440

 [Chapter 126]

[Enlightenment Seeps into the Sword (6)]

The fifth day after departing for Yokohama.

There was no schedule on this day.

Academy students were just resting and preparing for missions to unfold in Yokohama.

But a problem occurred.

[Academy students maintain battle readiness from the current time!]

[The ship's hull may shake greatly. Even so, please don't worry too much and follow the players' instructions. We will be the Sirius Silver Wolf that gifts you a safe journey today as well.]

Just when all that remained was to enter Yokohama port after passing the waters off Kanagawa.

Unfortunately, a large-scale mana imbalance occurred at that time.

The mana imbalance that occurred in the urban area additionally reacted to the ship sailing on the sea.

Students resting in cabins quickly grabbed their weapons after hearing the guidance announcement from the ceiling.

And soon after─.

─Thud!

There was an impact.

The ship's hull shook once.

Students who had experienced similar things several times during the days-long voyage calmly waited for the next instructions.

Soon instructions came down.

[All academy students gather on deck!]

There was no agitation in the students' appearance. As soon as they sensed monsters' presence, they gathered their internal mana and immediately rushed out to the deck.

"...Why are there so many."

Eun-ha was among them.

At first it seemed like just a faint energy caught in the detection net, but sure enough, there appeared to be at least dozens of monsters far away.

It was quite a large number.

This would probably be the hardest battle since departing Busan Port.

Even Eun-ha was surprised, so friends' and other students' reactions were more serious.

Fear arose on students' faces.

"Ariel."

"O-oh!"

Even when instructors soothed them, students couldn't relax their stiff faces in the end.

Just then, Eun-ha called Ariel who had to receive Eun-woo's care from the morning due to suffering from a hangover.

She answered energetically while receiving Eun-woo's support.

"Tell the kids my words."

"Okay!"

While not being scared at all seeing the monsters far away.

She staggers drunk on alcohol.

Eun-ha briefly clicked his tongue and held back words he wanted to say to her.

[No Eun-ha says!!]

To people standing on deck.

A clear voice rings out.

Eun-ha also opened his mouth while listening to her voice.

"Tell them not to be scared by the numbers. Most won't even come near the ship after receiving long-range attacks anyway. And the monsters we'll face will be in a battered state after breaking through checks."

[There's no need to be scared because there are many. Most will be subjugated or weakened before even approaching near the ship. Don't mind the numbers! We're much stronger!]

"So what we need to be careful of are monsters that will avoid attacks and approach quickly. They'll probably most likely attack the ship's sides, so everyone should pay attention to that."

[So what we need to face are monsters that will avoid attacks and approach quickly. Be wary of the ship's sides and prepare for attacks! Don't be scared because Eun-ha is here!]

They were just empty numbers anyway.

Even without that, casters were currently preparing interception magic.

Supporters were building protection magic, and snipers and rangers were each securing spots advantageous for long-range shooting.

Above all, <Empress > Shin Seo-young, the pride of the high academy, was preparing magic in the air.

Soon students who heard the news spread by instructors sighed in relief.

Then─.

─They're coming.

Magic flew in from far away.

Supporters joined forces to build a barrier to protect the ship.

Colorful energy collided with the wall and greatly shook the sea.

Nevertheless, players maintained composure.

Meanwhile, navigators grasped the distance monsters' attacks came from and extracted accurate coordinates.

Those coordinates were spread to people on deck through telepaths.

Gatling Shot

A storm of gunfire arose.

As deafening gunshots rang out, monsters far away fell one by one.

Simultaneously, casters deployed magic they had prepared.

Several magic circles floated in the sky.

The sea shook violently.

A huge fountain spouted enough to block vision.

The situation revealed beyond after the fountain passed was one of two.

Either they died caught in the explosion.

Or they somehow survived the explosion and were approaching the ship.

"I was going to be at ease since it's the last day, geez!"

As if she had been waiting for this moment.

Shin Seo-young swung resonance cutting lines towards those that survived the explosion.

Sea winds struck them.

Monsters that even slightly exposed their bodies above the surface were torn like paper.

Nevertheless, damage to the ship wasn't nonexistent.

"The sides!!"

Monsters that secretly approached by going underwater when they first attacked revealed their presence.

Eun-ha shouted immediately.

Fortunately, students who received instructions beforehand responded calmly.

