Ch.152The Worst Always Comes in Layers – 3

The Superpower Academy branch in Changwon was suddenly attacked.

This caused tremendous confusion, but the worst situation wasn’t that.

A massive magical vibration occurred around the downtown area, and gates appeared.

“Did you request support from the Association headquarters?! Did you? Any word on when they’re coming?!”

“We’ve arranged to pull some personnel from Busan for now! But it will take some time.”

“Why! The situation is so urgent, why does it take time?!”

“The portals became useless when all magical power supply was cut off, and most roads into Changwon have been damaged by the gates. They’re currently moving on foot while eliminating monsters that emerged from the gates…”

Not just one gate appeared, nor two, but a double-digit number.

Even considering the initial gate crisis, there had rarely been such a concentration of gates in one place.

And when something like this happens, it’s usually accompanied by one particular scenario.

The scenario that all ability users pray won’t happen.

“Shit, shit, shit! This is exactly what happens when an S-rank gate appears!”

The Team 1 leader, who was serving as acting branch director in place of the missing director, screamed.

“What did headquarters say? When is S-rank support coming?”

“W-well… even the closest personnel will take at least 30 minutes…”

“They can’t come any faster?!”

“You know how it is. Even this is incredibly fast.”

Even the closest S-rank is more than two hours away by car.

It’s only because these S-ranks are beings beyond human limitations that they can arrive in about 30 minutes.

The Team 1 leader knows this well. However, the situation is so dire that he can’t help but be desperate.

“Team 1 Leader! Support request! An A-rank gate has appeared! They say they don’t have enough personnel there!”

“Can’t we pull more people from other locations?”

“No. We should probably distribute the clan members who came here more evenly…”

The Team 1 leader shook his head at his team member’s suggestion.

Most clan members have already been dispatched to handle gates.

They’re already low on physical strength and magical power from dungeon raids.

Splitting personnel further would only worsen the situation, not improve it.

“Ah, ah! Team Leader!”

“What now? Please don’t give me more bad news. Please.”

“It’s good news! They just finished handling an A-rank gate! Monsters down too!”

The Team 1 leader, who was about to exclaim in relief, closed his mouth.

Right now, he’s more worried about how many allies were injured than about monster elimination.

Closing one gate doesn’t end things—they still have to keep fighting.

“What about casualties on our side?”

Please, please don’t let anyone die. We need everyone for support elsewhere.

The Team 1 leader’s face brightened as he silently prayed.

The team member’s expression looked positive, suggesting there were no fatalities.

“No casualties.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. You know those Magic Tower Clan members who were at the branch earlier? They went out to provide support and are handling the situation very effectively.”

*

Kieeeet!—

Hyunwoo Lee thrust his sword into the neck of the screaming flying monster.

Then he twisted the sword to end its life before taking a breath.

With this, he had closed a second A-rank gate. Counting the lower-ranked ones, it was his fifth.

He felt a bit tired, but not to the point where he couldn’t endure.

‘The physical training I did, gritting my teeth to last longer during the evaluation, is really paying off now.’

Indeed, his judgment hadn’t been wrong at all.

There was no need to raise his rank; he was continuing to grow just by taking the evaluations.

With a grin, Hyunwoo adjusted his grip on his sword and turned around.

Dasom Yoo, who had been waiting beside him, quickly began healing him.

“Junior, do you really have to smile like that right there?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s super weird to suddenly smile after cutting a monster’s head halfway off.”

It was already quite grotesque, and he was covered in monster blood on top of that.

Not just Dasom, but others too would want to step back in shock at the sight.

Of course, Hyunwoo’s expression showed he didn’t see any problem with it.

“I’m just feeling really satisfied, Senior.”

“That’s weird too. What’s so satisfying about killing monsters?”

Shaking her head as if disgusted, Dasom patted his back.

The healing was complete, meaning he could move again.

When the two returned to their position, Hana Kang, who was checking magical power levels, asked a question.

“Dasom, all done?”

“Yes, unnie. He can move again.”

“Good. We’ve received a support request from not far from here.”

“Is that also an A-rank gate, Senior?”

When Hyunwoo asked this, Hana nodded somewhat wearily.

“Yes, junior. And the situation there is even worse, they say.”

“Ooh! That makes me excited!”

Instead of sighing at the news of a worse situation, he cheered.

He wasn’t worried—he was excited.

Hana gave him a look that said, “What exactly are you?”

Dasom beside her wasn’t much different, sighing deeply.

It made them newly appreciate how amazing Seojin Baek was for taking evaluations with this person every day.

“Excuse me. Shouldn’t we get going instead of chatting?”

Soohyun Kim, who had been quietly observing the situation, finally spoke.

Not just her clothes, but her hands, face, and hair were covered in monster blood.

