I narrowed down a few candidates for Qyu-Qyu’s alias, but decided to keep thinking about it until re-enrollment.
My mind might change later, or something new might come to me.
The remaining duel battle week was spent at the training center as usual.
Working in parallel on Seo Ye-in’s [Trap Toss] training and Song Cheon-hye’s control training.
Right now, it was the latter.
Fzzzt—
A lightning hummingbird closely chased a translucent, wind-made steamed bun.
It weaved in a zigzag through a line of cone-shaped obstacles, went up and down hurdles of varying heights, and passed through the rings placed in between without much difficulty.
But just as it’s about to finish, it clips an obstacle by the slightest margin.
Fzzzt!
Song Cheon-hye immediately cast the next hummingbird.
Electric current rapidly gathered above her palm.
“…….”
She suddenly glanced this way out of the corner of her eye, looking like she had something she wanted to say.
She hesitated as if debating whether to bring it up or not, then seemed to decide against it, turning her gaze away as she finished forming the hummingbird.
I figured she’d speak up when the time was right, so I didn’t press her and let it go.
The hummingbird and sylph resumed the obstacle course.
Song Cheon-hye had to focus with her entire mind, but I had enough leeway that my thoughts started to wander.
So I decided to take the opportunity to do a bit of a status check.
The core issue is settled for now.
By completing the [Great Sage’s Ring], mana accumulation had been dramatically accelerated.
On top of that, we even shared it through the bond, so you could say a highway all the way to S-rank has opened up for everyone.
Now I need to start investing in spec upgrades again.
Before deciding on a direction, I brought up the status window.
[Skill – General]
▷ Inferno Fist (B)
▷ Mutual Destruction Eye (B)
▷ Amplification (A)
▷ Enchantment (B)
▷ Hardship
▷ Bond [3/3]
▷ Time Share (A)
[Skilsl – Martial Arts]
▷ Frozen Spirit Shot (B)
▷ Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger (B)
▷Ghost Dance
▷ Harmonized Flow (S)
[Skills – Magic]
▷ Wise Armor
▷ Blink (B)
[Skill – Wind]
▷ Wind Force (A+)
▷ Wind Barrier (B+)
▷ Spiral Explosion (B+)
▷ Sylphid (B+)
▷ Copy – Skill [4/4]
1. Feather Step (B+)
2. Spatial Fold (D)
3. Ice Wall (B)
4. Vendetta (S)
[Traits]
▷ Core (A+)
▷ Monarch(A)
▷ Blessing of the West Wind
▷ Elemental Resistance (S)
▷ Retrocovery (S)
▷Shared Traits [3/3]
▷ Distortion
▷ Poison Immunity
▷ Great Sage’s Ring
▷Copy Traits [3/4]
1. (None)
2. Time Resistance (S)
3. Pain Delay
4. Chain Explosion (S)
[Equipment]
▷ Deep-Rooted Crow Tree (S+)
▷ Dark Cloud Bracelet (A+)
▷ Cloudstepper (A)
Inferno Fist should probably be let go soon.
I could feel its expiration date approaching.
Thanks to its signature power as a penalty skill and its high rank, Inferno Fist had served me reliably until now. But as enemies grow stronger, its effectiveness would be steadily declining.
That much was clear even in the latest storage dungeon.
It worked somewhat in sneak attacks or tight spaces, but everything else just dodged it completely.
If the enemy’s a tank of equal level, even tanking it wouldn’t be too difficult.
That’s the limitation of a B-rank skill.
Soon enough, even my wind magic might start to outclass it.
Once Spiral Explosion or Seo Ye-in’s Destructive Gale reach A+ rank, they’ll be able to replace Inferno Fist in terms of destructive power.
If I could amplify it to S-rank, maybe that’d be a different story.
But doing that every time would be too much of a burden.
Not only would I have to use Amplification, but I’d also need to tap into Pain Delay and Retrorecovery, which both have 3-day cooldowns.
A better option would be to use those resources on Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger, which has had its shelf life extended thanks to combo chaining, or on Vendetta.
For all these reasons, when I eventually summon the Skillbook Fairy, Inferno Fist will most likely be traded away.
Next up: defense skills.
Handling area-of-effect attacks still remains an unresolved issue.
I’ve gained considerable defense with Sylphid Armor, but whether that alone can let me survive A- or S-rank skills is still uncertain.
I need something more reliable.
Something like Harmonized Flow.
A skill powerful enough to redirect or deflect the attack entirely.
Ultimately, the skill I’m aiming for is its advanced version—
Heaven-Earth Grand Shift
Thanks to the Sword Queen, I already secured one of the necessary components, and I plan to track down the rest over time.
After that, I should probably focus on utility.
At the end of the day, I’m a support.
When the party’s combat strength was lacking, I had no choice but to handle the offense. But now that one by one they’re surpassing A-rank, that’s no longer necessary.
It’ll be more efficient to focus on stabilizing the team and empowering them.
Besides, just brute-forcing everything is no fun.
Games are meant to piss off your opponent, aren’t they?
To sum up, here’s the plan:
1. Remove Inferno Fist
2. Complete Heaven-Earth Grand Shift
3. Focus on utility and maximizing annoyance
So, where am I getting the next skill from?
It was a question with an already determined answer.
“You’ll receive it as a reward for the final exam.”
***
Monday.
A storm of emotions swept through the students.
There was a mix of relief and regret that it was finally over, along with determination and tension to finish the final exam well.
In any case, everyone entered the classroom on high alert, and for once, Teacher Lee Soo-dok looked satisfied.
“Your eyes are finally starting to look a bit useful. Good. I’ll explain the final exam.”
