The Ice Mage's Provocation

This is absurd. 'What? What the hell is that thing doing?' The mysterious entity that had charged forward with such momentum suddenly slammed on the brakes right before impact. Then it clung tightly to the monster's torso like a cicada stuck to a dead tree. It wasn't just the incomprehensible behavior. 'What is that guy?' It was a being with no flesh whatsoever, only bones. At least, aside from the torso wrapped in leather armor. 'A skeleton... soldier?' It possessed a far more imposing frame than any ordinary skeleton soldier, and the magical power it contained was extraordinary.

The skeleton soldier lifted its head, briefly met the monster's gaze, then offered its skull to the creature. Crunch! The instant the skeleton soldier's head was swallowed, No Hayun saw it with perfect clarity. The skeleton was gripping something in its mouth. And to her eyes, the skeleton soldier looked like it was smiling. If she grabbed a passing stranger and told them this, they'd probably accuse her of spouting nonsense, but that was exactly how it appeared to her.

Giiiiing— A light suddenly flashed inside the monster's mouth.

Then came the explosion. BOOOOOOM—!!

Afterward, fairly powerful-looking hunters rushed in to deliver the finishing blow, but from No Hayun's perspective they would only serve as cleanup crew. The monster was already suffering from a devastating wound.

The sight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the skeleton soldier charging without the slightest hesitation, throwing its entire existence into the attack—even though it was the weakest monster—left a deep impression on No Hayun's mind.

'So damn cool......'

That was exactly the hero she had always dreamed of. Her memory cut off with the image of the monster's limbs being torn away. She had probably relaxed, certain of the creature's death.

A skeleton soldier that used bombs. Although the summoner Lee Yeonhee was the one who had planned the bomb placement before the charge and the final self-destruct, for some strange reason her interest kept drifting toward the skeleton soldier.

No Hayun was a mage, but she was hardly the cautious type. She preferred to act first and think later. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, she immediately tracked down Lee Yeonhee's contact information and sent a message. She had resolved that if there was no reply, she would eventually visit in person.

Yet contact from Lee Yeonhee came faster than expected. She was overjoyed. It meant she could finally resolve her questions.

"Haa... That skeleton... definitely had something."

Snapping out of her thoughts, No Hayun muttered to herself.

'If I can figure out the mechanism that let that skeleton and Lee Yeonhee display such movement and destructive power, I can reach the pinnacle of ice sorcery several steps faster.'

That was her reasoning. And to uncover it, she believed she needed to create a situation that would instill a sense of crisis. That was why she had summoned them here.

In truth it was an absurd plan. A moment's reflection would reveal how ridiculous it was, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was in a state where reason had stopped functioning properly as she tried to overcome the terrifying memory of her past self who couldn't even face the monster.

'I don't want to repeat that pathetic sight of being unable to stand against the monster anymore.'

Uuuuung—

'Come... I'll fire an ice spear packed with condensed magic power straight into that skeleton's skull. And show me. Show me exactly how your strength operates.'

No Hayun waited for Helen's party while concealing her presence as much as possible.

. . .

Thud. Thud.

It was right before they reached the appointed spot.

I felt a chilling sensation and instinctively looked back.

'Something's there. An incredibly condensed magical power...!'

Someone had swiftly entered the range of my senses and launched an attack. It was a flow of magic power I had felt once before. The person who had lured us to this place.

Shiiiiik—!!

'Hey, seriously! What kind of first greeting is this?!'

I confirmed the awl-shaped ice flying straight for my head. Without hesitation I dashed forward and struck it upward with all my strength using Argen's dagger, shattering it.

CRASH—!!

Crack—

'Damn... my bones are out of alignment!'

Ziiiing—

The joint twisted wildly, and the dagger's vibration resonated through my entire body, conveying exactly how fierce the attack had been. And it wasn't over with a single strike.

Ting! Bang—! Crack—!

'Ugh... why is it so heavy?!'

BOOM—!!

Only after deflecting three more ice spears did the assault finally stop.

"Whoa! W-what is that?!"

"Who the hell is that?! Damn it! A villain?!"

"Ilwol?!"

Helen and her partner, along with Yeonhee, had been chatting as they walked. The successive sounds of destruction—like giant sheets of glass shattering—made their eyes widen like startled rabbits as they scanned their surroundings.

Then a figure appeared in the distance.

"Hahaha! Wow, this is crazy! You reacted before it was even thrown?! Wait! But you people... the connection is... ? No? There is a faint link......"

No Hayun walked slowly toward us, laughing heartily at first before gradually muttering words that made no sense.

'I didn't know she had this kind of personality.'

Crack— While realigning my bones I tried to recall memories, but only fragmented pieces surfaced. That was understandable. When I was active in my previous life, No Hayun had already been in the midst of explosive growth, so our paths had never crossed. The timing of our awakenings had been quite different as well.

