Chapter 317
Chapter 317
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 318
Chapter Title: The Moon's Embrace
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I raised my head and looked at Hyun-gyo, who had suddenly appeared.
He seemed oblivious to my gaze, staring down at Han Se-yeon with sticky, predatory eyes.
Like a beast that had spotted its prey.
At that moment, his eyes turned toward me.
“……Kim Sun-woo? From the Magic Academy?”
He knew who I was.
Well, who in the world these days didn’t?
Elin, standing beside him, nodded.
“Yeah. He’s an intern with the current special task force.”
She muttered that, then tapped her forehead as if she had a headache and let out a deep sigh.
“……Ugh. Why is this guy here?”
Kim Sun-woo and Elin had exchanged greetings back at the mana reactor ‘Atlantis’.
She seemed troubled to run into a familiar face in a situation like this.
Elin turned her gaze to Hyun-gyo.
“……Are you really going to go after her?”
“Isn’t that obvious? When do we get a chance like this?”
Hyun-gyo flashed a sinister smile.
“Those two haven’t done anything wrong. Our target is only Kim Jin……”
“Then let me ask you this. Does Kim Jin-woo deserve it?”
“......That’s.”
Elin clamped her mouth shut, at a loss for words.
From listening to their bickering in front of me, I could piece together the situation.
The two of them were after ‘Kim Jin-woo’, Han Se-jin’s ally, on Han Se-jin’s orders.
But their plan had gone up in smoke when they got caught in an unexpected dimensional rift. Just when they thought all was lost, they luckily ran into Han Se-yeon.
“……Haa.”
A sigh escaped me naturally.
“……This is getting annoying.”
I scratched my head and stood up from my seat.
A twinge of pain shot through the wound on my shoulder from Kim Chang-hyun, but thanks to my pain resistance, it was bearable.
Having heard my mutter, Hyun-gyo asked.
“What’s so annoying?”
“Everything.”
My head was already a mess from Kim Chang-hyun, and now this guy shows up, stirring up needless irritation.
On top of that, two S-Rank opponents.
Having to face two in a 1v1-disadvantaged situation.
What a string of bad luck.
“……Hmph.”
It looked like avoiding a fight wouldn’t be possible.
What should I do?
Dealing with Hyun-gyo was one thing, but Elin wasn’t a villain, so I didn’t really want to fight her.
……Is that my only option left?
I stared blankly at the night sky, then raised my wrist to check the time.
Right then.
Black demonic energy began to rise around Hyun-gyo like smoke.
It gradually took shape, forming dozens of black thorns.
Pababak!
The black thorns shot fiercely toward me.
At the same time, I activated [Instant Acceleration].
The thorns flying at me started to look like slow motion from a movie.
I reinforced my body with mana. Then, pulling Han Se-yeon into my arms, I kicked off the ground and leaped up.
The black thorns rained down densely.
In normal circumstances, dodging would be impossible, but thanks to [Instant Acceleration], I spotted the tiny gaps.
This was dodgeable.
Pa-at!
Dodging the thorns, I kicked off the ground again to put distance between us.
As I kept retreating like I was fleeing, the gap between us widened considerably.
“Are you running away?!”
Ignoring the shout from behind, I dashed forward.
In Instant Acceleration state, I was confident I could outpace anyone and widen the distance.
“......Hoo.”
As Instant Acceleration ended, I laid Han Se-yeon down on the ground.
At this range, even if I fought those guys, the aftermath wouldn’t reach her.
After setting her down, I walked back toward where Hyun-gyo was.
Seeing me return, a glint appeared in his eyes.
“So you weren’t running.”
He seemed surprised that I’d come back.
He must have thought he’d lost me after seeing my Instant Acceleration movement, but returning meant I’d eventually get caught from behind.
After all, that explosive movement was purely the power of ‘Instant Acceleration’.
Either way, I couldn’t avoid fighting him.
