Chapter 27. Magic President Kim Song-cheol (4)

The Arcadians worked hard to cross the snowfield where their feet sank deep with every step.

Their physical strength didn’t seem particularly good, but they certainly had grit.

Kim Song-cheol suddenly became curious about their social status.

“May I ask you something?”

“Ask anything.

I will answer to the best of my knowledge.”

The youngest of the Arcadians spoke with a bright expression.

He looked to be about seventeen, around the age of a high school student.

It seemed there were no age restrictions for Hunters in Arcadia.

“There are social ranks in Arcadia, right?”

“Yes, there are.”

“What are the stages of that hierarchy?”

Kim Song-cheol felt a bit awkward asking about their status directly, so he eased into it.

+ Interest

“Hmm. To put it simply, there are nobles and commoners. Even among nobles, there are sometimes different layers. Oh, and then there are the Forsaken Ones.”

He mentioned the ‘Forsaken Ones’ quite casually.

Kim Song-cheol instinctively realized that they were at the very bottom of the social system.

If they were called the ‘Forsaken Ones,’ it likely referred to people who could not use Magic.

In the first place, it wasn’t even a fair competition.

In a place where even commoners used Magic, it was physically impossible to overturn one’s social status.

‘By their standards, most of Earth’s population would be untouchables.’

As an intellectual living in the 21st century, it was a somewhat chilling thought.

“Could I try to guess your status?”

“My status?”

“Yes.”

“As you wish.”

“Are you a noble?”

To be honest, Kim Song-cheol didn’t have the sense they called Sanggis.

So, he just called out the highest rank.

It was the same logic as guessing a woman’s age to be as young as possible.

“Ooh.”

As expected, a smile blossomed on the boy’s face.

“I am merely grateful that you see me that way. I am a commoner. The others are as well.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Actually, my family is a noble house. I became a commoner because I was a bit lacking. That might be why you thought I was a noble.”

He spoke with a bitter tone.

It was an unexpected story.

Kim Song-cheol quickly asked a question to change the subject.

“Can’t you move up?”

“No. Once a status is determined, it can never be changed. It cannot be hidden, either. Sanggis cannot be avoided.”

Kim Song-cheol simply went silent.

He felt as though the conversation was only making the mood worse.

Just then, the Arcadians walking ahead and Oh Song-hui came to a dead stop.

They immediately lowered their stances, and Oh Song-hui sent a hand signal toward the rear.

It meant they had spotted the target.

Kim Song-cheol walked toward them as quietly as possible.

The sound of the snow crunching under his feet sounded exceptionally loud.

After taking a moment to catch his breath behind a large boulder, Kim Song-cheol cautiously peeked out.

Behind the rock, in a sheer canyon, stood a Monster.

It was nearly four to five meters tall.

Its body looked like a yeti.

It resembled a primate covered in snow-white fur.

However, its head was different.

Beneath a skull that looked like it was wearing a long, pointed cap, two glowing blue eyes were set.

It had no mouth at all.

‘How does it even eat.’

Kim Song-cheol hid behind the rock again.

“We will bind its movements.”

The eldest among the Arcadians offered his opinion.

“Can you bind it?”

To be honest, Kim Song-cheol didn’t have the confidence to bind that Monster.

A Hold Magic spell would likely break the moment it was cast, and even if he pierced its feet with Icicle Magic, it would only last for an instant.

So, how did they plan to bind it?

“Yes. If we use Group Magic, we can bind it.”

“Group Magic?”

“The four of us will use Magic together.”

“Oh.”

It was a concept he was hearing for the first time.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

Kim Song-cheol’s eyes sparkled as he stepped back.

He was very curious about how four people could use Magic together.

However, instead of casting the spell immediately, the Arcadians asked a question.

“How will you attack? We cannot hold it for long.”

“How long can you bind it?”

“Ten seconds at most.”

“Ten seconds at most.?”

It was shorter than he expected.

It was just enough time to run up and swing a sword a few times.

Being able to catch a Monster of that size even for a moment was impressive enough, but the phrase ‘at most’ bothered him.

In fact, Kim Song-cheol had been noticing it for a while now.

The Arcadians did not really try to mingle with Oh Song-hui or Ser Gang-jin.

In their eyes, the Swordsmen were likely classified as ‘Forsaken Ones.’

Then, would they have considered the safety of those two in this plan?

Kim Song-cheol didn’t think so.

“I believe there will be a certain chance of victory if we inflict a wound first and then drag it into a long-term battle,” the Arcadian added.

The ten seconds they were thinking of was not ten seconds to kill the Monster, but ten seconds to wound it.

As expected, it was a plan that didn’t consider the Swordsmen, and the core idea was to finish it by pouring Magic from a distance.

“Go ahead and bind it. I’ll handle it alone.”

“What? That’s.”

The Arcadians looked troubled at Kim Song-cheol’s words.

Though they couldn’t bring themselves to say it, their eyes were saying that someone of his level couldn’t handle it alone.

If he failed to deal with it, he would end up just provoking its temper without even inflicting a proper wound.

That was what the Arcadians were worried about.

But Kim Song-cheol had a plan of his own.

The weaknesses of Monsters appearing in an E-Rank Dungeon were obvious.

“It’s. Well. An order.”

“Ah, our apologies.”

At the words Kim Song-cheol squeezed out after some thought, the Arcadians immediately began preparing the Group Magic.

They hid behind the rock and stood in a circle.

Soon, a round Basic Circle appeared beneath their feet, and at the leader’s gesture, the Circle split into four pieces.

They began to fill in the pieces placed in front of them.

Though they were filling in different shapes, they eventually completed a single image.

‘That’s quite something.’

Kim Song-cheol was inwardly surprised.

It looked like just drawing a picture, but it was a highly advanced form of Magic.

