Association Underground Arena.
It was about the size of a sports field, with a separate lounge area for spectators.
“For dueling, you’ll need to change clothes. The locker rooms are over there, so please put on the provided outfit and come out.”
Following the Association staff’s directions, I entered the men’s locker room.
There were several lockers, and when I went to the one labeled Dokkaebi, I found a dark blue garment inside.
A dueling uniform.
Was it more like a casual hanbok? Or a martial garb?
The neat and clean outfit was quite pleasing. After pulling out the dueling uniform and changing, I stood before the mirror.
I moved around in it.
“Comfortable.”
The clothes were light enough to barely feel like I was wearing anything, and nothing hindered my movement.
Clack!
Opening the door and stepping out of the locker room, the dark arena was now brightly lit.
I moved forward and stood beside the Association President.
“President. Do you have any extra of these clothes?”
“Comfortable, are they?”
“Yes.”
“There aren’t any extras, but I’ll ask the Smith to make some. Do you have a preferred color?”
“I think black would be best—it won’t show dirt easily.”
“Any specific patterns you want?”
“A golden dragon.”
“Quite a firm taste you have. Understood. I’ll have it prepared that way.”
“Thank you.”
“We didn’t have time to talk properly earlier, so I didn’t get to ask. Why did you suddenly show up like this?”
Since even President Lee Changgeon was asking, it must have been something unexpected.
I gauged the atmosphere and used telepathy.
[It just annoyed me to see the Hunter I’m with being disrespected, so I stepped in.]
[Is that really all?]
[I had planned to step up for a while. Just deliberating on the timing.]
[The ones you mentioned before? The ones conspiring with China and targeting you?]
[Yes. That’s right.]
It was about time to share this information with Lee Changgeon.
Thinking back to the method the Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God had used…
Other Apostles might be scheming with Association heads of other countries.
The quickest to catch such things was President Lee Changgeon.
[Everything I’m about to tell you must remain between us.]
[Understood.]
[The Messiah who was waiting for me on Labyrinth 21st Floor turned out to be Antonio and the leaders of criminal organizations.]
I passed along the information about the Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God to Lee Changgeon,
including the things he had done in collaboration with the Chinese Association President.
[How many enemies remain?]
[Six. They won’t all appear at once but will come one after another. The second one probably has connections with a certain nation.]
[I’ll check that out myself.]
[Just act as usual, and let me know if you notice anything suspicious.]
[Got it. By the way, will you participate in the Hall of Glory event day after tomorrow?]
[Yes. Gotta claim the reward.]
As our conversation ended,
Jessica walked out from the women’s locker room. With her exotic looks and the hanbok-style martial garb she wore, she had a unique charm.
“I didn’t expect much from Korea, but the quality of these dueling uniforms is quite high.”
“It’s because they were made during the time when the Seven Heroes of Korea existed.”
The secretary pushed up her glasses and said.
“Oh? So this is their legacy?”
“More of them are still alive, actually.”
“That’s true. Well then, shall we start? I need to hurry back and report anyway.”
“Let’s.”
We walked into the arena together.
Each of us moved toward the black circles at opposite ends of the arena.
Then an announcement echoed.
- Please be advised before the duel begins.
- The dueling uniform is imbued with protective magic. It blocks a total of three attacks, and if one participant receives three critical hits, the duel immediately ends.
- To start the duel, please stand in place and raise your hand.
Jessica, standing across from me, curled the corner of her lips into a smirk and raised her hand.
“If you want to change to a different reward, do it now.”
“Why would I?”
“Losing is embarrassing.”
I raised my hand, looking at Jessica.
“What’s embarrassing about losing? That just means you gain experience. Besides, what I want isn’t victory—it’s experience.”
- Please prepare for the duel.
As the announcement ended, numbers appeared on the floor, counting down from 5 to 4, then slowly to 3.
“A rare challenger who excites me has appeared after a long time.”
Jessica clenched her fist tightly, smiling.
“I was going to take it easy, but I’ll fight with my best. You should also learn with all your heart.”
“Don’t worry. When it comes to learning, I’ve got a knack for it.”
“Don’t tempt me like that. I might end up wanting it.”
With a twitch of Jessica’s eyes, a massive magic circle appeared.
The duel begins.
The moment the announcement vanished, a swirling fiery tornado burst forth from the magic circle.
“Fire Hurricane.”
Seeing the powerful spell imbued with two elements approaching, I activated Absolute Barrier.
Kwahaaang!
The fiery tornado collided with the barrier, causing a violent explosion. The Absolute Barrier drained an immense amount of mana.
‘Definitely strong.’
But the attack wasn’t over.
As the explosion obscured my view ahead, I sensed a fierce movement of mana.
I awakened the mana of the Dragon Heart.
“Raging Storm Wind.”
With an incantation, I summoned a strong wind forward, blowing away the black smoke.
Jessica’s wide smile appeared as she drew a long curve in the air.
Her hands stretched high above her.
A massive magic circle hovered at her fingertips.
“Meteor Strike.”
A colossal meteor emerged from the magic circle that filled the arena’s ceiling.
The air grew scorching hot.
And it was falling fast.
Like a blazing sun dropping from the sky, the heat scorched my throat dry. The closer the meteor came, the thirstier I felt.
Though Absolute Barrier would block the meteor itself, it couldn’t protect me from the environmental effects it created.
“Ice Field.”
I froze the entire ground beneath me, summoning cold attributes.
