Chapter 88: Counterattack, Flowing Blood

The ominous spread of mana.

• Jurruk

Lee Hyun-seung was sweating profusely, almost as if he were going mad.

‘Is she not planning on taking it easy? How far is she going to push this power?’

Lee Hyun-seung didn’t know exactly how much of her full power Baek So-yoon had at this point. However, seeing the dense, dark mana spread around her, he could tell she wasn’t planning to just let things slide.

‘Damn… Why is she doing this to me?’

A crazy woman suddenly appeared, trying to stab him with a knife, then she starts babbling nonsense about her ideal type and testing him. She was acting in ways that were completely incomprehensible, making him feel like he was losing his mind.

If she at least had some kind of grudge or explained why she was doing this, he might be able to understand. But instead, she was acting crazily without any explanation.

In fact, what she was doing wasn’t really the problem. If she were a weak person, he could just knock her out with one hit.

The real problem was her ‘power.’

If she were weak, he could handle her with ease, but Baek So-yoon wasn’t that kind of person. The woman standing in front of him had the power to tear him apart in an instant.

‘Damn… If I had just pushed myself harder and awakened sooner…’

If the awakening had come just a little earlier, if he had had enough time to level up his Gunmage and Blacksmith classes, he was certain he could’ve killed this woman in one strike. But now, the difference in experience was just too great.

He regretted the past. He had dreamed of entering the Magic Tower, but his caution and hesitation, thinking he could just get by with a little growth, had brought him to this situation. If he had worked hard the moment he reincarnated here, even if it was dangerous, and hadn’t delayed finding the hidden piece, maybe Baek So-yoon wouldn’t have been such a big threat.

• Parururu

His hands were trembling. The mana he could feel from a distance seemed to choke him around the neck.

‘Calm down… Calm down. Don’t let her realize how terrified you are.’

If Baek So-yoon ever started to think he was weak, that would be the end for Lee Hyun-seung. He was well aware of that. He had to. The insane look in Baek So-yoon’s eyes made it clear that anyone would think the same.

• Teup

Lee Hyun-seung, still holding his gun, was drenched in sweat. He thought to himself.

One more attack. Just block one attack, and I can survive.

‘Easy to say…’

• Swick

Lee Hyun-seung naturally shifted his gaze toward Baek So-yoon’s hand, where he could feel the mana gathering.

A tremendous amount of mana began swirling around Baek So-yoon’s dagger. The magic she wielded seemed to move as if it had its own will, swirling around the blade.

This movement of mana intuitively showed how well Baek So-yoon controlled mana and how attuned she was to it.

• Swick

Lee Hyun-seung took a deep breath and raised his gun.

‘I can do this. No, I must do this.’

He still hadn’t seen Yoo Hee-yeon suffer properly, nor had he gotten his revenge on those damned Hilleon bastards. He hadn’t even seen Kim Hee-ra’s battered face yet. He couldn’t die here so uselessly.

“Ten seconds until I attack. If you need to prepare, feel free to do so.”

Baek So-yoon gave him a countdown. She had told him everything about her weapon, the direction of her attack, and the timing.

She had laid out every possible variable. Lee Hyun-seung found some small relief in that. And, he even started to think there might be a chance.

‘There’s plenty of time.’

If she had attacked without warning, he would’ve been done for, but with time to prepare, it wasn’t over yet.

Lee Hyun-seung focused, raising his mana and activating his skills.

[The Gunmage’s Swift Steps skill is now in effect.]

First, he used a skill to increase his movement speed, just in case things went wrong.

[Amplification]

[B] Amplification – Temporarily boosts the power of all skills. The increase in power depends on the class rank and class level.

Then, he used the Amplification skill to boost the power of all his abilities.

“Time’s up. Now, I’ll attack. Be careful. If you don’t block it, you’ll die.”

He looked at Baek So-yoon, who spoke those chilling words with a smile. It wasn’t quite ten seconds yet, but he couldn’t ask why she hadn’t kept the timing.

But more importantly…

‘Why is she acting like this?’

Her behavior was strange. She had been telling him what she would do, almost excessively, as if expecting something from him.

• Sseureuk

Lee Hyun-seung closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. What was Baek So-yoon really after? Why did she keep telling him her every move?

What was she expecting from him?

“Wait a second….”

Lee Hyun-seung had just realized something.

He didn’t need to focus solely on blocking Baek So-yoon’s attacks. Baek So-yoon was someone whose logic didn’t follow that of an ordinary person. A person who could kill without hesitation, an insane individual who had no qualms about taking lives.

She would likely show some level of tolerance for others’ actions, given that she acted in such a way herself.

-Flash-

Lee Hyun-seung opened his eyes and swallowed dryly.

“I really hope this works out…”

With that, Lee Hyun-seung raised his gun.

At that moment, Baek So-yoon spun her dagger with a swift motion, before throwing it directly at him.

