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My calculations were simple.
In Bodenov Silla’s hand was a short dagger.
That meant the
Of course, the
But that only worked if the target allowed themselves to be hit.
My plan was to close the distance, use my shield and longsword to draw her into my pace, and gradually build momentum until I overwhelmed her.
That was the plan, at least…
‘Did I underestimate her too much?’
In hindsight, it was obvious.The opponent was also a cadet classified as S-grade like me.Moreover, I even evaluated her to be at least a
Clearly, she wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.
‘…Let’s be cautious.’
Never lose your vigilance.
Buzz, buzz, crash!
A sharp sound of air being pierced echoed.Immediately, I sensed a strike falling from the sky like a thunderbolt.
I twisted my ankle to evade Silla’s attack.
The end of the whip was adorned with sharp iron spikes and dozens of blades, resembling a mace.
Following this was a long, snake-like form.
It could be considered a type of weapon commonly known as a whip.
I took a deep breath and focused my eyes.
The skill activated according to my will, providing detailed information about Silla’s characteristics.
The whip’s handle was identical to the hilt of the dagger she had been holding earlier.
Only the blade stretched long, defying the laws of physics and transforming into a whip.
‘And it keeps changing shape mid-fight.’
Ka-kak!
I blocked the blade of the whip, shaking my shield, and stepped back.
The whip, which had moments ago been a single long blade, had now transformed into segmented, jagged shards resembling a chain of swords.
Occasionally, the end of the whip, which headed in one direction, split into up to three parts, rushing like a snake’s head.
Truly diverse, threatening, and unconventional attacks.
It felt as if I was trapped within the domain unfolded by Bodenov Silla.
‘Hmm, after seeing it a few times, I think I understand for sure.’
At first, I thought it was her [Intrinsic Skill].But I realized it was a result of a complex application.
Perhaps…
“[Metal Forging], [Weak Telekinesis], [Shape Imbuing], [Turbulence], [Magnetism Imbuing]… and probably a few more thrown in?”
“…?!”
For the first time, Silla, who had been brimming with confidence, looked genuinely startled.
It was like seeing a strict professor lose their composure when a problem they thought was unsolvable was suddenly solved.
“…Crazy. You figured all that out? No one has ever seen through it in one go before…”“Well, it was obvious…”“Amazing… Not just the
Huh…?Leader…?
At my puzzled look, she smiled softly.
“Actually, this sparring match isn’t just about building camaraderie with you.”“Huh?”“I’m here to make a scouting offer.”“Scouting…?”“Yeah, even though I look like this, I’m part of a
Oh, a
Indeed, with someone of her skill, it would be strange if she wasn’t part of one.
“Which one? And what do you mean by leader?”“It’s not hard to tell you, but…”
She trailed off.Narrowing her eyes as usual, she snapped her whip with a whoosh!
The whip, raised above her head, wavered.
It transformed into a mace and came crashing down.
It was an attack reminiscent of
“We’re in the middle of a sparring session, right? I’ll tell you when we’re done.”
Boom!!!
The whip struck relentlessly.I gave up deflecting it with my longsword and focused on using my shield.
In my mind, I projected the image of a wriggling Meowi with a ‘Meow~’.As if she had possessed my body, I defended with the same stance and flow.
Clang!
A combination of [Shield] trait and [Raise Shield].
Surprisingly, as I blocked it well, Silla looked at me in surprise.
It seemed she was astonished that a
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sparring continued.
In about a minute of exchanging blows, I had drawn a clear conclusion.
‘Not easy.’
It wasn’t easy.
In fact, if I used [Monstrous Strength] or most of the skills I possessed, I could easily win.
Silla was definitely a strong
In that sense, she wasn’t a match for me.
However, I silently raised my shield and observed Silla’s movements.
The reason was simple.
‘It’s fun.’
Right now, in this moment—I was thoroughly enjoying myself.
In ‘GAL,’ there was no character using a whip as a weapon.
In that sense, Bodenov Silla was the first whip master I ever encountered.
Her technique was delicate and threatening.
A technique that was graceful yet never allowed the distance to close.
I etched her technique into my eyes.Accepting it without missing a single detail.