The intense heat eased slightly, but the thirst remained.
Swallowing dryly, I lifted my head.
I watched the spell carefully, not dodging.
Inside the massive meteor hurtling straight at me, I saw magic.
[With Blessing of Magic (EX), you understand the principles and structure of Meteor Strike.]
[Your understanding of magic is very high.]
[Your understanding of attributes is high.]
[Adjusting rank.]
[Acquired Meteor Strike (S).]
As I absorbed the structure of the magic, I identified its weakness.
I adapted and used the spell.
I imagined it in my mind, borrowed mana from the Dragon Heart, and manifested it in reality.
Finally, I uttered the incantation to complete it.
“Ice Blossom.”
From the magic circle in my palm, a massive ice bloom erupted, forming a towering peak.
The cold spreading outward swallowed the heat, and the large, heat-absorbing peak bloomed brilliantly.
A beautiful Ice Blossom with tens of thousands of petals.
Jessica’s Meteor Strike fell upon it.
The petals blocked the huge meteor, melting and dropping one by one.
With the falling petals, the Meteor Strike landed a direct hit.
A brilliant light flashed as the meteor exploded.
Kwaaaaaang!
The explosion’s shockwave whipped up a fierce gale. The strong wind hurled me through the air, crashing into the wall.
“Ugh!”
Pain radiated throughout my body as I groaned. It’d been a while since I’d taken a hit like that. My senses were completely sharp.
If I hadn’t been wearing the dueling uniform, some part of me would have been destroyed.
I closed my eyes briefly and reviewed the battle.
The spell combination that obscured vision and then delivered a finishing blow—SS-rank magic was definitely on another level.
“Ugh…”
I stepped off the wall and onto the floor.
Thanks to my high natural recovery rate, this kind of impact would heal on its own after a short rest.
I brushed off the dust and relaxed my surprised muscles.
Then I walked back to the black circle.
“The first round goes to the left.”
“To start the second duel, please raise your hand.”
I raised my hand, preparing for the next battle.
“What? You’ve still got two more left.”
Jessica raised her eyebrow, a bit surprised at me.
“I thought this would be pretty boring. Turns out magic is a mind game too. Where did you come from, anyway?”
“Mind game?”
“You know the perfect way to block magic. It wasn’t the barrier I used at first, but my ice magic. You aimed right at that.”
She was right.
If I had used Absolute Barrier magic, the opponent’s stronger attack would have just shattered it.
Even if not, a single-layer defensive spell couldn’t stop Meteor Strike.
That’s why I mixed ice attributes, which are strong against fire, into a flower-shaped spell to disperse the impact.
“If it had been perfect, it would have blocked it.”
“Only because I made it on the spot and it wasn’t flawless.”
To notice that in a split second…
That woman was as monstrous as Yuseolha.
People with real talent were definitely different.
“How did you do that?”
“It just looks obvious.”
“Looks obvious?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
Jessica smiled again and raised her hand.
The duel begins.
This time, it was clear she was preparing a powerful spell, no combos or tricks.
‘Should I try targeting her first?’
I lightly used mana and fired ice spears at Jessica.
Dozens of ice spears flew.
Shaaak!
White frost scattered as the ice spears flew toward Jessica but melted the moment they touched her.
Flames flickered in Jessica’s hand.
Just from this, the Blessing of Magic hadn’t activated.
‘Preparation phase?’
I furrowed my brow, and seeing this, Jessica smiled and moved.
Pushing off the ground, she charged at me.
Leaping high, she loaded a punch and threw it with all her strength.
“Burning Impact!”
At that split second, the Blessing of Magic activated.
[With Blessing of Magic (EX), you understand the principles and structure of Burning Impact.]
[Your understanding of magic is very high.]
[Your understanding of attributes is high.]
[Adjusting rank.]
[Acquired Burning Impact (S).]
A close-combat magic that surrounds the fist with flames to strike.
Despite being a strong, meteor-like single blow, its close-range nature meant I couldn’t use Ice Blossom.
The only way to counter it was to dodge.
“Teleport.”
I distanced myself by slipping through space.
“Can you use that? Teleport?”
Jessica vanished from my sight.
The senses granted by Dragon God’s Body warned me.
Feeling a prickling sensation from behind, I teleported to keep distance again.
Flash!
Flash!
Flash!
As I dodged, Jessica pursued me immediately, repeating this while preparing magic.
I shrank the size of Ice Blossom.
Though in a narrow range, it would surely block the attack.
“Running ends here.”
Swish!
While I was momentarily distracted, Jessica predicted my movement and teleported in front of me.
Her flaming fist and her bright smile.
She pulled back her fist and threw it forward with all her strength, chanting magic.
“Burning Impact!”
Seeing that, I used magic too.
“Small Ice Blossom.”
A small peak formed where Jessica’s fist was flying.
But the chill from this small blossom was stronger than the giant Ice Blossom.
The blooming flower blocked Jessica’s punch.
Kwahaaang!
The moment Jessica’s fist hit the flower, a huge explosion erupted.
The Ice Blossom blocked the attack,
and the shockwave was pushed back onto Jessica.
Her body staggered back slightly, breaking her stance.
Seeing this, I gathered mana from the Dragon Heart.
Flare!
Flames bloomed around my fist.
“…What? That magic is…”
Jessica looked genuinely shocked as I swung my fist at her.
“Burning Impact!”
Kwahaaang!