117 – 117. The youngest S-class candidate
-Pababababababababat!!
Black and black flew from both sides of the aisle.
On one side were the weapons Yakov fired. The dark red aura that wrapped around his body took the form of various cold weapons and galloped along the aisle.
What flew in from the other side was black smoke from Ahn Su-ho.
Black smoke with maximum firepower that utilizes magic stats up to A rank and even talisman. As a result of compressing it to the limit and combing it in the form of thin thorns, its strength became stronger than that of most metals.
‘I can see it.’
Dozens of weapons that are being cut. Ahn Soo-ho was able to capture them all at once. What the strengthened abilities gave to Ahn Su-ho was not only the physical ability that was visible to the naked eye.
Through reflexes that are several times more sensitive than usual, the speed at which time passes slowly.
As Ahn Soo-ho minutely manipulated his fingertips, which had been spouting smoke, the black thorns split into dozens and flew off, each turning toward its own target.
-Pacang! Kang! Kaga gaga gaga river!
Soon, a shrill crash reverberated throughout the labyrinth.
The black thorns Ahn Soo-ho shot collided with Jacob’s weapon, deflecting them and canceling them out. Deviating from their original trajectory, the weapons embedded in walls and floors soon turn into dark red energy and disappear.
“… ….”
Jo Gwang-il, who was preparing to defend himself, looked back at Ahn Su-ho with a bewildered expression. Surprisingly, so were the others.
‘I thought he was an unusual guy, but… ….’
Surely Seol Ah-hyun deserves direct appointment. A deep smile was drawn on Jo Gwang-il’s lips at his inaction that surpassed the average A-class superman.
‘As expected, he’s gotten a lot stronger than the last time I saw him.’
On the other hand, Seol Ah-hyun could not understand the strength of Ahn Su-ho.
In this world, the only way for superhumans to become strong is basically through ruthless training. Whether it’s the body or the superpower, if you overuse it to the limit and recover it, it becomes stronger than before. Therefore, the strength of a superhuman tends to be influenced by the person’s talent. If everyone works hard enough to die, it is inevitable that it will be the original talent in the end to decide the result.
Of course, there are some exceptions, such as Yeo In-hyeok’s musculoskeletal alignment and artifacts, but those stories only apply to common sense levels of growth.
Until the other day, there was no common sense way for a Superman, who had to be treated well, to grow to a level comparable to S-class.
‘Even if Suho went to Cheonji Dungeon and met Yeo In-hyeok in the past two days, this growth doesn’t make any sense.’
What kind of things happened in the future that made such rapid growth possible? Seol Ah-hyun looked at Ahn Su-ho with eyes full of surprise and doubt.
-…… That power.
At that time, Yakov, whose attack was blocked, spoke in a voice that seemed to suppress his boiling anger.
-The one who gathers darkness to make weapons. As expected, you are the thief the captain told you about. Did he foolishly break into this place, unable to overcome his greed even though he ran away with his life? ….
Yakov made a huge ax in each hand and gripped it. He shouted excitedly as he aimed at the ax dripping with dark red energy like blood.
-Others will kill everyone here, but not you. The supply and demand of the cowardly thieves will have to be taken care of by the captain himself…….
The energy around Yakov’s body shook greatly, and he began to change into dozens of weapons again. In response, Ahn Su-ho activated Talisman and compressed the smoke again.
That moment.
“…… Get out of the way.”
Suddenly pushing Ahn Soo-ho, who was confronting Yakov, Midsummer stepped forward.
“Why is there so much talk about monsters… ….”
The expression of displeasure was evident on his face as he muttered annoyedly. Han Yeo-reum, who came out with cold air around her, looked back at Ahn Su-ho and said,
“From what I’ve heard, it seems that Suho and that monster have some kind of bad relationship. I’m sorry, but I’m the kind of person who can’t live without being hurt.”
“Midsummer student. What does that mean-“
“If you’ve been hurt, you have to pay it back. I’ll catch him.”
The look on Midsummer’s face when he said that clearly showed his will to avenge the disgrace he suffered just a moment ago. That disgrace meant that he received help from Ahn Su-ho for not being able to block Yakov’s throw just a moment ago.
Midsummer. She was a supporting character who did not appear very much in the original work, so Ahn Su-ho was not aware of it, but she was actually a combination of ego and pride that was stronger than midwinter.
If you don’t pay back what you suffered, at least if you don’t give it back, you won’t be able to do it.
She deserves to be called Midwinter’s older sister in that respect.
-Hoo. You are right on the topic of children. I want to admit that grit, but……. Judging from the appearance he just showed, it seems that he is more reckless than spirited.
“Ha.”
That word was the catalyst. Hit the temples in midsummer! And tendons sprout.
“…… Jo Gwangil Hunter. If you don’t want to get caught up in it, release your abilities and step back.”
“What, what?”
“Back off.”
At the spirit contained in that low-pitched voice, Jo Gwang-il released the liquid and took a slight step back. However, a look of uneasiness was evident on his face.
