—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As the Monster Raid began, the coliseum filled to capacity.
Several guilds and knight orders, who had initially left, believing Lee Seok-hyun wouldn’t participate, returned to their seats.
Those who had dismissed Mirinae’s chances and left to congratulate Velutos on their presumed second-place victory also hurried back.
“Could it be that Mirinae Academy’s students simply don’t know how to strategize?”
“Hmm?”
Carmel, captain of the White Blade, turned her attention to the officer who’d spoken.
“They seemed so disorganized and ineffective without Lee Seok-hyun in the previous match, constantly launching reckless attacks… I’m curious. Was it a genuine lack of planning, or did their strategy simply fall apart without his leadership?”
“A skilled commander is like a drug. They can quickly make a team dependent on them. Whether they’re truly exceptional or not, a commander inevitably imposes their own habits and methods onto their team.”
“Habits?”
“Yes. For example, my insistence on thoroughly vetting every White Blade recruit’s background before accepting them. That’s a habit, a method I impose on the organization.”
And the longer a commander holds their position, the more deeply ingrained those habits become, the more dependent the team grows on their leadership.
A commander inevitably shapes the team in their own image.
Carmel’s explanation made the officer nod slowly, a look of understanding dawning on his face.
“So, you’re saying they weren’t strategizing because Lee Seok-hyun was doing it for them?”
“Exactly. Why bother planning when someone else is already paving the path to victory? They’re skilled individuals; they were simply maximizing their efficiency by focusing on their assigned roles.”
Even the most capable warriors become less effective when their attention is divided.
That’s why the Mirinae Academy first-year team had entrusted Lee Seok-hyun with complete tactical control, allowing themselves to function as highly effective, specialized units.
‘What makes Lee Seok-hyun so different, though?’
First-year students were typically brimming with ambition, eager to prove themselves, driven by a desire to lead.
It was a natural consequence of the academy’s meritocratic system.
Each student believed they were capable of becoming the leader, the alpha, the top dog.
Yet, Lee Seok-hyun had somehow managed to suppress those individual ambitions, replacing them with a shared sense of purpose, a collective will to follow his commands.
‘He crushed their desire to lead, replacing it with an instinctive understanding that following him was the most effective path to victory.’
Just what kind of leadership could achieve such a feat?
How had he managed to not only command their bodies, but also control their minds?
The team matches had provided a glimpse of his tactical brilliance, but now, with the Monster Raid about to begin, they would witness the true extent of his abilities.
‘Just what is he capable of?’
As Carmel turned her attention back to the screen, her curiosity piqued,
“Huh?”
Mirinae Academy was already attacking. They were going straight for the Variant Drake’s neck.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Focus on the neck.”
“Commoner, isn’t that too dangerous? Shouldn’t we target the wings or the tail first?”
“No. That will only slow us down.”
Whether they could defeat the monster wasn’t even a question.
‘They’ll succeed, eventually.’
The main characters of the Mirinae Academy storyline, the future heroes of Final Destiny, couldn’t possibly be defeated by a single monster, even a Variant Drake.
It might take time, it might be a grueling battle, but they would eventually triumph.
Failure wasn’t an option.
That’s why a slow, methodical approach was out of the question.
Speed and efficiency were paramount.
“We’ll attack simultaneously. I’ll handle the wings. Meiri, use your Shinbi magic to create an illusion, make it believe it has nowhere to run.”
“Okay.”
“Do-hyun, focus on inflicting as many wounds as possible. Mijuran, you’ll follow up with heavy blows, targeting his weak points.”
“Got it.”
“Bellos, prepare a lightning-based finishing move. Can you handle that?”
“Who do you think I am? Consider it done.”
With his instructions delivered, Lee Seok-hyun launched himself towards the Variant Drake, aiming for its wings.
–Whoosh, whoosh.
He shot strands of sticky, elastic spider silk, enhanced by the Spider title, towards the drake’s wings, binding them together.
“Krwaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
–Stretch.
Like an endless strand of mozzarella cheese, the spider silk stretched and strained, resisting the Variant Drake’s frantic attempts to break free.
Against an opponent of comparable strength, spider silk could be a formidable weapon. Its adhesive and elastic properties made it difficult to counter. And the Variant Drake, lacking the intelligence to exploit its weaknesses, was trapped.
‘The wings are neutralized.’
While Lee Seok-hyun bound the drake’s wings, Woo Do-hyun moved in, his sword flashing, creating a series of deep wounds across the monster’s body.
–BAM!
Mijuran followed up with a devastating blow, her fist shattering the drake’s knee joint.
Twenty seconds into the raid, the Variant Drake, already severely injured, began to thrash wildly, its roars echoing through the arena.
[Activating General’s Shout!]
“Everyone, fall back! Repair your weapons and prepare for the next attack! Mijuran, move to the opposite side of Bellos and Meiri!”
