Chapter 41 (3)
The circle rotated violently.
One more spell was completed by double casting while the fire burst’s heat raged on.
“Fire Wave!”
A great, rippling tide of fire, which started from the rooftop, smashed into the Orcs below.
Quaang!
Bbbrrrrrrr.
“Yeah!”
Terrible shrieks fell from the stinking mouths of the monsters. The magical world formula dictates that C class monsters correspond to fourth-circle magic, and D-class are suited to the third.
Now though, Kang Min-hyuk uses magic with firepower comparable to circle four, so most D-class Orcs perished at its touch. Their flesh was charred to black.
Pick-pick-pick, the Orcs fell, and the reinforced warriors, including Jang-Hoo, regained their leisure.
“Hyaaah!”
“Die!”
Klank!
The counterattack began.
As the situation became relaxed, the fortified warriors indiscriminately decapitated the Orcs, who failed to acknowledge what was happening. Great chaos broke out. On one side, the Orcs writhed and screamed in cocoons of flame, and on the other, they were slaughtered.
The number of Orcs at the gate reached a whopping 100, but the Northern position stood strong despite such unfavorable odds.
Could it be that the rest of their team was also elite?
Kang Min-hyuk glanced down. As the swordsmanship students blocked the Orc’s passage, they looked different. The specifics of their name belied the breadth of their talents. Their weapons varied greatly from steel, and the name referred to reinforced warriors of every kind. Even Lee Jang-hoo, who had average skills in swordsmanship, was excellent compared to regular hunters. To prove it, the swordsmanship students stood strong against the Orcs. Thanks to their diligence, they cut through the monsters with ease.
The rooftop was peaceful.
Unlike the Hell of ground-level, Kang Min-hyuk gained time and space at the expense of swordsmanship students.
Hwaak.
Mana scattered again.
Kang Min-hyuk’s role in this Suseongjeon was clear.
Until the seeds of the Orcs dry up, he’d continue to emit explosive firepower.
“Fire Buster.”
Boom!
Rumble.
Flames roared from the rooftop.
Jeong Sang-hoon assisted, and Kang Min-hyuk fulfilled.
The swordsmanship students below showed admiration. The situation was shocking. In their common sense, a wizard’s vision is limited, but the breath of Kang Min-hyuk and Jeong Sang-hoon was amazing…especially Min-hyuk’s magic. It was baffling to see first-year students using third-circle magic.
The earth burnt. The Orc’s eyes were filled with fury as they eyeballed the rooftop, knowing it was the source of their trials, yet had no way to reach it. The warriors were stationed in a way that obstructed their way to the stairs. It was perfect. Kang Min-hyuk had devised the ideal Suseongjeon. The warriors defended at the front-line, while the wizards worked to bring about safety. Such a perfect picture could only be attained through excellence. The number of Orcs was reducing swiftly.
The scenes occurring in the North were being recorded and transmitted live to the professors.
* * *
Professor Baek Dong-seok stood up in amazement as Kang Min-hyuk used third-circle magic.
Beep!
“What?! That’s a fire burst!”
He was aghast.
The revelation of Kang Min-hyuk’s ascension to the second circle was astonishing, but for him to have progressed so rapidly to circle three was unbelievable! He checked again, to be certain, and sure enough, it was as he thought: third circle magic.
“Professor Dongseok Baek. Was Kang Min-hyuk originally a third circle wizard?”
It was from Kim Moo-jin.
Kim Moo-jin was also enthralled.
“No. He hit the second circle a short while ago, but I had no idea he had developed the third! You know as well as I do, Professor Kim Moo-jin, that a new circle can’t be formed in a few short months! Such an excess of power in such a short time would cause the untrained body to crumble!”
His voice trembled.
Kim Moo-jin’s eyes were fixed on the monitor before him. He couldn’t accept the reality he was experiencing.
“… I don’t understand. I recall Kang Min-hyuk from before. He participated in the martial arts contest and showed no traces of being a wizard. If so, that means he started magic when he entered the magic department. I can’t make sense of it. Kang Min-hyuk’s growth can’t even be put down to genius; it is something more than that.”
Both professors fell silent in their shock.
The men relied heavily on logic, and when that alone could not answer their questions, they were at a loss.
Kang Min-hyuk’s magic was a little different from what Baek Dong-seok knew.
“The reason Orcs were chosen for the Mercury Battle is that they pose a challenge to the current level of our magic students. To effectively deal with D-class Orcs, the wizards need to join forces with each other. But look. Kang Min-hyuk is slaughtering them. The most astounding thing is that C class Orc warriors, able to withstand third circle magic, are also dying.”
