Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Chapter 60: Debut Match (4)
Translation: godtl
"Ah! Player Jo Hyeon-u has been injured in his left arm!"
"But as long as Jang Ji-soo, their healer, is alive, he'll recover in no time. What matters is the frontline. The outcome of this battle hinges entirely on whether Choi Jin-su collapses or not!"
"Indeed! The conclusion of Island 2 is highly anticipated! After all, these are the two teams vying for first and second place!"
The current top-ranked rookie team from the Scorpion Guild versus the second-ranked rookie team from the Myth Guild.
True to their rankings, the two teams clashing on Island 2 were locked in a fierce battle.
"Ah! Yu A-jun is casting another spell!"
"Jo Hyeon-u, now recovered, fires a suppressing arrow, but it's futile! Yu A-yeon blocks it as if she'd been waiting for this exact moment!"
"Yu A-yeon's instincts are truly remarkable. While supporting the tank facing off against Choi Jin-su, she's also covering Yu A-jun's spellcasting!"
"If Yu A-jun's magic manifests like this, it could completely disrupt the battle's momentum, couldn't it?"
"Absolutely! Jang Ji-soo's Holy Power is nearing depletion soon!"
The National Arena broadcast screen showed the relentless battle between the two top-ranked teams without pause.
Then.
Rumbleee.
The broadcast feed began shaking violently with frequent tremors.
"Wh-what's happening? The screen is suddenly shaking!"
MC Choi Gang-yeop and commentator Song Jae-kyung, who were covering the Debut Match, hurriedly looked toward the production staff in front of them.
They were checking if this was some sort of broadcast malfunction.
Judging by the bewildered expressions of the staff and PD, it didn't seem to be a technical issue.
Then.
The broadcast feed began splitting into multiple screens—two, four, six—until soon it showed an aerial view of the entire Rising Archipelago, the Debut Match zone.
"This can't be!"
"A t-tidal wave! Enormous tidal waves are approaching from all directions!"
Like a coiled serpent.
The footage captured massive tidal waves closing in, wrapping around the entire Rising Archipelago.
Naturally.
"Commentator Song, what's happening here? Were tidal waves like these supposed to appear in the Rising Archipelago?"
"I-I've never seen anything like this before! While maps do occasionally have disaster-type events, the Rising Archipelago has never had anything like this!"
Even Song Jae-kyung, a commentator and First Generation player, was witnessing this phenomenon for the first time.
"Ah! After Island 7, now Island 4 is being swallowed by the tidal wave! The entire archipelago is being consumed!"
"The teams that claimed the islands are being swept away helplessly. They're completely powerless!"
"At this rate, even Island 2 where the battle is raging might be next!"
The broadcast team descended into panic, barely managing to spit out commentary in their daze.
And then.
"Ah! The tidal wave has finally reached Island 2! Seeing it all at once, it's truly monstrous in scale!"
"Both teams have wisely ceased fighting and are retreating! But it doesn't look like everyone will make it!"
The stage where the two top-ranked teams had been battling.
The tidal wave had reached Island 2.
"What the hell?!"
A colossal tidal wave.
Those were the first words Yu A-yeon spat out upon facing this sudden catastrophe.
Until this very moment.
For Yu A-yeon, who had handled every situation without faltering, this was an extremely uncharacteristic reaction.
But it seemed her moniker "Coldblood" wasn't unearned.
"Undine! Undain!"
She swiftly summoned the low-tier and mid-tier water spirits, Undine and Undain.
"A-A-yeon! Please help me!"
The desperate voice of their allied tank, who had been facing Choi Jin-su, reached her.
But Yu A-yeon simply grabbed her younger brother Yu A-jun's hand and curled up within the embrace of the spirits.
The reason was simple.
'We'll barely survive even with just the two of us.'
Had she been able to summon the high-tier spirit Endairon, things might have been different.
But with mid-tier spirits, surviving that massive tidal wave would be impossible for more than two people—including herself.
Moreover.
'If that wave hits here, he'll just be dead weight anyway.'
That tank had only been shoved into their team by the Scorpion Guild to support her and her brother.
Without her spirit magic, he'd just be a lump of metal sinking underwater.
From Yu A-yeon's efficiency-driven perspective, taking such a risk was unnecessary.
In fact.
"Ji-soo!"
"N-no! My Holy Power—!"
"Damn it! Jin-su hyung! Over here— Aaaah!"
It wasn't just her team losing members, was it?
Yu A-yeon coldly watched as the Myth Guild team disappeared into the tidal wave.
'Choi Jin-su alone won't be a problem. Once we survive this wave, I'll finish him off.'
The enormous tidal wave that swallowed the entire archipelago whole.
From within that overwhelming disaster, Si-mun, watching in real time, nodded as he observed the survivors.
