Clack, clack, clack!

Each step the Celestial Spirit Maiden took echoed for a long time.

Her speed seemed as slow as an ordinary Swordsman’s.

Nevertheless, the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s charge with a blank expression was somewhat unsettling.

Kim Songcheol hastily cast Lightning Spear.

He planned to use Over Brain for the shortest possible duration.

The allowed time was about 1 second.

For Kim Songcheol, who was overloaded, it would feel like 5 seconds.

Boom, boom, boom!

Magic circles began to appear in front of Kim Songcheol.

Approximately 108 magic circles unleashed red light beams that shot towards the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

The bundles of light beams flew forward, then spread out, enveloping the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

At the same time, Over Brain was deactivated.

Kwagagagagang!

A red rain poured down on the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

Her two arms moved in strange circles, and she began to strike rapidly in all directions as if her arms had multiplied.

It was an incredible speed.

Only by the trails of black energy left behind could one vaguely guess how her hands had moved.

Kim Songcheol, who had been watching the situation with a serious expression, clenched his fist. The deflected light beams then changed direction again and flew towards their target.

Boom, boom, boom!

Her hands accelerated even more. Black energy surged, and dust rose every time a red light beam was struck to the ground.

The black energy and dust soon obscured Kim Songcheol’s vision.

“Fly.”

Kim Songcheol, narrowing his eyes and looking at the thick rising dust, suddenly shot into the sky.

At the same time, the Celestial Spirit Maiden burst out, tearing through the thick dust like a whirlwind.

She swept through the spot where Kim Songcheol had been moments ago, then immediately pushed off the ground and leaped into the sky.

There were several holes in the top of her training clothes. This was because she couldn’t block all the light beams.

Kim Songcheol struck down lightning towards the Celestial Spirit Maiden. It was more of a prediction than seeing and reacting.

It was a magic combining 3rd Circle Thunder Strike with Fulmen Rubrum.

It was a much more powerful attack than a simple red light beam.

Crash!

A red pillar of light struck down from the sky.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden twisted her body in mid-air. Simultaneously, black energy shimmered on the back of her hands.

Kagagagagang!

Surprisingly, she raised her forearm and deflected the red pillar of light. However, the force twisted her upward trajectory, and her body began to fly away from Kim Songcheol, her target.

Kim Songcheol saw this and prepared another Thunder Strike, but…

Bang!

The moment the Celestial Spirit Maiden rose to a height similar to Kim Songcheol, she surprisingly kicked off the empty air and shot forward with tremendous speed.

This was something Kim Songcheol had not entirely anticipated.

It’s empty air, there’s nothing there. What exactly is she kicking off?

At this rate, she might even kick her right foot with her left and soar into the air.

‘Seriously.’

Kim Songcheol cast Over Brain once again.

At the same time as he retreated at full speed, he hastily cast Shield. It was simultaneous with the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s black fist shooting forward.

Rupture Spear!

The moment a Shield broke, another Shield blocked the front, and when that Shield broke, yet another Shield blocked the front.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s body slowed down as she broke through the Shields, but the energy extending from her fist still flew fiercely.

Shields were being refilled endlessly, but it was like being outnumbered.

The Black Energy was right in front of him.

Rupture Spear!

The last Shield broke.

Releasing Over Brain, Kim Songcheol pushed a pure mass of Mana forward with full force.

It was a desperate measure, but the pure Mana mass somewhat mitigated the impact of the Black Energy.

Thanks to this, Kim Songcheol was able to reduce the damage to merely being slammed into the ground.

…Fly.

Kim Songcheol, who seemed about to be embedded in the ground, flew just above the surface before finally landing on his feet.

Kim Songcheol’s face was deeply furrowed.

His side hurt terribly. It was a pain he had never experienced since he began his life as a Hunter.

It was because a little bit of the Black Energy had reached him, even through the pure Mana.

‘I think I broke a rib…’

Kim Songcheol first tried emergency treatment with Heal Magic. The pain subsided a little.

If the Celestial Spirit Maiden hadn’t dispersed her energy at the end, he might have actually broken a few ribs.

Boom!

At the sound of the Celestial Spirit Maiden kicking off the ground, Kim Songcheol quickly looked up.

She had been floating in the sky just moments ago, but when had she landed?

The Celestial Spirit Maiden closed the distance in an instant.