The formula had been calculated following many years of battle. C class warriors were sensitive only to the fourth circle and beyond. This meant that they should be able to endure Min-hyuk’s magic, but no… there they were, imprisoned and shrieking in its wrath.
So…Kang Min-hyuk was a third circle wizard, but his strength was equal to the fourth circle. It wasn’t very easy and growing more complex. Initially, the professors simply admired the strategy of group three. However, they didn’t see how they could defeat the monsters in such a concentrated group. However, a situation occurred that bent the restraints of possibility. Whichever way they looked at it, Kang Min-hyuk shone among his peers. The only way such a mass concentration of Orcs could be successful would be with incredible firepower amounts. Kang Min-hyuk supplied that…it was undeniable: he was amazing.
Thanks to his performance, a hundred Orcs had been massively reduced. However, the gate is a hell that has no end – the number of orcs released from the cage would be consistent for forty minutes. No matter how many Orcs are killed, the crisis won’t end until the time is up.
“I admit that Kang Min-hyuk is great, but if his mana runs out, it doesn’t bode well for him or his team. There are not many wizards who could sustain such power for so long.”
Kim Moo-jin looked doubtful.
Kang Min-hyuk was already on his sixth bout of magic.
[bang!]
[Bbbbrrrrrrrr!]
At the sight of the screaming orcs, Kim Moo-jin’s expression hardened.
It wouldn’t be much longer.
The moment Kang Min-hyuk’s mana ran out, the crisis of three trillion would begin in earnest.
* * *
It was weird. About fifty Orcs had already been processed, but he still couldn’t see the end. The Orc’s kept on passing through the gate. From this, Min-hyuk was able to infer a hypothesis.
‘Is it set to maintain the number of monsters?’
It was the only explanation.
One hundred animals could barely be blocked with the students’ power, but the gate was vomiting more monsters. What was the point where the balance would break? With the warrior’s dwindling strength, the moment Kang Min-hyuk’s magic ceased, a crisis would surely arise.
Kang Min-hyuk was confident, though.
“There is no chance my magic will stop.”
The impact of his mana room training was excellent. Most wizards used six high-grade mana stones every day, which shouldn’t be used carelessly because of their expense. Although he had already used the 3rd Circle magic six times, there was still a considerable amount of mana left in Kang Min-hyuk’s circle.
Aside from that, he had the mana fairy tale.
Kang Min-hyuk didn’t use only his own mana when using magic.
By sucking up nature’s mana, he could reach third circle magic with only half the consumption.
Most people believe a wizard to be weak in a long-term battle, but Kang Min-hyuk defied that stereotype.
“Fire Burst, Fire Wave.”
Boom!
Wow!
The magic continued to emerge. Whether the professors were surprised or not, Kang Min-hyuk balanced the battlefield with powerful firepower.
The situation was somewhat ironic. Reinforced warriors were considered integral to hunting, but now, it looked like a wizard’s importance was infinitely more significant.
However, the current situation couldn’t be applied to just any third circle wizard. There is a difference in power, and they wouldn’t have the capacity to sustain their mana. His casting speed was way beyond the average. His performance defied common sense.
The warriors, too, were fighting admirably, but only Kang Min-hyuk was outstanding.
Finally…
Boom!
Bbbbrrrrr.
At the final burst of Kang Min-hyuk’s magic, Orcs ceased to appear at the gate. Forty minutes had passed. The professors had allocated an extra twenty minutes after the final wave to allow the students to battle with the remaining Orcs…group three required no such luxury. The few that lingered were slaughtered in no time – the harmony of the wizards and the warriors created a clean sweep. Orc’s limbs curled through the air, spattering blood, and final, horrible screams were forced out of lungs that would never breathe again. Jang-Hoo had struggled with the long battle, but the fact that he had endured it filled him with pride. The Warriors proved their worth. No matter how much support there was, it was a great feat to endure forty minutes of grueling warfare.
When the last of the Orcs had been dealt with, the gate disappeared.
Thump!
“Look! It’s gone!”
“Hoowook, hoowook.”
The students collapsed. When the tension that had stiffened his body disappeared, Jang-hoo couldn’t stand anymore. However, Kang Min-hyuk did not rest. As soon as the situation was over, he came down from the rooftop and approached Lee Jang-hoo.
“Go.”
“Uh…where?”
“There. I have to help in the other direction.
The North mission was over, but North was only one direction. There were still 10 minutes left.
“We’ll divide our troops into three. It will be hard but be patient. In ten more minutes, you’ll get the results you want.”
Lee Jang-hoo turned pale. All strength had left his body. At Kang Min-hyuk’s words, though, he stood up and clenched his teeth.
“Ok. Let’s do it.”
In retrospect, Lee Jang-ho saw this as the moment he began to obey Kang Min-hyuk truly.
