NOVEL WEB Chapter 60
Chapter 60. Debut Match (4)
TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader
– Ah! Player Cha Hyunwoo has sustained an injury to his left arm!
– But as long as the healer, Jang Jisoo is alive, he’ll quickly recover. What’s crucial is the forefront. The outcome of this battle hinges on whether Choi Jinsu falls or not!
– Indeed. I’m looking forward to seeing how it unfolds on Island No. 2! After all, we’re talking about the first and second-ranked teams!
The Scorpio Guild’s promising team, currently first in rank, and the Mythical Guild’s promising team, in second place, were locked in fierce combat on Island No. 2, reflecting their standings.
– Ah! Yu Ajun is casting another spell!
– The recovered Cha Hyunwoo releases a barrage of arrows in an attempt to intercept, but to no avail. Yu Ayeon easily prevents it, as if she had been waiting for it!
– Yu Ayeon’s intuition is especially remarkable. She’s supporting the tank facing off against Choi Jinsu and taking care of Yu Ajun’s casting!
– If Yu Ajun’s magic takes effect, it could collapse the current battle formation, right?
– Exactly! And it’s about time that player Jang Jisoo’s divine energy starts to deplete!
The live broadcast continued to show the relentless battle between the top two teams.
Then.
With frequent tremors, the broadcast screen began to shake.
– What’s happening? The screen is suddenly shaking!
The MC Choi Kangyup and commentator Song Jaekyung quickly looked over at the staff in front, checking if it was a broadcasting error.
However, seeing the confused staff and PDs suggested it wasn’t a technical issue. Then.
The broadcasted image split into 2, 4, 6 sections, soon covering the entire debut match region, the Floating Archipelago.
– This is unbelievable!
– A tsunami! A huge tsunami is approaching from all directions!
Like a coiled serpent, a massive tsunami approached, enveloping the entire Floating Archipelago.
Naturally.
– Commentator Song, what’s happening? Have tsunamis occurred in the Floating Archipelago before?
– I’ve never seen anything like this! Although maps do have disaster events, nothing like this has ever happened on the Floating Archipelago!
Even Song Jaekyung, a first-generation player, had never witnessed such a phenomenon.
– Ah! From Island No. 7 to Island No. 4! The islands are being swallowed by the tsunami!
– The teams that occupied the islands are helplessly swept away. There’s nothing they can do!
– At this rate, even Island No. 2, where the battle is ongoing, will be engulfed!
The commentators, in a state of panic, could only hurriedly deliver their lines.
And then.
– Ah! The tsunami has reached Island No. 2! From this shot, it looks incredibly massive?
– Wisely, both teams have stopped fighting to escape! But it doesn’t seem possible for everyone to survive!
The stage for the battle between the first and second-place teams.
The tsunami had reached Island No. 2.
* * *
“This is crazy!”
Yu Ayeon exclaimed as she faced the sudden disaster, the massive tsunami.
Until now, nothing had ever flustered Yu Ayeon, who always handled situations calmly.
However, as if to prove why she was nicknamed ‘Cold-blooded,’
– Undine! Ondine!
She quickly summoned Undine and Ondine, the lower and middle-tier water spirits.
– Ah, Miss Ayeon! Please help me!
She heard the urgent voice of an ally tank who had been fighting Choi Jinsu. Yet, Yu Ayeon, holding her younger brother Yu Ajun’s hand, merely huddled within the spirits’ embrace.
The reason was simple.
– It’s already tough enough just trying to save the two of us.
If she could have summoned the higher-tier spirit, Endairon, perhaps it would have been a different story. But surviving that massive tsunami with just middle-tier spirits was only possible for herself and one more.
Moreover.
– If that tsunami hits here, he’d just be dead weight.
To begin with, the tank was only included in the Scorpio Guild’s team to support her and her brother. Without her spirit magic, in water, he’d be no better than a lump of iron sinking.
From the efficiency-focused Yu Ayeon’s perspective, there was no need to take that risk.
Moreover,
– Jisoo!
– Ah, no! My divine energy!
– Damn it! Jinsu-hyung! Over here, argh! Losing a member isn’t solely our problem, right?
Yu Ayeon stared down the Myth Guild team disappearing into the tidal wave with icy eyes.
“Just one Choi Jinsu. If we can just withstand the tidal wave, we can finish this.”
* * *
A gigantic tidal wave that engulfed the whole archipelago.
Watching the disaster unfold in real-time, Shimun nodded as he observed the survivors.
“Yu Ayeon, Yu Ajun, and Choi Jinsu.”
The promising rookies that had been consistently mentioned even before their debut.
