Team 25A gathered as a complete group for the first time in a while and stood at the training ground.
It was the first time they had met since Ser Gang-jin was discharged from the hospital.
Ser Gang-jin had been discharged after 20 days and had fully recovered his body after a week of rehabilitation.
He was in perfect condition for training.
“I will begin.”
Instructor Ji Yun-o’s Illusion Magic filled the training ground.
The terrain was reminiscent of the hills of the Republic of Korea.
The trees were sparse, making it easy to maintain visibility.
Team 25A established their security formation and began to walk forward.
Kreeeeek!
A loud screech echoed from the side.
Team 25A looked to their right as if they had been waiting.
A Monster as large as a bull was charging toward them.
Its giant maw glowed red, and the scales sprouted across its body looked quite tough.
Its jagged teeth grew closer by the second.
“Shall I loosen up a bit!?”
Ser Gang-jin stepped forward first. With even swifter movements than before, he took a wide step and advanced.
The moment he clashed with the Monster, a faint light flowed from Ser Gang-jin’s sword.
It was Aura, meaning Ser Gang-jin had reached the rank of Sword Expert.
Swish!
Ser Gang-jin powerfully sliced through the air.
Aura followed the trajectory, drawing a green trail.
The illusion scattered immediately.
Judging that the attack had landed accurately, the Illusion Magic was dispelled.
Watching that scene, Ji Yun-o thought to himself.
‘This is meaningless now.’
This illusion combat training was fundamentally a process created to help with adaptation to the Dungeon.
The Trainees’ current levels had become far too high compared to that.
With Ser Gang-jin being the last, every member of Team 25A had now qualified to advance to E-Rank Dungeons.
The criteria were being a Beginner 2nd Circle Mage or higher, or a Sword Expert or higher for a Swordsman.
Normally, in the case of other Swordsmanship, one would have to train much longer to be capable of manifesting Aura, but the Swordsmanship adopted in the Republic of Korea was of the type where Aura manifestation was remarkably fast.
Of course, there was the drawback that it was ‘difficult to become a Sword Master,’ but by advancing the timing of Aura manifestation, the Republic of Korea was able to hold out to this extent.
“I will wrap things up.”
Ji Yun-o, who had been watching Team 25A’s training, spoke.
The illusions disappeared, and Team 25A waited while wiping away their sweat.
Ji Yun-o stepped down from the platform and stood before Team 25A.
“You have probably felt it as well. That the gap between this and a real Dungeon has become too wide.”
All the team members nodded at Ji Yun-o’s words.
Goblins and other small Monsters were sufficiently trained against just by reacting when they appeared.
However, as the Monsters grew larger, it didn’t feel like a real fight.
They couldn’t get a sense of how much strength was needed when cutting, and since Magic simply passed through them, they couldn’t tell if the spells were effective or not.
Unlike F-rank, E-Rank Monsters have more distinct strengths.
Whether they were fast or tough.
Such characteristics could not be reflected through illusions.
“I will recommend your promotion to E-Rank to the Director. I hope you all prepare yourselves.”
Combat Training Instructor Ji Yun-o said.
***
As expected, it didn’t take long for Team 25A to be promoted to E-Rank Dungeons.
There was no reason not to send them up.
They had already met the requirements.
The moment they were promoted, their F-rank Dungeon entry date was changed to an E-Rank Dungeon entry date.
A few days passed in a flash.
Team 25A gathered at Suho Hall to enter an E-Rank Dungeon.
“I didn’t think we would go up together.”
Oh Song-hui said as she entered the lobby.
“What do you mean?”
Ser Gang-jin asked.
“No, I mean Uncle. At first, I thought we would go up first.”
“I thought I would be the one going up first.”
When Kim Song-cheol countered with a joke, Oh Song-hui laughed as if she couldn’t win.
However, Oh Song-hui’s thought was not entirely absurd.
Team 25A, with Kim Song-cheol in it, was the strongest team in F-rank.
That meant they were the team closest to graduating from F-rank.
When a new team member joined, it was hard to imagine they would be able to go up to E-Rank together.
This was because the gap would usually have widened significantly.
But now, it was a time where they had to worry if the original members of Team 25A could even keep up with Kim Song-cheol.
While Mun Gi-jeong was only a Beginner 2nd Circle, Kim Song-cheol was already close to being a Master.
“See you in a bit.”
Oh Song-hui, the only female member of Team 25A, received her equipment and entered the women’s locker room.
The rest went to the men’s locker room.
