<644 – Possibility of Crisis (6)>
Hestia carefully measured the distance to the fallen students and sincerely apologized.
“First of all, I sincerely apologize for intruding on your resting place, senior.”
“An untamed person who has severed all ties to the secular world does not need a new bond of resentment. Do not ask anything and just leave.”
A gold-tier mercenary, Hyeolbiggaek.
At the same time, a woman who intended to sever the ties of bad luck in her life by shedding blood in the path of contract work.
Faced with her generous offer, Hestia rather stiffened her face.
“So you plan to attack the moment we try to leave. Do you have confidence that you can kill us all?”
The students, shocked to learn that an impressive master was set on killing them, froze in place.
Hyeolbiggaek spoke with a consistently sorrowful expression, showing no sign of change.
“The more the rain hits you, the wetter you get. Every moment you stay here is pouring down like rain. If your bodies get wet, it will surely be from your own blood.”
“Wow, that’s badass.”
“Maybe I should memorize that and use it later?”
At a distance of 20 meters, some scholarship students felt no sense of the situation’s seriousness and were giggling.
Slash
Sense of Balance
Reach Out
Suddenly, Hestia swung her axe, but one of the scholarship students, staring blankly at why she was doing that, noticed the rock next to him explode.
“Yikes! A, ambush!”
“I couldn’t even see it…!”
They realized too late that an invisible sound sphere had almost detonated them, but thanks to Hestia, they had survived.
Even if they weren’t masters like Sing or Hestia, they had confidence in their ambush detection, but this attack was so fast and stealthy that they couldn’t react at all.
“Gah…”
Hestia had been ready to react to an attack from the start, but the price of her ambush had been anything but trivial. Blood dripped from Hestia’s hand.
“You lost your balance, or you broke it yourself. Denying the years you’ve built for yourself means your techniques won’t help you.”
“And you, senior, also haven’t you denied your past and retired? Why do you deny the choice to leave the secular world and dirty your hands again?”
The students of the academy were not ordinary students.
They were competent enough to enroll in the world’s best educational institution.
Individual skill, family teachings, organizational support.
You couldn’t easily get in without something exceptional.
They had even endured one year at such an academy and advanced to the next level.
Now was the time when expectations from applicants were at their height.
If they were wiped out now, their backers would never forgive Hyeolbiggaek.
Sponsoring noble families who recognized their extraordinary talents.
Organizations that had honed their powerful swords.
These beings could cause trouble for Hyeolbiggaek across the world, not just in one city.
‘Something doesn’t add up logically. Does this senior really have a reason to kill us while being prepared for that…?’
As Hestia began to suspect that Hyeolbiggaek might have other intentions, her killing intent lightened.
Noticing this, Hyeolbiggaek immediately reached out.
Thwack!
Hestia was knocked back as if hit by a huge hammer, causing the students to realize they couldn’t avoid the fight and rushed in.
Irene, Rosgini, and Sandkooker began to chant, while Titosso and Ppyoi intervened with a light stand and a cursed bikini.
“Tito Beam—!”
Flash!
A brilliance unfathomable to the level of students appeared, causing even the most skilled masters to clench their fists, knowing they couldn’t avoid this.
Titosso’s light stand was a strategy weapon that became more challenging to counter as time went on, so anyone experiencing it for the first time would surely be caught off guard.
A powerful sound sphere flying in without a shape was also swallowed by the blinding white light.
“Don’t delay.”
“I know.”
However, Irene and Rosgini did not stop developing their spells and more sharply formed the magic circle.
Sandkooker, with a lower understanding and realm than the two, realized too late what they were wary of.
“Eek! The flash is coming back!”
Reflect.
As if a mirror had formed in the air, Titosso’s interference targeted the students of the academy and bounced back.
A piece of light.
Just being hit by a fragment blinded Sandkooker and made his head go white, loosening his magic spell.
Wall of Cold
Radiant Burst
Irene’s ice wall blocked the light, and if it weren’t for Rosgini, who overwhelmed the vision in retaliation, the spellcasting would have been canceled immediately!
‘It was great that I majored in modern magic besides ancient casting magic or medieval circle magic. If a spell is interrupted, it doesn’t disappear completely!’
Sandkooker felt relieved that he could restore the flow of magic by simply projecting the correct image of the spell he had developed.
The wizards buying time for themselves finally made Titosso stop firing beams in surprise.
Prill’s Original Development Armor
Southern Sacred City-State Federation Knight Defense Equipment Magic Armor Ver 1.0 Activated
Eradication System Buff Technique
Truffle Pump
Prill, a friend of Titosso and a member of the Arcadia guards, stepped forward to confront the sound spheres targeting Titosso.
The magical armor once used by the Empire’s nobility! Wearing the thinnest golem that can be attached to a human body instead of the taboo golem, I’m invincible now!
Buffing technique infused with the unique spell of truffles, which exist abundantly in the Demon Realm, increasing the power of all beings encountering Prill’s golem! Pure skill may only be at a pawn level, but when it comes to enhanced output, it’s close to a knight-level golem!
The sound sphere aimed at the two city noble ladies couldn’t break through and was blocked by the outer gloves of the magic armor.
