and one is¡­¡± I shift my gaze slightly to the side. Park Jin-woo, standing stiffly next to Cami. He wouldn¡¯t usually be this tense, but maybe because of the ¡®double date¡¯ment, he seemed particrly more nervous today. I quietly said to Kim Chae-eun so only she could hear, ¡°Jin-woo¡¯s younger sister.¡± ¡°Ah, the one called Park Yoon-seo?¡± ¡°Yeah. Unlike Jin-woo, she¡¯s sharp and quite skilled. I¡¯d like her to join as a n member if possible.¡± Through this recent strategy, I clearly felt it. Talented Holders don¡¯t consider age or experience. Even if they¡¯re student n members, if they¡¯re skilled enough, they can y active roles in strategies, and even experienced pro Holders can make mistakes. As a Mastermanding n-level battles, I learned a lot this time, and as a result, my thoughts have changed quite a bit. ¡°Master! This is Broadway!¡± Suddenly, Cami stands in the center and raises her hand high. She had appeared quickly after receiving a text from Park Jin-woo, saying she had some free time, and eximing ¡°If you¡¯re in New York, you must see this!¡±, she led us here. Lower Manhattan, Broadway. A major avenue endlessly connecting streets arranged like a chessboard. It¡¯s where Times Square, one of New York¡¯sndmarks, is located, and can be considered the most famous street among New York¡¯s streets. And befitting that fame, an enormous crowd was filling the street. ¡®Originally, we would have traveled to Queens.¡¯ The Queens trip was temporarily put on hold for the sake of Park Jin-woo¡¯s sessful love endeavor. Kim Chae-eun looked around with shining eyes. ¡°Wow~ New York is crowded everywhere we go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because this is Broadway. It¡¯s good for shopping, and it¡¯s also considered a ma for performances.¡± At my words, Cami raised her hand high again. ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to see a show today. When youe to New York, you must see a show!¡± Broadway is also called the holy ground of world theater and musicals. It¡¯s considered the best in performing arts along with London¡¯s West End. Thanks to this, among the general public visiting here, there are quite a lot of fans who enjoy the performance culture. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Statue of Liberty the must-see in New York?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see that at night. It¡¯s quite pretty at night.¡± ¡°You have it all nned out.¡± Cami was thorough in her nning despite being called suddenly. It seems she had already decided what to do with us in that short time. It was hard to tell who was helping whom at this rate. ¡°Master, Chae-eun. Is there any show you particrly want to see?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know much about performances¡­¡± Trailing off at Cami¡¯s question, I nced at Park Jin-woo. He was still standing stiffly in the same pose as before. ¡®Ah, this guy, even when we¡¯veid out the red carpet for him¡­¡¯ Seeing that, I made a decision. If we let Cami continue to guide us like this, things might go a bit differently from what we had nned. ¡°Cami. How about we split up for a while and then meet again?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Cami looks puzzled at my sudden suggestion. ¡°After all, it¡¯ll take time for us to find a suitable show and look around Broadway. We¡¯ll move on our own, and you can hang out with Jin-woo¡­ Then we¡¯ll meet again around dinner time. How about that?¡± Although I said it indirectly, it was essentially a suggestion to move as couples. It was a masterstroke proposal to support Park Jin-woo, who was standing there nkly. ¡°Uh¡­?!¡± I suddenly grabbed Kim Chae-eun¡¯s shoulder firmly and pulled her into my arms. ¨C We are a couple, so we need time alone! It was an action to express that intention more clearly. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± But Cami¡¯s expression became strange as she watched this. At first, she seemed not to understand¡­ Then her face quickly turned red. She lowered her head and answered. ¡°I-I understand. I¡¯ll get out of your way, Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± What? Did she understand correctly? ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 315 Chapter 315 Arena Terror (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Park Jin-woo shook his head andposed himself. Walking the streets with Cami. In fact, they had gone out together several times before, but walking together in the unfamiliarnd of America felt different. Moreover, America was Cami¡¯s homnd. For Park Jin-woo, it was also a ce he didn¡¯t know well, so he couldn¡¯t help but tense his shoulders more to avoid making mistakes. ¡°Jin-woo! Try this.¡± Whether she knew Park Jin-woo¡¯s feelings or not, Cami ordered food from a food truck with an excited face.This was already the fourth food truck. At first, she had said strange things like ¡®As expected, the n master is bold¡­¡¯, but she quickly regained her enthusiasm and began exploring food. Hot dogs, waffles, pretzels, pizza slices¡­. They had eaten all sorts of food, even skipping lunch, but she didn¡¯t seem to tire of it and found another new food truck. ¡®Bagel¡­.¡¯ A bread shaped like a donut with a hole in the center. The shape split in half and the inside filled with cheese. It was a cream cheese bagel, said to be a specialty of the food trucks in this area. Although it wasn¡¯t a food he particrly liked, he couldn¡¯t refuse when Cami was feeding him directly. Park Jin-woo immediately bit into one side of the bagel. ¡°Ouw- I mean, um¡­ It¡¯s delicious?¡± And just as he was about to use his usual exmation¡­ He hesitated for a moment and changed his words. He remembered the special coaching his friend had given him in Queens before Cami arrived. ¨C Don¡¯t use that ¡®ouw¡¯ in front of Cami. ¨C ¡­¡­? No, why? ¨C Ah. Just don¡¯t use it if I tell you not to. ¨C ¡­Okay. Although he didn¡¯t like it, his friend was his senior in terms of dating. There was no harm in taking his advice to heart. ¡°Haha! Jin-woo, is it really delicious?¡± Seeing Park Jin-woo eating the bagel deliciously, Cami burst intoughter and pped her hands. She looked like she had seen something amusing. Park Jin-woo replied with an embarrassed feeling. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s delicious. Why?¡± ¡°This is super greasy. I thought Jin-woo would dislike it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± In fact, Cami was right. The food truck¡¯s cream cheese bagel was certainly delicious, but it was a bit overwhelming and greasy to eat continuously. Above all, it wasn¡¯t Park Jin-woo¡¯s style of food. What Park Jin-woo liked was generally pork cutlet, stir-fried pork, bibimbap¡­. A typical macho man¡¯s diet. ¡°Jin-woo, thank you.¡± ¡°Huh? For what?¡± Park Jin-woo asked back at the sudden thanks, but Cami¡¯s face was more peaceful than ever. ¡°Just, for everything. For eating food that doesn¡¯t suit you with me, and also¡­.¡± Cami, who was awkward with Korean, slowly formed her sentences. ¡°For helping me when I first came to Seoul, for sparring with me, for introducing me to your friends, for asking me to join the n.¡± It was just a sign of affection, and an action his heart told him to do. But she remembered all those kindnesses deeply. ¡°For going on raids together, for protecting me in crises, for always being with me.¡± To be precise, it was Cami, who mainly used shields, who protected the team members¡­ But that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was Park Jin-woo and Cami. The fact that the two of them were facing each other in the same ce. And in the gaze of looking at each other, Cami smiled brightly and said, ¡°I like you! Let¡¯s date, Jin-woo!¡± A real woman proves herself not by her diet but by her honesty. At Cami¡¯s bold confession, Park Jin-woo stood dazed, looking at her. Then he slowly thought, ¡®Special coaching¡­ It waspletely useless.¡¯ He had made excuses to call Cami, created situations for them to be alone, and even nned out how to confess¡­ But none of that mattered. What¡¯s important is not the coach but the yer who scores the goal. Cami, who confessed before Park Jin-woo, ended the situation by scoring a wonder goal. In the end, what was meant to be was going to happen anyway. * * * Ippotrantion *** The course rmended by Cami wasn¡¯t just about performances. New York, along with LA, is the center where most American Holders gather. Because of this, there were quite a lot of cultural activities prepared for the convenience and enjoyment of Holders. ¡°Holder Arena?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s one of the most famous sports in America these days, and it¡¯s especially popr in New York.¡± Kim Chae-eun and I were there to watch a unique sport called ¡®Holder Arena¡¯. Originally, the four major sports in America were baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey. However, with the appearance of Holders and monsters in modern times, a new sport emerged where Holders fight each other under certain rules and determine winners and losers. Although it¡¯s a bit dangerous, if safety regtions and priests are well prepared, it can be a sufficiently attractive sport. Since ancient times, people have said that the most interesting spectacle is watching a fight. People were enthusiastic about this sport where Holders fought each other and achieved victory. In particr, battles between Holders were even more popr because they were a spectacle that not only ordinary people but even other Holders rarely got to see. ¡°After watching this, meeting Jin-woo¡¯s group again for dinner, and seeing a show, the timing will be just right.¡± ¡°Wow- we¡¯re really making the most of our time right now.¡± We spent the daytime shopping at Times Square, and now during this slightly free time, we¡¯re at the Holder Arena. It was our first day in America without much of a n, but thanks to Cami¡¯s guidance and Kim Chae-eun¡¯s enthusiastic exploration, we were making good use of our spare time. ¡®If only things would go well for Jin-woo¡­¡¯ We did everything we could. We used us as an excuse to call Cami to Manhattan, and after getting her guidance, we gave them time alone saying we wanted to be by ourselves. We even gave special coaching beforehand on how to win Cami¡¯s heart. From here on out, it was beyond our control. ¡®Surely he¡¯s not just sitting there saying nothing again¡­?¡¯ Maybe because he¡¯s my only friend, I was needlessly more worried. It¡¯s already been over half a year since they met, and since we created an atmosphere for the two of them to be alone today, I hoped they would produce some results. ¡°I want to eat Shake Shack!¡± With that onement from Kim Chae-eun, we went near Madison Square and bought premium burgers. We bought lots of burgers, shakes, and french fries. It was the preparation stage for enjoying the new sport called the Holder Arena. ¡°Yes, your tickets are confirmed. Please go to the inner Premium Section A-13 and take your seats.¡± Arge stadium located in Manhattan. Following the employee¡¯s guidance, we slowly entered inside. Kim Chae-eun, who was linking arms with me with an expectant face, suddenly asked, ¡°Jae-hyun, you didn¡¯t buy the tickets today, did you?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then how did you get premium seats? Were there seats left?¡± The Holder Arena is a popr sport. Although it hasn¡¯tnded in Korea or other countries yet due to issues with regtions and safety, it was a popr sport in America that sold out every game. Of course, there were no seats left for today¡¯s game either. Not just premium seats, even regr seats were hard to get in reality. ¡°Money doese in handy.¡± I smiled at Kim Chae-eun as I told her. Scalping is legal in New York. Anyway, we took our seats in the premium section closest to the arena. Our hands were full of the Shake Shack burgers and snacks we bought earlier. ¡°This must be a magic barrier.¡± ¡°Yeah. They must have used a ton of magic stones to make this?¡± The transparent wall separating the arena and the spectator seats was made of [Magic Barrier]. Since ordinary barriers could be prated by Holders¡¯ abilities, it wasposed of fouryers of [Magic Barrier] ovepping. Considering the size of the arena and the wide spectator seats, it seemed like they used quite a lot of magic stones for the barrier. In other words, it means they poured an enormous amount of money into it. ¡®¡­No wonder other countries can¡¯t easily bring it in.¡¯ A sport that requires massive funds just to set up the arena. Unless a definite profit structure is established, it didn¡¯t seem easy to bring it into other countries. -Wee to the New York Holder Arena,dies and gentlemen! As we were looking around the arena and waiting for a while, the announcer seated high in the center took the microphone. -The 121st New York Holder Arena match will now begin! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all checked when entering, but please carefully review the precautions and lineup once again! There wasn¡¯t anything special about the precautions. Points like be careful because weapons will be used and magic will appear. Points like be cautious as blood might ssh or injuries might ur sometimes. Most of the precautions were for the consideration of ordinary spectators. And the lineup. ¡°There are five teams?¡± ¡°Yeah. More than I expected. Maybe it¡¯s because matches that end quickly end too fast?¡± A total of five matches were prepared. If we look only at their sses and grades, it¡¯s like this:
  1. Mage(B) vs Warrior(C)
  2. Mage(C) vs Mage(C)
  3. Assassin(C) vs Warrior(C)
  4. Archer(C) vs Archer(C)
  5. Warrior(B) vs Warrior(B)
Most matches wereposed of C-grade Holders, with asional B-grade Holders mixed in. The lineup expected to be the highlight was obviously the fifth match. A battle between B-grade warrior sses. It seemed the organizers also knew this would be the most interesting, so they ced it as thest match. -Now! Let me introduce the first match of the 121st New York Holder Arenapetition. It¡¯s a face-off between Caroline, a B-grade mage ss Holder, and Henry, a C-grade warrior ss! The match will start in 30 seconds! As the announcer finished speaking, a 30-second countdown began on the central tower¡¯s electronic disy board. The two introduced Holders were entering the arena. Henry, a C-grade warrior ss with a tall build and typical American appearance. And¡­ ¡®¡­What¡¯s this?¡¯ Caroline, a B-grade mage ss. She clearly had Western features, but her body type, hair color, and subtle parts of her face were different from the typical American appearance. But her appearance felt familiar somehow. That¡¯s definitely¡­ -The match begins!
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 316 Arena Terror (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Henry, a C-grade warrior Holder, is different from ordinary C-grade Holders. It starts with his ability scores. As an offensive warrior type, he doesn¡¯t have high durability, but his magic power is 46. His main stats, strength and speed, have already surpassed 50. The same goes for runes. The levels of the runes he mainly uses are all over 10, and the levels of auxiliary runes are simr or slightly lower. This is the maximum potential that a C-grade offensive warrior Holder can achieve. In effect, he possesses ability scores and rune utilizationparable to a B-grade Holder.In other words, this meant that Henry was a C-grade Holder on the verge of promotion to B-grade. ¡®Heh. I can take down a mage type in one strike.¡¯ Moreover, in a one-on-one duel between warrior and mage types. This is generally much more advantageous for the former. The biggest reason for this is ¡®time¡¯. The two types show a huge difference inbat preparation time. While warrior-type Holders are ready for battle as soon as they draw out weapons like swords or spears, mages need to manifest, arrange, and apply their magic power before casting even a single spell. Even when using the same magic power, warrior types who only need to ¡®manifest¡¯ it in their weapons have an overwhelmingly advantageous position in the time battle. It¡¯s not for nothing that in partypositions, warrior types take the vanguard and mage types take the rear. ¡®Sometimes there are mages who defeat warrior types, but¡­¡¯ It¡¯s not that there¡¯s no way at all. They canpensate for their weaknesses through special runes like [High-Speed Chanting] or [Memorize], and battle mages who actively utilize [Magic Barrier] often show great strength in one-on-one duels. But these are just exceptions. There are far more mage-type Holders who don¡¯t possess these runes, and even if they do, the warrior type still has the advantage. ¡®I can definitely beat a B-grade.¡¯ Moreover, the opponent is a B-grade mage type. Although it¡¯s a rank belonging to high-level Holders, it¡¯s simr to Henry¡¯s current abilities. He deliberately didn¡¯t promote to B-grade for this arena duel. To make a big profit from reverse betting, in collusion with the event organizer. It¡¯s a major crime that wouldnd him in jail if discovered, but it doesn¡¯t matter if he doesn¡¯t get caught. -The match begins! And with the announcer¡¯s words, the match started. Henry instantly drew his sword and rushed towards Caroline. An explosive movement utilizing [Agility]. Here, he uses a rare rune called [Dweill Swordsmanship]. This is thebo mainly used by the offensive warrior-type Henry. If the opposing mage hasn¡¯t prepared a defensive spell in advance, it¡¯s a rush attack that could deal a heavy blow. ¡®You fool! It ends now¡­!!¡¯ Henry was confident in his victory. He couldn¡¯t sense even a speck of magic power from the opposing mage. She hadn¡¯t deployed any defensive magic in preparation for the rush attack. In this state, the duel would definitely be Henry¡¯s victory. ¡°To death.¡± From the opposing mage. That is, until he heard that voice. Swoosh-! Kwahaa-!! ¡°Kuh, huk¡­?!¡± Vinesposed of ck magic power instantly climb up the skin and pierce the heart. Without time to use an evasion skill, without a chance to counterattack. Henry was struck by the attack just like that. He falls without being able to resist. Soon, a fountain of blood bursts out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was instant death. And then. Silence fell over the arena that had been full of excitement. The mage-type Holder. No, Caroline, the mage disguised as a Holder¡­ Was looking around with glowing red eyes. * * * Ippotrantion *** Silence descends upon the arena. A participant has died. And it happened just 5 seconds after the battle began. Of course, idents do happen in these types of sports, either due to participants¡¯ mistakes or insufficient safety measures by the organizers. Especially in fights between Holders with superhuman powers, the possibility can¡¯t be ruled out. But that doesn¡¯t mean. That ¡®it¡¯s okay to do so¡¯. No matter how dangerous elements a sport may contain, it¡¯s never created on the premise that participants will die. At least the mage named Caroline now in the arena proceeded with the battlepletely ignoring such safety rules. Kim Chae-eun, who was watching with me, seemed to understand this well and asked me with a surprised face. ¡°Jae-hyun, this¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not an ident.¡± Caroline didn¡¯t kill Henry by mistake, failing to control her power. If that were the case, he couldn¡¯t have died instantly like that. She clearly attacked with the ¡®intention to kill the opponent¡¯. And that power and ability¡­ Could not be considered at the level of a B-grade Holder. -Well,dies and gentlemen in the audience. Please wait a moment. After assessing the situation as much as possible, we will resume the game¡­ Kuhk?! The announcer, flustered by the sudden ident, grabs the microphone. But before he could finish his words, he immediately died. The mage Caroline inside the arena. She had broken through the barrier and attacked the announcer on top of the tower. As the announcer suddenly met his death, the silent arena instantly turned into chaos. ¡°Kya, kyaaak-!!¡± ¡°De, dead? Is he really dead?!¡± ¡°The barrier has been breached¡­!!¡± The surroundingspletely fall into panic. Two people have died. And not by ident, but by nned attacks. The ordinary audience members, who rarely see people die, fell into a state of panic just from this fact. But what shocked the Holder audience was something else. ¡°The magic barrier in one go¡­¡± ¡°What on earth is that ck magic power?¡± The fiveyers of [Magic Barrier] surrounding the arena were torn apart in an instant. Those who work directly in the field know better than anyone how solid and strong magic barriers are, so they looked incredulous that as many as fiveyers of barriers were breached by just one spell. And the ck magic power emanating from Caroline. The ominous magical energy slowly began to tinge various ces, and before long, it filled the entire arena. The Holders were flustered at seeing this unfamiliar magic power for the first time. However, among them were Holders well-versed in international affairs and trends in the Holder world, who quickly noticed this. ¡°Ludenark! It¡¯s the Ludenark school!¡± ¡°What? Ludenark?¡± The ¡®ck magic power¡¯ used by members of the Ludenark school. It was used by the mage I encountered at the very entrance of , and in , it was used by Aquilen, an executive of the school. It was also the foundation of [ck Shield], the absolute defense skill of the Ludenark school. It seemed that some Holders recognized this because a lot of information rted to Ludenark had already spread in the international Holdermunity. However, I shook my head. ¡®No, it¡¯s not simply Ludenark.¡¯ That ck magic power is indeed the unique magic of Ludenark manifested through the [Pact of Darkness]. But that doesn¡¯t mean that this mage, Caroline, is from the Ludenark school. Her bloodshot eyes glowing red. The fangs slightly visible from afar. The intense and familiar aura felt even outside the arena. She was a certain ¡®special race¡¯ that I knew. ¡°Chae-eun. Can you buy us some time with defensive magic as much as possible?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll try.¡± Kim Chae-eun nods firmly at my request. Her magic mainly focused on attacking opponents, but she wasn¡¯tpletely without defensive magic. Kim Chae-eun draws up her magic power, preparing for the iing attack. She prioritizes protecting the arena audience while being wary of the barrier being breached again. Watching her calm casting, I also drew up my magic power at the same time. ¡®Call of the Contract.¡¯ I [Summon] the contractor who was sleeping far away. The target is Ripley. The vampire countess who broke the formal framework of our contract by making a special promise with me during the recent promotion exam. I needed her in this situation. ¡°You called earlier than I thought?¡± Ripley, summoned to me, speaks immediately. She¡¯s looking at me with a slight smile. It seemed the resentment from secretly using [Magic Sharing] in the battle with Hwang Seong-yeon hadpletely dissipated. ¡°Ripley, I need your help.¡± However, she frowns at these words. ¡°You, it seems like you say that every time you call me.¡± ¡°Sorry. But this time it¡¯s for real.¡± I immediately point to the inside of the arena. Caroline is preparing a new spell inside the arena. But the amount of magic power is beyond imagination. As if her purpose was indeed to carry out terrorism in the arena, she was preparing a massive area-of-effect spell aimed at the audience who hadn¡¯t yet fully evacuated. I ask Ripley, who has shifted her gaze following my gesture. ¡°That woman, she¡¯s a vampire, right?¡± Vampire. The abilities and appearance Caroline showed in a short time were simr in many aspects to what I had seen from Ripley. Of course, she seemed far inferior to Ripley in level, but in terms of form rather than content, they were simr. And as if confirming that this guess was exactly right, Ripley nodded in affirmation. ¡°It¡¯s Baroness Caroline. She was expelled from Beltaine.¡± ¡°Expelled?¡± ¡°Yes. Among our kind, there are fallen nobles or those who get expelled like that. I was curious what she was up to, but I didn¡¯t expect her to be Ludenark¡¯s dog like this.¡± As expected, the opponent was indeed a vampire. I thought she wasn¡¯t ordinary since she pierced through the [Magic Barrier] with one spell, but it turns out she was even a vampire who had held a noble title. And Ripley quickly grasped the situation. She had caught on that Caroline was using Ludenark¡¯s power through the [Pact of Darkness]. ¡°But Do Jae-hyun. It¡¯ll be difficult to get in there, you know?¡± Ripley, who had been quietly observing the situation, speaks up. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I could break the barrier if I spent some time, but I can¡¯t break in at once like Baroness Caroline in there. That¡¯s a special ability unique to Baroness Caroline.¡± [Magic Barrier] cannot be breached by physical force alone. One needs to deeply understand the magic structure and possess exceptionalprehension to break through it. But Caroline¡¯s breaking through the barrier and killing the announcer wasn¡¯t simply a matter of such knowledge, it seems. I thought summoning Ripley would solve the problem at once, but unfortunately, that was a miscalction. ¡°What should we do? It seems I can¡¯t be of help this time.¡± She says this, but Ripley is smiling. Does all of thise across as amusement to her? She seemed to find my predicament entertaining. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll just have to break it myself.¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you hear me earlier? I said even I would have difficulty breaking that barrier.¡± I smile wryly at Ripley¡¯s dumbfounded expression. ¡°It¡¯s okay. There is a way.¡± Of course, I can¡¯t break the barrier as quickly as Caroline. But about 10 seconds. The time we can hold out if Kim Chae-eun and Ripley deploy defensive magic together. That much time is enough. ¡®Barrier Break. The day has finallye to use this.¡¯ [Barrier Break], a derivative skill attached to the [Curse of Demons] rune. It was such a minor type of skill that I wondered if there would ever be a day to use it, but a moment of need has arrived like this. Indeed, there¡¯s no harm in acquiring high-performance runes. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 317 Arena Terror (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The [Curse of Demons] rune is a holy-type rune that deals with curse attribute spells. It¡¯s a powerful debuff rune that allows you to inflict status ailments such as slow, weakness, and confusion on targets. However, as my abilities have be so diverse and my level as a Holder has risen sharply, its usefulness has greatly decreased. ¡®Because status ailments don¡¯t mean much anymore.¡¯ My innate power has be so strong that debuffs don¡¯t have much effect. It¡¯s faster and stronger to approach and attack first rather than taking time to apply debuffs. This was simr to why I don¡¯t mainly use the ¡®Howling¡¯ skills registered in the [Power of the Boiling Werewolf] rune.Anyway, [Curse of Demons] is at an unusually low level of 7 among my possessed runes. ¡®Still, epic is epic.¡¯ However, this is still an epic grade rune. It shows far superior performancepared to most normal runes above level 10. One of them is the derivative skill [Barrier Break]. It¡¯s possible topletely destroy lower-level barriers, and for medium-level barriers and above, it can prate them like Caroline just did. Naturally, the time shortens as the level increases. [Barrier Break] at level 7 prated the quintuple magic barrier in exactly 10 seconds. Crack- Crackle- A definite gap is created in the [Magic Barrier]yered in 5yers. As mentioned earlier, [Curse of Demons] is a rune that deals with spells. In other words, it uses holy power, not magic power. Therefore, no matter howplex the structure and how advanced the magic stones used in the [Magic Barrier], it could instantly create that gap. Because it¡¯s not prating with magic power in the first ce. ¡°Wow- how did you do that?¡± Ripley, who was watching the scene, asks in surprise. It seems she found it quite amazing that I, who already have diverse abilities, showed such a skill. Unfortunately, there was no time to answer that question. ¡°Destroy¡­!!¡± Vampire, Baroness Caroline chants amand from inside the barrier. She¡¯s casting the area-of-effect magic she¡¯s been preparing. The form is ck magic spears. The number exceeds about twenty. And at the same time, Kim Chae-eun, who had been preparing defensive magic on our side, shouts. ¡°Ice Wall! Double! Ultimate Frost!¡± Kim Chae-eun¡¯s specialty, [Double Casting]. The defensive magic [Ice Wall] increases its number through double casting. A wall of icepletely blocking the center of the arena. In addition, Kim Chae-eun used one of the skills inherent in [Ice Queen¡¯s Crown]. An unprecedented phenomenon of ¡®casting 3 spells simultaneously¡¯ that even high-level magicians would find hard to imitate was unfolding. Thanks to this, most of Caroline¡¯s ¡®ck spears¡¯ manifested as ultimate skills were blocked by the wall and missed their targets. Of course, there were spears that flew in avoiding the wall, but¡­ ¡°Wind Wall. Double.¡± Ripley took care of the remaining attacks. Her [Beltane Spell] and [Elemental User] runes are both at level 20. [Double Casting] of defensive magic was something she could do with her eyes closed. ¡°Hup¡­!!¡± I didn¡¯t just stand by and watch either. Using [Greatest Racehorse under Heaven], I charge at full speed through the gap in the [Magic Barrier]. A moment of charge is enough. When I got within a certain distance and Caroline came into my sight. I drew my holy sword and dered. ¡°Rush.¡± I use [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] without any hesitation. This is the current world, not a dungeon anyway. There¡¯s only one opponent who hase out. There was no reason to save the ultimate skill. ¡°¡­¡­!! Death¡­¡± ¡°Toote.¡± Swoosh-! Cutting off Caroline¡¯s surprised words, I swing my sword. ck magic power momentarily gathered to create a [ck Shield] around her shoulder, but the ¡®holy sword¡¯, which exerts extremepatibility against dark attributes, mercilessly tore through the shield and pierced her shoulder. ¡°Ah, aaagh¡­!!¡± A scream of pain fills the arena. Perhaps she didn¡¯t expect such an attack. I could see Caroline¡¯s eyes filling with fear. ¡°Ugh¡­ Dimension Warp!¡± But she too had ast resort. As I suspected when I first nned thisrge-scale terror, it seems she had prepared her own means of escape. Despite the distortion of the surrounding magic array by [Distortion¡¯s Shadow], magic quickly gathers around her again. I tried to quickly strike with the holy sword to cancel the spell, but the intense magical energy and the reconstructed [ck Shield] were blocking it, buying time. If left like this, Caroline might escape. ¡®There are¡­ Ways.¡¯ Several methods to detain her sh through my mind. And among them, I chose one. A newly acquired ability¡­ The power of Hwang Seong-yeon, who is now dead. ¡°Enter thend touched by death.¡± The ultimate skill of the [Sword That Swallowed Darkness] rune, [Boundary Binding]. A skill that releases explosive magic power near the ground you step on, shoots it behind the targeted subject, and then grabs and binds the subject to the ground. And then creates 17 magic swords to inflict additional hits on the target. Although it can¡¯t kill the opponent because it¡¯s for suppression, its suppression ability is close to the highest level. It was an overpowered ability that I was helplessly defeated by Hwang Seong-yeon, and one that even fairly skilled individuals would find difficult to block. ¡°Ugh, kyaaak-?!¡± Caroline screams again and falls. She was trying to escape through a special ability called [Dimension Warp], but in an instant, her feet were bound and she fell to the ground. The magic had already gathered and the skill was about to activate, but the more intense energy of [Boundary Binding] canceled the skill and brought her down. On top of that, 17 magic swords rained down additionally. ¡°Ku, ump¡­!!¡± Caroline can¡¯t even scream properly anymore. If it weren¡¯t for the condition that [Boundary Binding] can only subdue and not kill the opponent, she would have died instantly. Instead, [Boundary Binding] is a skill that maximizes that suppression. Caroline,id on the ground, couldn¡¯t move her body at all while being bound by the magic swords. ¡°Now you¡¯ve finally calmed down. Why are you so tough? Is it because you¡¯re a vampire?¡± [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] and [Boundary Binding]. I used two ¡®ultimate skills of legendary runes¡¯. This skillbo would be difficult for even top-tier Holders to withstand, not just Caroline. As I used powerful abilities in session, I was able to subdue her in an instant. ¡®¡­The conditions were good.¡¯ Although the terror was sudden, the battle structure was favorable to me. First, the fact that the opponent was a magician-type Holder who is difficult to defend against. And the fact that it¡¯s difficult for reinforcements toe because she¡¯s a fugitive who left the dungeon. Taking advantage of these points, I used my best skills without hesitation. Thanks to this, I was able to subdue a baroness-level vampire in less than 30 seconds. ¡°Ku, ump-!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t struggle. People wille to take you away soon.¡± After the Ludenark faction¡¯s total attack on the current world failed. The first new fugitive to appear. The fact that this fugitive is a special vampiremander and can use ck magic power through [Dark Covenant]. Just from the situation that has been revealed, there are quite a few facts that need to be interrogated. Baroness Caroline will be dragged to the International Holder Association for questioning. ¡°Jae-hyun¡­!¡± After the situation ended like that. Kim Chae-eun running towards me with a worried face from far away. At a nce, it seemed she hadmunicated with high-ranking Holders, sessfully evacuated the audience in the arena, finished cleaning up the surroundings, and came inside. The certainty that I would have unconditionally defeated Caroline. And a judgment stemming from the Holders¡¯ consciousness that prioritizes safety. She too was now a proper A-grade Holder. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, what exactly is your identity?¡± Beside me, Ripley approached and asked with a bewildered face. She seemed dumbfounded by the sight of me breaking through the barrier and subduing a baroness-level vampire in less than 30 seconds. I smiled at her. ¡°Your master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Thus, the arena terror was neatly suppressed. * * * Ippotrantion *** -Arena terror that terrified New York citizens, the work of the Ludenark faction? -Even America is no longer a safe zone! We need to strengthen security much more¡­ -Korean hero Do Jae-hyun saves America and New York this time! First move after bing an S-grade Holder. -International Holder Association Chairman Bill rk, ¡°nning to award a que of appreciation and reward money to Do Jae-hyun.¡± The shocking arena terror incident has been wrapped up. Although there was a tragedy where one Holder and one civilian died, thanks to me and other Holders handling the follow-up neatly, we were able to minimize human casualties. Moreover, as it was revealed that the deceased victims were involved in arena match-fixing, it seems that the unconditional sympathy for the victims has somewhat disappeared. Anyway, the n toe to New York and enjoy ourselves has beenpletely disrupted. ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s more important that people didn¡¯t get hurt. We still have about three days left.¡± Fortunately, Kim Chae-eun epted the incident with her characteristic positive attitude. It was an unavoidable event anyway, and it seemed she was thinking more seriously about it as it was an important incident that uncovered the tail of the Ludenark faction. And really unexpectedly. There was also good news. ¡°You two are dating?!¡± ¡°¡­Hey, can you say that a bit more quietly.¡± ¡°Wow, Park Jin-woo, what¡¯s this all about? When did you get the courage to confess?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Park Jin-woo silently scratches his head at that question. Although his behavior, unlike Park Jin-woo, was a bit strange, anyway, it was a joyous asion that he and Cami started dating. It was disappointing that the New York double date I had ambitiously nned fell through, but if this was the result, it was something to congratte even more. ¡°Okay. As the n master, Imand. During the vacation period, go and have a lot of fun with Cami. You must be over the moon having just started dating.¡± ¡°What are you saying? I applied for the vacation, why are you taking credit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the love matchmaker, you fool. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s all good.