Chapter 44: Power Enhancement (3)

Skill evolution conditions have been met.

The appearance of an unexpected notification message.

Han-seong blinked his wide-open eyes. Then suddenly a past memory came to mind.

‘Ah, come to think of it…’

Wasn’t there a post about skill evolution on the Information Strategy Board? The content that if you repeatedly use a specific skill, it changes to a higher skill with better effects than the original.

‘Well, I have used it a lot.’

Magic Arrow was a skill he frequently used as a finishing blow when dealing with enemies.

Compared to Wind Cutter, it had a shorter cooldown and a wider effective range. So it was understandable that it would meet the evolution conditions.

Han-seong decided to examine the evolved skill first, before checking the job quest completion.

[Remote: Magic Arrow-Evolution]

[Condition]: Achieve one of three conditions

▷Advanced: Annihilation (5,000/5,000)

▷Intermediate: Strike (7,881/10,000)

▷Basic: Reload (7,955/20,000)

‘5,000 times?’

Han-seong was surprised.

In the past, the Slinger who first wrote about skill evolution said he obtained an evolved skill after repeating the skill a thousand times.

‘Is it because it loads five arrows at a time?’

Magic Arrow loads five arrows each time the skill is activated. Considering this, his conditions seemed similar to the Slinger’s.

[Remote: Magic Arrow]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Skill evolution begins.]

An additional message appeared shortly after.

Soon after, when the notification of evolution completion appeared, Han-seong immediately checked the changed skill.

[Remote: Magic Spear (Lv.5)]

-Creates a spear that deals wide-area damage by concentrating mana. The effective range, power, and impact range improve in proportion to the amount of mana charged.

-However, additional mana cannot be charged after completion. Also, when the charged mana amount exceeds a certain threshold, a hidden special effect activates.

▷Effective Range: Up to 20(+α)km

▷Impact Range: 50(+α)m radius

▷Mana Cost: 500 / 10 per second when charging

▷Cooldown: 24 hours

‘A cooldown of 24 hours?’

Wait, is this really an improvement?

Magic Arrow had a cooldown of 30 minutes and could be used five times.

This can only be used once.

But after examining the skill’s effects in detail, Han-seong realized it had indeed changed for the better.

“The effective range is…”

A whopping 20km. This easily surpasses the area Han-seong can currently observe.

Moreover, unlike Magic Arrow which was a single-target attack, it has now changed to an area-of-effect attack skill that can hit enemies in a specific range.

And there was one more unique point.

“Mana charging?”

Unlike the skills he had used so far, this one allows continuous mana charging after activation.

Furthermore, the more mana charged, the greater the spear’s power, range, and impact area become. Han-seong’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

‘Shall I try using it?’

There’s a suitable target too.

The elite monster at the entrance of Gwacheon Grand Park, the Ghost Queen Wasp. Using Magic Spear, he should be able to easily strike it.

‘First, I’ll launch a preemptive attack…’

Then dispatch the Collector, Vampire Tree, and Ji-hye to engage in battle. If necessary, he could even lure it towards the temporary base and unleash skills.

After pondering, Han-seong made his decision.

To use Magic Spear.

[Activating skill.]

[Remote: Magic Spear]

[Mana charging begins.]

Immediately after activating the skill.

A spear slightly over 1 meter long appeared before Han-seong’s eyes. And as mana was charged, the spear’s size gradually increased.

‘Wow, the mana consumption is no joke.’

After the initial 500 mana is consumed, an additional 10 mana is charged per second.

And he could confirm that for every 10 mana charged, the effective range increased by 100 meters and the impact range by 1 meter.

Gulp! Gulp!

Meanwhile, to compensate for the rapidly decreasing mana, Han-seong gulped down mana potions. Then suddenly a question crossed his mind.

‘But what’s the maximum limit?’

There was no explanation about the maximum limit for mana charging. Just as he was pondering this, a notification message suddenly appeared.

[Charged Mana: 3,000 Breakthrough]

[Special Effect: Meteor Fall Granted]

▷When the spear accurately hits the target, an additional explosion occurs. The range of the additional explosion is applied as 1.5 times the impact range.

An effect that deals additional area damage.

After understanding the explanation of Meteor Fall, Han-seong continued drinking potions. After downing about 1 liter of potion in one go, he started to reach his limit.

“Urgh!”

Perhaps from drinking too much at once?

