Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Flames of the Third Rank
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Of course, that didn't mean Choi Yeoreum would crumble just because I'd come up with a countermeasure against heat.
If she were the type to fall apart over something as simple as handling flames, she never would have climbed to the number three spot in the world.
The title of world number three wasn't some cushy position anyone could claim.
"Blocking it head-on doesn't change a thing."
Choi Yeoreum's expression carried a hint of wounded pride, but she showed no signs of panic.
Instead of slamming fireballs directly into me, she began detonating them right around me.
Their raw power might be lesser that way, but since Paradox Flame burned away heat rather than impact, the explosions' shockwaves still rattled my body full force.
"A defense against heat alone won't let you beat that monster lighter of yours."
The same principle applied to me. Mere nearby blasts weren't enough to deal me any meaningful damage.
To land a solid hit on her, I needed something more—and she needed something extra to hurt me too.
"Fall back."
A massive hammer forged from flames materialized above Choi Yeoreum's head. Even at a rough estimate, it was the size of the 63 Building.
The flaming hammer came crashing down. For all its blistering speed, its sheer size made it look almost sluggish.
"Let's see you try."
I aimed my spear at the hammer. The black flames that had been scorching my body gathered at the tip.
I hurled the spear straight at it.
Compared to that colossal hammer, the spear in my hand looked like less than a toothpick.
The thrown spear streaked through the air like a comet, trailing a long black path as it buried itself in the burning hammer. Black flames erupted from it, engulfing the hammer in an instant and devouring its heat.
In the end, the hammer vanished into thin air without a trace. Moments later, Choi Yeoreum's mocking laugh rang out.
"Discarding your weapon? You're even dumber than I thought."
"Its durability's way weaker than I expected."
It was just a crude sparring spear anyway. Worrying over the endurance of such a flimsy thing was worse than fighting barehanded.
The spear I'd been using was already creaking after barely fifteen minutes of combat. An unreliable weapon was as dangerous as the lion drooling right in front of you.
"Besides, I fight just fine without one."
With black flames blazing in both hands, I stared up at Choi Yeoreum hovering in the sky.
"I hope so. With all these people watching, it'd be a bore if it ended too quick."
End soon? Not a chance.
"This is gonna drag on."
As if in response, the sky filled once more with blazing orbs. Her mana reserves really seemed bottomless.
"She could roast a whole country solo."
"A country? Nah, I could torch a continent. I'm just holding back."
As Choi Yeoreum raised her hand, the massive fireballs dotting the sky like stars began whirling around her in a vortex.
"Eyes wide open—watch closely. This is one reason Korea dominates the world."
It was a sight befitting her queenly title. The surging flames swirled viciously around her like a swarm of worshipful bees.
"Impressive as that is..."
She was just one more who couldn't save the world. Even if I'd lost everything I'd built in my body...
You think I'd lose to the likes of you? I've already succeeded at what you lot can't even dream of—in that other world.
When people watch dangerous spectacles from a safe distance, they feel awe. The broadcast of Yoo Chan-seok's clash with Choi Yeoreum on TV was more than enough to inspire that sense of grandeur in viewers.
Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hun were no exceptions.
"My god."
That was all Jeong O-hun could say. Even through the screen, the scene Choi Yeoreum commanded evoked majesty and reverence.
"If I'd been standing there, could I have even moved?"
Jeong O-hun muttered to himself, robbed of his fighting spirit by the display.
"I couldn't. But look at that."
Han Sang-ah replied, munching on pre-popped popcorn.
"You think that goes down easy?"
"I'm not the one standing there. More importantly, Yoo Chan-seok."
She nodded toward the TV screen showing Yoo Chan-seok.
Black flames wrapped around his fists, he advanced through the onslaught of massive fireballs, shattering them one by one.
"That doesn't look like a man certain of defeat."
Even in a scene that would make most hunters wet themselves on sight, Yoo Chan-seok showed no hesitation.
"Yeah, that's true."
The commentators were hyping up Choi Yeoreum's inevitable win without a clue. But any hunter with real skill could tell.
Yoo Chan-seok wasn't being overwhelmed—not really. If anything, Choi Yeoreum seemed to be burning through her power too fast.
"Can't say for sure yet, but..."
Han Sang-ah chugged her cola and let out a small burp.
"If this drags on, Choi Yeoreum loses."
No telling how much mana Choi Yeoreum had, but constant expenditure would deplete it eventually—unlike Yoo Chan-seok.
The door suddenly opened, and Lee Se-eun strode in, flopping onto the sofa with a greeting to Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hun.
