Chapter 41
Episode 4: Fate Rides the Wind (16)
“H-Hunter Han Sangwoo…!”
Gang Cheolman’s face lit up with relief.
Han Sangwoo, who had been trapped in Luminous’s trap with an unknown fate, appeared again unharmed.
No, not just unharmed, he seemed even stronger, and he had brought along an unknown ally.
A blond knight wearing a red cape and silver armor.
He stood in front of Gang Cheolman, blocking [Meteor’s Judgment] and taking a defensive stance against Hong Jinseong, then spoke softly to Han Sangwoo, who had approached him.
“It seems I wasn’t too late, my lord.”
‘My lord…?’
Hearing the voice of Taeseng GilgeoI, Gang Cheolman, who was half-lying on the ground, tilted his head in confusion.
He had thought the knight was a foreigner based on his appearance, but not only did he speak Korean fluently, his manner of speaking was peculiar as well.
And strangely, his voice sounded familiar, as if Gang Cheolman had heard it somewhere before.
It felt like he could remember if he was given an explanation.
As Gang Cheolman awkwardly got up from his position, he asked.
“Hunter Han Sangwoo, who is this person…?”
Gang Cheolman’s voice was filled with curiosity.
Han Sangwoo turned his head slightly to look at Gang Cheolman.
As expected.
Even if he hadn’t realized it immediately, it seemed like Gang Cheolman found Taeseng GilgeoI familiar.
In fact, after discovering the way out, Han Sangwoo hesitated for a moment.
Seeing the numerous bodies of Luminous hunters around, it seemed like Gang Cheolman was putting up a good fight.
If Gang Cheolman could handle the situation alone, there was no need to summon Hayer’s character.
Han Sangwoo’s participation alone would be sufficient.
However, upon emerging, he found the situation was not so optimistic.
The monster Hong Jinseong was transformed into an SS-rank monster floating in the air, and Gang Cheolman, who was in white armor, had reverted to his original form and was falling to the ground.
Observing a bit more, it was clear that Gang Cheolman was in danger of losing his life, so Han Sangwoo had no choice but to use [Character Summon].
He hid Jae Jangyi in the stairwell to use the buff skill, and directed Taeseng GilgeoI to move in front of Gang Cheolman to block the falling meteors.
After much deliberation, he decided to reveal [Character Summon].
But now was not the time to explain.
“I’ll explain later.
First, let’s catch that guy.”
Han Sangwoo deferred his explanation, looking up at the monster Hong Jinseong floating in the sky.
Then.
“So, you’re Han Sangwoo.
How dare you interfere with my grand plan? I’ll bury you along with Gang Cheolman!”
Upon Han Sangwoo’s appearance, Hong Jinseong raised his staff in fury and crushed the entire basement with [Touch of Thoughts].
Ungh-!!
The air vibrated with intense pressure.
“Ugh!”
The power was so strong that Gang Cheolman was forced to kneel on one knee again.
‘Damn, if it’s this strong, Hunter Han Sangwoo is in danger…!’
Gang Cheolman gritted his teeth and struggled to lift his greatsword.
If it was powerful enough to make an SS-rank hunter like him kneel, it wouldn’t be surprising if a B-rank hunter like Han Sangwoo was crushed.
He had to somehow reduce the destructive power of the telekinesis.
However.
“Ugh! For a stranger to know me, have I become famous?”
Han Sangwoo surprisingly managed to withstand the pressure.
He, too, had one knee on the ground like Gang Cheolman under the intense pressure, but he wasn’t completely crushed as feared.
The reason was the effect of the [Bracelet of the Radiant Sage], which provided +5 magic resistance.
On paper, +5 might not seem high, but magic resistance is a stat that doesn’t exist in regular attributes, making even a value of 1 quite effective.
Thanks to the [Bracelet of the Radiant Sage], Han Sangwoo had 5 magic resistance, allowing him to endure similarly to Gang Cheolman.
‘How, how is he…?’
Of course, unaware of this fact, Gang Cheolman could only widen his eyes in shock, but even more surprising was the knight who appeared with Han Sangwoo.
Despite Hong Jinseong unleashing massive mana and using telekinesis, the knight stood there bravely without flinching
And then.
“Finish him.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Upon Han Sangwoo’s command, the knight moved swiftly as if the telekinesis didn’t exist.
Boom-! Crackle-!!
He launched himself forward, simultaneously using [Pull], sending an aura whip toward the airborne monster Hong Jinseong.
It was a technique he had used countless times.
