Chapter 66

By Ian’s world’s standards, 6th Circle.

By our standards, B-Rank.

The moment a Mage sets foot in this realm, they realize one thing.

That they can never defeat a Knight of the same class.

Their trained Souls do not waver against Mental Magic, and their Aura tears apart the soft flesh of a Mage.

This is common sense.

No, it was common sense.

At least, until the Eastern Mage Tower Lord won his duel against the Grand Swordmaster, Koon Grode.

A Dragon Language Mage who has reached that realm does not hide behind a Knight like a coward.

Like a true Warrior, they stand at the forefront and tear their target to shreds.

A strong body, and even stronger magic.

That is what we pursue.

CRUNCH-!

The moment I felt my palm touch Seong Yo-han’s chest, I poured my Mana into it.

My heart pounds violently.

Sparks flew.

The floor of the Training Arena, which was surely protected by several layers of protection Skills, was gouged out.

All I could say about Seong Yo-han, who kept his balance even amidst all that, was that he was incredible.

But I, too, had a gain.

Screeeech-

While still maintaining his balance, his feet were pushed back.

A whole two steps.

Seong Yo-han’s expression was proof of my achievement.

Seong Yo-han glared at me with a sour look on his face. It was an expression of someone whose pride had been deeply wounded.

From that point on, his counterattack began.

CRUNCH-!

Seong Yo-han grabbed my arm.

The pain is immense.

The vibrations trembling from his entire grip were fierce.

It was as if he intended to rip it right off.

In that instant, a wave of fear of death washed over me.

I must not doubt.

Seong Yo-han can never kill me.

He is in a position where he must only subdue me.

-I told you to give it your all. Who told you to get excited?

Seong Yo-han’s words echo in my head.

In this world where time has slowed, this is the only way to communicate.

Come to think of it, Seong Yo-han seems accustomed to this slowed world.

He might have a related Skill, or it might be an ability he naturally acquired upon reaching S-Rank.

Whatever it is, that’s not what’s important right now.

Seong Yo-han applies more force. It feels like my captured arm is about to be torn off.

-Stop the Skill if you don’t want to get hurt. Right now!

It might sound like he’s worried about me, but that’s not it.

Even if he is an S-Rank.

Having been hit head-on by [Odin’s Blessing], he is also taking damage.

That pleased me.

-I said stop. This is your last warning.

I’ve confirmed the extent of Odin’s Blessing.

There are still many things left to test.

Ignoring Seong Yo-han’s words, I spat out two more spells.

[Limitless Power]

[Trance]

Instead of my captured arm, I swung my other fist toward Seong Yo-han’s face.

SWOOOOOSH-!

To dodge this, he would naturally have to let go of the arm he was holding.

As expected, the arm imbued with lightning power was freed.

Using my swinging left arm as an axis, I ducked my body down and rotated.

Then I swung my leg.

Seong Yo-han staggered.

It’s not that Seong Yo-han is weaker than me.

If he went all out, he could kill someone like me as easily as squashing a bug.

But right now!

That is acting as his shackles.

The first reason is the constraint that he must subdue me without killing me.

The second reason is that he hasn’t accurately grasped the level of me, his target for subdual.

Until then, it’s my time…

It was then.

Whooong-!

In that instant, Seong Yo-han’s and my eyes met.

Simultaneously, I cast a spell.

[Vajra Warrior’s Protection]

My whole body becomes hard.

The next moment, my body was slammed into the floor.

My eyeballs burned as if they were about to burst.

My eardrums had burst long ago.

Seong Yo-han had begun to seriously subdue me.

But I had expected this much.

It’s still a long way from drawing out his full power!

[Silvanus’s Touch]

My burning eyes regained their vision.

Seong Yo-han was pressing down on my neck from above.

What about Yeo Ju-kyung?

Still no reaction.

That means I can continue this confrontation!

Seong Yo-han realized this as well.

-Alright. Let’s see this through to the end.

While still choking my neck, he drew his sword.

[Medusa’s Eye]

A Mental System magic took effect.

Seong Yo-han flinched for a very brief moment. It worked.

In a fight between masters, this short hesitation is fatal.

I forcefully struck both his arms upwards, then rolled backward to get up.

By then, Seong Yo-han’s sword was already rushing in.

It was also then that a blue film coated the thin blade.

That’s an Aura Blade.

He had raised his output by another level.

-Are you smiling?

His eyebrows twitched.

How could I not smile?

This is a perfect opportunity!

Thinking this, I must have been thoroughly influenced by Ian.

Feeling this, I brought the next magic into the world.

