Pentakill Rampage
“Damn it!”
Jin Darai from the Illusion Magic Array Faction clicked her tongue as she watched the event match of the 7th-floor Ascension Tower exam.
It was because Kim Jehyun charging straight at the Red Team looked just like a moth flying into a pile of flames.
His youthful hot-bloodedness got the better of him.
He was the one who had taken down Kang Sihu in a 1-on-1. There had been a lot of talk about spirit feet or whatever, but no one could deny that Kim Jehyun had defeated Kang Sihu single-handedly. It was an undeniable feat.
Naturally, Kim Jehyun himself had every reason to feel puffed up with pride. She could understand why he made such a reckless decision, but at the same time, it was disappointing.
Both Heo Seongyun and this guy... men are all the same.
In her eyes, Heo Seongyun had just made a huge mistake earlier, driven by his desire to show off. Sure, it wasn't real combat, so such bold actions were forgivable, but if it had been actual battle, Heo Seongyun would have been as good as dead.
And now Kim Jehyun was making the exact same mistake. He should have played it safe and defended instead of rushing in recklessly. Even if he lost the tower, he shouldn't have risked his life.
To her, both Heo Seongyun and Kim Jehyun looked like typical young men letting their hot blood lead them into errors.
Because of this mistake, not only the mid tower but another one too—they'll lose it all.
She could see the flow of this mini-game clearly. Kim Jehyun's move was the worst of the worst.
Or so she had thought.
“Huh?”
That conviction held firm until she saw Kim Jehyun clash head-on with the Red Team.
“No way!”
But once she witnessed him actually fighting, she realized her judgment was wrong.
It was a thought that simultaneously flashed through the minds of everyone watching the match.
Whoosh.
Dragonbone Knight has been summoned.
Clank.
The orc Dragonbone Knight with its pure white bones rose to its feet.
When the Dragonbone Knight stood firmly on the ground with both feet, the Red Team finally got a full view of what Kim Jehyun had summoned.
“S-skeleton?”
Lim Cheolsun of the Red Team opened his mouth in bewilderment.
They had wondered what trick Kim Jehyun was up to by charging at them, but all he summoned was a skeleton soldier.
What the hell...?
Even Choi Deok-hwan, the head of the Golem Faction, looked visibly flustered.
He had expected Kim Jehyun to summon a spirit or golem, not some skeleton. Skeleton summons were black magic typically used by necromancers, weren't they?
It's not black magic.
The entire Red Team consisted of 7th Circle mages, and they could tell the Dragonbone Knight Kim Jehyun summoned wasn't black magic.
So it was just a plain skeleton soldier. Did he really plan to take them on with that?
Kim Jehyun's out-of-the-ordinary action sowed momentary confusion in the Red Team.
“Let's just take him down first.”
Ryu Seunghyun, standing at the Red Team's rear, spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
They didn't know what weird trick Kim Jehyun was pulling this time, but they decided to subdue him quickly. Staring at the Dragonbone Knight in front of them stirred an inexplicable unease.
“Hah. I'll handle that one!”
Choi Deok-hwan stepped forward, aiming his staff at the Dragonbone Knight.
Light poured from his staff, and a golem resembling an ogre burst forth.
—Groooarrr!
A golem modeled after an ogre over 7 meters tall. As it roared, a murderous aura settled over the battlefield.
“How about it, Jehyun? You've grown that orc from back then all the way here.”
Choi Deok-hwan grinned at Kim Jehyun.
Two years ago, when he first created the golem core, his 3rd Generation Golem had started as an orc. After upgrades, it had now reached ogre level.
“Impressive.”
Kim Jehyun smiled back in response.
As expected of the Golem Faction leader. He had innate talent and skill with golems. Kim Jehyun hadn't expected him to develop the 3rd Generation Golem core this far in just two short years.
If Choi Deok-hwan had Soul Collect, he might have even created an SS-grade golem by now.
Too bad I can't pull out Guirang or Sayo Princess.
Those two had been half-destroyed in the previous battle. When he brought the dwarves for lair construction this time, he had left them for repairs. So he couldn't summon golems right now.
It would've been fun to match that ogre against them. What a shame.
No helping it. Besides, the Dragonbone Knight consumed a massive amount of mana, so summoning spirits on top would leave no room for Guirang or Sayo Princess anyway.
“Aren't you going to summon a golem yourself?”
“Nah, this guy's standing in for me today.”
Kim Jehyun pointed at the Dragonbone Knight with a grin.
“Enough chit-chat.”
At that moment, Ryu Seunghyun stepped forward, casting a spell in his hand.
He could have attacked immediately, but this was a courtesy to the junior. Everyone nodded at Ryu Seunghyun's words, and the 1 vs. 5 battle began.
“Wind Storm.”
