Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Tactical Retreat
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Lee Si-woo descended from the mountain peak and headed straight for the ruins.
Just a day ago, the area around the ruins had been as bustling as a marketplace, swarming with mages. Now, a lonely silence, like that of a swimming pool in winter, had settled over it.
As Lee Si-woo approached the ruins, three or four sharp gazes fell upon him, but that was all.
The ones left behind, the abandoned. Or perhaps, the ones who waited. Casually ignoring their attention, Lee Si-woo entered the ruins.
*Are they all dead?*
He didn't need to go deep inside. The reason why those left behind couldn't enter the ruins to find their comrades was scattered all around the entrance.
Lee Si-woo paused at the sight of the corpses, dead with thread-like worms trickling from their eyes, noses, and mouths.
The ones he had driven to their deaths. And the ones who would become proof of his own evil deeds.
*Why am I getting sentimental now of all times...?*
Lee Si-woo shoved the dark emotion rising within him deep into his chest.
What could be more vile than grieving for them?
As the perpetrator, he had no business indulging in pathetic guilt.
If he was trash, he should act like it; all he had to do was ignore the negative feelings.
As if testing the waters, Lee Si-woo examined the bodies for several tens of minutes.
Only after confirming it was safe did he quicken his pace.
*It looks like they died from some strange parasite... Trusting the Death-Ground Fortune and entering the ruins today was the right call. If I'd come yesterday, I would've been trapped and done for.*
Having regained a bit of composure, Lee Si-woo moved cautiously, examining the structure of the ruins.
The ruins were filled with an unusual number of nameless stone statues and sculptures, suggesting it was a facility built for religious purposes.
As Lee Si-woo was examining statues of a kneeling knight and a mage looking up at the sky with a dry gaze, his ears perked up and he turned his head.
"Lee Si-woo?"
Before him stood the Ancient, Yoana, waiting with a bloodied Yahalong and Fwan-fwan tucked under her arms.
*She knows my name? Tsk, it seems she interrogated Yahalong and Fwan-fwan to get my personal details... This is going to be a headache.*
The cyborg, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie, flashed its red, single eye as if urging a response, and Lee Si-woo answered nonchalantly.
"Yes, I am Lee Si-woo."
She asked.
"Do you know Mumeon?"
"I do. He is the one I serve."
At Lee Si-woo's words about serving Mumeon, Yoana trembled violently, her entire body shaking.
Unable to control the torrent of her emotions, her mechanical voice was even laced with static.
"Where is he?"
Lee Si-woo bit back a bitter smile.
He wished he could just invite her to Barathrum and crush her, but it was a shame he had no way to do so. He wanted to spout some nonsense to shake off this hunk of metal, but it was frustratingly impossible.
No matter how he answered, he was sure this Ancient would undoubtedly put a leash on him and drag him around.
It was the most certain method, and if Lee Si-woo were in her shoes, he would have done the same.
"Since the outcome is already decided for both of us, there's no need for a lengthy conversation, is there?"
Lee Si-woo would not speak, and she would try to get an answer by any means necessary.
Therefore, their clash was inevitable.
"...Is that so? Yes, I suppose you're right. Indeed, there's no reason to take the long way around when the simplest path is right here."
Reading the unyielding fighting spirit in Lee Si-woo, she kicked away Yahalong and the goblin she had secured, wondering if they could be used as hostages.
A light kick. But one with enough power to shatter boulders. The goblin Fwan-fwan's internal organs ruptured, and he died instantly. Yahalong's neck snapped as he rolled across the floor several times.
Seeing Lee Si-woo's face remain completely unfazed by the miserable state of his former companions, she judged them to have no value as hostages.
*Vrooom.*
With a strange engine-like sound, the Ancient surged toward Lee Si-woo at a fierce speed.
The Ancient's body was fundamentally a cyborg, but it was difficult to consider it a product of pure science.
Her body was mechanical, but its foundation was magic, and its pursuit was the path of sorcery.
*CRASH!*
Having already summoned an Ogre Hammer to block the Ancient's strike, Lee Si-woo's entire body glowed with a platinum light.
*Fast, and strong. This isn't just mechanical strength. Buffs, buff magic is active. And... is it constantly active?*
Haste, which maximized agility and reflexes; Monstrous Strength, which enhanced physical power; and Iron Man, which increased the body's durability and recovery.
Realizing the Ancient had the three elemental spells commonly known as the Three Great Buffs constantly stacked and active, Lee Si-woo clicked his tongue inwardly.
He was slightly daunted by the Ancient's strength and speed, which surpassed his own physical abilities that were well over level 200.
*Harman, I'm going to need your help.*
-I was already preparing. I will assist you immediately, my Lord.
