◈ 14. Another Whale in the Fight (2)
I interfered with the collapsed ruins, transforming its form.
Kugugung─!
‘The most important thing is efficiency.
I learnt that from my last experience.
In the battle with the bandits, I realised how dangerous it is to run out of magic.
If not for the help of those players.
I would have drowned in the netherworld by now.
That’s why I stayed up all night thinking.
‘How to fight so that I can fight with maximum efficiency.
For starters, my offensive magic, including Ignite, has become relatively ineffective.
In the last rift, I used Ignite to drain my energy at a rapid rate.
‘I’ll have to refrain from using it as much as possible.
In that sense, which magic has the highest mana efficiency?
If anyone asked me, the sight in front of me would be my answer.
Koo-koo-koo-koo!
Magic manifested from a collapsed ruin.
In the aftermath of that magic, the ruins changed shape.
A huge barrier rose up.
It stood between me and the charging soldier.
This is neither offensive nor defensive magic, but magic inspired by the [Alchemy Skill].
That’s right.
Alchemy was the most efficient of the magic I used.
‘The problem is that its use is extremely limited.
Of course, I could change its form to be more complex.
Add lethality to it, make it grow thorns on walls,
or make it a weapon from the ground up…….
“Like maximising the heat retention of a teacup.
Adding complex shapes like hooks for lethality took quite a bit of magic.
I’ve seen it with arrowheads, and the larger they are, the more energy it takes to add complex shapes to them.
‘It’s called having a bigger navel than a belly.
Besides, it wasn’t necessary.
“This is enough.”
He wasn’t bluffing this time.
Perhaps it was the level.
A massive wall rose up, and there was no hesitation.
The soldier quickly rounded it and approached me.
But I am confident.
I would still be faster.
Kurrrr-!
“?”
There wasn’t much magic or effort involved here.
Like turning a falling teacup back into a stone.
I turned the stone wall back into a ruin once more.
Quack, quack, quack!
This isn’t some magical destructive force.
Impact from height.
I’ve forgotten the formula for bunga bunga…….
Anyway, it’s a physical law that can’t be defied.
Koo-koo-koo-koo-koo.
The destructive power of the stone wall was as great as its height.
I had an inkling of its potential through the teacup.
Honestly, it’s more than I imagined.
I checked the magic power consumption.
‘With this much ……, I’ll be able to use it for a long time to come, won’t I?
It took me a while to build the stone wall, but it took no time at all to move it back down. I was up all night thinking about it.
‘……『Reversal Magic』.
It was so efficient that it wouldn’t be awkward to give it a fancy name.
In the rising dust.
I could see red eyes.
Of course, I didn’t expect to be able to defeat it with just Reversal Magic.
There was a level difference.
But even with that level gap, it must have suffered damage that couldn’t be ignored.
As you can see.
[A ‘fracture’ occurs on Count Ascura’s soldier].
I looked at the soldier lying in the rubble.
All that was exposed was his face.
It still bared its sharp fangs at me.
Let’s finish him off.
I drew my silver dagger.
In the past, I wouldn’t have wielded it properly, worried about its durability.
Now, it was fine.
Flick.
I threw the silver dagger into the air.
Searching, interfering, manifesting.
In an instant, the silver dagger changed shape.
Like a long, sharp awl.
Boom─
The silver awl pierced through the soldier.
It cut off his breath.
I used reversal magic to restore its form.
The damaged silver awl had returned as a fine silver dagger.
I checked its durability…….
Fortunately, I was safe.
[You have leveled up].
[You have levelled up]…….
Experience worthy of level 300.
Total level gain is 5 levels.
I am now level 91.
At first glance, it looks like a win, right?
I’d seemingly overpowered the soldier without lifting a finger.
But when I say that, I feel bad for myself.
I’m like, “I’d rather just fight like …… if I could.
The truth is, I fought with everything I had.
The amount of magic I had.
The durability of my weapons, and the cost of living to repair them.