‘She’s not going to give me time to cast?’

Kim Songcheol guessed her intentions. It takes a little time to use Bolt Bringer properly.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden intended not to give him even that much of a gap.

Because if stronger Magic appeared, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Kim Songcheol used Over Brain once again. Although it was a Magic that normally couldn’t be used this frequently, it was possible because he had continuously kept the load level below its limit.

Hypnosis, Hallucinate, Haste.

Kim Songcheol cast several different Magic spells at once.

He used Hypnosis to cast a simple suggestion, Hallucinate Magic to create his Clones, and Haste Magic to increase his speed.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden quickly approached Kim Songcheol.

Already, five Kim Songcheols were lined up.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden struck the second Kim Songcheol without hesitation.

Rip!

A fist swept past Kim Songcheol’s side.

But the real one was the fifth Kim Songcheol.

Kim Songcheol took a step forward and quickly thrust his palm towards the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

The moment the magic circle was formed, red lightning shot out from it.

It was a 3rd Circle Thunder Strike. Originally, it was magic that fell from the sky, but its direction had been changed.

Crash!

The Celestial Spirit Maiden was struck by red lightning in her side.

She was expected to be pushed back, but she stood firm on both feet. Steam was rising from her left hand, which was on her side.

She blocked the attack fired from such a close distance.

As Kim Songcheol’s eyes widened, the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s fist flew in.

Over Brain and Haste were still effective.

Kim Songcheol barely twisted his body, avoiding the upper half of his body from the fist’s attack range.

Rip!

A rip burst from the fist that brushed past his ear.

At the same time, Blind Magic activated, obscuring the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s vision.

Although the Magic was clearly activated correctly, she showed no signs of being flustered.

With unfocused eyes, she threw another punch.

It was a punch aimed precisely at Kim Songcheol. Perhaps choosing close combat was a mistake from the start.

Crash!

Several Shields appeared and blocked the way, but they were utterly shattered.

Ultimately, the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s bare fist landed in Kim Songcheol’s abdomen.

However.

‘…?’

He felt nothing in his hand.

“Since when did you mistakenly think I was there?”

Kim Songcheol’s voice was heard from the right. As the Blind Magic was dispelled, the first thing he saw was a circle radiating golden light. It had been hidden within an illusion.

She turned her gaze to the right.

Kim Songcheol was there.

It was a completely unexpected location.

For the first time, the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s eyes wavered.

“You’d better be prepared.”

As Kim Songcheol extended his hand forward, Oneness radiated an intense golden light and rapidly moved towards Kim Songcheol.

As the light of Oneness grew stronger, its diameter increased, and when it was behind Kim Songcheol, it emitted a dazzlingly intense light.

It was not a simple light. A crystal of incredibly pure energy was clearly revealing its aura.

Boom!

Suddenly, Black Energy burst from her entire body, gathering into her fist in an instant.

Who knows how powerful the Magic that will fly out might be.

This is a dead end.

He had no choice but to decide to counterattack with a Secret Technique.

However.

As the Celestial Spirit Maiden was flustered and gathering her Internal Energy, a Red Light Pillar surged from under her chin.

‘This…!’

The Celestial Spirit Maiden, with a look of utter defeat, brought her hands together to block the light Pillar.

The Internal Energy she had gathered for the Secret Technique backfired, and her Pressure Point swelled as if it would burst.

A bruise appeared, as if to prove her internal injuries, and at the same time, the light Pillar bounced off her hands and struck her chin precisely.

Boom!

Her body shot up into the air.

Boom, boom, boom!

As two light Pillars struck her shoulder and thigh, her body began to spin, and the final light Pillar, falling from the sky, accurately struck her solar plexus.

She took the light Pillar and fell on her back to the ground.

She bounced almost 30 centimeters high before sprawling out in a large ‘X’ shape.

It was a good thing Kim Songcheol controlled the output of his Magic; if he had struck with full power, she would have suffered a much more severe injury.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden was a mess.

Her body was covered in dust.

Her training clothes were tattered.

“Cough…!”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden looked at the sky with a dazed expression, then turned her head to the side and spat out a fistful of blood.

Already, magic formations around her were emitting a sinister aura.

If Kim Songcheol merely wiggled his finger, the ‘straw mat rolling’ would begin.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden slowly sat up.