'Yu A-yeon and Yu A-jun... and Choi Jin-su.'
The promising rookies who had been consistently mentioned even before the Debut Match.
Indeed, living up to their reputations, the three prospects each survived the tidal wave in their own way.
'I expected Choi Jin-su's aquatic transformation, but Yu A-yeon is surprising.'
Si-mun observed the Yu siblings cradled by a blue-hued woman with a faint lower body.
'They must've just been promoted to Gold, yet they've contracted an Undine?'
An intermediate spirit—an Undine.
Contracting one wouldn't be difficult for those qualified to participate in the Debut Match, but...
Properly controlling one should only be possible after reaching the upper echelons of Gold.
Yu A-yeon had survived the Trident's tidal wave by utilizing multiple controls, even employing the Undine.
This meant her spirit control had already reached the upper Gold tier.
'Well, it's the Gold Debut Match after all. They ought to show at least this much.'
Aren't they the players who will shape South Korea's future?
Especially these two, who stand out even among the most talked-about prospects—they had to demonstrate this level of capability.
'Shall we wrap this up now?'
Snap.
As Si-mun flicked his fingers, the flesh-colored gills behind his ears deepened further.
His muscles swelled all at once before settling back down.
A sea monster that only appears in Platinum-rank—
[Sharkrodon Body Tissue] had been synthesized across his entire body.
As if boasting of its staggering 26% completion rate—
Whoosh!
Like a single, agile shark,
he surged through the submerged military island.
"Hey! Snap out of it!"
Perhaps thanks to the intermediate water spirit, the Undine,
Yu A-yeon, who had noticed Si-mun's movement, urgently shook her younger brother, Yu A-jun.
A-jun, who had been blankly staring at the sunken area, jerked his head violently
and looked in the direction his noona was pointing.
"Gray hoodie? No way—Kim Si-mun?!"
"Yeah. There's no doubt all of this is his doing."
"You're saying that bastard caused that massive tidal wave? Wait, noona. Then that means..."
A-jun's face hardened with dread.
'Doesn't that mean we stand no chance?'
Just opening the Arena Board would show it.
They, who had been in first place, were now second.
And Kim Si-mun, who had been third, had skyrocketed to an overwhelming first place with 27 kills.
Given that his count had jumped from 9 to 27,
it meant every participant except them had been swept away by that tidal wave.
How were they supposed to fight such a monster?
Then—
Whack!
"Hey, Yu A-jun! Are you still out of it?!"
A sharp pain struck the back of his head, accompanied by his noona's furious voice.
"Why are you chickening out before we even fight? Did you forget what the guild prepared for us?"
"B-but noona! Look at what that bastard just did! How are we supposed to beat someone who took out nearly 20 kills in one shot?!"
A-yeon pressed her fingers to her forehead at her brother's plea.
"Undine, disrupt him as much as possible!"
She sent the Undine toward Si-mun before turning to her anxiety-ridden brother.
"Use your brain, you idiot. Sure, this situation is Kim Si-mun's doing, but that's all it is."
"Noona, what do you mean?"
"I said think! Why do you think he isn't using that same power again and is closing in like this?"
"That's... Huh? Wait—!"
A spark of realization flashed in A-jun's eyes.
A-yeon nodded briefly at her brother's reaction.
"Exactly. He doesn't have the leeway to use that insane tidal wave twice."
"R-right! Even we suffer severe backlash if we use magic beyond our level!"
"So pull yourself together and use the artifact first. Ugh—!"
"Noona!"
A-yeon suddenly staggered.
When A-jun turned his head, he saw Si-mun had already pierced through the Undine's chest.
"Stop spacing out and just use the damn artifact!"
"O-okay!"
At A-yeon's shout, A-jun quickly extended his right wrist.
A-yeon did the same with her left, crossing their wrists—
or more precisely, the bracelets they wore.
Simultaneously, they chanted the activation phrase.
"Frozen Origin."
"Frozen Origin."
Then—
Sssssss.
A sinister, black energy rippled from the two bracelets.
Like viscous liquid, it dripped from their wrists before—
Kreeeaaak!
With an eerie shriek, it vanished as if washed away.
"D-did it work?"
A-jun asked nervously, but A-yeon didn't answer.
It was more accurate to say she didn't need to.
"Ugh—!"
Gurgle.
Si-mun, who had just dealt with the Undine and was closing in, suddenly froze in place.
White foam bubbled from his mouth.
Ptui!
Watching this, A-yeon spat out blood from forcibly unsummoning the Undine.
"A-jun! Get ready!"
"Got it!"
With the lesser spirit, the Undine, they began casting.
Yu A-jun was also moving his hands busily, beginning to trace something in the air.
Meanwhile.
'What the hell? Why did my human transmutation suddenly unravel?'
