Chapter 196
Chapter 196. At the Land’s End (2)
The thick black mist erupted violently from within.
As the mist, whose origin was unknown—whether it was poison or something else—spread around.
Yoo Ji-han urgently called for the Sylph.
“Sylph! Clear it all away!”
—Blow!
Whooosh!
The gust of wind summoned by the Sylph swept away the black mist.
Jung Young-wook, who had collapsed mid-sentence, continued to emit the mist.
Thanks to the Sylph, all the mist was simply carried away into the air.
“Cough cough!”
“Achoo!”
Chilla and Lee Dong-gil, who were right next to Jung Young-wook, accidentally inhaled some of the mist.
Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu quickly rushed to them.
“Dong-gil! Are you okay?!”
“Uh, um… I think I’m fine?”
One of the essential abilities of a healer is to quickly assess not just the condition of others, but their own as well.
After brushing through his body with his mana, Lee Dong-gil found no discernible problems.
At least it meant that the poison wasn’t taking effect quickly.
“T-twitch…”
But Chilla couldn’t manage his own body properly.
The shield he had been gripping tightly fell to the ground as his body stiffened.
Losing his balance, Chilla swayed to the side and then toppled over.
“Chilla! No!”
Min Yu-ri, startled, lifted Chilla’s head.
Despite rolling his eyes to look at his master, Chilla was unable to stabilize his body.
‘That drug.’
Yoo Ji-han recognized the nature of the black mist.
It was a type of drug among the two created in the kitchen—chocolate milk.
An item that transformed ordinary monsters into mutations.
Who would’ve thought they’d turn it into mist and force it into Jung Young-wook’s body to burst?
“What a waste! He only took a sip.”
“How dare you do this to Chilla!”
“Injecting it with a syringe is the best method, after all.”
Rius, looking disappointed at the fallen Chilla.
Furious, Min Yu-ri aimed her bow at him.
Pababababang!
Countless arrows shot out from her bow toward Rius.
The released arrows split again into three or more arrows, targeting Rius.
“Shiiing!”
However, her arrows only struck the snake he was riding.
Even then, the thick snake skin barely got wounded.
“Is that your skill with a bow?”
“Shut up.”
Grinding her teeth, Min Yu-ri abandoned rapid-fire and concentrated her mana into a single arrow.
Blue light of mana gathered toward the center of the bowstring.
It was enough mana to create at least 30 magic arrows.
‘This isn’t enough.’
Min Yu-ri pulled the bowstring back harder.
Sharararak!
So much mana gathered that it caused light to flicker from her hands.
100 magic arrows condensed and blended into one.
Another 100 magic arrows condensed again into one.
Repeating this process until reaching 1000 arrows of condensed magic.
What resulted was an orb of mana so massive it scarcely resembled an arrow.
‘Not yet.’
Grrrrrk!
Just like crushing an aluminum can from the top, Min Yu-ri compressed the enormous mass of mana into a thin shape.
Ignoring the mana that scattered in the process.
After all, there was plenty of mana, so it didn’t matter if it spilled everywhere.
‘That’s…!’
At that moment, Rius’s expression froze solid.
He sensed the immense mana contained within the arrow.
“Try to block this.”
Thwack!
The arrow, having left the bowstring, shot into the sky.
Fiuu—!!
Drawing a long tail behind it, the arrow flew straight and quickly reached the head of the snake.
[Shape Change – Cube]
Bwaaaaang!!
The arrow transformed into a large square cube, piercing through the snake’s head.
It tore through not just the thick skin but also the solid flesh, reaching its brain like it was pudding.
The brain of the mutated snake, in contact with the extremely compressed mana, was sliced cleanly.
Thunk!
Only a cubical wound remained on the fallen snake’s head where its brain had been cut out.
Rius, who barely succeeded in dodging backwards just before the attack hit, breathed a sigh of relief.
It was just a single arrow, but the power behind it was not something to be underestimated.
“Just wait there.”
Shararara!
Particles of mana, like tiny grains, gathered into the bow.
The mana condensed at a speed that was much faster than before.
But that was as far as it went.
Ping!