Feeling like he might throw up, Han-seong stopped consuming potions. He stopped charging just before his mana fell below half.

And as a result.

An incredible monster was born.

[Magic Spear has been completed.]

[Current Charged Mana: 5,680]

[Detailed Effects]

▷Effective Range: Up to 71.8km

▷Impact Range: 618m radius

▶Special Effect: Meteor Fall

“My goodness…”

Just looking at the effective range, it could reach all the way to Pyeongtaek. Of course, that won’t happen since the current map limit is 12.5km.

Still, it’s clearly an amazing result.

“I’m back, Mage-nim.”

Just then, Ji-hye and the Vampire Tree, who had finished their battle with the Hundred-Faced Ghost, returned to the temporary base.

“I’ll put the loot obtained from the Hundred-Faced Ghost on the desk… Gasp! What’s that?”

Ji-hye’s eyes widened.

What she pointed at was the Magic Spear Han-seong had created. Han-seong explained the situation, and she looked at the Magic Spear again.

“A spear made by concentrating mana?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s quite big, isn’t it?”

“…It’s not just big, it’s enormous!”

Perhaps because it contained so much mana?

Magic Spear boasted a size that could be mistaken for a missile rather than a spear. What started as just over 1 meter had now reached 8 meters.

Anyway, now that it’s complete, I should try using it.

[Activating Precise Observation.]

[Vision is shared.]

Han-seong used Precise Observation on the entrance of Gwacheon Grand Park. A massive beehive larger than a 10-story building came into view.

The place where the Ghost Queen Wasp resides.

Thousands of wasps were flying around the hive. The sound was like dozens of helicopters flying around.

‘Are there any other survivors nearby…’

There are. At the botanical garden on the outskirts of the park, about 1.5km away from the hive. Han-seong confirmed seven blue dots gathered there.

The damage probably won’t reach that far.

Magic Spear’s impact range is about 600 meters.

Even applying the special effect Meteor Fall, it’s only about 1km at most. Breathing a sigh of relief, Han-seong immediately began attack preparations.

[Deploying Magic Spear.]

The moment he input the strike coordinates.

Magic Spear floated up into the air. The pure white mana spear that rose high into the sky aimed its tip towards the direction of Gwacheon.

[Coordinates specified.]

[Magic Spear: Javelin]

Woooong! Kwang!

“Eek!”

A sound like tearing through the air exploded.

Ji-hye screamed as if startled, and even Han-seong’s ears were momentarily deafened.

Meanwhile, Magic Spear flew towards Gwacheon at an insane speed. On the map, it could be seen marked as a green dot.

‘What speed…’

Han-seong’s eyes widened.

Magic Spear entered Gwacheon city in just 30 seconds after being launched. This speed was close to the speed of sound.

A moment later, Magic Spear arrived in the airspace near its destination and immediately changed direction, plunging into the beehive where the Ghost Queen Wasp was.

And then…

A massive explosion occurred.

An explosion even greater than when the gas station exploded while attacking Tae-min two weeks ago turned Gwacheon Grand Park and its surroundings into a wasteland.

And at that moment.

Kwagagagaga! Kwaaaaang!

A secondary explosion, Meteor Fall, additionally activated and swept up the Ghost Wasps flying on the outskirts. As he was gaping at this ability beyond imagination.

[Subjugation successful.]

[Elite Monster: Ghost Queen Wasp]

[Target Level: 28]

[Rewards will be distributed based on contribution.]

[Reward]: 3,500 Coins

“…Huh?”

An unexpected notification appeared.

Along with the content that the elite monster had vaporized from the barrage just unleashed.

On the outskirts of Gwacheon Grand Park, at the botanical garden.

Seven men and women were huddled together near a large window. Among them, the youngest-looking boy was staring out the window with a tense face.

Woong! Buwoong!

Wasps wandering near the botanical garden.

Monsters called Ghost Wasps.

They were also the reason why people couldn’t leave and were trapped here.

‘…They’re really persistent.’

Park Junwoo, an 18-year-old Hunter.

Living in Anyang until recently, he had been hunting zombies at the border of Anyang and Gwacheon with a group of other survivors.

But on the day the incident occurred, they were suddenly attacked by a swarm of Ghost Wasps.

‘At first we tried to resist but…’

There were too many Ghost Wasps.

In the end, only after losing more than half their numbers did the survivors get into vehicles and speed down the road.

Towards Gwacheon Grand Park.