¡± Anyway, that¡¯s how the first day in New York, which was quite meaningful to both Park Jin-woo and me, passed. The next day. Kim Chae-eun and I entered a building that looked enormous even from the outside. Probably thergest n tower in Manhattan. And as we entered, a luxurious wee greeted us. ¡°Wee, Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± The full-fledged second day of n business. It was a meeting with the n and Liam Hendricks. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 318 Friendly n Agreement [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Do Jae-hyun, the Evil Hunter n Master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kim Chae-eun, a n member.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Han Sang-jin, the nning team leader.¡± Our n members gathered inrge numbers at the n Tower. Along with Kim Chae-eun and me who came together, the nning team leader Han Sang-jin and several of his subordinate staff members apanied us for this task. Although Park Jin-woo and Cami are also in New York, they didn¡¯t attend as they¡¯re on vacation. From the start, it was a busy time, so we tactfully didn¡¯t even mention it to them.¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Liam Hendricks.¡± Hendricks seemed quite pleased to see us, extending his hand with a bright smile. He had been showing favor towards me before, and it seems he feels an even deeper bond with me and our n after experiencing a series of events together. ¡®¡­This feels strange.¡¯ Liam Hendricks, the world¡¯s strongest Holder. When I first became a Holder, he was someone I could only read about in news articles, but now we¡¯re facing each other as leaders of our respective organizations. It gave me a unique sense of aplishment. I fully realized that our n and I had gained world-ss fame. ¡°Did you have any trouble getting here?¡± Hendricks asked with a smile. I teasingly replied, ¡°Hendricks. You¡¯re asking that on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ah? Haha! I¡¯m sorry. To forget about yesterday¡¯s incident, that¡¯s my mistake.¡± The news of the arena terror attack that struck New York. It was the first time the United States had suffered damage from the Ludenark faction, and it showed that even America was no longer a safe zone. Especially since I, who came to New York from Korea on business, resolved the incident in just one minute, it became a huge topic of discussion. Recently, I was promoted to S-grade Holder and made a name for myself in the international Holdermunity, but this incident seemed to multiply that fame several times over. Somementators even gave me the title ¡®Hero of New York¡¯, but honestly, I¡¯d like to stop hearing the nickname ¡®hero¡¯ now. ¡°I¡¯d like to express my gratitude on behalf of New York and American citizens. You¡¯ve done a great thing.¡± I smiled at Hendricks as he expressed his thanks. ¡°Just like how Hendricks helped Korea?¡± ¡°Haha. I guess it does work out that way.¡± ¡°If we include the promotion assessment, I think I¡¯ve received more help.¡± ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun is even modest. Well, shall we go inside?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Befitting America¡¯s pursuit of freedom and the n name , Hendricks¡¯ master room had a very unique structure. An entire floor of the building wasposed of the master room, with the interior decorated with vegetation as if a vast garden had unfolded. Further inside, there was a small pool, and sun beds and cocktail tables that you might find at a resort. ¡­It¡¯s hard to tell if this is a master room or a vacation spot. ¡°I quite enjoy having fun. Even in the n.¡± ¡°You live pleasurably.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t even Holder work have a purpose?¡± Even the world¡¯s strongest Holder doesn¡¯t work solely out of a sense of duty. His Holder philosophy was evident just from the structure of the master room and a few words. Going further inside, we came to a conference room with simr interior design. The nning teams from and were all seated, with Hendricks and I sitting facing each other. That¡¯s when the real business talk began. ¡°Our Wings of Freedom n hopes to form the highest level of friendly agreement with the Evil Hunter n.¡± While there were several purposes for this meeting, the core topic was indeed about the ¡®friendly agreement.¡¯ It¡¯s an agreement we had already made with the top 3 domestic ns when our n was first established. But while the previous friendly agreement was formal, aimed at the stable establishment of , this agreement is purely n-to-n. It was an agreement betting on the potential and possibilities that has shown as it began its full-fledged activities. ¡®Other ns have been making tremendous offers too¡­¡¯ There have been more than a few ns that have already proposed friendly n agreements. Dozens of domestic ns have made requests, and even famous ns from overseas that you¡¯d recognize just by name have proposed agreements. But when the offer came from , the other ns were no longer under consideration. ¡°¡­We need to think more carefully about sharing owned dungeons. Even looking at the history of friendly ns so far, when ites to dungeon sharing¡­¡± ¡°¡­For the Room of Deserters raid, it would be better to enter a state of constant coboration. First of all, the Evil Hunter n has priority over other Korean ns in raiding this dungeon, and also¡­¡± The meeting went on for a full three hours. There were quite a few things to discuss and align as we were forming a friendly agreement, and at the highest level, with a world-ss n. The meeting was mainly led by the nning teams of each n, but Hendricks and I, as masters, also watched attentively. And finally. ¡°Then, as of this moment, we will finalize the friendly n agreement between the Korean Evil Hunter n and the American Wings of Freedom n. Thank you all for your hard work.¡± As the long meeting came to an end, the agreement was dramatically concluded. Thunderous apuse erupted in the master room, and Hendricks and I smiled and shook hands again. ¡°I look forward to working with you, Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°It feels strange to hear those words from you, Hendricks.¡± It was the moment we became friendly ns with the world¡¯s top n. *** Ippotrantion *** ¨C Do Jae-hyun¡¯s forms friendly n alliance with ! ¨C Do Jae-hyun and soaring endlessly upward! This time, together with the world¡¯s top n! ¨C Liam Hendricks: ¡°I think we¡¯re very fortunate to form a friendly agreement with such a promising new n, Evil Hunter. We¡¯ve secured an opportunity.¡± ¨C Elders in the Holdermunity unanimously say, ¡°Evil Hunter should be included in the top 4 domestic ns.¡± ¡°Jae-hyun, now articles appear even when you just breathe.¡± Kim Chae-eun says with a smile as she reads the flood of articles. I made an expression of disbelief at her words. ¡°How is this just breathing? We¡¯ve formed a friendly agreement with the world¡¯s top n.¡± ¡°Hehe. Isn¡¯t this easy for you, Jae-hyun? You aplish anything just by thinking about it.¡± ¡°Chae-eun, I¡¯m not that versatile. I¡¯m scared someone might hear you.¡± ¡°You are that versatile. If anyone else heard that, they¡¯d throw stones at you.¡± Kim Chae-eun hugged me tightly with a yful smile. After finishing all official schedules in the United States, We were finally spending time alone together. In fact, we should have enjoyed this happiness from the first day, but it was postponed due to a vampire causing a disturbance in the arena. Just yesterday, right after the agreement with was concluded, I helped with the interrogation of ¡®Baroness Caroline¡¯ at the request of the International Holder Association. It¡¯s only now that we¡¯ve found time to catch our breath. ¡°Oh, right. What happened to that vampire? Did they really help the Ludenark faction?¡± She didn¡¯t participate in the interrogation, so she didn¡¯t know the details. I nodded, recalling yesterday¡¯s story. ¡°Yes. We interrogated her while asking Ripley about various situations, and it seems there are a few vampires in the Room of Deserters besides Ripley.¡± I learned a lot about the Ludenark faction¡¯s forces. First, the vampires. Just as Ripley had contacted the Ludenark faction after leaving while in the other world, quite a few vampires had left and temporarily stayed in the in a simr manner. Baroness Caroline was one of the vampires who had contracted with Ludenark in this way. She was even a contractor who could handle malignant holy power and ck magic after forming a [Dark Covenant]. Seeing that the Ludenark side had ¡®defected¡¯ her to invade this world, we could glimpse their n to start utilizing vampires. ¡°The second is Termen.¡± ¡°Termen? Oh? I¡¯ve heard that somewhere before.¡± ¡°I told you before. The reason this sword became a holy sword.¡± I pulled out [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance] and showed it to Kim Chae-eun. ¡®Warriors of Termen¡¯. Previously, I didn¡¯t even know of their existence, but I learned about them through the Death Knight I killed when evolving the [Penitent¡¯s Sword]. They too were currently staying in the . Their forms include Death Knights like the one I encountered before, and also actual living humans. From what I heard from Ripley, they were a tribe with quite a deep history in the other world. ¡°The tribe itself lost itsnd and perished, scattering everywhere. But apparently, most of them went to either the Ludenark faction or Beltane.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Beltane¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Where Ripley was originally. The realm of vampires.¡± , thend of vampires. Traces of vampires and Termen warriors remain there. To effectively grasp the strength of the Ludenark faction, we needed to go there. ¡°So I¡¯m nning to go there soon. To that ce called Beltane.¡± , which I was originally nning to visit due to the contract with Ripley. The date for raiding that special dungeon¡­ Has been moved up a bit. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 319 In Europe (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The short but eventful trip to America had ended. Kim Chae-eun, as if trying to make the most of her remaining time, poured out all the travel ns she had prepared in advance. Starting with the performance and cruise date rmended by Cami, visiting various famous ces and restaurants in New York, going to the Holders¡¯ date dungeon in New York, and so on¡­ They definitely filled up the time they hadcked together until now. Especially on the night before returning to Seoul. The line Kim Chae-eun delivered at thest hotel was the highlight. ¡°Hehe. Wee, Jae-hyun. Do you want to take a bath first? Or have a meal? Or¡­¡±Seeing her finally use her finishing move, I surrendered without resistance. The colorful New York trip, its end was somehow both dazzling and passionate. Back in Seoul like that. I was at the n tower of for the first time in a while. As I entered the master room, the familiar secretary team leader spoke in a businesslike manner. ¡°I see, it¡¯s the master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Hye-young. Have you been well?¡± ¡°We¡¯re always the same. However, master¡¯s face looks quite tired.¡± ¡°¡­I have a girlfriend who used her finishing move.¡± After being tormented several timesst night, the fatigue remained on my face. From now on, I will never fall for that line again. Making this small resolution, I sat down in the central seat of the master room and received a brief report on the n situation from the secretary team leader. ¡°While the master was away, the scout team moved quite busily.¡± ¡°Ah, right. We had recruitment ns.¡± While progressing through the , I keenly felt that the number of n members was insufficient. So as soon as the conquest was over, I immediately dered reinforcement. However, we didn¡¯t just ept anyone, but aimed to recruit capable and skilled Holders under the strict selection of the scout team. ¡°This is the report recorded by Scout Team Leader Yoon Jae-ho and Vice Master Yoo Eun-seol. Both of them gave evaluations strongly rmending the recruitment of three student Holders.¡± And among them, the representative figures were the ¡®Freshman Trio¡¯. First-year Holders Song Hyun-a, Park Yoon-seo, and Choi Arin. I had entrusted n members with recruitment proposals and simple tests, and it seems that the Master had helped and given positive evaluations. ¡®Bringing in Choi Arin is definitely good.¡¯ In fact, Choi Arin was a character who grew into one of the best in the special category along with Choi Yoo-min in the original work, but I had postponed recruitment considering that she was still a young student. However, that thoughtpletely changed after the previous [Remote Magic Compass]. She was already an alchemist with fully bloomed talent. It would be a huge loss to leave her just as a student, who could create incredibly helpful magical tools for the n. Therefore, I had asked Yoon Jae-ho, the scout team leader, to prioritize her recruitment. Of course, Song Hyun-a and Park Yoon-seo were also promising talents with the highest potential in their respective categories, but due to the characteristics of the special category with high scarcity, their priority had to be slightly lower. Anyway, it was positive news that the recruitment of these three promising individuals was within reach. ¡°But can we really recruit Holder Song Hyun-a? I think there might be some talk from Dragon Sword.¡± Song Hyun-a, the younger sister of Song Do-hyuk, the master of the n. While her skills were undoubtedly excellent, trying to recruit her could cause a big bacsh from the friendly n . I had doubts about this point when first making the recruitment n, but approved it based on Team Leader Yoon Jae-ho¡¯s assurance that it would be fine. ¡°Holder Song Hyun-a reportedly showed the most active willingness after receiving the recruitment offer.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± That¡¯s unexpected news. Song Hyun-a¡¯s personality was quite blunt and rigid. As someone born into a prestigious family, she was a woman who valued etiquette, and was famous for not even mixing words with her ssmates except for the trio she hung out with. It was a bit strange that such a person would show active interest in a particr n. ¡®¡­Come to think of it, she was unusually friendly to mest time too.¡¯ Thinking about it, she had shown a friendly attitude towards me in the as well, and had even expressed her gratitude for saving Choi Arin. ¡°She had dered several times that she had no intention of joining the Dragon Sword n from the moment she became a Holder.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. She said she wanted to prove herself in a ce other than her family n. So you don¡¯t need to worry about friction with the Dragon Sword n.¡± In other words, the recruitment of the Freshman Trio is sessful. I felt relieved at those words from Secretary Team Leader Lim Hye-young. I had been a bit worried when nning because it seemed like we were trying to bring in too famous and capable promising talents, but it looked like we could proceed without any problems. ¡°The master¡¯s approval is needed for the final recruitment confirmation.¡± ¡°Ah, give it to me. I¡¯ll stamp it right away.¡± I immediately signed the contract handed over by Lim Hye-young and then continued speaking. ¡°Set up a meeting with the three of them sometime. I should have a talk with them over a meal or something before they join the n.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± ¡°Ah. Should we just meet today or tomorrow? I wonder if the juniors will be avable.¡± The sooner the better for joining. I wanted to set up a schedule quickly as I had many things I wanted to discuss with these good talents. However, Lim Hye-young shook her head as if it was out of the question. ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Right? No matter what, they¡¯ll all have their own schedules, so suddenly asking to meet today-¡° ¡°It¡¯s not that, the master¡¯s schedule doesn¡¯t allow it. You have to leave Seoul today.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± What kind of bolt from the blue is this? It hasn¡¯t even been a full day since I returned to Seoul? Lim Hye-young simply handed me a schedule. ¡°You seem to have forgotten. Master, you have a 5-day European trip scheduled from today with the two madams. Since you mentionedst time that you had a personal conquest schedule in Europe, we moved up the travel schedule with the madams to minimize empty time as much as possible. Both of them have approved this.¡± ¡°Ma¡­dams?¡± I asked back, feeling like it wasn¡¯t a word I should be hearing, but Lim Hye-young said without changing her expression. ¡°I¡¯m referring to Holder Kang Juyeon and Holder Moon Ga-eun¡­ Is there any problem?¡± * * * Ippotrantion *** ¡­And so I ended up on a European trip with the madams. ¡°Ahaha. Sister Hye-young is really funny. We never told her to call us that. Really.¡± In a hotel room in Paris. Moon Ga-eunughed for a while after hearing my story while casually unpacking. Kang Juyeon, who had be more expressivetely, also swallowed herughter bit by bit next to her. The word ¡®madam¡¯ that Secretary Team Leader Lim Hye-young had used seemed to be that funny to them. ¡°I didn¡¯t know my schedule was set up like this on its own.¡± Of course, I had left the travel ns to Moon Ga-eun and Kang Juyeon. Just like I had entrusted the New York travel ns to Kim Chae-eun, I wanted to let the two lovers do everything they wanted on the European trip as well. It¡¯s just that the schedule was set so quickly that I ended up on another trip before I could even recover from the previous one. ¡°Ahaha. Sorry, sorry.¡± When Imented with a dejected face, Moon Ga-eun hugged me from behind and pressed her cheek against mine. Kang Juyeon also quickly leaned her face against my empty waist. ¡°We coordinated the schedule with Sister Hye-young in advance because we were worried you might be busy, but we didn¡¯t know the news would be delivered sote.¡± ¡°¡­Jae-hyun is too busy.¡± ¡°Right. I was surprised when I saw you made a friendly agreement with Wings of Freedom.¡± The events that happened in America in a short time. Suppression of the arena terror attack. Friendly agreement with . Due to these major events happening one after another, our n and my dedicated secretary team were bombarded with calls. ¡­I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re tormenting the already busy secretary team like that. ¡°And you said you had scheduled a personal dungeon conquest in Europe. So we deliberately matched it with that time.¡± ¡°¡­That was well done.¡± I nod at Moon Ga-eun¡¯s additional words. In fact, the European schedule wasn¡¯t just about travel. The conquest I had previously promised with the contractor, Ripley. Since I learned through Ripley that the dungeon was in ¡®Ennd¡¯, I was nning to do the conquest along with this trip. Above all, the information I learned while catching Caroline in New York. The corrtion between vampires and Termen and Ludenark¡­ I needed to hurry the conquest to find clues about that as well. ¡°Jae-hyun. But Beltane? Who are you going to conquer it with? From what I¡¯ve heard, it seems like a dungeon you need to go as a n.¡± Suddenly, Moon Ga-eun asks curiously, pulling her face away. Thend of vampires, . As you can tell from its name and reputation, it¡¯s a dungeon that can¡¯t even be attempted by an average level conquest team. It was clear that powerful monsters and various magic traps would be swarming to a degreeparable to the . But I had already made my decision. ¡°I¡¯m going alone this time.¡± ¡°Eh? Really?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Moon Ga-eun is surprised and Kang Juyeon¡¯s eyes widen. High-ranking Holders confident in their skills often do solo ys when conquering dungeons, but that¡¯s only for dungeons below a certain level. From mid-high level dungeons, most Holders attempt conquests by forming ¡®parties¡¯ or ¡®raid groups¡¯. That¡¯s because there are difficulties in terms of conquest difficulty and efficiency when going solo. I also can¡¯t remember when was thest time I did a solo y. Was it ¡­? ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯ll probably go alone for this dungeon.¡± But for this dungeon, I¡¯m going alone without any other party members. On my face as I say this¡­ There was an inexplicable certainty. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 320 In Europe (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] This European trip is a total of 4 nights and 5 days. Originally, I nned to travel leisurely for about a week, but unfortunately, the duration was reduced due to ovepping with the raid and n schedules. However, Moon Ga-eun had made ns to visit various countries even within that short schedule. ¡°France, Italy, Ennd. We¡¯re going to these three ces!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to that many ces in 5 days?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re only going to the capitals. First two days in Paris, next two days in Rome, and thest day in London.¡± ¡°Have you decided where to go?¡±¡°No! It¡¯s a free trip, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± If Kim Chae-eun was a J type, Moon Ga-eun was an extreme P. The countries are France, Italy, and Ennd. The cities are Paris, Rome, and London. Other than this and booking the hotels, she hadn¡¯t made any travel ns. No, why did you even make a n if you¡¯re going to be like this? As I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, Moon Ga-eun looked back at me with a smile as if asking what the problem was. There¡¯s one more person joining in. ¡°¡­Sounds fun.¡± ¡°No, how is this fun?¡± It¡¯s no wonder Moon Ga-eun and Kang Juyeon became best friends. Despite being shy, Kang Juyeon liked almost everything Moon Ga-eun suggested. Of course, since meeting me, she likes everything I suggest too. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s go quickly, hurry. We need to go out right now and find what¡¯s interesting.¡± Urged by Moon Ga-eun, we left the hotel and went outside. The first ce we visited was Notre-Dame Cathedral. One of the must-visit attractions when youe to France. I thought Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun, being from high-ranking ns, wouldn¡¯t like such famous attractions, but they were more interested than I expected. No, to be precise¡­. ¡°What¡¯s this, Kang Juyeon! Why are you the only one linking arms?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s my choice.¡± ¡°Tch- this vixen¡­ I take my eyes off for a moment and you¡¯re already ying with Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we came on this trip.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­!!¡± ¡­It seems they¡¯re happy anywhere as long as they¡¯re with me. Anyway, Notre-Dame Cathedral boasted an enormous scale and majestic appearance befitting its fame. Especially recently, with the storage of the ¡®legendary sacred relic¡¯ called [Joan of Arc¡¯s Lance], many Holders have beening to see it. In this field, the Louvre Museum had already secured the top position, but Notre-Dame Cathedral was suddenly challenging that position by bringing in an ¡®item¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Even the spear said to have been used by Joan of Arc has be an item.¡± Moon Ga-eun marveled at the sacred relic disyed inside the cathedral. I nodded and gave her some additional exnation. ¡°There are more than you might think. The ¡®Dragon Light Sword¡¯ used by Holder Song Do-hyuk is also said to have been used by Haemosu, and the demon sword used by Hwang Seong-yeon is from Norse mythology.¡± Kang Juyeon, who had been quietly listening to my words, added. ¡°¡­Excalibur too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The sword used by William Morris, the S-grade Holder from Ennd, is also King Arthur¡¯s Excalibur.¡± ¡°Wow- That¡¯s right. There are more than I thought.¡± ¡°It means that the rune abilities or items registered in the system are not solely from the other world.¡± This was the key argument being put forward in academic circles these days. The current ¡®Holder System¡¯ is a mix of histories from both the other world and our world. While most of the abilities obtained as runes or items follow those of the other world, as mentioned earlier, abilities rted to legends or myths of our world also appear from time to time. ¡®¡­The same goes for youkai.¡¯ Just look at the Japanese dungeons I conquered during my circle days. And the monsters, ¡®youkai¡¯, that came out of there. Youkai are usually considered monsters from Japanese legends or folktales, and the fact that they appeared in dungeons located in Japan meant there was a clear corrtion between the two. ¡°Next is the Eiffel Tower! Let¡¯s hurry.¡± Urged by Moon Ga-eun, we quickly moved to our next destination. Starting from Notre-Dame Cathedral, we visited all the famous attractions in Paris ¨C the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, and so on. Despite it being a free trip, somehow it feels even more tightly scheduled than a nned tour. Anyway, we were all able to enjoy our first day of travel satisfactorily. As I mentioned earlier, Kang Juyeon secretly had simr tastes to Moon Ga-eun, and for this trip, I was okay with whatever made them happy. ¡°Phew, we really went non-stop.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got good stamina.¡± Kang Juyeon throws ament at Moon Ga-eun, who has a fresh expression. Moon Ga-eun then puts her hands on her waist and grumbles. ¡°Tch- Kang Juyeon. I really tried not to say anything, but how long are you going to monopolize Jae-hyun¡¯s arm?¡± ¡°¡­You kissed him secretly earlier.¡± ¡°Eh, eh? You, you saw?¡± ¡­I don¡¯t know why I have to be the victim of this catfight. I tried to stop the two friends who were about to fight again and said, ¡°Stop fighting and let¡¯s go somewhere with a nice atmosphere now.¡± ¡°Somewhere with a nice atmosphere?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Both lovers looked at me curiously at my sudden suggestion. This trip was a free trip entirely left to them. But even within that¡­ It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t have any ns at all. * * * Ippotrantion *** ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so beautiful.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s beautiful.¡± The ce I brought the two of them was Mont nc. It¡¯s a mountain located in the Alps bordering Italy, and it¡¯s also the origin of a famous brand name. Especially in Europe, it¡¯s called the highest peak, so when you reach the summit, the view looking down is quite breathtaking. Clouds visible here and there, and snow piles umted everywhere. These scenes filled our view. The beauty of nature. Sometimes, it had the power to be etched in one¡¯s memory without even having to record it. ¡°¡­I love you.¡± Kang Juyeon, who was linking arms with me, rests her head on my shoulder. And carefully utters a confession. It¡¯s exciting no matter how many times I hear it. Then Moon Ga-eun jumps up and clings to me. ¡°Ah! The vixen again! I love you too, Do Jae-hyun!¡± ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t be too hard on Jae-hyun. I love you both equally.¡± ¡°Tch- Are you making me out to be the bad girl?¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± I kissed her forehead as she was about to pout slightly. Then Moon Ga-eun regains her bright smile. ¡°But Jae-hyun, how did you rent this ce?¡± Like most mountainous areas in Korea and other countries, Mont nc is a field outside the barrier. Where we¡¯re standing is the ¡®safe zone¡¯ at the very top of Mont nc field. But there are only French Holder Association staff around. Except for those in charge of entry, we¡¯re essentially the only ones here. That¡¯s right. I rented it. ¡°¡­You can rent a safe zone?¡± ¡°If you rent the entire hunting ground after the midpoint rest area, it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Since we were traveling, I splurged a bit. Of course, since it¡¯s a discussion with the French Association, not our country, it couldn¡¯t be resolved simply with money, but I had connections with the most influential Holder in France. -I¡¯ve obtained the permission. -Thank you, Holder Le Maire. -It¡¯s nothing. Considering the misunderstanding I had about Holder Do Jae-hyun, I should do even more for you. -Are you still talking about that? I¡¯m really fine. -I¡¯m just embarrassed and sorry about it. Jean Le Maire. An S-grade Holder from France and a specialmittee member who oversaw my promotion examination. At our first meeting, he had a negative perception of me, but through the examination process, the misunderstanding was cleared, and we became acquainted as we exchanged greetings. I ended up having the top-ranked Holder in France as a connection. Thanks to that, renting the safe zone at the very top of Mont nc was no big deal. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s wrap up today¡¯s night here.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± We shared a happy time appreciating the spectacr view spread out below the mountain. And then. ¡°This is a gift.¡± I take out small presents for the two of them from my magic bag. Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun¡¯s eyes widened simultaneously. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± I give Moon Ga-eun a small brooch with a green jewel embedded in it, and to Kang Juyeon, earrings shining in brilliant gold. While renting Mont nc was something I hurriedly asked Le Maire for today, these gifts were something I had been preparing for them for a long time. ¡°I¡¯ve given many gifts to Chae-eun over time, but I felt like I haven¡¯t given much to Ga-eun and Juyeon¡­ So I prepared these to give you during this trip. I hope you like them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this~¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I can see tears welling up in Moon Ga-eun¡¯s eyes. Kang Juyeon, too, stared at me with a rarely seen touched expression. ¡­I didn¡¯t give the gifts to see this kind of reaction. I cleared my throat a few times and exined the items. ¡°Juyeon¡¯s is an earring called Verde¡¯s Tears, which allows you to double cast at half the power of your usual magic. Since Juyeon uses Florian spells and double casting is difficult, I thought this could be a substitute.¡± ¡°¡­It seems expensive.¡± ¡°I have a lot of money.¡± While Kim Chae-eun can easily double cast using the [Adrian Spell] rune, Kang Juyeon is a magician who uses the orthodox [Florian Spell]. Of course, it allows for more destructive and intense spells, but I thought she could benefit a lot from double casting, so I gifted her [Verde¡¯s Tears]. She¡¯ll probably be able to create much more diverse battle formations with this. ¡°Ga-eun¡¯s is a brooch called Heart of the Blessed One.¡± ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t tell me this is¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s an item exclusive to Valkyries. It was quite a struggle to find it.¡± Moon Ga-eun¡¯s [Valkyrie of the Battlefield]. Among its derivative skills, [Valkyrie¡¯s Blessing] is a skill that designates a hero to protect and grants 20% of one¡¯s ¡®durability¡¯ and ¡®speed¡¯ stats to that hero during battle. Naturally, the hero set for this is me. Thanks to this, when I fight alongside Moon Ga-eun, I usually receive about 15-20 stat boosts. ¡°This one works the opposite way, the person receiving the blessing grants stat boosts.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes. But with strength and magic power instead.¡± My current strength and magic power are both 110. If I grant an additional 20% of this to Moon Ga-eun, it gives her a whopping 22 stat boost. In other words, when fighting with me, Moon Ga-eun will gain much more power than usual. ¡­Now we¡¯ve be inseparable even if we wanted to part. ¡°Kyaa, kyaaa- Thank you, Jae-hyun!¡± Moon Ga-eun ran to me with all her might and hugged me, then kissed me with a happy face. Watching this, Kang Juyeon raises her eyebrows. ¡°Trying to kiss alone again.¡± ¡°So what! He¡¯s my boyfriend!¡± ¡°¡­I want to do it too.¡± Beautiful scenery and heartfelt gifts. As my prepared travel ns were wrapping up well, the first day of our European trip wasing to an end. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 321 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The 4 nights and 5 days in Europe passed in an instant. After visiting all the famous sites in Paris and Rome, as well as specialndmarks prepared for Holders, time literally vanished. When I came to my senses, I was in London. ¡®¡­Time really flies.¡¯ That thought came to me naturally. Perhaps it was because the time spent together was even more special. Still, even though we only had one day in London, we spent it fully.We visited famousndmarks like Buckingham Pce and Tower Bridge, and went to the West End in London just as we had gone to Broadway in New York. In fact, I wanted to watch a Premier League match together at the end, but unfortunately it was off-season so we didn¡¯t have the chance. And on thest night at the hotel. ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t want to part.¡± ¡°¡­I want to stay together.¡± Of course, the regret is deep. Moon Ga-eun and Kang Juyeon tried to hold onto my body in the room and not let go. Seeing the expressions of the two, who were like puppies, made the regret even deeper. I hugged them and tried tofort them as much as possible. ¡°Let¡¯se again next time. Longer, more fun.¡± ¡°Ugh- but it¡¯s such a shame¡­¡± ¡°¡­Want to stay together.¡± Even so, it wasn¡¯t easy to separate, but anyway. We said our brief goodbyes on ourst night in London. They went to the [Warp Gate] returning to Korea. I went to the hotel room from earlier to sleep one more night. From tomorrow, I had to visit , where I was preparing for a long-awaited solo conquest. * * * Ippotrantion *** The next day. ¡°You¡¯re leaving earlier than I thought?¡± Ripley, who had been summoned at some point, says to me with her arms crossed. She¡¯s the guide who knows the location of . In fact, this conquest would be nearly impossible without her. ¡°I thought it would take a month after that time.¡± Actually, I had nned the conquest as a long-term n. There were many schedules to handle right away, and above all, I needed rest. But. ¡°Caroline gave me such high-quality information.¡± ¡°¡­Caroline?¡± Ripley raises her eyebrows at the sudden mention of a fellow vampire. I answered with a grin. ¡°There¡¯s something like this.¡± ¡òName: Eye of Doom ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òLevel: 10 ¡òEngraved Part: Eye ¡òSpecial Effects *Usage Condition: Can only be used by those who possess both Vampire and Termen characteristics. 1) As a symbol of vampires, gains ¡®Destruction¡¯. The symbol of destruction specializes in breaking down and destroying things. Those who possess this symbol can amplify the power of attacks with this tendency by 10%. 2) As a will of Termen, gains ¡®Rage¡¯. Among the wills of Termen that use emotions as power, rage is a special force that can substitute for magic power. By consuming the possessed rage, magic phenomena or skills can be utilized. (*Excluding ultimate skills) Abilities that consume rage are slightly different in form from the original. ¡òDerived Skill:- ¡ò [Barrier Break] (*Duplicate) ¡òUltimate Skill:- ¡ò [Spear of Doom] : Creates 22 spearsposed of magic power and shoots them at the opponent. Can fire all 22 simultaneously or control and shoot them one by one. Exerts the same power even when used on a single target. (*The only ultimate skill that can be used by consuming rage.) (*Verbal Command: Destroy) ¡òDetailed Information:- : The ¡®symbol¡¯ and ¡®will¡¯ of Baroness Caroline, a half-vampire born between a vampire and a Termen. Generally, Termen warriors cannot manifest ¡®will¡¯ after death when they be undead, but Caroline can utilize the fused two powers as she is a special undead vampire created as life and a half-Termen. [You gain 2 magic power and 10 rage from the rune¡¯s tendency.] [The special ability ¡®Rage¡¯ is activated in the Holder information.] [*Unable to utilize the rage ability due tock of unique characteristics of the Termen tribe.] The rune obtained after defeating Vampire Baroness Caroline. At first, the content was tooplicated to understand, but as I found the connections, I gained quite a lot of information. To summarize:
  1. Vampires have a power called ¡®symbol¡¯, and Termen have a power called ¡®will¡¯.
  2. That power can only be used by those who possess the unique runes of the respective races. (For example, like Ripley¡¯s [Noble Bloodline] rune.)
  3. Termen cannot use will when they die. So I couldn¡¯t obtain rted runes when I killed Termen warriors who had be Death Knights.
  4. Baroness Caroline is a hybrid of these vampires and Termen. That¡¯s why [Eye of Doom] became a rune in the form of mixing the two powers.
