The Lich's Challenge
The teaching assistant spoke to Cha Jiyun. “Cha Jiyun. There really won’t be any disadvantages. You can switch if you want.”
“.... I’ll go with this person.” Cha Jiyun pointed at Nam Doyun as she spoke.
The teaching assistant tilted her head. Why is she doing this too? She couldn’t understand it at all.
The monster that would appear for Group 10 was a Lich. It ranked among the highest of the undead monsters. Though it was only a hologram and its power had been greatly reduced, a Lich was still a Lich. Its inherent strength remained unchanged.
She knew of Cha Jiyun’s overwhelming talent. But even she couldn’t handle it alone. They had to pair her with Radeon to defeat the Lich. The difficulty had been set that way from the start. Originally, the exam headquarters had instructed them to form the groups accordingly. That was why Group 10 was supposed to consist of Cha Jiyun and Radeon.
However, Teacher Kaleido had casually ignored the headquarters’ directive, removed Radeon on the spot, and inserted Nam Doyun instead.
The teaching assistant glanced at Nam Doyun. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed far from strong. Yet they had suddenly assigned him to Group 10? The teacher must have made a mistake in judgment.
In that case, Cha Jiyun should have made the right call and requested a change. But she hadn’t done so either. What on earth was she thinking? Did she want to fail?
The students began murmuring among themselves.
“Ah. Maybe it’s because of that?”
“What?”
“I mean, if Group 10 takes down such a powerful monster by themselves, they’ll get all the points, right?”
“Ah… you’re right. That method existed too.”
Only then did the students nod as if they understood.
The teaching assistant frowned. Was that really the reason? If so, she was mistaken. The monster assigned to Group 10 was on a level she could never defeat alone. She hadn’t expected such arrogance.
The teaching assistant stared silently at Cha Jiyun.
Group 9 was fighting up ahead. It wouldn’t be long before it was Cha Jiyun’s and my turn.
Group 9’s battle ended quickly. Soon after, Group 10’s names appeared on the display board.
Next Exam: Group 10. Monster: Lich (Preparation Time: 5 minutes)
The display board showed the monster for the next exam like this. The preparation time was meant for the group members to discuss and form a strategy.
“Wow, what? A Lich? How are they supposed to beat that?”
“Is it even possible for students to defeat something like that?”
“Isn’t that the kind of monster only active hunters can take down?”
The students started murmuring again.
Wait a second… A Lich? If it had been an Orc or an Ogre, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. But a Lich? Against a Lich, I actually had a decent shot. My compatibility made fighting a Lich far more winnable than facing an Orc or Ogre. This was worth trying. No, I could definitely win.
Since I already knew the Lich’s patterns, it was a monster I could handle. I walked over to Cha Jiyun, who was leaning against the far wall watching Group 9’s fight. She noticed my presence and turned to look at me.
“...Is there something you need?”
“If you just follow my instructions, we can definitely defeat the Lich.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because I know the Lich very well.”
It was true. Over ten years of playing the game, I had fought Liches hundreds of times. I had memorized its attack patterns and weaknesses to the point of exhaustion.
Cha Jiyun frowned. “Information about the Lich hasn’t been released to the world yet.”
At this point, details about the Lich were still unknown to the public. But Cha Jiyun would know. As the daughter of one of Korea’s top ten conglomerates, her family’s wealth and information network meant she was privy to many things not yet public.
“The Lich cannot recognize people with its eyes. It only perceives them through the flow of mana they emit.”
Cha Jiyun’s expression flickered with surprise at my words.
“You were probably planning to hide your mana so you wouldn’t become the Lich’s target. But that’s still too much for you right now.”
“....I don’t know how you learned about the Lich,” Cha Jiyun said, meeting my gaze, “but I’ll handle it myself. Let’s act separately.”
Tap— Tap—
She began walking toward the arena.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
At the teacher’s words, the Lich’s form began to materialize. A skeleton clad in robes appeared, holding what looked like a magical staff in its hand. Just meeting its gaze sent a chilling aura piercing through my body.
Cha Jiyun remained calm. As long as she could hide her mana well, the Lich wasn’t a difficult monster at all. Since its eyes had degenerated, it couldn’t recognize enemies if it couldn’t detect their mana. Just like in the first exam, the key was simply concealing her mana.
“Now! Let’s start.”
Cha Jiyun suppressed her mana. Now all she had to do was land a quiet strike.
The Lich scanned its surroundings with glowing red eyes. Soon, its gaze fixed on Nam Doyun. It had recognized him.