"She's pressing with output now, but she can't finish it."
Lee Se-eun grabbed a handful of Han Sang-ah's popcorn after her nod, then continued.
She'd fought Yoo Chan-seok plenty, so she could read the flow of this duel with confidence.
"She's getting pulled into his pace, bit by bit."
Very gradually. Not all at once.
"Choi Yeoreum knows it too. She's got the instincts for it."
Jeong O-hun asked,
"How would it go against you, Hunter Lee Se-eun?"
Lee Se-eun glanced at the TV before answering.
"We've clashed about thirteen times. I won five. If I close the distance, it's mine."
Even for someone of her caliber, piercing that defense had only succeeded five times out of thirteen.
"Breaking through that five times..."
Jeong O-hun muttered, eyeing Lee Se-eun and the TV alternately. The broadcast couldn't keep up with Yoo Chan-seok.
His form blurred in and out, and his flame-wreathed fists now seemed to multiply into ten. Flames poured toward him in kind, matching the speed.
"She's not serious yet. That stubborn pride makes her overly cautious."
Han Sang-ah responded to Lee Se-eun's assessment.
"If that's not her all..."
"You don't think she hit number three just spamming hundreds of fireballs, right? Anyone could counter that."
Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah both thought, 'Anyone? Doubt it.'
"But she'll use it soon."
"Use what?"
Lee Se-eun pointed at the TV.
"The Sun. That's what survivors call it."
Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah turned to the screen.
"Ah."
Above Choi Yeoreum floated a sun—or something so massive it could only be called that.
A colossal fireball roughly 5 kilometers in diameter.
"She throws that?"
"No. She just hangs it there. And even that..."
The heat pouring from the hovering orb melted the ground, slowly turning it to lava.
The fireball's surface neared 8000 degrees, pushing the area around Yoo Chan-seok to at least 1500-1800 degrees.
"Hard to even breathe."
The massive flame greedily sucked in surrounding air. Pressure differences whipped up storms drawing everything toward that giant sun.
Boulders ripped from the earth flew into it, melting midair into lava.
With that orb in the sky, the whole landscape burned.
"With power like that, why hasn't she taken down a Great Eight...?"
Lee Se-eun answered Han Sang-ah.
"You know the answer. They're stronger."
Arms crossed, she added,
"Now you get how other hunters reacted when we said our goal was the Great Eight."
Han Sang-ah nodded.
"I knew the road was long."
Lee Se-eun chuckled, patted her shoulder, and offered a candy.
"I like your answers."
Instead of quitting, she'd acknowledged the distance. That was enough. Even after that terrifying sight, she still aimed for the Great Eight.
Yoo Chan-seok, fighting there now, had probably given the same response. Lee Se-eun was sure of it.
On screen, he was still battling, black flames cloaking him amid a scene that would break anyone else's will through the TV.
It wasn't the attitude of someone okay with losing. Yoo Chan-seok intended to win.
"It's wild that the person watching TV next to me has beaten that monster hunter."
Lee Se-eun shrugged at Jeong O-hun's words with a casual "Huh?"
"She bleeds out from a knife too."
"Fair enough."
The fight sparked all kinds of thoughts. Han Sang-ah asked,
"In Hamburg, you lost to the leader of Dan-gun's Descendants, right, Hunter Lee Se-eun?"
Lee Se-eun's face stiffened slightly.
"Yeah."
"Is that hooded guy in the military uniform stronger than Choi Yeoreum?"
She nodded.
"He's the real monster. No idea where he crawled from."
If he'd fought seriously instead of toying, she'd be dead.
"Then Choi Yeoreum..."
"Yeah, she'd die against him."
Han Sang-ah's mind grew tangled. That I Ha-yun from Dan-gun's Descendants had pinned Lee Se-eun for about forty minutes.
Sure, it nearly killed him too, but...
His seal could hold even someone wielding godlike power like Choi Yeoreum for that long.
Good matchup or not, it was insane.
"I've seen enough of the match."
Han Sang-ah stood.
"What if Yoo Chan-seok loses?"
"Not my problem."
Win or lose, the Great Eight was the goal.
Confirming the path was treacherous and the endpoint distant was plenty.
"Win or lose, my skills are worlds apart from Yoo Chan-seok's."
She wouldn't last five minutes there. But he endured. The gap was clear.
Han Sang-ah couldn't stand it.
"Need a hand?"
She nodded at Lee Se-eun.
"Please."
"Me too, then."
Jeong O-hun turned off the TV and stood. The three stopped watching Yoo Chan-seok and Choi Yeoreum's duel, heading to the training room instead.