Chapter 22: The Man Who Prepares for Misfortune （3）
Magic is different from other skills.
The fact that one can use magic alone is enough to be assigned an E-rank from the start, as their power is treated as special in the world. Perhaps that’s why, unlike other skills that can be used as long as the cooldown is met, magic requires a process called casting each time it is used.
The method of casting is simple yet difficult.
Concentrating and imagining the desired form of magic is the first step, and identifying the location where the magic will manifest and setting the coordinates is the second step. Once the conditions are met, the magic unleashes explosive power. Even the lowest-ranked 1st Circle magic can wield enough power to take down an F-rank monster in one fell swoop.
The average casting speed is around 2 minutes.
Shortening it to 1 minute is considered fast, but the problem is that if it exceeds 3 minutes, no matter how powerful the magic is, it becomes a burden. Combat is a battle against time. In a situation where one might d*e in a split second, fighting while protecting a mage who takes more than 3 minutes to prepare magic is like wearing shackles.
“It’s already been 3 minutes.”
Kang San checked his watch.
Unlike when he started casting with a determined face, Yeon Woo-bin couldn’t manifest the magic even after 3 minutes.
A disappointing situation.
Jo Han-byeol tried to make an excuse with a guilty face.
“Woo-bin is a little slow at casting. But the power of his magic is certain, so please wait a little longer.”
Meaningless words.
3 minutes.
How can one wait for a mage’s magic that exceeds that limit?
Jeong Chan-woo seemed quite dissatisfied with the current situation, as he was expressing his displeasure openly with his arms crossed.
‘Is it a matter of mental strength?’
In fact, casting shouldn’t take this long.
To begin with, obtaining a magic skill upon the first Awakening means that one has the talent for it, but needing more than 3 minutes of casting time even in a safe environment where there is no threat from monsters… It was a level that couldn’t be used in actual combat. Magic, however, gets faster in casting speed the more it is trained, and if you learn higher-level magic, you can also use lower-level magic quickly. Still, to see him like this, it seemed that the trauma Jo Han-byeol mentioned was causing mental issues.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Yeon Woo-bin was sweating profusely.
About 4 minutes had passed when…
Finally, blue mana rose from Yeon Woo-bin.
“Fire Bolt.”
Whoosh!
A small flame arose.
1st Circle Fire magic was manifested.
As Yeon Woo-bin opened his eyes and stared at the rock in front, the Fire Bolt flew fiercely and collided with it.
Boom!
Crackle, whoosh!
“Gasp.”
“…?!”
The bodies of the onlookers stiffened for a moment.
The rock exploded.
The powerful explosion shattered the rock to pieces, and the blazing flames showed a crimson color, transmitting intense heat even from a distance. It was a level that couldn’t be considered the power of 1st Circle magic at all. Even Jeong Chan-woo, who had been doubting Yeon Woo-bin’s abilities until just now, checked Yeon Woo-bin’s appearance with a somewhat hardened face.
“…What the h*ll?”
Now he could understand.
Why this mage named Yeon Woo-bin, who had only learned 1st Circle magic, was given a D-rank from the start.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Jo Han-byeol said,
“Woo-bin obtained an attack magic and a growth-type skill called Elemental Bless upon his first Awakening. Although the rank evaluation was conducted in secret and not revealed to the media, due to this Elemental Bless, Woo-bin’s elemental magic wields more than twice the power compared to other mages. Kang San-nim, you said you wanted to see if it was worth waiting for Woo-bin’s casting. The casting speed is inexcusable, but at least in terms of power, Woo-bin is a mage who can sufficiently fulfill his role.”
It wasn’t wrong.
If it was powerful enough to turn a rock into ashes and still burn brightly, it certainly didn’t lack in power.
Kang San checked Yeon Woo-bin’s expression.
Despite creating such a spectacular sight, he was full of nervousness rather than confidence.
‘He had his rank evaluation conducted in secret. Does he have a special background?’
The words Jo Han-byeol said.
He felt a sense of dissonance from that.
Ordinary people would never be able to have their rank evaluation done in secret, but Jo Han-byeol spoke as if it was a natural thing.
Jo Han-byeol and Yeon Woo-bin.
They said they were friends from the beginning, so both of them seemed to have unusual backgrounds.
