Dungeon Training (2)
Dungeon Training (2)
"Six ahead!"
Jamie shouted. Rock Golems were approaching us from the front.
"I'll take two."
Yoon Seung-ha said calmly.
"Then I'll take one."
"Jake and I will take two."
Ayane said with a nervous expression, and Kim Chang-seop replied in an arrogant tone, raising his shield. Jake nodded and quickly took a ready stance.
"I guess I'll take one."
"Are you okay?"
Ayane asked at my words. I nodded to mean I was fine. When the Rock Golems were about 10m in front of us, Yoon Seung-ha cast a spell.
[Gravity Chain]
Purple chains rippled from Yoon Seung-ha's hand. As he grabbed and swung them, chareureureuk, they bound two Rock Golems. Gravity Chain, which strengthens its binding force according to the opponent's weight. The Rock Golems bound by it wouldn't be able to move for a while.
"Wow."
Ayane murmured in admiration at Yoon Seung-ha's magic. Instead of admiring it, I glared at the Rock Golem coming toward me.
Use the pivot foot to put body weight into the strike using inertia to hit a single point. This is Balgyeong. And by infusing Qi into the tip, it shakes the opponent's interior. This is Penetration Strike.
This time, the ability to handle Qi was more important than weapon skills. So, I put on the mask I had made in advance that increases mana sensitivity.
"Hup."
I reminded myself once again. I breathed lightly and relaxed my body's tension. Staring at the Rock Golem, I put strength into my toes so I could spring forward at any moment.
Kkueoeo.
The Rock Golem swung its fist slowly.
I put strength into my feet to accelerate my legs and body. I didn't dodge, but dug inside. And with all my might, I thrust the spear.
Tung.
"Ugh!"
My hand felt like it was tearing apart. The first attempt failed. I let out a low groan and stepped back.
The timing of emitting the Qi was slightly off. A bit faster.
"The key is to emit the Qi in a wide area like an explosion when the spear tip reaches the Rock Golem. It's much more complicated to learn the proper concept, but that much is enough for a Rock Golem. Timing is important. It can't be too late or too early."
A clear, beautiful voice was heard near my ear. Yoon Seung-ha looked at me and said it with a faint smile. Even though there was quite a distance, it felt like he was whispering in my ear. He was probably using his trait.
'Emit the Qi in a wide area.'
I recall. I've seen it while playing the game. Did Yoon Chae-rin say it? I stopped there and stared at the Rock Golem. Distracting thoughts were a luxury during battle.
I thrust the spear imbued with mana once again. When the spear reaches the opponent, emit the Qi.
Tung.
I heard the sound of the spear tip reaching the Rock Golem. And.
Ppajik.
At the same time, the sound of something breaking was heard faintly in my ear. I looked at the Rock Golem rather than my hand that felt like it was tearing. The Rock Golem didn't move. It collapsed powerlessly, as if its magic crystal had been destroyed. The sound of rocks falling was loud.
Seeing the Rock Golem collapse, I felt a sense of relief and at the same time, a feeling of exhaustion. My legs gave out. I tried to hold on, but soon realized there were no enemies. They must have finished them off already. I just slumped down right there.
"Wow, that's amazing. I taught you one small concept, and you executed it right away."
Jjakjjak.
Yoon Seung-ha said, looking at me as if in admiration.
"It's nothing. It's because the advice you gave was good."
"There are plenty of kids who can't do it even if I explain it much more easily than that."
Yoon Seung-ha said with a good-natured smile.
Then, Yoon Seung-ha said as if puzzled for a moment.
"But Penetration Strike is similar in difficulty to the parrying you use, Siwoo, so why are you still... Ah, sorry. Are you perhaps a case like Kim Harin?"
Yoon Seung-ha spoke as if puzzled, then lowered his voice significantly at the end. An apologetic tone. I shook my head at the question of whether I was hiding my strength and acting like a loser for some goal. In reality, I had focused on raising my physical specs rather than Penetration Strike.
Penetration Strike. Flowing Qi from the outside to the inside to break armor or inflict internal injuries. It sounds good, but it's a technique you stop using once you learn Sword Qi that cuts through concepts.
Even if you struggle to flow Qi into the opponent's interior, the opponent isn't a fool and won't just take it. Once they become Heroes, Demon-humans, or Villains, they all have some defenses in place so they can counter even if they get hit.
"Are you okay?"
I was out of breath and catching my breath, and Yoon Seung-ha asked me. I wasn't okay, but I nodded appropriately. After glancing at my condition, Yoon Seung-ha proposed to the team members.
"Shall we take a short break?"
"Agreed. Everyone is tired from the battle, so wouldn't it be okay to rest for a bit?"
Jamie agreed with Yoon Seung-ha's opinion. Ayane also nodded quietly. That's how we got 5 minutes to reorganize. I switched to the Mask of Rest.
"Wow, everyone is amazing. At this speed, isn't 1st place no problem for us?"
Jamie said with a lively laugh, perhaps bored. I smiled bitterly. Well, wouldn't it be fortunate if we made it into the top 5?
1st place is undoubtedly Yoon Seung-ha's older sister, Yoon Chae-rin. Her martial prowess was something that Kim Harin, who had shown her true self, Eun Su-ah, and Lee Ji-ah, who had dug into magic for at least two months, would have to join forces to face. Her martial prowess is already at a level that should be considered professor-level, not student-level.
'Yoon Seung-ha is no pushover either, though.'
However, Yoon Seung-ha was reluctant to unleash his power.
