Chapter 52

Episode 52: The Wizard’s Way of Survival (3)

Guardian Swordsmanship wasn’t just about ‘how to use the sword’; the characteristics of mana-infused Guardian Swordsmanship can be said to be the true face of a warrior.

Mana waves raged around Kang Min-hyuk. He used the guardian door’s deep method, and the flow of mana resulting from it was emitted from the sword. Mana rose gently. Not the energy of a burning river, but the energy of oil flowing softly covered Kang Min-hyuk’s whole body.

Ahhh-whooo!

Kyaak!

Werewolves crossed the wall, but their reaction was different from before. Eyes fluttering with hostility were fixed on Kang Min-hyuk rather than the guards right in front of the Werewolf’s nose.

‘Come on!’

Multiple Werewolves ascended and rushed to Kang Min-hyuk. They were charged, hit by magic during the rush, and dozens of arrows were lodged in their flesh, but their gaze did not deviate from Kang Min-hyuk. This was the effect of Guardian Swordsmanship. The aura creates a strange wave, which causes the monsters to elicit strong hostility.

In the middle of the battlefield, only Kang Min-hyuk was visible in the monsters’ consciousness, and he had to bear such risk alone.

Kyaak!

A Werewolf was in arm’s reach; his forearm muscles bulged before scratching Kang Min-hyuk’s face. He managed to dodge the worst of the attack, receiving just a small scrape. However, he had no time to catch his breath before more Werewolves joined the attack and fell upon Kang Min-hyuk. Kakakakang!

Fur and teeth and horrible claws flooded him. They attacked from ahead and surrounded him from all sides. A Werewolf rushed right next to him, and cool energy emerged as he blocked the blow from its teeth. Another Werewolf attacked by jumping over its ally’s head. Their reddish eyes showed murderous intentions to obliterate Kang Min-hyuk.

Kang Min-hyuk let the Werewolf attack, and at the same time, he stepped forward and swung his sword.

Pugh!

Blood sprayed out. When a Class B Werewolf fell with a blood-curdling cry, another one took over. It was a crazy scene. Kang Min-hyuk prevented the Werewolf attacks with his own physical strength. It was a violent situation with no time to breathe, but Kang Min-hyuk maintained his focus. He was used to the battle. As the successor to the guardian gate, it was his duty to receive enemy attacks from the front line.

When the ‘Red Gate’ broke out in his world, Min-hyuk’s father, Kang Deok-cheol, blocked thousands of monsters alone. He was not of the Guardian Sword simply because he was the Guardian Gatekeeper; he earned the title through displays of integrity. He was Korea’s hope. If a catastrophe strikes in Seoul, the Korean people believe that a Guardian Sword will appear and prevent the monsters from attacking the forefront.

The successor’s ability that Kang Deok-cheol emphasized required more than leadership. It was ethics, pride, compassion, determination. The weak would never survive under the name of the Guardian Gate.

A Werewolf’s head was cut off. Min-hyuk ran out of breath and had shed a lot of blood. Although his heart beat violently, despite the critical situation, Kang Min-hyuk felt serene. He felt good. He wanted to shout for joy when the Guardian Sword was revealed as it was intended. If it had done so from the beginning, his classmate would never have been injured…

“Klinssman, look out!”

Pugh!

The Werewolf fell in a flurry of blood. After that, another Werewolf rushed in, but Kang Min-hyuk did not back down.

“Let your body remember these experiences. If you want to become strong, what is revealed to you now will be your ultimate goal.”

He stepped upon the guardian step and stepped back a little. Jump forward; not too far, he had to keep his place and protect his allies in the spirit of Guardian Swordsmanship and Guardian Bobeop.

Kyaak!

“Shit!”

Kang Min-hyuk faced a group of Werewolf rushing head-on.

* * *

Harry Wilson, a student who had received Min-hyuk’s help, was seated on the floor.

“Damn…”

Green Dragon was a type of training that had been conducted many times. It was familiar, so most people were able to remain calm throughout the outbreak. Harry Wilson’s composure collapsed when his life was jeopardized, though. Like a monster snigging out the open again, the A-class Werewolf presented a threat that was incomparable to any monster he’d faced before.

