Minjae burst onto the Gardens with fervor, completely knocking over the doors as he saw the scene.
News about Minseok's elimination just reached his ears. He prayed that the worst of it had already happened, but the world keeps throwing him hardships.
He turned, only to see Park Ara and Lee Hyunwoo on the ground, coughing as their HP was only around a quarter of what it was.
Shit…I was too late.
Immediately, he crouched over Park Ara before reaching into his pocket and slipping the necklace he found from the Crypts over her head.
"What's this…" she started, but stopped when she saw its effects.
Immediately, her HP started to regenerate. Slowly, but surely, the bar moved until it was no longer glowing red.
Kim Jiwon rushed out onto the Gardens a moment later, dagger in hand as she looked at the two members of Group 9.
"You—!"
"Jiwon, no!" Minjae ordered. "Don't get heated. Pull back."
Luckily, Jiwon heeded his call, stepping back and not overcommitting. Immediately, Minjae extended his hand before calling upon his skill.
[Analyze Confirmed – 2 Targets]
Though even without the skill, Minjae could roughly guess what their strengths were. The one in the back wearing glasses is definitely a Mage-type and the one up front is definitely a Vanguard.
[Skill: Fortress - Raises Endurance by 10 for a single instance.]
[Skill: Chain Lightning - Allows the user to add the 'Chain' modifier to Lightning-type spells.]
Sending a classic Knight and Artillery composition huh, not bad Han Jisung, but there's a massive flaw. You forgot to send someone to peel.
"Listen up team. Jiwon and Hyunwoo, pester the Vanguard for as long as you can. When I give the signal, Jiwon, use your Mark on the Vanguard."
"And Ara," he turned to look at the pink-haired girl before giving a small smirk. "Blow right through them."
She gave him a smirk of her own, nodding furiously. "Got it!"
"Now go!"
Jiwon and Hyunwoo moved instantly, the former dashed toward the Vanguard. Confident after her first kill, she dodged and weaved, finally trusting on her agility to carry her.
The Vanguard swung his massive longsword at her, but any and all attempts he made failed. That was when a barrage of arrows rained down on him, forcing him to block. An arrow managed to graze the man, chipping away at his HP.
Good, keep it up.
He looked once at the Mage, already chanting his spell in the midst of the fight.
Shall we do a classic misdirection?
[Stat Conversion]
[Agility: 22 → 32▲; Mana: 12 → 2 ▼]
With a single step, he dashed right next to the mage. Yet to his eyes, the speed was fast, but manageable. Even if Minjae was somewhat a blur, it was something he could react to.
The Mage canceled his spell and took a step back, the classic play when being bombarded by a Striker.
Minjae let his speed linger just enough for the Mage to see, before he dashed in again. The mage tried to cast another spell, only to cancel it once more before taking a step back.
Just like that, the pattern repeated. Minjae would close the gap, the mage would cast but find himself with not enough space or time and canceled the spell.
It was almost like he was herding sheep.
The Mage adjusted, repositioning with every one of his advances until…
"NOW!" Minjae screamed.
The Mage tilted his head in confusion, but only for him to suddenly realize what was happening. Both him and his Vanguard…were standing in a straight line.
"Mark!" Jiwon screamed.
A sigil burned onto the Vanguard's chest, causing him to freeze and shift just a tiny bit to the right, revealing Minjae's plan.
Ara stood in the middle of the Gardens, both hands on her sword as energy channeled into it. The sword's tip glowed a radiant white, looking like it was ready to let loose at any moment.
The Mage's eyes widened, immediately trying to step away from the blast radius as he drew a spell with his hand.
Heh…gotcha.
[Stat Conversion]
[Agility: 32 → 50▲; Endurance 18 → 0 ▼]
In the very next blink, Minjae had disappeared from the Mage's vision, completely different than the speed he was used to before.
"…Wha—?!"
But it was too late. Minjae appeared right at the Mage's feet, gripping his ankles before slamming him down onto the ground. The spell he was drawing shattered mid-cast as the concentration broke, lightning dispersing into harmless sparks.
"Going somewhere?" Minjae grinned.
"Ara—!"
"Dive Burst!"
She let loose her attack, diving forward with such force that it made the air tremble. The distance between them collapsed quickly, her body tearing through the Gardens like a loose cannon shot.
But it wasn't so fast that the Vanguard didn't see the attack coming.
"Fortress!"
The Vanguard reacted immediately. His longsword flared radiant blue as he brought it up to guard, planting his feet and bracing for impact.
And for a moment, it looked like he would.
Ara's strike met his blade with a deafening crash, the space itself warping from the collision. The ground beneath him splintered as his arms trembled, forcing the attack to a halt.
"...It's nothing! I've got it—!"
Crack!
A radiant red glow from the sigil on his chest spread, taking hold of his sword before enveloping it all over.
"—?!"
And just like that…it gave.
His sword shattered under the amplified force. The bit of extra damage tipped the balance by the narrowest margin as Ara's momentum punched through his defense.
She skewered the Vanguard before continuing to move forward. The Mage's eyes widened as he stared at the oncoming attack.
He quickly looked downward to Minjae, who was still holding his ankle. "Please! Let me go! I need this job man! My wife and kids—!"
"Shut up, man," Minjae replied instantly. "I know who you are…gambling addict."
"Wha—?! How did you!"
But his sentence never made it out, as Ara crashed straight into him in one continuous motion, the impact folding them inward…before both bodies dissolved into blue light.
"..."
"...We did it?"
Hyunwoo was the first to speak, still catching his breath as he looked at the empty space in front of him. Jiwon blinked, her dagger lowering slightly.
"…We actually got them."
Then…
"WE DID IT!" Park Ara yelled at the top of her lungs, all semblance of maturity completely out the window as she ran to her other teammates.
"Your plan, it worked!" Hyunwoo ran up to Minjae before placing both hands on his shoulders and shaking so hard that Minjae felt like throwing up.
"Alright alright," Minjae exclaimed, pushing the boy away. "Things aren't done quite yet. We've still got another problem to deal with—"
Snap!
A sound cut through the air, similar to a rope breaking or a rubber band stretched too taut.
"…Did you guys hear that?" Jiwon asked quietly.
Snap! Snap!
The vines around the Gardens began to tremble, but not just the vines. The entire Cathedral shook, the ground underneath them shaking as they struggled to find their balance.
"Okay…" Minjae swayed. "Maybe we have two more problems…"
GRARGHHHHHHHH!
A deep and bellowing voice tore through the Cathedral, filled with so much bloodlust that it caused the new Players to freeze completely.
Hyunwoo flinched, nearly stumbling back. "What the hell was that?!"
But before Minjae could answer, the Dungeon had done it for him. A message burned into their vision.
[WARNING!]
[Devourer of Thousands, Bishop Amon…]
[Has awoken.]