In other words, to use [Eye of Doom], I need to acquire runes rted to vampires or Termen. But that¡¯s not the important thing. The important thing is that Caroline is a hybrid of vampire and Termen. The point is that I have a clue about those who might be the core power of the Ludenark faction. ¡°Ripley. Is there also Baroness Caroline¡¯s territory in Beltane?¡± Ripley nodded at my sudden question. ¡°Because she¡¯s a noble. All vampire nobles own their own territories.¡± ¡°Then do you know where Baroness Caroline¡¯s territory is?¡± Ripley frowns for a moment. ¡°Are you stupid? I was a vampire belonging to Beltane, how could I not know that?¡± ¡°Sorry. Just in case you didn¡¯t know. I think we should go there first. That¡¯s why I scheduled this trip earlier.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Ripley continued to guide me while grumbling. I know from experiencing it a few times before, but speaking in this tone doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s angry. The only time Ripley was really angry was when I took magic power without permission during the battle with Hwang Seong-yeon. ¡°By the way, Ripley.¡± ¡°Yes, speak.¡± ¡°Besides Baroness Caroline, what do we need to do when we go to Beltane? You had a separate reason for going to Beltane, right?¡± When I first made the promise with Ripley, we vaguely talked about conquering . But thinking about it now, that ¡®conquest¡¯ is ambiguous in some ways. The dungeons of adapters are not dungeons with predetermined ¡®conquests¡¯ to begin with. It¡¯s different from the format of regr dungeons where you kill monsters and advance towards the boss room, and or are sorge in scale that even within the dungeon, areas are often divided. , which had the purpose of overthrowing a specific faction, was quite an unusual case. ¡®Then what should we do in Beltane?¡¯ ¡­Surely we don¡¯t have to kill everyone? There¡¯s no set conquest course, and Ripley¡¯s desired purpose isn¡¯t clear either. When I asked these questions that were chained like a tail, Ripley answered with a slight smile. ¡°There¡¯s something like that.¡± I received my karma from earlier right back. * * * Ippotrantion *** Following Ripley¡¯s lead, we arrived at in an instant. The dungeon entrance was in arge mansion in central London, and we could enter near a small statue inside. It¡¯s the first time entering a dungeon from someone¡¯s house like this. And as soon as I set foot, information windows immediately rushed in. [You have entered the dungeon.] [Amazing achievement! The space of those who create life in death, those who crave blood and their minions. You have encountered thend of vampires, ¡®Beltane¡¯. An endless aura of death and thick scent of blood lingers everywhere. It is a very special urrence for a human to enter this legendary space.] [All general abilities increase by 2 due to the nature of the achievement.] [You set foot in ¡®Baron Valerof¡¯s Domain¡¯. The symbol of ¡®depression¡¯ is spread throughout the territory. A sense of mental lethargy approaches.] [The special power of the ¡®Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the target¡¯s clear mind. You remain unshaken by any curse or abnormal state.] As expected, is ssified as an amazing achievement dungeon. An information window popped up as soon as I entered, increasing all general abilities by 2. But I was more interested in the information that appeared below. ¡°Baron Valerof¡¯s Domain?¡± Ripley, walking beside me, says nonchntly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the first territory you encounter when you enter Beltane. I also received help from Baron Valerof when I first escaped.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t renegades exit the dungeon from anywhere?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a special method discovered by the Ludenark. When you first escape, an information window appears telling you to find the dungeon entrance.¡± ¡°¡­When you say it like that, you really sound like a Holder.¡± ¡°Adapters and renegades are no different from Holders.¡± By the way, in , the vampire nobles with territories and their minions are all ¡®adapters¡¯. This means their nature is different from monsters that attack Holders unconditionally without intelligence. Grrrr-. Tap tap tap-. Thanks to this, even the monsters we encountered while walking through the territory didn¡¯t attack us. Various monsters like ck Vargs, Skeleton Knights, Phantoms appeared, but they just gave us a brief nce before quietly passing by. This was because they also knew that Ripley, who was apanying me, was a vampire with the status of a ¡®Countess¡¯. ¡°This is the first dungeon that¡¯s sofortable.¡± ¡°Minions absolutely follow the orders of nobles. If they attack another noble arbitrarily, they might be annihted as punishment.¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that too harsh for a punishment?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the rule of Beltane. And Baron Valerof has met me a few times, so they probably know me too.¡± Anyway, we passed through Baron Valerof¡¯s domain and about three other vampire noble territories before we could reach our destination. [You set foot in ¡®Baroness Caroline¡¯s Domain¡¯. The symbol of ¡®destruction¡¯ is spread throughout the territory. All entities within the territory be aggressive.] [The special power of the ¡®Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the target¡¯s clear mind. You remain unshaken by any curse or abnormal state.] Baroness Caroline¡¯s Domain. The territory of the half-vampire who tried to terrorize the Holder Arena in New York. Uniquely, there were huge ¡®golems¡¯ stationed at the entrance. And. Grooooar-!! Grwooooo-!! Dozens of golems, at a nce, were rushing towards us like mad. ¡­Although they were slow anyway. ¡°Ripley. By the way, why are they trying to attack us?¡± ¡°Masterless bastards, that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°Now yournguage has bepletely like a Holder¡¯s too.¡± But it was convincing. I nodded at Ripley¡¯s words and drew out my weapon. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 322 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°You don¡¯t really need to help, right?¡± Ripley said, crossing her arms. I tilted my head at that. ¡°Is there any need to not help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s troublesome.¡± ¡°Then I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± If a vampire noble says so, I should understand.In fact, as she said, the battle was manageable even without her help. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll give you some strategy info. Aim for that Emerald Golem at the front. That one¡¯s the leader.¡± At Ripley¡¯s advice, I strained my eyes to look ahead. Indeed, a giant golem glowing green was slowly charging at the front. ¡®¡­A golem, huh.¡¯ Golem. Opinions about this monster vary among schrs, but onemon view is that golems are ¡®manufactured monsters¡¯. A hard and dense outer shell. Strength that bes a weapon in itself. Magical materialsposed for multipurpose use. Even a magic stone that acts as an operating device. Sometimes, golems made with enormous funds even have attack magic stored inside. In other words, all of this is a kind of ¡®magical tool¡¯ created by the golem maker. And such golems are minions of Baroness Caroline¡¯s domain. There¡¯s one fact we can deduce from this, ¡®Ludenark has extended its reach to Beltane as well.¡¯ Vampire minions are usually undead ormon monsters. For manufactured monsters to be minions, there must be beings who create them. It¡¯s unlikely that Baron Caroline, who bears the symbol of destruction, is the creator, and it¡¯s highly probable that members of the Ludenark school helped with the creation and provided support. I was satisfied with finding another clue. ¡®Call of the Contract.¡¯ And I summon the third contractor, Jeiten. -I¡¯ve been waiting, Master. Now it felt iplete without this one in ground battles. ¡®Jeiten. Run at top speed.¡¯ -Master. Looking at the golems¡¯ speed, it seems we could run at a moderate pace. ¡®That doesn¡¯t matter!¡¯ The important thing is that I¡¯m riding Jeiten, and once I¡¯m on, we just run. Grwooooo-!! Gruuuu¡­!! The heavy golems¡¯ roars echo, and Jeiten charges forward as if to challenge them. Normally, I would have prepared [Wyvern Spear] and [el Piercing], but right now, I don¡¯t feel the need to do so. ¡®It¡¯d be a waste to use el Piercing.¡¯ While [el Piercing] is undoubtedly a skill that shows overwhelming performance in first strikes, it felt wasteful to use it on mere golems like these. Now my runes and abilities have risen to such a high level that I can inflict sufficient damage on enemies without necessarily using skills. When the distance to the golems was close enough, I asked Jeiten, ¡®Jeiten. How many golems do you think you could handle alone?¡¯ -Master. I am not you. ¡®¡­Even one is difficult?¡¯ -It would be faster for you to hunt twenty than for me to deal with one. Jeiten seems to have be much smarter when I wasn¡¯t looking. I nod because it was such a valid point. ¡®Then just run all the way to the front and wait from when I jump in. I¡¯ll leap in first.¡¯ -Understood. ¡®I¡¯ll be back before this sweat dries.¡¯ -What does that mean? ¡®It¡¯s just a saying. Go quickly.¡¯ -I receive yourmand. As soon as the order ended, I leapt off Jeiten. The first to collide is the green-colored golem. The one Ripley mentioned, and the one I had some information about. It¡¯s an A-grade top-tier monster, an Emerald Golem. Golems generally have their ranks determined by the gems used in their creation, and Emerald Golems have their strength and durability increased to nearly the maximum. Moreover, this one has an additional effect. ¡®Those Ludenark bastards, they¡¯ve put ck magic in here too.¡¯ ck magic swirling near the Emerald Golem¡¯s operating magic stone. This was clearly the result of Ludenark school¡¯s special processing of evil-oriented divine power through the [Dark Covenant]. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to take down a golem that already exerts A-grade top-tier power, with ck magic assisting it as well. ¡®I¡¯ll just smash it to pieces.¡¯ But I was an expert in dealing with ck magic. I was a Holder who had both the method to break it and the power to do so. First, I use Art of Weapon Exchange to put on knuckles on both hands. Then, using the eleration gained from flying into the sky, I threw a full-power punch at the Emerald Golem. ¡®Primordial Furious Attack¡­!¡¯ The strongest skill that can be used with fists. It¡¯s a skill that expresses primordial power all too well, true to its name. Pak-. Cra, crack- Kwaaang-!! With a tremendous impact sound, the Emerald Golem¡¯s chest is shattered. While [Primordial Furious Attack] itself boasts strong destructive power, there were many buffs that were knowingly or unknowingly attached from various runes or items¡¯ ¡®special effects¡¯ that I possessed. With buffs attached that even I had trouble counting, it was inevitable that the skill¡¯s power would be strong. This is just a light opening attack. ¡°Lightning of Judgment.¡± ¡­The legendary holy armor conceals an attack skill. It sounds like a web novel title, but that¡¯s actually what my armor does. The [Lightning of Judgment] contained in [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath] is a skill that fires highly condensed holy power. The amount of condensation is so great that its power is beyond imagination. Moreover, if the target has dark attributes or evil tendencies¡­ Needless to say, it was a skill that inflicted effective damage. This was, so to speak, the holy power version of [Primordial Furious Attack]. Pat, paaaat-!! Kwaaang-!! Craaack-. Even for a monster that¡¯s essentially reached S-grade, receiving such attacks in session would inevitably cause serious damage. I could see the Emerald Golem instantly losing its will to fight and falling into a dying state. Not stopping there, I drew my holy sword and thrust it near the golem¡¯s magic stone. [¡®You have purified a golem engraved with the ¡®Dark Covenant¡¯. The mercy of the holy Sednilen touches the sword. The performance of the holy sword ¡®Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance¡¯ increases.¡¯] Along with intense holy power, an information window appeared announcing the end of the Emerald Golem. Seeing this, I realized. ¡®¡­Golems can be purified too?¡¯ It seems that all targets affected by the [Dark Covenant] can be food for the holy sword. Anyway, the Emerald Golem lost its strength, unable to withstand the final attack. 7 seconds after the battle started. It hadn¡¯t even been 3 seconds since I flew off Jeiten. Gr, grwooooo-!! Gruuuooo¡­!! As the Emerald Golem at the front suddenly copsed, the surrounding golems suddenly became enraged and began to make the ground shake. These bastards, they know how to get angry too? It seems the Emerald Golem was sort of the leader among them, and seeing one of its partspletely destroyed with a single punch must have excited them. Maybe they were designed to naturally be enraged when their leader-type golem takes damage. Whatever the case, it doesn¡¯t matter. My impression upon seeing them was just one thing. ¡°What are you going to do? What can you guys even do?¡± Other than slowly running towards me, what can you do? The enraged golems were charging at me with tremendous momentum, but their speed was pitifully slow. Moreover, these guys are golems far inferior in power to the Emerald Golem. In other words, it means I could potentially end the battle with one area-of-effect skill. I put my thoughts into action. ¡°Fall.¡± By now, [w Short Swords] were in both hands thanks to weapon exchange technique. And then, the ultimate skill unfolds, [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics]. This is the number one contributor that made me an ¡®S-grade Holder¡¯. Kagrrrr-!! Crack, craaack-. Kuuuung-!! I cut down the golems in a trance. The unpleasant metallic sound of ¡®Kagrrrr-¡¯ rings in my ears, and the beautiful falling flowers my sword spreads cut down all the golems within range. No, I tried to cut them all down, but¡­ There were quite a lot of them. ¡®¡­Did they bring too many?¡¯ I thought as I was cutting them down. This is actually why I summoned Jeiten to run first, and performed the act of charging at and attacking the Emerald Golem. To gather all the nearby golems and get them all within the range of [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics]. There were too many to handle one by one, so I nned to herd them for a hunt and then deal with the aftermath. Grwooooo-!! Gruooo-. But it seems their numbers were far greater than I thought. The [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics] skill wasing to an end, but the golems¡¯ roars showed no signs of subsiding. ¡®I¡¯ll have to change weapons as soon as it ends.¡¯ I reluctantly thought I¡¯d have to bring out the holy sword. But something strange happened. At the timing when the [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics] skill should have ended, the remaining magic in the [w Short Swords] didn¡¯t seem to want to run out. ¡®¡­What¡¯s this?¡¯ It doesn¡¯t end. [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics], which scrapes down enemies within range, kept maintaining itself. [¡®The ¡®Dark Glory¡¯ effect of the ¡®Sword that Swallowed Darkness¡¯ rune is being applied to the ultimate skill ¡®Falling Blossoms Aesthetics¡®. The magic of opponents dealing with dark attributes is being absorbed, continuously supplying magic to maintain the skill. The ultimate skill ¡®Falling Blossoms Aesthetics¡® is being maintained.¡¯] The reason wasn¡¯t far off. The [Sword that Swallowed Darkness], which I obtained after defeating Hwang Seong-yeon, has a special effect of taking 30% of the opponent¡¯s dark attribute magic, and this effect was being applied even to the ultimate skill [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics]. After all, the subject using that skill is [Plum Blossom Sword Technique]. Pat- pababat-!! Grwooooo-!! Kung! Kuuung!! Thanks to this, I was able to cut down all the golems within range without stopping. After the skill casting was all over. I stood nkly at the spot where the battle had started. Grwooooo-. Kuuung-. [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics] is, after all, an area-of-effect ultimate skill. The golems didn¡¯t all instantly die with one skill, but most were lying on the ground with some part damaged. ¡­It seemed to be about 40 of them, and that entire quantity had lost their strength. ¡°You, are you perhaps a dragon?¡± -Master. It¡¯s starting to get scary now. The two contractors who had approached at some point, muttering while looking at me. ¡°¡­That¡¯s unfair.¡± This was truly unfair. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 323 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] . This fan cafe, true to its name, uniquely operates on a paid membership system. Monthly regr dues are collected from members, and only those who pay these dues are granted full membership status. Originally, it was a free cafe where anyone could join and share photos and news about Do Jae-hyun, but recently, such barriers have emerged, drastically changing its nature. The reason was simple. -Do Jae-hyun became too famous! He was already famous in the early days when he was rising as the most promising talent in the academy and domestically, but after founding the n as a n master, his fame spread nationwide.Friendly n agreements with the top 3 domestic ns. The greatest achievement in the conquest of . Friendly n agreement with the n¡­. As big issues that were hard to handle kept breaking out one after another, interest in him surged. Among them, the biggest issue was, of course, his ¡®S-grade Holder promotion¡¯. By taking the title of the world¡¯s youngest S-grade Holder, Do Jae-hyun¡¯s poprity reached a global level. A Holder as handsome as a celebrity with top-tier skills. He couldn¡¯t help but be an object of admiration. -This can¡¯t go on. Thus, an enormous number of people flocked to the fan cafe. There were iparably more membership requests than before. And consequently, it became difficult to operate the cafe normally. There were those who sought attention by stirring up all sorts of trouble, and it wasmon for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s anti-fans to sneak in and disparage him. So the management team made a decision. Mization of fan cafe membership. They changed the system so that those who wish to join the fan cafe must pay certain dues to register as members. Moreover, instead of collecting annual fees like ordinary celebrities, they decided on a monthly fee structure. They judged that no ordinary amount would be enough to deter the malicious individuals flooding into the fan cafe. ¡°This seems like a really good move¡± Yoo Eun-seol, the most esteemed member of , nodded in agreement with this drastic decision. It seemed like the best possible choice the management team, whoever they were, could have made. Of course, there would be passionate members who might find it difficult to pay, but countermeasures were put in ce for such individuals to receive support for their dues if they consistently remained active as associate members. In any case, through these changes, the fan cafe has recently regained some stability. And after some time had passed. Suddenly, this opinion was proposed within the fan cafe: -Shouldn¡¯t we hold a fan meeting? Fan meeting! A meeting with fans that any celebrity with arge fan cafe and core fandom would hold at least once. For celebrities, it was an opportunity to express gratitude to their fans, and for fans, it was a festival where they could meet the celebrity in person and enjoy rted events. The ones who proposed this idea were the so-called ¡®Jeiten faction¡¯. A group that ims Jeiten is the most suitable contractor for Do Jae-hyun to ride in battle. They are a fandom that rapidly grew in power after the establishment of the n, a new force demanding radical fan cafe policies such as providing gifts and letters, meetings with fans, and events for Do Jae-hyun¡¯s birthday. Naturally, hosting this fan meeting was also a perplexing demand for the conservative . And to this demand, the ¡®Bond faction¡¯, ssified as the old fandom, showed an unfavorable attitude. [Jae-hyun¡¯sfirstkiss/Top] ¡­Is there really a need to do this? [GrapevourPudding/Top] Hmm, I also feel like, is it necessary? A fan meeting is something that both fans and the celebrity need to agree on and actively participate in, but Jae-hyun rarely evenes to the fan cafe. Hehe. [BonOwner/Top] Anyway, those Jeiten faction people always say iprehensible things. First of all, about the contractor, huh? Isn¡¯t it obviously Bon rather than Jeiten? He¡¯s the very first contractor, and the time they¡¯ve fought together-. Here, ¡®Top¡¯ refers to the most esteemed members. It¡¯s a veteran rank that only 5 people, including the cafe president, have. As these influential veterans expressed negative opinions, the new force, the Jeiten faction, also strongly retaliated. [FriendYoungerSibling/Excellent] It¡¯s good for all of us to meet! It¡¯s already hard to see him because he¡¯s so busy! And GrapevourPudding. Could you stop acting like you¡¯re close to Jae-hyun and calling him ¡®Jae-hyun¡¯? [Jae-hyunoppa/Excellent] I can¡¯t just let BonOwner¡¯s words slide! No, isn¡¯t Jeiten obviously the standard for contractors rather than Tirbon? That silver mane! Majestic figure! Loyal attitude and brave charge! Anyone can see it¡¯s iparable to that weird bone fragment. [Jae-hyun and alchemy/Excellent] FirstKiss. I¡¯ve been bothered for a while, but can¡¯t you change your nickname? ¡­Although there seemed to be many personal conversations, most of them were sharply divided over whether to host the fan meeting or not. They were already in conflict about whether to attempt hosting when Do Jae-hyun hadn¡¯t even given permission yet. But among those opinions. Suddenly, a sentence caught Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s eye. [LoveJae-hyun/Excellent] If we have a fan meeting, can we see Jae-hyun dancing and such? I¡¯d like to see that¡­. At that moment, lightning struck Yoo Eun-seol¡¯s head. ¡®¡­Jae, Jae-hyun¡¯s dance?¡¯ Content she had never imagined. Yoo Eun-seol had no strong opinion on this topic or had a simr view to the Bond faction, but as soon as she saw thatment, her mind changedpletely. I want to see it. Curiosity fills her head. ¡­Of course, she had no particr intention. She simply wanted to see a new side of her disciple, as befitting a master¡¯s duty. Therefore, Yoo Eun-seol carefully left ament on the cafe. [Jae-hyunSS/Top] A fan meeting¡­ I don¡¯t think it would be bad either. [Jae-hyunsFirstKiss/Top] ¡­¡­? [GrapevourPudding/Top] Ah! SS, if you suddenly agree to that¡­!! [BonOwner/Top] Geez, who on earth is this person to have the top-tier rank? It was the moment a bomb dropped on the once peaceful fan cafe. *** Ippotrantion * * * After calming the uneasy gazes of Ripley and Jeiten as much as possible. We continued to enter Baroness Caroline¡¯s territory. I dismissed Jeiten for now, and wandered around the baronial territory with Ripley as my guide. Of course, the baroness¡¯s minions weren¡¯t just golems. [¡®You have purified a Revenant inscribed with the ¡®Dark Oath¡¯. The mercy of the holy Sednilen touches the sword. The performance of the holy sword ¡®True Repentance of Kelbilid¡¯ improves.¡¯] [¡®You have purified a Wraith inscribed with the ¡®Dark Oath¡¯. ¡­ ¡­ ] Numerous minions under Baroness Caroline blocked our path, but they all quickly fell to a few swings of my holy sword and Ripley¡¯s magic. To begin with, they were all iparably weaker than the Emerald Golem we first encountered, so the hunt itself was very easy. We hunted carefully, checking if there were any members of the Termen or Ludenark schools, but there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone like that. ¡°Here it is.¡± After walking for quite a while, we arrived at arge mansion. Ripley, standing in front of the door, spoke with her arms crossed. ¡°Is this Baroness Caroline¡¯s mansion?¡± ¡°You can tell just by looking. It¡¯s almost the only castle in this barony. In Beltane, it¡¯s called the ¡®Vampire Castle¡¯.¡± ¡°Then there must be a castle like this in your county too, Ripley.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? My castle doesn¡¯t evenpare to this trash. There¡¯s no aesthetic element to this castle at all.¡± Ah, right. Seeing Ripley getting slightly angry, I remembered. This one was a level 18 [Skilled Architect]¡­. She probably designed and decorated her own vampire castle herself. ¡°Ahem. Anyway, let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°You, you always clear your throat when you¡¯re at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s my first time seeing a vampire castle too. If I had seen your castle first, I wouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± ¡°Hmph. You can look forward to it. Once you see my castle, everything here will look trivial.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Agreeing with Ripley¡¯s boast, we entered the castle. Creeak- The old gate between the massive stone walls slowly opens. As we could guess from the exterior we saw outside, Caroline¡¯s castle had a circr staircase stretching up from the entrance. Aplex structure like a maze of stairs. The iron decorations hung at intervals and the old structures maximized the eerie atmosphere inside the castle. ¡°Ripley, is this part of thebyrinth too?¡± ¡°Well, if we¡¯re being picky. But it¡¯s so low level, honestly, it¡¯s a waste to even call it abyrinth.¡± Ripley snorted and pointed ahead with her chin. ¡°There are five magic traps right there. Hmph. Who would fall for such traps.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­That would be me. I almost fell for it. I wasn¡¯t particrly using the [Descendant of the Barbarian King] rune, so the lower-level search rune [Prey Search] wasn¡¯t activated, making it difficult to detect traps. If Ripley hadn¡¯t told me, I probably would have fallen into the trap. Of course, then I could have just smashed the trap with my holy sword, so it wouldn¡¯t have mattered much. Detecting traps wasn¡¯t the end of it. Ripley also yed a significant role as a guide when distinguishing rooms. ¡°Not that room. I can¡¯t feel Caroline¡¯s energy at all.¡± ¡°Not this room either. There¡¯s no smell of blood at all.¡± ¡°There are minions in here. Go in if you want to hunt.¡± Thanks to Ripley, we could figure out what was inside the rooms we saw on the way up without having to open the doors. And so we arrived at the top floor of the castle. This time, instead of an old door, there was a door made of expensive metal. Even without Ripley¡¯s exnation, I could tell this was Caroline¡¯s room. ck, ckck-. It¡¯s firmly locked, but I open it easily by infusing magic. The room, befitting the top floor of the castle, boasted a considerably spacious area. A desk and bed made of high-quality old wood, and parchments fluttering here and there caught my eye. Perhaps because a vampire lived here, although it was clearly a room, it feltpletely devoid of life. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, over there.¡± Suddenly, Ripley points to one side with her finger. My gaze follows it. There was a wardrobe there. An old wardrobe that seemed to bear very old traces. Also, a familiar yet ominous energy surrounding it. -Kelbilid, you who have forsaken your kin. Why are you here? And inside that wardrobe. A man in full armor was looking at us with red eyes. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 324 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Though filled with an ominous aura, it clearly isn¡¯t the ¡®ck magic¡¯ engraved with [Dark Covenant]. Despite the unusual appearance and red gleam in his eyes, he¡¯s neither a vampire nor a Death Knight. The man was definitely ¡®human¡¯. It¡¯s just that his exterior was so peculiar that it was difficult to consider him human at first nce. -No answer, eh? Then I¡¯ll have to ask directly. A voice that sounds as if it¡¯s been scratched is heard through [Language]. And as he opens the old closet, the man slowly walks out.The fact that he called me ¡®Kelbilid¡¯. And this familiar warrior¡¯s aura I¡¯ve experienced several times. There was a high probability that this man was a member of the ¡®Termen tribe¡¯. In other words, it means we¡¯vee to the right ce. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But perhaps due to that unpleasant impression and unfriendly attitude? I notice Ripley beside me suddenly drawing up magical power. In fact, throughout our journey together, Ripley hadpletely entrustedbat situations to me. After all, my own strength is formidable, and our contract rtionship isn¡¯t a full master-servant arrangement like other contractors. But now, she¡¯s showing a slightly different side. She¡¯s exuding magical power as if ready to kill the man before us at any moment. ¡®¡­Why is she like this?¡¯ Instead, I inwardly swallowed my tension. Ripley is a mage beyond an S-grade Holder. With one spell from her, this entire castle could be blown away. The spell was prepared in an instant. The attribute is fire. Within 3 seconds of the magical power gathering, an intense heat engulfs the surroundings. At a nce, it¡¯s such a powerful fire-attribute spell that one might believe Kang Juyeon had cast it. It disyed the majesty of a level 20 [Elemental User] rune. ¡°Ripley, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡± Here, ¡®him¡¯ obviously refers to that gloomy Termen guy. At her gesture, even the Termen guy seemed to flinch for a moment. ¡­It seems he also realizes this is no ordinary magic. ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°Everything from how he looks to how he acts. That bastard, he¡¯s one of those damn Termen offspring, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I kept my mouth shut at the harsh curse that spilled from Ripley¡¯s lips. As I felt when interrogating Caroline earlier, Ripley particrly despised the Termen warriors. From what I hear, even when she was in , Ruden¡¯s domain, she supposedly turned every Death Knight Termen warrior she saw into dust¡­ I couldn¡¯t understand why she hated them so much. Perhaps it¡¯s rted to the reason why Ripley called me to conquer , I thought. ¡°And one more thing. You¡¯re Do Jae-hyun, so why is he calling you Kelbilid?¡± ¡°¡­Good point.¡± As expected of the noble vampire countess. She seems to have understood the Termennguage even without the [Language] rune. Moreover, every word is right on point. Kelbilid and I just happened to use the same sword, but these damn Termen guys keep calling me Kelbilid every time they see me. Thanks to that, I always had to fight with all my might when facing Termen Death Knights. Ripley, still holding onto the magical power she had drawn up, turned her head and asked me. ¡°Shall I kill him? Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­You finally said it, huh? Where on earth did you learn to say that? But I didn¡¯t have time to answer. Suddenly, the Termen warrior who had been by the closet came right in front of us with heavy steps. Then, he spoke in a somewhat urgent voice. -I was mistaken. You¡¯re just a human who wields Kelbilid¡¯s sword. And Countess Ripley is here too. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Hearing that, I thought. This bastard¡­ You¡¯re scared of Ripley too, aren¡¯t you? *** Ippotrantion * * * The man was different from the Termen guys who recklessly charged at us in . I heard that they had lost their reason after bing Death Knights and acted that way. That¡¯s why they couldn¡¯t distinguish between me and Kelbilid and attacked indiscriminately. ¡®¡­But even you called me Kelbilid at first.¡¯ The man conveniently glossed over this contradiction. Anyway, after apromise tinged with a bit of force, We were able to sit face to face in Caroline¡¯s room and have a conversation. The topic was naturally about Caroline¡¯s rtionship with Termen, and the man¡¯s identity. -Pleased to meet you. I am Ond, a high-ranking warrior of Termen. Says the Termen warrior Ond, thumping his shoulder with a thud. His gestures and tone exude great pride. Certainly, given his title of ¡®high-ranking warrior¡¯, he doesn¡¯t seem to be an ordinary warrior. But Ripley frowned at his demeanor. Then she emits magical power again. ¡°Shall I kill him? Mas¡­¡± -I¡¯m Ond. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I can say with certainty that these guys are not warriors. What kind of warriors so easily bend the knee in the face of force? Clearing his throat a few times at my incredulous expression, Ond continued. -Ahem. Anyway, I¡¯ve heard the whole story. To sum up, my contractor Baroness Caroline sided with the Ludenark School, acted as their pawn, and met with misfortune, is that right? After realizing we couldmunicate, I briefly exined our situation, and Ond grasped and summarized it in one go. Unlike his appearance, he¡¯s quick-witted and sharp. But then I heard a familiar word from him. ¡°Contractor?¡± -Ah, I misspoke. Technically, the contract has been terminated in the system, but the paperwork still remains, so I expressed it that way. To be precise, she would be my former contractor. ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m curious about. You were Baroness Caroline¡¯s contractor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably right.¡± I turn my head at Ripley¡¯s words. She seriously added an exnation to help me understand. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, it¡¯s simr to the contract you made with me. Vampires are ssified as summons, albeit special ones. So they can make contracts with humans or other races.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you have to offer your heart?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a metaphorical expression for sharing my symbol-¡° Ripley, who was answering my questions smoothly, suddenly closes her mouth. Her vampire symbol, the ¡®seed¡¯. It seems she almost carelessly talked about the ¡®seed of doubt¡¯ rted to the contract. ¡­Though I already know all about it. ¡°Anyway, Do Jae-hyun, just like you offered your heart, other vampires have their own ways of contracting. The Termen warrior Ond probably contracted with Baroness Caroline in that way.¡± Ond nodded at Ripley¡¯s words. -That¡¯s correct. Baroness Caroline proposed a contract with me in exchange for destruction. Contracting in exchange for destruction. The cheesy contract contents using symbols are all simr, huh. Ond thumped his shoulder again and continued. -It was a satisfactory contract for me. Unlike other Termen warriors who quickly settled in Beltane, I¡¯m a bit old-fashioned, so I found a guardian vampire ratherte. Guardian vampire. Another unfamiliar term came up. ¡°Help me out, speed wagon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me by strange names.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°A guardian vampire is exactly what it sounds like. Specifically, it refers to vampires who contract with Termen warriors and provide them with conveniences. You¡¯ve heard that when the Termen tribe was destroyed, they scattered to Ludenark¡¯s domain and Beltane, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Most of the Termen warriors who came to Beltane contracted with vampires. After all, they need some kind of backing to survive in thisnd of death.¡± -That¡¯s right. As I mentioned, I waste in making this contractpared to other warriors, so I didn¡¯t hesitate much to proceed with it. But then one day, dimensional movement began, and the system was applied to Beltane. Holder system and dimensional travel between worlds. Ond was talking about bing a dungeon. -And not long after that happened, Baroness Caroline attempted to escape the dungeon and left Beltane. I don¡¯t know the exact reason, but in my opinion as a contractor, I think she probably went to find her father. That¡¯s based onbining what Mr. Do Jae-hyun and Countess Ripley said. And then the decisive word came out. ¡°Father?¡± -Yes. Baroness Caroline is a half-vampire born from a vampire and a Termen warrior. And her father, who was the chieftain warrior of Termen, Tashmad, went to Ludenark¡¯s territory. Unlike us who settled in Beltane, Tashmad was a representative warrior who settled in Ludenark. Hearing up to that point, things started to make sense. So Baroness Caroline left to find her father and went to the , where she met her father and the Ludenark school. And then, epting their proposal, she tried to carry out a terrorist attack at the New York arena. When Ripley first mentioned it, she said Caroline was expelled from , but that seems to have been incorrect information. Caroline didn¡¯t get expelled from , she escaped on her own. Just like Ripley. Such a timeline roughly formed in my head. ¡°So is Caroline the only vampire who escaped?