Chapter 43: Deus (4)
Lakshmi met and spoke with each of the 100 hunters without missing a single one.
The hunters who talked with her couldn’t help but express their admiration.
"Ah!"
It was as if a difficult problem they hadn't been able to solve was suddenly cleared up.
Lakshmi quickly identified problems that even the hunters themselves hadn't realized and offered solutions.
Out of the 100, five of them leveled up immediately.
The rest, who hadn't yet leveled up, still seemed satisfied, as though they had grasped the key to a breakthrough.
As Hyun Suho waited quietly, Eun Hui-gwang suddenly approached him with an excited voice.
"Kahaha! I've got it now! I've realized the problem. Just wait, Light Bringer. Once I reach level 7, someone like you won’t even be worth my notice!"
It seemed that while Lakshmi had helped with leveling up, she hadn't managed to fix his personality.
Barely suppressing a pitying expression, Hyun Suho replied.
"Do as you wish..."
Eun Hui-gwang sniffled, looking disappointed, as if that wasn't the response he was expecting.
"Ahem!"
"Tsk tsk! Poor guy."
A conversation with Lakshmi was an opportunity that money couldn’t buy.
Moreover, it's said that once Lakshmi gives someone enlightenment, she never helps them again.
Eun Hui-gwang thought he had received Lakshmi's blessing... but if he knew it was only half-baked, how would he react?
Hyun Suho was genuinely curious but knew he couldn’t say anything.
Eun Hui-gwang, who had been looking for Jin Seo-yeon until the last moment, was eventually dragged out by the agents supervising him.
That Eun guy.
Finally, Jin Seo-yeon came out after finishing her conversation with Lakshmi.
Her face was dazed, as if she was in a trance.
It wasn't until Hyun Suho patted her on the shoulder that she snapped back to reality startled.
"Are you alright?"
"Ah... yes, I'm fine."
"Congratulations. It seems you’ve gained some enlightenment."
"I'm not sure. It feels like I’m on the verge of grasping something."
"That’s a good sign. Once your thoughts are fully sorted out, you’ll soon get the results you desire."
"Do you think so?"
"Of course."
"Thank you for saying that. But, Suho, you haven’t met with Lakshmi yet, have you?"
"No, I’ve already finished. Let’s go out together."
Jin Seo-yeon tilted her head, confused, since she hadn’t seen him meet with Lakshmi, but soon nodded.
Since Hyun Suho wasn’t one to lie, she thought she must have been mistaken.
"Where are we meeting Fireballer?"
"One moment."
After checking a message from Hong Chang-sik, Jin Seo-yeon replied.
"He’s waiting at a nearby parking lot."
"Let’s go together. I’ll escort you."
"Oh! I’m alright, really..."
"It doesn't seem like it."
As Hyun Suho subtly gestured, Jin Seo-yeon also glanced around.
The area was filled with men who were still trying to get a word in with her.
They were all excellent hunters, having been chosen among the 100 prospects.
Not only did they possess great power, but their backgrounds were impressive too.
They were confident that once they got to talk to Jin Seo-yeon, they could make her theirs.
The very type of men Jin Seo-yeon hated the most.
In the end, Jin Seo-yeon nodded.
"I... I’ll be in your care."
As Hyun Suho and Jin Seo-yeon walked out together, those who had been watching for an opportunity didn't dare to approach.
If it had been an ordinary man, they would have ignored him and approached anyway.
But they had seen how even the Silver Knight had to retreat in defeat.
Light Bringer, who was now considered on par with the Silver Knight among Korea’s top prospects.
Even those who hesitated and tried to step forward in the end retreated when they saw Jin Seo-yeon’s cold expression.
After walking a bit, Hyun Suho smiled slightly and said,
"You have a tough time."
"Sigh~"
That sigh spoke volumes.
Jin Seo-yeon was like a flower on a cliff, but there were many crazy people in the world who would climb up to pluck that flower.
As they walked together, Hyun Suho asked something he was curious about.
"I guess your brothers didn’t come?"
Jin Seo-yeon's brothers, who were currently competing with her for succession in the Jinryong Group.
He had met the third brother, Jin Sa-geol, before.
He had heard that they were all quite talented, but Jin Seo-yeon was the only one invited to meet Lakshmi this time.
"My brothers have already met Lakshmi."
There was a large event held in Lakshmi’s homeland of India before.
At that time, even foreign hunters were allowed to meet with her, and it seemed that her other brothers had somehow used their wealth and power to meet Lakshmi then.