However, that wasn’t an important issue right now.
Regardless of their backgrounds, Kang San’s priority was to finish the hunt safely, and he had to judge Yeon Woo-bin based on his current value.
“I’ll be honest.”
Jo Han-byeol gulped.
Even though it was his friend’s matter, he seemed more nervous.
“With this level of power, I think it’s definitely worth waiting for the casting time. Since the current party composition is somewhat defensive, Mr. Woo-bin’s firepower is absolutely necessary. However, it absolutely must not exceed 5 minutes in actual combat. 4 minutes is already quite late, but from 5 minutes onwards, it becomes no help in battle.”
“Th, thank you!”
Yeon Woo-bin’s expression brightened.
The raid had already begun.
If Yeon Woo-bin had been verified in terms of firepower, there was a need to utilize him even while taking on his risks.
“And Mr. Woo-bin.”
“Yes?”
“My role is to protect the Dealers in the back so they can attack without getting hurt. Before I d*e, no matter what happens, you won’t get hurt, so whatever trauma you have, shake it off and trust me. I promise.”
“…Thank you.”
Yeon Woo-bin had a bewildered expression.
Kang San’s words.
That was what he had heard through Jo Han-byeol.
Kang San was a man of his word, and he said he had thrown himself in for his teammates during the promotion test.
A trustworthy person.
Yeon Woo-bin’s expression became determined.
Seeing his somewhat serious appearance, Kang San chuckled as if he was looking at a younger brother.
“Then I’ll trust you.”
✦✦✦✦✦✦
The hunt resumed.
The method was the same as before.
They lured the monsters with Golden Honey, and while Kang San held them off in the front, they took them down one by one.
“Duck!”
Whoosh!
Thud!
At Jo Han-byeol’s shout, Jeong Chan-woo instinctively lowered his head, and an arrow that passed through where his head had been struck the Black Ant’s body. Cracks appeared on the Black Ant’s body. Jeong Chan-woo didn’t miss the opening his opponent revealed, and swung his sword like lightning to finish off the Black Ant.
Crack!
“Nice!”
The Black Ant split in half.
Their teamwork was good.
Since their basics were solid from the start, they could reliably handle the monsters that Kang San intentionally let through.
‘The hunt isn’t difficult because the Tanker is perfect.’
At the forefront.
Kang San was completely blocking the monsters. By appropriately using Trial’s Shield, he focused the aggro on himself, and intentionally made way for a number that the rear could handle. Due to the Golden Honey, the number they were facing at once was high, but it wasn’t to the point of causing problems in the hunt.
From the beginning, everything was within his calculations.
If it had been a hunting ground where problems would arise due to the Golden Honey, Kang San wouldn’t have chosen that strategy in the first place.
Whack!
Jeong Chan-woo stomped on the head of the last Black Ant. Amidst the head from which green and whitish liquid flowed out mixed together, Jeong Chan-woo discovered something like a small pebble. It was a Stat Stone. In a situation where the reason they risked their lives to go on a raid was revealed, Jeong Chan-woo quickly pocketed it with a brightened face.
“One Stat Stone here.”
The things obtained in a raid.
They are first handed over to the leader.
And since it’s common practice to settle accounts at the end, Jeong Chan-woo handed over what he had collected to Kang San.
Then, Jeong Chan-woo’s and Yeon Woo-bin’s eyes met.
“Come to think of it, you’re not going to give the mage-nim the same share during the final settlement, are you?”
A voice full of dissatisfaction.
It seemed that the problem was resolved for the time being as Jo Han-byeol honestly explained Yeon Woo-bin’s situation, but Yeon Woo-bin’s trauma wasn’t something that could be easily resolved with a conversation with Kang San. He was someone who took 4 minutes to cast even in a safe environment. Naturally, he couldn’t help but panic more when monsters appeared, and Jeong Chan-woo was quite displeased with him using magic as if finishing things off right before the end of each battle.
“…I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then conscientiously don’t even think about taking the things we obtained in this raid. Honestly, you haven’t been any help throughout the hunt. Even though the power of your magic is great, so I was going to overlook it, but if you can’t even do your part, then why did you even come on the raid?”
“Stop it.”
Emotions were getting heated.
