The mana released by Bonggyu flowed across the ground. Subsequently, bizarrely shaped trees and plants burst from the earth, shattering the surface. The desolate clearing began to be rapidly covered in green.

"This entire area is soil where I've planted seedlings for my demonic plant research," he said. "No reason to let such a large plot of land go to waste, is there?"

These were the most dangerous demonic plants, whose very possession was forbidden due to ecological concerns. Sunflowers taller than a man opened their maws wide, and teeth grew from a Venus flytrap. The atmosphere was murderous, as if they would pounce at any moment.

'The building and this entire area were his garden. I have to get out.'

The moment Yusin reached for the sole of his shoe to prepare a Devastar magic circle…

"Huh…?"

The world suddenly tilted and spun. Yusin collapsed with a heavy thud.

-Tower Master!

There was no strength in his limbs. The same black, shimmering haze that appeared when he used Devastar was slowly seeping out of his body.

-The mana in your body is being corrupted into dark magic! It seems to be a side effect of Devastar!

'…A-A side effect?'

It seemed that overusing Devastar so extensively had become a problem. Dark magic was used by an ancient, non-human race. Yusin knew there could be side effects, as Anton and Ea had mentioned, but he never imagined it would manifest like this.

"Something's gone wrong, hasn't it?" Bonggyu wore a sly smile as he continued to grow the surrounding demonic plants.

-Tower Master! Are you alright?

'…Ugh. I'm past the worst of it for now.' Yusin hurriedly circulated the mana in his body to push out the cancerous dark magic. If he had used Devastar again, it might have truly spread throughout his entire body. There's no such thing as power without a price. Even he had to admit that Devastar was excessively efficient for a third-order spell.

'I'll have to seal Devastar for the rest of this fight, at least.'

Yusin placed his palm on the ground and closed his eyes. His stomach was churning, but his focus remained unbroken.

-Tower Master! The demonic plants are attacking!

'Sorry, block them.'

-Activating Round Shield.

A rank-3 shield spell Yusin had copied from Anton covered his body. The demonic plants that immediately swarmed him ended up wrapping themselves tightly around the shield. It reached a point where Yusin couldn't even see outside because of the densely packed plants.

"Don't even think about escaping," Bonggyu gloated. "All the species here were brought from the Infernal Flame Island dungeon. They won't catch fire, and you certainly can't break free with brute force." He focused on the rapid growth of the demonic plants, the vegetation around me growing more and more massive. This time, he was sure of his victory. "Ah, Infernal Flame Island! A grade-7 dungeon and a calamity of the highest order! I experienced an eternity of hell there. Unlike my colleagues who were dying from stress, I survived physically because of this damn ability, but my mind shattered a thousand times over."

Yusin had heard about the Infernal Flame Island dungeon before, from Bora.

'And besides, hunters belonging to guilds get drafted for mandatory service all the time, right? When that high-risk disaster broke out in Malaysia last time, most of the hunters drafted by the government never came back.'

That disaster-grade dungeon in Malaysia was 'Infernal Flame Island'. So this guy was one of the survivors? He didn't know the details, but it must have been a truly horrific experience.

"I swore I would never go through something like that again," he continued. "But for a power of certified rank-3, retiring doesn't free you from all obligations. A lot of work was needed. I created the union to build my own force, one that could resist the nation's deployment orders." Every time mana pulsed from his outstretched arm, the demonic plants grew even larger. "Injecting my body with horrific drugs and cultivating plants banned worldwide are all for the same purpose."

-Tower Master! The shield's defensive power is rapidly collapsing! Twenty seconds is the limit!

Yusin closed his eyes and immersed himself completely in his magic. Four auxiliary magic circles were deployed around him, and on the ground, a large magic circle with a four-meter radius was spread out.

"You should be grateful to me," Bonggyu said. "Retiring from the hunter world before becoming a rank-3 is a great blessing."

"Give me a break," Yusin said, speeding up his casting. "No matter how many excuses a dog that tucked its tail and ran from the battlefield barks, nothing's going to change."

"Puhuhu! Yes, yes. That's how most people react! But I couldn't care less about the scorn of a third party who hasn't experienced it!" he laughed maniacally. "For my own safety! The Healer's Union must exist!"

"An organization built on such a pathetic, defeatist attitude… I'll crush it as many times as it takes!"

