Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Clash with Baekgang
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That meant this killing intent was aimed at me.
But who the hell was targeting me?
No, now that I thought about it, there was someone.
Someone who could hold a grudge against me.
And it was even from the original story.
Jang Han's close friend.
The demon, Baekgang's ambush.
"Why the long face?"
Han Se-yeon spoke up upon seeing my suddenly hardened expression.
"Let's head out for now. And act natural. It looks like we've got a tail."
"A tail?"
Han Se-yeon showed a startled reaction.
"Yeah. And call the strongest person you can reach."
Baekgang was a demon with mana teetering between B- and A-Rank.
It was still too much for me to handle alone.
". . . Got it."
Seeming to sense the gravity of the situation, Han Se-yeon believed me right away.
She then floored the accelerator while starting a call.
Soon after finishing the call, Han Se-yeon said to me,
"They said they're heading out right now. They'll probably track this car's GPS and come straight here."
"How long?"
"About 20 minutes."
Twenty minutes.
Including travel time, it was the maximum time I could hold out against the ambush.
"Who could it be? Maybe someone who lost money at the arena and holds a grudge against us?"
"I doubt it."
". . . Then maybe a rival company to Hanseong Group?"
Han Se-yeon muttered to herself with a serious look.
Ignoring her, I marked coordinates on my smartphone and showed them to her.
"Head here."
The coordinates I'd marked were a deserted plain not far from here.
"Here? Wouldn't it be safer to go toward a crowded city?"
"No. We need to catch the one tailing us."
At my words, Han Se-yeon gave me a puzzled look.
"In a plain like this, he won't have anywhere to hide."
With that, I pulled a mana elixir from my bag and slipped it into my pocket.
A new villain makes his appearance.
But I had no intention of running for survival.
Today, I would borrow the power of the Hanseong Family to take down Baekgang.
Baekgang was tailing Kim Sunwoo and Han Se-yeon, who were traveling by car.
The two drove for about ten minutes before stopping in a vast, empty plain.
He had no idea why they'd stopped in a place like this, but Baekgang thought it was actually a good situation.
A spot like this was perfect for killing someone without drawing attention.
"They came to their own graves on their own two feet. Heh heh."
Of course, in such an open plain with nowhere to hide, tailing them any further would be difficult.
But tailing no longer mattered.
Because he planned to kill them right here.
That's when Kim Sunwoo got out of the car. He looked around and said,
"Don't hide. Come out."
At Kim Sunwoo's words, Baekgang was momentarily surprised.
Did he know he'd been tailed?
Since when?
He was sure he'd hidden his presence perfectly.
Though many questions arose, Baekgang judged that hiding any longer was pointless and revealed himself in front of Kim Sunwoo.
Up close, this guy named Kim Sunwoo didn't look all that impressive.
His detectable aura was faint, and his body showed no signs of training.
Even if Jang Han had been in a weakened state, it was hard to believe he'd died to someone like this.
"Impressive. How long have you known I was tailing you?"
Kim Sunwoo didn't answer Baekgang's question.
He just stared with an inscrutable expression before pulling out a blue vial from his pocket and drinking it.
"Ugh... what is this. Why's it so gross."
Kim Sunwoo shook his head and tossed the empty bottle behind him.
That's when it happened. Kim Sunwoo's aura exploded in an instant, as if he'd become a different person.
". . . What?"
How could a person's aura change so drastically in a split second?
Did that potion have some special power?
No. As far as he knew, no such potion existed.
'As expected, there's a reason Jang Han lost to this guy.'
But it was improved from before, though not overwhelmingly threatening.
At this level, he could handle it easily.
Time to avenge Jang Han.
Baekgang gathered his mana.
At the same time, three blazing flame spears floated in the air.
"Die!"
With Baekgang's shout, the flame spears surged forward.
Kwaaaang!
But the flame spears vanished into thin air with a massive explosion.
They'd been blocked by multiple magic orbs fired by Kim Sunwoo.
Baekgang quietly admired the precise magic control.
". . . Not bad."
The battle with Baekgang continued.
He was definitely strong.
Calmer than Jang Han, he wielded magic skillfully and pressed the attack.
Fortunately, thanks to the mana elixir's effect, he wasn't short on mana and could keep fighting.
But right now, he was just holding on.
The mana elixir lasted five minutes.
About four minutes had passed.
He didn't have much time left.
If this kept up, the elixir would wear off, and he'd lose to Baekgang.
It was time to go for the win.
Thump!
His heart pounded hard. Deep in his chest, something burst open, and mana began to boil.
The Heart of Great Nature effect had activated.
Then, the Heart of Great Nature stacked with the mana elixir, filling his body with an enormous amount of mana.
"What now?"
Baekgang eyed him warily.
The sensitive demon's senses must have detected the change.
Regardless, he strengthened his body, kicked off the ground, and charged forward.
"Urk?!"
Caught off guard by the sudden rush, Baekgang kept firing flame spears to block his approach.
But his now-empowered body moved faster than the demon's magic.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Baekgang's spells exploded behind him as he passed.
"Urgh!"
Baekgang showed signs of panic at the rapid approach.
He clumsily grabbed a flame spear with his hand and swung it at him.
Whoooosh-!
But he ducked his head and dodged the attack.
At the same time, a massive amount of mana condensed above his hand.
