episode_0037

“…This is my chance!”

Mahana dashed forward.

The agile movements unique to the cat tribe allowed her to achieve a fast speed even without proper skills like [Agility] or [Sprint].

Having exchanged blows earlier, Mahana was confident.

The speed of the two opponents was slightly slower than hers.

“My current speed is 12.”

They were probably around 10-11 each.

Although not a significant difference, being slightly faster meant she could seize the initiative in battle.

Mahana’s target was not the green-haired opponent coughing on the ground, but the orange-haired one catching her breath.

She recalled the briefing given by Yuseha before the match.

[Yog] was originally a class with a strength in mid-range combat.

Right now, it seemed like they were just recklessly charging in due to excitement.

Knowing how annoying their swift attacks could be, Mahana decided to deal with the orange-haired opponent first.

“Ugh, agh!?”

The orange-haired opponent realized too late, looking flustered.

Just as she was about to strike with the edge of her shield, Mahana had no choice but to abandon her attack and switch to defense.

“[Edge Strike]!”

The green-haired opponent, who had quietly prepared, unleashed the skill in a flash.

The dagger in their hand emitted a more intense light than the [Poison Stab].

[Edge Strike] was a powerful skill that dealt two consecutive physical damage hits to a single target.

Tang―!

Mahana hastily blocked with her shield, unable to hide her surprised expression.

It must have felt like being hit by a [Shield Push], causing internal shock. To recover so quickly and follow up with a skill was impressive.

“Don’t make me laugh…! I feel like losing to a loser like you, who just got lucky meeting a good man!”

“……”

She had no choice but to step back.

“Hey, snap out of it! You’re going to lose here?”

“……!”

The orange-haired opponent rose belatedly after receiving a blow from the green-haired opponent.

Putting away the knuckles in their hand and concentrating mana to create a dagger, they seemed determined to fight properly.

Mahana took a deep breath quietly.

Don’t waver.

And admit it.

The words she shouted just now… were undoubtedly true.

“If I hadn’t met Yuseha, if I hadn’t had his help, I wouldn’t be here for sure.”

She would have given up on her dream long ago.

She knew.

How pathetic she was.

She felt.

How lucky she was.

She realized.

How undeserving she was of the benefits she received.

“…That’s why.”

She couldn’t give up.

Not to achieve her dream.

But to repay the trust in Yuseha’s heart, silently believing in her.

To dream of a future moving forward with him.

Mahana couldn’t retreat.

“…I can’t lose either!”

“Shut up!!”

The sparring continued.

The green-haired opponent causing confusion with quick movements and a dagger.

And the orange-haired opponent pressuring with dagger throws and sand scattering to exploit the openings.

Of course, it was all in vain.

The green-haired opponent’s [Poison Stab] and [Kick] couldn’t pierce through Mahana’s durability and shield.

The orange-haired opponent’s [Dagger Throw] and [Sand Scatter] were ineffective against the special effect of [Shine] within the shield.

Mahana’s activated [Transparent Vision] surpassed their awareness.

However, the green-haired opponent had sharp fangs that could penetrate.

The skill she had used on Mahana earlier.

And.

The orange-haired opponent’s attack created a momentary opening.

“[Edge Strike]!”

With a shout, two sharp strikes hit Mahana’s torso.

Pakang―!

However, the blade of the dagger broke in reverse.

It was the durability of the [Beast Armor (H)] made by Im Hyeja that protected Mahana.

“…Insane.”

The edge of the shield struck the exposed nape of the green-haired opponent, who was in shock.

The moment Mahana’s unstoppable strike landed perfectly.

“Crack!”

“Hey, are you okay?!”

Mahana gathered strength in her shield.

Once again, she attempted to finish off the two with her skill, Shield Push.

But then, it happened.

Tumble―!

“…?!”

Mahana flinched.

Her skill stopped involuntarily.

The reason was the strange sensation that caught her eye.

‘…I can’t see ahead?’

A black mist-like darkness.

It made Mahana’s eyes dark.

*

“What’s going on?”

The sharp-eyed female employee adjusted her glasses.

In her eyes, the match should have ended a while ago.

