Episode 91: The Way Two Civilizations Fight (5)
Harry Wilson, the student Kang Min-hyuk had helped during the Green Dragon, rushed over to him, emitting a loud whoosh of air when his quarter-finals opponent was announced.
“What? Don’t you know who Dominic Green is? Wow…how?! He graduated from the Royal Magic Academy five years ago and immediately became a hot topic by volunteering for the wall. Every student at the RAM knows his name…have you been living under a rock?!”
Harry Wilson’s expression grew serious. He perceived Klinssman as a lifesaver, and thus, had a vested interest in his well-being. Kang Min-hyuk wasn’t overly friendly with him, but that didn’t put Harry off.
“If you’re going to face Dominic Green, you need to be aware of who he is…”
His explanation began forcefully, and Kang Min-hyuk listened – Harry Wilson was informative and came across as a decent person.
“As you know, the wall is threatened by monsters daily. Even if a monster wave wasn’t occurring at regular intervals, various attacks take people’s lives at the wall. So, graduates don’t like the barrier row. Magic is indeed taught to fight monsters…even so, the barrier is too dangerous. It’s very unusual for senior graduates to support the barrier line. Many Towers have expressed intentions to recruit Dominic Green, but he has refused all because he wants to do what is right.”
Dominic Green’s choice had a huge impact at the time, and everybody spoke about it. He gained a reputation as a war mage, taking on all kinds of dangerous missions, such as the great monster wave three years previously.
In that disaster, Dominic Green faced the onslaught of enemies head-on and showed sufficient aggression to participate in the subjugation team held once a year. In the process, Dominic Green reached the sixth circle. In his growth, those at the wall labeled Dominic Green as the Steel-hearted Wizard.
Chris Kyle? The two were incomparable…Green had experience and skills gained from the battlefield, not just from books. Although the real contender was Elisha…most wizards didn’t bother applying or else dropped out when they heard she was participating. Elisha, who reached the sixth circle as a student, was the greatest wizard of the era. Her victory was pretty much confirmed – the rest was mostly for show. If, for some strange reason, she didn’t win, though, the victory would go to Dominic Green. He was the closest thing to an equal she had known.
Kang Min-hyuk’s ascension to the quarter-finals put him on the path of real talent.
He wondered aloud, “What, then, would happen if I knocked Dominic Green down with my sword?”
Dominic Green’s experience had him pegged as the strongest battle-based wizard of that world. The idea of him falling beneath the new power would have a serious effect.
“Do you think that’s possible..? Ordinary wizards can’t rise to Dominic Green’s level, even if they dedicate their lives to the task, but if you can do it with a sword, there’ll be no reason to learn magic. If that’s the result, the whole world will be paying attention to you.”
But the nuance seemed to be impossible. That was the reality of the quarter-finals.
* * *
Kang Min-hyuk raised his head. He was in the circular arena, and the crowd was full of seats and faces full of anticipation. As his eyes looked up, they fell upon his opponent, Dominic Green.
Kang Min-hyuk was tired. Fatigue wormed its way into his bones, but he managed to dispose of his exhaustion through the use of mana. The evening before the battle, Kang Min-hyuk went over the wall. He fought on the wall throughout the tournament, hone his skills and achieving physical growth – both were accomplished, and blood was spilled. He generally caught three to four hours of sleep each night. The pain from the wounds inflicted by monsters throbbed vividly, but he faintly smiled as he looked at Dominic Green.
Was Kang Min-hyuk in his worst position? No…it could be said to be the best. Due to constant battles, Klinssman’s momentum changed like a well-forged sword. Klinssman’s form had never been quite-right for Min-hyuk. It wasn’t trained in the guardian spirit and so couldn’t properly demonstrate the Gate’s skills. Min-hyuk struggled with the crude movements. However, thanks to the time beyond the barrier, Klinssman’s body gradually changed. While dealing with an endless influx of monsters, Kang Min-hyuk adapted perfectly as Swordsman Klinssman.
The crude calluses now gave Kang Min-hyuk faith.
“Finally, this is the quarter-finals you’ve been waiting for! War Mage Dominic Green, who overwhelmingly defeated all opponents, and Klinssman, the first participant to use a sword! Which contender will win?” the MC’s voice boomed out.
The duel was soon to begin, and Kang Min-hyuk couldn’t disguise his momentum.
“You feel different from the others…there’s something beastly about you.”
Dominic Green looked thoughtfully at Kang Min-hyuk, who laughed in return. He felt it, too. In the same way that Green sensed his talent, he could sense Dominic Green’s. He was far from ordinary.
Tremendous mana sprung from Dominic Green. Although seemingly unprepared, he was ready to begin the battle. Even without Harry Wilson’s explanation, Kang Min-hyuk could tell how threatening an enemy he was. Could he beat him? He was unsure. Klinssman’s body had developed tremendously in only a few months of growth, but the opponent had the power and experience to surpass that.
‘Do your best.’
Beep-!
The MC yelled: “Begin!”
