Episode 74

Ju Na-young.

Red hair reaching the waist.
Though not as much as Moon Bora, a generously large chest.
On top of that, her characteristic bright, lively, and sensible personality.

It was strange that she wasn’t popular, but as expected, she was well-received among the supervisors
To the point that she could easily surpass even Moon Bora, who had a solid fan base.

However, this popularity wasn’t solely due to her character.

The biggest reason was her performance.

In ‘GAL,’ she was a universally acknowledged 5★ born cheat character and a breath-holder.

That was Ju Na-young.

When she first appeared, most supervisors, including myself, thought of her as a [Main Dealer] class that mainly uses fists and legs, like [Martial Artist] or [Beast Fighter].

‘But that’s not it.’

Ju Na-young’s true class was actually [Druid].

A druid in ‘GAL’ was often considered an all-or-nothing job.

If it wasn’t good, it was a mediocre utility job, with weak dealing and poor healing.

In other words, if the conditions were met, it was a utility job with dealing.
And it was a broken job capable of conditional healing.

Of course, in Ju Na-young’s case, maybe due to the developers’ conscience, she could never learn healing skills.

However, it didn’t mean she lacked unique utility skills, so despite being a ‘dealer,’ she was highly regarded among supervisors.

Fortunately, there was no need to worry about being a [Druid] right now.

Ju Na-young had only been honing her physical martial arts.

[Spirit Magic], which required communication with spirits or nature, was still immature.

Therefore, it would take her a few months after enrollment to use skills befitting the name [Druid].

Then, could that dragon form be a <Druid> skill? One might think.

‘No.’

That was the power of Ju Na-young’s [Unique Ability].

‘[Dragon’s Child].’

The inheritor of the bloodline of the <Red Dragon> passed down through generations.
An ability considered one of the most fraudulent among Epic-grade skills.
If combined with the condition of being a <Druid>, it shows its fraudulent nature.

When these two merge, the strength of the person known as Ju Na-young unfolds.

‘Alias…’

<Druid of the Dragon, Ju Na-young>.
That was her true name.

“What, Yu Seha? Already tired?”

In an instant, Ju Na-young’s voice resonated.

A dazzling smile, slightly off, was plastered on her lips.

Her eyes were distinctly marked with diamond-shaped pupils.

The dragon’s blood flowing through her veins triggered ‘greed’, which naturally ignited a strong desire for victory in battles.

“…Huh.”

I clicked my tongue involuntarily.
The current situation was 3–1.
It was obvious to anyone that she was at a disadvantage.

However, Ju Na-young’s fighting spirit remained unbroken.
No, rather, she burned even more with the mentality, ‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll carry!’

This wasn’t merely a matter of mental fortitude.

From the start, Ju Na-young is a character whose tension peaks when she fights alone.

Simply put, it meant she could rampage to her heart’s content without anything or anyone getting in her way.

Bang!
Bang!
Bang!

Ju Na-young’s [Continuous Strikes] showed no signs of stopping.
Perhaps it was because her ancestor was a dragon.

Ju Na-young’s maximum magic was exceptionally outstanding.

This meant that unlike someone like me who focused on a decisive first strike, she also had good endurance.

“Seha!”
“Mister Seha!”

Ma Hana and Moon Bora rushed in while barely blocking or dodging.

“Be ready!”

The red aura surrounding Ju Na-young’s body grew even stronger.

Ujeok!

A shockwave, as if blocking a cannonball head-on, reverberated through Meowi’s shield.

“M-Meeeooow?!”

An attack more intense than expected.
Meowi, who cast [Shield Raise], was helplessly blown away.

Ppeobeok!

In the meantime, Moon Bora raised several [Ice Pillars] around Ju Na-young.

However, she had the sturdy scales of the Red Dragon.

And Ju Na-young’s defense, armed with the intense heat of [Burning Flame], couldn’t be pierced by Moon Bora’s firepower.

“…Keuk!”
“What the? [Snow Ice] is nothing special either!”

Ju Na-young shouted as she smashed the [Ice Pillars].

‘…Ohh.’

Truly, there was no one like her.

Anyway, looking at it this way, it seemed hopeless, but since she was still a person, she did have weaknesses.

When she gets heated, she becomes incredibly stubborn.
And she had the significant flaw of naturally having a ‘narrow vision.’
Adding to this was her impatient nature, making her even more vulnerable in areas requiring calmness and keen observation.