Indeed, living up to their reputation, each of the three prospects survived the wave in their unique ways.
“I expected Choi Jinsu to transform into an aquatic creature, but Yu Ayeon is a surprise.”
Shimun looked at the Yu siblings, cradled by a bluish woman whose lower body was a blur.
“An Undine, despite just being upgraded to gold?”
A middle-grade spirit, Undine.
Though securing a contract might not be difficult at a level sufficient to participate in a debut match.
Controlling one properly would generally require skills of someone in the upper echelons of gold.
Yu Ayeon survived the tidal wave of Triaena using multiple controls including an Undine.
This indicated her spirit control had reached the upper tiers of gold.
“Well, it’s a gold-rank debut match, after all. They had to show something impressive.”
Aren’t they the future of Korea?
Especially those who have been distinctly mentioned, it was necessary they demonstrated such potential.
“Shall we end this, then?”
Snap.
As Shimun flicked his finger, gills behind his ears deepened further.
His muscles across the body also swelled before subsiding.
A sea monster, typically seen at the platinum rank.
[Sharklodon’s Physique] was infused throughout his body.
Boasting an impressive completion rate of 26%.
Swish!
Like a sleek shark, he dashed through the submerged archipelago.
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
Perhaps due to the middle-grade water spirit, Undine, Yu Ayeon quickly noticed Shimun’s movements and shook her younger brother, Yu Ajun awake.
Jolted by his sister, Yu Ajun, who had been staring blankly at the drowned area, sharply turned his head.
“A gray hoodie? Can it be! Kim Shimun?”
“Yes. All of this is definitely his doing.”
“He caused that giant tidal wave? Wait, nuna. That means…”
Yu Ajun’s face darkened alarmingly.
‘That means we stand no chance?’
Even glancing at the Arena Board. From being first, they were now second. And Kim Shimun, who had been third, was now in the lead with an overwhelming 27 kills.
Seeing the count jump from 9 to 27 kills meant that except for them, all participants must have been swept away by the recent tidal wave.
How could they possibly face such a monster?
Then.
Whack!
“Hey, Yu Ajun! Are you out of it?!”
Yu Ayeon’s angry voice reached him, coupled with a stinging pain at the back of his head.
“Why are you acting cowardly before we even fight? Have you forgotten what the guild prepared for us?”
“But, nuna! Look what that guy did! How can we win against someone who took down nearly 20 people with a single blow!”
Yu Ayeon, momentarily pressing her forehead in frustration.
“Undine, cause as much trouble as you can!”
She sent the Undine towards Shimun while turning to her brother filled with unease.
“Think, you idiot. Sure, this situation is Kim Shimun’s doing, but that’s it.”
“Sister, what do you mean?”
“I told you to think! Why wouldn’t he use the same power again and opt for close combat instead?”
“That’s… oh? Could it be!”
A glimmer of realization struck Yu Ajun.
Yu Ayeon briefly nodded at her brother’s understanding.
“Right. He can’t afford to use that insane tidal wave a second time.”
“Yeah! We also suffer backlash from using magic beyond our capacity!”
“Exactly. So, please, get a hold of yourself and start with the artifact. Ugh!”
“Nuna!”
Suddenly, Yu Ayeon staggered. Turning her head, she saw the figure of Undine, its chest pierced by Shimun’s attack.
“Stop worrying and use the artifact already!”
“O-Okay!”
At Yu Ayeon’s shout, Yu Ajun quickly extended his right wrist.
Yu Ayeon then followed by extending her left wrist towards her younger brother’s wrist, crossing the bracelets that hung on each of their wrists.
Simultaneously, they chanted the activation words.
“Frozen Origin.”
“Frozen Origin.”
Then.
Ssshhh.
A damp and demonic energy swirled from the two bracelets.
It dripped down like sticky liquid from their bracelets and disappeared as if washed away, leaving behind an unpleasant ringing sound.
“Di-Did it work?”
Yu Ajun asked with an anxious expression, but Yu Ayeon didn’t reply. It was more accurate to say there was no need for a response.
“Ugh!”
Rumble.
Shimun, who had been approaching them after dealing with Undine, suddenly stopped in his tracks, foaming at the mouth.
“Ptui!”
Spitting out the blood caused by Undine’s counter-summoning, Yu Ayeon shouted, “Ajun, get ready!”
“Got it!”
They started casting with a lower spirit, Undine, in tow. Yu Ajun also busily moved his hands, starting to trace something in the air.
Meanwhile.
‘What? Why did the human alchemy dissolve all of a sudden?’
