The moment the world brightened, a searing heat engulfed me. As Hayoung lifted the stone slab, a wave of flames erupted, engulfing the charging bandits.
ㅡWhoosh!
The bandits exposed to that crimson wave screamed as they were consumed by the fire.
“Ahhh!”
“Ughhh!”
“Hah, Hahhh!”
They looked like they were wrapped in flames. The bandits flailed about like a Metal Slug character, screaming in agony.
Did a single spell just wipe out the front line of bandits?
Is this the power of a sorcerer?
“Uh…!”
“Whoa!”
“Is it really just that easy?”
“Is something like this even possible?”
The bandits rushing from behind dropped their jaws in shock and halted. To them, their brave comrades who had charged first had instantly evolved into flaming beings.
They stood frozen, having witnessed the mystical spectacle of evolution.
I was shocked too.
How could a group of rowdy bandits become this helpless in an instant?
“Die.”
But that wasn’t all.
Having summoned the wave of flames, Hayoung now pulled out a talisman with her left hand and dramatically fanned it open. The moment she swung her arm.
ㅡWhoosh!
Talismans that looked like nothing of the sort flew swiftly through the air and ignited mid-flight.
Tracking Fireball (誘導性火焰彈).
Small fireballs formed from the talismans began tracking the standing bandits. It was only then that the groggy bandits shouted in panic.
ㅡBoom!
Fireballs erupted against parts of their bodies.
Their fleeing backs.
Or their backs.
If they still stood there dazed, right in their faces.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Burned bandits screamed in agony. No, most couldn’t even scream as their faces were engulfed in flames. It all happened in the blink of an eye. With just a swing of a stone slab to summon the wave of flames and a few thrown talismans, more than half of the bandits were set ablaze, flailing about as they perished.
It was truly a disaster that unfolded in an instant.
“Ughhhhh!”
“Please, save meeeee!”
“What the hell is thattttt!”
The remaining bandits denied reality as they fled.
As for the leader?
He too stared at us in shock, but still, he was the leader. Suddenly coming to his senses, he swung the axe he held and decapitated one of the fleeing bandits.
“Stop! I’ll kill anyone who runs away!”
This guy…?
Is he actually going to capture the runners himself?
How grateful can I be?
“You useless bastards! I don’t want to mess with her! Go capture her quickly!”
“But… we didn’t think they’d be this strong…!”
“Yeah, boss! Is a sorcerer really that strong?!”
“Shut up! Sorcerers weaken after casting spells! This is the perfect time! Go capture that girl before I kill her!”
“But!”
“Follow me!”
ㅡDash!
The leader kicked off the ground and charged forward.
The bandits hesitated for a moment at the sight, but soon, perhaps fueled by the heat of battle, they roared and charged after him.
“Really. No learning skills. Didn’t I tell you they’d burn? Do you want to become ash that badly?”
Hayoung, who delivered a magnificent line, threw more talismans.
The tracking fireballs began darting through the air like pesky flies, chasing after the bandits. The panicking bandits shouted as they tried to evade, but it was all in vain.
ㅡBoom!
The leader running forward was also hit by a fireball.
But.
“That bastard!”
The leader crossed his arms to block the fireball and continued charging!
“This girl has tormented my men…!”
His face was consumed with rage. I was certain. This guy was a high-level expert, far above me. How strong could he be? Second-rate? Or even first-rate? If he could endure Hayoung’s fireballs…
The leader rushed forward.
But Hayoung didn’t panic. Calmly chanting a spell, flames ignited at the end of the stone slab, and as she swung it with both hands, a massive fiery arc was created, shooting forth like a serpent!
“It’s over!”
ㅡWhoosh!
“Graaaahhh!”
The leader was engulfed in flames as he took the fiery arc head-on.
But that bastard was still coming!
“You bastard!”
“Ugh!”
Panicking, Hayoung stumbled back. He kept charging even after taking a fire blast? I didn’t expect him to be such a monster. He really was a wild boar.
ㅡThud.
I stepped in front of Hayoung.
As a warrior, it’s my fate to protect the mage.
If I can stop him, this battle is ours.
I’ll end this, you stalker bandit leader!
“You look like a mouse caught in a fire! I’ll kill you!”
“Shut up!”
The leader raised his axe, and I lifted my Heavenly Thunder Sword. Cold Mind Technique had already been in effect since the battle began. The moment the leader approached, I unleashed the Flowing Stream Sword Technique.
ㅡCrash!
The heavily swung axe was deflected by my Heavenly Thunder Sword. I continued the flow. I kept dodging the axe that poured down on me like a storm.
“You brat…!”
The leader was good at using an axe, but I was wielding the Heavenly Thunder Sword. The weapon difference was overwhelming.