In a way, she seemed foolishly reckless, but it also meant that she was strong enough that none of these weaknesses really mattered.

Puh-puh-buk-!

“Meow!”
“Eik!”

Due to Ju Na-young’s relentless [Rapid Strikes], not only Meowi but even Moon Bora were sent flying backward.

However, thanks to the time the two bought, they finally managed to finish the preparations.

I bent my waist.
Pulled my legs back.
Clenched the sword hilt as if it would shatter and dashed forward.

A flash-like strike was unleashed towards Ju Na-young.

However, Ju Na-young, with heightened senses as the [Dragon’s Child] had already noticed when Yu Seha placed his hand on the sword hilt.

“I’m not stupid enough to take a hit from such an obvious move!”

Bang!

Ju Na-young lifted her tail and slammed it into the ground.

Using the recoil to move at high speed.

The edge of [Flowing Slash] narrowly grazed her side.

At this moment, Ju Na-young was confident of her victory.

The greatest weakness she knew of was his maximum mana.

She was well aware that Flowing Slash consumed an immense amount of mana, making it specialized for short-term battles.

That same person had used Flowing Slash twice in the air.

‘…At most, he could use it one or two more times.’

Among the three here, the only one who could inflict significant damage on her was Yu Seha’s sword.

As long as she stayed alert, she could endure until the end.

As Ju Na-young took her stance, she was startled by a strange noise coming from behind and turned around.

To her surprise, Yu Seha, whom she thought had thrown Flowing Slash into the air, clashed into someone.

The opponent was…

“…Ma Hana?”

“Meow! Seha!”
“Yes!”

Incredibly, the shield and sword were clashing, gradually turning crimson.

It was undoubtedly the power of a rune that Ju Na-young didn’t know about.

The increasing magnitude of the power set off alarms in her mind.

‘No way. Could it be that, from the start, he never intended to hit me…?’

Was their goal to amplify each other’s buffs?

Ju Na-young infused her legs with magic.

Using [Dash] to its extreme, she dashed forward.

She had to attack and block those two now.

Otherwise, it would be dangerous!

But she couldn’t help but flinch at the ice wall rising before her.

[Ice Wall].
It was a derivative skill of the Hero-grade [Frozen Tundra].

“<Snow Ice>!”
“…I can’t just stand by and watch.”
“Young-ah!”

Bang, bang, bang!

Ju Na-young indiscriminately pounded on the ice wall.

It cracked and shattered with a sharp sound.

Immediately, [Turtle Shield] appeared right in front of her.

“…!?”
“[Shield Bash-Strong]!”

Boom!

A cat-shaped shockwave struck Ju Na-young.

Ju Na-young staggered backward.
There was a slight tingling in her body, but no major damage.

Partly because she instinctively raised her arms to defend, but also because she was tough and had high stats, she soon regained her composure.

“Seha!”

However, what Ma Hana targeted was not her skill.

It was Yu Seha’s [Flowing Slash], barely controlling the trembling sword hilt.

As soon as her words ended, Yu Seha [Charged] forward.

A [Flowing Slash-Enhanced], two to three times larger and stronger, unfolded in front.
The attack power enhanced by [Wrath of the Turtle (P)] was a bonus.

Ju Na-young’s complexion hardened at the sight of the ominous red sword energy.

“…Damn.”

Ju Na-young clicked her tongue.

She frowned as if it wasn’t the right time to use it, but soon changed her stance.

[Burning Flame] wrapped around her right arm, spinning.

Then came a massive fist strike.

Yu Seha’s eyes widened in reverse at the sight.

Bang!

A resounding shockwave burst out.

Both Ju Na-young and Yu Seha were flung backward, rolling on the ground.

The longsword in Yu Seha’s hand spun in the air and plunged in front of Ju Na-young.

‘…Wow, insane.’

Yu Seha, sprawled out, was slightly dumbfounded.

‘…[Collapsing Fist], really?’

A Hero-tier skill.
A derivative skill of [Martial Arts], essentially the final skill attainable from [Martial Arts].

Considering the unusual power of [Rapid Strike], he had a hunch, but…

“…To think she really learned it.”

An exclamation came out.

As expected of Ju Na-young.
True to her 5★ origins, she was an extraordinary talent.
Of course, it must have taken immense effort from her side to learn it.
From acquiring such skills at that age, it was clear her talent was top-notch.

