SWNOVELXO Chapter 248. Mirror Treatment (3)
In the eyes of the Alphauri, this situation seemed almost decided in terms of victory and defeat.
Not only did he receive a soy sauce hit, but he was also kicked in the temple.
“Expecting to rely on the counterattack function set with the Sword of Sunset, given the flow of time, the master’s magic power accumulated in the cylinder is likely negligible.”
Whether in his homeland or this world called Earth, the brain was always regarded as a crucial and vulnerable spot.
But could Jeong Ha-seong truly cast a new spell even after being hit in all the vital spots?
“I guess I shouldn’t expect much from a primitive magic scholar.”
While the S-Class hunters engaged in a fierce exchange of blows.
Kim Gi-ryeo was hurriedly typing a message to someone on his mobile phone.
He desperately wanted to run away, as encouraged by his young disciple.
However, given the scene unfolding before him, the defeat of the number one ranked hunter was inevitable, and as a weak F-Class Hunter, he wouldn’t be able to completely escape Kang Chang-ho’s pursuit no matter what he did.
“Please, please check my contact quickly. Please…!”
Gi-ryeo successfully sent the completed message.
But at that moment, it was precisely when Kang Chang-ho had grabbed the target by the hair.
With eyes wide, Gi-ryeo gasped.
“Ahhhhh!”
Jeong Ha-seong.
He was the most common attribute holder on Earth and was not fated to be in such a crisis.
However, due to defending a certain scammer, Jeong Ha-seong was exposed to raw violence for the first time in his life.
Gi-ryeo, seeing this, wondered if he should curse and incite the anger of the enhancement magician even now.
_Bubbling…_
Instead of boiling water, it was the sensation of breathing life into cold seawater that seemed to weigh on his thoughts.
Today marked about two weeks since the latter part of the course curriculum began between Jeong Ha-seong and Kim Gi-ryeo.
And an unnamed great mage, with the start of this phase, passed on a certain spell he had always wanted to teach to that weak soul on Earth.
“Jeong Ha-seong, pay good attention to my hands now.”
To be precise, he showed a beautiful fragment to that Fire Mage.
“This is the skill you ultimately need to aim for.”
As if born swallowing fire from the start, a bright red flame, 600℃, began to rise from beyond the back of his hand, which shone like the iron in a forge.
While it was uncertain if this was solely the desire of the Alphauri, there weren’t many practitioners of fire magic in the hometown he came from.
And those few oddballs all had similar aims. They usually wanted their bodies to become ‘fire beings’ themselves.
A miraculous union that could cause intense heat between their blood vessels and flesh, inflicting pain on enemies for merely approaching with that trivial offense.
“Start by keeping the fire as close as possible.”
“Once you get a bit used to it, try to coax the weakest fire you can summon like a pet.”
“Though it’s a silly expression, it’s not wrong. As an awakened Fire attribute, you need to gradually develop affection for the dangers of fire from now on.”
But it was not the right time yet…
What he taught was only the basic principle.
That primitive magician couldn’t even perfectly reinforce the basic functionality of the magic barrier. If he attempted that, he would end up burning himself.
_”Snap!”_
_Tap, tap._
A momentary spark was reflected in Jeong Ha-seong’s black gaze.
Having given space, the number one ranked hunter, who had been pressured, realized that he could not win against Kang Chang-ho through conventional means. He made a vivid decision fueled by youthful vigor.
“Huh?”
At the moment Kang Chang-ho narrowed the distance, he was caught off guard by the activation of fire magic.
If done this way, no matter how agile the opponent was, they wouldn’t be able to escape the technique.
It was a split second.
The moment Kang Chang-ho’s arm was caught, he immediately sensed he was in trouble. But there was no escape from the completed formula.
_FWOOSH!_
Soon, a fierce inferno erupted in the spot where they stood.
It was a perfect blue flame.
‘What the heck!’
To unleash such a large area high-powered skill at point-blank range…
Gi-ryeo was startled by Ha-seong’s reckless action, but surprisingly, the outcome wasn’t that terrible.
“Huh? Cough, cough.”
He coughed after swallowing the hot air, but soon emerged from the clearing smoke, the fire mage only sustaining a minor first-degree burn known as superficial burns.
Moreover, he successfully inflicted significant wounds on his adversary as planned.