Since Lakshmi never teaches someone twice, they weren’t chosen for this event.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me more about your second brother?"
"My second brother... you mean Min-seong?"
Jin Min-seong, the second son of the Jinryong family, 34 years old.
He was a supporter, but ranked as an A-class, just one step below Jin Seo-yeon, who was an S-class supporter.
He had one other similarity to Jin Seo-yeon—his outstanding appearance.
A third-generation chaebol, handsome, and a rare A-class supporter.
In his twenties, he was so famous that even most celebrities couldn't compare.
Even his trivial actions were featured in entertainment news articles.
When he announced his marriage, many women were said to have shed tears.
The woman who married Kim Min-seong was Gu Mi-so, three years older than him.
Of course, she wasn't an ordinary person either.
She was a ranker at 350th place, an 8th-level S-class sorceress.
The leader of a large guild, one of the most prominent in South Korea.
Her nickname was "Gumiho" (nine-tailed fox).
“Gumiho, Gu Mi-so... I hear she's really a fox spirit, isn't she?”
“I don't really know. But thanks to my sister-in-law, my brother gained a lot of influence.”
Jin Min-seong was once considered a lesser version of Jin Seo-yeon.
He lived a hedonistic lifestyle throughout his youth, so he was originally deemed unfit to be an heir.
He had no interest in managing the family business, but everything changed when he married Gu Mi-so.
Unlike her husband, Gu Mi-so was the embodiment of ambition.
“Min-seong oppa is like a puppet. My sister-in-law is the one who drives everything.”
“Do you not get along well with your sister-in-law?”
“I barely spoke to Min-seong oppa to begin with, and even less after the struggle for management rights began. I've only met my sister-in-law once or twice.”
As they were chatting about various things, they finally arrived at the underground parking lot.
Hyun Suho spoke in a calm voice so as not to startle Jin Seo-yeon.
“It seems like your sister-in-law is... far scarier than we know.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
Jin Seo-yeon, puzzled, was about to ask more when she finally realized something was wrong.
Even though they had entered the parking lot some time ago, there was no sign of anyone around.
No matter how deserted a parking lot might be, it was odd for it to be this quiet.
It wasn't until Jin Seo-yeon hastily gathered her mana that she understood the situation.
“A spatial implementation magic circle?!”
It looked no different from reality, but this was a space overlaid onto reality by a magic circle.
In other words, everything visible here was either an illusion or materialized mana.
Once inside, no external interference could reach them until the magic circle was broken.
To break the magic circle, you'd have to kill the sorcerer or destroy the core or a special artifact that served as its anchor.
The spatial implementation magic circle itself wasn't that powerful, but the real problem was the sorcerer's strength.
Creating such a large magic circle in the city would require either a long time and significant resources or immense skill.
For example, someone like Gumiho, an 8th-level sorceress.
Although Jin Seo-yeon was startled by the sudden turn of events, Hyun Suho remained composed as he spoke.
“I actually discovered this by chance while investigating something else.”
What he originally intended to investigate was Eun Hui-gwang's assassination.
Even though it was unlikely that an assassin would dare to act at an event related to Lakshmi, it didn't hurt to be cautious.
To cover all possibilities, he investigated not only the event participants but also the building staff and even the 100 hunters selected as promising candidates.
Fortunately, he found no one targeting Eun Hui-gwang, but unexpectedly, there was a problem on Jin Seo-yeon's side.
This was a venue where Hong Chang-sik, who usually followed her like a shadow, couldn't come.
Those targeting Jin Seo-yeon planned to take advantage of this moment to launch an attack.
The mastermind behind it all was none other than Gu Mi-so, Jin Min-seong's wife and Jin Seo-yeon's sister-in-law.
“[Output at 25% ready.]”
“Fire.”
Pew!
Like a scene straight out of a Western movie, the blue plasma beam shot out from Genocide.
Its target: a dark corner of the room.
But as the plasma passed by, the space became distorted, revealing a fallen attacker with a hole in his chest.
It was a sorcerer who had been hiding with an invisibility spell.
He collapsed to the ground, eyes wide open in disbelief at his own death.
Thud.
While Jin Seo-yeon was shocked by the sudden turn of events, the attackers were even more so.
“Damn! We've been found out! Attack!”
Realizing they were exposed, the attackers launched their offensive in earnest.
They were a group of hunters consisting of warriors, sorcerers, and healers.
To capture Jin Seo-yeon, they had put together a well-rounded team.
