Chapter 22 – Solo Raid (３)

Ralphs came flying in from every direction.

They didn’t stop.

They didn’t even fear death.

One misstep, and you’d be surrounded, torn apart alive—this dungeon didn’t make it strange.

Plenty of Superhumans had already become Ralphs’ prey.

Slack off, dismissing it as just a Level 2 Dungeon, and death became a foregone conclusion.

But Gijun wasn’t about to let his guard down.

And he’d trained enough.

He’d pushed his targeting speed to the max for exactly this situation.

He hadn’t stopped until he landed a hundred consecutive hits—and he’d done it.

So no matter where they poured in from, he could respond perfectly.

And now.

Gulp.

Gijun swallowed unconsciously at his own insane firepower, unable to help marveling at the scene unfolding before him.

‘I’ve really lost it.’

Even he had to admit it—this firepower was crazy enough to earn his own admiration.

The power of Dual Casting was that immense.

This wasn’t a normal mage’s battle scene.

Fireball spam.

A combat style no other mage would even think of or have any reason to attempt.

‘Who else could pull off something like this?’

And wasn’t that the truth?

Fireballs were only ever seen as harassment at best.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Who could possibly spam a Fireball like this? Madness.

No—spamming it in the first place shouldn’t be possible.

Casting a Fireball takes at least one to two seconds.

But Gijun’s Fireball was different.

Several of them were cast every second, bombarding the horde of Ralphs.

This is absolutely incredible.

The Ralphs that had swarmed in moments ago vaporized, vanishing without a trace.

Outwardly, it looked like a Fireball, but it far surpassed that spell’s level.

Even if each one’s individual power wasn’t all that strong, the endless barrage of Fireballs rivaled the magic of most full-fledged mages.

And the addition of Strong Wind layered in at just the right moments turned it into something brutally violent.

It was like dropping bombs from the sky and unleashing a carpet bombing.

If outsiders saw this scene…

What would they say?

Then a message appeared.

[You have hunted 1,000 Ralphs within one hour.]

[Achievement unlocked.]

[All Stats increased by 3.]

One hour, a thousand Ralphs.

That absurd Achievement had just been completed.

And the reward was solid.

A full 3 points to every single stat.

This is exhilarating.

Gijun felt it—a thrill.

An indescribable emotion surged from this impossible thing unfolding at his fingertips.

Whoosh.

Finally, the last of the flames died out.

Not a single Ralph remained standing.

What’s amazing is that my Proficiency is still at D.

He had no idea where the ceiling was.

But he did know that D was nowhere near a high rank.

So what would happen if this Fireball reached A, or even S-rank Proficiency?

And what if his Mana Handling and other stats multiplied several times over from here?

If it keeps going like this…

Naturally, greed started to take root.

Maybe even the second Achievement.

The reward for the second Achievement would be even greater than the first.

No—it would hand out a reward incomparably better.

The conditions for the second Achievement were just that absurd.

At this pace, the second Achievement was well within reach.

Clearing in under three hours and thirty minutes.

That insane Achievement—breaking the current world record…

*

“I’m nervous.”

Park Yunseok.

He spoke, thinking of Gijun who had entered the dungeon.

His tension was only natural.

After all, Gijun had signed with Hwarang on his recommendation, and it had even reached the Guild Master’s ears.

And now he was attempting a solo raid—it would be strange if Yunseok felt no pressure.

“Oh, really?”

Jiyun spoke then.

Unlike the tense Park Yunseok, her expression was perfectly calm.

“Don’t you think so? Superhuman Baek Gijun has to be severely lacking in practical experience. With a solo raid, even more so…”

At that, Jiyun grinned.

“I knew you’d say that.”

“···?”

“Up until the last time, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d just forgotten. Forgotten what kind of person Gijun oppa¹ really was.”

Jiyun paused as if recalling something, then continued.

“It’s not just magic that Gijun oppa is good at. He was a true genius—perfect scores in every practical exam. You know the academy has solo raid practicals, right?”

“Ah···”

Right.

Solo raid practicals are run plenty at the academy too.

Of course, only for those who earned top marks.

“Naturally, Gijun oppa did the solo raid practical too. Back then, it was a hologram dungeon with adjusted difficulty, but still···”

“The result was, of course···”

“Need I say more? He never failed once. And his theory was perfect too.”

“Hmm.”

Park Yunseok nodded.

And then he thought it over again.

Maybe the Baek Gijun Superhuman was already complete all along.

Right.

The only thing he’d lacked was one single piece.

Circles and magic.

But now that gap had been filled.

“Good. Since I’m bored, how about a little wager?”

Park Yunseok proposed a bet to Jiyun.

“What kind of bet?”

“On how fast we clear it. I’m betting four and a half hours.”

Park Yunseok said.

Even four and a half hours was clearly a high assessment of Gijun.

Jiyun paused at the mention of four hours, lost in thought for a moment.

After a brief consideration, Jiyun spoke.

“Then I’ll go with three and a half hours.”

“…?”

At those words, every gaze turned toward Jiyun.

Woo Jimin was no exception.

And why wouldn’t she be?

Wasn’t three and a half hours her own record?

Still, her expression wasn’t one of displeasure.

Woo Jimin wasn’t the type to take offense at something like that.

If anything, Jiyun’s words struck her as intensely interesting.

“Go on, then. Let’s see it. If you really break my record… I might even give you a kiss.”

She knows.

Three and a half hours.

That’s just absurd.

The fastest solo clear time for a Level-2 raid so far is three hours and thirty minutes.

The one who holds that record is Woo Jimin, the guild master of this very guild.

Considering Gijun’s current situation, even hoping he could break Woo Jimin’s record is far too harsh an expectation.