Lee Seok-hyun’s shout drew the drake’s attention, giving his teammates time to retreat and prepare for the next phase of the attack.
He knew the Variant Drake had high resistance to physical attacks, so inflicting significant damage would require a more strategic approach.
And just as his teammates retreated, the drake’s massive tail lashed out, striking Mijuran and Woo Do-hyun.
“Krwah! Krwah! Krwah! Krwah! Krwah! Krwah! Krwah!!!”
“That screeching is giving me a headache.”
Despite suffering what should have been a crippling injury, the drake showed no signs of pain, its movements as fluid and powerful as before.
Its resilience was unsettling. This was precisely why Lee Seok-hyun had instructed Bellos to prepare a powerful finishing move.
‘Half-measures are useless against a creature like this.’
–Crackle, crackle, whoosh.
Flames gathered in the drake’s mouth.
Its wings, a testament to its draconic heritage, allowed it to access powerful fire magic. It was preparing to unleash a devastating breath attack.
“Do-hyun! Mijuran! Grab Bellos and Meiri and get as far away as possible!”
“What about you?!”
“Don’t worry about me!”
A drake’s breath attack wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
While there were strategies for mitigating the damage, such as exploiting the blind spot beneath its body, they were incredibly risky.
There was no guarantee of safety, and the drake, trusting in its own resilience, might even target itself with the blast.
“Firing!”
A torrent of flames erupted from the drake’s mouth, engulfing the arena in a searing inferno.
–Sizzle, crackle.
The intense heat melted the spider silk binding its wings like cotton candy, and with a powerful beat of its wings, the drake launched itself into the air.
It looked every bit the part of a dragon, its massive form silhouetted against the flames.
“Krrrr…”
“That rumbling… it almost sounds like a puppy whining.”
The drake turned its gaze towards Lee Seok-hyun, still clinging to its back, and unleashed another torrent of flames.
This was the moment he’d been waiting for.
“Pephais!”
[Understood!]
Pephais materialized and, with a burst of energy, created a cluster of bombs around the drake’s mouth. There was no need for a separate detonation signal.
The drake’s own breath attack ignited the explosives, triggering a chain reaction.
–KWA-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Pephais’s attack dealt spirit damage, bypassing the drake’s physical and magical resistances. It was a devastating blow, inflicting a critical wound.
‘Time to get out of here.’
[Designated the center of the Variant Drake’s back as a weak point.]
[Flash of Insight activated. Maximum knockback.]
He struck the designated weak point with all his might, then, using the recoil from Flash of Insight, launched himself away from the drake’s fiery breath, shooting a strand of spider silk towards a nearby tree to ensure a safe landing.
‘The fire resistance mitigated most of the damage, but the burns on my face are a problem.’
If he knew a monster’s attack patterns, he could minimize the time it took to defeat it, especially with a team capable of dealing significant damage.
“Do-hyun! The drake needs about twenty seconds to recharge after using its breath attack. That’s our window!”
“Got it! We aim for the head, right? Like you said?”
“Exactly! Pephais created an opening; focus your attacks there! Mijuran, you target the weakened knee joint! Meiri, instead of illusion magic, use a sleep spell!”
“Okay, understood.”
“Bellos, keep charging your magic. Conserve your mana and unleash everything at once! Just like Velutos did in the previous round!”
Bellos, unable to speak from the strain, simply nodded.
[Weakness Designation! Targeting the Variant Drake’s forehead.]
Lee Seok-hyun relentlessly targeted the designated weak points, while simultaneously inflicting additional damage to the drake’s knee, further hindering its mobility.
He was chipping away at its defenses, its life force, pushing it towards the brink.
Fifteen minutes had passed.
The drake’s knees were shattered, its second breath attack a pathetic whimper compared to the first.
Its skull was fractured, and its eyes, once filled with rage, now held a flicker of despair.
The predator, captured and forced to fight, now saw its own impending doom.
It had lived at the top of the food chain, accustomed to hunting and killing, never considering the possibility of becoming prey itself.
That realization, that chilling premonition of its own demise, was amplified by its primal instincts.
“Krwaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!”
It thrashed wildly, a desperate, futile attempt to escape its fate.
But its broken knees buckled, its wings severed by Woo Do-hyun’s swift strikes.
Its senses, dulled by Meiri’s sleep magic, offered no escape.
All it could do was watch helplessly as Bellos prepared the finishing blow.
“Bellos, fire!”
“Judgment!”
A bolt of pure lightning, crackling with divine energy, struck the drake between the eyes.
A spell woven from over one hundred incantations, unleashed by the most talented mage of their generation.
Woo Do-hyun’s sword flashed, severing the drake’s head from its body.
17 minutes, 32 seconds.
“First place, without a doubt.”
An overwhelming victory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
