Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Art of Disruption
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When Lee Si-woo vanished before their eyes, the one most surprised wasn't Schizo or Ixion, but Yashio.
‘Invisibility? No. That's high-level magic, so it's out of the question. Then an artifact… no, that's not it either. No artifact could be this devoid of a mana ripple. Yes, this must be a Talent. A high-level one, at that—one whose traces even I can't find. Hoho, a mutant, was he? This Lee Si-woo, he's a truly extraordinary fellow.’
How many 2nd Circle Masters could escape the notice of a 5th Circle mage?
In that sense, Lee Si-woo had proven his worth with this Talent alone.
An ability of such perfect concealment had endless applications.
“Lee Si-woo! Where are you! Come out! Stop hiding like a rat and come out! Come out—!”
Schizo was so enraged he was practically seeing red, half-crazed with fury.
He unleashed a barrage of magic, intending to scorch the earth around the area where Si-woo had disappeared, while his team members stood frozen, intimidated by his ferocity.
Ixion, on the other hand, calmly and meticulously searched for any trace of Lee Si-woo.
His eyes glinted with a blue light.
It was the manifestation of the Centaur’s 2-star Talent, ‘The Chaser.’
‘No trampled grass, no footprints in the dirt. He didn't move from this spot. This wasn't invisibility; he simply vanished. Could it be teleportation? Hmm, unlikely. It would be impossible at his level… So what is it? How in the world did he do it?’
Ixion’s curiosity about Lee Si-woo grew deeper.
When Allen had first ordered him to crush Si-woo, he had scoffed, thinking it a trivial task.
But now?
From the first impression of him daring to flip him off, Si-woo had been anything but ordinary. Now, he had outsmarted Schizo and astonished him with a concealment technique he had never seen or heard of.
After a long while of searching without finding a trace, Ixion clicked his tongue and deactivated his Talent.
‘Alright, I'll admit it, Lee Si-woo. You’re quite something. But you're clumsy. If I had an ability like this, I would have kept it hidden until the very end. But to reveal such a special trick so early? Tsk, tsk, this makes it impossible for me to let my guard down.’
It seemed he hadn't earned his Ranker title by chance. The moment Ixion caught a glimpse of Si-woo's extraordinary side, he completely discarded his earlier underestimation of him.
Schizo, too, after his rampage, seemed to come to his senses. He gasped for breath and jerked his head up.
“Damn it, this isn't getting me anywhere. Fine, Lee Si-woo. Just you wait. First… I’ll secure the tails from the other teams, and then I’ll hunt you down and kill you for sure.”
As Schizo hastily departed with his team, he didn't forget to scan his surroundings like a hawk hunting a mouse.
But Lee Si-woo never reappeared, and Schizo, swallowing his disappointment and anger, pursued the other tail teams with fierce determination.
About five minutes after Schizo left…
Lee Si-woo suddenly materialized in the awkward space where Ixion's Team 2 and Yahalong were eyeing each other.
Spotting Si-woo, Yahalong’s eyes widened as he shouted.
“H-Hey! Lee Si-woo?!”
Si-woo raised a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, then met the indifferent gaze of Ixion, who was watching him.
After staring at Si-woo as if in a staring contest, Ixion let out a light scoff, crossed his arms, and looked away.
Confirming that Ixion had no intention of fighting just yet, Si-woo summoned his Wind Wings from his inventory ring.
Yahalong shouted at Si-woo, who was ascending high into the sky without a single word to him.
“Hey, you bastard! Where are you going!”
“Just wait here and play some games on your phone. I'll be back in a flash.”
“What? Hey! Hey!”
Leaving Yahalong's calls behind, Lee Si-woo flew in the opposite direction of where Schizo had gone.
Seeing the clouds of dust rising in the distance, Si-woo got a rough idea of the other teams' locations and organized his plan.
‘The Butler said that every time I connect, the waves of Barathrum spread, posing a security risk, so I shouldn't log in for battle frivolously. So, just in case, I'll connect two more times. Only twice. And before I use up both chances… I'll do my best to wreak as much havoc as possible.’
If he wanted to play it safe, he could just log into Barathrum and endure for two hours, and everything would be resolved.
However, if he got into the habit of handling things that way, he might make it to the top ranks in this competitive evaluation, but winning would be out of the question.
In the end, to take first place, he needed to take some risks.
Lee Si-woo narrowed his eyes like a fox hunting its prey.
‘The more people fall to the bottom, the more the top ranks shine. I'll use this chance to take out all the easy-pickings tail teams.’
* * *
Maejo, the leader and tail of Team 14, was certain of victory after hearing the mission for the evaluation.