“For Gijun as he is now, even finishing within four hours would be a success.”

That’s what Woo Jimin thought.

It’s not that she’s dismissing Gijun.

If anything, she’s rating him quite highly.

“If a 1st-Circle mage can clear a Level-2 dungeon in under four hours…”

If he actually manages to clear it within four hours.

Woo Jimin intends to hold back no support for Gijun.

Until recently, Gijun was just a 1st-Circle mage drifting between small guilds.

And that time wasn’t very long.

A mere week or two at most.

If he’d grown enough in that short span—just four hours—to clear a Level 2 Dungeon…

That alone would already be a miracle.

What makes it hardest is the Boss Monster. For Gijun… it’ll be his worst matchup.

Jiyun wished for it with all her heart.

That Gijun would pull off a miracle.

*

By now, the Ralphs were spawning far slower than before.

Chances were high that the remaining ones had gathered inside the tribe’s encampment.

Then it’s a lightning strike.

Gijun checked his Mana.

It was nearly fully restored.

Let’s go, then.

With Fireball already conjured, Gijun pushed into the heart of their encampment.

Straight into where the Boss Monster would be waiting.

The moment he breached the threshold, he hurled the Fireball—a declaration of his presence.

Crack!

Fire exploded from the blast with a deafening boom.

In the same motion, Gijun moved to a spot where he could use the terrain to his advantage.

Fighting without ever showing them his back—that was the key.

And then—

Kyaaahk!

Grrrrrr! Rrroof! Rrf!

The Ralphs packed inside spilled out from every direction at once, all surging toward Gijun.

I can’t let myself get surrounded.

He detonated a Fireball straight ahead of him.

Then used Strong Wind to steer the flames.

Whoosh!

A gap tore open in the Ralphs’ ranks as they scrambled away from the roaring blaze.

Go.

Gijun moved fast, following the path carved by Fireball and Strong Wind.

I need to circle inward, cutting toward the center.

Staying in one spot was suicide.

He could never let them box him in.

Even if it cost more time, he had to keep moving.

*

By now, the inside of the Ralph encampment was a complete inferno.

No more Ralphs were appearing.

“Hah… whoo…”

His breath was ragged, caught in his throat.

Still, he felt amazing.

Not even a little tired.

But Gijun knew.

This is where it gets real.

He didn’t let his guard down.

Because he knew the truly dangerous part was only beginning.

They’re coming.

The Boss Monsters of this Dungeon: the Ralph Chieftains.

The problem was that there wasn’t just one.

Five of them.

Literally.

This Dungeon’s Boss Monsters numbered a full five.

Five tribe chieftains took turns leading the pack as the alpha.

That was the Ralphs’ way.

And when enemies invaded, all five chieftains attacked at once.

Which meant Gijun would have to hunt down all five Chieftains in a single fight.

Stay sharp. These aren’t pushovers.

They were far faster than ordinary Ralphs.

Worse—they were experts at coordinated attacks.

For Gijun, that made them a nightmare.

And then it came.

A furious snarling echoed through the ruins.

Grrr… Grrrr…

‘Speak of the tiger, and he shall appear.’

From the far side, five Ralphs emerged into view.

Massive brutes, their bodies crosshatched with old scars.

The ones with a different gleam in their eyes—those were the chieftains.

The ground around them was littered with Ralph corpses.

Yet they showed no trace of grief.

These creatures didn’t fear death.

A low, guttural growl rumbled from their throats.

They only cared about punishing the enemy who had attacked them.

Whap! Whap-whap-whap!

“!!”

The chieftains scattered in an instant.

Their movements were impossibly fast.

Jun had faced Ralphs countless times by now.

He’d thought he was used to their patterns, but these chieftains moved on a whole different Dimension.

They fanned out in every direction and charged straight for Gijun.

Covering dozens of meters in seconds, they unsheathed their sharp claws as they closed in.

The distance between them and Gijun was barely ten meters now.

This was such a short distance that with their speed, they could close it in under a second.

Even Gijun couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis.

‘One wrong move and my entire body gets torn apart.’

There was no way Gijun’s body could withstand those massive claws.

Slashes rained down, tearing through the air — Whshhh! Whshh-shh!

Their attacks poured down on Gijun.

It was a hair-trigger situation.

But of course, he’d already thought through his counter-strategy.

Create a barrier with Strong Wind.

At the same time, use Strong Wind to boost his movement speed.

A tricky process, but the odds were good enough.

But…

‘Huh?’

Gijun’s eyes narrowed.

Because he could see their movements.

No — that wasn’t all.

‘I think I can dodge this?’

The thought struck him.

Their movements didn’t feel as threatening as he’d expected.

‘Ah…’

In that same moment, Gijun understood.

‘Right. My Stat.’

Right.

Gijun’s stats were no ordinary mage’s stats.

He’d earned countless Achievements, hadn’t he? His physical abilities had long since blown past the norm.

Then the Chieftains’ claws raked through the air.

Slice! Shrriiick!

But at the end of that arc, there was nothing—nothing caught at all.

Instead, a low mutter came from the other side.

“Shit, it actually worked.”

‘I was an idiot.’

He’d been trapped in his own preconceptions.

A mage should fight like a mage.

He’d been taught that his whole life at the Academy, and he’d fought exactly the way he was taught.

‘This is why rote learning is a problem.’

But he didn’t need to do that anymore.

He wasn’t an ordinary mage, was he?

And Gijun thought,

‘Guess that means a strategy revision.’

That strategy, of course, was one that let him devour the Chieftains faster and clear this Dungeon.

1. Oppa — an affectionate term a younger woman uses for an older man she is close to; literally “older brother.”