Magic Monopoly: Reborn as the Sole Magic Tower Master-Chapter 179: Episode

Yusin looked behind him. Cha Doyeon holding the child, Na Daeyong just regaining consciousness, and Kim Sarang and Jo Yonghee. None of them looked unscathed, their suits torn and covered in dirt. Yusin pressed his earpiece and switched to the Magic Tower channel.

"You all did well."

The Fourth Floor Team members looked at Yusin in surprise.

"I heard from Ea. You did really well. It was worth training you all."

Everyone bit their lips or lowered their heads. Cha Doyeon looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Alright, time to focus."

Yusin raised his head and looked at the Immortal. He never wanted to use fifth-order magic again if he could help it. Binding techniques wouldn’t work. He needed sustained, long-lasting firepower.

’Then there’s only one option.’

Yusin finished his preparations and opened his mouth. "Samia!"

A flash of light appeared, and from the empty air, a massive pile of building debris came pouring down.

’RUMBLE!’

The Immortal, just beginning to stir, was buried under the weight of several buildings’ worth of debris and rebar, collapsing once more. Seizing the opportunity, Yusin cast his magic.

The most basic of magic, first-order. At his current level, Yusin could cast up to a hundred second-order spells at once if he pushed himself. For the first-order Rapid Arrow, which specialized in rapid fire, it went without saying.

<Rapid Arrow> x500

Countless magic circles covered the Changwon sky. Everyone stared up in astonishment.

’It’s been a while.’

Recalling his memories of the Lava Cave, Yusin swung his arm down.

From every magic circle covering the sky, five golden arrows each poured down in a straight line.

’BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!’

A golden rain hammered the transparent beast. The Immortal’s body was driven deep into the ground, but the Rapid Arrows never ceased.

It was different from before. For Yusin, who had reached a state of unification rather than just over-immersion, a battle of attrition was a simple matter. The goal wasn’t destruction, but to continuously neutralize the opponent. In that case, no technique was more suitable than the sheer volume of Rapid Arrow.

-It is time to control the pace, Tower Master.

’Okay.’

Yusin slightly reduced the firepower, then restored it to full strength whenever the Immortal recovered and tried to get up again.

"...That’s insane," Na Daeyong, who was nearby, watched Yusin’s battle with shining eyes. The ambitious young man was already looking ahead to the next stage, third-circle magic. But Yusin, despite being a fifth-order mage, was still using first-order magic.

In magic, a higher-tier spell isn’t unconditionally superior to a lower-tier one. Their applications simply differ. Yusin was demonstrating that with his own body.

"Sunbae!"

Hearing Jin Bora’s voice, Yusin raised his arm. A top-grade blue elixir flew from the sky and landed perfectly in his hand. He immediately downed it to recover his mana.

For ten minutes. Yusin had maintained this insane feat for a full ten minutes. Even the veteran hunters watching were left speechless.

’The monster we struggled so hard to hold back...’

’A rank-3 is on a completely different level. No, this is firepower far beyond the average rank-3.’

But their awe was short-lived. In the time Yusin had bought them, the other hunters sprang into action. Rescue messages came through the radio.

“This is U-7! We’ve rescued three civilians!”

“This is I-1. Too many monsters. Requesting backup”

The other hunters were doing what they could, either carrying out rescue operations or mopping up the small fry. Just as Yusin picked up another Blue Elixir and was about to twist off the cap, a message arrived.

—Tower Master, I have confirmed a crack on the Immortal’s body.

’A crack? On an indestructible monster?’

Yusin slowed his Rapid Arrow to take a closer look. Sure enough, fissures were slowly beginning to form on parts of the disaster’s body that hadn’t even been attacked.

He immediately ceased his assault.

’Crack!’

At last, the Disaster shattered, revealing the guild members led by Ahn Sehyeon and Yu Hayeong inside. This could only mean one thing.

“Excellent work, everyone! The disaster in the Gyeongnam region is officially cleared!” an Association staff member shouted.

A boisterous cheer erupted from the crowd. Yusin lowered his arms, reining in his mana.

“Mr. Kim!”

Only then did the members of the Fourth Floor Team rush over to him.

’...What in the world just happened?’

The assault teams, on the other hand, all wore bewildered expressions. They had entered a dungeon gate in the rural outskirts of Miryang, but after clearing it and stepping outside, they found themselves in the middle of a city.

The hunters from the defense team were slumped on the ground, their faces dazed as if they had just fought a war for days on end. Every window on the surrounding buildings and vehicles was shattered, the roads were a mess of cracks as if an earthquake had struck, and traffic lights dangled precariously, squeaking in the wind.

“The assault team did great work as well!” an Association staffer called out as he approached them. “How did the dungeon clear go?”

“It wasn’t too difficult,” Ahn Sehyeon replied.

“Did you retrieve the relic?”

Ahn Sehyeon held up a ring-like item. “A C-grade relic. Pretty much a dud.”

A C-grade item could easily be replaced with a standard hunting device. Perhaps because of this, the members of Garam who had missed out on it didn’t look particularly disappointed.

“More importantly, what the hell happened out here?” Ahn Sehyeon asked.

“Ah, well...”

The Association staffer explained the situation, and Ahn Sehyeon’s mouth fell open. He let out a deep sigh.

“The Association President’s judgment was correct. More of our forces should have been assigned to the defense team. The dungeon’s difficulty was such that any certified rank-4 party could have cleared it, though the time it took might have varied.”

“I-I see,” the staffer stammered.

Just then, Ahn Sehyeon walked over to Yusin. Startled by the appearance of the fifth-ranked guild master, the members of the Fourth Floor Team quickly bowed. Yusin, drained of energy, simply gave a weary nod from where he sat slumped on the ground like the other hunters.