Kim Song-cheol changed into the now-familiar Combat Uniform, put on his gear, and came outside.
There was nothing extra added just because it was an E-Rank Dungeon.
There were limits on the items one could take into a Dungeon, and the current equipment was near the best available.
While Kim Song-cheol, Mun Gi-jeong, and Ser Gang-jin waited briefly in the hallway, Oh Song-hui soon came out.
Unlike Ser Gang-jin, who carried his sword on his back, Oh Song-hui wore hers at her waist.
It was partly her preference, and partly because Oh Song-hui’s sword was a bit shorter, making it more comfortable to wear on the waist.
“Personnel check. One.”
Kim Song-cheol laughed as he led the count. Normally, they didn’t go as far as doing a personnel check.
Since there were only four of them, it was unlikely they would miscount.
However, since it was the day they were entering an E-Rank Dungeon for the first time, they did it once as a commemorative gesture.
“Two.”
Mun Gi-jeong, the team’s second Mage, replied.
“Three!”
The first Swordsman, Oh Song-hui.
“Four, end of count.”
The check ended with the second Swordsman, Ser Gang-jin.
“Am I always last? Can’t I be the first Swordsman?”
Ser Gang-jin grumbled as soon as the counting ended.
“How many times do I have to tell you no? It’s not in order of skill anyway, right? It’s just division of roles.”
“Coolness is also important. 1 is better than 2.”
“I said it’s just division of roles, punk.”
“Now, now.”
Kim Song-cheol coaxed the two, who were bickering as usual, and led them onto the Portal Tablet.
He thought it was better than their bodies being stiff with tension.
Kim Song-cheol stood on the Portal Tablet and, unlike usual, set the difficulty to E-Rank.
Following the usual countdown, he pressed transmit with his finger.
Team 25A, who were momentarily engulfed in light, appeared on a snowy mountain.
Pure white snow was piled up in layers, and their feet were already buried up to their ankles.
“Ah, it’s a snowfield.”
Mun Gi-jeong said, looking displeased. Usually, complaining was Oh Song-hui’s job, but this time the complaint came from Mun Gi-jeong first.
E-Rank Dungeons take longer than F-rank Dungeons.
They would likely have to sleep for a day, and he couldn’t help but complain about having to pitch a tent and sleep in a snowfield.
“But it’s not that cold, is it? Just refreshing?”
Ser Gang-jin said as he drew his sword.
In fact, considering the snow was piled up, the temperature wasn’t actually that low.
“That’s because you don’t feel the cold as much… Ah, the Monsters are already coming.”
Oh Song-hui stopped talking and turned her head.
As if to celebrate their entry into an E-Rank Dungeon, a pack of Monsters was charging from far away.
Because of the high altitude, they were clearly visible even from a distance.
They were wild boars with shaggy black fur. At least they had the decency not to have white camouflage fur.
Instead, their tusks were incredibly long and sharp.
Their size went without saying. They were almost the size of a compact car.
Spark!
The first to step forward was Kim Song-cheol. Against Monsters of that size, even Swordsmen couldn’t face them head-on.
Due to the difference in weight class, they would be sent flying the moment they collided.
“Lightning Spear.”
The lightning spear created by Kim Song-cheol was fired, slicing through the air.
The lightning spear flew in a straight line and accurately struck the boar between the eyes.
The boar momentarily stiffened and collapsed forward.
It did not get back up. He had killed it in one shot.
|| ||
Kim Song-cheol tilted his head.
It was because the boar’s bones were sturdier than expected.
It felt as if he had barely pierced it.
“Hold.”
Kim Song-cheol immediately cast another 2nd Circle spell.
Hold is a spell that physically fixes the target’s entire body.
The boar caught in the Hold fell over as it was and rolled around, kicking up a snowstorm.
However, Kim Song-cheol knew. The moment the boar fell, the Hold spell broke.
As proof, the fallen boar sprang up and was charging again.
‘Hmm, so this is the power of Hold….’
“Air Blast. Stone Wall.”
Kim Song-cheol cast two more spells in succession.
Air Blast was a spell that blew the target away with a powerful gust of wind.
As Air Blast pushed from the side, the boar lost its balance and rolled around before standing back up.
It was a gust strong enough to blow a person several meters away, but against a boar the size of a compact car, it was only enough to make it lose its balance.
Stone Wall was a spell that literally created a wall of stone.
A wall about a hand’s span thick rose in front of the boar.
Of course, it wasn’t that fast, but as a stone wall, it was sturdy.
