Episode 21: Mock Dungeon (5)
The morning Cheon Yeoul submitted her absence form, Choi Eunha, the instructor in charge of the mock dungeon, was deep in thought.
“Instructor Park Chang-myung, could you take a look at the revised seed list?”
She handed over the list, which had been prepared based on the unit’s performance, excluding Cheon Yeoul.
After all, there was a clear difference between forming teams purely based on grades and incorporating the intuition of the instructor who directly taught the class.
Seeking a second opinion, she turned to her colleague, just in case.
Instructor Park Chang-myung carefully reviewed the list and soon reached a conclusion.
“… Jung Haein would be more suitable for the seed than Ju Han-gang.”
“Understood.”
Without much thought, she accepted his advice. In fact, she had been debating between the two students. While Jung Haein had a slight edge in grades, she had chosen Ju Han-gang because of his higher rank.
“And I think it would be better to set the dungeon to Rahala’s Maze, starting at the entrance.”
“The entrance?”
Choi Eunha asked back, sounding slightly surprised.
This was not something she could easily agree to. Rahala’s Maze was a traditional internal evaluation dungeon of Gaon Academy, known for its high difficulty and usually assigned only to the top students.
“Jung Haein seems exceptional. Instructor Do Han-sung said the same.”
“Instructor Do Han-seong…”
“That student has created a Sword Aura.”
Exceptional.
A term used among Gaon instructors to describe students who, despite their rank, stood out significantly after enrollment.
Moreover, if multiple instructors were saying the same, it was worth trusting.
“Alright. Let’s go with that.”
In the end, Choi Eunha accepted the advice. Now, all that remained was to see if Jung Haein would live up to the expectations.
And he was exceeding them perfectly.
“Wow! He dodged again!”
“What the heck, who is he?”
The atmosphere in the training room grew increasingly heated.
Even students who had finished the dungeon and come out couldn’t rest. One by one, they gathered in front of the screen.
Kang Arin, who had just annihilated her opposing team, also had her eyes sparkle the moment she saw the screen.
The murmurs that filled the training room disappeared, and all attention focused on a single screen.
At this very moment, a new star was being born.
***
Ju Han-gang, caught off guard by the detection of a trap, quickly devised a new plan.
“Let’s target Jung Haein together, fast.”
“That guy isn’t even a tank, but he’s standing at the front. If we rush him together, we can take him down.”
Normally, it would make sense to target the ranged dealer, Ha Sion, first.
However, Ha Sion was a top-ranked archer. Even if Ju Han-gang and Han Iri teamed up, they judged it wouldn’t be easy to subdue her.
Han Iri didn’t like the idea of a two-on-one attack, feeling it lacked honor.
Still, victory took priority, especially since they had already used traps.
“Well, if you want me to come out, I’ll come out.”
Ju Han-gang slowly descended with a composed expression.
Han Iri and the rest of the team followed behind him.
“Why the hell are you acting so confident?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk snapped as he watched.
“If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to keep going and would’ve surrendered.”
“That’s enough chatter.”
Cutting him off briefly, Ju Han-gang drew the sword from his waist.
“Let’s go.”
The moment his words ended, three or four mana bombs came flying in.
The bombs sharply closed in on Jung Haein.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Boom!
Mana bombs hurtled toward him.
Jung Haein spun his spear, deflecting the bombs and stirring up a cloud of dust.
But the bombs were never intended to inflict damage—they were meant to force a defensive move.
Through the rising dust, Ju Han-gang and Han Iri charged simultaneously.
Jung Haein didn’t wait for them to approach. He stepped sideways.
Two swords sliced through empty air.
Han Iri, correcting her posture after a delayed swing, found Jeong Haein already far from the main group, on the side.
Ju Han-gang grew increasingly anxious.
‘I thought we’d finish this quickly….’
Jeong Haein’s movements seemed to engage in combat momentarily, but he evaded every attack while maintaining distance. And as he widened the gap, the distance between them and their main group grew even larger.
“Wait, Han-gang, you’re getting too far….”
“Are you just going to keep running away?!”
Ju Han-gang’s growing anxiety finally gave way to frustration.
Han Iri tried to warn him, but Ju Han-gang’s patience had already worn thin.
It was an infuriating combat style.
With every missed attack, Jung Haein’s calm and composed demeanor grated on Ju Han-gang’s nerves.
Jung Haein took another step back, meeting Ju Han-gang’s gaze.
His expression remained utterly emotionless.
The cold, detached look in his eyes sent a sudden chill down Ju Han-gang’s spine.
But he refused to stop. Halting his offensive would be a blow to his pride.
At the main group’s side.
As Ju Han-gang and Han Iri’s coordinated attack began in earnest, Yoon Sang-hyuk, unable to contain himself, tried to join them.
However, Sion firmly restrained him by grabbing his arm.
‘No matter what happens, stay in position.’
That was what Jung Haein had instructed before they entered the dungeon.
Yoon Sang-hyuk hesitated, then turned to Sion, who was drawing her bowstring nearby.
“Shouldn’t we help them, though?”
