Chapter 30 - Joint Operation (3) (2/2)
However, the team leader was successful as he led them to be as strong as any Aegis member.
This resulted into further division of opinion among team leaders as to how they would recruit.
Among the opposition was Lee Soo-yeon… until she saw Kang Il-hyun, with unknown potential.
“Hmm… That’s right. But I changed my mind,” Lee Soo-yeon replied as if it was not that important.
“Is that all you’re going to say?” Cho Yoon asked.
“Yes.”
Cho Yun looked at her with a strange expression, then started to walk away while checking his GPS.
“Anyway,” he added as he left. “I don’t want to take care of weaklings, so make sure you handle it.”
“Ha, you don’t have to worry about it,” she replied.
* * *
Keeeeeek!
BANG!
An explosion flared up with red flames, and the Craig fell.
Its body was burnt black all over, and there were also several sword wounds on it.
“Huh!” Il-hyun signed with relief and exhaustion.
The B-ranked monster was also strong and quite tough.
“What – did I just catch my sixth B-ranked monster today?”
The monsters kept appearing.
It was hard to keep his stamina even if Il-hyun followed the route of monsters with only moderate size and ability.
Still, aside from getting his defense coat damaged from the monsters’ poison attacks, he was able to get through six B-ranked monsters without injury.
A bird covered in burning flames flew to Il-hyun as he stood proudly.
It was a Phoenix.
He wanted to summon it ever since, but he only succeeded in calling it out recently.
At first, I thought I would name it Jujak, but it was redundant.
“Well done!” he told it as it perched on his left arm.
Its wings, when spread out, is almost the same length as an average person’s height.
Each of its feathers was sparkling as if it had been carved out of jewelry.
Il-hyun spoke to his communicator.
“G4 area, done.”
-OK, I’ll give you the next coordinates right away.
He heard Jeong Jin-sung’s voice; then, he quickly received the next location.
Il-hyun was surprised.
“What? So soon?” This seems endless.
He paused for a moment to catch his breath.
Suddenly, he saw a man.
The man moved awkwardly as he got out of a half-smashed building.
I thought all civilians had been evacuated… wait, he isn’t an ordinary citizen if he’s wearing a defense coat
It looks like the man wasn’t even Korean. Il-hyun shouted at the man who seems suspicious.
“Who are you?”
The man’s looked shocked upon hearing Il-hyun and swore with a strange pronunciation.
Then, his whole body became transparent in an instant.
Reacting quickly, Il-hyun used his Transformation ability to wind a vine around the man.
The vine only caught air.
‘Crazy, he’s gone?!’ Il-hyun looked around, panicking.
It was hard enough to fight an invisible opponent, and harder still because Il-hyun was exhausted.
In a physical battle, the stronger one always wins.
However, in a battle between Awakeners, their kind of abilities is the main variable.
Even a lower-ranked Awakener can defeat a higher-ranked one if his ability can neutralize the other’s.
‘Damn it…’
He didn’t know if anyone would be willing to attack an Aegis team member fearlessly, but if the opponent intends to hurt him in his current state, he is in danger.
Il-hyun hurriedly used his Summoning ability.
The ground and rocks around him were transformed, and the golems and wolves appeared.
The summons alertly looked around and protected him.
Il-hyun noticed something strange.
The summons were all staring at one place.
Their heads turned in synch as if following a moving object.
“What… can you see him?” he asked.
The summons nodded all at once.
At the question of Ilhyun, the summoners nodded all at once.
Il-hyun quickly reached out in the direction, and the Phoenix on his arms flew straight into it at a terrifying speed.
It swung both claws mightily and –
Paak!
There was a loud noise, and the invisible man reappeared and crashed to the ground.
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” Il-hyun laughed with relief, as he looked at the man, who is now unconscious.