Somewhere in the west of the continent, a devastated land.
Countless monsters flood over the earth.
The blood they shed taints the soil, and the land gives birth to yet another monster.
A sight that can only be called the hell of humanity.
The users standing against them wield numerous weapons and abilities to fight back.
Each one of them could match or exceed the monsters, but the numbers were the problem.
“This is not good! Just run away!”
“No! It’s a Field Boss difficulty!”
“I’m losing experience! Mages, put up a shield! We need to retreat!”
The guild known as Iron, one of the medium and small guilds, was thrown into panic.
The Iron guild maintains an average level above 70, boasting respectable specs, with the guild master and vice guild master holding ranks within the top 1000.
It’s barely scraping by, but being ‘inside the top 1000’ means they’re among the elite of the countless Deoen users.
It’s not to be underestimated, but the Field Boss they’re challenging, ‘Mother of Blood,’ was stronger than expected.
Typically, Field Bosses naturally spawn when a trigger is activated, albeit with a very low probability.
While it’s a lower tier compared to World Bosses, a high-level party is needed to successfully raid it, requiring several rankers.
The Iron guild does have two rankers included, and its guild members are pretty strong, but…
“This can’t be cleared!”
There’s simply no answer.
They can’t even break through the numerous monsters guarding her, let alone the Field Boss itself.
The monsters are easy prey for low-ranked guild members, but the sheer number is overwhelming.
Even though users are immortal and can resurrect, they’re still human.
Given their racial traits, if stamina and health keep depleting, they’ll inevitably be overwhelmed.
The guild master of Iron clenched his teeth and quickly retreated.
How much had they spent on supplies for this raid, and how deep were the connections they had built with the ‘Milea’ kingdom in the west of the Empire through the ‘World Quest’?
This Field Boss was also a request from the Milea kingdom.
If they fail to clear it, their credibility with the royal family will plummet, but right now, it’s time to retreat.
“It’s better than dying and losing scenery!”
How far had they gone?
Just as the Iron guild members managed to catch their breath.
─”Where do you think you’re running, trampling my land?”
The truth resonating through the earth trapped everyone’s feet.
It wasn’t a ‘horse’ that bound them.
“Damn it!”
Blood.
The blood that rose from the ground gripped the ankles of all the guild members.
The ranker and the vice guild master managed to break free with some effort, but the problem was the guild members.
The guild members, exhausted, were at a loss for what to do.
I don’t know how to drink.
I’m screwed.
“Guild Master! What do we do?!”
“This is why I said we should recruit a light attribute user!!!”
“What does it matter to say that now! It’s not like they grow on trees!”
Users with light attributes, which are opposite to darkness, are extremely rare.
Those who have them are mostly the archangels of the Angel Guild or people with special hidden pieces, or those who have gone through job promotions.
It’s practically impossible with a ‘normal’ job.
The monsters were right up close.
There was no time to release the guild members one by one, and above all, both myself and the guild master were exhausted.
‘Is this the end…’
Just as the guild master yelled “Screwed Game!” trying to take down one more monster to minimize experience loss—
“I see something fun in just a week.”
With a familiar voice, someone dashed behind us.
No, it was almost like she flew it was so fast.
Before I even had time to turn around, a golden flash erupted.
The monsters in front were torn apart in an instant, and an overwhelmingly huge golden wave surged behind the Iron Guild.
Someone spoke.
“C-Choco!”
“Chuka Chip?!”
“Really?!”
It was true.
With golden hair and eyes radiating golden light.
And holding a golden spear, she nonchalantly flicked her spear.
“I don’t know which guild this is, but can I take them all down?”
“Uh? Yes, yes!”
Of course, we accepted.
Choco. If we’re talking about Chota Choka Chuka Chip, she is currently a main member of the DCK’s top three and is ranked 4th in the rank wars—a high ranker.
Even I, as a ranker, wouldn’t dare to challenge her.
Although the field boss reward would only be a pittance, I was thankful that we wouldn’t die and the quest would still be completed.
The guild members repeatedly bowed their heads, but the very subject—Chuka Chip—was still lazily staring past the many monsters at the field boss.
The field boss, emanating an even fiercer energy, seemed angry at having killed her children.
‘…Far weaker than that clone.’
She raised her spear.
The golden mana surged.
■
After listening to Lily’s lecture, I entered solitary training.
Though, it wasn’t really solitary training.
I just entered a room filled with mana stones, lived comfortably, and kept trying to handle mana.
