Seowoo, rising from his seat and wrapping his arm around Sihyun's stiffened shoulders, drew his sword from his waist.
"Are you hurt?"
Despite his own shock, Seowoo casually inquired as Sihyun stumbled over. With an unhurried tone, he turned to face the Irregular, Redfall, whose cries echoed through the room.
Kang Sihyun, the protagonist, observed Redfall, an Irregular of the danger class, with flames engulfing his body, possessing immense strength. Once considered a disaster class, Redfall had been downgraded to the danger class as the standards for Irregular rankings had risen.
As Sihyun watched the flames emanating from the creature's body, he bit his lip while observing the blazing edges. The flames of Redfall boasted high temperatures; even a mere graze could result in severe burns. Despite the tension of the situation, Seowoo's calm voice flowed over his shoulder, contrasting with Sihyun's own anxiety.
"Looks like it's going to be tough to handle alone."
Despite the urgency of the situation, Seowoo's nonchalant remark served as a barrier in front of Sihyun.
"It's the first time since the placement test."
"...?"
"Fighting with you, Sihyun."
Was he offering support?
With a casual question, he ignored me and aimed his sword at the enraged Redfall. It was more of an assurance that he believed I would assist him. As Redfall lunged forward, Seowoo parried his attack with his sword.
Clang!
The creature's claws scraped against the blade, emitting an unpleasant sound.
"Step back and support me."
With the situation at hand, Seowoo's command shifted to an imperative tone as he swung his platinum-tinged sword. As Redfall was encased in flames, his skin was tough, producing a resounding noise as the blade struck him. Watching Seowoo parry Redfall's attacks once again, Sihyun reluctantly copied a flying skill, hovering in the air.
Swinging his staff, he erected a shield around Seowoo and doused Redfall with cold water, a casting skill he had practiced diligently since his encounter with Ruth.
Checking Seowoo's shield, Sihyun smiled lightly and moved his body. With no one to protect behind him, he attacked without hesitation, striking the wall and leaping to swing his sword. With Redfall's skin revealed, vulnerable beneath the flames, Seowoo's attack succeeded in drawing blood. Though it was only a small wound, it was the first effective hit.
With a painful cry, Redfall breathed out heat once more.
A much stronger heat filled the space, and Redfall's movements, now enveloped in a second layer of flames, doubled in speed.
Dodging Redfall's fist, which narrowly missed hitting the ground, Seowoo, drenched in cold sweat, gritted his teeth. His body felt weak, perhaps due to the heat. Sensing this, Sihyun quickly activated a skill to restore his condition and conjured another wave.
The generated wave crashed down on Redfall. Unlike before, the second layer of flames proved harder to suppress. In fact, they ferociously surged, seemingly attempting to swallow even Sihyun's water. With a menacing movement, Sihyun tightened his grip on the staff. His fingertips trembled. Feeling his heart racing, Sihyun conjured an even more intense water storm.
Crash!
A swirling stream formed around Redfall, spinning rapidly as he attempted to break free, emitting screams of agony.
Clear water embraces the flames, struggling not to extinguish them completely. Seowoo leaped in at the right moment when all the flames were about to disappear, and Sihyun withdrew the water stream accordingly. Their previous collaboration proved to be a harmonious blend of experiences.
The sword, adorned with a brilliant light, ruthlessly slashed at Redfall's exposed skin, now devoid of flames. Unable to deliver a fatal blow with ordinary attacks due to his massive size, Seowoo drove the sword into Redfall's shoulder and twisted the handle with force.
The agonizing creature, reaching out towards Seowoo atop his shoulder, was too late to evade. Sensing the imminent danger faster than Seowoo, Sihyun urgently swung his staff.
Crack!
Redfall's large hand was suddenly blocked by a newly formed round shield. Frustrated at failing to grasp Seowoo, the creature roared and tore at the shield. Despite pouring a considerable amount of mana, the shield seemed to be on the verge of breaking. Seeing this, Sihyun urged the boy still holding the sword.
"Seowoo, hurry!"
"...Almost there."
Seowoo muttered as if the sword weighed heavily, gripping it tightly with both hands. With a forceful push, he finally buried the blade completely into Redfall's skin. Seowoo, still holding onto the hilt, brought the sword down.
A dazzling golden light flashed as Redfall screamed in pain, withdrawing his hand from the shield. The shield, reaching its limit, cracked and shattered in mid-air. Seowoo, removing the sword from Redfall's shoulder, descended from his perch, wiping the blood-stained blade.
Thud!
One of Redfall's arms fell to the ground.
"Can you go for another round?"
"I'm out of water."