The bowstring that Min Yu-ri had been pulling snapped suddenly.
The artifact made from the monster’s web couldn’t withstand the relentless flow of her mana.
Her concentration shattered, and all her mana scattered into the air.
“Ugh!”
It was the first time she experienced her bow breaking mid-battle.
Flustered momentarily, Min Yu-ri attempted to extract mana without the aid of her weapon.
However, with bare hands, she couldn’t produce anything beyond a thin stick and a crumpled mass.
It wasn’t easy for a hero, who had adapted to a bow over a long time, to show their skill without proper equipment.
‘Has something gone wrong? Thankfully, though.’
As Min Yu-ri floundered, Rius placed his palm on the body of the snake whose brain had exploded.
A monster that usually consumed a lot and often caused trouble was gone in such a fleeting manner.
But he didn’t feel too regretful.
Having fended off a threatening attack, the creature had done its part and departed.
“How dare you take your eyes off me?”
Bam!
Kim Hyun-tae’s attack aimed at Rius sliced through the air.
It wasn’t a tangible strike, but an illusion he had cut instead.
Following that, people from another world unleashed their magic at Kim Hyun-tae.
[Mystic Illusion]
[Impossible Dream]
[White Lie]
“……!”
Kim Hyun-tae, glaring at the people from another world, halted.
His pupils widened as if he had stepped into utter darkness.
His mind was showing him something entirely different from what he saw.
He had fallen into a powerful trance and hallucination.
“Hyun-tae! What are you doing?”
“Hyung! Get a grip!”
Despite the party members’ cries, Kim Hyun-tae showed no reaction.
But then, something happened.
‘What’s that?’
Yoo Ji-han caught sight of a thin thread connecting Kim Hyun-tae’s head.
When the Yeosu expedition team had been caught in space distortion while getting off the train.
It was the same as the thread that had guided him.
—Hit him!
Grasping the hint from the Sylph, Yoo Ji-han dashed toward Kim Hyun-tae.
Smack!
He dealt a strong slap to the back of Kim Hyun-tae’s head, causing it to snap forward.
The sound of the hit was so loud that even Lee Mi-a, who was watching, flinched.
“Ugh!”
After the slap from Yoo Ji-han, Kim Hyun-tae quickly regained his senses.
It felt as if he had just woken from an unpleasant dream.
His back felt tingly, as if something was off.
“Joon-ho! I’ll handle Kim Hyun-tae, so keep my party members safe.”
“Keep them safe?”
“If you’re really the ‘Tanker,’ you should grant my request.”
One of the basic virtues of a tanker in an emergency is to protect those in need first.
Accordingly, Yoo Ji-han made a request to Hwang Joon-ho to protect the party members.
“……Alright.”
Without any complaints, Hwang Joon-ho raised his shield and stepped in front of Kim Si-hu and Lee Dong-gil.
Denying Yoo Ji-han’s request here would bring no benefit.
Besides, he had no confidence in breaking through the illusions cast by the people from another world.
‘This should hold.’
All party members, except for Yoo Ji-han and Kim Hyun-tae, closely grouped together.
With the tanker Hwang Joon-ho moving to take charge, a hurried cooperation began to form.
‘As long as we get to Seoul, it doesn’t matter how we get there.’
With Chilla rendered unable to fight and Min Yu-ri’s bow broken, plus Kim Si-hu low on mana.
It would surely be beneficial for them to stick together.
Kim Hyun-tae glared at Yoo Ji-han.
“Yoo Ji-han. What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean what am I thinking? Can’t you see that?”
The people from another world that had migrated to the very edge of the Korean Peninsula.
There was only one thing to do in the face of them.
“Take care of the ones in front first. Don’t get too deep.”
“You told me not to give you orders.”
Shwooossh!
The two warriors aimed their swords at the people from another world, their auras burning brightly.
A scene reminiscent of their days as part of the same party.
Soon, the two warriors, having assumed their stances, charged forward.
“Lee Mi-a! Cover the side!”
“Got it!”
Bam!
At Yoo Ji-han’s request, Lee Mi-a leaped into the fray, delivering a punch to a surviving monster.
The bodies of the monsters she struck bore deep fist-shaped marks.
