Chapter 29 – Rotom Commercial District (１)

The Rotom Commercial District was a place he’d have to visit anyway.

Because that was where users who’d graduated from Brium gathered.

Hearing there just happened to be a Seeker in a place like that was nothing but welcome news for Gijun.

Either way, the monsters near the Rotom Commercial District started scaling way up in level.

‘Minimum level’s over 60.’

Sixty was just the floor—proper hunting there really required a solid Level 70. It was a high-difficulty hunting zone.

For Gijun, barely pushing Level 40, it was a reach. But considering his actual combat power, it wasn’t that reckless a choice.

‘Plus, I heard there’s a ton of people there.’

Being a commercial district, it was a massive city, and supposedly swarming with countless users.

Just then.

“Huh?”

[Hmph!]

Something revealed itself up ahead.

A monster.

A Level 50 monster—a Desert Tiger.

‘Perfect.’

Gijun smiled.

He’d been wanting to test out his newly acquired strength anyway.

Krrr-raah!

The beast roared and charged straight at Gijun.

Gijun immediately began casting Fireball.

But in that instant—

WHOOOOOOM!

“!!”

Gijun flinched.

The Fireball was massive.

It was way too big.

It had grown almost as large as Gijun himself.

‘Holy shit…’

After a moment of shock, Gijun steeled himself and hurled it at the Desert Tiger.

KABOOOOM!

*

“This is kind of a problem, huh?”

After the fight, Gijun clicked his tongue.

Getting the Ancient Heart was a great thing.

And its power had gotten absurdly strong.

It had taken down a Level 50 monster in an instant.

But a problem had surfaced.

“I can’t control it.”

[Of course. You suddenly obtained the Ancient Heart. That explosive power isn’t something a human can handle easily.]

“…”

That was exactly the issue.

The Ancient Heart had made his Magic Power so overwhelmingly strong he could barely contain it.

On top of that, trying to use Dual Casting and Copy on top of it? Landing a spell was a chore in itself.

‘But…’

Looked at from the other side, it meant that if Gijun could just get proper control, his firepower would become strong enough to chew up and spit out his old output entirely.

‘Good. A little more practice and I’ll have it.’

Right.

Just practice.

Like when I first picked up dual-casting — this time too, it’ll come with practice.

‘The sheer firepower is insane.’

Even the bombardment pouring out nonstop from three Fireballs was nothing short of spectacular.

‘Looks like I can pull off another big accident this time.’

His imagination was already spreading its wings over the future that was coming.

*

“Good work, everyone!”

Jiyun called out.

She’d just finished a Dungeon Raid and returned to the guild.

She’d jumped into a scheduled Raid right after Gijun’s raid wrapped up.

A man approached her.

It was Team Leader Park Yunseok.

“You worked hard.”

He held something out to Jiyun.

“Ah.”

It was a mana crystal.

The prize Jiyun had won in their bet over Gijun’s clear time.

“Thank you, Team Leader. I’ll drink it up well. Hee hee.”

A Mana Crystal rapidly restores the body after a raid while simultaneously purifying the acquired Mana and helping to absorb it.

A top-grade Mana Crystal is an excellent item that can help absorb over 90% of the acquired Mana.

Jiyun gulped down the Mana Crystal in one go.

Watching her, Park Yunseok spoke.

“Ms. Jiyun, you really did a huge favor.”

“Huh? What did I do? Ah, you mean Gijun oppa¹?”

Park Yunseok held out his smartphone.

“Articles are already pouring in.”

“Ah…”

The screen was flooding with articles about Gijun.

[Hwarang Recruits a Superhuman with Generational Talent!]

[Lv.2 Solo Dungeon, Ralph’s Plains Cleared in 3 Hours 21 Minutes!]

[Who Is the Superhuman Who Broke Woo Jimin’s Record?]

[What’s Next for Hwarang After Recruiting the Superhuman Who Set a World Record?]