Han Sangwoo expected the monster Hong Jinseong to be entangled by the aura whip and pulled toward Taeseng GilgeoI.
However.
“Do you think it’ll reach me?”
Crackle-! Uuuung-!!
The aura whip stopped at the feet of the monster Hong Jinseong.
‘Damn, he’s tricky.
He won’t be easy to defeat.
‘The technique that had never failed before didn’t work on Hong Jinseong.
However, Han Sangwoo wasn’t flustered.
He raised his volcanic sword and aimed it at Hong Jinseong instead.
In Hayer, boss monsters often resisted [Pull], so Han Sangwoo had somewhat anticipated that Taeseng GilgeoI’s skill might be blocked at some point.
As if Taeseng GilgeoI had expected this, he naturally continued the attack.
Boom-!
He leaped high toward the monster Hong Jinseong.
“Hehe, I don’t know where this guy crawled out from, but swordsmen all have the same pattern!”
Hong Jinseong sneered at the attack that was similar to Gang Cheolman’s.
Seeing him leap up against the [Touch of Thoughts], it seemed he had a skill level comparable to Gang Cheolman, but he was employing a similar strategy.
Having blocked the attack once before, he wasn’t going to fall for it again.
Hong Jinseong strengthened [Touch of Thoughts] to bind Taeseng GilgeoI in mid-air.
However, there was one thing Hong Jinseong overlooked; the battle situation wasn’t identical to before.
“You shouldn’t forget about me.”
[Volcanic Eruption]
Kwoooosh-!!
Flames erupted from the tip of Han Sangwoo’s volcanic sword, rushing toward Hong Jinseong.
Of course, given the considerable distance and the telekinetic shield, [Touch of Thoughts], surrounding Hong Jinseong, it couldn’t deal significant damage.
But.
“Ugh, that brat…!”
It was enough to divert Hong Jinseong’s attention.
Thanks to that, Taeseng GilgeoI leaped even higher.
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI uses Crescent Slash.]
Although it wasn’t within the sword’s reach, he formed an aura at the tip of the sword and swung it toward the monster Hong Jinseong.
As a result.
Clang-!!
The shield surrounding Hong Jinseong, [Touch of Thoughts], shattered.
“What, what the…!”
With just one touch, the shield was broken so easily.
In astonishment, Hong Jinseong flew upward.
Simultaneously, he spread his palms downward and used the skill [Thought Wave], temporarily unleashing telekinesis.
Boom-!!
A telekinetic wave, launched from his palm like a cannon, poured down on Taeseng GilgeoI.
The destructive power was so immense that even caused a reaction that propelled Hong Jinseong upward.
Taeseng GilgeoI blocked [Thought Wave] with his shield in mid-air but fell due to the aftermath.
Seeing this, Gang Cheolman clenched his fist.
‘He’s incredibly skilled.
If Hong Jinseong hadn’t fled upward, there would’ve been another chance to swing the sword…!’
Witnessing such a high-level battle made him admire involuntarily.
If it weren’t for the power of telekinesis, Taeseng GilgeoI would have inflicted damage.
However, Taeseng GilgeoI’s skills were far beyond Gang Cheolman’s expectations.
As he fell, Taeseng GilgeoI aimed the [Holy Sword of the Sacred Knight Captain] at the monster Hong Jinseong.
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI uses Divine Explosion.]
Boom-!!
A skill similar to [Volcanic Eruption], but with far greater destructive power, [Divine Explosion] was unleashed.
“What, what is this…!!”
The monster Hong Jinseong hurriedly brought his staff forward, trying to form [Touch of Thoughts], but it was already too late.
Crack-! Fwoosh-!!
The green flames engulfed Hong Jinseong’s right arm.
“Aaaaah!!”
A scream echoed in the air.
Gang Cheolman approached Han Sangwoo and spoke.
“He’s able to reposition himself in such a short gap. It seems this fight won’t end easily.”
“Indeed. His life is tenacious.”
As Gang Cheolman had mentioned, it was true.
The monster Hong Jinseong, though losing an arm, showed no signs of stopping after a brief moment of pain.
“How dare you, filthy humans…!”
With eyes turning red, Hong Jinseong glared at Han Sangwoo, Taeseng GilgeoI, and Gang Cheolman, raising his remaining hand.
At the same time.
Bang-! Bang-!
Fireballs appeared behind Hong Jinseong’s back, each about the size of a watermelon.
They rapidly increased in number.
One became two, two became four, four became eight.