They were determined to kill her, believing this event was their golden opportunity.
“He's a Light Bringer! Don't underestimate him!”
The fact that Jin Seo-yeon had entered with Hyun Suho was an unexpected development for them.
But they had anticipated some variables when setting the trap.
That's why they brought 20 hunters for the attack.
Their main force was the sorcerers.
Their plan was to have the warriors tank in the front while the sorcerers unleashed powerful magic from the back.
“The Light Bringer uses powerful beam attacks! Raise your shields!”
The warriors set up their large tower shields and activated defensive skills.
They were confident they could withstand any attack if they focused solely on defense.
But the real problem arose behind the shield wall.
(ꐦ •᷄ࡇ•᷅)
Beep! Boop!
Bipo appeared with an angry expression.
Bipo, who had crept in through the shadows, appeared around the mage.
Floating in a round shape, Bipo quickly transformed into a turret and began to fire bullets at the mages attempting to cast spells.
Dududududu!!!
“Aaargh!”
Head, neck, heart.
It seemed like random firing, but Bipo’s bullets hit the vital spots of each target with precision.
Bipo is Hyun Sooho’s summon.
Just like the relationship between a summoner and their spirit, Bipo grows stronger as Hyun Suho becomes more powerful.
The mages, unprotected by their allies, were turned into swiss cheese by the turret’s barrage.
“Gaaah!”
Five mages fell in an instant.
Counting the one that Hyun Suho initially took down with plasma, that made six in total.
“Knew I had to take out the leader first.”
The one Hyun Suho had initially caught with plasma was a 7th-level mage.
The right-hand man of the nine-tailed fox, a hunter.
The fact that he was deployed in this mission showed how much the nine-tailed fox wanted this operation to succeed.
If only he had cast his magic head-on from the start, it would have been a tough fight.
There’s nothing scarier than a well-prepared mage.
Though they prepared extensively, Nova found out about their plans in advance, turning the tables on them.
“This spatial magic is great. I wonder if I can use something like this?”
[No such skill book exists in the auction house.]
“What a shame.”
The reason Hyun Suho willingly walked into the trap.
Inside the inescapable magic circle, it was the same for the enemy.
Moreover, by fighting here, he could avoid causing any collateral damage outside.
The nine-tailed fox was currently playing hide-and-seek with the fireballer, Hong Chang-sik.
She believed that just keeping Hong Chang-sik at a distance would ensure the assassination's success.
Dudududu!
Even after all the mages were down, Bipo continued to fire at the warriors.
This gave Hyun Suho time to think leisurely.
Despite the overlapping unfavorable circumstances, the enemy’s response wasn’t bad.
Three warriors charged toward Bipo with their shields up, while the others approached this way.
Jin Seo-yeon, true to her role as a supporter, cast a buff spell on both herself and Hyun Suho.
“Moonlight!”
Supporters either buff allies or debuff enemies.
Jin Seo-yeon was more specialized in buffing than debuffing.
As the shield-bearing warriors approached, Hyun Suho also took out his chain sword.
A newly acquired skill as he leveled up.
Surprisingly, it didn’t consume mana or mental energy, but divine power instead.
◆Skill
Over Technology
(Active)
Enhances equipment.
The description was as unkind as ever, but Hyun Suho could instinctively understand what it did.
It was a skill that applied futuristic theories and science, which modern technology couldn’t possibly catch up with, to evolve equipment.
It was easy to see why it consumed divine power.
A skill that transcends common sense and logic.
It momentarily infused equipment with possibilities from a distant future.
“Over Technology.”
When Hyun Suho used the skill on the chain sword, the blade itself began to change.
The sharp rotating blades retracted, turning into an ordinary longsword.
At first glance, it looked like a downgrade rather than an evolution. The powerful spinning blades, capable of grinding enemies to dust, were gone.
But this sword had far greater capabilities than it appeared.
It could no longer be called a chain sword.
Sonic Blade.
Or a high-frequency, ultrasonic knife.
Woooong!
The blade vibrated at an ultra-high speed, creating a resonance effect.
Anything the blade touched wouldn’t just be cut; it would collapse.
Though the chain sword’s purpose was similar, its functionality and impact had evolved revolutionarily.
In terms of “cutting,” not even a plasma cutter could compare.
When Hyun Suho dashed forward and swung the Sonic Blade...
Shuk!
With a sound like slicing through an apple, the heavy tower shield was effortlessly cut in half.