Shimun, whose [Sharkrodon’s Physique] had vanished, was frantically trying to muster his alchemy energy, but to no avail.
-Oh… I… strange…
‘Philosopher’s Stone? The Philosopher’s Stone!’
Like a radio losing its signal. The voice of the Philosopher’s Stone, coming through in broken segments. Shimun realized that the Philosopher’s Stone embedded in his chest felt as if it was tightly bound by chains.
‘A curse. And it’s the type that completely seals my main energy.’
A curse.
A form of dark magic that, despite its challenging conditions and activation, is a terrifying experience for those who suffer from it.
‘Those two crossed their arms a while ago. So, it was triggered by an item?’
Realizing the cause of the curse, Shimun calmly stopped his breathing and relaxed his body, understanding the reason.
‘Let’s use the Philosopher’s Stone.’
Even though his alchemy energy was blocked, there was a way that wouldn’t be significantly affected by the curse.
-Awa… ke!
The Philosopher’s Stone’s response came in broken fragments.
Along with it.
Wooo.
Something began to flow from the stilled Philosopher’s Stone.
Not alchemy energy, but Dragon Force.
The Dragon Force poured into Shimun’s body, now one with the Philosopher’s Stone, and surged through his entire body vigorously.
‘Let’s focus on breathing first.’
The Dragon Force, reaching his throat first, settled throughout Shimun’s respiratory system.
Then.
“Phew!”
Bubbles.
A bizarre scene occurred as he breathed through his nose and mouth, akin to breathing underwater.
Not only that.
Crack.
Strange sounds of bones emanated from the entire body, including the arms and legs. Patches of skin on the exposed hands and neck began to cover with faint golden scales.
This was Dragonification. After absorbing the blood of the Dragon God Tiamat, and under the influence of the Obsidian Tablet, it was an ability registered with the characteristics of the Philosopher’s Stone. As evident from its name.
“Wow… this is insane.”
Kim Shimun, having acquired the body of a dragon, one of the top-ranking species in the Galaxy Arena, waved his limbs with his eyes wide open in awe.
‘It’s incredibly light? And yet, there’s something heavy about it.’
Two seemingly contradictory words spontaneously sprang to mind. Such was the agility and robust strength the dragon body provided. Chills ran down his spine as the golden scales on his body slightly bristled.
Kim Shimun, following the warning transmitted by his dragon body, instinctively activated Odin’s Eye. Soon after, he let out a scoff upon witnessing a rapidly activating swirl of Magical Energy right before him. The reason was simple.
‘To think I can see the movement of demonic ki.’
While it was possible to see the flow of magic with Odin’s Eye, observing the flow of demonic ki was something else entirely. Magic was essentially a creation made of specific energies like demonic ki or mana, and seeing the flow of that creation differed from observing the flow of the energy constituting the magic.
‘Is this what sets the dragon race apart?’
And now, with this superior dragon body, which allowed him to see the flow of demonic ki, ‘It seems the casting is almost complete.’
Kim Shimun was able to fully anticipate what the two sibling mages would do next.
‘When the younger brother, Yu Ajun, manifests his magic, the older sister, Yu Ayeon, will enhance its power and effect with her spirit magic.’
They could even leverage the unique advantages of spirit magic to deal additional hits using the remnants of magic if needed. Indeed, a combo worthy of being hailed as the next big thing in the magic system. In particular, the control and sense displayed by the sister, Yu Ayeon, were commendable.
Following, “Ice Twister!”
Perhaps because the sister’s spirit was of the water attribute, or because they were surrounded by water, Yu Ajun’s Ice Twister demonstrated a power well beyond a five-star level.
Quatzzzzht!
A tornado blast of ice, sharp as awls, flew toward them. Although not quite as strong as the semi-six-star ice magic unleashed by the hidden boss, the Half Draconian Sarkuga, it was of a level that even Kim Shimun could not ignore.
‘Back then, I countered with Astrape by overpowering it…’
Watching the fiercely approaching Ice Twister, Kim Shimun smiled faintly. Instead of dodging, he plunged headlong toward the ice tornado.
‘Got you!’
‘Fools! Do they think that’s just a five-star level magic?’
The siblings couldn’t help but smirk triumphantly. Of course, their triumph was short-lived.
“Ah, no!”
“This is crazy!” The Ice Twister, further empowered by the Undine, became more potent. Kim Shimun was ‘counter-running’ through the midst of the icy whirlwind.
“To tread over magic?!”
And then, “Farewell.”
His nails, sharp as those of a Draconian, dug into a throat.
Crunch.
“Gah!”
“Grk!”
This marked the end for the Yu siblings, promising figures in the magic system of their generation.