If one were to try and buy this Magic, they would likely have to pay a considerable amount of Points.

“Please get ready,” the Arcadian said. Kim Song-cheol prepared to cast the most powerful and fastest spell he had, Lightning Spear.

“Let’s begin.”

As soon as Kim Song-cheol gave the signal.

“Neane Hwakachio!”

The moment the four Mages shouted simultaneously, chains of light erupted from beneath the Monster’s feet and bound it tight.

Clang-clang!

The Monster resisted with a grotesque scream, and the chains groaned as they were pulled taut, looking as if they might snap at any second.

It was then that Kim Song-cheol took a step out from beside the rock.

“Lightning Spear.”

With a low chant, a spear of lightning, bluer than ever before, appeared.

Crackle!

The spear of lightning tore through space, heading toward the Monster in an instant.

The Monster, which was resisting the chains, also spotted the spear of lightning.

It began to resist even more violently.

Grit!

Every time it shuddered its arms, the chains bound tight around them let out a pained sound.

In that moment.

Snap!

One of the chains broke.

There were still nine left, but with one destroyed, a gap appeared in the Monster’s movements.

Unlike when it was completely immobilized, it was now able to move slightly.

The Lightning Spear was aiming for the Monster’s eye.

However, as its range of movement widened, the position of its head shifted completely to the side.

At this rate, it was bound to miss.

“Ah.”

A low gasp escaped the Arcadian’s mouth.

It was because he clearly sensed Kim Song-cheol’s failure.

However.

The moment Kim Song-cheol’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the Lightning Spear cutting through the air.

Crackle!

The Lightning Spear drew a smooth arc and struck the Monster’s right eye as if it were being sucked into it.

Screech!

The Monster let out a single scream and threw its head back.

“Lightning Spear.”

Kim Song-cheol cast the Magic once more.

Crackle!

The lightning spear that was fired looked like it was aiming for the other eye, but instead, it struck the exact same spot where the previous one had hit.

The lightning scattered in all directions from the electric spear, which was lodged even deeper than the first one.

Judging by the depth it was embedded, it had certainly fried the brain this time.

As expected, the Monster lost its strength and its body went limp.

As the chains scattered with a clinking sound, the Monster’s massive body fell to the ground with a thud.

“Ohh.”

“We were foolish.”

The Arcadians were clearly shocked.

Kim Song-cheol’s method of using Magic was something they had never seen before.

However, they didn’t mention much about that.

It was because of the vague thought that if it were a Descendant of the Great Sage, such a thing might be possible.

Instead, they apologized to Kim Song-cheol.

Their point was that they were ignorant and didn’t recognize Kim Song-cheol’s deep intentions.

“We tried to judge the Descendant of the Great Sage with our narrow perspective.Please forgive us with your broad generosity.”

As one man bowed his head, the other Arcadians also bowed respectfully.

“Why are you all doing this? It’s fine.”

Only after Kim Song-cheol helped each of them straighten up could the Arcadians stand upright.

Their expressions brightened considerably.

It seemed they felt forgiven because Kim Song-cheol had personally touched them.

Team 25A and the Arcadians continued through the Dungeon together after that.

As expected, it was mainly Team 25A who gained Points, and the Arcadians limited themselves to assisting.

If other Hunters from Earth had witnessed this, they would have thought it strange.

No matter how friendly the relationship between Arcadians and Earthlings was, there was never a case where they stayed so close and served them.

Now that the boss was defeated, there was nothing left to hinder them.

As they continued forward while dealing with Monsters, an exit Portal was eventually discovered.

“Ah, the Portal is over there.”

An Arcadian pointed down the slope with a joyful voice.

In the center of the vast snowfield stood the Portal.

“Shall we head back?”

Oh Song-hui spoke energetically as she took the lead.

Team 25A and the Arcadians stopped briefly in front of the Portal.

It was time to say goodbye.

In fact, most encounters in a Dungeon are accidental.

Dungeons are assigned randomly, and there was no way to know who would enter which Dungeon.

“Regrettably, it seems it is time for us to return. We apologize for not being able to serve you until the very end.

“The Arcadians bowed deeply once more. They bowed when they met and bowed their heads several times now; Kim Song-cheol was finally getting used to it.

Even when they bowed their heads in apology, he didn’t feel any great sense of being sorry.

“We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

“It is said that the path of Magic never ends and extends eternally to reach the heavens.Also, since all paths lead to Magic, we will meet again on that path someday.I will pray and pray that that day comes quickly.”

“Yes, thank you for your help. And for promising the Magic Book.”

“Not at all. It is only what must be done.”

“Then, you go in first.”

“No, how could we go first.”

“Please, go in.”

When Kim Song-cheol urged them once more, the Arcadians fidgeted before bowing their heads again and cautiously entering the Portal.

“Ugh, don’t you find those people a bit unpleasant?”

As soon as the Arcadians disappeared, Oh Song-hui finally poured out her frustration.

There was no way she hadn’t noticed them subtly ignoring the Swordsmen.

“I don’t even know if they’ll send the Magic Book. Aren’t they just smooth talkers?”

“Who knows. Let’s just wait and see for now.”

Kim Song-cheol comforted Oh Song-hui.

Given her personality, it must have been quite irritating, so he was proud of her for holding back until the end.

“Really? I thought they seemed like good people. When I asked if I could try some of their food earlier, they shared it with me.That pink rice they were eating.”

On the other hand, Ser Gang-jin tilted his head in confusion.

When it came to ‘subtly ignoring,’ different people felt things differently.

“Are they good people just because they gave you food? They just gave it to you as charity because of Uncle.”

Oh Song-hui scolded him, but Ser Gang-jin was just muttering to himself, “Weren’t they good people? I think they’ll give us the Magic Book too.”

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