Maeng Seong-yong was still imposing with his upper body fully exposed, towering over 2 meters tall, just like last time.
His impressive bald head sparkled under the arena lights, making me wonder if the angle of the lighting was intentionally set to obstruct visibility.
“Hahahaha─! It’s been a while─ or rather, it can’t even be called that! What a quick return! Isn’t this a record, Assistant Ha?”
– “It is indeed a new record, Manager. But please take this test seriously; it’s a matter of someone’s life.”
“Hahahah─! If I take this seriously, there won’t be an arena left, you know!”
– ……
From just a few exchanges, it was clear that Assistant Ha’s work life wasn’t easy. He had a rough time last time too, and the relationship seemed unchanged.
“I have a lot of things I’d like to say. For now, let’s greet each other in person. Up close and personal.”
– “Please refrain from making such comments to the female hunters. What kind of world are we living in these days…”
“In this situation, all you can do is dampen the excitement! Your leave request for Friday? Denied! Denied!”
– “…… Huh? How can that even happen!”
‘…… Is the association a black company?’
Maeng Seong-yong had been huffing and stretching since we entered the arena, and as soon as Assistant Ha’s shout ended, he charged at us.
Boom─!
The ground he took off from caved in, creating a small crater.
“Come out!”
Yeon-hee, who had had fun with provocations last time, went on the offensive first.
– “Kiyaaaaak!!”
– “Zzzzzt!!”
Always silently fulfilling their roles were Dotted One and Ddak-ddak-i.
Their skills activated, and as I sharpened my senses to detect the change in Maeng Seong-yong influenced by the provocations, it became clear that he was not flustered at all.
He pulled something from his ear and waved it towards us.
“Hahaha!! Someone used this during the Gu Chang-ro dungeon break! I don’t know who thought of it, but it’s quite useful. Hahaha!”
‘Those are earplugs made from earth puppy fur…’
I had originally spread that idea based on my future knowledge, and to have it used against me didn’t feel great.
“Get out, Wang-gwi!!”
Yeon-hee summoned the newly joined summoned creatures all at once.
As I looked at the dire wolf being summoned, I thought, ‘We need to clarify the purpose of this test.’
On our way to the association, we had discussed many things.
In fact, our promotion was a given, so we were pondering what we could actually gain from this test.
‘First, checking the abilities of the new summoned creatures and how they synergize with the existing ones.’
It was also important to see if Yeon-hee could manage the drastically increased number of summoned creatures.
Yeon-hee mentioned feeling a tickling sensation lately, saying she felt she was on the verge of something great.
I knew that sensation was a precursor to a moment of enlightenment, so I intentionally didn’t say anything.
If I could push Maeng Seong-yong hard enough to draw out even a bit of his true skill, it would serve as a great opportunity to awaken Yeon-hee.
“Roar──!!”
“Argh──!!”
At Yeon-hee’s shout, the two dire wolves, Wang-gwi, began to sprint, stretching out to either side, while the Were Raven, Black Bird, and Harpy II spread out, soaring high into the sky and unleashing a barrage of sharp feathers like needles to keep Maeng Seong-yong at bay.
Ting ting ting─!
However, Maeng Seong-yong seemed unfazed, as if his muscles in his eyes were taut, not blinking even once as he took the feather attacks head-on.
Moreover, he showed no signs of being shaken even after taking the Were Raven’s debuff attack, the whirlwind.
“…… The newcomers.”
Yeon-hee looked slightly flustered as the outcome she had hoped for did not materialize.
‘The opponent’s just too strong. If he were an A-rank dealer, the situation would have been different.’
The gap between C-rank summons and an A-rank tanker was clear.
‘Still, he shouldn’t be this unfazed. How high is his resistance? It doesn’t look like he’s even wearing an artifact.’
Typically, warriors are vulnerable to mental-type attacks, so perhaps this monster was an exception.
And even that was only 70% of his full power; he was potentially more difficult to deal with than the “Residue of Chaos.”
Maeng Seong-yong flexed his muscular chest and displayed an incongruous grin with his bright white teeth.
‘He’s definitely become sturdier in the meantime.’
If last time felt like just playing around with the kids, this time was far closer to his true mode, so I had to take comfort in that.
“Sword Dragon!!”
As Shadow Drake was summoned, I dashed at Maeng Seong-yong.
‘Buy me some time here.’
Since it would take Yeon-hee a moment to combine the Lizardmen, I needed to draw his attention.
The moment I sprang off the ground, light shone from the horns sprouting on the two dire wolves.
Crackle──!
“Wow!! The composition of your summons has become quite varied! Good! Very good!”
Even after taking the dire wolf’s powerful lightning strike, all Maeng Seong-yong had was a little smoke rising from his body.
Clang─!
Seizing the opportunity, he effortlessly blocked my attack with the knuckle he wore.
‘Have you ever seen a monster do this? Blocking a great sword with a knuckle?’
For someone of the same rank, that’s a sure-fire way to lose a finger or two.
But Maeng Seong-yong didn’t expect that activating the [Chain of Flame] along with my stab would briefly pin him down with that binding spell.
