Level 0 Master

Chapter 52

Strength-wise, Jenna's ultimate magic spell was surpassed by King Leoric's ultimate magic spell.

Ereka was already feeling pressured in the contest of strength.

Sungjin was too busy running away to do anything.

But…

Will they simply lose like this?

Those watching could not conclude whether Sungjin would lose or not because his strategy had not been used yet. If it was a situation where the strategy was used and it looked like he was recovering from the three kings' power, his defeat would have been foretold. But it was too early to tell.

What they did not understand, however, was what strategy could possibly be used in this situation. It was a circumstance where they would lose if nothing was used.

Sungjin smirked.

Now, time to turn the tables.

It was all according to plan.

First, Ereka, as a knight, will handle the wizard, King Leoric, and Jenna, as a wizard, will handle King Ilkandi. The opponent will think this is an obvious plan. By pitting opposite classes against each other, there was a chance of victory.

One week before the battle, Rittier objected to his plan.

But the opponent will try to change that.

Right. They may think we are all the same, but it would be more reassuring to fight against a person just below their level.

Then we should exchange…

No, there is no need. Pretend as if you are being defeated because you've missed the timing of repositioning yourselves.

Even so…would they let their guard down?

Rittier's worries were valid. Sungjin's strategy, until now, was to make the other player let their guard down to strike their weakest point. In the beginning, this had been possible because the others regarded him as an extra. But as Sungjin was now recognized as something more than that, the opponents were being more careful.

Of course, they wouldn't, Sungjin acknowledged coolly.

Then?

Until now I've only been using that strategy because it was the easiest. Now, I will show you something else.

He would not rely on the opponent's pride forever when he was aiming for the top.

I will push them to the point where they have no choice.

It was not because one was afraid, not because there was a lack of suspicion. Humans ultimately made decisions to the best of their abilities. Control of information, tweaking of understanding was fundamental to subduing the opponent.

You may find my plans unsettling, but they would not let us defeat them. We will aim to take the choice away from them.

The two existences do not kneel to the might of power or its representative. One is a genius and a military strategist, another cleaves the heavens. This is the moment where the winners are decided by the two powers at play.

Jenna suddenly stopped her magic and ran forth.

"Everyone, attack!"

She closed their distance in a blink and burrowed herself into King Leoric's body.

"Wha, what!"

King Leoric was at a loss for words seeing Jenna, who stopped her extreme magic midway, using a physical attack on him.

This was a face-to-face battle between wizards. It was a binding contest as to whose magic was stronger. A head-on contest between two extreme magics was very solemn. Why does she attack physically in the midst of it?

Such magic!

It didn't matter. Wizard classes were next in line to knight classes in terms of their defenses against magic. After receiving the attack, he could crush it with his Atlas Fist. It was according to his thoughts.

The energy Jenna had expelled completely from her body was only a small attack to him, incapable of cutting off King Leoric's magic. Such cheap tricks wouldn't work, he thought.

He was wrong.

The hammer hit him squarely in the middle of his abdomen.

"Khuk… khauuuck."

He collapsed while vomiting blood.

When the extremity and range of his magic spell were added together, no class could go against a same-level wizard. But because of that, they had a single weakness—they were easily distracted while creating this extreme magic.

However, they were level seven. They were usually not weakened at a surprise attack.

"Ha…hammer…what did you…"

Jenna's magic was centered around her hammer also because she used it as a hereditary Vitium to the Shaman's position who served the god of war. It was a little-known fact, so King Leoric did not regard it beyond Jenna herself. Until he was beaten up, there was no point in asking.

"Hehe. It's a secret."

Jenna flapped her tailfin and threw down her hammer once again.

"Ugh."

This time the hammer hammered against his insides.

Smash. Smash.

Without pause, Jenna beat King Leoric up.

King Leoric could do nothing but watch his damage increase with a shivering body.

He could not understand. Why would a wizard abandon their magic for a physical attack? How could the physical attacks be so powerful?

Even if the object looked like a hammer, it was impossible for it to cause serious damage, but the inexplicable level of attack continued in a barrage.

"St…Kuk, stop… Keuuck…what do you think…as a wizard…Khuck."

"Ehe. Winning is all. Goodbye."

Jenna kept pummelling King Leoric, and finally, his body shattered into a million pieces. The body-double God had given him to use in this battlefield was proclaimed dead and disappeared.

"I won!"

Jenna's tailfin shook vigorously.

Ehe. Oppa was correct.

There was no chance of a level six beating a level seven in a pure one-to-one magical duel.

But that's why he wouldn't be able to win against a head-on physical brawl. He wouldn't be able to break out of the fixture of a pure wizard clash.

After all, he was the type to have pride towards the class of a wizard.

Oong, but it's the truth that I'm one level weaker than him.

Right. So just this once, don't raise your spell power.

Eh? Then?

Use all your crystals to raise the attack power of the hammer.

Who would have thought? For a wizard to raise her attack power, not her spell power.It was an unusual order, beyond shocking.

I… I can do that?

That's our path to victory.

This order was only capable of being issued by Sungjin who used to win by using a surprise attack in the first half of the spell power casting wizard's contest.

And in exchange, I also want you to learn basic martial arts from me starting now.

Will I be able to win with just that?

Of course if a knight or warrior class runs at you, you would not be able to escape with just the basics.

