Chapter 27: The Wizard’s Role (3)
“Chirruk!” The goblins were fast.
Their attacks were instantaneous. Lim Yun-ho and Jung Min-Cheol had no time to see what was happening behind them.
“Hah!!”
“…Clang!”
Entangling with the goblins, who came in waves, prompted a fierce battle of life and death.
“Get off! X, O baby!”
“Whoah!”
Jung Min-Cheol’s blue aura sword waved elegantly through the air and sliced through a goblin’s throat. The creature, who was the first to dash into a clean blow, was helpless, but one death didn’t change much.
As the fight progressed, goblins stepped on the corpses of their own to reach the men. Jung Min-Cheol became defensive; Lim Yun-ho followed his lead.
“Clash!”
“Kakacan!”
An insane workshop took place. If an attack was blocked from the right, another flew out from the left. If the left was blocked, another goblin struck from the right! It was relentless. The higher intellect of the men wasn’t a match for the sheer quantity of monsters. The venture was so lethal that the three brothers were afraid for their lives.
Behind the scenes of the battle, Hobgoblin raised his staff.
“Rrrrring!”
“Kirruk, Kirruk!” The mass of goblins reacted in force to the sound of the bell.
Kim Seong-ho was left with no choice but to make a judgment call.
“Plan C!!”
“Hyah!”
“Plan C!!”
He yelled, cutting down a goblin as the words left his lips.
Plan C was a defensive action. They had to protect each other and take the focus away from the offense. The younger brothers gratefully obeyed. They cut through the goblins blocking their path and stood back-to-back, each fighting from his vantage point, preventing the creatures from attacking from unexpected angles. The stench of goblin-blood filled the air.
“If it goes on like this, we’ll be annihilated soon…”
Kim Seong-ho thought to himself. They were dealing with the enemies skillfully, but there were too many of them. No matter how many they killed, their numbers didn’t seem to diminish. His stomach burned with regret. Coming here was a mistake.
Exploration information is usually very accurate. Even still, it should have been analyzed more carefully. As the head of the party, Kim Seong-ho felt that it was his fault they were in this situation. It felt as though they were standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to be pushed off. They needed the wizard to intervene…
But how could a 2nd circle wizard face a situation like this? Yes, magic is an excellent tool, but a 2nd circle mage’s power is limited. Consistent use of magic is also exhausting; after four or five casts, he would be too tired to assist further. For such a low classification of a mage, it was hard to expect much success.
“Hyah!”
“Thud”
“Clash!”
Kim Seong-ho decapitated a fierce, torn-toothed goblin, making Hobgoblin visible. They had to take the risk. Dealing with the centripetal point was the only solution, so Kim Seong-ho tried to leave the huddle. At that very moment, an incredible heat blasted through the cave.
“Fireball! Fireball!!”
“Bbbbbrrrrrrrr”
A deep rumble, followed by blazing flames; Kang Min-hyuk’s magic was ready. The blazing heat and blinding light prevented the men from moving. Kim Seong-ho couldn’t rush forward as he planned.
“Wow!!! What is this?!”
The men couldn’t believe their eyes. Dozens of goblins fell before them, writhing and screaming. The wizard’s magic was powerful enough to change the balance of the battle.
* * *
Following the Fireball, Min-hyuk carefully prepared two spells simultaneously. The mana that flowed from the circle was scattered into the air, and he gathered mana around him with a ‘mana fairy tale.’
“Use as much magic as possible,” one of the brothers implored.
“There are so many of them!”
The ‘mana fairy tale’ would allow the wizard to utilize his mana in the best way possible. It was a complicated process but worth it, as it would reduce the energy required for double casting, meaning that he could cast more often without becoming exhausted.
The flames burned intensely around them.
“Wow!”
“What…what is this?!”
The strength of his magic astonished all four men – even Kang Min-hyuk.
The flames charred the goblin’s skin to black, and some couldn’t handle the heat and fell straight to the floor. It was not 2nd circle magic…it was comparable to Eulchu – 3rd circle. Kang Min-hyuk’s throat was dry due to the blaze he’d created. It was top-tier casting.