“I just wanted an environment where I could focus solely on the battle.”
At my words, Hyun-gyo’s face twisted in disbelief.
“Are you brave…… or just stupid? You didn’t feel anything from my demonic energy?”
Instead of answering, I checked the time on my wristwatch again.
“……Looks promising.”
“What?”
[Activating effect: ‘Tidings of Victory’.]
[Target: ‘Hyun-gyo’.]
[Victory in battle against target grants a random additional stat or trait.]
I set him as the target first. Using Tidings of Victory was my declaration that I’d take him down today, no matter what.
Then I activated the next effects.
[Activating effect: ‘Heart of Great Nature’.]
[Activating effect: ‘Fighting Spirit’.]
A surge of power flooded my body simultaneously.
But there was no change in the way he looked at me.
The Central Island’s mana-sensing disruption phenomenon kept him from noticing my changes.
So, he was off guard right now.
First, I manifested a light-attribute magic orb.
A pure white light emanated from my palm. Seeing it, Elin’s face registered brief surprise.
“……Light attribute?”
I rapidly fired the magic orb. It was a probing attack.
The light orb streaked toward Hyun-gyo, leaving a white afterimage, and he blocked it with a black curtain.
“I’ve never heard that Kim Sun-woo handles light attributes too.”
At the same time, his figure dissolved into black smoke and vanished. The smoke coalesced behind me, revealing his form.
Too late to dodge. I crouched and took his fist head-on.
“Urk!”
My body was flung back hard.
But I quickly regained my posture and used Air Walk to rise into the air.
As if waiting, black demonic thorns manifested and shot at me.
I immediately deployed a curtain to block his attack.
But the demonic energy in the thorns was more potent than expected, sending shocks through my body with each block.
As I fell back to the ground, Elin scratched her head and yelled.
“……Ah, whatever!”
Elin extended her hand.
A magic circle on the back of her hand glowed, and a binding magic circle appeared under my feet.
But this was within my expectations.
The moment the circle manifested, I slammed my hand to the ground.
Woooong!
The magic circle dissolved in an instant.
“……Wh-what?!”
Elin’s eyes trembled wide. Her face was one of utter incomprehension.
Seeing that, Hyun-gyo said.
“Kim Sun-woo…… are you really nineteen?”
He muttered, then continued.
“I heard you had talent, but I never imagined this level……”
Still, his face held some composure.
He was stronger than expected, but he believed he could crush me anytime.
The leisure only someone with S-Rank power could afford.
“……Hoo.”
I exhaled shortly.
Thanks to the blessings of Great Nature and Fighting Spirit, I was holding on somehow, but the effects’ duration was almost up.
Dealing with both of them wasn’t easy after all.
About time……
I checked my watch again.
“……Why do you keep checking your watch?”
Instead of answering Hyun-gyo’s question, I looked up at the sky.
Hyun-gyo followed my gaze upward.
The full moon barrier enveloping the night sky in a faint glow.
Suddenly, a tiny starlight twinkled in the sky.
I sensed that change was coming.
Shwaaa.
As time passed, the barrier began melting away like flowing ice.
Bright light seeped through the concealing night clouds bit by bit.
Twinkling stars shining brilliantly.
A round full moon rising nobly amid them.
And the moment the moonlight touched my body.
A message appeared.
[Received moonlight.]
A powerful vitality surged through my body simultaneously. The Moonstone Pendant’s 40% all-ability increase effect had activated.
A new message appeared before my eyes.
[‘Embrace of the Moon’ effect activates.]
[All recovery and resistance effects increased by 200%.]
[All stats quadrupled.]
I felt the boiling power within me. A destructive force I’d never experienced before.
On top of that, the moonlight power from the [Moonstone Pendant] stacked, rapidly restoring a massive amount of mana.
I looked down at my palm.
Calm yet deep mana, like the ocean.
I manifested a light orb.
Huge points of light gathered one by one above my palm, gradually forming a sphere.