[Crimson Flame Aura]

The same principle used by Knights, it flared up in both my palms.

I clash with it head-on!

KWAAAAAAAANG-!

The world rippled with red and blue.

Even without direct contact, anyone B-Rank or lower would melt and disappear just by being here.

But the spectators don’t have to worry.

Yeo Ju-kyung must have used her power.

Our clash was only affecting the area on top of the Training Arena.

Seong Yo-han must have realized that too.

A formidable power was surging toward me.

I could tell instinctively.

I’m being pushed back.

He’s starting to reveal his true power!

Not yet. Not yet.

I can’t back down here.

One more!

[Mana Explosion]

I feel like I can see a System Message that isn’t even there.

Information: For a short time, all Stats will increase dramatically. Be warned. A sense of exhaustion will follow after the Skill’s duration ends!

The world, once tainted blue, burns red again.

The floor of what was once the grand Training Arena was already shattered beyond recognition.

And then.

The moment I had been waiting and waiting for finally arrived.

Seong Yo-han swung his sword at me.

The trajectory was from top to bottom.

Wooooooooong-

An intangible pressure began to be felt from the top of my head.

It hadn’t even touched me, but the wind pressure alone was suffocating.

That’s his true power.

The full, wholehearted power of Seong Yo-han, one of the top S-Ranks, is pouring down on me.

He intends to cleave me in two from the crown of my head.

The Ares’ Shield I had cast beforehand shatters.

Another one sprouted in its place, but even that was smashed to pieces.

The Vajra Warrior’s Protection that was protecting my skin is stripped away. Dozens of defensive spells layered over it also disappeared at that moment.

The Longsword, just over a meter long, felt as huge as a giant mountain.

The energy I felt was the same.

The moment it touches, the sea will part and the mountains will crumble.

I have no methods left.

Because the Mana I had maintained even while using Mana Explosion had finally run out.

But I did not despair.

Because I had been waiting for this very moment.

Come. Come.

The final reason I had hoped to face Seong Yo-han.

It’s because of the special ability that can only be activated when one’s life is on the line.

It will appear soon.

Sure enough, my mind begins to grow distant.

A flashing spark zapped in my brain.

I will soon enter Ian’s world.

Just as I decided to think about the aftermath later and prepared to move.

-Stop.

Yeo Ju-kyung’s voice rang out.

Hwaaak!

Simultaneously, as if by a lie, the pressure I felt at the top of my head vanished.

I had no choice but to put my disappointment aside.

I only then realized that I had been holding my breath.

The next moment, [Absolute Sense] was released.

I blinked once.

It was like pressing the play button on a paused world.

With a rumbling sound, the Training Arena floor collapses, and a rough wind knocks over the spectators.

“Oof!”

“What is this all of a sudden…”

Even that, if it weren’t for Yeo Ju-kyung, more than half of the people here would have died.

I turned my gaze.

Seong Yo-han’s sword was at my neck, and my palm was against Seong Yo-han’s chest.

Seong Yo-han’s expression was unusual.

I wondered why, and then…

“Where did Im Han-na go, and why is Seong Yo-han suddenly…”

“Did anyone see it properly?”

“Wait a minute. More importantly, that. Don’t tell me Choi Gi-woong fought Seong Yo-han to a draw?”

“…No way. He must have gone easy on him.”

He must be very displeased with this picture, which makes it look as if we fought on equal footing.

“You. On purpose…”

“I’m sorry.”

I quickly bowed my head.

“I got excited without realizing it. I will humbly accept any disciplinary action.”

Then I quickly descended from what used to be the Training Arena.

It’s a shame I couldn’t enter Ian’s world.

But I have a clear grasp of how strong I am.

About five A-Rank Awakeners.

I could probably beat that many with ease.

For a different reason than before, the executive meeting was in shock.

That didn’t mean silence.

“It wasn’t a draw, Yo-han must have gone easy on him.”

“Who said otherwise?”

“I’m just saying because you seem to be thinking something strange.”

“Who’s thinking something strange? Even you, Managing Director Kim, didn’t know Choi Gi-woong was at that level.”

“That’s true, but…”

The discussion from a moment ago, about whether he even had an A-Rank Skill, now seemed absurd.

These were executives who had been with the Association their whole lives.

They knew without being told what level Choi Gi-woong had just displayed.

“That’s not just an A-Rank, that’s an A-Rank close to S-Rank.”

“Who the hell was it? The one who spread the rumor that Choi Gi-woong was a half-assed A-Rank.”

“I don’t know. Whoever it was, I think we need to issue a clarification first.”

