"The strategist mentioned by Ihaan, that's you, I suppose."
Ban Dal, who had been exchanging blows with Haru, spoke nonchalantly. Despite the ambush, his characteristic calm and neat atmosphere remained unchanged.
Even in the midst of a battle, Haru launched a surprise attack in response to Ban Dal's seemingly disdainful attitude.
Clang!
The stillness shattered as their swords clashed. Haru, having deflected the attack with a twist of his wrist, successfully struck Ban Dal's neck with his remaining hand. His dagger pierced deep into the vital point. It looked excruciating just to witness, yet Ban Dal's reaction showed no signs of pain.
Despite the unsettling amount of blood flowing, his expression remained unchanged as he instead aimed for Haru's neck. Sensing the danger, Haru recoiled in surprise. Swish! Ban Dal's sword narrowly missed Haru's black hair.
With widened eyes from surprise, Haru was casually examined by Ban Dal, who staunchly stemmed the bleeding from his own neck.
"Attacking the vital point won't suffice to bring one down on the actual battlefield."
"...."
"When fighting an Irregular, there are cases where one ends up with organs spilling out even while alive."
Uttering the ominous words without a care, Ban Dal glanced at Sihyun. Understanding the meaning behind his dry gaze, Sihyun promptly used healing magic. The flowing blood stopped, and the wound regenerated. With his wits regained, Haru attempted another attack.
Clang! The sound of daggers and swords clashing reverberated through the air. Just hearing that sound conveyed how fast and urgent their clash was.
Watching as Haru's dagger flew out and returned, and as Ban Dal unleashed crimson sword aura, Sihyun remained silent. He wanted to assist Ban Dal, but he couldn't act hastily. Their movements were so swift that any mistiming in support could instantly become a liability.
He had thought he had adapted to Haru's speed during their practice sessions, but witnessing their actual fight made him realize he had been mistaken. It seemed that Haru's influence as an opponent played a significant role.
Among the first-year students of Class A, in terms of agility and speed, Haru was the fastest. While he might excel in lethality, he was also astonishingly skilled in one-on-one combat. He threw multiple daggers from his embrace and cast a memorization spell. It was a technique Sihyun hadn't seen before.
Despite the unexpected attack, Ban Dal, unperturbed, deftly parried all of Haru's memorized strikes. In response, Haru pulled out a small pouch from his embrace and tossed it to the ground. As his dagger pierced the pouch, there was a puff, and the area became dense. It seemed to contain flour or something similar.
Assassination, followed by a real increase in memorization.
Uncertain whether to view this as dirty play or as fitting for his class, Sihyun soon realized that the pouch Haru had thrown was also a skill. It was due to the sensation of being able to copy.
"Hmm."
Watching the fight, I wondered what kind of classes existed. Even though I wanted to help, I could only provide Ban Dal with continuous healing.
"Kang Sihyun."
Ban Dal, swiping his sword to disperse the fog, called out Sihyun's name while swinging his sword, searching for Haru concealed in the mist. Despite engaging Haru, he briefly glanced at Sihyun and distanced himself from the enemy.
"There's no time to get entangled with them. Go ahead and find the treasure."
"Alone?"
"You must have been assigned to the scouting team for a reason."
In the rare event that Ban Dal was to be eliminated, the person who could continue alone. That was one of the reasons why he was included in the scouting team. Recognizing this fact, Sihyun initially showed reluctance, but realizing there was no other choice, he swung his staff.
He used 20% of his mana to create a sturdy barrier around Ban Dal. A transparent shield enveloped Ban Dal's body, followed by a golden aura covering him. It was a copy of Haewoon's buff skill.
After expressing his gratitude for Sihyun's skill, Ban Dal once again clashed with Haru. With a loud thud, Haru's hand trembled from the burden of the force.
"In that case, I'll leave it to you."
Ban Dal, who had been facing off against Haru, spoke indifferently. He added that he would follow later. Knowing that he wasn't one to speak idly, Sihyun turned away from him.
As if being in another world alone, Seowoo, who was just staring at him, came into view. Unable to discern his intentions, Sihyun furrowed his brow, then swiftly copied the Acceleration skill and leaped into the Colosseum. The scenery rapidly disappeared from view. When he glanced back, he saw Ban Dal blocking Seowoo's attempt to follow him.
Impressed anew by Ban Dal's ability to handle two opponents at once, Sihyun breathed heavily as he hurriedly moved his feet. The duration of the Copy skill was 10 minutes, so he needed to explore as much as possible within that time frame.
Having confirmed what the treasure chest looked like through Geonu, there was no time to waste. He just needed to confirm if the box he had seen back then existed in the space he was in now. As he did so, his breath grew short, and his face reddened. Even though he was exhausted, he couldn't stop running. It was because he could hear Ihaan's live transmission in his ear.