¡± Most vampires who escaped from went to the . I asked the question to confirm their additional forces. -That¡¯s probably not the case. Countess Ripley standing right in front of you also escaped, and I heard that several vampires who are on friendly terms with Caroline also crossed over, but there probably won¡¯t be any vampires above the rank of viscount. Through that answer. The main purpose of why I came all the way to Baroness Caroline¡¯s domain in was achieved. That was to check how much vampire power the Ludenark school had. Since I learned about their new forces through Baroness Caroline, I needed to understand this more urately and specifically. ¡®If they¡¯re all at the baron level¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡¯ It seems like it won¡¯t be as difficult as I thought. I didn¡¯t stop there and immediately asked about my second objective. ¡°Ond. Then what¡¯s the power level of the Termen warriors who went to Ludenark¡¯s territory? I think most of them would have sided with Ludenark.¡± But this question seemed to make Ond ufortable as he frowned. -What? That¡¯s difficult to answer. Even though I¡¯m a Termen warrior contracted with vampires, how can I so easily give information about warriors who were once my kin¡­ And then Ripley emits magical power. ¡°You like fire attributes, right?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Indeed,rades were far, and magic was close. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 325 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (5) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Fortunately, Ripley didn¡¯t shout ¡®Not needed!¡¯. Ond slowly organized the information about his kin and exined it to me. Chief Warrior Tashmad. Top-ss warriors Aldred and Grimeld. And about 20 high-rank warriors, countless mid and low-rank warriors. That was the Termen¡¯s military strength within Ludenark that Ond revealed. If we include the Termen warriors who likely became Death Knights after death, the number would be much higher.However, as I listened to this, I thought it wasn¡¯t as many as I had expected. ¡®Quality is more important than quantity.¡¯ I don¡¯t know how skilled the Chief Warrior and top-ss warriors are since I haven¡¯t encountered them. But I roughly know the skills of the high-rank warriors. Just at the level of S-grade monsters. The Termen Death Knights I encountered in were high-rank warriors, so this should be urate. And S-grade monsters are at a level that S-grade Holders can hunt alone. Even A-grade Holders can easily hunt them in raid units. In other words, 3 warriors surpassing S-grade, and 20 at the level of S-grade monsters. The rest are all A-grade monsters or below, so there¡¯s no need to confirm them in the first ce. ¡®¡­Really not as many as I thought.¡¯ It was an unexpected gain. All the vampires are at the baronial level. Termen has only 23 warriors of high rank or above. At this level, they wouldn¡¯t pose a significant threat when the Ludenark attack alliance gathers. ¡®So that¡¯s why they had Caroline carry out the terror attack.¡¯ Now I understood the strategy of the Ludenark school. The reason for trying to iste vampires and Termen warriors to inflict damage on the current world. It was because they themselves knew well that this wasn¡¯t a force with good odds in a direct confrontation. -Ahem, ahem. Was that helpful, Countess Ripley? Ond, who had been freely divulging information about his kin, now cleared his throat and asked Ripley. Of course, Ripley¡¯s gaze was directed at me. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, was that helpful?¡± ¡°Yeah. Personally, I¡¯ve almost achieved my purpose foring to Beltane. Thanks, Ripley. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± Although we were lucky to have Ond, Caroline¡¯s contractor, being able toe this far was all thanks to Ripley. For me, she was the one who acted as a guide in where I had no information, and the one who searched for Caroline¡¯s castle and room within the barony. ¡­Getting Ond to answer a small question (threat) was a bonus. ¡°W-What are you saying? I brought you here because I had a purpose too, so don¡¯t say such embarrassing things.¡± Is this embarrassing¡­? Anyway, as we achieved our goals, Ond cautiously asked. -Um¡­ Countess Ripley? Can I leave now? Hearing this, I suddenly became curious. Caroline¡¯s barony was the territory owned by Caroline, who was a vampire. Probably, seeing that Ripley still has her own county, it seems that even if one defects, they maintain ownership of their territory. However, Caroline was eventually executed after interrogation following the New York terror incident. Although vampires are adapters capable ofmunicating with humans and specialmanders, she was still a criminal who killed civilians. With her deep connection to the Ludenark school and opinions that she mightmit additional crimes, the International Holder Association confirmed her execution. In other words, Baroness Caroline is currently deceased. Then, like this. What happens when the owner of the territory is not just ¡®defects¡¯¡­ But reaches ¡®death or annihtion¡¯? That question was unintentionally answered by Ripley. ¡°Where are you going? Caroline¡¯s barony will be a neutral area anyway.¡± -Pardon? Weren¡¯t you nning to annex this territory, Countess Ripley? ¡°Are you crazy? Why would I annex Caroline¡¯s barony? Such a barren and uselessnd of death.¡± -¡­Isn¡¯t all of Beltane and of death? ¡°Seeing you keep nitpicking, maybe I should use magic after all-¡° -¡­That¡¯s what our kin in the neutral area would think! Haha. But Ipletely agree with Countess Ripley¡¯s opinion. There¡¯s no reason for the Countess to annex this ce. Yes. After the conversation, or rather banter, between the two that was no longer clear which it was, Ond slowly entered the closet where he had been when we first arrived. -Well then, please make yourselvesfortable. Even if the barony is soon dered a neutral area, I will remain here, recognized in my position as the former contractor¡­ If you¡¯re curious about my news, you cane to this castle. Kuuung-. With that, Ond handed over the valuable information and entered the closet. ¡­Maybe because the closet is so old, it feels like he¡¯s entering a coffin. I sat down with a thud on Caroline¡¯s bed next to me. Then I looked at Ripley. I had achieved everything I aimed for, but there were still questions remaining. ¡°Ripley, by the way, what¡¯s this neutral area? From what Ond and you are saying, it seems really important.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s important.¡± Ripley approaches, resting one knee on the bed where I¡¯m sitting. And then, as I saw before¡­ She revealed her bright red eyes and looked at me. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, from now on, this is the ce where you need to keep your promise.¡± *** Ippotrantion * * * Thend of is broadly ssified into three categories. The first is territory. Like that we encountered when first entering this ce, or where we were until just now, or owned by Ripley¡­ These arends directly owned and managed by vampire nobles. Territories make up thergest proportion ofnd in . Since this dungeon itself represents thend of vampires, it was natural that the territories of the noble owners would be the most prevalent. The second is wastnd. This name was given because most of thend that makes up this category has the characteristics of a wastnd, but it was also named because it¡¯snd where monsters that don¡¯t serve a particr master roam around. Wastnds are where minions banished by vampire noblese, or where loner monsters who don¡¯t want to belong anywhere gather. By human standards, it¡¯s a kind of ¡®field outside the barrier¡¯. It corresponded to barrennd where people don¡¯t live. And the third is¡­ ¡°Neutral areas. Land that vampires can¡¯t upy, but their minions can im rights through territorial disputes.¡± Ripley, who said this, lightly ignites a me. Whoosh-! Kweeaak-! A fire attribute attack magic detonates, and Baroness Caroline¡¯s minion that was blocking us meets its end. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She dispatches the minion as easily as breathing. It was a markedly different scene from earlier when she just watched me engage inbat. Probably because she needs to exin things to me now, she seemed to be minimizing unnecessary time as much as possible. Thanks to this, I was listening to her exnation in a veryfortable posture. ¡°The criteria for dering neutral areas vary, but territories like Baroness Caroline¡¯s domain where we are now, where the owner has disappeared, are dered neutral areas 7 days after the noble in question is annihted. That is, if another noble doesn¡¯t annex the territory before then.¡± Listening up to there, I asked while making my own deductions. ¡°But Ripley, you also said Caroline¡¯s barony wasn¡¯t any good and didn¡¯t annex it. Then don¡¯t other guys also have no need to dispute over neutral areas?¡± Ripley lightly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯snd that¡¯s not great for vampires, but it could be a shelter for Beltane¡¯s monsters who¡¯ve lost their way.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And not all neutral areas are bad. Among some neutral areas, there are ces overflowing with magical materials or resources to the point where even vampires¡¯ eyes would turn.¡± However, vampires cannot directly participate in the disputes over these neutral areas. This was one of the rules given to . ¡°But those damn Laculize folks broke that rule. In a clever way.¡± ¡°Laculize?¡± ¡°A countess, the owner of the territory right next to mine. And also a woman who goes around with disgracefully lowly nobles.¡± Perhaps because it¡¯s a noble she dislikes, the earlier rough cursese out again. And the real reason why Ripley invited me to wasing out. Countess Laculize. And her allied nobles were described as ¡®lowly¡¯. It seemed that I needed to resolve the conflict with them. As I listened to the story, I tilted my head and asked her. ¡°But what do you mean they broke the rules? Did they upy a neutral area?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How? You said vampires can¡¯t get directly involved.¡± ¡°Right. They can¡¯t get directly involved. But it¡¯s a different story for contractors.¡± ¡°¡­Ah!¡± Contractor. With that word, the questions filling my head were resolved. Ond, the Termen warrior who had contracted with Baroness Caroline. He had said that there were other kin who had crossed over to this , and that they had made contracts with vampires and taken them as patrons. And that means¡­ ¡°The Termen guys made contracts and seized neutral areas. On the vampires¡¯ orders.¡± It meant that in neutral areas where vampires¡¯ direct participation is impossible, they were cleverly breaking the rules and indirectly participating. Ripley nodded. ¡°And they moved as a group with those lowly nobles and cherry-picked only the good areas to seize.¡± ¡°Ah, then¡­¡± Now I understood why Ripley had attempted to ¡®defect¡¯ and even went to , Ludenark¡¯s domain. ¡°That¡¯s right. The reason I defected to find contractors, and the reason I contracted with you are all the same. I just couldn¡¯t stand watching those women act up in the neutral areas. So¡­¡± Ripley paused for a moment. Then she looked at me with a smile. ¡°I went ahead and made a contract at a much higher level. To drive all those damn Termen guys out of the neutral areas.¡± That was the real reason why Ripley ended up contracting with me. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 326 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (6) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] We left Baroness Caroline¡¯s domain and headed towards another territory. Our destination was, of course, . It¡¯s Ripley¡¯s own territory that she owns and manages. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long to arrive. We reached a nearby viscount domain from Baroness Caroline¡¯s domain, then used the [Warp Gate] there to move. is not an ordinary dungeon, but a residence for vampires. Since there are adapters who are vampires deeply versed in magic, [Warp Gates] are naturally ced throughout the dungeon.However, Baroness Caroline was a slightly lower-ranking noble among vampires, so her domain simply didn¡¯t have a [Warp Gate]. And so we arrived at . ¡°Wow¡­ It¡¯s well-tended.¡± I eximed in admiration as soon as I saw the domain. True to her symbol of ¡®Seed¡¯, her domain was blooming with various vegetation and flowers. Gnarled stems, verdant leaves, and branches that could herald the seasons greeted us. ¡°Hmph. Is that all?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d believe it if you said you were a gardener rather than an architect.¡± ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re exaggerating.¡± Ripley grumbled unnecessarily. But I could hear in her voice that she was secretly pleased. Moreover, as soon as we arrived at the domain, we could see the city, and various nts were also situated near it. It was truly a domain brimming with vitality. It doesn¡¯t match at all with the nickname ¡®Land of Death¡¯ that was called. I doubted if this was really the samend as the other domains we¡¯ve encountered so far. Above all. [You set foot in ¡®Countess Ripley¡¯s domain¡¯. The symbol of ¡®Seed¡¯ is spread throughout the domain. A strong vitality dwells within your body. Your health temporarily increases.] ¡°The domain effect isn¡¯t a debuff?¡± I asked in surprise after checking the information window, and Ripley snorted. ¡°Debuffs are a defense system used by inferior nobles. Skilled nobles like me put buffs instead. Because we can control intruders even with that.¡± Indeed. It seems high-ranking vampires like Ripley consider it shameful to put debuffs in their domain. But that¡¯s not all. The true value of the domain was revealed in the vampire castle. Tall buildings and simply designed exteriors. And old trees erected here and there, as if embracing the surroundings. It didn¡¯t have the majestic feeling you could usually see in other castles, but Ripley¡¯s own soft and natural atmosphere was infused even inside the vampire castle. It felt more like a neat pce than a castle. I said with an admiring face. ¡°¡­It really is different.¡± ¡°Hmph. I told you so.¡± I understood Ripley¡¯s boasting back in Caroline¡¯s vampire castle. It definitely felt more luxurious, iparable to Caroline¡¯s castle. Before entering the castle, even a Death Knight appeared. -Wee. We are pleased to wee the Countess¡¯s return. It¡¯s apletely different level of politeness from the ill-tempered Death Knights I¡¯ve seen so far. When I looked at Ripley as if needing an exnation, she said as if it was nothing special. ¡°It¡¯s my subordinate.¡± ¡°A subordinate¡­ Is a Death Knight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Count-level noble, after all. Stop making a fuss ande inside. We need to talk about the neutral zone attack.¡± After entering the castle like that, we were guided to Ripley¡¯s bedroom on the 3rd floor following the Death Knight¡¯s instructions. ¡­When I asked if it wouldn¡¯t be better to meet in a reception room or something, it was dismissed with the simple reason that her room was morefortable. Anyway, we started to seriously strategize about the neutral zone attack. ¡°You can only apply for an attack on all neutral zones in Beltane once a week.¡± ¡°Is the interval that long?¡± ¡°Yes. From the challenger¡¯s perspective, they might want to attack and take over quickly, but from the owner¡¯s perspective, it takes time to defend and manage.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ But Ripley, what do you mean by ¡®applying¡¯ for an attack? Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s someone overseeing the whole process?¡± Ripley nodded as if it was obvious. ¡°Not someone, but a vampire. Vampire judges from the Beltane Management Bureau receive applications and oversee the process. This applies not only to neutral zones but also to mergers between domains.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s quite formal.¡± ¡°Anyway, you can only apply for an attack on neutral zones once a week. Plus, even this gets pushed back if there are too many applicants.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s a chance we might not even get to apply?¡± Ripley shook her head at that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one¡¯s applying for attacks right now anyway.¡± There are a total of 9 neutral zones where Ripley is in conflict with Countess Laculize. All 9 of them are owned by Termen warriors who have migrated to . In other words, Termen warriors who have contracted with Countess Laculize and rted nobles have colluded to upy their own neutral zones. Given this situation, the number of applications for neutral zone attacks has significantly decreased day by day. ¡°¡­The Termen are too strong.¡± ¡°Right. The difficulty of attacks has be so high that other subordinates don¡¯t apply for attacks at all.¡± That¡¯s because even the advanced warriors among the Termen warriors show the ability of S-grade monsters. Each of them possesses tremendousbat power, and if they move up to the highest level, they sometimes show even greaterbat abilities. Who would easily try to attack when such beings form teams and upy each area? It was the reality that ordinary domain residents and subordinates couldn¡¯t even dare to attempt. ¡°But Do Jae-hyun, you¡¯re different.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you overestimating me too much?¡± ¡°Hmph. What overestimation? I feel like I might lose if we fought properly.¡± Anyway, in a state where there are no challengers at all, my attack application will be epted unconditionally. It¡¯s not a problem that I¡¯m human. After all, is a ce where various racese in and reside, and in fact, the Termen warriors upying the neutral zones are also contractors of human origin. ¡®Then it¡¯s simple.¡¯ In the end, the reason Ripley wanted me was straightforward. Someone who can fight and win against skilled opponents in a full-scale battle. And that was nothing less than my area of expertise. I smiled slightly and asked her. ¡°Where should I start attacking?¡±. *** Ippotrantion * * * ¡°Argh! What on earth are you¡­!! Suddenly appearing with Kelbilid¡¯s sword-!¡± I hear words that sound like they coulde from some third-rate viin. What was that warrior¡¯s name again? Edred? I don¡¯t remember exactly, but anyway, the Termen warrior who owned the neutral zone was shouting. Me, who suddenly appeared, applied for an attack, and single-handedly pushed through all of ¡¯s defense forces to get here. He seemed quite surprised seeing that sight. I smiled at him and raised my sword. ¡°Sorry. My contractor wants to keep their identity secret. Says it¡¯s strategy.¡± ¡°Ugh, uaargh-!!¡± The sword pierces the Termen warrior¡¯s heart, and with that, the battle ends in my victory. [You¡¯ve won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent¡¯s runes. Please select a rune to replicate.] ¡­ ¡­ [Challenger ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯ has defeated owner ¡®Edred¡¯ and all his defense forces, and acquired ownership of the neutral zone ¡®Sotton¡¯! This is a proper result verified by the noble vampire judge ¡®Chloe¡¯.] [Special achievement! You have acquired ownership of the neutral zone ¡®Sotton¡¯ in Beltane. Acquiring ownership of a neutral zone is one of the great honors for challengers. Your abilities resonate with this honorable achievement and grow.] [You gain 1 point each in all general and special abilities, and resistance abilities.] And then information windows pop up as if they¡¯ve been waiting. Actually, these are special pieces of information I¡¯ve never seen in other dungeons before. A system where an adapter within the dungeon acts as a judge for attacking a specific area, and if the challenge is sessful, the result appears in an information window. It¡¯s a kind of siege system that you might only see in something like a game. Apletely new form of dungeon. If this bes known in the current world, it will probably have as big an impact as or . As a reward for the attack, it¡¯s not an ¡®amazing achievement¡¯, but you can even get a ¡®special achievement¡¯ that increases all abilities¡­ This would probably drive high-ranking Holders crazy for ability points. ¡°¡­I¡¯m getting tired of this now.¡± I sigh while wiping the blood off the holy sword. This is already the fourth time I¡¯m doing this. It¡¯s nice that my abilities are increasing, but repeating the same actions and hearing the same lines from these Termen guys is making me dizzy. Although the types are slightly different, I can somewhat understand why Ripley hates the Termen so much. ¡°Challenger. You killed the owner of the neutral zone during the attack. In this case, the period for receiving attack applications from other challengers after you be the owner will be reduced to 6 days.¡± The vampire judge Chloe approaches me and says with an expressionless face. I wave my sword-wielding hand as if annoyed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡± This is also the fourth time I¡¯m hearing this. There are a few reasons why I kill the Termen warriors during the attack. First, they¡¯re so strong and tough that the attack doesn¡¯t end with simple subduing. And secondly, they were a group thatmitted evil acts in the other world. From what I heard from Ripley, while not as bad as the Ludenark school, they were quite a famous evil group on the continent. It¡¯s not for nothing that the repentant Kelbilid became Sednilen¡¯s proxy. And thirdly¡­ ¡®If I want to prevent future attack applications, there should be no lingering threats.¡¯ Anyway, once my promise is fulfilled, I¡¯ll leave and return to the current world. In other words, the neutral zones I¡¯ve attacked will lose their ownership automatically. So¡­ Ripley never intended to take over all the neutral zones from the beginning. She just wanted to get back at the other nobles who pissed her off and return everything to square one. ¡°Whoever the contractor is, they¡¯re really ruthless.¡± I chuckle and move on. Now it¡¯s time to attack the fifth neutral zone. It¡¯s been only 6 hours since Ripley and I strategized. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 327 The Land of Vampires, Beltane (7) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] [You have selected the ¡®Warrior¡¯s Bloodline¡¯ rune. As it¡¯s an epic rune at max level, it is registered without any level decrease.] [From the rune¡¯s attributes, you gain 2 Strength, 2 Speed, and 2 Toughness.] The first rune I acquired while defeating the Termen warriors is [Warrior¡¯s Bloodline]. As evident from its max level from the start, this rune is rted to inherent attributes or racial characteristics. In terms of my owned runes, it¡¯s equivalent to [Trace of Dragon n (Lv.Max)]. For Ripley, it would beparable to [Noble Bloodline (Lv.Max)]. In other words, it¡¯s the bloodline that Termen warriors possess as a tribal characteristic. This rune is necessary to use the Termen power called ¡®Will¡¯. Thanks to this, I was able to replicate and utilize the abilities of Termen warriors through this rune. [The Termen¡¯s Will ¡®Greed¡¯ is manifested. You absorb part of the magic attacks used by the opponent. When the absorbed magic umtes, it converts into actual magic power.][Your ¡®Greed¡¯ has umted a massive amount of magic! The absorbed magic that overflows the container is converted into actual magic power.] [You gain 1 Magic Power from the rune¡¯s special effect.] ¡®This is really overpowered, seriously.¡¯ Among them, the one showing the most insane performance was this [Will of Greed]. [Will of Greed] is literally the will to covet and seize what belongs to others. But the target is not material things, but the ¡®magic power¡¯ contained in the opponent¡¯s attacks. When this Will is manifested while defending against certain magic attacks from the opponent, the corresponding magic is naturally absorbed into my body and umtes. When this umted magic exceeds a certain amount, it is converted into actual magic power stats and returned to me. In short, it¡¯s a means to increase the general ability stat ¡®Magic Power¡¯. Although the rune¡¯s performance itself only has this special effect, it was an epic rune that gave a feelingparable to [Effort of the Seekers] due to its excellent effect. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s not quite on the level of Effort of the Seeker.¡¯ Looking at the effect, it seems like you could gain magic power almost infinitely, but when you actually experience it, that¡¯s not the case. First, the amount of magic you need to absorb and umte to raise 1 magic power is enormous, and after that, the absorption container itself gets bigger. In other words, it was easy to gain the first 1 magic power, but the required amount increases dramatically for the next 1 magic power. That¡¯s why I only managed to raise 3 magic power while conquering the neutral territories. From 4 onwards, I just gave up because the required umtion amount became toorge. Anyway, I started to elerate my conquest of the neutral territories, enjoying hunting these ¡®Wills¡¯ one by one. ¡°Th-this is Edred¡¯s Will of Greed? How on earth did you¡­!!¡± ¡°This? I just got it when I defeated him.¡± The Termen warriors I encountered in the new neutral territory were bewildered by my power. It¡¯s understandable. From the upper-rank Termen warriors, ¡®Will¡¯ takes a unique form. In other words, [Will of Greed] was an epic rune that only Edred, who I just killed, possessed. For a challenger of the neutral territory to copy and use such a unique ability of arade¡­ From the Termen warriors¡¯ perspective, it must have been quite absurd. [Challenger ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯ has defeated owner ¡®Dobred¡¯ and all his defensive forces, and acquired ownership of the neutral territory ¡®Kaliman¡¯! This is a suitable result verified by the noble vampire judge ¡®Chloe¡¯.] [Special achievement! You have acquired ownership of the neutral territory ¡®Kaliman¡¯ in Beltane. Acquiring ownership of a neutral territory is one of the great honors for challengers. Your abilities respond to this honorable achievement and achieve growth.] [You gain 1 in all general and special ability stats, and resistance stats.] [Sometimes, shing with strong warriors motivates you to train! Your physical requirements as a warrior and avable enhancement techniques greatly develop.] [The level of the ¡®Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique¡¯ rune has increased.] [The level of the ¡®Descendant of the Barbarian King¡¯ rune has increased.] The gains from this conquest were quite substantial. The neutral territory showed a stat copying bug that raised all abilities by 1 each time it was conquered, and the Termen upper-rank warriors gifted new ¡®Wills¡¯ with each defeat, filling up my possessed runes. That¡¯s not all. From the upper ranks, most Termen warriors show skills equivalent to S-grade monsters. Fighting such strong beings under the pretext of a challenge greatly helped in increasing the proficiency of my possessed runes. Mainly, runes like [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique] and [Weapon Master] showed a big increase, and [Descendant of the Barbarian King], which had been stagnant for a long time, also leveled up quite a bit. ¡°¡­Challenger, will you proceed to the next neutral territory?¡± ¡°Yes. Why do you even ask?¡± The face of the vampire judge Chloe changes from expressionless to a look of shock. Some madman applied to challenge 9 neutral territories simultaneously, and he¡¯s continuing the execution in just one day. Moreover, he¡¯s seeding in conquering all of them. Even for him, who has been active as a judge for a long time, this result seems unbelievable. ¡®¡­Not all judges are stiff, I see.¡¯ I chuckle at his slightly human-like appearance. Seeing this pale face often, I felt a strange sense of familiarity. Anyway, I continued to conquer the neutral territories one by one, gaining unexpected benefits. Today¡¯s goal is to conquer all 9 neutral territories. And that goal soon came into view. ¡°¡­The challenge to conquer the neutral territory ¡®Pullin¡¯ has ended in sess. With this, the immigrant ¡®Do Jae-hyun¡¯ now owns a total of 8 neutral territories.¡± It seems in , they refer to humans and other races like me as ¡®immigrants¡¯. Anyway, Chloe¡¯s deration confirmed that my conquest had seeded up to the 8th territory. Once I gained momentum, conquering additional neutral territories happened in an instant. And when I defeated the Termen warrior who owned the 8th neutral territory, , The information window I had been secretly expecting appeared to greet me. [¡®Will of Sloth¡¯ rune has been selected. As it¡¯s an epic rune at level 18, its level decreases and is registered at level 9.] [You gain 3 Willpower from the rune¡¯s attributes.] [There are currentlybinable runes! You can obtain a superior rune using the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter.] [Superior Rune: Warrior Who Manifested Will / Sub-runes: Will of Despair, Will of Pride, Will of Fear, Will of Curiosity, Will of Greed, Will of Obsession, Will of Sloth] ¡°Finally, it appeared.¡± The power of ¡®Will¡¯ possessed by Termen warriors is the same in kind, only different in details. So I thought that a superior rune would appear someday as I acquired them. It was unexpected that it took as many as 7 to create it, though. Ibined the superior rune without hesitation. [You havebined the superior rune ¡®Warrior Who Manifested Will¡¯. A total of 7 runes including Will of Despair, Will of Pride, ¡­, Will of Sloth are selected as sub-runes. The judged level of the superior runebining the sub-runes is 9.] [You have obtained a new rune.] [You gain 2 in all general ability stats from the rune¡¯s attributes.] ¡òName: Warrior Who Manifested Will ¡òGrade: Legendary / Superior ¡òPossessed Sub-runes ¡ò [Will of Despair] ¡ò [Will of Pride] ¡ò [Will of Fear] ¡ò [Will of Curiosity] ¡ò [Will of Greed] ¡ò [Will of Obsession] ¡ò[Will of Sloth] ¡òLevel: 9 ¡òEngraved Location: Shoulder (Duplicate) ¡òSpecial Effects:- 1) Receive proficiency correction on sub-runes due to the special power of the superior rune. ¡­ ¡­ 2) The warrior¡¯s will manifests anytime, anywhere. It assists the performance of not only sub-runes but all runes or skills rted to ¡®will¡¯ by 20%. 3) The ¡®Noble Warrior¡¯ effect is always applied. When fighting alone against multiple enemies, all ability stats increase by 10%. ¡òDerived Skill:- ¡ò [Strike of Will] : Causes confusion in the opponent¡¯s mind, inflicting a great mental blow. This attack is separate from physical or magical attacks, and is an attack that is proportional only to the mental stat. Therefore, the opponent¡¯s defense can also vary depending on their mental stat. (Cooldown: 12 hours) *Sub-skill: ¨C Gaining 2 in all general ability stats. As expected ofbining a legendary rune, the reward stats were certain from the start. Moreover, there were quite a few good special effects of the rune. The ¡®Noble Warrior¡¯ effect was definitely a plus for me, who often hunts solo, and the effect of assisting the performance of abilities rted to ¡®will¡¯ by 20% was also useful considering my runes. Just off the top of my head, there¡¯s the ¡®Indomitable Will¡¯, a special effect of [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique]. It¡¯s a special effect that increases strength, speed, and endurance by 20% each when all internal magic power is depleted, but with this performance assistance, it increases by 24%. It might seem like a small percentage, but in actualbat, these small percentages often determine victory or defeat. ¡°Strike of Will¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be useful somewhere.¡± [Strike of Will] is a mental-type skill simr in nature to a curse. It¡¯s unique in that it¡¯s not a skill that uses holy power, but reading it over and over, it doesn¡¯t seem like a skill that would particrly suit mybat style. Still, just as I had used the [Barrier Break] skill before, I felt like this skill woulde in handy someday if I just left it alone. Anyway, as it¡¯s a derived skill from a legendary rune, its performance should be excellent if the situation is right. ¡°The challenge to conquer the neutral territory ¡®Dekelt¡¯ begins. This conquest challenge is observed by me, Chloe, a vampire judge, and is a legitimate challenge under the rules of Beltane.¡± And the 9th neutral territory, . I pushed through to the end of thest neutral territory with unstoppable momentum, feeling the power of the newly acquired rune. And at the edge of , a Termen warrior named Feltaned was waiting. ¡®Was he¡­ The strongest one?¡¯ ording to Ond¡¯s exnation, Feltaned is a ¡®top-tier warrior¡¯ of Termen. He has the most powerful force among the Termen warriors who came to , and is acting as the chief warrior here in ce of Tashmad, who was the former chief warrior. But that¡¯s about it. His subordinate warriors had long since been cut down by my sword, and his fellow warriors had all their neutral territories and ¡®Wills¡¯ taken away. Now all that¡¯s left is him alone. ¡­Is that why? ¡°What the hell are you! You use a sword, but you also use magic, summon some wolf pup¡­ And even myrades¡¯ abilities¡­!! Damn it!! What the hell are you doing?!¡± His face, flushed red with anger as he pointed at me, was filled with what could be called desperate rage. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 328 The Land of the Vampire, Beltane (7) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Generally, an S-grade Holder can hunt an S-grade monster alone. In all aspects such as ability stats, rune utilization, and items, the S-grade Holder is superior. Unless it¡¯s a job ss like holy or special types where solo y is almost impossible, hunting S-grade monsters is surprisingly on the easier side. It¡¯s not for nothing that S-grade Holders are considered transnational talents. ¡®The same goes for me.¡¯ And I¡¯m an S-grade Holder who recentlypleted certification. Among them, I¡¯m a Holder particrly specialized in solo y.That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been able to easily handle Termen¡¯s high-ranking warriors, estimated to be S-grade monster level, until now. This is an achievement I¡¯ve aplished without using my contractors or ultimate skills. ¡®It¡¯s a bit different starting from the highest rank¡­¡¯ But the rank of Feltaned, the Termen warrior in front of me, is the highest rank. It¡¯s a rank I¡¯m encountering for the first time. Judging by the aura being emitted, it seems to possess a power more formidable than any monster I¡¯ve faced so far¡­ But it doesn¡¯t exude an aura as powerful as the Dragons or Hwang Seong-yeon. In other words, it means it¡¯s an intermediate strong being between ordinary strong beings and absolute strong beings. ¡®This is why a rank readjustment is needed.¡¯ This is a point strongly argued in academic circles recently. Many monsters surpassing the ability of S-grade monsters have already appeared, and their power measurements have mostly beenpleted. Then, shouldn¡¯t new designations like SS-grade monster or SSS-grade monster emerge ¨C this is the current trend. Especially with ims that the rank distinctions between Holders and monsters don¡¯t match, causing confusion, the readjustment of Holder and monster ranks was virtually inevitable. The problem was that the International Holder Association was so conservative that it showed a lukewarm attitude to these changes. ¡°Focus on the battle, challenger!¡± In the moment I was distracted, Feltaned swung its main weapon, the mace. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a ¡®mace¡¯. Feltaned was a unique warrior who used a mace as the main weapon. This was clearly different from all the Termen warriors I¡¯ve encountered so far who all used swords. Perhaps from the highest rank, they start using their own special weapons. ¡®Moreover, it¡¯s fast.¡¯ Feltaned was pushing me hard with quick sessive attacks. Despite using such a long-reaching and heavy weapon, there¡¯s no sense of falling behind in speed at all. As I parried with my holy sword, I sensed that this was an opponent I should never underestimate. ¡®Plus, that condensing magical power¡­¡¯ With each attack, magical power constantly condensed on Feltaned¡¯s mace, flying as additional hits. Like mage-ss Holders condensing magical power, magical power gathers on the surface of the mace, but unlike magic, the speed is very fast and the process is simple. Especially, the amount of condensation is more than expected, giving a feeling of seeing my [Wave Sword Technique] ability before it evolved. I couldn¡¯t be certain, but this ability was likely to be Feltaned¡¯s ¡®will¡¯. ¡®Feltaned¡¯s will is directly rted tobat.¡¯ Actually, the [Warrior who Manifested Will] rune I acquired this time. Most of the wills registered as its sub-runes are rted to ¡®willpower¡¯ effects. Despair, pride, fear, curiosity, sloth¡­. As can be seen from the names of the wills, they were mostly abilities that inflict abstract attacks on the opponent¡¯s mind or buff one¡¯s own mental state. In other words, abilities not rted to directbat. Only [Will of Greed] and [Will of Obsession] werebat-rted runes. Among them, [Will of Greed] is the power to absorb the opponent¡¯s magical power little by little, as confirmed before. [Will of Obsession] is the power to inflict additional hits up to 10 stacks when continuously attacking the same part of the same target. Just as directbat-rted wills are not thismon, the will of Feltaned, the highest-ranking warrior, also seemed to be a quite rare ability. ¡®Okay. Analysisplete.¡¯ Having roughly analyzed the opponent¡¯s ability, I immediately switched to an aggressivebat stance. ¡®Madness, Dragonization.