MAP: [Fire Dragon’s Nest]
RULE: [Survival] [Three-Way Battle] [Crystal Tower] [Boss Monster]
“I assume you’re all familiar with the survival rule by now.”
The inventory would be sealed, and students could only bring in two pieces of equipment.
Lee Soo-dok then projected a large map onto the board.
Lava flowed outward in all directions from a volcano in the center.
“As you can see, it’s an active volcano. It erupts unpredictably, so be careful.”
Just as he had warned beforehand, a hostile environment had been introduced.
The northern, southwestern, and southeastern corners of the map were marked as A, B, and C.
“Next is the [Three-Way Battle] rule. You’ll be randomly assigned to one of the three bases and take the final exam from there. So what do you do at the base?”
The map faded momentarily, replaced by several small screens.
There were facilities for eating, sleeping, and shelter like a dining area and tents along with combat-related structures like auto-firing turrets and barrier-generating totems, and even some with special effects.
“You’ll work together to build and upgrade these facilities. But there’s only one evaluation criterion.”
The small screens disappeared, leaving only a glowing tower made of crystal.
“How high you build the [Crystal Tower].”
At that, a student cautiously raised their hand and asked a question.
“What does it do?”
“Nothing. Other than being used in the final scoring. And as you’ve probably guessed by now—”
Lee Soo-dok pulled out a crystal the size of a fist from inside his coat.
“Installing or upgrading any facility, including the tower, requires crystals.”
“……!”
“You’ll have to make smart decisions. Will you strengthen your base or invest in building the tower? For the record, it’s graded on a curve. If your tower is half-baked, you’ll end up in third place.”
“…Is it possible to destroy another team’s tower?”
As if he’d been waiting for that question, Lee Soo-dok’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
“Of course. If it breaks, you start from scratch. Any more questions?”
“……!”
“If not, let’s move on. Crystals function the same way they did in your previous duel battle and strategy battles.”
You find empty crystals hidden around the map and bring them to a sanctuary to charge them.
However, there’s a catch: you have to stay within a certain distance while it charges, and the process is highly visible.
You’ll have to fend off incoming enemies and carry it all the way back to your base. That’s the only way to complete it.
“Lastly, I’ll explain the [Boss Monster] rule. You might’ve wondered why this place is called the [Fire Dragon’s Nest].”
A dragon-shaped icon appeared at the top of the volcano.
Another screen showed a dragon covered in red scales turning the entire area into a sea of fire.
Lee Soo-dok added an explanation.
“Flame Emperor Dragon. As the name suggests, it’s of the fire dragon type. Your principal was the one who took it down a few years ago.”
– …….
The students exchanged uneasy glances and all thought, “No way…”
Were they about to go through another nightmare like the one at Craft Haven?
Fortunately (or not) Lee Soo-dok frowned and continued.
“It’s currently in a dormant state. A real shame, isn’t it?”
– ……!
The students all let out a collective sigh of relief, but it was too soon to relax.
“Of course, its draconic soldiers are quite active. Naturally….they have a master to protect.”
The screen then showed various monsters native to the volcanic zone, along with some foreign-looking entities mixed in between.
Because it was made using the Fire Dragon’s body as material, its appearance was noticeably different from the Draconic Soldiers of the Craftsman Dragon. Still, it was clear at a glance that they were part of the Dragonfang or Dragonclaw Infantry units.
“The difficulty level is about the same as Craft Haven. If you’ve practiced coordinated attacks enough, you won’t go down as easily this time.”
Plus, this final exam doesn’t end just because you get taken down once.
After a short waiting period, you can enter again. So taking a hit to bring down an enemy could be a valid strategy.
“However, item cards are rare, and combat isn’t the main focus here, so I’d advise avoiding high-level enemies.”
As he said that, Lee Soo-dok looked at me.
He knew I’d taken down a Dragonwing during the Craft Haven exam.
It was like he was asking with his eyes, “Can you do it again this time?”
Not likely.
Back then, I scraped together every item card I had and finished it off with an S-rank [Piercing Spear]. But that’s not an option this time.
It’s not even worth that much, so I plan to avoid them as much as possible.
When I shook my head, Lee Soo-dok’s brow twitched.
Seems he was secretly hoping I’d go on another dragon hunt.
Clicking his tongue quietly, he continued.
“The test starts in two days. Use the preparation time wisely. Your assigned group will be sent via message shortly. That’s all.”
Lee Soo-dok had barely left the classroom when a short message arrived.
[Group B]
I turned to Seo Ye-in and Go Hyeon-woo as they approached from both sides.
“What group are you in?”
“B.”
“Comrades.”
We exchanged a light high five, and Go Hyeon-woo smiled as he added,
“I’m in Group C. A bit of a shame, but in some ways, it’s better this way. I’ll get a chance to test myself against you two.”
“If we run into each other.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Soon after, Song Cheon-hye and Han So-mi came over as well, firing off questions like a machine gun.
“What group are you in? Where are you? C? I’m in C!”
“I seem to have joined the same group as Miss Han.”
“Oooh!”
Song Cheon-hye glanced enviously at the flirty sword-wielding couple.
Then she gave me a sideways glance and asked,
“Are you in Group C too?”
“What if I am?”
“Then… I guess that makes you C.”
Despite her calm tone, she looked clearly disappointed.
Probably because she ended up in a different group.
I grinned and said,
“Actually, I’m in Group B.”
“…Really?”
“Told you, didn’t I?”
“That’s great. We’ll get to do this together.”
She tried to look indifferent, staring off in another direction. But the corners of her mouth were subtly curved upward.
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