Growing Stronger (4)
A massive surge of power erupts from my hand and sweeps over my opponent. Though his face is completely obscured by a black mask, I can vividly feel his sheer panic.
He frantically pulls out a scroll and tears it open. Once again, a translucent barrier materializes, blocking the explosion.
But that won't be enough. My magic is far more violent.
No matter how low my current level of mastery is, I can still unleash enough firepower to kill an A-rank magic beast in a single blow.
Since my opponent's skills likely put him at A-rank or below, this is bound to deal a decisive blow.
That was why I had held back from intervening until Han Yeseo was on the brink of defeat.
An opponent's defense is always at its weakest when they let their guard down. That is the moment you must strike to inflict the maximum possible damage.
BOOM!
The assassin's barrier shatters under the force of the explosion, sending him hurtling backward.
Without any protective measures, a human hit by a bus would be thrown higher than a four-story building. Having absorbed an impact far greater than that, the assassin is launched nearly ten stories into the air.
Of course, he won't die from just this. Even if he is weaker than Yeseo, he is still an experienced A-rank hunter.
For someone of his caliber, this level of firepower is enough to inflict severe injuries, but it is far from fatal.
"So... Sowol?"
Han Yeseo, utterly unable to comprehend the situation, looks at me in bewilderment, practically begging for an explanation.
"Questions later."
Now is not the time. Sensing the gravity of the situation, Yeseo bites her tongue and asks no further.
I turn back to face the front. The assassin plummets and lands on the ground. Yet, he moves without issue. Despite taking heavy damage, he is still capable of fighting.
He raises his head, scanning the two of us. Our eyes lock.
No words are needed. He charges straight at us.
"He's coming! Get ready!"
"Huh...? What?"
Yeseo is still completely dazed, but I don't have the luxury of coddling her.
I narrow my eyes, tracking the assassin's movements and anticipating his next move.
Once again, a scroll slips from his cloak. His dagger slashes through it, unleashing a massive wave of mana into the air.
The attack is identical to his previous one. A massive ring of fire erupts, centering around him.
A domain that Yeseo's skills could never hope to counter.
But I am a wizard. A wizard who can master any mystery at will.
I draw upon the perfect counter to his spell.
Silent Flame!
Silent Flame. Otherwise known as the Silence of Fire.
A wave of gray energy sweeps forward from the magic circle. The assassin flinches, attempting to dodge, but the area of effect is far too wide to escape.
The massive gray wave washes over him. Instinctively, he checks his own body for injuries.
But he wasn't my target.
I had merely stripped away the mystery protecting him.
"The ring of fire...?"
It takes him a moment to realize what has happened. The flames surrounding him begin to wither.
They extinguish completely, leaving behind only a faint, lingering warmth, as if they had never existed in the first place.
This is the nature of mystery.
A mystery is inherently absolute. Under normal circumstances, its activation is always guaranteed.
But if its counter is struck... even that absoluteness shatters.
"...No way."
That was why he had never anticipated this.
Han Yeseo's ability isn't actually "ice." To be precise, it is "cold"—the power to lower temperatures.
However, there is a limit to how low temperatures can drop. On Earth, dropping a mere 300 degrees Celsius brings you to absolute zero, a physical boundary that cannot be crossed.
The ice Yeseo creates is merely the result of freezing the moisture in the air.
She has never actually generated massive ice crystals out of nothing. At most, she can manage icicles.
On the other hand, there is virtually no upper limit to heat. At least, not one worth measuring.
Consequently, a small amount of ice cannot compete with fire. While fire and ice technically counter each other...
...when it comes to pure cold and fire, fire utterly dominates. Even with the same amount of mana injected, cold magic will always lose.
So, what is the ultimate counter to fire? Water?
The answer is the ignition point.
The moment the ignition point rises above the current temperature, fire immediately dies. Normally, this is only possible through highly specific chemical reactions, but before a mystery, no explanation is required.
The sole reason Yeseo struggled against this opponent was his flames. And almost every type of flame can be countered by Silent Flame.
Under normal circumstances, one might force the fire to ignite by pumping in more mana.
But the opponent is using scrolls.
He cannot amplify their power any further.
"...You cannot defeat me."
The masked man growls, his voice dripping with venom. I can feel his piercing gaze burning through his mask. This sudden variable is clearly a highly unwelcome development.
"Maybe not."
He isn't entirely wrong. I can't defeat him on my own. Even if I had scrolls of the same caliber as his, I couldn't have pushed Yeseo to her limits like he did.
"But so what? I'm not alone."
What does it matter? I have a highly reliable ally backing me up right now.
Yeseo only struggled because her elemental compatibility was completely countered.
But now? Thanks to me, the elemental advantage is entirely on our side.
We have the superior raw power, and we have the elemental advantage.
The prey has officially become the predator.
I glance back. Yeseo is still half-sprawled on the ground, looking utterly dazed.
To think she still hasn't grasped the situation. No matter how powerful an S-rank hunter she is, she is only twenty-two. Her lack of real-world experience is showing.
A wizard must always make rational judgments, but since Yeseo isn't a wizard, I suppose I can cut her some slack.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch?"
It's time for her to get back in the fight.
Yeseo pushes herself up and glares at the assassin. With her back in the fray, the masked man's tension becomes palpable.