Before I knew it, I started to understand all the paths of Silla’s whip.
‘However…’
Understanding them didn’t mean I could immediately close the gap.
I could try [Reckless Dash], [Strong Agility].And adding [Free Charge] to swiftly increase speed…
‘…but it doesn’t seem like a good idea.’
In my mind, I foresaw that even if I saw through it, Silla would still not allow the distance to close.
Given her skill level, she wasn’t going to be easily caught off guard.
For a brief moment, I hesitated.
Swish!
“Hmm?”
Soon, a good idea came to mind.
Silla’s whip was a combination utilizing various utility abilities through [Metal Forging].
It was a delicate operation, but as a result, it was inevitably vulnerable to weaknesses.
‘Especially to fire.’
Whoosh!
“…Oh my?”
Wrapping [Burning Flames] around the shield, it resisted Silla’s whip.
Silla looked surprised.Soon, she smiled broadly and infused her whip with magic.The magic coating the whip pushed back [Burning Flames].
“Nice thought, but…”
I’m not foolish enough not to prepare for such an obvious weakness.
Silla spoke confidently, but my thoughts were a bit different.
‘Hmm.’
If the firepower were just a little higher, it seemed like it would collapse right away.
“Whew…”
I took a short breath.
I focused solely on [Burning Flames], as if it were dancing around the shield.
Come to think of it, this might be the first time.
‘To focus solely on [Burning Flames].’
My main strategy was to achieve high synergy by operating a combination of skills with various effects.
Therefore, [Burning Flames] was merely a skill that dealt fire attribute damage.
Nothing more, nothing less.
However, using it alone like this made it clearer.
I naturally understood how the magic flowing through my body transformed into the primal force known as ‘fire.’
‘Phew…’
What was this feeling?
For a moment, I thought it was easy to breathe.
Even though this hot energy was surging, it felt lukewarm.
‘I feel like I can increase it…’
I feel like I can burn even hotter.
Then, a subtle warmth surged through my heart.
This sensation.
It was in my memory.
‘Ju Na-young.’
I recalled the day I unlocked [Dragon Breath] through a kiss—the day I glimpsed and touched the immense draconic power within her.
On that day, I had come to understand what fire, wielded by a dragon, truly was.
‘So that’s it.’
This was the sensation.With this…I could rise even higher.
Whoosh!
The flames grew increasingly intense.
Startled, Silla attacked even more fiercely.
I felt no need to raise my shield and just stood still.
The approaching end of the whip.
Sizzle, sizzle!
“…What?!”
Before it could directly touch me, it melted away and fell to the floor with a thud.
Along with Silla’s astonished voice, the
“Oh…”
I looked around my body.A gentle flame swirled around like a mirage.
The most noticeable thing was the [Shield] in my hand.
Wooong!
At the center of the shield.
An eye pattern was engraved, emitting a gentle flame.
Instinctively, I realized it was the effect of a
‘Anyway…’
An
Other than [Overlord’s Annihilation]?
Leaving the astonished Silla behind, who thought, ‘No way… Did you gain a new power in that short time?’ I touched the screen.
I instinctively recognized that the ability engraved on the shield was the [Eyes of Crimson Flame].
‘The effect slightly increases the durability of the weapon in hand and grants the
It was satisfactory.
It was a similar effect to the flame attribute [Enchant] used by the
‘Good then…’
Shall I end the sparring now?
Fwoosh!
I held intense flames and raised the shield towards Silla.
With strength in my legs, boom, I charged forward.
[Movement Speed Adjustment] skill increased my speed.
“…!!”
As expected, Silla, who had skillfully seen through it as initially anticipated, swung the whip directly.
From the sensing aura, I instinctively discerned that it was her own critical technique.
Sizzle, sizzle!
But it was useless.
As soon as it touched the shield, the whip couldn’t withstand it and melted, rolling around on the floor.
“W-wait… wait a minute!!”“There’s no ‘wait a minute’ in the middle of a fight!”
In an instant, my body was enveloped by a shockwave of red light.
It was the activation of [Charge Crush] obtained after defeating the [Flame Alligator Man].
Boom!
A chilling roar echoed.
“Keeek!”
I embedded the massive weight directly into Silla’s torso.
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