4th Floor Ascension Tower Exam (3)

The sword of blazing inferno that plummeted from the sky tore the earth asunder. Flames roared fiercely!

The ground burned and screamed in agony. At the same time, the cries of those who had tried to block the sword echoed out.

"Gahhh!"

"Sh-shit, what the hell is...?"

Curses and screams filled the air. Over a dozen had layered their shields desperately, but the fiery blade soaring high into the sky shattered them effortlessly, as if they were a joke.

Drip. Drip-drip-drip.

Those hit directly suffered damage beyond their limits and turned gray. The battlefield messages announcing their elimination rang out as well.

"It's—it's coming again!"

Someone shrieked in a fit of panic. The fiery sword that had shattered their formation wasn't done with just one strike. Kim Jehyun swung it horizontally while maintaining his focus.

Fwoooosh!

Heaven and earth burned once more, screaming. Those directly struck by Jehyun's blade of fire turned gray in an instant.

In just two moves, most of the thirty-plus participants had been eliminated. Only five remained. By sheer luck, the kings of all three teams had barely survived.

"Th-this can't be real..."

Someone muttered in despair. A gap like this? Would a 5th Circle mage even be capable? No—even a 5th Circle couldn't do this. This required power on par with the 6th Circle.

"Tch, don't just stand there—attack now! He must be tired!"

Someone made a final desperate lunge, unleashing magic at Jehyun. But...

Thinking Jehyun was tired was just someone's dying wish. In a flash, all three teams were wiped out.

The commentators and spectators who witnessed the scene were left in shock.

"My... God. Was that a fusion of spirits and magic too?"

"It... seems so. That power... it far surpasses standard 4th Circle spells."

"Is this even possible? Wow... I'm speechless the more I watch."

The commentators were at a loss for words.

Those watching rubbed their eyes in disbelief. What Jehyun displayed was nothing short of miraculous. Strength transcending the limits of circles. Such power hadn't been seen since the Tower Master.

Thus, the spectators cheered for Jehyun. But for those facing him, it was hell.

Kaboooom!

Jehyun unleashed Kasar's Wrath (B), upheaving the earth's crust.

"Gaaah!"

Those swept up in the explosion screamed. Their bodies turned gray, eliminated from the match.

"Damn, damn, damn."

Sung Dongwon, king of Team 3, muttered bitterly. He shouldn't have rejected the offer earlier.

—What? An alliance? You're kidding. Against one guy? No thanks. Pass.

He'd refused out of pride. If he'd known it was this ridiculous monster, he never would have.

Too late for regrets—he drank the cup of elimination in the 4th floor Ascension Tower exam.

Jehyun had eliminated yet another team.

"Phew. That's seven now."

He'd already secured seven flags. Passing the 5th floor exam was a given, but...

This isn't enough.

Jehyun's goal was to sweep the remaining teams, set a new record, and claim first place. Not just the legendary weapon exchange ticket from the sudden quest for first, but ongoing quests rewarded record-breaking feats in the Ascension Tower exam.

"Alright then..."

Jehyun looked into the distance, a grin curling his lips like he was amused.

"Now the real game begins."

"What... is happening?"

Commentator Seol Daejun's shocked voice echoed.

"Ten teams have allied just to stop Kim Jehyun alone! Wow... this has never happened before! That's how monstrous Kim Jehyun is right now!"

"Exactly. He's the demon king himself! This setup is like heroes banding together against the demon king Kim Jehyun. Ahh, the battle of the century is upon us. Kim Jehyun! The demon king's assault rains down on the heroes!"

The commentators were fired up. They'd never seen a match like this. Nor had anyone else.

Roooar!

The crowd's cheers shook the arena. Jehyun's legendary performance, fused with the fighters' defiance against him, set the field ablaze.

Kaboooom!

"Tch... blocked it."

For the first time, Jehyun's Kasar's Wrath was stopped before the enemy lines. It made sense—dozens had pooled their power into shields, unlike before.

Ten teams. Battered but united, nearly a hundred strong—not at full strength, but overwhelming in number. Jehyun wouldn't underestimate them.

Or would he? Jehyun grinned as if answering the question.

Fun.

Thoom!

