Chapter 75: A Room You Cannot Leave Unless You Do It (2)

[Fire Arrow]

FWOOOOOSH—!

A flaming arrow shot forward.

A vivid crimson trajectory streaked through the air.

Dust suspended in the atmosphere began to burn.

A dazzling spectacle reminiscent of fireworks.

I would have admired it blankly.

‘…If I weren’t the target.’

A second Fire Arrow followed immediately.

FWOOOOOOOSH—!

Just as the scorching heat washed over me,

I leaped onto the bed.

At the same instant.

BAM! FWOOM—!

The flaming arrow slammed into the wall where I had been standing.

Flames spread, igniting the surrounding area.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! SNAP!

Wallpaper, carpet, sofa, bed—all crumbled into ash.

1st-class fire magic, Fire Arrow.

Normally, a basic spell used only against trash mobs like goblins.

But Shin Sodam’s Fire Arrow was unleashing power beyond imagination.

Flames erupted along its trajectory, burning everything in sight, and the wall it pierced had a massive hole blasted through it.

‘That’s not an arrow, that’s a damn stake.’

A direct hit would have instantly killed even an ogre.

I turned my gaze toward the source of the arrows.

“Haa…  Huff… Huff…”

Shin Sodam was panting heavily.

Trembling pupils. 

Disordered breathing. 

Flushed cheeks.

Sweat poured down her face like rain.

She was clearly in bad shape.

Then.

[Fire Arrow]

Sparks began bursting around her like fireworks.

CRACK— SNAP! CRACKLE-CRACKLE~!

Ten blazing arrows materialized simultaneously.

Casting multiple spells at once is not something just anyone can do.

It is a domain of pure talent, unrelated to class or mana quantity.

Shin Sodam muttered.

“This time… you won’t be able to dodge.”

She flicked her finger.

FWOOOSH~! FWOOOOOOOSH—!

Ten flaming arrows surged forward all at once.

Like carpet bombing, they rained down from every direction.

The bed was instantly turned into swiss cheese.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!

But.

Swish— swish— swish—

I weaved and dodged between the hail of arrows, leaping off the bed.

‘…As expected.’

Shin Sodam, the Red Mage Tower Lord, was a publicly acknowledged fire magic specialist.

Her specialty was destructive magic that swept across wide areas.

There was probably no mage better at eliminating targets.

Rumors said her destructive power rivaled S-rank.

But there was a way to counter her.

Because she still carried all the weaknesses of the mage class.

Mages inevitably go through three processes in combat:

1. Circle formation.  

   Creating a conduit to manifest internal mana externally.

2. Incantation.  

   Also known as casting—through this, the mage materializes the spell.

3. Spell manifestation.  

   Launching, slamming down, or draping the completed spell.

In short,

‘…It’s slow.’

There is an unavoidable delay in a mage’s combat process.

Even the Red Mage Tower Lord was no exception.

Now, let me recall every enemy I’ve faced in my brutal hunter life:

Crowmen. Death Knight. Hellhound. Cerberus. Skeleton Queen. Death Lord. Flamecrow. Vampire Lord…

Every single one of them, without exception, had outstanding mobility.

In other words, I’ve been trained to the point of nausea in evasion.

FWOOOSH— FWOOOOOSH—! FWOOOSH—!

Dozens of Fire Arrows flew endlessly.

Yet.

Swish— swish— swish—

With a single light step.

By slightly twisting my shoulder.

By crouching or rolling.

I could dodge them all.

Shin Sodam’s attacks were completely visible.

‘All that steady investment in Agility paid off.’

Thanks to Strength and Stamina rising together, I wasn’t even getting tired.

Meanwhile.

“Haa… Huff… huff…”

Shin Sodam was gasping like she’d just sprinted full-tilt.

Her complexion was visibly worsening.

She was clearly in severe mana depletion.

Finally, she snapped in frustration.

“Why… the hell… won’t you get hit!?”

Her red hair whipped wildly.

At the same time, two red circles formed in the air.

[Fireball]

2nd-class fire magic, Fireball.

Normally, a Fireball projectile should be the size of a soccer ball.

But.

GRRRRRRRR!

The one Shin Sodam created was the size of a massive boulder.

A burning rock began plummeting like a comet.

KWAKWAKWAKWA!

Fire spread everywhere, turning the air into a steam room.

Sparks bounced wildly like meteors.

The gigantic comet was slowly but surely falling straight toward me.

This was different from the dozens of arrows.

A Fireball that size would engulf the entire area.

Front, back, left, right—no escape.

Then Shin Sodam’s voice came from above.

“Just die already… please…”

She had flown near the ceiling using flight magic.

Which meant.