¡¯ I use all the ability stat buffs I had saved for the final strategy. Instantly, vitality overflows in my body. I immediately use [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique] to assist abilities needed for directbat. Body movements be lighter, concentration bes colder, and recovery bes faster. I moved my holy sword, fully imbuing the boiling power intobat assistance. Kaang-!! Kagrrrr-. Feltaned¡¯srge mace and my holy sword sh. ¡®Condensed magical power¡¯ was generated on its mace like before, but the utilization of magical power in weapons is not Feltaned¡¯s exclusive domain. My holy sword too was covered with magical power and holy power, strongly offsetting this. Moreover, [Will of Greed]. The tiny absorption of magical power gets on its nerves. ¡°Damn it. Edred¡¯s will again¡­!!¡± Feltaned burst out in anger at its deadrade being toyed with, but there was no time to entertain such whining. As soon as the sword and mace collided, I immediately pulled out one of my finishing moves. ¡°Rush in.¡± Ultimate skill [Distortion¡¯s Shadow]. A skill that approaches an opponent within a certain distance andunches an attack that ignores defense. However, if that distance is right in front, it doesn¡¯t simply ¡®move¡¯. As itpletely destroys the magical power arrangement in front and crosses space itself, when used up close, the sword I¡¯m holding passes through the opponent¡¯s body. In other words, the moment I use the skill, my sword is embedded in Feltaned¡¯s body. Actually, this was a usage method I first experimented with in the final battle against Hwang Seong-yeon, and since it had a dramatically great effect, I could use it as a main utilization method like this right away. Sut- sasak- Paat-!! ¡°Kuaaak¡­!!¡± My holy sword instantly prates Feltaned¡¯s corbone and back. From that intense hit, a scream of pain is heard. There are various skills I can utilize here. I could use the single strike form of [True Wave Sword], or I could use [Merciful Demon-ying Sword] filled with holy power. ¡®Primordial Attack.¡¯ But my choice here was [Primordial Attack] from [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique]. The reason is simple. Because it¡¯s a physical attack, there¡¯s no magical power input, and it requires the least preparation time. Since [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] is a pure physical attack skill, there¡¯s no magical power in the sword after the attack ends. In other words, to make a magical attack within this, I need to pour in new magical power. Naturally, the amount of magical power for an ultimate skill isrge in terms of quantity and time consumed. In a battle with someone of Feltaned¡¯s caliber, 0.1 seconds can separate a critical hit from death, so I had to choose the more certain direction. Ku- Kwaa-! ¡°Kueuak¡­!!¡± In an instant, I switch to knuckles with weapon exchange technique and deliver a fatal blow to its shoulder where a hole was made. The effect was certain. Feltaned, whose left shoulder area was already crushed, screamed consecutively at the wless iing fist attacks. ¡°Die¡­!!¡± However, the highest-ranking warrior is indeed different. If it were an ordinary monster, the match would have ended already with [Distortion¡¯s Shadow], but Feltaned held onto consciousness and continued to counterattack. The huge mace swung from his right hand. If hit by an attacking from such a close distance, it would deal a big blow. ¡®Art of Weapon Exchange.¡¯ I immediately pulled out [Pure Pdin¡¯s Shield]. Normally, I would have dodged the attack directly, but in a state where I¡¯ve used my finishing techniques so closely like now, defense is more effective. ¡®Iron Wall Defense.¡¯ Pu, Kaang- Kwagaga-!! I block Feltaned¡¯s mace with the shield filled with magical power and holy power. Although it¡¯s a decisive blow that came from close range, I blocked it lightly to the point of being futile. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Feltaned¡¯s expression watching this was close to the worst. All my attacks hit, and all the opponent¡¯s attacks are blocked¡­ Is there an opponent who could endure seeing such a selfish damage exchange? Feltaned finally couldn¡¯t hold back and shouted. ¡°D-Damn it¡­!! Strike down!!¡± Finally, the verbalmand came out. It means that the ultimate skill he had been saving until the end is about to manifest. But I was certain that attack would never be effective. ¡®You¡¯vee too far.¡¯ Feltaned had already taken too much damage from my sessive attacks. The [Distortion¡¯s Shadow] and [Chain Lightning]bo had almost shattered his left shoulder, and the ¡®mental attack¡¯ skills and skills like [Poison Attack] that grated on his nerves, used whenever time allowed, had distracted his attention. Slowly, little by little, but precisely. Hisbat ability was already being eroded. An ultimate skill used in such a state can never fully exert its power. The tide of battle had already sharply tilted in my favor. ¡°Flow like rapids.¡± After slightly increasing the distance and gathering momentum, I perfectly block his ultimate skill with [True Flowing Sword]. Pat- Paat-! Kukwa- Kwaa- Kwaa-!! Feltaned¡¯s ultimate skill was one where mace-shaped attacks formed of magical power rained down randomly within range, but due to the nature of the skill taking the form of projectiles, it was too easy to block with [True Flowing Sword]. 2 seconds. 2 seconds was enough time to block Feltaned¡¯s attack. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Shocked by the result, Feltaned nkly stared at me. I nodded and picked up the knuckles again with Art of Weapon Exchange. I had used the strongest skill that could attack with knuckles once, but unfortunately for Feltaned, I had an overpowered skill that could reset the cooldown of a skill once. ¡®Merciful Grace Period.¡¯ [Merciful Grace Period], a derivative skill of the [Apprentice Agent of Sednilen] rune. As I said before, it¡¯s an overpowered skill that resets the cooldown of derivative skills. And [Primordial Attack] is not a skill that falls under the exception. Of course, cooldown reset is possible. Sut- Seuseuu- Paat-! The derivative skill contained in the mythical-grade rune shines and melts into my fist. The cooldown of [Primordial Attack] that I used earlier returns, and it immediately bes avable for use. And. I look at Feltaned with a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s take one more hit.¡± ¡°Ku, kuaak¡­!!¡± Originally, hitting the same ce again hurts the most. Whether the one being hit is a monster or a warrior. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 329 Preparation (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Ripley was at a loss for words looking at the certification badge I handed over. The neutral zones of give out something called an ¡®owner certification badge¡¯ when you sessfully challenge and conquer each area. It¡¯s a certification badge engraved with the image of blood on a metal that emits a gray color. Just by looking at its appearance, you can tell it¡¯s an object rted to vampires. ¡°Is this all¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯vepleted conquering all the neutral zones you mentioned, Ripley. I¡¯ve cleanly taken care of those Termen guys.¡±And the certification badges in my hand totaled 9. These were the certification badges for the 9 neutral zones that Ripley and I had initially nned to conquer. I seeded in conquering all the targets in less than a day after telling Ripley, ¡®I¡¯ll be back¡¯. Ripley alternately looked at me and the certification badges as if in disbelief, and then burst intoughter. ¡°Do Jae-hyun, this result is just like you.¡± ¡°What do you mean by, just like me?¡± ¡°Hmph. Everyone knows except you? Even I know, and it hasn¡¯t been a month since I contracted with you.¡± I kind of get the feeling. She probably means how I tend to handle assigned tasks as quickly as possible. It¡¯s an unavoidable characteristic of my personality. Because I¡¯ve be so strong in such a short time through various runes including [Rune Hunter], I¡¯ve developed a habit of quickly resolving problems using that power when they arise. ??¨¤???§¦?? At first, it started with trying to crush the ns of the n or the Ludenark school, but as time passed, this habit would often manifest in these kinds of requests as well. ¡°But Ripley, what do you n to do with those neutral zones when I leave Beltane?¡± Although I¡¯ve be the owner of 9 neutral zones, I¡¯m still an outsider who has to leave anyway. I¡¯m not in a position to ept ¡®challenges¡¯ from other minions or residents. Even though I already knew this, I asked again just in case. However, Ripley snorted and answered. ¡°I told you. I don¡¯t intend to obsess over it. I¡¯ll just leave them as they are.¡± ¡°¡­So you really started this just to mess with the other nobles?¡± ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I feel strangely solemn when Ripley calls me ¡®you¡¯. She sighed and answered my question. ¡°There¡¯s a bnce in Beltane too. The reason nobles don¡¯t carelessly invade each other¡¯s territories is because there¡¯s a bnce of interests and power intertwined.¡± Ripley continued, slightly brushing her hair. ¡°I just didn¡¯t like that the Termen warriors were disrupting that bnce in vampire society. I warned Count Laculize and his subordinate nobles because they were encouraging it.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± ¡°Now the neutral zones will return to being truly neutral. After that, whichever resident or minion takes possession of them is no longer my concern.¡± Hearing that, I somehow thought Ripley was cool. Is this what they call the dignity of a noble vampire? Although she¡¯s acting nonchnt, there was a subtle elegance flowing from her tone and gestures. ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± So I voiced my honest impression. Ripley visibly flustered at that. ¡°W-What are you saying?¡± ¡°Nothing, just sharing what I felt.¡± ¡°Hmph! Anyway, this concludes what I needed from you in Beltane.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Does that mean our contract is over too?¡± Ripley is clearly an exceptional being. A contractor at a level I can¡¯t control yet with my current rune level and leadership. Because of that, the contract we made was also a temporary one based on her will. And now, the conditions she wanted and the part I asked for have both ended with satisfactory results. It could be considered that the contract had terminated. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± But Ripley stared at me intently with her arms crossed as usual. Her eyes conveyed a will that said she would never ept my words. ¡°Did you forget that you pledged your heart? You can¡¯t escape until that heart reaches ruin.¡± ¨C To make a contract, you must offer your heart. The first thing Ripley said when she made a contract with me. It was a condition with a terrifying meaning, but it became a non-issue due to the cheating purification effect of the [Clear Mind] rune. Thanks to that, I got to keep the benefits of the contract with Ripley without incurring any penalties. And Ripley still firmly believes in that penalty. ¡®¡­I should tell her now.¡¯ I thought I should tell her the truth. It might be fine to continue the contract with her not knowing, but had I grown fond of her during our short time together? I didn¡¯t want to continue a meaningless contract while deceiving each other. So I made up my mind and was about to open my mouth. ¡°Ripley, about that¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, the contract remains in effect.¡± Suddenly, Ripley turned her head as if she hadn¡¯t heard. Her attitude was as if she had anticipated what I was about to say. Seeing that decisive behavior, I finally realized. ¡®¡­She knew?¡¯ She already knew that the effect of [Permeating Seed] had failed. Maybe it¡¯s obvious. Although we haven¡¯t spent much time together, the strong recognize the strong. She was a contractor who understood my strength and abilities better than anyone else. She must have figured out that I have an extremely goodpatibility with curse-type abilities, and that I hadn¡¯t experienced any status abnormalities so far. If so, she would have predicted that her ¡®seed¡¯ didn¡¯t work either. In fact, it would be stranger if she didn¡¯t know. Having thought that far, I suddenly let out a chuckle. ¡°Well, how should I put it¡­¡± Now that everything is over. She¡¯s still indirectly saying that she wants to continue the contract. I used to think she was just being snippy, but now I know it¡¯s her own clumsy way of expressing herself. So I smiled slightly and said. ¡°Ripley, this result is just like you.¡± ¡°Do you want to die? Why are you copying me? What do you mean by, just like me?¡± ¡°Well, I think everyone except you knows? Or maybe I¡¯m the only one who knows? Anyway¡­¡± I extend my right hand lightly to her. What happened to the seed and how that process went doesn¡¯t matter anymore. What really matters is, ¡°I look forward to continuing to work with you, Ripley.¡± The noble vampire countess of , Ripley. The fact that she is still one of my precious contractors. This was a truth acknowledged even by the system binding us. And. ¡°Hmph. Why do you keep saying such obvious things?¡± Ripley grasps my hand without turning her head. ¡­She was someone who did what needed to be done, even while grumbling. *** Ippotrantion * * * ¡°Why did youe back sote, whyyy-.¡± ¡°I came back just two days after going to the dungeon?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! You¡¯rete.¡± When I returned to Korea, Kim Chae-eun was the first to wee me. ¡­Well, it¡¯s natural since she lives right next door. She scolded me, saying it felt like it had been too long since shest saw me. Especially when she said, ¡°Do you know how hard we¡¯ve worked to fend off your fervent followers?¡±, I couldn¡¯t understand what she meant no matter how much I thought about it. Anyway, after returning to Korea. I first dealt with the many pending tasks. First, n business. As is a new n, there are tasks piling up almost every day, and I had emptied that important time for personal schedules, so there were bound to be operational difficulties. ¡°I greet you, Master.¡± ¡°Ah, Ms. Hye-young. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes. I almost forgot what you even looked like.¡± ¡°¡­Your words seem a bit harsh, or is that my imagination?¡± ¡°Do you wish it was your imagination?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± I bowed my head at the cold gaze of Lim Hye-young, the head of the secretarial team. The n master had left the n for nearly two weeks. It was fortunate that I spent about 3-4 days of that time dealing with official schedules in the US, otherwise I would have been a real criminal if I had left for two whole weeks just for travel. ¡°It¡¯s fine. From now on, please continue to approve documents.¡± ¡°Approve? Ah, yes. Just let me know if you need anything. I even made a n corporate card this time¡­¡± ¡°Not approve purchases, approve documents.¡± Thud-. Lim Hye-young lightly cut off my words and handed me a mountain of stacked documents. Without a proxy. Documents that require direct authorization only from the n master. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Seeing that, I realized the reality. That¡¯s right. The best punishment a secretarial team leader can give to a n master. As soon as I returned, I fell into document hell. *** Ippotrantion * * * ¡°Ughh¡­ I¡¯m dying.¡± I can¡¯t help but groan. After spending several days working on n business, almost pulling all-nighters, I felt like my brain was melting. Indeed, one shouldn¡¯t postpone things that need to be done. Thinking ¡®tomorrow¡¯s me will take care of tomorrow¡¯s work¡¯ and postponing it, in the end, today¡¯s me bes tomorrow¡¯s me when today passes. Nothing changes. ¡°You¡¯ve be quite a whiner while I haven¡¯t seen you.¡± A dignified voice scolds me. It was Professor Tak Won-ho, a board member of the Seoul Holder Academy Foundation. The current location is Professor Tak Won-ho¡¯s personal office. I was visiting my master to deal with the second of the pending issues during my vacation, matters rted to the academy. ¡°Master. This isn¡¯t whining. I really almost died. From overwork.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the weight of being a leader.¡± ¡°¡­Saying such cool things to me in this situation won¡¯t work.¡± Professor Tak Won-ho is known for being strict and principled within the academy. However, when talking with me, he often throws in jokes like this. That¡¯s how close our rtionship is. It felt like time had flown by, as it¡¯s been almost a year and a half since we¡¯ve been together. ¡°Stop whining and read this first.¡± My master suddenly got up from his seat and handed me a sheet of paper. And on it¡­. ¡°Because you produce top-tier results for every request you take on, the foundation¡¯s board of directors had been wracking their brains over thepensation issue for a while. It seemed like nothing would be adequate, you see. This is the temporary n that came out of that.¡± ¡­It contained a groundbreaking proposal that would solve my scheduling issues at the academy. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 330 Preparation (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re going to use me as a graduate student?!¡± Professor Tak Won-ho quietly looked at me as I raised my voice momentarily with exaggerated gestures. ¡°Now you¡¯re even joking with your teacher.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m ¡°It was fun.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like you found it fun at all¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about work.¡±Professor Tak Won-ho approached me and began speaking. ¡°At first, I thought about recognizing all your attendance and letting you graduate early. It might cause controversy as student discrimination, but it would be beneficial for both the academy and you. No, from the academy¡¯s standpoint, they would prefer you to remain as a student, so it¡¯s actually a method that greatly benefits you.¡± Taking a slight breath, Professor Tak Won-ho continued. ¡°But adopting such a method seemed too far from the academy¡¯s educational philosophy. As a professor before being a foundation director, I thought the student should gain something.¡± ¡° ¡°Special Student Assistant. In fact, the name is just something I came up with because a title was needed.¡± Suddenly, Professor Tak Won-ho handed me a document. Inside was the full n for the . ¡°Once you take on this position, all your ss attendance will be recognized from now on. Whether you attend sses or not.¡± ¡°¡­Is that possible?¡± ¡°It is. The foundation board has agreed, and I¡¯ve obtained consent from all professors within the academy. Your poprity is quite high.¡± I was momentarily at a loss for words at that contradictory statement. The only professors I¡¯m close to are my mentor Professor Tak Won-ho, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun, and Professor Kang Dong-wook¡­ It seemed my reputation built through various incidents had led to this poprity. Professor Tak Won-ho turned to the next page of the n and said, ¡°Instead, you must fulfill at least 30 hours per semester as a Special Student Assistant.¡± ¡°Will I be doing assistant work?¡± ¡°No. I told you earlier, it¡¯s just a name. You can use these 30 hours for anything you consider educational, Do Jae-hyun.¡± The n listed various ways to fulfill the 30 hours. There are many. Quite a lot, actually. But there was amon point. That is, it¡¯s too easy to fill the time. ¡°You can fill the time by attending lectures that are already recognized, or by doing assistant work as the title suggests. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun will probably have you teach sses. And if you want, you can request special training sessions to fill the time. I¡¯m busy, but I¡¯ll dly make time for my disciple.¡± ¡°And if you fulfill these 30 hours this semester and next, early graduation is scheduled to proceed at the end of the first semester of your third year. It was decided as the most reasonable period within the academy¡¯s guidelines.¡± Too many good conditions were pouring out one after another. Both the duties of the student assistant and the conditions for early graduation were like that. In summary¡­ It¡¯s saying, ¡®Attend the academy as you please!¡¯ I stared nkly at the n and Professor Tak Won-ho alternately, then asked, ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this too advantageous for just me?¡± No matter how I looked at it, the conditions were too favorable to me. It doesn¡¯t seem to fit the term special student ¡®assistant¡¯ either. But my teacher slightly smiled. It¡¯s been a year and a half since I got to know Professor Tak Won-ho. A kind smile I had never seen during that long time¡­ An incredibly benevolent smile. ¡°You deserve it sufficiently.¡± *** Ippotrantion * * * The future schedule at the academy was lightly taken care of. Although my teacher used the word ¡®n¡¯, in reality, everything was already prepared and I just needed to make the decision. Naturally, the execution could only be quick. After finishing the most urgent matter. With some time on my hands, I visited the Korean Holder Association. In fact, this matter was as important as the academy business. ¡°Holder! What brings you here?¡± At the association, Lee Ji-hye greeted me with a surprised face. She had achieved rapid promotion in a year to be a high-ranking employee within the association, but whenever I said I was visiting, she would alwayse out to greet me like this. Saying it was entirely thanks to me that she had done well- When really, someone who was destined to do well just did so earlier. Anyway, even after declining several times, she would insistently say it was fine and assist me. ¡°I came to see the Association President.¡± However, today I really had no business with Ji-hye. The President of the Korean Holder Association. And the Allied Commander currently leading the total allied forces for the conquest of . I hade to meet Kwon Young-hoon. ¡°Without any notice?¡± ¡°Of course I contacted in advance. I came after coordinating the schedule.¡± ¡°Ah! You didn¡¯t even tell me.¡± ¡°I thought Ji-hye might be busy. I told you, you don¡¯t need to assist me anymore.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Ji-hye expressed her disappointment with a slightly upset face. But soon she regained her smile and guided me. ¡°Since you were promoted to S-grade Holder, the association has been in an almost festive mood.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s the first S-grade Holder in 7 years since Holder Yoo Eun-seol. The more S-grades there are, the higher the status of Korea and our association in the international Holdermunity. Thanks to you, Holder Jae-hyun, we can walk with our heads held high.¡± I feel slightly embarrassed by Ji-hye¡¯s praise. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far. You don¡¯t need to build me up so much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true- And if there are many ultra-high-ranking Holders like S-grade, it bes much easier when the association needs to assign special requests.¡± An S-grade Holder is not only a personal honor but also a super-sized talent that is managed at the national level. Especially in the Holdermunity, the number of S-grade Holders is said to determine a country¡¯s national power, to the extent that their status was enormous. This means that what Ji-hye is saying now is by no means an exaggeration. This was something I could clearly understand just by looking at the domestic reaction after I was promoted to S-grade Holder. ¡°Oh, right. Did you know that a personal lounge for you was created in the association?¡± ¡°¡­This is the first time I¡¯m hearing about my lounge?¡± ¡°Ahaha. It¡¯s a newly established benefit for S-grade Holders. Lounges for other S-grade Holders have all been created now too. We were nning to send out notifications within this week, but I ended up telling you first?¡± There were quite a lot of benefits after bing an S-grade Holder. The first of these was equipment rental. S-grade Holders are the Holders with the most excellent rank in our country. Naturally, they are beings who can use high-grade equipment most efficiently. Following this logic, when you be an S-grade Holder, you can borrow the highest grade equipment among those stored by the Holder Association. Of course, equipment beyond legendary grade requires some conditions and contracts, but most epic grade equipment could be borrowed after just a simple procedure. The second was fees. Almost all fees incurred in transactions with the association are close to zero. Therefore, when trading byproducts or magic stones obtained from hunting monsters, unlike before, I could take all the profits at the market price. Although it¡¯s a benefit that has lost much of its meaning now, even these things can umte to be arge price difference. In addition to these, there were countlessrge and small benefits such as free warp gate use, free use of association-certified training grounds, daily dungeon rental tickets, and so on. I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯ll utilize them, but in any case, it wasn¡¯t bad to have them. Probably what Ji-hye called ¡®S-grade exclusive lounge within the association¡¯ is also a welfare measure of this kind. Indeed, when a Holder does well, good things tend to fall into theirp even if they do nothing. ¡°Ah. We¡¯re here.¡± As we were talking about various things, we had already arrived at the President¡¯s office. In front, a woman who looked like a secretary was waiting to guide me. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see youter, Holder!¡± ¡°Yes. You too, Ji-hye. Next time I¡¯ll contact you first.¡± ¡°Tch. You must!¡± ¡°Haha, yes.¡± After briefly saying goodbye to Ji-hye like that. I entered the President¡¯s office following the secretary¡¯s guidance. Inside, Holder Association President Kwon Young-hoon was waiting for me in a neat suit. ¡°Ah, Holder Do Jae-hyun. You¡¯vee.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, President.¡± We sat down after briefly shaking hands. As I had requested a private meeting in advance, only Kwon Young-hoon and I remained in the President¡¯s office after the secretary left. ¡°It¡¯ste, but congrattions on forming an alliance agreement with the Wings of Freedom. You¡¯ve made an agreement that will rewrite the history of Korean ns.¡± ¡°Thank you. I was lucky.¡± ¡°Haha. Probably only Holder Do Jae-hyun would describe making such arge-scale agreement as being lucky.¡± ¡­It¡¯s true though. Both Hendricks initially showing goodwill towards me and inviting me to the US for the alliance agreement were all unrted to my intentions. I didn¡¯t know it would turn out like that either. But there was no need to exin this, so I went straight to the main point. ¡°The reason I sought you out today, President, is to discuss the future conquest schedule.¡± ¡°When you say future conquest schedule¡­¡± As I broached the main topic, Kwon Young-hoon narrows his eyes. I took out the documents I had prepared in advance and spread them on the table. Information obtained while pressing Baroness Caroline in New York. And information discovered while conquering . They were neatly organized reports of all those things. ¡°The 7th District, isn¡¯t it about time we start conquering it?¡± , 7th District. The conquest of the district that had been postponed day after day as it became a prolonged war. It was now time to take over that baton. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 331 Chapter 331 Preparation (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] -Do Jae-hyun does it again! The corrtion between and the Ludenark School. -Termen and vampires? Additional forces of Ludenark revealed by Do Jae-hyun¡­. -Holder Association Chairman Kwon Young-hoon, ¡°We will begin a re-attack soon.¡± Articles have started to appear in earnest. All the information I discovered while conquering was revealed through the media. You might suddenly wonder, ¡®Why this now?¡¯ but in fact, this was agreed upon in advance during discussions with Kwon Young-hoon. The reason is simpler than you might think.From the 7th district of , the difficulty of conquest increases dramatically. There are manyplex magic traps, and the level of monsters to face is also higher. In other words, a considerable number of high-ranking Holders are needed for the conquest. This means that in addition to the current allied forces, additional Holders need to be gathered. ¡®But there¡¯s a possibility we can¡¯t gather them.¡¯ is not a mandatory conquest dungeon. Of course, the participation of Holders is also a matter of personal choice. And when given freedom, Holders generally don¡¯t step into dangerous ces. They don¡¯t feel the need to participate because they can live well enough without it anyway. Just look at situations like the ¡®disaster monsters¡¯. There are far more Holders who treat it as someone else¡¯s problem and don¡¯t provide support than those with a sense of duty trying to save citizens. If we were to approach them humbly to gather them, there was a possibility that the desired talents wouldn¡¯t appear. So after much deliberation, Kwon Young-hoon and I found a solution. ¡°Let¡¯s release the information outright.¡± ¡°To the media?¡± ¡°Yes. ns and independent Holders who haven¡¯t been able to participate in the conquest of The Room of Deserters until now are probably swallowing their regret. While ster Holders are participating in a conquest that will go down in Holder history, they themselves haven¡¯t been able to participate at all. We¡¯re targeting that point.¡± In other words, instead of us reaching out, let¡¯s make theme to us. That was Kwon Young-hoon¡¯s argument. Countless Holders are needed for the conquest of anyway, and to utilize them, we would eventually have to share all the information I found. So let¡¯s release the information in advance! Termen, vampires, the Ludenark School¡­. Upon hearing these names that will be etched in Holder history, Holders and smaller ns will have one thought: -I want to carve my name into that history too! If money couldn¡¯t be a motivation for Holders, we could create a different kind of motivation. That was our n to release the information in advance, and it was executed with extensive media coverage. ¡®¡­Experience isn¡¯t just something you eat.¡¯ I was impressed as I heard and executed this n. At first, I was thinking of sharing this information within the allied forces, trying to solve the conquest with the existing forces. After all, we were the ones who discovered the dungeon and were the main force of the conquest. But Kwon Young-hoon broadened that scope entirely. If it was a problem to be solved for the future of humanity rather than individual glory, he felt there was no need to focus only on internal forces. Probably for simr reasons, he brought in the American n during the previous ¡®Reality Invasion¡¯ by the Ludenark School. It was a disy of his decisiveness and magnanimous mindset as the chairman of the Holder Association. ¡°And Holder Do Jae-hyun will be in charge of the actual overallmand for this conquest.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± I clearly went there to make a proposal, but Kwon Young-hoon came up with a counter-proposal. ¡°Do you remember the agreement made between nsst time? About the conquest of the 7th district.¡± ¡°That we would take turns to conquer?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. To be precise, we nned to proceed with the conquest by dividing it into one-week turns, but due to the intricacy of the conquest process, it was reduced to 5 days.¡± ¡°Then¡­.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s now Evil Hunter¡¯s turn, who was scheduled for the 4th conquest turn. In four days, it will be Evil Hunter¡¯s turn.¡± In other words, the vanguard for the conquest of the 7th district is . Since I¡¯m the master of that n, I¡¯m in overallmand. That was the conclusion. ¡°¡­Then what about the other ns after 5 days?¡± ¡°From then on, a new phase begins, so we need to discuss again. The turn discussion was only a decision made because the conquest was difficult, not about what happens after the conquest progresses, right?¡± Kwon Young-hoon¡¯s words seemed like sophistry but were strangely reasonable. Anyway, I and the n were put in charge of the vanguard¡¯s overallmand for the 7th district conquest. And then. -We are recruiting Holders to participate in the conquest of Room of Deserters. This notice is divided into n and individual sections, and anyone registered with the Korean Holder Association as a n or Holder can apply. Please understand that due to the limited time before the conquest schedule, the document screening and interview process will proceed quickly. For more details, please check the Evil Hunter n homepage and the detailed notice section below. The full-scale preparation for the conquest has begun. *** Ippotrantion * * * Na Hye-rin is an A-grade Holder of the magician ss in Korea. She doesn¡¯t belong to any n. She¡¯s independent. In fact, she wasn¡¯t always independent from the start. Right after graduating from the academy, she worked as a rookie in the n for 3 years, but then realized that n life wasn¡¯t for her. So immediately after that, she left the n and started working as an independent Holder. Fortunately, someone skilled enough to be an A-grade Holder doesn¡¯t starve wherever they go. Given her characteristics as a magician ss, she was often called to parties and raid groups, and Hye-rin herself had participated in countless hunts as a core dealer, leveraging her strengths. The numerous experiences umted as an independent Holder. Thanks to that, she had be a rather famous Holder in the independent circle, known to all Holders who should know her. Now, she. There was something she was eagerly waiting for. ¡°Applicant number 113?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me!¡± Na Hye-rin raised her hand enthusiastically at the voice of the waiting room staff. It seems thest time she was this excited for an interview was when she joined in her early 20s¡­ Today, in particr, she felt nervous yet joyful. Na Hye-rin knew the reason well. ¡®Vampires! A vampire conquest, no less.¡¯ The official statement recently issued by and Do Jae-hyun. The Ludenark school has additional forces of Termen and vampires, and they n to recruit mercenary Holders to conquer them. This statement, which caused a great stir not only domestically but also internationally, naturally gave Na Hye-rin a tremendous shock. After all, vampires were legendary monsters that Hye-rin had wanted to encounter for a long time. ¡®Symbolic magic¡­ If only I could see it just once.¡¯ Vampires are one of the monsters that all magician ss Holders aspire to. First of all, they generally have a deep understanding of magic, and their spell casting method itself is unique. Even at the baron level, vampires are called high-level magicians. Moreover, they use a unique power called ¡®symbol¡¯. (In fact, symbolic magic isn¡¯t widely known to the public, but Hye-rin found this information due to her great interest in vampires.) It would be stranger if curious magician ss Holders weren¡¯t interested. Anyway, an opportunity to see such vampires. Or even a chance to hunt them. And if things go well¡­ ¡®I might even see Holder Do Jae-hyun¡¯s Countess Ripley!¡¯ She might even be assigned to the same team and see his contractor. When the news that a count-level vampire was Do Jae-hyun¡¯s new contractor spread, you can¡¯t imagine how shocked the Holder world was. Especially since its tremendous power was reportedly manifested just once during the S-grade Holder evaluation¡­ Hye-rin was dying to know what that magic was. Anyway, to not miss such opportunities, she applied for this without hesitation. Of course, there was another reason. [Senior Yoo Eun-seol] Apply if you get the chance. You couldn¡¯t participate in the Waves attack team due to scheduling conflicts, right? The legend of the independent Holder world. A senior who was once Hye-rin¡¯s colleague and idol. S-grade Holder Yoo Eun-seol rmended her to apply for this mercenary recruitment. In fact, Yoo Eun-seol had also rmended Hye-rin to join the attack team during the conquest a few months ago. Because she knew that Hye-rin was a very skilled Holder with unique magic. But at that time, Hye-rin couldn¡¯t apply due to conflicts with her personal schedule. And now this recruitment hase around again. This time, she submitted her application without hesitation. She was also more proactive because of that history. Anyway, Hye-rin too had the desire to work with Do Jae-hyun, who is recently praised as ¡®Korea¡¯s best Holder¡¯. ¡°Please go inside. The interview will be conducted in groups of three.¡± At the guide staff¡¯s words, Hye-rin nodded lightly and went inside. Although she was a bit excited, she wasn¡¯t nervous about the interview. Hye-rin knows her skills better than anyone else. Among the independent Holders who applied for the individual section, there was undoubtedly no one as skilled as her. It would be strange if she didn¡¯t pass, no matter how nervous she got. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡­That should have been the case. Until Na Hye-rin saw the other applicantsing to sit beside her. ¡°Hello, Holder Do Jae-hyun. I¡¯m Park Ji-hwan, applicant number 111, an independent Holder who applied for this mercenary recruitment.¡± ¡°Number 112, Kim Myeong-hyun.¡± ¡­No. Why on earth are these people here?
