Chapter 16: Fixed Zone (1)

Chapter 16: Fixed Zone (1)

Hey.

Yeah?

Why do you think I lost?

To Song Cheon-hye?

Mhmm.

The fact that she was willing to open up about her concerns was a positive sign.

It meant she was starting to open up to me if only a little.

Therefore, it was important for me to respond with care.

I took a moment to choose my words carefully.

The terrain played a big part, I think. The arena was cramped, and there was nowhere to hide. Its a disadvantage for a gunslinger.

A round arena and a deathmatch were essentially an environment and a rule that forced a head-on confrontation with your opponent.

If the match had been played under different conditions, the outcome might have been different.

If the space had been two to three times larger, it would have been extremely difficult to cover it with [Lightning Thread].

And if there had been places to take cover, there was a high chance of remaining undetected for the entire five minutes, which could have led to a victory by decision.

But Seo Ye-in slowly shook her head.

Thats not what Im asking.

She desired a fundamental solution rather than blaming external factors.

As a gunslinger, how could she break through the magical barrier of Song Cheon-hye, who was a mage, and the even more powerful high-level mages?

That was the real question.

I already had the answer but for the moment, I decided to step back.

Ive thought about it while watching, but Im not sure if hearing from me will be of any help. Im a support, you know. My score is even lower than yours.

I still want to hear it.

She wanted to hear my thoughts whether they were helpful or not.

Having come this far, it wouldnt hurt to offer some advice as an experienced gunslinger, not just as a support.

I spread my palms open.

Look at this.

Mana blossomed in each hand, compressing into the shape of bullets.

I deliberately made the two magic bullets differ in form.

One barely maintained its shape, while the other was so exquisitely crafted that it could have been mistaken for a real bullet painted blue.

If you had to use just one shot against the magical barrier, which one would you take?

.

It was a question with an obvious answer.

Seo Ye-ins finger pointed towards the more intricately shaped bullet.

At the same time, she seemed slightly surprised; it must have been her first time seeing such a perfectly shaped magic bullet.

I wonder if I should have made it a little more clumsy?

When I think about it, what was basic for me might not be so for a first-year student.

In such situations, its important to smoothly transition without showing any surprise.

First, I took the clumsy magic bullet and prodded its edge with my palm.

Almost immediately, the bullet shape collapsed and dispersed.

When you try to break through a magic barrier with a normally formed magic bullet, it turns it into a battle of magical power against magical power. In that case, a mage with superior magical power quantity will naturally have the upper hand.

Next, I picked up the more intricately shaped bullet and poked its edge in the same manner.

Though the edge was destroyed and a little blue energy leaked out, the bullets shape remained intact.

However, the reason a swordsman can cut through a mages barrier and a gunslinger can penetrate it is by using concentrated and condensed magical power at a single point. So, investing more time in magical power training and paying attention to the crafting of each magic bullet might just reveal you the answer you seek.

.

Seo Ye-in listened silently until I finished explaining.

Then, tilting her head slightly, she asked,

How do you train your magical power?

What?

I couldnt believe my ears and had to ask again for confirmation.

If you dont know how to train magical power, how have you been creating magic bullets until now?

I just did, and it worked.

What about the [Magic Bullet] skill?

I didnt learn it.

?

?

She still looked like she was unable to understand my reaction.

This is unexpected.

The magic bullet I had just created seemed real, but it was really just for show.

The difference in lethality between a casually made magic bullet and one enhanced with the [Magic Bullet] skill was like night and day.

This skill forms the basic foundation of a gunslinger.

Yet she had not learned it up to this point.

Since she didnt even know how to train her magical power, I guessed that her related skills and traits were likely elementary.

In essence, she had been winging everything by her intuition alone, which meant one thing:

Shes a prodigy.

In fact, I should probably raise my assessment of Seo Ye-in a notch.

Considering she managed to give Song Cheon-hye a run for her money without even having the basics down.

The extent of her talent was something I felt the need to verify with my own hands.

Would you mind if I take some time to check it out for you?

Mhmm.

Seo Ye-in immediately accepted my offer.

I thought about testing a few things on the spot, but then

The melody flowing from the speaker signaled the end of lunchtime.

It was time for the strategy battle test to begin.

