Chapter 392
Chapter 392
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 392
Chapter Title: We Have Arrived
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Whiiiing-.
Fresh red blood splattered across the frigid snowfield.
Around it lay monsters covered head to toe in pure white fur, collapsed and bleeding out. Each bore a sharp ice spear embedded in its body.
Srrrr-.
The frost monsters dissolved back into snow and vanished. Akseon shook his head with a look of disgust.
"Are you waiting for my mana to run dry?"
He said it because his mana was indeed depleting bit by bit.
At first, he'd handled the frost monsters with ease. How dare they challenge me in a snowfield? That had been his mindset.
But now he was forced to conserve his mana. And Jinun was nowhere to be seen.
"Your mana isn't infinite either, is it?"
"This is my world."
Jinun's voice came from behind him.
"In my world, who will tire first—me, or you?"
"Finally showing yourself."
"You threatened to freeze everything if I didn't. I had no choice."
"Are you mocking me now?"
"No. Showing respect. You're far better than the Green Tower Lord."
Akseon felt a flicker of pleasure at the acknowledgment, but he let out a deep sigh.
What good was that? He was still dancing in the palm of Jinun's hand.
'It's only because of the terrain advantage.'
If the battlefield had been a desert or volcano instead?
It would've been twice as grueling. He might have already collapsed from mana exhaustion.
Hiding his inner thoughts, Akseon plastered on a look of utter nonchalance.
"Hiding must be tiring for you too."
This fight was about slaying frost monsters to flush out the hidden Jinun in the snowfield.
It felt less like battle and more like taking an exam. Fighting Jinun was several times trickier than facing other mages.
"It is taxing. But you understand. Even for me, clashing with a mage of your caliber is no small burden."
"No need for false modesty. I know you're maintaining other formations too."
Jinun didn't look relaxed either.
His battles weren't confined to this place. He was activating formations across multiple sites simultaneously.
"It was tough at first. But it's better now."
"Better now?"
"The fights outside are already over."
Akseon's pupils trembled faintly. But he soon nodded in acceptance.
It wasn't entirely unexpected.
No matter how formidable Magnus was, his opponent was an archmage. If she'd swiftly defeated Magnus and rejoined the fray, the situation would resolve quickly.
"You dragged this out on purpose?"
"A fight I can win without even beating you."
"Clever."
Akseon threw up both hands in surrender.
If Jinun had gone toe-to-toe with him, he might've had a shot. In a hundred bouts, he could've claimed victory once.
But Jinun had shut down even that possibility.
Trusting his allies outside and waiting for their battles to end.
Realization dawning, Akseon asked,
"Then why not dispel the formation?"
Once it vanished, an archmage, Hyomin, and Unhyang would be waiting outside.
Even handling Jinun alone was a struggle; facing all of them was impossible.
Yet Jinun hadn't dropped the formation.
Jinun clasped his hands behind his back, as if he'd lost all interest in fighting.
"Do you know? This trial isn't about knocking out all rivals. It's about who reaches the goal first."
Srrrr-.
The surrounding ice began to melt.
The formation's world faded, returning them to reality.
"We've already arrived."
It felt like his breath had stopped.
Kim Il-su's eyes darted frantically. His dual gazes searched for Soo-hyuk, who had vanished from sight.
Soo-hyuk had disappeared in an instant.
He gave up searching visually on instinct. Instead, he trusted his senses.
Shiiik-.
Kwarung-!
Soo-hyuk's sword struck Kim Il-su's body like lightning. A split-second slower, and it would've cleaved him in two.
Zzizizhik-.
Lightning remnants pierced into Kim Il-su's chest, unblocked.
Soo-hyuk vanished again—not just from sight, but presence entirely.
It felt like fighting Ye-ryeong. Not quite her perfect stealth, but it demanded several times the focus and nerves.
Tsutsutsu-.
For a split second, thunder crashed near his ear.
Crossing both arms skyward was pure instinct.
Kwarung-!
A lightning spear plummeted from above. The impact nearly tore his arms off; he gritted his teeth to stifle a scream.
Beyond his arms, Kim Il-su looked up.
'When did he get that high?'
Soo-hyuk hovered at a pinpoint altitude in the sky.
Reaching there so quickly was shocking enough, but standing atop lightning was more so.
'Must drain a ton of stamina.'
Riding lightning to fly wasn't Soo-hyuk's preferred style.
It guzzled stamina. Threatening short-term, but inefficient.
