"It's a regression angle."
There is no greater regression angle than this.
Choi Ji-won was too strong, and she fought incredibly well, pushing the city's master into a corner.
That was the problem.
Had Choi Ji-won's final strike succeeded, it might have been different. But when cornered, the city's master activated her hidden move, the 'Heart of the Island'.
- Heart of the Island [S]
When activated, it consumes all the user's mana and replaces it with lightning (雷) attribute mana. All physical abilities, including reaction speed, are significantly enhanced, and every attack dealt inflicts additional lightning damage. The user continuously takes damage during its duration, and 'Heart of the Island' lasts until all the lightning mana is consumed.
I'm not sure if the 'Heart of the Island' that the city's master uses is exactly the same as the one I possess.
However, one thing was certain: defeating her right now is impossible.
From the moment Choi Ji-won's blow missed, I should have considered this round a failure.
As I resolved to regress, chewing my cheeks in resignation,
"Ji-won... damn..."
Firefighter Park Cheol-jin, deep in thought, came into view.
Choi Ji-won, slowly rising from her seat with trembling arms, caught my eye.
Suddenly, I felt ashamed.
They were giving their best.
In the current situation, I could ignore the residents on the 2nd floor and proceed to the 3rd.
For the public good, they were pouring their all.
And what about me?
As soon as I realized we lost, I was contemplating regression.
Ever since coming to the 2nd floor, it had always been like this.
While most regresses in the tutorial were forced, the 2nd floor's "no violence" rule allowed optional regression.
"... I've lost my sense of urgency."
The me who once gambled to gather every bit of information had been replaced by a complacent me thinking a restart would solve everything.
I was about to nullify all the efforts made by Choi Ji-won, Park Cheol-jin, and the residents.
I can't give up like this. I must try something.
'Don't stop thinking. Don't give up.'
Think. There must be a viable method.
A method...
To change the current situation...
"Aha!"
I have one.
"Mr. Cheol-jin."
"Uh? Oh, what is it?"
"Just wait. Lord Re-hit, follow me."
I turned and started running into the winding alley.
The full leather armor that the blacksmith had discussed.
Choi Ji-won had declined the full leather armor, but now it was needed.
"Give up."
Choi Ji-won's arm was trembling.
"Just run."
The taste of blood filled her mouth from biting so hard.
Choi Ji-won knew firsthand what kind of monstrous opponent she was up against.
If that being truly unleashed its power, she would be turned to ashes in an instant.
Yet, she didn't back down.
She took a stance with her sword, gripping it firmly.
Choi Ji-won was that kind of woman. Once she set her sights on a goal, she never backed down.
"Charge!"
And with that, she used all her remaining strength to charge at the city's master.
"If you're desperate for a drink..."
Before she could even take a step,
*Flash!*
A bolt of lightning struck right above Choi Ji-won's head.
"Ah."
Park Cheol-jin gasped.
Choi Ji-won was falling, having dropped her sword.
"I won't kill you. The Archangel dislikes it."
It took just one hit.
One hit was enough to subdue Choi Ji-won.
"Next is you guys."
The city's master's gaze turned to the players who had been watching the battle from the alley.
"Damn..."
"Screams!"
The players, attempting to flee, were struck down by lightning from the sky.
"Did you see me as an animal in a zoo?"
A clear blue sky. Fluffy clouds floating. Warm sunlight.
*Thunderous Crash!*
Lightning striking the square. A deafening roar. Scattered stone fragments. Screams.
This was a catastrophe.
How much time had passed?
Only the city's master stood in the square. The players had long since passed out. "0,00..."
Some players, including Park Cheol-jin, who had high stats and levels, managed to stay conscious... but that was it.
They couldn't even move a finger. They were completely incapacitated.
"... It's over."
The city's master seemed to savor the silence. She had won. She had achieved victory.
Though she might have overused her skills, it was better than losing. After all, she was the master of the city.
"Now, how to clean up this mess..."
*Slight footsteps*
The sound broke the silence, causing the city's master to frown.
"... Is it that coward from before?"
Covered head to toe in thick leather armor so meticulously that not a bit of skin showed, with a large hood hiding the face.
A figure in the full leather armor walked slowly towards the center of the square, capturing the attention of the few remaining spectators.
"... Junho?"
Firefighter Park Cheol-jin instantly recognized the armor.
It was the idea that Kim Junho had proposed in the past when discussing how to counter the city's master: wrapping oneself entirely in leather to block the damage from the lightning.
"Indeed... with leather armor..."
"While I might be from the arts, I do know that leather doesn't conduct electricity...!"
The downed players nodded in agreement, acknowledging the idea.
On the other hand, Park Cheol-jin was skeptical.
The opponent was too strong.
