Episode 91 Week 5 Mentoring, Interpersonal Battle (14)
Fire Pillar is one of the most powerful fire magics Hong Yeon-hwa has learned.
The increase in physical ability when absorbed through overheat was also quite high.
Of course, improving physical abilities is the most basic of the basics.
More preparation was needed.
As Hong Yeon-hwa continued to recite the spell, lava flowed down from the wand she held in one hand and transformed into a whip.
At the same time, a large ball of flame was being created in the other hand.
[Lava Whip]
[Flame of]
– Whoosh, whoosh,
Finally, he added a spell to the blazing fireball and threw it at Dang Gyu-yeong with all his might.
“… … .”
Dang Gyu-yeong remained calm even as a fireball larger than a person flew towards him.
As the Flame Orb got close, it pulled out a long, thin shadow sword from under its feet.
After raising the longsword above his head and lightly swinging it down, the sphere was cleanly split in half.
– Pfft pfft!
A powerful explosion of flames occurred on both sides of Dang Gyu-yeong, turning the area into a sea of fire.
It was the effect of [Outburst], a spell that Hong Yeon-hwa had secretly added to Flame Orb.
It is impossible to damage Dang Gyu-yeong with a fireball in the first place, so the intention is to start by covering as wide an area as possible with fire.
As Hong Yeon-hwa exerts influence over the area, Dang Gyu-yeong’s influence is bound to decrease, and it becomes more difficult to control the shadow.
The groundwork has been done.
Dang Gyu-yeong must have known this fact, but he still acted as if it didn’t matter.
In some ways, it also showed a sense of delight towards his juniors who were getting closer to the correct answer.
Let’s ask a question with a faint smile,
“Are you coming in now?”
“I’ll go.”
Hong Yeon-hwa took her first step with a short answer.
Kick the ground hard and shoot forward.
– Pot! Pot!
The distance between me and Dang Gyu-young quickly narrowed and I was soon right in front of him.
At the same time, they swing their lava whip and shadow sword at each other, the whip entangling with the sword and canceling out the blows.
As Hong Yeon-hwa stretched out her hand, Dang Gyu-yeong also stretched out his hand in return and tried to grab her wrist.
But this is also Hong Yeon-hwa’s trick.
Before their hands could touch, the lava whip wrapped around Dang Gyu-yeong’s wrist and pulled taut.
Hong Yeon-hwa reaches out for the sticker again.
But the next moment, I feel a strong sense of discomfort.
‘… … ?’
The battle has just begun, but I feel strangely uneasy about things being resolved so easily.
Hong Yeon-hwa believed the discomfort and immediately took everything back and retreated far away.
– Boom!
The black butterfly exploded in a split second, and a mass of shadows covered the place where Hong Yeon-hwa had just been.
It was a butterfly that approached me secretly, pretending to show a weak point on purpose.
If we had continued to push, we could have suffered great losses.
[welcome flight]
Three shadow butterflies fluttering and chasing Hongyeonhwa.
It is a small entity that can create all kinds of variables, so it needs to be intercepted before it enters close combat again.
‘Calmly, one at a time.’
The lava whip swung at the first flying welcome, but I dodged it with graceful movements.
He immediately retrieves the whip and swings it again, causing the welcome party to burn and scatter.
In the meantime, the second and third receptions came even closer.
Hong Yeon-hwa quickly moved her feet to avoid them and cast the next spell.
-Whew—
But then a gust of wind blew from somewhere, and the second greeting trembled in the air by itself and then scattered to pieces.
‘That’s… … .’
It’s clear that it’s the unidentified wind magic that Kim Ho always uses.
As we discussed before the start of the match, we will be supporting Hong Yeon-hwa by observing her movements.
‘Okay.’
This way, the burden is greatly reduced.
The magic originally intended for the second reception is used on the last one.
– Kwaaaaah—!
Flames shot out in front, engulfing the shadow butterfly.
Now that we’ve cleared out the distractions, it’s time to get back to our original goal.
As Hong Yeon-hwa pointed her wand at Dang Gyu-yeong, the flames that had been gradually dying down rose fiercely again.
However, Dang Gyu-yeong still stands leisurely in the flames and smiles.
