Hamin dashed towards where Haru was, but his goal had never been on the ground.
"Kang Haeun!"
"Yes, yes."
Hamin called out to Haeun while running ahead, and he responded casually, swaying the staff he held. A golden staff in Haeun's possession emitted a tinkling sound, quite different from what Sihyun had. A golden aura enveloped Hamin.
Hamin ascended into the air, not by leaping but flying. He hovered mid-air. Simultaneously, golden wings emerged from Hamin's back—an unbelievable sight.
"How long will it last?"
"About 10 minutes?"
"That's plenty."
Haewoon chuckled at Hamin's arrogance, appearing relaxed compared to the seriousness around them.
"Go make a lot of money, dear." [1]
Ignoring Haeun's playful gesture, Hamin tightened his grip on the sword in his right hand. The shield he held in his left hand transformed into a sharp-edged blade, shining brightly.
With a sword in each hand, Hamin's smirk grew, while Sihyun was left amazed.
Overgeared bastard.
Comparing his frail staff that makes him look like a magical girl, to Haeun's staff that granted buffs and Hamin's shield-turned-sword, Sihyun felt a tinge of regret.
As he lamented his weapon's inadequacy, Hamin, the sole among 96 others capable of aerial combat, moved his wings.
"Saeak!"
Fluttering his wings, Hamin dashed towards an Irregular in mid-air.
Purple irises met deep crimson slits. Clang! Hamin and the Irregular engaged in combat.
A discarded blade intercepted the Irregular's claw. Gleeful at blocking the attack, Hamin smirked, seemingly unaffected by the thwarted assault.
Hamin let an arrogant smile slip as he lifted his right arm, seemingly more playful than serious, he looked at the claws that had failed to reach him.
"I feel like blocking it once was enough, right?"
"Sogok!"
The hand holding the sword swung down in a straight line, and the Warmen's severed arm hit the ground. Black blood sprayed down on the ground. Kweek!! The Wamren's scream filled the field, but the battle wasn't over for Hamin yet.
Hamin's sword dug into the Wamren's body and with swift movements utilizing flight buffs, Hamin pressed on relentlessly, overpowering the struggling Irregular. Even fighting back with two arms would have been futile, so The Wamren could only flail its remaining arm and scream.
"Kiik, kick! Kkueaek..."
Several severed limbs later, the Irregular met its demise in the air, not even lasting two minutes since receiving Haewoon's flight buff.
Pure admiration flowed. Hamin vividly displayed the protagonist's prowess.
"Kieeek!"
At an unnervingly sharp scream, attention turned to Haru thrusting a dagger into an Irregular's mouth. Contrary to his previous timid self, he displayed a ruthless and unyielding demeanor.
While the shocking scene unfolded, someone tapped Sihyun's shoulder.
Tap, tap. Behind those tapping fingers was a pair of bright eyes looking at me. I gave him a look asking what he wanted but Seowoo just shrugged.
"If you want to watch more, go ahead, but we have visitors here as well."
"...."
As the term "visitors" left Seowoo's lips, I turned away from Haru and sure enough, four Wamren were closing in on me. Sihyun's usually smooth forehead became full of lines.
"Why so many?"
"Probably because most students are fleeing."
"What?"
"Look around, Sihyun-ah. Don't just pay attention to that partner you dote on so much."
Growing despondent, Sihyun surveyed the surroundings after Seowoo's slight reproach. Among over 90 students, only a few were seen engaging the Irregulars.
Daun and Jihye were incinerating them while Geonu and Haeun were fighting whichever Wamren came too close. While others gathered in groups of seven or more, they were still outnumbered, barely crossing 40.
Upon closer inspection, some students were sitting while others wept in fear. Some even fled to the corner of the field. Amidst their pale faces and fear, Sihyun bit his lip.
It was a normal reaction, one Sihyun understood better than anyone else.
"Aaah!"
