Chapter 64

EP.64 New Effect (4)

A massive wave engulfs the indoor training hall.

The enemy from the water bottle started in the water, but...

Now, the amount is vast enough to be described as such.

At this level, isn't it like a young Leviathan has descended?

However, the accuracy of the wave was not very high.

"...It's difficult."

[Wave that Swallows the Whirlpool] is an Epic Rune at level 4, but it's not a rune I can handle skillfully.

Even though it's quite a high level, it's a rune I've never used before.

Therefore, using the rune to control water and manipulating the derived skill [New Wave] were not as easy as I thought.

On top of that, Park Jin-woo is a warrior type focused on speed.

He is more focused on speed than toughness and is better at evasion than defense.

True to the nickname I gave him, "the swift frog," he skillfully dodged the magical skill he had never seen before.

And from time to time, he shouted with an angry face.

"You coward! Using magic in a warrior's battle!"

"I'm an assassin type, though?"

"Shit! What kind of assassin raises a wave? What a ridiculous type."

His cry was filled with a lot of frustration.

Park Jin-woo, despite saying all that, still managed to dodge my attacks.

The damage should have been significant since he has no water resistance, but with his high speed and agile runes, it was difficult to catch him.

'I'll use this later.'

I decided to stop using [Wave that Swallows the Whirlpool].

Using this rune now would not be very efficient.

Among the magical attack runes, I am still more familiar with [Flickering Flame].

It would be better to increase my proficiency with water runes in the dungeon and use them in sparring.

With a renewed determination, I pulled out the dagger from my waist and threw four of them at Park Jin-woo.

[Quarter Knife].

Even in the midst of the chaos, Park Jin-woo managed to dodge all the daggers.

"You persistent bastard. Throwing daggers from there again?"

"You're pretty good to dodge that."

Thanks to the weapon switching technique, I now held a two-handed sword in my hands.

I penetrated into Park Jin-woo's body and, using the secrets of [Piercing Sword Technique], stabbed him directly.

Clang! Clank!

Once again.

Park Jin-woo's sword and mine clashed.

At that moment, I had a gut feeling.

It was practically over.

Park Jin-woo had used [Rotating Combo] as his ultimate move from the start, but it was blocked by my [Iron Wall Defense], failing to land any effective hits.

Even though [Unstoppable Swift Sword] boasts an incredibly fast speed, it can't deal significant damage to me unless it's [Rotating Combo].

My defensive runes and skills are firmly in place, and I have a variety of counterattacks.

Moreover, since Park Jin-woo, who pursues speed, blocked my sword with his, it's clear how disadvantageous his current situation is.

'Flickering Flame.'

I channeled my mana to finish the sparring.

The flames that rose from the sword.

This is the manifestation of [Flickering Flame].

In this close-up situation, a fire-based magical attack is like poison to a warrior type.

Even the confident Shin Yuna couldn't withstand it.

The flames that leapt from sword to sword.

As the scorching heat was about to engulf Park Jin-woo, an unbelievable word slipped from his mouth.

"Chase."

"What?"

No, shit.

A command word?

Cursing came naturally.

I, of course, knew about this command word.

'Chase' is the command word for [Moon Chaser], the ultimate skill of [Unstoppable Swift Sword].

And this fact made me look foolish.

No, is this for real?

How long has he had [Rotating Combo] to already use an ultimate skill?

I didn't even have time to be surprised.

Park Jin-woo's sword disappeared from my sight in an instant and reached in front of my thigh in a flash.

'Crazy... Harden!'

The end of speed beyond the limit.

There was no way to deal with it in my mind.

I could only increase my durability with [Harden], a derived skill of [Lizard's Scales], and endure as much as possible with [Flesh Defense].

But is an ultimate skill just an ultimate skill for nothing?

[Moon Chaser] is a skill that slashes the target a total of 17 times using extreme speed.

The highly concentrated speed surpassed the limit of durability, and it finally pierced my skin.

"Ugh...!!"

Shit...

It hurts like hell.

Fortunately, thanks to using [Harden] as quickly as possible, I managed to avoid massive damage, but I couldn't prevent a deep gash on my thigh.

If this continued, the sparring would be impossible.

Realizing this, Park Jin-woo spoke with a look of not knowing what to do.

"Hey... Hey, are you okay...? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Let's go to the treatment room quickly..."

"I'm fine, kid."

I reassured Park Jin-woo, speaking roughly.

