[Proofreader – Prøks]
When Han Siah and he arrived at the airport, chaos had already erupted.
Government Awakened clenched their teeth, blocking our path.
On the other hand, Griff’s people were nonchalantly blasting their way through with magic.
‘Well, I can sort of understand.’
Would they have acted this way if American Awakened were blocking them?
From Griff’s perspective, Korea was probably just a minor Awakened nation in East Asia. So they were acting this way without any hesitation.
He should be grateful they weren’t using offensive magic.
It was clear that they were running rampant without any regard for public opinion. There were probably hundreds of videos already taken.
“Merhen. Take care of it.”
One must send in a magic expert against a mage.
Merhen nodded at my words.
[Merhen uses Dragon’s Authority Level 1, Hatchling’s Wings.]
Cute little wings sprouted from Merhen’s back.
She soared into the sky and stretched out her hand.
In an instant, all the magic Griff’s people had deployed vanished.
An overwhelming gap in power displayed with a single gesture.
The government Awakened, who had been steadily pushed back by the wind, rejoiced.
The Awakened gathered here had been living as Awakened for far longer than Kim Minwoo.
On the other hand, Kim Minwoo?
He was a newbie who had only been Awakened for a little over five months.
This Awakened was different.
He was already a hero of Korea.
His mere presence was enough to boost morale, and even more so in the midst of Germany’s outrageous actions.
There was plenty of reason to cheer.
Soon, Kim Minwoo approached Han Younggil.
When the Blue House summoned him to inform him about the Super Rookie Tournament.
It was Han Younggil who was in charge of delivering the news.
“Team Leader Han. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Yes. I’m especially glad to see you today, Minwoo. We were almost humiliated and it would have ended there.”
“I’m sorry. You’re going through this because of me.”
“Not at all. This is for Korea, isn’t it? Of course, I should help you with this much.”
Han Younggil said with a warm smile. He didn’t know the details.
He only knew that preventing Kim Haeun from leaving the country was advantageous for Korea.
So he carried out the order.
That’s the role of a government Awakened. Soon, Han Younggil asked.
“What are you going to do now?”
“What would you like to do, Team Leader?”
“I’d like to arrest them all if I could. What are they doing in another country…”
“Then let’s do that.”
“…Are you really saying you’re going to arrest them?”
“Is there any reason we can’t? They used magic and caused a disturbance at another country’s airport.”
“That’s true, but wouldn’t it be difficult to arrest them all with just that…”
“Then, I’ll go make a justification.”
Kim Minwoo stepped forward.
His eyes met with Jonas’s.
Jonas looked at us warily. Kim Minwoo knew him well too.
A fairly loyal one at that.
He had made quite a name for himself as a magic swordsman.
‘His level is much higher than I thought?’
Kim Minwoo tilted his head as he looked at the man’s equipment. Normally, at this point in time, he should have just barely surpassed level 1,000.
But, judging by his gear, it seemed like he was well over 1,500.
An abnormal leveling speed.
It was a scene he had seen many times before.
That’s what they did.
They exploited the experience duplication bug.
Looking at Jonas, he could roughly guess.
Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.
It seemed like the bad guys had joined hands on their own.
An alliance between Griff and the Shadows.
His heart swelled with anticipation already.
“You guys are total hooligans. Causing a ruckus in another country.”
“So it was you. The one who made a move on Han Siah.”
“You’re the ones making a move right now.”
Kim Minwoo said with a shrug.
Jonas’s eyes gleamed as he saw this.
His original goal was to get Kim Haeun out of the country. Dealing with Han Siah was secondary.
Han Siah was right there in front of him.
And this was an airport, wasn’t it?
The government Awakened wouldn’t be a problem.
In the end, all he had to do was subdue Kim Minwoo and he could get Han Siah back. Then he could put her on a plane with her mother and send them far away.
All he had to do was get them on the plane and out of the country.
The Korean government wouldn’t be crazy enough to fire missiles or anything, would they?
This was a golden opportunity.
“Han Siah. I’m warning you now. Don’t even think about it and come back. Before the Patriarch himself arrives here.”
Han Siah’s body trembled at Jonas’s words.
The Patriarch himself is coming?
Learned fear began to take over her body.
She didn’t want to go back.
“Do you think you have the right to voice your opinion, you little thing?”