A reliable companion who always brings unexpected results even when acting solo.
Thanks to that, Yoo Ji-han could proceed as planned with Kim Hyun-tae.
“I’ll kill them all!”
[Dash of the Dragon Lord]
Charging forward with wild abandon, Kim Hyun-tae activated the dashing skill.
[Air Rush]
Using a similar dashing technique, Yoo Ji-han closely followed behind.
And every time the people from another world cast their illusionary magic—
Smack!
He slapped the back of Kim Hyun-tae’s head to help him regain his senses.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Each time a white thread of light appeared above him.
A refreshing sound echoed from Kim Hyun-tae’s head.
‘This is too much fun!’
The corner of Yoo Ji-han’s mouth twitched as he hit Kim Hyun-tae.
After all, how often do you get the chance to hit this guy openly?
He swung freely, without a worry of hurting him, knowing just how tough Kim Hyun-tae’s body was.
“Oh no.”
At that moment, a handful of Kim Hyun-tae’s hair was pulled out from the back of his head.
Having diligently managed his thinning hair since debut, he had to be careful here.
“Damn it! Charge in!”
Waaaaah!
The people from another world charged at the two of them.
As they couldn’t fend off the illusions, they decided to approach directly.
“Get lost, you scoundrels!”
Ka-chow!
A great sword swung down heavily, splitting the body of one of the people from another world and the monster it rode in half.
As red blood and chunks of flesh sprayed around, Kim Hyun-tae wore a triumphant expression.
[Wave of Breeze]
Meanwhile, the Sylph bound the feet of the charging enemies, while Yoo Ji-han cut down their lives.
Yoo Ji-han’s sword, accurate in striking the heart or vulnerable spots of the enemies, was stained with the blood of different creatures with each attack.
—Boom! Pop!
Even when the people from another world mobbed together, he remained unfazed.
Using the winds raised by the Sylph to collapse their intended formation.
Following that, Yoo Ji-han’s slashes approached the enemies with great terror.
‘I can’t lose to that guy!’
Kim Hyun-tae regarded Yoo Ji-han, who was attacking alongside him, as his rival.
To avoid falling behind, he continued swinging his great sword.
The ground piled with corpses was drenched in blood without a moment’s pause.
‘Sure. I thought something like this could happen!’
While focusing on his own battle, Yoo Ji-han consistently covered for Kim Hyun-tae.
The reason he had been dragging this grumpy, uncooperative guy all the way to the land’s end was ironically because he was the one who understood the warrior Kim Hyun-tae the best in the world.
From the favored attacks, combat style, repetitive movements, to small habits.
Every little detail known to Yoo Ji-han made him the one who could truly draw out Kim Hyun-tae’s maximum potential.
Swish!
With the unwavering support perfected over years within the same party, Yoo Ji-han added the Sylph’s wind and his aggressive tendencies to create—
A fearsome duo of warriors was born at this spot.
‘…Wow, they’re really strong. It can only be said like that.’
The cameraman of Kim Hyun-tae’s party watched in awe at the scene the two were creating.
The rough yet exhilarating combat of Kim Hyun-tae was as thrilling as always.
But what amazed him was that Yoo Ji-han, the hero, wasn’t lagging behind at all.
In fact, he was even surpassing him, which was very surprising.
Above all, it was unimaginable that two people considered so different could blend together so harmoniously.
“W-what happened?!”
“That’s not the Yoo Ji-han I knew?!”
Since it was the first time for the old comrades to witness Yoo Ji-han fighting as a dealer.
As he displayed combat capabilities that astonished them, they could only gawk in disbelief.
The difference compared to when they had only focused on their designated roles on-site was overwhelmingly apparent.
‘This is the true power of the hyung.’
Clench!
Kim Si-hu chased after Yoo Ji-han with his eyes, tightening his fist in frustration.
He felt a huge wall in the combination of Kim Hyun-tae and Yoo Ji-han.
‘Is the barrier of seven years insurmountable?’
While he could add firepower to the party with magic.
Not being able to pull out all of Yoo Ji-han’s potential felt regrettable to Kim Si-hu.
