I’ve just taken over command from the situation room. From now on, we were free to act without Han Yoomin’s orders.
“Wait a minute! What exactly is going on here?”
Arna was clearly taken aback by the sudden change in the command structure, rather than the emergence of a new monster.
The other students were just the same.
“Didn’t the operator just say that starting now, all command will be handed over to the field?”
“But….”
Arna looked at me cautiously, asking if it was really okay to proceed without Han Yoomin’s permission. She was worried about potential repercussions.
I gave a light snort, not bothering to care.
“That’s not the most important thing right now, is it? We should be worrying about our immediate survival, shouldn’t we?”
“Ah.”
The fight wasn’t over yet. I cast my eyes towards the monstrous beast that had just shed its cocoon.
─Uoooooo!
It was a massive, four-legged black creature with a hideously twisted face, muscles bulging in its legs and chest, and ferocious teeth—it resembled a pitbull terrier.
Hwarak─!
What’s more, it spit fire from its mouth.
─Are we supposed to face this thing now?
─Seriously, can we even do that?
The situation was different from when Code 61 Jaggan had appeared. This was an A-Rank monster. It was obviously dangerous, and it wasn’t the kind you could approach recklessly.
Ddong─!
While everyone was paralyzed by fear, my smartwatch beeped. A new playbook had been updated.
The students quickly checked their smartwatches.
“It’s the data for Marquseas. Hmm, this is…”
Arna’s fingers paused as she turned the pages of the playbook, captivated by a particular page.
“It’s a new strategy, isn’t it? When was this even… Ah!”
Suddenly, Arna gasped, looking up from her smartwatch and directly at me.
“So all the things you were tweaking in the situation room were for…!”
“That’s right. It was all to prepare this.”
“It’s unbelievable…”
Arna couldn’t close her mouth, finding it hard to believe.
It turns out the monster this time was Code 61 Jaggan. No one could’ve predicted that after evolving, it would become Code 35 Marquseas.
Yet I had prepared data and a new strategy for Marquseas, an impossible feat unless you could foresee the future.
“How did you know and prepare this time, just like the last time…?”
What Arna was referring to as “last time” must have been the beginning of the semester when the monster Decarabia appeared.
Back then, I had known that Decarabia was a variant species, which turned out to be correct.
For Arna, it was difficult to dismiss this as mere coincidences. She demanded an explanation from me.
Exactly how did I know and prepare beforehand?
“My ancestor told me in a dream.”
“…”
I gave the same answer as before. Since explaining further would only be painful for me, I decided to confidently stick to this response.
“Ancestor…! Do you really think I’m going to accept that as an answer?”
“Are you mad at me? We don’t have time for that right now.”
“Ah, right…!”
Arna snapped out of her surprise and refocused on Marquseas, keeping the smartwatch screen active.
“…”
Arna alternated her gaze between the monster and the smartwatch, clearly contemplating whether or not to follow the playbook I had created.
“Hmm… there’s nothing else I can do.”
Her deliberation didn’t last long. Arna raised her sword again.
“There’s no one else to rely on in this situation but you.”
*
Once Arna took the lead, it wasn’t difficult to convince the rest of the students. If Arna was leading, what else needed to be said? Naturally, the others would have no choice but to follow.
And so began the battle against Code 35 Marquseas.
─It’s coming this way! Everyone, scatter!
The students acted according to the playbook I’d given.
The strategy outlined in the playbook wasn’t overly complex. The focus was simply on buying time.
Khang─!
Given just the students here, dealing with Marquseas was nearly impossible. Our numbers were absurdly insufficient, and we also had rookies who lacked combat experience.
To defeat an A-Rank Monster, you needed at least veterans acclaimed across various guilds. No matter how strong Arna was, it was simply not within our capabilities.
─The guy changed direction! Watch out over there!
Thus, all we could do was endure until reinforcements arrived. Surviving until then was the whole point of the operation. This wasn’t about winning but about avoiding losing. There was no need to rush headlong into battle with Marquseas. As long as we maintained an appropriate distance and let the time pass, we could manage.
And we could do that much, even as we were.
“So why has he been following me ever since?”
“He’s sticking with the safest spot.”
“You’re in the way—just get away from me…!”
Like trying to remove a barnacle from a turtle’s shell, Arna attempted to shake me off. But I stubbornly clung to Arna once again.
Because this was the only way I could survive.
“Please, get aaaaway…!”
“Arna, he’s coming.”
“Huhk…!”
Before we knew it, Marquseas had drawn attention towards us. It was time to run as far away as possible.
─Uoooooooooo!
But Marquseas wasn’t a total fool. Since we were only fleeing like flies, he decided to stop chasing us directly.
Hwaaaahaaaak─!
The monster spat out massive flames from its mouth, quickly turning the surrounding area into a fiery sea.
He had blocked our retreat.
“It can’t be!”
“We’ll abandon this area. Let’s regroup elsewhere.”
Luckily, this was a vast plain, so we just needed to move. We decided to leave the area before the flames spread further.
Kong! Kong!
Kong! Kong!
It was then that the ground began to shake, accompanied by a strong vibration underfoot.
