223 — S-Class Monster (7)

A cracking sound was heard.

The source of the sound was none other than the Dragon Kirin.

The Dragon Kirin, whose crowd control gauge filled instantly, shattered into pieces and disappeared.

“Well done, Cadet Divine Light Garam!”
“Well done, Senior Neung!”
“Neung, Neung, Neung!”

Divine Light Garam stopped along with the Blood Horse.
Making ‘Neung, Neung…’ sounds, it rolled on the ground.

I gave her a thumbs up for her hard work.
Divine Light Garam smiled back and raised her thumb as well.

“Neu-Neung!”

With this, Divine Light Garam’s role was over.

Return to command.

And now, I just had to continue monitoring ‘Shibasaki Ryuko’ on the hill, biting her nails and sweating cold sweat.

---

Thud thud thud thud thud!!!

The Blood Horse carrying me and Peng Jin-ah accelerated.
A rough noise was heard around.
In the swirling red wind, Peng Jin-ah shouted.

“Cadet Yu Seha! The Kirin is using its second pattern!”
“…! It’s happening faster than I thought!”
“Surely, it feels threatened! It’s proof that our method is working!”

It was just as Peng Jin-ah said.

The Kirin in the sky flinched, perhaps not expecting it’s Dragon Kirin to be destroyed so easily.

It glanced at us once with its eyes.

Without breaking eye contact, it crouched and curled its body like a ball.

The Kirin’s second stage pattern.

It was the same Epic grade skill as Dragon Kirin, called [Tuning of Balance].

This ability was also simple.

A recovery skill that gradually restores health and mana over time.

However, it had one cruel option attached.

‘That is, skills below Unique grade have no effect whatsoever.’

It was the same effect that <Trent Hydra> had after final adaptation.

A simple yet extremely powerful additional ability.

Like the Dragon Kirin, there was no special countermeasure for this.

Kwak kwak kwak!!!

The paladins’ fire support continued relentlessly.

But their attacks were blocked by [Tuning of Balance] and meant nothing.

Among those fighting now, very few have Unique grade skills.

And even fewer have offensive type skills.

So I gave her a heads-up in advance.

I took a deep breath.

Drawing the [Sword of the Saint] from my waist, I activated [Burning Flame Demon].

The blazing flames were a signal flare to start, and the shouting command became the transmission terminal.

“Su Ok-bin noona!!!”

---

“…It would be better if you were my noona.”

Su Ok-bin smiled softly at Yu Se-ha’s shout.

Everything was proceeding just as he said it would.

And now, at this moment, it was her turn to step up.

“Hoo…”

Blood-red mana.

It soon formed lively bat wings spreading behind Su Ok-bin.

Flapping, they took flight.

The unique mana of vampire and elf mixed, emitting a sinister aura.

The paladins nearby flinched but soon nodded seriously toward her.

A grudge and enmity formed through continuous battles and history.

But regardless, they paid respect to Su Ok-bin who risked her life to fight.

Su Ok-bin smiled bitterly as if she never thought this day would come.

‘To live and see the day when the cult members thank me.’

She would live long to see that.

She raised her hand.

Above her head appeared a blood-red spear and three magic circles tracing its path.

The manifestation of Unique grade skill [Mixed Blood].

More precisely, the ultimate skill, [Blood Pierce].

The magic circles Su Ok-bin developed herself enhanced the spear’s power.

Strong mana gathered throughout Su Ok-bin’s body.

When she stuck out her tongue, the unique emblem of the ultimate skill appeared at the center.

And the following incantation.

“<Pierce through.>”

With a calm shout, the blood-red spear was launched.

Its speed was so fast it reached the target in the blink of an eye.

Puh!

-Kweeeeeeek!!!

[Tuning of Balance] was shattered instantly, and a grotesque scream echoed from the Kirin’s mouth.

The damage was greater than expected, and the Kirin began to fall.

Of course, even so, it was an S-rank monster.

It soon regained consciousness and hovered in the air.

But it descended to a distance reachable from the ground.

