The S-Rank Character Is My Alt

Chapter 16: Welcome to the Sacred Battlefield (5)

[Incarnation Exclusive Skill :: Fragment of the First Dream]

[You are using the authority of the Constellation ◼◼◼◼.]

[You borrow the skill of the Sub-King.]

[Sub-King ◼◼◼◼ Exclusive Skill :: I am everywhere. I exist here.]

With a rattling sound, bars descended from above, separating the survivor panels from the field. Since Kang Ihyun’s sacred flame and aura of holy power were already filling the battlefield, Lude had no hesitation in activating his skill.

Boom! The red dragon stomped, shaking the rocks that floated on the lava.

“Ugh!”

Lude nearly slipped, but Ihyun grabbed him just in time and pulled him back. Lude swung the black half-scissors.

The dragon was preparing another breath. Lude wiped the sweat from his forehead, frowned slightly, and said to Ihyun,

“Prepare to defend.”

“Got it!”

Ihyun raised his sword, and at the same time, Lude lifted his scissors.

[Holy Knight Exclusive High-Tier Skill – Wall of Divinity]

Crash! The dragon’s breath collided once more with Ihyun’s shield.

“Kgh!”

“Hold on.”

“I will…!”

It seemed stronger than before, forcing Ihyun’s feet to skid backward.

Without another word, Lude slipped inside Ihyun’s guard and looked up. Confirming that Lude was within the barrier, Ihyun thickened the golden shield.

Lude’s sharp eyes followed the torrent of breath against the translucent barrier, focusing with terrifying intensity on the thinnest point where the heat gathered most. He wrapped his spirit energy around his scissors.

“When I give the signal, drop the shield.”

“Okay!”

The energy exploded violently around his weapon, nearly reaching the limit. The air roared, blowing their hair back.

With the breath raging in front, the gale from his own aura behind, and bursts of steam erupting from the lava below, Ihyun wrapped his free arm firmly around Lude’s waist to keep him steady.

At the peak of his focus, when the black scissors seemed ready to burst, Lude shouted.

“Now!!”

Ihyun withdrew the shield. Just as the torrent of flame was about to engulf them, Lude thrust his weapon into the stream!

[Trait :: Natural Lucid Dream activated!]

Boom!! The searing heat instantly turned into freezing cold. At the same time, an enormous blast erupted where they stood, hurling them into the air.

“Aghh!”

“Lude!”

[Holy Knight High Tier Skill :: Sacred Flame Explosion]

With a bang, Ihyun detonated his flame midair, adjusting their trajectory and landing on another rock further back. Lude clung to him, who looked pale as a sheet.

“Are you all right?!”

“M-Maybe?”

If Ihyun had not held him, he would have been blown away like paper. Lude was not a physical-type Hunter, which put him at a disadvantage in this kind of head-on fight.

“Still, I hit it once.”

He exhaled hard, blowing the sweat-damp hair from his eyes.

The spirit energy he had forced to its limit had crawled up the dragon’s throat, clinging to it and transforming the fiery breath into icy wind.

[Grrroooarrr…]

The dragon realized something was wrong too late. Frost formed around its jaws. It tried to breathe fire, but only icy vapor came out. Confused, it glanced around in panic.

“It’ll only get worse. Move back.”

Ihyun, still holding Lude around the waist, leapt further away.

The dragon spewed several more breaths, but wherever the torrent fell, there was no bubbling magma, only spreading sheets of ice.

Ihyun looked at Lude, who sat catching his breath with a weary sigh.

‘A-Amazing…’

The weakness of a field-type dungeon was that the terrain was always optimized for the boss.

The dragon’s most dangerous weapon was its breath. But Lude had turned that very breath into the worst element for the field.

In an instant, he had neutralized its strongest weapon. He had strength, intelligence to use it strategically, and the concentration to control overwhelming energy with precision.

He was truly remarkable. Ihyun couldn't understand why someone like him saw himself so low.

He had locked himself away because of what happened ten years ago. But with a little support at his side, he could overcome it. Just as Lude had once supported him.

“Ugh, let me rest for just a little… like twenty seconds.”

Panting, Lude collapsed onto a rock. Ihyun gently patted his back with concern written all over his face.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Argh, second class gates are really brutal… I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you, seriously.”

Only thanks to Ihyun’s support, he was able to change the dragon breath’s element. He sighed again saying he wouldn’t have been able to do it alone, but rose to his feet and lifted his scissors.

“Kang Ihyun. Let’s sap its strength and twist the field in our favor. I’ll start with the lava. While I do that, hold that guy off up front, I’ll need some time.”

“C-Can you handle it alone?”