I gave it my all with my heart in my throat……!
But he didn’t show his desperation.
It was as if he hadn’t really lifted a finger.
As if nothing had happened.
I moved forward expressionlessly.
And again.
I wondered if he didn’t care about my feelings.
I looked at my long coat fluttering fashionably and thought.
If I didn’t get the ……, I’d die of frustration. Really.
*.
Gaon and Inazuma face off!
Korea and Japan, if not the world.
The attention of both countries could not help but focus on the rift.
Football, baseball, volleyball…….
Even ordinary sports were overheated during the Korea-Japan War.
So it’s no wonder that the current rivalry is getting more attention than ever.
Why, it was the same regardless of the title.
The background alone was exciting.
“Inazuma is fourth in the guild rankings. It’s true that Gaon from my country, Korea, is only one step behind in fifth place, but doesn’t she actually have the advantage in terms of momentum?”
“Yes, that’s right, Inazuma’s ranking has dropped from 2nd to 4th, but Gaon’s been on the rise since she was ranked 20th.”
“Yes, and another thing we can’t miss is the rivalry between the guild masters.”
Tae-min Nam and Kazuma Hisagi.
At 11th and 6th in the player rankings, Hisagi has the edge.
But from the days when Arcana was just a game.
Hisagi has always struggled against Nam Tae-min.
In one-on-one duels in the Coliseum.
In boss monster raids.
Despite their ranking difference, Nam Tae-min has never been able to match Hisagi.
That’s why I couldn’t miss this spectacle.
The same was true for Park Hwigang, a subsistence nettuber.
Park Hwigang heard the news late and rushed to the rift.
──────
Title : A relay as persistent as a wheel! Hwigang Lee’s live broadcast~.
──────
Before the live broadcast began, viewers flocked to the stream.
-Is this the same broadcast room as Gaon and Inazuma?
-I’m going to take a different angle.
-Even if you can’t see it in 3D, you should at least see it from different angles~.
10 viewers already?
Park Hwigang was surprised by the unusual interest.
Indeed, Gaon and Inazuma are going head-to-head.
The excitement was palpable in the viewers’ chat.
“Yes, we’re a little late, but we’ll catch up as fast as we can!”
Park’s class was Explorer.
He had no combat abilities, but he couldn’t think of a better class to make a living as a streaming nettuber.
Park used his magnifying glass to pick up the tracks on the ground.
“They’re heading here, I’ll try to follow them.”
He activated the Explorer’s movement skill, “Trot.
As he hurriedly ran, the viewers called out to him.
-No, no, no;; Honestly, there are a lot of Korean Netubers who take warm shots;;
-Don’t you need to differentiate yourself a bit to attract viewers?
-Couldn’t you just centre the show around Hisagi?
-Anyway, everyone has a few broadcasts on anyway….
-Hisagi’s facial expressions are rotten.
……Chatting with them, it made sense.
How many nettubers, broadcasters, and players gathered in this crack?
As a late entrant, he needed a different angle.
“You guys know the game better than I do!”
So, let’s focus on Hisagi.
A Japanese person broadcasting Hisagi, of course.
It would be relatively rare to see a Korean broadcasting Hisagi.
Park Hwigang made up his mind.
Kugugugugung─!
“What, what?”
A tremendous noise came from near the byeolgan.
-??? What was that?
-It’s late anyway, let’s go check it out
-Wow, my ears are falling off. I could hear it on other stations.
Everyone looked curious.
Park Hwigang immediately rushed to the sound source.
He saw it.
“……Who is that, everyone?”
A long, inky-coloured long coat.
A contrasting silver-haired man.
Question marks flooded the chat.
-?????
-Who the hell is he?
-There are no players like that in Gaeaon… Is he from Inazuma?
-No, I don’t think so. Why would a guild member go off on their own?
-I’m sure he’s a player, but he’s wearing a long coat????
Park Huigang swallowed hard and watched.
At first, the source of the noise was obvious.
