Chapter 20

　　There was nothing like the thrill of unleashing an overwhelming barrage of magic. The satisfaction of taking a vast number of complex formulas, simplifying them under a single rule, and executing them all in one go was a unique kind of pleasure. I glanced over and saw Bora giving me a strange smile.

　　“How was that?”

　　“…Uh, um. It was cool,” she said, scratching the side of her head. “But the arrow rain seems a bit more wasteful than the ice magic, don’t you think? Still, it definitely looks stronger.”

　　“This looked like a waste to you?” I countered. “I might have overdone it with ten shots, but the mana cost for a Mana Arrow barrage and a single Ice Javelin is about the same. If I really focus, the casting speed for this could be even faster.”

　　“Is that so? The world of magic is a profound one.”

　　Completely hooked on the barrage strategy, I continued my hunt. The combination of Mana Arrow’s low mana cost, rapid casting speed, and its perfect synergy with Copy Magical Position allowed me to sweep through the surrounding Lava Worms. My flashy fighting style drew occasional glances from other players.

　　“Did you see that?”

　　“Arrows were just falling from the sky. What kind of ability is that?”

　　It’s magic, not an ability, but that wasn’t important. After a few more fights, it became clear: I was definitely suited for a numbers game.

　　Ea, what’s your take? Which is more efficient, Ice Javelin or a Mana Arrow barrage?

　　-Analyzing the Tower Master’s combat data.

　　A moment later, her voice echoed in my mind.

　　-In a simple efficiency comparison, the mana consumption and calculation for Copy Magical Position are significant. When facing a counter-element monster, the efficiency of Ice Javelin is overwhelmingly superior.

　　Ugh, so Ice Javelin is better on paper. I’d have to give it more thought. I let out a soft sigh and glanced at Bora. She was quietly following behind, watching me hunt. When our eyes met, she gave me a cheerful smile.

　　“You’re not hunting?”

　　“I was, a little. You just didn’t notice because you were in immersion mode again.”

　　…Immersion mode? What the hell was that?

　　“More importantly, aren’t you running low on mana?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with an almost burdensome intensity. I had a feeling she’d be disappointed if I said I still had plenty left, so I just nodded.

　　“I’ve been waiting for this moment. Ta-da!”

　　She held out her hand, and a small green portal opened in the air. It was the exclusive subspace for the Head of Potion Brewing. She pulled out a blue potion and presented it to me with both hands.

　　“Try this. It’s my new creation!”

　　“Oh, a Blue Elixir? You succeeded in brewing it?”

　　“Yep!”

　　Without another word, I drank it down. A sweet grape scent was followed by a cool, refreshing sensation. I could feel the mana in my body rapidly replenishing.

　　“Wow, this is really good.”

　　“Right? Right? How’s the taste?”

　　“The taste? It just tasted like grapes.”

　　“Heeheehee! I added some flavor to it.”

　　She added flavor? Was that even possible? She wagged her index finger with a confident look. “The original elixir has a weird chemical taste, you know? So I tried adding some fruit flavor.”

　　“Doesn’t that change the recipe from the book?”

　　“Yes! I managed to enhance the taste without diminishing the magical effect!”

　　…She was amazing, in her own strange way. Still, this was more than a passing grade. Although I also had the Potion Brewing trait, Bora, with the benefits of being a first-floor administrator, had already surpassed my skill level. It seemed I could leave potion brewing to her and focus on other things. The way she kept showing off her work, it was clear she was eager to secure her place. I’d have to work her to the bone when we got back to the Magic Tower.

　　“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

　　“Like what?”

　　“Like you’re hatching some devious scheme.”

　　“You’re imagining things,” I said, brushing her off. Just then, Ea’s voice echoed in my head.

　　-Tower Master.

　　What is it?

　　-The secretary is entering the Lava Cave dungeon.

　　Seojin was here? I turned my head.

　　“Seojin’s here. Let’s wait for him.”

　　“Ugh, what’s that guy doing here?”

　　We paused our hunt and went to the dungeon entrance to meet him. Sure enough, Jeong Seojin soon appeared.

　　“Good morning, Tower Master,” he said with a polite bow.

　　“What brings you here?”

　　“I heard from Ms. Ea that you were selling items in the Lava Cave. I came to see if I could be of assistance, but…”

　　So that was it. I crossed my arms and answered confidently, “Don’t worry. We’ve already hit our target.”

　　“As expected of the Tower Master.” A deep sense of trust shone in his eyes as he nodded. I guess this was proof enough of my abilities.

