Chapter 146 – Last Sub-Dragon (1)
Next day.
Our team members came down to the first floor to eat breakfast provided by the ryokan.
At the restaurant, Ji-ah Yoon, whom I hadn’t seen since I checked in yesterday, and Ju-yeon Kang, whom I had talked with for a long time in the mixed bath, had already arrived.
“… Hi.”
“Uh, uh. Good morning.”
Now Kang Joo-yeon naturally greets them first.
To her words, I answered awkwardly.
… It’s an unnatural answer no matter who hears it.
‘Calm down, Do Jae-hyeon.’
Pat the cheek with the palm of your hand.
A bit of a daze came back.
It’s not that I became awkward with Kang Joo-yeon.
Rather, we talked a lot last night, and the sense of distance that had remained little by little was completely narrowed.
It made no sense that the intimacy that had grown closer by even calling each other by name would disappear in one day.
Just…
– Jaehyun.
-Uh?
-I think the fixing on the towel back has come loose….
-… Yes?
After the story, before leaving the bath.
Kang Joo-yeon asked to tie a towel.
And I was extremely nervous, and I helped with that.
Her smooth back then, her thumping heart…
It just kept popping into my mind.
‘Oh, really. Was it possessed by a devil of lewdness?’
I scolded myself inwardly, letting go of my nonsense thoughts.
If you think about it, there was something strange about Kang Joo-yeon’s request, but the deeper you dig, the more you remember her pale skin…
Naturally, I had no choice but to stop thinking.
Anyway, leaving behind the strange memories of yesterday, we were ready to leave for the investigation.
When I checked out after breakfast, Akiba was already in front of the ryokan.
“Then, let’s gather together at the warp gate at Rokubancho Station after each person finishes their investigation. Mr. Akiba, please take good care of our members.”
“Yes. Leave it to me, Jaehyun.”
Our team splits into two teams to investigate.
The team leader of Team C was decided to be Akiba.
It was because she knew the geography and characteristics of Nagoya very well, and because she was a skilled B-class archer, it was easy to give battle instructions.
So, each of us left for the investigation point, and I and Kang Joo-yeon, team B, also moved to the site.
Our first stop was the Nagoya Port Aquarium.
It was a dungeon located in one of the exhibition halls, the ‘Sea Ghost Habitat’.
Most of the dungeons are found somewhere in the field, but there were also many cases that appeared in ordinary places like this.
Right now, ‘Academy Underground Dungeon’ was such a case.
[You have entered the dungeon.]
[Due to the dungeon’s stinky energy, the holder’s speed is slightly reduced.]
The ‘Sea Ghost Habitat’ was a dungeon in the form of an uninhabited island.
The sea spreads out in all directions, and the entrance started from the beach.
It doesn’t matter since I have runes such as [Underwater Breathing] Or [Underwater Running], But Kang Joo-yeon doesn’t have any runes, so it’s a headache when even underwater dungeons come out.
Fortunately, contrary to the name, the attack route is heading inside the uninhabited island, and the boss room is also located in the center of the land…
There didn’t seem to be much of a problem with the attack.
Thanks to that, we began to hunt the monsters step by step and investigate the unlicensed warp gate at the same time.
Ohhhhh-!!
Sssss
“Juyeonah, Light Meteor!”
“… Yes.”
Fast-paced combat.
In the meantime, Kang Joo-yeon and my breath gradually found harmony.
I found her every moment I needed to know her main magic of Kang Joo-yeon, and she also supported my battle by combining magic in advance in her right place.
Kwa, Kwa Gaga-!!
Kwaaang-!
“Uh?”
However, while continuing the battle in the front line, I, who received Kang Joo-yeon’s support, had to be surprised in the middle.
Kang Joo-yeon’s fire-attribute magic.
It’s a magical attack that I’ve experienced several times, and it must have been a familiar energy…
It was because the power and magic casting speed far exceeded my expectations.
‘What. When did he become so strong?’
Yesterday, when I was attacking the ‘Shady Ghost Hideout’, I didn’t really realize it because there were many dealers in a 5-person party.
However, facing Kang Joo-yeon’s firepower support at a two-person party today, I felt that the power was definitely extraordinary.
‘Did I come to the threshold of A grade?’
Jooyeon Kang is a holder who uses the authentic [Florian Spell] Rune.
The [Florian Spell] Rune is much more popular than Kim Chae-eun’s [Adrian Spell] And is easy to use, so it grows quickly, but that’s also a beginner’s story.
High-ranking wizards, such as Kang Joo-yeon, are getting more and more complicated to use runes and easily run into limits.
Of course, growth is bound to slow down.
However, even with the limitations of such a rune, Kang Joo-yeon was showing overwhelming force.
Her stats and use of runes improved, and her fighting sense became stronger.