Crash!
The boar slammed into the stone wall, and the wall shattered into pieces. However, the boar also seemed dizzy as it staggered for a while, unable to regain its senses.
“Are you going to keep doing a Magic demonstration?”
Oh Song-hui, who had been waiting with her sword, asked.
Since one shot of Lightning Spear would kill them, she asked because he kept using other spells.
“Just two more. Flame Ball.”
A Magic Circle appeared in front of Kim Song-cheol’s eyes.
A bright red orb emerged from the center of the Magic Circle.
The orb flew toward the boar at an average speed.
A speed at which an ordinary person could throw.
It was fast in its own right, but slow compared to a Lightning Spear.
As soon as the bright red orb touched the boar’s body, flames erupted in all directions.
The boar’s back became a sea of fire.
One would think it would go out if it rolled in the snow, but the boar instead increased its speed and charged toward Team 25A.
A Magic Circle appeared again in front of Kim Song-cheol’s hand, and…
“Icicle.”
The moment he touched the ground with that hand, a sharp ice spike emerged from beneath the boar’s feet.
It was a length that must have been nearly 2 meters.
Thwack!
The boar was impaled by the ice spike with all its running momentum.
Since it had such a large weight class, the method of using its impact against it worked better than a simple attack.
Now there was one boar left.
“Catch it. Hold, Hold.”
Only then did Kim Song-cheol finish his Magic demonstration, repeatedly casting Hold to bind the boar’s feet.
Because the Hold spell was weak compared to the boar’s strength, it kept breaking, but the consecutive Hold spells were enough to block the movements of a single boar.
“Leave it to me!”
Ser Gang-jin dashed forward. He struck the boar’s neck accurately with his sword, which was flowing with green Aura.
Kghk!
Ser Gang-jin’s sword seemed to catch on the bone for a moment, but it soon sliced through the entire neck.
If it hadn’t been for the Aura, it would have been one hundred percent stuck in the neck bone.
“It does have a certain level of difficulty. We should stay alert.”
Kim Song-cheol looked at the carcasses of the three boars and advised the other team members.
The difficulty was certainly higher than an F-rank Dungeon.
In the case of the boars, they had spotted them in advance, and since they were the type with stats concentrated in size and strength, they were easy to handle.
However, there was no guarantee that battles with other Monsters would proceed this way.
“Let’s move.”
Team 25A formed up and began to advance through the snowy mountain.
They encountered boars here and there, but since there weren’t many, they were able to handle them sufficiently.
They continued down the snowy mountain for a long time, steadily gathering Points.
It was when they reached a sharp, plunging downhill slope.
“Come here.”
Oh Song-hui, who had gone to scout the opposite side for a moment, beckoned.
The members of Team 25A hurried to her side.
In front of her was a cliff that wasn’t very high, and below that cliff, Hunters were currently fighting Monsters.
“I think those are Arcadians.”
Mun Gi-jeong said.
They were all wearing robes.
A Hunter team composed of four Mages was a characteristic of Arcadia.
Also, Arcadians were one of Earth’s few friendly forces.
They were surrounded by Monsters similar to wolves, and since they were all Mages, they were struggling.
There were too many wolves.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange for them to collapse at any moment.
Spark!!
Kim Song-cheol immediately began to pour out Magic.
He secured the Arcadians’ safety by binding the attacking Monsters with Hold, while simultaneously killing them instantly with Lightning Spear.
He blew away the wolf Monsters, which were lighter than the boars, with Air Blast and then simply slammed Lightning Spears into them again.
Although he didn’t have the rapid-fire speed of a 1st Circle spell, it was a rapid-fire speed that most 2nd Circle Mages couldn’t even dream of following.
Furthermore, he had plenty of Mana.
While standing on the cliff, Kim Song-cheol eliminated more than half of the Monsters surrounding the Arcadians, and once they had some breathing room, the Arcadians joined the counterattack as well.
Once Kim Song-cheol joined the battle, the wolves were cleared out in no time.
“Shall we go check if they’re hurt?”
Team 25A jumped down to say hello.
As Team 25A approached, the Arcadians hesitated for a moment and then began to act restless.
The atmosphere was strange.
“What’s wrong with them?”
Team 25A also felt the strange vibe and stopped walking.
The distance between the two groups was about 15 meters.
Then, suddenly, the Arcadians prostrated themselves, pressing their noses to the ground.
“We greet the Descendant of the Great Sage.”
One of them spoke.
It was a greeting that Team 25A could not understand the reason for.