novelraw Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Of course, Choi Yeoreum was not someone who would collapse just because I prepared a countermeasure against heat.
If she had been someone who fell apart simply because I prepared one method of dealing with fire, she never would have reached third place in the world.
The title of world number three was not some easy position.
“Blocking the direct flames does not change anything.”
Her expression showed a little wounded pride, but she displayed no sign of panic.
Instead of firing fireballs directly at me, she began detonating them near my position.
The power weakened, but the Paradoxical Flame burned heat but not impact, so the shock of the explosions shook my body exactly as it was.
“Preparing a countermeasure for heat does not mean I can beat that monster of a lighter.”
And a similar principle applied to me. An explosion going off nearby could not deal meaningful damage to me.
I needed something more to land a real hit on Choi Yeoreum, and she also needed something more to land a real hit on me.
“Back off.”
A massive hammer of fire formed above her head. Even if I made a low-ball guess, it reached the size of the sixty three building.
The blazing hammer swung downward. It swung with incredible speed, yet it looked slow because its size was absurdly enormous.
“Let us see how this goes.”
I aimed my spear at the hammer. The black fire that wrapped my entire body gathered at the spear tip. I hurled the spear toward the hammer.
Compared to the enormous hammer, calling the spear in my hand a toothpick was generous.
The thrown spear left a long black trail like a comet and lodged itself in the burning hammer. The black fire that burst from the spear engulfed the hammer and devoured its heat in an instant.
The hammer vanished without a trace. Immediately afterward, I heard Choi Yeoreum’s mocking laugh.
“You threw away your weapon? You are dumber than I thought.”
“The durability of my spear is far worse than I expected.”
It was only a crude sparring spear. Instead of worrying about the durability of such a shabby weapon, it was better to fight unarmed.
The spear I had been using had lasted about fifteen minutes, yet it was already rattling. An unreliable weapon was as dangerous as a lion drooling right in front of you.
“And I fight well even without a weapon.”
I raised black flames in both hands and stared at Choi Yeoreum floating in midair.
“I sure hope so. A lot of people are watching, so if it ends too blandly, it will get boring, yes?”
End quickly? That won’t happen.
“It will be tedious.”
As if answering me, the sky filled with fire once again. Her mana truly seemed bottomless.
“You could roast an entire nation alone with that.”
“A nation? No. I could burn down a continent. I am just not doing it.”
She lifted her hand. The fireballs scattered across the sky swirled around her like a cyclone.
“Open your eyes wide and watch well. One of the reasons Korea holds dominance in this world is standing right in front of you.”
It was a sight worthy of a queen. The surging flames swirled around her like a swarm worshipping its goddess.
“Even so,”
She was nothing more than someone who could not save this world. Even if I had lost everything I had built up in my body…
Do you really think I would lose to you? I had already succeeded in something she could not even attempt in that other world.
* * *
When people watched a dangerous sight from a safe place, they felt awe. The fight between Yoo Chan-seok and Choi Yeoreum being broadcast through the TV had no shortage of awe.
Han Sang-ah and Jung Oh-hoon felt the same.
“My god.”
That was all Jung Oh-hoon could say. The sight Choi Yeoreum created inspired awe and reverence even through a TV screen.
“If I were standing there, would I even be able to move?”
He muttered unconsciously as his willpower faded at the overwhelming scene.
“I cannot. But look at that.”
Han Sang-ah spoke while chewing the popcorn she had prepared beforehand.
“You can swallow that while watching this?”
“I am not the one standing over there. More importantly, Yoo Chan-seok.”
She pointed her chin toward the screen where Yoo Chan-seok appeared.
He advanced through the storm of colossal flames, crushing each fireball with the black fire swirling around his hands.
“That is not the look of someone who is convinced he will lose.”
Even in a sight that would make most Hunters wet themselves immediately, Yoo Chan-seok showed no sign of shrinking.
“Yeah, that is true.”
The commentators, who knew nothing, happily predicted Choi Yeoreum’s victory. But any Hunter with real skill could tell.
Yoo Chan-seok was currently not being overwhelmed. If anything, it felt as if Choi Yeoreum was wasting too much power.
“I cannot say it with certainty yet…”
Han Sang-ah said, drank her cola, and let out a small burp.
“If the fight continues like this, Choi Yeoreum will lose.”
No one knew how much mana she possessed. But if she kept consuming it, unlike Yoo Chan-seok, her magic would inevitably decrease.
The door burst open, and Lee Se-eun walked in. She flopped onto the sofa and greeted the two.
“Right now Choi Yeoreum is overpowering him with output, but she cannot finish him.”
She gave them a look, then grabbed a handful of popcorn from Han Sang-ah.
She had fought Yoo Chan-seok many times. She could confidently evaluate the flow of the current fight.
“Little by little, she is getting dragged into Yoo Chan-seok’s pace.”
Little by little. Not all at once.
“And Choi Yeoreum knows it. She is a Hunter with enough intuition for that.”
