In an instant, numerous thoughts crossed my mind.
‘It lasts permanently…’
The first thing that popped up was the stealth users.
‘A few come to mind… Should I leave marks in advance?’
If I do that, it could make responding to stealth easier should anything happen later. The marks would be clearly visible to me.
‘It would be fine to drag out a long battle when facing a powerful enemy.’
I just have to carve 25 marks somehow while striking and retreating.
If I borrow the power of the Sword Dragon, and if Yeon-hee can keep it maintained, it should be entirely possible.
‘It would also be an option to mark those who might turn into villains in advance.’
Of course, I must burst them before they commit any evil deeds, so continuous vigilance on those guys will be necessary. I can find a way to keep watch later with an artifact I’ll acquire.
‘Like Cha Jin-hyuk, the future can change. If I notice signs of anyone becoming a villain later, I’ll just burst them.’
Crushing those that have grown as a bonus would help me gain experience points, too.
However, judging by Maeng Seong-yong’s reaction, it seems the mark becomes visible to the one who is marked too. If he’s cautious enough, there’s also the chance he might just fade deeper into the shadows.
‘I need to think carefully.’
As I stared blankly at the three marks on Maeng Seong-yong, I suddenly became curious about what would happen if I unleashed a [Flame Explosion] on him while overlapping all five today.
‘The promotion test is not the problem. Isn’t that scenario something I should turn my back on with the association? But they did say to give it my all.’
Whoosh—Boom!
I snapped out of my musings due to the thunderous noise of Lizardman No. 1 crashing through the wall of the testing ground.
No matter how strong Lizardman No. 1 had become, there was no way he could hold his own against Maeng Seong-yong one-on-one.
Still, it was commendable that he managed to corner Maeng Seong-yong even for a brief moment.
Before long, nearly all the summoned creatures that had been called forth followed the same path as No. 1.
Even the Sword Dragon was frantically dodging, sticking close to the ceiling of the testing area.
‘Looks like the Sword Dragon has a sneakier combat style than I thought.’
In my eyes, that was the highest praise.
And Maeng Seong-yong seemed determined not to be outdone by me anymore, keeping a wary eye on me while dealing with the other creatures.
“Phew—no matter how many I kill, they just keep getting summoned. It’s practically a zombie horde.”
Maeng Seong-yong seemed to think he was getting a handle on things again, taunting us.
“This is great! Come at me all at once, you pests! Don’t just peck at me! Hahaha!”
“P-pests…”
That seemed to provoke Yeon-hee, who gathered all the magic power she had and unleashed a storm of summons.
More than forty summoned creatures appeared at once, surrounding her, which seemed to surprise even Maeng Seong-yong, who stood there with his mouth agape.
“Wow— I can summon additional creatures on top of the preset ones?”
And to better control the summoned creatures, Yeon-hee closed her eyes, shutting out other senses, and at that moment, the gazes of the summoned creatures sharpened.
It was an aura I had never seen from the summoned creatures before, and Yeon-hee’s will was clearly conveyed to me.
And astonishingly enough.
‘My vision… has widened?’
[King’s Ear supports until No. 1 arrives… Orc Squad, just hold them off as much as possible… They’re coming from the left! Sword Dragon, don’t hold back on physical attacks, waiting for a big technique! Chehwa! Don’t push it, just aim for the lower body! The enemy has leaped into the air—]
Unlike usual, Yeon-hee’s commands erupted in rapid succession.
It felt like a mysterious imprint was engraved in my mind in a split second.
In tandem, the movements of the summoned creatures also became noticeably smoother. Thanks to this, the number of summoned creatures getting hit by Maeng Seong-yong’s attacks gradually decreased.
‘Right. I’m receiving Yeon-hee’s shared vision. This is really incredible!’
It felt as if a tiny screen from a different angle had been added to my normal sight.
Yeon-hee was sensing Maeng Seong-yong’s movements and relaying them, taking over for the summoned creatures that had lost their focus.
And next to Yeon-hee stood the Shadow Drake and Lizardman No. 1, now just out of the wall, standing firm to protect her.
‘Surviving after being hit by Maeng Seong-yong. Truly the stamina king, No. 1.’
“Hmm?! This is getting faster—!”
Maeng Seong-yong appeared even more flustered now than when I attacked him, struggling to parry the incoming blows.
‘Awakening… perhaps?’
Yeon-hee’s body even began to float slightly above the ground, and her murmurs faded as she started to freely control dozens of threads of magic like an orchestra conductor.
I thought the moment of enlightenment was nearing, but I never expected it to happen like this. Of course, that was what I was hoping for.
Even though Maeng Seong-yong was fierce, he wasn’t out to harm us.
Yeon-hee was just in the middle of adapting to her newly granted abilities.
‘The storm of summons… it’s almost like a new skill manifesting.’
Yeon-hee was showcasing the technique of controlling the movements of the summoned creatures while simultaneously re-summoning them.
‘Wow… Is she using multiple brains or something?’
Two days ago, the figure of the leader of ‘Do,’ who had manifested hundreds of blades of magic towards Kang Yeon-su, suddenly came to mind. But that was an intangible object, and Yeon-hee was handling living creatures. It was an undesired comparison.
In just two months, Yeon-hee had consistently improved, and now she was entering the realm of enlightenment, making a step up.