In that moment, the massive energy tinged with darkness from the mouth of the soaring Sword Dragon exploded over Maeng Seong-yong.
Kwoooong──!
“Ugh!!”
‘Is that a breath skill? Impressive…’
It was an incredibly destructive attack that managed to penetrate Maeng Seong-yong’s robust defense, drawing blood.
‘That must be the Sword Dragon’s ultimate move, huh? Even so, he’s got some combat sense.’
Dragging out time against such a strong opponent was foolish.
When an opportunity arose, it was crucial to unleash the strongest attack without holding back, something the Sword Dragon already understood.
[Special Strong Acid]
Splash─!
“Huh?!”
The moment Maeng Seong-yong raised his arm to protect himself from the Drake’s attack with a cross guard, I poured the strong acid I’d been using lately over him, and it quickly began to eat into a handful of flesh on his shoulder.
“Whoa- Hahaha! This, this! What a find!! An attack that pierces through my defense at the same time?!”
‘… This guy is insane.’
Even when a chunk of his shoulder was melting away, he laughed boisterously, sending chills down my spine.
Fwoosh──!
‘He’s gone-‘
[Phantom Dash]
[Lightning Step]
Zing─!
Was his laid-back act just a facade? Without notice, he had vanished from my sight and delivered a massive punch to me.
I hurriedly raised my guard and activated my movement skill to deflect the blow, but—
Swoosh──
Flames erupted from the ground as I slid uncontrollably.
In a single strike, all the armor that had fused with my arm exploded, revealing my bones, leaving a massive fist imprint at the center of the flame armor, but I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Hehe… Last time, that one punch shattered my skull.’
But this time, I did take damage enough to sap my health, yet I somehow managed to hold on!
“Whoa- Looking at the flow of mana, it’s that skeleton that left that weird mark along with that fireball before, isn’t it? What happened between that time and now that allowed you to withstand my attack? Is it because of that armor? Where did you get it from? What’s the material? Which workshop made this equipment?”
Maeng Seong-yong, who had been laughing heartily, now appeared to be growing a bit serious, as he seemed eager to attribute his inability to break through my defenses to gear alone.
Zzzzzt─
He tilted his head, glancing at his shoulder, which was still melting.
“Getting hit with strong acid makes natural recovery tough, huh? And on top of that, a sticky quality… Who the hell are you?”
He completely chopped off the part of his shoulder that had been affected by the acid and threw it far away.
‘Crazy… He cut off his own shoulder? He must have a way to recover it.’
As I slipped back into [Stealth] and moved to another spot, he followed me, commenting on my direction.
“Wait a second, that [Chain of Flame] and the two movement skills you used, right? How many skills do you even have, you monstrous creature!! Hahahaha!!”
As Maeng Seong-yong laughed uncontrollably, he taunted us again with a flick of his finger.
“Show me more. Any abilities you use during this promotion test won’t be counted in the records. So, show me your very best.”
Maeng Seong-yong thumped his chest with his fist, reminding us that our fight was merely a test.
‘Aha, Mr. There’s no way those records will just disappear…’
I wonder if he thought of me as a naive entry-level worker, spouting nonsense.
But interpreting that he meant the records could be reviewed only by certain people was somewhat understandable.
“Number 1, show us something!”
At my nod, Yeon-hee released the summoned creatures she had prepared.
*Boom──! Clash──!*
“Hoho- It’s the big guy who’s been growing larger since earlier. You can’t be… combining your summons?!”
In that instant, Maeng Seong-yong felt a chill run down his spine and was struck by a thrill he hadn’t felt in a while.
‘What kind of combat power does this soon-to-be C-rank hunter possess?’
While he highly evaluated Yeon-hee’s potential, he also deemed it a favorable ability against multiple enemies.
But seeing the combat during today’s match, it was an all-rounder capability.
‘Especially that skeleton’s a problem. It’s always hovering around my movement path, restricting my actions. Plus, it’s quite clever about retreating whenever it goes for an attack. Is its agility particularly high?’
He was contemplating the summoned creatures surrounding him when he noticed shadows looming over him and looked up.
It was a rare experience for Maeng Seong-yong, who had to tilt his head way back to see the opponent’s face looming above him.
Soon, a gigantic monster with the head of a Lizardman slammed its fist onto his guard.
Boom────!
“Wow-! This is quite a thrill!!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With combined punches and tails from Lizardman 1, Maeng Seong-yong was cornered under the barrage.
And then—
[Flame Cut]
Slash──!
“Ack! You bastard!”
‘Did you really think I would fight honorably one-on-one?’
As my flame cut found a gap, a mark appeared on Maeng Seong-yong’s shoulder.
And surprisingly, there was not just one mark.
‘Huh? Two? Could it be that the one I hit during the last test is still there?!’
If so, it meant that the Flame Mark was almost permanently imprinted on the enemy, which was a truly special ability.
There are many overlapping skills in the world, but those usually disappear after a certain time. I couldn’t help but be astonished.
‘I was half in doubt when I got this ability early on, but it might just rival the skills of early awakened ones.’
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