Field Testing the New Gear
"This time, I'll finally show you just how OP my magic really is!"
Kim Ha-yeon traced a circle with her staff, and in an instant, it transformed into a magic circle that unleashed a ferocious jet of water. The stream shot forward like a laser, skewering the lead Black Mage puppet clean through.
...Is this really the kind of power water's capable of?
"What the—high-pressure water cutter? That thing's packing some serious punch!"
"Huu... B-rank hunters don't get that title for nothing."
"Nice. Guess it's my turn to throw some real power around?"
Real-world testing included.
After pulling an all-nighter out of sheer curiosity about Ina's combat prowess, my expectations were piercing the heavens.
"Familiar, summon!"
Familiar Summon
"Ppiyiii!"
"Whoa, so cute!"
Kim Ha-yeon blurted out "cute" the moment she laid eyes on my familiar.
Hmm... Yeah, not exactly the picture of dignity.
Ina popped out in a big stretching pose, then suddenly scowled at the sight of me.
"What? Why, what's wrong?"
"Ppiyiii!!! "
"Whoa!"
Ina suddenly headbutted my skull and rained down furious punches. It took a barrage of noogies before I could finally peel her off. Looked like she was pissed about me stuffing her away and leaving her in there for so long.
"Ppiyi!!"
"Okay, okay, sorry. I'll get you a burger next time...!"
"Ppi?"
Thankfully, having copied my looks, her tastes seemed pretty similar too.
After finally calming her down, I ordered her to go after the Black Mage puppets.
This was prime time to gauge Ina's combat potential, so I decided to just observe.
'If she fights efficiently, auto-battle might actually be on the table...!'
She rocketed off brimming with energy—no worries there.
...I rubbed the top of my head, still stinging from getting totally owned by Ina's fists.
Maybe try brass knuckles next time?
"Ppiyiii!!!!"
But punches weren't Ina's real strength. Whether she'd copied my abilities along with my form, she started unleashing Breath.
You hit the jackpot on skills, kid.
Not a perfect replica, sadly—her Breath was weaker than mine—but that didn't matter.
'Means if I get stronger, she levels up too, right?'
New skill power confirmed. Next up: new weapon performance.
The moment I reached for the Plant Sword strapped to my right wrist—
"Whoaaa...! Gotta introduce me to her later...!"
"Hold up! If she clings to me, my right flank's wide open...!"
Distracted by Ina's dangerously adorable vibes, Kim Ha-yeon pleaded while staring right at me. Which meant a Black Mage puppet from her side was charging straight at us.
I whipped out the Plant Sword in a flash and parried the puppet's blade.
Kaaang!!
Metal clashing on metal. Durability: solid pass.
Seeing me tag-team the puppet, Kim Ha-yeon hurriedly started casting.
Hmm... Kinda wanna test this Plant Sword too.
"Yo, Kim. I'm good here—worry about elsewhere?"
"Gotcha. Play nice, and you gotta show me that summon later, deal?"
I nodded like crazy at her words and refocused on the puppet's sword.
Just like Park Chae-rin taught: proper stance, eyes locked on the blade tip.
Tracking the sword path carving toward my shoulder. Disrupt that trajectory.
Kaaang!!
A bit sloppy on my swordplay—cheek got nicked—but no biggie.
The Plant Sword has a special trick up its sleeve.
Deflect the next vital-slash at an angle.
Kagagak!
Blocking versus deflecting? Night and day. That's a solid four-frame advantage... or rather, my blade reaches the puppet way faster.
By the time its sword grazed my waist, my Plant Sword had already cleaved from jaw to crown, splitting its head in two.
"Corpses gotta have weak durability or something."
The Plant Sword sliced clean through without snagging, then—apparently drawing vitality even from the corpse—healed the cut on my cheek.
Weapon checks out.
If mana runs dry, this sword's my lifeline.
That healing perk? Game-changer for drawn-out fights.
One puppet down. I scanned the battlefield.
Ina still blasting fire everywhere, Kim Ha-yeon eyeing me with a weary vibe.
"Haven't gone ham on spells like that in forever. Mana's basically tapped."
"Roger. I'll handle the rest."
Clear condition: nab the Black Mage.
Massacring puppets before spotting him tanks extra reward odds.
Black Mage Puppets Defeated: 28/30
Reach 30/30 to clear layer. Ejected in 1 hour.
"Ppi?"
Recalled Ina first, tallied the stragglers.
'Roughly... nine left.'
Safely leave two for uncleared status, but now's the time to thin the herd.