He judged that with his artifact, the ‘Sprint Wheels,’ running away for two hours would be a piece of cake.
The Sprint Wheels, which at first glance looked no different from roller skates, had the ability of acceleration.
It was a useful support artifact that doubled his movement speed.
On top of that, he was a beastman of the Cheetah Tribe, renowned for his swift feet.
With this, he was confident that unless he was up against one of those monsters in the top three, he couldn't be caught even if he wanted to be.
That is, until a steel wall shot up from the ground before him, causing him to stumble back in surprise.
‘What? Why is a steel wall suddenly rising from the plains? Whoa, is this some kind of trap set by the proctors? Tsk, no, why am I getting scared? I can just jump over it.’
Though momentarily flustered, Maejo quickly regained his focus and leaped with all his might, using his innate leg strength.
It was an incredible jump, befitting a member of the Cheetah Tribe.
However, the steel wall seemed to mock him as it grew taller and taller.
Its growth was so rapid that one might mistake it for a beanstalk.
“Son of a bitch! W-what is this?! Damn it. This isn't good. I need to fire a signal flare and call my teammates for help…”
As Maejo prepared to fire the flare, he scanned his surroundings and his words caught in his throat.
He was no longer on the plains but standing in the middle of a forest.
“Fuck, I get it! An illusion! It was an illusion!”
Like an experienced 3rd Circle mage, Maejo realized he had fallen for the 2nd Circle Mysticism spell, Illusion, and focused all his mana into his eyes and brain.
*Crack!*
With the visual effect of glass shattering, the scenery of the steel wall and forest broke into pieces.
The time he had been caught in the illusion was only about a minute.
Although he was delayed for a moment, considering his speed, it wasn't a significant hindrance to his escape.
Of course, that was assuming there were no further interruptions.
*Swoosh.*
From the shadow of the now-clear-headed Maejo, a rope of shadow shot out and bound him tightly.
“Kuh… a Shadow Snare?”
Sensing the enemy's surprise attack, Maejo quickly scanned his surroundings.
Soon, he spotted a familiar human mage floating in the sky and his eyes widened.
‘Lee Si-woo? And that's a flight-type artifact…! That damn bastard. He used that to find me! Dammit, why did the Tower Master give something so precious to a bastard like him… No, that aside, why the hell is he messing with me? What did I ever do to him?’
A sudden surge of indignation made Maejo's face turn as red as an apple as he shouted.
“Lee Si-woo, you damn bastard! You wanna die?! Why are you doing this to me?!”
Even as he cursed, Maejo looked around anxiously.
Fortunately, thanks to his exceptional speed, he had already shaken off his pursuers, and there was no sign of any other chase teams catching up yet.
Having assessed the situation, Maejo gathered his mana and instantly broke free from the Shadow Snare.
But as if he had expected it, Lee Si-woo immediately cast his next spell.
[2nd Circle Elemental Magic: Antlion Pit]
The moment he broke free from the Shadow Snare, Maejo’s lower body sank into a sand pit. He shrieked at Si-woo as if he wanted to devour him.
“Ah! You son of a bitch! This is too much. Hey, you bastard! You're a tail team too! Why are you doing this?! Shouldn't you be helping me instead of getting in my way?!”
“Why would I help you? The more you fall into ruin, the higher my chances of winning become.”
“…What?”
Lee Si-woo gave Maejo, who was staring up at him with a dumbfounded expression, one more gift.
[2nd Circle Radiance Magic: Trace of Light]
With a flash of light, all of Maejo's fur began to glow, and eventually, particles of light started to flake off him.
Now a spitting image of Tinkerbell, Maejo stared at his own sparkling fur with a look of utter despair.
Although Trace of Light wasn't an offensive spell, it boasted unparalleled tracking capabilities.
After all, with his whole body glowing and shedding light particles wherever he went, how could an opponent possibly lose him?
Moreover, once cast, it couldn't be dispelled for five minutes without a special dispelling technique, making it the undisputed king of low-circle marking spells.
In other words, no matter how fast he was now, it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
“Well then, I'll be on my way.”
Behind Lee Si-woo, who departed with a satisfied look like a wizard from a fairy tale who had just turned a little boy into a fairy, Maejo’s scream echoed.
* * *
While the Tail Tag mission was underway, Yashio, who was resting in his office at the training camp, rubbed his face and asked.
“So? What's the situation?”
A proctor answered Yashio’s question cautiously.
“It's completely chaotic, sir. Lee Si-woo is flying around on his artifact, causing all sorts of trouble for the tail teams with CC, and the participants are being overwhelmed.”
Yashio let out a groan and grumbled.
