Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Unstoppable Growth - (2)

Two hours later.

Once most of the personnel had gathered, Sanghyun met with Lee Sehwa as scheduled.

During the wait, he had taken a deep sleep in the temporary barracks, completely washing away his fatigue.

He felt incredibly refreshed.

As soon as they met, Lee Sehwa spoke first with a delighted expression.

"Now it begins."

"You mean the hardships?"

"No, more like the start of an exhilarating fireworks show."

"I hope I can meet your expectations."

"That’s quite the opposite of what I think. Rather, I just hope this meager magic of mine isn't lacking for you, Shin Sanghyun."

The two exchanged modest humility before blushing awkwardly at the same time.

Then, they turned to observe the plains before them.

The Plains of Rest. It was the same place they had strategized over before.

Back then, they had approached from the west; this time, they were advancing from the southeast.

That was how vast the plains were.

Of course, it wasn’t a plain in the dictionary sense but rather an abandoned flatland where no humans lived anymore.

The original inhabitants had either migrated or died, leaving only empty buildings.

‘Lots of creatures like Gigants here.’

What entered his vision were massive, hulking monsters, reminiscent of the Gigants he had previously faced.

"These monsters are definitely higher-level, and the experience gained should be substantial. But the difficulty will be high as well."

"Let’s start with a mob hunt."

"Will that be okay?"

"We have to try."

Sanghyun tightened the laces of his combat boots.

Guarding the entrance were Giant Orcs.

In terms of combat strength, they were a lesser version of the Gigants but had much greater mobility.

"The coordination with the Player Union and the Eden Guild has all been finalized, so let’s begin ahead of them."

"Here we go!"

The moment Lee Sehwa’s words reached his ears, Sanghyun charged forward.

The Giant Orcs, each wielding axes as large as a grown man, filled the area.

Sanghyun utilized Wind Mastery, spreading a Rising Airflow that branched into three streams to open the battle.

Since it targeted not just one but three enemies at once, it was perfect for drawing attention.

‘Did the skill upgrade?’

Lee Sehwa, who had fought alongside him before, was the first to notice the change in the Rising AIrflow.

Previously, it had been a single stream.

Even when he had wished for multiple streams, the Rising AIrflow had only ever formed a singular projectile.

But now, there were three!

Skill upgrades usually occurred upon reaching level 100 when skill enhancement was applied.

However, he had already surpassed level 100 long ago, so that didn't seem to be the reason.

This suggested he might have acquired a title that enhanced skills or a special mastery skill.

‘Whether it’s a title or a mastery skill, this isn’t something common at this level.‘

If mastery skills and titles were easy to obtain, then anyone and everyone would have them. They were incredibly rare.

‘Let’s focus for now.’

Realizing she had been distracted by Sanghyun’s changes, Lee Sehwa refocused on the battlefield.

Using both updraft and downdraft, over twenty Giant Orcs were now chasing Sanghyun.

Lee Sehwa activated a skill similar to Sanghyun’s Crushing Blade, consuming 90% of her mana in a single use.

Flames erupted from beneath the ground, not only engulfing enemies but also trapping them within.

In short, it was a skill specialized for burning its targets alive.

At that moment—

Swaaak!

Sanghyun, who had briefly halted, prepared a full charge before instantly striking down a Giant Orc.

Lee Sehwa initially dismissed it as a mere provocation tactic to enrage the creatures.

Kuaaaagh!

However, the Giant Orc, exposed to the full-charge attack, clutched its abdomen and collapsed, spilling its entrails in shock before dying.

Lee Sehwa had assumed Sanghyun’s greatsword wouldn’t penetrate that deep.

‘A Giant Orc, known for its thick hide, got ripped open in the abdomen of all places?’

Lee Sehwa was astonished.

Giant Orcs were known to have at least one part of their body they took pride in for its resilience.

For Giant Orcs, that part was their stomach.

Even Lee Sehwa had never considered targeting it with magic, as it was like an impenetrable shield.

But Sanghyun’s attack had precisely sliced through the abdomen, completely gutting it.

Even with her previous experience witnessing full-charge attacks, this situation left Lee Sehwa with countless questions.

‘Does he have an enhancement skill?’

That seemed like the most probable explanation.

The likelihood was that Sanghyun had used a special enhancement skill along with his full charge.

However, such skills were incredibly rare—so rare that even Lee Sehwa herself didn’t possess one.

‘What exactly is going on?’

Even Lee Sehwa’s high expectations couldn’t match the overwhelming firepower Sanghyun displayed.

While they gathered thirty-three Giant Orcs, Sanghyun had already taken down three on his own.

Even in the chaotic process of rounding them up, he had created brief one-on-one scenarios and swiftly eliminated his targets.

Lee Sehwa exclaimed in admiration.

"You really are the perfect partner!"

Fwoosh!

Simultaneously, she conjured a small flame above her left hand before letting it dissipate—a signal to Sanghyun from a distance.

Pa-pa-pat!

Sanghyun smoothly backstepped, elegantly exiting the battlefield.

With skillful footwork, he weaved through the gaps between the Giant Orc horde, escaping effortlessly.

Chwuuk? Chwuuek?

Suddenly finding Sanghyun gone, the Giant Orcs clumped together in confusion, staring blankly at one another.

Then—

Fwooosh!

