A Tempest of Words

While Crawford was struggling, Alcott rode his momentum. There was nothing more terrifying than a high-ranking player on a roll. Even though it was a heavyweight demon twice the normal size, buffed by the demonic energy of the Demon Realm, Alcott didn't care and toyed with it. Slashing, bashing, using skills to blind it, freezing its movements, and then landing a critical hit...

I'm shining right now! Alcott thought as he swung his sword like a madman. Are you watching this, everyone?!

"Why is his damage so lacking? If it were Kim Tae-hyun, he would've killed it already."

"Shh. Don't compare him to Kim Tae-hyun. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You'll hurt his feelings again."

Crawford put a finger to his lips as he answered Cain's question. Sure, it might not look like much to them, but Alcott was currently doing his absolute best to chain his combos. Let's watch him with warm, supportive eyes!

"Ah, I see. I'll watch him warmly then."

"Yeah. Let's cheer him on warmly."

"Fighting, Alcott! Fighting! You're doing great!"

"Alcott, you're so cool! Whoo!"

I can hear you, you bastards...

Alcott's shoulders slumped. Was the damage difference really that big? No matter how great Kim Tae-hyun was, with a combo like this, even he wouldn't be that much faster...

"!!"

Tae-hyun was beating down the demons in front of him left and right. Fighting inside water saturated with magical energy posed no problem for him at all. He struck first to break their balance, chained his skills, and unleashed a Multi-hit before they could even react. If another demon approached in the meantime, he simply countered, then repeated the cycle. It was a quiet, almost boring fight with absolutely no flashy skill effects, yet it was incredibly lethal and intense. It was as if his entire body was declaring, This is what class looks like.

While everyone was admiring him, Tae-hyun was thinking about something else.

Hmm. There are way too many of them.

When entering a dungeon for the first time, you ultimately had to learn through experience. That was why deviations from expectations inevitably caused problems. How one handled these unexpected issues was the true measure of skill!

Lalgrgal released way more demons than I expected. And this isn't exactly a great place to keep fighting.

Since Divine Foresight was guiding his path, he couldn't even turn back.

They're pouring out from above, below, and the sides of the passage. And because the water is completely filled up, I can't just push through.

The dungeon terrain was also the absolute worst. Since they were high-ranking players, the level of the monsters was manageable, but it was highly unlikely there weren't stronger ones ahead. On top of that, they had no idea when Lalgrgal would return. While Alcott and Cain were happily beating up demons, Tae-hyun was slowly starting to feel a sense of crisis. He had to come up with a plan!

I want to quickly break into Lalgrgal's lair, find the antidote, and get out. Seriously, who was the idiot who flooded this place?

Tae-hyun clicked his tongue. If not for this flood, he could have pushed through, avoided them, or blasted a new path through the walls! But with the water completely filling the space, his options were severely limited. Seeing that his skill wasn't showing him a path, making a clumsy move would undoubtedly lead to a major disaster. In the end, the only option left was a head-on breakthrough—sweeping the monsters as quickly as possible and rushing forward. To do that, a wide-area skill was absolutely essential...

Tae-hyun realized once again how extreme his skill set was. Even his wide-area skills were highly situational and conditional!

If I detonate a bomb here, the whole place might collapse and trap us...

"Crawford, do you have any useful wide-area spells? Our pace is too slow."

"I have plenty of wide-area spells, but my magic damage is severely reduced right now..."

Crawford spoke with a troubled expression. Crawford was a fire magic specialist! Naturally, fighting underwater put him at a massive disadvantage. Even though he was a high-ranking player and managed to squeeze out decent damage with other elemental spells, there was a clear limit. Hearing this, Alcott muttered without thinking,

"He's useless."

"...What did you say, punk?"

"No, I mean... haha. That was just a slip of the tongue..."

"You little..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Crawford glared at Alcott. He had been trying so hard to cheer up the guy who had been messing up earlier so he wouldn't lose heart!

I'm definitely going to report your pathetic behavior to the community!

"Hmm... I was trying to save my MP, but I guess I'll have to use Word of Power."

"Word of Power?! How on earth can you use that?!"

Crawford doubted his ears for a moment. Word of Power. Although it consumed a massive amount of MP compared to other magic, its versatility and convenience were unmatched. In theory, almost any magic was possible with it!

"I have my ways. Ah, I should use Avatar of Terror too."

Avatar of Terror! It was a skill Tae-hyun had acquired after his Terror stat surpassed 10,000. A skill that temporarily transformed him into an avatar of terror. He hadn't used it yet, but considering the sheer difficulty of obtaining it, the effect was bound to be powerful.

Even if the demons just get scared and run away, it's a win for me.

...Isn't there a difference in how actively they run away?

-Avatar of Terror!

As expected, his Terror stat temporarily spiked.

However, it didn't have much of an effect. Monsters under the influence of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a buff were programmed to fight to the death, even if they were terrified.

"E-Even if that bastard Archisus comes, I will not back down...! But it would be better to attack that guy first instead of me!"

"Lord Lalgrgal will save us! ...Before Archisus kills us!"

Rather than the demons' cries, Tae-hyun focused on the other message windows.

The cooldowns and MP costs of all Speech-related skills are reduced to zero?

If it were skills from any other category, it would be the most broken cheat of all cheats, but Speech skills were highly specific. After all, Speech skills... barely consumed any MP to begin with!