Even an article posted just an hour ago had already surpassed one million views.

The comments were exploding too.

And that wasn’t all.

“It’s not just Korea — the whole world is paying attention.”

“Woooah···.”

Media outlets worldwide, not just in Korea, were in an uproar.

In one fell swoop, he had become a rising star with global eyes on him.

A Superhuman receiving this level of attention was rare — almost unheard of unless you were someone like Woo Jimin or the Guild Master of Ure.

“Oh, that reminds me···.”

Park Yunseok recalled what Branch Manager Cha Miyeong had told him earlier.

“They say Gijun is being thrown straight into real combat soon.”

“They’re really pushing him hard.”

“Rightfully so. He’s proven himself, after all.”

“···I suppose so.”

“And now all hell’s broken loose.”

“Hell?”

At Jiyun’s question, Park Yunseok nodded and continued.

“Apparently, the analysis of Gijun’s raid just finished a little while ago.”

“Ah, must’ve been impressive.”

“No, it’s not at that level.”

“···Excuse me?”

Not at that level — what did that even mean?

What the hell could that mean?

“The analysis team’s findings… they said there were traces of two Fireballs detonating simultaneously.”

“…What?”

Jiyun repeated the same question.

Because she could barely process what she’d just heard.

“Just what I said.”

“No, I mean…”

“We’d need to confirm with Gijun directly… but he might have mastered double casting.”

“!!!”

Jiyun’s eyes went wide, nearly bulging out of their sockets.

“That… what does that even mean…?”

“I can hardly believe it myself. But if it’s from the analysis team…”

“Right. That’s true.”

Hwarang’s analysis team was world-class.

The odds of their findings being wrong were nearly zero.

Which meant Jun really had mastered double casting.

Only one person in the entire world.

It meant Jun had acquired the same ability that only White Wood could wield.

This was beyond anything she could have imagined.

Only now did it click.

The reason Jun had pulled off those insane records in the last raid.

With double casting, it was entirely possible.

That was just how incredible the ability of double casting was.

“…”

“…”

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

Then—

“I shouldn’t be standing around. Team Leader, I’ll head off first.”

Jiyun moved.

Not toward home, but toward the training grounds.

‘When Oppa becomes the best, I’ll be right there by his side.’

She could already feel it.

He would soon truly be the best.

And if that was the case, she couldn’t just stand still.

She desperately wished to be by his side on the path to becoming the best.

And right now—

“Is this for real?”

“Is this really true?”

“That’s impossible.”

“So you’re saying the analysis team made it up?”

The same reactions were erupting all around.

‘This is going to cause a shitstorm.’

Park Yunseok thought to himself.

The raid Jun had chosen—the first-ever clear of a Level 4 Dungeon.

‘This stage isn’t about proving potential; it’s about proving real skill.’

For now, they were keeping a tight lid on it internally.

But this was a fact that would inevitably be made public.

When that truth hit the world, how massive would the shockwaves be…

‘I can’t even imagine.’

*

He was already Level 38.

His Magic Power was surging rapidly.

Because from now on, his Magic Power increased by a whopping 3 points every time he leveled up.

Gijun moved along the road to the Rotom Commercial District, hunting monsters the entire way.

Even if it took a bit longer, getting complete control over his magic was more important to him right now.

‘Still, I think I’m getting used to it now.’

He’d finally reached a point where he could mostly keep his rampaging Magic Power in check.

Of course, he’d need more practice before he could use it in actual combat.

But if anything, he was looking forward to it.

Just how much stronger would he become once he had perfect control over this immense mana?

[We’ll be there soon.]

Just as Libre said, the Rotom Commercial District was close.

Already, countless Users were flowing in and out of the area.

They definitely look high-level.

The Users’ Equipment looked markedly different from before.

Expensive-looking gear was everywhere, and their expressions carried an ease and seasoned confidence.