Jung Oh-hoon asked a question.
“What happens if you fight her, Hunter Lee Se-eun?”
Lee Se-eun glanced at the TV and answered.
“We fought thirteen times. I won five. If I succeed in getting close, I win.”
But closing the distance was extremely difficult even for someone like her. Out of the thirteen fights, she managed to get close only five times.
“You got through that five times huh.”
Jung Oh-hoon whispered, looking between her and the TV. The screen struggled to capture Yoo Chan-seok. His form blurred and reappeared repeatedly. His fists wrapped in black fire multiplied into nearly ten separate images. And countless fireballs hurtled toward him at matching speed.
“She is not serious yet. That girl is too cautious and too proud. That is her problem.”
Han Sang-ah responded to Lee Se-eun’s assessment.
“If she is not serious, then…”
“What, you don't think she reached rank three by throwing a few hundred fireballs, do you? Anyone can deal with that.”
Both Jung Oh-hoon and Han Sang-ah thought the same thing for a moment. Anyone can dodge that? That did not sound right.
“But she will use it now.”
“What do you mean?”
Lee Se-eun pointed at the TV.
“The sun. Those who have suffered from it call it that.”
Both of them turned to the TV.
“Ah.”
Above Choi Yeoreum’s head, a sun hung in the air. No, it could only be called a sun. An enormous mass of fire floated there.
A fireball nearly five kilometers in diameter.
“She’s going to throw that?”
“No. She just keeps it floating. That alone…”
The heat pouring from the floating fireball melted the ground, turning it into lava.
The surface temperature of the fireball Choi Yeoreum created approached eight thousand degrees. And the area where Yoo Chan-seok stood reached at least fifteen hundred to eighteen hundred degrees.
“You probably can’t even breathe there.”
The enormous flame greedily devoured the surrounding air. A storm formed from the pressure difference, pulling everything toward the artificial sun.
Even massive boulders ripped from the ground and got sucked toward the flame, melting into lava before reaching it.
All of earth burned beneath the floating sun.
“With that kind of power, why is she not dealing with the Great Eight…”
Han Sang-ah asked, and Lee Se-eun replied.
“You already know the answer, don’t you? Because they are stronger.”
It was a simple answer. Lee Se-eun crossed her arms.
“Now you understand what other Hunters thought when they heard your group’s goal was to take down the Great Eight.”
Han Sang-ah nodded.
“I knew the road would be long.”
Lee Se-eun smiled, patted her shoulder several times, and handed her a candy.
“I always like your answer.”
Instead of saying she would give up, Han Sang-ah said the road was long. That was enough. Even after witnessing a scene terrifying enough to crush anyone, she still aimed for the Great Eight.
Yoo Chan-seok, who was fighting inside that hellscape, would have answered the same. Lee Se-eun was certain.
The Yoo Chan-seok shown on TV was still fighting. Even inside a scene so overwhelming it could break people through a screen, he still fought with black fire wrapped around his body.
It was not the determination of someone who did not care if he lost. Yoo Chan-seok intended to defeat Choi Yeoreum.
“It is also shocking that the person sitting next to me watching TV right now actually beat that monster Hunter.”
Lee Se-eun reacted with a ‘Huh?’, then shrugged at Jung Oh-hoon’s comment.
“She dies if she gets stabbed too.”
“That is true.”
The fight forced many thoughts upon them. Han Sang-ah asked another question.
“In Hamburg, Hunter Lee Se-eun lost to the leader of the Descendants of Dangun, right.”
Her expression stiffened slightly.
“Indeed.”
“Is that hooded soldier stronger than Choi Yeoreum?”
Lee Se-eun nodded.
“That monster is the real thing. Though I have no idea where he crawled out from.”
If he had fought seriously instead of holding back, she would have died.
“Then Choi Yeoreum too…”
“Yes. She would die fighting him.”
Han Sang-ah’s mind grew complicated. Lee Hayoon from the Descendants of Dangun had sealed Lee Se-eun for about forty minutes.
Of course, the price almost killed Lee Hayoon…
But that sealing technique could restrain even someone like Choi Yeoreum, who wielded godlike power in the sky.
Their compatibility had been good, but it was still a tremendous achievement.
“I think we watched enough.”
Han Sang-ah rose from her seat.
“Yoo Chan-seok might lose, you know?”
“I don't care.”
It did not matter whether he won or lost. In the end, the Great Eight were still the goal.
The road was brutal, and the destination remained impossibly far. Knowing that was enough.
“With my skill, I am nowhere close to Yoo Chan-seok.”
In that situation, Han Sang-ah would not last five minutes. But Yoo Chan-seok was still holding out. That alone showed the gap clearly.
And she could not tolerate that.
“Want help?”
Han Sang-ah nodded.
“Please.”
“Oh, then I am coming too.”
Jung Oh-hoon turned off the TV and stood up. The three of them stopped watching the fight between Yoo Chan-seok and Choi Yeoreum and headed toward the training room.