Finally, light began to flow from the magic circle on the ground. One of the four elemental spells of the fourth-order.

'Activate.'

<Gaia>

The magic circle on the ground shone brightly, spreading its mana out over a radius of several hundred meters. Yusin removed his hand from its center, then clenched his fist, raised his arm high, and… 'Kuuung!' slammed it down with all his might.

'Kukwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!'

The very ground within Gaia's range tore itself loose, flipping over and hurtling skyward. All the demonic plants and trees rooted deep in the earth were launched into the sky at once.

"…What the!"

Astonishment filled Bonngyu's face. Plant-type monsters might be different, but demonic plants with their roots torn out and ripped apart wouldn't survive. The clearing, once covered in green with thousands of species of demonic plants, turned into a desolate ruin in a matter of seconds.

My attack wasn't over. The ground he was standing on caved in, and at the same time, the earth moved like a blender, tearing his legs to shreds. A little further away, Earth Claymores shot up from the ground, piercing his body.

"Kraaaaaaaaaaah!"

The monster began to run, tearing through the ground. His shredded legs and the wounds from the earth swords healed in an instant. Unbelievable strength and astonishing regenerative power. My opponent was absurdly strong, too.

'Ea! My proficiency with fourth-order magic is 0%, so the mana consumption is too high! Let's combine it with Plan B.'

-Understood!

While using the Gaia magic circle to slow his advance, he created and fired Ice Javelins. He advanced with his lower body buried in the earth and his upper body struck by ice spears, but he didn't stop. It looked like a one-sided assault, but Yusin was also continuously expending mana and focus.

'His regeneration should be reaching its limit soon.'

'Just one hit, one hit is all I need.'

Just as we were both fighting with our own paths to victory in mind.

[You have broken through the wall of perfect magic. Ice Javelin proficiency has reached 110%.]

The goddess of victory smiled upon him.

'This is it!' It was the same situation as when Mana Arrow evolved into Rapid Arrow. Yusin poured all his concentration into casting Ice Javelin. 'I've used this spell countless times, but there was no development after hitting 100% proficiency. What changed?'

-I will copy and display the magic circle that activated upon reaching 110% proficiency.

Ea displayed the structure of the magic circle with the Deva's Eye. Quickly scanning the formula, Yusin slapped his knee. 'Simplification of projection! That was it!' While spamming Ice Javelins, he had unknowingly altered the projection-related formula due to the mana burden, and that part had subtly interlocked with other formulas, bringing about a significant change.

'Then how about this.' Yusin changed the formula again and created an Ice Javelin.

[You have broken through the wall of perfect magic. Ice Javelin proficiency has reached 120%.]

'40% for the ice process, 30% for form construction, 30% for projection. I can reduce it further.'

[You have broken through the wall of perfect magic. Ice Javelin proficiency has reached 130%.]

[You have broken through the wall of perfect magic. Ice Javelin proficiency has reached 140%.]

Once the floodgates opened, his creativity exploded. All sorts of possibilities surfaced in his mind. My head began to spin. Evolving and changing, each Ice Javelin he fired contained a different formula. And the target being hit was well aware of it.

"Are you experimenting on me?! Yusin Kiiiiiiim!" A venomous look entered his eyes. The ground blocking his path was pushed aside as if hit by a bulldozer. His approach speed increased dramatically.

But in his state of complete immersion, Yusin paid him no mind. 'Yes, this is it. Disregard form and projection, add two more processes, and go all-in on a single characteristic of ice…!'

[You have broken through the wall of perfect magic. Ice Javelin proficiency has reached 200%.]

Finally, the 200% Ice Javelin magic circle in his hand began to glow and change.

[A new magic has been derived from Ice Javelin. -Frozen Heart.]

[Frozen Heart <Kim Yusin Original>]

Magic Circle Rank: A++

Order: fourth-order

Classification: Operational

Granted Functions:

-Magic Circle Integration. -Stacked Casting. -Stacked Cooling. -Massive Expansion.

Understanding: 1,200

Endurance: 764

Operation: 1,553

Output: 320

With a trembling heart, he opened his palm. In his hand was a star-shaped ice shard emitting a cold chill. The materialization of a magic circle. This ice 'was' the magic circle.