Yakov is by no means an easy foe. But in the middle of summer alone, can I really beat him?
-Then let’s test that bravery!!!!
The moment that concern crossed Jo Gwang-il’s mind, Yakov swung his arm vigorously. At the same time, all kinds of cold weapons that had been placed around him flew towards midsummer all at once.
-Kiyiying!
At the same time, Ahn Soo-ho swung her right arm while holding the smoke compressed to the limit. No, I was trying to wield it.
“Do not disturb.”
With those words, Midsummer stepped on the ground as hard as he could.
-Card de de de de de de de de de de deux!
The next moment, the entire labyrinth froze around her feet. From one end of the aisle to the other. All the walls up, down, left and right are covered with transparent ice.
– Kkaduk! Hard!
Immediately, thorns of ice rose from all sides and were fired in unison.
-Pabababababababat!
The number is hundreds or more. An ice pick that almost filled the aisle hit the side of the flying weapons.
The midsummer ice was no match for Yakov’s weapon in terms of strength. However, its own kinetic energy was never negligible. The weapons that flew into the hundreds of pieces of ice that ran through the passageway lost their trajectory and bounced off the walls and floors.
-Hoo.
At that appearance, Yakov was slightly impressed. Indeed, he thought it was a pity that he bounced back after realizing that he couldn’t block it with his own abilities.
-You look really good in handling ice. Even so, it’s not a skill comparable to our captain…….
Yakov swung the ax in his hand and got into position. To him, he replied in a voice mixed with midsummer annoyance.
“As expected, you talk too much about monsters.”
Extreme coldness rose from both of her hands. In an imminent situation where they seemed to clash with each other at any moment, Jo Gwang-il looked back at Seol Ah-hyun and tried to ask if it was okay to leave them alone.
However.
“Oops.”
Seol Ah-hyun, who was watching the situation, exclaimed in surprise. The red aura in his eyes faded.
“Mr. Midsummer. You are stronger than I thought.”
The moment Jo Gwang-il tried to ask himself what he meant.
-Quaang!
Jakov kicked the ground as hard as he could with his two axes in front.
The distance between the two is about 15 meters. Yakov closed the entire distance in less than a second. The ax he wields aims for Midsummer’s neck and strikes at it.
– Card deed!
But at that very moment. His body was pushed about two meters by a huge column of ice that rose from the ground beneath Midsummer’s feet.
-Something like this…… !
-Pakaang!
His pillar of ice shattered helplessly as he struck down the axe. Yakov did not hesitate to swing his axe.
– Kkadeung! Cards etc!
But the midsummer attack has just begun. Fragments of the ice pillar that Jacob broke. A chill chilled over each one of them, and soon they reconciled with a huge ice awl and hacked Yakov’s body to pieces.
-Pacang! Kang! Kagagagagagagagagang!
However, even that combo attack was, at best, a nuisance to Yakov. As he swung the ax in all directions, dozens of ice picks were shattered in an instant.
In terms of time, only 0.2 Seconds. The second attack in midsummer delayed only that long.
But.
-…… !!
The next moment, Yakov swallowed his breath soundlessly as he saw the cold again set on the countless fragments he had broken.
-Card de de de de de de de de deux!
Third hit. Hundreds of fragments scattered around Yakov all at once swelled in size and hit Yakov’s body. The ice fragments scattered in all directions became huge awls and attacked him from six directions: up, down, left, right, front and back.
-Quaang!!
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t block the attacks of hundreds of Jacobs with just two arms. Hundreds of blows overlapped, making a loud roar, and Yakov’s body was pushed away for the first time by about ten meters.
– Kkaduk!
However, even there, the entire walls and floor were already covered with ice like midsummer’s limbs. Looking at the thousands of sharp thorns sprouting up around him, Yakov raised a dark red aura with all his might.
[Br]
Thousands of black and white trajectories intersect in a chaotic manner. However, compared to the thousands of ice picks, the number of weapons Jacob pulled out was only a few dozen. Countless ice picks knocked over Yakov’s body from all directions, surpassing the weapons that bounced helplessly.
– Kung! Cooong! Koo Goo Goo Goo!
No matter how much Midsummer was the ruler of all the ice there, he couldn’t stab thousands of ice picks into Jacob, who was barely the size of a man. So Midsummer created space by immediately melting the awl that had done her job. The melted vapor then froze in another place and attacked Yakov.
As this was repeated hundreds of thousands of times per second, flashes of light from the diffuse reflection of water vapor and ice continued to explode around Yakov.
-Kooung!
With a shrill roar, Yakov’s body was pushed aside. The moment Yakov himself recognized it, the ice pick that hit him had already disappeared.
In the opposite direction instead.
Or from behind.
Or overhead.
Or a bunch of new awls rising from the floor pushed his body in another direction.
Midsummer never directly froze Yakov. Because she’s not a living thing, she’s already realized that freezing the outside of him is less effective.