‘That spot is outside the attack range.’

I immediately equipped the Brackish Gloves and Brackish Boots.

Ding-dong!

<Activating item skill ‘Mucus Secretion’ from Brackish Gloves!> 

<Activating item skill ‘Mucus Secretion’ from Brackish Boots!>

SPLAT!

Sticky, viscous mucus oozed from my hands and feet, adhering to the wall.

I began climbing the wall like a spider.

Stick— stick— stick— stick— stick— stick-stick~!

By the time I reached near the ceiling,

KWAKWABOOOM!

An explosion and a wave of searing heat surged upward.

The Fireball had detonated on the floor.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH

A massive crater formed in the center of the room, flames spreading in all directions.

Bed, chairs, table, carpet, picture frames—everything melted like ice cream.

But only for a moment.

Shhhhhhh—

A hazy afterimage flickered, and the damaged furniture rapidly restored itself.

Just as Shin Sodam had said.

Everything in the Sexual Desire section repairs itself instantly even if destroyed.

‘Even the Red Mage Tower Lord’s destructive power can’t break this barrier.’

Normal skills wouldn’t be enough to destroy the room’s seal.

Then an irritated voice rang out.

“What the hell are you! Why! Why! Why! Whyyyy—!”

“?”

She sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Don’t dodge! Just get hit! Just let yourself get hit!”

Her vocabulary had regressed to kindergarten level.

She really knew how to phrase “please die gracefully” in the most vicious way possible.

Still clinging to the wall, I looked at her.

Bloodshot eyes, pale face.

She clutched her head and screamed.

“I know! I know it doesn’t make sense! I know it’s nonsense! But what am I supposed to do!? I can’t die here! You know who I am, right!?”

“…”

“I’m Shin Sodam, the Red Mage Tower Lord. That’s right… If I’m gone, the country… no, the world will be in danger… I’m a national treasure… I’m a hero who’ll save countless lives in the future… So…”

I wasn’t sure if she was making excuses or rationalizing to herself.

She looked at me and said,

“You said your name was Cha Hasang, right? I swear on the name of Ifrit, King of Flame Elementals—after we get out, I’ll support you however you want for the rest of your life. I’ll publicly reveal everything I’ve done wrong and bear my sins properly. I swear it. I’ll make sure your family lives in peace forever… So…”

She gritted her teeth.

“So please… I’m really sorry. Let’s end this here.”

Crimson mana began surging around her.

HUM— HUM HUM— HUM—

Six red mana circles floated in the air.

No mistake.

She was about to use the same 6th-class spell she had used at Lethe Tower.

Her unfocused eyes stared at me.

Her stamina and mana—everything looked completely spent.

Then.

『Red Secret Art, First Fusion: Neutron Bomb 』

A massive sphere of boiling lava formed.

Blinding light and suffocating heat filled the room.

There was no space left to dodge.

The moment she flicked her finger, that colossal lava sun would swallow me whole.

But at that instant.

Sniff—!

An unexpected sound.

Shin Sodam was sobbing, hand over her mouth.

“…Killing an innocent person… just to survive…  

What kind of… national treasure… what kind of hero… What the hell… am I…”

Transparent tears rolled down her cheeks.

They evaporated into faint steam before even hitting the floor.

Slowly, she lowered both trembling hands.

At the same time, the lava spell began to dissipate.

I shouted toward her.

“Hey! So you’re not using that anymore, right!?”

“……What?”

She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

I extended my hand and continued.

“If you’re not using it… mind if I take it?”

Then.

Ding-dong!

<Activating skill 『Embers』!>

Dark crimson feathers sprouted across my body and began absorbing the flames.

GRRRRRRRRR—

<The Flamecrow’s feathers are absorbing flame energy!>

The heat filling the room swirled into a vortex and rushed toward me.

And not only that.

KUguGuGuGuGu—

The airborne lava sphere turned into pure crimson mana and was sucked in.

GRRRR— GRRRRRRRRR~!

Countless strands of crimson light poured into me all at once.

Shin Sodam stared blankly and muttered.

“You… what the hell… are you…”

At that moment.

Ding-dong!

<All flame energy absorbed!>

My entire body burned as if a thermal power plant had ignited inside me.

I slowly raised my hand toward the room’s exit door.

KUguGuGuGuGu—

The crimson mana absorbed by the Flamecrow’s feathers turned pure black.

—Ding-dong!

<Casting possessed skill 『Gluttony Slayer Secret Art 』!>  

<Current output of 『Gluttony Slayer Secret Art』: 15%>

Then.

『Seven Demons First Strike Secret Art: Gluttony Slayer, Beelzebub』

Darkness descended.