"GRAH!"

The boss monster strode toward me. Seojin started to move, but I held up a hand, signaling that I had it under control. This creature swung its massive twin blade as if it were a pair of chopsticks. My response was simple.

<Shield>

'Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!'

I layered multiple Shields in the path of its weapon, blocking every strike. If an attack seemed particularly dangerous, I added two or three more layers. It didn't matter if it changed direction; my Shields materialized faster than its blade could fall, ensuring it never touched me. An impenetrable, ever-shifting wall formed before me, automatically deflecting every blow.

As its attacks proved futile, its eyes blazed with crimson fury. It increased its tempo, unleashing a wild flurry of strikes, but I simply matched its speed, increasing the number of Shields. When it came to casting speed, I had absolute confidence.

Eventually, its arms seemed to tire, and its assault began to slow.

'Now!'

I instantly dispelled the Shields and launched the three Ice Javelins Ea had prepared.

'Thwack! Thwack!'

The spears of frost slammed into its chest and side. The creature staggered back, roaring in pain from the opposing elemental magic, its fury now stoked to a fever pitch. It swung its twin blade wildly.

'Useless.' I refocused on my Shields while signaling Ea to prepare more javelins.

Finally, the boss seemed to realize its frontal assault was pointless and took a large step back. It opened its mouth wide.

-Tower Master! This is a new pattern.

I was ready for it.

I deployed as many Shields as I could in front of me and waited. A moment later, a torrent of crimson flame erupted from its maw.

'FWOOOOOOOOSH!'

The Shields glowed red-hot, instantly superheated by the blast. Realizing they wouldn't last, I threw myself to the side. The Shields shattered, and the flames surged past where I'd been standing.

"Gah!"

I landed hard on the jagged, uneven rock. The boss had already cut off its breath attack and was leaping toward me as I rolled on the ground.

An arrow flew from behind me and struck the boss in the face. Its mana coating prevented a fatal wound, but the impact was enough to halt its charge. The monster's expression hardened as it turned to see Bora standing there.

"Over here," she taunted with a bright smile and a beckoning wave.

Enraged, the boss changed its target and charged toward her. She said she didn't bring a bow. Where did she get that?

"I was almost out of potions, so I just picked one up off the ground," she explained, as if reading my mind.

She gripped the bow with her left hand and spread her right wide. A green subspace shimmered open, and arrows materialized between her fingers.

The arrows sliced through the air, hammering against the boss's mana coating. The creature endured the volley and charged forward, swinging its massive twin blade with enough force to cleave her slender body in two.

But she dodged it with breathtaking ease, simply leaning her torso back. The moment the blade passed, she snapped upright and unleashed another volley of arrows.

She relentlessly targeted its face, forcing the boss into a furious offensive. Yet Bora evaded every attack, twisting her body or executing flawless backflips. Her fighting style was undeniably flashy.

The way she fired and dodged simultaneously was incredible—she shot while backflipping, while rolling on the ground, her aim always true. Her exquisite skill, landing arrows precisely on the monster's joints and legs to disrupt its momentum at crucial moments, was enough to make even my eyes widen in amazement. It was a stark reminder: among all the members of the Magic Tower, Bora possessed the most overwhelming agility.

The enraged boss unleashed a powerful, mana-infused strike, but Bora's response was even more astounding. Without a shred of hesitation, she slid toward the monster, pulling out an explosive potion and tossing it. Her body shot between the monster's legs as the potion arced over its head, landing behind it. By the time the boss turned, Bora's arrow was already in flight, aimed straight for the potion.

The potion detonated, engulfing the area in a black cloud of dust and debris. Sand and rock fragments peppered my face. Bora rose to her feet, looked my way, and flashed a peace sign with her fingers.

"How was that? Pretty good, right? I can fight too, you know! In fact, I'm better than most of the upperclassmen…"

"You attention seeker! In front of you!" I yelled.

The boss charged out of the smoke. Honestly!

I threw up a Shield at maximum speed, blocking its charge, and grabbed her arm to pull her back.

"Seojin!"

'Whoosh!'

Seojin's form burst through the smoke, appearing directly behind the monster. I placed a magic circle on the back of its head, marking a target. Seojin's eyes widened in surprise for a second before he bared his teeth in a savage grin and swung his fist at the glowing circle.

'CRACK!'

His fist, amplified by the magic, connected with a sound like cracking thunder. Blue sparks flew as the boss was sent hurtling through the air, shattering a boulder on impact. Seojin stared at his fist, momentarily stunned, then looked at me.

"Thank you for the support, Tower Master."

"It was nothing."

"The power was incredible. I'm starting to want that gauntlet magic for myself."

"I can teach you," I offered. "Though Bora already gave up once."

"Ugh, Yusin…!" she whined.

But there was no time to relax. The boss was already pushing itself up, grabbing its weapon, and preparing to charge again.

"By the way, Yusin," Bora said.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to use that thing again?"

"What thing?"

"Immersion mode."

Don't give it a weird name. I'm just concentrating.

