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"Going into a fight unprepared is suicidal."
Before challenging the city's master, I, Park Cheol-jin, and Choi Ji-won were having a meeting in a small inn.
"Firstly, she controls lightning. She's also skilled in a movement technique close to teleportation... A head-on confrontation would be futile."
"Hmm..."
Park Cheol-jin, the firefighter, and Choi Ji-won both nodded without skepticism.
I had never personally faced off against the city's master, so one could argue my warnings lacked weight. There might not be a reason for Choi Ji-won and Park Cheol-jin to believe me.
"All this information was shared by America's strongman, Michael Jeter. You've seen the public notice in the square, right?"
"Indeed..."
So, I played the authority card. I lied about being friends with Michael Jeter.
In reality, since I read a post by Michael Jeter, aren't we already friends? Maybe not.
"Anyway... We are modern people. We need to utilize that to win."
Upon my signal, two men who had been waiting approached us.
"We want to help! Even if it means our deaths!"
"We want to give that woman a taste of her own medicine!"
Despite the determination in their voices, Choi Ji-won seemed slightly puzzled.
"Who are these people?"
"The one on the left lived a beggar's life due to a bronze mark. He was originally a hunter and a leatherworker."
"And the other?"
"He was forced to live as a hunter and a leatherworker due to a silver mark."
Once the mark boxes were removed, the city's residents regained their original nature. As their experiences from when they had the marks didn't vanish, we could secure two skilled leatherworkers. They are specialists in working with leather and can craft anything I require.
Where did I get the leather, you ask? I bought the leather armor from some players I had bribed with a gold mark. So, we have plenty of leather.
My first idea: Use leather to reduce electrical damage.
"Wrap your entire body in leather armor. How about it?"
"That sounds pretty impractical."
However, Choi Ji-won expressed her reservations.
"My strength lies in the precise control of my sword... Wearing thick armor would just be cumbersome."
"I'd prefer thicker gloves and forearm guards than what we currently have."
"Alright."
My full-body leather wrap idea was rejected, but we decided to craft gloves and guards.
"How about this?"
But that wasn't the end.
A middle-aged man walked up with a dignified stride.
"Hello. I am Lord Rehit."
Not the Rehit that I had annoyingly encountered before, but the 'real' Lord Rehit who was forced to live a commoner's life due to a silver mark.
My second plan: Use nobles who have escaped the box's effects.
While other former nobles were uncooperative, Lord Rehit was different. He had experienced a commoner's life and reflected on his past misdeeds, wanting to atone.
"But... how can he help?"
Choi Ji-won tilted her head in confusion.
Instead of answering, Lord Rehit conjured a glowing orb in his hand.
"I am a mage. I'm an expert in controlling mana."
"So?"
"While you might be much stronger than me and I can't directly assist in combat, I can still help indirectly. May I touch you for a moment?"
When Lord Rehit lightly touched Park Cheol-jin's wrist, Park's expression changed mysteriously.
"What is this..."
"Do you feel the magic within you moving? It seems like you all possess mana but don't know how to use it. It's just 'there'."
"Oh..."
"But with me, I can control that mana for you. Being a mage, I can't use advanced techniques like sword enhancement... but I'm sure I can be of help."
"This... feels invigorating. It feels like energy is surging within." The expression on Park Cheol-jin's face brightened, but conversely, Choi Ji-won's grew darker.
"...I don't think it'll be usable in real combat."
She was right. In the heat of an intense battle, the idea of Lord Rehit following Choi Ji-won around to control her mana for her was impossible.
However, as if Lord Rehit had anticipated this response, he immediately replied,
"Before you engage in combat, I'll activate your mana in advance. Just having mana circulating within you enhances physical abilities and increases various resistances."
"In that case, alright."
Leaving a pleased Lord Rehit behind, she continued,
"Our final strategy is to create a momentary opening."
All we needed was a brief opening.
Returning to the square,
*Crash!*
Choi Ji-won managed to regain her stance only after her body rebounded three times.
'...Is this even possible?'
The Flash Step. Although Kim Jun-ho had briefed her on the concept, facing it directly was surreal. She managed to block a sword swing after covering almost 30 meters in an instant, which felt nothing short of miraculous. Just the brief clash with the sword left her arm tingling.
The reduced damage, thanks to the leather gloves and guards, was still significant. As robust as Choi Ji-won was, she wouldn't survive a direct hit from such an attack.
"!..."