Sion calmly raised her gaze.
With her bowstring fully drawn, she looked at Yoon Sang-hyuk and said:
“Who?”
“Us? Help Haein?”
Sion took a short breath, aimed her arrow precisely, and added:
“No, that’s not it.”
Thwang!
The arrow sliced through the air, striking near the opposing team’s alchemist and archer, forcing them to duck for cover behind debris.
“Haein is helping us.”
Her eyes gleamed sharply.
“So let’s just do what we’re told.”
Her voice carried unwavering conviction,
Tinged with a faint hint of wistful regret. She drew her bowstring again, her gaze fixed ahead.
“He’s always been that way.”
***
Feigning attacks and taunting like this had pushed them to the brink, making them rush forward as if their lives depended on it. Ignoring their main group like that? You’re not cut out to be a leader.
Han Iri, at least, pretended to watch the rear, but…
There wasn’t a single move suggesting he planned to return to guard the main group.
Between the two charging like hunting dogs, an arrow fired by Sion cut through and struck the enemy’s main group.
‘Almost there.’
The distance between me and the main group was sufficient.
Behind me was the dungeon wall-there was nowhere left to retreat.
I deliberately stepped back one last time, as if inhaling deeply, until my back almost touched the wall.
Seeing this, Ju Han-gang smiled confidently and rushed toward me.
“Got you, you little-”
Thud!
Before he could finish his sentence, his face collided squarely with my foot, and he staggered backward.
Using the rebound from pushing off the wall, I spun mid-air and delivered a precise kick to his face.
As I landed, I casually brushed off the dust and spoke.
“What are you doing?”
Ju Han-gang groaned on the ground, rolling in pain. Behind him, Han Iri looked flustered, adjusting his grip on his sword.
I provoked the hesitant Han Iri.
Grinding his teeth, Han Iri charged, but his sword was heavy, and his movements were far too slow.
He swung his sword low, aiming for my ankle.
I lightly stepped to the side, avoiding it.
The tip of his sword cut through the air with a sharp hiss.
“Too short. Against a spear, you need two more steps.”
I could see his eyes momentarily sharpen, stung by my advice.
He quickly followed with a thrust aimed at my shoulder.
I smoothly redirected his attack with a turn of my spear, thinking to myself:
‘Still, not bad….’
It wasn’t terrible. I liked his attitude of immediately applying feedback.
However, beyond him, the situation with the main group seemed to be wrapping up.
It seemed like a good time to end this.
“Still, you…”
Just as he gripped his sword tightly and tried to push forward,
I twisted my spear smoothly and aimed for the gap between his sword and arm.
The tip of my spear slipped precisely into the opening.
Clang!
He flinched and tried to pull his sword back, but it was too late.
I twisted my spear slightly and yanked it back sharply.
In an instant, his sword slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground.
“…Better than Sung Siwoo.”
Ping!
I spun my spear briefly and kicked his fallen sword far away.
Han Iri looked down at his empty hands in a daze, then gritted his teeth.
Now, all that remained was Ju Han-gang.
At that moment, Ju Han-gang, who had been groaning in the back, stood up with a furious roar.
“You bastard!!!”
A sword aura surged from the tip of his sword.
The blue energy tore through the air.
I narrowed my eyes slightly, observing his movements.
Unfortunately.
‘Even you… are better than Sung Siwoo.’
Sure, they were talents ranked in the top ten, but it was a bittersweet observation.
I mentally dedicated this moment to Sung Siwoo, who was surely watching somewhere.
The sword aura was a bit overdone.
This time, I wanted to show something new.
I lowered my spear to the side and began gathering mana at my fingertips.
‘Steel Aura Strike [강기공 (剛氣功)]..’
The mana condensed precisely as I intended, forming a cohesive mass.
The small wave of mana at my fingertips made the air tremble faintly.
Precise control had always been my forte.
But something felt off.
The flow of mana was different from usual.
The energy surged far more explosively than I expected, and the balance began to waver.
An overwhelming amount of mana poured through the channel I’d created-far beyond anything I’d ever experienced.
The sphere grew too large, becoming unstable and trembling violently.
“What the—why is this happening?”
I struggled to regain control of the mana in my hand, but it had already spiraled beyond my control.
The raw mana expanded explosively through the channel, refusing to be contained at my fingertips.
In the end, the unstable mass of pure mana was discharged at high speed.
BOOM!
The sphere of mana tore through the air and struck Ju Han-gang squarely.
With a powerful impact, his body slammed into the wall and embedded deeply into it.
Rumble…
Large cracks spread across the wall, which began to collapse.
Falling debris buried Ju Han-gang, and the last sound I heard from him was a pained scream:
“Ughhh!”
“Ah… hey… sorry about that….”
I looked at my hands in shock, bowing my head slightly.
My palm was trembling faintly.
I placed a hand on my wrist to check my pulse.
The wild, overflowing mana was still coursing relentlessly through my body via my heart.
This unfamiliar flow.
‘It’s… too much.’
Something was spilling out, unable to be contained within my body.
My condition… was definitely strange.