“Eek! That really hurts!”
“The shock protection spell was shattered in one hit?!”
However, due to the pinpoint spell destruction targeting the durability of the armored wearer, Prill kneeled.
Just as the three blocking Titosso’s path were in danger, a student wearing impressive armor comparable to magic armor charged forward.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Mob, that idiot…!”
Crash!
Mob saw his special training armor +5 being crushed for the first time.
It was ridiculously heavy, but its defensive power was akin to a fortress; yet the damage was so immense that the automatic healing spell activated at maximum output.
Splash.
The blood trickling from his mouth indicated how immense the impact was.
He realized how incredible Prill’s magic armor was and how valuable the protection spell was.
He even began to resent why Oknodie didn’t inject such good gear into training armor.
There’s no way I could engrave it. If the armor absorbs everything, how would my body grow stronger?
Mob’s shaky legs regained strength.
I won’t bend…!
Crash!
As the incoming shockwave propelled Mob back with his armor, he felt an attack that could knock out his consciousness coming, but he didn’t dodge and stood firm.
Jaku felt his own blood boiling along with Mob’s fighting spirit.
What are you stirring up when I should be retreating? Just hold on. I have to withdraw here.
Jaku chided himself inwardly.
But Mob’s struggle, having been a long-time rival since childhood, ignited Jaku’s spirit, too.
If Mob could do it, how could he retreat here?
Especially since he had even more power than Mob.
Among all the scholarship students who couldn’t use it due to others’ gazes, only he and Oknodie could wield this power.
Dark Mana
Mana Control Technique
In the past, when he first manifested this power, he was hopelessly defeated in front of Oknodie’s overwhelming talent.
However, now that he had the opportunity to receive Oknodie’s teachings directly and indirectly, Jaku could handle Dark Mana without hurting his body or suffering internal organ erosion.
Mana Amplification
Charging
Dark Throwing
As his spirit surged, the black energy materialized at the blade’s tip; he could intercept the carelessly flying soundwaves through the swordsmanship augmented by the surging magic coefficient.
Crack!
The technique was good.
What was lacking was the sword he wielded.
Is even one strike too much?!
If he countered the shockwave, his sword would definitely break.
Unlike Mob, who was wearing armor that had no shock absorption, if Jaku’s sword broke, he would have to endure that attack with his bare body.
That would hurt like hell.
He would be envious to the point of passing out from the pain Mob felt after getting hit less painfully.
But he still wouldn’t back down.
As he regained his posture and prepared to retaliate, Hyeolbiggaek’s hand moved toward him.
Thwang!
Hyeolbiggaek’s finger aimed at the path beyond.
The upper class skill of a deity wouldn’t allow even the approach of Sound Wave Detection, and the moment the shock spell was applied, all the students who had approached within 10 meters faltered.
Hyeolbiggaek launched an area attack on all the students who had approached him.
“Twice is enough.”
Understanding the principle, Jang rushed into the 10-meter zone in an instant.
‘Huh?’
The moment he stepped in, he realized.
All the visible weaknesses had disappeared.
He recognized that his observations had been incorrect in the first place.
Trick
Trap
Structural Design
The reflection technique that had previously blocked Titosso’s high-powered laser was intricately deployed, deceiving Hyeolbiggaek’s strength.
Had he not instinctively displayed the evasive techniques learned from Professor Bronze, he might not have noticed the intangible mana aimed at the trapped girl.
Evade
Continuous Evade
Leap
Double Jump
Forced Jump
Air Evade
Mana Concealment Technique
Ziang, cloaked in shape in the air employing a technique akin to Hyeolbiggaek’s Mana Concealment Technique, had confidence in herself as well.
When the detection wave strikes, I just need to unfold a mana wave like the wave itself. Oknodie’s technique, which I’ve been able to employ since last year, is something I can do now.
Using advanced control techniques to momentarily override an opponent’s awareness and disappear from their perception.
Just as Ziang was feeling proud after perfectly performing the top-notch mana control technique, the second wave flew towards her.
Ziang’s breath strangled as she let the wave slip.
Three layers. Four layers. Five layers.
Following those, the numerous, extremely tightly woven mana waves approached like a musical performance.
After all these adventures, was there truly a master she couldn’t reach, aside from professors at the academy?
Squelch.
She cut through.
A sense of despair threatened to crush her will.
“Don’t space out. If you’ve ‘been out without permission’ with Oknodie, shouldn’t you be able to endure this much?”
The Lonely Eastern Swordsman Sing.
Before the sword he unleashed.
‘When did this man get so strong?!’
Despite so many students banding together to make a gap and opportunity.
Before Irene and Rosgini could unleash their offensive magic, his swift ambush, aiming to finish things, risked this becoming a negligent attack that even allies wouldn’t be able to follow, almost putting them into chaos.
Nevertheless, he completely caught up to her lapse and speed, severing all the waves she was hardly able to respond to.
“Hmph. Ultimately, isn’t it that only I can do this?”
The feeling of gratitude faded in an instant.
Ziang saw it.
Sing had just mocked her surprise.
Having always conducted the best defense against Oknodie, Ziang could sharply sense that Sing was plotting to surpass even Oknodie’s best friend status.