“Yes. I do have the right. I’m not the Han Siah of the past. I’m the awakened Han Siah.”
Jonas’s eyes turned cold.
The old Han Siah wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing.
She must be trusting Kim Minwoo.
‘Then I’ll have to break her.’
If it meant making it easier to control Han Siah, he was more than willing to do so.
“Kid. The forces here are not even a tenth of the family’s power. Are you really going to make us your enemy? For that little girl?”
“Who are you to talk about doing this for a little girl?”
Kim Minwoo’s response with a smirk made Jonas’s eyes turn cold.
As expected, conversation was the most tiring method. That was something he could tell just by looking at Kim Minwoo.
Now that he was talking, he wouldn’t shut up, not knowing his place.
“Kid. You need to pick your fights.”
“Are you just going to talk?”
The mages nodded and moved to their positions.
[Wind Force Magic Circle (SS) is being cast…]
[Scorching Heat Magic Circle (SS) is…]
They knew about Merhen too.
A summoner who used magic cancellation like it was nothing.
Objectively, even Griff’s elite mages couldn’t match her one-on-one. The scene just now proved that.
She canceled all of the mages’ magic.
It wasn’t even cancellation.
It was closer to creating a magical dead zone.
She was definitely a formidable summoner.
They still had methods they hadn’t shown yet.
If one-on-one didn’t work.
Wouldn’t one-versus-many work? A magic circle deployed by dozens of mages working together.
Naturally, the power of each magic attack would be greatly increased.
The greater and fiercer the power, the harder it would be to use cancellation. Moreover, this was a magic circle created by 50 elite mages with levels over 600.
The true weapon of the Magic Knights.
He understood what they were thinking when they created it.
And, he knew how they viewed Merhen.
High magical aptitude.
But low specs in other areas.
They think that if they throw a lot of resources at her, they can overwhelm her.
First, let’s correct one misconception.
“Merhen. Take care of it.”
[Frenzy is activated!]
[For 10 minutes, the power of all magic is increased by 30%!]
[Up to five additional magic spells can be used!]
Griff’s mages trembled as they looked at Merhen.
A bone-chilling aura swept over their bodies.
Merhen, in her frenzied state, stretched out her hand.
[Magic circle canceled…]
[Magic circle canceled…]
Griff’s mages coughed up blood.
They were astonished.
[Proofreader – Prøks]
‘Canceling a magic circle with a single gesture?’
Summoned creatures couldn’t surpass their master’s level.
That was an absolute rule.
It would be very good if it was below 500.
That means the summoned creature’s level is also around that.
But she canceled it all with a single gesture?
It means a mere summoned creature is a mage comparable to her master. It was a completely incomprehensible sight.
Sometimes, there’s a qualitative difference that can’t be solved with quantity.
Merhen’s magic belonged to that category. And besides,
‘Why are you so surprised by that?’
And necromancers have many summoned creatures.
Then came a horde of Dullahan.
[The horde of Dullahan summons a Dragonblood Horse…]
The Dullahan mounted their crimson horses.
Dolsoe, Specter, and a horde of skeletons were summoned.
The mages’ eyes rolled at the sight of the overwhelming numbers, exceeding thousands.
The magic circle had been canceled.
That meant any magic would be blocked.
Mages unable to use magic?
Of course, they were part of the Magic Knights, so they had learned swordsmanship to some extent. And they were certainly skilled at it.
But that was when they were empowered by support magic.
Bare-handed, with the mage class, swinging swords against thousands of summoned creatures?
Now that they had a new skill to support the legion, it was even more so.
It was a bound skill obtained from the skill book dropped by the official witch, Leruya, last time.
[Heart of the Legion (SS)]
[Level Restriction: 300 or higher]
[Uses 1,000 mana to connect minds with summoned creatures.]
[Effect 1. Connects minds with summoned creatures. Can convey the master’s thoughts.]
A very simple skill with one effect. But, the content wasn’t so simple.
It meant being able to connect minds with all summoned creatures.
Cedric and Merhen gave orders as commanders, but there was a limit to conveying information verbally.
Heart of the Legion was one of the best skills to supplement that command system.
The effect had already been tested.
Now it was time to put it to use in actual combat.
[Heart of the Legion (SS) is activated!]
The moment the skill activated, he felt as if he was intimately connected to all the summoned creatures.