-Whoosh—

The dagger shot toward him at a breakneck speed. Just as Baek So-yoon had predicted earlier, the trajectory of the dagger was aimed squarely at Lee Hyun-seung’s forehead.

-Shrish—

An immense amount of mana began to surge from the dagger. As it sliced through the air, the chilling pressure of the mana spreading around it felt as though it could melt anything it touched. If one hadn’t seen it for themselves, no one would believe that a mage could throw a dagger with this level of power.

“Heheh…”

Baek So-yoon looked at the flying dagger and grinned with a wicked smile. It was as if she was thrilled with the prospect of what would come next, almost ecstatic, as she cupped her face with both hands, whispering to herself.

“Little one, what will you do? Show me.”

She watched him with a smile on her face.

-Swish—

In that instant, Lee Hyun-seung hunched his body down. Then,

-Whoosh—

He quickly threw his body to the right.

Whooosh!

-Screech!-

The dagger missed by a hair’s breadth, slicing through his hair as it flew past.

Then, the sound of a click.

[Flash Grenade Equipped]

[Flash Grenade]

When this magazine is used, the bullets will emit a burst of light after flying a certain distance.

It doesn’t inflict physical damage, but it can temporarily blind nearby enemies.

This is a special effect-equipped magazine.

• Special Effect [Modification]: The shape of the bullets and the magazine changes according to the firearm used.

33 rounds remain.

-Bang!—

Lee Hyun-seung immediately aimed his gun at Baek So-yoon.

–!

-Phwa-dah-dah!—

However, for some reason, Baek So-yoon was charging at him, resisting the effect of the flash grenade. A murderous look glinted in her eyes.

“Do you think you can survive after pulling this kind of crap, kid? Didn’t I tell you that if you ran, I’d kill you? Do you think you can escape from me? You’ve disappointed me. If you really thought you could escape from me, then you’ve made the worst decision possible.”

Despite this, Lee Hyun-seung did not panic. He aimed his gun at her once more.

Baek So-yoon didn’t look away for a second. With a chilling gaze, she continued her charge.

“You really think a simple flash grenade will blind me? Do you have any idea how much time I’ve spent training to adapt to any environment? That kind of thing is…”

Just as she spoke, the system notification sounded.

[Last Bullet]

• The remaining flash grenades are consumed, firing a single powerful round.
• The effect of the flash grenade is maximized.

-Bang!—

-Screeeee—

In that instant, Baek So-yoon’s vision was temporarily blinded. The shape of Lee Hyun-seung, which had been in front of her, disappeared, and the entire world turned white.

‘This… this is insane…!’

As someone who constantly trained to enhance her vision and other body parts with mana in order to handle any situation, Baek So-yoon had never been bothered by regular flash grenades. However, the legendary-level additional effects applied to Lee Hyun-seung’s gun, amplified by [Last Bullet], temporarily blocked her vision completely.

However…

“Ugh.”

She quickly closed her eyes and began to rely on her sense of smell. Even if she couldn’t see, she could track Lee Hyun-seung’s scent.

‘Close. Has he not escaped yet?’

Baek So-yoon followed the trail of Lee Hyun-seung’s scent.

-Whoosh!—

At that moment, she leaped toward where she sensed Lee Hyun-seung was.

-Whish-

Her sight began to return to normal. As her vision cleared, she expected to see Lee Hyun-seung, panicking and fleeing with his back turned. Yes, that’s what humans do. When they encounter a stronger predator, they tremble and try to escape.

“Kid, you’re not running…?”

“…?”

Baek So-yoon, now with perfect vision, was taken aback.

Contrary to her expectation that he would flee, Lee Hyun-seung was kneeling on the ground, not moving, holding his gun with both hands, aimed directly at her. He had no intention of running; instead, he was determined to land a single, decisive shot without any hesitation.

“What…?”

Baek So-yoon stared at him with a blank expression.

‘Is he really going to face me head-on? Is he insane?’

At that moment…

Click!

Lee Hyun-seung didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly switched out the magazine.

• [Mana-Type Magazine] equipped.

He muttered quietly to himself.

[Last Bullet]

• All bullets in the current magazine will be used to fire a single powerful round.
• The amplification effect of [Last Bullet] increases its damage.
• Additional damage is applied due to the [Legendary] grade enhancement effect.

A multitude of messages flashed before his eyes in an instant. At the same time…

-Bang!—

The bullets from Lee Hyun-seung’s gun began to rain down toward Baek So-yoon.

“What kind of crazy…!”

Baek So-yoon hurriedly reached for the dagger at her waist, but it was too late. If she tried to pull out a weapon now, she would likely fail to defend in time and would definitely be hit by the bullets.

–!

Reluctantly, she raised her bare hands to defend her face. Even with her bare hands, she thought she could block at least one bullet.

No, she was certain of it.

Or so she believed.

-Whoosh—

A chilling sound echoed through the air.

-Tuk!

-Tuk!

Blood began to drip from Baek So-yoon’s hands.