-Qua gaga gaga gaga gag!
Instead, she threw sharp blocks of ice and attacked Yakov with only physical impact. Her ice was incomparable to Yakov’s body in terms of strength, but if you repeat it thousands or tens of thousands of times, the story changes.
-Kwajik! Quadduk!
Cracks and dents began to occur little by little in the armor that made up Yakov’s body. Yakov tries to escape, but he is already trapped in an ice prison that blows like a storm. No matter which way he tried to go, hundreds of ice picks from that direction blocked his movement.
As a result, in the end, Yakov was left half-fixed in the air and was helplessly attacked from six directions: up, down, left, right, front and back. Even most of the dark red aura that covered his body was blown away, revealing his body dyed in jet-black light. Even its body was already tattered.
Its overwhelming majesty is in no way inferior to that of her younger sister, Midwyeol, who has a reputation for firepower alone. In addition, even in the detailed control of her insufficient winter, she showed a different figure at her peak. Perfectly calculating and manipulating the trajectories of thousands and tens of thousands was absolutely impossible in the middle of winter.
The youngest S-class candidate.
The words that describe midsummer were by no means an exaggeration. Everyone present thought so.
-Kwadeuk! Quadduk!
Finally, the midsummer series of attacks stopped as five huge awls pierced Yakov’s body. Midsummer asked, reaching out to the limp Yakov.
“Am I still weaker than your captain?”
-… ….
Jakov didn’t answer. He didn’t even know if he was alive. Looking at him like that, Midsummer clenched the fist of his extended hand.
-Quad de de de de de de deuk!
Then a block of ice rose from within Jacob, literally slicing his body. Yakov’s helmet, gauntlet, and parts of his body were threaded at the tip of the ice pillar extending in the shape of a huge star.
– Tung! Thuddeong! Empty!
Soon after Midsummer unlocked her powers, her shredded armor roared as she fell. Midsummer, who saw that scene, exhaled breathlessly.
Soon she turned her head and looked at her audience. Among them, she focused her eyes on Ahn Soo-ho, who was at the forefront, releasing the smoke she had gathered.
“Did you see it?”
She asked with a bold yet haughty expression. When Ahn Su-ho did not answer with a bewildered expression, she continued.
“The reason I almost got hit by him earlier was because I was a bit careless. I’m grateful that he saved me, but in fact, if I’m serious, I’m not even up to my toes like that monster. Do you understand?”
“Ah…… Yes. Okay. Indeed. This is the real skill of a Midsummer student.”
“Huh.”
Ahn Soo-ho answered shyly, and Han Yeo-reum smiled as if he was satisfied, then joined the group. As if intersecting with her, the Black Dragon Hunters, including Jo Gwang-il, went out to examine Jacob’s body.
“…… Tsk. I can’t use this It’s completely tattered.”
“This type of living armor is sold at a fairly high price due to high demand for armor…… It’s a waste, it’s a waste.”
“Still, let’s consider it fortunate that I was able to defeat it comfortably thanks to that lady. I can understand why there is a rumor that he is the youngest S-class candidate.”
“It was like watching my daughter when she was mad.”
The hunters, who had been chatting while kicking Yakov’s corpse, cast a complicated look toward Midsummer. However, Midsummer only showed a strange smile with her arms crossed in a arrogant manner.
On the other hand, Seol Ah-hyun took the walkie-talkie with an anxious face. She was in order to communicate with personnel who had gone through other passages.
-Chijik. Supportive position.
But over the walkie-talkie, all I could hear was static. Originally, the radio went through in the labyrinth, but the new overrank dungeon appeared inside and the radio was not smooth due to radio interference.
“Let’s move quickly. It may not be just our passageway that such an enemy has appeared. Maybe another team needs support…….”
“You don’t have to worry about the 2 teams with the Flame Emperor and the Dragon Slayer. Team 3 doesn’t know Hunter Seong Eugene, but Jin So-wol is there, so wouldn’t it be okay?”
“Then it’s fortunate… ….”
In her uneasy mind, Seol Ah-hyun invoked her future poem. However, with her abilities, she could not observe the distant future when the two teams joined.
“…… Getting to the center is the first priority.”
After a while, the Hunters of Team 1, who completed the maintenance, moved toward the center again. Looking at the distance, we would be in the center within a few minutes.
—–
[ Remaining time to unlock: 91 minutes and 10 seconds. ]
—–
Ahn Suho looked at the timer floating in the corner of his field of view and estimated the time when the skill effect would be released. Arriving at the center and waiting for the other team would take about 30 minutes more, so I could spend about an hour fighting Wilhelm.
Ahn Suho thought that was enough. Even in the original work, the War with Wilhelm didn’t take that long.
‘Unless something strange happens again… ….’
Ahn Su-ho moved her steps while trying to ignore the rising anxiety.
And about 5 minutes after that.
Team 1, to which he belonged, finally arrived at the center of the dungeon, where the gate to Wilhelm was located.