_SZZZZT…_
Somewhere, a familiar and unpleasant vibration resounded.
Kang Chang-ho managed to pour magic power into his calf muscles, freeing himself from the fire prison just in time.
This was an attack cast with a desperate heart by Jeong Ha-seong.
While his right arm, which had been held the longest, was left with a serious injury.
“───.”
_SZZZT._
It’s strange.
Despite having such a nature and body, the third S-Class Hunter of Korea had surprisingly maintained a smiling expression.
In hindsight, he had never shown overt expressions of anger, like grimacing in displeasure, even once.
Remarkably, as he himself had said, he really had never been genuinely angry until now.
He had felt a bit of annoyance or discomfort, but those minor emotions only managed to make his lips curl up.
“…This is really different from what I expected.”
However, even that cheerful man couldn’t bear the burning pain in his arm, and soon the expression of the big guy visibly changed.
Like most earthlings, he showed a rather unfamiliar reaction to the burn pain.
He grimaced.
Of course, unlike Kim Gi-ryeo, his pain receptors were fully alive.
But now, it wasn’t the distorted corners of his mouth that mattered.
“The power of the skill has increased.”
Kang Chang-ho hurriedly created some distance. Precisely ten steps back.
As he adjusted the gap, he looked at the charred muscles of his arm and spoke.
Everyone knows that skills that enhance the body also boost the physical defense.
Besides, I – like any modern person – didn’t particularly enjoy getting hurt, so I had items to further increase my defense.
That’s why I wore so many accessories on my hands.
Surely, when I met an S-Class fire attribute awakened before, this level of preparation was enough to endure a typical fire attack without too much trouble. But…
“Not too long ago, I couldn’t even control my ability and was struggling to handle the brakes… and suddenly, this much power?”
In the battle with what he thought was safe, the injuries he’d received.
Kang Chang-ho examined the arm that was still interesting, complimenting the growth of Ha-seong, who seemed to have received pretty good advice from that yellow-haired teacher.
“The more I think about it, the weirder it gets.”
However, just like always, this man’s laconic demeanor was not a good sign.
One arm was so badly burned that it was nearly useless, but he still had plenty of other parts intact.
Most importantly, he had a wealth of healing potions amassed from frequent dungeon dives, unlike that hero who had to use them regularly.
A material problem that equally applied even in battle.
If the fight continued like this, the outcome was evident.
_thump, thump, thump._
Someone’s heart raced as if it would explode.
The hunter, with a powerful and intimidating physique, akin to a natural predator, began walking slowly.
But then…
With one step, two steps.
The earth’s mage, who had bravely moved his steps as if ready to recommence a fierce battle, suddenly halted, raising his hand to his face.
“……”
_Drip._
At last, a red line of blood rolled down from his dilated pores.
Suddenly, blood tears flowed from Kang Chang-ho’s right eye.
Blood. Suddenly, blood…
Realizing the situation, Kang Chang-ho turned his head away, covering the blood flowing into his eye.
There was only one person who could trigger such an unexpected attack.
‘Got it!’
Standing at the tip of Kang Chang-ho’s bloodshot gaze was that person.
Kim Gi-ryeo gripped his budget smartphone tight in his hand and let out a cheer.
An unprecedented incident began with S-Class Hunters clashing and fighting amongst themselves.
Earlier, in a panic, he reflexively suggested calling 112, but rationally reconsidering, the probability of low-ranked awakened police being effective at this scene was slim.
[Message Sent]
[Recipient: Seo Esther]
[Hunter, you mentioned before there was still a debt I owe you. Could you please repay that debt right now? This is Kang Chang-ho. Could you put a strong curse on him as soon as you confirm this message?]
[This is a really urgent matter.]
Therefore, Kim Gi-ryeo pulled his reserved connections to save the beleaguered Jeong Ha-seong.
Fortunately, since the curse mage, who had been reliably indebted to the alien, was outside the dungeon, he could fulfill the request in a timely manner.
However, on this white sandy beach, he couldn’t even find a single strand of Seo Esther’s hair. Where on earth was she fulfilling her benefactor’s wishes?
“……”
Kang Chang-ho recognized who had wrought this due to the intensity of the skill observed.
“I know today is… the day the Magic Tower Guild is holding the mana resource event.”