However, this was a huge mistake.

‘Who would have thought their main base was here.’

More precisely, at the entrance of Gwacheon Grand Park.

There was a massive beehive there.

Countless Ghost Wasps were flying around it. The reason Junwoo’s group was able to survive despite this was simple.

‘Well, they don’t approach the botanical garden.’

Whether there were plants they disliked or something, the wasps never entered the botanical garden.

Even when they approached, they only patrolled outside the building. Thanks to this they managed to stay alive, but they couldn’t feel at ease.

‘We’re running out of coins.’

It’s been a week since they’ve been trapped in the botanical garden.

During that time, Junwoo’s group survived day by day on water and food purchased from the shop. But now they don’t even have enough coins to buy a single bottle of water.

They need to escape from here somehow.

As he was thinking this.

“This won’t do. Let’s go outside.”

A man spoke up.

Lim Seongmin, a level 19 Commander.

The leader of the survivor group and the neighbor Junwoo trusts and relies on. Meanwhile, the other survivors were startled by his words.

“Wh-what are you saying? What do you mean…”

“How can we go out with so many wasps out there! We’re done for if we get attacked!”

“But we can’t stay here forever! We don’t even have food anymore, are you saying we should all starve to death here?”

Seongmin shouted as if frustrated.

After a while of loud arguments, unable to narrow their differences, Seongmin sighed.

“Then you all stay here. I’ll drive back to Anyang and bring people to help.”

“How can we believe that…!”

“Then come with me.”

Everyone fell silent.

Cowardly bastards. Seongmin muttered in a small voice. After a while, the opinions that seemed irreconcilable converged into one.

As Seongmin suggested, he would return to Anyang to bring reinforcements.

“However, since it’s too risky to move alone, I’ll take one volunteer.”

At those words, Junwoo raised his hand high. Of course, it’s an operation with no guarantee of success.

‘But we have to go.’

Even if they were extremely lucky and managed to return to Anyang, he judged it wouldn’t be easy to recruit survivors willing to come all the way here.

If that’s the case, it’s much better to take the chance, even if the probability is low. Also, Seongmin was the hyung Junwoo trusted and relied on.

“I knew you’d volunteer.”

Seongmin grinned. He patted Junwoo’s shoulder and then walked towards the main entrance leading outside the botanical garden.

“I’ll count backwards from three, then we run to the vehicle at my signal.”

“Got it, hyung.”

“Use skills to provoke or distract enemies as far away from the vehicle as possible.”

Junwoo nodded.

His job is Hunter.

Thanks to this, he had skills for setting traps or drawing enemy attention.

“Three.”

Seongmin folded one of his three fingers.

Junwoo steadied his breathing and prepared to dash towards the vehicle.

“Two.”

The distance between the botanical garden and the vehicle was about 40 meters.

They needed to draw the attention of the Ghost Wasps patrolling that space, then somehow get into the car.

“One!”

The door leading outside opened.

Junwoo and Seongmin, having steeled themselves, kicked off the ground without anyone needing to say anything.

But at that moment.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

A massive explosion suddenly occurred in the direction of Gwacheon Grand Park’s entrance, beyond the vehicle. An explosion so powerful it could be mistaken for a gas explosion.

The shockwave that followed shattered all the windows of the botanical garden.

Crack! Shatter!

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Wh-what? What’s going on…”

People panicking. Even Seongmin collapsed to the ground as if his legs had given out. On the other hand, Junwoo blankly stared at where the explosion had occurred.

‘Just now, that was…?’

He saw it.

Just before the explosion.

The sight of a glowing object flying in from the direction of Seoul and plunging into where the beehive was. It looked almost like lightning striking.

‘Wait, lightning?’

The moment he recalled the word lightning.

Junwoo remembered some of the comments on the auction house and Information Strategy Board in the past.

There was definitely content about a Mage living in Seoul who could freely control lightning.

“Everyone! L-look over there!”

“The Ghost Wasps are…!”

Just then, the survivors inside the botanical garden pointed outside the broken windows. There, they could see the Ghost Wasps that had been flying around just fine now falling lifelessly to the ground.

The creatures that had been struggling soon turned to dust and scattered. At this, Junwoo muttered while looking in the direction the glowing object had flown from.

“…The Mage of Fire Thunder.”

At the same time.

Han-seong blankly watched through Precise Observation where Magic Spear had fallen. After a while, when the dust settled, the devastation was revealed.

