<353 - Chapter Boss's Reversed World>
They were angry.
It wasn’t the anger towards their own carelessness.
‘After all this time, a ridiculously fun event shows up, and it’s messed up because of this idiot!’
A fainted idiot sprawled on the floor was of no concern.
What mattered was Russo.
Fighting while overworking their life force and mana circuit, risking a dangerous overload.
It was a volatile method, one that could lead to an explosive end and a short life, but that was exactly why it was so crucial.
‘If not now, Russo will never pull this much power again, right?’
Missing this chance might lead to a lifetime of regret.
They were strong.
Surely amazing.
They wanted to fight, both harboring the same thought.
It was absurd.
That wasn’t how a veteran player operated.
An uncharted event leaves behind regrets in one’s heart.
At the same time, it carves in unease.
What if I was in danger?
What if I could have lost?
Unfinished events often return later as a colossal storm.
Chapter Boss Camela was the same.
Now, having gained a dependable ally and significant power compared to other chapters, if they didn’t stomp down without leaving the slightest room for greed, they’d definitely feel the urge to stretch their ambition.
Even doing something bolder than before, with Russo around, it’s okay! There’s always room left for thought like that.
“Who acts like everything’s already over?”
So, they handed over the enhancement potion.
It wasn’t a potion that permanently boosts explosive resistance like the [Dark Matter] that Sing took.
Its boost is significant but only for the duration, while the permanent gains are minimal.
Nevertheless, it was enough to continue the fight.
Clink.
The potion bottle was empty.
Russo accepted the challenge.
“I’m going out. If you bother me again, I’ll teach you a lesson.”
The roommate of the fainted fool was scrambling away. Yet, they seemed to care, so maybe they weren’t as bad after all.
“What will you do?”
“…Just wait outside, Camela.”
“So, I’m a nuisance, huh? Got it…”
As Camela left, bowing her head, she shouted from down the hallway.
“Russo!”
“…?”
“Just don’t die, okay? I’ve got tons of business I want to do with you in the future!”
The expression of the veteran watching this was grotesque.
The bad one was Camela.
Why does she look nice while I look bad?
I’m not exactly evil either.
There’s a saying about giving a disease and a remedy.
I could’ve just given them the illness, but I kindly gave a remedy.
If I gave a remedy, I should also give the illness.
A vaccine is sort of like that!
Or maybe not? Whatever!
*
“Alright. I gave you enough time, didn’t I?”
“I thank you for keeping Camela out of this.”
Russo’s strength burgeoned again.
He must know.
Thanks to squeezing his life, he involuntarily awakened.
To prolong the moment of awakening, he needed to ensure that his skills would improve sharply at the start of his rise to power.
But gaining power wasn’t just about him.
Newness meant the veteran’s source of nourishment.
Series – Dark Magic
Activation – Leap
Specialization – Acceleration
Additional Techniques – Push, Pull
A whip-like kick?
A Wing Cutter unleashing the energy from his leg?
If it doesn’t hit, oh well.
<3rd Tier - Dark Leap>
Launch from the leap point using [Push], and at the destination, pull the body back with [Pull].
Simple, but the reason mages don’t often use such a crude method is simple.
The physical burden is ridiculously high.
Typical mages incur worse damage by using such tricks than getting hit by spells.
But I’m a magic swordsman.
As my strength grows, my body gains enough resilience to handle it on its own.
‘A versatile character that grows without missing either physical or magical combat! A magic unique to magic swordsmen!’
If the first-stage mana slash doesn’t work, then I’ll press down with the speed of the second-stage dark charge slash.
I’ll endure the damage from high-speed movement with the capabilities I’ve trained.
In short, this is my counter to Instructor Russo’s combat style, sacrificing his life, and risking the safety of his mana.
You think you’re the only one who can pull off something like that?
I can use similar techniques too!
Thud.
Russo’s leg, which had taken the slash, no longer bled.
As he fully deployed mana coating, the durability of his leg was no worse than the blade.
From now on, the cost he incurs won’t be life or bleeding.
“Now we’re just getting started. You won’t be saying you’re out of power already, right?”
“Don’t underestimate people. Even if I was the weakest during my second year, I’m definitely not the weakest now.”
Now, with increased durability from the resistance potion, Russo’s output capacity had risen.
If he had seemed like a ticking time bomb before, now he was a splendid firework shooting upwards.
[Russo’s Mana Flow Technique]
[Swift Gale Slash]
In each powerful kick, all strength was exerted, and the body, previously screaming in pain, stilled.
With a body that stops screaming, they balanced their stance and prepared for the next attack sooner.
A body that moves as intended allows Russo to unleash the martial arts that had only been in his imagination until now.
“That’s right, exactly that!”
This guy truly has high potential.
With the speed and trajectory of the dark charge twisted adeptly, he embeds the moves into the trajectory, moving with expansive kicking and pulling.
Even if they can’t follow the whole trajectory with their eyes, they still track it.
He doesn’t have the genius’s intuition, but through an intelligent combat style, he steadily catches up to the genius’s pace within the limits he has.
It’s not the swift strike that’s remarkable.
