ReLife Player

[Changing Futures (7)]

«Hooh….»

Mana attracts mana.

Regardless of where the Kraken was, the most fluid flow of mana was where the Kraken was.

And then, for a moment, the flow of mana stirred.

Another stream had formed within the flow.

The sudden flow became a black hole that sucked in all the mana that had been gathering around the Kraken. Even Hyun-chul’s own mana was being sucked into the new flow of mana.

«I don’t think it’s a monster….»

Its size was comparable to a third-ranked monster.

At first, Hyun-chul thought that a new monster had appeared, but then he shook his head. The ubiquitous mana was not forming a single entity, but rather floating around a central point.

«That means it’s magic….»

He knew that none of the players on the field were skilled at using magic on this scale.

If they did, they wouldn’t need to call for backup.

«So, who got here faster than me or….»

The most likely candidate was Park Hye-rim, one of the Twelve, and a supporter who, like herself, had been deployed to the scene.

No, not her either.

Knowing her style of play, Hyun-chul denied the idea.

«…The appearance of a new face.»

The thought made me very curious.

What was going on inside the bridge.

Who was leading the charge right now.

«Hooo….»

Just then, something happened within visual range of the Kraken.

A pillar of light rose into the sky.

The sky was filled with flames and smoke, and the flashes were endless.

It was an awe-inspiring sight for a moment. It was a sight to behold, not only because the magic of one man could overwhelm a kraken, but also because the desperation to protect someone contained within that magic was so pure.

«Interesting.»

At the same time, Hyun-chul felt a surge of curiosity, wanting to get closer to whoever was using the magic in the pillar of light.

«Let’s get a look at his face!»

There was only a short distance to go.

Hopping over the guardrail, Hyun-chul prepared to attack as soon as the flash faded.

No doubt New Face had used up all of his mana on this spell.

He had no intention of letting the Kraken steal his mark.

«This thing is ignoring me.»

As expected.

The Kraken attacked as soon as the flash faded.

And by the time it realized he was there, one of its legs had fallen off.

«Well, well.»

Just once.

With just one swing of the sword, one of his legs was cut off.

Unable to feel his hand, Hyun-chul frowned and clicked his tongue.

Hwaryeok* (name of the sword)

and flames rose from the tip of the blade.

The flames weren’t limited to the blade, either, as they quickly engulfed the Kraken’s body along with the missing leg.

«That’s one hell of a smell.»

the smell of grilled squid…

Even with a third-tier monster in front of him, he didn’t relax in the slightest as he looked at the flames engulfing the Kraken.

To extinguish the flames, the kraken plunged its massive body into the river. It then jumped out from behind Hyun-chul and spat out the river water it was holding in its mouth.

Just a minor action.

He was so taken aback that he couldn’t say anything. His tail was up to his ears in response to the behavior that belittled him.

There was no need to avoid the river water that was surging like a tidal wave.

There was no need to swing his sword.

The mana flowed out of his body and turned into flames that rose up. And when the mana touched the river water, it turned into flames that evaporated the water in an instant, rendering the creature’s attack useless.

But it didn’t end there.

A searing heat enveloped the entire bridge, making it painful to breathe.

The kraken, which had been clinging to the railroad bridge, backed off in a huff and plummeted into the Han River.

«There’s no other comedy like this.»

Hyun-chul, who was already wielding flames, frowned. The flames surrounding his body didn’t burn him in the slightest, moving freely as if of their own volition.

Gift . With the gift to turn mana into flame as if he were breathing, it was as if what he had done so far was nothing.

«Oops, I forgot.»

Even if he was fine, the people around him were not.

Hyun-chul looked around for the person who had caused the pillar of light a moment ago.

«Huh?»

It didn’t take long to find them.

There were only two children on the bridge.

A small boy carrying a girl who looked to be in elementary school. The girl seemed to have lost consciousness, perhaps because she had used up all her mana.

«Wait, really?»

He chuckled at the absurdity of the scene.

«…No way.»

It really was ridiculous.

Surely there was someone somewhere who wanted to fight him….

«…Are you serious.»

Streams of mana floated around the unconscious girl.

Hyun-chul couldn’t help but be stunned by the tangible evidence. He was momentarily speechless.

«…Huh.»

No matter how crazy he was about fighting, he wasn’t crazy enough to try to fight a child.

He swept a hand through his red hair and extinguished the flames on his legs with a grunt. With one sweep of his hand, the flames were gone, the heat gone.

«Hey kid, what’s your name…?»

Hyun-chul sighed inwardly and shook his head. How many years would it take for him to be able to fight that child? And how strong would that child be as a player in the future?

He tried to ask for the child’s information, filled with anticipation and curiosity.

«Hmm…»

No answer came back.

Hyun-chul narrowed his eyes.