“Ugh!”
Besides, as the Flowing Stream Sword Technique continued, it only grew stronger. Even while exchanging blows now, my sword was imbued with greater power!
ㅡRoar!
“You filthy bandit! I’ll split you in half!”
“Die already!”
Just a bit more.
Just a little more pressure and I could finish him off. How dare this bastard toy with Hayoung in front of me? Scum like him deserve to be blown apart!
ㅡSizzle!
A purple aura began to emanate from my sword.
Yes, did I finally succeed?
It didn’t activate at Hayoung’s house, but now it’s working perfectly.
Feeling the purple aura, I thrust my sword toward the leader’s head.
ㅡBoom!
I could see cracks forming in the leader’s axe as it deflected my sword. The emergence of the purple aura strengthened my strike.
“This, this power is…?!”
Do you finally see death?
But then.
“Hup!”
Suddenly, the leader’s momentum surged. It felt like a sudden rush of strength overflowed from him. My sword was pushed back by that momentum, and bulging veins bloomed like flowers across the leader’s face.
“Mutual destruction!”
Hayoung shouted from behind.
“Mutual destruction!”
What the hell!
That’s my specialty!
Is he suggesting we should die together, knowing he’s doomed?!
“Graaaahhh!”
The leader swung his axe down with renewed vigor. I tried to defend while continuing the Flowing Stream Sword Technique, but I could clearly feel his fighting spirit had grown stronger than before.
This bastard wants to split me apart!
If I’m to protect Hayoung and survive, I must split him apart before he splits me!
ㅡSizzle!
The sparks of purple energy flickered even stronger. At that moment, I instinctively realized how to unleash the energy enveloping my sword in one burst.
ㅡWhoosh.
I corrected my stance with the raised sword.
The leader roared like a bear and swung his axe horizontally. In that instant, the scene slowed down, and I unleashed the energy surrounding my sword in that brief moment.
I thrust my sword hard.
ㅡSlash!
A powerful surge of purple energy erupted.
An ominous yet ethereal arc was created. It was a formidable cut, as if spirits were clashing. For a moment, I pondered what to name this technique.
A cut as if spirits were clashing… Spirit Strike?
But it felt too generic.
Let’s call it “Spirit Sever” instead.
ㅡSlice.
The leader, who took my Spirit Sever head-on, had his body split diagonally. The axe he wielded to block wasn’t enough either.
I merely swung my sword, and a man was cleaved in two. This style of killing was a first for me. Immediately after witnessing the horrifying sight, a wave of exhaustion struck, clouding my mind. My internal energy was entirely spent.
The leader’s severed torso dropped to the ground.
I too knelt, gasping for breath.
“Hah…! Hah, Hah!”
“Y-You! Are you okay?!”
A startled voice echoed.
Hayoung rushed to my side, patting my back.
“I’m okay, okay… Hoo!”
“That move you just did!”
“Ah… I was going to show you more… That one at the end was my first time, though, ugh…!”
It felt like my insides were being torn apart.
Could I have sustained internal injuries?
“Hurry and gather your energy! Concentrate!”
“Before that, let me finish off the stragglers.”
Has my senses become sharper?
“Ugh…!”
“Ugh!”
The moans of bandits groaning around us tickled my ears.
I needed to finish them off immediately. All of them.
What if they shake off their shock from the fireballs and manage to alert their main forces about our location while fleeing? Facing a bandit horde in my weakened state would be impossible. I’d never win.
“Hey!”
Before Hayoung could stop me, I dashed toward the bandit flailing on the ground.
“Ah!”
The bandit seemed to sense his doom and opened his mouth.
“Ugh, ugh! Pl-Please, Great Hero! I-I was just lost in life, so I became a bandit…!”
“Shut up, you filthy scum!”
“Noooooo!!!”
ㅡThump!
I sank my Heavenly Thunder Sword into his torso for a confirmed kill.
“Ugh, Ughh…!”
“Ugh!”
I continued searching for more bandits on the ground, executing them one by one with cold finality. The last remaining one turned to me, begging pathetically.
“Please spare me! Spare me, Great Hero! I beg you!”
His face was entirely melted away.
“…”
In an instant, sympathy flickered in my heart, but I couldn’t spare him. If Jaemi Son was here, he would have mercilessly dispatched him. He was that kind of man, and as his close friend, so was I.
ㅡThud!
I drove my sword through his neck with finality.
With that, I had killed all the bandits.
“Hah!”
I sank into a sitting position.
“…You.”
“Hayoung, we need to clean up the bodies.”
“Clean up the bodies?”