In the blink of an eye, sixteen fireballs surrounded Hong Jinseong’s body.
The problem was that each fireball contained magical energy that felt equivalent to [Meteor’s Judgment].
“Damn it, I’m not sure I can stop them all.”
Gang Cheolman gripped the handle of his greatsword with a grim expression.
Even he could only manage to block one or two at best.
If the remaining fireballs fell toward the floor, everyone, including Han Sangwoo, would be scorched and turned to ashes.
‘It’s impossible to avoid them in this small space…!’
It was the worst-case scenario.
“Then I’ll block it.”
Just then, Taeseng GilgeoI, who landed beside Han Sangwoo, spoke, and Han Sangwoo immediately activated his skill.
[Character Skill: Charge]
His body, engulfed in blue light, charged toward the monster Hong Jinseong.
Crackle-!!
“Haha, in that case, let’s start with you, Mr. Knight!”
Hong Jinseong swung his staff at Taeseng GilgeoI.
The fireballs surrounding Hong Jinseong fell upon Taeseng GilgeoI all at once.
He crossed his shield and the [Holy Sword of the Sacred Knight Captain] in front of him, forming an X, and charged forward.
Then.
[Counter Shield]
Ka-boom!!
The ground shook with a deafening explosion.
Gang Cheolman, who was observing, held his breath.
The sight of fireballs so huge that they filled the entire field of view was terrifying.
But.
Boom-!! Boom-!!
He heard the sound of consecutive fireballs exploding.
After the initial big explosion, a series of small explosions followed.
‘No way…!’
The unexpected situation caused Gang Cheolman to gasp in surprise.
It was because Taeseng GilgeoI was blocking the falling fireballs with his shield.
One after another, he blocked the fireballs that were supposed to burn and explode upon contact.
Using [Counter Shield], he pushed forward despite being pushed back, enduring with his determination.
However, there was a limit to how many he could block.
Even though he blocked and neutralized the first few, there were still plenty of fireballs left.
But.
“Now.”
Upon Han Sangwoo’s command, the number of fireballs that Taeseng GilgeoI had to block rapidly decreased.
Boom-!! Boom-!!
It was because Gang Cheolman, having received the cue, swung his greatsword from behind.
Although not as capable as Taeseng GilgeoI, he had enough skill to block the few remaining fireballs.
Bang-!!
“Ugh, you filthy humans…!!”
The monster Hong Jinseong widened his eyes in disbelief at how the fireballs were being blocked one by one.
The powerful skill that should have reduced them to ashes was being blocked so easily.
Yet, he had no time to be flustered.
“You’ve committed too many crimes to ignore.”
Han Sangwoo appeared right in front of the monster Hong Jinseong.
In response to his voice, the monster Hong Jinseong quickly moved the staff, but Han Sangwoo was faster.
[Reckless Sword]
Wham-!!
“Ugh!”
The moment Han Sangwoo swung his volcanic sword with the intention of decapitating, the monster Hong Jinseong hastily summoned a shield to block the sword.
At that moment, green flames erupted from the blade, attempting to burn Hong Jinseong’s body.
‘Damn it!’
He attempted to use [Touch of Thoughts] to move the flames away, but with only one arm, the pressure from the magical explosion was more than he could handle.
As a result, the monster Hong Jinseong had to grit his teeth and unleash all the mana he could muster to fend off the flames.
Of course, Han Sangwoo wouldn’t simply stand by.
Seeing him in pain, Han Sangwoo’s volcanic sword erupted with intense flames once more.
Hong Jinseong’s physical strength and mana were not infinite.
Since he wasn’t a monster who could endlessly unleash mana, the more the shield was activated, the more mana he consumed.
And if the flames didn’t burn him, Taeseng GilgeoI would strike him down.
Once the [Touch of Thoughts] was destroyed, Hong Jinseong’s life would end.
Even in the game, all boss monsters with [Mana Shield] would eventually deplete their mana and be destroyed.
After a moment.
“Huff, huff…!”
The battle ended as expected.
The mana that fueled Hong Jinseong’s [Mana Shield] was depleted, leaving his face exposed.
He had once attempted to flee upward to replenish his mana, but it was impossible as Taeseng GilgeoI had anticipated and intercepted his path.
Unable to replenish his mana, the monster Hong Jinseong eventually lost his life and fell to the ground.
Thunk-!!
Seeing Hong Jinseong’s body lying on the ground, Han Sangwoo finally released his tension and raised his head.
At the same time, a message window appeared.