"The first debuff area has been breached. How is it there?"
"An attack came from the White Team, so Ban Dal senpai is holding them off, and I'm looking for the treasure."
"An attack?"
"Yes. It seems they're aiming for the fact that if the scouting team dies, they can't respawn."
"...That's ruthless. I think it was a good idea to send you away."
"I couldn't agree more considering the situation. How about your side, senpai? Can you hold out?"
"I can't be sure."
With Ihaan's words, Jie's briefing was barely audible. After that, there was no more communication from Ihaan, indicating that he had encountered enemies. Sihyun checked the remaining time. The Sun Team still needed to hold out for another 15 minutes to win.
Feeling anxious, his pace of panting increased as he continued to run. Although he had encountered quite a few Irregulars along the way, those at the warning level couldn't keep up with him even using Copy skill to run at maximum speed.
"Ugh!"
Passing another group of Irregulars and surveying the Colosseum, Sihyun swallowed curses at the obscenely wide arena. If it was called a Colosseum, there should be only one large arena, but here, multiple arenas were intertwined like a maze. Not only that, but it also had multiple floors, including underground. At this point, finding the Tears of the Mermaid by Geonu seemed like a miracle.
Unable to give up, Sihyun continued to run around the first floor and finally reached his limit when he reached the stairs to the second floor. Bending over, clutching his knees, he panted heavily. Even if he rested for at least a minute, he felt he could run again. He was trying to calm his pounding heart when he sensed someone coming up the stairs below.
Of all times.
As Sihyun caught his breath, he held it as he heard a warning sound in his head. No matter how strong Ban Dal was, it was still too early for him to catch up. Then the only remaining candidate was an Irregular. Gritting his teeth, Sihyun straightened up and prepared himself. Even if it was a persistent pursuer or a new enemy, it was never good news. Despite having no mana loss, he lacked the physical strength to fight.
The fundamental limit of physical endurance couldn't be solved by healing. In any case, he decided to push back with water, so he tightened his grip on the staff and focused his nerves beneath the stairs. He had to make an effort to suppress his heavy breathing to quietly continue his uneven breaths.
After about 30 seconds passed, footsteps approached, as if coming closer, until finally someone ascended. Before confirming who it was, Sihyun swung his staff. It was the advice Jie had given during their practice sessions, "Initiative wins."
A massive whirlpool surged out and engulfed the area below. Not knowing the opponent's level, he poured 10% of his mana, only to be surprised by the considerable amount of mana that was unleashed.
With the sound of wind, the ruthless torrent split in half, almost like the parting of the Red Sea. Amidst the divided waves, Sihyun met eyes with a boy who drew his sword. He frowned at the encounter. The opponent he faced was neither an Irregular nor Ban Dal.
"Why are you here?"
Sure enough, when asked about Seowoo, who had been stopped by Ban Dal, the one who appeared before me, he smiled faintly and asked if I didn't trust Haru's abilities, as he valued him so much.
"Taking advantage of the moment when Haru was blocking, you slipped away. Since there were clear traces of you accelerating and running, I thought it would be good to see you. Did you do well?"
I thought I had gotten used to Seowoo's nonsense, but apparently not. As he casually demanded praise, I was taken aback, exhaling sharply as he approached Sihyun, stepping up the stairs. Sihyun, feeling a chill, aimed his staff at Seowoo.
"Keep your distance."
"How far?"
"It would be nice if you could stay 1000m away."
"Isn't that difficult? I came all the way here, Sihyun."
He replied quietly. Sihyun, sighing, swung his staff. He was not foolish enough to leave Seowoo alone, knowing he might strike at any moment, even as he ascended.
In this moment, as he was an enemy, there was no hesitation. He raised a whirlpool without any doubt, increasing the pressure instantly.
Suddenly, with a thud, the ceiling vibrated. Feeling puzzled, Sihyun looked up, and the floor of the second-floor staircase, which was cracking, came into view. It started to collapse right after.
Crash!
With a deafening noise, the collapsing building caused Sihyun's pupils to widen in shock. The sudden moment was too fast to react. Just before his frozen body hit the marble, arms reached out from below, grabbing Sihyun and pulling him downward.
"....!"
Being pulled towards the stairs, Seowoo, who supported Sihyun's weight, lost his balance and fell, hitting the wall. Sihyun, turning his head at the eerie sound, looked at the debris of the collapsed stairs. His eyes, turning back to understand the situation, caught sight of a giant Irregular.
Thud thud!
The figure, revealing itself with footsteps that made the ground tremble. There were wounds on the large fist.
With a rush, flames rose in his sight, causing Sihyun to gasp.
"Redfall."
The name of the Irregular, towering over 3m tall, surrounded by flames, echoed from behind.
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