“Good. Keep coming in.”
– Pot!
Hong Yeon-hwa dug in again and the close combat resumed.
Assist with the lava whip and swing the other hand to attack Dang Gyu-yeong, aiming for stickers in between.
Dang Gyu-yeong skillfully blocked the incoming attacks and swatted away the hands that were aiming for the stickers.
at that time,
—Whew—
A gust of wind passed by, enveloping Dang Gyu-yeong.
The physical force contained in the wind causes the movements to be unnaturally choppy.
Dang Gyu-yeong’s irritated gaze briefly turned to where Kim Ho was, over Hong Yeon-hwa’s shoulder.
‘Here we go again.’
I’ve experienced countless enemies and skills since becoming a third-year student, but the wind magic is one of the most annoying and irritating.
Where on earth did you learn that?
On the other hand, from Hong Yeon-hwa’s perspective, this situation was a golden opportunity.
The more Dang Gyu-yeong feels bothered and annoyed, the more distracted he becomes and the more his vulnerabilities will be exposed.
Quickly dig in and continue the offensive.
“Tch.”
Dang Gyu-yeong clicked his tongue briefly.
And then the big fight started and for the first time I took a few steps back.
But the 3rd graders’ stamina didn’t go anywhere.
He calmly blocked Hong Yeon-hwa’s attacks one by one, matching the shadowy hands and feet that suddenly appeared.
As the battle continues at close range, the momentum quickly shifts to Dang Gyu-yeong’s side again.
The moment the large, swollen shadow fist was about to strike Hong Yeon-hwa with all its might,
– Boom!
The shadow fist missed its target by a long distance with a loud popping sound.
This time, Kim Ho intervened exquisitely.
As if that wasn’t enough, a wind with physical force continued to blow, hindering Dang Gyu-yeong’s movements.
‘Oh, that’s really, oh.’
How can you interfere so annoyingly?
Even though I knew that it was clearly a mentoring match and that it was supposed to be 2-on-1, I felt like I would still have some resentment.
Dang Gyu-yeong made a promise.
When I’m done, I’ll doodle a lot on Kim Ho’s back.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa does not miss the opportunity that Kim Ho has created and attacks.
Cast your magic in the blink of an eye,
[Flame Arrow]
Turn your lava whip into a flaming bow and arrows, firing at close range.
One by one, the shadow butterflies and shadow limbs that were being created were hit with fire arrows.
Many shadow spells are interrupted before they can be properly cast, and the wind blows relentlessly.
The composure began to disappear from Dang Gyu-yeong’s face.
To Hong Yeon-hwa, it looked like cracks were slowly appearing in a solid iron wall.
‘Just a little more!’
Just push forward a little more.
He stomps the ground hard and attacks more aggressively.
– Kwaaaaah!
A large shadow thorn suddenly rose from under Dang Gyu-yeong’s feet and rushed towards Hong Yeon-hwa.
A form that directly inflicts wounds, compared to shadow hands and feet or blunt weapons.
Hong Yeon-hwa interpreted it as evidence that she had no more free time.
I kept shooting fire arrows to burn the thorns, but there were still quite a few that remained and kept shooting.
Hong Yeon-hwa thought as she looked at the thorns.
‘You can’t avoid everything.’
But if you distance yourself and step back like you did before.
Dang Gyu-young will also have time to reorganize, and the opportunity he created with difficulty with Kim Ho’s help will go down the drain.
At the crossroads of choice, Hong Yeon-hwa made her choice.
Some decide to take the risk.
Hong Yeon-hwa quickly stepped forward and crossed between the shadow thorns.
Some of them just barely passed me by, but some of them scratched my arms, legs, and cheeks, leaving a raw wound.
Every time that happened, he would slightly frown, but his gaze would always be fixed on his target, Dang Gyu-young.
The moment Hong Yeon-hwa seemed to have gotten close enough, Dang Gyu-yeong lightly stomped his foot.
– Kwaaaaah!
A wall of shadow thorns formed beneath my feet, several times larger than before.
Even though he is being held back so much, he still has hidden secrets.
But Hong Yeon-hwa wasn’t at all flustered.
‘I knew it.’
