Summoning Genius of Kizen - Chapter 83 Simon, who had safely climbed the canyon, now entered the core area. A picturesque jungle, denser and more lush, stretched out before him. From here, the atmosphere was distinctly different. Explosions erupted everywhere, and the clashing sounds of weapons echoed chaotically. Even monsters of Grade 3 or higher, at the top of the island's food chain, began to appear. Simon, having retrieved the Golem Core, moved more cautiously than before and began his search. Even a slight mistake could make him a target for students and monsters alike. “Phew.” Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking around. He hadn't fought a single Kizen student, but the points he'd gained from hunting alone exceeded 127P. Still, from this point on, he had to be prepared to fight at least two or three Kizen students. Whoosh! Sure enough. Feeling a hot sensation, Simon looked up. Black flames were falling from above, out of nowhere. 'The same Jet Black Elemental Flame magic as Mei-rin!' KWAANG! Simon retreated to dodge, watching the black flames spread across the grass, when another flame suddenly flew towards his flank. 'Fast...!' KWAKWAKWANG! KOO-KOONG! Such firepower, and it could be fired in rapid succession. Simon ran frantically, dodging the attacks. Just as he was about to step on a tree to quickly gain distance, a large flame swept over and engulfed the entire tree. The sight of a single tree being incinerated in mere seconds was chilling. 'This is a bit dangerous.' Simon changed direction mid-air and landed on the ground. At that moment, the attacker, who had been unleashing flames, descended from the tree and revealed herself. Simon's eyes widened in surprise. “Mei-rin!” It was truly Mei-rin. With her arms crossed, she smiled and waved her hand gently. “It was you after all, Simon.” “I was worried! How have you been? Have you eaten...?” *Chuk.* Mei-rin then held out her palm. A warning sign not to come closer. “...Me-Mei-rin?” “We've been in the same group ever since we entered Kizen. We've cooperated and relied on each other.” Simon quickly assessed the situation. The atmosphere was different from usual. Her eyes also seemed a little hazy. “Honestly, aren't you curious?” Black flames flickered on her palm. “Which one of us is stronger?” Simon's face hardened as he raised his Jet Black. “Are you going to fight me?” “Yes.” Mei-rin answered immediately. “It's rare to get an opportunity like this to fight with all our might.” “Calm down. Draining our strength in this situation is inefficient for both of us.” Her eyes sharpened. “Just prepare yourself!” HWAAAAAAAK! The flames in her hand intensified. Simon cooled his head and thought calmly. 'Something's definitely off.' He knew well that Mei-rin was aiming for the top, surpassing even the 1st rank in Class A. He also knew about her competitive spirit. He had vaguely thought that they might clash someday. But wasn't this too sudden? Simon, thinking something was wrong, pulled skeletons from his Magical Inventory. “Haaaat!” She leaped into the air, treading on Jet Black, and unleashed a barrage of black flames. Whoosh! HWAAAAAAAK! Each strike was a terrifying offensive. The angles and directions of the projectiles were diverse. Moreover, when the black flames hit the ground, they burned the grass and trees, creating dangerous zones. The space available for evasion was shrinking in real-time. “Haaaaaaat!” Mei-rin was serious. Furthermore, she was using 'Multi-casting', a technique she had shown in the previous Duel Evaluation. While unleashing firepower with her right hand, she was preparing her ultimate skill, Dark Flare, with her left. It was, quite literally, flawless. Mei-rin was cornering Simon with overwhelming specs. 'If it comes to this, I have no choice.' Simon also decided to fight seriously. 'Just as you know me well, I know you well too.' What Simon pulled out of his Magical Inventory was a 1-gold bow. He held the bow with his left hand, an arrow with his right, and imbued it with Jet Black. 'Whoa!' Simon jumped to dodge the incoming black flames, then nocked an arrow and turned his back. He aimed at Mei-rin, who was continuously pouring out black flames. PING! He fired. The arrow pierced through the black flames, and Mei-rin couldn't track its trajectory due to her own attack. PAK! The result was a direct hit to her side. Thanks to her Protective Suit, there was no injury, but her barrier gauge dropped significantly. She looked surprised and stumbled backward. 'Mei-rin's offensive power alone is among the top in all of Kizen. But for someone who pours out firepower in an all-out offensive to suppress the opponent's attacks, in such a case...' Simon nocked another arrow and fired. 'Without needing any other complex maneuvers, she's vulnerable to pure pinpoint physical attacks.' PUK! The next arrow struck the tree next to Mei-rin's face. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. “Don't underestimate me!” She now attacked even more aggressively, running forward. As Simon maintained his distance and continuously fired arrows, she began to activate her internal Jet Black circulation. Her running speed gradually increased, and the arrows began to embed themselves in the ground. 'Wow, if she's good at Jet Black Treading too, this will be tough.' Simon clicked his tongue and nocked the next arrow. It's not easy to hit an opponent running at full speed. The best timing is... “Haaaat!” The moment she unleashed black flames, Simon also fired an arrow. Both of them performed evasion movements simultaneously with their attacks. She tilted her head, and Simon dodged with a backward somersault. Whoosh! PAK! After exchanging attacks, the two scraped the ground and retreated. Mei-rin smiled. 'No need to rush. If I stall for time like this and Dark Flare is ready...' PAK! Suddenly, she felt an impact on her thigh and turned around in surprise. 'What? Who just...!' As if not giving her time to think, Simon immediately fired an arrow from the front. She leaped sideways to dodge, keeping an eye on her rear. SHWEEEEK! SHWAK! This time, one arrow each flew from the left and right, damaging her barrier gauge as they passed. Her gauge was already more than half depleted just from arrows. 