Chapter 40 – Anomaly (２)

“B-but… it’s too dangerous. This is a Lv.5 Dungeon. We can’t even predict what kind of monsters or terrain will show up…”

“Hmm, then…”

Gijun rose to his feet.

“How about seeing for yourself and judging?”

Simple—he’d just show her.

After all, once the Raid started, the whole world would be turned upside down anyway.

Letting Woo Jimin see it now, ahead of time, wasn’t a bad move.

“…What exactly?”

Woo Jimin tilted her head.

She already knew Gijun could handle Dual Casting.

Last Raid had proven that much.

And it had only been a week.

How much could anyone change in that short a span?

‘But where’s all this confidence coming from?’

Something felt different, though.

A premonition flickered through her—maybe this man would drive her crazy again today.

*

Where Gijun and Woo Jimin ended up was the Hwarang guild’s pride and joy: their training facility.

Specifically, the magic shooting range.

‘No joke. Seriously.’

Standing before it, Gijun let out an impressed breath.

The equipment here was the kind private training grounds couldn’t even dream of.

“This way.”

Woo Jimin led Gijun inside the shooting range.

The moment they stepped in, a Magic Barrier flared to life.

A barrier capable of absorbing spells up to the 9th Circle, dampening their impact.

A training ground equipped with a barrier of this caliber was rare—you could count the facilities like it in the world on one hand.

Soon, both Gijun and Woo Jimin were suited up in Raid gear.

“I’m looking forward to this.”

Woo Jimin said.

Of course she was. Gijun had promised to show her something directly.

After all, he’d already shaken her world once before.

“You might be a little surprised.”

With that, Gijun shrugged.

Confidence.

And certainty.

When Woo Jimin saw what he had become, she’d probably get a shock—one even bigger than when he’d broken her record.

That kind of jolt.

“Let’s set the monster… to Lv.5.”

He tapped the screen in front of the shooting range.

Whatever he set there would materialize as a holographic monster.

The monster Gijun chose was Buska.

Buska was a Lv.5 Dungeon monster—a bird-type that soared through the air.

“Oh… Buska?”

Buska was undeniably a tricky opponent.

The difficulty of any dungeon where a Buska appeared jumped by at least two tiers — no exceptions.

Because it was a monster that ruled the sky.

On top of that, it had high defense and moved at terrifying speed — a nightmare of an opponent.

Without a Mage or an Archer in the party, hunting one was outright impossible.

And even if you had a Mage or Archer, if their skill fell short even a little, it was routine for the entire party to be wiped in a single breath.

Then, not long after.

Caw — Caw, caw!

The Buska revealed itself.

*

The moment the Buska appeared, Gijun stepped forward.

Watching him, Woo Jimin thought:

‘What in the world is he about to show me?’

She was definitely curious.

But she couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

As she’d said — just one week.

What kind of change could possibly happen in that span?

‘…Even that Dual Casting was already staggering…’

If Gijun was this confident, didn’t that mean he had something even greater up his sleeve?

‘What could it be?’

Of course, she still couldn’t picture it.

Something more impressive than Dual Casting?

What in the world was that?

‘What, did he go and master Triple Casting or something?’

The thought made Woo Jimin snort.

‘I must be crazy. Triple Casting, of all things.’

Even she found the idea ridiculous.

Triple Casting? Even the dogs passing by would laugh at that.

Already, with Dual Casting alone, only Gijun and White Wood in the entire world could manage it.

But then.

Gijun began casting a spell.

The spell he cast was Strong Wind.

‘Ah, right. He said he could handle two attributes.’

Woo Jimin’s eyes lit up.

This was truly an incredible talent.

Dual Casting, and two attributes.

If he handled it well, he had the potential to become a monstrous Battle Mage.

‘But why wind magic?’

She tilted her head.

Because she couldn’t understand why he’d cast wind magic against a flying Buska.

Right then.

Kwaaah—!

“…Huh?”

Wind howled.

But it wasn’t wind at a 1st-Circle level — it was ferociously strong.

And that wind engulfed the Buska in an instant.

Then…

Chwak! Chwaak!

“…What?”

Kyaaahk!

As the wind blasted through, blood poured from the Buska’s entire body.

Its body was riddled with wounds.

As if it had been slashed by a blade…

“Wh—what…?!”

Woo Jimin’s eyes grew wider, her mouth falling open.

This was…

“Cutting Power…?”

Yes.

This was Cutting Power.

On top of that, the spell’s raw force had become unimaginably stronger.

‘But it’s definitely still 1st Circle…’

She’d confirmed it herself.

Gijun’s body was still in a state where he could only form a single Circle.

“To amplify a 1st Circle’s power to this degree and even add Cutting Power in that state….”

“…Just how much effort did he pour into this?”

An unfathomable amount of work must lie behind it.

Effort beyond what anyone could dare to imagine.

‘I’m not sure if sheer effort alone can achieve this….’

But only one thing mattered.

He’d done it.

Too Jimin smiled.

How she understood.

Gijun’s will.

resolve to shatter every wall and push forward, no matter what it took.

Of course he’d want to join this Raid.

He’d forged this impossible miracle himself—he’d want to show it off.

“Alright, for this Raid….”

Right as she was about to say it.

“Uh—huh?”

Too Jimin’s eyes flew wide again.

“Th-this is… insane.”

Before her eyes, something utterly unbelievable.

Even after everything she’d seen, this scene was enough to make her head throb and blood rush backward.

Crackle! Crack-crackle!