"Ea is resting. She's tired."

"Ah, I see."

"I'll counterattack as soon as she's recovered." I had pushed her a bit hard with the Ice Javelin barrage, a spell I hadn't fully mastered, so I was letting her rest.

"You're definitely more considerate of her now!" Bora chirped.

"Stop talking and focus."

"Yes, sir!" she replied, holding her bow at the ready and giving me a playful wink. "Thanks for saving me."

…Even in a situation like this, she was a sly one. As the boss charged, I stepped forward.

"I'll block it."

It sounded ridiculous, but I still wasn't fully warmed up. To reach that state of perfect immersion—the one I'd found when I discovered remote casting in the Cube, or when I stole Baphomet's magic circle—I needed to push myself harder. Perhaps I'd start by loosening up with some endless Shields.

<Shield>

The same exchange played out again. It attacked, and I blocked. Doesn't this thing learn? It can't break through unless it has enough power to shatter the Shield in a single blow. After a few more futile attempts, the creature backed away and opened its mouth wide.

The fire-breath attack. I wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

I created a spell on the spot. Using the Shield magic circle as a base, I inscribed a second circle within it—the first step of second-order magic. Into this new space, I inserted the Heat-Resistance rune I had made countless times. Then, I wrote out the formula to make the two compatible. I had never tried this combination before, but I was confident.

Building on the formula I'd used to link the heat-resistance and maintenance runes, I added a slight variation, filled the field to completion, and deployed the magic circle.

<Fire Resist Shield>

A Shield with a reddish tint unfurled before me just as the torrent of flame struck.

'FWOOOOSH!'

The flames blazed with enough heat to turn the surrounding rocks cherry-red, but my new Shield magic circle held firm, weathering the inferno with ease.

[You have created a new magic circle.]

[Magic Power has increased by 3.]

[Intelligence has increased by 1.]

'Excellent,' I thought. Pulling off a feat like this in the heat of battle boosted my growth to the level of a Trial. It was a shame it wasn't an original creation, though I supposed the design was simple enough for anyone to conceive.

The boss finally cut its stream of fire and charged, slicing my magic circle in two with its twin blades. It was a clever move, exploiting the Shield's weakness to physical attacks, but… 'Swish! Swish!' As if on cue, Jin Bora's arrows flew past me, cutting off its next move. She really came through when it counted.

"Ah!" she cried out.

"What is it?" I called back.

"I'm out of arrows!"

…I took back my previous thought.

The boss, now looming directly in front of me, raised its twin blades high. 'Should I block it with a Shield? No, I can dodge this.' I watched its movements intently with the Sage's Eye, then planted a foot back and twisted my shoulders.

'CRASH!'

The twin blades slammed down, gouging the stone floor. It must not have expected me to dodge instead of block, because its follow-up was sluggish. I slipped past its guard and unfurled a magic circle.

<Shield>

First, I cast a Shield over its weapons, hindering its attempt to retract them.

<Gauntlet>

Then, I placed a Gauntlet magic circle right under its chin and drove my arm upward in a vicious uppercut.

'CRACK!'

Blue sparks flew as its jaw snapped back. A clean hit.

As the staggering creature tried to counterattack, Jeong Seojin's spectacular flying kick slammed into the back of its head. With a sickening thud, the boss went tumbling to the floor again. I rushed forward, signaling to him. We circled behind the dazed monster and leaped into the air in perfect sync.

<Gauntlet> x2

I layered two magic circles over the back of the boss's head. As it turned, Seojin and I threw our fists at its face.

'CRUNCH!'

The power of two Gauntlets exploded on impact, smashing the boss's head into the ground.

"Woooooah!" the onlookers roared.

"Go, Yusin, go!" Bora cheered, having appointed herself my one-woman cheerleading squad.

Their voices buzzed in my ears, but it wasn't over yet. I extended my arm and shouted, "Seojin! Keep at it!"

<Copy Magical Position>

I deployed five Gauntlets behind the fallen boss. Seojin, instantly grasping my intent, grinned.

"So this is what it feels like to have the table set for you," he remarked.

He took his position and began to rain down punches.

'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'

The ground shook with each impact. The boss vomited blood and screamed in agony. After he had landed all five hits, I added two more gauntlets above his head. Seojin immediately understood, raising his hands to don the magical armor. He clasped them together and brought them down like a sledgehammer.

'KRA-KA-BOOOOM!'

The ground heaved as if struck by an earthquake. Massive fissures spiderwebbed across the boss's Mana Coating.

"D-Did they get it?" someone murmured from the crowd.

"That looked like a solid hit," another added.

"Hey, what are you all doing?!" I yelled, panting with my hands on my knees. "Now's our chance while it's down! Give it everything you've got!"

Taking my shout as their cue, the ranged players unleashed a furious barrage, indiscriminately bombarding the boss. Even those who had been holding off the lava golems spared a moment to add their firepower to the assault. Seojin used the opening to step back and catch his breath.

I stared straight ahead and gritted my teeth. '…Just die already!'

* * *

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