4th Floor Ascension Tower Exam (2)
“What...?”
An Sangcheol bristled at Jehyun’s words. He’d been trying to play nice, but now his temper had been properly provoked.
‘Even if you’re on another level, we’ve got some chops too.’
An Sangcheol’s eyes darkened ominously. He acknowledged that the kid in front of him was a once-in-a-millennium genius. No doubt, as time passed, the gap between them would widen exponentially.
‘But not yet. Not right now.’
They were all 4th Circle mages at the moment. Even if Jehyun’s skill outstripped each of them individually by a wide margin, it was hard to take on ten with one hand tied.
“Don’t think it’ll be like the promising talent individual league. You’ll be in big trouble if you do.”
From the 4th Circle onward, mental magic didn’t land easily. Assuming the overwhelming dominance he’d shown against 3rd Circle and below would work here was a grave miscalculation.
‘He beat Yang Jaejin and two other 4th Circles recently, so it’s plausible enough. With that monstrous talent... But three versus ten is an absolute difference. Overlooking that is your fatal mistake today.’
An Sangcheol steeled his resolve.
‘We take down Kim Jehyun here.’
Reading the determination in his eyes, his teammates dropped their complacency and got serious about the fight.
—These guys have some fire in their eyes.
‘Yeah, tell me about it.’
Jehyun smirked inwardly.
‘Guess I’ll have to get serious too, out of courtesy?’
With that thought, an amber glow flashed in Jehyun’s eyes.
‘Dragon Fear.’
Dragon Fear
Ripples of overwhelming, primal aura emanated from Jehyun’s body in concentric waves. Team 13’s faces twisted in terror upon encountering it.
This wasn’t mere fear from a power gap. It was a more primal dread, born from the fundamental hierarchy of existence.
“Guh... grrr...”
Just moments ago, An Sangcheol’s darkened pupils rippled like disturbed water.
‘W-what the hell...?’
He’d prepared thoroughly for today’s Ascension Tower exam, including a ring artifact with debuff resistance and mental defense magic embedded.
‘This isn’t magic...’
Goosebumps erupted across An Sangcheol’s skin. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
In his eyes, Jehyun now appeared as an unstoppable predator.
Those exposed to Dragon Fear fall into states of confusion and paralysis. Abilities are greatly reduced.
The effect of Jehyun’s Dragon Fear was tremendous, amplified by the recent surge in proficiency of his draconic powers.
“Chain Lightning.”
Mana concentrated in Jehyun’s hands manifested as dual Chain Lightning spells.
“D-double casting...!”
“Crazy... block it!”
In their panic, they scrambled to erect defensive magic circles against Jehyun’s assault. But Jehyun unleashed his spells even faster.
Bzzt-crackle!
Nothing matched Chain Lightning for speed and area coverage. In an instant, bolts shot forward and backward, engulfing all of Team 13.
“Gah... aaaargh!”
Gray mana spread from the wrist of the frontliner who took a direct hit, soon enveloping his body. The damage exceeded his limit, triggering automatic disqualification and activating the protective magic from his exam bracelet.
“T-team leader... r-run... agh!”
An Sangcheol watched with his own eyes as Yoo Hangil threw himself in harm’s way, taking the hit meant for him and disqualifying himself.
Yoo Hangil had made a wise call in his final moments. If the ‘King,’ An Sangcheol, went out, the whole team would follow. He’d sacrificed for the team.
“D-damn it...”
The electrifying shock jolting through An Sangcheol’s body snapped him alert. It had hit Yoo Hangil directly, then arced to him as residual damage—thankfully not enough for instant elimination. But his will to fight Jehyun evaporated in that instant.
“Team leader! Leave this to us... run!”
His other staggering teammates shouted. The Dragon Fear paralysis had eased slightly with time, allowing some to lob spells at Jehyun. But he countered effortlessly—one hand weaving Shield, the other firing another Chain Lightning, dismantling Team 13.
“Sh-shit. How do you beat someone double-casting offense and defense?”
Watching Jehyun casually dominate them with double casting, they abandoned any hope of victory. It was that cheat-like.
Crushing demoralized foes was child’s play.
“M-mon... ster.”
An Sangcheol muttered his last words with a pale face before collapsing.
Thud.
At the same moment, messages visible to all appeared in the sky.
[Team 13 Kim Hoseong - Eliminated.]
[Team 13 Kim Minwoong - Eliminated.]
[Team 13 No Youngmi - Eliminated.]