An explosive aura erupted from Jehyun, weighing down the air. Indescribable terror swallowed the arena.

"Guhhh."

Those facing Dragon Fear head-on paled yellow. Like prey before a predator. Primal fear eroded their minds.

And it didn't end there.

Vast mana surged from Jehyun's body, gathering at his head to form horns. The 4th Circle foes couldn't see it, but they felt his aura shift completely.

"D-dodge!"

With that cry, Jehyun unleashed Kasar's Wrath again at the front lines.

Kaboooom!

Drip, drip-drip. Drip-drip-drip-drip.

Explosions and spreading gray waves in an instant.

"Tch, everyone—attack at once!"

The other participants didn't sit idle. Fireballs, ice fogs, holds, digs, fire lances, fire waves, lightning arrows—countless spells flew at Jehyun.

Even for him, blocking all that perfectly would be tough.

"Shield, shield. Shield."

But astonishingly, Jehyun blocked the dozens of incoming spells with infinite shields via double-casting and his insanely fast implementation speed.

Reflect.

The rest were bounced back by the Reflect embedded in his leather tunic.

Thud!

"Gahk, what—Reflect?!"

As they panicked from their own spells rebounding...

Bam!

With a shockwave, Jehyun shot into the air. He stopped 20 meters up. His eyes flashed golden again.

Two eagles wreathed in golden flames were summoned.

"Circle."

At his command, the two Kasas bit each other's tails in midair, spinning in a ring.

Fire Storm.

Jehyun conjured Fire Storm in both hands, infusing it into the circle they'd drawn.

Flash!

The massive circle in the sky blazed gold, unleashing golden fire streams onto the ground.

Shwaaa!

"In-insane!"

"D-don't panic—block it!"

Desperate cries and screams erupted everywhere. The falling fire streams upheaved the earth, creating another gray wave.

Overwhelming dominance. That one word summed up the battlefield.

Five minutes later, no one stood on the ground except Jehyun.

Woooow!

The spectators' gasps shook the air.

The commentators gushed in awe. How could they not? Victory against a hundred peer mages—an unprecedented feat.

"Hm, no. Our master could have done it, right?"

"...Master could have, of course."

A woman with long wavy hair down to her shoulders spoke, and a younger-looking young man replied in a subdued tone.

"Heh. But our little junior's in trouble now. Even the new disciples will outshine him."

"...There hasn't been any official word from Master about taking a new disciple."

Song Jiseok turned to Ryu Seokhui and answered.

"Hoho. Haven't heard the rumors? Word is Master's giving his seal to that kid. You know what that means, little bro."

"That's..."

Grind.

Song Jiseok ground his teeth. Even if his talent fell short of expectations... handing a seal he hadn't even received to that brat? Rage boiled inside.

"If the kid gets the seal smoothly, it'll be fun. Then you better work harder so you don't fall behind, little bro! Fighting!"

"...Leave."

"Alright. Call this big sis if you need anything. Bye."

At Song Jiseok's dismissal, Ryu Seokhui turned away.

Always wears his heart on his sleeve.

Her eyes curved into crescents watching Song Jiseok tremble with inferiority. Her cute little bro would dance to her tune.

Jehyun chuckled at the community's reaction toward him. More and more were starting to follow him. It felt a bit awkward, but not unwelcome. A smile tugged at his lips.

"Guess that's why everyone raves about artifacts."

He looked down at his hands. Brown gloves with amplifiers on the backs were equipped. He'd claimed the legendary artifact he'd eyed with the 'Stage 4 Legendary Artifact Exchange Ticket' from completing the quest.

Fwoosh.

He conjured a simple 1st Circle Fire. Seeing his mana amplified felt similar to the Dragon Horn's amplification—though nowhere near as potent.

"Kinda. And it's nostalgic too."

Mage artifacts started at 4th Circle, once mana control was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solid. Pre-regression, Jehyun had slaved as a mage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for 26 years without ever owning one.

So wearing his first felt indescribable.

"Good. With this and the fourth legacy, the Polluted Spirit Forest will be a breeze."

Jehyun grinned. He was excited to see how much he'd grow raiding it.

He turned to Alkasha.

"Let's go claim the fourth legacy."

With that, Jehyun headed to where the fourth legacy slumbered.