“As long as I’m not right up in front of the dragon like earlier, I won’t be blown away like a rag doll again. Don’t worry.”

Though worried, Ihyun nodded and ran forward.

Lude stabbed the scissors into the ground wiping the sweat from his brow. His breathing was rough because he used a lot of stamina in the earlier attack.  

[Illusionist High Tier Skill :: Sensory Disruption]

The spirit energy lodged in the dragon’s throat spread his skill, disorienting it.

[Kryaaagghhhh-!!!!]

The dragon released cold breaths everywhere, unwittingly freezing its own battlefield.

[Holy Knight Basic Skill :: Halo]

Noticing Lude’s plan, Ihyun drew a pendant and murmured a prayer. A golden halo glowed behind him.

[Grrrrrrr-!!!]

The dragon, sensing that light, roared and charged at him with claws and kicks, unleashing more freezing breaths.

Dodging nimbly, Ihyun drew the dragon’s attacks to scatter its power across the field. Lude’s hands trembled on the scissors.

He was already overloaded, maintaining his avatar, warping the dragon’s breath, and applying sensory disruption all at once.

“But I can’t stop now…!”

If he could flip the field’s element, the fight would become far easier. The timer above already showed ten minutes had passed.

Ten minutes remained. He just had to endure. Ihyun was still fighting ahead. Lude was doing his best too. He felt like they would succeed with their efforts.

Confidence steadied him and he held his black half-scissors tightly again. His aura which had begun to scatter, spread evenly once more.

* * *

“It is going smoothly.”

“Indeed.”

In the monitoring room, the HR staff and Kang Sujin watched the fight with tense faces.

There were almost no second class gates in Korea, so this one was built years ago using overseas data.

Rumor had it Lude could only clear solo up to third class, so they had deliberately set it to second. It was a simulation they had never used until now.

“How long has it been?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Impressive... Keep watching. In five minutes, insert the next measure.”

Kang Sujin turned the pages of the interview transcript, then looked back at the screen. Lude’s hiring was already pretty much confirmed.

His ability was proven many times over in real gates. The mock battle was not necessary for proof.

Even so, there was a reason she carried out Lude’s mock battle. Part of it was for formality’s sake, but beyond that, there was something far greater.

Last year on a recruitment site, a question had been posted:

[Q] How does Sanctuary’s mock battle work? T.T

I passed the interview and have to take the test next week… I heard Sanctuary values more than just raw stats. Does anyone know?

[Replies]

— Nobody knows. I applied last year, but an A-rank who carried the gate was rejected while a trolling B-rank was hired.

— Internal rules of the company so no one knows. But they seem to value personality.

— I was previous HR staff. Sanctuary prizes growth potential above all else. Evaluation is based on your application and interview, so just be honest with yourself.

That answer from the previous staff was key.

What Kang Sujin wanted to see from this mock battle was Lude’s growth potential.

Ten years ago, it was rare for a low-ranked Hunter to be a guild master. But now, it was common. Perception had shifted from “The strongest Hunter in the guild” to “The one most suited to lead.” That shift had begun with her.

A D-rank Hunter who had studied abroad, she had returned after the East Sea first-class gate disaster, rebuilt Sanctuary when its leaders were lost, and raised it to one of the Four Great Guilds.

[Trait :: Master of Trait Evolution activated!]

She had pioneered the study of Hunter Science the moment it appeared. Hunters grew by evolving their traits. Growth was endless at least in theory, though evolving was notoriously difficult.

To understand trait evolution was to hold power over the Hunter world. That was why all new Hunters longed to join Sanctuary. Its internal training program was famed for helping Hunters evolve their traits systematically.

Soon Lude would be one of them.

She looked at his interview sheet, highlighting his answer to “What is your defining trait?”

‘Natural Lucid Dreamer.’

It was a trait without any modifiers. In other words, it meant he had never undergone trait evolution even once. And yet, despite never evolving, he already possessed such monstrous power.

“This is insane…”

She gave a dry laugh and turned back to the monitor. Lude scattered his spirit, with Ihyun supporting him tirelessly. Both were fully absorbed in the fight.

Lude had never evolved his trait once in six years, and had never once cooperated with others.

Now, influenced by Ihyun, he was changing. Perhaps Ihyun was the best catalyst to make him grow.

And perhaps Ihyun could also shed his own ‘bad habit’ in turn.

Two unmatched Hunters, stronger than anyone else working together. The synergy was priceless. Was there anything better than this?

That was why she had placed Ihyun beside Lude in this battle, to see their potential growth clearly.

Kang Sujin’s eyes narrowed, gleaming as she watched Lude on the monitor. The five minutes she had mentioned were almost up.

“Now then… let us see. Are you truly going to make each other stronger, or not…”