Rohan’s skill structure was evolving.
With every step he took, he climbed higher.
When Weakness Infliction was Level 1, there were limitations. Direct contact was required, and he could only assign physical attributes as weaknesses.
Upon reaching Level 2, he gained the ability to select the attribute to be assigned as a weakness. He was no longer restricted to physical damage.
And yet, Rohan had continued to prioritize physical attributes as weaknesses.
The reason was simple.
He had far more proficiency in physical attacks—enhanced strikes and slashes—than in fire manipulation. The benefits of using flas seed minimal in comparison.
But now, he had taken another step forward—Weakness Infliction Level 3.
He had gained wings.
[Weakness Infliction - Lv.3]
◇ Assigns a weakness attribute to a target.
◇ Attacks against the weakened target have a fixed chance to apply a debuff.
The description had changed.
Instead of "on contact", it now simply referred to the "target".
The debuff had lost the descriptor "mild", and the "low probability" had shifted to a "fixed chance".
‘This is big.’
With this evolution, understanding naturally flowed into him.
Perhaps he had simply rembered sothing he had forgotten.
The instinctive realization that he could now imbue mana and skills into projectiles sank into his consciousness.
Although he could likely fire off energy barehanded, he imdiately knew—the best weapon for this skill was the handgun he already possessed.
‘The bullet will act as the vessel for Weakness Infliction.’
If he rely assigned a physical attribute, it might be able to pierce through even high-tier opponents.
But right now, there was only one attribute that mattered.
Considering what Hekes and Oga had prepared to counter Juyeon, the only logical weakness to apply was fire.
There was no doubt. This was the right choice, one hundred tis over.
“Haa…”
Supported by Ichinose, Rohan finished aiming.
He pulled the trigger.
TANG!
The bullet ripped through the air.
A force that defied logic had been infused into it.
A power worthy of the na—
Magic Bullet.
anwhile…
"Rot away!"
Oga’s arm twisted, the dragon’s maw gaping open with a sickening snap.
A headless dragon let out a howl, concentrating a massive surge of mana.
──KAAAAAH—!!!
Juyeon instantly recognized the attack type.
She tightened her grip on her sword.
Flas swelled around her body.
[Necrotic Breath]
The dragon’s breath of decay and death.
A vortex of murky green roared forward.
Juyeon’s greatsword flashed, rejecting the rot with a burst of flas.
[Blazing Cross Blade]
Within the swirling toxic mist, flas carved a perfect cross, asserting dominance.
──BOOOOM!!!
The violent explosion devoured the breath entirely, extinguishing it.
"Hahaha!!!"
Oga charged forward, swinging his blade.
Clang! Kaang! Ching!
Even his basic swordplay was vicious.
Paired with relentless attacks from his monstrous appendages, he was far from predictable.
Juyeon, engaged in the fierce exchange, quickly recalled and analyzed the battle so far.
She compared it to their past encounters.
‘His resistance to flas is nearly perfect. How?’
Was it simply growth?
Or was it the unknown drugs he had injected in bulk?
No—there was sothing unnatural about it.
‘It has to be whatever he’s done to his body.’
It felt like trying to burn a monster that lived in lava.
Even so, abandoning fire wasn’t an option.
More constraints would only shift the tide in his favor.
If she didn’t restrain herself strategically, the battle’s delicate balance would tilt against her.
Kagagagak!
Blades ground against each other, shrieking with tallic friction.
Locked in a contest of raw power, this was when the most exchanges occurred.
"Khhuhu, this is exhilarating!"
"…"
The flow of mana, the focus in their eyes, the subtle shifts in their muscles, the placent of their feet—
Every detail was a deception, hiding the real attack.
Both fought desperately for the slightest upper hand.
"?!"
Then, Juyeon saw it.
Even though Noah Frozenheart and Corinne had left, Ichinose Yui and Rohan were still there.
‘Why… haven’t they retreated…?’
For the first ti, uncertainty flashed across her expression.
Her gaze fell on Rohan, his gun raised.
The harsh reality was clear.
The odds of his attack actually hurting Oga were virtually nonexistent.
His courage in standing against an overwhelming enemy was admirable, but it was not praiseworthy.
Without the ability to imbue projectiles with mana, a gun was useless.
A normal handgun didn’t even have the firepower to wound a monster of this caliber.
Juyeon exhaled sharply, torn between frustration and exasperation.
‘Wait…’
Suddenly, she felt it.
Mana converging around Rohan’s gun.
An unfamiliar skill, disrupting the natural flow of energy.
Juyeon recognized it imdiately.
She had experienced it firsthand while sparring with Rohan.
Even from this distance, she could differentiate it.
‘…Can Rohan actually break the deadlock?’
