How long had it been? It took a little over 20 minutes, from Sihyun's perception, before an extraordinarily large group of Irregulars appeared in the vast meadow. Even with a rough estimate, the number seemed to exceed twenty, and Sihyun was astonished at the sight.
"Insane."
Did this really aggro all of them?
Even if he didn't know who they were, this number hinted at considerable talent.
Astounded by the level of aggro, Sihyun, who was standing beside Haewoon, expressed his surprise.
"Oh, it decreased a lot?"
"Huh."
That's considered a significant decrease. If this is the current count, Sihyun wondered how many there were initially. Observing Haru and Hamin, who were narrowing the gap, he realized anew—they were not your average individuals, just like Seowoo who had faced them before.
They were someone to be cautious of.
Quietly thinking of Gunwoo, who might be resting by now, Sihyun felt a pang of sympathy and tightened his grip on the staff. Balancing the Four Heavenly Kings seemed urgently needed.
"Darn it, it's not like they're cockroaches, why are they swarming like this!"
"...."
Moving closer, within the narrowed gap, Hamin's struggling voice was heard. Though they appeared small from a distance, as they approached, it was evident that Haru and Hamin weren't in their normal states. Like Seowoo who had confronted them before, and Haru and Hamin currently facing off, they were extraordinary.
They seemed to be struggling with some danger.
Especially Hamin, who seemed to sporadically cough up blood, prompted Sihyun, with a grim expression, to assess their condition.
Haru seemed to grimace subtly whenever he swung his arm, and apart from the lingering wounds, there seemed to be an injury around his shoulder. Hamin appeared to be excessively depleting mana.
Being Dual-Class didn't mean their mana reserves were double that of others. Being Quadruple-Class didn't mean they were four times stronger than others in terms of mana.
Certainly, Awakening Marks could undergo fluctuations until the age of 20, but at least for Hamin now, due to prolonged combat, his mana was insufficient.
Stopping at a safe distance, Sihyun extended the staff forward. Although the pink staff was not his favorite, its long-range healing capabilities made it a superior weapon than others. Until realizing this fact, Sihyun had cursed the staff 12 times a day.
"Apply buffs."
"Really, this is insane..."
Despite speaking like that, he diligently applied buffs. Sihyun used Continuous Heal while Haewoon strengthened their attack power. While complaining, Haewoon also cast a Flight buff and even initiated a wide-range debuff, creating a large circle beneath the Irregulars, slowing their movement.
As wounds were healed and the Irregulars slowed down, Haru and Hamin turned their attention back towards them. While it felt like their gazes met, they skipped greetings and focused on the battle. Blocking attacks with a shield precisely timed during enemy strikes had become a practiced skill after a month of training.
Clang!
The Irregular's attack was blocked by Sihyun's shield. Hamin laughed as the attack directed at them was completely nullified. His expression perfectly matched the title of a madman.
Feeling Haewoon's mana depleting and sensing his own nearly exhausted, Sihyun glanced again at Hamin, who continued the fight despite this. Briefly hesitating as it seemed Haru was in a similar situation, his blue eyes faltered.
Sihyun sighed.
Though the cooldown was 10 days and he wanted to save it, it seemed he might have to use it now.
"I can't, I won't, it's tough!"
As Haewoon, who had consumed a large amount of mana, sank to the ground, he threw a tantrum. Despite his words, he once again used an abnormal status debuff, causing the Irregulars to cover their ears, kneel, and hunch over. The wide-range debuff had significant mana consumption, and as if to prove it, Haewoon collapsed backward. It was a dramatic fall.
"It's tough!"
"Alright, get up."
"What? I don't have the strength to get up!"
"I understand."
"No mana, tired, and exhausted..."
"Get up."
Refusing to cater to his discontented tantrum, Sihyun slammed the staff into the ground.
"Well, without mana... huh?"
A large circle formed in the air. Haewoon, who had been whimpering about exhaustion, widened his eyes in surprise.
"What's this now?"
As light poured from the magical formation in the air, mana surged from the ground.
It wasn't only Haewoon whose mana was replenished. Hamin, who had abruptly ceased coughing up blood, widened his eyes and looked at Sihyun. Meeting his gaze, he seemed to acknowledge it and, with a wild grin, grasped his sword. Hamin charged toward the Irregulars. His appearance was like a fish back in water.