But such doubts were fleeting.
Lightning soon poured from the heavens.
"Dodge!"
Kim Il-su bellowed.
At his shout, Blue Zone rankers spectating below scattered in all directions.
Kim Il-su swung his twin blades. Kbang, kwarrung! He deflected the explosive lightning.
His wrists screamed in agony, arms searing as if burning.
He had to intercept Soo-hyuk somehow, but even that proved impossible.
'Damn Hundred Poison Immunity!'
Kim Il-su ground his teeth.
Soo-hyuk, with his Hundred Poison Immunity skill, was his natural counter. As Soo-hyuk had said, Kim Il-su had come to rely on items.
Kwaaaang-!
Pushiii-.
After deflecting the final bolt, white steam rose from Kim Il-su's body.
He staggered. The moment he thought it was over and looked up, his strength ebbed away.
Katsutsutsutsu-.
Lightning blanketed the sky once more.
He'd barely blocked one barrage, and the second awaited.
Two meant three or four could follow. Sure enough, more rained down.
Kwarurrung-!
He'd thought he couldn't move anymore, yet his arms swung as lightning fell.
Surrendering to instinct, Kim Il-su thought,
This wasn't Soo-hyuk's old style.
Stealthy moments ago, now brutally violent. The old Soo-hyuk wouldn't have switched like this.
'Stamina to spare?'
Then, one bolt struck his body dead-on.
Kwang-!
"……!"
A shot he couldn't block.
It rocked him hard.
His vision flipped. Having taken one, others hammered in relentlessly.
A silent scream tore from him. No sound escaped despite the agony.
How many had hit?
The onslaught ceased. Charred black, spewing steam, Kim Il-su reeled.
He'd blacked out briefly.
Opening his eyes, Soo-hyuk was right there.
"Still think I'm a fake?"
Apparently, he'd held off killing to say this.
A fake?
A pointless question. He already knew Soo-hyuk was real.
Even if he hadn't, who else wielded this power?
And Soo-hyuk still had stamina to spare.
His sole weakness—stamina—gone. More perfect than before.
Yet Kim Il-su could only deny it.
"……You're not real."
Admitting meant his end.
"Yeah."
Kwak-.
"……Knew you'd say that."
Soo-hyuk's hand seized Kim Il-su's face.
Soon, searing electricity surged through his palm.
Katsutsutsutsutsu-!
"……!"
His face ripped away, melting pain flooding in. Not just face—his brain liquefied.
Soo-hyuk seemed to vent regret from that day, when he'd only taken half the face.
Kim Il-su's trembling body went limp.
Confirming death, Soo-hyuk released him.
Thud-.
The corpse slumped to the ground.
No particular emotion stirred.
This wasn't final revenge—just the first step toward it.
Soo-hyuk's gaze swept over the surviving Blue Zone rankers.
They flinched, scattered everywhere. Having fled the lightning, they froze, unsure.
Fight? Flee?
Si-woo and Ye-ryeong, stamina restored, joined Soo-hyuk's side.
The duo alone was tough; Soo-hyuk's prowess, seen firsthand, was untouchable.
Just flee?
Dropping out of the counteroffensive was secondary. Soo-hyuk was streaming live.
Countless eyes watched. Fleeing in fear would besmirch the guild's honor.
Moreover.
"What do you think?"
Soo-hyuk didn't treat them as outright enemies.
"Do I look fake to you?"
Among them, his eyes lingered on familiar faces.
Those from the Hydra raid that day.
They, at least, would know.
He was no fake.
Soo-hyuk's question wasn't just for the rankers here.
His revenge was calculated, incorporating the stream.
The viewers erupted at Soo-hyuk overwhelming Kim Il-su.
No matter what anyone said, people missed Lee Soo-hyuk most for his unparalleled skill.
Soo-hyuk had shown prowess lacking nothing compared to the original. It lent even more weight to claims he was the real deal.
Just as Soo-hyuk opened his mouth to say more.
Hwaaa-.
Pure white light descended on Soo-hyuk, Si-woo, and Ye-ryeong.
The party had reached the goal right on cue—the fastest time.
The defense side had done their part too.
Not bad.
Ending the fight at its peak, when curiosity and tension crested. A perfect cliffhanger.
This was just the beginning anyway.
'The real show comes next.'
Hwaaaaa-.
Vanish with the white light, Soo-hyuk glanced at Kim Il-su's fallen corpse on the ground.