The target of the curse murmured uncertainly, her mouth twitching.
The inflammatory reactions and localized bleeding seemed less painful than the burns inflicted by an S-Class Hunter, as a smirk remained on her face.
“Clearly, the representative from the Korean Magic Tower is sitting openly in the headquarters…”
What is the advantage of curse magic?
Some might point out the variety of effective designations as benefits of curse magic.
However, the true value of a curse is performed at a ‘distance.’
Esther was an extraordinary super-powered individual who could influence from the top floors of the Korean Magic Tower in Seoul Guro District all the way to the west coast of Incheon.
However, the stronger the performance of the curse, the larger the price to be paid.
One of the most concerning examples was this.
“Huh.”
Genuineness.
Whether on this tiny solar system planet or any alien’s hometown.
Individual will is a critical ingredient in curses, and it is common for spells to fail to activate with even a slight lack of sincerity.
“Really…”
To think that a primitive mage on Earth could hit a target tens of kilometers away…
The words Kang Chang-ho began to shout, clutching his head in disbelief, served as a form of unfair lament.
“Yeah. I knew that Esther had some close relationship with you, Kim Gi-ryeo. But how could it come to this?”
“Um…”
“This power is way too extreme.”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, I’ve never even had a proper conversation with the representative, purposely avoiding it. But this… it feels like being stabbed by a knife from a stranger on the street…”
With eyes akin to that of a reptilian, this individual was naturally inclined to have a keen interest in skill information on Earth.
Thus, knowing that those who possessed the ‘Curse’ technique were emotionally volatile, he had deliberately avoided direct contact with the representative of the Korean Magic Tower.
The second-ranked Korean had truly never met Kang Chang-ho face-to-face even once.
Due to their inherent personalities, crossing paths with Esther would have likely resulted in the hefty man holding a grudge almost instantly, making it a wisely calculated choice.
The foreign great mage used the methodology of bending his temper to tackle this issue.
“I didn’t think much of her. I’m glad I never had to meet that Hunter, Esther. Just looking at her actions, we’re fundamentally incompatible…”
As can be seen, Kang Chang-ho’s chosen approach had failed.
If the power of awakening skills correlated to anger levels…
Wouldn’t it be easier to eliminate the opportunity for any emotional supply than to awkwardly try to do well?
Based on such calculations, Kang Chang-ho had been avoiding Esther all along.
And he had successfully evaded her until now.
_New Message_
[Sender: Seo Esther]
[I did as you told me. Was it helpful? I’m worried because I can’t carelessly call without knowing the situation.]
[I’ll maintain the curse until Gi-ryeo speaks again. I’ll be waiting for contact.]
That judgment of avoiding confrontation to prevent lingering resentment was something that one wouldn’t say lightly without understanding the strange nuances of curse mages.
Fortunately, Esther exhibited a significantly low negative tendency typical among cursed individuals.
However, this Korean also ultimately bore a subtle irritability beneath his surface.
Men are men.
Women are women.
Children are young, and old people are old.
Perhaps due to the stimulating media of today.
The mage inherently held no basic affection for all members of society for various reasons.
For the second-ranked Korean, the world was a proof of the theory of Original Sin and an accumulation of horrors.
Yet Esther’s character, in terms of skill utilization, provided enormous benefits.
Even for someone who had little connection with her, a single word from the benefactor allowed her to genuinely curse or wish misfortune upon that S-Class curse mage.
“……”
Moreover, based on her personal preferences.
Esther considered criminals to be the absolute worst among all human types.
_TPAT._
Blood boils.
Soon, Kang Chang-ho found himself overwhelmed by the top-ranked figures in Korea.
In other words, he stumbled into an unimaginable situation of being lynched in succession by Esther and Jeong Ha-seong.
And this could also be interpreted as a reward at the end of a selfless act by someone.
Look.
The ego-driven behemoth who had always prioritized his gain over others’ well-being was collapsing, witnessing his life filled with damages and losses unfolding as he never expected.
‘Once this ends, I’ll have to bribe that curse mage generously…’
Of course, the intent here wasn’t pure, but still, despite having manipulated numbers, he was officially an S-Class in South Korea.
From the perspective of those unaware of hypocrisy, it was merely the lawful behavior of a benevolent individual.