Meanwhile, as time passed, monsters breaking through players' checks gradually appeared.

From then on, it was the turn of guardians, dealers, and hunters.

"Really... What hardship is this on the last day?"

Eun-ha dealt with monsters trying to climb onto the deck while complaining.

Most were low-rank monsters of 8th rank or 7th rank.

There was no difficulty dealing with them.

At least one, sometimes two or three lost their lives every time he swung his sword.

Eun-ha and students defended the deck without particular trouble.

But that wasn't the only problem.

As a rule, small disasters follow in succession after a big disaster.

"...What day is it today?"

Around when players striding on the water surface were cleaning up the large-scale mana imbalance.

A second mana imbalance occurred.

It was inevitable that a mana imbalance would occur since players showed that much magic to kill them.

It was unavoidable.

However, the scale of the mana imbalance occurring next was considerable though not comparable to the first.

Moreover, the second became a catalyst and the third and fourth mana imbalances occurring in succession happened right nearby.

Kieeeeek

Whiiiii

Monsters born from the mana imbalance roared.

In the end, when players were in a situation to prepare for a second battle─.

"─Well, thinking positively, it's just the right timing to use it."

Eun-ha jumped off the deck.

Ignoring players' restraints, he walks towards those seeming to gauge their strength.

It's not a very appropriate magic to use while moving but it's okay now.

He loads mana onto the black thorn and builds the foundation of Mana Crasher.

He replaces part of the mana that will be consumed in the process of building magic with mana dissolved in the atmosphere.

When I dye this mana in my color...

He looks at his field of vision broadly.

The magic taking the form of Mana Crasher is composed of his mana and ownerless mana dissolved in the atmosphere.

Eun-ha put all ownerless mana under his control through the principle of Mana Drain.

Thus when all mana clinging to the sword was dyed in his color.

Once more.

Just as he drew in mana dissolved in the atmosphere by attracting with his mana.

He drew in mana dissolved in the atmosphere with mana clinging to the sword.

The layers of mana enveloping the blade gradually thickened.

When mana clinging to the sword was made of his mana and ownerless mana, Eun-ha repeated what he had just done again.

...Five times.

When he repeated five cycles, the mana clinging to the sword was now flashing platinum.

The sword's form can't even be known.

Only platinum light shines dazzlingly below the hilt.

It was the completion of magic.

─Platina Cross

No Eun-ha drew a horizontal line.

☆

4 days of continuous battle on the sea.

Students' skills improved by leaps and bounds.

But on the fifth day, the mana imbalance that occurred in nearby waters not far from Yokohama port was considerable in scale.

Even players were tense.

So the emotions students felt then can't be easily expressed in words.

Their consciousness was consumed by fear to the point instructors' voices couldn't be properly heard.

But then, No Eun-ha had Ariel convey his message.

[─Don't be scared because Eun-ha is here!]

Here, Shin Seo-young was amazed by two things.

One was that the telepathy of the Ein student who was severely scolded by instructors for secretly drinking alcohol and couldn't even properly stand was so clear.

If Jin Seo-na's telepathy caught people's attention with an addictive tone, her telepathy felt like it invigorated people's minds with a cheerful volume.

The kids...

Are following Eun-ha's words.

The last reason she was amazed was that students who couldn't come to their senses even at instructors' shouts came to their senses after receiving Eun-ha's telepathy.

No Eun-ha drove away fear.

Shin Seo-young then realized what kind of existence No Eun-ha was to them at the high academy.

To them, No Eun-ha is an incarnation of victory that never loses.

She clicked her tongue seeing students move like clockwork.

"By the way, these things... Why did they appear? They said mana imbalances hardly occur in these waters originally..."

Looks like we'll have quite a grand welcoming ceremony before setting foot in Japan.

Shin Seo-young lightly shrugged her shoulders and made the wind her ally.

Starting with monsters' first attack, players' counterattack soon followed.

She supported them from the air and sent wind blades mainly towards monsters difficult to handle.

"...Really why is it like this today? Somehow I have a bad feeling... If mana imbalances burst like this before entering the country, could it be even worse after entering?"

Shin Seo-young clicked her tongue.

Just when they seemed to be cleaning up the mana imbalance, additional mana imbalances occurred.

Up to the fourth mana imbalance in succession.

It was enough to drive one crazy.

