I rarely felt a sense of threat when it came to the element of water.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve encountered it so often; the water we deal with in everyday life isn’t threatening at all.
Drinking it to quench my thirst or splashing some on my head when I feel grimy doesn’t feel intimidating.
Because of that, the element of water never struck me as particularly menacing. I hardly took caution around something I consume daily.
But I know in my head.
Among the phenomena made of water, there are indeed things that could take a person’s life.
‘No.’
Sticky water clinging to my skin. Murky air.
The violent waves of water bursting forth from the ground where power and uniqueness erupted.
The spacious stage is getting painted black and blue.
Shadows cover the ground, darkening the space.
A massive wave sweeps the floor, and gradually the stage starts to be submerged around Baek Ahrin.
The water keeps pouring in. The enormous stage, large enough to fit several soccer fields, is slowly turning blue.
‘Tch…’
I internally screamed standing before him.
‘How cheap…!’
It was cheap. It was also cowardly. That’s the feeling I had.
Right before the duel began, he distracted my nerves with strange words, and the moment it started, he launched a surprise attack.
As if that wasn’t enough, before I could even steady my posture, he unleashed his expansion ability.
An astonishing development in many ways.
Even as I trembled with a strange sense of betrayal, I couldn’t deny the fact that this was something Baek Ahrin would do.
On the surface, she appears soft and lively, but underneath lies a cold and resolute duality.
– Whoosh!
Though it was bewildering, the sound of water still rang fiercely in my ears.
As I perceived the blue lines crossing my observation range, I slammed my feet down.
The place I had just been was pierced by a stream of water. Dodging the swirling blue line, I moved my body.
– Swish!
The blue stream streaked across the floor, cutting through the walls in a straight line.
Bang! A vibration like a hammer striking my eardrum… followed by a loud slicing sound and explosion that made my lips twitch.
The floor and walls of the stage were solid. A few layers of defensive magic coated with a guaranteed durable material reinforced it.
Cold sweat trickled down my face as I witnessed the clear slicing trace from the floor to the wall.
The water stream… was nothing like what comes out of a showerhead. It’s on a different level altogether.
It compares to a hydraulic cutting machine. In reality, its power is far more intense than that.
Seeing me evade, Baek Ahrin whistled and waved her hand.
According to her gestures, droplets of water rose into the air.
A water droplet the size of a person’s head bubbled and then—whoosh!—shot out a fierce stream of water.
‘Tch.’
I bit my tongue while raising my magic power.
Magic surged through my body, and the energy encasing me formed a protective aura.
Boom! I dove under the incoming stream of water. The tips of my hair brushed against it as I deflected the stream forward.
I dodged one water stream.
A gigantic droplet rose behind Baek Ahrin.
And it wasn’t just one. There were at least a dozen droplets, each poised to unleash as many streams.
Not just in a straight line. The streams whipped around in a snakelike manner, slashing through the stage.
Three water streams followed in quick succession. More followed behind.
Faced with the menacing cutting streams, I dashed with no hesitation.
‘Power of Observation.’
I don’t perceive the world through my eyes. I gather and analyze information from my surroundings and act according to that.
I observed the trajectory of the water streams. Predicting how they would change in front of me, I calculated my next move based on the gathered information.
This was quite familiar.
I moved as calculated. My matured body obeyed beautifully. I twisted and crouched, letting the stream barely pass by me.
Trajectories I couldn’t evade thickened around my protective aura.
The output of the water stream was undoubtedly impressive, but it wasn’t powerful enough to pierce through my defenses.
The ground shook beneath me.
The distance closed in.
‘Floor.’
I didn’t let my guard down for a second. I cautiously watched the ground… or rather, the increasingly submerged stage.
Attribute-based unique abilities are greatly affected by the environment.
In spaces filled with dense energy of each attribute, those abilities gain greater power, while those contrary to the attribute weaken.
Expansion ability.
Tsunami (海溢).
Focusing on seizing the environment; that’s the Changhae Clan’s expansion ability.
Even where the spear struck the ground, vast amounts of water were gushing up.
It didn’t matter what attribute or not; the surrounding was gradually being soaked by an adequate magic concentration.