It was like invisible, transparent threads connected me to each of the thousands of summoned creatures.
With Kim Minwoo’s command, the horde of summoned creatures rushed forward.
[Curse of Weakness is…]
[Ring of Ascension is…]
[Plague Lord’s Gloves are…]
Curses were activated.
Amplified by 50% with the Ring of Ascension.
And as the Plague Lord’s Gloves triggered, the curses began to multiply infinitely among the mages, who were recognized as ‘enemies.’
Their maximum health was reduced, their defense and movement speed were lowered.
‘This is what item power is all about.’
Jonas was also affected by the curses.
His high level offset the effects to some extent, but they weren’t completely nullified.
Jonas’s face hardened as he cut down the rushing skeletons.
The cancellation of the magic circle had messed up the elite mages.
His own situation wasn’t good either.
The specialty of a magic swordsman was support magic.
They were closer to knights who fought with magic cast on themselves, occasionally shooting magic to add flair to their combat.
But the magic wouldn’t activate.
It was because of those damned summoned creatures.
The mages, who had tried to cast their spells out of habit, were collapsing one after another.
It was to the point that not using magic at all would be more advantageous in battle.
‘What in the world…?’
He had miscalculated.
The magical aptitude of Merhen was truly beyond imagination.
‘Surely, this can’t be the extent of it?’
Yes, it was beyond that.
That was the feeling.
“Don’t panic! Proceed as we always practiced! Form the ranks!”
With Jonas’s shout, the mages formed ranks in groups of five.
The golem charged forward.
The Dullahan army advanced alongside it, as if supporting it.
It was a heavy mass that was difficult to block with a human body.
The mages began to scatter in all directions. Through the scattered ranks, the skeletons spread like ants.
Thomas, an elite mage of the Griff, had been flung into the air and fallen.
He quickly got up and swung his sword at the skeleton horde.
Aside from their slightly unique appearance and the crimson weapons they wielded, they were just skeletons.
The lowest level of summoned creatures.
On the other hand, he was…?
Over level 600, with a lifetime of training behind him.
His equipment was excellent, too.
The skeletons were also wearing something, but it was nothing more than low-level gear.
No matter how many there were, they couldn’t possibly be a match for him. That was why he had charged in with confidence.
These low-level summoned creatures… of course, they would be taken out in one hit…
Thomas blinked for a moment.
Spear, shield, mace, sword, axe.
He saw five skeletons, each wielding their crimson weapon with precision, blocking his attack.
‘Did a skeleton just block my sword?’
Soon, the five skeletons surrounded Thomas. It was as if they had formed a perfect encirclement formation.
As Thomas gritted his teeth and swung his sword, attacks poured in from five directions. Each one was a precise attack aimed at his vital points.
Thomas’s spine tingled at the sight of the coordinated attack, which was even more precise than that of a human.
He instinctively realized it.
If he continued to attack, he might take down a skeleton or two, but he would also get hurt.
Exchanging damage with mere skeletons?
That was unacceptable.
He hastily withdrew his sword and focused on defense.
It was like slowly drowning in rising water.
Thomas’s movements were becoming increasingly restricted.
His eyes widened in shock.
Being pushed back by just five skeletons?
Even though he couldn’t use magic, he was an elite mage of the Griff family!
But, that nightmare was unfolding right before his eyes. Wounds gradually increased on his body.
Finally, he swallowed his pride and cried out desperately.
Only then did he see what was happening around him.
His comrades had all fallen. Meanwhile, the undead were surging in like a relentless tide.
Skeletons approached from all sides, their eye sockets glowing.
In an instant, he was swept away by the wave of skeletons.
Kim Minwoo looked at the struggling mages.
They had certainly become stronger through bone exchanges, equipment upgrades, and the provision of dragon blood tools, but they were definitely not this powerful before.
The reason they had become so dramatically stronger was because he was correcting their thoughts.
Orders were given through the Heart of the Legion.
‘From four directions.’
‘Bend your leg slightly to dodge.’
Thoughts and strategies for each moment were shared seamlessly.
Of course, there were limitations to the skeletons’ ability to execute these commands with their bodies. If he gave 100 orders, they were lucky to carry out 20.
But, even that alone was enough to make the elite mages of the Griff Family crumble helplessly.
It was truly an overwhelming difference in power.
[Proofreader – Prøks]