Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Turning the Tables
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As I stepped into the A-rank dungeon, the filming crew filed in after me, followed by the emergency response team, Seol Euna—who had originally been slated to enter this dungeon—and Jang Hyena, who was handling the live broadcast.
The moment we entered, Jang Hyena kicked off the commentary at the top of her lungs.
"Everyone! Finally! We've entered the dungeon!"
Riding an artifact equipped with levitation capabilities, she filmed from the sky, shouting loud enough for all to hear.
"Can you see it?! This is an A-rank dungeon. The entrance is a dense forest! Trees and underbrush stretch out in every direction, the ground is riddled with all sorts of traps, and monsters lurk everywhere. It's one of the toughest A-rank dungeons to clear!"
Jang Hyena glanced at the rapidly scrolling chat with a satisfied smile.
'Whoa... this broadcast is gonna blow up...'
She was a creator with 5 million subscribers, but her views never matched her sub count. She'd been chasing sensational content to boost numbers, failing more often than not. Then, by chance, Baek Juseok had granted her an interview, and even the hottest topic right now—the Masked Instructor—had allowed interviews and filming.
Real-time viewers were far harder to rack up than total views. Her usual streams pulled in 10,000 to 30,000 fixed viewers. Now, it was dozens of times that. The implication was clear: the Masked Instructor standing before her would keep generating endless buzz.
'Even after this is over, I need to stick to him no matter what.'
Resolving herself inwardly, she screamed at the top of her lungs to amp up the drama.
"Oh! Mages are super vulnerable in forests! If they use detection magic to clear obstacles, monsters swarm them. But if they just turtle up with defenses, they can't push inward! Can't wait to see how he handles it!"
I looked up at Jang Hyena yelling from above and addressed her.
"I'll provide a supplementary explanation on the external mana utilization technique from my video."
"A skilled user can compress the processes of absorption, internal circulation, and discharge to an extreme degree. For example..."
-Whooooom
I raised my palm toward a nearby tree, and in an instant, its vitality drained away as mana burst outward.
-KABOOM
A massive shockwave ripped through the air, and one of the trees in front of me shattered to splinters.
"..."
The reporters filming nearby started murmuring.
"Wha... what the hell? Didn't he say it takes 5 seconds?"
"That's for beginners. With practice, you can do it like that. Still hard to believe seeing it live..."
"Isn't that some trick? How's it that fast...?"
"Shut up, man. You know how many cameras are here? You saw the mana getting sucked out of that tree yourself."
"Yeah, but still..."
Most people stared in disbelief, utterly dumbfounded.
This time, I extended my hand into the empty air, absorbing mana as I spoke.
"Mana absorption works on trees or animals, but you can also pull it from the ambient air. It's weaker than from living things or plants, of course, but with familiarity, you can do this."
I spread my hand toward the ground and unleashed a burst of condensed external mana.
My body rocketed into the sky.
From there, I drew in airborne mana to demonstrate levitation magic—all using only externally sourced mana.
Jang Hyena watched, forgetting even her commentary in sheer awe.
'Levitation magic like that?...'
Levitation normally guzzled mana just to get airborne—like a rocket fighting gravity. But the Masked Instructor had used the recoil from a condensed mana burst in his hand to launch skyward, then activated levitation mid-air. That single maneuver saved an absurd amount of mana.
Snapping back to reality, Jang Hyena shouted.
"H-he used levitation magic! By discharging the mana gathered in his hand, he skipped the initial phase that consumes the most mana!"
The chat exploded into overdrive. Hovering in the sky, Choi Juwon raised both hands.
Mana rippled from his left arm, sending circular sound waves radiating outward.
Mages could typically only cast one spell at a time. If levitating, they'd have to cancel it first for detection. Forcing both meant abysmal efficiency. Yet Choi Juwon pulled off both effortlessly—using only external mana.
The sound waves snapped back to me instantly, mapping out the traps.
'I could just float over them, but that'd lack flair.'
I deliberately chose the inefficient route.
-Boom
-Boom
-Boom
I kept condensing external mana in my hand, then fired it out in thin threads, obliterating the traps.
-RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE
With all traps gone, the lurking monsters went berserk.
-Thud
I intentionally dropped to the ground and faced them. They charged in a frenzy.
"KIIIII!!!"
Monkey-like monsters—Bellys—scrambled up the trees toward me.
-Whoosh
-Boom
A few Magic Missiles to keep them at bay, but true to A-rank beasts, they dodged effortlessly and closed in. The moment they reached me, the standby mages and swordsmen tensed, hands hovering over staves and swords, ready for emergencies.
I casually sidestepped the incoming Belly's claws, signaling them not to worry.
"Kiek...!"
With mobility as its strength, it whirled for another strike—but my hand was faster than its talons.
-Whooooom
My hand touched its body, and the Belly's mana flooded into me.
"KIIK... KIIIIIIK!!!"
It writhed in agony, magnetized to my hand. The mana flowing into me looked just like a phone charging from a power bank.
"Hoo..."
After a short breath, I unleashed the absorbed mana toward the swarm.
-Boom
"Kiek...!"
"KIIII...!"
The blast hammered the Bellies, sweeping them away like ants. The amount wasn't massive, but perfectly efficient release in the perfect direction inflicted lethal damage.
Anyone else trying it couldn't dream of half this power—unless properly trained by me, of course.
"Kigik... kigik..."
A surviving Belly twitched faintly. I approached and smashed a rock down on it.
-Crunch
Its body shuddered, then stilled.
I turned to Jang Hyena.
"Did everyone see that? With external mana and a bit of physicality, a lone mage can wipe out Bellies using just basic spells."
The area was deathly silent. Looking around, everyone gawked at me in stunned silence.
'What, if they're this shocked already, how will they handle the rest? I haven't even shown half.'
I addressed the frozen crowd.
"Let's move to the next area."