From a distance, the city's master swung her sword, and from its tip, a magically charged bolt of lightning shot out at an impossible speed. Recognizing the move, Choi Ji-won instinctively jumped to dodge.
*Crash!*
"Ha!"
Barely avoiding the lightning, Choi Ji-won began to run directly towards her. She had no means of long-range attack. She had to close the distance before being overwhelmed.
Yet, as the city's master saw this, she smirked and swung her sword again.
Choi Ji-won, instead of dodging, added more force to her run.
"...?"
The city's master's moment of confusion was brief.
*Clang!*
A sword thrown at the perfect moment diverted the direction of the lightning.
"What?! "
The city's master was taken aback. She must have known that lightning would be attracted to metal, but she probably hadn't expected it to be used this way. Since the thrown sword wasn't grounded, the lightning scattered in all directions.
But for Choi Ji-won, avoiding a direct hit was enough.
With superhuman speed, she closed the gap, a master of the sword.
The city's master's brow furrowed.
It was too late for her to use the Flash Step. Blocking with her sword wasn't an option either, as another sword was coming from her right.
Did they time two sword throws?
In a complex situation, her decision was swift.
The city's master took a step back, dodging the trajectory of the sword coming from the right. *Zap!*
Simultaneously, currents surged from the body, using the sword to keep the approaching Choi Ji-won at bay.
It was an exemplary defense, but...
"?! "
Choi Ji-won caught the flying sword with her left hand, a move the city's master hadn't anticipated, marking her grave mistake.
Deeming it too late to dodge, the city's master deflected the incoming weapon with her sword.
Despite the overwhelming power difference, a brief opening was created— the exact opening Choi Ji-won had been aiming for.
'Now's the time, step it up.'
Her body trembled, and there was not a spot that wasn't in pain.
She gritted her teeth, focusing her mind. Whether due to the mana flowing within her, her mind remained sharp.
Size. Strength. Speed. Lightness.
Principles emphasized during swordsmanship training.
Large (Size) motions should be big.
Choi Ji-won's grand sword strike aimed at the city's master, who, in her disarrayed stance, hastily blocked, causing her knee to slightly buckle.
Strong (Strength) motions should carry force.
Without hesitation, Choi Ji-won swung her sword powerfully from the side. The city's master's stance completely collapsed due to her inadequate defense.
"Damn it!"
The city's master gritted her teeth. Electricity continued to surge from her body, but Choi Ji-won, powered by sheer will, kept attacking.
Being too close posed risks to herself, so she refrained from using her most powerful moves.
Given the current situation, she had no choice but to press on, taking the risks.
Just as the city's master was gathering mana to unleash a powerful lightning strike,
Fast (Speed) movements should be both large and swift.
Choi Ji-won, distracted by her mana, didn't miss the opportunity.
*Snap!*
In a single breath, she targeted the wrist.
If it was any other situation, it would have been different.
"Ugh!"
The grip on the city's master's sword loosened. Due to the shock inflicted on her ribcage, the mana she was gathering became unstable.
It was a brief moment, but Choi Ji-won managed to seize the opening.
There was no escape. Her stance had collapsed, her grip on the sword was gone, and her mana was unstable.
Light (Lightness) movements should be light, flexible, and above all, precise.
"It's over."
She bends her torso. A sword might not be the most effective against armor, but with Choi Ji-won's strength...
Just as her sword was about to pierce the city's master's waist,
*Thunderous Crash!*
Lightning struck the city's master from the void, and Choi Ji-won's body was thrown away like a ragdoll.
From that moment on,
The atmosphere in the square changed.
"... I didn't intend for this."
The city's master's eyes glowed an icy blue.
The ground turned to dust and began to float, and the surrounding space vibrated intensely.
"Hold on! Calm down!"
A voice of an astonished angel echoed, but the city's master showed no sign of stopping.
"It's not my fault. You all brought this upon yourselves."
Blue lightning surged from her armor, and the sword she held emitted a fierce blue glow.
The pressure was different from before.
This wasn't an enemy one could resist. Natural disasters aren't meant to be fought but endured and adapted to.
There's no defeating this.
"... Insane."
This phenomenon was known, but witnessing it firsthand was unthinkable.
The skin crawled, the scalp tingled, and hairs stood on end.
"... Cough, cough."
Choi Ji-won, lying down and struggling to breathe, and
"Wha... What..."
"In the world..."
Leaving the shocked players behind, the human-shaped natural disaster declared,
"I won't kill you. Any of you."
The city's master activated the Heart of the Island.