‘Indeed, one must live cautiously…’

Kim Songcheol felt that statement more deeply than ever.

What if he had eliminated the spirit back then?

Pern might have designated Kim Songcheol as an enemy and reported him to the Knights first.

At the time, it was just a ‘spirit flying by’ incident, but looking back, it was a dizzying turning point.

“Did they answer?”

Frank urged. He had heard everything Kim Songcheol said, and all that remained was the other party’s answer.

Frank’s hands were sweating.

Two scouts missing from the eight Knights?

It was truly a game-changer.

His heart pounded as if revenge was already within reach.

Rupture!

Noticing the change in his emotions, Thread flew in front of Frank’s eyes.

It was as if it was telling him to calm down.

Kim Songcheol listened to the faint breeze. The cool wind was carrying Pern’s voice.

[Uncle Bigel wants to know if ‘disintegration’ is really possible.]

That voice was only audible to Kim Songcheol.

Thanks to that, the other team members anxiously watched Kim Songcheol’s mouth.

“I’m confident. I can say that with absolute certainty.”

Kim Songcheol said without a hint of hesitation.

[Just a moment.]

“What did he say?”

Frank asked again.

“He asked if I was really confident, and I said I was. It seems they are discussing it. With that Ranger.”

Kim Songcheol answered what he knew without any annoyance. It was because he understood Frank’s feelings.

“Damn it.”

It was then that Frank roughly ran his hand through his hair.

[We can’t fight. We’ll be far away. Uncle Bigel wants me to say one more time that if we’re nearby, we’ll be under some strange magic and will attack him even if we don’t want to. And… we have to deal with the foes under the condition of nothingness. That’s the condition. Otherwise, everyone will be in danger.]

“I know. Don’t worry.”

[…Then I’ll tell you the location.]

“Understood.”

Kim Songcheol nodded, looking at Frank.

It meant the negotiation went well.

“Good. Things are going well.”

Only then did Frank crack a cold smile and grip the scabbard in his hand so tightly that it creaked.

“Then what should we do, brother?”

Kang Hyecaste, who had been silent until now, asked. Lee Yong-chan and Park Heesu were also blinking and looking at Kim Songcheol.

The three of them were calmly waiting without uttering a single word.

Until the direction was decided and Kim Songcheol gave his orders.

“We’re going for a surprise attack. They said they’d tell us the location. The situation has completely reversed, hasn’t it?”

If they had been hunting until now, it was now their turn to be hunted.

As the scouts crossed over, they lost their eyes.

The right to strike first belonged to Kim Songcheol’s team.

“Understood, brother.”

Park Heesu smiled and nodded.

Kim Songcheol’s confident demeanor instilled confidence in his team members.

“Two, two, two, so… for convenience, I’ll say two A-rank swordsmen, two B-rank swordsmen, and two mages. Can you handle one A-rank swordsman? You just need to hold your ground.”

Kim Songcheol asked Frank.

“It doesn’t matter what rank they are. As long as I can see all the enemies die before I do.”

“Good. I’ll take out one mage to start. If Hyecaste’s magic works properly, the mage line is finished. What’s left is one A-rank and two B-ranks. I’ll take the A-rank. The remaining two swordsmen will each take one, and Hyecaste, you can support anywhere.”

“Understood, brother.”

The team members immediately nodded.

“Let’s move then.”

Team 24C and Frank began to cross the forest.

Their destination was clear.

Because Threadf was guiding them from the front.

As they walked for a long time, Frank suddenly spoke.

“It makes no difference to me, but are you really confident?”

“Why? Is something strange?”

“You were so careful.”

“Because the situation I was worried about has disappeared. Like four A-rank Swordsmen, or eight people ambushing us.”

“If it’s not that, you can handle anything?”

Frank chuckled and asked back.

It was half a joke.

“At least I can get out. Without injury.”

But the answer he received was quite serious.

“Without injury? You guarantee that?”

“According to my calculations.”

“It’s no fun talking about such things with you, big brother. Just watch him use magic later. That’ll be fun.”

Lee Yong-chan chimed in, making a playful remark.

If Kim Songcheol hadn’t waved his hand as if to tell him to stop talking nonsense, he would have definitely added a few more words.

After moving for a while, Kim Songcheol heard Pern’s voice and stopped.

In response to his movement, all team members quickly slowed down and surveyed their surroundings.

[300 meters left. East-west, no… where was it? Northwest, she says. There’ll be a large rock when you go, but that place is too suspicious, so if you hide somewhere else besides that rock, you can catch them off guard.]

The Ranger’s assistance was quite professional. Listening to her speak, it even seemed like she had memorized the entire terrain.

“Understood.”

After relaying Pern’s words, Kim Songcheol began to move, minimizing his presence as much as possible.

Before long, the terrain the Ranger had described appeared.

Next to the large rock was a wide path. It was naturally the path the foes would take.

Kim Songcheol deployed his team members with hand signals.

Frank was behind a tree closest to the path.

Lee Yong-chan and Park Heesu were behind trees about 30 meters to the left and right of the path.

Kim Songcheol took a position with Kang Hye Castle behind a smaller rock further to the south.

Had it been about three minutes?

With a clanking sound, a group of Hunters walked over.

As expected, two Knights in splendid armor were at the very front, followed by two Knights in shabby armor, and then a Mage.

“Why aren’t these bastards showing up? They went ahead to scout the location.”