Just then, his surroundings darkened as a shadow fell over him. When he looked up, a frenzied Bonggyu was charging at Yusin with his right arm extended.

'He's slowed down.'

The Deva's Eye caught the movement, and his body reacted. Yusin fell backward as if collapsing, and at the same time, he flicked the Frozen Heart with his index finger. It flew and attached itself to Bonggyu's chest.

"This is the end!"

In the fleeting moment before his follow-up attack arrived, Yusin raised his hand and pressed his index and middle fingers together. Then he cast the spell.

<Ice Javelin>

He couldn't throw his punch. A large icicle suddenly shot out from his chest, causing him to lose his balance and stagger.

"…What the!"

He hurriedly tried to tear off the Frozen Heart, but it was no use. He continued to cast.

<Ice Javelin>

<Ice Javelin>

<Ice Javelin>

<Ice Javelin>

Jagged shards of ice shot out, and in an instant, half of his upper body was covered in ice. Frozen Heart's specialty was acting as an antenna. When an ice-type spell was used, the magic would pour out from the materialized Frozen Heart instead. Gritting his teeth, Bonggyu tried to attack while dragging the glacier attached to his body, but the weight made him even slower. Above all, his entire body was stiff from the biting cold. He belatedly tried to swell new flesh on his chest to push off the Frozen Heart, but with his entire upper body already covered in ice, that too was difficult. Yusin pressed his advantage relentlessly.

<Ice Javelin>

<Ice Javelin>

<Ice Javelin>

During the trial, Anton had asked me.

"Hey, Fourteen. Are you sure it's okay to just fire off magic like that?"

"Yeah, well. It's a bit tiring, but."

"Processing that many formulas at once must have insane lag, though? Doesn't your head feel like it's about to explode?"

"It does. But still… it's easier for me to just process a lot of formulas at once rather than firing them off piecemeal. No matter how many formulas there are, you can just find a common rule and reduce them all at once, can't you?"

"Hmm, is that so?"

Anton had grinned. "If you were an Erendellian, you'd be a sensation."

"Huh?"

'He had pointed at me and said seriously, "That. Not just anyone can do that."

At the time, Yusin had found those words a little strange. But now, he understood clearly. 'Frozen Heart', befitting a Yusin original, was a spell excellently suited for a battle of attrition. He became more and more absorbed in his casting. As the number of formulas increased, his brain's processing speed also accelerated. He instinctively wanted more. More numbers, more volume.

<Ice Javelin> ×30

'Fwooooooosh!'

Before Yusin knew it…

Bonggyu stood there, embracing an iceberg fifteen times the size of his own body. His lower body trembled, struggling to bear the weight.

"Kim… Yusin…!"

Finally, he fell to his knees, still clutching the glacier. Yusin silently closed his eyes and spread his hands. Copy Magical Position unfolded, and a total of forty magic circles appeared in the air.

"Stooooooop!"

Yusin crossed his arms and swung them. All the magic circles in the air vanished. In their place, spikes of ice, several meters long, erupted from his body. Bonggyu was completely buried, disappearing from sight.

This was the end.

"Whew."

Yusin took a long, deep breath and lowered his arms. The remaining demonic plants nearby all bowed their heads from the cold. The temperature in the area plummeted, as if plunged into the dead of winter.

Savoring the aftermath, he tilted his head back. 'Thank you, Anton.'

The inevitable clash between the Healer's Union and the Magic Tower had finally ended in the Magic Tower's overwhelming victory—in politics and in war.

Name: Kim Yusin

Unique Ability: Deva's Eye

Personal Traits: [Child of Mana Lv.3], [Master of the Magic Tower Lv.10], [Magic Engineering Lv.10], [Spell Lord Lv.10], [Over-immersion Lv.8], [Multi-Casting Lv.6], [Accelerated Casting Lv.6], [Remote Casting Lv.6], [Analysis Lv.6], [Potion Brewing Lv.5], [Information Processing Lv.5], [Golem Mastery Lv.5], [Mobile Casting Lv.4], [Predictive Evasion Lv.4], [Mana Breathing Lv.2]

Basic Stats: [Magic Power 219], [Agility 81], [Stamina 45], [Strength 44]

Special Stats: [Focus 40], [Intelligence 22], [Darkness 12], [Willpower 11], [Endurance 8]

Total Stats: [482]

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