But there is no escape now.
This will only end when one of our sides lies dead.
"I'll support you. Give him everything you've got."
"Understood, Sowol! I'm preparing my spell, so please hold him off for just a moment!"
And so, the battle between the masked assassin, Yeseo, and me begins.
A war that will only conclude when one side is utterly crushed.
"Damn it..."
Naturally, the battle ended in our victory. It was an inevitable outcome.
No matter how prepared he was to face an S-rank, his supply of scrolls couldn't possibly be infinite.
Even by conservative estimates, he would have prepared at most 130% of what he thought he needed.
But me? I can cast spells indefinitely as long as my mana holds out. On top of that, our combined raw power far outmatched his.
Our victory was a foregone conclusion.
"First, let's... see who he is..."
Yeseo and I naturally move to unmask him. His mask is already half-shattered from the aftermath of our coordinated attacks.
But despite his defeat, the assassin still has one last card to play.
A tightly sealed scroll slips from the inner pocket of his cloak. Instinct screams at me.
"Get down, Yeseo!!!"
I tackle her, pulling her down to the ground as we roll away, mimicking a soldier diving to escape a grenade.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupts from the scroll.
The shockwave is so intense that the compression and expansion of the air is visible to the naked eye.
If a scroll of that caliber had no drawbacks, he would have used it much sooner. Had he unleashed it when I first intervened, it possessed enough destructive power to wipe both Yeseo and me out in an instant.
Yet, he hadn't. I know exactly what that implies.
"A self-destruct..."
Ha. Throwing away his life so needlessly for something like this. From a wizard's perspective, such a mindset is utterly incomprehensible.
It is essentially sacrificing oneself for the sake of the organization.
If the organization were truly worth that much, perhaps I would consider it. But to throw one's life away for a mere syndicate of contract killers?
Then again, even if he survived, he'd probably have his limbs severed and rot in prison for the rest of his life. Maybe that's why.
Even if he lived, his end wouldn't have been pretty. In that light, perhaps his choice was the logical one.
"So, Sowol...? It seems we're safe now, but... um... what on earth were those skills...?"
"Before that, let me ask you something first. After all, I did just save your life, didn't I? And it's clear they were targeting you, Yeseo."
The situation is resolved. If he had backups, he wouldn't have resorted to self-destruction.
It is reasonable to assume he was operating alone.
Which means it's now Q&A time! Time to get some answers to the things I've been curious about.
"Yeseo. The assassin knew every single one of your abilities. Is there an Awakener with that kind of information-gathering power, or was there a data leak?"
This is what had been bothering me. While registering as an Awakener is mandatory, one's specific skills and Unique Abilities are not uploaded to the public database.
Only a vague description of the Unique Ability's nature is recorded. Detailed information regarding specific skills is highly classified personal data—even the government doesn't possess it.
Yet, the assassin had prepared a perfect counter-strategy for almost everything Yeseo could throw at him.
If it was a simple leak due to Yeseo's own carelessness, that would be one thing. But if they had some other way of obtaining this information...
...it would pose a massive obstacle to my plans.
It would mean the fact that I am a wizard could be exposed to random, unknown parties.
"...It's probably because of my disciplinary action."
"Disciplinary action?"
"Yes. When I was officially suspended and placed on probation, it was part of my punishment. My skills and Unique Ability were made public through an Information Disclosure Request. That's... probably how they found out."
"And that's why they targeted you?"
"...They probably figured they could take me down with minimal forces since they knew exactly what to expect."
Fortunately, it wasn't the nightmare scenario I had feared.
I've avoided the worst-case scenario. If my identity as a wizard is exposed, things will get incredibly complicated. If things got any messier here, it would have been a massive headache.
Of course, some doubts remain. The contradiction between a suspension and an Information Disclosure Request.
Usually, only murderers or sex offenders have their personal information made public. Why on earth did they expose her entire skill set?
There is no doubt she was suspended.
But why was her entire skill list laid bare to the public?
Still, I have no intention of digging deeper. Yeseo didn't press me further about the stalking accusations, after all.
Since she respected my boundaries, it's only fair I respect hers.
But that wasn't the end of it.
"...So, Sowol? I think it's your turn to explain."
There is still an explanation due.
"..."
Uh... what should I do?
To anyone watching, what I just did was an absolute anomaly. I am officially registered as a hunter who can't even make D-rank.
And in terms of raw physical stats, that isn't far from the truth.
But the display I just put on was absolutely not that of an E-rank hunter.
Considering Yeseo kept him from overwhelming me with raw stats, I could easily pass for a B-rank or even an A-rank hunter. After all, I had neutralized an opponent presumed to be A-rank without breaking a sweat.
Hmm. I guess there's only one way.
I had already prepared a contingency plan for a situation like this.
Though I never expected to use it during only my second Gate.
"Promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"The truth I am about to tell you. You must never speak of it to anyone, not even your guild."
I need at least this much of a guarantee before I speak. If she can't even promise that, then...
Honestly, while it's true I deceived her, it's also true that I'm her savior. Twice over, in fact!
"Yes. Of course."
She agrees. This should suffice.
I steady my breathing and open my mouth.
The truth of my existence as a wizard.