Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

I looked at Kang Su-bin.

She had collapsed, and her knee was bleeding.

There was tape on her mouth.

Her eyes were teary, looking up at me.

Anger boiled inside me.

I removed the tape.

“Oppa…”

“Just wait a little longer.”

I wanted to comfort the other two kids, but the situation was still a battle.

I stared at the man in the mask.

Byun Woo-seok fumbled, confused.

“What… who are you?”

“I asked first.”

“What?”

“What the hell are you doing?”

Byun Woo-seok didn’t understand the situation.

‘Where did this guy come from?’

A hole appeared in the air, and someone walked out of it.

It was as if he had crossed over from another space.

‘Did he have that kind of skill?’

I hadn’t heard of anything like that.

Could it be invisibility?

Another assassin type, like us?

‘The police shouldn’t be here yet.’

What kind of situation is this?

How did he know and wait in advance?

Why is he covering his face with a mask?

Kang Hyun was also slightly confused.

‘…So this is how it’s going to be.’

Just a moment ago, we were at Seonghwa Tower.

And in the blink of an eye, we were here.

He had opened up a space.

He had reached a new level.

He took out and chewed a dried herb.

Dried Shincheonsoo elixir, for mana potions.

“Ugh.”

“…? What was that?”

I didn’t answer.

He was about to die anyway.

‘Space-type consumes a lot of mana.’

After running through a dungeon, I only had about 30% of my mana left, but I had just used it all at once.

I wouldn’t be able to use it in the fight for a while.

Just then…

Ding!

[Skill has leveled up.]

[Lv.Max+1 → Lv.Max+2]

I had just unconsciously used the space-type incantation.

The vague realization I had before suddenly became clear.

‘Ah!’

I reached a new level.

A shiver ran through me.

Now I should be able to use it in battle.

‘The system really is incredible.’

This is growth without any effort.

Thank you, my disciple. I’ll make good use of it.

I pulled out a sword from my inventory.

“【Ignite】”

Whoosh—

A flame surrounded the sword, lighting up the dark alley.

Byun Woo-seok flinched at the sight.

“Are you a knight, or a magician? Is that enchanted treasure?”

“I’ll give you a chance.”

“A chance? What chance?”

“Tell me who you belong to and what your goal is. If you do, I’ll kill you here.”

“You bastard, where have you seen something like this…?”

Byun Woo-seok aggressively approached, but he felt an ominous vibe.

The flaming sword illuminated the darkness, standing alone.

The atmosphere was truly chilling.

It exuded the aura of a strong person.

‘Damn… should I run?’

As he was contemplating, Kang Hyun charged forward.

Seeing this, Byun Woo-seok smiled with confidence.

‘Slow. Speed is around F.’

Meanwhile, I was a speed type.

That’s it, game over.

He drew a dagger and swung it.

Clang, clang!

Whoosh—

Kang Hyun had the same thought.

‘He’s fast.’

The stat difference was too significant.

Especially in speed.

If I had strength or endurance, I could have covered for it with skills.

‘Is this around C-? D+?’

This was the toughest opponent I’ve faced so far.

The one I fought in the guild was a bit weaker, plus he was a wizard, which was my specialty.

On the other hand, Byun Woo-seok was a physical type.

He had been relying on his stats to overpower me.

‘This is fun. Let’s see how far he can go.’

Of course, I wasn’t saying I was going to lose.

I’m pretty much the strongest at my rank.

If I struggled with something like that, I’d be embarrassed.

Whoosh, whoosh!

“Damn…!”

Byun Woo-seok struggled against the intense flames.

Moreover, strangely enough, all my attacks were blocked, but his sword kept landing cleanly.

‘His stats should be low. Why is this happening?’

I can’t let this continue.

I’ll finish him off with a skill.

One-hit kill!

Byun Woo-seok’s blade suddenly changed direction.

It moved with an entirely different speed, aiming for Kang Hyun’s forehead.

‘Got him!’

Die, bastard!

For a moment, Kang Hyun was stunned.

‘It’s this fast?’

The power of his stats is terrifying.

But instead of dodging, I chose to cut through.

“【Fall】”

Byun Woo-seok’s dagger was sent flying.

Kang Hyun tilted his head.

The dagger aimed at his forehead brushed smoothly against the side of his neck.

“Shit, what the hell?!”

With a dying scream, Byun Woo-seok’s chest was deeply sliced.

Scrape.

“Ahhh!”

Blood didn’t spurt out.

It was immediately cauterized.

However, the wound was deep.

Afterward, Byun Woo-seok was overwhelmed.

The injuries kept piling up.

The three kids watched.

The flame sword flashed and illuminated the shadows of the two men in the alley.

It was a spectacular sword fight, characteristic of swordsmanship.

“Wow….”

“Su-bin, is he really your older brother?”

“…Yes.”

Byun Woo-seok immediately made a decision.

‘I have to run! I’m going to die if I stay!’

He drained all his remaining mana and used the skill again.

His dagger sped up, and he threw it at Kang Hyun.

With his low stats, Kang Hyun had no choice but to block the dagger.