Lee Si-woo handed over a portion of his mana control authority to Harman, who resided in a part of his mind.
Harman was a 4th Circle Master, and for him, casting 2nd Circle magic was as easy as swimming with his feet on the ground.
Yes, for instance, he could use a control technique called Triple Casting.
[1st Circle Elemental Magic: Haste]
[2nd Circle Elemental Magic: Blade Augmentation]
[2nd Circle Elemental Magic: Wind Throw]
He imbued the hammer with sharpness using Blade Augmentation and enhanced his agility with Haste.
And then, he pushed back the Ancient, who was about to follow up, with Wind Throw.
All of this happened in the span of a single breath, a display of outstanding skill unbelievable for a mere 2nd Circle Master.
"Not bad."
However, even after seeing Lee Si-woo's Triple Casting, Yoana merely thought it was "not bad," with no particularly meaningful reaction.
The Triple Casting technique, simultaneously casting three spells of the same Circle, was certainly an advanced skill that would astonish ordinary mages, but to her, an Ancient, it was nothing more than a cheap trick.
A silver Gatling gun popped out from Yoana's shoulder.
Its four barrels, inscribed with symbols reminiscent of fire, water, wind, and earth, began to spin rapidly.
*Rat-a-tat-tat!*
Lee Si-woo calmly watched the barrage of 2nd Circle elemental magic pouring from the Gatling gun.
He remained unfazed, even in the face of an attack that could easily be called a magical bombardment.
*Harman. Can you block it?*
-Who do you take me for, my Lord? The Ancient may be impressive, but her current skill level is, at best, that of a 2nd Circle Master. And for me, dismantling 2nd Circle magic is an incredibly... tedious task.
The moment Lee Si-woo realized he could 'download' Harman's mind into his own from Barathrum, it was safe to say his skills had not just progressed, but evolved.
The current Lee Si-woo was no different from a man who had invited a boxing champion into his body through possession and then stepped into an amateur boxing ring.
*Th-th-thud!*
The magical bombardment rained down on Lee Si-woo's mana shield, but surprisingly, the impact wasn't severe.
In the instant the 2nd Circle spells struck the mana shield, Harman used Lee Si-woo's mana to interfere with each of the dozens of spells, dismantling their structure and breaking them down.
To put it in extreme terms, it was like a batter facing a 160 km/h fastball suddenly dealing with a 70 km/h pitch, a situation where he could turn almost every one into a hit.
Of course, given it was a barrage of dozens of spells, Harman did miss one or two, but it didn't matter.
The damage was negligible, hardly a price to pay for blocking the bombardment.
And this was the ultimate control technique that only a very select few mages of the 4th Circle or higher could use.
The Breaker.
"Breaker? A mere 2nd Circle mage?"
Seeing Lee Si-woo easily guard an attack that should have been a decisive hook, a finishing straight punch, as if it were a mere jab, Yoana was truly surprised this time.
No, she was horrified.
Because this fledgling before her was performing an incomprehensible act that no 2nd Circle mage in the world could accomplish.
"You... what are you? How can a 2nd Circle mage wield an ultimate technique like Breaker?"
An answer was meaningless.
No need for words.
Chattering during a fight, unless for the purpose of bluffing, was a useless act that only drained one's energy.
What was needed in this moment was not deliberation on what to say, but contemplation on how to defeat the enemy.
Instantly closing the distance, Lee Si-woo injected a large amount of mana into his Ogre Hammer.
The violently vibrating Ogre Hammer swung in an arc and struck the Ancient.
*CRACK!*
An Ancient's mana shield isn't deployed externally like a normal mage's, but internally.
In other words, it was an inner skin, not an outer one.
First, the metal skin mitigated the impact, and second, the mana shield beneath the metal dispersed it. While it might seem inefficient at first glance, it wasn't.
The Ancient's metal skin had a built-in repair function, allowing it to recover at any time as long as mana was available.
This time, however, the opponent was a bad match.
Lee Si-woo's goal wasn't destruction, but Crowd Control.
Specifically, a stun, a type of CC ability.
"Tricks..."
A vibratory strike that penetrated the mana shield and shook the mana terminal tissues.
A subsequent one-second stun.
And Lee Si-woo did not miss this golden opportunity.
A tentacle extended from the crown of Lee Si-woo's head and made contact with Yoana's forehead.
The 4-Star Talent, Mental Connection.
*It worked!*
Lee Si-woo sensed victory. He was confident that whether his opponent was an Ancient or a demon, victory would be his as long as he could drag them into his mental world.
However, it didn't take long for Lee Si-woo's expression to stiffen.
The tentacle failed to penetrate Yoana's forehead.