A sixth sense—a sensation only those who reached the pinnacle of combat could experience.
Juyeon decided in an instant.
She had to follow through with what Rohan was setting up.
“Heh.”
For the first ti, Juyeon curled her lips into a smirk in front of Oga.
But that arc of amusent twisted into an undeniable sneer directed at him.
Oga, too, was aware that Rohan was gathering mana.
And yet, he paid it no mind.
“You can’t feel it? If you want to live, run now. My cadets are not ordinary.”
“Hah! Have you started dabbling in politics? You’ve learned to run your mouth!”
“Those who stand still can never follow a new wind. Learn to lower your gaze from the sky.”
“Shut up! As if that pathetic attack would work! Focus on !!!”
TANG!
The sound rang out clearly.
Rohan’s bullet, seeking to change the tide, sped through the air.
──Ting!
It struck Oga, but failed to penetrate, falling harmlessly to the ground.
“What a aningless—hmm!?”
A flicker of discomfort spread through Oga’s entire body.
In that instant, he realized—sothing unknown was affecting him.
“I told you. If you want to live, run.”
Gripping her greatsword, Juyeon glanced at Ichinose Yui, who was scrambling away with Rohan in tow.
The battle resud imdiately.
[Inferno Blade]
A crimson slash shot toward Oga.
Both Juyeon, who launched the attack, and Oga, who blocked it, recognized it instantly.
‘The impact feels different!’
It wasn’t an illusion. Even Oga was clearly shaken.
His fire resistance remained formidable, but it was no longer impenetrable.
It had been reduced to re endurance.
‘Rohan’s effect won’t last forever. There’s definitely a ti limit.’
To waste this opening would be a disgrace.
Juyeon made her decision.
She unleashed her full power.
[Dormant Fire Release]
The embers accumulated within her body ignited all at once.
Her red hair flared brilliantly, infused with radiant golden light.
“You think I’ll allow such a ridiculous end…?!”
Above Oga’s head, a blue sphere erged.
A creation of Hekes, designed specifically to counter Juyeon.
A living construct, following its remaining instincts to generate endless cold.
[Glacial Cosmos]
The surrounding space cracked with ice, filling the area with bitter cold.
Even Oga himself was affected, making it unsustainable for long.
‘That damn brat…!’
Through the hazy breath of frost, Oga clenched his resolve.
He had to kill Juyeon—and that damn cadet.
Once this battle ended, no matter what, he would hunt Rohan down.
‘If nothing else… I must survive and return.’
Hekes and the others had to know about that bastard’s existence—and his skill.
“You’re distracted in battle? You must be too comfortable.”
Juyeon soared toward him, greatsword raised.
KANG!
Her downward strike clashed against Oga’s block.
But enduring the flas was much harder than before.
No doubt remained—sothing had changed the mont he was shot.
“Kuh…!”
“Die.”
Juyeon ignored the creeping frost attempting to invade her body, burning herself with endless flas.
She swung her sword without pause.
She was throwing everything into this opening.
Crack!
A fracture ford.
Oga’s hardened skin tore, and Juyeon’s fire seeped inside.
The scales of victory tipped drastically.
“Kraaaagh!!!”
Searing agony consud his entire body.
Oga scread, haunted by the nightmare of his past defeat.
“I told you, didn’t I? This ti, I won’t let you escape.”
[Sever]
A waist-driven slash.
Oga’s arm flew, torn deep by the cut.
[Reverse]
A follow-up.
She had intended to bisect him, but Oga’s desperate struggle limited the damage to his shoulder.
“Huff… Huff…!”
Oga staggered backward, fear stark in his eyes.
But was there any reason to feel pity?
No.
Juyeon did not relent.
A single step forward closed the distance.
[Firepoint]
Her greatsword ramd into Oga’s abdon, driving through flesh.
[Cinderfall]
A blinding light flashed before his eyes.
His legs were severed.
[Dissolve]
[Cut]
[Reap]
[Sever]
[Execute]
[Gouge]
A flawless series of cuts and thrusts, worthy of engraving in the history of swordsmanship.
Oga opened his mouth in silent agony, quietly mustering his last reserves of mana.
[Frost Nebula]
The blue sphere silently aid for Juyeon’s back.
“…Too hasty. You should have waited longer.”
Juyeon evaded it effortlessly, as if she had expected it all along.
She never let victory cloud her focus.
She simply took one steady step after another.
The final strike.
[Dragonslayer]
A scarlet flash sliced across Oga’s neck and the floating sphere.
“Guh…!”
In Abyss City, Oga had escaped with a stalemate against Juyeon.
But here, he had died.
If Rohan had seen it, he would have felt relief, yet a deep unease over this unexpectedly altered course.
Reviews
All reviews (0)