“Fire Burst.”
“Lightning Shock!”
The four excluding Choi Deok-hwan unleashed a barrage of spells at Kim Jehyun.
As expected from 7th Circle mages, each spell brimmed with immense mana.
Flash.
“...!”
“What?!”
Shock filled their eyes.
A faint mana barrier flickered around Kim Jehyun's body, and he took all their attacks head-on.
Dragon Scale.
Its authority had activated.
They had no proper knowledge of the Dragon Scale's power, so they couldn't fathom how Kim Jehyun had blocked their magic with his body alone.
“Fire Storm.”
In the meantime, Kim Jehyun's completed flame storm engulfed them.
Amplified by the Dragon Horn and the +6 reinforced legendary armament, the Fire Storm's power far surpassed standard 7th Circle magic.
“Grrgh!”
“What kind of mana is this...!”
They barely managed to raise shields and withstand Kim Jehyun's attack.
Insanely strong!
It was the thought that hit all four of them at once.
They had only exchanged one round of spells, but it was immediately clear: Kim Jehyun was stronger than all four of them combined.
⊳ Mage Kim Jehyun is dominating four Red Team mages single-handedly!
Woooah!
The announcer's shocked voice echoed through the arena from outside, met with cheers and gasps from the crowd.
And that wasn't all.
Slash.
“Groooarrr.”
The ogre golem, displaying S-grade might, was cleaved apart in one strike from the orc Dragonbone Knight.
“A-Aura Blade?”
Choi Deok-hwan's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the Dragonbone Knight.
A skeleton wielding an Aura Blade? He'd never heard of such a thing. It seemed like something only a top-tier undead like a Death Knight could pull off.
Craaaack!
The charging Dragonbone Knight's Aura Blade smashed into Choi Deok-hwan's shield.
The shield shattered almost instantly.
And Choi Deok-hwan was out just like that—pathetically easy.
Red Team - Choi Deok-hwan OUT
“...!”
The shocking scene overwhelmed the Red Team.
Kim Jehyun didn't even need to summon spirits.
He teamed up seamlessly with the Dragonbone Knight for a pincer attack, and the remaining four Red Team members fell without meaningful resistance.
Red Team - Moon Mun-gyeong OUT
Red Team - Han Yura OUT
Red Team - Lim Cheolsun OUT
Red Team - Ryu Seunghyun OUT
Red Team has been completely annihilated!
Under the resounding announcements in the arena, only Kim Jehyun and the Dragonbone Knight stood tall.
Thud.
The coffee cup in Heo Seongyun's hand dropped to the ground.
He was too shocked to even notice.
“F-fucking insane...”
Watching Kim Jehyun fight, Heo Seongyun's jaw dropped.
Was this the power of someone who had just reached 7th Circle?
He had completely misjudged Kim Jehyun.
During the fight with Kang Sihu, Kim Jehyun's own magic skill hadn't drawn much attention, overshadowed by the top-grade phoenix spirit.
But now, through this battle, he realized just how absurd Kim Jehyun's abilities were.
“Hah, truly marvelous.”
Jo Yeonhu, arms crossed beside him, let out a sigh of admiration.
Jo Yeonhu owed Kim Jehyun a huge debt and was very favorable toward him.
“What do you think? In time, won't the Magic Tower be unable to handle that kid? I don't think he's the type to stay within the Tower's walls.”
Jo Yeonhu spoke to Heo Seongyun in a meaningful tone.
Heo Seongyun knew exactly why.
“...Yeah, seems that way.”
The moment he witnessed Kim Jehyun's power with his own eyes, Heo Seongyun fully acknowledged him.
As Jo Yeonhu said, the thought flashed that Kim Jehyun would grow into a giant the Magic Tower couldn't contain.
The Tower Master? An extraordinary being. Considered the strongest mage in the world right now, stronger than any superhuman in history.
But that guy... he has the qualities to surpass even the Tower Master.
He was certain.
Kim Jehyun's talent wasn't just comparable to the Tower Master's—it went beyond.
At just twenty years old, if he was already this strong, he'd surely break through the third wall soon.
Maybe... he could even reach the unattained 9th Circle.
Shiver.
Just imagining it made Heo Seongyun tremble.
The supreme realm the Tower Master hadn't reached yet, with no guarantee anyone ever would. He saw the potential for it in Kim Jehyun.
If Kim Jehyun didn't reach 9th Circle, no one would—that's how certain he felt.
Pathetic.
Blinded by the Tower Master's seat, he hadn't recognized the vessel Kim Jehyun possessed.
Kim Jehyun's disinterest in the position must have been genuine. With that level of prowess and potential, the Tower Master's seat might truly mean little to him.
At my age, I still can't judge people. Or... has my vision been too narrow?