But as a wizard, King Leoric did not know how to physically fight. The sweating and disgraceful movements did not befit a 'wizard' at all.

It will work. I promise.

Yes. I will try my best.

It worked. Oppa truly is great.

The Spear of Destruction's damage was devastating. In the middle of the ruins, Ereka barely stood with her armor shattered; even the trees that made up the forest were destroyed. It was truly a frightening might.

And…

"Kuohhhhhh!"

Near the end of the remains was a ghost of black mist, howling, with Sungjin, who was beside it, waving his hand in greeting.

"A… Abyssal Specter?"

Seeing the ghost run towards him with an evil glare, King Ilkandi's expression paled.

"This is not possible! The specter should not be there!"

At his shout, Sungjin smiled.

"I know."

He should have received information that I used the movements of mid-grade monsters. He would have been warned.

But this was an area where there were no monsters. He was too sly to miss the opportunity that was given to him and was, therefore, using his best attacks.

"That's why I brought them."

After attacking them slightly at the opposite side of the forest, he had dragged the monsters here at the right time.

The specter compared the two enemies: Sungjin, who had run away after attacking it lightly, and King Ilkandi, who threw a strong projection but was slightly off course.

Specter immediately decided that the latter was an enemy that should be eliminated first. King Ilkandi swung his spear around at the ghost covered in black fog that ran towards him.

"Disappear you damned thing!"

But at his continuous attacks, the ghost was only further enraged and went after the king with an even higher concentration. Sungjin watched the scene leisurely.

Ha. Abyssal Specter may be weak due to its intangible form but is strong against materialistic attacks.

Ordinary materialistic attacks did not work on it. Some attacks went through if there was a Heroic Power embedded in the weapon, but it took a while to pin the ghost down. The Abyssal Specter could even slow the opponent down, critical to a martial arts practitioner. Even if one was a level seven knight, to catch it would take a year, and there was no time to wait.

"Ereka, let's do a joint attack."

Ereka breathed until her body had recovered. After that one attack, her heroic power had diminished greatly, but it had not disappeared completely.

"Yes, Sungjin."

With the Specter, Ereka and Sungjin's attack, King Ilkandi's had significant wounds.

A human only had two arms and to block three attacks at the same time was a demanding task.

But even as he was being attacked, King Ilkandi shouted at the question that remained unresolved.

He did not find it strange the Specter was there. He understood what Sungjin meant by 'bringing' it there. The timing was perfect, and he understood that sometimes one may get lucky.

What he did not understand was…

"This is impossible! You should have been captured by Seyzo II! You should not have the chance to fight here!"

"I had none, so I made one."

With that reply, Sungjin attacked King Ilkandi's neck.

With that, the contestants came down to three to one.

Watching the fight, Eustasia could only sigh.

"He really is amazing."

After watching it play out, she could now understand how Sungjin had come up with the plan. But when asked if she could do the same…

I cannot.

Sungjin's plan had core strategies. One being that Seyzo II would not realize what he was chasing after was not Sungjin himself but an image. Another being that Sungjin would have to bring the Specter at the exact moment King Ilkandi used his ultimate skill.

I would have been able to do the latter if I had practiced continuously.

It would not have been impossible to order Ereka to disperse her strengths and then communicate using a Wind Spirit Stone to control the speed of arrival. The scenario she could not copy was the first.

He comprehended Father's monster's speed of movement when he saved me.

Afterward, he had observed the speed of the monsters using a spy and later set up an illusion stone as he passed through the middle. The fact that he had already set it up was the scary part.

Even if Father was blinded by his madness if this was seen regularly he would have noticed.

Some were efficient in utilizing their powers. Others were proficient in using stones and setting up strategies. If one was good in at least one of the two areas, one would have been able to leave their name in history. But to think he was a man who used both fields.

If he had had the level, he would have been able to rule the era.

But...perhaps...this was only possible because he had no level.

He's strong…very strong. He is strong enough to aim for the unification of all the four kingdoms.

But the victor was still undecided. If he did not defeat her father, he would not be able to win this fight. After a succession of them, others were sure of Sungjin's victory, but that was letting one's guard down.

You can't think of this as a three to one.

She was defeated by her father without being able to use any of her powers. Even if the three attacked at the same time, the victory was not guaranteed.

After calculating their moves, Eustasia knew they could still be defeated after reaching this point.

She wasn't sure how they could come out victorious. If this was a defensive move, several tactics could have been used, but will there be a way in this battlefield?

Show me once more that you're a man who exceeds my expectations.

Between the view from the outside and the events occurring inside, most likely the last showdown was already happening. Will they be winning or losing?

Sungjin, Ereka, and Jenna went back to their basecamp to recover their weapons.

"Now there's only Seyzo II."

Ereka sent a trustful gaze towards Sungjin.

"Oppa's amazing!"

Jenna jumped up and down, praising him.

"It's too early to celebrate. Think about how Seyzo II oppressed Eustasia; his powers are more powerful than all three of us."

"You're right."

"Now, then how should we go about defeating him?"

Thrown like a quiz, Sungjin's question made Ereka's cheeks redden.

"I was simply thinking of following your order."

"I thank you for your faith. But I would like to hear your thoughts before telling you mine."

Sungjin asked once more, emphasizing that one shouldn't throw away one's ability to think for themselves.