It was Fireball.

Not one, not two—three Fireballs.

Boom! BAM-BAM-BAM!

The three Fireballs tore across the air without hesitation, slamming straight into the Buska.

Buska that appeared in a Lv.5 Dungeon.

That monster, a headache for so many Players, vanished without putting up a fight under Gijun’s barrage.

“Ah… I’m losing my mind. I’m really dizzy. Seriously…”

*

[Baek Gijun, who broke the world record for solo-clearing a Lv.2 Dungeon, now challenges a Lv.4 Dungeon!]

That day, Hwarang released an article.

An article announcing that Gijun would challenge a newly discovered Dungeon.

The response was explosive.

Baek Gijun was famous at the Academy, right?

People who know, know.

But how did he suddenly Awaken?

Who knows?

Gijun was already a well-known figure.

Testimonies from his Academy peers and professors followed.

I’m an active Superhuman and was Gijun’s classmate—his talent is the real deal.

Even if you weren’t his classmate, he was famous. Professors all acknowledged his talent.

Look at this article. A magic professor who taught Baek Gijun said his talent was among the best of any Disciple he’d had.

-Ah, I saw that interview too, lol. They even suggested, ‘Why don’t you just go for the degree and become a professor?’ If they’d actually gone legit with the degree, they could’ve become the youngest professor ever, damn.

Wow, so he just became a Superhuman instead?

That’s how much he wanted it. And in the end, he succeeded.

Much a fiery reaction.

With testimonials from real Superhumans and professors, the interest only grew.

And the story was compelling too.

genius with extraordinary talent, nearly crushed by illness, who overcame it all through sheer passion.

Wow, but he’s going straight from a Lv.2 solo Dungeon to a Lv.4 challenge?

“—It’s not just a level 4, you know. I heard it’s comparable to level 5 standards.”

“—Isn’t this getting too intense all of a sudden? A level 2 and level 4 are worlds apart.”

“—Guess he’s confident~”

The follow-up articles kept coming.

[Ure Hesitates, Hwarang Strikes! What Will This Raid Bring?]

“—Lol, Ure was just waiting and got blindsided.”

“—Of course, they thought Hwarang would chicken out.”

“—Wow, how confident must you be to provoke like this?”

It provoked a fiery response, as expected.

Hwarang and Ure.

The two giant guilds ranking first and second in the Republic of Korea.

At the same time, the dynamic — Ure sitting on the absolute throne, with Hwarang in a fierce pursuit to claim it — was deeply compelling.

“—Ure! What are you doing?”

“—Scared?”

“—Lollll”

Of course, Ure had also seen the article by now.

“Ha ha, our Ms. Jimin….”

Ure’s Guild Master, Cha Jeongho.

He laughed.

But the laugh only touched his lips.

His brows were tightly drawn together.

“So this is how you’re playing it, huh?”

As he said this, Cha Jeongho added,

“What’s Park Gangseok the Superhuman’s stance?”

“…He says to send him right away.”

“Okay, then. Let’s see who blinks first, our Ms. Jimin.”

And so Ure distributed their own article.

[Ure, Firm on the Throne! We Do Not Shy from Hwarang’s Challenge!]

Still asserting their place on the throne.

An article declaring they would gladly accept the challenge.

And so the internet blazed.

It was a moment of extraordinary spectacle — the entire world’s attention pouring onto a single level-4 dungeon raid, not just the Republic of Korea’s.

Near Namtaeryeong, in front of the new dungeon.

A massive crowd had already gathered.

Unlike the level-2 dungeon raid, this new dungeon near Namtaeryeong was drawing unprecedented attention.

“The first new dungeon influenced by a level 9 dungeon, they say.”

“I hear the academic world’s been watching like crazy.”

“Look over there. A whole team of dungeon researchers showed up.”

It was true.

Scholars studying dungeons from all over the world had flocked to the Republic of Korea.

After all, this was the first dungeon ever to be influenced by a level 9 one.

Researchers formed teams and gathered at Namtaeryeong, hoping to glean any clue about that unknown world of level-9 dungeons.

The journalists were no different.

Hwarang’s recent growth was simply terrifying.

What’s more, the results from clearing the level-8 dungeon would soon be released.

Most experts predicted Hwarang would smoothly secure the bidding rights for the level-9 dungeon raid.

In the midst of all this, the new star appeared.

A Superhuman who had broken Woo Jimin’s record.

He was a piping hot topic for domestic journalists.

Hwarang and Ure.

Weren’t they a fiery rivalry that could captivate the attention of countless people?

“Our Ms. Jimin. Long time no see.”

“…Hmph.”

And at the very center of it all,

The two faced each other.

Click! Click!

Cameras flash in a storm of light.

The two figures at the center: Woo Jimin and Cha Jeongho.

Guild Masters of Hwarang and Ure.

The Republic of Korea’s acknowledged strongest—and the two locked in a fight for the nation’s top spot, aren’t they?

“You seem pretty confident this time.”

“Of course. We brought in a monster talent.”

“We’re no pushovers either.”

“Not scared at all?”

“…Guess you really do have something up your sleeve.”

Cha Jeongho tilted his head.

He knew Woo Jimin well.

If Jimin was that certain, she was definitely hiding a hell of a weapon.

And that twitching corner of her mouth made it crystal clear—even now.

Then it happened.

Commotion erupted from the other side.

“He’s coming! Damn it, get out of the way!”

At last, the moment the raid’s stars entered the scene.

Baek Gijun, and Park Gangseok.