“Hoo…”

Su Ok-bin slowly flapped her wings and landed.

She bent one knee.
A recoil from exerting too much power.

She lightly refused help from around and looked up at the voice she heard.

Yu Seha was seen shaking his sword and shouting, ‘Thank you!!!’

She smiled sincerely at him.

“From now on, it’s your time.”

Mister Yu Seha.

“My little hero.”

I, Su Ok-bin, will watch over your exploits.

---

Kwarung!

A world of blue light.

Pure electricity began to fill the world.

-Kweeeeeeek!!

The Kirin’s unique grotesque roar.
But it was different from before.

The roar was filled with the sacredness and fear unique to divine beasts.

I instinctively knew.
That was the Kirin’s desperate struggle.
It meant I sensed that it was the end for it.

‘Surely, it will come at full power.’

Just as expected.

The surging electricity boiled as if alive, showing fierce momentum.

An Epic grade skill possessed only by the <Kirin> in ‘GAL’.

The pinnacle of electric attribute skills, considered the strongest in both offense and defense.

It began to fully utilize [Roaring Thunderstrike].

Crackle!!!

The gathered electricity formed a unique sphere.

A sphere flying slowly yet fast.

Soon, the sphere stopped midway.

Then it transformed into small bundles of electricity, pouring down like crawling insects.

A derived skill, [Thunder Spirit].

I looked at the approaching electricity and quickly judged.

‘Dealing with each one individually is inefficient and a waste of time.’

I decided to take the best approach.
As I gathered mana, Peng Jin-ah shouted.

“Cadet Yu Seha!”
“Please trust me, Master!”

Activated [Slime’s Exhibition].
From within, I drew a small sword resembling a dragon’s open mouth.

It was the Red Scales used by ‘qi’.

When I infused mana into it, the dragon’s pupil was engulfed in flames and trembled slightly.

At the tip of the blade, a water droplet shimmered.
It was the derived skill [Tsunami] of [Dragon Rising Tide].

What I aimed for now was a single spear that would tear through this world of electricity in one strike.

‘Focus.’

I formed the image.

Just then, the experience to help was in my mind.

<Garden of Pearl Tortoise>.

A formidable enemy I first met with Meowi, and the start of a fateful encounter.

I recalled the experience of its [Water Breath] attack.

‘Once seen…’

I could imitate it.

I grabbed Red Scales with both hands and pulled it back.
I thrust it forward with all my strength.

Kwak kwak kwak!!!

The [Tsunami] fired according to my will sprayed out like a powerful water jet unlike before.

Of course, some parts were poorly controlled and splattered everywhere, but that was enough.

Clashing with lightning, a path for the [Blood Horse] was instantly created.

Good news.
But there was no time to express my feelings.

Rumble!!!
Kwak kwak!!!

The Kirin did not give up just because one attack got through.

Lightning swirled behind it, creating multiple spears.

A derived skill, [Thunder Heart Spear].

I grabbed Peng Jin-ah’s shoulder as she tried to draw her sword.

“Cadet Yu Seha! That approaching thing is dangerous!”
“Please trust me!”
“…!”

Peng Jin-ah would need to use a lot of strength soon.

It was insurance for that moment.

And I wanted to show her if possible.

“I will prove that your disciple has grown a lot!”
“…Cadet Yu Seha.”

I took a breath.

Among the summoned weapons, I chose two twin swords.

They were the [Twin Dragon Swords] given by the great warrior ‘Horman’.

I gripped one sword in reverse.

I thought.
A dense world of 100 hours.

I recalled the warriors’ conversations divided by sword and sword.

For a moment, I felt as if Horman had descended behind me.

Following the world he showed, I also swung my swords.

The swirling momentum was fierce at first, but…

It gradually transformed into Horman’s unique softness.

Crackle!
Kagagagang!

I deflected the approaching lightning spears with minimal force and maximum effect.

The lightning spears flew off in a useless direction.

Peng Jin-ah, watching this, opened her mouth in awe.

She was also a swordsman.
So she would know well.
That the power I am displaying now is the realm of one who has accumulated it for a long time.