His body trembled. He had to return to the battle, but his surprised mind could find no peace.

In front of him, he saw Kang Min-hyuk’s image, blocking the enemy’s attack from the front line.

“… That’s Klinssman?”

He was astonished.

Every student knew the name of Klinssman for all of the wrong reasons. He was the best at being the worst student in the history of magic. He was the only wizard ever to get stuck in the first circle. There was lots of gossip about him, beginning with the question of how he came to be admitted in the first place. He was exiled by his classmates and had no friends in the academy. But look at him now…he was protecting the people. He wasn’t even using magic, just a single sword.

“How is this possible?”

The sword was a neglected weapon in this world. It couldn’t cut the skin of a class A monster, but the skin of the Werewolf cracked in Klinssman’s hand. It was a scene Harry Wilson failed to understand. The vision of all of the Werewolves standing on the wall and running toward Kang Min-hyuk made him swallow dry saliva.

It was spectacular.

If it weren’t for Kang Min-hyuk, there would be a massacre, but the individual’s ability prevented such a tragedy.

“What’s happening?”

A woman’s voice rang out. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Her red hair fell to her waist, and Harry Wilson’s eyes widened when he saw her.

“Elisha Senior!”

As a fourth-grader at the Royal Academy of Magic, she held the title of the greatest genius. She was also known as the magician of prominence, so Harry Wilson’s expression was bound to brighten upon seeing her.

“What the hell is that!?”

Elisha’s gaze traveled toward Kang Min-hyuk.

She came to support because the C-1 area was in danger, but an incredible sight unfolded in front of her.

“Well…when the Werewolf broke through the defensive wall, Klinssman stepped in and stopped it. Oh, you don’t know who Klinssman is…Klinssman is a first-year like me, and he’s famous for being an inferior student because he’s a first-round wizard…not that you can tell right now.”

Elisha’s defined eyebrows threaded together in confusion in the face of Harry Wilson’s gibberish.

‘He blocked it alone?’

A Werewolf was never an easy opponent. The first grader’s ability was overkill, but she couldn’t help but believe what Harry Wilson said. It was happening right in front of her, after all. As she observed, a Werewolf’s head soared into the sky. While dealing with many Werewolves, Kang Min-hyuk never stepped back. It was an incredible sight, but now it wasn’t important.

“Let’s deal with the monsters first.”

Hwarruk.

Sparks arose from both of her hands.

* * *

When casting had finished, she yelled,

“MOVE!”

The word was aimed at Kang Min-hyuk. Due to the specialized, explosive nature of her magic, nearby allies could also be at risk of injury.

“Just do it!”

He shouted in return. He recognized Elisha’s intention but couldn’t escape the army of wolves. If he did step back, the people he was protecting would be in danger, so it wasn’t an option. Her expression grew nervous in the face of Min-hyuk’s stubbornness.

“That bastard…”

She recognized Kang Min-hyuk’s intentions in return and made an executive decision.

“I’ll avoid him as much as possible…it has to be done.”

BOOM!

Sixth circle flame magic exploded, creating a strong wind within the city walls.

A blazing fire struck the Werewolf, and a part of the wall collapsed, but a large number of Werewolves also accompany its crumbling. The state of the wall is not important now. Anyway, the castle walls can only be restored with shape-memory magic, so Elisha focused on killing monsters first.

Smoke rose in prominent plumes.

Min-hyuk appeared through the fog and slit the throat of a Werewolf.

“What is this?”

Elisha’s magic should have damaged Kang Min-hyuk…however much she had tried to avoid him, he was in a position where injury was inevitable…but he was fine.

She began to cast again.

“Fire canon!”

Pop!

Bbbbrrrrrrr.

It was fifth circle flame magic. Just as the flames showered down upon the enemies, Elisha caught movement from Kang Min-hyuk. It was as though he knew exactly where the magic would fall, and he immediately escaped the position, protecting his body with blue mana. It was intuitive and instantaneous.

Fighting at the front line exposes you to infinite dangers, not just enemy attacks but also the echo of friendly fire against the enemies. Therefore, avoidance of ally attacks was included in successor training.

Looking at Harry Wilson, amid a scene that couldn’t be understood by all of the logic in the world, Elisha asked,

“What is he?”