Facing the city's master, who exuded the aura of a god of lightning, would leather armor make any difference? She was too powerful.
However, Park Cheol-jin couldn't stop the man before him. Some things can be understood without words.
The man's steps were full of determination. Telling him to stop probably wouldn't change anything.
With a sword in hand, the man approached the city's master.
Courage is a sentiment that enables one to do what everyone can do but not just anyone does.
He challenges a monster that emits mad lightning, wielding only a sword.
Simply because he believed it was right.
At that moment, he was truly brave.
"Junho...!"
The moment Park Cheol-jin instinctively reached out,
"Begone."
*Thundering Crash!*
A bolt from the sky blinded Park Cheol-jin.
A brief moment passed.
When Park Cheol-jin's vision cleared,
"Ah..."
In the center of the square lay a man, emitting smoke, pitifully sprawled out.
"You didn't think it would work, did you?"
All hope seemed to be gone.
Tears dripped onto the dry stone ground from Park Cheol-jin's downcast face.
It was a complete defeat.
"Sigh..."
The city's master stretched her neck, having exerted a lot of mana. Was it because of the excessive technique used? The sparks from the armor vanished.
'That was close.'
For a moment, in her excitement, she used 'Heart of the Island'. The pain was everywhere. Had she not deactivated it earlier, she might have been bedridden for days.
Originally, 'Heart of the Island' is a skill that can't be deactivated until all mana is exhausted.
However, the city's master can.
Though she had used up most of her mana, it was worth it. She had shown the climbers their place.
"You should've known the difference between courage and arrogance."
She approached the downed man, the scent of burnt flesh growing stronger as she neared. Still, she had controlled her power, so he was likely only unconscious.
"Shall we see who you are?"
Intent on revealing the face of the foolish man who dared challenge her with mere leather, she turned him over and pulled back his hood.
As expected, an unimpressive face appeared.
"I like what I see. The scorched, curly beard."
The city's master mocked.
"... Huh?"
Tears streaming, firefighter Park Cheol-jin's face twisted strangely.
A beard? Did Kim Junho have a beard?
Struggling to his feet, Park Cheol-jin quickly checked the fallen man's face. "... Executioner?"
The one who had said he'd be willing to die if he could bring down the city's master, the Executioner, was unconscious.
It's not Kim Junho.
His magic has always been of the lightning (雷) attribute. With enough mana, he could suppress the lightning and activate the Heart of the Island.
But then, where is he?
Park Cheol-jin, who was frantically searching for Kim Junho, suddenly fixed his gaze on something.
Because everyone was focused on the man in leather armor, they didn't notice the narrow alleyway behind.
Inside the dim alleyway,
Kim Junho, kneeling and taking aim at the city's master, and,
"Whew, whew..."
Lord Ri Hit, panting heavily with his hand on Kim Junho's back.
Recognizing the two, an ominous aura was felt.
A presence that seemed to suck in the surrounding space. A burning gaze.
"That stance..."
Strong players, including Park Cheol-jin, recognized it.
It was the same stance the city's master used when she cornered Choi Ji-won.
The technique that allowed her to move at unseen speeds.
"Could he...!"
In that short time, could he have observed and acquired the technique? Logically, it seemed impossible.
"However..."
Considering how he was during the tutorial,
The man who effortlessly slew the seemingly invincible Minotaurus,
It somehow felt possible.
"This is my limit. There's no point in gathering more mana."
Blood dripped from Lord Ri Hit's nose.
"...Huh?"
The city's master's gaze finally shifted towards the entrance of the alleyway.
"I let my guard down."
The silhouette of Kim Junho, who had been in stance, disappeared.
A long streak crossed the open ground.
Silence.
Complete silence enveloped the square.
Park Cheol-jin seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, and some players rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.
Kim Junho was standing far beyond the city's master.
"Heaving...heaving..."
However, his legs wobbled, and he was visibly in a bad state, breathing heavily with a pale face.
On the other hand, the city's master stood tall.
Except for the part of her armor that had been dented earlier, she looked fine, with no visible injuries.
"Did he fail?"
Did the attack miss?
While the players were pondering,
"Whew... haha..."
Kim Junho, with a pale face, managed a faint smile.
"...Huh?"
Park Cheol-jin finally realized what had changed.
In Kim Junho's hand was a familiar brown object.
It was the same pouch that had been on the city master's waist.
Opening the pouch's entrance, Kim Junho checked its contents and immediately emptied it.
A small box with a diamond shine fell from the pouch.
It looked identical to the copper, silver, and gold boxes they had seen before.
Seeing the box, the city's master slowly knelt and whispered in a voice laced with emotion,
"Thank you..."
In the bruised square, filled with the scent of burnt flesh, the sobbing of the woman was the only sound that broke the silence.