A huge stone wall rose up in front of him.
It was at least 10 metres high at first glance.
“I think that’s the sound of that thing jumping out.”
Park whispered to the camera.
-……What? He summoned that stone wall?
-Does he have a skill like that?
-Wow, that’s a lot of magic! Look at the size!
Just as I was about to check the chat.
A frightening-looking soldier leapt out from the other side of the stone wall.
Park Huigang was stunned.
“Demons!
Park Huigang was level 220.
As a class that was forced to explore relatively dangerous areas, he had seen many monsters higher than his level.
However, he couldn’t get used to seeing Demons.
‘It’s a good thing we’re at a distance.
Otherwise, he’d definitely be out of it.
Park Huigang breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, his thoughts turned to the man.
“Me, me?!”
The man was unarmed.
No weapons, no armour.
Even his posture was defenceless.
Surely he must have seen the soldier approaching…….
Somehow, his stiff posture didn’t waver.
“Wee, that looks dangerous.”
But it wasn’t dishevelled.
It was as if it had been waiting for an approach.
Koo-koo-koo-koo!
“?!”
The stone wall had shattered and collapsed.
To put it mildly, it looked like a meteorite had fallen.
The ground rumbled from the impact, and dust covered the area.
“Ouch. Wait!”
Park hastily wiped the camera lens.
The back of the man’s head appeared on the screen.
-Wow;; What was that? Did you mean to hit me?
-Wow, that’s a great use of your skills.
-What the hell class is that?
-Lol, I don’t know about anything else, but confidence is a bitch.
-I didn’t come here in a coat for nothing.
Stay strong.
The stone wall will collapse.
That a soldier would be crushed by the rubble.
It was as if he had expected it all.
The surprises didn’t end there.
“!”
Suddenly, something leapt over the man’s head.
It was only a moment, but the explorer’s eyes lit up.
Park said.
“…… I think it’s a sword?”
No, it was definitely a sword.
Then, in an instant, it changed shape in midair.
The sword turned into a sharp awl and executed the soldier on the ground.
Then it reverted back to its sword form.
“Hey, what kind of equipment is that? You guys……?”
Including Park Hui-kang.
Everyone watching was stunned.
-No, it’s a living sword, what is it???
-That’s at least unique from what I can see.
-Only unique? If it’s really a living sword, it’s called an ego sword. It’s not unique enough. It must just change shape.
-……But isn’t it great that it only changes shape?? Have you guys ever seen it?? First of all, I haven’t.
-Neither do I.
It was a level 300 demonic monster.
In some cases, even ranked players are overwhelmed by the monsters…….
And I was wearing a long coat and shoes, not to mention proper armour.
-Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
-You too? Me too!
-I’m more curious about who that is than I was about the Korean War.
-Lol
The mysterious man appeared out of nowhere.
It was only a matter of time before rumours spread.
The number of people interested in him was showing.
──────
Title : The relay is as persistent as a wheel! Hwigangyi’s live broadcast!
Current number of viewers: 2,229
──────
*Photo.
Another angle─
I checked the item I obtained from Count Ascura’s soldier.
Purple, the first purple I’ve ever touched as a player.
So it was a rare item.
[Blood Curse Necklace]
[Rating: Rare]
[Limit: Lv.300]
[Effect: Sealed]
[Description: This necklace is cursed by demons and vampires, and its effects are sealed. It must be purified before it can have its full effect.]
Aka, the Devil’s Item.
That’s what the players called it.
It was added with the addition of the Demon race in the new update.
The concept of these items is that their effects are sealed with a demonic curse.
“Depending on the effect, it’s either good or bad.
In short, they’re draw items.
Draw.
If you’ve ever played a game, you know the drill.
It’s an evil system.
“The devil’s item is a Chinese phrase, isn’t it?
But I knew.
“I’m sorry, but you’re using it incorrectly.
It’s only for demon hunters.
So for now, I’m the only one who knows how to use it.