Amidst the chaos caused by Hamin wielding his sword wildly, a thunderous sound echoed continuously from the battleground. While Sihyun was focusing on recovering their mana, Hamin stuck to him closely.
"Why this?"
"Was that just now a skill?"
"What?"
Giving an immediate answer, Sihyun pushed Haewoon away, commanding him to concentrate.
"Blessing of the Gods."
The Squid skill, whose caster was unknown, had an effect that brought tears—it depleted all mana the caster possessed, yet it restored the mana and health of up to four individuals, including the caster, and lifted all abnormal states. With any amount of remaining mana, this skill was available for use at any time, making it the most cost-effective healing skill.
Except for its 10-day cooldown, it was a pity that its proficiency was low.
Despite the regret, the situation was dire as all four of them were lacking in mana. There had never been a more opportune moment. Sihyun, after shaking off any regrets, glanced at Haewoon. Having restored his mana, the elated Haewoon was casting various buffs on Haru and Hamin, excluding area-wide buffs. He even added debuffs.
Hamin lost balance mid-air. As he barely avoided an Irregular flying towards him, he glared at Haewoon, seemingly ready to kill him.
"Don't mess around."
With a nudge from Sihyun, Haewoon lifted the debuff. Regardless, at moments like this, no one was as innocent as a child.
It was then that a huge snake rushed towards Hamin.
"…!"
Just as his attention was on Haewoon, an attack came. Sihyun, realizing the imminent danger, was about to swing a staff when Hamin leaped. Blocking the attack with a shield, Hamin swiftly wielded a knife, slicing the snake's neck, while Haru, who had flown in, took down another Irregular attempting to attack Hamin. It was a flawless coordination, as if they had practiced beforehand.
"You hate it, yet here we are."
Despite initial dissatisfaction, it seemed their cooperation fit quite well.
"He's my partner."
Feeling oddly sentimental, Sihyun cast an additional heal on Haru. Ignoring the snickering Haewoon beside him, he just carried on.
"Ugh!"
As the last Irregular fell weakly, the four boys slumped on the ground. Despite the recovery of mana and health, their bodies were still fatigued.
"Ha…."
Unknown sighs echoed around. As they lay exhausted on the field, Haru and Hamin, ignoring the Irregulars' remains, approached Sihyun and Haewoon. Suddenly, Hamin charged towards Haewoon.
"Keung! Hey, wait!"
Unexpectedly, Haewoon, caught in a headlock, declared surrender by tapping the ground. As Hamin released him, taunting Haewoon, Sihyun, feeling proud at Haru's safety, glanced around. As Sihyun anxiously surveyed the surroundings, Hamin grew cautious.
"What's up? Is something wrong?"
"C Class."
"What?"
"Haven't seen the C Class?"
If the theory was right, there should have been a C Class somewhere. However, in such an open area, hiding or ambushing seemed impossible. As Sihyun questioned Hamin, he tilted his head.
"We only had Irregulars and Seowoo when we arrived. Didn't C Class throw Seowoo into the Irregular crowd and escape?"
Sihyun glanced at Haewoon. Despite blinking innocently, he seemed to know something or at least had a guess. Before Sihyun could speak again, Haewoon spoke first.
"Right. I forgot to tell you, Sihyun, you can transfer scores to someone else!"
"…."
Turning the conversation, Haewoon seemed to know or at least have a suspicion about the C Class.
"…What's this about transferring scores?"
"Why would C Class mention the possibility of a score tie?"
"…You mean, you can transfer as many points as you want?"
"Yeah. Have you checked the score window and tried pressing the points?"
"…No."
Feeling a chill, Sihyun brought up the score window. As he cleared the delayed settlement window, pressing the accumulated points, a system window asking, 'Would you like to transfer points?' appeared. Searching for Ban Haru, he entered my name and sent the request, startling Haru as he looked at me.
"…It's actually working."
Sihyun, feeling assured, scrutinized the score window, slowly curling his lips up.
It was all thanks to the economic idea that flashed in his mind, promising to make him the number one in the evaluation battle.
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