One boy, grappling with a bleeding arm, collapsed. Despite multiple people facing one Irregular, they couldn't stop it. This situation only emphasized the extraordinary capabilities of the Four Heavenly Kings, alongside Haru, Daun and Jihye. They were truly exceptional individuals.
Comparing himself to them, Sihyun felt like an insignificant bystander.
Sihyun's gaze returned.
"I don't have any weapons fit for killing though."
All he had was a peculiar pink staff.
What use were classes? Despite his exceptional class, he was still an ordinary body easily overwhelmed by a single Irregular. No matter how good the class was, the reality was that ultimately, a predator remained a predator.
He couldn't handle multiple Irregulars like Haru or Hamin, nor could he incinerate them like Daun and Jihye. He could try using Copy but he wasn't confident in proficiently using abilities he'd never tried.
Aware of his position and reality, Sihyun voiced his frustration. Seowoo, in contrast to the seriousness of the situation, nonchalantly chuckled.
"I didn't ask you to take care of them, so don't worry."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll handle it."
Seowoo declared in a calm voice. While I was taking in Seowoo's excessively carefree demeanor, he came up to me while looking around. As he stopped his eyes met mine.
"You can at least give me healing, right?"
"...."
Doing that much seemed to be a given for Seowoo, who's confidence left Sihyun stunned. Seowoo looked like he had something more to say, but they were quickly approached by two Wamren.
While in the air, they cried out. Kiiiieeekk! Together with an awful shriek one of them charged ahead, seemingly about to crash into us.
"I'll be in your care."
That was all he said before moving into action, his golden hair flowing in the wind.
Clang!
The metallic sound of Seowoo's sword colliding with the Wamren's claws made Sihyun come back to his senses. He looked at his self proclaimed guardian, who he had unwillingly accepted.
His back was slightly bigger than mine, but it was still only the back of a seventeen year old boy.
Tsk, Sihyun shut his mouth and looked around with a gulp. Apart from the two that Seowoo was fighting, there should be three more Wamren around. They shouldn't be intelligent enough to work together, but Sihyun still readied his staff in case someone showed any signs of strange behavior.
Another clash sounded. Despite the previous swift defeat of an Irregular, the battle between Seowoo and this new one prolonged more than anticipated. Seowoo's every swing was blocked, and the longer the fight went on the louder the Wamren cried.
"Kieeeek!!!"
As the Wamren shrieked, a murky liquid splattered from its mouth. Seowoo looked like was expecting the drool, and swiftly swung his sword in order to shake off the Wamren and move back.
ーKang!
Without even catching a breath the two collided once again. Seowoo blocked a surprise attack and managed to leave a long horizontal wound on its abdomen.
Kiieek! The Wamren cried out in agony as it went into its final death throes. It seemed like the wound was too deep for it to withstand.
Seowoo, having disabled one, prepared to handle the other. At the moment he was about to strike with his sword, another Wamren saw an opening and lunged at him.
"Hiiiek!"
Claws sharper than knives closed in on Seowoo's face, and thenー
Tang!!
Just as the Wamren's claws nearly grazed Seowoo's skin, a sudden barrier repelled the attack. Annoyed at the thwarted assault, the Irregular let out an irritable screech.
Krrrrー
The barrier that had absorbed the attack made a slight noise before cracking into pieces. He had managed to make a shield just strong enough to withstand one hit. Seowoo squinted as he sliced the Wamren's neck while it had its guard down.
The Wamren made a horrifying noise as its head fell to the ground. After dealing with the Wamren that he had originally intended to take care of, Seowoo turned and looked back at him, platinum eyes meeting blue ones.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
That goes for you too. This wasn't supposed to be a one-sided deal.
Seowoo's composed tone had Sihyun at a loss for words. He stood there blinking, and after a while Seowoo let out a small laugh. Sihyun, who had already blocked one Wamren attack, then turned to face a new one.
The battle was far from over.
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[1] Haeun asking Hamin to go make money is basically him jokingly talking like a housewife sending her husband off to work. Sadly Hamin did not seem up for doing improv…