Even players known as Named were irritable like her.

That's how much fatigue had accumulated.

Students, instructors, and players all felt the same.

Nevertheless, they were players.

They just kill them until monsters disappear before their eyes.

These things─!!

Shin Seo-young gritted her teeth and swung resonance cutting lines.

Players also started continuous battles while grinding their teeth.

Meanwhile, No Eun-ha jumped off the deck.

He who landed on the water surface moves forward recklessly without listening to players trying to stop him.

What is that kid trying to do?

I cleaned up the troublesome ones.

Shin Seo-young tilted her head seeing him point his sword at monsters seeming to gauge the momentum.

Meanwhile, players couldn't step forward in front of him.

They were suppressed by his aura.

Even she was momentarily terrified by the aura he revealed towards the monsters.

He said he was developing new magic, did he complete it?

In case monsters pounce on Eun-ha.

Shin Seo-young watched what he was doing while guarding the surroundings.

Eun-ha is loading mana onto the sword.

She soon read the magic formula and identified it as the slash magic taught as basics at the high academy.

But it wasn't Mana Crasher.

"...What. Where on earth is that kid drawing mana from?"

She was shocked by him dyeing mana dissolved in the atmosphere in his color on the spot without even refining it internally.

Thus she was shocked by the sight of Eun-ha developing No Eun-ha's unique Mana Crasher with no room for further development, which he developed pursuing efficiency and raising effects to the extreme, one step further.

Shin Seo-young watched the scene of shock and shock blending without being able to open her mouth.

"...Crazy."

Just what kind of process is it.

Though she couldn't grasp from the air, No Eun-ha seemed to be repeating such a process several times.

With each process, his sword became enveloped in golden light to the point its form couldn't be seen.

...That kid is truly a monster created by extreme efficiency...

Shin Seo-young shuddered.

Just one process would make ordinary players taste the pain of their mana circuits twisting round and round.

But No Eun-ha effortlessly did that at least three times.

Thus the magic he created exuded an atmosphere like it absolutely shouldn't exist in this world.

Its very existence is terror.

Yet strangely, the energy enveloping the sword is sparkling bright golden.

In a way, it was a power that made one feel reverent as if praying to a god.

Of course, there are no gods in this world.

─Platina Cross

Finally he drew the sword horizontally towards the air.

For an instant vision flashed.

And when she came to her senses, there was platinum light spread horizontally as if drawing a boundary between sea and sky.

And platinum light penetrating that light vertically.

Though he just drew once in the air.

The mana fired from the sword completely swallowed all the monsters running from far away.

""""...""""

The world became quiet.

Where the platinum light stopped, there was only sea and waves as if nothing had happened.

Dozens of monsters just disappeared.

"...That kid... that kid... that kid... is crazy..."

Even if they were low-rank monsters, there's a limit.

Shin Seo-young who momentarily lost balance from being too surprised barely regained balance and kept brushing her hair.

Crazy. It must be crazy.

Whether that kid is crazy, or I'm crazy.

Or the world is crazy.

""""...""""

People's reactions were telling.

No Eun-ha did something unbelievable.

This is absolutely irretrievable.

He eliminated dozens of monsters in front of many people.

Just by drawing the sword in the air.

"...It's beyond imagination?"

But the No Eun-ha guy didn't seem to properly feel the impact of what he had done.

No, he is denying reality too.

Not thinking such a thing would happen.

"I didn't intend to make something like this but why... I just made magic thinking it would be good if I could catch many monsters..."

Shin Seo-young who landed near Eun-ha.

She was so dumbfounded she couldn't say anything.

He didn't even imagine this would happen though he made it himself.

How on earth can one make such magic with imagination?

"I'm really going crazy because of you... What on earth are you going to explain to all those people?"

"...That's true."

Shin Seo-young sighed heavily.

Though players and instructors standing behind were looking with greedy eyes.

When they return to Korea, will people leave him alone?

Even now, the fierce underground war seems like it will become even fiercer.

"My father will handle it well. Probably..."

"If it were me, I would have removed you from the family register. That seems like it would be good for mental health. Eun-ha, having a kid like you as a son would make one's hair all white."

The two exchanged ridiculous jokes.

☆

That day the Yokohama Jjamppong group safely entered Yokohama port.

And─.

─Crack

A crack appeared on the black thorn.