The HR Team leader, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.

She clicked her tongue and pointed at her phone screen.

-Choi Gi-woong, a half-assed A-Rank?

-Association official, Choi Gi-woong not yet A-Rank. Has not learned a Skill.

-The Association’s viral marketing to create the next star after Seong Yo-han?

Starting with the first article, similar articles were bombarding the internet one after another.

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong clutched his forehead.

“It finally blew up.”

“I don’t know who spread it, but now even major media outlets have picked it up.”

The HR Team leader said in a troubled voice.

“The bigger problem is that no one outside the Association knows.”

One of the executives snickered as if it wasn’t a problem.

“Let them be suspicious. Isn’t it actually a good thing?”

“Good? Not at all.”

The HR Team leader beat her chest with a frustrated look.

“Have you forgotten? We need to recruit people.”

“Ah.”

“If the suspicion that he’s not an A-Rank spreads like this, they won’t believe us when we say we can raise their Potential Rank either.”

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew serious.

One of the executives offered an opinion.

“We can just film him using the Skill we saw today and show them.”

“We can’t do that.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong said with a frown.

“Just because of some suspicion, you want us to reveal his Skills and Stats to the public? Do you want Choi Gi-woong’s weaknesses to be figured out?”

At Head of department Kim Yoon-joong’s words, the executive’s neck shrank.

Although his rank was low, in terms of influence, most executives couldn’t even open their mouths to him.

“The phrase ‘Association official’ makes the picture even stranger. What kind of person said this to the press?”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong said, looking at Seong Yo-han.

Until then, Seong Yo-han had been silent.

No, ever since his sparring match with Choi Gi-woong ended, he had been lost in thought, silent.

“In any case, we need to respond to this quickly. Chairman. This is a matter of trust.”

All eyes turned to Yeo Ju-kyung.

“Should I say something? Tell them to come and see for themselves if they don’t believe it.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong shook his head, horrified.

“That would be a disaster. If you do that, Chairman, they’ll say you’re just covering for him.”

“Is that so?”

Yeo Ju-kyung had been smiling the whole time, as if something pleasant had happened.

“Or.”

She said, looking at Seong Yo-han.

“How about you do an interview?”

Seong Yo-han, who had been lost in thought, raised his head.

“…Me?”

“Mm. If you, who fought him directly, speak, wouldn’t it increase credibility?”

Seong Yo-han swallowed hard.

This wasn’t a request or a recommendation. It was an order.

He said, biting his lip.

“I understand.”

The HR Team leader had dead eyes, but she was smiling from ear to ear.

The constant stream of phone calls was proof of that.

It had been like this ever since the press release went out.

-Seong Yo-han speaks directly about Choi Gi-woong. He is an A-Rank. I confirmed it myself. A stern warning to those spreading rumors.

“The picture actually turned out beautifully. It’s more dramatic.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. Grabbing attention and then denying it made the story much richer.”

This kind of reversal effect wasn’t possible because of the HR Team leader’s efforts.

It wasn’t because Choi Gi-woong was so great either.

This was all thanks to Seong Yo-han.

In South Korea, Seong Yo-han’s influence is immense.

-Seong-ficial statement is out.

-Anyway, were the doubters born with noodles for brains?

-Can we trust everything Seong Yo-han says?

-Of course.

Also, in a way, his words carry more weight than the Association President’s.

-Don’t you remember? When the Association President sent Seong Yo-han to the inspection department, he didn’t catch the outsiders he was supposed to, he just screwed over the Association.

-He’s famous for his investigations without sanctuary. I might not believe others, but I can believe Seong Yo-han.

The public unanimously dispelled their suspicions.

Of course, the Association didn’t need the public’s attention in the first place.

What was important was the attention of the Awakeners who would join the Association.

“The reaction from the Awakener community is also great. If we spread the news that we can raise Potential Ranks along with this, it’ll be a huge hit.”

The HR Team leader grinned.

“We might even have to be selective about who we accept.”

The HR Team leader said this, glancing at Choi Gi-woong.

Because, above all, Choi Gi-woong’s opinion was important.

But Choi Gi-woong had been silent for a while.

Choi Gi-woong suddenly spoke with a serious face.

“I need to take a call.”

Choi Gi-woong said, waving his phone.

He took a deep breath and left the meeting room.

The HR Team leader asked Head of department Kim Yoon-joong in a bewildered voice.

“Head of department. The number that just showed up.”

Head of department Kim Yoon-joong nodded.

“Yeah. It’s Han Seung-hoon.”