Seeing Jeong Chan-woo about to resort to personal attacks, Kang San finally stepped in to mediate.
Funnily enough, Jeong Chan-woo listened to Kang San’s words.
Even he, with his considerable self-esteem, had completely acknowledged Kang San as a person through this raid.
The hunt was over.
The raid was almost over now.
They had dealt with almost all the monsters mentioned in the exploration report.
While taking a short break, the sight of Yeon Woo-bin sitting slumped to the side with a dejected face caught Kang San’s eye.
‘Jeong Chan-woo’s words weren’t wrong either.’
This is a battlefield.
The borderline between life and death, where one could d*e at any moment.
It was his own fault for coming on a raid with such a weak mentality, and Yeon Woo-bin had the responsibility to bear that.
If the level of the party had been lower than expected…
The party might have disbanded because of Yeon Woo-bin, or the misfortune of someone dying might have occurred.
That’s why he didn’t comfort him any further.
Kang San had taken the best action he could as a leader, and from now on, it was Yeon Woo-bin’s part to bear.
And…
‘I’m not a saint either.’
He wasn’t going to embrace everyone.
Just up to here.
That was the line Kang San had drawn.
The reason Kang San could survive countless raids might be because he kept that line well.
Chew, chew.
Kang San simply ate some jerky. In a busy raid, there was no time to eat a proper meal, so he usually made do with jerky. It wasn’t a meal that would make a healthy a*ult male feel completely full, but if he mixed it with water and ate it, it became enough to get rid of his hunger.
How long had he rested?
When he judged that he had rested enough and was about to get up, a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred.
Rumble.
Rooooar.
“Wh, what is it?”
“The ground shook.”
The party members looked at each other in confusion.
It wasn’t their imagination.
If everyone felt it at the same time, then the ground must have shaken.
Suddenly, Kang San felt a sense of foreboding.
‘No way.’
The Black Ant’s habitat.
It wasn’t relevant to this place, but there was one phenomenon that occurred with a very low probability in other habitats.
If that was true…
『The Sixth Trial and Tribulation has been assigned.』
『The karma of the wicked has forcibly increased the difficulty of the raid. If party members d*e during the raid, it will be a result of your karma. To prevent such a thing from happening, return the team members safely to reality without a single death.』
『Reward: Strength, Agility, Divine Power +5』
‘Oh dear.’
He was in hot water.
A trial at a time when he was letting his guard down!
That meant his anxiety was true.
Kang San shouted,
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
“…?!”
Boom!
Rooooar.
But it was already too late to react.
The ground caved in as if a sinkhole had occurred.
With no time for the party members to escape as the ground collapsed, Kang San stepped on the falling ground and threw himself forward.
‘If we fall like this, Yeon Woo-bin, the mage, will be in danger.’
It wasn’t a hero complex.
The condition of the trial.
It meant everyone’s survival.
The moment Kang San hugged Yeon Woo-bin tightly…
Rumble.
Just like that, everyone disappeared into the depths of h*ll.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
“…Ugh.”
A groan escaped his lips.
He thought he had gotten used to pain, but he felt like his whole body was shattered from how high he had fallen.
Moreover, he had fallen while holding an a*ult male.
Kang San grimaced and looked up.
‘At least 10 meters or more.’
Goosebumps rose on his body.
The fact that a sinkhole had occurred in the Black Ant’s territory.
What that meant was clear.
‘We’ve fallen into an ant nest.’
Kang San gritted his teeth and got up.
Azmoon.
He wondered why he hadn’t intervened.
He thought it would end with everyday misfortune this time, but Azmoon had thrown a curveball at the very end of the raid.
There were large holes all around.
The ants’ passages.
Strange sounds could be heard from beyond those passages.
Screech.
Kang San held his shield close to his body.
The people who came to their senses belatedly seemed to not have grasped the situation yet, as they asked Kang San with bewildered faces,
“Wh, what the h*ll is going on?”
“We’ve fallen into an ant nest, so the soldier ants will attack us soon. So, everyone, pull yourselves together and get ready.”
“What?!”
The people’s faces turned pale.
An ant nest.
It was a C-rank zone that E-rank parties couldn’t even dream of challenging, a place that was impossible to conquer no matter how hard they tried.