What Speech skills do I have that actually use MP? Intimidate, Paranoia, Shout Skill Name, Soul-shaking Threat, Shout Fake Skill Name...

...Word of Power. Wait. I unlocked the Word of Power skill through Speech, didn't I?

Tae-hyun realized. While mages who unlocked Word Magic did so by raising their magic skills, Tae-hyun had unlocked it through his Speech skill!

So that meant right now... he could spam magic infinitely for 10 seconds?

Tae-hyun's brain spun at breakneck speed, and his mouth opened at the exact same moment to shout a skill.

"Archisus's Blessing!"

The party-wide Archisus's Blessing. It was more than enough to protect his party members for 10 seconds.

"What are you trying to—?"

"Holy Lightning of Archisus! Holy Lightning of Archisus! Holy Lightning of Archisus! Holy Lightning of Archisus—!"

Tae-hyun chanted at a frantic, rap-like speed. If a warrior's control was defined by kinetic vision and reaction speed, a mage's control—especially one using Word Magic—was defined by their speaking speed! How fast they could speak determined how many spells they could cast!

The effect of Word Magic was determined by keywords. If the keywords were <Holy>, <Archisus>, and <Lightning>...

KRA-BOOOOOOM!

"M-Madman..."

"What in the world..."

The party was utterly dumbfounded. It was a wide-area spell that made them doubt their own eyes! From the passage right in front of them to the pitch-black path far in the distance, everything was filled with brilliant, crackling blue lightning. The lightning struck the floor and walls, sizzling through the water and continuously spreading in all directions. Whenever the bolts merged, they erupted with even greater intensity. A lightning storm! Earlier, the high-ranking weather mage had summoned a storm, but it looked pitiful compared to the lightning tempest unfolding before their eyes. It was a level of destruction where absolutely nothing could survive!

BZZZZT! CRACKLE! SPARKS!

"Whoa, seriously. That power is insane."

"I know, right? Thank goodness Kim Tae-hyun gave us a buff so we wouldn't get hit."

Cain and Alcott nodded in agreement as they conversed.

"...But the buff is going to last until that magic completely ends, right?"

Thanks to Archisus's Blessing, every single lightning strike was showing up as an 'Evasion,' but thinking about it now, it was a bit terrifying. When... was that going to end?

"Don't worry. This is Kim Tae-hyun we're talking about. Of course he anticipated this and cast it accordingly."

"R-Right?"

"...Are you sure he predicted that the spells would merge like that, amplify their power, and consequently extend their duration?"

Crawford asked in an anxious voice. He knew Kim Tae-hyun was incredible, but he wasn't a specialized mage... No, wait... but since it was Kim Tae-hyun...!

However, Tae-hyun avoided their gaze.

"...Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Kim Tae-hyun? Kim Tae-hyun?!"

"Hey! Why aren't you saying anything?!"

Tae-hyun kept avoiding their eyes. He hadn't predicted *that* far ahead!

Two levels at once! This was the result of completely incinerating every single demon connected to this passage with lightning, and tearing apart the Demon Realm barrier created by Lalgrgal!

"Aaaaargh! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!!"

"We have to survive!"

Sparks... crackle...

"...Is, is it over?"

"Don't jinx it, you idiot! If you say that, it'll explode again!"

Once the lightning finally subsided, Alcott and Cain hugged each other tightly. They had been truly terrified.

Only then did Tae-hyun nod and speak up.

"Phew... Right. Crawford, you asked earlier if I predicted this and cast it, right? Of course I did."

"...Stop lying, you bastard!"

No matter how they looked at it, that was not the face of someone who had predicted this! They were becoming increasingly convinced that the real reason Kim Tae-hyun had brought them along was because 'it wouldn't be a loss if they died.'

"Picking up the pace! Let's clear everything out and get out of here before Lalgrgal arrives!"

"Yeahhhhh!"

Regardless of the process, the result was undeniable. The group cheered spiritedly and dashed forward.

"A-A-Archisus!"

Lalgrgal, who had been cornering Ehas and Jehas to kill them, suddenly froze and shrieked.

"My home! My home!"

"W-What is it?"

"Now's our chance! Attack—urgh!"

They thought the enemy had let his guard down, but Lalgrgal was not one to make such mistakes. He backhanded Jehas, sending him flying. It was a terrifying strength that shattered his barrier and sent him sailing!

Meanwhile, Lee Se-yeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Should I kill them or not?

Should she let Lalgrgal finish them off, or should she shoot them in the back herself? Both options seemed highly appealing, making it a difficult choice.

"I will never forgive you...! Archisus!"

Lalgrgal roared in a deafening voice, then slammed his fist into the ground, creating a massive hole, and began descending back into the underground.

The battered Ehas gasped for breath and blinked.

"W-We're alive!"

"Not yet."

Along with those words, Lee Se-yeon's attack flew straight toward her. Ehas shrieked and rolled out of the way.

"Nice dodge! Keep dodging!"

"Y-You coward! Is this how a high-ranking player is supposed to act?!"

"Huh? I can't hear you over the sound of you dying. I can't hear a thing~"

"Ugh... You're just like that damn Kim Tae-hyun!"

Ehas yelled, trying to rattle Lee Se-yeon and create an opening. However, Lee Se-yeon's expression only turned ice-cold.

"...You are absolutely dead today."

Ehas felt an instinctual chill. I messed with the wrong person!