Si-mun, who had lost the [Sharkrodon Body Tissue], wore a flustered expression as he desperately tried to draw out his Transmutation Power.
But his Transmutation Power showed no signs of responding.
—Oh...... I...... strange......
'Philosopher's Stone! Philosopher's Stone!'
Like a broken radio.
Even the voice of the Philosopher's Stone came through in fragmented, disjointed bursts.
Feeling as though the Philosopher's Stone nestled in his chest had been tightly bound in chains, Si-mun realized:
'A curse. And one that completely seals the main energy flow.'
A curse.
A type of Black Magic that, while difficult to activate under strict conditions,
was a terrifying experience for the victim.
'They touched arms earlier. So it was triggered through an item?'
Having deduced the cause of the curse, Si-mun calmly steadied his breathing and relaxed his body.
The reason was simple.
'Philosopher's Stone, let's use that.'
Even if his Transmutation Power was blocked, there was still a way to bypass this curse.
—Got...... it!
The Philosopher's Stone's reply came in broken fragments.
And then.
Oooong.
Something began to flow from the previously frozen Philosopher's Stone.
Not Transmutation Power—but Dragon Power.
The Dragon Power, now one with the Philosopher's Stone and Si-mun's body, surged forth powerfully.
'First, let's stabilize my breathing.'
The Dragon Power, reaching his head through his throat, settled primarily around his neck and throughout his respiratory system.
Then.
"Hoo!"
Bubbles.
A bizarre phenomenon unfolded as Si-mun began breathing underwater through his human nose and mouth.
But that wasn't all.
Crackle.
A strange, creaking sound echoed from his limbs and entire body.
The exposed skin on his hands and neck gradually became covered in faint golden scales.
Dragon Body Transformation.
An ability registered in the Philosopher's Stone after absorbing the Blood of Tiamat, the Dragon God,
and being influenced by the Obsidian Tablet.
True to its name.
"Whoa... this is insane."
Si-mun, who had now obtained the physique of the Dragonkin—one of the most elite races in the Galaxy Arena—widened his eyes and swung his limbs experimentally.
'It's incredibly light. And yet, there's a strange weight to it.'
Two contradictory words sprang to mind unbidden.
The body of a Dragonkin granted both agility and formidable strength.
Shiver.
Golden scales prickled across his skin.
Following the instinctive warning from his draconic body,
Kiiing.
Si-mun instinctively activated Odin's Eye.
Then.
'Ha...'
Upon seeing the rapidly intensifying mana vortex ahead, he let out an involuntary chuckle.
The reason was simple.
'I can even see the flow of mana now.'
Originally, Odin's Eye allowed him to perceive the flow of magic.
But the flow of mana was different.
Magic was a construct formed from specific energies like mana or Demonic Energy.
Seeing the flow of magic and seeing the flow of the energy composing it were entirely separate things.
'Is this the difference Dragonkin make?'
And now, with this superior draconic body, he could see the flow of mana itself.
'Looks like their casting is almost done.'
Si-mun could clearly predict what the two Magic Class siblings would do next.
'Yu A-jun will manifest the spell, and his sister Yu A-yeon will amplify its power and effect with spirit magic.'
If necessary, they could even exploit the lingering remnants of the spell to land additional hits—an advantage unique to spirit magic.
Truly a combo worthy of being called the next generation's prodigies of the Magic Class.
Especially Yu A-yeon's control and instincts were praiseworthy.
Then.
"Ice Twister!"
Was it because her contracted spirit was water-aligned?
Or because the surroundings were submerged?
The Ice Twister Yu A-jun unleashed far surpassed its original 5-Star Class power.
Kwa-tsu-tsu-tsuk!
A whirlwind of razor-sharp ice shards, spearheaded by a drill-like lower half, surged forward.
It wasn't quite on the level of the demi-6-Star ice magic Sarku, the Half-Dragonian Hidden Boss, had once wielded.
But it was still a force Si-mun couldn't ignore.
'Last time, I countered it by driving Astrapē straight in...'
Si-mun smirked faintly as he watched the raging Ice Twister barrel toward him.
Then.
Swoosh.
Instead of dodging, he charged straight into the icy vortex.
'Got him!'
'Idiot! Does he really think that's just a 5-Star spell?!'
Smirks of triumph curled on the siblings' lips.
Of course, they didn't last long.
"W-what?!"
"This is insane!"
The Ice Twister, now even more powerful with the Undine's enhancement.
Si-mun plunged straight into that swirling vortex of ice.
"You're running on magic?!"
Because he was moving against the current.
And then—
"Safe travels."
Razor-sharp nails, grown as keen as the Dragonian's, drove into their throats.
Crunch.
"Ghk!"
"Gglk!"
Thus ended the last moments of the Yu siblings, this generation's most promising Magic Class prodigies.