“…Young-ah.”

Yu Seha was beyond surprised, finding it absurd.
Ju Na-young, who had been watching him, smiled faintly.
Thinking she had hidden it well, she retrieved the [Turtle’s Longsword] from the ground with her tail.

“…Hey, Ju Na-young. As a courtesy, give back my weapon.”
“…Heheung~”

With her arms crossed, Ju Na-young pondered, ‘What should I do~?’

Flicking her tail, she exclaimed lines that she found embarrassing.

“Come on, try saying ‘Miss Ju Na-young~ Please, I beg you~’.”
“…Hey, you’re not that kind of character.”
“Say it, come on. Hurry!”
“…Oh, come on. No way, it’s too dirty to say.”
“Ah, just say it! Please!”

Yu Seha waved his hand in disbelief at Ju Na-young’s absurd demand.

Soon, with a look of ‘Is it time…?’ he smiled gently.

“By the way, isn’t your field of vision really narrow?”
“…What?”
“Haven’t you noticed since earlier?”

Our mage and tanker?

“…?!”

At those words, Ju Na-young flinched and looked around.

Come to think of it…
They could attack anytime.
Neither Moon Bora nor Ma Hana’s figures could be seen.

Just then.

Kugugugu!

“…!”

Ju Na-young realized that the ground beneath her feet has suddenly frozen.

‘Is this all?’ That thought vanished from Yu Seha’s brightly smiling face.

Dududu! The shaking beneath her feet became increasingly severe.

Beyond the arena.

Moon Bora, eyes closed, was seen chanting a spell.

Soon, with a tremendous noise, a long ice pillar shot up, taking Ju Na-young with it.

In the suddenly elevated field of vision, Ju Na-young forgot she had dropped his sword and shivered.

Her breathing became labored, and her eyes started to tremble.

“…Heuk!”

At this height, it should be fine.
She just had to melt the ice and escape below.

“That won’t work!”
“…!”

But Yu Seha, who noticed it, caught the falling sword and cut the end of the ice pillar in half.

A momentary gap appeared as the ice wobbled.

“Meowi!!!”
“Yes!”

Responding like lightning to the shout, Ma Hana squeezed her body through the brief gap.

She gathered strength from the shield she was holding.

With a powerful shockwave, she lifted the ice high up.

“[Push Shield]!”

Instantly, the ice pillar carrying Ju Na-young shot up high.

It didn’t stop there.

Moon Bora, having completed her final casting, launched dozens of [Ice Pillars] like missiles, sending the ice even higher.

The ice pillar shot up with a whoosh to the height of about a five-story building.

Seeing that, Yu Seha clenched his fists tightly.

“Alright! We’ve won with this!”
“…Really, is this enough?”

Moon Bora, who approached from the side, asked with a hint of worry.

To her, it must seem like a ridiculous act.

“If Ju Na-young’s physical abilities are intact, she should be able to come down without any major damage.”
“It’s okay. She’s got a severe fear of heights.”
“…What?!”

Yu Seha’s completely unexpected words.

This was precisely Ju Na-young’s biggest weakness and the main strategy to counter her.

In ‘GAL’, there was a gimmick where Ju Na-young appeared as the main boss in an early event.

Even then, Ju Na-young was a truly breath-taking boss based on her monstrous stats and powerful skills.

But this was only in terms of specs. Defeating her was actually easy.

‘There were many traps that lifted her high.’

This was understood through Ju Na-young’s main story, which revealed that she had a severe fear of heights.

“…So this was the plan from the beginning…”
“No matter how strong we are, to defeat <Flame Dragon> we have to be prepared to break a limb. Even if she looks like that now, she probably still has half her mana left. [Rapid Strike] is a given, and [Collapsing Fist] can be used two more times.”

In fact, if it turned into a long-term battle, they had no chance of winning.
Therefore, they resorted to this trick.

“…Of course, using her trauma… I feel really sorry about it…”
“…How did you even know that…? Ah, never mind. Just make sure to apologize later.”
“Yeah, I will.”

Yu Seha sheathed the sword at his waist and lifted his head.

First, it seemed necessary to focus on catching Ju Na-young, who was about to fall.

Meanwhile, Ju Na-young staying on the high ice.

“Y-y-yoooouuuung-aaah!”

In front of her eyes, it was literally spinning this way and that, round and round.