Argh!

A students scream echoed as they were ejected from the portal.

The rule was to kill as many monsters as possible within 10 minutes, but this student was ejected not even 3 minutes after entering.

It was a premature retirement.

The dungeons safety mechanism decided that the test could no longer proceed for some reason, and the participant was kicked out.

Argh!

Another student was ejected from the portal.

This one managed to last 5 minutes, 2 minutes longer than the previous one.

Of course, the fact that it was a premature retirement was the same.

It looks like they proceeded as usual.

It was obvious what had happened inside without even having to see it.

These students must have tried to wipe out the monsters with a barrage of skills like they always did.

Forgetting that the power of their skills had dropped to an F-rank.

The monsters, which should have been swept away in droves, were very much alive and attacking, which likely left them flustered and they got severely beaten up.

And so, after being continuously pummeled, they were eventually ejected.

Ouch!

Aaah!

One after another, students started failing.

This meant an increasing number of students were disgracefully sprawled on the ground.

Those waiting for their turn watched the scene unfold and they became even more tense.

I must absolutely not end up like that.

Ugh

Stop, stop hitting me, you bastards!

Even after being expelled from the dungeon, the eliminated participants rolled on the floor and groaned.

Since it was an artificial dungeon and there were multiple safety mechanisms put into place, there was no physical damage, but being swarmed and lynched by a horde of monsters was enough to mentally shatter anyone.

In the midst of this, 10 minutes had passed since the start of the strategy battle test.

The first person from our class to complete the 10-minute duration emerged.

It was Choi Jeong-pil who had entered first.

He staggered out, looking mentally exhausted, but he was, after all, standing on his feet.

[Choi Jeong-pil, 530 points, 20%]

A little distance from the strategy battle portals floated a large hologram window the size of a poster. This was supposed to be the leaderboard.

It displayed the [Name, Score, Ranking] of the entire grade in real-time.

Soon after Choi Jeong-pil, Han So-mi, who had entered next, and then Park Kyung-ah, who followed, also completed their trials and walked out.

[Han So-mi, 928 points, 1st place] New!

[Park Kyung-ah, 543 points, 40%]

[Choi Jeong-pil, 530 points, 45%]

Students from other classes also started coming out one after another after they succeeded in their trials.

With each new emergence, their names and scores were added to the leaderboard, and the rankings were continuously updated.

Choi Jeong-pils rank, which was initially in the top 20%, began to plummet.

Wow, look at Han So-mis score.

Its almost twice as much, twice as much.

Is this the difference in skill?

I told you shes really scary when you get to know her.

She looks so cute though.

The attention of the audience, which had been focused on the eliminated students, swiftly shifted to the leaderboard.

As the students began to talk about the rankings, their enthusiasm was ignited.

Although still nervous due to the [Fixed Zone] rule, the desire to secure a high position on the publicly visible leaderboard seemed to motivate them.

Seo Ye-in.

It was Seo Ye-ins turn.

I offered a brief piece of advice to Seo Ye-in, who was checking her two pistols for the last time.

It might be better to switch to a rifle. If you feel that mana management is becoming difficult, just focus on headshots for those that get close.

Mhmm.

Seo Ye-in accepted my advice without question.

The pistols in her hands were swiftly disassembled and reassembled into a rifle.

She glanced at me with an expressionless face, as if to ask, Did I do well?

I nodded in approval, and she responded with a slight nod before entering the dungeon.

.

Feeling a stinging sensation at the back of my head, I turned around to find Song Cheon-hye looking at me with a disapproving look.

From her perspective, she probably wondered what right I had to give advice.

When our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.

Kim Ho.

As I waited, my name was eventually called.

Upon stepping one foot into the portal, I was swiftly pulled into somewhere else.

In the next moment, I found myself standing in the midst of a forest thick with fog.

It was a forest in the early hours before dawn, retaining the darkness and dampness of the early morning.

[Monsters will be summoned shortly.]

[Remaining time 10:00]

I curled the corners of my mouth upwards as I read the notification message.

Its been a long time since Ive been here.

At <Dragon Slayer Academy>, I was called by many nicknames.

The S-rank Hero Factory, the top ranker, the strongest supporter.

And yet there was one more.

The God of the Fixed Zone.