But for some reason, Mahana wasn’t moving.

The answer to the female employee’s question came from the man standing next to her.

“It’s darkness.”

“…What?”

“Abnormal darkness. Have you heard of it?”

She had heard of it.

Less common than common poisons or burns, but definitely an existing abnormal condition.

“Look closely at Mahana. Do you see the black mist in her eyes?”

As he said, there was a faint black something swirling in the corners of Mahana’s eyes.

Only then did the female employee realize the situation.

“…Could it be from the attack earlier?”

“Yes, most likely.”

[Edge Strike].

In fact, it was difficult to understand the intention of the green-haired man who was explaining this skill.

‘…It’s definitely stronger than [Poison Sting] but…’

It was just an uncommon skill.

It was impossible to deal proper damage to Mahana, who had recently grown rapidly.

But if this was what he had aimed for from the beginning, the story would be different.

Mahana may not have noticed, but it was clear to the man standing next to her.

The blurry black concentric impact seen when [Edge Strike] was unleashed.

And that impact was something the man was familiar with.

‘…Skill Rune.’

Specifically, the [Dark Needle] skill rune.

D-rank boss monster, Dark Hedgehog.

A monster of the hedgehog species that crouched down before shooting poisonous spines in all directions.

It had four types of runes, but [Dark Needle] was the rarest drop rune among them.

It seemed he was lucky to have obtained it.

‘Quite a good match.’

was a class specialized in using various abnormal conditions to outwit opponents.

It felt like he had set it up well.

“Don’t you see any signs of worry?”

“Of course not.”

In response to the question, the man smiled brightly.

An incomparably radiant smile.

The female employee, who was usually described as mechanical, felt a blush on her cheeks without realizing it.

“The one I raised doesn’t falter at something like that.”

*

‘…Darkness.’

Mahana realized her condition a beat late.

One of the fatal abnormal conditions for a tank like herself, as explained by the man.

‘…I see. This is indeed a bit dangerous.’

It wasn’t just a matter of not being able to see ahead.

Her senses were darkened, making it difficult to distinguish whether the ground beneath her was flat or not.

High-rank [Darkness] felt like being swallowed by a giant monster’s mouth…that moment was enough to understand.

‘…Phew.’

Mahana wasn’t flustered.

She had the means to deal with it, thanks to the man.

‘…Focus on hearing and touch.’

Two cat ears and two human ears.

Four ears twitched in response to faint sounds.

Shashak―!

The sound of two figures moving swiftly around her.

Behind her, and as a distraction in front.

‘…I can do this.’

It was none other than the man who had told her she could do it.

[ activated.]

“All die!”

In front of him, he felt the [consecutive attacks] splitting into three branches.

Calmly raising his shield, he blocked the square aiming for the point of impact.

“What!?”

The orange-haired man was surprised.

But it wasn’t over yet.

He felt a straight thrust towards his back.

The green-haired [toxic thrust] was unmistakable.

Swish-!

Mahana dodged the attack with minimal movement.

“Ik…!”

As the attack missed, the green-haired man ran towards him.

“[Edge Strike]!”

Another fierce 2-hit thrust.

However, the green-haired man soon became shocked.

Mahana had blocked his attack with his eyes wide open.

“What, what!? Already out of the darkness?!”

The title obtained after passing through the forest of slumber.

《One Who Overcame Darkness》.

And carved within it was the effect of [Dark Resistance]. A whopping number of 5 drastically reduced the duration of abnormal states.

“Hey, hey! What do I do about this! The darkness, that cooldown is long!”

“…Shut up! We rush in at the same time and knock him down!”

With no more sharp ideas, Mahana raised his shield towards the two rushing towards him.

Activating [Shield Raise], the blue magical power wrapped around the shield’s body, making Mahana even sturdier.

Thud thud thud―!

The consecutive strikes echoed through the shield.

And Mahana blocked everything like a mountain.

Amidst the continuous strikes, Mahana focused his consciousness.

Drawing out the strange power called [Runes] within his body.

[The Rune (B+) of the Shield Raise is activated.]