'What in the world is going on?!' Mei-rin landed on the ground and quickly racked her brain. Attacks from three directions. She recalled that Simon also used three Skeleton Archers. 'That's right. Skeleton Archers...!' But the direction the arrows came from was only dark due to the dense forest, making it impossible to pinpoint their exact location. It was also a distance that black flames couldn't reach. 'Reload.' Simon nocked an arrow. The three Skeleton Archers connected to his thoughts also nocked arrows simultaneously and aimed at Mei-rin. 'Your weakness is long-range physical attacks. And now, attacks from four directions.' No matter what anyone said, the identity of Summoning Studies was numbers. Simon, fully utilizing this advantage, was now cornering Mei-rin. 'Don't underestimate me. You're not the only one who thinks!' She bit her lip tightly and unfolded a new magic circle. PABABAK! Two of the four arrows grazed her, significantly reducing her gauge again. Simon and the Skeleton Archers began reloading again. She leaned against a tree and retreated, kneeling on one knee and placing her hand on the ground. <Jet Black Elemental Magic Ice Attribute - Wall of Ice> KU-RURUNG! A wall of ice, covering three directions at once, unfolded. The next arrows all hit the barrier and bounced off. Seeing this, Simon lowered his bow with a relieved expression. 'This is it.' In truth, Simon had no intention of eliminating her. Since she had taken a defensive stance first, all he had to do was raise his Jet Black and escape. Just as Simon was about to cleanly turn his back. “Simon!!” Mei-rin's shout came from behind him. “Are you really going to end it like this? Are you going to finish our first match so boringly?!” “......” Simon turned back around. “Fight properly!” HWARRRRRRUK! Finally, Dark Flare was complete. The ice wall could be seen rapidly melting from its heat. 'I don't know why she's doing this, but...' Simon gripped his bow again. 'If you say it like that, I'll get stubborn too.' The ice completely melted, and she began to run. Activating her internal Jet Black circulation to the extreme, she held Dark Flare in both hands. A combination of speed and attack that disregarded defense. Simon aimed his bow again, concentrating Jet Black in his legs. The Skeleton Archers also prepared to snipe. 'Precise predictive shooting is still too difficult for my current skill. I'll finish it with close-range shooting when she gets closer.' The distance between the two was rapidly closing. A hair-trigger situation. Just as Simon was about to release the bowstring. '......Huh?' Next to Mei-rin, cracks appeared in the ground. [Boy! It's him!] Pier's urgent voice echoed in his mind. [It's Bikrum!] That's Bikrum? Simon's eyes widened sharply. The cracks in the ground were approaching her at an incredible speed. At this rate, they would collide head-on. 'Ugh!' Simon threw away the bow he was aiming. Then, he gathered all his Jet Black into his two feet, planted them on the ground, and lowered his stance. And with the maximum output of Jet Black Treading, he charged towards her. 'What? Why is he suddenly doing that?' Mei-rin's pupils wavered. Such a charge with Dark Flare in front of her was nothing but suicide. Now, if she extended her arm and activated Dark Flare, it would be over, but she hesitated. That desperate expression, no matter how she looked at it, seemed far from an attacker trying to harm her. Her arm paused for a moment and stopped. And then, the question finally arose. 'Why am I... fighting Simon?' JJEK! Simon, who had slipped in during her momentary hesitation, struck the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. Then, without delay, he grabbed her and backflipped with all his might. KUKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA! Simon felt as if the earth itself was being overturned. The ground exploded with vibrations, and something massive burst out from the cracks. 'My goodness...!' It was the arm of a gigantic monster, wrapped in what looked like green biological bandages. The hand clutched at empty air, and Simon and Mei-rin, tangled together, managed to dodge by a hair's breadth. 'Ugh!' He had jumped without preparing for the landing. Simon hugged her tightly, shielding her, and hit the ground with his back. With a BANG!, Simon's body bounced like a spring, and she also rolled across the ground. “Mei-rin!” Mei-rin, unconscious, was being pushed towards the cliff. The gigantic arm frantically swept the surroundings as if searching for something, then finally placed its palm on the ground. “...!” Simon froze. From the canyon, where the opposite cliff was visible, the face of the gigantic monster emerged. 'That's...!' Bikrum, the former commander of the Giant Unit. Bikrum looked around with a dazed expression, then, seemingly unable to find what he wanted, turned his back. [Boy! He's getting away!] “But...!” Mei-rin, unconscious, was rolling down the sloped ground. That way was a cliff. Simon looked between Bikrum and Mei-rin, gritted his teeth, and ran towards Mei-rin. 'Jet Black Treading again!' Simon sprinted. Just as Mei-rin, who was sliding down the slope, was about to fall off the cliff. TEOP! He grabbed her wrist by a hair's breadth. Simon, covered in dirt, gasped for breath and looked up. KOO-WOONG! KOO-WOONG! KOO-WOONG! A giant so massive it made his jaw drop was walking towards the other side of the cliff. His body slowly began to shrink as he looked around as if searching for something. Eventually, he became smaller than a tree and disappeared from sight. 'Phew.' Simon pulled up the unconscious Mei-rin. Thanks to her Protective Suit, she didn't seem to be injured. Her barrier gauge was barely in the single digits. 'What's this?' But there was an unusual white feather stuck in the nape of her neck. As Simon reached out to examine it closely, the feather scattered into the air and vanished. *Tuduk. Tuduk.* 'Ah.' Simon looked up. A few raindrops fell from the cloudy sky, then a sudden downpour began with a whooshing sound. 'First, I need to find shelter.' There would be plenty of time to hear the full story later. Simon picked up the unconscious Mei-rin and stood up.
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