　　“We finished work ages ago. I don’t know what scraps he’s crawling in here to pick up now,” Bora muttered, a little too loudly, as she grabbed my arm.

　　Seojin’s eyebrow twitched.

　　“It was nice with just the two of us. Why’d you come?” Bora challenged.

　　“Did I not just state that I came to assist the Tower Master? I’m beginning to suspect your memory is on par with a goldfish’s,” Seojin retorted coolly.

　　“Hey! Did you just call me a goldfish?!”

　　The two of them started bickering again. Why did they always fight the moment they met? Considering Bora’s usual attitude toward men and Seojin’s deference to Ea, it was a true mystery.

　　“Enough.”

　　At my single word, they both fell silent and stepped back.

　　“We’ve secured the funds, and I was just planning to hunt a bit since we’re already here. Want to join?”

　　“Hmm.” Seojin considered for a moment, then nodded. “The field isn’t usually my forte, but if the Tower Master wishes it, I will accompany you.”

　　“Ugh,” Bora groaned, turning away in disgust. She’d change her tune once she saw him in action.

　　And so, for the first time, the members of the Magic Tower formed a three-person party.

* * *

　　According to the Association’s announcement, the boss battle would begin in an hour. We moved quickly across the field to join it. The surrounding Lava Worms were a persistent nuisance, but with the three of us working together, they posed no real threat.

　　-Tower Master. We are thirty minutes from the boss room.

　　Got it.

　　Communication with the outside world was impossible inside a dungeon, but Ea’s power, linked to my consciousness, transcended such limitations. Thanks to her guidance, we were navigating to the boss room without getting lost. The only reason for our delay was…

　　“Yusin! Look at this! It’s a river of lava!”

　　…Bora, who was in full tourist mode, snapping selfies, and…

　　“If you remove the impurities from the dungeon’s lava and solidify it, you can create a special material called black ironstone. If we could solve the transportation problem, it could be quite profitable.”

　　…Seojin, who was already planning his next business venture.

　　You two don’t actually care about the boss fight, do you?

　　Rumble, rumble, rumble!

　　It was at that moment. The river of lava that Bora was using as a backdrop began to boil violently before erupting with a tremendous pop!. From within emerged a lava monster the size of a house, sending hot droplets sizzling to the ground.

　　“…Huh?”

　　“Run! It’s that monster!”

　　The surrounding players scattered, not even daring to fight it. The atmosphere had turned grim.

　　Ea, monster information.

　　-Affirmative. The monster is designated as a lava golem. It is a rare large-type monster for a rank-2. The hunting difficulty is quite high relative to the experience gained. Bypassing it is recommended.

　　I wanted to bypass it, too, but the moment it stood up, it swung a massive fist straight at us.

　　KABOOM!

　　We leaped back just in time, a large lava pit forming where its fist had landed. Seriously, how was this a rank-2? Its entire body was a weapon.

　　“That thing…!”

　　While other players fled, the hunter next to me bravely retaliated. A series of mana-coated arrows flew toward the golem, but it seemed unfazed as it swung its massive arm.

　　“Whoa!”

　　The startled hunter tried to retreat but stumbled into me as I was preparing a spell. As we tumbled to the ground, the golem’s arm descended upon us.

　　“Aaargh! Aaaaaah!”

　　A black shadow fell over us. The hunter could only scream in terror.

　　Ugh, what a mess.

　　Calmly, I extended my right arm and summoned my mana.

　　THUD!

　　I deployed a shield directly in the path of the swinging arm, absorbing the impact. Just before it shattered, I rapidly summoned a new one, then another, until five layers held firm. The lava golem, unable to break through, finally retracted its arm.

　　“…Huh?”

　　The hunter, belatedly opening his eyes, stared blankly at the scene. Then he looked at me. “Was that you…?”

　　“Yes.”

　　“Th-thank you! You saved my life!” Realizing he was out of his league, the man scrambled away. I got to my feet and turned to Bora.

　　“Bora, let’s see what you’ve got.”

　　“Alright! It’s finally my turn!” she declared, stepping forward with a confident smirk.

　　“Did you bring your bow?”

　　“Don’t need it anymore,” she said, opening her palm. A green portal appeared, dropping a potion into her hand. “I’ve got a new weapon.”

　　The lava golem prepared to attack again, its arm swelling with lava and elongating menacingly. The unbalanced sight was intimidating, but Bora’s expression remained relaxed.

　　“Here I go!”

　　What was she planning to do with a potion? She gripped it tightly, wound up like a baseball pitcher, and launched into a perfect stride. Her form was surprisingly good.

　　“Yah!”