In that moment, Byun Woo-seok dashed away between the buildings.

“I’ll remember your face, bastard!”

Having escaped, Byun Woo-seok was confident in his revenge.

Kang Hyun simply watched his back.

‘I can’t catch him.’

Kang Hyun’s agility was F-.

He gave up on chasing and aimed his sword at the air.

Then, he calculated.

His skill had leveled up, and with a more refined understanding, he used it.

“【Open】”

Whoosh—

The space before him ripped apart.

Through it, Byun Woo-seok was leaping toward Kang Hyun.

“Uh?”

Byun Woo-seok froze in place.

Before he could react, the flaming sword pierced his stomach.

Thrust.

Sizzle—

“Ahhh, aaargh—!”

The terrible scream of his innards and bones sizzling filled the air.

Kang Hyun muttered beneath his mask.

“【Silence】. 【Blind】.”

Using a lot of mana, he silenced Byun Woo-seok.

Then, he blinded him, and covered the eyes of the three kids watching.

“Screee!”

“What? I can’t see!”

Now things were going to get a bit more brutal.

Kang Hyun drew his sword and quickly swung it.

“【Slash】”

The sharpened blade tore through Byun Woo-seok’s durability and sliced through his limbs.

Then, with fire, he cauterized the wounds.

He threw Byun Woo-seok into his inventory.

The severed limbs followed.

Situation over.

When the flames on the sword died down, the alley was dark and quiet.

The only sound was the soft crackling of embers from the walls and floors.

‘If I fight without incantations… with my physical condition, this is about as much as I can win. It would take time, though.’

The skill was the real variable.

An unpredictable variable.

Without the incantations, it would have been hard to win without getting hurt.

‘But damn, I’m bad at fighting. If it were a Martial artist from thea, I would have lost in pure physical combat.’

It’s frustrating.

I’m frustrated with my low stats.

‘Oh, right.’

I restored the sight of the three kids.

“Are you okay?”

“Oppa….”

“Ugh… Mom….”

“Th-thank you.”

Su-bin’s best friend cried uncontrollably.

On the other hand, Yang Su-jin seemed relatively calm.

Her eyes were red, but she was still focused.

She stared blankly at Kang Hyun.

‘So this is Seonghwa’s Awakened one…’

Are all people from the 10th Guild this incredible?

Will I ever be that strong?

“Oppa, are you an Awakened?”

“Yeah, I became one.”

“U-uh… are you a magician? Or a knight?”

“I use both. Let’s call me a Sword Magician.”

“Wow….”

A sword magician, just like Kyle!

The three kids’ eyes glazed over.

Luckily, they couldn’t distinguish between Word-magic and normal magic.

First-circle magic looks very similar to Word-magic.

Yang Su-jin was an Awakened but a newbie.

“Was it scary? Let’s go home.”

“…Ugh.”

She started tearing up, probably because the tension had finally broken.

Before that, I contacted Yoo Chae-young.

I also contacted Chief Choi.

Since we had fought with powers in the city…

Big corporations, the government.

Two reliable backers.

So reassuring.

###

Kang Su-bin was hospitalized in a Seonghwa’s affiliated university hospital.

“Fortunately, there’s nothing unusual, but there might be mental aftereffects. We recommend close counseling during the stay.”

“But I have to go to school.”

“Skip school.”

“Oppa, are you okay?”

In the end, she listened.

I stayed with her for a few days.

I hid the fact that we had been attacked from our parents. They’d be shocked.

“But now what do we do… if strange people come again when you’re not around…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll assign bodyguards. And the ones who sent them, I’ll take care of that quickly.”

“Can you really have bodyguards?”

“Of course.”

Though not from Seonghwa’s side, as a Perfect Awakened, the government would do this much for me.

“I still can’t believe it… suddenly appearing, and the person who fought with the flashy sword in that alley was you.”

“Why, do you think it’s cool?”

“Don’t interrupt my awe.”

Sounds like it was cool.

Satisfaction filled me up.

“How strong do you think I am?”

“Super strong.”

“Among the Awakened, where do you rank?”

“Strongest in the world.”

“Ugh, could you act a little more grown-up?”

“I’m serious.”

Why doesn’t anyone around me believe what I say?

The phone rings.

Ding-ding—

“I’ll take this work call.”

“Are you busy? You can go if you need to.”

“Go? Really go?”

“….”

“Hehe, iam not going anywhere, kid. So, stop glaring at me.”

I stepped out of the hospital room.

It was Chief Choi’s call.

“Good.”

“It couldn’t be helped since I had to hide my identity.”

Now, it’s not the time to keep hiding.

I can’t hide forever.

“Okay. Also—”

“Do you know where Oh Hyuk-jun is?”

<….>

They had finished interrogating Byun Woo-seok.

It was clear that it was from Palan, and Oh Hyuk-jun sent him.

Why? Was he trying to punish Phantom?

Trying to eliminate a Perfect Awakened and manipulate the progress?

It doesn’t matter anymore.

He’s a dead man anyway.

“Give me the information. I’ll kill him now.”