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 332 Chapter 332 Preparation (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] . A notice widely posted in the Holdermunity to fill the manpower needed for the assault on the 7th District. Although the recruitment period was short and the notice was put up urgently, many outstanding Holders and capable ns gathered. Reading their motivations for applying, most are simr. Termen, Vampires, Ludenark¡­. Content about wanting to eliminate the Adapters who have newly emerged as enemies of humanity, and to share in that glory. It was a moment when Kwon Young-hoon¡¯s recruitment strategy ofpletely opening up the assault information hit the mark perfectly.¡®¡­Except for the fact that Holders I never expected applied.¡¯ I looked at the Holders in front of me. Park Ji-hwan, Kim Myeong-hyun, Na Hye-rin. Names that anyone active as a Holder in Korea would have heard of. Na Hye-rin¡¯s application is something to wee with open arms. She was a Holder who handled the rather rare earth attribute among A-grade wizard types (the earth attribute itself ismon, but very few high-level Holders have raised this attribute to A-grade level), and was already a proven talent even among independent Holders. It ends with the fact that Vice Master Yoo Eun-seol personally rmended her. For a talent like her, this interview was merely a formality. The problem is the other two people. ¡°I can understand Holder Park Ji-hwan being here, but¡­ Master, why are you here?¡± I ask, clutching my throbbing head. Park Ji-hwan seems to have applied for the interview half-jokingly, half-seriously. He probably nned to participate in this assault as he did in the previous one, and applied like this as a surprise to tease me, the interviewer. But why the Master? Shouldn¡¯t he be teaching at the Academy right now¡­? ¡°I took a vacation.¡± And he neatly resolved my question. ¡°No, can you just take a vacation like that? It¡¯s during the semester.¡± ¡°As it happens, a fellow professor had some free time. When I said it was a family matter, the students understood.¡± ¡°Family matter¡­?¡± When I questioned the unexpected topic, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun smiled gently. ¡°My daughter keeps entering dungeons where her life might be in danger. As a father, I couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch anymore.¡± As soon as I heard those words, I immediately bowed my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, father-inw!!¡± I have no words even if I had ten mouths. I promised to protect his daughter for life, but in reality, I¡¯m walking hand in hand with her into danger. I¡¯m a son-inw deserving of a beating. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t bring it up to me Holder Do Jae-hyun. I was purely stating my motivation for applying.¡± Fortunately, Master was merciful. He forgave me with his usual warm smile. Watching this, Park Ji-hwan asked me with a strange expression. ¡°Holder Do Jae-hyun, why aren¡¯t you asking for my reason for applying?¡± ¡°Ugh- Please don¡¯t use that strange polite speech. You¡¯re just trying to tease me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Park Ji-hwanughed heartily at my words. ¡°Haha. Was I caught?¡± ¡°Yes. It was very obvious.¡± As expected of Park Jin-woo¡¯s father, even the type of pranks he pulled were simr. ¡°Well, anyway¡­.¡± In any case, top-tier talents have joined all at once. It met the initial goal of the recruitment notice. Satisfied, I looked around the interview room and continued speaking. ¡°All three of you pass. I¡¯ll send you the schedule to the contact information in your applications, so pleasee at that time.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute!¡± Na Hye-rin, who was at the edge, raised her hand with a bewildered face. ¡°I haven¡¯t even had my interview yet¡­?¡± She looked perplexed that the interview ended without a single question being asked. I smiled at her. ¡°Earth attribute magic user, A-grade Holder. 3 years of n experience, multiple assault team experiences, and countless small party experiences. You¡¯ve also participated in the assault on the top-tier dungeon ¡®Deep Blue Prairie¡¯, and your contribution was almost equal to that of Lim Hyun, who was the assault team leader, right?¡± ¡°¡­H-how do you know all that?¡± Na Hye-rin¡¯s expression changed to something even more bizarre. It was as if she was looking at a stalker. ¡­In a way, I guess I am a stalker. ¡°I can¡¯t reject a Holder with this level of experience. Na Hye-rin, you were already epted the moment you applied. The interview was just a formality to reconfirm your intention to participate. Once again, wee.¡± Because I¡­ Have been keeping an eye on Na Hye-rin for a long time. ¡®I should make a recruitment offer after this assault is over.¡¯ The world is wide, and there are many Holders. And is still struggling with a shortage of n members. This was literally a notice to recruit mercenaries, and at the same time, a means to attract potential n members. *** Ippotrantion * * * D-2 until the assault on the 7th District. There really wasn¡¯t much time left. During this short period, all Holder-rted institutions in the country were busy moving in their own ways. ¡°You can trust us with the administrative processing, Holder Do Jae-hyun.¡± The Korean Holder Association mainly took on auxiliary tasks. They mobilized all association personnel to actively assist with ¡¯s assault preparations and mercenary recruitment, and contacted various media outlets to systematically disseminate the current situation to the public. (While strictly keeping the secrets that needed to be kept within that.) The biggest role, in particr, was facing the government. Given that it was such arge-scale assault and Holders¡¯ lives were at stake, they arranged direct meetings with the government to coordinate opinions and resolve the legal measures needed for the assault. ¡®¡­Experience really isn¡¯t gained for nothing.¡¯ The thought I had before strikes me once again. Association President Kwon Young-hoon¡¯s assurance to leave it to them couldn¡¯t have looked more reliable. ¡°We will recognize the attendance of all student Holders participating in the assault.¡± The Academy, as always, provided the best help they could. The departure of student Holders from the Academy due to ¡¯s lead in the assault. They resolved all academic disadvantages that would ur because of this. ¡­In fact, from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun¡¯ participation in this assault as a mercenary, the Academy¡¯s cooperation should already be seen as at an extreme level. - n, first among mid-sized ns to join as a mercenary n! -n Master Jung Yun-chan, ¡°I think it will be a good opportunity. Holder Do Jae-hyun has the leadership to unite the mercenary ns. He has already proven it sufficiently through his achievements so far. We will trust and follow him.¡± -, , ¡­ Emerging ns are following suit. -Japanese n , first overseas n to join as a mercenary n! The busiest were, of course, the ns. This mercenary recruitment notice was divided into individual and n sections for recruitment. While there were achievements in the individual section where many independent Holders joined, the most crucial part was still the n section. Various mid-sized ns that lost assault rights to the top 3 ns all applied as mercenaries. In fact, at first, they all seemed a bit hesitant, probably worried about their reputation. They clearly wanted to participate, but didn¡¯t want to openly bow down to , a new n. ¡®¡­To think would reach out first.¡¯ But , which seemed unlikely to participate, moved first. The n Master called me directly, dly agreeing toe as a mercenary, and cooperation was decided. And following that, other mid-sized ns came in session. In fact, was a n I didn¡¯t view too favorably because of Jung Hyun-seok, the heir who was supposed to have a matchmaking meeting with Moon Ga-eun, but this incident somewhat cleared away that negative perception. ¡°We will participate in the form of dispatching n members.¡± The most unexpected was the decision of the domestic top 3 ns. , , . The three ns, each holding assault rights to the 7th District,pletely transferred their rights to me. The reason is simple. While all ns participated from a grand perspective, originally the right to assault itself was held by ¡­ And as such, they judged that was also the n that could most efficiently assault it. Therefore, they chose the form of directly dispatching their n¡¯s elite hunting teams to receive our n¡¯smand. In other words, even the top 3 ns were recruited as mercenary ns under us. ¡­Honestly, even I was dumbfounded when I heard that decision. -In ordance with the friendly n agreement, we will ept the request for aid from n. From overseas, the n provided help. The method was the same asst time, in the form of protecting Korea in preparation for the Deserters¡¯ invasion of the current world. It was a way to help as best as possible without infringing on each other¡¯s interests. Anyway, thanks to the active cooperation of Holder-rted institutions both domestic and foreign like this, we were able toplete all preparations for the assault on the 7th District. * * * Ippotrantion *** And the , returned to after a month. The edge of the 6th District, . All the forces gathered for this assault were concentrated in one ce. A force where as many as 3 S-grade Holders participated, and all the leading domestic ns participated as mercenaries. It was literally a force that should be seen as an ¡®army¡¯. And all those overwhelming numbers of Holders were looking at me from one ce. The edge of . A hill where darkness had settled deeply. I, standing alone on top of it¡­ Stuck a dazzlingly shining holy sword into the ground and grasped it like a support. And quietly. But loud enough for everyone to hear, I murmured. ¡°From now on, we will enter the 7th District of the Room of Deserters.¡± It was the moment when arge-scale dungeon assault, to be recorded in the history of the Holder world, resumed.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 333 Zone 7 ¨C Old Shelter (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] One month ago from now. Right before I finished my S-grade Holder promotion and moved to Europe. I had made a grand n for internal personnel reorganization of the n. A senior staff meeting attended by the vice master, my master, nning team leader Han Sang-jin, and scout team leader Yoon Jae-ho. The key point was, of course, the department assignments for each team. ¡°The hunting team doesn¡¯t deviate much from the temporary team we formed previously.¡± nning team leader Han Sang-jin took out a pre-conceived n.¡°Theposition from Team 1 to Team 5 remains the same. New teams may be added in the future, but within the current strength, we judged that five teams is appropriate.¡± ¡°Yes. We can create more teams after additional n member recruitment.¡± As I lightly affirmed, Han Sang-jin continued to recite the subsequent ns. ¡°Instead, there have been changes in team leader assignments. The most important matter is the personnel transfer of Vice Master Holder Yoo Eun-seol.¡± My master nodded silently at those words. It seems this had already beenmunicated to some extent. ¡°In fact, she took on the role of team leader because it was a temporary hunting team with an urgent schedule, but looking at any other n, there¡¯s no case where the vice master serves as a hunting team leader.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°So, the vice master will be removed from the personnel assignment of the general hunting team, and will take on the role of team leader for the newly created direct hunting team.¡± ¡°A direct hunting team?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Han Sang-jin calmly turned the n pages and continued his exnation. ¡°After the conquest of zone 6, there was a request from some Holders, led by n member Moon Ga-eun, to establish a special hunting team.¡± ¡°Ga-eun did?¡± ¡°Yes. The gist is a request for a special team centered around dispatched n members. Since we don¡¯t know when dispatched n members might leave the n, if they¡¯re assigned to regr teams, there¡¯s a high probability of problems when they depart. Especially since the rank and level of these n members are high, the void they leave might be felt more significantly.¡± ? It was a reasonable point. Right now, Moon Ga-eun and Kang Juyeon tell me they will never leave , but the form I agreed upon with my father-inw is that of dispatched n members for a certain period. Additionally, it was unknown when n agreements might change, leading to their return. The creation of a special hunting team in preparation for this. It¡¯s an understandable request. ¡°But what does it mean that it¡¯s directly under me?¡± ¡°Master, you¡¯re basically removed from the personnel assignments of the hunting team, but you¡¯re the Holder who engages in the most active hunting activities among all n members. Therefore, the idea of creating a team aimed at special activities with master as a free-role team member led to the creation of the direct hunting team. In other words, master will also be included as a free-role team member of this team.¡± A hunting team including dispatched n members Kang Juyeon , Moon Ga-eun , Lee Yu-chan (Dragon Sword), along with some temporary n members (for some reason, Kim Chae-eun is also included in this team), and me, the n master. Additionally, Vice Master Yoo Eun-seol, who is also removed from personnel assignments, as the team leader. If its establishment is confirmed, it would be a team with sufficient utilization value. ¡°Did you perhaps receive pressure from Ga-eun and Juyeon?¡± ¡°¡­Absolutely not.¡± However, I wonder if the request for its establishment was really for that purpose. Anyway, since the intention itself was good, I allowed the creation of the direct hunting team. ¡°For your reference, Team Leader Park Jin-woo also hoped to be assigned to this direct team.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absolutely not possible. Jin-woo is already at team leader level.¡± ¡°Yes. So we rejected that early on.¡± ¡°You did well.¡± Park Jin-woo has consistently proven his excellent leadership and destructivebat power, from the vicemander of to the leader of the temporary 5th hunting team. Assigning him, who is already at team leader level, as a team member would be a waste of human resources. ¡®¡­The direct hunting team is also a waste of human resources, though.¡¯ My master and me. And Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Moon Ga-eun, Lee Yu-chan. Just with the team members decided so far, there are two S-grade and four A-grade members. It was essentially a small elite team that could be considered the n¡¯s most core fighting force. ¡°Anyway, hunting teams from 1 to 5 will continue to exist as they are. There have been some changes in team members, but the team arrangement is alsoposed simrly to the temporary team era.¡± In other words, theposition of teams 2 to 5 is maintained. Only Team 1, where Team Leader Yoo Eun-seol is leaving, had a major change. ¡°Then the Team 1 leader is¡­¡± ¡°We are considering Yoon Ji-ah, who was recently promoted to A-grade Holder. If master approves, we will proceed as nned.¡± This time, Yoon Jae-ho, the scout and personnel team leader, spoke up. Yoon Ji-ah. A senior one year ahead of me who was in the circle with me. A Holder who threw away the title of rising star from , one of the top 3 domestic ns, and transferred to our n. Due to her excellent potential, she recently seeded in being promoted to an A-grade Holder. Considering that she¡¯s in her first year as a pro Holder, it¡¯s an amazing achievement. However, as the phrase ¡®first year¡¯ exins, she¡¯s also a Holdercking in leadership experience. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early for her to take on the role of team leader?¡± ¡°When we first proposed Park Jin-woo as team leader, you said the same thing, master.¡± Han Sang-jin looked at me with a slight smile. ¡°She¡¯ll do well enough. Isn¡¯t she a n member you recruited with confidence, master?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°And I believe this kind of personnel assignment aligns well with our n¡¯s color.¡± I slightly opened my eyes at those words. ¡°n color?¡± ¡°Yes. And of opportunity where any capable n member can take a high position. I think it¡¯s the biggest advantage our new n, Evil Hunter, possesses.¡± ¡°You mean giving off the feeling of a trendy n.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Any capable Holder can rise to the top. Experienced Holders also receive their due respect. A n with an appropriate mix of new and old. And it¡¯s notcking in n prestige either, expected to be the next in line after the top 3 domestic ns. These points could be a big merit for high-ranking Holders considering joining the n. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll appoint n member Yoon Ji-ah as the leader of Hunting Team 1.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The most important agenda, the personnel assignment for the hunting team, was concluded. Then Han Sang-jin looked at me, taking a moment. ¡°Now then¡­¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s talk about establishing the multi-purpose R&D department.¡± The second agenda, creating a new department. This was an agenda I had directly proposed to Han Sang-jin. *** Ippotrantion *** The allied forces passed beyond the and entered a new area. Zone 7 had none of the gloomy energy felt in the previous zones. In other words, it¡¯s an area without ¡®undead¡¯, which could be considered Ludenark School¡¯s main force. It¡¯s apletely new type of zone. ¡®¡­But that doesn¡¯t mean we can let our guard down.¡¯ The absence of undead means that there are monsters or adapters in the area that are equivalent to or above their level. [¡®You set foot in the ¡®Old Shelter¡¯. Traces of majestic momentum and cruel punishment remain everywhere. Speed and durability greatly decrease.¡¯] [¡®The special power of the ¡®Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the target¡¯s clear mentality. You remain unshaken by any curse or abnormal status.¡¯] The name of zone 7 is . Judging by the area name and the nature of the debuff, it¡¯s highly likely that Termen¡¯s warriors are staying here. In fact, the top 3 ns that attempted to conquer the area all reported sighting adapters presumed to be ¡®Termen¡¯. was challenging from the start. A powerful debuff effect that lowers speed and durability is spread throughout the area. Unlike me, whopletely ignored the area effect with [Clear Mind], I could see most of the allied forces frowning at the debuff. And that¡¯s not all. [The magic trap ¡®Blood Drain¡¯ is activated in the area! As long as you set foot in the ¡®Old Shelter¡¯, your blood is slowly sucked into the ground.] [The magic trap ¡®Altar of Symbols¡¯ is activated in the area! As long as you set foot in the ¡®Old Shelter¡¯, anomalies ur in your magic array, making normal operation difficult.] [Magic trap ¡­ ¡­ ] A parade of debuff information windows filling the view. These are all the debuffs attached to just one . No matter how many potions you drink or how many holy-type spells you use to remove them, you can¡¯t remove all the debuffs. To begin with, debuffs like [Altar of Symbols] were the type of trap that couldn¡¯t be solved with divine power. ¡®It lives up to its reputation.¡¯ It¡¯s not for nothing that zone 7 is called an impregnable area. Various traps and debuffs are basic, and the level of monsters or adapters that appear easily surpasses A-grade, so it was difficult to attempt conquest without considerable preparation. But this also means-. ¡°Holder Choi Arin.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The current us, who have dered the conquest of zone 7, have somewhat finished preparing for this. ¡°Please exin to the allied forces personnel.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After being recruited as an official n member. Choi Arin addressed me respectfully as Master whenever she met me. When I first met her through Choi Yoo-min, she seemed a bit tomboyish, but now she gives off apletely different vibe. If I had met the grown-up Choi Arin from the original work, wouldn¡¯t she have given off exactly this cold feeling? In fact, this change in her urred after her rescue from the ¡­ but I¡¯m not sure exactly what triggered this change in her. ¡°This is Choi Arin from Evil Hunter.¡± While I was lost in thought for a moment. Choi Arin stood at the front of the allied forces and opened her mouth. And she takes out an item from her magic bag. An item made of old trees and various magical materials, with fourrge magic stones embedded on the edges. It was a magical tool that looked exactly like a ¡®wooden signpost¡¯. ¡°Everyone should have received this item before the operation began. From now on, please install this item at each point in the area ording to your turn number. This item is a magical tool that can nullify magic traps installed in the area by disrupting the flow of magic in a certain area.¡± Most of the allied forces personnel were surprised by this brief exnation. ¡°There¡¯s such an item?¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t the difficulty of conquest be greatly reduced?¡± The reason I specifically asked Choi Arin for this exnation is simple. She knows best how to use all the magical tools we¡¯ll use from now on, including the [Disruption Signpost] she¡¯s exining now. And moreover, because she is the ¡®co-creator¡¯ of this item. ¡òName: Disruption Signpost ¡òType: Special (Equipment + Magical Tool) ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òCreators: Kang Dong-wook, Choi Arin, Choi Yoo-min, Lee Hyun-ho, Son Chang-min, Kim Jae-yeol ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡®Indeed, it was good to create a team.¡¯ I nodded with satisfaction. During the special n member recruitment period, I didn¡¯t just recruit the ¡®3 new students¡¯. I recruited arge number of talented student Holders from the academy¡¯s special department, and brought in cksmiths and alchemists who were quite renowned in the Holder world under exceptional conditions. And even the recruitment of Professor Kang Dong-wook, who recently announced his retirement from active duty. ¡¯s ¡®R&D Team¡¯posed of them all gathered together. As they conducted joint research, incredible results were popping up in a short period of time. ¡°I will now exin the next magical tool to be used. Please check the reddish-brown potion among the supplies.¡± And Choi Arin, who was exining clearly, perfectly living up to those expectations. She was a new n member of and a n member who was unconventionally appointed as the team leader of the newly formed R&D team. ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 334 Zone 7 ¨C Old Shelter (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] The R&D team has made significant contributions since the department¡¯s inception. The [Disruption Signpost] yed a role in sequentially eliminating magical traps at each point within the area, while the [Mental Potion] temporarily enhanced mental stats, providing resistance against curses and abnormal statuses. In addition, various equipment and magical tools served as the countdown process for the strategy. The R&D team had started setting up about a month ago, and members were also gathered at that time¡­ In fact, it was just amazing that such results were achieved in just a month. ording to Choi Arin, some team members had pre-made items individually, and some were jointly created after the team was formed. Among the supplied items, those marked as jointly produced were all thetter case. ¡®Either way, it¡¯s impressive.¡¯Whether individually or jointly produced, both are remarkable. , expected to be the highest difficulty conquest area in history. Just by creating items that are effective in conquering such an area, the genius of the R&D team was clearly evident. Indeed, it seems that when you gather talented people, something doese out of it. ¡°Holder Choi Arin, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± ¡°Yes, Master. Please return safely.¡± Choi Arin, who had exined all the supplies and their usage, prepared to return. She¡¯s heading to the base camp that will soon be established at the entrance of . All magical traps have been removed, and there are no adapters nearby. And the conquest process is connecting each area. Therefore, Association President Kwon Young-hoon and the leaders of cooperative ns nned to set up a new base camp at the entrance of . We don¡¯t know how many more areas there will be in , but as most of the additional forces have been revealed, it¡¯s likely nearing the end. This base camp was expected to be the final stronghold for the conquest alliance. After Choi Arin returned to the base camp. The allied forces slowly advanced, utilizing magical tools. ¡°The archer unit will alternate between using disturbance signs and reconnaissance. It¡¯s okay to use individual abilities during exploration, but never to the point of bing dangerous. Your lives are the lives of the allied forces.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The unit members strictly followed my instructions as the allied forcesmander. Student Holder, a rookie without even professional experience-. Such titles no longer bound me. It¡¯s because my career as a Holder that I¡¯ve built up so far is too overwhelming. Countless dungeon conquest experiences, establishing the highest-level raid team in the country, creating a new n rivaling the three major ns, achieving S-grade Holder, the highest achievement an individual can attain¡­. I¡¯ve umted achievements in a short period that no one can ignore. As a result, the unit members¡¯ trust in my orders was almost absolute. ¡°The assassin unit will move first when vampires appear among the enemies. As mentioned in the pre-meeting, vampires use symbolic magic that is more powerful and faster to cast than general magic. We need to preemptively strike before their attacksnd.¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± So far, no vampires have been discovered in the 7th zone. However, we didn¡¯t know what variables might ur before the conquest waspleted, and there was also a possibility that the Ludenark School had dispatched additional troops. We had to prepare for the conquest with all situations in mind. And after about 20 minutes. While moving for a while, alternating between sign instation and reconnaissance. Kim A-reum, the overall leader of the archer unit and Team 4 leader, urgently approached and reported. ¡°Master! Multiple enemies detected ahead!¡± I calmly asked back. ¡°Numbers and types?¡± ¡°The numbers are too many to grasp! And the types¡­¡± Kim A-reum takes a deep breath and continues. ¡°Termen warriors and vampires. All the additional forces you mentioned, Master, have gathered!¡± As expected. was the gathering point for the ¡®external forces¡¯ that the Ludenark School had brought in. I nodded at Kim A-reum¡¯s report and stepped forward. ¡®Call of Contract.¡¯ I summon the one with the fastest breakthrough power among my contractors. Jaiten, boasting a brilliant silver mane and majestic figure. After lightly mounting its saddle, I raised my divine sword and shouted. ¡°All forces, advance!¡± It was the moment the full-scale conquest began. * * * Han Da-mi is a B-grade warrior-type Holder belonging to the n. Among female Holders, she¡¯s quite rare in that she follows the path of a defensive (tanking) warrior type rather than an offensive one. Using a n member as an example, she¡¯s simr to Cami Flores. And now, she was. Holding a one-handed sword and shield, she was blocking enemies in a trance-like state. ¡°¡ª-!!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Again!! Iron Wall Defense!¡± An enemy warrior (called ¡®Termen¡¯ ording to the pre-briefing) approaches with an iprehensible roar. It seems like they¡¯re saying something, but due to thenguage difference, it¡¯s impossible to understand. Anyway, the important thing is that the crisis has approached right in front of her. Han Da-mi used the [Iron Wall Defense] skill she had been saving for a gap-piercing surprise attack. Kang-!! Kageu-. ¡°Hueup¡­!!¡± ¡°¡ª-!!¡± Following a solid defense, she continues with a quick counterattack. Rare grade martial arts rune, [Dalton Swordsmanship]. It was a sword technique that exerts the greatest effect when using a one-handed sword, the broadsword. And when she stabbed the enemy Termen warrior¡¯s shoulder de with her sword. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Han Da-mi instantly realized that her attack had no effect at all. There¡¯s a sound of stabbing, but she feels that there¡¯s no impact on the opponent¡¯s momentum. She vaguely knew the reason. -The Termen warriors possess a special power called ¡®Will¡¯. Warriors of advanced rank and above possess their own unique Will ssified as epic rune, while mid to low-rank warriors possess Wills that ovep with each other. And among them, the mostmon form of Will is the ¡®Will of Steel¡¯. Will of Steel. A Will that dramatically increases physical durability and enhances the power of defense-rted runes. It seemed that the warrior Han Da-mi just faced possessed this [Will of Steel]. ¡®Why is each and every one of them so strong!¡¯ Aint bursts out involuntarily. The Termen warriors were strong. She knew from the pre-briefing that even the mid to low-rank warriors were at the level of A-grade monsters, but with the ability called ¡®Will¡¯ and their battle sense added, they were much stronger than expected. It was overwhelming just to deal with one of them. ¡®Tch¡­ I thought it would be too easy.¡¯ When she first entered the 7th area conquest by dering the mercenary n joining from the n, she thought she had just caught a golden opportunity. That¡¯s because it was the highest difficulty dungeon conquest that all domestic Holders were paying attention to recently. Plus, Do Jae-hyun, who is said to be the strongest and most popr Holder currently, is appointed as the allied forcesmander. It would have been foolish not to participate if one had the ability. But what¡¯s this? Aftering in and facing them, it was by no means an easy conquest zone. The enemies deployed tricky abilities against the allies, and a crisis coulde in an instant where one could lose their life if they made a slight mistake. The assumption that ¡®if one had the ability¡¯ was wrong from the start. ¡°¡ª-!!¡± However, there was no time to fall intomentation. The enemy Termen warriors were really pushing the allied warrior unit without giving them a moment to rest. Han Da-mi prepared a new skill while raising her shield. ¡°Shield Attack¡­!!¡± A forward-moving skill that uses the shield as a weapon. Probably if she could block this one turn, the firepower support from the rear mage types would reach. She was determined not to spare her skills for that. ¡°Da-mi! To the side!¡± But then. A n colleague belonging to the same warrior unit shouts urgently. A Termen warrior who had broken out of the allied forces¡¯ encirclement formation was rushing towards Han Da-mi. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Han Da-mi, who had already started casting her skill, was defenseless. If she stayed as she was, she might allow that attack and reach a critical state. If that Termen warrior possessed the [Will of Fierce Attack] instead of the [Will of Steel]¡­ Maybe instant death. It was a moment of extreme crisis. Kwa, Kwaang-!! Kweoeo¡­!! And at that moment. A Holder flew in like light and struck the Termen warrior¡¯s face. Then, knocking down the Termen warrior who lost bnce, he immediately rains down fists on the abdomen as if pounding. ¡°Wh-what kind of brute¡­¡± Han Da-mi had never seen such a brutal attack. She had heard that among the warrior types, there are ¡®martial artist¡¯ type Holders who sometimes use knuckles, but none of them had be high-ranking Holders of A-grade or above. Unfortunately, those who use non-mainstream weapons had clear limitations. But what on earth is this scene? That question was soon answered. ¡°Warrior type Unit 1, retreat like this. Mage unit firepower support wille within 2 seconds.¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± The lightly falling orders and the shouting unit members. Seeing that scene, Han Da-mi finally realized. It¡¯s Do Jae-hyun. The Holder who saved her with that brutal attack¡­ It was Do Jae-hyun, the overallmander Holder of this allied force. Yet, there was still an unanswered question. ¡®Why use fists instead of a sword¡­ No, is it even possible to inflict such damage with just fists in the first ce?¡¯ Do Jae-hyun, who had ridden his main summon Jaiten and led the vanguard as soon as the battle started. He was in the middle of rescuing alliedrades in crisis while moving freely across the battlefield. And the main weapon he was utilizing was not the divine sword but knuckles. Do Jae-hyun was beating down the ¡®mid to low-rank Termen warriors¡¯, who were at the level of A-grade monsters, with just his fists.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 335 Zone 7 ¨C Old Shelter (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Bang! Kwaggang-!! Kwaaaaang!! The Termen warriors fall like autumn leaves to my fists. Powerful blows pierce their bodies even without using [Dragon Spell] or [Berserk]. It¡¯s partly because my basic stats have now grown to S-grade levels, and various runes supporting my body are creating synergistic effects. But the main reason for this intense power¡­ It was due to the ¡®knuckle item¡¯ embedded in both my hands, shining with various magic stones. ¡òName: Fist of Mutual Destruction ¡òType: Knuckle ¡òGrade: Epic ¡òDurability: Damaged ¡òCreators: Choi Yoo-min, Lee Hyun-ho ¡òSpecial Effects: 1) Strength +3 Speed +3 2) ¡®Equipment Destruction¡¯ effect is always applied. If the opponent¡¯s equipped gear is Epic grade or lower, there¡¯s a high chance of damaging it. 3) ¡®Power of Mutual Destruction¡¯ effect is always applied. Reduces the opponent¡¯s durability by 50%, and increases the power of ¡®hand-to-handbat¡¯ rted attacks by 20%. However, this item¡¯s durability is also reduced in inverse proportion. Durability cannot be repaired, and all effects disappear if it reaches the ¡®destroyed¡¯ state. ¡òDerived Skills: ¨C ¨C ¡òDetails: : A knuckle created through the coboration of cksmiths with the greatest talents. As a masterpiece of outstanding cksmiths, it possesses tremendous abilities, but the price to pay is equally substantial. ¡®They really made it properly.¡¯ I can¡¯t help but admire it. It¡¯s unbelievable that such an overpowered item wasn¡¯t a strategic achievement but made by cksmiths, and by two Holders who had never even lived in another world. ¡®I¡¯ve been asking for this for a long time¡­.¡¯ In fact, the creation of a knuckle item was one of the things I had requested a long time ago. As I acquired runes like [Warriors¡¯ Enhancement Technique] or [Power of the Boiling Werewolf], I developed quite a deep understanding of not just swordsmanship but also hand-to-handbat. In reality, I often utilized hand-to-handbat while wielding a sword, and there were many times when I exerted stronger power when fighting barehanded. So when Choi Yoo-min and Lee Hyun-ho joined the n, I asked them to create a usable knuckle item. I thought that these two Holders, who would grow to be the best cksmiths in the country, would make something proper. ¡®¡­But this is too good.¡¯ When the two worked together, a truly outstanding masterpiece was born. Although it has the drawback of eating away at its own durability and being unrepairable, it wasn¡¯t a big problem. After all, I only need to use it for this battle. Moreover, there was one more advantage to using knuckles. [Termen¡¯s Will of Convergence is manifested. High-purity magical power is condensing in the weapon you are using. You can freely use this magical power at any time.] [Will of Convergence], which I acquired after defeating thest Termen Peltaned during the neutral area conquest of . This rune naturally condenses magical power into weapons during battle without me having to intentionally do so, and it was much more responsive to the focused knuckles than to a long sword like Lich. In other words, to put it simply-. ¡®Each punch is a full-power magic nuke.¡¯ It¡¯s crude, but an urate description. Anyway, the attack using a powerful Epic weapon and a highly responsive rune was definitely effective. -Argh!! What on earth is this?! -This is cowardly!! Fight fairly with a sword!! The Termen warriors were swept away helplessly. I¡¯m not sure why using fists instead of a sword is cowardly, but they fell without even being able to properly counterattack. In a melee situation, I didn¡¯t even need Jaiten. Considering speed and rune levels, my charge was much faster than Jaiten¡¯s. I swept through the battlefield using my bare feet and hands, saving allies in danger and inflicting damage on enemies. And when the battle started to intensify. ¡°Master! It¡¯s the vampires¡¯ symbolic magic!¡± A n member in charge of coordinating the battlefield from the rear shouted urgently. Kugugugugu-. Hwrrrr-!! As he said, in the rear area of the Termen warriors, baron-level vampires were collectively preparing symbolic magic. The lower the rank of a vampire, the simpler their symbolic magic tends to be, and these vampires seemed to possess symbols rted to ¡®attributes¡¯. Heat was rising around, and the ground was about to flip over. ¡®I could block it directly, but¡­.¡¯ There are many ways to block their magic. I couldmand the allied forces to block it strategically, or I could step forward myself and sweep them all away at once. But there was an even faster and more precise method. ¡°Ripley.¡± Using [Call of Contract], I called forth Ripley, my fourth contractor. ¡°-Hm?¡± As soon as Ripley was summoned, she looked around and grasped the situation in less than 3 seconds. Then she crossed her arms and looked at me. ¡°Vampires again?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d be the expert for this.¡± ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s so annoying.¡± She¡¯s still grumbling, but magical power was already rising from her feet and fingertips. [Prating Seed] that had reached Max level. Her main magic, the symbolic magic of ¡®seed¡¯, was unfolding. And. -Th-that¡¯s Countess Ripley? -Impossible! Why would the Elegant Architect be here?! The enemy vampires preparing their magic fell into a state of panic. Having left and settled in the , they never thought they would encounter a countess-level vampire here. ¡®-Now, let¡¯s see how you like getting a taste of your own medicine.¡¯ For warriors¡¯ battles, use a warrior¡¯s strength. For vampires¡¯ battles, use vampire magic. It was a simple form prepared while getting ready for the conquest of zone 7. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°There are no surviving Termen warriors! All are dead!¡± ¡°Great victory! It¡¯s a great victory!¡± The Allied Forces achieved consecutive victories in zone 7. The Termen warriors died on their knees, and the vampires vanished in vain. Overwhelming victories were achieved in every battle that urred within the zone. Of course, given therge scale of the battles, there were some casualties, but we continued our offensive while minimizing those losses. ¡°The Disruption Signposts are having a great effect, Master.¡± And among those, the most effective were the magic tools left behind by the R&D team. In fact, one of the biggest obstacles in conquering zone 7 was the magic traps. The traps that bestowed all sorts of debuffs and triggered troublesome effects during battle werepletely neutralized through magic tools like the [Disruption Signpost]. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that this alone solved half of the zone 7 conquest. ¡®When the conditions are the same, then it bes a battle of quality.¡¯ It¡¯s not a battle of numbers. It¡¯s a battle of quality. The battle between Holders and monsters. Or in battles between Holders and Adapters, the only important thing is the difference inbat level. Even if you bring a truckload of B-grade monsters, they can¡¯t kill one A-grade Holder of the offensive warrior type. In the end, the side with more strong and capable troops wins. ¡®Because they¡¯re carefully selected elite troops.¡¯ All the troops who volunteered for this ¡® Allied Forces¡¯ are B-grade Holders or above. Elite Holders who were sessful in their respective ns or as independents have all gathered¡­ So the level ofbat can¡¯t be low. On top of that, add my strategy tailored specifically for the Termen and vampires. Although we only had a month to prepare, we already had enough power to win. ¡°Master. New traces of Termen have been discovered.¡± Kim A-reum, the leader of Hunting Team 4 and deputymander of the reconnaissance unit, approached me to report. I took a slight breath and asked in response. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In the northeast. At the edge of the direction we¡¯ve been advancing.¡± ¡°It feels like we¡¯re almost there.¡± ¡°Yes. And¡­¡± Kim A-reum looked around slightly and then leaned in to whisper quietly. ¡°This force seems to have a much stronger aura.¡± ¡°Specifically?¡± ¡°If the Termen warriors we¡¯ve encountered so far were at the intermediate level you mentioned, Master, the enemies ahead of us now are confirmed to be high-level ¨C and there are even forces beyond that.