In truth, he harbored deep inferiority toward Yuji-tae, the Tower Master's first disciple.
The world thought he and Yuji-tae were neck-and-neck for the Tower Master's seat.
Ridiculous.
Yuji-tae's talent, character, and capacity were incomparable to his. Yuji-tae was far superior.
Yet because he luckily reached 7th Circle around the same time, people saw them as rivals.
Such nonsense cornered me like this.
What the world didn't know: before Kim Jehyun appeared, the Tower Master had shown strong hints of making Yuji-tae his successor.
He had accepted it at first. Even he thought Yuji-tae suited the role better.
But the problem was those around him.
—Hyung Seongyun! You could really become Tower Master!
—Aigoo, our Seongyun is so great. Yes, yes. I knew you'd be the pillar of our family. Good boy!
—Come here, my son. Elders, this is our Seongyun.
—Oh, so handsome and tall! You're the son your mom brags about so much. They say you might become Tower Master? Haha, we should stay on good terms.
Acquaintances, parents, parents' acquaintances. Against his will, Heo Seongyun became a mage who might become the next Tower Master.
Different from third disciple Ryu Seohee, but this was why he became obsessed with the seat.
Yet contrary to expectations, the position drifted further away.
Then Kim Jehyun appeared, and he felt completely out of the Tower Master's sight.
That crushed his self-esteem.
—Senior brother, did you hear? Master gave his seal to Kim Jehyun.
Ryu Seohee's words were the final blow.
Before giants like Yuji-tae and once-in-a-generation genius Kim Jehyun, he felt utterly powerless, vividly and painfully.
Everything was relative. To others, he was the Tower Master's second disciple, a genius who reached 7th Circle young, an object of envy. But his eyes looked not down, but up.
What a loser I was.
Heo Seongyun chuckled bitterly.
He had deluded himself that suppressing Kim Jehyun and showing off would restore his crumbled pride.
Heo Seongyun lifted his head.
Vitality returned to his once-dull eyes.
A relieved smile played on his lips.
In that moment, he shed the burdens that had weighed him down.
Hoo.
Jo Yeonhu, watching the process, inwardly admired.
He hadn't expected Heo Seongyun to let go of his long-standing burdens so easily.
As expected, the Tower Master hadn't taken him as a disciple for nothing.
Tower Master, did you foresee this far?
He had noticed Heo Seongyun's state long ago himself, so the Tower Master surely had too.
Perhaps the Tower Master had left him alone, believing he'd overcome it himself.
Because Heo Seongyun, having cast off his own demons, had gained the strength to take a step toward 8th Circle.
Jo Yeonhu smiled faintly at him.
⊳ Blue Team is on a rampage! They've destroyed the bottom tower too!
⊳ Blue Team's teamwork has suddenly become incredible!
⊳ Heo Seongyun is actively supporting Kim Jehyun. With Kim Jehyun already solo-carrying, backed by the team, Red Team can't hold!
The 7th Circle Ascension Tower event match swiftly tilted in Blue Team's favor.
Having shed his burdens, Heo Seongyun teamed up with his allies to support Kim Jehyun aggressively, and Red Team had no way to stop them.
⊳ Blue Team achieves overwhelming victory!
Leading with Kim Jehyun, Blue Team won without losing a single life. Red Team kept feeding lives in every clash and fell without landing a proper hit.
“Wow, you're really amazing.”
“How can you control mana so precisely? I was seriously moved watching.”
“Haha, right? I was shocked too. Maybe I should learn from Jehyun here.”
At Heo Seongyun's words, Blue Team looked at him with slight surprise.
After dying once mid-game from overextending, he suddenly supported Kim Jehyun aggressively, and now he was even asking for teachings—half-joking, sure, but it shocked them.
It was tantamount to the Tower Master's second disciple fully acknowledging Kim Jehyun.
“You're all hyping me up too much; I don't know where to put myself.”
Kim Jehyun laughed happily in response.
Heo Seongyun's change surprised him too. People didn't switch attitudes so suddenly—and this wasn't fake. The clouded look in his eyes from before was completely gone.
—That guy's impressive too. He might even advance to 8th Circle.
Alkasha, noticing the change, reacted with surprise.
Meeting Kim Jehyun today was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Heo Seongyun.
If he truly reached 8th Circle later, he'd owe Kim Jehyun a debt he could never repay.
“Alright, let's grab drinks and catch up. My treat today.”
“Ooh! As expected of Seongyun! I trusted you. I know a great spot—let's go there.”
“Jehyun, you're coming too, right?”
Kim Jehyun chuckled and nodded at their words.
They were comrades who shared victory; it felt good to unwind together.
And one more congratulatory message arrived for Kim Jehyun's win.
Sudden Quest Successfully Completed
The Dragon God Temple Point Box.
That special reward had been granted.