In this case, 2nd place is Eun Su-ah. Her ability, Seven-colored, or more accurately, her fighting style, isn't suitable for duels, but when facing monsters or magical beasts, there won't be many who can beat Eun Su-ah.
'It's a side effect of her ability being too outstanding.'
Unfortunately, Eun Su-ah's fighting style is too monotonous. Even in the game, she acts as an early-game powerhouse for that one reason, but in the mid-to-late game, she becomes a bit pathetic. She fights well when meeting other ability users, but she can't avoid struggling when meeting martial artists who know how to fight.
"Whew. Sorry, I delayed us a bit, didn't I?"
"No. I was a bit tired too."
Ayane shook her head at my words. Jake also said it was fine because he was tired too. Kim Chang-seop was making a sullen expression. It was an expression that something didn't please him.
I smiled bitterly and stood up. My stamina had recovered to some extent due to the effect of the Mask of Rest. Still, just in case, I should keep wearing it.
"Shall we go?"
"...Yeah. Let's go."
Yoon Seung-ha was about to say something, but stopped and nodded.
After that, we continued to climb the mountain. Had it been about 30 minutes? The summit was slowly starting to come into view. Near the summit, there was something like the flag Professor Kang Han-ja had mentioned.
"......."
However, no one was happy.
A huge rock with a dark luster shook violently. In the distance, there was a golem carrying a greatsword made of rock. Rock Sentry. It is an 'Elite' grade monster that is trickier than normal monsters.
And next to it, as if guarding the Rock Sentry, there were 11 Rock Golems.
"W-what is that."
Kim Chang-seop's voice trembled. 11 Rock Golems. We're outnumbered from the start. On top of that, there was another monster on the opposing side classified as Elite grade. Generally, a monster that can face 10 monsters of the immediately lower, normal grade classification alone.
The expressions of Kim Chang-seop, Jake, and Jamie darkened. Ayane's expression also visibly stiffened. The only ones here who were relaxed were Yoon Seung-ha and me. Yoon Seung-ha could have that expression because he was confident in his power, and I could be relaxed because I knew his power.
"This... doesn't seem like a problem that can be solved at the student level."
Kim Chang-seop's complexion turned pale.
Kim Chang-seop was wrong. This level was something that scholarship students, excluding me and Lee Ji-ah, could handle alone. If we were to add another 1st-year member here, maybe Han Jong-woo?
'Though they'd be on the verge of death.'
They aren't as good as the 1st years called the Golden Generation, but there's about 1 person in the 2nd year, and there are 3 in the 3rd year as well.
I glanced at Yoon Seung-ha. Yoon Seung-ha smiled relaxedly.
The air is trembling.
"This has become a bit troublesome."
"It's not just a bit troublesome!"
Kim Chang-seop shouted in a low voice.
Yoon Seung-ha didn't reply to Kim Chang-seop and walked languidly.
The wind swayed. The air became a little heavier. The temperature rose little by little. It felt a bit more humid. The ground we were standing on seemed to have become firmer, shadows grew long, and it felt like the light had become brighter.
I looked up. The clear sky looked a little higher.
It was the 'precursor' to Yoon Seung-ha's trait manifesting.
"Why? We have the 'advantage' in numbers, and I'm stronger than that boss over there, right?"
"What on earth are you talking about......."
Kim Chang-seop stopped talking at Yoon Seung-ha's words.
The wind gathered and a 3m-sized hawk revealed itself. A cat with navy-colored fur climbed onto Yoon Seung-ha's shoulder and meowed. A 5m-sized lizard made of flames flicked its tongue. A blue-tinted turtle and a sky-blue fox appeared.
That wasn't the end. There was a snake made of black form. A sphere that looked like it was made of light appeared. There was the appearance of a sheep emitting blue lightning. A mole that rose from the ground appeared. A worm made of metal appeared. There was a purple bipedal frog. A colorless dragon, a flower fairy, and a light green fairy appeared.
Everyone was watching that scene blankly.
Yoon Seung-ha's trait.
Being loved by the world, such that the talent for everything increases as time goes by. Even just this makes his trait called cheat-level. But in fact, these were all additional powers.
Being loved by the world.
That is synonymous with being loved by the spirits that make up the world.
And Yoon Seung-ha.
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Ice, Metal, Poison, None, Wood, Gravity, Flower, Dark, Light.
He commanded spirits of a total of 14 attributes.
The Fairy Race chooses a lifelong companion, and those among them who are geniuses command up to four spirits.
At the mere age of 17, Yoon Seung-ha commanded more than three times the number of spirits simply by number alone. At the mere age of 17.
That is why he is a Hero.
Something overwhelmingly different when compared to others.
In the future, if he, having finished his growth, decides to fight a country alone, he is an existence predicted to win against that country. A specimen of absurdity capable of defeating a group despite being just an individual.
"Now, then, everyone."
Yoon Seung-ha raised his hand with a playful smile. Mana with a density visible to the eye began to swirl.
"Wipe them out."
Colorful light swelled up. It was a process that looked like angry nature was throwing a tantrum.
Trees whipped as if angry, and flames burst. Water was compressed and turned into whips, and lightning was gathered into a single point and shot. Wind formed sharp blades and attacked, piles of rocks and chunks of ice poured down from above, and steel swords ripped the Golems apart from below. Flowers sowed seeds, bloomed, and bound the enemies, light was shot to pierce the enemies, and darkness submerged the enemies. Something colorless crushed the enemies.
We watched that scene blankly.