Episode 291 Week 16 Battle (5)
Jeong Jinmyeong’s magic flew and crashed into the ice wall.
– Thud, thud!
Since it is in the 1,000 point range, the magic power is strong and the speed of removing the ice wall is fast, but
‘Just build another wall.’
Even Cha Hyun-joo gave up after seeing two layers, so what if you try three or four layers?
Moreover, I had no intention of letting it continue to be broken.
When I gave another nod, the calligrapher slowly lifted the frying pan in her hand.
As if he was going to strike me down as soon as I gave the signal.
Then, Shin Byeong-cheol, feeling threatened, knocked on the ice wall urgently.
“Hey hey hey! Stop it, stop it! Stop for a moment! Stop!”
Jeong Jin-myeong also realized that there was room for conversation, so he stopped casting magic for a moment and asked through the wall.
“What do you want?”
“You guys should tell me what you want.”
“… … ?”
“Do you like second place or third place?”
Jeong Jin-myeong understood what I meant and said.
“Are you saying that I should cooperate if I want to get second place?”
“That’s correct.”
I nodded.
If you don’t intend to cooperate, I plan to first turn Shin Byeong-cheol into food for the frying pan.
Then, dealing with Jeong Jin-myeong, who was left alone, 2-on-1 was easier than turning over the palm of your hand.
Since calligraphers are musketeers, they have an advantage against magicians.
‘There’s also a way to not fight at all.’
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to just deal with Shin Byeong-cheol and then leave.
Jeong Jin-myeong would have to go through the trap alone, so his survival rate would inevitably drop.
Either way, there’s a good chance they’ll end up in third place.
Jeong Jin-myeong let out a long sigh, perhaps having made a similar prediction.
“Whew… … I came here just to eat, but what is this? I totally got the wrong idea.”
His original plan was to team up with Shin Byeong-cheol and easily deal with the traps.
As a bonus, the battles become easier as the average score is lowered.
But that plan went down the drain because of one of the barriers I put up.
I said it casually.
“Since it has come to this, wouldn’t it be better to at least get back the principal?”
“… … That’s right.”
Shin Byeong-cheol and Jeong Jin-myeong eventually accepted an offer they could not refuse.
Rather than needlessly building up pride, it is better to maintain the score by finishing in second place and then winning first place in the next game.
Still, a somewhat weak voice could be heard from beyond the ice wall, perhaps with a bitter feeling inside.
“What are you going to do?”
“Byeong-cheol moves with us. He diligently cleans up any traps he sees as we go.”
“Then me?”
I answered Jeong Jin-myeong’s question as if it were a given.
“You guys will have to move separately, right?”
“It would be more efficient if all four of us moved together.”
“Speed over efficiency.”
The next goal is to find the three teams that are somewhere.
And the search will be faster if you split into two groups.
Jeong Jin-myeong will move alone and suffer minor and major damage from traps, but is it my fault?
Again a sigh was heard from beyond the ice wall.
“I really made a big mistake. So, what if I find Team 3?”
“Do you know how to use communication magic?”
“know.”
“Contact me right away and fight.”
“… … 2 to 1?”
“Uh. Just use up as much as you can and we’ll finish it off.”
After dealing with the three teams, Shin Byeong-cheol, who was working with us, declared his abstention.
Then second place is guaranteed.
Shin Byeong-cheol, who had been listening quietly, asked quietly.
“But what happens if I can’t find it until the end?”
What happens if you keep getting passed by the 3 teams and can’t find them until the end of the game?
The answer was given by the calligrapher.
Lifting the frying pan again.
“Kkang.”
“Ahem… … . I will look for it diligently.”
Of course, that was half a joke, and it was also expected that they wouldn’t meet at all.
“If it goes into a long-term war, we’ll have the advantage anyway.”
“Come to think of it, that’s true.”
Shin Byeong-cheol will handle most of the traps, and with only three people, our survival rate is much higher.
“No more questions? Let’s go.”
“for a moment.”
Jeong Jin-myeong stopped me for a moment as I was about to take a step.
“I’ve been wondering for a while now, how do you know my brother?”
It seems like he was secretly bothered by the fact that I mentioned Jeong Jong-myeong when we first met.
Because if you know your older brother, it’s hard to treat him carelessly.
Maybe that’s why my offer (threat) worked better.
Of course, I didn’t intend to give an easy answer, so I smiled.
“Go and ask him yourself.”
* * *
After sending Jeong Jinmyeong aside, the three of us also began to advance through the labyrinth.
The passageway that unfolded before my eyes was full of traps big and small, but there was no reason to worry.
Because I was with the master of traps.
I looked at Shin Byeong-cheol and asked.
“Can you show me?”
“Heh, it’s just a trap.”
Shin Byeong-cheol stepped forward, showing off his usual bravado.
Of course, this time, unlike usual, he had the skills to back up his boasts.
– Wedge!
The chopsticks fly out here and there, and get stuck between the walls or in small cracks in the floor.
Then I thought I heard a metallic clanking sound, but it soon became quiet.
The traps malfunctioned and stopped.
Shin Byeong-cheol took the lead, gesturing politely.
“I will take you this way.”
“Ah~ It’s so comfortable~”
I followed, letting out a soulless exclamation.
As we went a little further, Shin Byeong-cheol’s chopsticks flew away again.
– Wedge!
It was also stuck deep into the ceiling and walls.
Most of the traps stopped as before, but some did not.
There was a rattling sound coming from the ceiling,
– Bam!
An iron object the size of a human body fell down.
Shin Byeong-cheol shrugged his shoulders, wondering if that was intentional.
“If it doesn’t stop, I’ll start it first. Do you understand?”
“I see. That’s amazing.”
I gave a soulless reaction while also nodding to the side.
