## Chapter 207 – 207. Ancient City (2)
#207. Ancient City (2)
It had already been an hour since we entered the city.
We still hadn’t managed to escape the city’s entrance.
The reason was simple.
Too many monsters.
In one hour, we had dealt with roughly 50 monsters, and considering that some B-ranks were mixed in, it was anything but ordinary.
The fact that this many monsters appeared in the outer regions of the city, not even the center, was proof that the situation inside was even more severe.
The atmosphere of the party returning to the base camp was heavy.
Fortunately, there were no injuries, but everyone was generally exhausted.
The silver lining was the absence of commander-level entities, which meant the undead hadn’t formed ranks.
If that many undead had formed ranks and attacked us?
“…Hyung-nim, what are we going to do now?”
Cha Seung-hyun, the party’s counter and sub-dealer, opened his mouth. He looked visibly anxious.
I thought he was just unnecessarily talkative, but now it seemed he was also a coward.
“After taking a short break, we’ll continue along the city walls to deal with the monsters in the outer regions.”
“What? Are you serious?! Hyung-nim, you saw it too! That many monsters are scattered throughout the city!”
“Don’t make a fuss.”
Kim Yu-joon, the party leader, warned Cha Seung-hyun, who was trying to demoralize the party, by unleashing his mana.
Cha Seung-hyun quietly shut his mouth at his resolute attitude.
“The number of monsters is higher than expected, but the magic power level of this gate isn’t that high. The number of monsters is limited. The fact that there are so many monsters in the outer regions is proof that there are fewer monsters inside the castle where the boss is likely to be. Moreover, there’s a high probability that the boss isn’t that strong either.”
His confident voice captivated the party members. As if drawn to his words, everyone began to focus on him one by one.
Watching him seize the atmosphere at once, I could see why he was the party leader.
“As I said just now, our party will now move along the city walls, dealing with the monsters in the outer regions. There are a total of four city gates. We’ll head from the south gate, where we’re located, to the west gate and create a new base camp. After reducing the number of monsters in the city that way, we’ll head to the castle and deal with the boss. Any objections?”
No one raised any objections.
Retreating just because there were many monsters would be a blow to their pride and careers.
Of course, I didn’t care about such things, but I hadn’t felt overwhelmed since entering the gate in the first place.
All I had done so far was use magic a few times under the protection of Noel and some of the party members.
It’s just that I’ve been using high-powered magic every time, so there’s no need for grand magic against B-rank or lower undead.
Most undead have high physical resistance but low magic resistance.
Mana consumption?
I did use a lot of magic to retreat from the undead that rushed in at the end, but it was only 2nd Circle magic.
‘If I could use 3rd Circle magic, it would be much easier.’
But there was no choice. I’m a 2nd Circle mage right now.
That’s what the Magic Tower and the Association know me as.
Unless I planned to annihilate them all, I had to refrain from using magic above the 3rd Circle.
“Hyun-woo-ssi.”
“Yes?”
While I was lost in thought, Kim Yu-joon approached. He handed me a potion.
“You’ve used a lot of magic. Are you feeling alright?”
Seeing that it was bluish, it seemed to be a mana potion.
“I can still manage for now.”
“That’s a relief. We’re going to start again after a 10-minute break. If you need time to meditate, please let me know anytime.”
I nodded lightly, and Kim Yu-joon returned to his original position. As I poured the potion into my mouth, that same trash-like taste lingered in my mouth.
I wanted to pour it on the floor, but I had to refrain from doing anything that would openly antagonize them inside the gate.
“Um, Magician-nim.”
While I was taking a break, eating the chocolate Noel was feeding me, someone called out to me.
It was Song Min-ha, the party’s ranger.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, it’s just that you said you were 21 years old this year, right?”
“Yes.”
“Could it be… are you that genius magician who rose to the 2nd Circle in just half a year by self-study?”
“?”
Genius magician?
“I’ve heard about it too! The story that an incredible genius appeared in the Gray Magic Tower! Moreover, they say you’ve entered as a disciple of the Magic Tower Master and are aiming for the 3rd Circle soon. Could it be about Hyun-woo-ssi?”
“I’ve heard of it too. I heard you’re close to the next head of the Seongbuk Choi clan… Could it be?”
Along with incomprehensible words, the party members’ gazes poured out towards me.
Except for the part about entering as a disciple of the Magic Tower Master and aiming for the 3rd Circle, the content was roughly correct, but when did such a story spread?
I don’t think there were any internet articles either.
“…It’s true that I learned magic through self-study, but I’m not a disciple of the Magic Tower Master.”
The party members’ reactions became even more intense at those words.
It was practically the same as acknowledging the 3rd Circle story and being close to Choi Hye-na.
But rather, it was also a good excuse.
Saying that I’d soon be in the 3rd Circle also meant that I could somehow use 3rd Circle magic if I pushed myself.
“T, then is the rumor that you’re in a romantic relationship with that Choi Hye-na from the Seongbuk Choi clan also true?!”
“Hey!”
Slap!
Song Min-ha swung her hand at the party member.
“Ow?! Why did you hit me!”
“Don’t you have any tact? Noel-ssi is right next to you!”