The summoned creatures, now with purple eyes like Yeon-hee’s, closed in on Maeng Seong-yong like a meticulously woven net.
And next to Yeon-hee, the Shadow Drake, which had been firing black spheres occasionally, gulped again.
“Hmm?!”
The Sword Dragon unleashed another terrifying stream of black magic toward Maeng Seong-yong like a waterfall.
Crack!
“Where do you think you’re going!!”
But this time, it seemed Maeng Seong-yong had no intention of taking the hit; he charged straight into the swarm of summoned creatures.
Thud—Thud!
The summoned creatures had no intention of letting the intruder through their formation, pummeling him mercilessly.
Their enhanced attacking power was indeed daunting to witness, but it still didn’t inflict any meaningful damage on Maeng Seong-yong.
Yet, as evidenced by his tightly pursed lips, he was in a tough spot.
Just because there was no visible damage didn’t mean that he didn’t feel the shock. Getting hit from all sides could leave anyone dazed.
‘Even minor attacks would breach defense if hit in succession.’
In fact, his body was stained with blood gushing from small wounds.
“Woooosh—”
Suddenly, Maeng Seong-yong took an action he hadn’t shown yet.
He took a deep breath and formed a circular barrier around him.
[Flame Cut]
Swoosh—!
‘Who’s letting him use skills?’
—Fwaaaaah—!
Just before the barrier formed, he stacked up the three marks, not avoiding the attacks.
But the follow-up attacks couldn’t penetrate his barrier.
He sneered, glancing at the mark hovering over his shoulder, yet still didn’t stop taking in air.
‘This is… a bit dangerous? Crazy! You’re the examiner!’
He then exhaled the breath he had taken all at once.
Boom—!
It was a skill that seemed to explode the air in the testing area in an instant.
Screeeech—
—KYYAAAAH!!
Maeng Seong-yong’s grand cry triggered a reaction among the summons; the Harpy, having the most acute hearing, was the first to fall, followed by Chehwa, and the other monsters followed suit, all of them burying their heads in the ground in agony.
The Orc Squad bled from their heads.
Even the Sword Dragon, poised to ready its next breath in mid-air, was spitting out blood in pain.
The only ones in decent condition were me, Yeon-hee, and the two zombies. Perhaps it was because the Undead had greatly dulled senses.
Yeon-hee had also taken precautions, wearing earplugs made of Wang-wang’s fur. With all of Maeng Seong-yong’s information exposed, it was better to be prepared. That was a relief.
—Roar!!
Thud!
Maeng Seong-yong swatted away a staggering zombie like swatting a mosquito, bursting it.
“Those tiny things really get me riled up!! Hahaha! Ugh!! My shoulder!”
He burst out laughing heartily, but then held his injured shoulder and started hopping on the spot. My expectations for the proposal he would offer us after the promotion test plummeted.
‘The Lion Roar of Maeng Seong-yong.’
Typically, a tanker would draw aggro to protect his allies, but Maeng Seong-yong wielded [Lion Roar] as his main weapon to inflict various debuffs on the enemies.
He displayed a monstrous ability that could incapacitate all the summoned creatures in the area in an instant.
Then he signaled me with a finger across his throat and said, “Skeleton Soldier. Seeing the energy of the marks grow stronger, I have a feeling stacking a certain number might lead to something.”
“Tap Tap Tap!”
“Three taps means something positive, huh? Hahaha! So, are you planning to stack the marks to burst them?”
“Tap Tap Tap!!”
“Hmm… Right. That sounds a bit scary.”
‘That’s a lie.’
In truth, if he had exerted all his strength from the beginning, three wouldn’t have stacked at all. Of course, Yeon-hee wouldn’t have survived long enough to display her abilities either.
In response to my declaration of competition, Maeng Seong-yong widened his eyes and, raising his spirit, said.
‘Is he finally coming at me for real?!’
I tightened up and heightened my senses to the maximum.
“…… So, shall we call it a day for now?”
“…… Huh?”
“Assistant Ha! The test is over! It’s tiring since I shouted after so long.”
“Uh, uh? It’s o-over?”
Yeon-hee seemed confused as she opened her eyes, perhaps because she felt the tension release.
‘… Were you being serious about being scared?!’
Although it was an action uncharacteristic of Maeng Seong-yong, on the flip side, it showed how sharp his instincts were.
—The promotion test has concluded. The exit will be the same as the entrance.
With Assistant Ha’s business-like voice, the promotion test came to an end.
“Eh? Is it really over?”
It seemed Yeon-hee also felt something was incomplete.
‘No, wait… We’re the strange ones for being this serious about a promotion test from the start.’
It appeared I had gotten too absorbed, thinking about ‘Residue of Chaos’.
While still cradling the orb, Yeon-hee didn’t dismiss her summons as Maeng Seong-yong gestured for me to step forward.
“I don’t know if that monster, Kang Yeon-su, mentioned it, but could we step outside for a moment?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Assistant Ha! To the Room of Truth!”
‘……’
I was inexplicably struck with the urge to escape, but we followed Assistant Ha’s guidance and moved together.
A while after following him, we soon entered a blank white space with no sensory input.
‘It feels just like entering the void.’
The only thing visible was a gray sofa that seemed oddly out of place in an entirely white space.
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