Now that he looked closer, the boy was not ordinary either. His mana was comparable to that of an adult, and the mana covering the girl’s body, perhaps in order to withstand the heat, was structured for maximum efficiency. It was evidence of exceptional sense in handling mana.

Moreover, he even looked Hyun-chul straight in the eye.

Up until now, Hyun-chul had only seen people avoid eye contact with him whenever they saw him.

It was refreshing to see a child look him in the eye without averting his gaze.

In other words, he was a kid who didn’t know the world was scary or maybe he did.

I don’t know what he believes, but the boy was using up his mana in such a way that if he made even the slightest threat, he wouldn’t let go.

«…Interesting.»

Now my attention shifted from the girl to the boy.

A boy who, at his age, was so animated that even he was wary.

What kind of player is he going to be?

And when will I be able to fight him?

The last one was Kang Hyun-chul, who has always been a fight fanatic.

«But why doesn’t this guy come out?»

The Kraken, who had fallen into the Han River, was nowhere to be seen.

«I don’t think he ran away, and….»

The omnipresent mana was right here.

But why isn’t he revealing himself?

«No way….»

With a sudden thought passing through his mind, Hyun-chul left the children behind and ran to the guardrail.

Hanging his lower body over the railing, he lowered his head and whistled at what was happening under the bridge.

A creature that had realized the horror of fire was hanging on to the pole of the Seongsan Bridge to lure him back to his home ground.

«…Shit.»

The ground shook.

Seongsan Bridge was already half-broken, and touching the pillars would only cause the iron bridge to shake.

«Damn it, let’s get those kids….»

The good news is that there were only children on the bridge with the pillars as the main axis. If there were other people on the bridge, he wouldn’t have been able to stop it on his own.

Still, Hyun-chul didn’t like what the Kraken was doing. Part of him wanted to run over there and set it on fire.

But he couldn’t protect the children and face the Kraken.

«…You.»

At that moment, a woman with her hair fluttering in the wind and her bangs swept behind her ears descended from the sky.

Her ankle-length skirt fluttered as she deployed the magic to protect the Seongsan Bridge with the stone stone she held in her hand.

«You came pretty fast.»

«Are you being sarcastic?»

«I’m just telling you the truth. You’re too cranky for your own good.»

«I don’t care if I’m cranky or not, you’re….»

«But I can see your panties.»

«Ew! Where are you looking!»

She was in a helicopter with the door open, and she was startled and tried to catch her skirt flapping in the wind. She lost her balance and almost fell out of the helicopter.

Her face was already flushed red when she managed to regain her balance.

«Come on, you’re not an idiot…. You’re supposed to come by helicopter, not run all the way to Seongsan Bridge.»

«If you go that way, you’ll end up in Seoul anyway.»

«Haha, never mind, I’m the idiot for talking to you.»

«So where are the reinforcements?»

«They’re all working on the rescue, so you can go ahead and deal with the Kraken.»

«Okay. And the kids in there?»

«…I know.»

Her gaze shifted to the kids hiding behind the car.

It was a piercing gaze, unlike the one she had towards Hyun-chul earlier.

Of course, she knows.

Who was responsible for unleashing a massive spell just moments ago.

It wasn’t unreasonable for her to be burning with scholarly fervor to the point of losing her cool.

Of course, she wasn’t about to let that happen.

«You’re giving me the ‘Mormotna’ stare, aren’t you? Should I call you ‘Holy Mother’?»

«I thought I told you not to call me by that name, who is…! Seriously, what’s my age now….»

It was the last thing Park Hye-rim, one of the members of the Twelve, wanted to hear.

So, her voice was sharp with thorns.

It seemed she didn’t like that comment very much, as she was even using dual casting to target him.

«Go take care of the Kraken, and I’ll protect the bridge.»

«Okay, I’ll take care of the back.»

The fight ends here.

They couldn’t just leave the Kraken like this.

Flames were attached to the tip of the blade. In an instant, the flames that covered the entire blade were transferred to Hyun-chul’s body.

The burning flames. His whole body was engulfed in flames, but his appearance was just like a devil, hungering for the fight.

There could be no more fitting name to describe him.

Hyerim couldn’t help but admit it as he wrapped the flames around himself.

«What the hell.»

Without hesitation, the diminutive Hyun-chul leapt off the guardrail.

The kraken hanging from the pole swung its legs at him.

It wasn’t even funny.

He sliced off the flying leg with a single swipe and plunged into the river, causing a fountain to erupt.

The Han River on fire.

A strange sight, water and fire intertwined.

The sight of him striding out of the boundary reminded me of a demon from hell.

«Get lost.»

A series of explosions erupted from the spot where the sword had passed.

The compressed mana formed into a giant bomb that engulfed the Kraken’s body.

It had no time to react,

the flames devoured and devoured until there was nothing left but ash.

Thus, the monster called Calamity bade farewell to the world in a futile manner.