“Because of the burn marks, you might get identified. What do you think people would think about burned bodies? They’d believe a fire using sorcerer did it. Especially since rumors of your arrival in Anhwi are circulating… so.”
“You considered all that? You are wiser than I thought.”
Hayoung’s voice softened.
“But it’s okay.”
She squatted beside me, as if to reassure me.
“It’s not a spell that melts bones. If there are no burn marks on the bones, we won’t get caught. Plus, with things like this, demons will come and eat it all before nightfall. No need to worry.”
Is that so?
“Here’s some water.”
“Thanks.”
I grabbed the flask Hayoung handed me and gulped down the water.
“Ah.”
I felt a bit better now.
But then.
“Ahh.”
A bizarre sense of foreboding began to swell within my chest.
Just how many people did I kill today? The leader I fought was one thing, but I executed the bandits who had been rendered helpless by the spells one by one.
It was mass slaughter…!
I’d killed more people than all the previous ones combined! Just look at this array of corpses! Each and every one of these deaths is on me!
A frenzied slaughter!
Killing bandits is natural and righteous, but merely gazing at this sea of corpses feels like blood is seeping into my brain!
“Ugh… Hah, Hahhh…!”
I struggled to breathe.
My vision blurred.
With my sword dropped, I clutched my head in despair.
“Sigh. Hey, get up.”
Hayoung whispered in my ear.
“Get up.”
Following her command, I stood once more. Hayoung, who had been squatting next to me, stood up and brushed off my shoulders.
“You. Are you okay?”
“Ugh… Hoo, yeah. I’m okay. Just tired.”
“You don’t look okay at all.”
That was true.
I couldn’t be okay in this situation.
“…Is no one around?”
Hayoung surveyed the area.
“Yeah. I’ve killed them all.”
“That’s not it. Look at this.”
So abrupt.
ㅡSwoosh.
Hayoung suddenly stripped off her clothes.
“What!”
Her clothing was already minimal as it was. Now exposed, there’s barely a fabric left to the imagination; it all happened in the blink of an eye.
Hayoung was naked in an instant.
Her porcelain skin, breasts that seemed on the verge of bursting. My eyes fixated on her alluring and sensual figure. But right now, something quite astonishing was visible. Talismans were stuck to her key areas.
Three of them.
Two were adorning her breasts, and the last was below her waist.
So she wasn’t completely naked.
“So you were indeed wearing talismans…!”
In that shocking moment.
ㅡWhoosh!
Hayoung embraced me.
“Ah.”
My face sank between her ample bosom. W-What’s happening? Is she hugging me? No, this wasn’t merely a hug; she cradled me as one would a beloved family member.
ㅡGently, gently.
Hayoung embraced me with her chest and stroked my back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. No need to feel sad. You just killed a bunch of bandit scum. It’s alright. If you get upset over something like this, you’ll only be worse off. Why are you acting all shocked?”
Her comforting words were warm.
“I know that.”
“If you want to cry, go ahead. I’ll catch you. Feel free to use my breast for comfort.”
“W-What!”
Flustered!
“Ahhahahaha! Just kidding! I won’t let you! What kind of thoughts are you having?”
“Ah! You!”
“Seems you’re feeling better now?”
With that, Hayoung gently pushed me away. Instantly, I felt overwhelming loss and disappointment. To be cast away from that warm embrace is unbelievable agony.
She pushed me away as soon as I calmed down, how cold of her.
But standing before me was Hayoung, still naked. Wearing nothing but those talismans.
Hayoung didn’t even pretend to put her clothes back on, instead spreading her arms, drawing attention to her breasts playfully.
“Wow! Look at this! My chest is all damp! How long are you going to keep staring? Can you turn your gaze elsewhere!”
“…!”
“Hey? Why is your gaze dropping lower? Turn your head away! What are you looking at?”
The moment she covered her lower talisman with one hand, she swiftly turned away!
“Not only peeping up top, now you want to look below?”
“…That.”
I really couldn’t help it.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Yes?”
“I’m a woman with boundaries. No man has yet been permitted. This is a bit too lascivious for my taste… but since you’re my close friend, I’m trying to comfort you. Got it?”
Her murmuring voice sounded irritated.
“…Thanks, Hayoung.”
I expressed my gratitude while turned away.
“Well, it seems like you’ve truly calmed down. Did you enjoy my chest that much? Enough to stop your tears?”
“Ah, um…”
It was incredibly pleasant.
“That fox-like jade flower didn’t do anything like this for you?”
“Wait, why is Serin suddenly relevant?”
“Did she or did she not? Just tell me.”
She couldn’t and wouldn’t be so casual.
“No, she didn’t.”
“Hmm, then that proves I’m your closer friend! Hahhahahah!”
Hayoung laughed loudly, filled with joy.
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