There were two main objectives for clearing this dungeon.
The first, just as the name suggested, was to destroy the Rabbit Center, the rabbits’ base of operations.
The second was to defeat Rabbits No. 1 through No. 5.
The problem was that the Combined Chompy Robot they were piloting was receiving support from the Rabbit Center.
No matter how much damage it took, it would be completely repaired in an instant, making it effectively invincible.
That meant we had to destroy the building first.
But it wasn’t as simple as smashing it to pieces.
Since it had been built using magic engineering, we had to destroy its core components one by one in the proper sequence.
And that was exactly why we needed to split up our roles.
Not long after we started running, we reached the Rabbit Center.
Inside, rabbits in work uniforms bustled about, but the moment they noticed us, they reacted in alarm.
“Kyukyut?! Humans? What are they doing here?”
“No wonder it was so noisy outside.”
“Kyuit! Stop them!”
“We have to stop them!”
The worker rabbits rushed toward us in formation, ready to fight.
We exchanged a quick glance before each moving into position.
Song Cheon-hye spun gracefully and moved to intercept the Combined Chompy Robot that was pursuing us.
Peals of thunder echoed one after another as brilliant flashes of light lit up the area.
Craaack! Boom!
With the robot temporarily tied down, Hong Ye-hwa and I accelerated even further.
I swept Wind Force across the path ahead, sending the worker rabbits tumbling away like dry leaves caught in a gale.
“Kyut… the wind…”
“Kyuiiing—”
As we cleared away every obstacle and continued forward, our first objective quickly came into view.
It was a huge magic engineering device.
For some reason, it was shaped like a giant carrot, glowing brightly in alternating shades of green and orange.
It practically looked like it was advertising itself with a sign that read, “I’m important! Please destroy me!”
The worker rabbits became visibly frantic.
“Kyuit! The humans are after the carrot!”
“No!!”
“Kyukyut! Stop them! Use your bodies if you have to!”
Then the rabbits began climbing onto one another’s shoulders, forming a living wall of rabbits.
If it had a skill name, it would probably be [Chompy Wall].
“……”
A trace of guilt flickered across Hong Ye-hwa’s face.
But she seemed to remind herself that this was part of the strategy. Her expression hardened, and she hurled a blazing fireball.
Boooom!
The [Chompy Wall] and the carrot machine were engulfed in flames at the same time.
We immediately moved to the second carrot-shaped machine and burned that one down as well.
Next, I abruptly changed direction and headed for a corner of the first floor.
“Let’s head upstairs.”
“Okay.”
Waiting there naturally was the staircase leading to the upper floor.
It had evidently been designed so that even the Chompy Robot could use it, with broad steps and a gentle incline.
That also meant the route was considerably longer.
As we approached, the rabbits naturally rushed to block our path.
“Kyuit! We absolutely cannot let them get upstairs!”
“Brother! We need your help!”
As Song Cheon-hye continued fighting the Combined Chompy Robot, the tracksuit rabbit piloting one of its arms spoke up.
“Kyukyut! I’ll go!”
It detached itself from the robot and shot toward us like a missile.
Fwoooosh!
In the blink of an eye, it landed at the very top of the staircase.
Its form shifted as well, transforming from a robot arm into something resembling a tank.
At the same time, barricades sprang up all along the stairs, while worker rabbits emerged from the second floor carrying mana rifles.
The tank fired a shell, and the others opened fire in unison.
Booooooom!
Ratatatatatatata!
I immediately swept my staff through the air, raising a thick wall of ice in front of us.
Shells and magic bullets rained against it in a relentless barrage, but the wall didn’t so much as crack.
Not surprising, considering I’d amplified it to S-rank.
Meanwhile, Hong Ye-hwa finished her incantation, turning the upper staircase into a sea of flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This is the standard strategy.
The backline of mages and archers would engage in a bombardment while the rest of the party advanced steadily behind defensive abilities.
The problem is, it takes too long.
We were doing a time attack.
There was no room to clear it the conventional way.
So how do you save time?
Just use Blink.
I fixed my gaze on the tracksuit rabbit and the tank it was piloting.
Then I focused my mind.
Whoosh.
In an instant, I blinked behind it.
“Kyuit?! What the—?!”
The tracksuit rabbit spun around in alarm, startled out of its wits.
Instead of answering, I cast Wind Force.
Boom!
Still inside its tank, it tumbled all the way down the staircase.
It managed to crawl back out, but the impact had left it too dazed to regain its bearings.
“Kyu… kyuuuu…”
A moment later, it looked down.
The floor beneath its feet was covered in crimson magic circles.
Before it could even think about escaping, flames erupted.
Fwoooooosh!
That took care of the nuisance.
Instead of heading straight for the second floor, however, I called out to Song Cheon-hye.
“Switch!”
“Got it!”
My Blink was now on cooldown, whereas Hong Ye-hwa and Song Cheon-hye could still use theirs.
So we switched roles.
I’d keep the Combined Chompy Robot occupied while the other two pushed through the second floor.
Crowd control is my specialty, after all.
Song Cheon-hye was more focused on offense.
There was another reason as well.
Just as we’d planned from the start, I wanted the spotlight to fall on the two of them.
Anyone watching the replay would naturally pay more attention to the people actually progressing through the dungeon.
Crackle—
Transforming into a streak of lightning, Song Cheon-hye shot toward us.
She zipped past me in an instant and rejoined Hong Ye-hwa.
Watching them go, I turned to face the Combined Chompy Robot.
With the tracksuit rabbit gone, it had been reduced to a single arm.
In its place, however, a mana machine gun had deployed.
The barrel swiveled toward me and began spinning at high speed.