“Thank you, Hunter Kim Yusin. You saved many lives,” Ahn Sehyeon said, having come over specifically to offer his gratitude. The Miryang and Gyeongnam area was Ayla’s territory. If there had been major casualties, his guild would not have been able to avoid responsibility.

“I should have stayed outside. I’m ashamed I couldn’t be of more help.”

“Not at all,” Yusin replied. “I’m just grateful you cleared it so quickly. It would have been dangerous if it had dragged on any longer.”

Just then, a hand was extended to Yusin. It was Yu Hayeong, the certified rank-3 hunter from Garam, kneeling and offering her help.

“Can you stand?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Yusin took her hand and got to his feet.

“I always thought I was Garam’s ace, but it looks like the real one was somewhere else!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, come on. I’m still a long way from catching up to you, sunbae.”

Yusin knew her from when she had helped him during his fight with the Healer’s Association. This woman was a monster in her own right.

Ahn Sehyeon turned back to the Association staffer.

“I’d like to be deployed to the next battlefield immediately. I’ll act as part of the defense team this time. Tell me where we’re needed most.”

“Ah, understood!”

“I’ll go too,” Yu Hayeong said.

“I’ll go as well,” Yusin added.

“Thank you for your enthusiastic cooperation, hunters!” the staff member said, his face brightening as he radioed headquarters. With three certified rank-3 hunters, they could completely turn the tide of battle wherever they went.

* * *

[Immortals Destroyed: 13/14]

Only one Immortal remained in the country.

Of the fourteen, eleven had been of a standard difficulty similar to the one in Mexico. However, the three Immortals from the Miryang, Bucheon, and Hongcheon gates were considered exceptionally powerful. This was due to the sheer firepower of the Immortals themselves, as well as the unique attributes of the gates that spawned them.

The one in Bucheon had been stopped by a coalition of Seoul’s elite guilds.

The one in Miryang had been handled thanks to the desperate struggle of Yusin and his Magic Tower members.

The problem, however, was the Immortal that had manifested from the Hongcheon gate.

This particular Immortal was currently passing through Sejong City and directly attacking Daejeon. A swift evacuation had prevented major casualties, but they couldn’t just stand by and watch a Disaster lay waste to an entire metropolitan city.

Against the backdrop of a night sky brightening with the dawn, three mana-helicopters flew toward Daejeon. Korea’s main fighting force was descending to stop the Immortal.

Soon, the helicopters landed, and hunters charged forward. Among them was a woman walking with a leisurely expression, her suit jacket slung over her shoulder.

“Salute the Association President!” the military officers shouted, snapping to attention.

Hong Yul waved her hand dismissively as she passed.

“You’re here,” Frost said, bowing his head deeply to greet her.

She flashed a grin, then suddenly lifted her leg and kicked him squarely in the chest.

“...Ugh!”

Frost went flying unceremoniously and tumbled across the dirt.

“Mr. Frost!”

The hunters and military officers stared back and forth between the two, their faces aghast. Even in a time of war, the President of the Hunter Association had just assaulted the master of the number-one guild in front of everyone.

Frost sat on the ground, clutching his chest in pain, while Hong Yul crossed her legs and sat on a nearby plastic stool.

“You dumb bastard.”

Frost remained silent.

“Report,” she commanded.

Frost scrambled to his feet. “The first assault team that entered the dungeon—three teams from Unix and one from Rubist—have lost communication. We then requested cooperation from Blackguard and NIX, whose gate clears were complete, and both guilds sent two teams each as an assault force. They, too, have lost contact. A total of eight teams are missing in action inside the dungeon.”

“Nice work. Really nice work,” Hong Yul said, propping her chin on her hand. “You pressured Park Jeongyang to get exclusive rights to clear the dungeon, and now you’ve made this mess? And you call yourselves the number-one guild?”

“...I have no excuse,” Frost said, bowing his head. “But please, allow us to take responsibility.”

“The next assault team will be composed of me and Unix’s finest. Whatever boss is inside, we will clear it without fail and—”

“Fuck that shit,” she said, standing up. “If I leave it to you guys, I’ll die of a damn aneurysm. I’m going in.”

“President!”

A threatening red mana erupted from her body. Everyone present shuddered and took a step back.

“You’re really pissing me off today.” Her golden eyes flashed murderously. “I won’t say it twice. Wait outside for your punishment, Jeong Hajin.”

“I beg you,” Frost pleaded, kneeling before her. The murmuring of the crowd grew louder. “My people are trapped in that dungeon. They are my precious family, who have lived and struggled alongside me at Unix. How can I just stand by and do nothing! If you cannot trust us, then at least grant us permission to enter with you!”

Her eyebrow twitched. “Hey, do you seriously want to di...?”

Just then, her gaze swept over the crowd of hunters and military officials. There were too many eyes watching. Frost had made a justifiable request to rescue his guild members. If she openly refused, she would face immense backlash.

She knew his true nature. But right now, he had set the stage too perfectly. She had no choice but to take a step back. She irritably scratched her red hair.

“Do whatever you want.”

“...Thank you!” Frost bowed his head deeply. The Association President turned her back to him coldly and headed for the site.

The master of the number-one guild was the only person capable of checking the absolute power of the Hunter Association. Despite being unjustly assaulted by her, he had knelt and begged for the lives of his guild members. It was surely not an easy thing to do. In that moment, everyone’s sympathy was directed toward Frost.

“...Let’s go,” Frost said, rising to his feet. The Unix guild members followed behind him, their eyes red with emotion.

* * *