He pressed it right against Baekgang's stomach.
Baekgang belatedly sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but it was too late.
He unleashed the condensed magic as is.
Kwaaaang!
"Graaaah!"
With a powerful explosion, his magic pierced right through the demon's torso.
The demon's black blood soaked his arm, giving an unpleasant warm sensation.
"Urgh!"
First solid hit in four minutes. But the explosion's backlash brought intense pain to his hand too.
Gritting his teeth, he manifested the next spell and riddled the demon's body with rapid shots.
Bang! Bang! Kwaang-!
"Gaaah!"
Baekgang's scream rang out.
He pressed the attack without rest.
Baekgang desperately blocked, but couldn't withstand the onslaught forever—his guard finally broke.
Now that the demon's guard was down.
This was his chance.
To crush the demon's head, he gathered and compressed mana above his hand.
Whoooong-!
A swirling vortex of mana.
He extended his hand, aiming at the demon's head.
That's when it happened.
Shoooo
Suddenly, the strength and mana drained from his body.
". . ."
Startled, he looked down at his empty hand.
The compressed magic he'd just manifested had vanished without a trace.
The mana elixir and Heart of Great Nature effects had ended, plunging him into mana exhaustion.
". . . Tch."
He bit his lip and backed away from the demon for a moment.
What now.
In mana exhaustion from the elixir's side effect, there was nothing he could do.
. . . Should he run now?
"Urgh! Y-You bastard..."
Baekgang glared at him with his battered body.
Damage that would have killed a human long ago.
But the demon's unique regeneration was knitting his body back together, clinging to life.
If this continued, the demon would regenerate soon and attack.
That's when it happened.
An unbelievably massive mana surged from somewhere.
Then a flash of light streaked through.
[B-Rank Villain, 'Baekgang' has died.]
[A very minor change in the story has been detected.]
[Karma increases by 0.6.]
Looking up, a burly man in his fifties with a thick beard stood there holding a greatsword over two meters long.
Instinct told him who it was.
The Hanseong Family's sword.
S-Rank Wizard, Jang Su-gi.
"Are you okay?!"
Then Han Se-yeon came running from afar.
". . . Yeah, I'm fine."
Han Se-yeon let out a sigh of relief at his response.
Talk about perfect timing. Any later, and it might've been dangerous.
Han Se-yeon checked him over, then glanced at the demon's corpse.
"That's a demon, right?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Why would a demon target us...? Any guesses?"
"Who knows. No idea."
Han Se-yeon nodded at his answer.
"Still, glad you're okay. Didn't look hurt. Though it seemed like you had the upper hand anyway."
As she said that, Han Se-yeon turned to Jang Su-gi.
"Uncle Su-gi. Thanks for coming so late. Oh, and you know today's incident has to stay secret, right?"
Jang Su-gi chuckled at Han Se-yeon's words.
"Heh heh, got it. I'll keep it from the chairman."
"You have to. I'll really get mad if you break the promise."
"Yes, yes. Understood."
He stared at Han Se-yeon in a daze.
To think she could make such a threatening remark to an S-Rank Wizard, especially Jang Su-gi, known as the Sword Ghost for his ruthless personality.
She really was the Hanseong Family's heartless youngest daughter.
Wednesday, full of events, passed, and Thursday arrived.
Despite nearly losing his life in yesterday's fierce battle, he headed to school as usual.
Thanks to the special medicine from Han Se-yeon, his condition was at its peak.
And today was the second dungeon exploration class.
Including him, Lee Seo-jun, Shin Ji-hyuk, Yoon Ha-young, and Jeong Jin-tae were progressing faster than usual by taking down the dungeon monsters.
"Ooh. Yoon Ha-young, your skills improved a ton in just a few days? The manifestation details look way better."
Jeong Jin-tae admired Yoon Ha-young's magic. She shrugged.
"Right? Told you I got better. Turns out I'd been ignoring the basics of magic until now."
"What'd you do to improve so much?"
"Worked hard from the basics. Sunwoo helped."
At Yoon Ha-young's words, Lee Seo-jun smiled.
"See? My hunch was right. Last time, her manifestations lacked a bit of detail. Saw Kim Sunwoo handle them well during the public test, so I figured sparring partners would help."
"Yeah. Sparring with Sunwoo like you said really helped."
Yoon Ha-young grinned at him.
Then Jeong Jin-tae asked with a confused look.
"Kim Sunwoo’s good at manifestations? He's the bottom of the whole school."
"Hey now. You don't get it. Sunwoo's sneakily skilled."
". . . Sneakily skilled my ass. Forgot the last public test?"
"I know. But actual combat's different."
Yoon Ha-young seemed lost in thought, recalling their last spar.
Then, perhaps annoyed at the talk turning to him, Shin Ji-hyuk subtly changed the subject.
"But yeah, monsters pick up from the second floor."
"Totally. Gives us a chance to shine too. Felt bad with Seo-jun doing everything alone."
"Oh! Right. Sunwoo. What'd you pick for tomorrow's special elective?"
Yoon Ha-young asked him in a suddenly friendlier tone.
"Demon safety training, I think."
"Aw, too bad. I went with alchemy."
"Huh? You picked demon safety training? Me too."
Lee Seo-jun reacted upon hearing their conversation.
"Oh yeah. If you're doing demon safety training too