Gijun started walking toward the Rotom commercial district.

Soon, he passed through the checkpoint and entered the city.

Wow.

It was truly a massive city.

The transient population was countless, yet a vast boulevard cut through the city center, wide enough to accommodate them all.

And on all sides, countless buildings lined the streets.

Impressive.

After a moment of awe, Gijun sank back into thought.

But how do I find a Seeker here?

That was the real problem.

The city’s size was astonishing, but how was he supposed to find a Seeker in this sprawling metropolis?

“Are you sure it’s here?”

[Certain. I can feel a yearning that chases the blazing flame.]

It was Libre who spoke.

If Libre said so, then it had to be true.

“But how are we supposed to find him? This is like looking for a needle in a desert…”

[Do not worry yourself over that.]

“Huh?”

[Am I not here? If the one skulking about truly follows the path of flame, he will sense my arrival and come to me.]

“……”

Gijun fell silent for a moment at that burst of confidence.

But just then—

“No way, could you be…!”

A voice rang out from behind them.

Gijun let out a disbelieving laugh.

‘Really?’

[Oh-ho-ho! Yes. I am the Flame Monarch, Libre!]

Libre puffed out her chest and spun around, shouting it with all her might.

“O-oh… The, the Flame Monarch… I kneel before you!”

The man there dropped flat to the ground in a desperate bow.

*

“Please, drink.”

The Flame Seeker led Gijun and Libre into a small room.

It was a secluded house tucked away in the deepest corner of the Rotom Commercial District.

“The fragrance is lovely.”

What he offered was tea.

Libre had already reverted to her true form.

Libre took a sip of tea, savoring its fragrance.

“I am sorry to receive you in such a humble place.”

“No. I believe you are essential to me and my master.”

“······.”

The Seeker looked as if he might shed tears at those words.

Right, Libre is the Flame Monarch.

He kept trying to forget it.

He knew, but it was not easy to get used to.

Then, the Seeker turned his gaze to Gijun.

“You met Ruf, I hear.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then you must have obtained the power of wind.”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Passing Ruf’s trial must have been no easy feat. In truth, even among us Seekers, not many can wield the power of wind.”

Gijun nodded silently.

Honestly, it hadn’t been that difficult for him, but…

He understood.

Thinking back to that time.

If Gijun hadn’t actually been a mage — if he’d lacked talent — grasping the power of wind would’ve been like plucking stars from the sky.

“In any case, I offer you my endless gratitude for seeking me out. If there’s anything you wish to ask me, please do so freely.”

[We’re moving to find the Ancient Heart. Do you know anything about it?]

“…!”

At those words, the Seeker’s eyes went wide.

“Could it be… already…?”

[Yes.]

“I see. In that case, I believe I can help you with that.”

Gijun’s eyes widened at that.

“But I suspect you’re still not fully ready to handle that power.”

“You’re right.”

The Seeker nodded as if it were obvious, then continued.

“I’d like to gift you, the Seeker, a rather useful ability — modest as it may be.”

With those words, the man opened his hand.

Mana began to gather above his palm.

‘…!’

But the vortex of mana was enormous.

Enough to make the large house tremble faintly.

‘Just how huge a Fireball is he trying to make?’

Judging by the amount of mana converging, it was no trivial quantity.

By rough estimate, enough to form a Fireball as big as this room…

‘Huh?’

But that wasn’t the case.

Whoosh!

The Fireball now forming above the man’s palm wasn’t large at all.

At best, the size of a soccer ball.

“What in the…?”

It defied everything Gijun knew.

How could such a massive amount of mana produce a Fireball that small?

And yet, the mana he’d gathered hadn’t disappeared.

It was still there, contained within.

“This is the technique I can teach you, Master Seeker. I call it ‘Mana Condensation.’ It will be the ability you need most, now that you possess the Ancient Heart. With this power in hand, you will surely be able to obtain the second heart fragment as well.”

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