“How… how did you deceive my senses?”

It was the result of using Hypnosis to suggest, depriving her sight with a blind, implanting Oneness into her Illusion field to induce sensory disruption, and moving while concealing his presence with various Magic spells.

It seemed like he deceived her leisurely, but from Kim Songcheol’s perspective, it was busier than unleashing attack Magic.

All that effort culminated when Oneness emitted light, ultimately creating an opening for the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

“I’m a Mage.”

However, Kim Songcheol summarized all those processes in one sentence.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden looked at the smiling Kim Songcheol, then lowered her head and let out a long sigh.

“Hoo…”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden stood up.

She walked towards Kim Songcheol. The magic formations moved with her.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden glanced at the magic formations with a displeased expression but said nothing.

She stopped in front of Kim Songcheol, maintaining an appropriate distance.

“…I never thought this day would come.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden looked at the sky, sighed once more, then exhaled briefly. She seemed to be making a decision.

She slowly bowed her head and performed a Cupped Fist Salutation.

…I admit defeat.

That’s right. I lost.

…First, I’d like you to hear me out. It won’t be a loss for you.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden lowered her hand and her eyes sparkled.

What kind?

So… do you know about the monsters others call Field Bosses?

I know them.

Kim Songcheol nodded. When he first came to the D-grade Dungeon, he saw a large black bird.

The pressure at that time was immense.

Though I don’t know what it would be like now.

There are three types of Field Bosses. And if you hunt all three types, you can open the Upper Gate. It means you’ve achieved a certain ‘Achievement.’ Do you know this too?

That’s the first I’ve heard of it. What is the Upper Gate?

As the name suggests, it’s a gate that grants rewards. The fewer people involved in the hunt, the greater the reward. If things go according to plan… you’ll receive a reward you can’t get anywhere else.

So, let’s hunt the Field Boss together?

That’s the conclusion. Everyone can receive the reward. So I’m proposing it to you. You can’t do it alone anyway. But if you wish, I can… kneel in the Capital City. I don’t have many options.

No, wait a minute.

Kim Songcheol raised his hand.

If that was your business, couldn’t you have just said so from the beginning?

The Celestial Spirit Maiden shook her head.

I didn’t know you. But now I do. You are kind but have a stubborn side, and though you may seem cunning at first glance, you are not malicious and have deep insight. What about you?

He was stubborn but decisive, and transparent, with his inside matching his outside. That’s what naturally came to mind.

That wasn’t all he gained.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden adjusted her attack power during the spar, and Kim Songcheol also felt it and reduced his magic output.

So, it could be said that the two built trust during their spar.

I guess I have to admit it. I got to know you a bit too.

Kim Songcheol replied that way.

If they had brought up the matter through conversation from the beginning, how much time would it have taken to build even a little trust?

In a Dungeon full of foes who smile while aiming for your back.

But now, he could trust her to some extent.

They exchanged more information in one spar than in a hundred words.

Is this what they mean by kids growing up through fighting…

When they first met, the Celestial Spirit Maiden suggested they spar.

For Kim Songcheol, ‘sparring’ wasn’t much different from ‘fighting,’ and he found the Celestial Spirit Maiden, who suddenly appeared and challenged him to a fight, strange and disagreeable.

But this time, he clearly understood the difference between sparring and fighting.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s approach was crude but not hostile. Rather, it could be said to be friendly.

This ‘Martial Artist’s way’ was something he hadn’t learned in class, so he was unaware of it.

I should remember this well for the future.

Kim Songcheol firmly imprinted the information about Martial Artists in his mind.

If the opportunity arises, I’d like to have a proper spar.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden said.

Leaving aside everything else, the defeat seemed to sting.

“If I really go all out, I can’t guarantee I won’t kill you.”

Kim Songcheol shrugged and said lightly.

It was an indirect refusal, but to the Celestial Spirit Maiden, it sounded a little alarming.

The golden orb, which had now disappeared into Kim Songcheol’s body.

It couldn’t be something that merely emitted light.

“Anyway, I’m not saying yes yet. I’ll decide after seeing it.”

Kim Songcheol didn’t fully commit. He decided to just dip his toes in.

…Alright.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden reluctantly nodded.

“But are we two going to catch it?”

“No, there’s one more person.”

She replied lightly.