“…Cadet Yu Seha… what on earth did you do in just one week? What is that skill…?”
“I had a small teaching.”
“A-a teaching…? Not me…? Well, I can somehow do that too—”
“Don’t worry.”

From beginning to end…

“My only master has always been you.”
“…D-d-don’t say weird things all of a sudden!”

I smiled gently at Peng Jin-ah blushing.

Truly, she was an incredibly cute master.

---

Clack clack!

The summit was near.

“…!”
“…!”

At the suddenly changing flow of electricity, we all looked forward without hesitation.

-Kweeeek.

Despite being under concentrated attack from paladins, the Kirin fixed its gaze only on the two of us.

Its eyes screamed.

“Shall we settle this… then?”
“I can do it, maaster.”
“Of course, my disciple!”

-Kweeeeeeek!!!

The Kirin howled fiercely. The surging electricity and the thunderclouds around its body mixed and condensed.

It soon struck the ground, pulling in fine dust floating in the air.

A small current.
A subtle change.

I clearly saw it.

Tiny iron fragments and metal powder gathering according to the Kirin’s will.

It was an ability using the unique magnetic force of electricity.

It soon formed a black sand iron ring.

Spinning rapidly, it became a shield protecting the Kirin’s body and a blade that cut anything it touched.

Derived skill [Black Iron Fierce Wind].

One of the top offense-defense combined skills in ‘GAL’.

It was the ultimate skill of [Steel Circle] used by <Iron Rhino> in the past to beat our Meowi.

I clicked my tongue.

‘I didn’t expect this…’

That it learned even that meant the Kirin before me was much stronger than the average one I knew.

Commonly called a genius among Kirins.

‘It’s okay.’

I looked at the iron ring.

The Fierce Wind was a powerful defensive skill but had exploitable unprotected parts.

‘Right above the head, the ceiling.’

There was no defense there.

Of course, the Kirin was running above the sky.

Unless attacking by climbing that height, it was a meaningless weakness.

And I had a way to leap over that height and attack.

‘Hoo…’

I lifted Red Scales into the sky.
Soon, a red pupil was engraved at Red Scale’s center.

The manifestation of derived skill, [Eye of Crimson Flame].
Red Scale’s mouth part opened.
Like a dragon’s snout gathering power to release a breath.
Tattoos appeared along both arms.
Feeling my mana rapidly depleting, I shouted loudly.

“<Burn!>”

The incantation manifested.
Immediately, a larger fireball imbued with Red Scale’s buff flew into the sky.

The [Flare Buster] soared high into the sky.

It was fired not at the Kirin but toward the sun.

Normally, it would just oxidize and vanish…

Flareuruk!

Surprisingly, the fireball shot up like a rocket, then curved at an impossible angle and began plunging down onto the Kirin’s head.

A gasp of shock escaped from Peng Jin-ah’s mouth.

“Wh-what?!”

Recently, with Moon Bora…

Uh, um.
The <Guidance> function gained from the intimate encounter.

Its overpowered nature shone brightly now.

The Kirin realized it too late.

-Kweeeeeeek!!

Not expecting an attack this way, the Kirin let out a bewildered scream.

But it was already too late to respond.

Bang!!!

The Kirin was engulfed in flames with a massive explosion.

I clenched my fist.

But soon I flinched.

‘…The Fierce Wind isn’t disappearing?’

Though the Kirin was suffering engulfed in flames…
It kept enduring.

Damn, crazy…?
Was its endurance genius-level too?

‘Damn!’

I didn’t expect the firepower to be insufficient.
This was unexpected.
What to do? At that moment.

A familiar yet strange voice echoed in my mind.

It was definitely a [Telepathy] type skill.

-Run straight ahead and prepare for the upcoming impact.

‘…Yes?’

I turned around.

On a hill several kilometers away.

Hunters from another faction gathered like an army.

At the very center.

I saw a woman wearing a red robe.

On her shoulder…

The emblem symbolizing <Dragon Sword Mir> burned red.