Although Park Jin-woo was too absorbed in the moment and went beyond the level of sparring, I could cover that mistake with my abilities.

Sssss-

My hand, filled with a light green aura, touched my thigh.

It began to heal the deep gash on my thigh.

The blood that was gushing out gradually stopped.

This was the manifestation of [Combat Healing] I obtained after winning the sparring with Shin Yuna.

It was annoying to watch, but when I did it myself, it felt different.

Park Jin-woo's expression turned blank as he watched this absurd scene.

"What... is that...?"

"This?"

<Rune Information>

◎Name: Combat Healing

◎Grade: Rare (R)

◎Level: 5

◎Engraved Part: Right Palm

◎Special Effects

: It handles the ability to heal a target during combat. Although its performance is lower than regular healing, the casting time is significantly reduced, allowing for quick use.

: Holy +4

◎Derived Skill

[First Aid]

◎Detailed Information

: It allows the use of healing, the foundation of holy magic, during combat.

This rune.

He probably can't see it.

Although its performance is lower than regular [Healing], thanks to the quick casting effect during combat...

The gash on my thigh healed at a noticeable speed.

Moreover, the effect of the derived skill [First Aid] is even better.

When using the skill and healing a wound that occurred within the last 10 seconds... the healing effect doubles.

The cooldown is 1 hour, which is quite long, but for me, healing this wound would end the game.

By now, the gash on my thigh had completely healed, and I could move without any hindrance.

The moment Park Jin-woo's ultimate move, [Moon Chaser], was countered by [Harden] and [First Aid].

I smiled and said to him.

"You can't use your ultimate skill anymore, right? You're done. Come at me again."

"..."

The vitality in Park Jin-woo's apologetic and flustered face disappeared.

He looked extremely frustrated.

But what can I do?

If you're frustrated, why don't you become a healer...

* * *

"Damn, I lost again."

Park Jin-woo, sprawled out in the training hall, said.

Next to him, I was also lying down, exhausted.

"Now it's 31 wins and 11 losses."

"Why do you feel stronger every time we fight? Just when I think I'm catching up, you're already ahead."

"What are you talking about? You suddenly learned and used an ultimate skill..."

"Ow... You saw how weak it was. Blocked by one of your defense skills. Hard to use because of low proficiency."

That's true.

No matter how good my [Harden] and [First Aid] were, it's rare for a holder's ultimate skill to be blocked so easily.

It seems Park Jin-woo had just learned [Moon Chaser] and, due to low proficiency, this happened.

It's a similar case to when I obtained the restricted ultimate skills [Piercing Thousand Swords] and [Flowing Water Sword].

"But are you really human?"

Park Jin-woo, lying next to me, asked.

His voice was serious, without any hint of joking.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"No, I mean. A warrior type..."

"Assassin type."

"Right. An assassin type using fire, water, and even healing. Does that make sense?"

"I'm a multi-holder."

"That's true."

Indeed, he's a simple guy.

Park Jin-woo accepted the reason of being a multi-holder without any hesitation.

I chuckled and added.

"But don't tell anyone. You're the only one who knows I'm this versatile multi-holder."

"Doesn't Kim Chae-eun know?"

"Why did you bring up Kim Chae-eun all of a sudden?"

I asked, taken aback by the sudden name.

Park Jin-woo glanced at me while lying down and said.

"Aren't you dating Kim Chae-eun?"

"What?"

I knew this rumor was floating around the academy...

But I didn't expect to hear it from Park Jin-woo.

He might be the source of the malicious rumors floating around the academy.

"Never mind."

Seeing this perfect conclusion, I laughed and changed the topic.

"Stop talking nonsense and get your C-rank promotion done."

"Ow... It's troublesome."

"Come on, really. Just do it. You don't have anything to do during the break anyway."

"...That's true."

Park Jin-woo scratched his face, embarrassed.

Unlike me, who interned at [Judgment of Fire].

Park Jin-woo was a freeloader with nothing to do during the break.

Not doing the C-rank promotion is probably because he finds it too troublesome.

"If you get promoted, I'll immediately find a dungeon and take you there. A dungeon on the level of the academy's underground. Deal?"

I got up from my lying position and made a tempting offer.

Training, growth, sparring...

And dungeon exploration.

These are some of the things Park Jin-woo likes the most.

It was a hard offer to refuse.

His expression, filled with annoyance, suddenly changed.

And his immediate response.

"Deal."

I knew it.

He's really simple.