I expected this too.
Flames burst out from his clenched fist.
Let’s just stretch it out forward,
[Fire Punch]
– Boom!
A hole opened in the shadow wall and it collapsed.
Dang Gyu-yeong was secretly satisfied after confirming that even the last line of defense had been broken through.
‘That’s pretty good.’
The reason for changing the shape of the shadow into a thorn was not only because there was less room, but also because there was an intention to test Hong Yeon-hwa.
And Hong Yeon-hwa passed the test brilliantly by taking damage to achieve her goal.
Not only that, he anticipated that Dang Gyu-yeong would build another wall and prepared his next move.
If it were another mentor, I would have given him a passing grade on this alone, but
‘It’s still a little lacking.’
It’s a separate thing to keep engaging in close combat and peeling off stickers.
I had no intention of letting you see it.
But just as Dang Gyu-yeong was about to launch a counterattack,
– Bam,
Something tapped her shoulder lightly.
I turned my head in surprise and saw Kim Ho placing his hand on my shoulder.
“uh.”
What is that? When did it get here?
While assisting Hong Yeon-hwa, he gradually came closer, and the moment Dang Gyu-yeong showed an opening, he followed right up to her.
‘Come to think of it… … .’
Although he said that he would leave the entire sticker removal job to Hong Yeon-hwa, he didn’t say that she would just continue to assist from afar.
But it was a rather belated realization.
-Whew!
The wind blew from all directions, as if gathering around the hand placed on my shoulder.
It was similar to the wind magic that Kim Ho had been using until now, but the physical power contained in it was heavier than before.
To the point where Dang Gyu-yeong couldn’t move for even a few seconds.
This is because the skill, which was extremely annoying even at C-rank, has been raised by two ranks through [Amplification].
But Dang Gyu-yeong didn’t even have time to wonder how the skill’s power suddenly increased.
At this moment, there was only one thought dominating her mind.
‘This… really… annoying… skill… .’
I really hate that skill.
As Dang Gyu-yeong’s aversion to Windforce grew,
‘now!’
Hong Yeon-hwa stretched out her hand towards the sticker with all her might.
He grabbed the end of the sticker that was hanging on his fingertips and pulled his whole body back, stepping back.
– Crap!
“… … .”
It seemed as if all directions were plunged into silence.
As Hong Yeon-hwa blankly lowered her gaze, a sticker came into view.
It was clearly stuck to my hand, but it felt unrealistic even when I looked at it.
But soon it started to feel real and my heart started pounding.
‘Hey, I did it… …!’
A week of hard work has finally paid off.
I felt like crying, but I held it back because there were two people watching.
As Hong Yeon-hwa was trying to calm her pounding heart, Dang Gyu-yeong spoke.
“You got one. Good job.”
He adds:
Should I do the rest now?
I forgot for a moment, but this sticker battle requires you to remove three to be successful.
‘The remaining two… are they possible?’
It was difficult to be sure.
When I looked at Kim Ho asking what he should do, he lightly nodded his chin and answered.
As if they would continue to do whatever you want.
Hong Yeon-hwa also nodded in agreement.
‘Okay, let’s do our best!’
And then, with a bang, he kicked the ground hard and struck Dang Gyu-yeong.
– Paaaaat!
* * *
however…….
Even though Hong Yeon-hwa fought hard until the end, she only had one sticker left.
Since I used up almost all of the resources I had prepared for the first sticker, I couldn’t help but feel exhausted after that.
Hong Yeon-hwa, who decided that continuing the battle was pointless, accepted defeat.
“I lost.”
“great job.”
As Dang Gyu-yeong finished the match, the result appeared on the scoreboard.
[PvP 673 -50 points]
‘Yeah, it got cut.’
Even though her bloody battle score was reduced by 50 points, Hong Yeon-hwa felt strangely relieved.
The reason I don’t have any resentment or regrets like usual is probably because I did my best and poured everything I could into it to the limit.
Hong Yeon-hwa turned her gaze to Kim Ho and opened her mouth with difficulty.
“That… … . Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Kim Ho also answered briefly.
A faint smile appeared on Hong Yeon-hwa’s lips without her knowing it.
