Ch. 17.2

Even the tiny fire sparks that were playing near her body would erupt if I got too close. I had played PVP with Flame-attribute mages and had been beaten by them numerous times, so I was aware of the threat.

Her level was much higher than expected.

'If it was a real battle on a flat ground, I would have been robbed in less than a minute.'

Would there be a fight in the first place? Let alone one minute, it would be settled in a matter of thirty seconds. Only two activation of Flash could not beat a monstrous being named Hong Bi-Yeon..

However, things were very different now.

The constantly changing terrain and the Point Stick in my hand were acting as variables.

This Point Stick would be able to destroy Hong Bi-Yeon's flimsy magic shield, which was renowned for its weak defence.

'It would be difficult to knock her down, but …'

At least I would not be helpless.

Whoa! Whoa!

A mass of flames was shot from the tip of Hong Bi-Yeon's staff, and at the same moment, a pillar of fire rose from my feet.

The intention was to take advantage of the opponent's distraction by attracting his attention to a decoy.

"Crazy! I'm not kidding, really."

Indeed, it was a formidable force. If she successfully hit once, it was all over.

However…

Not a single attack reached me.

By twisting my head, I narrowly avoided the mass of flame fired by her which almost gave me flying kisses, and by teleporting, I evaded the large pillar of flames which sprang up from below.

It was even possible for 'parring' with this Point Stick, but after seeing the flying flame arrows, I hit them!

"W-what!"

For the first time in her life, Hong Bi-Yeon was visibly perplexed by the sight of magic being struck down by a cold weapon.

The flame arrows were as swift as a real arrow, so it might not be possible for ordinary people, but I had raised the Mana Accumulation Retardation level to the maximum at the time of playing the game, and I could clearly detect the range of attack with my eyes.

Even though ny skill level was low right now and they were only detectable with the Sixth Sense, it was sufficient for now.

Tong!

As I flashed behind the rock after deflecting all the flame arrows that came flying in succession, the following waves of attacks hit the pitiful air.

"How long are you going to just dodge!"

Of course, I did not just run away.

I was slowly awakening my senses by waving the Point Stick to instantly transmit mana in order to ward off enemy's attack or carve out the optimal path with minimal use of Flash.

Sensory enlightenment through practice. Yes. I was now using Hong Bi-Yeon for my training.

She was different from the rest of the world. Although her level was still low, she was closer to a 'real' mage than anyone I had ever faced.

Instead of a 3D game operated by a keyboard and mouse, I fought in reality to slowly realize the ways of dealing with a mage.

'Clear.'

The flow of mana appeared as if it was on my fingertips. The 'Sixth Sense' felt just as familiar as touch, sight, and hearing.

'Ugh, how the hell are you avoiding them?'

Hong Bi-Yeon screamed inwardly.

'How can you move freely in this complex terrain?'

She thought she could shoot me down if she hit me once, but she kept missing narrowly.

'This terrain is full of trees, surely I have an advantage?'

Hong Bi-Yeon thought she made the terrain suitable for her by setting fire to the trees.

However, in fact, this living and moving terrain was always on my side, whether it was on fire or not.

Rather, every time a burning tree soared high and then shrank, it repeatedly obscured her gaze. Couldn't I take advantage of the loophole?

"This…!"

When the flame did not reach me despite such a wide range of attacks, Hong Bi-Yeon made the flames even stronger.

A move to prepare for high magic skill!

And that moment was a gap.

[Flash]

In that unexpected moment, I activated Flash, and appeared in front of Hong Bi-Yeon.

"Ah...!"

In a very brief moment, our eyes met, and Hong Bi-Yeon, who had a wrinkled expression on her face, shut her mouth.

'Range Eruption!'

An explosion of flames erupted from Hong Bi-yeon's body.

I knew that magic skill well.

It was a skill that was used as a counter for the opponent approaching a flame-attribute mage. It could cause a small rebound explosion within a radius of two metres around the user.

I was able to deal with such a rudimentary response because I had been subjected to the skill so many times before.

With just one step back, I was able to get exactly two metres away from Hong Bi-Yeon, and boom.

As soon as the rebound explosion erupted, I approached her without wasting even 0.1-second and stretched out.

... The point stick.

Clink!!

"….Ah!"

Hong Bi-Yeon's chest was stabbed with a Point Stick, and her sloppy magic shield broke, pushing her body back from the impact.

If it had been Hong Bi-Yeon from the future, she might have fallen gracefully or prepared a second countermeasure before being stabbed, but she now fell backward, most likely due to her lack of combat experience.

Dump!

Hong Bi-Yeon's face shook from shock; whether from hitting her bottom on the floor or from being attacked.

The flame died away, and silence took its place.

It was I who spoke first.

"I won."

"… No. Not yet, there is an aura of fire all around me. If you had hit a second time, you would have been immediately swept up in the explosion."

"I know. That's why I didn't do it."

"You are pretending!"

She became depressed and shut her mouth. It was because she believed that if I had used a real wand and fought her, she would have been defeated sooner.

'What the hell… What is your identity?'

Contrary to what she believed, the rumours about me were also complicated.

Looking into the corner, I said.

"Edna. Stop hiding now and come out."

"What…?"

When Hong Bi-Yeon turned her head in surprise, a black-haired girl crept out from behind the rock.

She still had a disgruntled expression on her face.