Note that this wasn’t caused by Marquseas. The beast was busy spewing fire in its place.
“There—look!”
What caused this commotion? Arna pointed towards a giant figure stomping around on his feet.
Kong!
Kong!
A towering figure over 2 meters, with muscular, bodybuilder-worthy physique, and thick lips protruding from beneath his helmet—it was Rashid Belkalem, the king of physical strength, causing tremors with every step.
Kong!
Kong!
─Uoooooo!
Apparently annoyed by the stomping, Marquseas turned around, switching targets toward Rashid.
Rashid’s provocation had worked. He must have intended this from the start—drawing attention to himself so that we could escape safely.
“Hurry and go.”
“What? Are you saying we should go without him?”
“If it’s Rashid, there’s no need to worry.”
It wasn’t as if Rashid planned to face the beast head-on. With his physical prowess, he could certainly evade the enemy. Rashid was renowned not only for his jumping power but also his incredible speed.
His physical abilities easily surpassed even Arna’s.
Taking this opportunity provided by Rashid, we quickly fled from the wall of flames.
Kwang─!
Kwang─!
The monster’s attacks continued, growing even more intense. It wildly hurled flames without restraint, turning the entire plain into a sea of fire.
With time, there might not be any space left to stand. We were gradually being cornered in the enemy’s encirclement.
─Aaaaaah! Save me!
Already, one of the students had been cornered by Marquseas. Giant walls of fire stood all around, preventing any chance of escape.
─Uoooooo!
The beast opened its mouth, preparing to spit fire at the trapped student.
I quickly unleashed my telekinesis, activating my stat window.
─── Undvari ───
▶ Active Skills
[Telekinesis Lv.1]
[???]
[???]
[Reflection Lv.1]
Available SP Points: 1
Two options were before me: Telekinesis or Reflection.
First, using Telekinesis to save the student was simply too time-consuming. How were we going to carry the student across the massive fire walls? My own magical power was insufficient to move someone that distance.
Here, Reflection was the only option to block the attack momentarily.
I decided to immediately invest the point into Reflection.
[Reflection Lv.1 ➔ Lv.2 achieved!]
It was uncertain whether the level 2 Reflection could stand up to Marquseas’ flames, but it was worth a shot.
Hwaaahaaaak─!
Marquseas spat fire, but this time it was different from before. It wasn’t simple flames—it was a long jet of fire.
It was almost reminiscent of a dragon’s breath out of a fantasy novel.
“Suck…!”
I quickly enlarged the spoon and prepared to block the attack.
Kwaaaahaaaang─!
As the fire jet collided with the spoon, I pooled all my strength to activate Reflection.
“Oof…!”
It wasn’t easy. Marquseas’ attack was like iron, incredibly heavy. Far from reflecting it, the spoon was actually being pushed back.
With my weak amount of magical power, it was impossible to manage. If this continued, the flames would consume the spoon.
“I’ll help you…”
At that moment, Arna tightly embraced me from behind to share her magical power. She possessed the artifact Slimhein, which allowed her to do so.
Kugugugugung─!
Thanks to her, the spoon that had been being pushed back began to gain strength. It was breaking through the wall of fire, moving forward little by little.
Just a bit more, if we could just hold on for a little longer…
“Khahk…!”
Before we could, my body succumbed to overload. Unable to withstand the pressure, I spat out blood.
“Hey…!”
Exerting too much at once must have been the cause. My balance began to lean more and more towards Arna. My legs could no longer support my body.
I was nearing my limit.
Kong!
While we barely managed to block the flames, Rashid didn’t miss the opportunity. Like clearing a hurdle, he performed a sergeant jump, easily leaping over the fiery wall.
Afterwards, he escaped safely with the trapped student riding on his back.
“…”
Although we couldn’t reflect Marquseas’ attack, the purpose was still achieved: we had saved the student.
Of course, that was only possible because Arna was there.
She truly was the main character. I would leave the rest in her capable hands. With Arna, she would surely lead everyone well.
“Aah, no…!”
“…”
My vision started to blur. I no longer had the strength to make a sound. I was done. I had expended all my energy. It was time for me to exit the scene.
The moment the spoon collapsed against the flames, a gentle voice reached my ears.
“You’ve done enough. Leave the rest to the adults.”
Before closing my eyes, two figures passed by me—one with silver hair and another wearing a black leather jacket.
“Hmm. Turns out my judgment was right. What do you think of our number one pick’s performance?”
“Blocking Marquseas’ flame attack with a spoon? That’s beyond my expectations.”
It was Ryu Jung-min, the guild leader of Yeonwol, and Park Won-hyeok, the guild leader of Venus, along with their guild members.
They had finally arrived. The long-awaited reinforcements.
“Wasn’t it Shin Yoon-seong? Good job holding out until now. Don’t worry; the rest is up to the uncles and aunties.”
“Hey! Who called me ‘auntie’?”
The two most famous guilds in Korea were now reunited. There was no stronger backing than this. It was only a matter of time before Marquseas would be shattered.
“…”
It was finally safe.
I closed my eyes in Arna’s arms, reassured.
