Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: Spatial Leap
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At Choi Il-hyun's words about teaching me the fastest way to escape of all, I shook my head.
"That's fine. I can handle escaping on my own right now."
I could already wield one of the highest-tier movement spells, 'Instant Acceleration'.
It boasted a speed that even an S-rank wizard couldn't easily react to, so there was no need to learn another movement spell.
Choi Il-hyun scoffed at that.
"Hmph. Looks like you're relying on one of your specialties, Instant Acceleration, but when it comes to pure 'speed,' it can't even compare to my spell."
...
Faster than Instant Acceleration?
Could Choi Il-hyun really handle a spell like that?
I racked my brain trying to figure out what spell he was talking about.
Then, I recalled one of Choi Il-hyun's spells that had been mentioned only in passing in the original story.
The ultimate movement spell he had developed himself.
It had lower aggressiveness than Instant Acceleration, but in terms of pure 'movement speed,' it was indeed faster than any other movement spell, just as he claimed.
"Of course, this spell demands tremendous concentration. You probably couldn't use it often mid-battle. But in situations where you need to flee or pursue, it's more efficient than any other spell."
After finishing his explanation to some extent, Choi Il-hyun looked into my eyes.
"Now do you have a bit of interest?"
"Yeah, I'm suddenly getting curious."
As I perked up my ears, Choi Il-hyun smirked.
"Shameless... Fine. Then I'll explain the spell's basics and theory."
Choi Il-hyun conjured a magic circle on his palm and showed it to me.
"This is the basic framework of the spell. Can you read what principle it's based on?"
Using the Outsider's benefits, I examined the contents embedded in the magic circle.
The core information consisted of space and refraction.
It also contained elements like time, coordinates, and the direction of mana energy.
"It's a space-related spell. Seems like a pure support-type."
"As expected, your spell parsing ability is impressive. Even that monster old man wasn't this good..."
Choi Il-hyun muttered quietly in an admiring tone.
"The name of this spell is 'Spatial Leap.' It's a spell I created using the spatial manipulation principles of gates."
Spatial Leap.
Just as the name implied, it was a spell that leaped through space.
A mini-gate, or instantaneous teleportation spell.
For reference, it was rated S-rank in the point shop and sold for 150,000 points.
It might seem cheaper than expected, but skills bought from the point shop came with penalties.
Probably restrictions on cooldown time or travel distance, similar to Instant Acceleration.
"You can't travel extremely far distances, but you can leap short ones quickly. Of course, if you're not as proficient in magic circle implementation as Wonbangyeok, your body could get torn apart by space itself and you'd die—a dangerous spell."
His words about potentially dying mid-cast made me feel a bit tense.
"Well, you don't seem like the type to worry about that."
"It's not that bad."
"Anyway, time for a demonstration."
Choi Il-hyun dissipated the magic circle on his hand and lightly tapped the floor with his shoe.
At the same time, a dazzling light burst from the spot where he stood, and the magic circle from before reappeared.
He had designated his own spatial coordinates.
Then, he slowly scanned the surroundings before turning his gaze to the floor behind me.
Right then.
An explosive surge of intense mana erupted, and Choi Il-hyun's figure vanished.
Flash!
I hurriedly turned my head. Choi Il-hyun stood behind me with his arms crossed, looking at me.
"So, what do you think? You embed spatial coordinates in the magic circle, explode your mana to ride the space. Of course, mana consumption scales with distance, so very long-range travel is impossible."
I nodded seriously.
As a support-type spell, Spatial Leap required a high understanding of spell formulas, making it impossible to learn with ordinary talent.
But I had the Outsider's benefits.
Since it was a support-type heavily reliant on magic circle forms, given enough time, I could definitely master it.
At that moment, Choi Il-hyun conjured the magic circle on his hand once more and said,
"That's the explanation. Now, first, memorize the magic circle's form perfectly."
Choi Il-hyun's long lesson came to an end.
Left alone in the training grounds, I was drawing the Spatial Leap magic circle in my mind.
Woooom.
An incomplete magic circle filled with vast amounts of information.
I painstakingly embedded each piece of data into the formula.