Cha Jiyun looked at Nam Doyun beside her. Don’t tell me… he couldn’t conceal his mana? The only reason she had chosen him was because of the transparent mana he had shown in the second exam. Transparent mana was indeed rare. But as the daughter of a top-ten conglomerate, she had seen quite a few hunters with it. Still, there was something different about his mana—something she couldn’t quite put into words, but it felt alien. She didn’t know what it was, but it intrigued her. Was he hiding something? She had picked him thinking she could find out during this exam. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
The Lich was staring at him. Then, fireballs began launching from its staff in rapid succession.
Whoosh—
“!!!!!”
Cha Jiyun’s eyes widened. The fireballs weren’t aimed at Nam Doyun—they were headed straight for where she stood. She had hidden her mana perfectly, hadn’t she?
Boom—
Cha Jiyun rolled to the side, dodging the fireball.
Whoosh— Boom—
She was desperately evading the Lich’s fireballs while stealing glances at Nam Doyun. Not a single attack was flying toward him. Could it be… that his mana control was superior to hers? The Lich seemed completely unaware of his presence. In contrast, the mana she had tried so hard to conceal was apparently visible to it.
Nam Doyun had been right.
“You can just take this next fireball.”
“....What do you mean?”
One hit from that monstrous Lich’s fireball would obviously end the exam.
“No time to explain. That fireball is an illusion. Stand still and start casting your spell.”
She remained motionless. The fireball blazed toward her. Just before it struck, she continued casting without moving.
Whoosh—
She glanced back and saw the fireball pass right through her. It really had been an illusion, just as he said. How had he known?
Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.
Hum—
Mana began gathering in her hands, taking on a blue form.
Whoosh—
Soon, a fireball shot from her hands. The moment it flew toward the Lich, the creature began chanting an eerie incantation.
“&$#&$&&#$&#”
Just before the fireball could hit, boom— a blue barrier materialized in front of the Lich. The fireball was blocked by its defensive shield. Not a single crack appeared on the barrier. But Cha Jiyun didn’t care. If one attack wasn’t enough, she would use two. If two weren’t enough, three. Eventually, it would break.
Cha Jiyun began gathering mana again. Just as she was about to launch the collected fireball, a semi-transparent membrane suddenly appeared in front of the Lich.
“Aim that fireball somewhere else, not at the Lich!”
“...What are you talking about?”
“No time to explain! You can’t cancel a spell that’s already been cast, right?”
She hurled the fireball high above the Lich’s head. The moment it flew, the fireball instantly reversed direction and shot back toward her at a speed far greater than she had launched it—too fast for her to react.
Boom—
“!!!”
The fireball landed just two steps in front of her. If she had aimed it at the Lich’s head, it would have struck her directly.
Cha Jiyun narrowed her eyes at Nam Doyun. The fact that the Lich could use reflection magic was information even her sources hadn’t uncovered. How did he know?
The Lich once again donned its blue barrier.
“Have you decided to listen to me now?” Nam Doyun asked.
Cha Jiyun quietly nodded.
“We need to break that barrier with a single attack. And before it regenerates, we have to destroy the Life Vessel at the center of the Lich’s body.”
“.......You mean I should gather all my mana and unleash one powerful strike?”
Nam Doyun nodded. If she poured everything into one big attack, she wouldn’t be able to cast any more spells afterward. And there was no guarantee that even that concentrated strike would break the barrier and reach the Lich. But right now, there was no other choice but to follow the man’s instructions.
“.......Understood.”
She began drawing in all the mana from her entire body. Every last bit of it coalesced into an enormous fireball. It was a fireball fueled by her complete mana reserves. If this attack failed, she would definitely be eliminated from the exam.
Cha Jiyun glared at the Lich with wide eyes. Then she hurled the massive fireball straight at it.
The fireball collided with the Lich’s blue barrier.
Crack—
Cracks began spreading across the blue shield.
“!!!”
But the cracks quickly started to mend. Could it be… that even this wasn’t enough?
Just as the cracked portions of the barrier were about to fully regenerate, she felt an alien mana. In that instant—
Crash—
The blue barrier shattered in an instant.
“&^&^&&&^”
The Lich tried to raise another barrier, but it was too late.
Fwoosh—
The massive fireball struck the Lich directly.
Test complete. Group 10: Pass.
Cha Jiyun stared at Nam Doyun. Could it be… that he was the one who broke the Lich’s blue barrier just now?