It’s this guy’s indomitable will that’s impressive.
[Dark Charge]
[Unconventional Triple Charge]
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough.
Following the twist, he executes a kick.
It’s like bamboozling, guiding away the energy that’s being spent, right after which he advances with a different angle and route in the same rhythm.
Like how one can’t prevent an attack while managing a whip, the same goes for a martial artist’s leg.
[Step: Rotational Defense]
[Continuous Roundhouse Kick]
Russo’s response was straightforward.
If I can’t hit once, I’ll keep kicking twice, thrice, without stopping.
No matter when you approach, he’d continually spin his body like a top to counter them.
Such cute thoughts from a newbie.
“What will you do now?”
“!!”
Series – Dark Magic
Activation – Thorn Creation
Specialization – Viscosity
Support Techniques – Adhesion, Enhancement
The legs moving like a top get bound by thorns that sprout from their feet, forcibly halting their movement.
Russo responded quite decisively.
He picked up speed, tearing free from all the entangled thorns.
“Wow! You know the Whirling Spiral!”
Having reached such speed, flames began to ignite on the thorns.
Russo, who’d been on the receiving end, kicked off the ground using the swift strike, rushing forward.
Yet around Russo, paper airplanes he’d pulled from his bag were already flying.
“…?”
Series – Dark Magic
Activation – Magic Missile
Specialization – Explosion
Support Techniques – Guidance, Acceleration
“Here it comes, Chaotic Explosive!”
If I take a hit and lose, then just go ahead and hit me yourself!
The paper airplanes, which had looked like child’s play, suddenly burst with dazzling light, causing Russo to freak out as he turned his body to the ground and kicked them away.
[Defense Technique - Windmill]
Focusing energy into the rotating leg, he utilized the shockwave to disperse the wide area of impact and explosion.
Not a bad tactic.
Though he mixed in some variation to make him disappear into darkness and reappear, he still managed to counter them well.
If he happened to see a warrior while passing through the hallway, all 99 paper airplanes that had been prepared to be thrown without anyone noticing ended up on the ground.
“Hmmm~ I think I can launch a bit more!”
“Hey, wait a minute…”
The senior, panting and out of breath, began to speak, but there was still much left to prepare.
“Here it comes! Chaotic Sword Rains!”
“What are you doing when someone’s legs are tied up?!”
“Playing? I was preparing to fight seriously.”
“Where the heck did those swords even come from?”
“From my bag!”
With heaps of iron swords piled in their bag, they set the swords into the ground, jabbing them down repeatedly.
I’m all set!
Series – Dark Magic
Activation – Electric Generation
Specialization – Synchronization
Support Techniques – Conductive, Protection
<3rd Tier - Electric Trap>
Black electric cords crackle between swords.
A piece of the paper that bounced back from the kick touched the electric cords and immediately caught fire.
It would obviously be harmful if it touched a person!
Enhanced conductivity allows the electric flow and protection boosts the swords’ defense.
I strolled right into the chaos of electric currents flowing between the swords, grinning cheekily.
“Electricity… Can’t touch me?”
“The thing is, this magic doesn’t deal damage when it’s imbued with dark attributes!”
“Do you think I’d step into such a dangerous area?”
“You should! Or else…”
An astounding energy began to concentrate rapidly.
As the force gathered over the solid stone, Russo’s face turned pale.
“You’ll show everything from the rainbow ball to the dark ball at the dodgeball team competition?”
The senior charged with all his might.
Even as the electric force clawed at his muscles, electrocuting him.
Even when he found it overly painful and jumped over the electric cords, connecting new electric lines between the unexpected swords.
As he leaped into the air to evade, the spell launched by his nonchalant left hand hit him, causing him to crash down beneath the electric lines.
After all that effort, he was still moving his legs cautiously to widen the distance again.
He approached diligently and sincerely, like a mob.
“Caught up with you…!”
As the electric stacks accumulated, his body would surely get heavier, yet, he still dashed on, enduring with the tenacity of stacking it up thrice at once.
Although I wish to commend his judgment for avoiding the status effects and incurring greater damage in battle.
“Wow, you’re fast!”
Before even reaching the rainbow ball, the senior was upon him.
“Huff, huff, caught, huff,”
His face, drenched in sweat, bore the grime of battle.
But what I was creating wasn’t a rainbow ball or a dark ball.
“If you’re here, you gotta go again!”
“You little brat,”
“Air Bomb!”
With the shockwave bursting in close range, senior Russo rolled away.
He returned to the starting point of the electric net, still loaded with electrocution stacks.
“Phase 2 pattern of the net! Pretty good, isn’t it?”
“Please, huff, huff, stop…”
“Here, take this!”
As I glanced down at the potion rolling by his foot, the expression of the exhausted senior darkened.
“Eat this and regain your strength!”
“Until when…?”
Right, until when?
“You said you’d last until six, right?”
Looking at the clock, it read 3 AM.
Only 3 hours left.
“Let’s do it for another 3 hours!”
The time was set by the senior!
At my bright shout, Russo’s expression fell apart.
Of course, the play lasted until exactly six o’clock, filled to the brim with excitement.