Spells using magic circles were fine up to containing the information, but harmonizing and connecting the form properly was incredibly difficult.
That was why countless aspiring wizards avoided support-types as their specialty—the complexity of formula harmony.
"Hoo... Let's try again."
Don't rush.
Slowly.
[The latent trait 'Hyperfocus' activates.]
Wooong!
The magic circle manifested on my hand once more.
Thanks to Hyperfocus, the most crucial 'concentration' for circle implementation was easily handled.
But the problem remained my insufficient mana control.
The mana forming the circle trembled unstably, and the form eventually collapsed.
"...Tch."
Feeling frustrated, I flopped down onto the floor.
Even with the Outsider's benefits, support-type spells weren't easy.
I newfound respect for support wizards.
This reminded me of the old days training Wonbangyeok.
Back then, I had no idea where to start and felt lost...
"...When the hell am I gonna master this for real combat."
Well, Wonbangyeok, which I thought would take over two years for practical use, I ended up mastering surprisingly quickly—using various tricks—but if I figure out the method, maybe this one too.
As I let out a deep sigh,
Ding!
A message alert rang from my smartphone.
[Hello. This is 'Bloodstone.' Results for the information requested by 'SW' are in.]
"It's finally here."
Last week, the info on Jeong Tae-hyuk from Taesang Finance, requested from the intel guild Bloodstone, had arrived.
I slowly reviewed the contents.
"Hoo. Bloodstone lives up to the name."
It was packed with more solid details than expected.
Beyond Jeong Tae-hyuk's schedule, it included his usual routes and info on his close aides.
[Seong Ji-hoon: Head of Taesang Finance Security - Jeong Tae-hyuk's closest aide, accompanies him on nearly all movements.]
"Seong Ji-hoon..."
I remembered this guy too.
One of Jeong Tae-hyuk's underlings, with A-rank mana.
He was someone who needed to be eliminated beforehand to take out Jeong Tae-hyuk.
"Looks like the difficulty just went up."
No matter. I'd just adjust part of the plan.
I immediately called Yoon Ha-young.
—Yeah, Seonwoo? What's up?
"I'm planning to start the day after tomorrow. You free?"
Two days later, at dawn.
The time had finally come.
The assassination operation against 'Jeong Tae-hyuk,' an S-rank demon and a major obstacle for Han Se-yeon.
Yoon Ha-young and I arrived at a deserted road on the outskirts of Seoul.
According to Bloodstone's intel, the vehicle carrying Jeong Tae-hyuk was scheduled to pass this road today.
This was my first time attempting to assassinate an S-rank demon by tracking them first, so I felt a bit tense.
But I'd grown quite a bit, and Yoon Ha-young had too, so I thought we could manage.
"...Ugh, this feels tense."
As we waited on the rooftop of a nearby building for the target to pass, Yoon Ha-young said from beside me.
"Don't get nervous—just do as we practiced. Training results were good."
After a few days of training, Yoon Ha-young could now wield Demon-Slaying spells even more precisely than before.
Honestly, her growth rate exceeded expectations; she kept surprising me.
"...Yeah, but you're sure the target's a demon?"
"Yeah. Definitely. Don't worry."
Yoon Ha-young nodded at my words.
Time passed, and in the distance, four cars sped toward us.
I checked the lead vehicle's license plate with binoculars.
[WR-42]
It matched the info from Bloodstone.
"They're here. Get ready."
"Got it."
At my words, Yoon Ha-young immediately drew up Demon-Slaying mana and began forming an arrow.
I pulled my hat low and jumped straight down from the rooftop.
Thud.
After landing lightly, I drank the pre-prepared 'Mana Concealment Potion.'
Gulp.
Next, I conjured a light-attribute spell, known as the natural enemy of demons.
Woooong!
Light mana that pierced the darkness gathered above my hand, forming a large orb.
Then, I took out the relic [Blue Condensate] from my pocket and infused it with mana.
Paaang—!
A powerful electromagnetic wave swept through the area.
Streetlights and lampposts went out, and security camera lights all extinguished. The Blue Condensate's effect had paralyzed everything electrical.