Like Hyunwoo, she too looked like she had fought through a tremendous battlefield.

She could have been disgusted by the stickiness and stench.

But Soohyun simply suggested they move to the next support location with a perfectly calm expression.

“Alright! Let’s move everyone!”

Even without Seojin Baek, Hana was filling the leader role well.

She was the student council president, and Seojin had subtly been pushing her forward since the previous dungeon.

While he usually took command, he wanted her to be able to take over in emergencies.

And Hana had proven her judgment and leadership capabilities since the Fog Lake incident.

When they arrived at the location requesting support, they soon encountered monsters.

Grrrrrk!—

“Unnie! Monster contact! It’s a basilisk!”

At Dasom’s shout, Hana bit her lip, thinking “Of all things!”

Basilisk. It’s among the upper ranks of A-grade monsters.

With tough scales, sharp fangs, and even poison, it’s exceptionally troublesome.

Even its tail, supposedly its weakest point, can inflict fatal wounds if hit wrong.

One of the basilisk’s weaknesses is its vulnerability to fire-type magic.

Most people usually bombard it with powerful magic to immobilize it.

The problem was that Hana herself specialized more in ice magic than fire.

She could use fire magic, but its power was weak.

She couldn’t waste magical power on spells that wouldn’t properly damage an A-rank monster.

“Senior, what should we do?”

“…Let’s stick to our usual approach. You and Soohyun tie up its legs, and when I create an opening, attack randomly to inflict critical damage. Target the tail first. That long tail helps it maintain balance, so cutting it off will somewhat restrict its movement.”

Soohyun and Hyunwoo nodded and moved to the left and right.

The basilisk, sensing the threat, focused its attention on them.

“Dasom, you…”

“I know. It’s not like this is our first time.”

Being in the Support Class doesn’t mean being completely excluded from combat.

In situations like this when conditions aren’t favorable, she must be ready to fight.

That’s why Dasom was also standing by with a shield and sword.

‘Thankfully, I received sword training from Junior and the examiner.’

She had fought quite well protecting Hana in the previous battle.

It was something she couldn’t have imagined before, but Seojin’s advice had been very useful.

“You should at least be able to protect yourself. And if you can protect one more person, even better.”

That Seojin would now be chasing and fighting The Elder.

If he had stayed with them, he might have been some help.

She felt a bit disappointed that Seojin had gone off alone.

But Dasom quickly shook her head, believing he must have had a good reason.

Kyaaaaa!—

“Hup!”

Kwang!—

Hyunwoo, hit squarely by the basilisk’s tail, slid backward.

Fortunately, he had blocked with his sword to reduce the impact, but his expression wasn’t good.

Dasom, who was guarding Hana’s front, shouted asking if he was okay.

Hyunwoo waved his hand to indicate he could manage.

Kuak!—

This time the basilisk charged at Soohyun.

Opening and closing its terrifying mouth as if it would bite her in half.

Just then, Hana’s magic struck the monster directly.

Though not fire-type that would cause major damage, ice magic still inflicted some harm.

Kueee!—

As ice spikes pierced its back, the basilisk twisted its body as if annoyed.

It didn’t seem to be in great pain. It appeared the spikes had barely penetrated its scales.

“This one seems much stronger than the previous A-rank.”

Before getting behind the monster, Hyunwoo casually offered his opinion to Hana.

It wasn’t a baseless assumption. It was a conclusion drawn after sufficient engagement.

And Hana seemed to agree with that conclusion, nodding her head.

“It’s the monster metamorphosis, right? This one must be among those affected by that change.”

Just as the monster tried to target Soohyun again, Hyunwoo cut off its tail.

He had been next to Hana just moments ago, but instantly seized an opening and succeeded.

Kiek! Kieek!—

The monster, writhing in pain, sprayed poison in all directions.

Unlike Hyunwoo who retreated, Soohyun moved inward instead.

‘I can’t delay here. I need to rise higher, higher.’

She thinks of Seojin Baek, who must be fighting alone somewhere.

She should have been by his side, but perhaps he judged it wasn’t time yet.

She understood Seojin’s intentions in deliberately leaving her behind.

That’s why she pushes herself even harder. She will defeat this monster.

Others tell her she’s grown stronger, but she remains dissatisfied with herself.

No matter how fast her sword, how powerful her swordsmanship.

That alone has limitations. With just this, she can never surpass that woman.

She needs to burn brighter. Burn more intensely.

Become a great flame that consumes everything, and after burning it all away.

Finally become the fire that warms Seojin Baek by his side!

‘So!’

As Soohyun concentrated all her gathered magical power into her sword and thrust forward.

‘This is absolutely not enough!’

Kwarrrrr!—

A bright red flame struck the basilisk’s body directly.