As time passed, the environment increasingly favored Baek Ahrin.
I had no techniques capable of changing this environment entirely.
‘Approach.’
However, it hadn’t been long since the expansion ability was unleashed.
It wasn’t in full bloom yet. It was still at a manageable level.
In other words, now was the best time to launch an offensive.
With that thought, I approached, minding the water spread across the ground.
With Baek Ahrin’s level of attribute control, the water paths beneath me might rise as countless sharp spikes.
‘……?’
For some reason, the ground did not rise. Baek Ahrin allowed me to approach with a peculiar smile.
The distance shrank. For a moment, I set aside my questions, clenched my fists tightly, and pulled back.
Boom! Magic wrapped around my fist. The powerful force of the aura surged more fiercely than before.
In front of Baek Ahrin, she too pulled back one arm.
Water magic formed into an aura that covered her arm. It was identical.
And then.
The aura twisted like a snake, coiling from her elbow down to her wrists.
‘?’
A brilliant blue aura reminiscent of clear seawater and sky wrapped around her elbow, forearm, and wrist in sequence.
She thrust her palm forward as my fist and palm collided.
“First Phase.”
With a whispered incantation, the coiling aura shot forth as if swept along by a torrent.
Bang!
The raging waters collided with my fist. The pressure transmitted from her hand was anything but ordinary. My arm buckled.
The pressure grew stronger. The relentless current whirled and pushed back my fist.
The aura was shredded. I could withstand it, but couldn’t push back.
Judging the situation, I twisted and withdrew.
Boom! With an explosion, I shot upwards. I yielded to that force and was flung off at an angle.
My arm, which had been overwhelmed in the struggle, cried out in fatigue.
Bang! The place where I had stood was long caught in the whirlpool. The ever-churning swirl finally stopped upon crashing against the wall of the stage.
The whirlpool lost its shape and washed over everything it had been composed of.
‘Whirlpool Flowing Palm (渦流水渾掌).’
In the original work, this is a technique used by a few members of the Changhae Clan, including Baek Ahrin.
It was a martial art designed to utilize the support and healing nature of water magic in combat.
I knew that. I had confirmed that Baek Ahrin could use it while also robbing from the Changhae Clan in the game.
‘Is there a reason for this?’
But I found it puzzling. The slight unease I felt from the very beginning of the fight grew.
It wasn’t unusual for Baek Ahrin to use this, but I didn’t understand the necessity behind it.
Whirlpool Flowing Palm. For a member of the Changhae Clan skilled in water magic, it’s an incredibly useful technique.
But… Baek Ahrin, who is specialized not only in water magic but also in ice, seems to have little reason to use this.
It had been similar earlier. Although it was chilly, I couldn’t fathom why she had chosen to initiate with high-pressure water.
Moreover, I was baffled by her allowing my approach and then responding with Whirlpool Flowing Palm.
Had she chosen to initiate using ice, she could have been even more threatening…
‘I don’t get it.’
Is leading with an attack using water magic advantageous in combat? After all, Baek Ahrin in the original work did not conduct battles in such a manner.
What was her intent? Still, standing around dumbly wasn’t an option.
– Hoo…
I let out a heavy breath and inhaled the damp outside air.
It felt moist. The amount of water magic permeated the area was unmistakably evident.
‘Sigh…’
The ground, since a spear had lodged there, seemed to pulse with an unending flow of water, leaving much of the stage submerged.
Even in this distance, the water was still creeping forward.
The spread was faster than expected. At this rate, it won’t be long before not just my ankles but my entire body is submerged.
Also, should the water that accumulates be utilized for an attack or frozen and hurled at me, that would become quite troublesome.
It creates an environment favorable for the opponent unless I control the same water magic.
‘Then…’
Having confirmed that much, I tapped my core.
I extracted a considerable amount of magic and dispersed it throughout my body.
It didn’t contribute to my strength; I merely spread the magic throughout.
In the meantime, Baek Ahrin merely observed me from a distance.
Her lips curled into a subtle smile, and her peculiar actions from earlier just added to the mystery.
I found it hard to decipher her motives.
‘Expansion ability.’
I clicked my tongue and manipulated my magic.
‘Homogenization.’