She clapped as if genuinely astonished and approached us.

"What do you think you're doing!"

Helen shouted, not bothering to hide her anger. No Hayun, dressed in a pitch-black robe, pulled back her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hood and quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry! I had something I wanted to confirm! My name is No Hayun!"

No Hayun had long straight hair tied over her left shoulder, a model-like height, and a slender figure. Her face was the refined urban beauty I remembered from my past life, and her skin was exceptionally clear. People must have meant someone like her when they spoke of skin like white jade.

"Huh? This is ridiculous?"

Song Jin-gyeong readjusted her grip on her sword and tilted her head sideways. Since the person who had launched a sudden attack was now approaching, it was time for at least one of them to charge forward and demand an explanation.

"Hehe— I'm really sorry. I wasn't aiming at any of you, so please go easy on me."

Yeonhee and the Helen duo stared at Hayun with their hands pressed together in sincere apology, momentarily speechless.

'How shameless.'

"It's true the direction of the attack wasn't toward us. But listen. If someone spat right next to you and said, 'I wasn't trying to hit you,' would you just reply, 'Ah, yes, I understand'?"

Jin-gyeong closed the distance a little further and shot back, while Helen added her own opinion.

"The summoned beast is also one of our precious combat resources. I think it's fair to consider it an attack on us as well."

At Helen's words, Yeonhee nodded vigorously. No Hayun, listening to them, nodded back in understanding, then drew upon an enormous amount of magical power—far beyond what a D-grade hunter should possess—and closed the distance.

At that menacing display the entire party could only hold their breath.

Gulp—

It was the first time Yeonhee had looked at anyone inside a dungeon with such tension. Her keen senses must have immediately registered the gap between them and No Hayun.

But watching the three of them lose the contest of wills made my insides burn.

'Tsk— what are you doing? Are you all pushovers?'

The party had caused a scene from the very start, yet they absolutely could not afford to be pushed back in a battle of momentum. From my standards, it was completely unacceptable.

'I roughly understand why she's interested in Yeonhee, but I can't stand by and watch our kid(?) get intimidated right from the beginning.'

I wanted to act immediately, but as always I held back one tempo and watched Yeonhee. Every single one of these experiences was precious; I shouldn't block them in advance.

No Hayun raised her aura while making eye contact with each party member one by one.

They flinched— Helen and Song Jin-gyeong had already been completely overwhelmed in an instant. Their gazes slowly dropped toward the ground. It wasn't unreasonable. If a giant over two meters tall glared at you while approaching on the street, anyone would feel fear. The current situation was exactly like that.

I saw the corners of No Hayun's mouth slowly curl upward. Confirming one's superiority over another was the easiest way to feel satisfaction. As a fellow human, I understood the feeling, so I wasn't particularly offended by the expression on her face.

But Yeonhee probably didn't feel good about it. And if she didn't feel good, then neither did I.

'Alright— let's seize the timing.'

The length of time a person can maintain full concentration is shorter than one might think. Especially when that focus is visual rather than mental. And striking at the exact moment concentration breaks is one of my specialties.

Of course, in my previous life I had mainly used that ability to run away, but this time I intended to use it aggressively.

The moment No Hayun shifted her gaze from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Helen duo to Yeonhee and flashed an inscrutable smile, I felt her magical power waver faintly. It was an extremely brief opening.

I shot toward No Hayun like lightning at the fastest speed I could manage. Thanks to Irmana's Blessing, my stats were already massively amplified.

"Wha—?! Ugh!"

No Hayun, who had never dreamed I would attack at this timing, panicked and instantly encased her body in ice.

"Cuvalice—!!"

Bang! Bang! No Hayun transformed into something resembling an ice snowman. But instead of meeting her head-on, I slipped past both her flanks and moved to the rear where the barrier was relatively thinner.

'I've seen your videos a few times before. It looks like perfect defense, but the back is comparatively vulnerable.'

Crackle— Normally the momentum of my charge would have sent me sliding a long distance, but I anchored myself to the ground with Adhesion and immediately changed direction to strike from behind.

Of course No Hayun hurriedly tried to turn and defend her rear, but the weight of the ice barrier made her reaction inevitably slow. The moment she turned, I pulled out a Skeleton Bomb and charged straight into her embrace.

"Eeeek!!"

No Hayun jumped in fright, then raised both arms high into the sky and shouted surrender repeatedly.

"I surrender!! Surrender surrender!! Surrender!!"

'As expected...'

I slowed my charge once more with Adhesion and came to a stop with just enough force to gently push her. She had already dispelled her ice barrier. I pressed the drawn dagger against her now defenseless neck and looked at Yeonhee. She let out a huge sigh of relief and spoke.