“We’ll have to give them a good lesson when they return.”

They were walking precisely in the direction Pern had guided them.

There was not an ounce of doubt. As if they had never even considered the possibility of being hunted.

And their peace was shattered by Kim Songcheol.

“…!?”

The moment the Knight at the very front detected the Mana Flow.

Rumble!

Lightning fell from the sky.

The Knight quickly looked back.

One Mage was already collapsing.

Following that, the space above another Mage’s head seemed to shimmer, then extremely compressed air fell onto the Mage’s head.

“Be careful…!”

The Knight shouted first.

The Mage barely managed to Cast a 1st Circle defensive Magic.

Rupture Window!

But it was not enough to block the 3rd Circle Air Hammer.

The defensive Magic shattered the moment it touched the Air Hammer, and the Mage was slammed into the ground, having been hit in the head.

The defensive Magic at least reduced the force, preventing a broken neck, but he still took a considerable impact.

“It’s a surprise attack!”

Only then did the Knights draw their swords.

One of the A-rank Knights was precisely shot in the direction of Kim Songcheol.

At the same time, Frank blocked the path of another A-rank Knight, and Lee Yong-chan and Park Ha-su rushed towards the B-rank Knights.

“You must want to die if you’re using an Illusion Field!”

The A-rank Knight shouted at Kim Songcheol, who was walking out from beside a rock.

His sword was already overflowing with Aura, and with each push off the ground, the distance closed by several meters.

‘A familiar situation.’

A Swordsman rushing forward.

Kim Songcheol standing tall.

It was a one-on-one combat lesson.

“Thunder Strike.”

There was no need to hold back.

Kim Songcheol immediately struck with Lightning.

However.

Rupture Sizzle!

The moment the Lightning was about to touch the Knight’s crown, light burst from his Armor, nullifying the Magic.

There was a reason the Armor was so elaborate.

Kim Songcheol’s hands became busy.

3rd Circle Magic was fired one after another.

It was then that the Knight’s expression changed.

Mana Blades slashed, Lightning fell from the sky, an Air Hammer aimed for the back of his head, twelve large Stone Missiles flew in succession, and strange points appeared, pulling metal.

It was a Casting Speed unbelievable for a 3rd Circle Mage.

He couldn’t advance at all.

Magic was literally pouring out.

I couldn’t understand how 12 Tea Ceremony Stone Missiles could fly at once.

A 3rd Circle Mage’s limit is clearly five or six shots, so how is he manifesting beyond his limit?

‘If this continues…’

To have my charge stopped by a mere 3rd Circle Mage.

It was a situation I had never imagined.

The defensive magic engraved on my armor has its limits, and there’s still a long way to go.

I’m going to fall without even being able to swing my sword once.

‘One chance left. I’m putting everything on the line.’

Like the excellent knight he was, he seized the opportunity and kicked off the ground with force.

He pushed his aura to its limit, and his speed was the best he could achieve.

The sound of his body cutting through the wind was audible.

Whoosh!

A Mana Blade blocked his path, but his splendid armor shone with an illusionary light, obliterating the incoming Mana Blade.

At the same time, ice spikes shot up from the ground.

‘Such cunning tricks…!’

An attack that utilized the opponent’s speed.

Each one was sharp.

The knight braced for injury and rushed forward.

The ice spikes tore through his armor and pierced his thigh, but he didn’t stop.

And giving up his thigh yielded a reward.

The distance rapidly closed, bringing him within sword’s reach.

‘If I just swing…!’

But Kim Songcheol wasn’t just watching.

Suddenly, a magic circle appeared beneath his feet, and a powerful gust of wind shot out, propelling Kim Songcheol upwards.

He had used an Air Blast to launch himself into the air.

‘…!?’

The knight paused for a fleeting moment.

Because he hadn’t expected him to go airborne.

He used that split second to look up, confirmed Kim Songcheol’s position, and immediately leaped.

If he missed this chance, it was over.

He thought he had to deal with Kim Songcheol while he was immobile in the air, but that was a miscalculation.

A magic circle formed next to Kim Songcheol, then blasted him sideways again.

It was truly three-dimensional aerial maneuvering.

The precision with which he controlled the power of the Air Blast made it seem as if he was kicking off the empty air to move.

Thanks to this, the knight who had leaped towards Kim Songcheol became like a dog chasing a chicken.

He had no means of moving in the air like Kim Songcheol.

The knight surging from below and Kim Songcheol positioned higher above.

Their eyes met.

Kim Songcheol’s gaze was subtly沉静.

He might have been looking at the Knight’s future.

Kim Songcheol waved his finger in the air.

First, a lightning bolt struck him.

Rumble!

He was struck helplessly.

He endured by drawing out as much aura as possible, but the problem was that he couldn’t do anything more than endure.

Rumble!

The lightning struck again.

The Knight was struck by lightning three times as he ascended to the highest point, and his eyes rolled back.

A chilling mana blade loomed beside him, who had lost consciousness.

Slash!

A two-meter sword blade, along with space, severed the Knight’s neck.

The Knight’s body and head disintegrated in mid-air.

Subsequently, Kim Songcheol began to fall.

Just before he hit the ground, a magic formation appeared beneath him, and a strong gust of wind surged up, significantly reducing his falling speed.

After landing on the ground, Kim Songcheol immediately surveyed the battlefield.

The battle was not over yet.