Kang Joo-yeon met Yoon Ji-ah and got out of some kind of limit.
It felt like she was watching the process right in front of her eyes.
Qua-quagga-
Oh oh… ?
Is compatibility meaningless in front of a difference in level?
Since most of the monsters appearing in the dungeon are of the water attribute, it might not have a great effect, but Kang Joo-yeon’s magic took the monsters’ breath away.
In that gap, I, who was in charge of the front line, was able to move freely.
Kang-Kagang-
Goo-!!
‘Easy, easy.’
Due to Kang Joo-yeon’s firepower support, the monsters are almost in a dying state, and the power of the [Sword of the Penitent] Continues to amplify due to the nature of monsters that bear curses.
Of course, the battle had to be easier than usual.
And that’s not all.
The newly acquired [Demon’s Curse] Rune.
The use of this rune was quite subtle.
〈Curse now available〉
*[Simple curse]
: Corrosion, Slowing, Confusion
*[Demon Curse]
: Corrosion, Slowing, Confusion, Weakness, Taunt
– When the rune level rises and the unique feature is included in the curse, the curse is transformed into a derived skill.
In the meantime, there were 3 curses that I could use using [Simple Curse].
Corrosion, slowness, confusion.
Most of the curses had the same effect as the name, including Confusion, which debuffs the opponent’s sense of direction.
‘It was difficult to use in battle….’
Even though I used to mix curses from time to time, the reason why [Simple Curse] Didn’t become my main battle rune is simple.
This is because it is difficult to control both sacred arts and direct combat at the same time.
Even though I use property runes during battle, I can’t mix too complex magic attacks, so I needed more detailed control to use sacred skills such as curses in a complex way.
‘Thanks to the demon’s curse, it’s much easier.’
But yesterday, when I got the high-ranking curse rune, the problem was immediately resolved.
It still took time to use complex and elaborate curses, but some curses became more controllable enough to mix and match during battle.
Oh oh… ?
Among them, the most notable curse is, of course, ‘weakness’. A curse that instantly cuts off the opponent’s durability.
It was a curse with an effect commonly referred to as ‘cutting a room’.
Among my runes, it is the effect of [Sturdy Teeth], And among my skills, there is [Hide Attack]…
Both effects can only be used when certain conditions are met.
On the other hand, ‘weakness’ is a curse that uses only divine power without risk.
For me, who focuses on physical attacks, it was more than the most suitable condition.
‘The power is considerable.’
Unlike magic, curse expression uses divine power.
Just as sacred-type holders borrow the power of certain gods to manifest sacred arts, curses are also related to divinity because they borrow the power of evil gods.
Therefore, the power varies according to the divinity value, and if there is a divinity-related rune, the power is strengthened.
That was the reason why the power of the [Demon’s Curse] He had just obtained was so strong.
[A damn strong curse! The chanting that casts spells on the target is imbued with the most evil energy. Your skills in dealing with curses become more detailed.]
[The level of the ‘Demon’s Curse’ rune has risen.]
[Acquire 1 divinity with the rune’s inclination.]
[The recovery speed is very fast due to the high divinity level! The body’s response to healing wounds gradually gets used to it.]
[The level of the ‘Quick Recovery’ rune has risen.]
[Acquire 1 divinity with the rune’s inclination.]
Rune’s growth was also unstoppable.
With steady use of runes, not only the level of the [Demon’s Curse] Rune increased, but also the [Quick Recovery] Rune continued to grow.
A rune obtained by catching a special manticore in the ‘Cloud Covered Nest’ dungeon the other day.
It has a similar feel to [Battle Healing] Among the possessed runes, but it has much better performance as it heals only magic attacks.
In this way, as I grow the runes related to divinity and raise my stats, my divinity level is 35.
‘It’s too high….’
The shame also made me tongue-tied.
Almost anything…
It was enough to believe that he was a divine class C-class holder.
Go, go oh….
The battle is over.
All the sea monsters they encountered fell down.
Still, all of them were B-class monsters, and a group of seven monsters…
It was a battle that ended too quickly and in vain.
I brushed myself off once and checked my equipment lightly.
I didn’t have much time, so I had to take the magic stone and go forward.
“Jaehyun.”
While preparing to set off again.
Kang Joo-yeon, who was supporting from behind, approached.
“Uh, have you finished the maintenance? Let’s dig up these mana stones and set off.”
After saying that, Kang Joo-yeon suddenly shook her head.
“Not that….”
Soon, her fingers moved slightly away.
A forest of dungeons formed in the form of an uninhabited island.
It was somewhere between the thick trees.
“From the other side… I feel a strange magic power. If you don’t carefully check it, you might miss it.”
At those words, my eyes immediately widened.
The second day of the Nagoya survey.
Finally, the clue we were looking for…
Kang Joo-yeon was pointing.