Kiiiiaaagh!

A massive inferno erupted at the very center of where the thirty Giant Orcs had gathered.

Chrrk! Thrrk!

Simultaneously, hidden hands of flame emerged, grasping the ankles of those destined to be sacrificed in the pyre.

The more they struggled, the deeper they sank, like a swamp pulling them in.

"Perfect! Wow!"

Lee Sehwa cheered in exhilaration.

It had been a long time since she had wiped out an entire horde of giant monsters so effortlessly.

Exaggerating a little, it was something that had never happened since he joined the Association.

So at some point, he had come to think of it as nothing more than an impossible fantasy, a self-deprecating thought.

But Sanghyun had turned the impossible into reality.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

Sususuk. Suk. Suk.

A man was diligently recording the situation from a distance away from the battlefield.

It was Kim Mincheol, a friend of Lee Sehwa.

Upon becoming a Player, he had gained vision distinct from others, making him both a scout and a buffer-type Player.

Something similar to Han Hyunjeong.

Of course, his level was nowhere near hers, but even so, he was at level 300.

From the start of the battle between Sanghyun and Lee Sehwa, Kim Mincheol had been observing every moment, and the first words he spoke were quite special.

"This is worthy of high praise."

Now he understood why Lee Sehwa had been eagerly anticipating the day she could fight alongside Sanghyun, training relentlessly for it.

A swordsman Player should at least know basic mob control.

However, while that was a given, the ability to proactively dictate the battlefield was almost nonexistent.

To achieve that, one had to not only focus on gathering enemies but also precisely calculate allies' skill preparation and strike points simultaneously.

Without a thorough understanding of the overall situation, the entire premise would be impossible to begin with.

And that wasn’t all.

If a wide-range attack was involved, one needed the awareness and skill to escape at the right moment.

Otherwise, they would be buried among the monsters as well.

Sanghyun’s execution of the entire process was not just clean but flawless.

He had set the battlefield so perfectly that Lee Sehwa only needed to follow up, like someone being served a perfectly prepared meal.

With such a display, it was no wonder Lee Sehwa had been seeking Sanghyun so desperately.

Seeing it firsthand, Kim Mincheol completely understood.

"Wow, that’s really amazing."

A subordinate beside Kim Mincheol expressed admiration.

Thanks to the massacre orchestrated by Sanghyun and Lee Sehwa, the battlefield had already gained a protrusion.

With a massive number of Giant Orcs wiped out, an empty area devoid of monsters had formed.

Sanghyun had positioned Lee Sehwa behind him and was once again diving deeper to continue his mob control.

"At this rate, monsters weak in mobility will be slaughtered by the combination of Shin Sanghyun and Lee Sehwa."

Kim Mincheol nodded.

Seeing it with his own eyes, he had no choice but to acknowledge Sanghyun’s value.

It was not just hype.

"The formation of the protrusion looks favorable. Strategically, we can take the high ground."

"I think so too. Inform the entire Association force. We’ll be the first to push our front line forward into the protrusion."

"Understood."

The command was given swiftly.

They couldn’t let such a well-prepared battlefield go to waste.

Meanwhile, Kim Mincheol's gaze, fixed on Sanghyun, deepened further.

Shin Sanghyun.

He was more than qualified to stand beside Lee Sehwa.

At that moment.

Sanghyun and Lee Sehwa, who had been preparing the battlefield by setting fires along their path, came to a halt.

A new type of monster had appeared, one that hadn't been identified in prior scouting missions.

"That thing wasn't in the predictions."

"Indeed."

Undead Mage.

That was the name of the monster that locked eyes with Sanghyun.

Given enough time, it could resurrect dead monsters, making it a troublesome necromancer-type magician.

Kugugugu…….

All around, monsters that had perished began to rise again.

Even the Giant Orcs that had been burned to death by the flames of slaughter.

Their bodies were grotesquely melted like ice cream, but having lost their rationality, they faithfully obeyed the Undead Mage’s commands.

Extermination.

The only order given to them was to kill Sanghyun and Lee Sehwa, obeying it until their bodies could no longer move.

"I'll take down the leader."

"I'll handle crowd control."

There was no need for discussion; Sanghyun and Lee Sehwa naturally settled into their respective roles.

It was the seasoned movement of those who fully understood the situation before them.

As Sanghyun accelerated toward the Undead Mage—

He activated Will of Charge.

If the Undead Mage wasn't eliminated, no matter how many resurrected monsters they killed, they would just keep coming back.

Kkiririk!

As Sanghyun rapidly approached, Undead Archers guarding the Undead Mage drew their bows.

There were only five, but they appeared to be mana-type archers capable of using magic.

"You think that'll work?"

Piping! Ping! Ping!

Sanghyun blocked the incoming arrows using the barrier activated by Brave Charge.

As long as the timing was right, this skill allowed him to advance without losing momentum while also defending himself.

Seeing Sanghyun, the Undead Mage’s deep-set eyes flickered with fear.

Srrrrrk.

In the end, the Undead Mage, feeling the pressure, began to retreat while casting spells.

A retreat that only served to further provoke the effect of Will of Charge.

"Hmph, that’s why cowardly magicians are easy to deal with."

Sanghyun’s lips curled up.

A smirk laced with contempt toward the Undead Mage.

Paah!

The fierce pursuit began immediately.