The magic in Klinssman’s world was of a higher quality than Min-hyuk’s world, even if the wizard casting it is inferior. Kang Min-hyuk’s ability to harness this magic made him stronger. As well as this, his mana room training had made his circle stronger than an ordinary wizard’s – the two aspects created a tremendous synergy. Only two circles were formed in his heart but being cast was closer to 3rd circle magic.
“Protect Klinssman!”
Yelled Kim Seong-ho. The younger brothers obeyed. The structure had changed; Kang Min-hyuk’s magic was strong enough to fight at the front, while the three men guarded him against enemy attacks. The Hobgoblin reacted violently to this,
“Kiehek!”
“Rrrring, rrrring!”
Goblins rushed in with even greater force.
Kang Min-hyuk left the defense to Kim Seong-ho and his party and focused only on casting. Goblins are weak against fire magic, so instead of working with varying magics, he intensively prepared a fireball with double casting.
Usually, a D-class monster would be fought by a 3rd circle wizard, C-class requires 4th circle, B-class: 5th circle. It’s difficult for a 2nd circle wizard to play an active part in a D-class dungeon. Fortunately, goblins were shocked by the use of magic, even the lower circles. With the use of what seemed to be 3rd circle casting, many of them died instantly.
“Fireball! Fireball!”
“Brrrrrrrrr…”
Another wave of fire hit the goblins. Already, four phases of magic had been used, but Kang Min-hyuk didn’t stop casting. He still had enough mana, and he knew that to defeat all seventy goblins would take more than just a couple of casts. Luckily, he had the stamina to sustain and didn’t tire as quickly as normal wizards.
The magic exploded! Each time it burst out, the number of goblins depleted. However, after ten casts, Kang Min-hyuk began to feel dizzy due to mana exhaustion.
He became frustrated by his inability to deal with all of the goblins. If he were an assassin, he wouldn’t have to suffer in this way. He could’ve dealt with them with a single sword. Only one group of goblins remained. Kim Seong-ho’s dark expression turned into one of hope: he knew that they could survive.
* * *
The fierce battle was over.
Eventually, Hobgoblin collapsed with Kim Seong-ho’s party’s teamwork, and every last threat was swiftly dealt with.
“Ok!”
“Thump!”
“Oh, I thought I was going to die!”
Lim Yun-ho and Jung Min-Cheol sat on the floor and exhaled harsh breaths. Their faces, pouring sweat like rain, showed how difficult their battle had been. If it wasn’t for Kang Min-hyuk’s magic, they couldn’t have survived the onslaught.
“Aren’t you a 2nd circle wizard? Where did that firepower come from?”
The brothers didn’t understand. Klinssman’s ability exceeded common sense. It wasn’t just his firepower that impressed, but his ability to use a whopping ten bouts of magic!
“It makes no sense…”
Lim Yun-ho muttered.
They injected a strengthening fluid into their bodies, which formed a circle around their hearts. Min-hyuk’s ability to use so much magic was constantly questioned – a wizard below the 4th circle couldn’t use magic ten times in a single battle. Even then, it was uncertain as to whether a high-grade wizard could do so. Not only did the wizard support the others, but he also led the battle to victory.
“If it weren’t for Klinssman, we’d be dead…” Jung Min-Cheol said.
It was an undeniable fact. After the brothers briefly shared ideas, Kim Seon-ho approached Kang Min-hyuk and said, “Thank you so much. We survived because of you, Klinssman.”
To which he replied, “I didn’t defeat Hobgoblin; you did that.”
“No… the dungeon’s difficulty was high enough to be graded C. I’d like to raise your share of the profits to 50%. We couldn’t have cleared this place without you. My brothers agree.”
The younger siblings had also proposed something else. Following their initial prejudice, it was something that none of them had suspected would happen, but they all agreed.
“Would you like to be a long-term part of our team?”
It was a moment that would change each of them significantly.