Just as the four vehicles on the road reacted strangely to the sudden situation,
I unleashed the pre-formed light orb at Jeong Tae-hyuk's subordinate, 'Seong Ji-hoon.'
Paaang—!
The spell lit up the darkness as it shot out, and he hastily tried to swerve the wheel.
But it was too late to dodge an attack that came without warning.
Kwaaaang!
One car exploded simultaneously, erupting in massive flames.
[You have eliminated A-rank villain 'Seong Ji-hoon.']
[Karma increases by 0.5.]
A cleaner success than expected. But it was too early to celebrate. Seong Ji-hoon was just a mid-boss.
The final boss, 'Jeong Tae-hyuk,' was still alive.
I quickly conjured three new spells.
I unleashed them at all three remaining vehicles.
No—precisely at the heads of the demons visible through the vehicle windows.
Kwaaaaang!
Another massive explosion and flames burst forth.
The car shattered, triggering a huge secondary blast.
[Karma increases by 0.4.]
"...Kuhuk! Who the fuck are you?!"
Jeong Tae-hyuk emerged from the flames, cursing.
But for someone ambushed, his clothes were only slightly singed—no wounds visible on his body.
Seeing that, I gave a wry smile.
I'd felt this before, but S-rank demons had insane vitality.
[Activation effect: 'Victory Herald' activates.]
[Target: 'Taehyuk.']
Before starting the fight, I applied Victory Herald first.
My own resolve to definitely take him down today.
Right then, Jeong Tae-hyuk glared at me and said,
"...It's you."
I didn't bother replying.
I simply drew up mana, preparing for the next move.
He looked at me and briefly showed surprise.
"...Hold on, you're Kim Jinwoo, aren't you?"
...What? How did he know?
I felt a moment of doubt but kept silent since there was no need to respond.
"Heh... No answer means you're Kim Jinwoo."
As he muttered, black demonic energy rose around his body.
At the same time, his figure shot toward me like it had vanished.
Paat!
Matching his attack, I used 'Rune Binding.'
Wooong!
A brilliant white light flashed, and dozens of light strands erupted from the ground, binding his body.
"Kuhk! What the hell is this?!"
He thrashed in panic, but the light strands only constricted tighter.
With his body bound now,
I turned my head toward the rooftop.
"Now!"
At my shout, a white light arrow shot from the building rooftop toward him in response.
At the same time, I felt the alien mana.
The arrow's identity: [Demon-Slaying Arrow].
Pooong!
Kwaaaaaang—
A massive explosion and smoke rose.
I held his body tight with Rune Binding, waiting for the smoke to clear.
But for some reason, the demonic energy emanating from beyond the smoke showed no sign of weakening.
Shooo...
Moments later, the smoke cleared.
And his condition was...
"Kuhuhu... Barely survived. Almost died there."
No critical damage.
He had severed his own arm and shoulder to escape Rune Binding and evade the attack.
The unexpected situation left me momentarily stunned.
I never imagined he'd break Rune Binding that way.
It was a method only possible for an S-rank demon with extreme regeneration.
"...Arrogant bastard. Good attempt. Didn't expect you'd team up with someone wielding Demon-Slaying power. But you underestimated me too much."
His severed shoulder began regenerating rapidly.
At this rate, his body would be fully restored in under three minutes.
"Tsk."
It left a bitter taste.
Of all the times I'd faced S-rank demons, this was the worst scenario.
Yoon Ha-young had probably compressed nearly all her power into that attack, making a follow-up difficult.
"...No choice."
I dumped the pre-prepared 'Mana Elixir' from my pocket into my mouth.
The long-forgotten bitter taste filled my mouth.
['Amplified Mana Elixir' effect: Mana recovery speed increases by 500% for 5 minutes.]
[Drug Amplification effect: Drug efficacy and duration increased by 20%.]
Then, I activated every usable effect I had.
[Activation effect: 'Heart of Great Nature' activates.]
[Activation effect: 'Fighting Spirit' activates.]
['Desperate Gamble' activates!']
Feeling the intense energy surging through my body, I clenched my fist.
"Hoo..."
And slowly stared at the enemy before me.
From now on, I had to face the S-rank demon alone.