Unconsciously imitating Gop-hwa in the Tower of Growth, I also imitated Changhae and Baekya in Shipnahah.
After being discharged, I returned to Shio-ram and went through various trials to understand it better.
There, I understood that I couldn’t just imitate Gop-hwa, Changhae, and Baekya; there was more to it.
Thump! My heart thumped. The subtle uniqueness that expanded from my core wrapped around my body.
It transformed. What I imitated could overlap.
The magic that filled my insides surged. The aura swirling around my body also quivered.
For a brief moment, it wobbled unstably like a flame before reestablishing a clearer blue sheen.
– Splash!
The sound of water echoed. The advancing waves swelled to this spot, rising to cover my ankles.
And then.
The aura, now infused with a brighter hue of blue… ‘Water Magic’ consumed the water.
While it didn’t offer substantial help, my aura subtly inflated.
“……”
– Drip, drip, drip.
Droplets fell from the tips of my hair.
Expansion ability, homogenization.
‘Water Stream (水流).’
Imitating Changhae, my movements felt too obvious. The aftermath of that might be overwhelming.
However, there was no reason I couldn’t wield water itself.
Simply manipulating magic should allow me to handle water magic.
I could handle water stream magic, attribute arts, and water spirits.
‘If we’re not using the same type of water magic, it’s an advantageous environment for them.’
Then all I had to do was wield the same water magic.
Controlling my breathing, I stomped the ground with fierce determination.
Baek Ahrin, who seemed astonished, tightened her arm once again. The water stream still gravitated around it as before.
Simultaneously, multiple water orbs emerged behind her, preparing to fire a series of fierce streams.
Whirlpool Flowing Palm.
And the droplets floating behind her were something I remembered as Water Mirror Sphere (水鏡球).
I dodged the streams shooting and whipping around.
This time, a stream also shot forth from the ground without going through the water spheres.
Thanks to my power of observation, I easily grasped the oncoming movements. My body moved smoothly. Evading was simple.
– Whoosh!
Though some grazed me and hit, it seemed less damaging than before since they were formed from water magic.
I dodged and responded to the chaotic onslaught of water magic while closing the distance.
The distance narrowed considerably. A similar situation unfolded.
Like before, I pulled my arm back.
I manipulated my magic. It felt the same.
The aura swelled. It was identical.
And…
Boom! The aura enveloping my arm writhed. Soon, it twisted, coiling from my elbow like a snake.
‘Whirlpool Flowing Palm.’
I thrust my palm forward. The two whirlpools collided and swirled against each other.
– Bang!
The powerful current and whirlpool intertwined chaotically. Though I resisted, naturally, I was pushed back.
I twisted my wrist. Just before my whirlpool got swept aside, I altered its trajectory.
Baek Ahrin’s whirlpool brushed right by me.
My posture wavered.
In that moment, Baek Ahrin’s water spheres shot out streams.
The number: six. I calculated my movements based on the information I observed.
Three I evaded. Two grazed with my aura.
The final stream rushed toward my forehead.
I didn’t budge an inch.
Just before the last stream struck my forehead.
– Bang!
Shot forth from behind me, I was knocked out of mid-air. Numerous droplets splattered against my face.
A water orb rose behind me, slightly smaller than a person’s head.
Whirlpool Flowing Palm and Water Mirror Sphere.
Even if it wasn’t solely the Changhae Clan, the methods could still be replicated.
Lacking practice? Honestly, how many times had I been less skilled than I am now?
And for that reason, I’d rather charge in and learn than retreat here.
Right in front of me was the perfect teacher who could instruct on water and ice magic.
The one to take on that teacher’s role, Baek Ahrin…
– Grin.
She flashed a smile far more profound than before.
Nodding as if satisfied, she manipulated water magic once again.
The fluid resembling a snake wrapped around her arm, while the floating water spheres trembled, ready to attack.
Moreover, the water filling the ground resonated, throbbing.
It seemed she intended to fully utilize the properly laid water.
The operation of Changhae’s magic… or rather, the quick and precise control of elemental magic was impressive to behold.
‘……’
But for some reason.
To me, watching her… it felt as if she was saying, “Observe and learn.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