…
…
…
[Team 13 (King) An Sangcheol - Eliminated.]
[Team 13 has been wiped out.]
Team 13 wiped out.
Kim Jehyun of Team 8 acquires 1 flag.
All this unfolded just 15 minutes after the match began.
* * *
“N-no way...”
“Hah... hahaha.”
Seol Daejun and Bong Taemin, commentating the 4th floor Ascension Tower exam, were left speechless.
They couldn’t believe what they’d just witnessed.
They’d thought Jehyun blatantly blocking the road was a strategy.
—Ah, that’s gotta be Kim Jehyun’s strategy, no matter how you slice it. I’m right here—come get me if you can. Classic bait.
—Very tempting bait. Catching Kim Jehyun alone is basically snagging a flag for free, right?
—Exactly. Even if they spot the trap, they can’t resist. Too juicy.
—Oh ho. So what strategy is Kim Jehyun going for?
—There’s a perfect one for this.
—What’s that?
—Hit and Run. The higher your mobility and firepower, the better it works. Jehyun knows it well. What are my strengths? How do I beat numbers solo? Answer: strike and withdraw.
—Ah, right. No teammates means no anchors—that’s the solo player’s edge. Oh, I get it now. Smart kid. Sly as a fox. No wonder he went solo. All planned out.
That was their prediction: Jehyun would use hit-and-run. And indeed, no one could counter it effectively. A huge advantage for him.
The audience grasped the solo strength they’d sensed, thanks to the commentary. They’d anticipated him harrying teams guerrilla-style.
“But... nope. Hahaha.”
“...Unbelievable. Is this even possible?”
“I’ve... never seen anything like it. Who’d have thought he’d crush them head-on... Rumors of double casting? I was skeptical, but this is... insane.”
Both were dumbfounded by Jehyun’s display. Frontally demolishing a whole team? Not even they had predicted that while prepping commentary.
The viewers were equally stunned.
The community exploded. Boards were flooded with Jehyun talk. Attention now centered on whether he could really solo the entire 4th floor Ascension Tower exam.
* * *
[Team 11 Han Hyunbin - Eliminated.]
[Team 11 (King) Go Yunok - Eliminated.]
[Team 11 has been wiped out.]
Another team elimination message echoed across the battlefield. Less than 30 minutes into the 4th floor Ascension Tower exam, two teams were out.
It made sense—early clashes often dropped one or two quickly.
“But what’s up? Why’s only one side getting wiped—no single elims from the opponents?”
Park Seyoung, King of Team 9, voiced her doubt. At first she hadn’t noticed, but every message showed one-sided team and King eliminations.
Her instincts screamed this wasn’t normal.
“Suspicious... Pull back from those teams, focus on scouting the situation.”
Park Seyoung withdrew the front line, bolstering recon. Right after...
[Team 16 (King) Shin Seyeon - Eliminated.]
[Team 16 has been wiped out.]
“...!”
She pieced it together this time.
“Kim Jehyun... solo-wiped a team?”
Park Seyoung’s eyes wavered. She’d hoped not. That monstrous?
Then the previous two teams fell to him too.
“This... won’t do.”
She realized Jehyun was heading their way. Time for a decision.
She initiated talks with Teams 5 and 14, whom she’d been facing off against.
* * *
“Hm? Already?”
Jehyun tilted his head en route to his next target. One of them had sharp instincts.
He’d figured they’d ally after he thinned the herd more. But they’d banded together early, waiting for him.
‘Three teams, huh.’
His senses detected the enemies ahead—nearly 30 strong. Good positioning too: dug in on high ground.
The smart play? Bypass. Plenty of other teams left; no need to fight disadvantaged.
‘But retreating from this... I’d never dare tackle the Polluted Spirit Forest.’
And more: hoarding this power cowardly would shame a dragon’s name.
“Let’s go, then.”
Jehyun stepped forward. His eyes blazed gold.
“Kasa Summon.”
Kasa Summon
A golden-flamed eagle materialized in the air, and a Flame Sword appeared in Jehyun’s hand. He fused the two powers.
Fusing spirit and magic felt far more natural now.
‘Spirit Magic: Sword of Raging Flames (A).’
Whoosh!
A pillar of fire erupted from Jehyun’s hand, scraping the sky.
“W-what the hell is that?!”
“No way...”
Gasps erupted from the three allied teams. This wasn’t in their calculations.
The massive blade of fire, tearing the heavens, plummeted straight at them.
BOOM!