It contained far more power than usual, but controlling it was tricky.
The orb in my hand now was like a massive, unrefined brick, lacking finesse.
“......What is this?”
Hyun-gyo’s expression turned grave as he sensed my change.
I extended my hand toward him.
Soon, the light orb in my palm cannoned toward him like a shot from a gun.
Paaaaang—
A fierce mana wave rocked the surroundings.
The magic orb contained power beyond my normal control skills, so it grazed his hair as it flew past, control failing.
And then.
Kwaaaaaang——
A massive explosion erupted behind him.
Hyun-gyo and Elin turned to stare at the blast site.
They looked back at me with eyes full of shock.
“Th-this is……”
Hyun-gyo gritted his teeth and spread his arms wide. Black smoke billowed out, forming dozens of black thorns above his head.
Paaaang!
“Die!”
Dozens of thorns shot rapidly at me. I casually deployed a curtain to block them.
Then I charged at him.
Pa-at!
Even without Instant Acceleration, my speed felt like it.
As I closed in on him, Hyun-gyo belatedly raised a demonic curtain.
But to me now, his curtain posed no threat.
I immediately manifested a light orb and slammed it into the curtain.
Kwaaaaaang!
Another explosion.
In that brief moment, Hyun-gyo and I traded blows.
Soon, Hyun-gyo shoved me back and leaped away to create distance.
“……Urgh!”
The retreating Hyun-gyo let out a pained groan.
One of his arms had been severed, oozing black blood.
I tossed the arm from my hand to the ground.
My close-combat skills were lacking, so I got some scratches in the process, but severing his arm was still a net gain for me.
“……Urk. What the hell is this.”
Hyun-gyo muttered as he stared at me.
Elin wore a shocked expression too.
“……Kim Sun-woo. What are you?”
Hyun-gyo spoke to me in a trembling voice.
Instead of replying, I manifested a light orb and fired it at him.
Paang!
The orb shot toward him at high speed.
At first, the overwhelming mana made it uncontrollable, but after a few uses, I could handle it somewhat.
Kwaaaang!
“Gaaahhh!”
Hyun-gyo’s scream rang out again. The light mana scorched his body, and his eyes began turning black.
His skin started blackening from the eyes outward.
His body swelled grotesquely, and the severed arm regenerated to its original form.
The demon’s berserk transformation had begun.
Ignoring it, I manifested another light orb.
Right now, I felt like I wouldn’t lose to anyone.
“Uwaaaahh—!”
In that instant, he let out a massive roar.
An enormous amount of demonic energy exploded outward.
I deployed a curtain to block the black demonic energy pouring from his roar.
“……Kuh!”
It was quite powerful, as if he’d squeezed out every last drop of strength. While blocking his demonic energy.
I noticed the figure in front of me had vanished.
I quickly scanned with my eyes to track his position.
Hyun-gyo, who had used Shadow Form, was dashing toward somewhere.
The direction he was heading……
Was where Han Se-yeon lay collapsed.
Realizing he had no chance of winning, he’d decided to use all his demonic energy to at least kill Han Se-yeon.
“Tch!”
By the time I noticed, the distance was already too great to catch him.
Intoxicated by the overflowing power, I’d let my guard down.
With no choice, I gathered mana again and activated a ‘skill’.
Woooooong!
At the same time, a magic circle began manifesting beneath Hyun-gyo, hidden in the shadows.
Dozens of light tendrils soon rose from the circle.
“……What’s this now?!”
The panicked Hyun-gyo tried to dodge the light tendrils.
But [Rune Binding] was an absolute restraint magic that bound even the strongest foes.
In the end, the light tendrils caught Hyun-gyo, dispelling his Shadow Form and binding him tight.
“Phew……”
Fortunately, I’d succeeded in restraining him.
A little later, and something might have happened to Han Se-yeon.
Just as I relaxed.
A trembling voice came from the side.
“……A-agent?”