[ effect is added. Stacking effect is applied. Each stack increases all attack power by 2%. (Current stack: 10/10)]

A crimson light began to swirl on Mahana’s shield.

Only then did the two attackers attacking Mahana instinctively realize the danger and stepped back.

But it was futile.

They had already fallen into Mahana’s strategy.

The second gem on the shield he held began to glow.

It was a sign that the socket gem [Dulling] obtained by defeating the Earthworm had activated the power of the skill.

“[Battle Cry of Provocation]!”

Through Mahana’s mouth, a wide-range provocation spread out.

“This is unbelievable!”

“A provocation skill?! That loser?!”

Despite their will, the two rushed towards Mahana and attacked recklessly.

They couldn’t believe that Mahana possessed the power of ‘provocation,’ considered the strongest among abnormal states.

Mahana took a deep breath and squeezed out the remaining magical power, infusing it into his shield.

[ effect is activated. With over 10 stacks of Endurance, the skill is enhanced.]

The swelling crimson light soon turned into a scarlet color. The scarlet magical power then took the form of a cat and spread in all directions.

“ !”

Bang―!!!

At Mahana’s shout, a huge shockwave, at least 2-3 times stronger than the basic [Shield Push], spread out.

The arena shook, and the sound of destruction echoed in all directions.

On the ground, the imprint of a giant beast seemed to have been engraved.

*

“…Could it be, the [Ultimate Skill]…?”

The female employee watching couldn’t hide her astonishment.

The [Ultimate Skill], the hunters’ finishing move and pride.

Certainly, it had a power that could roughly follow up to that level, but it displayed a different kind of strength.

“It’s just a regular attack technique. It’s possible because it’s enhanced by the power of the runes.”

“…Th-this is unbelievable. No matter how strong the power of the runes is, can it increase to that extent? And on a pure tanker?”

Yuseha could have gone to other hidden places, but the reason she aimed for [Toujuwon’s Garden] was precisely this.

‘…The decisive reason why I can operate Meonyangi not just as a simple tanker, but as a dealer.’

It was a powerful single shot given to Mahana, whose maximum magic power is not high.

At the same time, it is a device that assigns the roles of tanker and sub-dealer.

It was the moment Yuseha desired unfolding.

“…Uh, ugh… ugh.”

“…Ugh…”

The duo, engulfed in a shockwave, was sprawled far away, stuck to the wall.

Their clothes and equipment were all shattered, barely catching their breath.

It’s because this is a training ground with a protective barrier.

If it were a real battle, both of them would have been minced meat right there.

“The match is over.”

The female employee nodded and checked the winner of [Training Victory 2 times] as ‘Mahana.’

“I will update the records. Also, I will send it to the school, so you can receive your test certificate.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then, I’ll be going first…”

The female employee bowed her head and disappeared.

Soon, the bustling sound could be heard.

“Seha~~!!!”

Our Meonyangi.

The lovely girl was running towards me.

She spread out her hands, so I also opened mine to welcome her.

“Seha, Seha! I did it!”

“Yeah! I was watching! Our Meonyangi did great!”

“Hehe.”

Me and Meonyangi hugged each other and rejoiced for a while.

30 minutes later.

The two fainted individuals were taken to the hospital, and we were talking to the staff at the counter.

“Mahana, here is your test pass certificate.”

“Thank you!”

After receiving the certificate, one of the two stars (☆☆) recorded in Mahana’s status window was displayed in black. It meant there was only one test left.

“Meonya, what do you want to do now? If you’re tired, we can rest today…”

Meonyangi shook her head at my words.

“Let’s go practice for the second test right away! The place Seha mentioned. I want to go there too!”

I raised my hand to stroke her head, seeing her determined will.

Surely it will be tough knowingly or unknowingly.

Showing such determination, as a ‘guide,’ how can I hesitate.

“Then let’s depart right away.”

“Yeah!”

A while later.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“Phew, here we are, Meonya.”

“…Is, is this the place?”

“Yeah.”

Me and Meonyangi nodded at each other.

We looked ahead with determined faces.

The place we arrived at.

It was a shabby arcade with a brightly colored sign…