Last test: freshly learned Intermediate Elemental Magic.
One puppet per element for power checks? Nah, too mana-hungry. Craving an efficient nuke.
What spell to try?
While eyeing the distant-rushing puppets, my mana-saver solution clicked.
Thanks to Kim Ha-yeon's spam, the puppets were soaked like drowned rats charging our way.
"Ina? Go distract a couple?"
"Ppi!"
"What, gunning for the Black Mage condition?"
Her obvious question got my obvious reply.
"Duh."
"These are layer 12 mobs though..."
"No backtalk."
"U-uh, got it."
While Ina pulled aggro, I began tracing a crackling magic circle buzzing with electricity.
Kim Ha-yeon's eyes went wide with shock.
The bright yellow circle sparked wildly, radiating savage menace.
Intermediate Lightning Magic: Chain Lightning
Once Ina had separated two far enough, I fired a thin but intense bolt from the circle at the nearest puppet.
It struck in a blink, then chain-reactioned through the drenched puppets, incinerating them in a massive surge.
"Kweeeek—!!"
"Kruuuugh—!!"
Light-speed mercy to all seven. Ordered Ina back.
The puppets doggedly tailing her return.
...Now how to pin 'em down?
No bright ideas, so I dragon-formed my arms, clawed a human-sized pit, then used the extension to snag and dump the puppets in. Buried 'em perfectly with surrounding sand.
Their heads poking out looked kinda ridiculous.
Watching my brute-force antics, Kim Ha-yeon just muttered, "Savage... but effective."
The commander approached once the fight wrapped.
"Thank you. You saved us from disaster...?"
He froze mid-gratitude, spotting something off. Probably the wriggling buried puppets.
"Why bury the puppets? We must eliminate them now!"
"Hold on. Gotta leave two."
To stay uncleared safely, two's the magic number.
Rush to Black Mage viable, but optimal: delay clear, nail special reward.
Past specials too juicy to skip.
"Dragon-nim. One thing: these puppets emit demonic qi. Leaving them risks normals."
Commander warned of fallout.
But Black Mage hunt timeline unknown—can't clear yet.
Need workaround.
"Then lock 'em in a basement or whatever. I need 'em."
"If that's your will... Understood."
Still uneasy, but he conceded. Good thing—ignoring me would've meant a Polymorph power demo.
Nice to avoid bad blood.
Clear delayed perfectly. One task left.
"Where's this Black Mage?"
Lucky break: tracking wasn't tough.
Problem: Black Mages turned desert kingdom Zaharat into their playground ages ago.
Multiple Mages... Rough if all at once, but condition's just one.
"If the raid leader, he's probably close."
Kim Ha-yeon nodded along. Can't puppet corpses from nowhere.
"Left puppets alive to mess with the Black Mage's head. Smart—they'll hesitate."
Commander finally got it, sparing me sixty-eight excuses.
His face turned worried.
"You're both worn from battle. Rest the night? Black Mage won't stray far."
Desert nights crawl with nasty beasts—even Mages hole up.
Solid point. Full recharge before smart foes is basics.
Body, mind, mana recovery: fundamentals.
Beats tower-hopping home. Managed tent camping? Glamping vibes.
"But where to sleep..."
"We'll set up a tent. Rest there tonight."
"Whoa! Camping!"
Kim Ha-yeon's reaction differed.
"You? I've camped so much it lost its charm."
Fair. Raid clears mean tons of camping.
Makes sense she'd wanna skip.
Only some can exit tower mid-run?
"Here's your tent spot."
A soldier spoke up as I pondered scouting.
Kim Ha-yeon's eyes lit up.
"...A separate one just for us?"
"Yes. For the ladies, a dedicated tent."
"Ooh... Show us now."
What...? Wasn't she just over camping?
Fishy aftertaste, but we followed the soldier to our spot.
After settling in, night fully dropped—lanterns snuffed, darkness thick.
Grab that Black Mage tomorrow morning for the extra rewards.
Lying there fantasizing about tomorrow's haul, I felt Kim Ha-yeon inching closer.
"Ha-neul. You up?"
"..."
Random, but no need to chat. Early start tomorrow—no point staying up late.
No reply, so she scooted closer again.
What...? She after my scales?!
On high alert, I felt her brush my hair aside.
The hell...?
-Sniff sniff-
"Ha-neul. Honestly? Can't buy you being twenty-five."
"......"
"You're just radiating baby scent—how's that adult material...? Way too cute...!"
Dunno if I conked out quick, but from the feel of things, Kim Ha-yeon petted me all damn night.