“Useless fools. How can they call themselves 3rd Circle mages when they're getting played by a few CC spells…”
The proctor glanced at Yashio and cautiously remarked.
“I thought so too, but after checking the situation, it's hard to blame them entirely. Lee Si-woo's goal isn't to inflict damage but to tie up the tail teams' feet… and his use of magic is beyond imagination. Here, take a look at this footage.”
The proctor played a video recorded through a spirit’s eye on a smart pad.
In the video, a team of four, presumably a tail team, was confronting the flying Lee Si-woo.
-Get that bastard!
-That’s… everyone, close your eyes! It’s a Flash Orb!
-Damn it! I’m hit! I can’t see!
-You idiot! You’re not blind! It’s Black Mist! He’s using Black Mist right after the Flash Orb to disorient us! I’m gonna kill that bastard… Shit, marking! Does anyone have a marking spell? Someone mark him!
-What, why am I alone in a desert? Where is everyone? Gasp! Don’t tell me this is an illusion…
-Aargh! My-my feet are sinking into the ground! A sand pit… It’s an Antlion Pit!
As Yashio gestured for him to turn off the chaotic video, the proctor switched off the smart pad and said.
“As you can see, Lee Si-woo's skills are extraordinary. Thanks to him, today was the first time I realized how terrifying a versatile mage can be. He handles CC magic from each school so freely… it's almost laughable to watch.”
“Of course. The reason versatile mages fell out of favor was due to their excessively slow growth rate, not because they were weak. And you, you’ve been subtly defending those fools while praising Si-woo… no need for that. Hmph, is Lee Si-woo invisible to the chase teams? He must be causing all this trouble while being pursued himself, right? And among them, there must be a furious Schizo!”
“That is true, but Lee Si-woo is so elusive that not only Schizo but also several chase teams ganging up on him failed to catch him.”
“…The concealment Talent. That rascal. He must be hiding with it whenever he’s in danger. Is that right?”
“Yes, sir. That’s correct.”
“What’s the current status of the chase teams?”
“Schizo is in the overwhelming lead for the chase teams, having secured over 4 meters of tail. He was at a disadvantage as a late starter, but ironically, he benefited from Lee Si-woo's interference. Also, following closely behind is Fredo, who ranked 4th in the DPS evaluation, with about 3 meters and 30 centimeters.”
“And the rest are all about the same?”
“Yes. Besides those two teams, the rest are too close to call.”
“Hmm… and the tail teams?”
“Ixion and Lee Si-woo are tied for first, having preserved their full 1 meter… Next is Nobrad, barely holding onto second place with 53 centimeters.”
“Nobrad? Wasn't he 3rd in the DPS evaluation? But his tail was cut? Strange. That cunning brat Lee Si-woo would have made sure to never touch Nobrad.”
“That’s right. Lee Si-woo has been avoiding Nobrad and Schizo like the plague… but the problem is that the tails started getting caught at an alarming rate.”
Understanding how things were unfolding from the proctor's words, Yashio’s eyes gleamed.
“The hunters who ran out of prey have started to join forces.”
The tails were limited, and the top-tier contestants were monopolizing them, leaving the lower-ranked chase teams struggling.
At this rate, they were destined for last place, so they must have reluctantly targeted Nobrad.
“And those fools didn't touch Ixion?”
“After three teams allied against him and were eliminated, no one has dared to approach him.”
“Tsk, tsk, what foolish things. A Ranker isn't a Ranker for nothing… By the way, surely that brat Lee Si-woo didn't plan for Nobrad to end up like this, did he?”
“…If you're asking for my opinion, I believe there's a high probability of that. I became interested in him and did some personal research. I found that he often laughed off provocations due to being a human, but this time…”
“He openly provoked Schizo.”
“Yes. He exploited the fact that the Falcon Tribe goes all-in on bets when things go south. Thanks to that, if things continue this way, Schizo will be at Lee Si-woo’s mercy. Judging by this, he is by no means the type to act thoughtlessly.”
Yashio, who had been stroking his beard in thought while listening to the proctor, opened his mouth.
“There's nothing more to see in the Tail Tag. Wrap it up when the time comes. Tally the tail scores according to the status you just reported and rank them. And that will be the end of today's evaluation.”
“Are we ending it already? Isn't there one more?”
“The mental mission? Hah, as if those who were utterly crushed by Lee Si-woo would perform at their best in that mission. Forget it, it’s pointless. Let’s just skip it. By the way, tomorrow’s evaluation judge is Allen, right?”
“Yes. It's Elder Allen.”
Yashio spoke with a mischievous smile.
“He was holding all the prime practical missions, wasn't he? I'm looking forward to it. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what kind of evaluation he gives Lee Si-woo, and what stance he will take.”