Chapter 48

Chapter 48

And just like that, the first Familia meeting was a success.

Only after everyone had left did the three of them step into the training room, their nervousness palpable.

The children, with their weapons drawn, and I, wearing only gloves, entered the training room.

And then there’s Ji-hyun, who is smiling like she’s dying of anticipation outside the training room.

[I didn’t think you guys would be preparing for an all-out war already......If only the other guys would work half as hard as you guys.]

Ji-hyun’s voice comes from the speaker.

[The field you guys will experience is a forest, so you can think of it as the beginning as soon as the trees start to rise......then everyone get ready]

In the distance, the children’s figures can be seen up ahead.

‘Still, if the field is a forest, isn’t it worth a shot? There are two mages and one assassin here, and boss doesn’t even have a gun.’

Perhaps recalling his own experience fighting in the forest before the duel began, Jin-woo spoke to the children with a sense of possibility.

“The field is in our favor, so why not beat the boss for once?

Of course, I was excited too even though the field is actually much more favorable for them.

With two mages and an assassin I thought it was going to be a very troublesome battle.

[Start!]

For some reason, I can’t wipe the smile off my face.

I wonder how they will use the skill that Young-jae and Se-ah showed when they dueled, and the mental strength that Jin-woo showed when he dueled against me.

The field begins to change as a dense forest forms in front of me.

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a forest field, and even though I know it’s a competition arena, I’m amazed at how realistic it is.

“The field must have gotten a lot bigger.”

In most cases, when a field is transformed like this, its size changes as well.

The game’s setting states that the technology was created by utilizing spatial magic, but it’s unclear how much it has expanded.

“First, I have to get the high ground.”

Since they were unlikely to stay in one place, I decided to get to a high place and locate them first.

I scrambled off the ground and used the branches as a foothold to climb the tallest tree.

“Hah...... Is this also a function of the training grounds?”

The forest spread out all around us and no matter how I looked at it, it was far too large for the size of the training center.

This size could only be attributed to Ji-hyun’s greed.

In this situation, they would have the advantage thanks to Se-ah spatial magic when it came to navigation.

Okay, then.......

Abandoning my initial plan, I jumped down from the tree and closed my eyes.

I sense the smell of earth rising into the air from my landing and the crunch of leaves already on the ground.

I can feel every step as I sprint over the leaves, carrying the scent of grass with me as I concentrate and try to estimate their location.

“──────!!!

“...... too!”

The wind-cutting sound came from behind me, and I swung my fist, the musical notes shattering against my fist.

I immediately glanced behind him, wary but unfazed.

“I see.”

Immediately, the situation began to make sense.

Young-jae, an excellent mage who could use a variety of magic, and Kim Se-ah, who could freely utilize spatial magic used a joint attack.

“Young-jae used magic and Se-ah modified the trajectory. Surely, with this method, I’ll have trouble locating the mage.”

In a field with so many obstacles, this was a very useful attack.

“Interesting.”

At that moment, light arrows flew from the front and the left and right at the same time but I smashed them with my fist.

I race to where they might be, but the place is already deserted. At this rate, it will be impossible for me, a non-magic user, to locate them.

As I was thinking of them.......──!

The fake birds in the distance arranged to fit into the background of the field, took flight.

A few seconds later, another rush of magic came from my back.

“Why are you doing this again?!”

“fine!”

‘Fine’. In music, is a term signaling the end.

I heard Young-jae’s voice from behind me, and the ice shield I saw at the beginning blocked Jin-woo’s body.

Taking advantage of the gap, Jin-woo ducked and dodged toward Young-jae.

I spun around to make sure I didn’t lose him, but at that moment, I heard Young-jae’s voice once again.

“Forte!”

With a loud bang, an intangible wave crashed in front of me.

I quickly opened my palm to block the attack, but the recoil knocked me backwards.

However, I was about to kick the ground when I realized that I could catch up to him with a single leap.

“Kim Se-ah!”

Kim Se-ah, who had been hiding until now, appeared.

“I’m ready, I’ll mix it up!”

What? Mixing, what the hell.......?

And as soon as she finished, something strange started to happen.

The terrain around me began to move, as if it was a jigsaw puzzle.

“Ha! Hahahahaha!”

No way! Is this what they were preparing for?

It was beyond my wildest dreams.

The reason why Kim Se-ah had been hiding and watching all this time was to prepare to take control of the field.

Normally, she wouldn’t have had a chance since the Academy’s arena system wasn’t exactly the most favorable.

But now the field had been overgrown by Ji-hyun, a spatial mage of the same class as Kim Se-ah, who had injected more of her own power into it.

With Ji-hyun’s power, there must have been a gap in the system of the arena and Kim Se-ah was aiming for that.

The space around me began to change rapidly.

I must have been transported to a place very far away from where I first stood and I had lost track of the children again.

Since I had already told them that I had found them thanks to the birds, they would attack me in a different way than the first time.

They were so happy to see me caught in their trap.

I couldn’t use the birds to find them again but I stomped my foot as I found the uneven ground as a beam of pure white light shot into the sky in front of me.

“It’s already starting.”

The magic rising from the ground continued at a furious pace, seemingly intent on piercing me somehow.

I still have some time to spare, but if I continue to dodge the magic, my health will slowly dwindle.

Now, what to do.

Should I try to find them by tearing through the magic? No, that wasn’t really my cup of tea.

Then.......

I had an idea.

“If the forest is in the way, I can cut it down.”

I pointed my fist at the tree in front of me.

────!!!

The tree is knocked over by my punch.

-Thud! -Thud! -Thud!

And dozens of trees followed, falling like dominoes, leaving a small path in the direction of my outstretched fist.

-Thud.

The fake trees formed by the field slowly disappear as soon as they hit the ground.

“Might be worth a try.”

I throw my fist once more and the tree falls straight down but it’s harder than I thought.

Confirming that the trees weren’t as strong as I thought, I smiled and prepared for the next punch.

“Let’s be diligent.”

My next move was simple, I was going to turn this forest field into an open field.