Whirrrrr—
A torrent of magic bullets poured toward me.
But I’d already cast Ice Wall.
With the gap in rank between us, there was no chance of it breaking through.
As an added bonus, I casually stretched my shoulders and threw out a taunt.
“Ahhh… that’s refreshing~”
The rabbits immediately flew into another fit of outrage.
But the so-called “Casual Rabbit” dressed in jeans and a hoodie spoke calmly.
“Kyuit. Don’t fall for the human’s tricks.”
“Kyukyut! You’re right!”
“We need to reinforce the second floor!”
The Combined Chompy Robot finally decided to ignore me and charge toward the second floor.
But there was no way I was going to let it pass.
Boom!
A blast of compressed air slammed into one of its legs.
Its feet tangled together, and the robot crashed to the ground.
“Kyuuiiit—!”
“Chompy, are you really going to leave me all alone? How could you do that?”
“Stop getting in my way, human! And don’t pretend we’re friends!”
“That hurts.”
While pretending to look dejected, I cast Wind Force.
Boom!
Just as the robot had planted its hands on the ground to get back up, it was sent tumbling across the floor once again.
“Kyukyut!”
“Did you really have to draw the line like that? They say a friend of a friend is a friend.”
“Shut up!”
The Combined Robot leveled its mana machine gun at me.
Drrrrrrrrrrr—!
***
As soon as they stepped onto the second floor, Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa quickly surveyed the area.
A carrot machine stood at each end of the room.
Unlike the first floor, the two carrots were connected by what looked like a glowing cord.
According to the strategy guide, if only one was destroyed, it would be repaired using energy supplied from the other.
So they have to be destroyed at the same time.
That was also why clearing the second floor required at least two people.
There was one more difference from the first floor.
The rabbits were waiting for them fully prepared.
Every one of them was armed with a mana rifle, and several were even piloting robots.
At a glance, they were clearly utility models, making them far inferior to the Combined Robot, but they were still much sturdier than the rabbits on their own.
Song Cheon-hye and Hong Yeon-hwa exchanged a brief glance.
“……”
“……”
Then, at the exact same moment, they spun in opposite directions and each charged toward a different carrot machine.
Ratatatatatata!
A hail of mana bullets and robots charging straight at them.
Song Cheon-hye’s answer was simple.
A frontal assault.
Crackle—
Electricity surged around her entire body as she kicked off the ground and shot forward.
Then she slammed into a utility robot with her whole body.
Kraaaash!
In an instant, one of them was reduced to a heap of scrap metal.
Spinning in place, Song Cheon-hye released a wide burst of electricity.
Crackle!
The rabbits that had formed a perimeter were electrocuted and dropped one after another.
Without missing a beat, a bolt of lightning shot forward and turned another rabbit robot into scrap.
Boom!
Even as she advanced straight toward the carrot, no one was able to stop her.
While continuously moving and chaining her spells together, Song Cheon-hye stole a sideways glance at Hong Yeon-hwa.
The rivalry between them had once again sparked her competitive spirit.
Whoooosh!
Towering pillars of fire erupted everywhere, while blazing fireballs rained down in waves.
She had seen the spectacle so many times that she was almost sick of it.
I’m a little faster.
Song Cheon-hye was just about to turn away, feeling a slight sense of superiority.
But then—
Fwoosh!
Hong Yeon-hwa swept her wand horizontally.
The flames blanketing the area gathered together and compressed into a single mass before exploding once more, scattering blazing fireballs in every direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With another sweep of her staff, the flames converged again as though they were alive, then transformed into a raging firestorm that swept across the battlefield.
Each spell flowed seamlessly into the next.
The rabbits were so busy burning alive that they never even had a chance to fight back.
A flicker of surprise crossed Song Cheon-hye’s eyes.
What kind of skill is that?
She couldn’t immediately identify it, but one thing was certain.
It looked incredibly powerful.
There was no way Hong Yeon-hwa had been hiding something like that all this time, so she had most likely learned it over winter break.
Could it have been from him?
For some reason, she had a strong feeling Kim Ho was the source.
She remembered hearing that he had visited the Ruby Magic Tower near the end of winter break.
That must have been when it happened.
A sudden tightness settled in Song Cheon-hye’s chest.
Her rival had pulled ahead of her once again.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason she felt so frustrated.
…I had time too.
Why didn’t you come to our Magic Tower?
It was true that she had been busy training, but if Kim Ho had said he was coming, she would have made time to welcome him anyway.
Just like during the semester, they could have trained together.
But Kim Ho hadn’t even asked if he could visit.
He had barely sent her any messages at all.
Then, out of nowhere, he had decided to go to the Ruby Magic Tower instead.
I had time too!
Pouring all her pent-up disappointment into her attacks, Song Cheon-hye unleashed bolts of lightning and torrents of electricity.
Fzzzzzzzt!
Crackle!
“Kyuuiiit—!”
“Kyukyut!”
Their fur completely scorched away, the rabbits collapsed with their bodies stiffened from the electricity.
Half venting her frustration as she fought her way forward, she soon found herself much closer to the carrot machine.
It was more than fast enough to qualify as a speedrun.
But Song Cheon-hye was never the type to be satisfied with that.
After all, she had someone specific to compare herself against.
So she turned to look at Hong Yeon-hwa again.
By then, Hong Yeon-hwa had already cleared away every obstacle and was standing in front of the carrot machine.
She had even summoned a magic circle, ready to burn it down at a moment’s notice.
Wearing a triumphant smile, she tossed out a single remark.
“What’s taking you so long?”
“……..!”
A vein popped out on Song Cheon-hye’s forehead.
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