At the start signal, Klinssman’s body immediately hit the ground.
* * *
Klinssman disappeared from view. In response to the movement just beyond his peripheral vision, Dominic Green stomped on the ground with all his might.
“Ground Wave.”
Thud!
Burr!
The ground shook, and its shape changed strangely due to the undulating land, and the bulging ground hindered Kang Min-hyuk’s movement. For him, the situation could only go back or go over…recede or pass by. The moment a light movement crossed over the transforming ground, Dominic Green created a powerful burst of flames, as if waiting for the right moment to strike.
“Fire Lance.”
Rumble!
There was no casting process. As a sixth circle wizard, he was able to use third circle magic without casting.
A strong fire swept toward Kang Min-hyuk.
Pop!
Whoosh!
He narrowly avoided the hit. However, Dominic Green didn’t stop there. Unlike Chris Kyle, he did not use electric magic. The electric series’s magic was a very efficient way to defeat an opponent with a single hit, but the problem is that Kang Min-hyuk was not an easy target. Green knew this and altered his strategy accordingly – he could only refine judgment like that on the battlefield, not from theory or play-fighting. The power of flame magic could injure without requiring a direct hit.
“Fire Lance.”
Pop, pop!
Rumble.
Following Kang Min-hyuk’s movement, an explosion occurred. In the heat of the contagious inferno, Kang Min-hyuk protected his skin with mana. Although it was essentially third circle magic, the advanced version used by a sixth circle wizard was elusive, wild, and white-hot.
Dominic Green’s gaze calmly followed Kang Min-hyuk, who moved so deftly that the general public could not perceive him with the naked eye. Green’s clear, blue eye grasped Min-hyuk’s movement with ease and focus – his magic was aimed accordingly. Kang Min-hyuk, disturbed by the ground wave’s effect, was forced to feel the burden of Dominic Green’s magic connection.
Kang Min-hyuk was quick. He stepped on the rising ground and bounced, gradually narrowing the distance to Dominic Green.
“Fire Field.”
Rumble!
Flames burned around.
He created a boundary line of fire between Kang Min-hyuk and himself, forming ‘wall of fire that Kang Min-hyuk could not overcome. Dominic Green’s magic continued, making Kang Min-hyuk dizzy in the face of his ceaseless magic.
He had to strategize. If he returned, he’d be caught in the other wizard’s web – a flimsy fly to the slaughter. Instead, Kang Min-hyuk caused a strong rotation with mana.
‘Swordwind.’
Hwaak-!
Pababababak!
Mana rising from the sword parted the flames. The effect was temporary. Kang Min-hyuk threw himself through the small gap he’d just created. Firefield’s firepower was so intense that it could burn human skin terribly, but Kang Min-hyuk, who protected his with the mana-membrane, was able to withstand the heat. It was a shocking scene for the audience who thought breaking through the fire field bare-bodied was impossible.
Dominic Green laughed. He whispered in a voice filled with mana so that Kang Min-hyuk could hear it – constantly casting as he did so.
“There are so many beasts like you beyond the barriers. So fast, they’re hard to keep up with even while using Magic Eye. You’re a challenge, Klinssman. Magic is only meaningful when it hits its target. Do you know how I defeated those monsters?”
Kang Min-hyuk didn’t care. As he whispered on, Kang Min-hyuk broke into Green’s vicinity and plunged forth his sword.
Pasa Sasak-! Green’s body was scattered like a mirage.
“It’s the boundary between life and death. When lives are at risk, speed alone is meaningless.”
It was a mirage…Dominic Green was using fantasy magic. He didn’t move a muscle, except to avoid Kang Min-hyuk’s sword, which was swung right under his nose.
“Giga Lightning.”
Quaang!
Crrrackle!
The powerful sixth circle magic exploded with tremendous power, and Kang Min-hyuk hurriedly formed a sword. Fortunately, his response was quick, but his eyes widened, and his jaw clenched at the shock coming through the blade. For Kang Min-hyuk, there was no choice but to get out of the range of Giga Lightning, and Dominic Green did not miss the opportunity created by his movement.
“Entangle.”
Pabababak!
Tree trunks bubbled up from the floor. They were trying to capture Kang Min-hyuk, who avoided the roots swiftly. His sword slashed several times as he removed each tree from its base.
Looking up, Kang Min-hyuk’s expression hardened. Both opponents were short of breath, and Dominic Green didn’t take a single step. He stood there for the first time to check Kang Min-hyuk’s approach, and even as he swung his sword in front of his eyes, he avoided Kang Min-hyuk’s attack by tilting his upper body back. As a result, Kang Min-hyuk was forced to suffer. Mirage’s illusion made it look like the attack accurate, and Kang Min-hyuk was exposed to the opponent’s wrath.
Did he use Mirage without Min-hyuk even knowing it?
“Incredible. Wow…is everyone in the sixth circle like this?”
“No.”
Dominic Green raised mana fiercely.
“I’m special.”
Harry Wilson was right.
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