“Wow…”

Han-seong was at a loss for words.

The beehive had completely vanished, and there was no sign of the Queen Wasp’s corpse either.

Moreover, where the beehive had been, there was now a not-so-small crater as if a meteorite had fallen.

‘This is truly insane performance.’

Of course, he had poured in a lot of mana, but to think it would be this powerful.

This achievement was largely thanks to Ji-hye’s help too.

Without her potions, he could never have unleashed this level of output. Han-seong thanked Ji-hye and explained the situation.

“What? You took down an elite monster?”

“Yeah, with a single hit.”

Han-seong smiled awkwardly at Ji-hye, who was startled. As expected, her jaw dropped. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said:

“Then shouldn’t we go collect the loot?”

“…Ah!”

Right. There was loot.

Han-seong belatedly realized this and immediately dispatched the Collector to that area. To acquire the Ghost Queen Wasp’s loot.

Meanwhile, Ji-hye touched the air a few times with a hopeful face, then immediately exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, there’s already a post up.”

“Hmm? What post?”

“On the Information Strategy Board. It seems to be written by a survivor who was in the botanical garden.”

The botanical garden, in Gwacheon Grand Park?

Curious, Han-seong accessed the auction house and entered the Information Sharing Board. Then he saw a post at the very top.

[Title]: Mage of Fire Thunder! Thank you.

[Author]: Follow Me

[Residence]: South Korea, Anyang City

▷We were about to die helplessly after entering a high-level elite monster’s territory, but thanks to the Mage’s help, we survived.

Thank you so much. If we ever meet in the future, I’ll treat you to a meal, no, I’ll repay your kindness somehow!

After reading the post and looking at the map, he could see the blue dots that had been inside the botanical garden boarding what appeared to be a vehicle.

They must have gotten stuck after unfortunately entering the Ghost Wasp’s territory. Understanding the situation, Han-seong nodded.

‘But how did they know it was me?’

I didn’t even use lightning this time?

Or maybe they mistook Magic Spear for lightning. It flew as fast as lightning and fell just as quickly.

Just then, comments started pouring in.

↳ The Mage took down an elite monster?

↳ Wait, did he do it alone?

↳ Come on, no way ㅋㅋ How could he solo that? Even if you’re the same level as an elite, you need at least five people to take it down without taking damage.

↳ Ah ㅋㅋ Obviously someone must have helped.

↳ Or maybe it was a level 20 elite?

↳ Absolutely impossible. Even for a level 20 elite, you’d need to be at least 10 levels higher to solo it.

Most of the comments were negative.

Well, that’s understandable. They don’t know Han-seong’s exact job, skills, or level. It would be strange if they readily believed it.

“These ignorant fools…”

Just then, Ji-hye, who had been looking at the comments like Han-seong, frowned. She started typing a comment at an incredible speed, and seeing this, Han-seong felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

“Um, Ji-hye?”

“Yes, Mage-nim.”

“What are you trying to do…”

“I’m going to tell the truth to these people who are disrespecting you without knowing anything.”

“…Stop.”

Good thing I asked just in case.

Han-seong, who didn’t want his information leaked, dissuaded Ji-hye from her action. Ji-hye stopped writing with a disappointed face.

Afterwards, while waiting for the Collector to return, Han-seong examined Magic Spear once more.

‘A skill that becomes more powerful the more you charge it.’

The range and impact area also increase in proportion to the amount of mana charged. If there really is no maximum charging limit, it could potentially be used as a strategic weapon in some cases.

‘If I use Mana Drain first and then activate it, it would become even more powerful.’

Han-seong realized from the last battle that when using Mana Drain, if the absorption amount is high, it can absorb beyond the maximum mana capacity.

If Ji-hye makes advanced mana recovery potions in the future? Then he could charge even more mana than now.

‘And it might be good to store Magic Spear in the bracelet and use it.’

That would surely be a great help in emergencies.

If there’s no need to use Magic Spear every 24 hours, let’s store it in the bracelet as I just thought. Han-seong smiled with satisfaction.

‘But…’

It feels like I’m forgetting something.

What was it? Han-seong, having left the auction house, pondered deeply. And before long, he recalled what he had forgotten.

‘Ah, right. The quest!’

I was so focused on Magic Spear that I completely forgot. Han-seong recalled the notification message that had briefly appeared earlier.

To check the detailed contents of the job quest and claim the rewards.