¡± Kim A-reum¡¯s words reminded me of the enemy forces I had forgotten about. Chieftain warrior Tashmad. Top-ss warriors Aldred and Grimeld. And 20 high-ss Termen warriors. The core of the forces that Ond had exined in was now right in front of us. They were on apletely different level from the low to mid-level warriors and baron-ss vampires we had faced so far. I nodded, sensing that a full-scale fierce battle was about to begin. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll issue new orders soon-¡° ¡°But Master. That¡¯s not all.¡± At that moment, Kim A-reum interrupted me with quite a serious expression. That¡¯s not all. The confirmed forces are already dangerous enough, but there¡¯s something more. ¡­What more could there be? Before I could even question it, Kim A-reum exined the reason first. ¡°It seems like I can feel the aura of the Ludenark School.¡± ¡°You mean the ck magic?¡± ¡°Yes. And it¡¯s definitely not the aura of an ordinary executive. Based on all the research we¡¯ve done within the n and my experience at Wolfenser¡­¡± Kim A-reum narrowed her eyes as she looked at me. ¡°Vice School Head Dave. It¡¯s definitely his aura. And perhaps¡­ I can feel something even beyond that.¡± At the final stages of conquering zone 7, a powerful variable had appeared.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 336 The Final Battle (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] There are a total of 9 zones within the Ludenark School¡¯s domain. In terms of space itself, many more zones could be created, but there are only 9 spaces that Ludenark directly developed and ¡®designated¡¯ as zones. And these 9 zones can be divided into 3rger areas. -One is the area managed by regr school members or executives. Zones 1 through 5 fall into this category. In these zones, mostly manufactured monsters or experimental beings like chimeras from Ludenark pour out. Since so many experiments were conducted here, the school didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.It¡¯s essentially an abandoned area, and school members sometimes called it the ¡®temporary zone¡¯. -Another one is the area owned by Vice School Head Dave. This is where the real management of the Ludenark School begins. Zone 6 falls into this category. It¡¯s a ce full of undead and manufacturedmanders, and it¡¯s also where necromancers affiliated with the school have settled. It was actually one of the core zones where quite a few school members resided. Especially deep inside, there was a ¡­ Which gave the feeling of epassing multiple zones despite being a single zone, due to the presence of thergest maze trap within the domain. -And thest one is the area owned by School Head Flinklo. This corresponds to Zones 7 through 9. It¡¯s the zone where most of the school members reside, and it¡¯s considered the most difficult area to conquer in Ludenark¡¯s domain. However, as already confirmed in Dave¡¯s Zone 6, the number of zones isn¡¯t very important. Anyway, while the domains are slightly different, the characteristics of the zones are all simr, and if you seed in conquering one of them, the probability of seeding in conquering the next zone increases. In other words, to put it simply¡­. ¡°There¡¯s no need to stay here anymore. Kekeke.¡± School Head Flinklo, sitting on the throne, said in a low voice. Dave, who was next to him, quietly bowed his head. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Dave, did those humans disable all the magic traps in Zone 7?¡± ¡°¡­Shamefully, yes.¡± ¡°Kekeke. Then there¡¯s even less reason to stay here. The magic traps in Zones 8 and 9 will be easily disabled too, and those humans must have hunted the undead and golems here several times already.¡± Dave couldn¡¯t refute Flinklo¡¯s words. ¡­Because they were all correct. The reason Ludenark¡¯s domain bes tricky from Zone 7 onwards is due to the ¡®magic traps¡¯ and the presence of high-level adapters. Although the types are slightly different, the subsequent zones also have simr forms. If the human alliance was advancing through such stages, conquering Zones 8 and 9 would ultimately be just a matter of time. ¡°So we¡¯re going first, Dave.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Although Flinklo hadn¡¯t adapted to the system for long, he understood its structure better than most human Holders. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that he had founded and maintained the Ludenark School for a long time. ¡°Kekeke. Are you ready to ept?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been ready.¡± ¡°Good. When you¡¯re summoned, you¡¯ll feel like we¡¯ve be one.¡± What preparation is he talking about? Perhaps humans who don¡¯t know this will meet their death in the pain of ignorance. Having finished the final n to punish humans like that¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go, kekeke.¡± School Head Flinklo and Vice School Head Dave took their steps. Zone 7, . To bestow cmity upon the humans gathered there. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°There should be a base camp set up at the entrance of Zone 7. Go there and request support from Association President Kwon Young-hoon. We need elite forces from the three major ns.¡± As soon as I realized that additional enemy forces were ced in front of us, I selected personnel to return. Among the archery unit personnel, those skilled in footwork runes and able to quickly deliver messages. These people had to be sent to the base camp to bring all the S-grade Holders from the three major ns. In a situation where we couldn¡¯t know the extent of the power of Vice School Head Dave and the presumed Faction Leader, we couldn¡¯t just leave the best skilled people in our allied forces idle at the base camp. Of course, those selected showed expressions of obvious regret. It seemed they didn¡¯t like withdrawing when they were right at the scene of history. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. As long as they belonged to the allied forces, my orders were absolute, and this was a support request that had to be made for the sess and safety of the allied forces. ¡°Understood, Master.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll deliver the news as quickly as possible!¡± After the three members of the archery unit left. I gathered all the allied forces personnel and conveyed the current situation. ¡°Now, the final conquest of Zone 7 remains.¡± The expressions of the allied forces personnel, whose eyes were focused on my mouth, were grave. They, too, were intuitively realizing that the current situation wasn¡¯t entirely good. ¡°However, this conquest might be thest of the entire Room of the Deserter conquest. That¡¯s because traces of the School Head and Vice School Head of Ludenark, who were known to have appeared in the current world before, have been found in front of us.¡± Vice School Head Dave. And the nameless School Head of Ludenark. We can¡¯t be certain how much power they have secured. But one thing is clear¡­ They, who havee this far abandoning the zones after Zone 7, are now nning to engage in an all-out war with our allied forces. After finishing this battle, the long conquest of mighte to an end. ¡°We won¡¯t wait or retreat. There¡¯s nothing good about giving them time, the same goes for us.¡± The allied forces personnel nod firmly as they look at me. We don¡¯t know what they might do if we retreat for a moment or postpone the conquest. Perhaps they might invade the current world again, taking advantage of their free desertion. To block all those variables, we had to move forward. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll depart as well.¡± The final order was given to the allied forces. * * * Ippotrantion *** [A space hidden in the ¡®Ancient Resting ce¡¯ is revealed. You step into the special zone, ¡®Where Evil Bloomed¡¯. Your magical power and mental state greatly decrease!] [The special power of the ¡®Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the target¡¯s clear mind. It remains unshaken by any curse or abnormal state.] At the end of Zone 7 , a new space appeared. Just like how came out of , apletely new form of space was being revealed here as well. . From the name itself, the identity of the Ludenark faction is clearly revealed. And the monsters weing us as soon as we entered. Grooooowl-!! Graaaaaah-!! They were ¡®Golems¡¯ with light-emitting magic stones and jewels embedded in their hearts. Looking at those golems upying the ground as far as the eye could see, I realized. ¡®The golems in Baroness Caroline¡¯s territory¡­ They all came from here.¡¯ Ludenark¡¯s forces arergely divided into three. Chimeras, Undead, and Golems. All three have themonality of being manufactured monsters, but they are monsters with different characteristics and various abilities. And among these, the most useful in many-to-many battles would be the Golems. They could lead the battle with overwhelming durability and strength. The Ludenark guys knew this too, which is why they brought out those golems first. ¡®It¡¯ll be a bit tricky if we leave it like this.¡¯ The ground is full of golems. We can¡¯t just ignore them and pass by. Although they¡¯re a bit slow, they¡¯re still creatures with massive levels of power. To reach where the enemy¡¯s core forces are, we had to break through these golems somehow. ¡®Okay. Then let¡¯s go to the sky.¡¯ If so, we go to the sky. If the golems are filling the ground and blocking the way, we just need to go up higher into the air to clear the path. I immediately called Tyrbon with [Call of Contract]. -It¡¯s been a while, Master. ¡®Yes, Tyrbon. You know the situation, right?¡¯ -I remember what you told me before. I¡¯ll fly right away. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Tyrbon became serious in the most important situation. It spread it¡¯s wings, showing a sharper spirit than ever before. I immediately mounted on top of it. And as we began our vast flight, I shouted. ¡°Allied forces special unit, pay attention to my flight!! I¡¯ll make a path with Tyrbon, just follow along!¡± The special unit wasposed of those with the highest skills even within the allied forces, which only selected elites. Notably, S-grade Holders Park Ji-hwan and Yoo Eun-seol, masters of mid-tier ns who joined as mercenaries, internal hunt team leaders of , and various other Holders with special abilities¡­ These people will move with me towards where the enemy¡¯s core forces are. And. ¡°All other allied forces personnel, form ranks and advance! The goal is to cover the special unit so they can move safely! And to annihte the enemy forces visible before your eyes!!¡± Swoosh-! ng! Whoosh-! Screech-! At my order, shouted at the top of my lungs, all members of the allied forces get into battle formation. The warrior sses take out their own weapons and shields. The mage sses chant spells, and the archer sses nock arrows and draw their bowstrings. The assassin sses have already upied the rear of the golems and are starting the battle first. Everyone was already aware of what they had to do. Only battle. And victory. Whaty before us now was only a brilliant and noble victory. ¡°All troops-!!¡± As if announcing that beginning. Tyrbon spreads its enormous wings wide. The divine sword in my hand also points hotly towards the front. ¡°Advance¡­!!¡± The all-out war between the allied forces and the Ludenark school began.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 337 The Final Battle (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Boom, Boooom-!! Screeeech-. Chilling sounds echo from here and there. As support magic from mage-ss Holders spreads across the battlefield, golems explode, and warrior-ss Holders upy those areas, clearing the path. Weapons sh, and various skills whirl around. These people have already started their own battles after the operation began. ¡®There are undead over there.¡¯The golems were just the beginning. Flying through the air with Tyrbon and looking around, I could see an enormous number of undead at the midpoint. As expected, all of Ludenark faction¡¯s forces are concentrated in this special zone [Where Evil Bloomed]. Golems, undead, chimeras. The further we go, the more we¡¯ll encounter all the forces we¡¯ve met so far. And eventually, it will be the allied forces in the rear who will face them. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t just go on.¡¯ Watching this, I bit my lip slightly. The initial n was to clear the path with their help and move to the enemy¡¯s center at once with the elite unit. After all, the end of this battle is to eliminate Ludenark¡¯s School Head and Vice School Head, and for that, we need to prate inside, epting some sacrifices. But seeing the alliedrades fighting fiercely in their own areas, I couldn¡¯t just pass by. No matter how much quality beats quantity, dealing with this level of volume is too overwhelming. If we just clear the path and move on, ourrades will 100% die. It was clear they would lose their lives trying to withstand the offensive of the manufactured monsters pushing with overwhelming numbers. I wanted to change their future. I wanted to help them even a little. ¡®Tyrbon. Drop me off, and pick me up again shortly.¡¯ -Understood, Master. I made a decision. During the flight, I slowly drew up magical power, and after a while, I ordered Tyrbon to drop me off. Tyrbon immediately dropped me off and flew higher, and I stared at the ground with wide eyes. Fortunately, I had an area attack that could damage them. ¡®Dragon Breath¡­!!¡¯ From high in the sky. I spew out the intense breath gathered in my mouth towards the majestically lined up undead. [Dragon Breath] is the area-of-effect skill with the highest firepower among my general skills. A skill with much more destructive power than the four elemental skills of [Elemental Master] used for multi-purpose. Its power was tremendous as it focused solely on ¡®attack¡¯ and ¡®annihtion¡¯. ¡®And divine power¡­¡¯ I add divine power to this. For me, who had already awakened Sednilen¡¯s power and possessed [Madness of Faith], it wasn¡¯t difficult to add divine power to a magical attack. To the undead spread on the ground¡­ The divine dragon¡¯s wrath was bestowed. Guh, ahhh-. Boooom-!! Screeech-!! Chilling sounds decorate my ears once more. The undead that were roaming the battlefield like ghosts were eliminated at once. There were so many that it was hard to count. The heat of the zing breath and the merciful divine power covered the entire battlefield. ¡°What on earth is that¡­¡± ¡°Did Master do that?¡± I could feel the eyes of all Holders and monsters on the battlefield focusing on me, due to the enormous skill range and its impact. However, there was no time to pay attention to that. Although I felt my body losing strength, I didn¡¯t stop. ¡®Tyrbon, drop me off one more time.¡¯ -¡­One more time? ¡®Yes. This time on the left side.¡¯ I ask Tyrbon, who had just caught me as I was falling, to drop me in mid-air again. Tyrbon seemed a bit confused but followed my order as it was. This time it¡¯s the left side of the battlefield, where another group of undead is piled up. And just before falling, I used one more skill. ¡®Merciful Grace Period.¡¯ [Merciful Grace Period]. It¡¯s the second time I¡¯m using this skill in actualbat since acquiring it. A derived skill from the mythical rune [Apprentice Agent of Sednilen], it has the ability topletely reset the cooldown of general skills. Although it¡¯s a shame it doesn¡¯t apply to ultimate skills, it was certainly applicable to powerful general derived skills like [Dragon Breath]. And. ¡°Die, you bastards.¡± I used [Dragon Breath] for the second time without hesitation. Guh, ahhh-. Boooom-!! Screeech-!! The undead fell, unable to regain their senses from the tremendous explosion infused with divine power. Except for the golems that weren¡¯t the main target, it seems all nearby undead and chimeras were swept away by the breath. Even though it was the same form of attack that came after being attacked once, the impact was enormous. ¡­To begin with, it was nonsense to think that this level of attack could be used more than twice. -¡­Master, can we now go in the direction we were heading? Tyrbon, who immediately came to pick me up, asked cautiously. Of course, it would be right to think it¡¯s over, but my bouncy attacks seem to have thrown it off. And I, too, grinned and lived up to that expectation. ¡®Drop me off near the center this time.¡¯ -No¡­ You¡¯re getting off again? ¡®Since we¡¯ve started, we might as well sweep them all away.¡¯ Of course, I can¡¯t kill all the monsters here. No matter how monstrous my abilities are as a Holder, I can¡¯t eliminate this many, and since the attack form is area-of-effect, even if they all hit, not all will die. Just to help our alliedrades who will have to fight these guys in the future. To minimize their damage and ensure they can at least keep their lives. I was just eliminating as much of the visible forces as I could with all my might. ¡­And. ¡°Fall.¡± I still had one more area-of-effect attack with massive destructive power left. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°¡­At that level, I¡¯m practically legendary.¡± ¡°I was thinking of 1 versus 100, Jin-woo.¡± ¡°Cami, you even know about that show?¡± ¡°There are quite a few interesting programs in Korea.¡± The conversation continues like aedy routine. Even in special zones like battlefields, they don¡¯t lose their cheerfulness. Jokes were sometimes the best means to relieve tension. Bang-! Ka-bang-!! Park Jin-woo and Cami, members of the allied forces¡¯ elite unit, fought with weapons in hand while exchanging such banter. As they advanced forward relentlessly, they moved with their backs pressed against each other. Even for an elite unit receiving help fromrades to move along shortcuts, it¡¯s impossible not to encounter monsters along the way. They have to defeat golems or undead blocking the path intermittently to move forward. For this reason, not just Park Jin-woo and Cami, but all members of the elite unit were advancing while clearing their own paths. ¡°Still, thanks to this, ourrades behind us will be a bit safer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± But as they were moving like this. Suddenly, themander Do Jae-hyun unleashed tremendous area attacks from above and below, sweeping across the battlefield. [Dragon Breath], and [Falling Blossoms Aesthetics]. These are intense skills that can be considered Do Jae-hyun¡¯s hidden specialties. These skills boasted tremendous destructive power, wiping out all the monsters in the middle section, and at that impact, most of the monsters in the Ludenark faction were annihted or disappeared. Especially, if nothing else, it was visible that the ¡®undead¡¯ had taken a definite hit. The n Master who single-handedly cut down nearly 30% of the enemy¡¯s forces. It would have been stranger not to be amazed at that sight. ¡­ ¡­ Anyway, after breaking through the monsters with the help ofrades and Do Jae-hyun¡¯s efforts. The allied forces¡¯ elite unit was finally able to reach the central camp of the Ludenark School. And then. ¡°Kekeke. Nice to meet you, humans from another world.¡± Special zone . On a hill rising from that vastnd. An old man stood straight, leaning on a staff atop the hill. The old man spoke with a smallugh, but strangely, his voice was clearly heard by all the unit members gathered. ¡°Let me introduce myself for the first time. I am Flinklo, the head of the Ludenark School. Kekeke.¡± The old man¡¯s name was Flinklo. The head of the Ludenark School whose face had only been known. The fact that he revealed himself in person meant that this battle and the conquest of ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 338 The Final Battle (3) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] Divine-type Holders. These are Holders who use the most unique powers under the Holder system. They manifest divine power to chant spells orunch attacks, and the core of this structure is ¡®borrowing¡¯ the power of gods. Divine-types borrow and use abilities and divine power in various forms ording to the disposition of the god they chose or who chose them. The mostmon among these is Reclice, the god of healing. It was the main faith in a ce called the ¡®Holy Empire of Reclin¡¯ in the other world, and as can be inferred from the god¡¯s name, its abilities are mainly rted to healing. The followers of Reclice are known to y the rolemonly referred to as ¡®healers¡¯.Among divine-type Holders, this was the god with thergest proportion. Next is Eldrian, the god of enhancement. Although fewer in number than Reclice¡¯s followers, it¡¯s a god popr among quite a few Holders for abilities focused on buffs. It¡¯s especially in demand in two-person parties or small parties where its efficiency is greatly felt. Besides these, there are divine-types who borrow power from Sednilen like me, or those who have made [Dark Covenant] and borrow power from evil-aligned gods or demon gods. Anyway, they have one thing inmon. ¡®Borrowing the power of a god.¡¯ They¡¯re not directly handling that power themselves. They¡¯re borrowing and using the power possessed by a god. This is the mechanism of ability manifestation that appliesmonly to divine-type Holders. So there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve been curious about for a while. ¡®Then they must really exist? Under the system?¡¯ Gods exist. I¡¯m not sure if the gods from Earth exist, but at least in the other world under the Holder system, gods were real. Then one questiones to mind. Wouldn¡¯t there be a way for them to be summoned to Earth across dimensions too? If borrowing a god¡¯s power is the basic ability of divine-types, wouldn¡¯t there be Holders with excellent divine sensitivity who can ¡®descend¡¯ a god? So I¡¯ve been constantly suspicious about this. ¡®Ludenark¡¯s secret weapon.¡¯ Thest of thest. What would be the card that the cornered Ludenark School would pull out? Whether there would be cases where the evil-aligned gods or demon gods they¡¯ve made [Dark Covenant] with would directly descend. I kept not abandoning that possibility. And if they did appear, I was prepared for how to deal with it. The transcendents and dragons, Fluvius and Canales. I had already devised countermeasures by meeting them, who would know best about gods. So¡­. The being of the evil god ¡®Lumiel¡¯ that appeared before our eyes now was, to some extent, a predicted existence from when we attempted to conquer the 7th zone. Swooosh-!! Saaah-!! [A massive form of evil that must be punished! You have discovered the cursed agent of an evil god! The power and duty inherent in you as a ¡®proxy¡¯ reacts violently!] [The evil god ¡®Lumiel¡¯ descends by borrowing the body of a proxy. Vicious and bizarre energy overflows throughout the battlefield. All general stats are greatly decreased.] [The special power of the ¡®Clear Mind¡¯ rune maintains the target¡¯s clear consciousness. You will not be shaken by any curses or status abnormalities.] ¡°Kekeke! Insignificant humans! Disappear as sacrifices to the great being!¡± School Head Flinklo utters hisst words as he transforms into a bizarre form. As expected, the descent of a god seems to involve the one using the spell directly bing the ¡®proxy¡¯ medium. Evil god Lumiel. That being was slowly seeping into School Head Flinklo¡¯s body. As soon as I saw that sight, I manifested the divine power I had already drawn up within my body. ¡°Lightning of Judgment.¡± The ultimate divine attack contained in the legendary armor [Trillion¡¯s Brilliant Oath]. Moreover, its power was much stronger than usual due to various assistances. It was [Lightning of Judgment], one of the strongest divine skills I possessed. Intense divine lightning begins to gather in my hand. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± And Vice School Head Dave, watching from quite a distance, is greatly flustered. My attack prepared simultaneously with the start of Lumiel¡¯s descent. He can¡¯t help but be surprised at the reaction speed that was astonishingly fast. Realizing this, he tried to somehow deploy defensive magic to block my attack. But¡­. ¡°It¡¯s already toote, you bastard.¡± Boom, Booom-!! The brilliant lightning that left my hand was already being fired towards the evil god Lumiel. A very important fact I learned while researching ¡®god¡¯s descent¡¯ all this time. That is, The weakest point of the proxy¡¯s body is right when the descent has just begun. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°It has begun.¡± Lightning imbued with extreme divine power pours onto the ground. That merciless attack was the signal re. Do Jae-hyun had repeatedly told the elite unit members that his first move would be the start of the battle. In other words, the final battle with the Ludenark School begins now. Yoo Eun-seol slowly moved her body up the hill. And she encounters arge man. She could gauge the opponent¡¯s level just by the energy she felt. ¡®At least S-grade Holder level.¡¯ Not an S-grade monster. S-grade Holder level. Yoo Eun-seol felt that a formidable opponent had appeared before her from the start. On the other hand, she also thought it was fortunate. Among the elite unit, only Yoo Eun-seol or another S-grade, Park Ji-hwan, could face an opponent of this caliber. If other unit members had encountered this person, it would have been instant death. ¡°Quite¡­ A noisy war.¡± The man holding a greatsword asrge as his body quietly speaks. His voice was mixed with an unpleasantly harsh metallic sound. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Unfocused eyes turn towards Yoo Eun-seol. She answered while preparing to draw the short sword in her bosom. ¡°You can speak thenguage of this ce.¡± ¡°I received help from Ludenark.¡± ¡°Are you a warrior of Termen?¡± ¡°You already know that.¡± The man, the Termen warrior, looks at Yoo Eun-seol and then¡­ Shifts his gaze to Do Jae-hyun, who is confronting the evil god Lumiel in the distance. ¡°I heard your leader killed my daughter.¡± My daughter. Given the circumstances, it refers to the vampire, Baroness Caroline, whomitted terrorism in New York and was executed. This meant that the man before her eyes was ¡®n Warrior Tashmad¡¯, who was said to be Caroline¡¯s father. Tashmad seemed to have no emotion as he recited that his daughter had died. Rather, he appeared to be calmly remembering that fact. However, the words uttered from his mouth were¡­ Colder and sharper than any threat from others. ¡°Don¡¯t think about going back alive. I intend to take the price with the head of your leader and all of you.¡± Sreung- Tashmad slowly approaches, raising his greatsword. Yoo Eun-seol also moved forward, putting strength into the short sword now gripped in her hand. Her opponent now was Tashmad, the n warrior of Termen. Meanwhile. In the ce where Park Jin-woo and Cami moved, Ludenark¡¯s core forces were also present. A man with a somewhat small build. Attire with a robe covering even his face. In the past, it would have been difficult to identify him, but now it was the appearance of a too-familiar figure. ¡°Dave.¡± Vice School Head Dave. Known as the ¡®First Defector¡¯ in the current world. The figure who led the leap and revival of the Ludenark School, and essentially the source of all these events. With the appearance of Head School Flinklo, there was doubt about whether he was ¡®the strongest enemy¡¯, but considering what he had done so far, there was no disagreement that he was ¡®the most vicious enemy¡¯. The Academy attack incident. Sponsorship of the former n. Interference in the operation and the Holder kidnapping incident. Just listing the things that Korea, which Vice School Head Dave had made his base, had suffered so far, his elimination could be seen as not a choice but a necessity. School Head Flinklo, who summoned Lumiel. Dave, who was trying to move quickly to where he was, turned his head to Park Jin-woo and Cami, who blocked his way. ¡°You two again? A persistent nuisance since Wolfenser. In a way, as annoying as Do Jae-hyun.¡± Park Jin-woo slowly drew his sword with a face full of tension. Dave, who stands before him and Cami, is like the core of the final battle. Probably the second strongest in the Ludenark School in terms of force. It was impossible not to be nervous in front of such a being. But pretending to be as calm as possible, he said, ¡°I guess Do Jae-hyun¡¯s attack on your School Head just now was quite a blow? Seeing how you were rushing to defend.¡± Pointing out Dave¡¯s urgent movements until just now, his body covered in robes shook strongly. ¡°Nonsense! I was just trying to block the annoying divine power attack. Anyway, now that Lord Lumiel has descended, you worthless humans are as good as annihted.¡± Why does he keep dividing into sses when he¡¯s human too? Park Jin-woo frowned deeply and pointed his sword at Dave. ¡°Alright. Then why don¡¯t you bring it out too?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°That evil god summoning or whatever. You can do it too, right?¡± Park Jin-woo looked at him with a grin. Though his face was hidden by the robe, the sense of bewilderment could be felt from here. ¡°If you¡¯re going to do it, you¡¯d better do it quickly. Well, even if you try, you¡¯ll be cut by my sword before it¡¯splete.¡± Overflowing confidence when facing an enemy. In that alone, Park Jin-woo was not inferior to his friend Do Jae-hyun.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 339 The Final Battle (4) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] A god is at its weakest at the moment of descent. I didn¡¯t understand the detailed principles, but from what I heard, it¡¯s because the connection process between the agent and the god in question is notplete in the beginning. From that advice given by the transcendents, I could guess one fact. ¡®Then it¡¯s not a real god.¡¯ If it¡¯s a being that can onlye through the body of a agent, it¡¯s likely not the main body of that god. It¡¯s probably an avatar or a manifestation of will. In the first ce, for a being at the level of a god to reach the current world, it¡¯s unlikely that the system governing this would not impose any restrictions.The Holder system hasn¡¯t been bnced for nothing all this time. And if the being I have to face is not a ¡®real god¡¯¡­ One more fact bes certain. ¡®I can win.¡¯ No matter how strong the being is, it¡¯s still an opponent that can be defeated. If it¡¯s not just unleashing unmanageable attacks while freely wielding the power of a god, I can win if I pour out all the power I possess. Come to think of it, ¡®descent¡¯ is just one of the abilities contained in divine-type runes. ¡®Tyrbon, let¡¯s go.¡¯ -Understood, master. So I engage in directbat without hesitation. After inflicting a powerful blow on Lumiel with [Lightning of Judgment], I moved Tyrbon to rush towards the ground. I gave an effective hit at the weakest moment, but that¡¯s not the end. No matter how weakened by the descent and caught by a preemptive attack, a god is still a god. To face the evil god Lumiel, I had to pour out all my abilities to attack. ¡®el Piercing.¡¯ I unleash my first main attack with [Wyvern Spear] in my hand. A skill that inflicts a powerful blow as if tearing through space using the propulsive force of rush-type runes. Although it doesn¡¯t contain divine power, it¡¯s an attack that will have sufficient effect if it hits. And. As expected, the evil god Lumiel was ready to counterattack me. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Devour¡­!!¡± A bizarre and chilling voice is heard. It contained a mixture of male and female voices, and a voice that could be either School Head Flinklo or the evil god Lumiel. It seems that while the body was given to the evil god, traces of Flinklo¡¯s influence remained in the mind. Moreover, seeing it trying to attack me with a voice filled with evil, it seems the [Lightning of Judgment] from earlier definitely had an effect. Saaaa-!! Lumiel draws in a massive amount of darkness and aims it at me. Its form and color were very familiar. The ¡®ck magic¡¯ I always faced when dealing with those who made the [Dark Covenant]. That annoying ability that even Hwang Seong-yeon used was now being unleashed by Lumiel. ¡®The color is¡­ Deeper.¡¯ But its purity is very intense. Not ordinary ck magic, but intense dark magic that seems to swallow the whole world. It¡¯s only natural. The evil god Lumiel must be the master of that ck magic. All the ¡®ck magic¡¯ I¡¯ve seen so far must be abilities derived from that evil god. ¡®Tyrbon, stop.¡¯ -Are we not doing el Piercing, master? ¡®Yes. It¡¯s no longer necessary in the current situation. And can you use emergency escape? I don¡¯t have the capacity to release you now.¡¯ -Understood, master. I immediately stop Tyrbon¡¯s rush and cancel the [el Piercing] I was casting. In fact, the intention to use [el Piercing] was one thing, Tond a powerful consecutive attack in the gap when the opponent is weak right after descent. But Lumiel recovered his body faster than I thought. At the point where he¡¯s already wielding ¡®ck magic¡¯ imbued with divine power, skills like [el Piercing] couldn¡¯t be of much help. ¡®Divine Bless.¡¯ Among the buff skills, [Berserk] and [Dragonification] have long been used. I use [Divine Bless], a divine power buff, to push my abilities to the extreme. Then I use Art of Weapon Exchange-. In my hand was the divine sword, [Kelbilid¡¯s True Repentance]. ¡°Holy Mercy.¡± I create a sacred protection area by nting the divine sword in the ground. The innate skill of the divine sword, [Holy Mercy], is basically a skill that gives buffs to team members, but due to its excellent effect, it also gives a big buff in one-on-onebat. In other words, I used this skill now to support myself. ¡°To death!¡± Lumiel, watching my actions, shouted roughly. To death. Quite a familiar slogan. The Ludenark School members I¡¯ve faced so far all used that slogan, and afterwards, their use of ¡®ck magic¡¯ became even smoother. And after a long time. Through discourse with the transcendents, I could urately understand its meaning. ¡®It was a slogan to handle divine power more deeply.¡¯ The reason why all members of the Ludenark School used only that same slogan is simple. It¡¯s because they were all serving the same evil god, or simr types of demon gods. Lumiel is probably an evil god dealing with death. That¡¯s why the Ludenark school has frequently used abilities rted to death. They were deeply versed in creating corpses and utilizing undead, and were also skilled in handling simr types of curses. Therefore, the phrase that deals more deeply with ck magic. That ¡®To death¡¯ phrase was, of course, originated by Lumiel. Saaaah-!! Kwagwagwa-!! An enormous amount of ck magic tries to engulf me. Having already sent back Tyrbon, I was standing alone on the ground, and at this rate, it seemed I would be dragged into eternal death, covered in ck magic. ¡°Mercifully.¡± ¡­That is, until I used divine power in the same way as Lumiel. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Lumiel is greatly flustered upon hearing my phrase. And separately from that, a massive amount of divine power spreads from my body. How should I describe this- Should I call it ¡®green magic¡¯? Anyway, the divine power that burst forth bearing the nature of Sednilen, the god of mercy, devoured the ck magic and nullified the attack. ¡®It¡¯s working well.¡¯ I nodded with satisfaction at the sight. This is a different concept from the ultimate skill¡¯s verbalmand. It¡¯s an auxiliary phrase to utilize the power of runes more actively. I was able to naturally use it as the [Apprentice Agent of Sednilen] rune and [Madness of Faith] rune reached a certain level. Even so, it¡¯s just using the divine power I¡¯ve been handling more deeply and intensely, but originally, the ck magic used by the followers under the evil god Lumiel was of that kind. ¡°How can you use Sednilen¡¯s power¡­¡± ¡°Well, because I¡¯m Sednilen¡¯s agent.¡± I give a kind answer to Lumiel, who is stammering in confusion. Just like Lumiel, who has descended using the body of agent Flinklo, I too am merely borrowing Sednilen¡¯s power for a moment. However, its power is incredibly beyond imagination. ¡°Rush forth.¡± One round of verbal sparring to create an opening is enough. Having already built up my magic power, I immediately used [Shadow of Distortion] right after answering Lumiel. Paaat-! Sssssut-!! There¡¯s one battle principle I¡¯ve realized from facing strong opponents since before. That is, don¡¯t save your ultimate skill. If you save your ultimate skill until the end and use it as the final blow, its effect will certainly be maximized. If the conditions are right, it¡¯s the surest way to take down the enemy. ¡®¡­If the conditions are right, that is.¡¯ The problem is that such ideal situations rarely ur in battle. In fights between strong opponents, both sides fight with their lives on the line, and as such, you never know when each other¡¯s killing moves wille out. Therefore, it¡¯s better to use the ultimate skill as quickly as possible when conditions allow, to create variables. The enemies will be flustered by the sudden ultimate skill, and I continue my attacks in the small gap created during that time. That¡¯s why I used [Shadow of Distortion], one of my best skills, without hesitation. ¡°To death! To deeper death!¡± ¡°Mercifully.¡± Lumiel¡¯s ck magic is lightly countered by Sednilen¡¯s divine power. And then. The divine sword mercilessly shes Lumiel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Kuhk¡­!!¡± Lumiel lets out a pain-filled scream. I intended to follow up with my finishing move right here. The ultimate skill [Merciful True Demon Sword]. It¡¯s the most powerful skill among my divine-type skills. If I could chain this skill as well, the victory of this battle would be ours. That¡¯s why I tried to recite the verbalmand as quickly as possible. ¡°Great mercy-¡° ¡°Swallow death and repent!!¡± But Lumiel¡¯s reaction was faster. Even in a state where his body was in tatters from my consecutive attacks, he gritted his teeth and unleashed his ultimate skill. An ultimate skill used by a descended evil god. It¡¯s probably a skill registered in the mythical rune, and its power must be tremendous. ¡®¡­This is dangerous.¡¯ I took a defensive stance, sensing that my n had gone awry. From now on, the tide of battle reverses. I too could find myself in a crisis situation at any moment. Pat- Paaaat-. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ But simultaneously with the manifestation of the enemy¡¯s ultimate skill, a brilliant divine power shines from my armor. [Detecting a condensed evil essence! The Trillion Brilliant Oath of Trillion engraved in the armor awakens to judge evil. The effect of ¡®Holy Protection¡¯ is activated.] [The wearer¡¯s divine power is 105(+84). ¡®Holy Protection¡¯ proportional to this value¡­] [Due to the special effect of the ¡®Silver MoonShadow¡¯ rune, the divine resonance of the equipment is maximized. The power of the protection increases by 40%!] [¡®Holy Protection¡¯pletely nullifies the evil god Lumiel¡¯s ¡®Memento Mori¡¯! Lumiel¡¯s dark divine power disappears without a trace.] ¡°Damn it!! Just what the hell are you?!!¡± Even the evil god cries out in frustration at the situation. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to answer ¡®item power¡¯. Instead. I gave my answer by swinging the divine sword. ¡°Sleep in great mercy.¡± As I said from the beginning of the battle¡­ I have extremepatibility against dark attributes and evil. The Ludenark school summoning ¡®Evil God Lumiel¡¯ might have been the biggest mistake of this final battle.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 340 The Final Battle (5) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] At the entrance of the 7th Zone . Another small elite unit was moving quickly through the zone. In the middle of the unit, a middle-aged man asks in an urgent voice. ¡°Is there no way we can go faster?¡± Additional troops in response to the Alliance¡¯s request for support. It was Kang Woo-hyun, the master of one of the three major ns, . He looked at Association President Kwon Young-hoon with a slightly anxious expression, uncharacteristic of his usual self.The reason was, of course, the all-out war beyond. It was because his daughter, Kang Juyeon, was fighting in there. ¡°If only there were more warp gates¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already used all the gates that have been installed.¡± All the [Warp Gates] already installed in the zone had been used. After that, they were moving as fast as possible using magical tools, but considering the current situation in the zone, it felt far too inadequate. The deployment of all Ludenark school personnel into the 7th Zone. An all-out war that shattered the expectation that they would be waiting slowly by zone. The 7th Zone, which had already been rated as top-tier difficulty by the three major ns, and now all of the enemy forces were being deployed here¡­ As a father who sent his daughter to the battlefield, he couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Holder Do Jae-hyun is at the vanguard, isn¡¯t he?