*It's not working?*
Yoana's concise uppercut struck Lee Si-woo's chin, and a powerful high kick connected with his face.
In that brief moment, Harman had concentrated a mana shield on his chin and face to minimize the impact, but the price for taking a direct hit from an Ancient was steep.
Even with Harman's near-perfect defense, he couldn't prevent 10 percent of his mana from being wiped out.
As Lee Si-woo stumbled back, Yoana grabbed the tentacle attached to her forehead and tore it to shreds.
As the tentacle, a part of his mental body, was ripped away, Lee Si-woo felt a splitting headache and dizziness, staggering on his feet.
"Kuh......"
Yoana tilted her head and spoke.
"How could a mental attack work on a machine? Hacking, maybe. A good attempt, but you lack experience, kid. By the way..."
Yoana's red eye flashed as she shot him a sharp look.
"This is clearly strange. This is definitely the Mental Connection of a Tentacle... How can a human like you use it?"
Lee Si-woo endured the nauseating headache and replied.
"You're more talkative than you look. It makes you seem weak."
"Don't want to answer? Fine. No matter what you know, you'll be spitting it all out eventually."
A mechanical tail, a mix of silver metal and black wires, shot out from the small of Yoana's back.
The mechanical tail, tipped with a stinger like a scorpion's, swayed like a viper that had spotted its prey, then suddenly whipped toward Lee Si-woo.
Seeing the stinger, Lee Si-woo instinctively sensed danger and twisted his body like a pretzel to dodge the tail.
Using the momentum from the twist, Lee Si-woo leaped into the air, his foot striking the nape of Yoana's neck.
*CLANG!*
It was impossible for Yoana's mechanical body, which had been fine even after being hit by the hammer, to be damaged by a mere kick from Lee Si-woo's flesh and blood.
Yoana grabbed Lee Si-woo's leg, which was planted on her neck, and slammed his body into the ground.
*CRACK!* Yoana mounted Lee Si-woo, who was embedded in the cracking floor, took a pounding position, and fiercely rained down her fists.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
No matter how sturdy Lee Si-woo's body and mana shield were, they couldn't remain unscathed before the Ancient's barrage.
His mana shield rippled, and his body shook violently as if electrocuted.
To maintain the precarious mana shield, chunks of his mana were being carved away, and his magic muscles groaned like an overheating engine from constantly drawing out mana.
But even in the midst of it all, the light in Lee Si-woo's eyes did not die.
*What is this?*
The eyes of a hawk waiting for the chance to snatch its prey.
In contrast, a body that was allowing the attacks so easily it seemed foolish.
Catching that subtle sense of unease, Yoana's gaze shifted to Lee Si-woo's weapon.
*Vroooom.*
A concentration of mana she hadn't noticed while preoccupied with her attack.
And the muscles in Lee Si-woo's arm, contracting and relaxing, storing up power.
Realizing what he was preparing, Yoana crossed her arms in an X-guard.
"Hah-!"
With a rough shout, Lee Si-woo's arm drew a straight line like a pitcher throwing a fastball.
The hammer, hanging precariously from his fingertips, carried the sharpness of Blade Augmentation and the power charged by 'Charge' as it slammed into Yoana's guard.
*KWAAANG!*
Though it was just a hammer hitting a body, a deafening roar like an exploding bomb erupted, and Yoana's body was sent flying backward like a baseball hit by a bat.
A furrow was carved into the ground as Yoana's body rolled ungracefully across the floor.
As a price for taking the hammer's blow, her two arms bore a gash about 50 centimeters long, as if scraped by a giant sword. It was a wound caused by the sharpness of Blade Augmentation.
After rolling for a while, Yoana finally absorbed the shock and righted herself with a breakfall.
Having rolled and shown such a large opening, a follow-up attack was sure to come.
Yoana hurriedly assumed a defensive stance, but even after several seconds, no follow-up attack from Lee Si-woo came.
Feeling puzzled, Yoana lowered her guard and peeked out, only for her red eye to widen in bewilderment.
The formidable foe, a mere 2nd Circle human mage who had pushed her back quite well, was now swinging his arms ungracefully back and forth as he furiously ran for his life.
And he was doing it with the fallen Yahalong tucked under his arm.
Lee Si-woo clicked his tongue, feeling a faint pulse from Yahalong's body.
*Huh, he's alive? Just like a troll, his life force is ridiculously tenacious. Who'd have thought he wouldn't die even with a broken neck? Well, whatever. As long as I can see the ruins' map, it doesn't matter if he's dead or alive.*
Watching Lee Si-woo's back disappear into the ruins in the blink of an eye, Yoana was momentarily stunned, then, enraged at the thought of being played, she roared.
"How dare you, you rat-like bastard—!"