　　And then she completely abandoned it, doing a little hop as she flung the potion with a flick of her wrist.

　　…Of course she did.

　　The moment the clumsily thrown potion left her hand, it shot forward like a cannonball. Its trajectory was completely off, but just as it was about to miss, the potion’s path curved sharply in mid-air.

　　BOOOOOOM!

　　It struck the lava golem squarely in the face, creating a massive explosion.

　　…A curveball?

　　The golem staggered, then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Everyone watching was stunned into silence.

　　“Did you see that! Did you see that, Yusin?” Bora chirped, running over to me, hungry for praise.

　　…What did I just witness?

　　“This is another one of my new creations!” she explained. “An exploding one for self-defense. When I throw it after enchanting it, the power is way beyond any arrow!”

　　“It’s impressive, I’ll give you that. But how did you pull off that throw?”

　　“The throw? Oh, that?” She covered her mouth and whispered, “Thanks to a new trait I got, when I throw a potion, it just flies wherever I want it to.”

　　…How did that even make sense? As if sensing my confusion, Ea provided an explanation.

　　-The Head of Potion Brewing’s trait, Potion Swing Lv.10, multiplies the power and accuracy when throwing potion-type items. At level 10, it can even ignore the laws of physics.

　　A truly bizarre trait. For some reason, it suited Bora perfectly.

　　The lava golem began to stir. Bora just smirked and held out her hands. Her subspace opened, and two more explosive potions popped into her palms. With that same terrible form, she started flinging them. They would start off wobbly but accelerate into deadly projectiles, striking the golem with pinpoint accuracy.

　　“Hyah!”

　　For her final shot, she did a full spin, flicked her hair, and tossed the last potion over her head without looking.

　　…Is she just putting on a show now?

　　KABOOOOOM!

　　The power was undeniable. gaping holes were blasted into the golem’s massive body. The people around us had stopped fleeing and were now watching her fight in awe.

　　"She’s good."

　　"Hey, did you see that? That girl took down a lava golem all by herself!" a player exclaimed.

　　Hearing this, Bora bristled and shouted, "Took down?! I elegantly subdued the enemy!"

　　The lava golem, its head half-gone, teetered precariously. Just as everyone let their guard down, the collapsing monster made a last-ditch lunge, stretching its arm toward Bora.

　　Bora flinched at the unexpected attack, but in that instant, a figure blurred past her, intercepting the blow. He met the golem’s fist with his own.

　　CRACK!

　　The two fists collided. Bora gasped, her eyes wide with shock. The man who had thrown the punch calmly turned back and adjusted his glasses.

　　"You shouldn’t let your guard down, Ms. Jin."

　　"Who said I let my guard down?! You just surprised me by jumping in like that!"

　　Crumble!

　　The lava golem’s massive fist, where it had met Seojin’s, disintegrated into dust. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, but Seojin simply walked over to stand beside me, his expression impassive.

　　"Please do not misunderstand my purpose, Tower Master. Fieldwork is not my forte."

　　"…You seem like a natural out here."

　　"I am the strategic type who devises plans from the rear."

　　The nerve of him to say that with a straight face, I thought.

　　Jeong Seojin’s Unique Ability, Iron Man, wasn’t just about durability. It was a top-tier physical power that elevated all his capabilities to superhuman levels. It was a power many envied, but Seojin himself had always been dissatisfied with it. He often complained that it didn’t suit him, wondering aloud why he’d ended up a physical type when Unique Abilities were meant to reflect one’s disposition. Still, I thought the ability suited him perfectly.

　　“Alright. I’ll finish this,” I said, stepping forward.

　　I extended my arms, palms up, and deployed a magic circle over each one.

　　To the left, Ea, I commanded mentally.

　　-Affirmative. Commencing formula calculations.

　　A brilliant blue light flared from the magic circles, launching a spear of pure frost.

　　Thwack!

　　The spear slammed squarely into the center of the golem’s head. As two more lances of ice followed in quick succession, the massive lava golem twisted in agony before finally collapsing backward, dissolving into a pool of molten rock.

　　[Ice Javelin proficiency has reached 10%.]

　　[Magic has increased by 1.]

　　Cheers erupted from the onlookers. Everyone had written off the Lava Cave’s golem as an unbeatable monster, something to be avoided at all costs.

　　“Wow, that guy’s Unique Ability is clearly combat-oriented. I’m so jealous.”

　　“Hey, didn’t he also create some kind of barrier earlier?”

　　“Idiot, someone else must have done that. His ability is probably creating the ice spears.”

　　Fools. They were all wrong. It wasn’t an ability; it was magic.

* * *