When facing Redfall, the conventional tactic was to eliminate the most threatening flames, then sever both arms to strike at the neck. But judging from Seowoo's condition, it seemed unlikely he could sever the remaining arm, leaving him with enough strength to attack the neck.
As evidence, Seowoo's breath was labored, so Sihyun immediately cast a healing spell and state recovery. He watched as Redfall, still trapped in agony, attempted to muster a third flame.
What was fortunate amidst the unfortunate was that Redfall hadn't yet recovered from his pain, only screaming in agony.
They had to act quickly before the creature regained its senses. Otherwise, if they kept fighting, they would only face the certainty of the severed arm regenerating. Aware of Redfall's terrifying resilience, Sihyun, estimating the remaining mana, made a resolute decision, and his eyes snapped open.
Sizzle.
A freezing sound accompanied a bluish ice spear forming in his right hand, which wasn't holding the staff.
"Remember Redfall's weak spot."
"You're not suggesting we go together, are you?"
"If you do it alone, he'll finish regenerating his first arm. By then, you'll be discharged, and I'll be left fighting him alone."
At Seowoo's calm question, Sihyun's brow furrowed. Pointing the ice spear he conjured at Seowoo, he spoke.
"Seowoo, I only know how to support."
"..."
"You know that better than anyone."
He was the one who first saw the ice spear during their sparring sessions over the vacation. Now, he was more skilled than before, and he was confident it would be of help. With that conviction in mind, Sihyun looked at him, and after a moment of scanning Sihyun's figure, Seowoo exhaled a ragged breath and gripped the sword.
"Who can break your stubbornness."
Sighing as if in lament, he added, "Let's go for round three." Designating Seowoo to take the right, while he took the left, Sihyun glanced at Redfall. He heard Seowoo's voice counting. One, two.
And three.
In sync with the signal, Seowoo and Sihyun both rushed towards Redfall.
As a primary tactic, Sihyun wielded a water storm to subdue the flames. Knowing they needed to finish quickly, Sihyun used more than half of his remaining mana to extinguish Redfall's flames.
"Sizzle!"
With the last flame gone, the startled Redfall swung one arm. Prepared for the possibility of his arm regenerating on the side that had been severed, Sihyun, holding the spear and conjuring a shield, looked at Seowoo.
He nodded, quickly creating stairs leading to Redfall's head. Having seen Seowoo's leap once before, he placed three shields in front of him and six in front of himself.
Ascending swiftly, Kang Sihyun increased his speed, stepping rapidly on it. He landed on the last shield platform and leaped up, thrusting an ice spear towards Redfall's neck. On the other side, Kang Seowoo was plunging his sword.
Redfall, attacked in both vital spots at once, groaned in agony, his body writhing. With one final struggle, the ground trembled as he rolled and lunged.
"Huh!"
Exerting force, Sihyun, hanging on the spear, focused on pushing his lance into the creature's neck. Seowoo, using up all his mana, conjured aura around the sword itself. A platinum aura extended fiercely inside Redfall. Sensing his aura rummaging inside Redfall's body, unseen, gave a chilling sensation.
"Cough, hack...!"
After a few coughs, the creature suddenly stopped breathing, its eyes wide open.
Thud! With a heavy sound, the colossal body collapsed. And then, as if enduring dozens of impacts, the floor of the coliseum began to crumble once again.
"...!"
In the collapsing coliseum, blue eyes searched for Seowoo. Although he could have retreated, he seemed to have depleted all his mana, hanging only on the sword. Moreover, with the collapse starting from the right side, he was already falling.
"Seowoo!"
The time for copying the flight skill had ended. Biting his lip, Sihyun realized there was no other way. He let go of the spear and leaped towards Seowoo.
"Hold on!"
As they neared each other, with Redfall's body falling, Sihyun pushed downwards, yelling. The ground was getting closer.
Realizing they were both about to be crushed under Redfall's body if nothing was done, Sihyun stretched out his arm with all his might. Seowoo also made an effort to grab Sihyun's hand.
Finally grasping Seowoo's hand after much effort, Sihyun activated the shield around them. With little mana left, to make the shield as efficient as possible, he had to stay close to Seowoo and create smaller shields.
Crash!
The shield, fueled by all their remaining mana, terrifyingly crashed down with Redfall to the ground. Plummeting through the first floor into the underground, Sihyun opened his tightly shut eyes and looked ahead. Miraculously, one of Redfall's arms was pressing against the shield, and the shield I had created was slightly dented but still intact.
"Ha...."
Finally exhaling a sigh of relief, Sihyun immediately sat down to check on Seowoo's condition. At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out and embraced Sihyun. Blue eyes expressed confusion. A faint breath was heard by his ear.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