I just wish everyone would be quiet.
“I’m okay.”
Noel answered with a smile. But the strength with which she hugged my arm became even stronger.
If I were a normal person, my bones would have been crushed, not just broken.
“I participated knowing that the competition would be fierce.”
At those words, a squeal erupted from the women in the party. The men glared at me with jealous eyes.
“Noel-ssi, what did you fall for in Hyun-woo-ssi?”
“Hmm… if I had to choose, would it be his manliness? He said he would take responsibility for me no matter what.”
I never said that.
But there was no point in making excuses in the current situation, so I pretended to concentrate on meditation and let it flow through one ear.
Fortunately, the break time ended not long after. Thanks to that, Noel’s ridiculous past stories also stopped.
The party left the base camp and moved towards the west gate as planned.
“Undead group discovered at 11 o’clock!”
The first crisis came shortly after leaving the base camp.
The face of Song Min-ha, the ranger who had discovered the undead group earlier, looked visibly flustered.
“D, Death Caller! It’s a commander-level entity!”
“What?!”
Death Caller.
Like the Skeleton Mage I met before, it’s a monster with the characteristics of a necromancer.
Depending on the environment, it’s a monster that can control hundreds of undead, and in a place like this filled with death energy, its danger level explodes.
“Damn it…”
Kim Yu-joon, the party leader, was sweating profusely.
Ignoring the Death Caller group and running away here would be a bad move. It had already recognized us.
That meant it would continue to summon undead using the death energy spread throughout this city.
“Ho-yeon and Seung-hyun will attack the flanks of the undead group, and everyone except Min-ha and Hyun-woo-ssi will follow me and attack the front!”
““Yes!””
Song Min-ha would take over the role of protecting me, and Noel would join the main force and attack the undead group.
It was certainly not a bad strategy, but I didn’t know how long it would take to deal with the Death Caller protected by that many undead.
Moreover, the Death Caller not only controlled undead but also dealt with all kinds of curse magic.
The burden on the two sub-dealers who had to distract the Death Caller and the undead group from the flanks would naturally increase, and if they were injured, the attack would be disrupted.
As someone who was planning to leave before the restaurant reservation time, I didn’t like the strategy.
“Yu-joon-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve come up with a good idea.”
In response to my words, a look of bewilderment and anticipation flashed across Kim Yu-joon’s eyes.
“Is that really true?”
I nodded at him.
As I walked forward, receiving the attention and gazes of the party members, I looked at the undead group.
[Lightning Spear]
I grabbed the lightning spear that floated in the air.
I couldn’t feel the weight of the spear. I took a breath as I tamed the wildly jumping lightning.
Thud-
After strengthening my whole body with auxiliary magic, I stepped forward and threw the spear.
Thwack!
The spear, which flew through the air, drew a straight trajectory and pierced the Death Caller’s head as it was.
Rotten flesh, brain fragments, and muddy blood splattered out.
Kwaang! Rumble-
The lightning that was created as the spear exploded additionally scattered and covered the surrounding undead.
But since I didn’t increase the power of the magic itself, no undead died in the lightning.
Ting-
[You have defeated the Death Caller]
[First Kill Reward: 450 coins]
Calming my mana, I returned to my place and said to the party members who were staring blankly at me.
“Let’s go now.”
In a situation where everyone was speechless with their mouths open, only Noel smiled brightly and hugged me.
“H, Hyun-woo-ssi, didn’t you say you were a 2nd Circle magician…?”
“Yes.”
At Kim Yu-joon’s question, I looked at him as if to ask what the problem was.
They’re hunters who are ignorant of magic anyway. Making excuses is nothing.
“It seemed like an emergency, so I pushed myself a little. Thanks to that, I used up all the mana I had recovered. I don’t think I’ll be able to use magic for a while.”
“…Yes?”
In the first place, Lightning Spear is a 2nd Circle magic. On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with it.
The abnormal power can also be excused with the excuse of lightning magic.
‘In reality, I threw it with pure muscle strength.’
I strengthened my body, which had been strengthened with mana and betting, once again with auxiliary magic. There’s no way a mage-type undead that should be protected from behind could withstand it.
“I, I see…”
“I’m sorry. I should have asked for permission from the party leader, Kim Yu-joon-ssi, in advance.”
“Ah, no! Thanks to Hyun-woo-ssi’s quick response, we were able to get through it safely.”
As Kim Yu-joon looked around and gave a signal, the party members nodded and agreed with his words.
“T, that’s right! If it weren’t for Hyun-woo-ssi, we might have had to face hundreds of undead!”
“Yeah, yeah! That was lightning magic just now, right? I heard there are very few people who can handle it, as expected!”
“From now on, we’ll take the lead, so Hyun-woo-ssi can rest comfortably!”
Having seen only mediocre magic until now, they saw the skill of blowing off the head of a B-rank monster from mid-range, and it seemed like they felt a lot, so the party members voluntarily praised me.
A life where I’m the center of the party and supported by everyone as an aristocrat.
That’s what I’ve been wanting.
“Then I’ll be in your care for a while.”
I, who had legally gotten on the bus, smiled contentedly and looked at the party members.
Without knowing what would happen in the future.