Then the calligrapher responded with a silent clap of his fingers.
“and-“
However, even the most skilled trap masters have vulnerable areas.
As soon as the magic circles appear, he immediately expresses his discomfort.
“I think I should avoid this… … .”
“Don’t worry. I’ll throw it to you.”
“ok?”
– Boom!
“Kkaaa—”
The compressed air exploded and Shin Byeong-cheol flew in a parabolic arc.
And in an instant, he passed the magic traps and rolled on the floor.
I sat down next to the calligrapher and said.
“Your landing is a bit awkward.”
“Ugh, it’s because you don’t practice enough. If you practice a lot, it’ll get better.”
Even when lying on the floor, Shin Byeong-cheol did not lose his manly spirit.
The search and exploration of the labyrinth continued for a long time, but there was no significant result on our side.
Instead, Jeong Jin-myeong sent the message first.
– Found it. I’ll go in right away.
They discovered Team 3 and immediately engaged them as instructed.
I said to Seo Ye-in and Shin Byeong-cheol.
“Let’s go too.”
And then he turned and started moving towards Jeong Jinmyeong.
I don’t know the exact location, but if you go near there, there’s a high chance you’ll encounter Team 3.
About halfway there, Jeong Jin-myeong sent another short message.
In a rather tired voice,
– I got one done. You have to win.
And that was the end of it.
Even with a 1,000 point answer, he was able to deal with one of them in a 2 vs. 1 battle, but in the end, he seemed to have lost all his stamina and was unable to fight.
I exchanged glances with Shin Byeong-cheol.
“I just need to catch one.”
“Then it’s 3 to 1. We already won.”
“It won’t be confirmed until you meet the other person.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll fight my way through.”
Shin Byeong-cheol threw his chopsticks with great enthusiasm.
– Wedge!
* * *
As we went further, a small explosion was heard from somewhere.
– Phuong,
An explosion means a trap has been triggered, and a trap being triggered means there is someone there.
And that someone had to be the remnant of Team 3.
“Hehehe… … . Got you, you punk.”
Shin Byeong-cheol smiled broadly and guided the group.
As expected, we soon encountered the remnants, and this guy was also familiar to me.
So I waved my hand and greeted him happily.
“Hyungtaek, are you okay?”
“… … .”
As soon as their eyes met, Son Hyeong-taek’s face crumpled.
It seems like painful memories from the lava field and cloud staircase battles are coming back to me.
Swimming in lava probably wasn’t very fun.
In addition, my face wrinkled even more when I saw Shin Byeong-cheol next to me. That’s because there were three people, not two.
“Were you teaming? You deadly bastards.”
“Hyungtaek, is it okay for you to say something like that?”
Didn’t he himself form a temporary alliance with Kang Hee-chan during the three-way battle in the lava zone and try to catch me first?
Then he hit Kang Hee-chan on the back of the head first.
“… … .”
Son Hyeong-taek looked speechless as he recalled that time, perhaps vulgar but not shameless.
Eventually, he turned his back as if he had decided that he had no chance of winning.
“Hyungtaek, where are you going?”
A wall of ice suddenly rose up, blocking the escape route.
Son Hyeong-taek clicked his tongue softly and then struck with all his might.
“This is nothing—!”
– Bam!
But the ice wall was nothing more than a dent.
Even Cha Hyun-joo and Jeong Jin-myeong can’t be easily broken, so do you think one punch can do that?
If that were the case, he would have been a promising prospect.
I asked.
“Isn’t this a bit strong?”
“Ugh!”
Son Hyeong-taek thought it was a do-or-die situation and ended up running towards us.
I looked at him with pitying eyes.
“Hyungtaek, that really doesn’t seem like a good choice.”
“What do you want me to do!”
“You figure that out yourself.”
I shrugged and reached forward.
-Whew—
A whirlwind of physical force pinned Son Hyung-taek down in one place.
Coincidentally, he had just stepped on a magic trap.
While the magic circle glowed red, Shin Byeong-cheol threw chopsticks here and there, and the traps activated and attacked him.
Flames rise beneath your feet, and flying objects rain down from the ceiling.
– Kwaaaaah—!
– Wedge wedge wedge—!
“Kuaaaah!!”
A moment later, Son Hyeong-taek had disappeared without a trace.
It seems that his stamina suddenly dropped and he became unable to fight.
Now only the three of us are left in the labyrinth.
The calligrapher stared blankly at Shin Byeong-cheol.
“finish.”
Then he lifted the frying pan and slowly approached it.
Shin Byeong-cheol waved his hand and stepped back to distance himself.
“Hey, wait a minute. Just wait a minute.”
“… … ?”
“Why are you suddenly breaking people’s pots? You could have just abstained.”
The calligrapher turned her head towards me and asked with her eyes, ‘Can’t you just hit me?’ and I slowly shook my head.
There’s no need to resort to violence when it’s already over.
As Seo Ye-in put down the frying pan with a slightly regretful look on her face, Shin Byeong-cheol quickly declared his resignation and ran away from the labyrinth.
The match results were soon displayed on the scoreboard.
[Kim Ho Calligrapher 1st]
“You’ve worked hard. Let’s go and rest.”
“Kim Ho-be-gae.”
The calligrapher looked up at me and said.
Her gray eyes sparkle brightly.
‘Today is worth doing.’
Looking back, the calligrapher had practiced last week, even refusing the offer to lend her a hoodie and cutting back on sleep.
Moreover, since he entered this match with enthusiasm, it is necessary to offer him a suitable reward.
So I nodded coolly.
“Okay, sleep on Kim Ho’s pillow.”
But the calligrapher’s eyes continued to shine and he added words that I did not understand.
“Today is the day.”
The supporters eat it all