¡± Association President Kwon Young-hoon smiles and answers towards him. Do Jae-hyun is at the vanguard. In fact, there¡¯s no statement that can give more confidence in the current Holder world than that. Do Jae-hyun has already been writing new history in the Holder world by conquering all the highest-grade dungeons and new dungeons existing in Korea. He won the title of the world¡¯s youngest S-grade Holder, and among the S-grade Holders in Korea, it¡¯s considered that few can match hisbat power. The strongest Holder in Korea. That title, which had only been attached to Park Ji-hwan or Hwang Geon-yuk of until now, was gradually being attached to Do Jae-hyun as well. Do Jae-hyun was a Holder who was umting powerful abilities and an amazing career in Korea right now. ¡°Holder Kang Woo-hyun, let¡¯s trust your future son-inw. He¡¯s currently evaluated as the best Holder in Korea, surpassing even us old-generation Holders in his current form.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not wrong.¡± Hwang Geon-yuk, the master of n walking beside him, nods in agreement. Song Do-hyuk of next to him was the same. These individuals, considered the strongest Holders in Korea, were all unanimously saying, ¡®Trust Do Jae-hyun¡¯. At this, even Kang Woo-hyun¡¯s anxious face rxed a bit. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± In fact, it was obvious. It¡¯s often said that high-ranking Holders need both experience and skill to back them up. And Do Jae-hyun, having recently seeded in promoting to S-grade Holder, had perfectly proven the skill part. But is hecking in experience? Not at all. The number of dungeons he¡¯s cleared as first conqueror exceeds five, and he¡¯s handled several incidents that greatly impacted the Korean Holder world. Probably no Holder among Korean Holders has more spectacr and brilliant conquest experiences than Do Jae-hyun. A Holder leading the trends not only in Korea but now even in the international Holder world. That was the modifier Do Jae-hyun currently possessed. ¡°Before starting this conquest, Holder Do Jae-hyun and I had a deep discussion. How to achieve the best efficiency, record minimal damage, and maximize results-.¡± Kwon Young-hoon speaks with confidence to Kang Woo-hyun, who still couldn¡¯t shake off his anxiety. ¡°The expected result is perfect. He¡¯s already fully prepared for this battle. We should probably be expecting, not worrying.¡± We should expect, not worry. The current Do Jae-hyun has sufficient ability to do so, and he has proven it by showing such results. Kwon Young-hoon¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked around at the masters of the three major ns. ¡°Amander who led the battle to victory before our reinforcements arrived. A strategist who personally entered the battle and shattered Ludenark¡¯s ns and ambitions. And-¡° After catching his breath for a moment, he then said in a low voice. ¡°-The birth of a great Rune Holder who will represent the international Holder world and the current era.¡± * * * Ippotrantion *** A massive light pours down in the middle of the battlefield. Holders watching from afar thought it was just a powerful divine-type skill being cast, but it lookedpletely different to the eyes of Holders who had reached a certain level. ¡°Jae-hyun¡­ Has finally ended it.¡± Yoo Eun-seol said slowly, gazing at the True Demon Sword within the pouring light. She had already directly witnessed that True Demon Sword at the edge of the 6th District. [Merciful True Demon Sword]. The ultimate skill among Do Jae-hyun¡¯s possessed skills, which exerts overwhelming power especially against dark attributes while being the most powerful. That attack, called the ultimate skill of a mythical-grade rune, had finally taken root in this special district to eliminate the evil god Lumiel. And that meant. n Master Do Jae-hyun had essentially put an end to this wearisome battle. ¡°To finish off such an overwhelming being so easily¡­ Just looking at the momentum, even I couldn¡¯t be sure of victory.¡± Then another S-grade Holder, Park Ji-hwan, approached with admiration. He had been dealing with Ludenark¡¯s subordinates all at once nearby, and at some point joined forces with Yoo Eun-seol to attack a Tashmad called ¡®Warrior of Termen¡¯ together. Two S-grade Holders, who are challenging even alone, cooperating tounch an attack. No matter how strong the tribal warrior was, it was impossible to withstand this alone. Tashmad, who had arrogantly dered to kill all humans here, met such a futile death and vanished. ¡°When ites to dark attributes or evil tendencies, Jae-hyun shows the strongest affinity. The result doesn¡¯t change even if that being is an evil god.¡± As Yoo Eun-seol spoke as if it were obvious, Park Ji-hwan gave a defeatedugh. ¡°Your faith in your disciple is quite substantial?¡± ¡°You also have considerable faith in your son, Holder Park Ji-hwan?¡± Yoo Eun-seol turned her head slightly to look far away where the n members were. Where Park Jin-woo, Cami, and the ¡®Academy members¡¯ who had joined at some unknown time were gathered. There, Vice School Head Dave was using another ¡®Descent¡¯, bringing darkness. However, the core n members of , including Park Jin-woo, were facing the new descent, making full use of their abilities regardless. Moreover, his father, Park Ji-hwan, also showed infinite trust in his son and did not go to support the battle. ¡°My son fights well even without me. Well, we hardly ever fought together originally.¡± Park Ji-hwan shrugged and smiled. The battle had entered its final stages to the extent that they could now afford such leisure. An all-out war to settle the score with the Ludenark School. The result¡­ The end was finally in sight. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°Sleep in great mercy.¡± Not many skills were needed to deal with the evil god Lumiel. Although I had obtained so many runes and acquired various skills¡­ Most Holders or Adapters continue their battles with no more than ten runes and one or two main runes. If they have only one ¨C or at most two or three ¨C ultimate skills to use against me, it means I don¡¯t need to use many ultimate skills against them either. ¡°Keu, argh¡­!!¡± In that respect, [Merciful True Demon Sword] was quite an efficient ultimate skill. It exerts the power of an ordinary ultimate skill when used normally, but when facing dark attributes or evil tendencies, its power increases tremendously. A magical attack with the divine power of Sednilen, the God of Mercy, thickly attached. Its destructive power surpassed [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], and its connectivity exceeded [True Flowing Sword]. As if it had been waiting to be used on this very day, [Merciful True Demon Sword] was fired with power perfectly suited for the evil god Lumiel. Saaaah-. Kiaaah-!! Lumiel¡¯s ultimate skill [Memento Mori] had already been blocked by my [Holy Protection]. The trump card ultimate skill that utilized all the divine power he possessed was offset and disappeared by a single special effect inherent in a legendary-grade item. Even if he wanted to continue the battle somehow, he couldn¡¯t help but lose motivation. Pat- Paaah-!! And facing [Merciful True Demon Sword] in such a situation. This holy attack, tailor-made for Lumiel, mercilessly tore apart his divine form that had already lost motivation. The evil god Lumiel, who had appeared demonstrating an incredible presence on the battlefield. The subject of that noble yet disgusting descent¡­ It was the moment when he lost all his power and fell in an instant. Kwa, aaaang-!! An explosion of divine power so intense it¡¯s blinding envelops the battlefield. Normally, I would have thought about not letting my guard down and continuing to attack the enemy, but now I could be certain. ¡°¡­He¡¯s vanished.¡± The evil god Lumiel had vanished. In my current state, borrowing the power of Sednilen, the God of Mercy, I can perceive this too urately. Although it¡¯s contrasting divine power, at this level, we recognize each other¡¯s divine power. And. Along with the evil god Lumiel, even the traces of School Head Flinklo, who had be the object of descent, disappeared without a trace. He probably vanished simultaneously, swept away by the penalty of the descent and the power of [Merciful True Demon Sword]. All of this speaks to only one thing. ¡°¡­It¡¯ The wearisome¡­ But the battle we poured all our strength into. The allied forces¡¯ final battle hade to an end.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 341 Chapter 341 One Step Further, Hoping to Advance (1) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ¨C Do Jae-hyun has done it again! ,pletely conquered! ¨C , living up to its n name by eliminating evil. The Ludenark School now relegated to the annals of history- ¨C What exactly was the identity of ¡®Evil God Lumiel¡¯? The endlessly branching truths of the other world¡­ ¨C Association President Kwon Young-hoon, ¡°With this conquest, the Holder world has taken a step closer to the system and the other world.¡± ¨C Liam Hendricks, ¡°Do Jae-hyun is currently leading the international Holder world.¡± Everything hase to an end. In fact, it might be an exaggeration to say ¡®everything hase to an end¡¯ at a point where the truth about the Holder system and the other world is just beginning to be revealed¡­Nevertheless, we havepletely conquered the , which was the biggest hurdle in the current international Holder world. We¡¯ve eliminated the evil group that was the root of all incidents, and the Ludenark School can no longer be traced. ¡°Two days of rest for everyone.¡± Just like when we conquered the 6th zone before, I gave myself and all team members two days of unconditional rest after the final battle ended. Do nothing, report nothing- Just rest for two days in whatever way you choose. Despite this being a conquest involving various domestic ns including the Holder Association, I adhered to this principle and postponed the performance announcement for two days. This was possible because the n and I yed the most crucial role in this conquest. ¡°Hehe. Two days is too short, Jae-hyun. Right?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll agree.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Ask Do Jae-hyun to extend the rest to 3 days, no, 4 days!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± My three lovers still by my side even after the rest period ended. ¡­Somehow, I feel like my rest wasn¡¯t really rest. But anyway, the n members and other allied forces who participated in the conquest were able to participate in the performance report after sufficient rest. And then we arrived at the main building of the Korean Holder Association. ¡°Then, we will now begin the final conquest performance report of the Room of the Deserter, supervised by the Korean Holder Association.¡± As it was a massive conquest with the participation of the most domestic ns ever, reporting its performance was also conducted on an enormous scale. The MC was the vice president of the domestic Holder Association. The reporting ns included and the 3 major ns, which were the main ns of the allied forces, as well as various mid-sized ns that were mercenary ns under them. ¡°First, due to the unique structure of the Room of the Deserter dungeon divided by zones, it was the first time in the domestic Holder world that individual n conquests were conducted by zone. We¡¯ll briefly go over the conquest process rted to this aspect.¡± The consists of a total of 9 zones, from the 1st to the 9th. When conquering this, the allied forces proceeded by dividing the responsible ns by zone, and it was necessary to clearly mention this for the announcement of the conquest results. ¡°The 1st zone was solely conquered by the Evil Hunter n. The zone¡¯s internal proportion is 7%, but the total conquest performance proportion is estimated at 15%. This is because it opened the door to dungeon conquest as the first zone, and it was the central area of the Holder kidnapping incident that was the starting point of this conquest.¡± 1st zone . Although this zone didn¡¯t have a high proportion, it received quite a high performance proportion as the entrance and core zone of the conquest. Considering that the n¡¯s strength was iplete at the time of conquering this ce, and the urgent situation due to the rescue of kidnapped Holders¡­ It was certainly a worthwhile proportion for the conquest. ¡°The 2nd zone was solely conquered by the Judgment of Fire n. The zone¡¯s internal proportion is 6%, the total performance proportion is 8%¡­¡± After that, exnations about other zones conquered by the 3 major ns and mid-sized n alliances followed. Most of them ounted for about 6-7% of the zone proportion and 8-9% of the total performance proportion. These proportions might seem quite low when looking at just the percentages. However, the dungeon itself boasted an unprecedentedlyrge scale in Holder world history, and the resulting items, magic stones, etc. were also at an enormous level. Considering these points, in fact, even with single-digit percentages, each n could reap massive benefits. ¡°Next is the 6th zone. Oh, this is also a solo conquest by the Evil Hunter n¡­ The zone proportion is 19%, the total performance proportion is 25%¡­? No, why is this so high¡­?¡± ¡­Of course, it¡¯s iparable to our n, which took double-digit proportions. Perhaps because such a high proportion came out? The vice president became flustered and muttered to himself in the middle of announcing the results. ¡°Ah, ahem. I apologize.¡± Soon realizing his mistake, he coughed and apologized. Then, after clearly reporting the performance of the 6th zone. He slowly moved on to the next zone. ¡°It¡¯s the 7th zone. As you all know, due to the nominal conquests of the 8th and 9th zones, this 7th zone Ancient Resting ce can be seen as the most crucial zone of this dungeon.¡± The total performance proportions of the 8th and 9th zone are less than 1%. This happened because School Head Flinklo and Vice School Head Dave abandoned those two zones and went all-in on the 7th zone. All the allied forces members gathered here were aware of this fact. And. The vice president¡¯s additional report continued. ¡°The internal proportion of the 7th zone is 18%, and the total performance proportion is 35%. This was proceeded with aplex conquest by the Evil Hunter n and subordinate mercenary ns. However, during the conquest process, the elimination of School Head Flinklo and Evil God Lumiel, the elimination of Vice School Head Dave and Evil God Enkia, the elimination of Warrior of Termen, Tashmad, etc¡­ All the most crucial achievements of the zone conquest were made by the Evil Hunter n. Therefore, the proportion of the Evil Hunter n estimated within theplex conquest is¡­ 8, 80%?!¡± Again. Another incident urred during the conquest report. However, no one pointed this out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Because everyone was equally surprised. The vice president was shocked, and the masters of each n had strained faces. The gazes of everyone in the conference room were focused on me. Feeling that dizzying sensation, I bowed my head deeply. ¡­That¡¯s right. Our n did it all in this conquest. The distribution of achievements within the alliance forces has beenpleted, but the organization within our n is not yet finished. There was a need to reward the aplishments made by each n member, and the positions of n members could change based on their performance in this conquest. While this conquest holds deep meaning for other ns as well, our , which performed exceptionally as the main conquest n, had particrly many points to organize internally. Thanks to this, master, me, and the vice-master, my master, Along with teams rted to internal operations such as the secretarial team and nning team, have been working through several nights. Fortunately, that work bomb was slowlying to an end. ¡°It feels a bit anticlimactic in a way, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Han Sang-jin, the nning team leader, says to me while organizing documents. As soon as I hear those words, I look around with slightly surprised eyes. ¡°Team Leader Han, if other n members hear that, it¡¯ll cause an uproar, you know?¡± ¡°What? Oh, ah- That¡¯s not what I meant. Haha. I should be careful with my words.¡± Han Sang-jin waves his hands in panic at my joke. ¡°It¡¯s just thatpared to the 6th zone conquest, this one feels like we conquered it rtively easily. Of course, the workload is two to three times more than back then.¡± I knew what he was trying to say. The fact that the current process seems cleaner even though we¡¯ve seeded in conquering the entire dungeon,pared to when we conquered the 6th zone . Indeed, at that time, I had fainted while fighting with Hwang Seong-yeon, and the damage suffered by n members was also at a tremendous level¡­ As a n member in charge of operations, it was understandable to feel strange. ¡°This time, with the creation of the allied forces, much more troops were deployed than before. Both qualitatively and quantitatively, it was a conquest far ahead of previous ones.¡± Moreover, the 7th zone conquest was a conquest that, although short, was thoroughly nned in its preparation process. We had removed all the magical traps in the zone with magical tools created by the R&D team, and entered the battle with a perfect understanding of the strategies against Termen and vampires. Plus, the great performances of myself and several n members specialized in hunting dark attributes and evil tendencies-. The fact that this conquest was easier than facing Hwang Seong-yeon. This was a point I also acknowledged. But-. ¡°Above all, there¡¯s the most important point.¡± ¡°What point is that?¡± The biggest achievement gained through this conquest. ¡°It¡¯s that our n¡¯sbat power is not at all inferior to otherrge ns. As the n¡¯s overall strength greatly grew and reached a stage ofpletion, it seems that effect properly exploded in this conquest.¡± Although I raised achievements by personally defeating the evil god Lumiel (School Head Flinklo), the performances of other n members were notcking at all. Park Jin-woo and Cami won against Vice School Head Dave (another descended evil god), and the n vice-master, my master, easily defeated Termen Chief Warrior Tashmad. Besides them, many n members directly took down powerful members of the Ludenark School. The individual performances of n members were manifesting as great achievements for the entire allied forces. The reason this conquest seemed easier was ultimately because the n power at the center of the allied forces was excellent. So, through this conquest, I was convinced. ¡®We¡¯re not falling behind.¡¯ Even though our n¡¯s size might be slightlycking, in terms ofbat power and achievements, we¡¯re not at all inferior torge ns. When considering only the substance, at least a mid-sized n or above. Maybe even beyond that¡­ We might even be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the top 3 ns. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s the biggest achievement, don¡¯t you think?¡± The fact that thebat power of the n¡­ Showed the possibility of reaching the highest echelons in the country, if not immediately. That was the biggest achievement we gained through this conquest of .
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 342 One Step Further, Hoping to Advance (2) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] After the conquest of ended. About a month has passed since then. During that time, Korea, which had been chaotic due to various incidents, gradually regained stability, and the domestic Holdermunity also returned to its previously rtively peaceful and systematic state. Holders began to leave for hunting in dungeons and fields again, and each n continued to pursue their own interests through major operations or unexplored dungeon searches as before. However, there was still a n organizing the achievements from the conquest. The n. Those who had recorded the most achievements and yed the most crucial role in the conquest at that time¡­ Began to take steps towards bing a global n by making their reputation known to the international Holdermunity as soon as the conquest ended.-The soaring wingbeats of ! Reaches the top ranks in Korea just 3 months after establishment! -, which joined as a mercenary n, confirms merger with ! -Former master: ¡°All n members agreed¡­ I think it will be a good opportunity.¡± The first step was n mergers. By absorbing , which had joined as a subordinate mercenary n during the allied forces, they recruited arge number of archer-type Holders and support Holders that had beencking in the n. Additionally, merger discussions with the n were ongoing, potentially allowing for the recruitment of warrior-type Holders as well. If all these mergers are sessful, it would result in the birth of a n that wouldn¡¯t be inferior in size to otherrge ns. That¡¯s not all. ¡°¡­The reason I want to join Evil Hunter is because I¡¯ve long admired Holder Do Jae-hyun, the n master! If given the chance, I absolutely want to join the n and conquer various dungeons with Holder Do Jae-hyun!¡± They also elerated the recruitment of new n members. Since was established not long ago, they preferred constant special recruitment rather than official recruitment, but as their reputation soared through this conquest, all sorts of unaffiliated Holders applied to join. From unaffiliated Holders who were well-known domestically, to famous Holders active in the United States and Japan, Holders leaving their affiliated ns to apply for . Even student Holders who hadn¡¯t yet graduated from the academy¡­ Due to the uniqueness of starting as a student n in its early days and its reputation reaching the top ranks in Korea, all kinds of Holders applied indiscriminately. As a result, Vice Master Yoo Eun-seol, who was in charge of the final interviews along with the HR team leader, had been experiencing stress every daytely. ¡°¡­Holder Yang Su-jin.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You said you¡¯ve long admired our n master, but the master hasn¡¯t even been active as a pro Holder for a year.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, that¡¯s right?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! But my desire to lead the n together with Holder Do Jae-hyun remains unchanged! If I could just meet him face to face even once¡­.¡± Most of the unaffiliated Holdersing for interviews were like this. As Do Jae-hyun rose to be Korea¡¯s top Holder (although there are still differing opinions on this), and also made its name known as an emergingrge n¡­ Many Holders applied to join to ride on this poprity. Especially like just now, the majority were female Holders who said during the interview that they ¡®really want to be with Do Jae-hyun!¡¯ Every time Yoo Eun-seol saw them, she felt angry for some reason. ¡­It wasn¡¯t for any other reason, just that she didn¡¯t like peopleing to join the n with such a frivolous attitude. Really. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m A-grade Holder Na Hye-rin, applying to Evil Hunter this time!¡± Of course, there weren¡¯t only chaff applicants. Skilled individuals like Na Hye-rin, a mercenary Holder who participated in the conquest and the top resource in the unaffiliated Holdermunity, were also being recruited. Anyway, the important thing was. That was bing a strong n. ¡°It¡¯s growing much faster than Jae-hyun thought.¡± Yoo Eun-seol smiled as she thought of her disciple. Do Jae-hyun. This n, which he had established himself while facing numerous prejudices, was now taking big strides towards the name of the best in the country. The question marks that had been poured towards them in the early days¡­ Were now turning into exmation marks that everyone was certain about. * * * Ippotrantion *** The academy finally reached its end of semester. In fact, from to , due to a series ofrge dungeons and incidents breaking out, we ended up losing entire vacations and semesters. So for this first semester of the second year, there were actually no days with proper attendance. This wasn¡¯t just me, but most of the student Holders attending the academy. Nevertheless, Professor Tak Won-ho and others within the academy foundation showed smooth handling of the situation. Considering the special circumstances that hit the domestic Holdermunity, they recognized attendance for most absent students, and actively used schrships and otherpensations to minimize discrimination among students. Thanks to this, all professors and students were able to spend the semester peacefully withoutints. And that was the same for me too. ¡°¡­I want to eat.¡± Kang Juyeon, who was walking arm in arm with me, suddenly speaks up. ¡°Now? Should we go out and eat something? But Ga-eun said she¡¯d be here soon.¡± ¡°No. The food you prepare, Jae-hyun.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± As I turned my head slightly, she leaned her head on my shoulder and continued quietly. ¡°¡­I want to eat the steak Jae-hyun makes.¡± ¡°What? Haha.¡± Does personality not change easily even after dating for a long time? Whenever Kang Juyeon brought up things like this, she always seemed unfamiliar and shy. Even now, though I can¡¯t see because she¡¯s lowering her head, her face is probably red. I gently stroked her head and said, ¡°Today we have ns together and it¡¯ste, so how about the day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± ¡°Haha. Where did you learn that half-formal speech from? Chae-eun?¡± Seeing her silence, it seems I¡¯m right. As expected of Kim Chae-eun. As the leader of the Lover¡¯s Alliance, it seems she has spread all the elements I liked to show affection to her colleagues. Anyway, as we were walking together like that, Moon Ga-eun appeared right on time for our appointment. Today was the day she had invited us to treat us to coffee she would make herself, saying she had recently gotten a barista certificate. It would have been nice if Kim Chae-eun came too, but unfortunately she was absent due to prior ns with her dad, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun. Moon Ga-eun, who appeared in the distance, waved at us. ¡°Jae-hyun! Juyeon! Here¡­¡± However, her eyes suddenly changed as she was waving happily. ¡­It seems she spotted Kang Juyeon being shy and linking arms with me. Moon Ga-eun lowered her hand and instantly ran towards us to confront us. What the. Did she use some kind of walking rune? ¡°Tch- Kang Juyeon! You asked Jae-hyun for something again, didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°¡­What did I do.¡± ¡°How many years have we known each other for you to try to deceive me? When you have that shy face, it¡¯s always when you¡¯ve sessfully asked Jae-hyun for something! What did you ask for. You made a naughty request again, didn¡¯t you!¡± ¡°¡­I And there they go again, bickering before they can even wait. Like true friends, they growled at each other whenever they met. I¡¯m pretty sure Ga-eun used to be considerate of Juyeon at first, but these days when they¡¯repletely open with each other, there¡¯s no sign of that at all. ¡°Come on, stop fighting and let¡¯s go now. I want to try the coffee Ga-eun made herself soon.¡± Once again, I had to be the mediator. At my voice, Moon Ga-eun immediately brightened her expression and linked arms with me. ¡°Hmph- Kang Juyeon, see youter. We¡¯re not done talking yet.¡± ¡°¡­Idiot. I¡¯m still not going to tell you no matter what.¡± ¡°Tch, this is really¡­¡± ¡­Did the mediation not work? I scratched my head in dismay as I started walking. The empty left arm, of course, was Moon Ga-eun¡¯s share. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°There¡¯s a lot to do, so much to do.¡± All theplicated matters have ended, and the academy has reached its end of semester. Even the n, which was my biggest task, is now on track and slowly building up its reputation. Now everything has truly entered a stable state. But even so, my work still shows no sign of decreasing. Now, I¡¯m not just a student Holder, but the n master of arge n and the lover of three women. The number of Holders I¡¯m responsible for has increased, and there are many people I need to protect. I¡¯ll probably need to stay busy for at least another half year before there¡¯s any leeway in my work? It¡¯s a bit excessive, but not to the point where I can¡¯t handle it. Moreover, since it¡¯s work I enjoy doing, it doesn¡¯t even feel that excessive. ¡°Still¡­ I should work while doing what needs to be done.¡± As soon as I arrived at my destination, I took out the equipment I had prepared in advance. These aren¡¯t my main equipment like divine swords or divine armor. Leather armor made of ordinary materials and¡­ An iron sword made of ordinary metal. These were the normal equipment I mainly used when I was once an F-grade Holder. I couldn¡¯t help but smile seeing that equipment with some memories attached. And then. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± A familiar voiceing from nearby. My friend, who appeared wearing ordinary equipment just like me. It was Park Jin-woo. The ce we gathered was the . It was the ce where Park Jin-woo and I first met and had a duel, and where everything at the academy began. At that ce filled with memories, I grinned as I looked at Park Jin-woo. ¡°No matter how busy¡­ We should do what needs to be done, right?¡± ¡°Oh, of course.¡± Park Jin-woo responds happily to my words. Even after we both got busy, we always gathered like this to have a duel whenever the academy ended its semester. It was like a kind of routine. Today, for some reason, feeling nostalgic, we changed the location to the unlike usual¡­ But nothing much would be different. As we always have. We would simply exchange blows with our swords.
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions Chapter 343 One Step Further, Hoping to Advance (3) (Main Story Complete) [script async="" /pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6111286683831837" crossorigin="anonymous"][/script] [!-- Middle Chapter Content --] [ins data-ad-client="ca-pub-6111286683831837" data-ad-slot="7702787971"][iframe][iframe][/iframe][/iframe][/ins] [script] (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/script] ng-!! The iron swords in Park Jin-woo¡¯s and my hands sh strongly against each other. We don¡¯t use any special items or skills. Relying only on our own stats and sword runes, we gauge each other¡¯s skills. Right now, we were only utilizing abilities specialized for closebat. ng! ng-!!Tremendous impact flows through the shing swords. But thanks to the firmly supporting auxiliary runes and durability stats, our faces showed no signs of strain. ¡°Ugh- What¡¯s your strength stat?¡± ¡­I stand corrected. It seems only I wasn¡¯t strained. Park Jin-woo looked at me with a pained expression and asked. To that, I decided to answer honestly. ¡°118.¡± ¡°W-What?! No, how is your pure strength stat so high. You have separate stat pumping skills too, don¡¯t you?¡± From the academy underground dungeon onwards, whenever we hunted in a party, I¡¯ve been fighting alongside Park Jin-woo almost always. Having fought together for a long time, he knew my abilities well. ¡°We¡¯re originally quite fast, aren¡¯t we? Aren¡¯t you simr?¡± ¡°Oh, you crazy bastard. I¡¯m not at that level.¡± ng-! ng-! The speed of shing swords increases. Even without using any special abilities. Even without imbuing attacks with magical power-. The power contained in a single sword is at a level that cannot be ignored. Me, the youngest S-grade Holder. Park Jin-woo, still an A-grade Holder, but the most likely to reach S-grade after me. You can tell just by looking at our ranks and types. We were¡­ The strongest Holders when it came to using swords. ng ng ng-!! ¡°Hah! Hey! But! Do you! Remember that?¡± Park Jin-woo asks, putting in a shout with each attack. ¡°Which! One!¡± I answer while putting strength into my sword strikes as well. Our duels were always like this. We fight using only stats, martial arts runes, and ordinary items. That¡¯s because after we both reached a certain level, using magical power itself became dangerous. Perhaps because of that, even when we had something to say during the duel, we could talk like this while crossing swords. ¡°When! We first! Fought! You were ahead in strength! And I was ahead in speed!¡± ¡°What?¡± And then. Park Jin-woo, who had been pressing relentlessly, grins. ¡°That- I think it might still be simr now?¡± Park Jin-woo, the master of swift sword technique. He reignited today¡¯s duel. *** Ippotrantion *** ¡°I really got thrashed miserably¡­¡± Park Jin-woo, lying spread-eagled on the floor, said as if in disbelief. Seeing that, I burst outughing. ¡°I told you. I rarely lose in closebat since I got the enhancement-rted rune.¡± ¡°Even so, the difference is too big.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re upset,e back after improving your skills more.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ I can¡¯t even remember how many consecutive losses this is.¡± I didn¡¯t count exactly, but it¡¯s probably certainly over 10 consecutive losses. Since I got the [Forgotten Dragon Knight Pride] rune, I don¡¯t remember losing to him. Park Jin-woo, still lying down, sighed deeply for a while, then suddenly burst outughing as if something was funny. ¡°What¡¯s this. Have you finally gone crazy?¡± Seeing my friend about to lose his mind, I feel a sense of guilt. Was he really that shocked to learn that even my speed was higher¡­? Afterughing like that for a while, Park Jin-woo quietly called out to me. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°What, man.¡± And then. ¡°Thank you.¡± Park Jin-woo finally drops that line. I clutched my head at the extreme cringe. ¡°Ugh! What¡¯s wrong with you, shit. Did you eat something weird today?¡± ¡°You crazy bastard. Making such a fuss when I¡¯m saying thanks.¡± Park Jin-woo put his hands behind his head and looked at the sky. Then he quietlyughed. ¡°Honestly, I lived without any thoughts until I turned twenty. I just practiced fighting to beat up Outholders when I met them, and after actually fighting, I trained more to fight better because it was fun.¡± Park Jin-woo¡¯s self-analysis was urate. He was a guy who purely enjoyed training, practicing, and fighting. In fact, even in the original story, he had no particr goal until Park Yoon-seo, who was his family, was kidnapped. ¡°But when I became a Holder and came to the academy, I found a new goal. Ah, I want to fight and win against that guy. When fighting alongside that guy, I want to fight better¡­ Just changing the target of my goal, but strangely, my whole life changed?¡± Park Jin-woo, who was like that, changed. His blindbat gained a goal, and his repetitive training gained passion. And at the center of that change¡­ Ironically, there was me, an outsider to this world. ¡®¡­Ah.¡¯ Only then could I realize. The fact that this world was . Or the fact that I was an outsider who had possessed someone-. Such things were no longer important. What¡¯s important is. In the world we exist in now, we influence each other and change. Not how the past was or how simr worlds were-. But thinking about how to shape the future while living in the present. Whether that direction is as friends, rivals, or colleagues. Anyway, in each of our own ways¡­ We can take one step forward. I could feel those sentences shining in a corner of my heart. ¡°¡­What was I trying to say?¡± But Park Jin-woo suddenly asked himself stupidly. He seemed to have started saying something cool, but hadn¡¯t thought of a conclusion. He soon scratched his head vigorously and said. ¡°Anyway, thank you, you bastard.¡± ¡°Puhaha.¡± After a goodugh, Iid down spread-eagled in my spot like him. I wanted to look at the sky, full of emotions, but unfortunately, being in the training ground, I could only see the ck ceiling. ¡­This kind of sentiment really doesn¡¯t suit me. ¡°Right. You should be grateful to me for life. I¡¯m the benefactor who connected you with Cami.¡± So I just press Park Jin-woo¡¯s trigger button. Crash bang-. As expected, he got up from his spot in agitation. ¡°How many times do I have to say it. Cami confessed to me first, okay? We were meant to be connected anyway.¡± ¡°So who created that situation?¡± ¡°Augh-! Get up. Let¡¯s go at it again.¡± ¡­It was a peaceful scene at the training ground. *** Ippotrantion *** [Amazing achievement! You have in ¡®The Descended Evil God¡¯, a golden tower that no one has yet built! Due to this incredible feat, all your powers are experiencing rapid and dazzling growth.] [You gain 5 points each for all general and special abilities, and 3 points each for all resistance abilities.] [The level of all runes you possess increases by 1.] [Amazing achievement! You have conquered a domain adapted by the Ludenark School, a group that imitates evil! ¡­ ¡­] ¡­ ¡­ After the conquest of . Countless information windows appeared before me. There were too many to recite one by one, but to summarize, it could be interpreted as ¡®Rewards are pouring in due to consecutively aplishing awesome achievements!¡¯ ¡­ It¡¯s a rather flippant expression, but it¡¯s a fact. Based on all these achievements, my general abilities increased by about 10 points each, and my special and resistance abilities, as well as existing rune levels, also saw significant growth. Especially the mythical rune [Noble Divinity] copied from the evil god Lumiel, or the epic rune [Essence of Magical Knowledge] obtained as a reward for conquering ¡­. The performance and effects of the newly acquired runes were also at a level that couldn¡¯t be ignored. And only then did it sink in. ¨C The long epic of conquest hase to an end. As enormous rewards came in all at once, that fact really hit home. However, among these, what actually caught my attention was something else. [Amazing achievement! You have obtained ¡®Runes¡¯, the exclusive property of the chosen ones, up to the additional limit (50). Due to this unbelievable first-time achievement, a special power is bestowed.] [A mysterious power dwells in the Rune Hunter. From now on, when acquiring a new rune, you can delete an existing rune and register a new one.] The 50 runes finally filled through this conquest. Once again, when all the limit slots were filled, a new effect appeared. The ability to delete existing runes and register newly acquired ones¡­. For me, who had to keep even slightly less necessary runes until now, this might have been the most needed special effect. After reading this effect¡­ For some reason, I can¡¯t help but chuckle. The reason was simple. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end.¡± In fact, I had vaguely thought for some time. Although various effects like ¡®superior runes¡¯ and ¡®rune bestowal¡¯ have emerged to organize the runes I¡¯ve held so far, there would surely be a limit to such organization. If I finished all possible arrangements and filled all 50 rune slots. Eventually, there would be a limit to the [Rune Hunter]¡¯s abilities. Even for a hunter who has now be quite veteran¡­ There would surely be a day when retirement approaches. That¡¯s what I had vaguely thought. ¡°Haha¡­.¡± But it wasn¡¯t the end. If you¡¯ve reached the final stop, go back to the beginning-. If you obtained a new rune today, obtain another new rune tomorrow-. The system and [Rune Hunter]¡­ Were demanding that I move forward once more. What lies ahead. Whether there really is an end if I keep going¡­. Honestly, I¡¯m still not sure. The path I¡¯ve walked so far seemed certain, but was always a series of uncertainties. I thought I had ovee, but new mountains always appeared. So I can¡¯t say with confidence that I¡¯ll do well from now on. But. Nevertheless, I will continue to move forward. ¡°Because that¡¯s how I¡¯ve made it so far.¡± There was no coincidence in the tower I¡¯ve built until now. Everything was a huge inevitability connected and linked by chains. I was nning to throw myself into that inevitability once again. ¡°What have you been making?¡± And from somewhere. A voice answering in response to my soliloquy. A slightly cold impression and style. But a woman with the warmest heart and character than anyone. From the very beginning when everything started until now¡­ My lover who has always been by my side, Kim Chae-eun. As always, she was looking at me with a yful face and smile. A familiar scene and question I¡¯ve surely seen somewhere before. I smiled at that familiar scenery. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve built so far. And my precious people.¡± To that answer¡­ Kim Chae-eun also bowed her head with a pretty smile. ¡°Am I included in that?¡± ¡°Do you want to get scolded? You call that a question?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She came up to me and linked arms. I gently embraced that arm and walked with her along the long street. On the path I will walk forward. Like this, my people will always be with me. Today. Tomorrow. Perhaps, even the tomorrow after tomorrow. Hoping that those steps could be eternal. I sent that small hope in the falling leaves. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°But how are you going to scold me?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that expectant look?¡± ¡°Tell me quickly~ How are you going to scold me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you buy me pudding.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s grape vor? Hing, they don¡¯t even sell that at the mart in front of our house anymore.¡± ¡°Then I just won¡¯t scold you, I guess.¡± ¡°Ah, what¡¯s this-!¡± ¨C (Main Story End) -¡®
ess to all month¡¯s chapter + 10/20 chapters ahead for 18$/32$ via Buymeacoffee Schedule: 4 ch per wk @ [mon, wed, fri, sun] Anyway¡­ Happy Reading!!! Rate this series /ippostrantions The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!