I left plenty of food and continued experimenting, going back and forth between many pieces of equipment and several alternate characters and my main character.
It turned out that the ones who resonated best with mana were the ‘Candy Star’ who first awakened mana and my main character ‘Chota Choka Chuka Chip.’
Among them, Candy Star was the best, but Chuka Chip stubbornly denied it.
Chuka Chip vehemently denied it.
No matter how much she wanted to win, becoming Candy Star was just not it.
She didn’t want to go through that transformation circus again.
Sure, she might have done it when she was younger, but this was just ridiculous.
Even now, she couldn’t believe she ever blurted that out in her right mind.
“Perfect!”
Success.
On the third day of her seclusion training, she completed the homework Lily assigned her.
Successfully, mana condensed into a stone, glowing, and the mana was then transferred back to the stick.
Isn’t this perfect?
“……”
She used to think that way.
Until she witnessed Lily fighting her clone, who had become the World Boss.
■
‘Not enough.’
Still miles away from being sufficient.
─How dare! A pathetic human like you!
The Power of Blood strengthens the monsters.
As they rose from the earth, stronger monsters appeared as they got closer to the boss, overwhelming even level 80 users.
Pashuk.
─…!
But what does that matter?
“Just die already.”
Right now, she had confidence in beating any boss or whatever.
From the dual spears, two golden flashes shot out. The flashes pierced through seven monsters and nailed the Field Boss’s neck.
Simultaneously, two explosions of light erupted.
The Mother of Blood attempted to regenerate again, but the explosions didn’t stop at two; they triggered a chain reaction.
One of the skills from the third job change, ‘Dual Spear Technique – Golden Burst.’
A technique that unleashes the ‘power’ contained within the spear, originally creating only two explosions.
But Chuka Chip moved the exploding mana back and forth like transferring it to the stone, increasing the count multiple times.
For someone who had only been handling mana skillfully for just a little over ten days, that was quite an impressive application.
If Lily had seen this scene, she would have praised her for her talent.
“Haah… Haah… Damn, the consumption…”
But it wasn’t perfect.
Though it was a technique she barely managed to integrate, the explosive power was laughable compared to the first and second explosions, with a consumption rate more than five times the base value.
It was a showy skill, demonstrating what she could accomplish rather than being efficient.
Already far away from the Iron Guild, no one was watching anymore, but having proven herself in her first real battle after seclusion training, she used it that way.
Exhausted, she completely collapsed and gasped for breath.
‘… How does Lily use something like this?’
Lily had pushed herself to the limit against the Copycat, gathering her strength to unleash a technique.
That technique was on a completely different level from anything seen before.
“A spear that could erase everything.”
Even though it was only through the screen, Chuka Chip felt for the first time that she was witnessing an unreachable realm.
She looked at the hand that held the spear.
Could she really reach that level?
Suddenly, a laugh escaped her.
“Of course. I’ll win and then some.”
If she quickly mastered this and caught up with that technique, it would be fine.
She felt confident.
“For that purpose…”
■
Finally, the much-anticipated third period.
In a lecture hall that had become quite crowded, Chuka Chip entered in the body of ‘Candy Star.’
At the front was Leo, and in the seat beside him was Yena, diligently writing something while holding her shining stick.
In the back… who was it again?
“Berry… Ad? That strange dark mage.”
And there were about three unfamiliar people in the center.
One was the mage ‘Redberry’ from Lily’s team in the mock Siege War.
The other two looked like they knew each other, sitting side by side and chatting amongst themselves.
“Looks like it’s all three of us this time.”
“Candy Star! Long time no see!”
Yena waved her hand excitedly.
By the way, Chuka Chip, the original character of Candy Star, was on the same mock Siege War team as Yena.
Though they weren’t very close, they had become somewhat friendly during scrims.
“It wouldn’t be good to act familiar in this body right now.”
“Yes. It’s been a while.”
“Eh.”
As soon as Candy Star, aka Chuka Chip, sat back down, Yena wore an awkward expression and returned to her seat.
With that, Yena probably wouldn’t talk to her anymore.
She quietly sat and observed Leo.
The user displaying the most impressive talent among them.
While many considered the top rankers to be exceptional, the true standout was different.
A being capable of waging war against small kingdoms single-handedly.
The only user granted a title by the ‘Empire.’
The strongest, excluding the Sword Saint.
“…I’m the best.”
She wouldn’t lose.
For that, she decided to endure this humiliation once again.
Creek.
Lily entered.
“It’s been a week, students.”
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