Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Turning the Tables (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'What... is this even possible?...'
Baek Juseok, who had been watching Jang Hyena's broadcast live, stared blankly at the screen.
Until just now, he'd dismissed the Masked Instructor as a con artist who knew some quirky mana utilization trick. But the man was actually conquering the dungeon far more effectively than expected.
'Does he have an insane amount of mana? Is that how he can spam skills like that without a care?'
Casting one massively powerful spell was one thing. But unleashing multiple minor spells at the same time? The former could be managed with a decent mana pool and magical talent, but the latter was a realm few could even attempt.
The reason was simple. Mana inside the body depleted rapidly no matter what kind of magic you used, then slowly replenished.
'Damn it... what the hell is his trick? Is he absorbing mana into his body at the same time he's using it?'
If you only relied on internal mana, spells drained it dry, making multiple casts extremely difficult. But if you pulled in external mana at a breakneck pace, consumption and recovery happened simultaneously, letting you spam magic endlessly.
'The theory is simple. Sounds like anyone could do it if they just knew how.'
'But damn it, if it were possible, everyone would be doing it.'
Modern mana usage had been refined through countless wizards' measurements and the Magic Tower's research. And now, the very foundation of that was being shaken.
'This is dangerous. If that guy actually clears the dungeon solo and walks out, it could be a real problem.'
At this point, only the Masked Instructor knew how to utilize external mana. The only public info was what he'd shown in his videos.
If he successfully cleared this dungeon, top wizards across the country would be clamoring to become his disciples. And once he proved it solidly, wizards who couldn't use external mana would be branded incompetent relics.
Right now, even the fastest mana absorption, assimilation spin, and release for use took a minimum of 'five seconds.' That was far too slow for real combat.
'Even I, an elite A-rank wizard, take over four seconds.'
Baek Juseok had tried mimicking the method from the video. But no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't get below four seconds. Just following the video wasn't enough to replicate the Masked Instructor's rapid-fire casting.
'What the hell... am I missing?'
The man in the video wasn't using high-tier spells. Everything was B-rank or lower—levitation, emission, detection, and the like. Spells Baek Juseok could cast effortlessly.
'There has to be some penalty. He avoids high-rank spells, so maybe the Masked Instructor's actual level is lower than it seems. Bosses need real power to take down. He's just showing off tricks now, but that'll be the end of it.'
With that thought, Baek Juseok watched the screen anxiously.
Meanwhile, at Helmont Academy, the students had gathered to watch the streamed broadcast.
Kim Siyeon, Lee Haru, Yoon Seulgi, and Baek Hyunseo huddled together, all sighing as they watched.
"Whoa... is this even real?..."
"I don't think I could do that."
"This is no joke."
"Amazing. He can use magic like that."
Among them, Kim Siyeon tapped the screen and spoke up.
"Guys, honestly, wouldn't it be awesome to learn from someone like that? It's a total game-changer. Should we apply to be his disciples or something?"
Yoon Seulgi looked at her worriedly.
"Pardon? What do you mean? What about our dungeon entry tickets? Without them, we can't even enter dungeons, and our growth would slow way down..."
Kim Siyeon yelled in frustration at Yoon Seulgi's words.
"Hey, after seeing that, you're still talking about growth? Forget the academy perks—if we could train under him, it'd be life-changing. Total reversal of fortunes."
Lee Haru shook her head at Kim Siyeon.
"Siyeon, I kinda agree, but look—comments are over 200,000 already, and climbing live. What are our chances?"
"Hey, it might work out. We just apply—what's the harm? Baek Hyunseo, what do you think?"
"I agree, but we should watch more first. We haven't even seen the boss fight yet."
"Hmm... fair enough. Let's keep watching and think it over."
The girls turned back to the screen.
At that moment, inside the dungeon.
Jang Hyena shouted into her tiny handheld mic with all her might.
"Whoa, we've already passed the first section, the forest, and it took less than five minutes! What do you all think? Isn't it shocking? I swear, I've never seen a dungeon cleared like this in my life! And the Masked Instructor is a wizard—not even a swordsman!"
Just then, Choi Juwon opened the door and entered the second space. This time, it was a barren desert.
"How will he tackle this section? Aren't you excited?"
No sooner had she finished than I started running.
-Thud
-Whoooong
I coated my shoes in external mana, gliding across the ground as smoothly as if using levitation magic. This method let my feet barely touch the earth, making it even faster than pure levitation.
'Boss room's coming up soon.'
An A-rank dungeon was full of traps, harsh environments, and monsters. But those were side elements. Over 90% of the real threat came from the mid-boss and final boss.
-Kugugugugung!
A massive hole tore open in the sand-covered floor, and a [Molliwurm] burst out.
Jang Hyena cried out at the sight.
"Ah! A Molliwurm! One of the signature monsters in A-rank dungeons! It lives in deserts, burrowing through sand in an instant, which makes its ambushes a nightmare!"
She commentated excitedly while thinking to herself.
'This one's gonna be tough...'
Molliwurms resembled earthworms but were covered in thick armor, weighed a ton, and moved blindingly fast. Ordinary magic couldn't touch them.
Then, Choi Juwon gathered mana in his arm, clasped his hands together, and slammed them into the ground.
-Kagagagagagagak!
"Wh-what's happening?! The Masked Instructor is drilling into the ground! He's churning it up with mana!"
I was using external mana with my [S] Magic Shape Transformation skill, reshaping the gathered mana into a drill to bore into the earth.
-Kwagagagagagak!
The ground shredded at incredible speed. The Molliwurm panicked and retreated sideways.
They were used to being the predators. They'd never encountered a lunatic chasing them by drilling into the sand.
Of course, I'd known their habits in advance. Others wouldn't. No one else was crazy enough to burrow right up to their faces like this.
-Pop
As the Molliwurms scattered, I broke free of the desert terrain and stood before the door to the final boss.
"Huh?... He... he bypassed the Molliwurm without killing it... Is... is that allowed?"
Jang Hyena's stunned voice faded as the ground shook violently. A grotesque creature emerged—the mid-boss guarding the final door.
"The mid-boss is here! Hurdbert! It looks like a scorpion, with deadly poison in its tail and an insane unique passive for defense. A total pain to deal with!"
Just as she said. Hurdbert had scorpion-like poison in its tail. The venom was so potent that even a wizard with high endurance could be in serious trouble if stung—unlike swordsmen who could tank it up close.
But worse than the stinger was its unique skill.
That damned Wailing Wall passive meant every attack dealt just 1 damage, no matter what.
For wizards, one spell equaled 1 damage. Swordsmen fared better with close-range physical hits.
Luckily, its HP wasn't sky-high—about 110 attacks to kill. But for a typical wizard, firing off 110 spells was impossible. The standard strategy was swordsmen tanking while wizards supported.
Of course, for normal people.
I pressed my hand to the sand behind me. It crumbled gray, mana surging in.
"Ice Spear."
I chanted, and one ice spear floated in the air.
Onlookers murmured.
"That spell won't take down Hurdbert. Sure, the tail poison makes approaching hard, but pure magic without physical attacks? It'll take forever..."
"Can anyone even cast it 110 times? Even C-rank Ice Spear—over a hundred casts is insane..."
"Hmm... C-rank? That'd take a lifetime against Hurdbert..."
I grinned at the doubters.
"It'll be over quick."
And chanted again.
"Ice Spear Replication."
Mana flooded from the desert sand, replicating over a hundred ice spears in the air.
"Kill it."
The spears shot toward Hurdbert like living creatures, all at once.